Earthquake alert SMS to start this year

The mayor of Mexico City plans a warning system that will send alerts directly to mobile phones seconds before an earthquake strikes.

Mayor Marcelo Ebrard, a likely contender in the 2012 presidential election, said that the service will start by September. The capital s government is in talks with cell phone service providers to make the alert happen. Ebrard declined to mention which companies would be included in his quake alert plan for wireless phones.

The capital suffered the devastating effects of an 8.1 magnitude quake in September 1985 that killed thousands. In order to avoid any further destruction steps are being taken in order to send the alert messages on mobile. These alert messages will help people to evacuate homes and buildings. A top executive from America Movil, the largest cell phone brand in Mexico confirmed that the company s existing network allowed for this kind of quake alerts to users.

California prepares for Big One earthquake drill

Students at Providence High School in Burbank, near Los Angeles, survived the Big One Thursday, joining millions of others across the state who took part in the Great California ShakeOut. The annual drill is aimed at teaching people what to do in the event of an earthquake, while encouraging everyone to be prepared.
More than 7.8 million people across California, including 3.6 million in Los Angeles and Orange counties, registered to take part in the event, which had residents responding to a simulated quake at 10:21 a.m. local time, 1721GMT.
Participants were instructed to drop, cover and hold on” — the recommended procedure in an earthquake. Earlier, a number of students put the advice to good use during an earthquake simulator that registered a 7.0 quake.
The ShakeOut drill began three years ago, based on scientists’ predictions of what would occur during and after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake along the San Andreas Fault. They estimated such an event would kill 1,800 people, injure 50,000 more, and cause 200 billion in damages (USD), leaving the region to experience long-lasting social and economic consequences.
We can’t tell you when the earthquake is going to be, but we can tell you when it is going to be, explained Dr. Lucy Jones of the U.S. Geological Survey. The Shake Out is based on a scientific study. We have brought in all the experts to look in details about what the big San Andreas earthquake will be like.
Among those on hand were a contingent from Chile, who took part in the drill in an effort to learn and share their experiences from the devastating earthquake that struck their country in February. The drill included emergency teams moving the group to Providence St. Joseph’s Medical Center where the exercise the continued.

Hillary asks Pakistan to bring rich into tax net

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Pakistan Thursday to ensure that wealthy Pakistanis contribute to overcoming the devastation caused by this summer’s floods.
”It is absolutely unacceptable for those with means in Pakistan not be doing their fair share to help their own people,” Clinton said after meeting with Catherine Ashton, the EU foreign and security affairs chief. Saying ”the international community can only do so,” she urged the government in Islamabad to ”take immediate and substantial action to mobilise its own resources” for the immense task of reconstructing schools, health clinics, bridges, thousands of kilometres of roads and repair new irrigation systems. She and Ashton met for about 45 minutes and told reporters afterward the United States, Europe and others are standing by Pakistan.On Friday, the EU hosts a meeting here of ”Friends of Democratic Pakistan,” a group of two dozen nations and institutions that are committed to Pakistan’s recovery from the devastating floods. The EU and its member states have to date contributed nearly $450 million toward relief and recovery efforts. The EU has also extended trade benefits to Pakistan. To date, the US has provided $388 million in aid and another $75 million in logistical and other support. Clinton insisted that much remains to be done in a country that faces an acute threat from terrorists. ”The progress (the EU and the US) have made together toward fostering stability and prosperity in Pakistan is threatened by the catastrophic damage caused by the floods,” she said.”So the United States is all the more committed to helping Pakistan rebuild, swiftly and successfully.””A safe, secure and stable Pakistan is essential to our shared fight against terrorism and to protect the security of the people of our country and friends and allies,” Clinton added.

AJK shuts to mark Oct. 8 earthquake anniversary

Staff Report

MUZAFFARABAD: To pay homage to the martyrs of the earthquake on October 8, 2005, a shutter down strike is being observed in Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Friday.

Different organizations have threatened to hold a long march towards Islamabad against the government’s failure to complete the rehabilitation phase despite the passage of five years of the devastating earthquake that killed over 75,000 and left 3.5 million homeless.

To mark the tragic day, AJK Law Minister Abdul Rashid Abbasi and other top officials attended a prayer ceremony and observed a minute of silence.

Traders, students and civil society members held a demonstration across the city to protest against the government’s lethargic attitude towards the ongoing rehabilitation work.

They said that hundreds of schools have yet to be repaired by the government.

China pledges another $200m in flood aid

BEIJING: China is to give another $200 million in emergency flood aid to Pakistan, Premier Wen Jiabao announced during a visit to New York for a UN anti-poverty summit.

The announcement comes a month after Beijing faced sharp criticism of its relief pledges from Washington’s pointman on Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, who called on Islamabad’s close ally to “step up to the plate” and do more to help.

“I wish to take this opportunity to announce that China will, on top of the pledged assistance, provide another $200 million of assistance to Pakistan,” Wen said. China had previously offered about $47 million in aid to Pakistan following the devastating floods, which UN agencies say affected 21 million people and left 12 million in need of emergency food aid.

Torrential rain began falling in northern Pakistan in July and the floods have since moved slowly south,

Aamer, Ajmal put Pakistan in command

LONDON: Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Aamer combined to spark a dramatic England collapse that left Pakistan contemplating victory in the third Test at The Oval here on Friday.

From 194 for three at tea, England lost six wickets for 26 runs to be 221 for nine when bad light forced an early close on the third day.

That left England, looking for a 3-0 lead in this four-match series, just 146 runs ahead with one second innings wicket standing.

Off-spinner Ajmal, who bowled 30 overs unchanged, had four wickets for 71 runs and left-arm quick Aamer four for 51.

Stuart Broad was six not out and Steven Finn nought not out.

Earlier, opener Alastair Cook ended a poor run of scores with an innings of 110 but that was all but eclipsed by England’s final session slump.

Ajmal started the collapse with a clever piece of bowling.

From around the

Zardari urges businessmen to support relief efforts

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday urged the business community to help the government in providing relief and rehabilitation to the millions of people affected by the devastating floods.

During a special meeting with representatives of the business community and Chamber of Commerce here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, President Zardari shared the grim situation millions are facing after the floods.

He said never have such floods occurred in the country in the past; these have been unprecedented in volume and damage.

Zardari said the people affected by the floodd would have to be sustained for a long time.

“We as a nation, should be prepared to sustain them for a long period; with unity we can overcome the problem.”

The President said he too, had lost some of his lands, but the people have lost almost all of their

US rescues 1,000 people from floods: WH

WASHINGTON: The United States has helped save more than 1,000 lives in Pakistan as the country struggles with massive flooding, the White House said Monday.

“US helicopters are supporting rescue efforts and have saved more than 1,000 to date,” said a statement from National Security Adviser General James Jones.

The US government has provided 35 million dollars in financial aid in flood-related assistance, including 436,000 halal meals, 12 pre-fabricated bridges, water filtration units and emergency generators, he added.

US military aircraft, including six US Army helicopters, “will continue to work closely with our Pakistani allies to help evacuate stranded citizens and transport urgently needed supplies to hard hit areas,” Jones said.

The United Nations in Pakistan said massive floods had affected 13.8 million people and eclipsed the scale of the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

It estimates 1,600 people have died and the Islamabad government has confirmed 1,243 deaths. About 220,000 were killed by the December 26, 2004 tsunami in South and Southeast Asia.

Gilani rubbishes crtisicsm on Zardari’s UK visit

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani said on Thursday that there should be no concern on the visit of President Asif Ali Zardari to the United Kingdom (UK).

He, however, added that “since the prime minister and chief ministers, who are chief executives of the country and provinces, respectively, in the parliamentary democracy, are in the country, there should be no concern on the visit of the President”.

“If the prime minister or any of the chief ministers would have been outside the country in this situation then it was a matter of concern,” he remarked.

The prime minister further remarked that even if President Zardari would not have gone abroad, there would have been created any other issue.

PM Gilani said the government was currently fighting on three fronts, including targeted killings, terrorism and floods, with first priority being given to the rescue and relief of flood affected people.

“With around 250,000 to 300,000 food packets already provided to the flood affected people in various parts of country, the government is striving to ensure the supply of food items, tents, medicines and relief goods for the affected people”, Gilani told newsmen after addressing the 44th Convocation of the College of Physicians and Surgeons here at a local hotel.

The prime minister assured that the government would announce compensation for the heirs of those who lost their lives in the devastating floods after the assessment of losses, to be undertaken by international institutions like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.

He said the whole nation including the government, civil society and media stand united in this difficult situation faced by the country, adding, “we are also getting assistance from various countries across the world”.

The prime minister said besides talking to Pakistan”s Permanent Representative to UN Abdullah Haroon and Pakistan”s Ambassador to US Hussain Haqqani about the flood situation, he had also directed the Foreign Minister and the Minister of State for Economic Affairs to brief the Islamabad-based diplomats about the devastation caused by torrential rains and flash floods.

To a question about the importance of big dams in checking floods and addressing water problems, the prime minister said the previous governments missed the golden opportunity of taking such decisions as not a single dam could be constructed during the nine year rule of previous regime.

Gilani, however, mentioned that he summoned the Council of Common Interests (CCI) meeting to get a consensus approval of the Bhasha Dam project.

Black box not found, 95 bodies identified, Senate informed

ISLAMABAD: Senate was told on Friday that 95 bodies have been identified out of total 152 perished in Air Blue plane crash in Margalla Hills on Wednesday.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik told the House that out of those 95 identified, 78 bodies have been handed over to families and relatives.

“Handing over of remaining bodies is in process under laid down Standard Operating Procedure (SOP),” Malik said in response to points raised by members regarding facilitating the bereaved families and securing the belongings of the deceased passengers.

Some members had raised the points claiming insufficient arrangements to accommodate the bereaved families as well as incidences of loot and plunder of belongings at the crash site.

“It was a tragic incident where all 152 passengers died. Out of which 95 bodies have been identified and 78 have been handed over to families,” he stated.

The minister said, under the SOP immediate cordoning of the area was ordered and all the belongings found so far have been placed in the custody of Magistrate. “Once the operation completes, we shall call upon the families and handover the belongings on identification.”

He said during last two days the operation could not be continue on the same pace due to bad weather and heavy rains and it will be completed today (Friday) sometime during the day.

“All resources were deployed for recovery of dead bodies, belongings as well as the Black Box of the plane which is yet to be found,” he added.

Interior Minister said, the Prime Minister has already ordered an inquiry into the incident and the Chairman has been designated.

“As soon as we get the inquiry report, the House will be apprised of it.”

“We shall do everything possible and the process of handing over bodies and belongings shall be completed within couple of days,” he added.

To another point, Malik assured all out assistance to flood affectees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “Seven helicopters have been made available for rescue of struck up people and other needs of the displaced persons shall also be met.”

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