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Pak’s ambivalence in cracking down on Saeed clear : NYT

September 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New York, Sep.19 (ANI) : Pakistani authorities may have filed cases against Lashkar -e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafeez Mohammad Saeed, the alleged mastermind of the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, but Islamabad’s actions are being considered as a mere ‘hogwash’.

The New York Times, while reporting the actions taken against Saeed, said the ambivalence of Pakistani authorities in cracking down on the LeT’s fouder leader was clear.

The newspaper highlighted that the Pakistan government has never been serious regarding putting a check on Saeed and his covert terror activities being run under the LeT’s charity organization Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD).

“Even after he was placed under house arrest in December, the government took steps to soften the blow, allowing him, for instance, to hold a defiant news conference before his confinement began,” it said.

While the Pakistan government has been maintaining that it is seriously carrying out the probe regarding the 26/11 massacre, and tried to show the same to the international community especially the US by booking Saeed under the anti-terrorism act, its ‘bluff’ was laid bare when Saeed’s lawyer disclosed that the case registered against his client were ‘very weak’.

“I have gone through both the FIRs against Saeed thoroughly. The charges against my client are very weak. He has expressed his views like any other Pakistani,” Saeed’s lawyer AK Dongar told a private television channel.

Pakistani authorities also revealed that they have not received any instructions for arresting Saeed despite the registration of two cases against him. (ANI)

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US army set for “hopping rotochut” that hops to avoid rubble trouble

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, September 19 (ANI): The U.S. army’s fleet of robots will soon be enhanced with the addition of forthcoming reconnaissance craft called the ‘hopping rotochute’, which will be capable of travelling deep into obstacle-ridden spaces like caves and rubble-laden buildings to video what it finds.

The self-righting probe is being developed for the Army Research Lab in Aberdeen, Maryland, by Eric Beyer and Mark Costello, a pair of robotics engineers at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

The project attains significance because present-day military robots, which run on small tank-style tracks, cannot cope with irregular surfaces and obstacles such as rubble or boulders.

“They usually have trouble and get stuck with even low obstacles and walls a couple of feet high,” says Costello.

Although small helicopters are one alternative, continuous flying drains the batteries fast.

Thus, Costello stresses the need for a rotor-powered, bottom-heavy, self-righting vehicle that spends most of its time on the ground, conserving battery power.

AS to whether repeated hopping might harm the craft, a spokesman for the Impact Centre at Cranfield University in Bedfordshire, UK, said: “From a crashworthiness point of view this concept looks perfectly feasible. There should be no problem with the vehicle surviving hundreds of impacts, which is roughly equivalent to dropping a mobile phone from waist height.” (ANI)

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Planck spacecraft obtains first peek of big bang’s ‘afterglow’

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, September 18 (ANI): European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Planck spacecraft has obtained its first peek at the afterglow of the big bang, revealing it in unprecedented detail.

The ESA spacecraft was launched into space on May 14 this year. It is observing the glow of hot gas from just 380,000 years after the big bang, called the cosmic microwave background (CMB).

According to a report in New Scientist, the detailed properties of this background may contain hints of hidden extra dimensions or multiple universes, as well as providing clues to what caused a brief, early period of incredibly rapid cosmic expansion.

Planck began surveying the microwave background on August 13, a few weeks after reaching its planned perch 1.5 million kilometres from Earth at a point called L2 and cooling its detectors to within 0.1 degrees Celsius above absolute zero.

Now, the Planck team has released the probe’s first image, an observational strip covering about 5 per cent of the sky.

Slight variations in temperature from place to place in the early universe give the image its mottled appearance.

“With a few per cent of the data in, you can see it’s working well and delivering good stuff,” said team member George Efstathiou of the University of Cambridge.

Planck is expected to provide the most detailed all-sky map of the cosmic microwave background yet, improving on the best current map, obtained by NASA’s Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), which launched in 2001.

Planck’s detectors have more than 10 times the sensitivity of WMAP’s, and about 2.5 times the angular resolution.

“Every strip that Planck scans, we’re getting data that is many, many times more sensitive than WMAP,” Efstathiou told New Scientist.

Although Planck was only designed to observe the sky for 15 months, the team believes it could last for more than 30 months, based on new estimates of how long its coolant will last.

The extra time will allow Planck to measure the radiation with even greater precision, since it will scan the entire sky four times – two more than originally planned. (ANI)

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New method to monitor early sign of oxidative stress that triggers cancer

September 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sept 12 (ANI): Scientists from University of Michigan have developed a new method to monitor early sign of oxidative stress that triggers cancer spread.

Lead researcher Kate Carroll suggests that being able to monitor a marker of oxidative stress that is associated with the activation of tumor cell growth pathways, particularly at an early stage, and then tailor treatments accordingly would allow for more targeted studies and might improve the odds of success with antioxidants and pro-oxidants.

The new method detects sulfenic acid in proteins-a tip off to early oxidative stress and to a specific protein modification associated with cell growth pathways.

Sulfenic acid is produced when a particular oxidant, hydrogen peroxide, reacts with the protein building block cysteine. But because the chemical modification involved is so small and transient, it has been difficult to detect.

To get around that problem, Carroll and Seo used a chemical probe that “traps” sulfenic acid and tags it for recognition by an antibody.

The antibody is labeled with a fluorescent dye that glows when observed with a fluorescence microscope.

The researchers then used the method to assess sulfenic acid levels as a marker of oxidative stress in several systems, including a panel of breast cancer cell lines.

“For each line, we saw a very distinct pattern of sulfenic acid modifications,” indicating different oxidative stress levels and hinting at differences in the underlying molecular events associated with tumor growth,” said Carroll, assistant professor of chemistry and a research assistant professor in the Life Sciences Institute.

“Whether the patterns we see will correlate with response to antioxidant treatment or other therapies that modulate oxidative stress level remains to be seen, but now we at least have a way to investigate that question,” the expert added.

The study appears in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (ANI)

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CBI to visit YSR’s helicopter crash site today

September 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep 12 (ANI): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will visit on Saturday the site of the helicopter crash, where former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and four others were killed, in order to probe the crash at Pavirallagutta in the dense Nallamalla forests.

The CBI multi-disciplinary investigation team (MDIT) would be headed by Deputy Inspector General V V Lakshmi Narayana and comprise officers from the Indian Air Force and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation also.

The CBI would also inquire whether any sabotage was behind the crash and what forced the helicopter to deviate from its set path, besides the response from the Air Traffic Control(ATC) in Chennai.

The CBI probe has been ordered under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

Such a probe is conducted by a police officer specially empowered by the State Government when the deceased has been killed by another or by an animal or by machinery or by an accident.

A two-member expert committee is already investigating the incident. It has been told to submit its report in two months. (ANI)

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Karnataka Government orders CoD probe into church attack

September 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Bangalore, Sep 11 (ANI): The Karnataka Government on Friday, announced that it will hand over the investigation of an attack on a church to the state’s Cops of Detective (CoD).

Addressing the State Assembly Chief Minister, B.S.Yeddyurappa said: “We will refer the probe to the Corps of Detectives (CoD),”

A detailed statement on the issue would be placed before the house as the earliest, he added.

Unidentified miscreants vandalised the St Francis De Sales Church in Hebbagodi. Two statues of Jesus and Mary placed in a grotto were desecrated, windowpanes were damaged on Thursday.

The opposition Congress Party has demanded a CoD probe into the attack.

Meanwhile, Bangalore Police Commissioner Shankar Bidari has issued for shoot at sight orders against those found to be trespassing in churches, mosques and temples or found to be committing theft or indulging in any mischief. (ANI)

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Onus on Pak to unveil 26/11 conspiracy, says Krishna

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep.10 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna on Thursday put the onus of unveiling the conspiracy behind the Mumbai attacks on Pakistan.

While confirming that the foreign secretaries of the two countries – Nirupama Rao and Salman Bashir – would be meeting in New York on the sidelines of the 64th session of the UN General Assembly, Krishna ruled out having any meaningful dialogue with Islamabad till it took concrete steps to nail those responsible for last year’s terror strike.

Krishna also said that he would be meeting his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi in New York.

He said Rao and Bashir would discuss the progress made on the investigation of the 26/11 attacks and prosecution of those arrested in connection with it.

“It is in our vital interest to normalize our relations with Pakistan. However, we are at a stage where it is for Pakistan to determine the kind of relationship that it wants to have with India,” Krishna told the Editors Guild in New Delhi.

“Clearly, the onus is on Pakistan to unveil the conspiracy,” he said, adding India had sought to “assist” them in that task by providing vital evidence.

He said Pakistan is safeguarding terror mastermind Hafiz Saeed and that the Indian Government was in no doubt that he was the brain behind the Mumbai terror attack.

Krishna underlined that terrorism would remain his focus when he meets Qureshi.

New Delhi maintains that it has given enough evidence to Islamabad for it to prosecute the 26/11 accused.

Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, who is currently in the United States briefing the Obama administration about the steps New Delhi has taken so far vis-’-vis the 26/11 probe, has categorically stated that the Pakistan Government is holding up the trial of Saeed and other state actors. (ANI)

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Demonstration in Shopian over death of property dealer

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Shopian (J-K), Sep 10 (ANI): Hundreds of residents on Wednesday took to the streets in Shopian town, 60 km from Srinagar, after a missing local was found dead.

Frenzied locals raised anti-India slogans during the funeral procession of Mohammad Hussain Zargar, a prominent member of the local ‘Majlis-e-Mushawarat’ (council for discussion), the organisation that spearheaded protests to seek justice for the rape and murder of two Muslim women.

The body of Zargar, a 42-year-old property dealer, was discovered on Tuesday He was missing since Saturday and residents alleged he had died under mysterious circumstances.

Government offices and schools remained closed and business activity came to a standstill in the town on Wednesday after Majlis-e-Mushawarat gave a shutdown call demanding a probe into Zargar’s death.

“Nothing can be said at this time. The post-mortem report is not out, when the report is out only then we can clear about that what has happened. Let’s wait for report then we will talk about it and thereafter investigations also take place, things become clear then we will come out with a positive response on the case, well,” said Muhammad Shafi Khan, spokesman for the majlis. (ANI)

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Assam’s Orang National Park to have anti-poaching camps

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Guwahati (Assam), Sep 9(ANI): The Assam Government on Wednesday said that it would set up five anti-poaching camps in the Orang National Park in order to prevent the poaching of the endangered one-horned rhinos.

The decision came in the wake of a stark increase in the number of poaching incidents that were reported from the park.

Earlier, Assam Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain had ordered a high-level probe. Several administrative officials, including Chief Conservator of Forest B S Bonal, had visited the park in order to prepare a report.

According to reports, along with the five anti-poaching camps, there will be two floating camps in the river. Meanwhile, twenty armed home guards and one assistant conservator of forest would be deployed to supervise the measures. (ANI)

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Delhi Court to hear Bofors pay-off case today

September 8, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep 8 (ANI): A Delhi court will hear the Bofors payoffs case against Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi today. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) may reveal its course of action following the withdrawal of Interpol’s Red Corner Notice against him.

The matter is to come up for hearing before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kaveri Baweja.

During the brief hearing on April 30, Additional Solicitor General P P Malhotra, appearing for CBI, had informed the court that the Red Corner Notice issued against Quattrocchi was withdrawn in November last year.

The ASG had also sought two months time to decide on the future course of action in the politically-sensitive case on the court’s query as to what options were left with the probe agency following the withdrawal of the Red Corner Notice.

The Bofors scandal was a major corruption scandal in India in the 1980s, when the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and several others were accused of receiving kickbacks from Bofors AB for winning a bid to supply the Indian Army with 155 mm howitzer guns.

The court had on February 10, 1997, sent letters to Malaysia and the UAE seeking the arrest and extradition of Quattrocchi.

The CBI had registered the FIR in the Bofors case on January 22, 1990, three years after Swedish Radio on April 16, 1987, claimed that A B Bofors, the makers of the 155 mm howitzers, had paid kickbacks to top Indian politicians and key defence officials to secure the Rs 1,437 crore gun deal.The contract between the Indian government and the Swedish Company for the supply of 400 field guns was signed on March, 24, 1986. (ANI)

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Andhra interim government orders CBI probe into chopper crash

September 7, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Hyderabad, Sep 7 (ANI): The Andhra Pradesh Government on Monday recommended for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the chopper crash that killed Chief Minister Y.S.Rajasekhar Reddy on September 2.

The recommendation comes even as the Andhra Pradesh police began its own probe into the shocking incident.

Along with YSR, his principal secretary, chief security officer and two pilots of the chopper were also killed in the crash in Nallamala forest area.

The state Crime Investigation Department (CID) has gathered the mangled pieces of chopper from the spot of the crash.

Kurnool district collector Mukesh Kumar Meena, who is holding the custody of the mangled pieces of the chopper, said the pieces and instruments would be handed over to a special investigation team of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

A team of the DGCA is expected to visit the spot in a couple of days for further investigation.

The DGCA is examining the details stored in the block box of the chopper.

“They have taken the CVR (Black Box) to Delhi to retrieve data and examine the same. The CVR along with ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter) are the important instruments for the investigators,” Meena said. (ANI)

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US denies role in General Zia’s plane crash

September 7, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Sep 7 (ANI): The US has rejected allegations that it was in any way involved in the plane crash that killed former president Zia-ul-Haq and several top Pakistani officials.

US embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire denied former Intelligence Bureau chief Brigadier (retired) Imtiaz Ahmed’s claims that the US was behind the crash, adding that, “[other] allegations that the US tried to influence or stall the investigations are baseless and untrue. We reject all such allegations.”

The then US Ambassador in Pakistan was killed in the 1988 incident therefore, the US will always favour getting to the actual facts, sources said.

Zia-ul-Haq’s elder son Ejaz-ul-Haq had alleged that the US forcefully stopped the probe into the incident of plane crash.

Ahmed said the US and internal powers were behind the 1988 plane crash that killed General Zia-ul-Haq, who ruled Pakistan from 1978 till his death. (ANI)

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DGCA recommends derostering of Air India maintenance engineer for fuel leak

September 4, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Mumbai, Sep.4 (ANI): The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered the derostering of the maintenance engineer who was working on Air India flight 829 after it developed a fuel leak.

The DGCA has ordered a detailed probe into the fuel leak from the wings of an Air India flight that caused one of the engines to catch fire.

Ruling out the possibility of a technical snag leading to the grounding of the aircraft at Mumbai Airport on Friday morning, aviation experts said the fuel leaked onto the heated engines of the aircraft and that had caused the fire.

Had it not been detected, they said it could have led to a major catastrophe in the air.

They said that timely information provided by a passenger led the crew to stop the flight from taxing off the runway for Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh.

Flight 829 was immediately grounded when sparks were detected flying out of one of the engines.

The 213 passengers onboard were evacuated by slides to safety.

Four fire engines were rushed to the spot, as also other equipment and personnel. (ANI)

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Indo-Pak foreign secretary talks not on the cards

September 4, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep.4 (ANI): Talks between the Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan-Nirupama Rao and Salman Bashir-are not going to be held in the forseeable future in the wake of the latest statements emerging from Islamabad with regard to the 26/11 probe and its less than acceptable reactions to the six dossiers provided to it by the Indian Government.

According to sources, while the meeting between the Indian External Affairs Minister S.M.Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi will take place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly later this month, any hopes of a limited dialogue taking place at lesser levels is remote.

Incessant ceasefire violations at the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan’s consistent non-compliance to the six dossiers provided by India and the inaction against 26/11 mastermind Hafeez Saeed are proving to be a recipe for a new face off between the two neighbours.

Dismayed by Pakistan’s double speak and its refusal to accept the evidence provided by India in the sixth dossier, sources said “It is up to Pakistan to decide what relation they want with India”.

Hafeez Saeed and his organization are banned under UN resolution 1267 and he should be brought to books, the sources added.

Interpol has already issued Red corner notices against Hafeez Saeed and Lakhvi, the key suspects who masterminded the Mumbai terror attacks.

But Pakistan is still asking for concrete evidence from India.

The Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has already indicated that India may not respond to further demands from the Pakistan Government for information on the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai.

The apparent bitterness between the two neighbours is evident from the fact that the meeting between the foreign secretaries of the two countries is not yet finalized.

Sources have told ANI that no dates are fixed for the meetings so far.

It was decided between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Yusuf Raza Gilani at Sharm-al-Sheikh last month that foreign secretaries of both countries should meet more often and it was also decided that Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao should meet her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir before the ministers of both countries meet in New York.

The Pakistan Foreign office has also reportedly invited the Indian Foreign Secretary for talks in Islamabad, but no decision has been taken regarding her visit as if now, sources have told ANI.

India is also alarmed by the recent US reports about Pakistan’s increasing nuclear capabilities. The Indian Army chief has also expressed apprehensions over the development and has said that Pakistan’s nuclear stockpile is going beyond nuclear deterrence. He has also cautioned Pakistan over the rising ceasefire violations. By Naveen Kapoor (ANI)

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Sohail’s diatribe against Butt for Pak’s World Cup hosting fiasco

September 4, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Lahore, Sep.4 (ANI): Former Pakistan captain and left hand opener Aamir Sohail has criticized Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ijaz Butt for misleading board patron, President Asif Ali Zardari and the public on the 2011 World Cup hosting issue.

Sohail, who resigned from the National Cricket Academy’s (NCA) Director post recently, flayed Butt for calling general public ‘naove’.

Let me assure Mr. Ijaz that the people of Pakistan are not naove. They are passionate about cricket, knowledgeable and fully aware of what is going on in the world of cricket. With all due respect Mr. Ijaz, you are the one who is wearing blinkers and do not have a clue as how to handle the affairs of cricket domestically and internationally,” Sohail said.

Sohail, in his statement, said Butt has no idea about tackling issues at international forums and held him responsible for the 2011 World Cup hosting fiasco.

“His letter to the ICC president accusing the chief executive officer of the ICC of influencing full members to support the IDI’s (commercial arm of the ICC) decision to relocate matches from Pakistan does not augur well with diplomatic norms when you are handling international matters, Mr Ijaz must know,” Sohail stated.

He lambasted Butt for the inept method in which the probe regarding March 3 terror attack on the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore proceeded.

Sohail raised questions over the laid back attitude of the PCB, saying the whole issue was mishandled by the board.

“It was a major contributory factor in the subsequent developments vis-a-vis the World Cup 2011. The co-hosts were not contacted after the incident despite strong advice from some of his staff. Instead, he castigated ICC match referee Chris Broad. This did not go well in the world cricket regulatory body,” The Daily Times quoted Sohail, as saying.

“It was height of incompetence of the PCB officials that rather than accepting the responsibility they tried to persistently pass the buck on the government,” he added. (ANI)

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New ultrasensitive electronic sensor to speed up DNA testing (corrected)

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sept 1 (ANI): Singapore scientists have developed a new ultrasensitive electronic sensor that would speed up DNA testing for disease diagnosis and biological research.

The novel electronic sensor array would be rapid, accurate and cost-efficient.

According to lead researcher Dr Zhiqiang Gao, from Singapore’s Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), the Nanogap Sensor Array has shown “excellent” sensitivity at detecting trace amounts of DNA.

“By saving time and lowering expenses, our newly developed Nanogap Sensor Array offers a scalable and viable alternative for DNA testing,” said Gao.

The biosensor translates the presence of DNA into an electrical signal for computer analysis.

The distinctively designed sensor chip has the ability to detect DNA more efficiently by “sandwiching” the DNA strands between the two different surfaces.

“The novel vertical nanostructure design and two different surfaces of the sensor allow ultrasensitive detection of DNA,” said Gao.

“This sensitivity is best-in-class among electrical DNA biosensors. The design of the sensor also took into consideration the feasibility of mass production in a cost-effective way for expanded usage,” the expert added.

Presently, human DNA is detected through the use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which while effective, is also expensive, cumbersome and time-consuming for widespread use.

Although effective, tests involving PCR may not be optimal for situations such as a pandemic outbreak.

The biosensor captures DNA strands more effectively. This is possible because the two surfaces of the sensor are coated with a chemically treated “capture probe” solution through an electrochemical technique specially developed by IBN.

This allows DNA strands to “stick” more easily to the sensor, resulting in a faster and more accurate analysis.

“This new biosensor holds significant promise to speed up on-going efforts in the detection and diagnosis of debilitating diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular problems and infectious viruses,” said Dr Jackie Y. Ying, Executive Director of IBN, one of the research institutes of Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

“We aim to make healthcare accessible to the masses with early disease diagnosis as the critical driving force behind the research we undertake here at IBN,” she added.

The study appears in Journal of the American Chemical Society. (ANI)

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Pak involvement seen in Russian warship hijack

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Moscow/Islamabad, Sep.1 (ANI): Investigations into the hijacking of a Russian warship in April by Somali pirates show that Pakistani nationals played an important role in the hijack.

Twelve Pakistanis had been apprehended along with the Somali pirates. Pakistan has so far not launched a probe into the Russian allegations and claimed that 12 men were fishermen, the Times Now television channel reports.

Authorities have confirmed the first case of alleged Pakistani involvement with Somali pirates in a revelation that has raised concerns about a possible link between piracy and suspected terrorist groups.

On April 28, a Russian warship apprehended 12 Pak nationals – along with Somali pirates – for attempting to attack a tanker off Somalias coast.

Investigations pointed to Pakistani nationals having played a ‘lead’ role. Their nationality was confirmed through identity cards and evidence was handed over on May 8 to MSS Rehmat, a Pakistan Maritime Security Agency ship, 12 miles of Gwadar.

Pakistan first claimed that these men were fishermen but three months on, there is no word on the probe.

The incident occurred when Russian warship Admiral Panteleyev received a distress call 120 km east of Somalias coast from a tanker Bulwai Bank, registered in Antigua, en route to Singapore. The tanker was under attack from Somali pirates.

Russian commandos intervened and foiled the attempt. They found that the pirates speedboats were being guided from another mother vessel. (ANI)

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Three policemen suspended, probe ordered into custodial death in J-K

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Srinagar, Aug 31(ANI): Three policemen were suspended and a magisterial probe was ordered on Monday, following the death of a 17-year-old boy in police custody in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district.

According to reports, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Adhkunwari police post Suram Chand, Munshi Deepak Ram and Selection Grade Constable Bishan Dass were suspended.

Sub Divisional Magistrate Katra Rashpal Singh has been directed to conduct a magisterial inquiry into the death and submit the report to the government.

Earlier, protests were held in the region after death of Billoo, a native of Ludhiana in Punjab, who police claimed had committed suicide by hanging himself in the lock-up.

Billoo was picked in connection with a theft and pick-pocketing case and was taken to Adhkuwari police station for questioning. (ANI)

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ISRO formally calls off India’s first moon mission

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Panaji. Aug 31 (ANI): Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has formally called off Chandrayaan-1, India’s first moon mission, after it lost contact with the craft. ink with the Chandrayaan-1 craft broke down early on Saturday.

Talking to reporters here on Sunday, ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair said, “The net result is that the lunar has lost radio contact with the craft and we are not receiving any signal. So we had to terminate the mission with this sequence…we made all attempts but our attempts were not succeed.”

Nair claimed that though the moon mission terminated much before its two-year lifetime it was a great success.

“About 95 percent of the objectives of the scientific experiments have been completed and we have more than 70,000 images of the moon, especially the most critical regions are in our custody,” he added.

The 79-million dollar mission was launched amid national euphoria last October, putting India in the Asian space race alongside China.

A probe vehicle landed on the moon a month later and sent back images of the lunar surface.

But a critical sensor in the main craft, orbiting the moon, malfunctioned in July, raising fears that the two-year mission might have to be curtailed.

One of the mission’s main aims was to look for Helium 3, an isotope which is very rare on earth but could be an energy source in the future in nuclear fusion.

ISRO has plans to send a manned mission to space in four years’ time and eventually on to Mars. (ANI)

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Muthoot’s family alleges conspiracy behind murder

August 29, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 29 (ANI): A week after Kerala business tycoon Paul Muthoot was found murdered, his family has refuted Kerala Police’s road rage claim saying that there’s something more creepy behind his death.

Jnanamma Thomas, Muthoot’s grandmother refuted Kerala police’s road rage angle, alleging a cover-up of a brutal murder of her grandson .

“They did not tell us there was an accident angle to it in the beginning. But only they told there was an accident,” she said.

George P Easo, a family member said, “Politicians are changing their statements every other day. We don’t know whom to believe.”

Earlier, Kerala Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has dismissed opposition Congress charge that his son had links in connection with the recent murder of Muthoot group scion Paul M George.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, Balakrishnan said, “My son (Beenish Kodiyeri) has no relation with the case whatsoever. The allegation that Beenish had connections with wanted gangsters was to create a ‘mystery’ over the case.”

Rejecting the charge that the Home Department was trying to interfere in the investigation process, he said a deliberate attempt was being made by vested interests to hamper the probe.

The government had nothing to hide in the case and was open to “any sort of investigation”, he added.

Balakrishnan also announced that a special investigation team had been constituted under the leadership of Inspector General of Police Vinson M. Paul to probe the murder of the Paul Muthoot George.

He said that the team was constituted as the inter-district ramifications of the case and deeper links would have to be probed in detail. The investigation would cover links of Muthoot George with goonda elements.

According to the police theory, a gang of nearly 22 men was behind the murder of Paul.

Paul was killed last Friday night on the Alappuzha-Changanassery road. A friend who was with him was injured and is in hospital; both were stabbed.

Paul, who was based in Delhi, had recently returned to Kerala to take charge of the leisure and hospitality arm. He was returning from an under-construction resort at Mararikulam when he was stabbed to death.

On Sunday, police arrested 12 persons, including notorious criminals, identified as Om Prakash and Rajesh. (ANI)

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New ultrasensitive electronic sensor to speed up DNA testing (corrected)

Pak involvement seen in Russian warship hijack

Three policemen suspended, probe ordered into custodial death in J-K

ISRO formally calls off India’s first moon mission

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