Indian woman killed, found on London street with severed hand

LONDON: Police were reported to have arrested the estranged India-born husband of a young British Punjabi woman who died on Monday after being found on the streets of a London suburb with a severed hand.

Geeta Aulakh, a receptionist at Britain’s biggest Asian radio station Sunrise Radio, died shortly after being found on Monday evening by a horrified passerby, lying on a street in the west London neighborhood of Greenford. Aulakh, 28, had a head wound and her hand was severed from her arm, police said on Tuesday. She died in hospital.

Investigators believe Aulakh was attacked on Monday evening, shortly after leaving work to pick up her two children, aged eight and nine. She was found a short distance from the front door of her child minder.

Her husband, from whom she was separated, was reported by the British media to be among six people who were arrested. British police do not name suspects until they are charged.

The case has shocked the bustling west London suburbs of Greenford, where Aulakh lived, and Southall, where she worked. The two neighborhoods border each other and are home to London’s largest communities of Punjabis.

“You report this sort of thing but you never expect to report your colleague like this. It’s an absolute shock to everyone,” Seema Sidha, a news producer at Sunrise Radio and one of the last people to see her alive, said Tuesday.

“All of us were very confused and surprised to hear the news this morning. Why would someone do this to her?”

Avtar Lit, chairman of Lit Corporation that owns Sunrise Radio, described the killing as “unbelievable.”

“There’s a close-knit staff here. To think that less than 24 hours ago she was answering the phone here,” Lit said.

The local media said Aulakh was born in Britain, while her estranged husband was born in Punjab. The couple had been separated for a year and she had custody of their two sons.

Aulakh had recently returned after a visit to Punjab where she had attended a cousin’s wedding.

Acting detective chief inspector Andy Chalmers said: “When the victim was found we know that a lot of people were in the street and that several people may have tried to administer first aid before the police or ambulance arrived.

“These people left the scene before speaking to police and I would ask that anyone who was there, or anyone else who has information about the incident, call us in the strictest of confidence.”

Anyone with information has been asked to call the London incident room on 020 8358 0200 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

UN presses Iran on nuclear site

The UN’s nuclear watchdog says it needs “more clarification” about the purpose of a recently declared Iranian nuclear site near the city of Qom.

The International Atomic Energy Agency also said in a new report the delayed declaration of the plant raised concern about other possible secret sites.

A UN team was allowed access to inspect the Qom site last month.

Some Western nations fear Tehran is trying to build nuclear weapons but Iran says its programme is peaceful.

Chief Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Asghar Soltaniyeh told Iranian media that Tehran had “provided all the information about the new facility” and called the IAEA report “repetitive”.

Earlier, Russia said a nuclear power station it had been building at Bushehr in southern Iran would not be completed by the end of this year as planned.

‘Inconsistent’

The IAEA report said it expected the Qom site to start enriching uranium in 2011.

It said: “Iran’s explanation about the purpose of the facility and the chronology of its design and construction requires further clarification.”

Iran only revealed the existence of the Fordo enrichment facility, which is being built about 30km (20 miles) north of Qom, in September.

The IAEA report said this did “not contribute to the building of confidence” and “gives rise to questions about whether there were any other nuclear facilities not declared to the agency”.

Iran’s delay in notification was “inconsistent with its obligations”, the report said.

The BBC’s Iran correspondent Jon Leyne says the report raises key questions about the timing of the site’s construction.

He says Iran’s declaration that it began the project in 2007 does not square with the IAEA’s evidence that there was work there as far back as 2002.

The report said satellite imagery showed there was work in Qom between 2002 and 2004, and that this had resumed in 2006 and “continued to date”.

Mr Soltaniyeh said he was “comfortable” with the report, as it confirmed Iran was “fully cooperating” and that the activities at Qom were “in accordance with the IAEA instructions and limitations”.

He told al-Alam TV: “Iran has provided all information about the new facility and the material inside it.

“We will later proceed with installing the required equipment. The facility will go online in 2011.

“Inspectors scoured the facility for two complete days. Everything was compatible with the non-proliferation treaty.”

‘Creative plan’

Iran has been offered a scheme whereby it would send some of its low-enriched uranium to Russia, where it would be further processed to fuel an Iranian research reactor.

However, Iran has failed to give a clear response

US President Barack Obama has said it is unfortunate that Iran seems unable to say yes to a “creative” international plan to allay suspicions that it is secretly developing nuclear weapons.

On Sunday, Russia and the US both warned Iran that time was running out for talks over its nuclear programme.

Russia said on Monday the delay in launching the Bushehr plant was for “technical reasons”.

Russian officials had said earlier this year that the plant would be completed before the end of 2010, but on Monday Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko said that although progress had been made, there would be no launch.

The BBC’s Richard Galpin in Moscow says the decision to delay the completion is clearly political – an expression of Russia’s frustration at Iran’s failure to accept the offer now on the table from the international community.

Under the plan brokered by the IAEA and agreed by Russia, the US and France, Iran would send about 1,200kg (2,600lb), or 70%, of its low-enriched uranium, to Russia by the year’s end for processing.

Subsequently, France would convert the uranium into fuel rods for use in a reactor in Tehran that produces medical isotopes.

This is seen as a way for Iran to get the fuel it needs, while giving guarantees to the West that it will not be used for nuclear weapons.

Iran has raised “technical and economic considerations” with the IAEA and has missed deadlines to respond.

Moon – Mission Update (More Images from the Preliminary Impact Results)

 

 

 

 

 

The visible camera image showing the ejecta plume at about 20 seconds after impact. The field of view of the spectrometers are indicated by the red circle.

 

 

 

The view of the floor of Cabeus as seen through the LCROSS near-infrared camera. The fresh crater made by the Centaur impact is indicated.
Credit: NASA

LCROSS Impact Data Indicates Water on Moon

The argument that the moon is a dry, desolate place no longer holds water.

Secrets the moon has been holding, for perhaps billions of years, are now being revealed to the delight of scientists and space enthusiasts alike.

NASA today opened a new chapter in our understanding of the moon. Preliminary data from the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, indicates that the mission successfully uncovered water during the Oct. 9, 2009 impacts into the permanently shadowed region of Cabeus cater near the moon’s south pole.

The impact created by the LCROSS Centaur upper stage rocket created a two-part plume of material from the bottom of the crater. The first part was a high angle plume of vapor and fine dust and the second a lower angle ejecta curtain of heavier material. This material has not seen sunlight in billions of years.

“We’re unlocking the mysteries of our nearest neighbor and by extension the solar system. It turns out the moon harbors many secrets, and LCROSS has added a new layer to our understanding,” said Michael Wargo, chief lunar scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

Scientists have long speculated about the source of vast quantities of hydrogen that have been observed at the lunar poles. The LCROSS findings are shedding new light on the question of water, which could be more widespread and in greater quantity than previously suspected.

Permanently shadowed regions could hold a key to the history and evolution of the solar system, much as an ice core sample taken on Earth reveals ancient data. In addition, water, and other compounds represent potential resources that could sustain future lunar exploration.

Since the impacts, the LCROSS science team has been working almost nonstop analyzing the huge amount of data the spacecraft collected. The team concentrated on data from the satellite’s spectrometers, which provide the most definitive information about the presence of water. A spectrometer examines light emitted or absorbed by materials that helps identify their composition.

“We are ecstatic,” said Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS project scientist and principal investigator at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. “Multiple lines of evidence show water was present in both the high angle vapor plume and the ejecta curtain created by the LCROSS Centaur impact. The concentration and distribution of water and other substances requires further analysis, but it is safe to say Cabeus holds water.”

The team took the known near infrared spectral signatures of water and other materials and compared them to the spectra collected by the LCROSS near infrared spectrometer of the impact.

“We were only able to match the spectra from LCROSS data when we inserted the spectra for water,” said Colaprete. “No other reasonable combination of other compounds that we tried matched the observations. The possibility of contamination from the Centaur also was ruled out.”

Additional confirmation came from an emission in the ultraviolet spectrum that was attributed to hydroxyl, one product from the break-up of water by sunlight. When atoms and molecules are excited, they release energy at specific wavelengths that are detected by the spectrometers. A similar process is used in neon signs. When electrified, a specific gas will produce a distinct color. The ultraviolet visible spectrometer detected hydroxyl signatures just after impact that are consistent with a water vapor cloud in sunlight.

Data from the other LCROSS instruments are being analyzed for additional clues about the state and distribution of the material at the impact site. The LCROSS science team along with colleagues are poring over the data to understand the entire impact event, from flash to crater, with the final goal being the understanding of the distribution of materials, and in particular volatiles, within the soil at the impact site.

“The full understanding of the LCROSS data may take some time. The data is that rich,” said Colaprete. “Along with the water in Cabeus, there are hints of other intriguing substances. The permanently shadowed regions of the moon are truly cold traps, collecting and preserving material over billions of years.”

LCROSS was launched June 18, 2009 as a companion mission to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After separating from LRO, the LCROSS spacecraft held onto the spent Centaur upper stage rocket of the launch vehicle, executed a lunar swingby and entered into a series of long looping orbits around the Earth.

After traveling approximately 113 days and nearly 5.6 million miles (9 million km), the Centaur and LCROSS separated on final approach to the moon. Traveling as fast as a speeding bullet, the Centaur impacted the lunar surface shortly after 4:31 a.m. PDT Oct. 9 with LCROSS watching with its onboard instruments. Approximately four minutes of data was collected before the LCROSS itself impacted the lunar surface.

Working closely with scientists from LRO and other observatories that viewed the impact, the LCROSS team is working to understand the full scope of the LCROSS data. LRO continues to make passes over the impact site to give the LCROSS team additional insight into the mechanics of the impact and its resulting craters.

What other secrets will the moon reveal? The analysis continues!
 
Jonas Dino
NASA Ames Research Center

Tamil Nadu civil servant declares assets

CHENNAI: Namakkal District Magistrate U Sagayam has done what few civil servants would dare: declare his assets publicly. Others of his stature are  ready to emulate him.

Sagayam has announced on the district administration website that he has a modest bank balance of Rs.7,172 and a house in Madurai valued at Rs.900,000.

“This is nothing great as every civil servant has to submit his asset details to the government. I have just made it public,” Sagayam told IANS over telephone from Namakkal.

“The public perception of civil servants is very bad now. This is not good for civil society in the long run. I feel corruption is the major stumbling block for the country’s progress. I want to be myself,” Sagayam, 45, said.

Other Tamil Nadu officials say they don’t mind declaring their assets too, provided there is a structured format.

“If the government or the Central Vigilance Commission or IAS Officers Association advises us the manner and the place where the asset details are to be declared, it will be helpful,” Chief Electoral Officer Naresh Gupta told IANS.

Such declarations will act as a deterrent for officials who may go wayward.

“Already we are declaring our assets to the public – to the government. Making it open to the public is not an issue,” a senior IAS officer added.

As a part of civil service rules, IAS officials are made to declare details of their assets in a sealed envelope. It is opened only if there’s an enquiry against the official.

Said Sigy Thomas Vaidhyan, Virudhunagar’s district collector: “My personal view is that there is no harm in making the assets public.”

Born into a family of farmers in Pudukottai district in Tamil Nadu, Sagayam obtained a Master’s degree in social work and as well as in law from the University of Madras.

He joined the Tamil Nadu Civil Services 18 years ago. He was conferred the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) status in 2001.

Sagayam is known for the battles he had fought against the sand mining mafia, soft drink manufacturing multinational corporations (MNC), hotels, gas dealers and others.

He was severely assaulted when he tried to prevent illegal mining in Kanchipuram district.

Sagayam was in the spotlight in 1999 when he ordered a soft drink multinational to close its plant because it was bottling drinks that were unfit for human consumption.

The order was overruled by the Madras High Court.

When Sagayam was deputy commissioner of civil supplies, he raided hotels that were using cooking gas meant for domestic use and not the more expensive commercial cylinders.

“In my estimate the loss to the oil companies is to the tune of around Rs.4,000 crore,” he said. A report was sent to the government.

Sagayam is also credited with recovering prime land worth over Rs.200 crore encroached by a leading hotel chain. This happened when he was the district revenue officer.