| Earth's
gravity may drop slightly on July 22 during solar eclipse London:
A team of Chinese scientists is planning to conduct a once-in-a-century experiment
on July 22, the day of the total solar eclipse, which would test the controversial
theory that gravity drops slightly during a total eclipse. According to a report
in New Scientist, geophysicists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences are preparing
an unprecedented array of highly sensitive instruments at six sites across the
country to take gravity readings during the total eclipse due to pass over southern
China on July 22. The results, which will be analyzed in the coming months, could
confirm once and for all that anomalous fluctuations observed during past eclipses
are real. "It sounds like what is really necessary to break the uncertainty,"
said Chris Duif of Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands. "I'm not
really convinced the anomaly exists, but it would be revolutionary if it turned
out to be true," he said. The first sign that gravity fluctuates during an eclipse
was in 1954, when French economist and physicist Maurice Allais noticed erratic
behaviour in a swinging pendulum when an eclipse passed over Paris. Pendulums
typically swing back and forth as a result of gravity and the rotation of the
Earth. At the start of the eclipse, however, the pendulum's swing direction shifted
violently, suggesting a sudden change in gravitational pull. Fluctuations have
since been measured during around 20 total solar eclipses, but the results still
remain inconclusive. In the run up to July's eclipse, Chinese researchers have
prepared eight gravimeters and two pendulums spread across six monitoring sites.
The team hopes that the vast distance between the sites (roughly 3000 kilometers
between the most easterly and westerly stations), as well as the number and diversity
of instruments used, will eliminate the chance of instrument error or local atmospheric
disturbances. "If our equipment operates correctly, I believe we have a chance
to say the anomaly is true beyond all doubt," said Tang Keyun, a geophysicist
at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The opportunity won't come again soon. At
over five minutes, the event will be the longest total solar eclipse predicted
for this century. What's more, the event will occur when the sun is high in the
sky; a time when, according to Tang, any potential gravitational anomaly should
be greatest. Manipur
police gun down three militants Top Manipur:
Police commandos killed three suspected militants of the Kangleipak Communist
Party -Military Council (KCP-MC) in Bishenpur district of Manipur. Acting on a
tip off, the commandoes, attached to Bishenpur police station, raided Chingnung
Khul area, about 45 km from state capital Imphal. Jayenta Singh, Superintendent
of Police, Bishenpur District said that the suspected militants were gunned down
at around 1.15 pm. Police also recovered two 9 mm pistols, five rounds of ammunition,
one double-barrel rifle and two mobile phone handsets from the spot. Kasab
pleads guilty to 26/11 attack in Mumbai court Top Mumbai:
Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist involved the terror attacks
in Mumbai on November 26, 2008, which claimed nearly 180 lives and maimed over
300, on Monday, pleaded guilty to the offence before a Mumbai court. For the first
time in his confession, Kasab said, "Mujhe mera gunha kabool hai (I plead guilty
to my crime)." Narrating the entire plot, he confessed that he came along with
nine other terrorists in a boat from Karachi . Kasab also owned up for his involvement
in the 26/11 terror attacks at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) and at Cama
Hospital . He named Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative and alleged mastermind Zakir-ur-Rehman
Lakhvi a the key conspirator, saying he was instructed to conduct a fidayeen (suicide)
attack in Mumbai. Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said: "Admission was
all of a sudden. Kasab has admitted to all the crimes against him." Terming this
a victory of the prosecution and the police, Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok
Chavan said, "Judicial process must now be expedited." The trial in the terror
attacks case is likely to be completed before Diwali in October, Special Judge
M L Tahilyani indicated on July 16. Until now, over 133 of the total 150 witnesses
have been examined in the different cases of the 26/11 attacks filed against Kasab.
Kasab has been charged with murder, conspiracy and waging war against India along
with other crimes. His trial was to have started on April 15 but was put off as
his lawyer, Anjali Waghmare, had been dismissed for a conflict of interest. He
has sicne been represented by a new lawyer named Abbas Kazmi. Kasab is the only
attacker captured alive by police and is currently in custody. He was captured
on CCTV during his attacks at the CST along with another terrorist, Ismail Khan.
The Government of Pakistan initially denied that Kasab was from Pakistan , but
in January 2009, it officially accepted that he was a Pakistani citizen. Kasab'
s confession came two days after the Pakistan Government filed a chargesheet against
five 26/11 prime accused suspects. The hearing into the case will begin on July
25 in the special anti-terror court that has been set-up in the Adiala jail for
the purpose. The chargesheet includes the names of Lashkar's operation chief Zakir-ur-Rehman
Lakhvi and Jamaat-ud-Dawaa (JuD) chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed. Sources said that
the names of all of the accused figure in the chargesheet. It is the first time
that Islamabad has admitted the use of its soil and given documentary proof of
Pakistani terrorists being involved in the 26/11 carnage. Pakistan , prior to
the filing of the chargesheet, confirmed that it has handed over a fresh 36-page
dossier to India regarding the Mumbai attacks. The dossier reportedly indicates
that the LeT carried out the Mumbai attacks. It names Lakhvi as the "mastermind"
of the attack, and also admits the Pakistan nationality of Kasab. HC
upholds conviction of Nanda in BMW hit and run case Top New
Delhi: The Delhi High Court has upheld the conviction of Sanjeev Nanda in
the infamous BMW hit and run case, in which six persons were killed in 1999. Justice
Kailash Gambhir, however, reduced Nanda's jail term from five to two years. Nanda,
a grandson of former Navy Chief Admiral S.M. Nanda, killed six persons while driving
a BMW car in an inebriated condition in the wee hours of January 10, 1999 in the
Lodhi Colony area of South Delhi . Besides Nanda, the court had also sentenced
Rajiv Gupta and Bhola Nath to a year and six months in jail, respectively. Justice
Gambhir also ordered for a criminal prosecution against controversial witness
Sunil Kulkarni. Earlier, Justice Gambhir had reserved his verdict in May. Challenging
his conviction by a trial court, Nanda argued that the lower court had convicted
him under media pressure. The court convicted Nanda under the Section 304 (2)
of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), dealing with culpable homicide not amounting to
murder. Indira
Gandhi’s message of world peace still lies on the Moon Top London:
The details of the messages of peace from world leaders left on the Moon in a
tiny silicon disk on the lunar surface in 1969 have been released. According to
a report in the Telegraph, the silicon disk was left underneath the US flag that
astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin planted on the Moon's surface when
the Apollo 11 mission reached the Moon on July 20, 1969. Some of the most noteworthy
messages are: "On behalf of the British people, I salute the skill and courage
which have brought man to the moon. May this endeavour increase the knowledge
and well-being of mankind," wrote The Queen of the United Kingdom (UK). "On this
unique occasion when man traverses outer space to set foot on Earth's nearest
neighbour, Moon, I send my greetings and good wishes to the brave astronauts who
have launched on this great venture. I fervently hope that this event will usher
in an era of peaceful endeavour for all mankind," wrote Indira Gandhi, prime minister
of India . "In rejoicing together with the government and the people of the United
States of America for the event of the century, I pray God that this brilliant
achievement of science remain always at the service of peace and of mankind,"
wrote Artur da Costa e Silva, president of Brazil . "The age-old dream of man
to cut his bonds to planet Earth and reach for the stars has given him not only
wings, but also the intellect and the intrepid spirit which has enabled him to
overcome formidable barriers and accomplish extraordinary feats in the exploration
of the unknown, culminating in this epochal landing on the Moon," wrote Ferdinand
Marcos, president of the Philippines. "Man has reached out and touched the tranquil
moon. May that high accomplishment allow man to rediscover the Earth and find
peace there," wrote Pierre Elliott Trudeau, prime minister of Canada . "May He
whose glory the heavens declare grant that mankind may grow in the knowledge of
His purposes as we probe into the secrets of His universe," wrote Hugh Lawson
Shearer, prime minister of Jamaica . "On this occasion when Mr. Neil Armstrong
and Colonel Edwin Aldrin set foot for the first time on the surface of the Moon
from the Earth, we pray the Almighty God to guide mankind towards ever increasing
success in the establishment of peace and the progress of culture, knowledge and
human civilization," wrote Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Aryamehr, Shahanshah of Iran.
Clinton
stutters, coughs and chokes on China , 9/11 and Pak querries Top
by
Smita Prakash New Delhi:
That US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at times appears and feels so politically
unsure of herself in the corridors of power in Washington, was visible at this
evening's press conference at Hyderabad House after delegation level talks between
the United States and India. While for the most part the interaction with the
media went off smoothly, someway through it she went into spasms of choking and
coughing, particularly when two questions were asked of her - one relating to
the incident of US soldier's capture and perpetrators of 9/11 being present in
Pakistan even as Islamabad denies it, and second relating to the US deepening
its relations with China and Pakistan. Hillary looked a bit cautious and took
a few moments before replying to AP correspondent's two-part question. Replying
to first part of the query related to the kidnapping of an American soldier, Hillary
said: "It's deeply regrettable and tragic that we've had loss of lives by our
marines and soldiers in the last week since they have aggressively pursued Taliban
in southern Afghanistan and we are very concerned about the kidnapping of our
American soldier and we are working to obtain his safe release." To the second
part of the same question, she said: "With respect to location of those who were
part of planning and execution of the attacks of 9/11on our country, we firmly
believe that a significant number of them are in the border area of Pakistan and
we have conveyed that to the Pakistan government and others and we are actively
looking for additional information that will lead us to them." Before
another question could be asked, Hillary started coughing. When her comments were
asked by an Indian television channel correspondent relating to the deepening
U.S. , China , Pakistan axis, a thoroughly coughing Hillary by that time said:
"My comments, if I don't choke, are that...." Hillary soon composed herself by
sipping water, and resumed her reply saying: "We have demonstrated very clearly
the significance and importance of our relations with India . We entered into
this relationship to broaden and deepen it as partners already on the world stage.
And, what we outlined today will be significant expansion of our bilateral relationship.
And, we also have a very important set of issues that we are pursuing with a Pak,
China , and with many countries around the world. But I don't think you can understate
the significance of our relationships as two democracies." "We have entered in
a relation with India to deepen and strengthen it. We have important set of issues
that we are engaged with China and Pakistan ," Hillary added. But this evening's
press conference appeared to also somehow credence to an earlier observation by
the New York Daily news that highlighted Clinton 's marginalisation in the American
political hierarchy. According to the tabloid, Obama has made Hillary Clinton
nearly invisible, something his predecessor George W.Bush could never manage.
Clinton's recent speech at the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)
was designed to highlight her heavyweight status within the Obama administration,
but according to the NY Daily News, it did just the opposite, confirming the sense
she is being marginalized on foreign policy. "The campaign to puff her up was
too obvious. She stacked the room with aides and her team talked up the "muscular"
approach she would take toward Iran . To get ready for her closeup, Clinton shed
the sling she has worn since breaking her elbow. All for naught. The appearance
raised fresh questions about her reduced role because the speech was a tired rehash
of existing themes and broke no new policy ground," says the paper. "A damp squib"
one disappointed critic called it. It certainly didn't help that Obama upstaged
her by appearing at about the same time to talk about health care. That she and
Obama are entering a Cold War phase was predictable. According to the paper, signs
of friction between the two first surfaced in December last year. India,
US sign three agreements including a defence pact Top New
Delhi: India and United States on Monday signed three agreements, including
a strategically important Defence pact besides the two countries also announced
the beginning of strategic dialogue. India and the U.S. also agreed to cooperate
in space exploration. Visiting US secretary of state Hillary Clinton and External
affairs minister S M Krishna signed the agreements at Hyderabad House in the national
capital Addressing media, Clinton said the two sides had agreed an "end-use monitoring"
accord that would provide safeguards for the sale of highly sophisticated US weaponry
to India . The agreement "will pave the way for greater defence cooperation" Clinton
said, adding that India had also approved two sites for the construction of US
nuclear reactors. Hillary also stressed upon on the need to broaden and deepen
the relation between both the countries. A review of bilateral relations and New
Delhi ’s concerns on the terror infrastructure in Pakistan also figured in the
discussion. Krishna appreciated Clinton ’s efforts to shape closer India-US ties
and informed that the talks between the two leaders covered full range of global
and bilateral issues of mutual interest. The two leaders signed on pacts including
a strategically important defence pact, space cooperation and end-user monitoring
accord that would pave way for more defence deals between the two countries.
Clinton
meets Advani, Sonia Gandhi Top New
Delhi: Visiting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Leader of
Opposition LK Advani at his Prithviraj Road official residence and also met with
UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi at her 10, Janpath Road residence. During her meeting
with Advani, Clinton is said to have reviewed issues of importance to both India
and United States . On her arrival at 10, Janpath, Sonia Gandhi, former Union
Minister Karan Singh and AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi greeted her. Earlier
in the day, she met the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, at his 7 Race Course
Road official residence. During that meeting, Dr. Singh I said to have conveyed
India 's concerns over growing protectionism in the US , but according to PMO
sources, Clinton insisted that the US did not have protectionist policies. India
's concerns were aired in the context of the global economic crisis, which has
affected industry in this country. A review of bilateral relations and New Delhi
's concerns on the terror infrastructure in Pakistan was also said to have figured
in the discussion. Clinton also addressed students of Delhi University during
which she said that combating terrorism and extremism was the number one challenge
for all countries, and that this issue should be tackled in a democratic manner.
She also said that destroying institutions and societies was easy, building or
rebuilding them was a very difficult task. |
