Wednesday, October 28, 2009 LONDON: Launching the 10th British Hajj delegation here on Tuesday, the UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband praised the contributions of the Muslim community in the progress and development of the country, pledging dispensation of all possible facilities for British Hajj pilgrims, Geo news reported on Tuesday.He appreciated Islamic values for compassion, equality and empathy and said the role of British Muslims in various fields of British life cannot be overlooked. He spoke of the diversity within the Muslim communities living in the UK and said though they may have come from different Muslim backgrounds, yet they are united by bonds of brotherhood and tolerance and mutual respect as enshrined in the Islamic teachings. Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK Wajid Shamsul Hasan and diplomats from other Muslim countries based in the British capital were also present at the occasion. The Foreign Secretary said the UK has been sending Hajj delegation for a number of years and its medical contingent has done outstanding job in treating pilgrims only from Britain but other countries as well. He further said the French Government taking a cue from the British Government has also decided to send a similar Haj delegation this year. He was hopeful that other European countries where Muslims live in substantial numbers will soon adopt this policy as well. The Saudi Arabian Ambassador in London Prince Mohammad bin Nawaf told the gathering of the massive development that has taken place in the Holy cities of Makkah and Madina to provide maximum facilities to the pilgrims this year. He also spoke of the special measures adopted by the authorities to deal with the cases of swine flu and said some 10,000 medical personnel have been recruited to deal with the possible outbreak of the disease. The Ambassador also noted that ample stockpile of anti-flu viral has been stored to provide immediate relief to any sick pilgrim.He said the Saudi Health Ministry has also prepared a database of all intending pilgrim which would help to facilitate in the treatment of HINI virus should any pilgrim comes down with the disease. The British Hajj delegation will be led by Lord Patel of Blackburn for the 10th year running. He said some 23,000 British Muslims will be traveling to the holy land on November 11 while the medical contingent will comprise 16 members including at least nine doctors. The BHD will be based in Mekkah and will provide clinical services for around three weeks. He said serious illnesses will be referred to Saudhi hospitals which provide free treatment during Hajj.
Friday, August 14, 2009 MUMBAI: A 26-year-old woman died Thursday of H1N1 swine flu in the southern city of Bangalore, raising India's death toll from the virus to 20, authorities said.The death was the first reported in India's information technology capital, the Press Trust of India reported.Meanwhile in Pune, the worst-affected in India, two more victims of the virus died Thursday, raising the death toll in that western city near Mumbai to 12, the report said. The victims were an 11-month-old boy and a 75-year-old old woman.US media reported movie halls, schools and colleges were ordered closed Thursday for three days to a week in Mumbai, the commercial and financial capital of the country, as fear of the pandemic spread.Prajakata Lavangare, a spokeswoman for the government of Maharashtra state of which Mumbai is the capital, said similar orders were issued in Pune, which is also located in the state.The woman who died in Bangalore was identified only as Roopa, a teacher in
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