<ul><li>New observations have been able to determine that the ‘God of Chaos’ asteroid Apophis won’t be crashing into Earth for at least another 100 years. </li><li>This officially rules out all doomsday predictions of Apophis breaching the Earth’s atmosphere in 2029, 2036 and in 2068. </li><li>The asteroid is as big as three football fields and the resulting impact, if it were to crash into Earth, would be equivalent to 880 million tonnes of TNT exploding.</li></ul>The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has determined that the ‘God of Chaos’ asteroid Apophis won’t be crashing into Earth for at least a century. Many in the scientific community believe that it’s only a matter of time before a massive asteroid hits Earth. “A big rock will hit Earth eventually and we currently have no defence,” said billionaire <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/elon-musk-says-we-have-no-defence-against-asteroid-god-of-chaos/articleshow/70748251.cms">Elon Musk</a>, commenting on the Apophis asteroid. <div type="javascript" title="Custom" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hjJIyZKbHqc" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>]]></cdata></div> While that may still be a possibility, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has at least narrowed down the possibility that the ‘big rock to hit Earth’ won’t be Apophis — not in 2029, 2036 or even 2068. “A 2068 impact is not in the realm of possibility anymore, and our calculations don’t show any impact risk for at least the next 100 years,” said Davide Farnocchai of NASA’s Centre for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). <div type="image" title="apophis_edited" msid="81719242" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Apophis won&amp;#39;t be crashing into Earth for at least a century&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> What would happen if Apophis crashed into Earth? It’s not uncommon for small asteroids between the size of five to ten metres to pose a threat as they make their close approach to Earth, but asteroids the size of Apophis — as big as three football fields — are rare. The potential impact would be the equivalent of 880 million tonnes of trinitrotoluene (TNT) exploding simultaneously. This would make it 65,000 times more destructive than the Hiroshima nuclear disaster. <div type="image" title="asteroid gif" msid="81719274" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The animation depicts a mapping of the positions of known near-Earth objects (NEOs) at points in time over the past 20 years, and finishes with a map of all known asteroids as of January 2018&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Eliminating the doomsday prediction Apophis was determined to be <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/apophis-the-god-of-chaos-asteroid-is-speeding-up-increasing-the-likelihood-of-it-hitting-earth-in-2068/articleshow/78895818.cms">under the influence of the Yarkovsky effect</a> in October 2020, by the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy. Simply put, it meant Apophis was getting pushed around by sunlight and speeding up in approach towards Earth. This made its orbit difficult to predict, increasing the likelihood of it crashing into Earth in 2068. In order to figure out whether the threat of a collision was real, JPL’s researchers decided to conduct a detailed analysis — using a new radar observation campaign coupled with a precise orbit analysis — of Apophis when the massive asteroid made a distant flyby of Earth on March 5. Tracking the asteroid with Deep Space Network’s 70-metre radio antenna and the 100-metre Green Bank Telescope, the scientists were able to capture Apophis on camera. <div type="image" title="Screenshot (695)_edited" msid="81719181" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;These images of asteroid Apophis were recorded by radio antennas at the Deep Space Network’s Goldstone complex in California and the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The images may appear pixelated, but considering that the asteroid was 17 million kilometres away — more than 44 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon — it’s an incredible accomplishment. “If we had binoculars as powerful as this radar, we would be able to sit in Los Angeles and read a dinner menu at a restaurant in New York.” said JPL scientist Marina Brozovic, who led the radar campaign. Using these images, not only did JPL rule out the possibility of Apophis hitting Earth in 2068 but it was also able to determine that the asteroid has a ‘bilobed’ or peanut-like appearance. According to NASA, this is a relatively common shape for big space rocks — larger than 200 metres in diameter — that fly by the planet. At least one in every six asteroids has two lobes.

‘God of Chaos’ asteroid Apophis won’t be crashing into Earth for at least another century

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched the second leg of his campaign for Bihar assembly elections, raking up the <keyword id="6354931" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ayodhya">Ayodhya</keyword> issue and urging the people to defeat the opposition which had ushered in a "<keyword id="3362535" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="jungle-raj">jungle raj</keyword>" in the state and embezzled funds meant for development schemes. Invoking the imagery of Goddess Sita and her father Janaka, the king of Mithila of which this north Bihar town became the capital later on, Modi said those who used to taunt the BJP over the delay in construction of Ram temple were now forced to applause. "I am happy to be here, in the birth place of Mother Sita. Construction of temple at Ayodhya has also begun. Those siyasi log (political opponents) who used to taunt us with the question what is the date (for commencement of construction), have now been forced to clap in applause," Modi told a rally here. The prime minister, who shared the stage with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, lavished praise on the latter, calling him the "bhaavi mukhyamantri" (prospective CM) and crediting him with Bihar's economic turnaround. "The people of Bihar have made up their mind to inflict yet another defeat on those responsible for the 'jungle raj' where crime graph had soared to an extent that living a normal life became difficult for the common people, our mothers and sisters," Modi said in an obvious attack on the RJD-Congress combine, without mentioning either by name. "They committed financial irregularities in the name of waiving farm loans. They took bribes to give jobs. The NDA stands for development. Beware of those who are greedily eyeing the funds earmarked for progress," said Modi. He said those who were in power before the NDA government was formed were so obsessed with their "commission" that they never cared about connectivity for regions like Mithila. A project like Kosi Mahasetu could be completed only when the NDA was in power both in the state and the Centre, he added. The prime minister, who spoke at length about the measures taken by the Centre for the development of Mithila as well as those proposed for the future, sought to strike a chord with the local populace by recalling legendary Maithili poet Vidyapati and uttering phrases in the local language. He also made references to "paan" (betel leaves) and "makhaan" (fox nut) cultivated in the area in abundance. In a deft attempt at reaching out to the lower castes, Modi also paid tributes to Dalit icon Baba Chauharmal. Noting that voting was underway in several assembly segments in the first phase of elections, Modi urged the people to stay safe and take precautions in view of the COVID 19 pandemic while exercising their franchise. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/banks/news/ajay-piramal-believes-that-if-banks-wont-lend-to-long-term-projects-india-will-need-to-revive-the-likes-of-idbi-and-ifci/articleshow/78906135.cms">EXCLUSIVE: Ajay Piramal believes that if banks won't lend to long-term projects, India will need to revive the likes of IDBI and IFCI</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/apophis-the-god-of-chaos-asteroid-is-speeding-up-increasing-the-likelihood-of-it-hitting-earth-in-2068/articleshow/78895818.cms">Apophis, the ‘God of Chaos’ asteroid is speeding up — increasing the likelihood of it hitting Earth in 2068</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/kumar-mangalam-birla-says-cement-industry-is-recovering-and-analysts-find-evidence-of-it-outside-ultratech-too/articleshow/78791281.cms">EXCLUSIVE: Billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla is surprised by the rebound in infrastructure and construction in India</a>

Modi kicks off second-leg of Bihar campaign — rakes up issues of Ayodhya and 'jungle raj' at rally

<ul><li>Three departments of the Indian government have been issued a show-cause notice to explain the development of India’s contact tracing app — <keyword id="8995296" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="aarogya-setu">Aarogya Setu</keyword>. </li><li>The <keyword id="6373306" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="national-informatics-centre">National Informatics Centre</keyword> (NIC), the <keyword id="3428254" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ministry-of-electronics-and-information-technology">Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology</keyword> (MeitY), and the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) have been asked to appear before the bench on November 24 by the Central Information Commission (CIC).</li><li>The NIC, in particular, as the app’s developer needs to explain how Aarogya Setu was created. </li></ul> India’s contact tracing app Aarogya Setu, which boasts of over 162 million downloads, is caught in the crosshairs of controversy again — this time over its origin story. A petition was filed by Saurav Das with the Central Information Commission (CIC) when three bodies within the government refused to answer Right to Information (RTI) requests asking about the creation of Aarogya Setu. “It is surprising that the National Informatics Centre (NIC) doesn’t have any information about Aarogya Setu since it is the app’s developer,” said the petition. The CIC, India’s transparency watchdog, has now served a show-cause notice to the three bodies — NIC, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) — to explain their role in the development of Aarogya Setu within the next two months. NIC, in particular, needs to explain how the <keyword id="8995298" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="aarogya-setu-app">Aarogya Setu app</keyword> was created. "None of the CPIOs were able to explain anything regarding who created the App, where are the files — and the same is extremely preposterous", said the CIC interim order. Central Public Information Officers (CPIOs) of the departments have also been asked to appear before the bench on November 24 to explain why they should not be penalised under Section 20 of the RTI Act for obstruction of information. A copy of any and all supporting documents that may be relevant to the hearing should be submitted five days prior to the hearing. The government has issued a clarification stating, "Aarogya Setu was developed in a transparent manner in collaboration with industry and academia." <div type="twitter" handle="SetuAarogya" handlename="Aarogya Setu" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1246377580594266113/wMJonS1Z_normal.jpg" favoritecount="149" retweetcount="37" status="Clarification issued on Aarogya Setu App. Aarogya Setu App is a product of Government of India built in collaborati… https://t.co/8YUSBVAnSd" createdat="1603891530000" id="1321442970424410112"></div> Other troubling signs around Aarogya Setu French security researcher Robert Baptiste, who goes by Elliot Alderson on Twitter, first claimed that the Aarogya Setu app showed <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/these-are-the-privacy-issues-in-aarogya-setu-indias-covid-19-tracker-app-alleged-by-french-hacker-elliot-alderson/articleshow/75592800.cms">security flaws</a> back in May. At the time, the government thanked him for his concern but <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/aarogya-setu-claims-its-app-is-secure-denies-privacy-breach/articleshow/75569270.cms">dismissed the accusations</a>. They asserted that tracking the location of users is a documented feature of the app, not a flaw. As the reins around the app tightened, former Supreme Court judge Justice BN Srikrishna called the government’s move to make Aarogya Setu <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/covid-19-smartphone-without-aarogya-setu-app-will-draw-punishment-for-user-in-gautam-buddh-nagar/articleshow/75540878.cms">mandatory</a> for all citizens ‘<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/experts-explain-the-legal-and-moral-pitfalls-in-aarogya-setu-app-despite-the-governments-insistence-that-a-protocol-has-been-put-in-place/articleshow/75690239.cms">utterly illegal</a>.’ Another analysis by the renowned <a href="https://www.deccanchronicle.com/technology/in-other-news/270520/after-mit-tech-review-downgrades-aarogya-setu-rating-source-code-for.html">MIT Technology Review</a> gave Aargoya Setu only 2 out of 5 stars in its analysis of 25 contact tracing apps around the world. It highlighted that India is the only democracy that is making such an app mandatory. The rating was later <a href="https://www.deccanchronicle.com/technology/in-other-news/270520/after-mit-tech-review-downgrades-aarogya-setu-rating-source-code-for.html">further chopped</a> to just one star when the researchers discovered that the app was collecting more information than it needed to function. It was only after the review that MietY <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/amid-privacy-concerns-centre-makes-aarogya-setu-app-open-source/articleshow/76011848.cms">released Aarogya Setu’s source code</a> on GitHub and initiated a ‘<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/hacking-aarogya-setu-can-win-you-1-lakh-to-3-lakh-through-the-indian-governments-bug-bounty-programme/articleshow/76030048.cms">bug bounty program</a>’ for anyone who could find an issue with the app. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/building-blocks-of-life-discovered-in-titans-atmosphere-nasa-discovers-a-weird-molecule-on-saturns-largest-moon/articleshow/78909286.cms">Building blocks of life discovered in Titan’s atmosphere — NASA discovers a ‘weird’ molecule on Saturn’s largest moon</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/banks/news/ajay-piramal-believes-that-if-banks-wont-lend-to-long-term-projects-india-will-need-to-revive-the-likes-of-idbi-and-ifci/articleshow/78906135.cms">EXCLUSIVE: Ajay Piramal believes that if banks won't lend to long-term projects, India will need to revive the likes of IDBI and IFCI</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/apophis-the-god-of-chaos-asteroid-is-speeding-up-increasing-the-likelihood-of-it-hitting-earth-in-2068/articleshow/78895818.cms">Apophis, the ‘God of Chaos’ asteroid is speeding up — increasing the likelihood of it hitting Earth in 2068</a>

India's contact tracing app Aarogya Setu comes under the scanner again — three departments fail to explain their role in its development

<ul><li>Indian billionaire and industrialist <keyword id="6411578" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ajay-piramal">Ajay Piramal</keyword> believes that the country may need to bring back lenders like <keyword id="67881" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="IDBI">IDBI</keyword> and <keyword id="45777" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="IFCI">IFCI</keyword> if banks don’t lend for long term projects. </li><li>According to him, credit growth needs to outpace economic growth for there to be recovery.</li><li>“Funds available with banks are more than what they’re giving out. The credit to deposit ratio is going in the wrong direction,” Piramal explained at the Business Insider Trends Festival 2020. </li></ul>Banks are hesitant to give out loans, and borrowers are worried about the existing payments they have to make. But, without credit, it's almost impossible for an economy to grow. Indian billionaire and industrialist Ajay Piramal believes that it may be time to bring back the likes of IDBI and IFCI — development banks offering funds for long-term projects — to break the stalemate and get growth on the cards again. “It (the economy) cannot grow unless credit grows. If you want economic growth of 10%, then credit growth must be at least 15%. If credit growth slows down, GDP will also come down,” he said at the Business Insider Global Trends Festival 2020. <div type="image" title="india credit growth" msid="78906252" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;India&amp;#39;s credit growth&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Reserve Bank of India (<a href="https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/BS_PressReleaseDisplay.aspx?prid=50442">RBI</a>) data shows that credit growth was on a downward trajectory well before COVID-19. Not only was it falling over the past two years, but far from the days of double-digit growth seen in 2009 at over 27%. <a href="https://www.crisil.com/en/home/newsroom/press-releases/2020/06/bank-credit-growth-to-hit-a-multi-decade-low-of-0-1percent.html">CRISIL forecast</a> that <keyword id="612887" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bank-credit-growth">bank credit growth</keyword> would bottom out and rise by 8% to 9% in the current fiscal. But, that was before the pandemic struck. Now, it’s more likely to nosedive to create a multi-decade low. The current predicament is that credit is necessary for economic growth. Without it, there will be stagnation, as seen in the example of the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212567113001093">Romanian economy</a> — which eventually led to a loss of trust in the local currency, no new projects, and no multiplier creating jobs. When credit grows, consumers can borrow and spend more while enterprises can borrow and invest more. The simultaneous rise of consumption and investment creates jobs and leads to both income and profit growth. Creating development banks for long-term funds The lack of credit growth in the economy is two-fold. Banks are risk-averse, and so are the borrowers. In the absence of options, even though banks have the funds, they’ve been parking that money with the RBI rather than doling it out to the masses. This despite the fact that the RBI has drastically reduced the <keyword id="6403556" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="reverse-repo-rate">reverse repo rate</keyword> — the rate at which banks can earn interest if they deposit their funds with the central bank. In May, banks made <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/indian-banks-earn-3-1-billion-with-rbi-instead-of-giving-loans-to-businesses-despite-repo-rate-cut/articleshow/76000355.cms#:~:text=out%20as%20loans-,Indian%20banks%20have%20made%20%243.1%20billion%20just%20by%20parking%20funds,giving%20them%20out%20as%20loans&amp;text=The%20Reserve%20Bank%20of%20India,giving%20them%20out%20as%20loans.">$3.1 billion</a> this way. “Funds available with banks are more than what they’re giving out. The credit to deposit ratio is going in the wrong direction,” Piramal explained. For funds to start following again, the reins need to be loosened up a little. According to rating agency Moody’s, corporate loans are likely to be more resilient to the economic downturn than retail or SME credit. But, corporates need large amounts for long term endeavours. “There’s no long term finance available in India anymore. Most of the banks are not lending long term,” said Piramal. “We’ll have to create this system where long-term funds are available; otherwise you’ll not have projects.” The irony, however, is that the country has spent decades divesting out of those companies. IDBI was originally a subsidiary of RBI when it was established in 1964, and, just last year, it was reclassified as a private sector bank. However, India may not have a choice if it wants the economy to grow, according to Piramal. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/apophis-the-god-of-chaos-asteroid-is-speeding-up-increasing-the-likelihood-of-it-hitting-earth-in-2068/articleshow/78895818.cms">Apophis, the ‘God of Chaos’ asteroid is speeding up — increasing the likelihood of it hitting Earth in 2068</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/kumar-mangalam-birla-says-cement-industry-is-recovering-and-analysts-find-evidence-of-it-outside-ultratech-too/articleshow/78791281.cms">EXCLUSIVE: Billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla is surprised by the rebound in infrastructure and construction in India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/hcl-tech-is-looking-to-expand-operations-in-canada-if-h-1b-visa-issues-persist/articleshow/78884838.cms">EXCLUSIVE: HCL Tech is expanding operations in Canada as H-1B visa issues persist</a>

You Searched For "where is apophis now" and got 4 results

‘God of Chaos’ asteroid Apophis won’t be crashing into Earth for at least another century

Prabhjote Gill

Modi kicks off second-leg of Bihar campaign — rakes up issues of Ayodhya and 'jungle raj' at rally

PTI

India's contact tracing app Aarogya Setu comes under the scanner again — three departments fail to explain their role in its development

Prabhjote Gill

EXCLUSIVE: Ajay Piramal believes that if banks won't lend to long-term projects, India will need to revive the likes of IDBI and IFCI

Prabhjote Gill