Coast Guard is undertaking Operation Utsav to provide seaward security and safety cover to people during Ganesh Visarjan days.

The cover was in force during visarjan days on September 6 and 9 and will be in force tomorrow and September 15-16.

Coast Guard Regional Headquarters (West), Worli is deploying Fast Patrol Vessel, Interceptor Boat, Hovercraft and Helicopter on random patrol off Mumbai coast.

This is for being extra vigilant and provide surveillance against seaward threats and assisting civil authorities during Ganpati Visarjan, a CG official said.

The operation forms part of Coast Guard efforts towards realising its motto of ‘We protect’ at Sea, the official said in a statement.PTI

The Reserve Bank of India today fixed the reference rate of the rupee at 66.4483 against the US dollar and 74.7676 for the euro.

These rates were at 66.3618 and 74.6902 respectively, yesterday.

According to an RBI statement, the exchange rates for the pound and the yen against the rupee were quoted at 88.6088 and 65.33 per 100 yens respectively, based on reference rates for the dollar and cross-currency quotes at noon.

The SDR-rupee figure will be based on this rate, the statement added.PTI

Italy today made a fresh plea in the Supreme Court for modification of bail conditions of marine Massimiliano Latorre to enable him remain in Italy till an international tribunal decides on which country has the right to try the case of killing of Indian fishermen.

The apex court agreed to hear on September 20 the plea in which Latorre has sought imposition of same bail conditions that were made applicable to marine Salvatore Girone, his co- accused in killing of two fishermen off Kerala coast in 2012.

A bench comprising Justices A R Dave and L Nageswara Rao decided to hear the plea filed by Italy on behalf of Latorre after a batch of senior lawyers, including K T S Tulsi, mentioned the matter and sought an urgent hearing on the ground that an earlier apex court order in the matter was valid till September 30 this year.

“Modify the bail conditions of chief master sergeant Massimiliano Latorre in the same terms as those prescribed for sergeant major Salvator Girone by this court’s order dated May 26 this year… to enable Latorre to remain in Italy until a final decision by the Annex VIII Arbitral Tribunal on the merits of the case that finds India may exercise jurisdiction over him in respect of the Enrica Lexie incident,” the plea said.

While relaxing Girone’s bail conditions on May 26, the apex court had allowed him to go to his country till the jurisdictional issue between India and Italy was decided in an international arbitral tribunal.

The apex court had imposed four conditions on Girone including that he has to report to police station in Italy on first Wednesday of every month and the Italian authorities have to inform the Indian Embassy in Rome about it.

The second condition was that he will not tamper with any evidence, nor influence any witness in the case.

The third condition was that Girone will give an undertaking that he will remain under the jurisdiction of Supreme Court and lastly, if found violating any of the conditions, his bail will be cancelled, the court had said.

The marines, who were on board ship ‘Enrica Lexie’, are accused of killing two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast on February 15, 2012.

The complaint against the marines was lodged by Freddy, the owner of fishing boat ‘St Antony’, in which the two Indian fishermen were killed when the marines opened fire on them allegedly under the misconception that they were pirates.PTI..

Chikungunya is refusing to let go of its grip on Delhi with patients swamping the hospitals including AIIMS which itself has tested nearly 890 blood test samples positive for the vector-borne disease in the last two months.

Several hospitals in the national capital are reporting increasing cases of chikungunya, including at Safdarjung Hospital where three deaths due to dengue and one due to malaria have taken place this season.

Cases are likely to rise further as the season peaks in September. At AIIMS here, which gets blood test samples from several cities, including from Delhi and neighbouring regions, hundreds of chikungunya samples have been tested positive.

“At our AIIMS laboratories, 885 chikungunya blood test samples have tested positive in the last two months (July- August). Cases are rising and more and more people are getting affected,” Lalit Dar of Department of Microbiology at AIIMS told PTI.

The sudden spike in chikungunya cases in Delhi and other parts of north India, has come nearly ten years after a big outbreak of this mosquito-borne disease across the country.

Besides, the city is also battling spiralling cases of dengue which has claimed at least nine lives in Delhi while two people have also died due to malaria this season.

“At our hospital till September 6, 480 cases of chikungunya and 316 cases of dengue have been reported this year. The numbers are likely to rise with the peak of the season this month,” Medical Superintendent of Safdarjung Hospital A K Rai said.

However, civic bodies have kept the chikungunya cases count at 560 till September 3.

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) which compiles the vector-borne disease cases report on behalf of all civic bodies, has pegged the total number of dengue cases this season at over 770.

The 128 fresh chikungunya cases, reported by the SDMC in the last one week, measures too little compared to the cases being reported at hospitals, on an average close to 200 per week.

Chikungunya is a viral illness and its symptoms are similar to those of dengue, which include high-grade fever, severe joint pain, muscle pain and headache and joint swelling.

It also causes rashes in patients but is not a threat like dengue in which there is a risk of bleeding due to abrupt fall in platelet count.

Meanwhile, cardiologist and IMA President-elect K K Aggarwal has cautioned about chikungunya virus (CHIKV) that can cause CHIKV-associated encephalitis.

“Children younger than one year and adults aged 65 years or older have the highest incidence of CHIKV-associated encephalitis,” he said, while claiming such cases are occurring in Delhi.

Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar gave her blessings to younger sister Asha Bhosle as she turned 82 today.

The 86-year-old veteran singer shared a sweet post on Twitter, wishing Bhosle on her birthday.

“Namaskar. Aaj meri choti behen Asha Bhosle ka Janamdin hai. Main usko shubh aashirwad deti hun. Ishwar usko hamesha khush rakhe (Today is my younger sister Asha Bhosle’s birthday.

I give my blessings to her. May God always keep her happy),” she wrote.

In another post, Mangeshkar shared a video of Bhosle’s track “O Haseena Zulfonwali” from the 1966 film “Teesri Manzil”.

“Asha aur (Mohammad) Rafi sahab ka gaya hua meri pasand ka ye geet aap sabke liye (Sung by Asha and Rafi, That’s my favourite track for all of you),” she wrote.

Actor Rishi Kapoor also wished Bhosle on the micro- blogging site along with a picture of himself from the 1975 film “Rafoo Chakkar” in which he even sang a song.

“Happy Birthday Asha Bhonsle ji. Few know I too have sung in her voice in the film “Rafoo Chakkar”(1975),” he wrote.

Mika posted a clip by captioning it “Happy birthday to the legend and music guru @ashabhosle ji… May you live long blessed life… God bless you.”

Director Madhur Bhandarkar wrote, “Happy birthday to @ashabhosle Tai You continue to inspire generations just like your songs… #Livinglegend.