Cost-cutting Nasa eyes three cheap space missions

WASHINGTON : Nasa has named low-cost missions to Venus, the moon and an asteroid on a shortlist to become its latest space adventure, as the US agency faces astronomical political pressure to cut costs. The proposed probes -- to the surface of Venus, the moon and to bring back a piece of a primitive asteroid -- must all come with a price tag of less than 650 million dollars, a fraction of the cost of manned space flight. The agency, in a statement said the winner of the competition will be announced in mid-2011, with the project to launch by the end of 2018. Nasa has faced growing pressure to cut its budget as the US government's debt soars and as the United States buckles under the deepest economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The agency has also seen dwindling political support, with its White House and congressional paymasters reluctant to fund the type of expensive manned space exploration that saw the agency put 12 men on the moon. A plan to return humans to the moon by 2020 came under withering criticism from a panel tasked by US President Barack Obama to look into the future of space exploration, as the project's initial budget of 28 billion dollars exploded past 44 billion. Against this backdrop, the agency is asking scientists to come up with low-cost ideas to further space exploration. One project led by the University of Colorado's Larry Esposito would send an explorer to Earth's sister planet, Venus. The explorer would descend through the carbon dioxide-rich Venusian atmosphere, landing on the planet's surface in the hope of gathering evidence that could explain why it is so different from Earth, despite being close in size and space. A second project would place a lander on the moon's southern pole, collecting rocks that are thought to come from the lunar core, offering an insight into how the moon and Earth developed. Another project would travel to an asteroid to snatch around two ounces (56 grams) of material before returning the payload to Earth for extensive tests. The winner will be the third in Nasa's cost-saving New Frontiers program, which was launched in 2006. The first mission will fly by Pluto and its moon Charon in 2015 and then a target in the Kuiper belt, at the outer reaches of the Solar System. "These three proposals provide the best science value among eight submitted to Nasa this year," said Nasa's Ed Weiler.

"These are projects that inspire and excite young scientists, engineers and the public."

AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2010

A once-in-a-blue-moon New Year's Eve

PARIS : For only the second time in nearly two decades, December ended with Earth illuminated by a 'Blue Moon,' the name given to the second full moon appearing in a single month. For New Year's revelers in the Western hemisphere, the calendar will not quite have turned into the new decade when the perfectly round orb lights up the night sky. Not since 1990 has the world had the opportunity to observe on a mass scale the compounded impact of a Blue Moon and bubbly. The double full moon phenomenon happens on average every 2.7 years, with the most recent in May 2007, and the next set for August 2012.
This month, the moon was also at its maximum on December 2. Why Blue? For no particular reason, according to Space.com, a popular science website based in the United States. "If there's been a recent volcanic eruption that poured significant ash into the upper atmosphere, it is possible for the moon to take on a blue tint," noted the site's editorial director Robert Roy Britt. "That's not expected tonight," he added, as if by way of apology.
It also turns out that the term "blue moon" is a misnomer that can be traced back to an editorial blooper 65 years ago in the normally irreproachable magazine Sky and Telescope.
The original meaning was the third full moon in a season with four, a more common occurrence.
There is also a cocktail -- curacao, gin and a twist -- by that name, and a turn of the (20th) century expression meaning something absurd. 

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2010

‘New Moon’ named Best Movie of 2009

UNITED STATES : Twilight sequel ‘New Moon’ has been voted the best movie of 2009 in a new poll. Conducted by AOL movie Web site Moviefone.com, heartthrob Robert Pattinson took away the title for Sexiest Male star, with 46.5pct votes, while co-star Taylor Lautner was named Best Male Breakout star, timesofindia.com quoted.
‘New Moon’ was also ranked as the year's champ "chick flick."
Although voters ranked "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" as the worst movie of 2009, as well as the second most disappointing film after "Bruno," yet at the same time, they called it the year's best action flick, reports the New York Daily News.
"Transformers" star Megan Fox was voted the year's Sexiest Female thespian but voters also felt she gave the worst performance of '09. "The Hangover" got was voted the year's funniest movie, with 51.8pct votes, while Disney/Pixar's "Up" was named the best animated film. Sandra Bullock took the best performance by an actress prize for "The Blind Side." Meanwhile, Twilight series’ next instalment ‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’ was picked as the 2010 film fans most yearn to see.

AJJ NEWS (aaj.tv)

"PAK NAVY OCCUPIES LAND OF GAWADAR"

Pakistan Navy has occupied the Land of Gawadar which is the ownership of Balochistan Provincial Government. P.M. Gillani has instructed the Navy Authorities on the request and protest of C.M. Balochistan Aslam Raisaani but the Navy Authorities have refused to leave the occupied land of Gawadar.

4000 Shops burnt out in follow up of Aashura Attack in Karachi

Around 4000 shops have been burnt out in aashura incidents in the business district of Karachi after Youm-e-Ashur suicide attack at a mourning procession in the metropolis that killed 43 people and injured several others.

The fire tenders still fighting blazes ranging in the area located largest wholesale markets of the country. Several vehicles were also set on fire after the bombing. A traders body leader Fahim Noori has said the traders have suffered Rs 20 to 30 billion losses in aashura attacks in which 3000 to 4000 shops were set on fire by the miscreants.

Fahim Noori posed question the authorities, who provide such dangerous inflammable material to the miscreants, which rapidly spread the fire. President Karachi Chamber has called a meeting this afternoon to set strategy.

Russia in secret plan to save Earth from Asteroid..

Mosco : Russian scientists will soon meet in secret to work on a plan for saving Earth from a possible catastrophic collision with a giant asteroid in 26 years, the head of Russia's space agency said Wednesday.
"We will soon hold a closed meeting of our collegium, the science-technical council to look at what can be done" to prevent the asteroid Apophis from slamming into the planet in 2036, Anatoly Perminov told Voice of Russia radio.
"We are talking about people's lives," Perminov was quoted by news agencies as telling the radio station.
"Better to spend a few hundred million dollars to create a system for preventing a collision than to wait until it happens and hundreds of thousands of people are killed," he said. The Apophis asteroid measures approximately 350 metres (1,150 feet) in diameter and RIA Novosti news agency said that if it were to hit Earth when it passes nearby in 2036 it would create a new desert the size of France. Perminov said a serious plan to prevent such a catastrophe would probably be an international project involving Russian, European, US and Chinese space experts. Interfax quoted him as saying that one option would be to build a new "space apparatus" designed solely for the purpose of diverting Apophis from a collision course with Earth safely. "There won't be any nuclear explosions," Perminov said. "Everything will be done according to the laws of physics. We will examine all of this." In a statement dated from October and posted on its website, the US space agency NASA said new calculations on the path of Apophis indicated "a significantly reduced likelihood of a hazardous encounter with Earth in 2036."
"Updated computational techniques and newly available data indicate the probability of an Earth encounter on April 13, 2036, for Apophis has dropped from one-in-45,000 to about four-in-a-million," NASA said.
RIA Novosti said the asteroid was expected to pass within 30,000 kilometres (18,600 miles) of Earth in 2029 -- closer than some geo-stationary satellites -- and could shift course to hit Earth seven years years after that.

AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2009

AAJ NEWS (aaj.tv)

CNG stations on countrywide Strike from today..

LAHORE: (Daiy Times)The All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA) has announced suspension of operations for an indefinite period from today (Wednesday), in protest at the government's anti-business" policies and the "two-day holiday" for CNG stations.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, APCNGA Chairman Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha said CNG stations in Punjab and NWFP would be shuttered completely. He said the government had "pushed CNG station owners against the wall" in pursuance of "anti-people and anti-business policies". He said that according to the petroleum policy of 1992, CNG prices were supposed to be set at a level that was 50 percent of petrol prices.

"The prices of CNG will stand at Rs 55-57 per kilogramme on January 1, as gas prices will increase." He said with current prices standing at Rs 42-47 per kilogramme, a further increase would wreak havoc with the CNG business.

"Not only will our businesses suffer, the mobility of the masses will also be severely affected," said Paracha, adding that industry stakeholders had already rejected a further increase in CNG prices.

He said transporters had also joined hands with the APCNGA and would remain on strike until the demands of the association were met. He said the government should adopt a long-term policy and announce five-year rates for CNG.

He said if LNG was imported from Qatar, it would double the rate of CNG.

Al Qaeda Claims Responsibility for Attempted Plane Bombing

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has claimed responsibility for the attempted attack on a U.S. airliner on Christmas day, saying it was retaliation for a U.S. operation against the group in Yemen.In a statement posted on the Internet, the group said 23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab coordinated with members of the group.Yemeni forces, helped by U.S. intelligence, carried out two airstrikes against Al Qaeda operatives in the country this month. The second one was a day before the attempted bombing of the plane.The group said the would-be bomber used explosives manufactured by Al Qaeda members.Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is an alliance of militants based in Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

42 killed, 63 injured in Karachi suicide attack

KARACHI, Dec 29 (APP): Sindh Minister for Health, Dr.  Sagheer Ahmed said that at least  42 persons were killed while 63 were injured in the blast in 10th Muharram’s mouring procession near Light House at M.A.Jinnah Road here on Monday.Talking to APP here, the Sindh Health Minister said that total of 25 bodies were shifted to Civil Hospital Karachi and two bodies were taken to Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Center while three bodies were shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

The Minister said  he has received reports that about 63 persons were injured in the blast. Majority of the injured have been shifted to Civil Hospital Karachi, Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Center and the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, he added.

He said that he has directed the hospitals’ authorities to provide full medical treatment to the injured.
The Sindh Minister said that the Sindh government will bear the expenses of the treatment of the injured.
Those injured in the blast and who received treatment at the private hospitals will also be provided expenses of their medical cover, he said.
The Sindh Minister for Health noted that the compensation will be paid to the families of the victims of the incident while the injured will also be given compensation.

APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2009

Chinese high-speed train sets new record

Wuhan, China (FT) -- China streaked ahead of its western and Asian rivals at the weekend by unveiling the world's fastest long-distance passenger train service.

The Harmony express raced 1,100km in less than three hours on Saturday, travelling from Guangzhou, capital of southern Guangdong province, to the central city of Wuhan. The journey previously took at least 11 hours.

The improvement illustrates how China's huge investment in infrastructure is dramatically shrinking the country, yet the economics of the new service, which runs 56 times a day, remain unproven amid a build-it-and-they-will-come approach to transport.

"China has focused on building expressways but that is an American method," said Zheng Tianxiang, a Guangzhou-based infrastructure expert and government adviser.

"Expressways are not suited for China, which has large numbers of people but little space to spare. China should learn from Japan and Europe."

The Harmony express, which reached a top speed of 394km per hour in pre-launch trials, travelled at an average rate of 350km per hour on its debut. This compared with a maximum service speed of 300km per hour for Japan's Shinkansen bullet trains and France's TGV service. In America, Amtrak's Acela "Express" service takes 3½ hours to trundle between Boston and New York, a distance of only 300km.

According to state media reports, the government spent $17bn (€12bn, £11bn) on the Harmony express line's construction over 4½ years. Wuhan invested $2.4bn in a new French-designed train station, which boasts 20 tracks and 11 platforms. Officials this weekend declined to confirm project costs.

Ticket prices have been set at Rmb780 ($115, €80, £72) for first class and Rmb490 for second. The country's airlines, which like the railway are mostly state-owned, have responded by slashing fares to undercut those for the new train, with China Southern Airlines, based in Guangzhou, offering tickets for advance purchase starting at Rmb250 and introducing hourly flights.

Huang Xin, head of passenger services for Guangzhou Railway Group, said on the inaugural ride that pricing might have to be adjusted.

Even the second-class fares may prove too rich for the biggest pool of potential passengers for the line, the estimated 20m workers in the Pearl river delta manufacturing belt around Guangzhou who hail from inland provinces. About half of them usually return home during the Chinese new year holiday in the world's biggest human migration. The round-trip express fare is priced at about two-thirds of an average factory worker's monthly wage.

Most passengers on the sold-out debut run were middle-class joy-riders drawn by the journey's novelty value. "We are not staying in Wuhan," said Qiu Chaoyue, a Guangzhou resident who tried out the new rail link with a group of friends. "We're going to take the next train back to Guangzhou."

Another disadvantage of the new service is that the stations at each end of the line are at least an hour's drive from their respective city centres.

In total, the railways ministry intends to complete 18,000km of high-speed rail lines by 2012, allowing passengers to travel between most Chinese provincial capitals in eight hours or less.

One reason for the enormous construction outlay for the Harmony express was difficult terrain, especially in the poor mountainous areas of Guangdong and Hunan provinces. The train travels along 713km of elevated tracks and tunnels, accounting for about 70 per cent of its length.

Police were posted along the route to guard potential sabotage points, while burly railway security personnel monitored each passenger car. The police outside were often joined by farmers, who stopped to watch the Harmony express rush by their rural homes.

In spring and summer, the train will travel through a lush agricultural breadbasket, especially in the rice-growing areas of southern Hunan province. But in the dead of winter, it traverses a bleak, monochrome landscape of fallow fields and dirt roads that turn to mud in the rain.

Iran Opposition Leader Blasts Gov't After 8 Protesters Killed

TEHRAN, Iran — An Iranian opposition leader on Monday condemned the killing of protesters during Shiite Islam's most important observance, saying the government was even more brutal than the cruel regime that was ousted by the Islamic Revolution three decades ago. Mahdi Karroubi, a candidate who lost in June's disputed presidential election, posted a statement on an opposition Web site asking how the government could spill the blood of its people on the sacred day of Ashoura. He said even the former government of the hated shah respected the holy day.

"What has really happened? They (the ruling system) spilled the blood of people on the day of Ashoura and gets a group of savage individuals confronting people," Karroubi said on the pro-reform Rah-e-Sabz Web site. The shah, who was overthrown in 1979, was widely hated, and comparing a rival to him is a serious, though common, insult in Iranian politics.

The violence erupted Sunday when security forces fired on stone-throwing protesters in the center of Tehran. Opposition Web sites and witnesses say at least five people were killed, while Iran's state-run Press TV, quoting the Supreme National Security Council, said the death toll was eight. It gave no further details.

It was one of the bloodiest confrontations in months, and the dead included a nephew of chief opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, according to Mousavi's Web site, Kaleme.ir.

Police have denied using firearms, but the clashes were sure to deepen antagonism between the government and a reform movement that has shown resilience in the face of repeated crackdowns since the June election. Some accounts of the violence Sunday in Tehran were vivid and detailed, but they could not be independently confirmed because of government restrictions on media coverage. Police said dozens of officers were injured and more than 300 protesters were arrested.

Foxnews.com

President Zardari visits grave of Shaheed Benazir,

NAUDERO, Dec 28 (APP):  President Asif Ali Zardari visited the ancestral graveyard of Bhutto family in Garhi Khuda Bux Bhutto on Sunday night, on the occasion of the second death anniversary of assassinated chairperson of PPP and former prime minister Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. He visited the grave of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and placed a floral wreath on her grave. The President remained there for some time, offered Fateha and also recited “Surah Yaseen” from the Holy Quran.

He also visited the grave of founder-chairman of PPP Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, placed a floral wreath and offered Fateha.President Asif Ali Zardari also visited the graves of Shaheed Mir Murtaza Bhutto and Shaheed Mir Shahnawaz Bhutto, placed floral wreaths and offered Fateha.

He also visited the grave of the first wife of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, late Shireen Amir Begum, placed a floral wreath and offered Fateha.

President Asif Ali Zardari went round the mausoleum of martyrs of Bhutto family and others.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2009

Gas ignition kills 12 in north China coal mine

BEIJING, Dec. 28 (APP): Twelve workers died when a gas pocket ignited in a coal mine in north China’s Shanxi Province, officials said Monday.

The accident occurred at 11:30 p.m. Sunday when 16 miners were working in a shaft in the Donggou Colliery in Jiexiu City, said a spokesman with the Shanxi Provincial Work Safety Administration.

The mine was expanding its annual production capacity from the authorized 30 tonnes. The workers violated a safety rule that prohibited the demolition of a wall between the shaft and a disused area of the mine where the gas was accumulated in high density, the spokesman said.

The four survivors were under observation in hospital.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2009

Suicide attack kills 11 in Muzaffarabad...

MIRPUR : At least eleven persons, including mourners and policemen were killed and over 80 others injured, 15 of them seriously as a result of a suicide attack on a Muharram procession near main Imam Bargah in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Jammu & Kashmir Sunday evening, police said. A suicide bomber blew himself up when he was intercepted by the security men of a mourners procession of 9th Muharram.

The procession, when attacked, was passing through near a police barricade in front of Markazi (Central) Imam Bargah at CMH Road at about 6.30 pm, a senior Capital Police Officer told APP.

He said the exact number of casualties and injured was still awaited since all the injured have immediately been rushed to CMH Muzaffarabad where some were in precarious condition. Security has been alerted in the capital city of AJK and army was called in to assist the civil administration in maintaining peace and order in the area. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani telephoned AJK Prime Minister, Raja Farooq Haider and strongly condemned the suicide bomb blast at Muzaffarabad in which innocent lives were lost and many people were injured.

The Prime Minister conveyed his heartfelt condolences and sympathies with the victims families and said that those playing with the lives of the innocent people would not escape the wrath of Allah and law of the land.

He said that such kind of cowardly acts could not weaken the government's firm resolve to fight the menace of militancy and stamping out this menace form the country.

The Prime Minister announced financial assistance of Rs 500,000 for each victim's family and Rs 100,000 for each inured. The Prime Minister prayed for the eternal peace of the departed souls and courage to the bereaved families to bear this immense loss with fortitude. He also wished the early recovery of the injured.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2009
aaj.tv

9th Muharram processions being taken out

ISLAMABAD : The processions on the ninth of Muharram are being taken out amid stringent security across the country on Sunday, Aaj News reported. In federal capital Islamabad, the central mourning procession emerged from Markazi Imambargah in G-6; the procession will pass traditional route to end at Imambargah. 

In Karachi security has been beefed up for Muharram 9th processions in the wake of yesterday’s terror incident at Paposhnagar. The procession has began from Nishtar Park and will route through MA Jinnah Road to reach Hussainia Iranian Imambargah Kharadar in evening. The central procession in Peshawar emerged from Imambargah Hussainia Saddar that will end at the same Imambargah after passing through the traditional route. Sadder area of Peshawar has been sealed on the occasion. 

In Quetta the nine Muharram procession will start from Imambargah Nasirul Aza and will march on its traditional route to conclude at the same Imambargah. Security has been heightened in Quetta and closed circuit cameras have been installed at the route of the procession for security.

Aaj News, aaj.tv