NASA’s Cassini finds evidence of sinking air on Titan

Washington: NASA’s Cassini spacecraft have detected abrupt turn in Titan’s atmosphere. 

Data from the spacecraft tie a shift in seasonal sunlight to a wholesale reversal, at unexpected altitudes, in the circulation of the atmosphere of Saturn’s moon. 

At the south pole, the data show definitive evidence for sinking air where it was upwelling earlier in the mission. So the key to circulation in the atmosphere of Saturn’s moon Titan turned out to be a certain slant of light. 

“Cassini’s up-close observations are likely the only ones we’ll have in our lifetime of a transition like this in action,” said Nick Teanby, the study’s lead author who is based at the University of Bristol, England, and is a Cassini team associate. 

“It’s extremely exciting to see such rapid changes on a body that usually changes so slowly and has a ‘year’ that is the equivalent of nearly 30 Earth years,” he stated. 

In our solar system, only Earth, Venus, Mars and Titan have both a solid surface and a substantial atmosphere -- providing natural laboratories for exploring climate processes. 

“Understanding Titan’s atmosphere gives us clues for understanding our own complex atmosphere. Some of the complexity in both places arises from the interplay of atmospheric circulation and chemistry,” said Scott Edgington, Cassini deputy project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 

The pole on Titan that is experiencing winter is typically pointed away from Earth due to orbital geometry. Because Cassini has been in orbit around Saturn since 2004, it has been able to study the moon from angles impossible from Earth and watch changes develop over time. Models have predicted circulation changes for nearly 20 years, but Cassini has finally directly observed them happening -- marking a major milestone in the mission. 

Other Cassini instruments recently obtained images of the formation of haze and a vortex over Titan’s south pole, but the data from the composite infrared spectrometer (CIRS) is sensitive to much higher altitudes, provides more quantitative information and more directly probes the circulation and chemistry. The CIRS data, which enable scientists to track changes in atmospheric temperature and the distribution of gases like benzene and hydrogen cyanide, also revealed changes in hard-to-detect vertical winds and global circulation. 

Besides the evidence for sinking air, Cassini also detected complex chemical production in the atmosphere at up to 400 miles (600 kilometers) above the surface, revealing the atmospheric circulation extends about 60 miles (100 kilometers) higher than previously expected. 

Compression of this sinking air as it moved to lower altitudes produced a hot spot hovering high above the south pole, the first indication of big changes to come. The scientists were also able to see very rapid changes in the atmosphere and pinpoint the circulation reversal to about six months around the August 2009 equinox, when the Sun shone directly over Titan’s equator. 

The circulation change meant that within two years of equinox, some gases had increased in abundance 100-fold -- much more extreme than anything seen so far on Titan. 

The results also suggest that a detached layer of haze (first detected by NASA’s Voyager spacecraft) may not be so detached after all, since complex chemistry and vertical atmospheric movement is occurring above this layer. This layer may instead be the region where small haze particles combine into larger, but more transparent, clumped aggregates that eventually descend deeper into the atmosphere and give Titan its characteristic orange appearance. 

“Next, we would expect to see the vortex over the south pole build up,” said Mike Flasar, the CIRS principal investigator at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. 

“As that happens, one question is whether the south winter pole will be the identical twin of the north winter pole, or will it have a distinct personality? The most important thing is to be able to keep watching as these changes happen,” he added. 

The paper has been published in the journal Nature. 

Kolkata ranks 7th highest in climate change in coming decades

Kolkata: Kolkata is a climate vulnerable city and according to a study ranked seventh in the global list of cities facing the highest climate change in the coming decades, British Deputy High Commissioner (Eastern India), Sanjay Wadhwani said Thursday. 

"We know that climate change will impact business and the Kolkata economy in sectors such as buildings, power, water and energy supply," Wadhwani said, announcing the launch of a study by the Centre for Low Carbon Futures (CLCF) and Jadavpur University. 

Backed by the British Deputy High Commission, the study 'The Economis of a Low Carbon Kolkata as part of the 10 Climate Smart Cities' would be conducted in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area ?nd would help identify relevant policies to attract investment. 

The KMA was chosen for the study because it is one of the 10 largest cities in the world and is growing at a rapid rate. 

Jadavpur University Professor Joyashree Roy said the programme would create a global network of cities representing different climates and states of development and reflecting varied approaches to green growth and concerns relating to climate change mitigation and adaptation. 

"We will identify the projects for reducing carbon emissions and green growth. We will also suggest cost effective ways for implementation of those projects," Roy said. 

West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) Chairman Binay K Datta said, "We will have to streamline issues and areas before making a bigger plan for energy conservation. 

"One-third of the water supply in the city is wasted because of silly reasons like pipe leakage, we need to plug such loopholes," he said. 

"Even transport, we need more of elevated and underground metros to stop too much dependency on fuel-based transport," he said. 

He added that even housing projects needed to be designed in a way that lights and other electricity-based connections are wisely used. 

IIT Kharagpur develops software to detect Diabetic Retinopathy

Kolkata: The IIT Kharagpur has developed a software that will be beneficial in detecting Diabetic Retinopathy, a disease that can lead to loss of eye-sight, in a patient in the early stages.

The disease, whose root cause is diabetes, can be detected as well as categorised by just scanning the retina and taking multiple frames of it, Chandan Chakrabarty of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur said here.

"The software uses data analytics capabilities to automatically compare and analyse retina images of the patient. It can not only tell if the patient has Diabetic Retinopathy but also provides risk categorisation ranging from low to medium and high," he said.

Called the "Computer Vision Approach to Diabetic Retinopathy Screening", the project is being funded by IBM India.

Started in March, 2011, the project is at present being used on a pilot basis at Susrut Eye Foundation and Research Centre (SEFRC).

"The solution is being used in our clinic and the results are very encouraging. In fact, the accuracy level is as high as 92 per cent," said Anirudh Maity of SEFRC.

Chakrabarty said that the project would take another year to be commercially viable.

"It should take a year to be ready completely. We are using the results generated by the prototype at the SEFRC to enhance its operations. Once operational, the solution will help prevent and cure DR which has been increasingly spreading across the country," he pointed out. 

World won't end on December 21: NASA scientists

Washington: Quashing the 'doomsday' rumours, top NASA scientists have assured that the world won't end on December 21, 2012. 

"The world will not end in 2012. Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012," NASA said on its website. 

The 'doomsday story' started with claims that Nibiru, a supposed planet discovered by the Sumerians, is headed toward Earth, scientists said. 

This catastrophe was initially predicted for May 2003, but when nothing happened the doomsday date was moved forward to December 2012 and linked to the end of one of the cycles in the ancient Mayan calendar at the winter solstice in 2012 - hence the predicted doomsday date of December 21, 2012, they said. 

The US Space agency also specified that the Mayan calendar does not end in December 2012. 

"Just as the calendar you have on your kitchen wall does not cease to exist after December 31, the Mayan calendar does not cease to exist on December 21, 2012," NASA said. 

"This date is the end of the Mayan long-count period but then - just as your calendar begins again on January 1 - another long-count period begins for the Mayan calendar," it said. 

Scientists also clarified that the rumour of a planet or brown dwarf called Nibiru or Planet X or Eris approaching the Earth and threatening our planet with widespread destruction is just an "Internet hoax". 

"Nibiru and other stories about wayward planets are an Internet hoax. There is no factual basis for these claims. If Nibiru or Planet X were real and headed for an encounter with the Earth in 2012, astronomers would have been tracking it for at least the past decade, and it would be visible by now to the naked eye," scientists said. 

"Obviously, it does not exist. Eris is real, but it is a dwarf planet similar to Pluto that will remain in the outer solar system; the closest it can come to Earth is about 4 billion miles," they said. 

On danger of Earth being hit by a meteor in 2012, scientists said that NASA astronomers are carrying out a study called the Spaceguard Survey to find any large near-Earth asteroids long before they hit. 

"The last big impact was 65 million years ago, and that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. We have already determined that there are no threatening asteroids as large as the one that killed the dinosaurs," they said. 

Palestinian UN bid ‘without substance’: Israeli minister

Jerusalem: In a scathing comment on Palestinian UN bid, Israel's deputy foreign minister on Thursday said that Palestine’s pursuit of international recognition could hit back on them and that it was "virtual move without any substance”. 

Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon claimed that "the Palestinians will come out the losers in the end." 

"In my opinion, it's a losing proposition," Ayalon said to Army radio. "It's a virtual move without any substance." 

Israel’s deputy FM’s statement comes as the United Nations General Assembly is set to vote on a resolution today that would recognize the non-member state of Palestine in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, and the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. 

At present, Palestine is just an observer entity and not state. 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the UN bid is significant if he wants to maintain his leadership and relevance. The Islamic militant group's standing in the Arab world has risen as changes sweep the region, while Abbas' Fatah movement, which governs the West Bank, has been sidelined and marginalized. 

Palestinian bid for statehood is expected to be supported heavily in a 193-member UNGA, despite severe opposition by the US and Israel. 

Also, in the General Assembly, Palestine don’t have to worry about a US veto as in the Security Council. 

Backing for the Palestinians' appeal to the UN bid came from an unexpected quarter Thursday, when former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was quoted as saying the Palestinian request "is congruent with the basic concept" of the two-state solution. 

"Therefore, I see no reason to oppose it," said, according to The Daily Beast news website. An Olmert spokesman did not return a call for comment. 

Olmert, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and their teams conducted peace talks in 2007 through early 2009, but never clinched a deal. 

The US and Israel mounted an aggressive campaign to head off the General Assembly vote. 

In a last-ditch move Wednesday, US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns made a personal appeal to Abbas, promising that President Barack Obama would re-engage as a mediator in 2013 if Abbas abandoned the statehood effort. The Palestinian leader refused, according to Abbas' aide Saeb Erekat. 

The Palestinians are turning to the General Assembly a year after they failed to muster Security Council to recognize "Palestine" as a full-fledged UN member. 

UN bid is not taking Palestine anywhere: Netanyahu

Jerusalem: Faced with the prospect of a stinging diplomatic defeat at the UN, Israel Premier Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday warned the Palestinian Authority that its unilateral move to seek an upgraded status at the world body will only make its statehood dreams "more distant". 

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is poised to bring his bid to seek a "non-member observer state" status for Palestine at the UN General Assembly where a majority of countries, including India, are supporting his resolution. 

With Abbas's move likely to sail through at the UNGA, Israel is looking at a major diplomatic defeat at the world body, but Netanyahu appeared unfazed by the prospect. 

The hawkish leader said Israel will not be moved no matter how many countries vote against it at the world body. 

While touring an exhibit of recently declassified documents marking the upcoming 35th anniversary of Anwar Sadat's visit to Jerusalem, Netanyahu said PA's decision will "not change anything on the ground".

"It will not further the establishment of a Palestinian state, but will make it more distant," he said. 



The Israeli Premier stressed that regardless of how many (countries) vote against Israel, "no force in the world will get me to compromise on Israel's security". No force in the world, he said, can sever the thousands-year-old ties between the Jewish people and the land of Israel. 

"Israel's hand is always extended in peace, but a Palestinian state will not be established without recognition of the state of Israel as the state of the Jewish people, without an end of conflict declaration, and without true security arrangements that will protect Israel and its citizens," the Prime Minister emphasised. 

Netanyahu said that none of the conditions he reiterated are even mentioned in the Palestinian's UN resolution, and added that peace is only achieved through negotiations, not by unilateral declarations "which do not take into consideration Israel security needs".

The Israeli leader called upon the audience to not get impressed by the applause that will likely be heard later at the UN General Assembly. 

"I remember the international community's applause that the government of Israel received when it decided to unilaterally withdraw from Gaza," he said adding, "We got applause and then rocket fire. We left Gaza, and Iran entered, exactly like what happened in Lebanon".

Netanyahu said he would not enable another Iranian base to be established, this time in Judea and Samaria, a kilometer away from Jerusalem. 

"It does not matter how many will vote against us, there is no force in the world that will cause me to compromise on Israeli security and there is no force in the world able to sever the thousands year connection between the people of Israel and the Land of Israel," he said. 

The UN General Assembly is set to approve a Palestinian resolution that would change the PA's UN observer status from "entity" to a "non-member state", like the Vatican, much to the chagrin of Israel and the US that have threatened to withhold the much-needed funds from the West Bank based Palestinian government. 

Israel, the US and a handful of other UN members are planning to vote against what they see as a largely symbolic and counterproductive move by the Palestinians. 

Palestinian President Abbas, who is in New York ahead of the vote, said that that he resisted overwhelming pressure to withdraw the bid. 

He stated he isn't scared of Israeli threats and therefore has not bolstered the security around him. 

"If Israel wants to hurt me it can, because I live under an occupation like all Palestinians," he said. 

Despite reports that Hamas and Islamic Jihad are behind Abbas in his statehood bid, spokespersons for the groups made it clear there is no extensive support for the move. 

"The UN bid doesn't have practical significance," said Mushir al-Masri, a Hamas spokesman. 

"The Palestinian Authority didn't poll the public before making its decision. A UN request should be based on a Palestinian consensus," al-Masri added. 

The Islamic Jihad's Abdullah al-Shami said, "We will never support Abbas' UN bid. Our goal and our ideals extend beyond the UN General Assembly".

Demonstrations in support of Abbas were to be held in cities across the West Bank on Thursday. 

His speech before the General Assembly is to be projected on giant screens across the PA controlled West Bank to muster support for the Palestinian leader whose influence seems to be waning following an interview to an Israeli newspaper in which vowed to prevent any further flare up leading to another intifada. 

Need to bring down current account deficit to 2.5%: Rangarajan

Chennai: Prime Minister's Economic Adviser Council Chairman C Rangarajan has said there is a need to bring down the current account deficit to 2.5 percent over a period of time from over 4.5 percent at present.

He, however, pegged the current account deficit for the current fiscal at 3.5 percent of the GDP.

"The current account deficit is remaining at high level and we should work towards getting the current account deficit to more moderate levels," he told reporters here late last night at the sidelines of a function.

"We should aim at the current account deficit of 2.5 percent of the GDP down from the current 4.5 percent. But in the current year, perhaps, the current account deficit may be around 3.5 percent of the GDP," he added.

Rangarajan, however, did not elaborate on the methodology to bring down the current account deficit.

Stating that the country is moving in a "difficult phase" on its economic growth, Rangarajan said one of the tools that is required to bring the economy back on the growth trajectory was to bring down the current account deficit.

Besides moderating the current account deficit, the former Reserve Bank Governor said the country is required to address some major macro-economic concerns like "taming the inflation" and addressing "fiscal deficit".

"In order to get back to the high level of growth, we need to address some major macro economic concerns -- first is to tame inflation. We had three years of high inflation. We need to bring it down to more comfortable levels.

"Second, the process of fiscal consolidation must continue and we should work towards getting the fiscal deficit down to three percent of the GDP over the next five years. Finance Minister P Chidambaram has already outlined the map for fiscal consolidation. We should adhere to it," he said.

On the government's decision to allow FDI in multi-brand retail, Rangarajan said: "I think the government has taken a decision and it is trying to build a consensus on that. In democracy, there is always be some dissent. But it is a question of achieving the highest degree of consensus".

He added that in the long run, it is "good" for the country. 

Rangarajan said FDI in multi-brand retail will streamline the existing distribution mechanism.

"But it is also taken care to see that it does not affect the small retailers. A rule also has been made that 30 percent of the total goods should be sourced from small and medium enterprises.

"Therefore, sufficient precautions have been taken. I think the new retailers when they come in, will be able to reduce the distribution margin and make the agriculture commodities, in particular food commodities, more at a cheaper rate", he said.

Earlier in the day, participating at the 14th Pole Star Foundation award function organised by Polaris Financial Technology, he said there are two major sectors of the economy which needs immediate attention.

"One is agriculture and the other is infrastructure, more particularly power. Power shortage has become very acute. I do not have to say for the people in Chennai or Tamil Nadu," he said.

He said, the last two years have clearly shown that how even a short fall in agriculture productivity can cause serious distortions in the economy.

"Therefore we need to focus attention on it from the point of reducing poverty, from the point of food security. We need to ensure agriculture grows at four percent per annum. And also, we need to see that the basket of goods we produce even in agriculture must also change according to the demand pattern," he said.

On the acute power crisis, he said: "We need to address the issue. We must understand that China adds in one year in terms of capacity addition in power, what we add in five years. That is the magnitude of difference between India and China".

"I know there are issues like availability of coal, land acquisition, environmental concerns. We must address all these things," he said. 

China should be 'benign' power in S Asia: Indian think tank

Beijing: China should be a "benign" power in South Asia and address India's concerns, especially over its military linkages with the countries in the region, according to a top Indian think tank. 

Beijing's military linkages raise concerns in India, Rajiv Kumar Bhatia, Director General of Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), said at a Chinese-government organised conference on "Contemporary world multilateral dialogue: Changing world and China in development". 

"It is important for China to be a benign power in South Asia, not thinking in terms of taking up positions which will be helpful to India," he later said, speaking about his presentation and interaction with scholars at the conference. 

Any of China's relations in the South Asian neighbourhood, specially military linkages, will cause anxiety and need to be addressed, Bhatia, former Indian envoy to Kenya, Myanmar, Mexico and South Africa, said.

His comments came in the backdrop of China making efforts to develop close ties with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal besides Pakistan, which over the decades has emerged as a close strategic ally of Beijing. 

Participants from 22 countries were invited to take part in the conference organised to promote understanding between China and the rest of the world. 

Only India and Nepal were invited from South Asia, while Pakistan was conspicuous by its absence at the meeting. 

Bhatia said the conference taking place in the aftermath of the once-in-a-decade leadership change in China dealt with issues like global governance and role of emerging countries, security and development of the Asia-Pacific region and the recent 18th Congress of the ruling Communist Party of China. 

About Southeast Asia, where China grappled with maritime disputes with various neighbours, Bhatia spoke of concerns about rise of China's military expenditure besides its territorial claims and sought efforts to bring down tensions. 

India-China relations would be key to shaping the situation in South and East Asia, he said, adding that China should address the concerns arising out of its rise as a major power, while no such fears were voiced over the rise of India. 

For their part, Chinese scholars, while stating that China's rise was an important development, said Beijing will pursue a peaceful path to progress contributing to the peace and stability of the world, according to Bhatia. 

Referring to the concerns over China's rise, two Chinese scholars said they can understand the issue causing anxiety and China should take responsibility and address it. 

Also, it is important that China share its growth with international community, they said, according to Bhatia. 

Bhatia said the conference paved the way for discussion among the leading Chinese and other think tanks. 

ICWA, he said, would focus on stepping up interaction with Indian and Chinese think-tanks to work out some common ideas for future.

Govt’s ‘Facebook status’: Sec 66A modified

New Delhi: On a day when the Supreme Court voiced its concern over recent incidents of people being arrested for posting alleged offensive messages on websites, the government on Thursday decided to modify rules under the controversial section 66A. 

The government’s decision comes hours after the apex court accepted a PIL seeking amendment to the Information Technology Act in the wake of its alleged misuse in recent few cases. 

A bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir said that it was considering to take suo motu cognisance of recent incidents and wondered why nobody had so far challenged the particular provision of the IT Act. 

Taking the case on urgent basis, the bench agreed to hear the PIL filed by a Delhi student Shreya Singhal later today. However, the government has itself modified rules under Section 66(A). 

As per reports, the government has issued an advisory to states on the procedure to be followed while implementing the Act. The new rules mandate a prior approval from the Deputy Commissioner of Inspector General of Police level before the Station House Officer (SHO) can register complaints under the section. 
The government has taken the step in wake of growing incidents of alleged miscue of the Act. Two recent cases in Palghar near Mumbai highlighted the urgent need to relook at the Act.

Only 22 of 1,517 housing projects completed under JNNURM: CAG

Only 22 of the 1,517 housing projects approved under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission were completed by the due date of March 2011, the Comptroller and Auditor General has stated, while noting that the ministries of central government were “not equipped” to monitor a project of this magnitude.

The report, which was tabled in the Parliament on Thursday, also observed that a crucial objective of bringing about reforms in the governance of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) could not be achieved through the scheme.

“We observed that a total of 1,517 and 1,998 housing and infrastructure projects respectively were approved for implementation between 2005 and 2011. However, as on 31 March 2011, in respect of the housing projects, only 22 of the 1,517 approved projects were completed,” the CAG report said.

“The status of dwelling units within these housing projects was only marginally better but remained low as only 26 per cent of approved dwelling units had been completed. In respect of urban infrastructure projects, we observed that out of the 1,298 projects approved, only 231 projects (18 per cent) were completed,” the report stated.

The JNNURM is a central government scheme which is implemented by the ministries of Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation with an aim to improve infrastructure and governance in Indian cities.

In the report, the CAG stated that the ministries of the central government were not equipped to monitor a project of JNNURM’s magnitude.

Only 11 out of 216 sample projects selected by it for the period 2005-06 to 2010-11 had been completed and also referred to “various deficiencies” that it found in the implementation of these projects, the report stated.

“This included deficient preparation and appraisal of detailed projects, non availability of land, escalation in costs, change in design and scope etc. In the housing projects many dwelling units remained incomplete primarily for want of land,” it said.

The report said that against an allocation of Rs 66,084.66 crore by the Planning Commission, the Government of India had only made an allocation of Rs 37,070.15 crore of which only Rs 32,934.59 crore had been released by March 31, 2011.

The CAG report also said that in some cases, there were deficiencies in selection of beneficiaries of houses for urban poor which led to risks of ineligible beneficiaries getting the benefit.

“A few cases of unauthorised and irregular expenditure and even instances of undue favours to contractors came to light. Due to delays in implementation of the projects, there were many cases of blockade of funds due to purchase of machinery/ equipment which was not put to use,” the CAG said.

The CAG said that the JNNURM guidelines had been deficient in giving adequate advisory to states regarding parking of funds and there was no uniformity in utilising interest earned on parked funds.

It said that the Urban Development Ministry’s web-enabled programme for monitoring and evaluation had proved to be unsuccessful.

The report said that in some states and Union Territories, mandatory and optional reforms had not been carried out as per the commitments made between state and central governments.

“Thus, the objective to bring about reform in financial, institutional, and structural governance structure of the ULBs to make them efficient, accountable and transparent could not be achieved as had been envisaged,” the report said.

In its report, the CAG has recommended that the central government should give incentives to those states which implement the reforms envisaged under JNNURM. It also suggests that delays should be monitored and timely implementation of projects be given due importance.

Giving wide publicity to schemes to generate awareness among eligible beneficiaries was another recommendation made by the CAG.

The report said that the government should monitor the execution of projects so that there are no diversions to ineligible beneficiaries.

The CAG has also suggested that the Ministry of Urban Development and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation should introduce a “zero tolerance policy” at all levels in respect of irregular expenditure and diversion of funds by the way of a greater financial discipline.

2 Australian cos keen to develop mines for CIL

At least two Australian mining companies have shown interest in developing mines for Coal India Ltd., which plans to harness the private sector for developing 13 greenfield projects with a 65 million tonne annual capacity.

The tender for this is expected to be floated by mid-January 2013, officials connected with the development said. The draft notices inviting tender (NIT) is being readied, and comments have been invited. The pre-NIT meeting is likely to be held soon after which, the global tender would be floated.

Mine development

It is learnt that quite a few Indian companies have shown interest in acting as mine development operators (MDO) for the projects. Two Indian companies want to implement these as joint ventures with two Australian companies — Thiess and Leighton. Theiss Pty, a mining and infrastructure company, already has an Indian subsidiary. Leighton is into contracts, mining, infrastructure and telecom and has an Indian subsidiary.

The mine development operators (MDO) would be paid on a per tonne basis, and are expected to facilitate the process of land acquisition and regulatory clearances. These problems are now holding up some 128 CIL projects with an estimated capacity of 337 million tonnes.

CIL, which is facing problems in acquiring land and commencing greenfield projects, bills this initiative as a path-breaking one which will allow it to make headway during the current plan period.

Private sector

The game plan is to facilitate the projects through a private sector approach to project implementation, sources said. The capacity of these projects, varying between 5 million tonnes and 10 million tonnes, are considered large and are spread over five CIL subsidiaries — Central Coalfields, Eastern Coalfields, Mahanadi Coalfields, South Eastern Coalfields and Western Coalfields.

The strategy has the blessings of the PMO. On Saturday, the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Committee Chairman C. Rangarajan said that the public sector Coal India could harness the private sector as an agent to open up new fields and enter into contracts. “This should be done in a thoroughly transparent and efficient manner,” he said after identifying low coal production as an area of serious concern for the economy.

CIL at present outsources around 45 per cent of its total production (2012-13 output target is 464 million tonnes) to private sector operators who are roped in only for the opencast mines. If this move fructifies, then the proportion of outsourcing would increase.

Tribunal dismisses Sahara group appeal against Sebi

The Securities Appellate Tribunal on Thursday dismissed an appeal by two Sahara group firms against Sebi in the high-profile case involving refund of about Rs 24,000 crore with interest to about three crore investors.

Sahara firms in their appeal had sought the tribunal’s intervention in refund of investors’ money and had accused the market regulator Sebi of wrongly charging them of non-compliance with a Supreme Court order in this regard.

The tribunal, however, said that any further direction in the case can be sought for and granted by the Supreme Court alone and dismissed the appeal.

“We, therefore, find the appeal premature as well as non-maintainable. Dismissed,” the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) said in its order passed on Thursday.

Passing the order on the appeal filed on November 27, SAT observed that “a contempt petition filed by the respondent Board (Securities and Exchange Board of India) and a review petition filed by the appellants (Sahara group firms) against the order dated August 31, 2012 are already pending before Supreme Court.”

The apex court had asked Sahara India Real Estate Corporation Ltd (SIRECL) and Sahara Housing Investment Corporation Ltd (SHICL) to refund an estimated Rs 24,000 crore with an annual interest of 15 per cent, while Sebi was directed to facilitate the refund of this money to about three crore bondholders of the two firms.

The Supreme Court had asked these companies to furnish the documents related to these investors to Sebi within 10 days and refund the money within three months, failing which the regulator was asked to freeze the accounts and attach properties of the two firms.

Sebi issued a letter to the two companies on November 1, 2012 asking them to furnish details of all bank accounts and properties, as they “failed to furnish the documents to the Board within the stipulated time and thereby violated the direction of the Supreme Court“.

In the appeal before SAT, the Sahara companies said that Sebi “has deliberately refused to accept the documents/ information and wrongly proceeded on the basis that the appellants are in non-compliance of the directions in the said judgment of the Supreme Court“.

The two firms pleaded before SAT that they have also filed a petition before the Supreme Court seeking review of the August 31 judgment.

They further said the firms “are apprehending that the Board may not accept the payments that may be tendered in compliance with the orders of Supreme Court as the Board has arbitrarily refused to accept the documents/ information with regard to the investors of the Optionally Fully Convertible Debentures (OFCD) issued by the appellants.

“It is, therefore, prayed that this Tribunal may direct the Registrar, SAT, to accept custody of the amount to be paid by the appellants to the respondent by November 30 being the total amount payable by the appellants, towards outstanding and unredeemed OFCDs along with the interest thereon as per the directions of the Supreme Court.”

The appeal said that Sebi be directed to provide the time frame within which the respondent will repay the amount to the OFCD holders and a scheme as to how the regulator proposes to refund the money.

Sebi counsel, however, objected to the appeal and told the tribunal that the letter issued by the regulator to the two companies was not “an appealable order” under Sebi Act.

He further submitted that the appeal is premature as no amount has been tendered by the two companies in compliance with the Supreme Court directions.

Sahara counsel Gopal Subramaniam argued that “the appellants are forced to approach this Tribunal in view of the conduct of the respondent Board in not accepting the documents tendered by them and it is apprehended that the pay order amounting to Rs 5,120 crore for repaying the amount to the OFCD subscribers will also not be accepted by the Board“.

Seeking a direction for acceptance of this amount by either Sebi or the Registrar, SAT, he said, “The last date for depositing this amount is November 30, 2012 and if the amount is not accepted, it may amount to violation of the order passed by the Supreme Court.”

SAT observed that Sebi has already filed a contempt petition before the Supreme Court as the required documents were not furnished by the Sahara firms to it within the stipulated period.

“We are told a contempt petition filed by the respondent Board and a review petition filed by the appellants against the order dated August 31, 2012 are already pending before Supreme Court. The interlocutory application has already been disposed of observing that the directions given by the Apex Court are self explanatory,” the SAT order said.

“Under these circumstances, we fail to understand how this Tribunal gets the jurisdiction to entertain this appeal when the parties are supposed to take action in accordance with the directions given by the Supreme Court,” it added.

The tribunal also observed that the two companies have not yet tendered the money to Sebi as per Supreme Court directions and the “cause of action, if any, will arise if the money is tendered by the appellants as per directions of the Supreme Court and the same is not accepted by the Board.”

It further said that the Supreme Court is seized of the matter and Sebi “has been directed to submit status report, duly approved by Justice B.N. Agrawal who has been requested to oversee the implementation of the directions“.

“We see no reason how this Tribunal gets jurisdiction to entertain the appeal or give any further directions in the matter. We are, therefore, of the view that any further direction or modification in the directions issued by the Supreme Court can be sought for and granted by the Supreme Court alone,” SAT said, and dismissed the appeal.

In the meantime, Sebi has been cautioning the bondholders of the two companies through public notices against any pressure for shifting their investments to some other schemes.

Sebi has further said in its investor notices that it has launched prosecution proceedings against the two companies as well as some of their top officials.

Going for the Moon, with nukes

The U.S. planned to blow up the Moon with a nuclear bomb during the Cold War as a show of strength, a British media report said on Wednesday.

American military chiefs allegedly devised the secret project, “A Study of Lunar Research Flights” — or “Project A119” — in the hope that the then Soviet Union would be intimidated by viewing the nuclear flash from the Earth, the Telegraphreported.

It would have given the U.S. a much needed morale boost after the Russians successfully launched Sputnik in 1957, according to physicist Leonard Reiffel, who was involved in the project.

The U.S. would have used an atom bomb, because a hydrogen bomb would have been too heavy.

The planning reportedly included calculations by astronomer Carl Sagan, who was then a young graduate.

Military officials, however, reportedly abandoned the idea, which would have taken place in 1959, because of fears that it would have an adverse effect on the Earth should the explosion fail.

The project documents were kept secret for nearly 45 years, and the U.S. government has never formally confirmed its involvement in the study, the British daily said.

Instead of blowing up the Moon, the U.S. intensified and eventually won the space race against the Soviet Union, with Neil Armstrong becoming the first man to walk on the Moon in 1969.

U.N. court to deliver judgment in Kosovo retrial

The Yugoslav war crimes tribunal will deliver its verdicts on Thursday in the unprecedented retrial of Kosovo’s ex-prime minister and two of his former Kosovo Liberation Army comrades on charges including the murder and torture of Serbs.

The U.N. court’s first ever retrial was ordered following the 2008 acquittal of former Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj and KLA fighter Idriz Balaj and the conviction of a third KLA commander, Lahi Brahimaj.

Appeals judges branded their first trial a “miscarriage of justice” because of widespread intimidation of prosecution witnesses.

All three insist they are innocent and many in Serbia and Kosovo expect them to be acquitted.

Qadhafi tried to obtain N-bomb from Kazakhstan

Slain Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi tried to obtain a nuclear bomb with the help of Kazakhstan, according to a former top official of the ex-Soviet republic.

In early 1992 Qadhafi sent a letter to Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev urging him not to give up nuclear weapons left over from the Soviet Union, revealed Kazakhstan’s former Foreign Minister Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who currently serves as a Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Qadhafi “called on Kazakhstan to keep the nuclear arsenals on its territory as ‘the first Islamic nuclear bomb’ and promised to provide billions of dollars for their maintenance,” Mr. Tokayev said on Thursday addressing an international forum in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan.

When the Soviet Union disintegrated in December 1991, Kazakhstan was left with 1,410 strategic warheads deployed on several different systems, including SS-18 ICBMs and airborne cruise missiles.

Mr. Tokayev said the “generous offer” from the leader of an oil-rich nation could “appear tempting for an irresponsible politician” at a time when Kazakhstan struggled with dire economic consequences of the Soviet collapse. However, Mr. Nazarbayev, being a “true statesman”, dismissed “opportunistic gains” in favour of “strategic considerations”.

In May 1992, Kazakhstan, as well as the other two former Soviet states, Ukraine and Belarus, which had thousands of nuclear weapons stationed on their territories, agreed to surrender them under the Lisbon Protocol to the 1991 Soviet-American Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). All nuclear arsenals were transferred to Russia by the end of 1996.