Mumbai, Jun 20 : A 36-year-old engineer with a private firm has been diagnosed as the first patient of swine flu in Maharashtra, health officials said today.
He is suspected to have contracted the disease during a recent visit to Honduras in Central America, they said.
"We have received the medical reports of the patient, which confirmed that he has swine flu," Dr Pradeep Awate, who is heading the state health department's influenza cell, told Zeack.
The patient has been quarantined at the Kasturba Hospital and his condition is presently "normal", he said.
"His condition is normal and he has only mild fever and running nose. He is responding to treatment," Awate said.
The engineer had gone to Honduras on June 8 and returned to India on June 15 via New Jersey in the US.
After his arrival, the engineer suffered from a mild fever and cough and consulted a physician at Kokilaben Ambani Hospital in suburban Andheri. The physician referred him to Kasturba Hospital in central Mumbai, the nodal centre for treatment of H1N1 viral infection in the city.
The results of his throat swab tests were received yesterday which confirmed Swine flu, Awate said. Zeack
11:50 PM
11:20 PM
Obama confident that Pak N-weapons secure
planetInfo
Lalit K Jha
Washington, Jun 20 : US President Barack Obama today exuded confidence that the nuclear weapons of Pakistan are safe and secure, about which a lot of concerns have been expressed in the recent past.
"I have confidence that the Pakistani government has safeguarded its nuclear arsenal. It is Pakistan's nuclear arsenal," Obama told the Dawn television of Pakistan in an interview.
"I won't engage in hypotheticals like that," Obama said when asked: "Do you actually see the possibility that one day the Taliban may take over those weapons? And if you see that happening, would you actually try to seize those weapons before the Taliban?" However, Obama said he is concerned about growing extremism in the region. "What I do have concerns about is making sure that the Taliban and other extremist organizations aren't taking root in South Asia, in Afghanistan, in the Middle East," he said.
The US president underlined the need for global cooperation to see that the "cancer" of terrorism does not take root.
"We want to partner with everybody to make sure that this cancer does not grow. One of the things that I said in my speech in Cairo is that Islam has an extraordinary tradition of tolerance and peaceful coexistence and that tradition is being distorted and being warped," Obama said. Zeack
Washington, Jun 20 : US President Barack Obama today exuded confidence that the nuclear weapons of Pakistan are safe and secure, about which a lot of concerns have been expressed in the recent past.
"I have confidence that the Pakistani government has safeguarded its nuclear arsenal. It is Pakistan's nuclear arsenal," Obama told the Dawn television of Pakistan in an interview.
"I won't engage in hypotheticals like that," Obama said when asked: "Do you actually see the possibility that one day the Taliban may take over those weapons? And if you see that happening, would you actually try to seize those weapons before the Taliban?" However, Obama said he is concerned about growing extremism in the region. "What I do have concerns about is making sure that the Taliban and other extremist organizations aren't taking root in South Asia, in Afghanistan, in the Middle East," he said.
The US president underlined the need for global cooperation to see that the "cancer" of terrorism does not take root.
"We want to partner with everybody to make sure that this cancer does not grow. One of the things that I said in my speech in Cairo is that Islam has an extraordinary tradition of tolerance and peaceful coexistence and that tradition is being distorted and being warped," Obama said. Zeack
11:20 PM
Ashish Shukla
London, Jun 20 : West Indies skipper Chris Gayle has warned India that his side could "sting like a bee" in the one-day series starting next week in the Caribbean following their agonising Twenty20 World Cup semifinal defeat to Sri Lanka.
"We might fly like butterflies but we can sting like a bee," said Gayle, mocking at Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's assertion that his side would look to compensate for their T20 World Cup debacle with series-win in the Caribbean.
Dhoni, before he left for the Caribbean, had vowed to bring cheer back to the Indian fans and triumph in the four-match one-day series, the first one starting at Kingston, Jamaica on June 26.
Dhoni has more or less reiterated his desire in Kingston after his arrival at the Norman Mailey airport on Thursday.
"In 20/20, once you lose the initiative at the start, it's very difficult to come back... So that's one big difference when it comes to T20 and 50-over cricket," said Dhoni.
"The team that plays consistent cricket over the series will come out as winners. We have to play consistent cricket and I think that will be the key for us," he said.
The one point though on which both Gayle and Dhoni appeared to be sharing the same platform was the reaction of the fans. Zeack
London, Jun 20 : West Indies skipper Chris Gayle has warned India that his side could "sting like a bee" in the one-day series starting next week in the Caribbean following their agonising Twenty20 World Cup semifinal defeat to Sri Lanka.
"We might fly like butterflies but we can sting like a bee," said Gayle, mocking at Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's assertion that his side would look to compensate for their T20 World Cup debacle with series-win in the Caribbean.
Dhoni, before he left for the Caribbean, had vowed to bring cheer back to the Indian fans and triumph in the four-match one-day series, the first one starting at Kingston, Jamaica on June 26.
Dhoni has more or less reiterated his desire in Kingston after his arrival at the Norman Mailey airport on Thursday.
"In 20/20, once you lose the initiative at the start, it's very difficult to come back... So that's one big difference when it comes to T20 and 50-over cricket," said Dhoni.
"The team that plays consistent cricket over the series will come out as winners. We have to play consistent cricket and I think that will be the key for us," he said.
The one point though on which both Gayle and Dhoni appeared to be sharing the same platform was the reaction of the fans. Zeack
11:20 PM
CPI(M) Central Committee meet begins
planetInfo
New Delhi, June 20 : The crucial meeting of the CPI(M) Central Committee, the first after the party's electoral debacle, began here today in the backdrop of the Maoist siege of Lalgarh in Left-ruled West Bengal.
The meeting is being attended by all top CPI(M) leaders, including West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhdev Bhattacharjee.
The CPI(M) Politburo yesterday held detailed discussion on the emerging situation in Lalgarh, where an operation is on to flush out the Maoists, besides reviewing its organisational problems that led to its worst-ever poll performance.
The "self-critical" review of the party's electoral performance, which saw its Lok Sabha strength declining from 42 to 16, was taken up at the Politburo meeting, party sources said. The findings of the review would be placed before the two-day meeting of the Central Committee.
The Central Committee would finalise measures to rectify the drawbacks so as to enable the party to confidently face assembly polls in its bastions of West Bengal and Kerala in 2011. Zeack
The meeting is being attended by all top CPI(M) leaders, including West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhdev Bhattacharjee.
The CPI(M) Politburo yesterday held detailed discussion on the emerging situation in Lalgarh, where an operation is on to flush out the Maoists, besides reviewing its organisational problems that led to its worst-ever poll performance.
The "self-critical" review of the party's electoral performance, which saw its Lok Sabha strength declining from 42 to 16, was taken up at the Politburo meeting, party sources said. The findings of the review would be placed before the two-day meeting of the Central Committee.
The Central Committee would finalise measures to rectify the drawbacks so as to enable the party to confidently face assembly polls in its bastions of West Bengal and Kerala in 2011. Zeack
10:50 PM
London, June 20 : 'Matrix' star Keanu Reeves has been described as a "gentle giant" by his co-star Robin Wright Penn.
Robin who was most recently in news after her husband actor Sean Penn filed for divorce and then promptly withdrew the request, said that Reeves who stars with her in the upcoming 'The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee' was a kind person who put her at ease quickly, reported Mirror online.
"I thought he was quite good actually, he's perfect for it, he's a gentle giant. I feel like we were blessed to have him do it, because it didn't feel strange. The dynamic was already there," said the actress who was a part of the jury at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
Robin and Reeves play a quirky couple in the film which also stars Winona Ryder, Julianne Moore and Blake Lively and the 43-year-old actress said that the actor bonded well with the cast which was dominated by women.
"He's very comfortable around girls, thank God because it was a full set of girls!" added Robin. Z
Robin who was most recently in news after her husband actor Sean Penn filed for divorce and then promptly withdrew the request, said that Reeves who stars with her in the upcoming 'The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee' was a kind person who put her at ease quickly, reported Mirror online.
"I thought he was quite good actually, he's perfect for it, he's a gentle giant. I feel like we were blessed to have him do it, because it didn't feel strange. The dynamic was already there," said the actress who was a part of the jury at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
Robin and Reeves play a quirky couple in the film which also stars Winona Ryder, Julianne Moore and Blake Lively and the 43-year-old actress said that the actor bonded well with the cast which was dominated by women.
"He's very comfortable around girls, thank God because it was a full set of girls!" added Robin. Z