Hubble pictures: beauty in deep space

Astronomers are celebrating the release of remarkable new images from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST).

They prove the mission carried out by astronauts in May to service the observatory was an outstanding success.

The latest pictures include trademark Hubble visions - from colliding galaxies to dying stars.

Nasa says the orbiting telescope, regarded as one of the most important scientific tools ever built, should keep working until at least 2014.

The Atlantis shuttle mission in May was the fifth and final Hubble makeover.

The US space agency and its international partners plan now to concentrate their efforts on preparing a bigger and more capable observatory known as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

Wednesday's release of pictures was the usual tour de force that astronomers have come to expect following a Hubble servicing.

It included dazzling pictures of galaxies headed for a pile-up, a star throwing off its outer layers, dense clouds of gas and dust, and a new pin-sharp look at the planet Jupiter.

"Hubble is back in action," declared Dr Heidi Hammel, a senior research scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, from where Hubble's mission is overseen.

"Together, Nasa and Hubble are opening new vistas on the Universe," she told a reporters.

The British astronomer Dr Paul Murdin, from the University of Cambridge, said the new images were breathtaking.

"My first reaction is 'my god, it all worked, it's fantastic'," he told BBC News"Refurbishment missions are always a little bit iffy because things can go wrong; astronauts can muck it up, maybe we didn't think about this or that when we redesigned the equipment, reinstalled it and refurbished it.

"But these images definitely show that Hubble is in good shape for what will be - unfortunately - its last few years.

"It's going to go out with a real bang."

The Atlantis astronauts conducted five spacewalks, to install new instruments and thermal blankets, to repair two existing instruments, and replace the telescope's gyroscopes and batteries.

Hubble is now more sensitive to light than ever before which should significantly improve its observing efficiency.

A key addition was the new Wide Field Camera 3. This is the instrument that many astronomers suspect will deliver the really big discoveries in the remaining operational years.

It will enable astronomers to carry out new studies of dark energy and dark matter, the "mysterious stuff" that makes up most of the Universe.

WFC3 will also allow Hubble to look deeper into space than ever before, to search for the very first stars to shine in the Universe more than 13 billion years ago.

One of the simpler tasks undertaken during the repair mission was to fit a docking ring that will serve as a point of contact with the defunct Hubble sometime after 2020.

A robotic mission will be sent to push the telescope back towards Earth and a fiery destruction in the atmosphere.

"Most of us humans will never travel to some of the exotic places physically that we see in these images," reflected Nasa's chief scientist, Ed Weiler

"What Hubble has done: it's enabled our hearts, our minds, our spirits to travel throughout the Solar System, even billions of light-years to the very beginning of time almost. And I think its ability to inspire at least some of our school kids to consider careers in engineering, science and math - that will be its most important legacy, not just keeping us astronomers happy.

In what was a prime mission objective, Hubble fixed the Universe's age at about 13.7 billion years - later confirmed by other instruments

Hubble's ability to detect faint supernovae contributed to the discovery that the expansion rate of the Universe is accelerating

Hubble was one of two telescopes to make the first direct images of planets orbiting another star - historic images made public last November

Hubble provided the first direct measurements of the three-dimensional distribution of dark matter in space

Hubble has shown that monster black holes, with masses millions to billions times the mass of our Sun, inhabit the centres of most galaxies

                                          

                                                                                                               

Uttar Pradesh, farmers struggle NO monsoon rains IN UP INDIA

I Am A Terrorit: Come shoot Me: By Shabnam Hashmi

In coming calls from Pakistan, Dubai, Gujarat. Gujarat ? Yes from Godhra, Dahod, Kalol, Sabarkantha, Banaskantha, Himmat Nagar, Surat, Ahmedabad, Vadodara. Ninety percent Gujarat calls by Muslims! This number belongs to S.., the son of the accused in Godhra case, and this one is of L.., her mother was very active with so and so in the camp, also has to be an accused. This call was received at midnight, this at 2am. Three days ago a call came from US at 5am, it was a Muslim calling. Last week an outgoing call to Karachi at 11pm and today three calls to Kashmir. We are constantly watching the e-mails, intercepting them. This one has come from a Muslim organisation from USA. This one is demanding prosecution for Modi. Here it is making fun of Advani and Vajpayee. This one is abusing VHP and Togadia. This is some charter of demands on Gujarat. Asking for repealing of POTA? The bookshelf, there are more than 200 books in Urdu, loads of handwritten papers in Urdu, even the computer has the Urdu font, this looks like a book, Urdu poems, no must be some secret behind that, an assassination plot written in verse. There are books in Gujarati. Text books from Gujarat. Hitler's name is underlined in this book. Didn't the e-mail say Modi is like Hitler. Do you see the connection? There is a folder full of articles on RSS . E-mails from Afghanistan. And what is this. My God hundreds of tapes and CDs- there is footage of Gujarat riots, there are hundreds of photographs, photographs of S-6, Sabarmati, taken from every angle. What is this footage? Mass graves? How could anyone get this? Who could have shot, there was hardly anyone from outside at that point? Has to be an ISI conspiracy to malign Modi. My dear friend, remember I called you two days ago and I said I have the information that before the so-called 'encounter' on June 15, the 'terrorist' were interrogated in the crime cell of the Police Commissioner's office in Surat. You gave me a long list of 'police' proofs of their having links with some terrorist organisation. I request you friend, please kill me. I am a Terrorist too. Please organise an encounter. It will take you 5 minutes to prove that I was a terrorist. I will fit into the latest design, an educated woman, from middle class, mother of two, scientist's wife, connection with terrorists! Sells well, doesn't it? Please go ahead. Here is the proof. I am making your life easier. You won't have to ask your local reporter to go to the local police for information. Also you will have one person less pointing out to you that your reporting is biased. Yes, my mobile works 24 hours. Yes, I talk to Muslims from every corner of the world including Pakistan, Dubai, Gujarat. Yes, families of the so-called accused, who are arrested under POTA in Godhra , call me. They call me at 5 am and they call me at 2am. I receive calls from different parts of Gujarat, from all corners of the world throughout the night. My house is full of Urdu books, I have loads of Gujarat footage. I abuse Modi, Advani and Vajpayee in my mails. I accuse Modi for Genocide, I talk to people to try him for that. I carry thousands of papers with me about the Godhra case. I have maps of every corner of not only Gujarat but other states too. My visiting cards, my e-mail id, my mobile number is with hundreds of people in Gujarat. I even went to Pakistan a few months ago. I have friends in Dubai. Some of my articles were even picked up by Pakistani papers like Jang. I leave home early, sometimes even at 4 and return at all odd hours. For days I come back well past midnight. I got o Nizamuddin Basti, isn't it a basti full of maulavis. The place from where I buy kababs, has to be a joint for exchanging notes. I, like all modern terrorists on a mission, always carry my identification card, so that the police can recover it after shooting me. Just give me time to buy a new pair of shoes, mine are broken. What more proof you need to call me a terrorist? Come, shoot me. I will make a good story.

Mustafa Kamal, Karachi Mayor exposed

1001 inventions by Muslims

Pakistan has discarded any opposition to the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project

Pakistan has discarded any opposition to the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project from western capitals and insisted on following the Peace Pipeline schedule.

Iran and Pakistan agreed in principle to complete a long awaited multi-billion-dollar gas pipeline project by 2013.

The agreement was reached in an operational-level meeting between the two sides on August 31.

Mahmood Salim Mahmood, Secretary of Pakistan's Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources told reporters the two countries would initiate the project as it was scheduled.

“The deal will be launched according to its timetable,” he said. “It does not allow the Pakistani government to sell imported gas from Iran to a third party.”

"Pakistan plans to generate 4,600 megawatts of electricity with Iranian natural gas," he added.

While Pakistan has been facing an electricity shortfall of more than 3,000 megawatts leading to frequent and lengthy blackouts in the country, it has been under pressure from Washington to abandon the deal.

The 2,600-kilometer (1,615-mile) gas pipeline was originally proposed to transfer Iran's gas to the Indian subcontinent.

Although currently Pakistan and Iran are the sole signatories to the gas deal, Islamabad says that India can join the project later on

US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson discussed the contents of an angry letter she wrote to the Jang Group, Pakistan’s largest media conglomerate

dding fuel to an already serious diplomatic fire, US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson discussed the contents of an angry letter she wrote to the Jang Group, Pakistan’s largest media conglomerate. Ambassador Patterson accused Jang of spreading “wildly incorrect” information and said the group had “compromised the security of Americans.”

Patterson’s very public clash with Jang was brought to the attention of much of Pakistan late last week, when she managed to get Jang’s “The News International” newspaper to pull the weekly column of top analyst Dr. Shireen Mazari over the article’s reference to Blackwater contractors operating in Pakistan on the behalf of the US government. The article wasmade available on the paper’s website, but was not published.

The pulling of the article caused a major stir in Pakistan’s blogosphere, with many seeing the US embassy’s ability to block coverage of a story as an ominous sign of America’s growing influence in the impoverished, war-ridden nation. Ambassador Patterson made it clear, however, that her problems with Jang did not begin and end with the article, and said she objected to the content of two popular talk shows on the group’s Geo TV station, which she accused to spreading “conspiracy theories.”

Last month, a poll conducted by Gallup showed that a majority of Pakistanis had identified the United States as the biggest threat to the nation, and there is a growing sense among Pakistanis that the nation’s recent military offensives are more for America’s benefit than for their own.

And while Ambassador Patterson has denied that any Blackwater employees are in Pakistan, former CIA officials had conceded only a few weeks ago that Blackwater was responsible for all the security on Pakistan’s Shamsi Air Base, from which US drones are launched.

As the US continues to expand its embassy in Islamabad and its war in Afghanistan, the conspicuous US presence is only going to fuel more unrest. Whether this will mean a growing clash with Pakistan’s private media over reporting on its activities, however, remains to be seen.

. 'Ishrat Jahan encounter by Gujarat cops was fake'

Calling China's Bluff

RSN Singh is a former military intelligence officer who later served in the Research and Analysis Wing, or R&AW. The author of two books: Asian Strategic and Military Perspective and Military Factor in Pakistan, he is also Associate Editor, Indian Defence Review. The recent remarks of the outgoing Indian Navy Chief, Admiral Sureesh Mehta, where he ascribed China's economic and military prowess as beyond India's reach,  is misplaced and exaggerated given China's present and evolving tangible and intangible assets. In fact, the very endurance of the rise of China is under question on various counts.  By all indications, China is a paranoid nation. It is so apprehensive about economic competition from India that it allowed some of its firms to produce fake Indian drugs and label them 'Made in India' for export,  especially to African countries. Only a paranoid country transfers critical strategic assets like missiles and nuclear technology and wherewithal to another country in pursuit of its security and strategic ambitions. Pakistan and North Korea are two such nuclear proxies of China. The creation of third nuclear proxy state, Myanmar, appears to be imminent. There are analysts who maintain that 'Pakistan's nuclear programme' should correctly be called 'China's nuclear programme in Pakistan.' China is so-ill reputed for its proliferation activities that one is compelled to believe that had it not been for its own problems in the Xinjiang region,  it would have not hesitated to provide nuclear weapons or technology to the Taliban or the Al-Qaeda. A delinquent country, which believes in proliferation, cannot aspire to be a respectable entity in the international arena. China's internal situation is explosive not only in terms of the ethnic unrest in Xinjiang and Tibet, but in the Chinese hinterland, where there is a complete media blackout and no foreigners are allowed.  If China is truly a great, unified and prosperous country, then why is it so opaque? Why does it  block internet sites? Why does it gag the press, and fudge figures about its economy? Why the inability to manufacture world-class conventional weapons such as tanks, aircraft, destroyers and submarines? The large imports of arms from Russia in the recent years are also reflective of its technological inadequacies. When the Chinese leaders talk of 'pockets of excellence', it is a tacit admission that their  scientific and technological development is not well rounded. Many scholars credit ancient China with the invention of the compass, maps and gunpowder. Such pioneering inventions and innovations usher in revolutions in military spheres, described as a Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA). Contemporary China has no such distinctions or achievements in military technology. It is only catching up with the inexorable technological agenda set by the western countries. Technological inventions and innovations cannot be a product of a fiat or diktat. They evolve under a given political, social and economic environment. Countries, which try to reach up to the shifting benchmark and rely on reverse technologies, can at best be second- best. China's manned space flight in October 2003 came more than 40 years after the erstwhile USSR and the US achieved it. Chinese products and goods that once threatened to swamp the world markets, failed to inspire confidence because of their doubtful quality and durability. Most of the countries that have imported weapons and equipment from China are bedeviled with their low serviceability rate. Recently a Chinese strategic commentator suggested that China should balkanize India into 26 parts. The fact of the matter is that barring the border skirmish with newly independent India in 1962, China has been a humiliated empire,  never winning any military engagement in its history. In 1850, Tsarist troops had invaded Manchuria. In 1864, France had colonized Cochin China (Southern Vietnam). In 1884-85, Britain took Burma and the Russians penetrated into Chinese Turkestan (modern day Xinjiang-Uygur autonomous region). In 1894-95, Japan defeated China and forced it to cede Taiwan and Penghu Island. The British sought and got further territorial concessions, like the 99 years lease of Hong Kong in 1898. The foreign settlements in China had become sovereign pockets of territories with a menacing presence of warships and gunboats. Internally too, China was bleeding in the later half of 19th century. The Taiping Revolution, which was led by Hong Xiu Quan and lasted for 14 years (1851-64), claimed 30 million lives. Such was the debilitation of China that the Manchu ruler had to seek the assistance of British and French forces to crush the revolution. The story of military humiliations of China, which began with the first Anglo-Chinese War, better known as Opium War (1839-1842), continued well into the first half of 20th century i.e. till World War-II. The allied expedition during the Boxer Revolution in 1900 in China in which many western missionary facilities were burnt and thousands of Chinese Christians were killed,  had left China comprehensively defeated. In 1932, Japan had annexed Manchuria, which finally resulted in a full-scale war in 1937 which lasted till the end of World War-II. China's initiation of war against Vietnam in 1978 speciously on the plea “to teach it a lesson” turned out to be a miscalculated adventure. Historically,  every 'ism' in China at some point or the other has fallen victim to disaffection, corruption, cronyism, and ideological degeneration. These were invariably followed by attempts at sweeping reforms. In 1898, there was a bold attempt by Chinese Emperor Guangxu to root out corruption and introduce fundamental changes in broad range of activities and areas like academics, civil services exam system, agriculture and industry. The life of this reform process was only a 100 days,  and it is therefore referred to as the “100 Days Reform”. It failed because of the opposition from conservatives and gradualists. This has strong resonance during the present day reform and modernization period availing in China. However in the current period, the opposition has been better neutralized, as the reform process has yielded speciously encouraging results. If it were to fail, communism may be become an ineffective glue,  as in the case of erstwhile USSR. The same strategic commentator who suggested that China should Balkanise India also noted that Hinduism cannot unify India. India is a pluralistic country, where all religions are practiced with complete freedom. It has therefore thrived as an adaptable and flexible civilization. It is the nations which try and rob religion from their people which eventually breakup. This explains the paranoia of the Chinese authorities with the spiritual movement 'Falun Gong'. But despite all its harsh measures, China has not been able to kill the religious and spiritual spirit of its citizens,  especially in Tibet and Xinjiang. A global power must have a powerful navy with the force projection capability in at least two oceans. China is far from it. The superiority of the overall arms inventory of China vis-à-vis India is not reckoned to be anywhere near formidable when considered in qualitative and deployment terms. For example, on paper the Chinese Navy inventory appears to be formidable. But more than 70 percent of it is of average or poor quality. The major chunk of the submarines belong to the Romeo class, whose endurance is limited and are only suitable for coastal defence. What matters is the strength China can bring to bear against India. Its threat from east is rather precarious given the US direct and indirect presence in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. That is the reason it is paranoid about the growing military assertiveness of Japan and is loathe to see a united Korea, even as North Koreans are enslaved and starved by hereditary dictators in the name of communism. Given these  robust external threats and internal contradictions, Beijing would do well to indulge in some deep introspection.

US embassy plans spur rumors, concern in Pakistan

America's plans for a major expansion of its diplomatic presence in Pakistan, including the possible takeover of a bombed luxury hotel near the Taliban heartland, have heightened tensions and bred rumors in a population rife with anti-U.S. sentiment.

Among the tales being floated: that 1,000 U.S. Marines will land in the capital, that Americans will set up a Guantanamo-style prison and that the infamous security contractor once called Blackwater will come in and wreak havoc.

The frenzy, much of it whipped up by the media and Islamist political parties, shows the difficulties for the U.S. as it seeks to increase its engagement in a country where a flourishing militant movement is threatening the war effort in neighboring Afghanistan.

The U.S. says it needs to expand mainly to disburse billions of dollars more in aid to Pakistan, an impoverished nation of 175 million people.

Pakistanis tend to view U.S. motives with suspicion, pointing to a history of American support for the country's past military rulers and involvement in its internal affairs, which they say has stunted the economy and democratic aspirations.

Others believe the U.S. is out to end Pakistan's nuclear weapons program, a source of domestic pride.

"Even an illiterate person knows that the Americans are against our nuclear program, and they will not miss any opportunity to destroy" the nuclear facilities, said Humayoun Qaiser, 23, a student at an Islamic university in Islamabad.

In recent weeks, several newspapers have published unconfirmed reports that 1,000 U.S. Marines will be posted at the U.S Embassy in Islamabad — which would be a significant jump from the nine there now. U.S. officials say at most the number may reach 20. Marine security guards are routine at U.S. missions abroad.

The head of the Islamist political party Jamaat-e-Islami, which has demonstrated against the expansion, recently claimed that the U.S. also plans to build a Guantanamo-like prison, according to a newspaper report. The U.S. denies the claim.

Rumors aside, the embassy does plan to reconstruct the buildings on its 38-acre (15-hectare) compound and acquire an additional 18 acres (7 hectares), much of which will be used for apartments, embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire said.

About 1,450 employees work for the embassy: 1,000 Pakistanis, 250 Americans posted to the site and another 200 Americans on short-term assignments. The plan is to add around 400 people, including about 200 more posted U.S. staffers, Snelsire said.

The major reason for the growth is a proposal in Congress to triple nonmilitary aid to Pakistan, he said.

The legislation would provide $1.5 billion a year over five years in humanitarian and economic aid. The goal is to improve education and other areas, thereby lessening the allure of extremism.

"There are Congressional demands for oversight of where that money is spent," Snelsire said, explaining the need for more personnel.

There are more modest expansion plans for consulates, including the one in Peshawar, the main city in the militant-riddled northwest. The State Department is searching for a new site for that consulate, long believed to be a key hub for American spies.

One possible location is the city's top hotel, the Pearl Continental, two senior U.S. officials confirmed in June, soon after the hotel was bombed. Taking such prime property, though, could provoke resentment.

Snelsire would not discuss which sites were under review.

He said the expansion would happen over five to seven years and stressed that many of the current facilities are old, decrepit or small.

Much of the negative press is being fueled by Islamist and other political parties who want to bring pressure on the government by portraying it as an American lackey, said Hasan Askari Rizvi, a political analyst.

He criticized the government's response.

"The government is showing a lot of ineptitude," he said. "They should not create the impression that they are helpless and they cannot tell the real story."

The United States has tried to stem the bad publicity by writing letters to newspapers and holding briefings for the Pakistani media, but rumors persist.

"There is a lot of, frankly, just misinformation out there, and it keeps getting published just over and over by a few journalists," Snelsire said.

One recent Internet account alleged the U.S. was bringing in private security contractors such as the company formerly known as Blackwater. Now called Xe Services, the firm's reputation was severely tarnished by reports of unprovoked killings in Iraq.

The blogger who wrote the account called Blackwater "the private U.S. mercenary army" and said that reports of "ill-mannered military-type Westerners misbehaving" was evidence the company was setting up in Pakistan.

Xe Services did not immediately respond to an e-mail request for comment. Snelsire would not discuss what kind of contractors the U.S. uses in Pakistan or whether it plans to add to those ranks. However, Pakistani media briefed by U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson said she denied Blackwater was operating in the country.