The first reported incidents were of explosions at the Oberoi Hotel and at the five-star Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. As the story progressed, reports began to emerge of hostage situations and terrorists repeatedly setting off explosions and throwing grenades out of the hotel windows.

Several Mumbai citizens caught in the midst of these incidents began to report what they saw through their mobile phones, most notably using the social networking service Twitter. User Puneet tweeted all the latest developments through his twitter microblog.

As the night progressed, more details emerged. The authorities now say that 85 people are confirmed dead and approximately 200 more were injured. The targets were apparently American and British diplomats and tourists, as the attacks occurred strategically in areas frequented by foreigners, though many witnesses say that the attackers fired their AK-47s at anyone in sight. A previously unknown group calling itself Deccan Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attacks, though news organizations suggested that this may be a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba, a group that many nations have listed as a terrorist organization.

A number of decorated Indian anti-terror and police officers were killed in this attack, including Vijay Salaskar, Hemant Karkare and Ashok Kamte.

For continuing coverage and new developments of this tragic story, see Mahalo’s Mumbai Terror Attack category. We will be updating these pages consistently in the days and weeks to come and will continue to present the most accurate and trustworthy information available.

Mahalo’s homepage is known for featuring the latest breaking news. Now, you get the headlines and a snapshot of the related search results page ready at a glance in a tabbed interface that is updated throughout the day.

If you’re more interested in the fun, techie side of things, we’re all over it in our Featured section, where we present the latest Internet memes, video games and the most recent episodes of our popular Mahalo Daily video podcast.

Last but certainly not least: Our new Liveblog brings you bite-sized news, tech, show business and just plain fun and wacky stuff very nearly as it happens with updates every few minutes around the clock. During big breaking news stories, we’ll have video commentary from Mahalo Guides in our video channel. You can also join us in the chat any time to discuss the day’s events.

Though a CNN/Opinion Research poll shows Biden as the winner by a small margin, there were few fireworks during the debate and neither candidate landed a decisive blow. The poll also showed that Palin performed better than expected, especially in light of her recent fumbles in the press. Palin went as far as to say that Couric “annoyed” her with her quizzy questions.

Remains of adventurer Steve Fossett were finally found on October 2, 2008, amongst his plain’s wreckage in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. DNA tests are pending, but Fossett is thought to be dead. He first went missing in September 2007.

The House of Representatives approved (263-171) the $700 billion bailout bill today, after initially rejecting the bill on September 29. The bill gives the Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson free reign to purchase flailing financial institutions, in what is being dubbed the biggest act of governmental intervention on record. According to an article on SFGate.com, the bill was repackaged to include billions in earmarks and tax breaks for home-town interests in the Senate, two examples being: $2 million for wooden arrow manufacturers in Oregon, and the extension of a tax break worth $478 million for Hollywood filmmakers who shoot in the U.S.

In somewhat lighter news, a user with the handle “johntw” purported a hoax through CNN’S iReport system that Steve Jobs (CEO of Apple) had a heart attack. This caused Apple’s stock to temporarily plummet, falling below $100 per share. Apple’s stock has recovered, and Steve Jobs is fine.

Need some games to dig into over the weekend? Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, the action-adventure title that lets you violently wield the force, has broken sales records and defied reviews (check out our full game guide). Or, if you would like to be terrified, Silent Hill: Homecoming, the fifth title in the chilling Silent Hill series, was released this past week (game guide is pending).

Although adventurer Steve Fossett was declared dead in February 2008, following a September 2007 Nevada desert plane crash, his body was never found, and rumors of his faking his own death continue to this day. Now the plot thickens–a hiker in California has allegedly found three IDs with Fossett’s name, as well as $1,000 cash. Police are investigating the documents’ validity.

The debate between vice-presidential candidates Joe Biden and Sarah Palin is hotly anticipated for tomorrow, and Gwen Ifill won’t let her broken ankle keep her from moderating.

Could Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo be engaged? The two were reportedly seen ring-shopping in Dallas.

Attention Phish fans: reunion shows will be held on March 6, 7, and 8, 2009, and tickets are now available!

As both candidates face tough questions in the month before the election, Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin seems to be under the most heat, with the fourth part of her interview with Katie Couric airing today. In one of the more tense moments of the interview, Couric asks Palin which news sources she would read before being selected as the running mate; Palin generalized, but did not list any specific sources. Her debate against Joe Biden, Barack Obama’s Democratic running mate, is Thursday night in St. Louis, Missouri.

In lighter news, Charlie Ebersol, son of NBC Sports producer Dick Ebersol, is dating tennis star Maria Sharapova. Ready to rock, country style? Kevin Costner’s debut album will be released on November 11. His band’s name is Modern West.

The U.S. Attorney firing scandal is back in the news after an internal Justice Department report was released and a special prosecutor, Nora Dannehy, was named to investigate the possibility of filing criminal charges.

The rocket Falcon 1, funded by SpaceX, reached orbit on September 28.

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, starts today at sunset.

In celebrity news, Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds married in Vancouver, Canada, over the weekend, and Heather Locklear was arrested for drunk driving in Montecito, California.

Read more at Mahalo.com!

John McCain did decide to go on with tonight’s debate. However, the Wall Street Journal decided to go one step further: several hours before the debate, the publication’s online site displayed a McCain ad that stated “McCain Wins Debate!”

If the Wall Street Journal has a crystal ball, it would perhaps have been better served to check out where the U.S. economy was heading. Lawmakers were planning to work through the weekend to finalize the mortgage bailout plan.

Sadly, Ted Kennedy will not be in Washington. Kennedy was hospitalized after a “minor seizure” that resulted from a change in medication.

In lighter news, Sacha Baron Cohen, the comedian who channels Ali G and Borat, was arrested after his character Bruno interrupted a Milan fashion show for a scene for his upcoming film. Bruno isn’t yet in theaters, but this weekend you can see Nights in Rodanthe or Eagle Eye. Visit our movie reviews to see if either is worth the price of admission!

Though John McCain and Barack Obama have temporarily “suspended” their campaigns, the American public certainly hasn’t. Comedian Sarah Silverman is promoting The Great Schlep, encouraging young Jews across America to travel to Florida to convince their elderly relatives to vote for Obama.

With economic relief nowhere on the horizon, Americans can still indulge in television. Tonight sees the season premiere of Grey’s Anatomy on ABC and the premiere of The Office on NBC.

Not laughing yet? Then you might need the 2009 Naked Clown Calendar, the proceeds of which go to benefit the Judy Finelli Fund, striving to discover a cure and treatments for multiple sclerosis.

If you missed it, check out Mahalo Daily’s coverage of the Eagle Eye premiere. Mahalo Daily co-host Lon Harris interviews Kristin Cavallari, Michelle Monaghan and Rosario Dawson.

In NFL news, the president of the Detroit Lions, Matt Millen, was fired after the Lions lost the first three games of the season. The New York Giants suspended Plaxico Burress for two weeks, allegedly for missing practice. Burress will miss one game, against the Seattle Seahawks. Finally, New York Giants radio broadcaster Dick Lynch has died at the age of 72.

Lindsay Lohan is back in the gossip news for her high profile romance with DJ Samantha Ronson. The young actress has confirmed that she is gay and in love with Ronson, who is ten years her senior. Rumors about the pair include their purchasing a New York penthouse together and an impending marriage.

With the presidential election only 41 days away, keep up to date with our pages on the Presidential Polls and the Electoral Vote Map. They are great to refer to right up to November 4th!

Check out Mahalo.com for more news, gossip, sports and politics!

In celebrity gossip news, American Idol finalist Clay Aiken has come out. The pop star discusses his decision to finally reveal all in the October 6 issue of People Magazine.

Both George W. Bush and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressed the UN today. His address counters against the international pressure his country is under to disband its nuclear programs.

The tech-obsessed can rejoice: the Google Android Phone has finally been launched. The T-Mobile G1 is the first phone to utilize Google’s operating system and will cost $179 when it is released on October 22. T-Mobile G1 Reviews have been mostly positive, with one article expressing that the phone takes the best features from the BlackBerry and iPhone.