Around 700 jihadis waiting to strike in J&K

NEW DELHI: Wednesday's fidayeen attack in Srinagar which finally ended on Thursday was not a one-off strike. It was part of a plan supported by the Pakistani military to step up terror in Jammu and Kashmir so as to avoid an increased engagement against the al-Qaida-Taliban group.

As many as 700 fully-trained terrorists are waiting in the wings to stage attacks in J&K with their "masters" in Pakistan directing them to open "other fronts" as they did in the busy Lal Chowk area in Srinagar.

The fidayeen attacks appear to be a ploy to tap into fears of the US that an escalation in India-Pakistan tensions, perhaps leading to an armed clash, will derail the Obama administration's new offensive in Afghanistan which is critically dependent on Islamabad's support.

Anti-India groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba are al-Qaida associates and have been itching to stage a big "show" in India as the David Headley-Tahawwur Rana plot indicated. These groups have been more than willing to step up the level of violence in J&K.

Intercepts of communication between the jihadis -- killed by security forces during the siege at Lal Chowk -- with their handlers in Pakistan during the terror siege hinted that LeT has already activated its different modules to carry out more attacks.

Referring to the intercepts, a senior official here said, "It is quite clear from their communication that the terrorists are fully prepared to carry out more Lal Chowk-type operations. Reference to opening other fronts indicates the possibility of similar attacks soon."

This is authenticated by a report by global intelligence group Stratfor which says jihadi groups operating in the state are likely to carry out more attacks to instigate more trouble between India and Pakistan and, in the process, derail Islamabad's participation in the war on its western border and its actions against various terror groups.

"We anticipate that Kashmiri jihadist groups will continue to plan attacks against India in an effort to stir up communal violence in that country and stoke tensions between India and Pakistan -- and provide a breather to the jihadist groups being pressured by the government of Pakistan," said the report.

The matter is also learnt to have been discussed in the standing committee meeting of the home ministry on Thursday when participants were given a detailed account of infiltration attempts made by jihadis in 2009. The meeting also took note of fresh challenges before the security agencies not only in Jammu and Kashmir but also on mainland in the light of presence of an estimated 700 terrorists in the Valley.

Sources in the home ministry said most of the terrorists in the Kashmir Valley were from Pakistan who entered India during the past couple of years. While 110 of them entered in 2009, the rest of them might have entered earlier, they added.

Security experts see the fidayeen attack at Lal Chowk as a Pakistani attempt to send a message that Jammu and Kashmir is not as peaceful as claimed by the Indian government.

Retired IPS officer and former Intelligence Bureau joint director M K Dhar said, "The incident shows that Pakistan wants to frustrate Indian attempts to initiate the process of quiet talks with Hurriyat."

With such terror attacks, Dhar said, the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI wanted to convey to the separatists that the armed struggle for Kashmir was still on and the jihadis had capacity to strike at will.

Similar concern was expressed by former additional secretary in RAW B Raman. Stating that there was no change in the jihadi objective of making India bleed, he said, "The Srinagar incident clearly indicates that the terrorists still have capacity to launch massive attack at will."

He told TOI that jihadis' masters in Pakistan, through such incidents, wanted to mark their presence, sending a message that the area (J&K) was not at all peaceful. "The terrorists are desperate and therefore they would like to carry out more such attacks in J&K and outside in coming months."

source:indiatimes.com

2,000 papers presented at 97th Indian Science Congress

About 2,000 scientific and technical papers were presented during the 97th Indian Science Congress (ISC 2010) that concluded Thursday in the green campus of Kerala University here.

'I have not seen such a huge participation of scientists, technologists, research scholars, experts, policy-makers and students in the previous science congresses,' ISC general president G. Madhavan Nair told reporters on its concluding day.

About 7,000 delegates, including 2,000 students from across the country, participated in the five-day mega event, held for the first time in this picturesque coastal city and for the second time in the southern state after two decades at Kochi in 1990.

About 40 plenary sessions in various disciplines of science, public lectures, parallel scientific and technical sessions, a science and technology expo and a Children's Science Congress were the highlights of the mega event that was unveiled by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Jan 3.

Organised by the Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA), with the state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Kerala University as co-hosts, the focal theme of the mega event was 'Science and Technology Challenges of 21st century - National Perspective'.

Eminent scientists, including M.S. Swaminathan, father of India's first green revolution, former atomic energy secretary Anil Kakodkar and Space Commission member Roddam Narasimhan delivered lectures at the plenary sessions.

Former scientist-president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, distinguished scientists M.G.K Menon and C.N.R. Rao and Nobel laureates Roger Tsien and John Cromwell Mather from the US made presentations.

Vice-chancellors of universities and educationists from across the country and abroad discussed the status and future perspectives of science education at an university meet Tuesday.

A panel discussion on 'Frontiers of Science and Technology in 21st century' was also held during the congress.

Surya 'an Idiot' in 3 Idiots remake

Aamir was raised high with his performance in Ghajini, the remake of Tamil movie. Surya did the role in Tamil. And now for the counter return Surya will be doing the Aamir role in the 3 Idiots Tamil remake. Yes, Surya is to become one among the 3 Idiots!
The film is set in an IIT campus and he plays the role of an engineering student. The cast for the rest 2 Idiots are not yet confirmed. The official announcement for the same is yet to be made. Let's hope that the movie will make a history in Tamil industry as it has made in Bollywood.

Genelia hits out at Shahid Kapoor

Ken Ghosh’s next directorial venture Chance Pe Dance starring Shahid Kapoor and Genelia D’Souza is ready to hit the theatres next week. The title of the movie
explains it all in nutshell but at a recent promotional event Shahid and Genelia were put in an awkward situation when asked about him maaroin chance (hitting on) on any lass.
To which Shahid smilingly replied, “Today, time has come when girls hit on boys and boys are quite sober.” And no sooner did he say that than the bubbly Genelia unaware of Shahid’s reply to media pulled him towards her to speak to her. Smart Shahid pointed towards Genelia’s gesture and naughtily said, “Look at her she is trying to marofy chance (hit on) on me and she is a girl. I rest my case here.” Hearing this Genelia quickly took her hand away.
Seems like Shahid- Genelia the young and bubbly pair have struck a great rapport while working together in Chance Pe Dance. While rumours of Genelia getting married to Riteish Deshmukh are all doing rounds, we wonder what has Riteish has to say on this newly blossomed friendship.

Indigenous H1N1 vaccine by March: Katoch

CHANDIGARH: H1N1’s indigenous vaccines are expected to hit the Indian market by March this year at half the price of the imported ones. Dr VM Katoch, director-general, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and secretary to the Government of India, department of health research, made an announcement on Thursday while interacting with the media.
Dr Katoch was in Chandigarh to inaugurate the new academic session of PGI. Dr Katoch informed that there were four pharmaceutical companies, including Zydus Cadila and Panacea Biotec, which are in advanced stage of research. He said Zydus Cadila had already completed human trials, while Panacea was conducting animal trials.

`We are 15-days ahead of the schedule and will introduce the vaccine as early as possible,’’ said Katoch adding that government of India is negotiating on vaccine prices keeping in view community need.

The prices of indigenous vaccines would be in range of Rs 50-100, in contrast with imported ones which cost Rs 300-400. The imported vaccine will be made available for public health workers by the January-end, said Dr Katoch. He informed that the government was trying to make regulatory clearance for research easier for pharma companies so that they do not have to run from pillar to post.There is also a thrust to transform research into products and make it available to public.

source:indiatimes.com

Is Google's Nexus One phone any good?

The screen is fantastic, it links superbly with your online Google account - but does it have what it takes to win over iPhone obsessives?

At first glance, the Nexus One doesn't look like a revolution waiting to happen. In fact, Google's much heralded rival to the Apple iPhone looks remarkably similar to almost every high-end mobile phone released in the last two years: big black screen with small button at the bottom. But as soon as you switch on the handset and swipe your finger across the screen to unlock it, it is clear this is more than just another also-ran.

The first thing that strikes you is how incredibly bright and clear the screen is. It's a 3.7in, low-power, "organic LED" screen that doesn't need backlighting and allows deep, clear blacks and vivid colours. In terms of visibility, it's streets ahead of the competition: a gang of Nexus One users waving their prized gadgets in the air could probably send a signal into space.

The second thing that leaps at your eyeballs is the animated background. Whether you've got rippling pools of water or computerised lights zipping around the screen, the constant movement whenever you're using the phone breathes a strange sort of life into this static object.

Above all, though, you are stepping through a portal into Google's world. On first use, the phone prompts you to log into your Google account – within seconds it has synchronised your email, web searches, contacts book and any other information you happen to keep with the company. Convenient for you, but also – thanks to the constant stream of data being fed back to California – handy for Google. You're now a satellite-tracked, walking, talking, web-surfing recruit into Google's informationalised army.

Despite this nagging feeling that you've stepped into the pages of Nineteen Eighty-Four, becoming one of Google's disciples boasts some impressive benefits. Browsing the web is fast, the powerful five-megapixel camera-phone with built-in flash should make the all-important business of taking good photos a doddle. The really futuristic extra, though, is "voice search". On other handsets, including the iPhone, this addition seems like a gimmick – hey, what kind of dimwit talks to their phone? – but the accuracy and speed of the Nexus One makes it feels like something from Star Trek. I asked for "toy shops in San Francisco" and it found me a (Google) map of local toy shops in a couple of seconds. Combine this with the phone's simplified "in-car mode" display and ability to speak turn-by-turn directions, and it spells goodbye to satnav.

The downsides are its appearance – sleek but bland, made from a dull, metallic-looking plastic – and the small, rubber trackball that sits under your thumb, which feels like an awkward afterthought (although it does glow in different colours to let you know when the phone is charging or connected via Bluetooth).

But a big "miss" is the feature that makes the iPhone so simple to use: multi-touch. While the Nexus One's single-finger prodding works well enough, there's none of the pinching action to zoom into maps and photographs that makes the iPhone feel so advanced, nor its realistic-feel friction. Google's on-screen keyboard feels cramped, too, and won't completely satisfy text freaks and heavy emailers.

Also missing is the depth of downloadable applications that have turned the iPhone into something much more like a mini-computer. There are plenty of programs available through the Android Market (and Google is, of course, encouraging armies of coders to feverishly build more), but there is still nowhere near the volume you can get for Apple's gizmo.

Then, of course, there's the price. Salivating British gadget fans can buy one now from Google's US shop – without a sim card or contract – for £330, and Vodafone is scrambling to make it available on a contract here for significantly less. But even then, it's unlikely to come cheap.

What ultimately justifies the price, Google argues, is the phone's sheer power. And the thing certainly is fast, with the memory and processing guts equivalent to a top-of-the-range laptop from eight or nine years ago.

But will it beat the iPhone? This debut model falls short of the smooth and totally intuitive design that Apple came up with. Google prides itself on being a company of engineers, and – despite all its bells and whistles – the Nexus One still leaves behind an aftertaste of nerdiness.

source: http://www.guardian.co.uk