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Commandos gaining upper hand in Mumbai

MUMBAI, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- Indian commandos were airlifted early Friday to the roof of a Jewish community center in Mumbai where terrorists were believed to be holed up.

The storming of Chabad House was shown live on local television, the BBC reported. The commandos were lowered to the roof from a helicopter as soldiers moved in on the ground.

Armed men attacked at least seven targets in Mumbai, India's financial center, on Wednesday. They included two five-star hotels, the Taj Mahal, one of the most famous in India, and the Oberoi.

A restaurant owner told the BBC gunmen entered his restaurant as customers with their weapons concealed, ate and then stood up and began firing.

Police said the dead included six foreigners, 14 police officers and 81 Indians, the BBC said. Estimates of the number of dead terrorists varied wildly.

By Friday morning, police said a wounded gunman might remain in the Ta and two of the attackers in the Oberoi. Earlier, commandos had gone from room to room, searching for suspects and freeing guests who had been hiding behind locked doors for hours.

The army reported "stiff resistance from the terrorists who were heavily armed and well entrenched inside," CNN said.

Explosions were heard in the hotels Thursday evening.

Deepak Datta, a guest at the Taj, described his rescue.

"There was a lot of explosions right before my rescue," he told CNN. "They were gradually coming up clearing the rooms. The explosions kept getting louder then they opened the door with a master key,"

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the group that staged attacks is based outside outside the country. Officials said that questioning of captured suspects suggests at least some of those involved are Pakistani nationals, Press Trust of India reported.

M.L. Kumawat, a special secretary to the Home Ministry, said the attackers reached Mumbai by boat. PTI said four boats allegedly used by them have been seized.

Russian president visits Cuba

HAVANA, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was in Cuba Thursday for the final stop on his tour of Latin America, officials said.

Medvedev and Cuban President Raul Castro are expected to sign trade deals on nickel mining and oil exploration, the BBC reported Thursday.

Russia companies reportedly are interested in drilling for oil in Cuban waters and investing in a nickel processing plant.

Before arriving in Havana, the Russian leader was in Venezuela, where he and President Hugo Chavez signed a deal on promoting nuclear energy, the British network reported.

Boosting trade between Russia and Latin America, which could reach $15 billion this year, is a focus of the Russian trip.

Before visiting Venezuela, the Russian president was in Brazil, where he and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva held trade talks.

Air New Zealand CEO holds out hope

PERPIGNAN, France, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- The head of Air New Zealand said he was hopeful survivors would be found after a plane owned by the carrier crashed in the Mediterranean off the French coast.

In addition to an Air New Zealand pilot, three engineers and a Civil Aviation Authority inspector were among the seven people aboard the A320 Airbus, which crashed Thursday off the southeast coast of France near Perpignan, the Otago Daily Times in New Zealand reported.

The newspaper reported at least three people had been confirmed dead while the four others were missing.

"I certainly haven't given up hope," Air New Zealand head Rob Fyfe told reporters Thursday. "I'm hopeful there still may be survivors, the early indications are that the plane and the debris were floating on the water."

The aircraft, which was leased by XL Airways and flown by two of the company's pilots, was about to be returned to the Air New Zealand fleet.

Seven Canadians dead in Colo. SUV crash

FORT COLLINS, Colo., Nov. 27 (UPI) -- A vehicle flew off a Colorado highway overpass Thursday, smashed into a concrete barrier and burst into flames, killing all seven people inside, police said.

The Colorado State Police said in a news release that the victims, whose names weren't released, included an infant and a toddler. They were pronounced dead at the scene by the Larimer County coroner after police arrived at 4:38 a.m.

The Canadian Broadcast Corp. reported an investigator with the coroner's office said the victims appeared to have been from Alberta province in Canada.

"All indications are that these folks are all from Alberta," said Maury Miller, an investigator with the coroner's office.

Troopers said the 1992 Chevy Suburban ran off the left side of northbound Colorado 25 at marker 253 in Larimer County and continued northward until the center median ended, sending the sports utility vehicle falling from an overpass to Colorado 60.

Police said the vehicle collided with a concrete barrier and rolled until it came to rest on its wheels and was engulfed in flames.

Investigators said it was not yet known whether alcohol, drugs or speed were factors in the crash. They said they were working to identify the victims.

World's oldest woman dies at 115

SHELBYVILLE, Ind., Nov. 27 (UPI) -- Edna Scott Parker, who is said to be the oldest living person in the world, has died at age 115 in Indiana, her family said.

Parker died Wednesday at Heritage House Convalescent Center in Shelbyville, Ind., where she lived for more than a decade, the Shelbyville News reported Thursday.

Her family was called to the nursing home Tuesday morning after nursing home personnel determined that Edna wasn't feeling well, said Charlene Parker, wife of Parker's grandson, Donald Parker.

She was responsive Tuesday evening before falling asleep.

"We had lots of prayers with grandma; the nursing home let us come and go as we needed to. Grandma was very comfortable," Charlene Parker said, adding the family was grateful for Edna's peaceful death.

"She has always been with us," Charlene Parker said, "and I guess that we somehow thought she would live forever."

Edna Parker was born on April 20, 1893. Her death makes Maria de Jesus of Portugal the oldest living person in the world, the newspaper said.