5 blasts, 18 dead, many more injured…
The usual statements have started to pour in:
“These dastardly terror blasts are an act of cowardice,” Gandhi said in a statement after six successive blasts ripped through the capital… [ link ]
Now waiting for the next act to unfold.
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A Roll Call of Terror:
Dec ‘05: New Delhi: Four Years, Two Attacks, One Story 
Mar ‘06: Varanasi: Anger, tears and despair 
Jul ‘06: Mumbai: Blasts? What Blasts? ‘Yeh to hota hi rahta hai‘ 
Aug ‘07: Hyderabad: Another day, another blast – “Kuch nayee baat batao yaar” 
May ‘08: Jaipur: Jihadi attack …

From a BBC report: “‘Another US strike’ hits Pakistan“  (emphasis mine)
Five civilians and seven militants have been killed in north-west Pakistan in a suspected US missile attack, local officials say. Missiles hit two buildings near Miranshah, the main town in the North Waziristan region on the Afghan border.
It has emerged that President Bush recently authorised US raids against militants in Pakistan without prior approval from Islamabad.
There is growing concern in Pakistan over unilateral US military action.
…It is the fifth time since the beginning of this month that US …

First, this great post on the N-Deal from BarbarIndian: The mis-argumentative Indian (recommended).
Next, Bhaskar Roy writes on China’s Assasin’s Mace strategy re. the recent N-deal…
and finally, why Sarah palin may not be that different from a Muslim Fundamentalist.
Extracts from all these links below.
Keep smiling, Stay Healthy and Enjoy the weekend.

…Muslims need to look within their own community and build reforms within it.
Last weekend, I finally managed to read the entire transcript of the Karan Thapar – Shabana Azmi interview and stumbled upon this bit in which she comments on the need for reform within the Muslim community:
Karan Thapar: Today, not just abroad but even in India, people say that Muslims have to take on the onus of changing the image of their religion and the image of the community. Is that a fair thing to say?
Shabana Azmi: I think it is. …

Some links for weekend reading:
1. From the Telegraph, an excellent article by Ambassador K Sibal on why borders are (still) relevant.
2. A revealing interview with Govindacharya: Jaitley is BJP’s best, Rajnath saboteur
3. Why Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam may not mean what you think it does and finally,
4. Why India..while enjoying all the characteristics of great power, is unlikely to become one (a 2005 article but still relevant, in my view).
Excerpts from all the three articles are below.  Enjoy the weekend.