16 people killed in school shooting in Germany

A teenager in black combat gear went on a bloody rampage at his former school in Germany on Wednesday, slaying at least 15 people before dying in a shootout with police, officials said. Nine pupils, three teachers and three passers-by were among those killed in the shooting spree at the secondary school in Winnenden, said Heribert Rech, the interior minister of the southern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. After armed commandos with helicopters and dogs launched a massive hunt for the 17-year-old gunman, he was killed in a fire-fight with police. German media reports said that he had shot himself dead in the car park of a nearby shopping centre after kidnapping a man and his Volkswagen Sharan car and drove through a police barrier towards the motorway. "The gunman just sprayed bullets all around him," N-TV cited an unnamed witness as saying. A local radio journalist told the same channel that the ex-pupil had used a machine gun during his rampage.

'Slumdog' kids get new homes?

Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail, the two youths from Dharavi shanties who played roles of Jamal and Latika in Oscar-winning movie "Slumdog Millionaire" will get one flat each from government quota if Maharashtra Housing Area Development Authority (MHADA) has its way. Amarjeet Singh Manhas, Chairman of Mumbai Housing and Area Development Authority, a unit of MHADA, has written a letter to the housing authority's vice-president Gautam Chatterjee asking him to provide one flat each to both as they made India proud with their acting talent. "The acting talent of the two has made India proud. The children, who belong to underprivileged family, are special for us. They played equal role in getting the movie the Oscars. In a move to honour them, Amarjeet Singh has written a letter to MHADA officials to grant them houses," Krishna Hegde, a member of MHADA board told. Rubina and Azharuddin are now living in Garibnagar in suburban Bandra. "Mumbai Congress president Kripashankar Singh will also meet Chief Minister Ashok Chavan in the evening to discuss about providing flats to the children," Hegde added.