9 FEBRUARY 2016

Ø  In an important turn in the 2008 Mumbai attacks trial, Lashkar operative David Headley named Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed as the head of the Lashkar-e-Taiba. During his deposition on Monday before a special court here via videoconferencing from the U.S., he identified Pakistani Army officers associated with the ISI. Lashkar handlers Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi had also been named by Ajmal Kasab, the Pakistani gunman who was executed for his role in 26/11, in his confession statement in 2008. However, he retracted his confession in court. Headley named Major Ali and Major Iqbal of the ISI and Lashkar commander Sajid Mir as his contacts in Pakistan. He also said the 10 people involved in the 26/11 attacks had made two previous attempts on Mumbai. The first, in September 2008, failed as the boat, which started from outside Karachi, ran into some rocks and sank. The weapons and explosives were lost in the sea. The second attempt took place a month later. It was Mir who informed Headley of the two attempts. Headley, who was convicted in the U.S. for his role in the Mumbai attacks, gave his statement before special judge G.A. Sanap. Testifying as a prosecution witness from an undisclosed location in the U.S., he confined himself to the information he divulged following his plea bargain agreement with the American government in 2010. Terming his deposition “live evidence,” special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said it was a “statement of oath” of a person directly involved in the criminal conspiracy.

Ø  After a seven year long wait, Aditya, India’s first dedicated scientific mission to study the sun is likely to get a go-ahead from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) this week. The ambitious solar mission will study the sun’s outer most layers, the corona and the chromosphere, collect data about coronal mass ejection and more, which will also yield information for space weather prediction. The project costs approximately Rs 400 crores and is a joint venture between ISRO and physicists from Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru; Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune; Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, and other institutes. Though the project was conceptualised in 2008 itself, it has since morphed and grown and is now awaiting clearance with the government. It now aims to put a heavy satellite into what is called a halo orbit around the L1 point between the Sun and the Earth. This point is at a distance of about 1.5 million km from the earth. With the excitement about the Mars Orbiter Mission yet to settle down, this could be the next most complicated feat that ISRO has carried out till date. A halo orbit would be a circular orbit around the L1 point. The satellite will have to use its own power (spend energy) to remain in position within in this orbit without losing its way. Such orbits have not been attempted too often. Among the suite of instruments in the payload would be a solar coronagraph. “A combination of imaging and spectroscopy in multi-wavelength will enhance our understanding of the solar atmosphere. It will provide high time cadence sharp images of the solar chromosphere and the corona in the emission lines. These images will be used to study the highly dynamic nature of the solar corona including the small-scale coronal loops and large-scale Coronal Mass Ejections,” The corona is the outermost layer of the Sun and the chromosphere is the second inner layer. Data such as this can help us understand the corona and solar wind, which is a spewing of charged particles into space, at speeds as high as 900 km/s and at about 1 million degrees Celsius temperature, affecting the environment there. Just like on earth, environment in space changes due to happenings in the sun, such as solar storms (flares). This is known as space weather. Solar storms and space weather affect satellite operations. They may interfere with electronic circuitry of satellites and also, through enhanced drag (friction effects), impact satellite mission lifetimes. They also impact the positional accuracy of satellites and thus impact GPS navigational networks. Space weather also impacts telecommunications, satellite TV broadcasts which are dependent on satellite-based transmission. Dr Nandi works in building models that can predict space weather. The data from Aditya mission will be immensely helpful in discriminating between different models for the origin of solar storms and also for constraining how the storms evolve and what path they take through the interplanetary space from the Sun to the Earth. The forecasting models we are building will therefore be complemented by the Aditya observations.

Ø  India and the United Arab Emirates are set to strengthen cyber security mechanism to track radicalisation of youth in South Asia and West Asian region. Over the last several months, India-UAE cooperation has prevented several radicalised youths from joining the ranks of the Islamic State (IS). Both sides are expected to sign a number of agreements on cyber security and law enforcement during the February 10-12 visit by Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. MoUs on cyber crime prevention, cooperation in security operations and exchange of critical information will be signed to start a new generation of strategic cooperation between India and the UAE during the visit. Mr. Al Banna pointed out that security collaboration has become the centrepiece of India-UAE cooperation, especially since Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Dubai in August 2015. Cyber security experts have pointed out that the cooperation between the UAE and India on cyber security has helped in tracking radicalisation in India as well as inside Pakistan. Agreements on security and cyber security will be part of a total of 16 agreements that are expected to be signed during the visit which will also include an agreement on nuclear research and development, and aerospace collaborations. The visit by the Crown Prince is also expected to lead to the signing of an MoU on nuclear cooperation between India and the UAE. The nuclear agreement will be signed in conformity with international legal framework. The MoU will focus on exchange of information and experts on nuclear issues. We are building a centre on nuclear research and development in the UAE and our international partnership is aimed at building a support base for the project. Both sides have maintained a steady flow of high level exchanges after the Joint Statement of August 2015 promised to build institutionalised dialogue involving National Security Advisors and other specialists in sensitive areas. Both sides will also work towards better coordinated responses to international crises like Syria that has emerged as the centre of activities for the Islamic State.

Ø  China and Russia have slammed the possible deployment of an American anti-missile defence shield in South Korea following North Korea’s satellite launch. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, on Sunday stressed that China is “deeply concerned” about the decision by the United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) to start official negotiations on the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. The THAAD system comprises advanced U.S. anti-missile defence batteries. Analysts say that each THAAD missile battery would cost $1.3 billion and will be capable of covering half or two-thirds of South Korean airspace. “When pursuing its own security, one country should not impair others’ security interests,” said Ms. Hua. She stressed that the deployment of these weapons would escalate tensions on the Korean peninsula. In turn, this would undermine regional peace and stability, and set back efforts to address the current situation. China’s state-run daily Global Times escalated the attack on the decision by Seoul and Washington to start dialogue on the deployment of the THAAD system. In an editorial, the daily asserted, citing military experts, that “once THAAD is installed, Chinese missiles will be included as its target of surveillance, which will jeopardise Chinese national security”. The write-up pointed out China has been strictly opposed to the THAAD deployment in South Korea, and in the light of such opposition, South Korea had not deployed it so far. “The abrupt attitude shift at a confusing moment caused by North Korea’s test of a long-range missile is a decision of no strategic vision. For the sake of its security, Seoul took an impetuous action, giving no consideration to the long-term strategic impact,” the editorial observed. The daily warned that the deployment “will not put an end to the vicious interaction of varied forces in the region, only causing more troubles to northeast Asia”. In this regard, China has echoed Russia’s concerns, aired ahead of North Korea’s satellite launch. South Korea’s Yonhap news agency quoted Alexander Timonin, Russia’s Ambassador to Seoul, as stating earlier this month that Moscow stood opposed to the deployment of the THAAD system as it could destabilise the region. Mr. Timonin pointed out that Russia and China share “nearly identical” views on resolving the nuclear issue. On the other hand, Washington is of the view that following North Korea’s nuclear test in January, the THAAD system would be required to protect the 27,000 American troops that have been deployed in South Korea. The Yonhap write-up points out that China is reluctant to push the North too hard due to security concerns, including the possibility of an influx of North Korean refugees or the emergence of a U.S.-allied, unified Korea on its borders.