Post the violence in Mumbai India’s Home Minister Shivraj Patil submitted his resignation on Sunday as the country investigated alleged Pakistani ties to the terrorist attacks that killed 183 people in Mumbai. It has also been reported that the Indian government will consider suspending the five-year old cease-fire with Pakistan along with ending the dialogue process with the country.

The 60-hour wave of violence that began on Wednesday night surged into at least nine locations in Mumbai, killing 183 people with about 300 wounded. Patil, who had been widely criticized even before the terrorists struck, submitted his resignation to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, according to sources. Sources also mention that after the resignation was accepted, the Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has taken over the Home Ministry post.

The search and rescue officials have found nine bodies, bringing the death toll from flooding in southern Brazil to 109. According to officials, there are 19 people still missing. With over 79,000 residents left homeless, the state of Santa Catarina has been hardest-hit in the country and the government has already declared 14 cities as disaster areas.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took an aerial survey across some of the flooded areas and proclaimed the disaster to be one of the worst in the country’s history. He stated this while releasing $1.97 billion reais ($854 million U.S. dollars) in aid to the afflicted areas, most notably to Santa Catarina. The tragedy has economically affected bridges, roads, houses and buildings that have been completely destroyed. Sources state that the port of the Santa Catarina city of Itajai has been closed and this is costing the city close to $33 million a day.

Iran has proposed to form a consortium with its neighboring countries in the Gulf region for developing nuclear power plants. The head of the Atomic Energy Organization, Reza Aqazadeh, forwarded this proposal while addressing the opening session of the First International Seminar on Nuclear Power Plants, Environment and Sustainable Development.

It is reported that Mr. Aqazadeh urged participants of the two-day seminar to form a consortium to construct and develop light water nuclear power plants in the region. He also mentioned that Iran would soon be ready to provide a comprehensive plan for the proposal if it were approved in generalities by the Persian Gulf littoral states. This seminar opened in Tehran on Sunday morning in the presence of Iranian Majlis speaker, Ali Larijani and representative of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Christer Viktorsson. Throughout the seminar there would be extensive discussions regarding the need for nuclear energy as a replacement; the setting up of nuclear power plants as a national strategy; nuclear power plants and global energy market, development of nuclear energy and sustainable development and nuclear energy. The other important subjects for discussion included global warming and the role of international bodies to protect environment and safety in developing nuclear power plants.

Following a heavy exchange of fire, National Security Guard (NSG) commandos early on Saturday gunned down three terrorists at the Taj Heritage hotel. The Deputy General of NSG, J K Dutt stated that the operation at the Taj, codenamed ‘Operation Cyclone,’ was almost over, though not quite complete.

One of the terrorists, who was standing near the window, was killed when a security personnel shot at him while he attempted to lob a grenade. There were two more dead bodies of such terrorists inside the hotel lobby. Most of the terrorists had AK 47 guns on them. Though the search for any threat is still on, until the sanitization process was completed, the operation cannot be termed as over, remarked Dutt. Fifty seven hours into a war-like operation against terror, NSG states that at least three terrorists are still holding the city’s iconic hotel to ransom. While an all-clear was sounded at Hotel Oberoi-Trident and Nariman House – the other two flashpoints – the operation at Taj is still on.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy today offered India the help of his country’s intelligence services while condemning the deadly attacks by Islamic militants in Mumbai.

He noted that the attacks militants that left nearly 200 people dead were “particularly vile, cowardly, scandalous,” while addressing a UN summit in Qatar on aid to poorer countries. Speaking to the Indian Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, Mr. Sarkozy said he French (intelligence) services would cooperate and help India in facing the ‘barbaric terrorism.’

He stressed that no cause whatsoever can make the barbaric acts acceptable. Sarkozy, currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union. In the meanwhile commandos on Saturday killed the last remaining gunmen in Mumbai’s Taj Hotel, putting an end to the devastating attack on India’s financial capital that has left 195 dead, inclusive of 22 foreigners.

If sources are to be believed, there is ‘enough proof’ collected by the Maharashtra government revealing facts that the terrorists involved in the Mumbai attacks were pre-planned as they received constant commands from groups in Pakistan. The Maharashtra state’s Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil, stated that most phone calls tapped reattributed to this fact. He also noted that the terrorists kept their master updated on every move. He remarked that they were instructed regarding their movement inside the hotel with minute details on whether they needed to go upstairs or come down or make a move left or right.

Moreover, the tapped tele-conversations also revealed that the terrorists were updated on the outsiders and their moves over the phone. He rubbished rumours about some terrorists being ex-employees of the Taj Mahal hotel. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that Pakistan government is not on the defensive. Reacting to rumours he said, “The government of Pakistan and all the institutions of Pakistan are unanimous that Pakistan is not involved in this ghastly act and that is why we do not have to be on the defensive and we are not.”

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According to sources, heavy firing continued on the second day of the mayhem in Mumbai. The second floor of Taj Mahal hotel saw firing going on in a corner room, facing the Gateway of India. It has also been understood that a foreign journalist was hit in the knee while a bystander, outside the hotel, was shot in the back. Reports say the bullets may have re-echoed during the cross-fire. The media has been asked to move back as precaution. Furthermore, reports also state that commandos in Nariman House, in the nearby area have been counterattacking the floors. With a rocket propelled grenade that went off with a big bang, there was fire on the other side of the building. Commandos have been instructed to attack from the roof and have also been firing from the outside.

According to the latest reports there have been fifteen policemen and two National Security Guard (NSG) personnel that have lost their lives in anti-terror operations. It is also believed that at least 148 hostages, mostly foreign visitors, were rescued from the Trident Hotel on Friday morning. They were escorted from the scene in a bus that was stationed at the nearby Air India building. The operation at Nariman House however is still going on.

A relaxed drink by the poolside revealed itself as a night of terror for scores of people, many of them tourists, as they ducked under tables, hid inside toilets or were fortunate to escape when terrorists sprayed gunfire and burst grenades inside two luxury hotels and a hip restaurant in the city late Wednesday night.

Among those stuck at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel was Manuela Testonili, former wife of American pop singer Prince. She was one amongst 200 others herded in the dark ballroom of the hotel for several hours, when terror struck Mumbai. Having left everything including purses and phones, she was rescued two hours later. Speaking to CNN, there were few who were lucky to escape the mayhem. Safe amongst them were New York-based filmmaker Smriti Mundhra and her parents, who were staying in an apartment near Oberoi Trident Hotel when the attack happened, and British lawmaker Mark Abell was among the lucky few to escape.

Held up in his room at the Taj Mahal hotel, Mark Abell revealed that he realized a difficult situation when he found out that the security fences weren’t operating on Wednesday night. A few minutes into the night and a later a blast followed and yet another in another five minutes with the whole building shaking at its foundation. Australian actress Brooke Satchwell, who was in a bathroom at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel when terrorists struck, says terrified guests locked themselves in toilet cubicles while people were ‘being shot in the hallways’.

As an update on the Mumbai mayhem, it is believed that the terrorists came along in inflatable boats to the waterfront near the Gateway of India monument. The mother ship has been traced by Indian naval ships patrolling the Arabian Sea. During the day it was reported that there were at least 16-18 terrorists residing in the hotel. Of these there is a strong possibility that there are still close to 16 of them inside the hotel. With over 300 people already injured, sources say that there are at least 101 people that have been declared dead. Of these there are at least nine foreigners and at least fourteen policemen that have lost their lives. Moreover with at least 200 people still trapped inside, there is another batch of 280 people trapped at important landmarks in the city of Mumbai.

One commando was killed two others injured in the operation at the Taj consisting of one rucksack full of plastic explosives, eight–nine loaded AK–47 magazines, large amounts of ammunition, hand grenades, detonators, batteries, wrist watches for IEDs, foreign currencies, fake credit cards, dry fruits and cash carried by the terrorists were recovered. It also believed that these terrorists are highly trained and professionally motivated people as observed by the Marine Commandos (MARCOS). Authorities have also found 8 kilograms (17 pounds) of RDX, one of the most powerful kinds of military explosives, at a restaurant near the Taj, indicating that the attackers may have been planning more violence.