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.

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.

Oct. 8 quake martyrs remembered in Balakot

Staff Report

LAHORE: Main Balakot Bazaar is completely shut to mark the 5th anniversary of the deadly Oct 8, 2005 earthquake that killed over 70, 000 and left about 3.5 million people homeless in Kashmir and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Traders and social organizations took out a rally in memory of the earthquake’s martyrs.

Similarly, rallies were held in Balakot teshil of Mansehra district by various bodies to mark the day.

Hundreds of people staged a rally from Jamia Mosque to Government High School to pay tribute to the martyrs of the devastating catastrophe.

Rally participants demanded of the government that it ensures early completion of New Balakot City Project. SAMAA

Fazl flays Altaf over martial law remarks

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Maulana Fazlur Rehman, has said that the statement of MQM chief Altaf Hussain has spread a fresh wave of disappointment among the people besides making the role of Army suspicious.

Addressing the general workers on Sunday, Hussain said that his party would support any patriotic general who was prepared to take action against the corrupt politicians and feudal lords.

“If we have to choose between two evils, we will go for the lesser evil. If our generals are ready to take any initiatives against these criminals who have looted and plundered this country then we will welcome them,” he said.

Reacting to these remarks, Rehman said that the system would improve only with the continuation of democratic set up in the country. “The Army will gradually detach itself from the politics and

Fruit and vegetable prices soar with floods

KARACHI: The prices of fruit and vegetables have jumped across the country after floods destroyed a large area of crops, said sources on Tuesday.

Fruit and vegetable prices in Pakistan have shot up by 50 percent after the devastating floods destroyed 4.25 million acres of crops.

Fruit and vegetable vendors have said that the price hike was unavoidable due to the flood damaged crops.

“The floods have destroyed the agricultural fields and washed away vegetable crops ready for harvest,” they said.

“It is like a fire erupted in the market,” said a buyer. “Floods and rains have made these things unaffordable.”

Residents of Hyderabad complained that profiteers take advantage under the pretext of flood devastation. They appealed to the government to take notice of rising prices.

Punjab has particularly been hit hard; the UN has said that

NATO aircraft reaches flood-hit areas

ISLAMABAD: The first NATO cargo aircraft carrying relief goods for survivors of the devastating floods in Pakistan on Sunday arrived at the military Chaklala Airbase.

In response to a request by the government of Pakistan, the NATO had on Friday decided to provide airlift and sealift for the delivery of aid to Pakistan floods survivors.

The NATO yesterday started to airlift about 500 tonnes of relief supplies from Europe to Pakistan, where about eight million are in need of emergency aid.

A Trainer Cargo Aircraft of the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force transported relief goods donated by the Republic of Slovakia and will conduct a humanitarian relief mission to Pakistan in support of the flood humanitarian efforts in that country.

Maurits Jochems, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Operations, said the alliance’s airlift of

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

ADB to offer flood-hit Pakistan $2 billion loan

SINGAPORE: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is expected to contribute at least $2 billion to help Pakistan recover from its worst ever floods.

The economic costs of the floods are expected to run into the billions of dollars, stepping up pressure on government just after it had made progress in stabilizing the country through security offensives against Taliban insurgents.

“While the assessment will take several weeks to complete, the damages so far are staggering,” said the ADB in a statement on its website.

Aid funding has improved, with nearly half the $459 million needed to fund initial relief efforts secured after days of lobbying donors. But the situation on the ground remained grim.

Only a small minority of the 6 million Pakistanis desperate for food and clean water have received help after floods that have killed up to 1,600

Over 4 million homeless in flood-hit Pakistan: UN

ISLAMABAD: The number of people rendered homeless by the devastating floods in Pakistan has risen to more than 4 million, the United Nations said on Thursday, making the critical task of securing greater amounts of aid

more urgent.

The UN had earlier said that 2 million people had lost their homes in the worst floods in Pakistan’s history, which began nearly three weeks.

Aid agencies have been pushing for more funding as they try to tackle major problems such as food supplies, lack of shelter and outbreaks of diseases.

The economic costs of the floods are expected to run into the billions of dollars, stepping up pressure on government just after it had made progress in stabilising the country through security offensives against Taliban insurgents.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it expected to contribute at least $2 billion to

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