Fresh flood warning for Sindh, Punjab

ISLAMABAD: The meteorological department issued fresh flood warnings on Wednesday, putting parts of Punjab and Sindh on alert.

The department warned of floods in Hyderabad district, which could spread devastation further south in Sindh, and issued a “significant” flood forecast for Kalabagh and Chashma in Punjab.

The met department also said that River Indus at Chashma was likely to continue in very-high to exceptionally-high flood, ranging between 0.78 million to 0.82 cusecs on Wednesday and Thursday. At Kotri, it is likely to attain a flood level ranging between 0.6 million to 0.8 million cusecs.

Local governments in both provinces also issued warnings about more flooding in the days ahead, although Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah acknowledged that the immediate danger had passed.

Punjab officials said that more than 90 per cent of the town of Kot Addu had emptied and that flooding had cut electricity and gas production, shutting down thousands of factories.

Floods have affected 4.5m people: UN

Devastating floods have affected an estimated 4.5 million people across Pakistan, United Nations officials said on Friday, as relief workers warned that aid needs were “absolutely daunting”.

“The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates globally that 4.5 million people have been affected by the flooding,” said UN spokeswoman Elena Ponomareva, marking an increase of some 300,000 in a day.

Citing estimates from Pakistani authorities, UN relief agencies said an estimated 252,000 homes have been destroyed as relentless monsoon rains continue and flood water roll southwards through some of the poorest parts of the country. “As we’re hearing, the scale of the needs is absolutely daunting,” said Melissa Fleming, a spokeswoman for the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Floods continue to destroy villages and important facilities in Punjab, while people are not happy with rehabilitation efforts in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Rainfall last night caused the water level in Kot Addu to rise. Thousands of people have been stranded, many of them are homeless and waiting for government aid.

Hundreds of thousands of wheat bags were ruined due to floods at the PASCO center in Kot Adu. Authorities have starting erecting protective embankments around PARCO oil refinery, which is under threat of being submerged as well.

Death toll soars past 1,000

PESHAWAR: Rescue workers and troops on Saturday scrambled to reach thousands of people marooned in their areas by the country’s worst floods in living memory, with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa bearing the greatest brunt as the death toll in the province rose to 800. The nationwide figure has crossed the 1,000 mark.

Hundreds of homes and vast swathes of farmland were destroyed, with the Karakoram Highway reportedly cut off and communities isolated as monsoon rains caused flash floods and landslides. The UN reported that almost a million people had been affected by the flooding, and at least 45 bridges destroyed across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Television footage and photos shot from helicopters showed people clinging to the walls and rooftops of damaged houses as gushing waters rampaged through inundated villages.

Clutching on to their belongings and carrying their children on their shoulders, some brave souls even walked barefoot through the water to reach safety.

“The death toll from the flood-stricken areas of K-P rose to a massive 800 souls, according to some reports,” said K-P Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, but hastened to add, “these are mere speculations based on fragments of data”.

Going, going, gone!

It’s been reported that the UN Consulate in Lahore had expressed an interest in purchasing the provincial Governor House. This news follows the decision of the Government of Punjab to “rationalise” some of its landholdings by “privatising” them; which is a fancy way of telling people you’re going to auction something that actually belongs to the public.

The Governor’s House in Lahore is built around the tomb of one of the cousin’s of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. It’s said that the cousin was a great patron of sports, and near his grave is a kushtee gumbaz dedicated to wrestlers and kabaddi-wallahs. The land around the tomb and kushtee gumbaz was taken over by the British when they bought the Punjab. In fact, the governor’s mansion is built on and around the tomb. It’s said you can see the sarcophagus in a chamber under the dining room.

The Governor’s House in Lahore is spread over 90 acres and has one of the largest residential gardens in this part of the world. Of course, since there’s a 20-foot wall surrounding the place, very few people have actually seen the inside of the place, despite the efforts of the present incumbent to open its doors to the awam.

Last year, when the Government of Punjab’s overdraft with the State Bank was fast approaching its limit, someone came up with the idea of selling some of the prime land that belonged to the government throughout the province. In Lahore, properties like the chief justice’s official residence and, of course, the Governor House, were said to be on the list.

A one-sided film about Benazir Bhutto

Invited to a showing of the new documentary, ‘Bhutto’, at BAFTA (the British Academy for Film and Television Arts) by my friend Robbie Delmaestro, I was happy to make the journey from Devizes to London for the event. Robbie is a member of the Academy, having been nominated for its prestigious annual award for directing many episodes of the popular TV series, The Bill.

The documentary has gathered a lot of archival material that has never before been screened. Many of Benazir Bhutto’s speeches and conversations have been retrieved, casting fresh light on the charismatic figure and her turbulent life.

Director Duane Baughman has woven the historical video and audio clips with interviews with many figures who either knew Benazir Bhutto, or offered their analyses of her life and times. The result is a film of considerable power and relevance.

UN adopts resolution to probe Israel attack

WASHINGTON: The UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution setting up an independent international probe into Israel’s interception of Gaza-bound ships, on Wednesday.

The resolution, which also condemned Israel’s “outrageous attack,” was adopted after a vote, with 32 countries voting in favour, three against, and eight abstentions.

It “decides to dispatch an independent international fact-finding mission to investigate violations of international law, including international humanitarian aid and human rights law, resulting from the Israeli attacks on the flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian assistance.”

Israel recoils as US backs nuclear move

An Israeli newspaper reported that the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “furious with the Obama administration for having failed to prevent the resolution from passing.” -File Photo

JERUSALEM: Washington’s unprecedented backing for a UN resolution for a nuclear-free Middle East that singles out Israel has both angered and deeply worried the Jewish state although officials are cagey about openly criticising their biggest ally.

The resolution adopted by the United Nations on Friday calls on Israel to join the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and urges it to open its facilities to inspection.

It also calls for a regional conference in 2012 to advance the goal of a nuclear-free Middle East.

Israel is widely believed to be the only nuclear power in the Middle East, with around 200 warheads, but has maintained a policy of deliberate ambiguity about its capabilities since the mid-1960s.

UN official seeks end of CIA drone strikes

WASHINGTON: A senior official of the United Nations said the life and death power of drones should be entrusted to regular armed forces, not intelligence agencies, the New York Times reported on Thursday.

Philip Alston is expected to call on the United States next week to stop CIA drone strikes against people suspected of belonging to al Qaeda.

Kofi Annan’s astonishing facts

New York Times News Service

4% of the 225 richest men’s wealth could provide for entire globe: basic education, basic health care, adequate food, clean water and safe sewers.

Every year the United Nations Human Development Report looks for a new way to measure the lives of people. Putting aside faceless statistics like per capita gross domestic product, the report burrows into the facts about what children eat, who goes to school, whether there is clean water to drink, and so on. This year, the report takes its first look at what people have–from simple toilets to family cars–and what proportion of the world’s goods and services are consumed, comparatively, by the rich and the poor. The pie is huge–the world’s consumption bill is $24 trillion a year–but some servings are very small indeed.