Asif Ali Zardari’s election to the coveted post of President of Pakistan was a foregone conclusion. He brings along with him a series of responsibilities in the domestic as well on the international front. As the civil society in Pakistan has acquired a bargaining power higher than what it had in history, one can conclude the tumultuous time for Pakistan is not yet over.

Pervez Musharraf was far-sighted to sense this, as he stepped down as President within 10 days after the political parties started preparations for his impeachment. Zardari, accussed by Nawaz Sharif led PML(N) on going back to his written agreement on reinstating the Supreme Court judges, is not the unanimous choice of all citizens of Pakistan. That his party enjoys majority in two houses of Pakistan parliament, the National Assembly and the Senate, as well as in a few other Provincial Assemblies in Pakistan is the sole reason for his victory.

Whether he would go to an extent of dismissing the Judges already appointed by the parliament and reinstate the ousted Chief Justice, Mr. Choudhary, is something we all should wait and see. It’s also doubtful whether the accusations that he has so far amassed huge amount of wealth (almost $62 million) will ever be taken again for public debate, even by Courts or by parliament. But one thing is crucial: the issue of joining the war against terror with the US is going to decide his foreign policy (US launched a drone attack in North and South Waziristan yesterday for the fourth time in the last few months). On the domestic front, his ability to gel with the political parties and the civil society decides the future of his Presidentship.

This is natural disaster season. Storms, rains and floods wreak havoc in several parts of the world. The series of disasters this year began in July with monsoon floods causing mass scale destruction in Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Come mid August, a few storms and hurricanes swept across Carribbean countries causing large scale devestation of life and property. By end August, Kosi River in Nepal breached the embankments in Kusaha village, causing floods in as many as sixteen districts in Bihar, a north Indian state. Five districts of this state - Supaul, Saharsa, Araria, Madhepura, Katihar and Purnia - were inundated for days on end. September beginning also witnessed torrential rain and unexpected flood for a day in Wales and England. Apart from a death or two no major damages have been reported in these latter countries. Thousands were marroned overnight as Brahmaputra river in Assam, a northeastern state of India, breached mud embankments on Sept 9. Five million people were displaced, 50 villages with 600,000 hectares of land area affected and 27 killed.

What is appalling in all these cases is that impoverished regions, countries or states are completely devastated by natural disasters. On the other hand, developed regions undertake successful crisis management measures to minimize or even nullify the effects. Within hours after New Orleans received the Hurricane Gustav warning for this year, officials helped ninety five percent of city inhabitants to temporarily shift to other US states like Texas and Mississippi. Hurricane Gustav came, with a force less than expected, but no major damages were reported. Since the devastation and horror caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 were fresh in everyone’s memory, authorities do not want to give it a chance anymore. Evacuation of 2 lac residents just before Hurricane Gustav in Sept 2008 has been considered the largest ever evacuation process in the city’s history

But look at the neighboring countries Haiti and Cuba. Granted that storms and hurricanes take a region unawares, there is still scope for precautionary meseaures. And when the evil strikes, people are left stranded on roof-tops, are starved for several days, diseases break-out in relief camps and everything becomes a big mess.

Several hundred people lost their lives in Haiti. Hurricane Ike killed less than hundred people in Cuba. In Bihar in India, more than two million people have been affected by the floods. Official figure of death toll is much less than the estimates of humanitarian agencies like Red Cross. Be it in poor Haiti, Cuba or Bihar, where 70% make a living through agriculture, the devastation caused by floods and storms will have serious repercussions in the country’s economy as a whole. Only with a proper disaster manangement system in place, can these poor countries provide any protection to the life and property to its inhabitants.

It’s good news for Internet users. Google, the unbeaten leader of among web search engines, is launching a web browser, which will help the users browse more secure and faster. The new browser, expected to be launched on Tuesday 2nd Sept is called ‘Chrome.’ A comic-book that describes the features of of the new browser was launched yesterday.

The size of the program file is expected to be around 1.65 MB, while it takes less RAM for the browser to run in the system. It also claims to have developed an advanced JavaScript engine V8, which will be useful in tomorrow’s web applications’ environment.

New “Chrome” is likely to challenge Microsoft’s monopoly in internet browser’s domain, while offering more than what Mozilla Firefox, a browser promoted by Google, can offer.

What is notable in the selection of Sarah Palin to be the vice-Presidential candidate in US Elections 2008, is that she is a relatively lesser known politician. As presumptive Republican nominee John McCain puts it, Palin is the best person who can help him “fight the same old Washington politics of me first and country second.”

Presently serving as Governor of Alaska, Palin entered into politics fighting corruption and drafting ethical standards for politicians in her home state. A true Republican in principle, she can be easily located in the issue-directory of US elections 2008. Palin is anti-abortion (also termed pro-life), anti-same sex marriage, gun-rights conservative, and is in favor of drilling for oil especially in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife.

Once a mayor of a suburban region with just 9,000 inhabitants, Sarah Palin is likely to be snubbed by the Democrats for her lack of experience in foreign policy. In any case, John McCain surprised the electorate when he chose Sarah Palin on Friday, ending the hopes of other high-runners in the Republican camp like Tim Pawlenty, governor of Minnesota, and Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts.

Hurricane Gustav hit the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, 31st Aug. It is spiraling to southeastern coast of Louisiana. What is interesting is that it comes so as to disrupt the Republican Convention in Minnesota when John McCain will be selected as the Republican nominee for the forthcoming US elections. Bush and Dick Cheney have already canceled their plans to attend the convention.

Louisiana Governor, India-born Bobby Jindal, is doing a nice job by overseeing the evacuation of people from this state to safer places like Missisippi and Texas. Hope the havoc, chaos and dread caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 will not be repeated this time.

Hurricane Gustav may affect the offshore production of oil also. This, in turn, is likely to spread uncertainity in the international market. As crude oil prices are yet to ease up in the global market, the movement and strength of Hurricane Gustav will be decisive in determing the price of crude. Which means, even a local businessman in a remote place in Ethiopia or Guyana has to keep a watch on the movement and intensity of Hurricane Gustav.