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Major urban centres in India face quake risk: Study
Iraq shutting borders with Iran,
Syria
Mahdi army leaders move to Iran: Official
Stalled Korean talks resume
Kashmir issue ripe for
resolution: Musharraf
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Strike brings Kathmandu to halt
Indian falls to death from
hotel in Bahrain
Haniyeh resigns to launch
unity deal Kadyrov is new Chechen President US helping ‘ally’ Pak: Bush
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Major urban centres in India face quake risk: Study
Washington, February 15 The seismic hazard associated with some major urban areas, such as Mumbai, is higher than the standard design specification now used to build earthquake-resistant structures there, they say in a paper published in the February issue of the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (BSSA). “The results of this paper imply that the level of seismic safety of structures designed based on current standards is lower than its desired level,” states co-author Ravi Sinha, PhD, professor of civil engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Mumbai. As earthquakes in stable continental regions lack sufficient understanding to prepare local populations for future seismic activity, Sinha and Kishor Jaiswal, also at IIT, focused their research on peninsular India, which is an old and stable continental plate and home to more than 400 million people, as stable continental regions are areas away from the boundaries between tectonic plates but still are threatened by infrequent earthquakes that can create strong shaking. Because the large earthquakes are infrequent, they are difficult to study. The Central and Eastern United States is also considered a stable continental plate and has experienced strong earthquakes. The 1811-1812 New Madrid, Missouri earthquakes, for example, were of a magnitude greater than 7. To estimate the devastating consequences of potential earthquakes, scientists continually re-evaluate hazard assessments for an area. Based on these assessments, governments modify codes for construction of structures, such as dams, industrial buildings and homes. Design codes based on outdated assessments could increase the risk of heavy damage by seismic activity. Sinha and Jaiswal conducted a hazard assessment for the region that looks at a variety of information regarding seismic activity in the region, using a probabilistic framework. The authors noted an apparent increase in seismic activity due to better seismological instrumentation to record earthquakes. The increase in seismic activity requires a closer consideration of construction standards. Sinha and Jaiswal explain that their work is “useful in specifying design level for upgrading and retrofitting major structures such as dams and industrial facilities to the desired level of seismic safety.” — IANS
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Iraq shutting borders with Iran, Syria
Baghdad, February 15 ''The plan to close the borders went into effect last
night. Many points were closed, but I can't confirm that all were shut,'' Lieutenant-Col Christopher Garver told Reuters. Iraq had said it would shut the borders for 72 hours. The US military said yesterday the aim was to allow procedures and the layout of border positions to be revamped. Washington accuses Syria of allowing foreign fighters to cross its long porous borders into Iraq and says Iran is supplying weapons, including roadside bombs, to Iraqi militants to kill US soldiers. The two countries deny the claims. Iraq said on Tuesday it would close four border crossings with Iran and two with Syria. The border crossing with Iran near the southern oil city of Basra was closed this morning, a security source said. There was no immediate comment from the Iraqi government on the closures, which are part of a security crackdown under way in Baghdad to quell raging sectarian violence in the capital.— Reuters
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Mahdi army leaders move to Iran: Official
London, February 15 The aim of the Iranians is to "prevent the dismantling of the infrastructure of the Shia militias" in the Iraqi capital, one of the chief aims of the US-backed security drive. Tehran authorities are "playing a waiting game" until the commanders are able to return to Baghdad and resume their activities, added the official. The Mahdi army is said to have launched two failed uprisings against the American troops and has also been linked to death squads preying on Sunnis. This new security operation is the third attempt by the American forces and their Iraqi allies to end violence.
— PTI
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Seoul, February 15 The Cabinet-level talks - the highest dialogue channel between the two Koreas - were suspended for seven months amid chilled relations following North Korea's missile launches in July and nuclear test in October. The meeting in North Korea's border city of Kaesong "would serve as an opportunity for South-North relations and dialogue to develop to a new level for peace on the Korean peninsula," South Korea's Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung said today. The nuclear agreement, reached Tuesday among the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the USA, is "a very important accord for the process of denuclearising the Korean peninsula," Lee said. South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun spoke by telephone with his US counterpart George W. Bush, and the two leaders acknowledged that "they were now at a starting point to kick-start the process of resolving the North Korea nuclear issue," Roh's office said in a statement today. South Korea's Foreign Minister Song Min-soon had similar telephone discussions with his US and Chinese counterparts, and planned to talk with the Japanese and Russian foreign ministers, the Foreign Ministry said. — AP
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Kashmir issue ripe for
resolution: Musharraf
Islamabad, February 15 "While confidence-building measures are going on well, never before have (Indo-Pak) relations been so good for conflict resolution. Kashmir is ripe for resolution," the General said, addressing a conference titled “Voices from Asia: Towards a process of cooperation and security”. "The West and China should play a proactive role in finding a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir issue. It has to be settled for durable peace in the region," Musharraf said. The General said he was optimistic and hopeful there would be forward movement on the issues relating to Sir Creek, the Siachen glacier and the Kashmir issue. "Disputes between Pakistan and India cannot be overlooked as these have witnessed three wars and several killings at the Line of Control and on the Siachen glacier," Musharraf said. "Courage is needed to reconcile, shake hands, and forgive and forget, rather than go for a confrontation. Both sides have to swallow their pride and step back," the General added.
— PTI
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Strike brings Kathmandu to halt
Kathmandu, February 15 Vehicles remained off the road and markets and educational institutions remained closed. The strike was called by the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NFIN) to exert pressure on the government to address its demands and amend the interim constitution. The NFIN has been demanding proportional representation electoral system based on ethnic population. As part of the strike, the activists organised protest meetings and demonstrations at Kalanki, Balaju, Samakhushi, Chabahil, Koteshwor and Lagankhel. Five activists of the outfit were arrested from Kalanki after a scuffle with police, organisers said. Recognition of mother language of indigenous community in government works is one of the demands put forward by the NFIN. The outfit has launched a 17-day-long protest programme from February 12 to 28.
— PTI
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Indian falls to death from
hotel in Bahrain
Dubai, February 15 Purshothaman Gireesan( 43), hailing from Kerala, died on the spot when he fell on a car parked behind Bahrain International
Hotel, it said. The police is investigating whether the man committed suicide. Gireesan, who lived in Kuwait, was employed with a Kuwaiti company and had come to Bahrain, apparently for a "visa run" on
Monday, it said. "Authorities were working on the theory that Gireesan either committed suicide or fell when he lost balance on the windowsill," the police said. The police added a bottle of liquor was found in the hotel room. The deceased suffered a broken neck, spinal fractures and head injuries. "He first fell on a Toyota Echo parked on the roadside and then rolled on to the floor," it said.
— PTI
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Haniyeh resigns to launch
unity deal
Gaza, February 15 The official said Haniyeh tendered his resignation to Abbas during a meeting in Gaza, in a first step towards putting together a new government with the aim of ending factional warfare and overcoming a Western aid boycott of
Hamas. ''The prime minister has resigned,'' the official said. A ban on direct Western financial assistance since Hamas came to power in March has pushed the Palestinian Authority to the brink of financial collapse.But the prospects of ending the blockade were uncertain. The United States told Abbas that it planned to boycott a Palestinian unity government, including non-Hamas ministers, unless international demands were met for policy changes toward Israel, Palestinian officials and diplomats said.
— Reuters
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Kadyrov is new Chechen President
Moscow, February 15 Kadyrov, who was made Chechnya's Prime Minister last year, is the son of a murdered former Chechen leader and head of a private militia force which human rights groups implicate in murder and kidnap, but which he says provides security in the strifetorn region.
— Reuter
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US helping ‘ally’ Pak: Bush
Washington, February 15 Referring to Musharraf as an "ally" in the war against terror, Bush said it is in the interest of the US to support him as he has taken on the extremists.
— PTI
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