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swine flu death occurs in Bangalore: Toll 20 Bangalore/Pune:
Bangalore on Thursday reported its first swine flu death. A 26-year old woman
succumbed to the deadly swine flu virus taking the country's swine flu death toll
to 20. According to sources, Rupa was admitted to the St. Philomina Hospital.
Earlier, a 75-year old woman Bharti Goyal died in Pune's KEM Hospital. Another
nine-month old boy Rutwik Kamle also died at the Sahyadri Munot Hospital. On Wednesday,
a 48-year-old had succumbed to swine flu in Pune. This death was reported from
the Sassoon General Hospital at around 4:30 p.m. Earlier, a 50-year old Neeta
Meghani and a 33-year old died in the same hospital. Earlier in the day, a doctor
and a 29-year old woman had succumbed to the deadly virus in Nashik and Pune respectively.
In Nashik, 38-year old doctor Rupesh Gangurde died at the Nashik Civil Hospital
at around 2:30 am this morning. In Pune, Shrawani Deshpande died due to bilateral
pneumonia following severe lung infection caused by the H1N1 virus at around the
same time. 2:30 a.m. Deshpande, a resident of Kothrud area, died at the Sasoon
General Hospital. Other swine flu deaths have occurred in Ahmedabad, Vadodra,
Thane, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram and Mumbai. According to sources, an infant,
who was suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome, died at the Sahyadri
Munot Hospital. Condition
of three swine flu suspects better, says RML doctor Top New
Delhi: The condition of the three swine flu suspects, who are admitted to
the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, was reported to be much better on Thursday.
"The condition of three patients who were serious is improving well. We are awaiting
the report from NICD, " said Dr. N K Chaturvedi, Medical Superintendent, RML.
The three patients were admitted to RML on Wednesday with swine flu like symptoms.
Of the three, one is a 29-year-old man, who is also suffering from renal failure,
another a 40-year-old man, who is suffering from pneumonia and a two-year-old
child suffering from cough and cold. The patients have been put under treatment
and are responding well. Though the reports of their samples are still awaited,
the doctors at the hospital are hopeful of their recovery. RML is one of the government
certified testing centres for the symptoms of H1N1 virus. Till Wednesday, a total
of 654 people were screened at the RML, of which 584 are adults and rest 70 are
children. The RML doctors took samples of eleven patients, but no one has been
advised admission. Of the 11 patients in the isolation ward, four have already
been discharged. The toll of H1N1 positive cases has risen to 312 in New Delhi.
As on Thursday, the fatal cases of swine flu had touched the mark of 20. Three
women Maoist rebels killed in Orissa Top Rayagada
(Orissa): Three women cadres of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist)
were killed in a firefight in Orissa, police said on Thursday. The three were
killed during a combing operation jointly launched by crack police teams from
Orissa and Andhra Pradesh in the Ramnaguda-Mukundpur forest area in Rayagada district
of Orissa on Wednesday. "During the operation on August 12 in the morning when
our party was moving in that area an encounter took place. In that encounter total
three cadres of CPI (Maoist) have been killed," said Ashish Kumar Singh, Superintendent
of Police, Rayagada district. "Lot of ammunition, articles and literature were
recovered in that encounter and dead bodies were also recovered," he added. The
police have recovered three 9 mm rifles, around 400 rounds of bullets and five
kitbags containing subversive literature. Ground-to-air
security ahead of Independence Day Top New
Delhi/Guwahati: With India getting set to celebrate its 62nd Independence
anniversary, the Central and Delhi State Governments have pulled out all steps
to ensure that the event is sanitized from a security point of view. Following
intelligence inputs that terror outfits have plans to target the Indian capital
on August 15, over 60,000 officers of the Delhi Police, Special Cell, Crime Branch,
Special Branch and around 35 paramilitary companies will be deployed in and around
the city. It is expected that around 6,000 police officers will be deployed near
Red Fort. Forty CCTV cameras have been installed in and around the Red Fort, while
sharpshooters of the National Security Guard (NSG) will man buildings and rooftops
near the historic monument. Intelligence agencies have also reportedly identified
'safety houses' where the Prime Minister and other VIPs can be taken in the event
of a terror strike. Quick Reaction Teams, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and
Vajra (of the Rapid Action Force) are also being deployed for the ocassion. Informers
have been deployed to look out for suspect anti-national elements, police sources
said. The entire area over Red Fort will be declared a no-fly zone during the
function. Airspace would be closed from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and from 4:00
p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Security has been tightened at the Parliament complex, IGI Airport,
railway stations, inter-state bus terminals and Metro stations. In other sensitive
parts of the country like Jammu and Kashmir, and the northeastern states, security
has been beefed up to counter possible terror or insurgent attacks. In Guwahati,
passengers are expected to be frisked at various checkpoints in the city. Meanwhile,
defying the boycott call, school students, NCC cadets and police personnel are
busy preparing for the Independence Day parade. "They are always giving calls
to boycott Republic Day celebrations or Independence Day celebrations. But it
is regularly celebrating Independence Day," said Anna Rai, a school teacher. The
students are also upbeat about participating in the parade. Security has also
been beefed up along the India-Bangladesh border in Siliguri. The Border Security
Force (BSF) is on a high alert and keeping a strict vigil along the borders. Home
Ministry officials have warned that the Lashkar-e-Taiba plans to target three
major cities, including Delhi on Independence Day. Kolkata and Hyderabad are the
other two LeT targets. Nepal
Foreign Minister meets Chidambaram, discusses security issue Top New
Delhi: Visiting Nepal Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala met Home Minister P
Chidambaram here on Wednesday. The leaders discussed cross-border terrorism, border
encroachment and other threats. Talking to reporters here after the meeting Sujata
Koirala said, "Nepal and India share lots of common interests and we had a very
friendly talk. We have an open border and we spoke about security as to how it
mutually benefits for both the countries and can have a proper security system
on the border side." Asked about the threat of fake currency reportedly routed
through Nepal, Koirala said she would have a separate meeting with Indian authorities
on the issue. "It is a concern of everybody. Nepal wants to control our side and
India will look after their side. We will have a mutual sit down meeting from
both the sides and we will solve every problem what we have," she added. Since
her arrival Koirala has been holding meetings with India's top leadership seeking
support in taking the peace process forward. Nepal's Prime Minister Madhav Kumar
Nepal is also scheduled to visit India this month. She will attend various events
in Delhi today and will leave for Kathmandu on Friday afternoon. Kandhamal
villagers live in fear ahead of mass rally by VHP Top Kandhamal:
Fresh fears of trouble has gripped the villagers in Orissa's Kandhamal district
on the eve of Gokulashtami and a mass rally organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad
(VHP) to commemorate the first anniversary of the assassination of their leader
Laxmanananda Saraswati. "We are scared because last year we had to face a lot
of problems due to violence. We are in apprehension about fresh violence this
year because of which we are living in fear," said Hari Ram, a resident. Meanwhile,
the police have made adequate arrangements to ensure that there are no untoward
incidents in the district. "About 53 platoons of Orissa Police have been deployed
in various parts of Kandhamal district. We are deploying checkposts at various
vulnerable points on the important affected routes," said M M Praharaj, Director
General of Police. Besides checkposts, police forces will be mobilised through
motorcycles and will keep vigil in civil clothes. Moreover, Maoists have put up
posters declaring August 13 as 'Vijay Diwas' for killing Saraswati in the region.
The VHP also plans to organise a silent protest in Kandhamal to protest against
the State Government's failure to nab the killers of Saraswati. The VHP had earlier
planned to organize 'Sacrifice Day' at the district headquarters and also in Bhubaneshwar
on Janmashtami. Saraswati and his four aides were killed on August 23 last year
at his Jaleshpata ashram in Kandhamal, about 200 km from Bhubaneswar, triggering
communal violence in the state. Some Hindu organisations, which held Christians
responsible for the crime, launched attacks on them. Thousands of Christians were
forced to flee their homes and many were killed in the violence. Later, the Orissa
police alleged Maoists' involvement in the killings. 7
MLAs lose membership under anti-defection law in Jharkhand Top Ranchi:
In a significant development, Jharkhand Assembly Speaker Alamgir Alam on Thursday
cancelled the membership of seven MLAs under the anti-defection law. After hearing
over nine cases in connection with the anti-defection law, the Jharkhand Assembly
Speaker decided to cancel the membership of seven MLAs-- Kamlesh Singh, Bhanu
Pratap Shahi, Anos Ekka, Kunti Devi, Thomas Hansda, Manohar Prasad Tekriwal, and
Ravindra Rai. Alam, however, maintained the membership of Bandhu Tirkey and Sudesh
Mahto. Besides, he also ordered that notice be issued against Rashtriya Janata
Dal legislator Udayshankar Singh under the anti-defection law who recently joined
the Congress party. Three others--Stephen Marandi, Vishnu Bhaiyya and Pradep Yadav--
facing anti-defection charges have already resigned from the State Assembly. In
2005, a petition demanding action under anti-defection law was filed against several
MLAs. Jharkhand is presently under President rule. The union cabinet in this year
in July decided to extend the President's rule in Jharkhand for six more months
beyond July 18. Inflation
continues to be negative at minus 1.74 per cent Top New
Delhi: The annual rate of inflation on Thursday fell marginally to minus 1.74
per cent for the week ending August 1 from minus 1.58 per cent the week before.
Food prices continued on a higher path with barley, jowar and gram gaining two
percent each and condiments and spices, arhar and fruits and vegetables costlier
by one percent. However, the prices of tea declined by nine percent. Higher prices
of aviation turbine fuel also contributed to the overall inflation data. The decline
in Wholesale Prices Index was due to lower prices of Metals Alloys and Metal Products
which declined by 0.1 percent riding on pig iron and foundry pig iron, iron steel.
While the index for primary articles rose 0.1 percent to 262.5 (provisional) from
262.2 (provisional) the week before, the index for manufactured products rose
0.1 percent to 205.9 (provisional) from 205.6 (provisional) for the previous week.
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