Nepal issues high alert for A/H1N1 flu

Tuesday 30 June 2009

KATHMANDU, June 30 (Xinhua) -- With the record of its first three cases of A/H1N1 flu, the government of Nepal Tuesday issued high alert status in hospitals nationwide.

A health official takes the body temperature of a monk arriving at Tribhuwan International airport in Kathmandu June 30, 2009. Nepal confirmed on Monday its first cases of H1N1 flu virus, in three members of a family who had returned from the United States, the Himalayan nation's health ministry said. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

As per the primary security program, the government has deployed rapid response team in the hospitals for the identification of A/H1N1 virus.

Director of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division Dr Senendra Raj Upreti said they have deployed 40 rapid response teams throughout the country.

A health official takes the body temperatures of arriving travellers at Tribhuwan International airport in Kathmandu June 30, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Likewise, security has been beefed up at the Tribhuvan International Airport in the capital Kathmandu.

Health desk has been stationed at border entry points with high alert, said Dr Manas Kumar Banerjee coordinator of Avian Influenza Control Project of Epidemiology and Disease Control Division under Ministry of Health.

According to Dr Banerjee, Tamiflu medicine that can be used for the virus treatment has been kept in surplus in the hospitals outside the capital.

On Monday, the National Health Officials confirmed the A/H1N1 flu in the country as three persons have been infected for the first time in Nepal, since the A/H1N1 emerged nearly three months ago in Mexico.

Pop star Michael Jackson has died in Los Angeles, aged 50

Thursday 25 June 2009

Paramedics were called to the singer's Beverly Hills home at about midday on Thursday after he stopped breathing.

He was pronounced dead two hours later at the UCLA medical centre. Jackson's brother, Jermaine, said he was believed to have suffered a cardiac arrest.

Jackson, who had a history of health problems, had been due to stage a series of comeback concerts in the UK on 13 July.

Speaking on behalf of the Jackson family, Jermaine, said doctors had tried to resuscitate the star for more than an hour without success.

He added: "The family request that the media please respect our privacy during this tough time.""And Allah be with you Michael always. I love you."

Concerns were raised last month when four of Jackson's planned comeback concerts were postponed, but organisers insisted the dates had been moved due to the complexity of staging the show.

A spokeswoman for The Outside Organisation, which was organising the publicity for the shows, said she had no comment at this time.

Broadcaster Paul Gambaccini said: "I always doubted that he would have been able to go through that schedule, those concerts. It seemed to be too much of a demand on the unhealthy body of a 50 year old.

"I'm wondering that, as we find out details of his death, if perhaps the stress of preparing for those dates was a factor in his collapse.

"It was wishful thinking that at this stage of his life he could be Michael Jackson again."

Uri Gellar, a close friend of the star, told BBC News it was "very, very sad".

peaking outside New York's historic Apollo theatre, civil rights activist Rev Al Sharpton paid tribute to his friend.

"I knew him 35 years. When he had problems he would call me," he said.

"I feel like he was not treated fairly. I hope history will be more kind to him than some of the contemporary media."

Melanie Bromley, west coast bureau chief of Us Weekly magazine, told the BBC the scene in Los Angeles was one of "pandemonium".

"At the moment there is a period of disbelief. There are hundreds of people outside UCLA waiting for news.

"He was buying a home in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles and the scene outside the house is one of fans, reporters and TV cameras - it's absolute craziness.

"I feel this is the biggest celebrity story in a long time and has the potential to be the Princess Diana of popular culture."

Musical icon

MICHAEL JACKSON 1958-2009 Full name: Michael Joseph Jackson Born: August 29, 1958, Gary, Indiana, US Also known as: The King of Pop, Wacko Jacko Biggest hits: I Want You Back, Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, Billie Jean, Bad, Black or White, Earth Song

Paramedics were called to the singer's house in Bel Air at 1221 (1921GMT) following an emergency phone call.

They performed CPR on Jackson and rushed him to the UCLA medical centre.

A spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department said the robbery and homicide team was investigating Jackson's death because of its "high profile", but there was no suggestion of foul play.

Jackson began his career as a child in family group The Jackson 5.

He then went on to achieve global fame as a solo artist with smash hits such as Billie Jean and Bad.

Thriller, released in 1982, is the biggest-selling album of all time, shifting 65m copies, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

He scored seven UK number ones as a solo artist and won a total of 13 Grammy awards.

"For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don't have the words," said Quincy Jones, who produced Thriller, Bad and Off The Wall.

Jackson's body was flown from hospital to the LA coroner's office

"He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him."

The singer had been dogged by controversy and money trouble in recent years, becoming a virtual recluse.

He was arrested in 2003 on charges of molesting a 14-year-old boy, but was found not guilty following a five-month trial.

The star had three children, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson II.

He is survived by his mother, Katherine, father, Joseph and eight siblings - including Janet, Randy, Jermaine and La Toya Jackson.

Iran rallies planned amid clampdown

Wednesday 17 June 2009

Pro-Ahmadinejad supporters were out in force in Tehran on Tuesday [GALLO/GETTY] Anti-government protesters in Iran have announced they are to hold another rally in the capital to dispute the veracity of a presidential election. Supporters of candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi called on Wednesday for a rally to go ahead at 5pm local time (13:30 GMT), despite the authorities imposing a ban on the opposition gatherings. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the incumbent president, was officially declared winner of Friday's election by a margin of two-to-one over Mir Hossein Mousavi. Hossein, a reformist candidate who was the nearest rival to Ahmadinejad, a conservative, has accused the authorities of rigging the vote. But Ahmadinejad has said that the result proved he has popular support. "The election result confirmed the work of the ninth government which was based on honesty and service to the people," he said on Wednesday in a statement to Iran's ISNA news agency. Mousavi has called on his supporters to hold peaceful demonstrations or gather in mosques on Thursday in solidarity with people killed or hurt in the post-election unrest. At least seven people have been killed in clashes between the authorities and the opposition movement, according to state media reports, while hundreds more are thought to have been injured. "In the course of the past days and as a consequence of illegal and violent encounters with [people protesting] against the outcome of the presidential election, a number of our countrymen were wounded or martyred," Mousavi said on his website. "I ask the people to express their solidarity with the families .... by coming together in mosques or taking part in peaceful demonstrations." Reformists detained The announcement of the rallies came as news emerged that two prominent reformists allied to Mousavi had been arrested by the Iranian authorities. Hamid Reza Jalaipour, a sociologist, was arrested at his home on Wednesday morning, Issa Saharkhiz, a colleague, told the AFP news agency. Saeed Laylaz, a political and economic analyst, was also arrested at his home by four officials, a family member said. Jalaipour and Laylaz are also prominent journalists. Iranian police have badly beaten some protesters at the opposition rallies [AFP] Several reformists have been arrested by the Iranian authorities since the protests against the presidential election results began. Foreign media reporters have been banned from covering rallies by those opposed to the result of the vote. With Iranians relying on social networking sites and YouTube to share information, the Revolutionary Guard, an elite military force, warned users on Wednesday that they would face legal action if their uploads "create tension". Alireza Ronaghi, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Tehran, said the move against websites and blogging by the Guard was beyond their remit. "Their move to crack down on websites and blogs is against their constitutional rights, but they see it as things spreading out of hand, so they feel it necessary to intervene at this point," he said. "It is obvious that the Revolutionary Guard does not see itself as a pure military organisation. They been telling the media and activists that the Revolutionary Guard was founded as a political and military foundation of the Islamic Republic, so they see it as appropraite to enter politics whenever they deem fit. Police violence Tens of thousands of pro- and anti-government demonstrators held rival rallies in Tehran on Tuesday, despite calls by Mousaavi to exercise restraint for fear of provoking further clashes. Thousands of people gathered at a government-organised rally in Tehran's central Vali Asr square in support of Ahmadinejad while a similar-sized demonstration was held in the north of the city by those loyal to the opposition. Sadegh Zibakalam, an Iranian political analyst, said that the government had arranged its protest on Tuesday as a response to the opposition movement. "The government doesn't want to appear as being too soft - that's why they called this rally today and asked its supporters to come to the square where Mousavi's supporters had decided to gather," he told Al Jazeera. "By arranging these crowds, the government is making two points. It wants to demonstrate that it is firm in dealing with this crisis, [and] on the other hand they have been called [on] by the pro-government crowd to crack down." The rallies came just hours after the Guardian Council, Iran's most senior legislative body, said it could order a partial vote recount, provided it finds irregularities. The council ruled out annulling the disputed poll, the key demand of the opposition.

Venezuela bans Coke Zero, cites "danger to health"

Thursday 11 June 2009

CARACAS (Reuters) – The Venezuelan government of U.S.-critic President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday ordered Coca-Cola Co to withdraw its Coke Zero beverage from the South American nation, citing unspecified dangers to health.

The decision follows a wave of nationalizations and increased scrutiny of businesses in South America's top oil exporter.

Health Minister Jesus Mantilla said the zero-calorie Coke Zero should no longer be sold and stocks of the drink removed from store shelves while the government investigated its ingredients.

"The product should be withdrawn from circulation to preserve the health of Venezuelans," the minister said in comments reported by the government's news agency.

Coca Cola said Coke Zero contains no harmful ingredients, but that it will stop production and remove the product from shelves during the ongoing investigation.

"Coca Cola Zero is made under the highest quality standards around the world and meets the sanitary requirements demanded by the laws of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela," the company said in a joint statement with its local bottling company.

Despite Chavez's anti-capitalist policies and rhetoric against consumerism, oil-exporting Venezuela remains one of Latin America's most Americanized cultures, with U.S. fast-food chains, shopping malls and baseball all highly popular.

Mantilla did not say what health risks Coke Zero, which contains artificial sweeteners, posed to the population.

Coke Zero was launched in Venezuela in April and Coca-Cola Femsa, the Mexico-based company that bottles Coke products locally, said at the time it aimed to increase its market share for low calorie drinks by 200 percent.

The bottler was plagued with labor problems last year in Venezuela when former workers repeatedly blocked its plants, demanding back-pay.

The government this year has seized a rice mill and pasta factory belonging to U.S. food giant Cargill and has threatened action against U.S. drug company Pfizer.

Chavez has also nationalized a group of oil service companies, including projects belonging to Williams Companies and Exterran.

Gitmo inmate pleads not guilty

Wednesday 10 June 2009

NEW YORK: Under heavy guard, a Guantanamo Bay detainee walked into a civilian U.S. courtroom for the first time Tuesday, underscoring the Obama administration's determination to close the Cuban prison and hold trials here despite Republican alarms about bringing terror suspects to America.
Ahmed Ghailani, a Tanzanian accused in two American Embassy bombings a decade ago, pleaded not guilty in English in a brief but historic federal court hearing that transported him from open-ended military detention to the civilian criminal justice system.
President Barack Obama has said keeping Ghailani from coming to the United States "would prevent his trial and conviction." Taking a drastically different stance, House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio labeled Tuesday's move "the first step in the Democrats' plan to import terrorists into America."
Ghailani, accused of being a bomb-maker, document forger and aide to Osama bin Laden, was brought to New York to await trial in connection with al-Qaida bombings that killed 224 people including 12 Americans at the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998.
U.S. marshals took custody of Ghailani from his military jailers and transferred him to a federal lockup in lower Manhattan that currently holds financial swindler Bernard Madoff, and once held mob scion John "Junior" Gotti and blind terror leader Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman.
Short and slim with a wispy goatee, Ghailani walked into the courtroom without shackles or handcuffs, wearing a blue jail smock.
He listened at times through an interpreter but then removed the headphones and appeared to understand what was said in English.
Asked by the judge if he wanted her to "read this big fat indictment," he conferred with his lawyer, said it was not necessary and made his plea: "not guilty."
About 10 deputy marshals were in the courtroom, including two who were behind him.
Ghailani's attorney, Scott L. Fenstermaker, declined comment after the hearing.
"We are ready to proceed in the case," declared Assistant U.S. Attorney David Raskin, who said there was "voluminous" evidence to be shared among attorneys.
U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska acknowledged Ghailani's U.S. military lawyers, Marine Col. Jeffrey Colwell and Air Force Maj. Richard Reiter, who were seated in the courtroom but were not representing him at the hearing.
"Anything you can do to help him transition to the civilian courts will be greatly appreciated," she said.
Ghailani's trial will be an important test case for Obama's plan to close the detention center at Guantanamo in seven months and bring some of the terror suspects there to trial.
Attorney General Eric Holder said, "The Justice Department has a long history of securely detaining and successfully prosecuting terror suspects through the criminal justice system, and we will bring that experience to bear in seeking justice in this case."
Though the bombings were a decade ago, "for us, it's like yesterday," said Sue Bartley, a Washington-area resident who lost her husband, Julian Leotis Bartley Sr., then U.S. consul general to Kenya, and her son, Julian "Jay" Bartley Jr.
"The embassy bombings were a precursor to 9/11. And even though we know that an American embassy located in any country is American soil, I don't think people really understand that," she said.
The U.S. response to the 2001 terror attacks including the opening of the Guantanamo detention center could also complicate Ghailani's case, as defense lawyers are likely to mount legal challenges based on the circumstances of his capture, detention and treatment over the years.
Justice Department officials would not say Tuesday what would be done with Ghailani if he were acquitted, but in past cases a non-citizen defendant would be turned over to immigration authorities for deportation.
There will also be political challenges to Ghailani's trial.
Congressional Republicans have repeatedly contended that transferring terrorist suspects to U.S. soil will threaten public safety. The Guantanamo issue has seemed one of the few issues falling the Republicans' way, as polls suggest that most Americans want to keep the Cuba-based prison operating.
But if Ghailani can be handled without serious incident in New York and elsewhere, the GOP argument may lose steam and Congress may rethink its refusal to fund the closing of Guantanamo. The move also could bolster Obama's efforts to persuade other nations to accept some detainees from the prison.
U.S. officials contend Ghailani began a terrorist career on a bicycle delivering bomb parts and rose through the al-Qaida ranks to become an aide to bin Laden.
After the Aug. 7, 1998, bombings at U.S. embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Ghailani worked his way up the al-Qaida ranks, according to military prosecutors.
He was categorized as a high-value detainee by U.S. authorities after he was captured in Pakistan in 2004, and he was transferred to the detention center at the U.S. naval base in Cuba two years later.
Ghailani has denied knowing that the TNT and oxygen tanks he delivered would be used to make a bomb. He also has denied buying a vehicle used in one of the attacks, saying he could not drive.
Not only Republican lawmakers have opposed bringing Guantanamo detainees to the U.S. for trial, even in heavily guarded settings. Obama faces pressure from across the political spectrum over his plan to close the detention center. Democrats have said they want to see Obama's plan for closing the base before approving money to finance it, and Republicans are fighting to keep Guantanamo open.
The decision to try Ghailani in New York also revives a long-dormant case charging bin Laden and other top al-Qaida leadership with plotting the embassy attacks, which led then-President Bill Clinton to launch cruise missile attacks two weeks later on bin Laden's Afghan camps.
Four other men have been tried and convicted in the New York courthouse for their roles in the embassy attacks. All were sentenced to life in prison.

Nepal three steps up in FIFA ranking

Friday 5 June 2009

Nepal has moved three steps up in the FIFA World Ranking for the month of June. Nepal was in 173rd position in previous month.

Nepal received 75 points to move up to 170th position. After playing satisfactory games in the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers, Nepal had moved to 169th position earlier in April.

Pakistan stood firmly in 167th position. Sri Lanka is in 161st position and India leads the South Asian region in 147th position. Maldives is in 149th position. Bhutan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are below Nepal’s ranking.
nepalnews.com June 05 09

Fun Time

गजल

कहिले दिन्छ पूरै मस्ती यही प्यारले
कहिले उठाउँछ बस्ती यही प्यारले

जब एक्लो थिएँ म, आजजस्तो हुन्न थिएँ
प्युन लायो जबर्जस्ती यही प्यारले

भोलि कति बेइमान होला भन्न सकिँदैन
सक्दो गुन लाउँथ्यो अस्ति यही प्यारले

ऊ मानिन जसै गर्दा पनि मेरी हुनलाई
जिउँदै मार्‍यो एउटा हस्ती यही प्यारले ।

Fun Time

Wednesday 3 June 2009

I

Boss: Where were you born?
Sardar: India ..
Boss: which part?
Sardar: What 'which part'? Whole body was born in India .
II

2 sardar were fixing a bomb in a car.
Sardar 1: What would you do if the bomb explodes while fixing.
Sardar 2: Dont worry, I have one more.
III

Sardar: What is the name of your car?
Lady: I forgot the name, but is starts with 'T'.
Sardar: Oh, what a strange car, starts with Tea. All cars that I know start with petrol.
IV

Sardar joined new job. 1st day he worked till late evening on the
computer. Boss was happy and asked what you did till evening.
Sardar: Keyboard alphabets were not in order, so I made it alright.
V

Museum Administrator: That's a 500-year-old statue u've broken.
Sardar: Thanks God! I thought it was a new one.
VI

At the scene of an accident a man was crying: O God! I have lost my hand, oh!
Sardar: Control yourself. Don't cry. See that man. He has lost his
head. Is he crying?

VII

Sardar: U cheated me.
Shopkeeper: No, I sold a good radio to u.
Sardar: Radio label shows Made in Japan but radio says this is 'All India Radio! '
VIII

NOW THE LAST TWO ULTIMATE:
In an interview, Interviewer: How does an electric motor run?
Sardar: Dhhuuuurrrrrrrrrr. .....
Inteviewer shouts: Stop it.
Sardar: Dhhuurrrr dhup dhup dhup....

VIII

Tourist: Whose skeleton is that?
Sardar: An old king's skeleton.
Tourist: Who's that smaller skeleton next to it?
Sardar: That was same king's skeleton when he was a child.

Wreckage seen in search area for missing plane

Tuesday 2 June 2009

Searchers looking for a missing Air France jetliner spotted wreckage Tuesday in the Atlantic Ocean that may have come from the plane, Brazilian aviation officials said Tuesday.

The Airbus 330 went missing over the Atlantic early Monday on the way from Brazil to France.

An airplane seat, orange life vest, small white fragments and signs of oil and kerosene were found 700 kilometers (434 miles) northeast of the Fernando de Noronha archipelago, said Brazilian Air Force spokesman Jorge Amaral. The search will continue, Amaral said.

He said there is not enough material to officially say this is the wreckage from Flight 447, which disappeared early Monday with 228 people onboard.

The debris was found 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the plane's flight path, another Brazilian Air Force official said.

The Airbus A330 encountered heavy turbulence early Monday, about three hours after it left Rio de Janeiro for Paris on an 11-hour flight, according to Air France CEO Pierre-Henri Gourgeon.

Fernando de Noronha is an archipelago of 21 islands around 354 kilometers (220 miles) off the northeast coast of Brazil. It lies in what could be the flight path between Rio de Janeiro and Paris.

A search was also conducted in waters off the African nation of Senegal, where a crew from the Brazilian airline TAM said they saw "shiny spots" in the sea along the route of Flight 447.

Senegal is northeast of Fernando de Noronha and near what would have been the plane's presumed flight path.

The plane carried 216 passengers -- 126 men, 82 women, seven children and a baby -- and 12 crew members, Air France said. Of the crew, 11 were French and one was Brazilian.