Anant Kumar Hegde suspects attempt on life after truck hits his escort vehicle

Bengaluru, Jul 2: As many as 3,363 students from Covid-19 containment zones have appeared for SSLC examinations in different parts of Karnataka till yesterday. On the first day of exam, i.e., on June 25, only 998 students these zones had written the exam.

In the past few days the number of containment zones has increased across the state in general and Bengaluru in particular. In all, 32 students could not appear for the exam as they turned positive.

While on June 25, the number of students who were found unwell during the check up at exam centre was 201, it was 613 on Wednesday. Students who are sick and those from the containment zones take the exam in a different room.

The social science exam on Wednesday saw an attendance percentage of 97.96 (7.68 lakh). This was against 98.78% last year. There were 7.45 lakh fresh candidates, 20,000 private candidates and 593 from outside the state.

Five students in Yadgir district were given question papers based on the old syllabus for maths exam on June 27. Their answerscripts will be evaluated separately and action will be taken against the officials.

Malpractices assisted by schools by switching off CCTV cameras were reported in Ballari and Koppal. “We’ve completed all the core subjects. Now only languages are left. We’ll complete them too in a safe environment,” said S Suresh Kumar, primary and secondary education minister.

Bengaluru, July 15: The family members of a 67-year-old man, who had developed some symptoms of Covid-19, was in for a rude shock when a “reputed” private hospital in Bengaluru’s Whitefield quoted estimated bill of Rs 9.09 lakh for 10 days.

The elderly man was rushed to Columbia Asia Hospital even before receiving his covid-19 test report. But after a look at the estimated bill, the family chose not to admit him there.

The break-up of the estimated bill included Rs 1.40 lakh for ventilator, Rs 3 lakh for medicines, medical supplies and consumables, Rs 2 lakh for laboratory investigations, Rs 75,000 for room rent, Rs 75,000 towards professional fee, Rs 58,500 for nursing charges, Rs 35,000 for radiology investigations and physiotherapy, and Rs 25,000 for equipment and surgical items.

The hospital authorities reportedly told the family members that the actual bill could be higher in the event of complications, unanticipated extension of stay and comorbidities.

“He was tested on Sunday and we were waiting for the result. On Monday, he started gasping for breath. Columbia Asia Hospital told us they had an ICU bed and we rushed him to the emergency care. When they showed us the estimate, we were shocked,” said Abdul Bashir, a nephew of the patient.

“We then contacted Dr Taha Mateen of HBS Hospital through an NGO ‘Mercy Mission’. We got him admitted there for just Rs 25,000,” he said adding that Hospitals should not take advantage when emotions are running high. 

India on Sunday witnessed annual solar eclipse or 'surya grahan' 2020, the third eclipse even for this year after first two lunar eclipses took place in January and June and the last annual solar eclipse of this decade.

The solar eclipse started from around 9 a.m. across the Indian map as the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth came in a straight line, and the country witnessed the 'deepest' annular solar eclipse in over a century.

Astrologers said it a fourth super rare hybrid eclipse which is a mix between an annular and total solar eclipse.

Areas like Hyderabad, Chennai, Bhubaneshwar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Delhi, Patna, Shillong and more witnessed a partial phase of the annular solar eclipse from 9 a.m.

In the eclipse, the distance of the Moon and Earth will be larger than usual which means the moon will not be able to cover up the sun fully and will leave out the borders of the sun - giving an appearance of a "Ring of Fire".

Press Information Bureau in a tweet informed that it is the last annular solar eclipse in India of this decade.

People can catch glimpse of the partially covered sun between 10 a.m. and 2.28 p.m. as per the time differing as locations in India. The eclipse will continue for over three hours covering 84 per cent Sun.

There are three types of solar eclipses - total, partial, and annular.