SWINE FLU: Mexican Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova said late Saturday three
more people had died from the virus, bringing the total number of
people killed to 19. He said another 454 people have been infected.
Earlier Saturday, Cordova and a top health official in the United
States had expressed some hope that the spread the virus was slowing,
even though three new countries confirmed their first cases.
Officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said about one-third
of the confirmed 160 U.S. cases are people who had been to Mexico. The
U.S. death toll from the virus remains at one. The CDC's Dr. Anne
Schuchat (Interim Deputy Director for Science and Public Health Program) cautioned that health officials must remain vigilant.
SWINE FLU SDBR-ASIA: U.S. officials say an Americanbaby isolated after arriving in Tokyo
from the U.S. with a fever has tested negative for swine flu.
Authorities said Sunday the baby had a seasonal flu, not the new strain
of flu that is spreading globally.
Meanwhile, Mexico's government is expressing anger at the treatment of
Mexicans in China over fears of the H1N1 swine flu virus, and has
advised its citizens to avoid traveling to the Asian nation.
Mexican Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa said Saturday China had
taken "unjustified" actions against Mexicans. She said Mexican citizens
who are showing no signs of being ill are being isolated in China.
PAKISTAN: Pakistan has announced the formation of an Islamic appellate court in
the country's northwest as part of a peace deal between security forces
and the Taliban.
The information minister for the North West Frontier Province (Mian Iftikhar Hussain) said the formation of the court (Darul Qaza) in the Malakand division meant the government is close to fulfilling its obligations.
In February, the Pakistani government agreed to impose Islamic law in
the Swat Valley and surrounding areas in exchange for peace with the
militants.
But Pakistan last week launched an offensive after saying Taliban
forces violated their part of the deal that required them to disarm.
AFGHANISTAN: Afghan officials say a bomb blast in the southern part of the country has killed four people, including two children.
The spokesman for the Helmand governor said a bomb attached to a
motorcycle in Gereshk district exploded Sunday. The blast also wounded
seven people, including two police officers.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the country has been suffering from an increased Taliban insurgency.
A top Taliban commander warned last week that militants planned to
unleash a wave of ambushes, suicide attacks and bombings against
international troops.
NEPAL: The Nepalese government has fired the country's army chief, accusing him of disobeying orders.
Nepal's Information Minister (Krishna Bahadur Mahara) said Sunday that General Rookmangud Katawal was relieved from duty during a special Cabinet meeting.
Katawal is accused of ignoring orders to stop recruiting soldiers, and
of reinstating eight generals without government approval.
