Tsunami early warning must start at community level

‘We don't want to see panic, we don't want to see people taking the wrong action. So getting the words right, getting the message right and getting it delivered are key components,’ said Al Panico, head of the tsunami unit at the IFRC. –AFP/ File photo 

 

LONDON: Five years on from the Indian Ocean tsunami, the region has its own early warning system but experts say the new technology will not save lives unless local communities are more involved in planning how to respond.

 
The 230,000 people killed in Africa and Asia by the 2004 tsunami received no formal warning of the approaching waves.
Since then, millions of dollars have gone into building a vast network of seismic and tsunami information centres, setting up sea and coastal instruments and erecting warning towers.
But studies show that the closer the warning gets to those it is designed to help, the more it fades out, and much more needs to be done to connect the technology to the people.
‘The weakest link remains at the interface between the early warning system and the public, and in ensuring there's enough preparedness at the local level to react appropriately,’ said Bhupinder Tomar, senior officer for disaster preparedness at the International Federation for the Red Cross (IFRC) in Geneva.
In terms of technology, the region has made great strides since Dec. 26, 2004, and is much better prepared, experts say.
Warning centres in Japan and Hawaii receive seismological and tidal data and send out alerts to national agencies in Indian Ocean countries. These agencies then warn the population, via SMS, radio, television, watch towers and loud speakers.
By 2010, regional centres in Australia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand are set to take over primary responsibility from Hawaii and Japan for issuing the warnings.
START WITH COMMUNITIES
Many relief workers, however, believe the system's design is too top-down and that local communities should be the starting point, not the end point, in any early warning network.
Local people should be the 'first mile' in early warning, rather than the 'last mile' as they are often called, the workers say.
‘You need to start with the people and move outwards,’ said Ilan Kelman, a senior research fellow at CICERO, the Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research in Oslo.
In a June 2009 report, the Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction found community participation in the decision-making process was insufficient.
It said the emphasis must shift from international and national policy-making to policy execution on the ground.
Similarly, Oxfam found in a recent report, ‘Collaboration in Crises’, that disaster-affected communities wanted the chance to play a more decisive role in programmes designed to help them.
Evacuation routes and drills need to be integrated into communities' day-to-day activities, experts say.MORE DETAILS.....

8.8-magnitude earthquake hits Chile, 147 dead

A damaged new office building after a major earthquake struck in Concepcion is seen in this video grab. A massive magnitude-8.8 earthquake struck south-central Chile early on Saturday, knocking down homes and hospitals, and triggering a tsunami. –Reuters Photo/TVN 

 SANTIAGO, Chile: A massive magnitude-8.8 earthquake struck south-central Chile early on Saturday, killing at least 147 people, Interior Minister Edmundo Perez Yoma said. The quake triggered a tsunami, knocking down buildings in the capital Santiago.

President Michelle Bachelet declared a ''state of catastrophe'' in central Chile and added that more deaths were possible. She added that a tsunami could hit Chile's Easter Island and that coastal areas of the island were being evacuated.

Telephone and power lines were down, making a quick assessment of the damage difficult in the early morning darkness.

“Never in my life have I experienced a quake like this, it's like the end of the world,” one man told local television from the city of Temuco, where the quake damaged buildings and forced staff to evacuate the regional hospital.

The US Geological Survey said the earthquake struck 56 miles northeast of the city of Concepcion at a depth of 22 miles at 3:34 am local time. Few hours later, two strong aftershocks of 6.9-magnitude and 5.5-magnitude shook the Chilean capital again. 

Chilean television and radio stations said several buildings collapsed in the city of Curico and that there was damage to buildings in the historic center of the capital Santiago, about 200 miles north of the epicenter.

The capital's international airport was forced to close, a highway bridge collapsed and chunks of buildings fell into the street.

In the moments after the quake, people streamed onto the streets of the capital, hugging each other and crying.

There were blackouts in parts of Santiago and communications were still down in the area closest to the epicenter.

Bachelet urged people to stay calm. “With a quake of this size we undoubtedly can't rule out more deaths and probably injuries,” she said.

An earthquake of magnitude 8 or over can cause “tremendous damage,” the USGS says. The quake that devastated Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12 was rated magnitude 7.0.MORE DETAILS.....

 

Home is where the heart is for A. R. Rahman

A.R. Rahman holds the Oscars for best original score and for best original song "Jai Ho" for his work on "Slumdog Millionaire" during the 81st Academy Awards. – AP (File Photo) 

MUMBAI: With two Oscars and two Grammy awards in less than a year, Indian composer A.R. Rahman of “Slumdog Millionaire” fame is riding high on his international success, but his heart still remains at home.

Back in his hometown Chennai after more than a month in Los Angeles, where he now spends most of his time, Rahman spoke to Reuters about working on “We Are The World”, the charity single for quake-stricken Haiti, his experience in Hollywood and how India will never really lose its famous son.
Q: It's been almost a year since you won the Oscar. How has your life changed?
A: “I am living more in Los Angeles and meeting a completely different set of people; very nice people of course, and things which were impossible before, such as “We are the world” - going in that community and singing there, was fantastic. I have been commissioned to do some stuff for artists, which you will hear about shortly. There is a tour also. So much has happened in one year.”
Q: You also composed music for your first Hollywood movie, “Couples Retreat”. How is working in Hollywood different from working in India?
A: “In a situation like that, anything can happen. There are a lot of committees which scrutinise the music, they hear it again and again, changes happen. The music took almost three months. I was writing and re-writing. They have research groups to whom they play the music and movie to, and take their reactions, come back. You may even get fired. It is a studio film, so anything can happen.”
Q: Did that change the way you work?
A: “No, not really, but a composer told me that in Hollywood, if a composer doesn't get fired, he isn't a real composer. That is the agony of working on a score there, even the most senior composers get fired. It is the easiest thing to do, fire the composer, because they can't change the actors or the movie, but they can change the music. It's risky.”
Q: What is the one aspect that you wish the Indian film industry could borrow from the West?
A: “I think we should think about what we are leaving for future generations. After a while, when you have achieved everything, it is time to give back. Our people are so hardworking that we can excel anywhere in the world, but they just need to open up their imaginations. We need to be original and nurture creativity. We can't be slaves to mediocrity, and that can only happen when the right people put in the effort.”
Q: Are there any more international projects in the pipeline? There was talk of you collaborating with Celine Dion.A: “I can't really talk about anything at the moment, but you will hear something the minute it is finalised. Celine Dion is just a rumour.”
Q: Some rumours do turn out to be true.
A: “This could turn out to be true, but nothing like that is planned at the moment. I sang with her for “We are the World”, that is all.”
Q: Could you talk about that experience?
A: “It was great. I got a call from the organisers, asking if I was in town. I said yes, and went along for the recording. We recorded from 3 to 8, and it was an overwhelming experience,
singing with all these great artists under one roof.”
Q: A lot of people in India feel that even though you won for Slumdog, that isn't your best score. What do you think?
A: “I think it was the best score for the film. In a way it is naive for people to think like that. There is always a debate over which music is better, whether it is classical or pop, Western classical or Indian classical, and so on. But for a child, a nursery rhyme is equal to what may be classical music for us. It is the presence of mind and the eye of the beholder that matters. We got two Oscars and two Grammys for it, so it is more than enough.”
Q: Is international success something you coveted before you started out?
A: “In a naive way, yes. I wasn't too ambitious about it, but it was always in a corner of my mind, that what we do here should be appreciated by the rest of the world. We like their music, but we also have representation in the world stage, and that has come true, which is great. In a small way, there are many more miles to go, but it is a great start. It is not only a good start for me, but also anyone, whether you are in a village, and are making music, if it needs to be heard, it will be heard.MORE DETAILS.....
 

Ben Kingsley gambles on success in Bollywood debut

British actor Ben Kingsley (R) who played the role of Mohandas Gandhi in the film 'Gandhi', poses with his wife Daniela Lavender in front of the historic Taj Mahal monument in Agra.–AFP Photo. 

MUMBAI: British actor Ben Kingsley this week makes his debut in a Bollywood film, nearly 30 years after his Oscar-winning performance in “Gandhi” catapulted him to worldwide fame.

The 66-year-old plays a brilliant mathematician, Perci Trachtenberg, in the thriller “Teen Patti” (Three Cards) who meets a reclusive fellow academic, Venkat, at a London casino.

Venkat (Amitabh Bachchan) tells him of a discovery he has made that he believes could redefine ideas about probability and tests his theory on a tour of Mumbai's illegal gambling dens.

Director Leena Yadav's film has an all-star cast, including Irrfan Khan (“Slumdog Millionaire”, “A Mighty Heart”), Boman Irani and Tamil-language star R. Madhavan, who were both recently seen in the Aamir Khan hit “3 Idiots”.

India's first Miss Universe Sushmita Sen and action-comedy hero Ajay Devgan also star in the film, which hits screens on Friday.

Kingsley's role “is very crucial in the film and he is not playing a cameo,” said Yadav, who has described the movie as more about the risky decisions people make than actual gambling, which is illegal in most of India.

“I always wanted an international star to play the role of Perci in my film and I knew there was no one else who could give justice to the film except Sir Ben Kingsley. I am happy that I got him on board,” she added.

Kingsley, knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2002, is a household name in India because of his depiction of the country's independence leader Mahatma Gandhi, which won him the Best Actor award in the 1982 Oscars.

The film is played on Indian Independence Day every year.

Kingsley, whose huge body of work includes the Oscar-winning “Schindler's List”, has been back to India to promote the film, earning plaudits for his professionalism from co-stars.

Bachchan has called him a “wonderful human being,” a “considerate and well-prepared actor and also a gracious man”.

Kingsley - born Krishna Bhanji to a British mother and Indian-origin father - has said his love for India is “as strong as ever”.

“I am still connected to 'Gandhi'. It's a recognition. It's something indelible and extraordinary in my bones,” he told reporters at the International Film Festival of India last December.

Kingsley is set to play the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the film “Taj”, about his project to build the Taj Mahal mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz, with shooting scheduled to start later this year. MORE DETAILS.....

China welcomes Pak-India relations normalization

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. –Xinhua Photo 

 ISLAMABAD: In a statement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said that the improvement and development of Pak-India relations are not only conducive to the peace and development of South Asia but to the whole region of Asia on Thursday, reports DawnNews.

“China welcomes the steps for normalization of relations by Pakistan and India and expresses hope that the momentum of such dialogue and cooperation can be maintained, the statement said.”
“China hopes that dialogue and consultation between them can make substantive results.

Pak Army officers suspected in Mumbai attacks

The three dossiers were handed over during the Indo-Pak Foreign secretary level talks. –Photo by AP 

 ISLAMABAD: A serving Pakistani Army officer has been named in one of the three dossiers handed over by India to Pakistan for his suspected involvement in the Mumbai terror attacks, reports DawnNews. 

The dossier has also named another retired Major and two other officers as 'Major Iqbal' and 'Major Samir Ali.

The three dossiers were handed over during the Indo-Pak Foreign secretary level talks.
The role of 'Major Iqbal' is believed to have emerged in the interrogation by the FBI of US terror suspect David Headley, arrested in Chicago in September last year in connection with the Mumbai attack.
India has named eight people, including 'Major Iqbal' and Hafiz Saeed, the leader of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa.
India wants Pakistan to take action against these men and then hand them over to India.
One of the dossiers also demands the handing over of seven Khalistani militants, in which four of seven Khalsitani militants were named as Jagtar Singh Hawara alias Tara, Ranjeet Singh alias Neeta, Harminder Singh and Lakhvinder singh alias Rody. Seventeen Indian Mujahideen terrorists which includes five Pakistani nationals for their role in subversive activities.MORE DTEAILS.....
 

Govt to implement SC directives in Zardari’s cases”

However, Presidential spokesman, Farhatullah Babar maintained that President Zardari enjoyed immunity under Article 248 of the Constitution. –Photo by APP 

 ISLAMABAD: The government remains indecisive about whether or not to write a letter to the Swiss authorities to re-open the corruption cases against President Zardari, reports DawnNews.
In an interview with DawnNews, Presidential spokesman, Farhatullah Babar said the government will act upon the Supreme Court directives.
In a recent verdict, the apex court directed the government to write to the Swiss authorities to re-open the cases of corruption against President Zardari.
Babar said the government would implement the apex court’s judgement in letter and spirit. And that legal experts were looking into the matter.
However, he maintained that President Zardari enjoys immunity under Article 248 of the Constitution.
He also told DawnNews that it was premature to talk about an extension of the tenure of Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani.MORE DETAILS.....

NAB unable to reopen Swiss cases, SC told

NAB presented to the Supreme Court a report which said that the bureau cannot move without a clear interpretation of the law. -File Photo 

 

ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau Chairman Naveed Ahsan informed the Supreme Court on Wednesday about steps taken by the bureau to implement the NRO verdict, but expressed his helplessness in reopening money laundering cases against President Asif Zardari.  

The NAB presented in the court a report which reportedly says that the bureau cannot move without a clear interpretation of the law that authorises the bureau to seek international cooperation for reviving corruption cases against the president, who enjoys immunity under the Constitution.

Submission of the report preceded a meeting between Attorney General Anwar Mansoor and the NAB chairman, who later told reporters that revival of Swiss cases in compliance with the Supreme Court order was also discussed. At the last hearing on Friday, Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry had upbraided NAB for sitting on the court order of reopening corruption cases closed under the National Reconciliation Ordinance. The court had also warned the NAB chairman that coercive measures would be taken against him, including attachment of his salary, and NAB representatives would be stopped from appearing before the court if compliance of the Dec 16 verdict was not done.

President Zardari and Benazir Bhutto have been accused of stashing $60 million in Swiss banks as kickbacks they had received for awarding pre-inspection contracts to SGS and Cotecna.

On Wednesday, the NAB chairman informed the court: “We will fully implement the (Supreme Court) verdict and have already sacked deputy prosecutor general Abdul Baseer Qureshi and a summary has been sent to the prime minister for removal of prosecutor general Dr Danishwar.”

Meanwhile, the attorney general remained tight-lipped and did not say anything except “no comments” when asked about speculations that he was considering tendering resignation than supporting government’s stance on the Swiss cases.

Initially, court staff raised some objections to the NAB report, but later accepted it when officials managed to produce documents supplementing the report.

The accountability bureau is reported to have stated in the report that although Section 21 of the NAB Ordinance allows the NAB chairman to request a foreign country to freeze assets or transfer custody of an accused to Pakistan and despite the fact that the Supreme Court has ordered reopening of Swiss cases, it has not interpreted Article 248 of the Constitution.

The article provides protection to the president from any criminal proceedings or process of arrest or imprisonment till he is at the President’s House. The report also contains record of the communication between NAB and the law ministry, which had on Tuesday barred the bureau from approaching the Swiss government for reopening money laundering cases.
The ministry said that since NAB acted as a prosecuting agency while pursuing cases in another country, it could not ask for reopening of such cases on its own or without permission of the government.MORE DETAILS.....

Justice Ramday not to draw salary

The respected judge wrote a letter to CJ saying that his salary cheques should be deposited in the account of Al-Mizan Foundation. — File Photo by AP 

  ISLAMABAD: Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday will not draw salary while serving as an ad hoc judge of the Supreme Court.

 Soon after taking the oath of office on Thursday, the respected judge, who retired last month but was recalled to serve on the bench for one more year, wrote a letter to Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry saying that his salary cheques should be deposited in the account of Al-Mizan Foundation, maintained for the benefit and welfare of the serving and retired employees of the Supreme Court.

“Since I accepted this office of an ad hoc judge only as the compliance of a command of the chief justice under peculiar circumstances and as an honour being conferred upon me and not for any personal glory, any material gain or any worldly benefit, therefore, I have decided to serve this cause sans salary,” says the two-page letter, the copy of which is available with Dawn.

Justice Ramday, who reached the age of superannuation on Jan 12, was member of many benches that delivered landmark verdicts, including the one against the National Reconciliation Ordinance during the hearing of which he emerged as a key judge with probing questions on corruption. He had presided over the bench that reinstated Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry after his suspension by Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf on March 9, 2007.MORE DETAILS....

Judicial appointments

The lesson from the recent crisis over judicial appointments ought to be that clear rules are what’s needed. — File Photo 

 

The special parliamentary committee debating changes to the constitution has reached an agreement on the process for the appointment of judges to the superior judiciary. It appears that the process is essentially the one outlined in the Charter of Democracy: a judicial committee headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan and consisting of members of the superior judiciary, the relevant bar associations and the government’s legal team will forward its recommendations to the prime minister who will in turn send a candidate’s name for approval to a parliamentary committee consisting of both government and opposition members.

First, the good news: the new process seeks to end the focus on individuals. Presently, the constitution puts the onus on the Supreme Court chief justice and the president for deciding who will be a member of the Supreme Court (the provincial governors and high court chief justices play a role in the appointment of high court justices).

As we have seen in the very recent past, the significant powers given to individuals can lead to a destabilising struggle when the political and judicial sides do not agree. The new process should go a long way in reducing the perception that disagreements are between individuals, a possibility that should be welcomed since it would mean a structural crease in the democratic system will have been ironed out.

Now for the bad news. First, approval by the special parliamentary committee on constitutional reforms doesn’t mean that the proposed amendments will automatically pass when placed before the two houses of parliament. There may yet be some ‘last minute’ changes that could scuttle a very good idea. Second, the numbers and process selected could lead to problems. For example, to approve or reject a judicial nominee, six out of eight votes are needed in the parliamentary committee.MORE DETAILS....

Pakistani passenger screening by TSA at JFK

Air travelers and their carry on luggage is screened by TSA employees before boarding aircraft – AP PHOTO 

 

 KARACHI: PIA has informed its passengers about the enhanced screening procedure for passengers travelling from USA to Pakistan implemented by Transport Security Administration (TSA) at JFK Airport in New York.

 

A PIA spokesman said that TSA has notified PIA about enhanced screening of Pakistani Passport Holders travelling from USA that the baggage of such passengers would go through a CTX machine, a x-ray machine for luggage that detect other unidentifiable objects as well, and the selected searches of passengers.
As of now, passengers are required to show a U.S Federal or State issued photo ID that contains Name, date of birth, gender, expiration date of ID and a tamper resistant feature in order to be allowed to go through the check point and onto their flight.
If a Pakistani passport is produced, the passenger, irrespective of age and gender will have to undergo selectee screening.
He said often passengers carry baggage of different/ varying sizes which could not passed through the CTX scanning machines, resulting in manual checking of baggage by the authorities.
As the screening process consumes time, long queues are formed at the JFK airport.
PIA passengers were requested to carry baggage of the specified size/dimension with maximum length 39 inches, maximum height 19 inches, maximum width 25 inches and weight not exceeding 110 Ibs.
Any oversized baggage or carton will not be accepted by the airline i.e. PIA.
Passengers are advised further to reach JFK airport at least five hours prior to flight departure time as PIA check in counters will close 1 hour and 15 minutes before flight departure in order to maintain on time departures.MORE DETAILS.....
 

India focus on Mumbai 'unfair': Salman Bashir

Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and visiting Pakistani Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir address media prior to their meeting in New Delhi on February 25, 2010. – AFP 

 

NEW DELHI: Pakistan Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir said Thursday that India's focus on the 2008 Mumbai attacks was “unfair” and was stalling efforts to get bilateral relations back on track.

 

 

“It is unfair and unrealistic and, in our view, counterproductive to...keep the focus on that (Mumbai) to stall the process of the broader relationship between the two countries,” Bashir said after talks in New Delhi with his Indian counterpart Nirupama Rao.

Urging India to move forward and resume full-fledged peace talks, Bashir warned that neither country could afford to remain disengaged.

“This is a nuclearised region. It is important that India and Pakistan engage on a whole range of issues,” he said.

He added, in an apparent reference to India's focus on Pakistan-based militancy during the talks, that “Pakistan does not believe that India should lecture us and demand Pakistan does this or that.”

He added: “That is not how interstate relations are conducted.”

Earlier, Rao had said the time was not yet ripe to revive the comprehensive dialogue, citing a continuing “trust deficit” following the Mumbai carnage.

“We are not desperate,” Bashir stressed. “If India takes more time to reflect on the modalities of engagement, they will find us ready,” he said.

Bashir also insisted that dealing with terrorism was his government's “number one priority” and argued that Pakistan was only too aware of the trauma and violence inflicted by terror attacks.

“We have suffered many, many hundreds of Mumbais. We have lost a great number of civilians,” he said.

“For anyone to think that Pakistan would be dismissive of this problem, he does not have his facts right,” he said.

During the talks with Rao, Bashir said he had stressed “the great importance” Pakistan attached to finding a peaceful solution to the issue of Muslim-majority Kashmir.

“From our side, we certainly don't discount the achievements made by the Composite Dialogue... but the time is not right as yet to resume it because we have to create a climate of trust and confidence,” Rao had said.MORE DETAILS.....