October 4, 2010
October 3, 2010
President Prathibha Patil declares Delhi CWG open
Singer Hariharan is performing the ‘Swagatam’ song with school children forming the ‘namaste’ on the ground.
Around 7,000 men, women and children will take part in the gala opening, which is divided into 6 sections: Rhythm of India, Swagatam, Tree of Knowledge, Yoga, Great Indian Journey and AR Rahman`s rendition of the CWG anthem "Jiyo Utho Badho Jeeto".
The 619-member strong Indian contingent will be led by Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra who will carry the Indian flag during the ceremony.
Followed by the song, the ‘tree of knowledge’ segment will showcase India`s ‘guru shishya’ tradition with folk dancers and musicians.
A yoga performance will raise the bar, while the great Indian journey will showcase the spirit of India.
The grand finale will be Oscar winner AR Rahman performing live CWG anthem "Jiyo Utho Badho Jeeto".
Australia will lead out the teams, while hosts India will be led out by Beijing Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra.
The aerostat, or helium-balloon, touted to be the star attraction at the opening ceremony of the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games, will give an unprecedented view of the sights being offered for a truly Indian experience.
The 619-member strong Indian contingent will be led by Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra who will carry the Indian flag during the ceremony.
Followed by the song, the ‘tree of knowledge’ segment will showcase India`s ‘guru shishya’ tradition with folk dancers and musicians.
A yoga performance will raise the bar, while the great Indian journey will showcase the spirit of India.
The grand finale will be Oscar winner AR Rahman performing live CWG anthem "Jiyo Utho Badho Jeeto".
Australia will lead out the teams, while hosts India will be led out by Beijing Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra.
The aerostat, or helium-balloon, touted to be the star attraction at the opening ceremony of the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games, will give an unprecedented view of the sights being offered for a truly Indian experience.
Scientists warn of possible peril from 2013 solar flare activity
Earlier this week, scientists attending the Electric Infrastructure Security Council conference in London warned that a massive solar flare may trigger global chaos by causing blackouts and wrecking satellite communications.
Solar flares are large explosions on the surface of the Sun, powered by the sudden release of magnetic energy that has built up in the Sun's atmosphere. They can last just a few seconds or up to an hour, and can occur in smaller intensities as often as several times per day.
The researchers say that this potential disaster could occur within three years, which is when astronomers forecast a peak in the Sun's magnetic energy cycle. They say that the resulting solar storm could potentially cause geomagnetic mayhem on earth, knocking out electricity grids around the world.
'As that magnetic field gets tangled up it gets more and more energetic, and that leads to an eleven year cycle of activity,' explained Chris Davis, a scientist on the Solar Stormwatch project at the British Royal Observatory, in an interview with Deutsche Welle.
'We're on a low level of activity at the moment but sunspots are starting to appear again, and spots are the manifestation of this magnetic field poking through the surface of the Sun.'
Previous large solar ejection occured in 19th century
Astronomers say that the current cycle of solar flare activity started around 2001 and they expect it to reach a peak sometime in 2013. But what's different about this peak is that it could be quite devastating.
The coronal mass ejection could release large amounts of matter, intense magnetic fields and other radiation into space. Typically, some scientists say, ejections of this size only occur approximately every 150 years � the last one was in 1859.
'The world's skies were bathed in a blood red aurora � the Northern and the Southern lights,' said Stuart Clark, a British astronomy journalist and author of 'The Sun Kings', which details the event and its impact on modern astronomy.
'And at the same time as these lights appeared in the sky, the nineteenth century equivalent of global communications and navigation just completely stopped working.'
In other words, Clark explained, compasses spun uselessly and the telegraph � cutting-edge technology at the time � crashed.
Solar flares have disrupted power transmission before
Today, given that the 21st century relies so heavily on other technology like communications and entertainment satellites, the world is more at risk from damage caused by high-energy particles and other disturbances, said Avi Schnurr, who organized the conference. He is a former US Department of Defense analyst, and current executive director of the Israel Missile Defense Association, a lobbying organization.
In addition to affecting spacecraft, such magnetic storms can affect power transmission behavior on the Earth, because they cause 'transformer saturation,' which reduces or distorts voltage. That could mean the disruption of power plants and transmission stations, which happened in the province of Quebec in Canada during a solar flare in 1989.
'The electric grids when they go down, they bring with them our capability to produce water and send water to homes, to produce food, communications, medical care. All the things we depend on.' Schnurr said. 'And if it's down for months or years, it's very painful to think what that would mean.'
Other scientists say threat is 'overstated'
But not all scientists are convinced of this high level of damage that a solar ejection would cause to the Earth in 2013.
In an interview published Friday with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Phil Wilkinson, the assistant director of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's Ionospheric Prediction Service, said that the claims that this solar maximum would be the most violent in 100 years are 'overstated.'
'[It's] going far beyond what's realistic and could be worrying or concerning for people who don't really understand the underlying science behind it all,' he said. 'The real message should be that the coming solar maximum period could be equally as hazardous as any other solar maximum.'
He also said that the impact on power grids would be minimal.
'At worst, it's a regional thing, not a global thing as these reports imply,' he added.
Infrastructure could be protected by 'huge surge protectors'
However, Schnurr also said that protecting infrastructure both on the ground and in space is a matter of politics and money.
'We do need to get it together for the governments involved to start protecting the electric grids,' he said. 'But it turns out there are fairly simple measures which are well understood now which can be taken. There are the equivalents of huge surge protectors which need to be put on these different transformers.'
This 'equivalent' is known as a residual current device, or RCD, which is used for domestic wiring systems. These are trip switches installed on electricity transmission lines that break the connection when there's a sudden voltage increase.
There would be a temporary disruption in power, but the transformers themselves would be protected. RCDs, Schnurr explained, are roughly analogous to surge protectors used in ordinary homes to protect electronic devices from overloading.
He also said that the cost of installing such preventive measures is relatively inexpensive to governments � in the United Kingdom, it would cost a few hundred million dollars.
But with so many governments slashing their budgets in the United States, Europe and around the globe, it's still not clear whether governments will actually spend money on an event of which the consequences are not predicted with 100 percent certainty.
After all, similar warnings were made over the Y2K bug, the massive worldwide computer glitch, that seemed to be overblown. Still, Stuart Clark said that governments cannot afford to ignore these warnings.
'The consequences if this does happen are just unbelievable,' he said. 'The loss of the power grid for years, loss of the ability to perform any kind of finance or electronic transfers or anything like that, if we don't do anything to protect ourselves now.
Solar flares are large explosions on the surface of the Sun, powered by the sudden release of magnetic energy that has built up in the Sun's atmosphere. They can last just a few seconds or up to an hour, and can occur in smaller intensities as often as several times per day.
The researchers say that this potential disaster could occur within three years, which is when astronomers forecast a peak in the Sun's magnetic energy cycle. They say that the resulting solar storm could potentially cause geomagnetic mayhem on earth, knocking out electricity grids around the world.
'As that magnetic field gets tangled up it gets more and more energetic, and that leads to an eleven year cycle of activity,' explained Chris Davis, a scientist on the Solar Stormwatch project at the British Royal Observatory, in an interview with Deutsche Welle.
'We're on a low level of activity at the moment but sunspots are starting to appear again, and spots are the manifestation of this magnetic field poking through the surface of the Sun.'
Previous large solar ejection occured in 19th century
Astronomers say that the current cycle of solar flare activity started around 2001 and they expect it to reach a peak sometime in 2013. But what's different about this peak is that it could be quite devastating.
The coronal mass ejection could release large amounts of matter, intense magnetic fields and other radiation into space. Typically, some scientists say, ejections of this size only occur approximately every 150 years � the last one was in 1859.
'The world's skies were bathed in a blood red aurora � the Northern and the Southern lights,' said Stuart Clark, a British astronomy journalist and author of 'The Sun Kings', which details the event and its impact on modern astronomy.
'And at the same time as these lights appeared in the sky, the nineteenth century equivalent of global communications and navigation just completely stopped working.'
In other words, Clark explained, compasses spun uselessly and the telegraph � cutting-edge technology at the time � crashed.
Solar flares have disrupted power transmission before
Today, given that the 21st century relies so heavily on other technology like communications and entertainment satellites, the world is more at risk from damage caused by high-energy particles and other disturbances, said Avi Schnurr, who organized the conference. He is a former US Department of Defense analyst, and current executive director of the Israel Missile Defense Association, a lobbying organization.
In addition to affecting spacecraft, such magnetic storms can affect power transmission behavior on the Earth, because they cause 'transformer saturation,' which reduces or distorts voltage. That could mean the disruption of power plants and transmission stations, which happened in the province of Quebec in Canada during a solar flare in 1989.
'The electric grids when they go down, they bring with them our capability to produce water and send water to homes, to produce food, communications, medical care. All the things we depend on.' Schnurr said. 'And if it's down for months or years, it's very painful to think what that would mean.'
Other scientists say threat is 'overstated'
But not all scientists are convinced of this high level of damage that a solar ejection would cause to the Earth in 2013.
In an interview published Friday with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Phil Wilkinson, the assistant director of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's Ionospheric Prediction Service, said that the claims that this solar maximum would be the most violent in 100 years are 'overstated.'
'[It's] going far beyond what's realistic and could be worrying or concerning for people who don't really understand the underlying science behind it all,' he said. 'The real message should be that the coming solar maximum period could be equally as hazardous as any other solar maximum.'
He also said that the impact on power grids would be minimal.
'At worst, it's a regional thing, not a global thing as these reports imply,' he added.
Infrastructure could be protected by 'huge surge protectors'
However, Schnurr also said that protecting infrastructure both on the ground and in space is a matter of politics and money.
'We do need to get it together for the governments involved to start protecting the electric grids,' he said. 'But it turns out there are fairly simple measures which are well understood now which can be taken. There are the equivalents of huge surge protectors which need to be put on these different transformers.'
This 'equivalent' is known as a residual current device, or RCD, which is used for domestic wiring systems. These are trip switches installed on electricity transmission lines that break the connection when there's a sudden voltage increase.
There would be a temporary disruption in power, but the transformers themselves would be protected. RCDs, Schnurr explained, are roughly analogous to surge protectors used in ordinary homes to protect electronic devices from overloading.He also said that the cost of installing such preventive measures is relatively inexpensive to governments � in the United Kingdom, it would cost a few hundred million dollars.
But with so many governments slashing their budgets in the United States, Europe and around the globe, it's still not clear whether governments will actually spend money on an event of which the consequences are not predicted with 100 percent certainty.
After all, similar warnings were made over the Y2K bug, the massive worldwide computer glitch, that seemed to be overblown. Still, Stuart Clark said that governments cannot afford to ignore these warnings.
'The consequences if this does happen are just unbelievable,' he said. 'The loss of the power grid for years, loss of the ability to perform any kind of finance or electronic transfers or anything like that, if we don't do anything to protect ourselves now.
Delhi all set for CWG opening ceremony
Thousands of armed security personnel were on their toes today securing the capital for the Commonwealth Games
as helicopters patrolled the skies and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles scanned the ground.
A virtual security fortress ahead of the opening of the sporting event, Delhi was full of snipers, commandos on 'Light Armoured Troops Carrier' (LATC) and specially trained men from paramilitary personnel along with Delhi Police personnel.
Round the clock, personnel at the sophisticated C4i control room at the Police Headquarters here rummaged through live feeds from over 3,000 CCTVs installed across the city ensuring that nothing escaped their eyes.
A 'multi-layered, multi-dimensional' security blanket, as City Police Commissioner Y S Dadwal put it, was thrown around the city with police vans surveying the nook and corner of the capital.
The security plan prepared for the mega event, which will see participation of 8,500 athletes from 71 countries competing in 17 events, also envisages expert groups to tackle chemical, biological, radio-active or nuclear attacks.
Armed personnel have also been deployed across 41 Games related infrastructure, including 12 competition venues, while heliborne-snipers of the Air Force provided air cover to thwart any terror attack like the 9/11 strikes in the US.
'This is a security arrangement which has been laid down after considerable thought, re-thought, examination and re-examination looking for loopholes. It is a multi-layered, multi-dimensional arrangement,' Dadwal said.
'We have a higher security matrix for the Games compared to other events held in the city,' he said noting that there were no specific inputs about any terrorist attack on the Games but the police were keeping a strict vigil.
Delhi Police's 28,387 personnel have been deployed at Games venues along with 195 companies (around 20,000 men) of paramilitary personnel while another 15,000 guarded the nearby localities of the venues.
Police has already announced that security restrictions is applied to each and every visitor and no one can expect any relaxation or exception citing the example of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram undergoing security checks.
A four-layered security cordon has been drawn for various venues spread across the city. Only those with accreditation cards and tickets will be allowed inside stadias. PTI
as helicopters patrolled the skies and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles scanned the ground.
A virtual security fortress ahead of the opening of the sporting event, Delhi was full of snipers, commandos on 'Light Armoured Troops Carrier' (LATC) and specially trained men from paramilitary personnel along with Delhi Police personnel.
Round the clock, personnel at the sophisticated C4i control room at the Police Headquarters here rummaged through live feeds from over 3,000 CCTVs installed across the city ensuring that nothing escaped their eyes.
A 'multi-layered, multi-dimensional' security blanket, as City Police Commissioner Y S Dadwal put it, was thrown around the city with police vans surveying the nook and corner of the capital.
The security plan prepared for the mega event, which will see participation of 8,500 athletes from 71 countries competing in 17 events, also envisages expert groups to tackle chemical, biological, radio-active or nuclear attacks.
Armed personnel have also been deployed across 41 Games related infrastructure, including 12 competition venues, while heliborne-snipers of the Air Force provided air cover to thwart any terror attack like the 9/11 strikes in the US.
'This is a security arrangement which has been laid down after considerable thought, re-thought, examination and re-examination looking for loopholes. It is a multi-layered, multi-dimensional arrangement,' Dadwal said.
'We have a higher security matrix for the Games compared to other events held in the city,' he said noting that there were no specific inputs about any terrorist attack on the Games but the police were keeping a strict vigil.
Delhi Police's 28,387 personnel have been deployed at Games venues along with 195 companies (around 20,000 men) of paramilitary personnel while another 15,000 guarded the nearby localities of the venues.
Police has already announced that security restrictions is applied to each and every visitor and no one can expect any relaxation or exception citing the example of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram undergoing security checks.
A four-layered security cordon has been drawn for various venues spread across the city. Only those with accreditation cards and tickets will be allowed inside stadias. PTI
COMMONWEALTH:Delhi goes into lockdown for Games opener
New Delhi will go into a security lockdown Sunday for the opening of the biggest and most trouble-plagued Commonwealth Games ever. With an estimated 100,000 police and military personnel dedicated to keeping the athletes, visitors and games venues safe, and with foreign governments issuing travel advisories highlighting a risk for terror attacks in India during the games, local authorities didn't want to leave softer targets vulnerable.
The Delhi government used a law enacted in 1954 as authority to enforce the closure of shops and markets on the day of the opening ceremony and the Oct. 14 closing ceremony, announcing it to businesses two days ahead of time.
The Mail Today newspaper splashed the headline 'Delhi To Shut Down On CWG Opening Day' across its front page on Saturday, a national holiday in India to commemorate the birth of spiritual and independence leader Mohandas K Gandhi.
Local organizers proudly declared that the athletes' village, which attracted international condemnation last week for the state of its hygiene, is now almost full of athletes and officials - more than any previous edition of the event.
While Jamaican sprinters Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell and many of the biggest stars from the 71 countries and territories of the Commonwealth aren't in India, Delhi officials said more than 6,700 athletes and officials had confirmed their entries. Organizers said that number topped the 5,766 total in Melbourne four years ago.
'More than 5,800 athletes and officials have already arrived in Delhi. With more arrivals scheduled in the coming days, Delhi 2010 is well on the way to becoming the biggest in history,' organizing committee secretary-general Lalit Bhanot said.
'We are now looking forward to the successful and smooth delivery of the games.'
International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge was arriving Saturday.
Prince Charles was also due to fly in on the eve of Sunday's opening ceremony, where he will represent the British royal family when he declares the games open.
Bhanot said the problems within the village had been fixed and the games were ready to go.
But work continued frantically at venues, which missed several construction deadlines and haven't had large-scale pre-games events to test transport, security, ticket and communications.
Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell agreed that most of the most necessary work is done, but stressed the need to maintain standards in the village for the next two weeks and to quickly finalize preparations elsewhere.
In an interview with games broadcaster the BBC, Fennell was critical of the delays and problems that have caused negative global attention.
'People are working hard and want to do well but sometimes the coordination and intention to follow through is not always good,' Fennell said.
'You have to applaud their efforts but the management and systematic follow through was just not there.'
He rejected the argument that the CGF should have done more to keep local organizers on schedule.
'You can only do so much, you have to rely on them to follow your advice,' Fennell said.
'You entrust the organization to an organizing committee and that organizing committee has to get on with the job.'
Fennell said taking the games to India for the first time had been an important and necessary learning experience.
'My big hope is the athletes will enjoy it and leave with good memories.'
Competition is scheduled to start Monday in a variety of sports, including swimming. The athletics competition opens Wednesday.
There are 17 sports in total at this year's Commonwealth Games, and 272 gold medals to be won through Oct 14 - 143 for the men, 123 for the women and six in mixed or open competitions.AFP
The Delhi government used a law enacted in 1954 as authority to enforce the closure of shops and markets on the day of the opening ceremony and the Oct. 14 closing ceremony, announcing it to businesses two days ahead of time.
The Mail Today newspaper splashed the headline 'Delhi To Shut Down On CWG Opening Day' across its front page on Saturday, a national holiday in India to commemorate the birth of spiritual and independence leader Mohandas K Gandhi.
Local organizers proudly declared that the athletes' village, which attracted international condemnation last week for the state of its hygiene, is now almost full of athletes and officials - more than any previous edition of the event.
While Jamaican sprinters Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell and many of the biggest stars from the 71 countries and territories of the Commonwealth aren't in India, Delhi officials said more than 6,700 athletes and officials had confirmed their entries. Organizers said that number topped the 5,766 total in Melbourne four years ago.
'More than 5,800 athletes and officials have already arrived in Delhi. With more arrivals scheduled in the coming days, Delhi 2010 is well on the way to becoming the biggest in history,' organizing committee secretary-general Lalit Bhanot said.
'We are now looking forward to the successful and smooth delivery of the games.'
International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge was arriving Saturday.
Prince Charles was also due to fly in on the eve of Sunday's opening ceremony, where he will represent the British royal family when he declares the games open.
Bhanot said the problems within the village had been fixed and the games were ready to go.
But work continued frantically at venues, which missed several construction deadlines and haven't had large-scale pre-games events to test transport, security, ticket and communications.
Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell agreed that most of the most necessary work is done, but stressed the need to maintain standards in the village for the next two weeks and to quickly finalize preparations elsewhere.
In an interview with games broadcaster the BBC, Fennell was critical of the delays and problems that have caused negative global attention.
'People are working hard and want to do well but sometimes the coordination and intention to follow through is not always good,' Fennell said.
'You have to applaud their efforts but the management and systematic follow through was just not there.'
He rejected the argument that the CGF should have done more to keep local organizers on schedule.
'You can only do so much, you have to rely on them to follow your advice,' Fennell said.
'You entrust the organization to an organizing committee and that organizing committee has to get on with the job.'
Fennell said taking the games to India for the first time had been an important and necessary learning experience.
'My big hope is the athletes will enjoy it and leave with good memories.'
Competition is scheduled to start Monday in a variety of sports, including swimming. The athletics competition opens Wednesday.
There are 17 sports in total at this year's Commonwealth Games, and 272 gold medals to be won through Oct 14 - 143 for the men, 123 for the women and six in mixed or open competitions.AFP
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