W O R L D

Swollen Chenab wreaks havoc in Pak
Islamabad, September 9
Nearly half a million people in Pakistan have been hit by the deadliest flood in the country's history that has claimed over 230 lives, as authorities braced to save major towns along the swollen Chenab river, which has left a trail of devastation.

Tough time: A man uses a rope while he wades through a flooded field in front of his house following heavy rain in Pindi Bhattian, Punjab, on Tuesday. AFP

British PM to head to Scotland as independence vote tightens
Edinburgh/London, September 9
British Prime Minister David Cameron implored Scots on Tuesday not to vote for independence in next week's referendum after an opinion poll showed a surge in support for a break from the United Kingdom.

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond (C) with pro- independence supporters in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Tuesday. AFP

Flight MH17 hit by many ‘high energy objects’

The Hague, September 9 A Malaysian passenger jet which blew up over rebel-held east Ukraine with the loss of all 298 people on board was hit by numerous "high-energy objects", according to a report today which could back up claims it was downed by a missile. Origami paper cranes hang on a board offering prayers and condolences to the Malaysia Airlines MH370 and MH17 victims in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. AFP

Modi’s US visit will strengthen ties: McCain
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with US President Barack Obama in Washington later this month is "an opportunity to renew our partnership and regain a strategic focus" in the US-India relationship, a top Republican senator said on Tuesday.

Swollen Chenab wreaks havoc in Pak
* Inundates over 400 villages in Punjab
* Nearly 5 lakh bear brunt of flood fury
* Toll 243

Islamabad, September 9
Nearly half a million people in Pakistan have been hit by the deadliest flood in the country's history that has claimed over 230 lives, as authorities braced to save major towns along the swollen Chenab river, which has left a trail of devastation.

The Chenab wreaked havoc in Punjab Province, inundating over 400 villages in Sargodha, Chiniot, Khushab and Jhang districts rendering people homeless.

Severe damage was caused by the Jhelum and Chenab rivers, which swelled after heavy monsoon rainfall last week.

The showers which started last week continued through the weekend in Punjab and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The major damage has been done in Punjab.

More than 4,36,000 people have been affected in Punjab and 30,000 in PoK due to flooding. The death toll from the devastating floods triggered by heavy monsoon rain today rose to 231, a National Disaster Management Authority official said. As many as 156 people have been killed in Punjab, 64 in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir and 11 in Gilgit-Baltistan region, the NDMA said in the latest flood update.

More than 400 people have been injured in floods and rain-related incidents.

Army and civilian rescue agencies mounted relief efforts to get villagers to safety with the help of helicopters and boats.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who visited the flood-hit areas in the province said the floods were the "deadliest in the history of Pakistan".

Although the rains have stopped, the flood waters are likely to submerge hundreds of more villages. Pakistani authorities were bracing for worsening conditions as water levels in the Chenab was rising.

The immediate attention is on Trimmu headwork in Jhang district, where Jhelum river joins Chenab.

The two rivers are carrying more than 900,000 cusec water against the maximum 700,000 cusec capacity of Trimmu. After Jhang, the central city of Multan is also on the flood list.

Dunya TV reported that only option to save the city is to create several breeches in the embankments of the river, which will flood several more villages and hamlets.

Chenab has left a trail of devastation in Sialkot, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, Sargodha and Khushabad and Jhang districts.

According to the Inter-Service Public Relations, 10,000 food packs were air-dropped for people trapped in various places.

The Federal Flood Commission (FFC), Pakistan Indus Water Commission (PIWC), Indus River System Authority (Irsa) and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) met yesterday to review coordination in rescue efforts. — PTI

A trail of destruction

• More than 4,36,000 people have been affected in Punjab and 30,000 in PoK due to flooding. Over 230 people were killed and more than 400 injured in floods and rain-related incidents
• The Chenab and Jhelum are carrying more than 900,000 cusecs of water against the maximum 700,000 cusecs capacity of Trimmu. After Jhang, the central city of Multan is also on the flood list
• Chenab has left a trail of devastation in Sialkot, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, Sargodha and Khushabad and Jhang districts
• The Jhelum has also flooded villages along its banks in Sargodha and Khushab

British PM to head to Scotland as independence vote tightens
* Poll shows surge in 'Yes' to independence
* ‘No’ vote still just ahead

Edinburgh/London, September 9
British Prime Minister David Cameron implored Scots on Tuesday not to vote for independence in next week's referendum after an opinion poll showed a surge in support for a break from the United Kingdom.

Cameron pledged to do everything he could to keep the United Kingdom together and said he would head north to Scotland to join the fray.

"In the end, it is for the Scottish people to decide, but I want them to know that the rest of the United Kingdom — and I speak as PM — want them to stay." Cameron's move made clear that the break-up of the United Kingdom, previously thought to be a pipedream, was now a distinct possibility. His spokesman said Scotland's blue and white flag would be flown over Cameron's London residence in Downing Street on Tuesday.

Nationalist leader Alex Salmond said in Edinburgh that the TNS poll showed the campaign opposing independence had "fallen apart at the seams".

Britain's main political parties also scrambled to shore up the 307-year union by pledging more autonomy to Scotland, with former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, a Scot, making an impassioned appeal to Labour Party supporters in central Scotland in support of staying together.

The latest opinion poll showed the referendum scheduled for September 18 was now "too close to call", TNS head Tom Costley said.

The number of people saying they would vote "No" to independence dropped to 39 per cent, down from 45 per cent a month ago. "Yes" support was slightly behind at 38 per cent but had made a dramatic surge from 32 per cent a month ago.

It followed a YouGov poll in the Sunday Times that put the pro-independence camp slightly ahead for the first time this year, prompting a fall in the pound and British shares that reflected concerns that an independent Scotland would struggle economically.

The independence question has provoked impassioned debate in Scotland from boardrooms to street campaigns. — Reuters

Huge ramifications

• Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said a currency union between an independent Scotland and the remainder of the United Kingdom would be incompatible with sovereignty
• A split would also have huge ramifications beyond Scotland's borders, given Britain's current status as an economic, diplomatic and military power, a leading NATO and EU country, and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council

Flight MH17 hit by many ‘high energy objects’

The Hague, September 9
A Malaysian passenger jet which blew up over rebel-held east Ukraine with the loss of all 298 people on board was hit by numerous "high-energy objects", according to a report today which could back up claims it was downed by a missile.

While the preliminary report from Dutch investigators does not point the finger of blame over the July disaster, it could heighten Western pressure against Moscow over its role in the bloody Ukraine conflict.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 "broke up in the air probably as the result of structural damage caused by a large number of high-energy objects that penetrated the aircraft from outside," said the Dutch Safety Board report.

International experts have been unable to access the rebel-held crash site northeast of Donetsk because of fighting, and have relied on information from the black boxes, Ukrainian officials, as well as pictures and video taken at the scene.

But the findings appear to back up claims that the Boeing 777, which plunged out of the sky on July 17 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was hit by a missile.

"The initial results of the investigation point towards an external cause of the MH17 crash," said Tjibbe Joustra, chairman of the OVV safety board. — AFP

Findings of a preliminary report

• A preliminary report by the Dutch Safety Board has revealed that Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 'split into pieces' after it was hit by a high speeding object mid-flight
• It took less than seven seconds for the jet to crash down from the sky killing 298 people on board and there was no evidence of any pilot error or technical faults
• The findings appear to back up claims that the Boeing 777, which plunged out of the sky on July 17 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was hit by a missile

Modi’s US visit will strengthen ties: McCain
Ashish Kumar Sen in Washington DC

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with US President Barack Obama in Washington later this month is "an opportunity to renew our partnership and regain a strategic focus" in the US-India relationship, a top Republican senator said on Tuesday.

In a frank assessment of the US-India relationship, Senator John McCain, Arizona Republican, said it had not lived up to its potential and had instead devolved into a transactional one.

"My sense is that Modi wants India to do its part to change this and he wants India and the United States to lift our sights once again to think bigger and do bigger things," McCain said.

Modi's meeting with Obama on September 29 and 30 is an opportunity for true strategic dialogue, "an open discussion of the big questions: What kind of world do we want to live in? What are our true priorities amid a large bilateral agenda? And, most importantly, Why does this partnership still matter?" he added.