Anna in ‘danger zone’, may need to be hospitalized in 24-48 hours

Docs Fear Fast May Affect BP, Kidney & HeartNew Delhi: Anna Hazare's health became a serious cause of concern on Monday as his fast entered the seventh day, adding to the worries of the Manmohan Singh government which seems to be groping to find a solution to the standoff over the Lokpal bill. 

    Doctors said the Gandhian was in the "danger zone" and may require urgent hospitalization in the next 24 to 48 hours. Hazare, who used to address the gathering at the Ramlila Maidan twice every day until Sunday, did not speak even once on Monday. He spent most of the time lying down while thousands stepped out to reach the maidan in support of his agitation. Hazare's weight is down to 67 kg from 72 kg—he has lost five kg in seven days-—his blood pressure is 130/80 and pulse rate 90, according to the health bulletin issued by his doctors. 
    The longest he has fasted until now is for 12 days. Anna brigade takes fight to netas' door A nswering Anna Hazare's clarion call, people all over the country are assembling outside homes or offices of their elected MPs to show support for the anti-corruption movement. In Mumbai, while Priya Dutt said she favoured some provisions of the Jan Lokpal like bringing the judiciary under its ambit, Sanjay Nirupam showed his solidarity with Team Anna by wearing a Gandhi topi. P 2 & 11 Muslim clerics slam Imam Bukhari's call There are few takers for Syed Ahmed Bukhari's 
call to Muslims to shun Anna's anti-corruption movement. In Delhi, the All India Ulema Council described the Jama Masjid chief cleric's appeal as his "personal view'' and said corruption affects the weaker sections, including Muslims, the most. In Mumbai, Muslim NGOs and clerics described Bukhari's statement as divisive. P 2 At Maidan, 80,000 celebrate carnival against corruption The 80,000-strong crowd turned the seventh day of Anna Hazare's fast at the Ramlila Maidan into a carnival against corruption. They waved the tricolour, sang patriotic songs and turned a muggy day into a celebration of a vibrant democracy. In fact, police sources at the ground put the figure at more than a lakh. While a group from Lucknow rendered its latest YouTube hit, actor Kabir Bedi, flute player Ronu Majumdar and singer Kailash Kher sent the crowd into a tizzy. P 11 Anna discontinues yoga, advised to speak less 
New Delhi: Cardiologist Dr Naresh Trehan, who is leading the team monitoring Anna Hazare's health, on Monday said, "His condition is not life-threatening is what I can say." But there is a rise in ketone levels — the presence of certain acids and acetone in blood and urine — which means the body is breaking down stored fat instead of the usual glucose. 
    Dr Anoop Misra of Fortis Hospital told TOI, "The patient has already entered the danger zone. He will need medical attention within the next 24-48 hours. The fast may affect the heart, kidney and blood pressure depending on how fast Anna's ketone level rises." 
    While Hazare does not yet require hospitalization, his failing health complicates the Centre's political risk as any mishap will prove catastrophic for the Manmohan Singh government. But removing the fasting leader for forced-feeding from the Ramlila Maidan or administering drips there is a fraught job, not the least because of the 24x7 media coverage of the protest. Increased ketone levels are caused by fasting or starvation when the body is deprived of carbohydrates. Persistent high levels after a prolonged hunger strike can harm kidney function. Despite increased water intake, the 74-year-old Gandhian's health condition is deteriorating and he is very weak. He has discontinued morning yoga and has been advised to speak less. 
    Sources said if Hazare's condition was not rectified, he might need to be hospitalized soon to administer insulin intravenously. Hazare has earlier declared that if the government tries to force-feed him or admit him to a hospital against his wishes, he would give up water intake as well. 
One-hour toilette before stage routine 
New Delhi: He's the public face of a mass campaign, but few know that at heart, Anna Hazare is a private man. Every day, after the curtain comes down at Ramlila Maidan around 10pm, Anna retires to a makeshift room backstage, where he remains away from public eye for at least 11 hours. Back in Ralegan Siddhi, his reclusive nature is well-known. His confidants say Anna uses this time to rest and focus his thoughts. He devotes two hours every morning to writing. But before that, he, surprisingly, spends the better part of an hour on his toilette, says a Tihar jail official. "Anna is very particular about getting ready... Given his army background, he wants a spic-and-span dhoti in the morning, and even shaving is a must." How does he reconcile his nature with his very public role? "He likes privacy but is aware of his immense popularity and is humbled by it," an aide said. TNN 
How long can Anna fast? 
High ketone level is dangerous. Ketones are acidic compounds produced when the body burns fat or energy. It can cause complications in functioning of kidney and heart and in brain consciousness. Doctors say Anna might require immediate hospitalization if ketone level keeps rising 
During fast, body gets energy from | Stored glycogen in liver, protein in body tissues, stored fat 
Effects on hormonal system | Insulin levels drop as body ceases to ingest carbohydrates 
Risks associated with fasting | Prolonged fast can cause renal and heart failure

Thousands flee their homes and flights are grounded as Chilean volcano sends plumes of ash showering down

 

The Chilean volcano which erupted on Monday has sent a towering plume of ash across South America, forcing thousands from their homes, grounding airline flights in southern Argentina and coating ski resorts with a gritty layer of dust instead of snow.


Booming explosions echoed across the Andes as toxic gases belched up from a three-mile-long fissure in the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic complex - a ridge between two craters just west of the Chilean-Argentine border that began erupting Saturday.


Winds blew a six-mile high cloud of ash all the way to the Atlantic Ocean and even into southern Buenos Aires province, hundreds of miles to the north-east.



Raining ash: The plume above the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano chain threw ash up to six miles into the sky

Engulfed in ash: A policeman walks between rocks and ash near the volcano site in southern Chile


Authorities in Chile went house to house, trying to persuade stragglers near the volcano to evacuate because of an increasing danger of toxic gas and flash floods.


Winds fanned the ash toward neighbouring Argentina, darkening the sky in the ski resort city of San Carlos de Bariloche, in the centre of the country, and its airport has also been closed.


The eruption in the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic chain, about 575 miles south of the capital, Santiago, also prompted authorities to close a busy border crossing into Argentina.


It was not immediately clear which of the chain's four volcanoes had erupted because of ash cover and weather conditions. The chain last saw a major eruption in 1960.



Grounded: An aircraft belonging to Austral with ash on it from Chile's Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano chain remains stranded on the tarmac

of the sky resort San Carlos de Bariloche in Argentina's Patagonia.

Covering: This road near the volcano site was left completely coated in pumice rocks from thePuyehue-Cordon Caulle chain volcano.

Massive: An example of a pumice rock from Chile's Puyehue-Cordon Caulle chain volcano is displayed Local media said the smell of sulphur hung in the air and there was constant seismic activity. 'The Cordon Caulle (volcanic range) has entered an eruptive process, with an explosion resulting in a 10-kilometre-high gas column,' the state emergency office ONEMI said. As a precaution, the government said it was evacuating 3,500 people from the surrounding area.
This development is the latest volcanic activity to affect the country. Three years ago, Chile'sChaiten volcano erupted spectacularly for the first time in thousands of years, spewing molten rock and a vast cloud of ash that reached the stratosphere and was visible from space. It also drifted over neighbouring Argentina, coating towns. Chile's Llaima volcano, one of South America's most active, also erupted that year and again in 2009.
Chile's chain of about 2,000 volcanoes is the world's second largest after Indonesia. Some 50 to 60 are on record as having erupted, and 500 are potentially active.

Winter come early: In scenes more reminiscent of a snow storm, residents walk through an ash covered street in the resort San Carlos de Bariloche in Argentina.

Spectacular: A time-lapse photo shows lightning bolts striking around the Puyehue-Cordon Caullevolcanic chain.

As a precaution, the government said it was evacuating 3,500 people from the surrounding area.

An extraordinary cloud formation is created by the ash rising several miles into the atmosphere. It was the latest in a series of volcanic eruptions in Chile in recent years.



Chile's Chaiten volcano erupted spectacularly in 2008 for the first time in thousands of years, spewing molten rock and a vast cloud of ash that reached the stratosphere.


The ash also swelled a nearby river and ravaged a nearby town of the same name.


The ash cloud from Chaiten coated towns in Argentina and was visible from space. Chile's Llaimavolcano, one of South America's most active, erupted in 2008 and 2009.


Chile's chain of about 2,000 volcanoes is the world's second largest after Indonesia. Some 50 to 60 are on record as having erupted, and 500 are potentially active.






Above cloud level the plume looks like a nuclear bomb has just exploded with its mushroom cloud bursting towards the skies.

A woman wipes a thick layer of volcanic ash away from the windscreen of her car.

Headlights on, a car creeps through a street covered in ash. One could be forgiven for thinking this was a wintry scene covered in snow.

Caught in the sunlight: Beautiful but deadly, the cloud turns fiery red in the sunshine as the eruption continues to belch ash skyward.

Smiling lightning: As molten rock and gases are ejected from the core of the volcano below, what appears to be a 'have a nice day' face is formed from the electrically charged air.

Protection: Carrying bottles of water and soft drinks this man wears a gas mask to avoid breathing in ash.

As darkness falls the centre of this Argentinian town looks like it could be a wintry wonderland in the Austrian mountains.