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Remembering Partition: 70 years since India-Pakistan divide
It's been 70 years since India and Pakistan were carved from the former British Empire as independent nations, a process that triggered one of the largest human migrations in history. Overnight, Hindu and Muslim neighbors became fearful of one another. Mob violence broke out, leaving hundreds of thousands dead. Some 12 million people fled their homes — including Hindus afraid they would not be welcome in the newly declared Islamic state of Pakistan, and Muslims worried they'd suffer at the hands of India's Hindu majority.
When is the Perseid Meteor shower and how can I see it?
The Perseids is an annual meteor shower that peaks around mid-August,with this year's peak expected between 11 and 13 August. It's regarded as one of the brightest and most visible meteor showers. Here's everything you need to know about the spectacle, including dates and where to see it. #perseids are coming!! pic.twitter.com/F19pqGL3nO— GaryFildes (@TheGaryFildes) July 9, 2017 A post shared by Anders Nilsson (@fotoandersnilsson) on Aug 9, 2017 at 1:33am PDT Lucky snap! I caught this early bird #perseids #meteor just before packing up. It may look like daytime in this image, but it's only the effect of a bright and just off frame #Moon. The #perseid #meteorshower will peak the night of August 12th so grab a blanket, buds, and some #darksky. #nightsky #astronomy #landscapeastro #nightscape #sonyalpha #sonya7s @weownthenight_az @instagramaz @earthskyscience @visitsedona #sedona #cathedralrock #redrocks #az #arizonasky @joanwood01 @_tzr_ A post shared by jarredpd (@jarredpd) on Aug 7, 2017 at 11:27am PDT What is a meteor shower? Ameteor shower occurs when Earth passes through the debris stream occupying the orbit of a comet, in this case comet Swift-Tuttle. Perspective makes meteor showers appear to emanate from a single point in the sky known as the shower radiant. A typical meteor results from a particle the size of a grain of sand vaporising in Earth’s atmosphere when it enters at 134,000mph. Something larger than a grape will produce a fireball and this is often accompanied by a persistent afterglow known as a meteor train. This is a column of ionised gas slowly fading from view as it loses energy. The Perseids appear to originate from within the star constellation Perseus, hence the shower's name. A shooting star, top left, is seen during the Perseid meteor shower in Poland in 2016. Credit: EPA/LUKASZ OGRODOWCZYK When can I see the Perseid meteor shower? The window for this year's meteor shower is from July 17 to August 24. Stargazers stand a chance of seeing the shower at any point in this window, however the peak will occur around August 11, 12 and 13. The best time to take a look at the sky will be from about 1am BST in the Northern Hemisphere until the onset of dawn twilight. Space.com says the moon, which will be three-quarters full at the time of the peak, will rise around 11pm meaning the spectacle will be trickier to see this year. However, sky-watchers should still be able to see the shower, despite the moon's glare. Peak rates of 150-200 meteors per hour were recorded in 2016, but typical rates are about 80 meteors an hour streaking across the night sky, each leaving a trail. Complete list of every full moon in 2017 The worlds best stargazing locations How can I see it? Choose a dark location away from stray lights and give yourself at least 20 minutes in total darkness to properly dark adapt. Look at a height approximately two-thirds up the sky in any direction. If you want a recommendation, east through south offers some great background constellations in the early hours during August. Look for the shower's "radiant" from the north-east corner of Perseus. Here are a few great places to view the shower. Galloway Forest Park: Galloway is a couple of hours from Glasgow and an hour from Carlisle. The park's most popular spot for stargazing is Loch Trool. Exmoor and around: Exmoor was granted International Dark-Sky Reserve status by the International Dark-Sky Association in 2011. Light pollution is managed to make the area more appealing to amateur astronomers. Romney Marsh: Night once provided cover for smugglers known as Owlers, but today Romney Marsh offers celestial bounty, arching over a landscape adorned with the spires of ancient churches. Kielder: Kielder Forest is officially the darkest place in England – 250 square miles of wooded beauty where Northumberland brushes against Scotland. It has its own fabulous, modern, wood-clad observatory on the slopes of Black Fell above Kielder Water. North York Moors: As well as stunning night skies, the North York Moors boast historic market towns such as Helmsley and Pickering, plus appealing coastal spots, including Scarborough and Whitby. Reader sends in beautiful Perseid timelapse 00:15 Tell me more about Comet Swift-Tuttle The wonderfully named Comet Swift-Tuttle, the parents of the Persied meteor shower, is the largest object known to repeatedly pass Earth (it's 16 miles wide). It orbits the sun ever 133 years and each time it passes through the inner solar system, it warms up releasing fresh comet material into its orbital stream, according to earthsky.org. The last time it was closest to the sun was in December 1992. It will be back again in July 2126. Total solar eclipse 2017: explainer
Israel moves ahead on underground wall around Gaza
Israel is pushing ahead with a project to build a giant underground wall around the Gaza Strip to block tunnels that could be used for attacks, the army said on Thursday. The project comes after the government faced heavy criticism over Hamas's use of tunnels in the 2014 Gaza war, with a state inquiry earlier this year accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and army top brass of having been unprepared for the threat. Army radio reported that the wall, comprising concrete planks and sensors, will stretch some 64 kilometres (40 miles).
#AintNoCinderella: Woman who sparked viral twitter campaign by Indian women 'vindicated' after two men arrested
A young woman at the centre of a high profile stalking case that has gripped India for days has spoken of her surprise at becoming a rallying call for women’s rights across the South Asian nation of 1.3 billion. Varnika Kundu, a 29-year-old DJ, told the Telegraph that she felt “vindicated” after two men were arrested and charged on Wednesday with attempting to kidnap her when they chased her car late on Friday night through the northern Indian city of Chandigarh. The arrests followed an impromptu “AintNoCinderella” Twitter campaign of Indian women posting defiant pictures of themselves out after midnight after a senior male politician suggested Ms Kundu was at fault for being “out so late in the night.” In a Facebook post that quickly went viral, Ms Kundu described a terrifying ordeal where the perpetrators drove parallel to her car for 25 minutes and then blocked her car before “aggressively” trying to enter her vehicle. Indian woman victim-blamed after being stalked is defended by Twitter users 01:28 She said they enjoyed her distress, and felt lucky that she was “not lying raped and murdered in a ditch somewhere.” In an interview, Ms Kundu said her story had struck a chord with many Indian women who had told her of similar experiences. Their support had helped her through attempts to sully her character for driving alone at night. “It’s been overwhelming,” she said. “I think Indian women are just so sick and tired of being treated like second class citizens, of just being told because you were born different you’re not good enough, you can’t do the same things that a boy can do.” Dear Regressive India, We ain't damsels in distress. We are independent & we don't need you to curb our freedom#AintNoCinderella here! pic.twitter.com/mulliSsKwY— Rekha Navani (@rekha_navani) August 7, 2017 #AintNoCinderella ... it's time to step out ! pic.twitter.com/CAWBJ83guk— Sharmiela Mandre (@sharmilamandre) August 8, 2017 Women’s rights, and victim shaming, has been a particularly sensitive issue in India since the horrific gang rape and murder of physiotherapy student Jyoti Singh, 23, in a moving bus in Delhi in 2012. The case shocked India to the core, but the victim was also criticised for going to the cinema in the evening with a male friend. The defence lawyer for her attackers claimed that if his own daughter “allowed herself to lose face and character” that he would “set her alight.” Hey it's midnight and I'm "out"!#AintNoCinderellapic.twitter.com/oKFNwtVIz0— Palak Sharma (@Palaksharmanews) August 7, 2017 If I'm out at 12am, it DOES NOT mean I'm to be raped, molested, chased. My dignity is my right 24X7 #AintNoCinderellapic.twitter.com/6SN0I5NbSN— Sharmistha Mukherjee (@Sharmistha_GK) August 7, 2017 In Ms Kundu’s case, a senior politician from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Ramveer Bhatti, appeared to question her morals when speaking to the Times of India. “Why was she allowed to roam around at night? Parents should not allow their children to stay out late … what is the point of roaming around at night?” he said. It's midnight and I can be wherever I want to be, because I #AintNoCinderella - Regressive India, please take note pic.twitter.com/TgycSQP17U— Elixir Nahar (@ElixirNahar) August 7, 2017 I am a free soul! I am a woman of today ! I live with my free will #AintNoCinderellapic.twitter.com/afSmmBdH6t— seema (@seemaadhikari) August 8, 2017 Mr Bhatti later back-tracked on his comments, but not before Ms Kundu dismissed his questions as “none of his business.” She said she was grateful through her ordeal to have been given a platform to challenge deep-seated patriarchal attitudes in modern Indian society. “I’ve said things that all Indian women have always wanted to say. Basic questions like why does the victim have to answer?” she said.
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