W O R L D

Shoes, shouts mark end of Zardari’s UK visit 
London/Islamabad, August 7
Instead of cheers, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari was greeted with shoes and shouts of ‘Mr ten per cent’ during a rally of the Pakistan People’s Party at Birmingham. However, the Zardari’s aides insisted that no such incident had occurred during his visit to Britain.

Here every house has a ‘safe’ room
It’s a nation built on war-zone architecture. No less.
The Israel government has made it mandatory for every house owner in the country to have a “safe” room in their house to be used in times of rocket attacks and wars.

A ‘safe’ room in the township of Sderot on the Israel-Gaza border. Photo by writer

PAK DELUGE: A Pakistani uses a cable wire to cross a deep flooded area of Kot Addu on Sunday. — AP/PTI

Insurgents may derail Indo-Bangla ties: Pranab
Dhaka, August 8
Seeking enhanced bilateral security cooperation, India has cautioned that insurgents had the “potential” to derail its friendly ties with Bangladesh, even as it commended Dhaka’s efforts to root out terrorism from this country.

Tipu’s throne finial to be auctioned 
London, August 8
A gem-encrusted gold finial from the decorated throne of Tipu Sultan and an eyewitness account of the battle that led to his defeat at the hands of the British are being put up for auction here on October 7.

Shoes, shouts mark end of Zardari’s UK visit 

London/Islamabad, August 7
Instead of cheers, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari was greeted with shoes and shouts of ‘Mr ten per cent’ during a rally of the Pakistan People’s Party at Birmingham. However, the Zardari’s aides insisted that no such incident had occurred during his visit to Britain.

Geo News channel and newspapers of the Jang media group reported that a 60-year-old man named Shamim Khan threw the shoes at Zardari yesterday in protest against the President’s meeting with Premier British David Cameron.

Cameron had triggered a storm in Pakistan by saying that Pakistan had links with groups that promoted export of terror to Afghanistan and India.

But, the shoes failed to hit Zardari and the protester was escorted out of the venue, where the President was addressing a Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) convention, by security guards, the reports said. British security took away Khan, who shouted slogans, The News daily reported.

Khan told Geo News that he threw the shoes in protest against Zardari’s meeting with Cameron.

Compelled by prospects of renewed fury back home if Bilawal Bhutto’s political career was launched in Birmingham amidst unprecedented floods, the plan was dropped even though placards at the Birmingham venue sought to welcome 21-year-old Bilawal.

Outside the venue, protesters shouted slogans held placards stating ‘Save Pakistan, Oust Zardari’.

Bilawal, who sought to rubbish reports that he would address the Birmingham rally, confined himself to London where he launched a flood relief donation centre at the Pakistan high commission.

PPP activist Khadeer Arif, who was one of a number of people who walked out in protest at the Birmingham rally, said there was simply no need for the President to visit Britain while there are people dying back home.

He told BBC: “You wouldn’t see Barack Obama leaving America, you wouldn’t see at the time of 7/7 Tony Blair wandering around Europe.

The reality is simple; he was here for his family needs, not for the people of Pakistan.” Zardari told the audience: “You are my family”, as the gathering prayed collectively for the late Benazir Bhutto.

A media report also quoted Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira as saying that an investigation will be conducted to determine how and why the man was invited to the gathering for which special invitation cards had been selectively issued by the Pakistan High Commission in London.

The President has been criticised for travelling abroad at a time when Pakistan has been hit by the worst floods in 80 years that have affected over 12 million people.

Zardari’s speech at the convention was only covered by state-run PTV, which did not beam any footage showing anyone throwing shoes at the President.

Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar too denied the incident, saying it would have been seen by the people sitting in the hall if it had occurred. — PTI 

Here every house has a ‘safe’ room
Chitleen K Sethi in Sderot (Gaza Border)

It’s a nation built on war-zone architecture. No less.
The Israel government has made it mandatory for every house owner in the country to have a “safe” room in their house to be used in times of rocket attacks and wars. This room has to be constructed within the house and its construction is partially paid for by the government. The room is all concrete and steel and is tucked away at an accessible corner of the house and most residents also stock dry ration items in this room. The older houses, which were constructed before the mandatory condition came in, have been asked to construct these rooms now.

This is not all. Towns near the borders are dotted with safe room built in public places along the sides of the roads, near parks, schools etc. In this town, barely a few kilometers from the Gaza Strip rocket attacks are common. “If it is not this town it is the next nearest town Ashkelon,” points out Eric Yellin, a resident of Sderot.

The population of this town has been living like this for decades. “But we are still not used to it. Every time the siren goes off and we are huddled in the safe room we pray that it no one is hurt in the attack,” adds Eric.

Less than a week ago, a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip had hit Ashkelon where it damaged an empty building. “We rush into these rooms whenever we hear the siren go off. The siren gives us about 10-15 seconds time before the rocket actually hits. We have to rush to the rooms inside our homes or if we are outside find the nearest safe room and stay there till we hear the rocket crash,” says Roni Keider, a resident of Ashkelon.

The architecture of the townships near the border areas have been changed to factor in frequent rocket attacks. Schools buildings are capped with extra slabs of concrete. “The roof of the school building has been designed like an flattened umbrella. This is to ensure that rockets do not enter the inside of the school. Similarly, one side of the school which faces Gaza has no windows or doors,” adds Roni.

Its’ not just the Israelis who fear rocket attacks. In the West Bank, on the Palestinian side too, school buildings have been refurbished to minimise the damage a possible attack from the Israeli side. “The school for girls here has no windows and doors on one side of its four-storey building. The school was constructed with held from the United Nations funds and we had to make it secure from rocket attacks from across the security wall,” says Munjeel Jadow, a resident of the Aida refugee camp in the West Bank.

Insurgents may derail Indo-Bangla ties: Pranab

Dhaka, August 8
Seeking enhanced bilateral security cooperation, India has cautioned that insurgents had the “potential” to derail its friendly ties with Bangladesh, even as it commended Dhaka’s efforts to root out terrorism from this country.

India “deeply appreciates” the efforts of Bangladesh to tackle terrorism as the menace was a common concern of the two neighbours, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here last evening.

The two sides will continue to be closely engaged for enhanced bilateral security cooperation, he told a press briefing after the signing ceremony of a $1 billion loan deal for Bangladesh, the largest line of credit received by Dhaka.

Mukherjee identified “security cooperation” as an area that engaged the attention of both the countries “given our common desire to root out the forces of extremism and terrorism from our midst”. — PTI

Tipu’s throne finial to be auctioned