Kollam: NASA has announced it will name a minor planet after a zoology professor from Kerala.
For Sainudeen Pattazhy, it is recognition for some pioneering work he has done in the field of environmental research.
Pattazhy became popular for his study on the red rain phenomenon in Kerala in recent years.
The professor's research proved that the red colour of the rains were due to a geological process and had nothing to do with alien life.
“Regarding red rain, there was an argument that it was alien presence. But that’s just like science fiction. During 2001-02, peculiar geological situation was prevailing in Kerala like caving in of wells and landslides,” he added.
Pattazhy is the first Indian after the legendary scientist Homi J Baba to get his name stamped on a celestial body.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Vodafone to bring Apple's iPhone to India
New Delhi: India's mobile phone users will be able to switch to Apple's eagerly awaited iPhone later this year, courtesy telecom operator Vodafone.
The British telecom giant Tuesday announced its partnership with Apple to offer iPhone in 10 global telecom markets.
“Later this year, Vodafone customers in Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey will be able to purchase the iPhone for use on the Vodafone network,” the company said in a statement.
India is the world's second largest mobile phone market with 261 million users, second only to China. Indian mobile firms added a record 10.2 million subscribers in March.
With the expansion of the market, the call tariffs have gone down as low as two cents a minute, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.
iPhone16Gb Unlocked : Will work with any GSM network Available in India Rs 29,499
Vyke Voip phone : Call anywhere from PC or mobile Sign up and try it for Free!
The British telecom giant Tuesday announced its partnership with Apple to offer iPhone in 10 global telecom markets.
“Later this year, Vodafone customers in Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey will be able to purchase the iPhone for use on the Vodafone network,” the company said in a statement.
India is the world's second largest mobile phone market with 261 million users, second only to China. Indian mobile firms added a record 10.2 million subscribers in March.
With the expansion of the market, the call tariffs have gone down as low as two cents a minute, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.
iPhone16Gb Unlocked : Will work with any GSM network Available in India Rs 29,499
Vyke Voip phone : Call anywhere from PC or mobile Sign up and try it for Free!
N-capable Agni-III ready, but aircraft remain first choice
New Delhi: India on Wednesday test-fired its most potent nuclear-capable missile Agni-III, which has a range of 3,500 km, indicating its growing strategic reach. There were inferences that India now has a greater capability to deter China.
But the former chief of India's Strategic Forces Command has done a reality check on the missile euphoria. Air Marshal TS Asthana has dropped a bombshell declaring that the Indian armed forces still regard fighter aircraft as the only reliable delivery system for nuclear weapons.
Fighter aircraft are widely considered more vulnerable to being shot down than a missile.
Hence, an aircraft-based nuclear-strike capability is highly suspect.
But the contradictory missile skepticism of the military lies in the minimal nature of India's deterrence posture.
Both Agni-I and Agni-II, believed to be the mainstay of India's deterrence, were declared operational on the basis of just two tests each. So user confidence is still in its infancy.
If the military leadership still believes that fighter aircraft are the only assured mechanism to deliver nuclear weapons on an enemy, perhaps the rigour of testing needs to be increased manifold to address the confidence deficit in India's strategic missiles.
But the former chief of India's Strategic Forces Command has done a reality check on the missile euphoria. Air Marshal TS Asthana has dropped a bombshell declaring that the Indian armed forces still regard fighter aircraft as the only reliable delivery system for nuclear weapons.
Fighter aircraft are widely considered more vulnerable to being shot down than a missile.
Hence, an aircraft-based nuclear-strike capability is highly suspect.
But the contradictory missile skepticism of the military lies in the minimal nature of India's deterrence posture.
Both Agni-I and Agni-II, believed to be the mainstay of India's deterrence, were declared operational on the basis of just two tests each. So user confidence is still in its infancy.
If the military leadership still believes that fighter aircraft are the only assured mechanism to deliver nuclear weapons on an enemy, perhaps the rigour of testing needs to be increased manifold to address the confidence deficit in India's strategic missiles.
Myanmar death toll may touch 1 lakh
New Delhi: Ko Ko Lay — a Myanmar immigrant living in San Francisco — is desperately worried. He can't establish contact with his family back home.
In the commercial capital of Yangon, rice, vegetables, eggs and petrol prices have tripled. Out in the Irrawaddy Delta, the situation is much worse.
Despite the best efforts of the army and aid workers, tents, ground sheets, sleeping bags, medical supplies, drinking water and emergency food are only slowly trickling out to the needy.
Vast stretches are cut off after the tsunami like walls of water washed roads away and several thousand people are stranded on islands
They are waiting for aid, but most boats have been destroyed and there are few choppers to carry the goods.
Spokesman UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Richard Horsey says, "It's a huge, huge problem just to get these goods out."
Other hurdles are man made. Yangon Port is closed and Indian and American ships are still waiting for permission to dock and unload relief supplies. Aid agencies are also battling to get the visas and permits needed to do their work.
Clearly, the ruling military Junta needs all the help it can get, but it doesn't yet know just how much assistance to accept from abroad.
In the commercial capital of Yangon, rice, vegetables, eggs and petrol prices have tripled. Out in the Irrawaddy Delta, the situation is much worse.
Despite the best efforts of the army and aid workers, tents, ground sheets, sleeping bags, medical supplies, drinking water and emergency food are only slowly trickling out to the needy.
Vast stretches are cut off after the tsunami like walls of water washed roads away and several thousand people are stranded on islands
They are waiting for aid, but most boats have been destroyed and there are few choppers to carry the goods.
Spokesman UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Richard Horsey says, "It's a huge, huge problem just to get these goods out."
Other hurdles are man made. Yangon Port is closed and Indian and American ships are still waiting for permission to dock and unload relief supplies. Aid agencies are also battling to get the visas and permits needed to do their work.
Clearly, the ruling military Junta needs all the help it can get, but it doesn't yet know just how much assistance to accept from abroad.
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