Israel threatens to topple Abbas if Palestinians win statehood - report

 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (AFP Photo / Abbas Momani)

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/news/israel-threat-palestine-bid-672/

Israel’s Foreign Ministry has reportedly proposed “toppling” Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas if a Palestinian bid for state observer status is approved by the UN later this month. It is also allegedly considering annulling the Oslo Peace Accords.

“Toppling Abbas’s regime would be the only option in this case. Any other option would mean waving a white flag and admitting the failure of the Israeli leadership to deal with the challenge,” the Foreign Ministry position paper obtained by AFP says.

The document warns of "grave consequences," including unspecified "unilateral Israeli responses.” It also says that Israel "must extract a high price from Abbas," and that receiving state status at the UN "would be considered a crossing of a red line."

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is reportedly expected to endorse the position paper and would then present it to the Israeli officials charged with formulating Israel’s response to the Palestinian bid.

A senior Israeli official on Wednesday told AFP that Israel is also considering annulling part or all of the 1993 Oslo Accords in response to the UN bid.

"The claim is that the Palestinians' appeal to the UN is such a fundamental breach of the Oslo Accords that it nullifies them. And if they are nullified, we are not committed to them either. The Oslo agreement specifically says that every dispute will be resolved through direct negotiations, not by going to a third party," the official said on condition of anonymity.

AP also obtained a list of diplomatic talking points where it is said that a decision to upgrade Palestinian observer status at the UN would "give Israel the right to reconsider and nullify" its 1990s interim agreements with the Palestinians.

Earlier Lieberman has already expressed his view that Abbas’s Palestinian Authority should be dismantled if the UN bid succeeds.

“If the Palestinians go to the UN General Assembly with a new unilateral initiative, they must know they will be subject to severe measures by Israel and the United States,” Israel’s Channel 10 quoted Lieberman as saying on October 24. “They are definitively destroying the chances of peace talks.”

“If they persist with this project, I will ensure that the Palestinian Authority collapses,” he is quoted as saying.

The Oslo I Accord was created in 1993 in an attempt to resolve the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict. It was the first face-to-face agreement between the government of Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization.

The Accord allowed for the creation of a Palestinian interim self-government, the Palestinian National Authority, governing parts of the occupied West Bank and Gaza. The Accords also called for the withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces from parts of the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

In 1995, the Oslo I Accord was followed by the amended Oslo II, however neither promised Palestinian statehood.

The Palestinians are expected to present their bid for state observer status at the General Assembly on November 29, over opposition from the United States and Israel.

The bid comes slightly more than a year after the Palestinians failed to obtain full UN membership at the Security Council.

At the General Assembly all member nations have equal representation with no country having veto power.

The US and Israel keep insisting the Palestinians can win independence only through direct negotiations with Israel.

 

Election mandate in hand, Obama readies more Iran sanctions



 

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/news/iran-us-sanctions-drone-300/

Only days after President Obama won reelection, the US rolled out a new round of sanctions against Iran and accused it of attempting to shoot down an American drone in international airspace.

­The US State Department and Treasury announced on Thursday that the sanctions are aimed at senior Iranian officials and several related entities. US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said they are “responsible for the abuses carried out against their own citizens.”

The alleged abuses include the jamming of international satellite broadcasts, blocking Internet access to services like YouTube, eBay, Facebook and Gmail, and monitoring online activities to identify “users who published material insulting government officials,” a US Treasury statement said. Tehran is also accused of attacking foreign websites, shutting down newspapers in Iran and detaining journalists.

Other countries in the region, including US allies, have blocked Internet users from accessing services and materials they deemed impropriate. Turkey blocked YouTube over videos insulting its first president, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Pakistan blocked YouTube for “blasphemous web content.” The United Arab Emirates did the same, taking offense at ‘adult content’ on the video-sharing site.

The four individuals targeted by the sanctions include Tehran’s Communication and Information Technology Minister Reza Taghipour, deputy commander of the Basij militia Ali Fazli and Iranian police chief Esmail Ahmadi Moghaddam. The five entities include the country’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, the Press Supervisory Board and the Center to Investigate Organized Crime.

Iranian software companies AmnAfzar Gostar-e Sharif and PeykAsa – which are involved in monitoring and blocking Internet traffic – and the companies’ founder Rasool Jalili were also targeted by the sanctions.

Tehran is engaged in a campaign to curtail freedoms and “prevent the free flow of information both into and out of Iran,” Nuland said. “Countless activists, journalists, lawyers, students and artists have been detained, censured, tortured or forcibly prevented from exercising their human rights.”

The US and some of its allies have leveled increasingly harsh sanctions against Iran. The restrictions have crippled Iranian oil exports, a major source of income for the country, by targeting any organizations worldwide that buy crude from the Islamic Republic.

Western countries are pressuring Iran in a bid to force it to stop enriching uranium. They allege that Tehran is trying to stockpile the material to produce a nuclear weapon. Tehran insists that it produces enriched uranium for civilian purposes only.

­Drone debacle

­On Tuesday, the Pentagon said that Iranian warplanes shot at a US Predator drone over the Gulf region, but failed to take it down. The encounter reportedly took place on November 1, about 16 nautical miles off the Iranian coast and in international airspace.

Pentagon spokesperson George Little said that this was the fist time the Iranian military had fired on a US drone. The incident initially went undisclosed because the US military does not discuss classified surveillance missions, he explained. The attack was officially confirmed only after it was reported in the US media.

Two Iranian Sukhoi Su-25 jets intercepted the unarmed drone as it was performing a routine – but classified – patrol over Persian Gulf waters.

The aircraft shot “multiple rounds” at the Predator, and after it moved away from the Iranian border they shadowed it “for some period of time before letting it return to base,” Little said.

The American military claimed the Iranian pilots intended to shoot down the drone.

"Our working assumption is that they fired to take it down. You'll have to ask the Iranians why they engaged in this action," Little said. He did not explain why the Iranian jets failed to hit their target, as drones are incapable of performing elaborate evasive maneuvers.

He said that the American drone “was never in Iranian air space,” which begins 12 nautical miles from the country’s coastline.

In December 2011, a CIA RQ-170 Sentinel stealth done was monitoring Iranian nuclear and military facilities when it was brought down and captured in eastern Iran. The US said it malfunctioned, while Tehran claimed they had downed the aircraft. The Iranian government later published photos of the captured drone, which appeared undamaged.

“The United States has communicated to the Iranians that we will continue to conduct surveillance flights over international waters over the Arabian Gulf, consistent with longstanding practice and our commitment to the security of the region,” Little said.

Chief of Staff Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri, the Deputy Chair of the Iranian Armed Forces, said there would be a “firm response” to any air, ground and sea aggression against Iran. He vowed to confront any foreign aircraft that violated the country’s airspace, Iranian news channel Press TV reported.

US President Barack Obama (AFP Photo / Jewel Samad) 

Big army reshuffle: Head of the General Staff replaced

 

(From right) Russian President Vladimir Putin, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Colonel-General Valery Gerasimov nominated for the post of Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces meet in the Kremlin, November 9, 2012 (RIA Novosti / Alexsey Druginyn)

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/politics/chief-staff-makarov-army-306/

President Vladimir Putin has appointed Colonel General Valery Gerasimov to be the new Chief of the General Staff, replacing the resigned Nikolay Makarov.

Makarov handed in his resignation after the Defense Minister Anatoly Seryukov was sacked earlier this week over a property scandal involving the ministry.

Russia's newly-appointed Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu nominated 57-year old Colonel General Gerasimov who has been commander of the Central Military District to take over the top post.

“He is a military man from head to toe, a man who has served for a long time in the Armed Forces and is respected there. He has enormous experience of work both in the General Staff and on the battlefield," Shoigu said at a meeting with President and Commander-in-Chief Putin.

Under the decree signed by the President, from now on Gerasimov is also Russia’s First deputy Defense Minister.

Straight to business, Putin outlined tasks for the new head of the General Staff: to build stable partnership with leading defense industry plants, to continue rearmament of the Army and Fleet and to improve the structure and command of troops.

Gerasimov is known to be a critic of the reforms pushed through by Serdyukov which were unpopular among the Russian military.

Sudan’s Bashir says airstrike Israeli regime’s ‘hysterical reaction’

 

Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/10/28/269129/attack-israel-hysterical-reaction-bashir/

Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has slammed the recent Israeli airstrike on an arms factory in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, as Tel Aviv’s ‘hysterical reaction’ to the Arab world developments.

“The reckless behavior is a manifestation of Israel’s concerns and nervousness about the political and social upheavals in the region and about the progress in Sudan,” Bashir said in his Friday address to the nation on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha.

He pointed out, “Such aggressive acts by the Zionist entity could never force Khartoum to change its policies,” and reaffirmed the Sudanese nation’s determination to make “tough choice” in the face of challenges.

According to Sudanese Minister of Information Ahmed Bilal Osman, information collected by experts indicates that the weapons used in the aerial strike on Yarmouk facility were made in Israel.

“The sophisticated warplanes and weapons used in the attack are available to no country in the region except Israel.”

Four Israeli warplanes attacked the arms factory in the capital on October 23, Osman said.

Sudan has asked the United Nations Security Council to condemn the Israeli regime for violating the country’s sovereignty and bombing the factory.

The Tel Aviv regime has so far refused to comment on the incident. Israeli Minister for Military Affairs Ehud Barak has said that there is “nothing I can say about this subject.”

Egypt declares 70 army generals retired: Report

 

Egyptian Defense Minister Major General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi at the presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt, August 22, 2012

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/09/04/259756/egypt-declares-70-army-generals-retired/

A report says the Egyptian government has announced the retirement of 70 army generals, weeks after President Mohamed Morsi replaced Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi as defense minister with Major General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

The new defense minister made the announcement, adding that six members of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) have also been dismissed, according to a report by the Egyptian daily al-Shorouk.

The six SCAF members will however remain in the armed forces, the paper said.

On August 12, Morsi dismissed Tantawi from his post, canceling a constitutional declaration issued by the military that restricted presidential powers.

Tantawi was Egypt’s defense minister for nearly two decades under former dictator Hosni Mubarak. He headed Egypt’s SCAF, which took power in February 2011 after Egyptians launched a revolution against Mubarak’s regime in January, which eventually brought an end to the dictatorship.

Morsi also ordered the retirement of the military chief of staff, Sami Anan, replacing him with Sedqi Sobhi Sayyid Ahmed.

On August 22, Egyptian lawyer Assem Kandil filed the first legal complaint against several officials in the African state including Tantawi.

“I did so because I accuse them all of killing protesters during the series of bloody protests in Egypt following last year’s uprising along with wasting public money in the state’s spending on the parliamentary election,” the lawyer said.

 

Egypt’s president selects new defense minister, retires top commander

Former Egyptian Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi (file photo)

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/08/12/255890/morsi-appoints-new-defense-minister/

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has appointed a new defense minister and vice president, cancelling a constitutional declaration issued by the military restricting presidential powers.

On Sunday, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi was replaced as defense minister with Major General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Morsi also ordered the retirement of military chief of staff Sami Anan, replacing him with Sedqi Sobhi Sayyid Ahmed.

Mahmoud Makki, a former judge, was also appointed vice president.

Last week, Morsi sacked the country’s intelligence chief, the Republican Guard commander and the head of the military police days after gunmen killed 16 Egyptian border guards at a checkpoint near Egypt’s border with Israel.

The Egyptian president also fired Abdel Wahab Mabrouk, the governor of North Sinai, where the deadly attack took place.

The moves seem to be in response to the deadly violence at Egypt's border with Israel.

Under a constitutional declaration issued on June 17, the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF), which assumed power following the ouster of the Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, took control of the state budget and gave itself veto power over a new constitution, diminishing president’s powers.

Morsi was elected president on June 24 in a runoff against Ahmed Shafiq, who had served as Mubarak's last prime minister.

Egypt’s president swears in new cabinet

Members of Egypt’s new cabinet pose together with President Mohamed Morsi (8th L) following the swearing-in ceremony at the presidential palace in Cairo on August 2, 2012

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/08/02/254122/egypts-president-swears-in-new-cabinet/

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has sworn in the country’s new cabinet, which retains the former head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi as defense minister.

The new cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Hisham Qandil, was sworn in on Thursday, AFP reported. The ceremony took place more than a month after Morsi was elected Egypt’s president in the nation’s first free elections since the fall of the former dictator, Hosni Mubarak in a popular revolution last year.

Qandil, who was the irrigation minister in the former cabinet, promised that the new government will have a different tone and touch, noting that he had chosen the ministers based on their merits not on account of their political and religious views.

“The main principle, the main criterion, was competence,” he said, adding, “We should stop using such terms as them and us, and that this is a Christian, or a Copt, or a Muslim. All I see is Egyptians and citizens.”

He also asked the Egyptians to throw their support behind the government, saying it needed their backing to tackle the economic and security challenges facing the country.

“We are the people’s government; we do not represent any trend,” the premier told a news conference hours ahead of the swearing-in ceremony

The new cabinet has retained seven ministers from the former one, appointed by the SCAF, which took over following Mubarak’s ouster. They include Finance Minister Mumtaz al-Said and Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr. Former Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri will become a presidential adviser.

Tymoshenko backers start sit-in in Kiev

Supporters of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko gather outside the Kiev court where her trial is being held on August 5, 2011.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/192687.html

Supporters of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko have started an indefinite sit-in to protest her detention until she is released.

Over 100 supporters, including members of parliament, have pitched about 30 tents near the courthouse in Kiev, vowing to continue their sit-in until Tymoshenko is released, AFP reported.

Meanwhile Tymoshenko's right-hand man, Olexander Turchinov, has said the protests could lead to a repeat of the 2004 Orange Revolution that could be victorious by September.

Ukrainian prosecutors have charged Tymoshenko with abuse of office, accusing her of illegally forcing state energy company Naftogaz to sign a gas supply contract with Russia in 2009.

The former prime minister has repeatedly denied the charges, saying that the trial is part of a plot devised by her archrival, President Viktor Yanukovych.

The judge in her trial ordered her placed under arrest for contempt of court on Friday.

The current charges carry a sentence of between seven and 10 years in prison.

Over 400 officials are currently on trial in Ukraine, but Tymoshenko is the most prominent figure being prosecuted.

Former Ukrainian PM arrested

Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/192539.html

Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has been taken to a detention center on the orders of the judge at her trial for “systematically violating courtroom proceedings.”

After Judge Rodion Kireyev adjourned the court until Monday, Tymoshenko was driven away from the court under a heavy police escort on Friday, with members of the opposition chanting “Shame,” Reuters reported.

Hundreds of her supporters took to the streets of downtown Kiev, and Tymoshenko's party has called for members of her bloc to stage more rallies in front of the courthouse in the capital.

Ukrainian prosecutors charged Tymoshenko with abuse of office, accusing her of illegally forcing state energy company Naftogaz to sign a gas supply contract with Russia in 2009.

Tymoshenko is Ukraine's leading opposition politician and the most formidable opponent of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovich, who says her actions in the gas deal with Russia were a “betrayal of national interests.”

The former prime minister has repeatedly denied the accusations.

Since the start of the trial in June, Tymoshenko has openly mocked Judge Kireyev in the courtroom, refusing to stand when addressing him and calling him “Yanukovich's puppet.”

The European Union has also censured Ukraine for putting Tymoshenko on trial for her criticism of the president's policy, saying that the European country “must do more to show its commitment to rule of law and put an end to such spurious proceedings.”

Tymoshenko, who twice served as prime minister between 2005 and 2010, says the case against her is “politically motivated” and has been “fabricated on the orders of Yanukovich,” who only narrowly defeated her in last year's presidential election.

Over 400 officials are currently on trial in Ukraine, but Tymoshenko is the most prominent figure being prosecuted.

Police clash with protesters in Chile

Chilean police used a water cannon to disperse protesters.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/181149.html

Police in the Chilean city of Valparaiso have clashed with demonstrators protesting against the government of President Sebastian Pinera's policies.

Most demonstrators were peaceful, but bands of hooded protesters attacked police and smashed shop windows and damaged other properties.

The demonstration -- organized by the country's main trade union movement, the CUT -- was in protest at Pinera's environmental, education and labor policies, state-run BBC reported.

Protesters said his promises were “in the opposite way from those the populations were demanding.”

Many had come to protest against the construction of a dam that would flood 6,000 hectares of land in the remote southern Chilean Patagonia.

The environmentalists predict that the construction of the dam will not only have immediate impacts on the Chilean ecosystem, but will affect the environment of neighboring Argentina, and in the long run will affect the Latin American countries of Uruguay, Paraguay and even Bolivia.

But the government says the HidroAysen project is needed to meet Chile's increasing demand for electricity and is expected to give its final approval in June.

"We can't say we need energy, consume it abundantly, and at the same time oppose all of its sources," said Pinera during his state of the nation address.

Besides HidroAysen, Pinera has approved the construction of three very pollutant coal thermo-electric plants this year, one of which will be the biggest in Latin America.

Chilean officials have ruled out nuclear energy following Japan's nuclear disaster, saying Chile is as seismic as Japan.

The Latin American country witnessed an 8.8-magnitude earthquake on February 7, 2010 which entailed a tsunami.

8 Million children in Pakistan face food shortage

This file photo shows a boy sitting on the ground crying as he waits for an evening food handout at a center for flood victims near Nowshera in Pakistan's northwest Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on August 23, 2010.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/155686.html


Eight million Pakistani children are suffering from food shortage in Pakistan and 3.5 million others do forced hard labor, a provincial official says.

Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Information Shamila Farooqi told reporters that the recent devastating floods had affected about seven million Pakistanis, a Press TV correspondent reported on Thursday.

“There are more than 10,000 street children under the age of 15 in Karachi while over 4,500 children are in prisons, out of which cases of 66 percent children are in pending at courts,” Farooqi added.

She further pointed out that flood-affected children are facing problems in getting medical treatment and education because many of the schools in interior Sindh were damaged or affected by the floods.

According to Farooqi, about 23 million Pakistani children are deprived of even basic education.

“Child Rights Bureau is the need of the hour to protect child rights and provide health, education and other facilities to them, particularly those affected by the floods,” she concluded.

'Food security,' Pakistan's main concern

The flooding, considered the worst in Pakistan's history, has left a fifth of the
country under water


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/140901.html


Pakistan's Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has expressed concerns over food security due to the long lasting damage to the nation's agriculture.

He said floods have ravaged Pakistan's economy, and called the social impact of the disaster "serious."

"The floods have inflicted damage to the economy which may, by some estimates, reach USD 43 billion, while affecting 30 percent of all agricultural land," Reuters quoted Gilani as saying during a Cabinet briefing on Wednesday.

Agriculture is the core of Pakistan's economy and a major source of employment in the impoverished country.

"This economic loss will translate into massive job losses affecting incomes of thousands of families, which may have serious social implications,” the prime minister noted.

The international aid agency, Oxfam, has warned that Pakistan will face severe problems unless reconstruction begins immediately.

Torrential monsoon rains have triggered massive floods that have moved steadily from north to south of Pakistan over the past month.

The flooding, considered the worst in the country's history has claimed the lives of at least 1,600 people and displaced more than 17 million others, one out of every nine Pakistanis.

It has also affected the lives of 20 million others and left a fifth of the country under water.

The United Nations has warned that millions of children risk contracting deadly diseases while in contact with contaminated water.

World Bank boosts Pakistan aid to $1bn

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/140941.html


As funding for flood-devastated Pakistan has almost stalled, the World Bank has boosted its support to one billion dollars from 900 million dollars.

The World Bank said in a statement on Wednesday that it has made the funding available to finance immediate recovery needs and longer-term reconstruction.

World Bank President Robert Zoellick also said the flood-hit Pakistan needs the world's support to meet urgent humanitarian needs.

Meanwhile, Manuel Bessler, head of the UN coordination agency, said the funding had been almost stalled since the beginning of last week.

The Pakistani government announced that the country had suffered losses of about 43 billion dollars because of the floods.

Heavy monsoon rains triggered the natural disaster, affecting 30 percent of agricultural land and more than 10 percent of the population.

According to the United Nations, more than 18 million people have so far been affected.

United Nations Children's Fund Executive Director Anthony Lake said the disaster has affected nearly 8.6 million children.

Pakistan's government has confirmed 1,645 people dead and 2,479 injured but officials warn that millions are at risk of fatal diseases and food shortages.

'Pakistan needs 3 years to recover'

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/139848.html


Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari says it would take years to rehabilitate the country after the devastating floods.

"Your guess is as good as mine, but three years is a minimum," Zardari told reporters Monday when asked how long it would take Pakistan to go through relief, reconstruction and rehabilitation after the floods.

He warned that his impoverished and volatile country is facing drastic problems.

“I don't think Pakistan will ever fully recover but we will move on," Zardari said, adding that the government was working to protect people from potential future flooding.

More than 1,600 people have lost their lives and 20 million have been affected by nearly a month of flooding which has engulfed a fifth of the country. Disaster is far from over as the country braces itself for a fresh wave of floods in the country's south.

Floodwaters have surged deeper into areas of Sindh province in southern Pakistan. More rains have been forecast for different parts of the flood-stricken country.

A Press TV correspondent reported from Islamabad that the situation in Pakistan's flood-hit areas is turning from bad to worse, particularly in the southern part of Punjab which is the biggest province of Pakistan and the food-basket of the country.

He said that 85 percent of the country's cotton crop depends on the southern belt of Punjab province which has been completely destroyed.
It is becoming very difficult for the Pakistani government to deal with such a situation, the Press TV correspondent said.

Meanwhile, the response to UN appeal for $460 million for rescue and relief operation in Pakistan rose dramatically to over $800 million by Friday.

Pakistan's Sindh faces more floods

The UN estimates that nearly one-fourth of Pakistan
has been affected by the floods [AFP]



Source: Al Jazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/08/20108134956634834.html


Pakistan's Sindh province is bracing for a second round of heavy flooding, with authorities warning it could be as big as the first wave, which displaced millions and destroyed thousands of homes.

Authorities said waters have unexpectedly begun to rise at the Kotri barrage along the Indus river in southern Sindh, and now threaten to overrun the embankments around the barrage. Flooding at Kotri could potentially threaten the city of Hyderabad.

Rains continue to fall in parts of Pakistan, and another surge of water is expected to reach the the province by Saturday night.

Pakistan's meteorological office expects rains to continue in the north until Sunday, and monsoon season does not end for several more weeks.

More than 1,600 people have been confirmed dead since flooding began in Pakistan more than two weeks ago, and authorities fear the death toll could be far higher.

'Heartbreaking scene'

Andro Shilakadze, the head of the Unicef office in Sindh province, called the situation a "heartbreaking scene".

"You see people sitting on the streets... building primitive shelters and asking for food and drinking water," he told Al Jazeera. "The government had established around 600 tents [for displaced people] but because of the unprecedented devastation of this flood, the need is unmatched."

The government, the United Nations and private charities have all struggled to provide relief. At least 15 million people have been affected by the floods and the UN estimates up to one-quarter of Pakistan has been affected.

The UN has requested $460m from international donors, about $160m of which has been committed so far.

Aid agencies say the most urgent needs are shelter - tents, plastic sheeting and household goods - along with food and clean water.

Zardari's first trip

Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistani president, made his first visit to the affected areas on Thursday.

Zardari's spokesman said he was briefed on the damage and the relief efforts after arriving at the Sukkur barrage in Sindh. He also met victims at a camp for displaced persons.

Security was tight, with only state media allowed access to his visit; television showed him comforting a sobbing elderly woman, and listening to complaints from villagers.

A local official told the AFP news agency that Zardari had distributed relief goods among flood victims at the camp.

Zardari travelled to Europe at the height of the disaster, spending a week in France and the United Kingdom, a trip that earned him widespread scorn in Pakistan.

Disease threatens 6 million Pakistani children

A flood-affected Pakistani child


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=138503§ionid=351020401


Aid agencies warn that at least six million children are at risk of diarrheal diseases, malnutrition and pneumonia following the devastating floods in Pakistan.

Save the Children's spokesman in Islamabad, Mohammed Qazilbash, said outbreaks of cholera and malaria are the biggest concern.

''In southern Punjab and Sindh, there are vast numbers of people living right along the water, some in makeshift houses with very poor hygiene and sanitation," he added.

''Children are drinking, washing in and going to the toilet in the same river water. If this sanitation crisis is not tackled now, in six months' time, millions and millions of children will be suffering potentially deadly diarrhea and other diseases," Qazilbash said.

As the figures continue to rise, UNICEF says that 6 million children have been affected by the floods in Pakistan with some 2.7 million children in need of urgent, lifesaving assistance.

"This is the biggest natural disaster to hit Pakistan and this region in living memory, bigger than the Tsunami or the earthquake, with millions of children and women struggling to survive in dire conditions," the United Nations International Children's Fund said earlier this week.

Meanwhile, doctors working in northern areas of Punjab and the Swat Valley have reported that children living in displacement camps have been affected by outbreaks of measles.

The head of emergencies for the British aid agency, World Vision, Mark Bulpitt, said, "as we continue to reach those most affected by this flood, we must also focus on the longer-term recovery, prioritizing livelihoods and education to ensure more of Pakistan's children do not become victims of child labor."

“Schools have been washed away so education will need to be prioritized, houses and health centers are unusable and then there is the emotional fallout of living through a disaster as devastating as this one," Bulpitt added.

Pakistan's deadliest floods in decades have killed more than 1,500 people and exhausted government efforts to provide aid to the flood-ravaged regions.

UN launches Pakistan aid appeal

At least four million people will need food assistance
across Pakistan over the next three months [AFP]


Source: Al Jazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/08/2010811134327870815.html


The United Nations has launched an appeal for $459m to help the victims of devastating floods that have affected more than 14 million people across Pakistan.


The call from the UN's humanitarian agency on Wednesday came as food prices skyrocketed after huge areas of crops were destroyed by the waters.

"We have a huge task in front of us to deliver all that is required as soon as possible," John Holmes, the UN humanitarian chief, said at a meeting at UN headquarters.


According to UN figures, more than 1,600 have died and nearly 300,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed.

"The death toll has so far been relatively low compared to other major natural disasters, but the numbers affected are extraordinarily high," Holmes warned.

"If we don't act fast enough, many more people could die of diseases and food shortages."


Holmes said the money sought represented the minimum needed for emergency assistance over the next three months and did not include anything for rebuilding infrastructure.


Fields swept away


At least 1.4 million acres of crops were destroyed in Punjab, the breadbasket of Pakistan, according to the United Nations. Fields in the floodplains of the northwest have also been devastated as rivers have spilled over their banks.


An official in Pakistan's northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said maize, rice, sugarcane and vegetable crops were the most affected.

I had 200 kilos of corn at my home which the flood took away with it," Dil Aram Khan, a farmer from Pirpai in Nowshera District, said.

"All of our wealth is destroyed along with our wheat."

At least four million people are expected to need food assistance across Pakistan for the next three months at a cost of nearly $100m.


Marcus Prior, the spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP), said his organisation had received a "pretty decent response so far".


"We've had just over $13m committed and we have good indication that other donors are going to step in and help us out in a very significant way in the days ahead," he told Al Jazeera.


"The fact is that we have at least the food we need for the first month to feed those people who have been so badly affected ... But we need contributions to buy food locally here in Pakistan."


Food prices soar


Food prices shot up significantly as the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan started and are likely to exercabate misery in a country where many people live in abject poverty.


The prices of basic items such as tomatoes, onions, potatoes and squash have in some cases quadrupled in recent days, putting them out of reach for many Pakistanis.

We will fast but we don't know how will we break the fast, whether we will find any food or not. Only Allah knows," Nusrat Shah, a displaced Pakistani in Sukkur, told the Reuters news agency.


Al Jazeera's Sohail Rahman, reporting from Swat Valley, one of the worst-hit areas, said it was unclear whether the situation might actually get worse before it gets better.


"We're still in the middle of the monsoon season ... the clouds come and go," he said.

"They certainly did on Tuesday [and] it rained all through the night and then it cleared on Wednesday. Of course, no one knows what will happen."

US army helicopters have been carrying emergency food and water to areas in the northwest.

But our correspondent said "whatever aid does comes in it could not reach some people too soon".


Jane Cocking, the humanitarian director at Oxfam, said "people are absolutely desperate".


"We are fixing water supplies, distributing really essential items, but at the moment it is not enough. Any new donation is welcome but to be perfectly honest it is not enough yet," she told Al Jazeera.


"The scale of the disaster is almost impossible to describe. And I think that might be why people are struggling to understand it, but we're talking about half of Pakistan which is an enormous country and that's absolutely massive."


Taliban threat


Meanwhile, Pakistan's Taliban has denounced all foreign aid for flood victims and said they can match the latest US pledge of $20 million.

"We condemn American and other foreign aid and believe that it will lead to subjugation. Our jihad against America will continue," Azam Tariq, a spokesman for the group, told the AFP news agency.


"The government should not accept American aid and if it happens, we can give $20m to them as aid for the flood victims," he said.

"We'll ourselves distribute relief under leadership of our chief Hakimullah Mehsud among the people, if the government assures us that none of our members will be arrested."

Soaring food prices hit Pakistan

At least 4 million people will need food assistance across
Pakistan for the next three months [AFP]



Source: Al Jazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/08/201081135552727621.html


Food prices in flood-hit Pakistan have skyrocketed, after vast stretches of crops were destroyed in the country's worst flooding in 80 years.


The rising prices threaten to amplify misery in a country where many residents were already mired in poverty before the floods struck.

The prices of basic items such as tomatoes, onions, potatoes and squash have in some cases quadrupled in recent days, putting them out of reach for many Pakistanis.


At least 1.4 million acres of crops were destroyed in Punjab, the breadbasket of Pakistan, according to the United Nations.

Crops destroyed

Many more crops were devastated in the northwest, where residents were still trying to recover from intense battles between the Taliban and the army last year.

At least 4 million people will need food assistance across Pakistan for the next three months at a cost of nearly $100 million.

Farmers have returned to find their fields and crops destroyed.

"I had 200 kilos of corn at my home which the flood took away with it," said Dil Aram Khan, a farmer from Pirpai in Nowshera District.

"All of our wealth is destroyed along with our wheat."

An official in Pakistan's northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said maize, rice, sugarcane and vegetable crops were the most affected.

Another farmer said he used to hand any excess produce to the poor.

"Now the situation is this that we ourselves are waiting for charity," Iltaf Hussain Kakar said.

Call to reject aid

Pakistan's Taliban have denounced all foreign aid for flood victims and said they can match the latest US pledge of $20 million.

"We condemn American and other foreign aid and believe that it will lead to subjugation. Our jihad against America will continue," a spokesman for the group, Azam Tariq, told the AFP news agency.


"The government should not accept American aid and if it happens, we can give $20 million to them as aid for the flood victims," he said.

We will ourselves distribute relief under leadership of our chief Hakimullah Mehsud among the people, if the government assures us that none of our members will be arrested."

The US announced on Tuesday it would increase its flood aid by another $20 million to $55 million.

Daniel Feldman, a senior US State Department official working on Afghanistan and Pakistan, dismissed reports of extremist groups providing aid to needy Pakistanis as "quite overblown".

Referring to US efforts to win public support in a country where anti-American feeling runs high, Ward said the US government tries to "brand as much as possible" of its aid.


"In this crisis, in the face of this disaster, we very much want the Pakistani people to know that the people of the United States are behind them, are helping," Ward said.

Landslides hamper Pakistan relief

Millions of acres of farmland in the country have been
Swamped by the floods [Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder]



Source: Al Jazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/08/2010893572554270.html


Landslides have cut off large portions of Pakistan's Swat Valley and hampered efforts to help the 15 million people affected by Pakistan's worst flooding in decades.


Many roads and bridges have been washed away by the floodwaters, and heavy rains are preventing helicopters from taking off.

The United Nations has described the flooding, that has killed an estimated 1,600 people nationwide, as the worst natural disaster in years.

"This disaster is worse than the tsunami, the 2005 Pakistan earthquake and the Haiti earthquake," Maurizio Giuliano, a spokesman for the UN Office for the C-oordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said.

"Those who need humanitarian assistance here are certainly more than those needing assistance in any of the other three disasters," Giuliano told Al Jazeera on Monday.

Yousuf Raza Gilani, the Pakistani prime minister, visited Sindh province on Sunday and said that "millions of people have suffered, and still there is more rain, and further losses are feared".

"I appeal to the world to help us. We are doing what we can," he said.


"The government has done everything possible, but it is beyond our capacity, we are facing an extremely difficult situation."

Shortages

But residents in Swat, in northwestern Pakistan, have complained of worsening food and fuel shortages as the crisis drags on.

"There is no petrol in the pumps and no food in the shop," said Malik Amir Zada, a Swat resident, in a telephone interview with the AFP news agency.

"The government is doing nothing for us."


Rescue workers have rushed to evacuate thousands of families from the southern part of Sindh province, where floodwaters could burst the banks of the Indus river.

Food prices are expected to rise as the waters continue to swamp agricultural areas.


Pakistan's Express-Tribune newspaper reported "skyrocketing" fruit and vegetable prices on Sunday.

"Floods and rains have made these things unaffordable," one shopper in Lahore told the newspaper.

Millions of acres of crops have been destroyed in Punjab province, often called the "rice bowl" of Pakistan, and across the northwest.

The flooding has also caused extensive damage to Pakistan's electrical infrastructure, forcing power plants to shut down across the country.


Pakistan already suffers from a crippling electricity crisis, with hours-long blackouts a daily occurrence.

More than 252,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed across Pakistan, according to the government.

Pakistan's military said over the weekend that it has rescued more than 100,000 people from flooded areas.

'Zardari's Katrina'

Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan's president, is expected to return to the country on Monday or Tuesday after a visit to France and the United Kingdom.

The trip, at the height of the disaster, was criticised by many Pakistanis, who accused Zardari of mismanaging the crisis.

Fatima Bhutto, Zardari's estranged niece, called the flooding "Zardari's Katrina", a reference to George Bush's, the former US president, handling of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Many villagers have complained about a lack of basic services in relief camps established by the government and the Pakistani army.

The army has about 300,000 troops working on the relief effort, but some human rights activists are concerned that the military is undermining civilian institutions.

"Yes, it is the military's job to take care of the rescue, but the civil administration must be strengthened and properly organised," Hina Jilani, a Pakistani supreme court advocate, told Al Jazeera.

Jilani said that local communities need to play a larger role in the response.

Pakistan flood casualties mount

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=137872§ionid=351020401


More heavy rains in Pakistan are hampering efforts to deliver aid to over 15 million people affected by the country's devastating floods.

Nearly 40 people were killed and several others injured in the most recent deluge caused by torrential rains in parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province in northwest Pakistan, a Press TV correspondent reported.

The monsoon rains, which began on July 27, caused floods and damage in different parts of the province, rendering many communities inaccessible due to destroyed roads and collapsed bridges.

As the number of people affected by the flooding exceeds 15 million, Pakistan's Federal Flood Commission has warned that the Indus River was overflowing its banks in the south.

The floodwaters flowing from northwestern Pakistan have already destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes.

The two weeks of flooding have, so far, claimed over 1,600 lives. Meanwhile, in neighboring Indian-controlled Kashmir, floods have killed over 130 people.

Authorities expect the death toll to rise as hundreds are missing and rescue workers are unable to reach affected areas.