The phenomenon of Ajantha Mendis

Utter confusion prevails over what to term Ajantha Mendis. The mystery bowler from Sri Lanka, who before beginning his cricketing career was an Army gunner and was the latest spin sensation in international cricket this year.

Two of his deliveries during India's Test series in Sri Lanka remain etched in my mind. One that spun a mile and got rid of Guatam Gambhir and one that skid across and skittled past the defence of VVS Laxman. Was it true? Were we finally seeing a bowler who had the ability to bowl six different balls every over?

As he bowled a blend of off breaks, leg breaks, googlies, top spinners, doosra's and the carrom ball, experts picked each other's brains to unravel the Mendis mystery. Even the best players of spin wanted a second chance against him. The first was too big a mystery to fathom. Before you knew it, he got you!

Many experts compared, even equated him with the likes of Jack Iverson and John Gleeson after he set a Lankan record by picking 18 wickets in his first two Tests against India. Only four bowlers in the history of Test cricket have had a better record.

These bowlers are India's Narendra Hirwani (24), England's Alec Bedser (22), Australia's Bob Massie (21) and England's Syd Barnes (19). Of these, only England's Alec Bedser went on to become a pillar of English cricket and finished with 236 wickets from 51 Tests.

Asaduddin aims Knight Riders berth

It's a familiar stage for 18-year-old Mohammad Asaduddin . The Eden Gardens in Kolkata was former Indian skipper Mohammed Azharuddin's happiest hunting ground. And today, his son is turning out for the trials of Kolkata Knight Riders, eager to make his mark in the game that took father to super-stardom.

Asaduddin says, "Dad has always been my coach. He gives me tips and all whenever I need it. Whenever I need batting tips from him, he is always there for me. I actually don't feel any pressure. I just have to go on the pitch and play my natural game."

But though his father played a big role in shaping his cricketing skills, there's one major difference. Azhar junior is left-handed and likes to hit the ball really hard.

"I am playing T20 for the first time, but I am very confident because I am an attacking batsman. This format of the game really suits me," says he.

Asaduddin hasn't yet played first class cricket, but he has been making waves in club cricket in Hyderabad. This year he has scored four half centuries in six games.

"He's a young player and has still got a lot to learn, but his attitude was good out there and that gives him a good chance. Obviously he is of reasonable pedigree so if he is willing to learn and improve, who knows where he can go," says Kolkata Knight Riders' coach, John Buchanan.

Azharuddin was one of Indian cricket's most romantic stories. From humble beginnings, he reached the top and then ended in disgrace. For Asaduddin growing out of his famous father's shadow would be the real test.

Afridi hit himself after T20 loss to India

The 2007 Twenty20 World Cup final loss to India hurt him so badly that Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi hit himself with his own bat to vent out the frustration.

Afridi said that his biggest regrets in his life were seeing Pakistan lose the 1999 World Cup final to Australia and the Twenty20 World Cup final to India in 2007.

"Believe me these two moments still haunt me. After the T20 final I hit myself on the foot with my bat so hard in utter frustration at the way I got out that I couldn't walk properly for two days," he said.

Afridi said he wants to be a part of a Pakistan team that wins a World Cup.

"People say I have two or three years of cricket left in me. I would love to be a member of a team that either wins the T20 World Cup or the 2011 World Cup," Afridi said in a television interview.

"I like to play my natural game and that is my strength. I want people to enjoy my game," he added.

On captaincy, Afridi said he enjoyed leading the Sindh and Karachi teams in domestic cricket but wouldn't like to comment on getting the national team's rein.

"That is not my job. That's for the board to decide. I am just happy to be part of the Pakistan team," he said.

Duminy's style revives memories of Ganguly

Most heroes are often born in conflict situations. They bring with them that touch of extra magic creating an image that lasts most of their playing career.

It can also become an awful harbinger, and as such creates a millstone that causes any number of conundrums when faced with similar situations.

While batsmen all too often make their mark, bowlers too have the habit of causing surprises and as such demolish once-impregnable reputations. Pathways to success are littered all too often with such memorable efforts: it is the sustaining such achievements that lift some above the ordinary.

The question though is, given the choice, who would you go and pay to watch? VVS Laxman because of his ever silky and elegant skills; the sound and sensible if stylish technique of Rahul Dravid; or Sachin Tendulkar's ability to manufacture flair from nothing on treacherous surfaces; Sourav Ganguly's left-handed artistic grace and handsome richness of footwork with unhurried mannerisms; or be enthralled by the electrifying and combustible moods produced by Virender Sehwag?

Put them all together and be prepared for a strokemaking smorgasbord: piquant but with enough talent to nod with approval at what you see. What though, about someone who is barely known?

There are those who might argue against such comparisons, but it was impressive watching and analysing the left-handed style and mannerisms of a young South African, Jean-Paul Duminy in both Perth and at Australia's giant temple of the game, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, to that of Dada.

Statistics have a habit of laying out the cold hard facts of a case when it comes to signposting victories as that achieved by the Proteas at the MCG. One is teams winning a Test having the highest deficit when losing their sixth wicket in the first innings.

For those with articulate memories, the figure 353 and 92 for six and Eden Gardens, 2000/01 may prompt a smile and recollection or two. Dismissed for 171 and following on – it is the third highest on the list. South Africa's 141 for six at the MCG is seventh. In this case though, there was though no follow on.

As with his ever energetic partner AB de Villiers in the great Perth fight-back, where the pitch presented few problems, which had Ricky Ponting bewailing the loss of bowling power, Duminy displayed his class.

Yet remember if you will that it was De Villiers who scored 217 in Ahmedabad last April with a strike rate above sixty-five that helped South Africa power their way at an innings and ninety runs victory, who help landscape the incredible Perth success.

England cricket in turmoil; Pietersen, Moores quit

England cricket has been hit with yet another crisis after Kevin Pietersen and Peter Moores on Wednesday resigned as captain and coach, respectively.

'Sky News' said Pietersen decided to step down after his relationship with Moores had reached the breaking point.

"...it now appears Pietersen's relationship with Moores has reached breaking point, prompting him to stand down as captain," the report said.

Other media reports said Moores too had put in his papers after last night's teleconference of the England and Wales Cricket Board.

The teleconference was held by the 12-man board to discuss a solution for the much-public spat between the coach and the captain. In fact, ECB sources had been quoted by the local English media on Tuesday as saying that both Pietersen and Moores could be axed for their much-public spat.

However, the ECB has not yet confirmed the resignation of both Pietersen and Moores.

The working relationship between Pietersen and Moores broke down after the coach, as part of the selection panel, ignored former captain Michael Vaughan for the West Indies tour against Pietersen's wish.

Their equation, however, had soured much earlier as Pietersen reportedly had no professional respect for Moores, whom he considered pretty mediocre as a coach.

England and Wales Cricket Board had entrusted Managing Director Huge Morris to broker peace between the feuding duo and Pietersen himself was keen to solve the issue before leaving for the west Indies.

"This situation is not healthy, we have to make sure it is settled as soon as possible and certainly before wee fly off to the West Indies," Pietersen had told from South Africa where he is holidaying. He will return to England on Thursday.

With Pietersen's exit, England will have to select a third captain for the team in five months time. Andrew Strauss is the favourite to succeed Pietersen.

For the coach's job, while South African Graham Ford is tipped to take over, former England spinner Ashley Giles may be given the job as a stop-gap arrangement for the Caribbean tour.

SL Army targets LTTE chief after Kilinochchi's fall

The Sri Lankan Army is claiming victory after victory in it's war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). But the war isn't over until it captures or eliminates the LTTE's top brass including LTTE chief Vellupillai Prabhakaran.

As the Sri Lankan Army advances, the LTTE is increasingly being pushed into the jungles and their final bastion in Mullathivu in under threat.

In their first official reaction after the fall of Kilinochchi LTTE claimed that they are down but not out .

In an interview to a pro-LTTE website, Tamilnet the LTTE's political head B Nadesan said, "Kilinochchi town was captured more than once by the Sri Lanka military earlier. Similarly, we have also re-captured the town on earlier occasions. It is in Kilinochchi, where the Sri Lankan forces have suffered historic debacles."

Completely isolated from the international community which has declared them a terrorist outfit, LTTE still claim to be the only representatives of Sri Lankan Tamils and refuse to accept any move for a provincial elections without them by the Sri Lankan government.

So for the Sri Lankan Army the war is not over till they zero in on LTTE chief Vellupillai Prabhakaran.

Prabhakaran has eluded the Sri Lankan Army for decades. Even the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) which went to Sri Lanka in 1987 failed to capture Prabhakaran.

"We cornered him twice but he escaped. He was very agile and would change location every night. He is paranoid about his security and has the best of his cadres to protect him," said Colonel (retired) S Hariharan, who was with the IPKF.

Prabhakaran was once trained in India and lived in India till the mid 1980's. But since the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in which he's the prime accused he is a proclaimed offender under Indian law. India has consistently maintained that he should be extradited if found.

But the big question now is can the Sri Lankan Army close in on a man who's perhaps been one of the worlds most elusive targets.

Pakistan admits Kasab its national: sources

Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist arrested in the November 26 Mumbai terror attacks, is a Pakistani national. This has been confirmed to CNN-IBN by Pakistani official sources.

Sources told CNN-IBN the report confirming Kasab’s nationality has been sent to Pakistan Prime Minister Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. The report says Kasab has no links to any state agency.

A British newspaper and Pakistani media have show evidence that Kasab belonged to Faridkot village in Punjab province but Islamabad for days has been rejecting their claims by saying that there were no documentary evidence. Massive diplomatic pressure from across the world may have forced Islamabad to change its stance.

Separately, Dawn News while quoting official sources, confirmed Kasab was a Pakistani.

Much of India's evidence against the terrorists who attacked Mumbai is based on interrogations of Kasab, who was arrested on November 26. He has reportedly told authorities that he and his nine other attackers were Pakistani, he was trained in Pakistan, and his handlers are still there.

The Mumbai attacks began November 26 and lasted for nearly three days. The 10 gunmen attacked 10 sites across India's financial capital, including two five-star hotels, the main train station, popular restaurants and a Jewish centre.

Mumbai terrorists had links to UK, says MI5 chief

Warning that the Mumbai attacks, in which the terrorists targeted public places, could become a "model" for future terror strikes, Britain's intelligence service MI5 chief has said his agency has uncovered links between the gunmen who struck in Mumbai and the UK.

Jonathan Evans, in a rare interaction with the media, said the terrorists, who attacked Mumbai in November, had indirect links with Britain.

"We have looked at individuals' communications, where they have been and so on and found they have got connections with most countries including the UK, but not of national security significance," he said.

But the MI5 director general warned that Mumbai could become a model for future terrorist attacks in the same "iconic" way as September 11 strikes in the US.

"If the method used in Mumbai of using firearms in public places becomes adopted as a model, it changes our most likely scenarios," he added.

Evans said that scores of British Muslims were still travelling to terror training camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan every year. Others are travelling to lawless areas of Somalia. The main threats to Britain come from al-Qaeda's core in Pakistan and their "assets in this country," he said.

"We continue to believe that the ability lies in Pakistan to attack the UK," Evans said, adding that 75 per cent of their investigations have connections with Pakistan.

Evans said the number of extremists wanting to travel to Iraq had "tailed off significantly" as Britain prepares to withdraw but there was still "traffic" into Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"What happens in Afghanistan is extremely important because what happens there has a direct impact on domestic security in the UK," he said. "Pre-2001 they were able to establish terrorist training facilities and to draw in hardened extremists and vulnerable recruits to indoctrinate and teach techniques.

"If the Taliban is able to establish control over significant areas, there is a real danger that such facilities will be re-established," Evans said. 

IBM working on making web talk to you

You will talk to the Web... and the Web will talk back,' predicts IBM in its latest list of innovations that "have the potential to change the way people work, live and play over the next five years".

The IT giant, however, wants this web to work on cellphones rather than a personal computer (PC), since mobile devices dramatically outnumber PCs -- over 335 million cellphones versus below 30 million PCs in India alone. Moreover, IBM's Institute for Business Value predicts the number of mobile web users worldwide will reach one billion by 2011.

The concept is gathering steam with a project named "Spoken Web" that is being led by IBM's India Research Laboratory (IRL) team, and also being incubated in IBM's eight global labs in six countries. In fact, the corporation recently completed a pilot in Andhra Pradesh to implement the concept.

"The project was very successful. It started out with around 100 villagers but many hundreds joined later after seeing the response," Guruduth Banavar, director, IBM India Research Laboratory (IRL), told Business Standard.

The reason for this enthusiasm, he said, is simple. "Most people do not have a PC. Even smartphones are far and few. Besides, most people, especially the semi-literate kind, are not comfortable using a visual interface. But what most of the Indian population can do is talk. So the spoken web project makes immense sense." he added.

The spoken web works like the World Wide Web. Just as the web is a collection of websites, the spoken web is a network of voice sites or interconnected voice applications. These voice sites are accessed through a telephone over an audio channel. Callers can create their own voice sites or access those of others. The calls are routed through a telecom operator.

A semi-literate plumber, for instance, can create his voice site by calling a dedicated phone number. The IBM solution guides the plumber (in his local language) through a voice-driven interface, prompting for inputs whenever necessary. The plumber provides basic information about himself, such as his service description, working hours, etc. He does not understand how the system enables this, but selects the option through a voice-prompted "yes". He then gets a message stating his phone has been enabled with a voice site.

Local citizens in the area who encounter a plumbing problem simply use the telephone directory or an online yellow pages service to locate plumbers in the vicinity. If the plumber is busy, the call gets routed to the voice site, which presents a voice prompt, stating that the plumber is busy currently and provides the caller with an option of scheduling an appointment.

A fisherman, on the other hand, can create his own voice site that has information and pricing of fish available with him. He can further link his voice site to a payment gateway voicesite to enable transactions. Villagers can call his voice site and order fish and make payments, while the fisherman is busy fishing in nearby waters.

To manage these transfers, IBM has developed a new protocol, Hyperspeech Transfer Protocol (HSTP), which is similar to the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) that the web uses to help people move from one website to another. IBM's IRL team is also working on a simple audio browser to make surfing voice sites possible, and creating a true internet. The browser can also be implemented on the device itself, but that would require speech recognition support on the device.

The possibilities are endless, notes Banavar. Fishermen need weather information before heading out to sea; farmers need to look up commodity prices; plumbers can schedule appointments, set up transfers to partners, use advertisements; and grocery shops can display catalogues, offer order placement and display personalised targeted advertisements or reminders.

Such locally-relevant information is not available for a majority of the world's population. Computer access, he adds, is not enough because there is a need to know what to look for, how to access it and how to use it.

Expect more lending rate cuts in Feb

Public sector banks are expected to reduce their lending rates further next month.

"We have not asked banks to lower rates just yet. We are waiting for all of them to complete one round of cuts and we will then take up the issue. But the next round should be in February," said a senior government official.

At present, the benchmark prime lending rate of public sector banks ranges between 12 and 13.25 per cent (see table). Some banks, like Punjab National Bank, have cut the benchmark rate three times, and others, like State Bank of India, twice -- once in November and then earlier this month.

There are also lenders such as IDBI Bank that are yet to go for a second round of lending rate cuts, though deposit rates have been pared to lower cost of funds.

"For the smaller banks, the transmission of the lower deposit rates will take some time and that is what is delaying a reduction in lending rates," the official added.

"The overall direction is towards further cuts but the timing will depend on how much and by when we can lower the cost of deposits," said a public sector bank chief.

On Tuesday, United Bank of India cut its benchmark prime lending rate 50 basis points to 13 per cent with effect from January 12. Deposit rates have also been cut.

Over the next few weeks, banks are expected to lower deposit rates further with SBI, the country's largest bank, expected to review rates by the middle of the month.

In a report released on Monday, HDFC Bank economists said they expected deposit rates to fall 75 to 125 basis points by March, and lending rates 50 to 75 basis points.

To enhance credit flow and spur economic activity, the Reserve Bank of India has reduced the repo rate, the rate at which it lends to banks, 350 basis points since October. The cash reserve ratio, or the proportion of deposits banks must keep with the RBI, has been lowered 400 basis points in the same time-frame to infuse additional liquidity of Rs 3,00,000 crore and help banks earn some income. The reserve repo, the rate at which RBI absorbs liquidity from the banks, has also been lowered 200 basis points to discourage banks from parking surplus cash with the central bank.

For the moment, the finance ministry is concentrating on monitoring credit flow to various sectors. Yesterday, Finance Secretary Arun Ramanathan asked Mumbai-based public sector bank chiefs to step up lending and ensure that loan proposals were cleared quickly.

Public sector bank chiefs said credit flow is normal for segments like small and medium enterprises and firms. "Credit offtake is expected to pick up around January 15 because the effect of the series of rate cuts sets in and purchases coinciding with Makar Sankranti take place," said a bank chairman who was present at the meeting.

Dr Sanjay Gupta may be Obama's Surgeon General

US President-elect Barack Obama has offered the job of surgeon general to Dr Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon and correspondent for CNN and CBS, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

The report, quoting highly-placed sources, said Dr Gupta has sought a few days to figure out the financial and logistical details of moving his family from Atlanta to Washington, but is expected to accept the offer. 

The neurosurgeon did not deny the account but declined to comment, the report added. 

The offer followed a two-hour meeting in Chicago in November with Obama, who said that Gupta could be the highest-profile surgeon general in history and would have an expanded role in providing health policy advice, the sources said. 

Gupta later spoke with Tom Daschle, Obama's White House health czar and nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, and other advisers to the president-elect. 

Born in Michigan, Gupta has always been drawn to health policy. He was a White House fellow in the late 1990s, writing speeches and crafting policy for Hillary Clinton. His appointment would give the administration a prominent official of Southwest Asian descent and a skilled television spokesman.

Gupta, who hosts House Call on CNN, has discussed the job offer with his bosses at CBS and CNN to make sure he could be released from his contractual obligations, the sources said.

His roles as journalist and physician have sometimes overlapped. During the 2003 Iraq invasion, Gupta was embedded with a Navy unit called Devil Docs and, while covering its mission, performed brain surgery five times -- the first of which was on a two-year-old Iraqi boy. 

The report said that Gupta's only hesitation in taking the post is said to involve the financial impact on his pregnant wife and two children if he gives up his lucrative medical and journalistic careers. But he is expected to accept the position within days

Sebi 'horrified' by Satyam fraud

Terming disclosures of financial wrong-doings at Satyam as an event of 'horrifying magnitude,' the Securities and Exchange Board of India on Wednesday said it would take all steps under the law for which it has started discussions with government and bourses.

"We are in touch with Ministry of Corporate Affairs. We are also in discussion with them as to what steps need to be taken from the perspective of power they have under the law and Sebi has under the law," Sebi chairman C B Bhave said.

Sebi was also forwarding the letter written by Satyam's chairman B Ramalinga Raju on his stepping down with the confession that the profits in the company were inflated over the years, leading to wide gap between real and imaginary assets.

Govt to refer Satyam case to Serious Fraud Investigation Office

The government has decided to refer the Satyam case to Serious Fraud Investigation Office, an official of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs said.

All regulators and government agencies will make coordinated efforts to get to the bottom of the Satyam wrongdoings, the official said, adding that the 'company management not been fair to the shareholders'.

Satyam plunges to all-time low

Meanwhile, the Satyam Computer stock nosedived nearly 70 per cent to an all-time low of Rs 58, following the resignation of the company's chairman B Ramalinga Raju and Managing Director B Rama Raju.

Shares of Satyam plunged as much as 67.71 per cent to a low of Rs 58, but was later trading at Rs 73.50, down 58.96 per cent in the afternoon trade on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

The scrip, which had opened at Rs 179.10, plunged within minutes of Satyam chairman and managing director tendering their resignation.

Raju had been under attack over the $1.6-billion acquisition fiasco of firms promoted by his family. The counter saw frantic selling after the announcement and nearly 13 crore (130 million) shares had changed hands on both the bourses within an hour.

Satyam stock holds a 1.56 per cent weight in the 30-share bluechip index Sensex. Following the same, the benchmark index also plunged over 400 points and was trading down nearly 4 per cent at 9,922 points in the noon trade on the BSE.

On the National Stock Exchange, the scrip plunged 55.63 per cent to an all time low of Rs 79.40. It was later trading at Rs 80, down 55.29 per cent in the afternoon trade.

In a regulatory filing, the company said Raju would continue to be the chairman till the board is expanded.

Sathyam - Ramalinga Raju resigns, reveals shocking details

Satyam [Get Quote] Computer on Wednesday plunged into a deep crisis, as B Ramalinga Raju resigned as its chairman after admitting to major financial wrong-doings and saying his last-ditch efforts to fill the "fictitious assets with real ones" through Maytas acquisition failed.

The beleaguered IT giant, already under scanner over the aborted acquisition of firms promoted by the chairman's family, received a rude shock days ahead of its January 10 board meeting, with Raju stepping down along with his brother and Managing Director B Rama Raju.

"It was like riding a tiger, not knowing how to get off without being eaten," Ramalinga Raju said in a letter to Satyam's board of directors, wherein he listed major financial wrong-doings over the years to inflate the profits.

Listed at New York Stock Exchange, the company could face regulatory action in the US, analysts said.

While Raju recommended DSP Merrill Lynch be entrusted the task of "quickly exploring some merger opportunities," the company informed the stock exchanges that the investment banker has terminated its engagement with Satyam.

Noting that every attempt to eliminate gaps in balance sheet, purely on account of inflated profits over several years, failed, Raju said: "I am now prepared to subject myself to the laws of the land and face consequences thereof."

Low percentage of promoter equity in the company, where four independent directors resigned in the last two weeks over the acquisition fiasco, could lead to a takeover and expose the gap, he said in the letter, also sent to regulator SEBI. The promoters' share in Satyam has now dipped to just over 3 per cent that too is pledged with lenders.

Shares of Satyam plunged by over 40 per cent immediately after the announcement of resignations, necessitating an overhaul of the Board and management.

Raju will continue as chairman till the Board finds a replacement, even as speculation was rife that Satyam President Ram Mynampati would take over as Chairman. Rama Raju would also continue as Managing Director, but only till the time the Board is expanded.

Ramalinga Raju requested the Board to "hold together" to take some important steps, while hoping that one of the Board members T R Prasad was "well-placed to mobilise support from the government at this crucial time."

Satyam is the country's fourth largest IT firm and has has over 51,000 employees. Giving details of the financial irregularities, Raju said the company's balance sheet as of September 30 carries "inflated (non-existent) cash and bank balances of Rs 5,040 crore (as against Rs 5,361 crore reflected in the books."

The balance sheet also carries "an accrued interest of Rs 376 crore which is non-existent, an understated liability of Rs 1230 crore on account of funds arranged by me (Raju), an overstated debtors position of Rs 490 crore (as against Rs 2651 crore reflected in the books," Raju said.

He further said that Satyam reported a revenue of Rs 2700 crore (Rs 27 billion) for the September quarter and an operating margin of Rs 649 crore (24 per cent of revenue) as against the actual revenue of Rs 2112 crore (Rs 21.12 billion) and an actual operating margin of Rs 61 crore (3 per cent of revenue).

"This has resulted in artificial cash and bank balances going up Rs 588 crore in Q2 alone," Raju said. "The gap in the Balance Sheet has arisen purely on account of inflated profits over a period of last several years (limited only to Satyam standalone, books of subsidiaries reflecting true performance).

"What started as a marginal gap between actual operating profit and the one reflected in the books of accounts continued to grow over the years," Raju further said.

"It has attained unmanageable proportions as the size of the company operations grew significantly... The differential in the real profits and the one reflected in the books was further accentuated by the fact that the company had to carry additional resources and assets to justify higher level of operations thereby significantly increasing the costs," he said.

"The aborted Maytas acquisition deal was the last attempt to fill the fictitious assets with real ones. Maytas' investors were convinced that this is a good divestment opportunity and a strategic fit. Once Satyam's problem was solved, it was hoped that Maytas' payments can be delayed. But that was not to be," he said.

Raju, however, claimed that neither he, nor the Managing Director(including our spouses) sold any shares in the last eight years-excepting for a small proportion declared and sold for philanthropic purposes.

Raju further said he or the company's MD did not take "even one rupee/dollar from the company and have not benefited in financial terms on account of the inflated results."

Meanwhile, reacting to the Satyam fiasco Sebi chairman C B Bhave said that the Satyam chairman's 'confession to the board is an event of horrifying magnitude'.