ISLAMISTS SEE THE "INVASION OF BOMBAY" AS THEIR VICTORY. In their websites yesterday, many called it "Clear Victory" (Fath al-mobeen), a term used to designate the Prophet's earliest victories. The Jihadists have reason to feel triumphant.

THEY SHOWED THAT THEY WERE STILL CAPABLE OF HITTING HARD AND ON A GRAND SCALE, continuing the chain of their "triumphs" in New York, Madrid and London. They showed that they are able to change tactics and adapt to new circumstances. THEY MADE A MOCKERY OF THE MUCH ADVERTISED "COUNTER-TERRORISM COOPERATION" BETWEEN WASHINGTON AND NEW DELHI by showing that Indians were not any safer as a result of their government's alliance with the American "Great Satan".

The utter confusion of Indian counter-terrorist units, rushing about like headless chickens, seen live on TV by millions, must have been greeted by Jihadists with their usual war cry of "Allah Akbar!" (Allah is the Greatest). If the attacks succeed in wrecking Zardari's efforts at peacemaking while derailing rapprochement between Washington and New Delhi, the "invasion" could also produce an unexpected diplomatic fruit for the Jihadis. This was a bad week for opponents of Islamic terror. India, Pakistan and other governments concerned should do nothing to make it worse.

It takes quite a nerve for us to claim we are fighting terror and promoting civilisation in Afghanistan, when we have been beaten hollow by the IRA in Ulster, when we cannot prevent deaths like that of 'Baby P', and our own poorer zones are lawless wastelands of disorder and violence, guns and knives, long abandoned by authority.

It's weeks since Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith said that THE IDEA OF DEFEATING THE TALIBAN WAS 'NEITHER FEASIBLE NOR SUPPORTABLE', AMERICA'S SPOOKS RECENTLY CONCEDED THAT OUR OPERATIONS THERE WERE IN A DOWNWARD SPIRAL, and our Ambassador to Kabul, Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, has been revealed in a leaked document to believe that OUR MISSION IS DOOMED.

AFGHANISTAN'S GOVERNMENT IS A CORRUPT, POWERLESS JOKE, not least because it is founded on the barrels of foreign guns. It does not even control its own capital. The Taliban are quietly re-establishing themselves in a cleverly modified form, avoiding some of their old unpopular policies. There is no point in waiting for a new American President to save us from our own folly. And Mr Obama's most likely way of showing off will be to step up the futile Afghan conflict, since it is still – absurdly – popular and widely believed to have a defined purpose. PROBABLY HE WILL MAKE MORE AND MORE RAIDS INTO PAKISTAN, a country already stumbling around in wounded circles.

We forget everything, and learn nothing. Politicians often pose as being able to save us from economic crises, which in fact they cannot control any more than they can order the weather about. They do have absolute power over the deployment of our troops, yet they never debate it, and political journalists never ask them about it. And this is certain. WE HAVE FAILED AT WHATEVER IT WAS WE WERE DOING IN AFGHANISTAN, IF WE EVER KNEW WHAT IT WAS. Who dares send another man to die in a cause that's already lost? Get out now.

Christopher Jamison, the Abbot of Worth in West Sussex, has accused the corporation of "exploiting spirituality" to sell its products and of turning Disneyland into a modern day pilgrimage site. He argues that IT PRETENDS TO PROVIDE STORIES WITH A MORAL MESSAGE, BUT HAS ACTUALLY HELPED TO CREATE A MORE MATERIALISTIC CULTURE.

In a guide to helping people find happiness, the abbot warns that society is in danger of losing its soul because of growing consumerism and the decline of religion. He cites films such as Sleeping Beauty and 101 Dalmatians that feature moral battles, BUT GET INTO CHILDREN'S IMAGINATIONS AND MAKE THEM GREEDY FOR THE MERCHANDISE THAT GOES WITH THEM. "The message behind every movie and book, behind every theme park and T-shirt is that our children's world needs Disney," he says.

Fr Jamison targets the behaviour of Disney in particular, which he says is "a classic example" of how consumerism is being sold as an alternative to finding happiness in traditional morality. "Where once morality and meaning were available as part of our free cultural inheritance, now corporations sell them to us as products."

By this weekend, seismologists hope to install three measurement devices to gather data about future temblors in the area. That information could show whether the rumbles come from heat-related geological changes or from an undiscovered fault — which could mean a risk of substantial earthquakes in the future.

"The potential for generating a high-magnitude earthquake is real," said Haydar Al-Shukri, director of the Arkansas Earthquake Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Central Arkansas does not have any seismic history, Al-Shukri said. "IT IS ABNORMAL. IT IS SIGNIFICANT," he said. "We need to carefully watch this activity."

The government said the figure was unsatisfactory but could have been a lot worse if it had not taken action against illegal logging. HIGH COMMODITY PRICES HAD ALLEGEDLY TEMPTED FARMERS TO CLEAR MORE LAND. In recent years the Brazilian government has been able to celebrate three successive falls in deforestation. But the latest estimate from the National Institute for Space Research, known as INPE, shows that this trend has come to a halt.

In response the government announced a series of measures to clamp down on illegal logging, including a major operation involving police and environmental inspectors known as the "Arc of Fire". Brazil's Environment Minister, Carlos Minc, said that without actions like this, the figures could have been much higher. "Many had expected an increase of 30-40% and we managed to stabilise it," Mr Minc told a news conference. But he said that the government was still not satisfied.

"We want to lower numbers even more. We want zero deforestation." Environmental groups will be watching the situation carefully to see if the resolve and the resources they say are needed to protect the Amazon region are in place, our correspondent says.

Mr Hu gave his warning at a meeting of the Politburo and his words have been made public by the state media. As growth slows, Mr Hu said that in the coming period China would starkly confront the effects of the international financial crisis.

Recent figures show that the government has cause to be worried. Growth has slowed to 9% - and predictions say that it may drop to 7% or 8% next year. These are dazzling figures for some economies, but there's a widespread belief - even a superstition - in CHINA THAT GROWTH NEEDS TO STAY ABOVE 7% IN ORDER FOR SOCIAL STABILITY TO BE MAINTAINED.

China has already taken action. This past week the central bank carried out the biggest cut in interest rates in more than a decade. And earlier this month, the government announced a stimulus package of $586bn (£380bn). This is enough, the Communist Party will hope, to get this country through the next year or two.

Debby Baksh is one of thousands of customer sales agents hired and trained online by US firm Arise to answer calls at home. In her Brooklyn living room, she supplies phone services to some of the biggest companies in America and around the world.

HER CONVERSATIONS WITH CUSTOMERS ARE RECORDED AND ANALYSED BY HER BOSSES, and her performance is monitored constantly by software on her computer. If she steps away for any reason without logging off, the machine will know about it. To keep an eye on arms-length employees one customer Service Company claims to have software CAPABLE OF DETECTING AN ANGRY AGENT OR EVEN A BABY CRYING in the same room - a definite no-no in the home sales world.

But telephone tracking technology has its critics. They point out that remote workers should be aware that GETTING SACKED IS ONLY ONE CLICK AWAY, as most systems are set up to ensure they never have legal status as an employee.

According to former Economics Minister Wolfgang Clement, a Social Democrat, WHAT GERMANY NEEDS NOW is "heavy investment in schools and universities and A COMPACT INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT PROGRAM." Clement believes that the only solution to the global economic crisis is a "global investment boom," and that this is not the time to get bogged down in details, but rather to take a more forceful approach.

"Right now, increased government spending is just what the doctor ordered," says this year's winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, Paul Krugman. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the director of the International Monetary Fund, seems to agree when he proposes "quick and forceful" multinational spending programs. This advice is partly intended for Germany. As recently as late summer, THE GERMAN ECONOMY WAS CONSIDERED EXTREMELY CRISIS-PROOF, with its relatively manageable banking sector and many fundamentally solid exporting companies. The experts, hoping to preserve calm, said that this combination of factors would help Germany navigate the financial crisis more effectively than most other industrialized nations.

But now it is precisely this strength in world markets that has become so disastrous to the German economy. A Wall Street banker who has lost his job is unlikely to be buying a Porsche these days. And Russia's cash-strapped oligarchs now lack the capital to buy German building machines. With key buying countries like the United States and Great Britain rushing into recession, BUSINESS IS ALSO SUFFERING IN GERMANY, THE WORLD'S LEADING EXPORTING NATION.

The report, which looked at parental involvement in a child's education, noted that studies suggest that fathers are now more involved than they were in the 1970s, particularly for those with children under five. But it concluded: "There is evidence, however, of great variation in levels of fathers' involvement, so that even though levels have increased on average, a substantial proportion of fathers recorded no daily direct interaction time with their children." In total, almost seven in 10 fathers say they want to be more involved with their child's education.

The report, commissioned by the Department for Children, Schools and Families found "consistent evidence" that a FATHER'S INVOLVEMENT PLAYS A CONSIDERABLE PART IN A CHILD'S ATTAINMENT. Children who had fathers who took an interest in their education were more likely TO GET BETTER EXAM RESULTS, a higher level of educational qualifications, make greater progress at school and have higher educational expectations. THEY WERE ALSO MORE LIKELY TO HAVE A MORE POSITIVE ATTITUDE AND BE BETTER BEHAVED, THE REPORT CONCLUDED.

A Muslim charity in the town of Jos says it collected more than 300 bodies, and fatalities are also expected among Christians. There is no official confirmation yet, and figures are notoriously unreliable in Nigeria, says the BBC's Alex Last. Police have imposed a 24-hour curfew and the army is patrolling the streets.

They have been given orders to shoot on sight in an effort to quell hostilities that mark the worst clashes in the restive West African nation since 2004. For the second straight day on Saturday, angry mobs went through the town burning homes, churches and mosques. The Nigerian Red Cross says at least 10,000 people have fled their homes.

Correspondents say communal violence in Nigeria is complex, but it often boils down to COMPETITION FOR RESOURCES such as land between those that see themselves as indigenous versus the more recent settlers. In Plateau, CHRISTIANS ARE REGARDED AS BEING INDIGENOUS AND HAUSA-SPEAKING MUSLIMS THE SETTLERS.

Russia has already delivered nuclear fuel under a $1 billion contract to build the Bushehr plant on the Gulf coast in southwest Iran. Russia has blamed previous delays on problems with receiving payment from Iran. "Work is ongoing and certain difficulties which arose, including those connected with timely financing, are being resolved due to joint efforts between the Iranian purchaser and the Russian contractor," Tass quoted Sergei Kiriyenko, the head of Russia's Rosatom nuclear corporation, as saying.

"Next year we should conclude all the work," Kiriyenko was quoted as saying. Atomstroyexport, the Russian firm building the plant, said in September the plant was nearing completion and that it would start "technological work" in December 2008 to February 2009 that would put the plant on an "irreversible final" course.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has repeatedly said Moscow does not want Iran to be armed with nuclear weapons but that Russia has seen no evidence that Tehran is seeking to build atomic bombs. Iran denies having a bomb programme and says it has the right to develop civilian nuclear power.

There already are reports emerging that some countries, such as coal-dependent Poland, are pushing for special treatment to avoid making major commitments to slash carbon emissions during a global economic downturn.

Less than half of those surveyed, or 47 per cent, said they were prepared to make personal lifestyle changes to reduce carbon emissions, down from 58 per cent last year. Only 37 per cent said they were willing to spend "extra time" on the effort, an eight-point drop. And only one in five respondents - or 20 per cent - said they'd spend extra money to reduce climate change. That's down from 28 per cent a year ago.

Results of the poll were released this week in advance of the start of a major international conference in Poland where delegates are considering steps toward a new international climate-change treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.

Appearing in a white turban and robe, Zawahri discussed the roots of the U.S. economic crisis. He said it was a repercussion of the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States, and that the crisis would continue "as long as the foolish American policy of wading in Muslim blood continues."

"The American economy was afflicted by a downturn and loss of investor confidence in the market following the events of Sept. 11," he said. "The modern economy has been destroyed by the strikes of the mujahedeen (in Iraq and Afghanistan) and usury," he said, using the Arabic term for holy warriors.

UNDER ISLAMIC SHARIA LAW, USURY, LIKE DRINKING ALCOHOL, IS AMONG THE GRAND SINS. Zawahri then called on the American people to "EMBRACE ISLAM TO LIVE A LIFE FREE OF GREED, EXPLOITATION AND FORBIDDEN WEALTH."

Jadhav says "the death toll is likely to rise because there are still bodies in our vans that are being brought into hospitals." Indian commandos killed the last remaining gunmen holed up at a luxury Mumbai hotel Saturday, ending a 60-hour rampage through India's financial capital by suspected Islamic militants.

"It's obvious they were trained somewhere. ... Not everyone can handle the AK series of weapons or throw grenades like that," an unidentified member of India's Marine Commando unit told reporters, his face wrapped in a black mask. He said the men were "very determined and remorseless" and ready for a long siege. One backpack they found had 400 rounds of ammunition inside.

"THIS CROWD WAS OUT OF CONTROL," said Nassau Police Det. Lt. Michael Fleming, whose squad is investigating. "NOBODY WAS TRYING TO HELP HIM," said shopper Nakea Augustine, who was in the line. "They were rushing in the store, rushing, rushing, rushing."

During the fracas, first-responders struggled to reach Damour to tend to him, witnesses said. Even the first police officers on the scene were jostled around, police said. "It was chaos," said Kimberly Cribbs of Far Rockaway, who was in line and entered the store as Damour was being attended to.

Witness Kimberly Cribbs said all those people who got in went right on shopping after the worker was run over. "OH YES, THEY'RE SAVAGES," Cribbs said.