Friday, June 12, 2009

KARNATAKA POLICE CLUELESS ABOUT MISSING SCIENTIST


BANGALORE: Police Friday admitted that they hadn't made any progress in the operation that was launched a day before to find a missing senior scientific officer of the state-run Kaiga atomic plant in coastal Karnataka.

"We're yet to get any credible clue to track the missing scientist. The operation is on and hopefully we'll soon make some positive progress in our operation," Uttara Kannada District Superintendent of Police Raman Gupta said on phone from Kaiga, about 500 km from here.

L. Mahalingam, 47, a senior scientific officer working with Kaiga atomic power plant for the last 10 years, left home Monday morning for a walk but did not return. His wife Vinayakar Sundari lodged a missing complaint with the police on Monday evening.

A special search team was formed on Thursday to find the scientist.

"We're leaving no stone unturned to trace the scientist but the geography of the area is posing as a hindrance in our investigations. It is not easy to find a person in the deep forests," said Gupta.

Kaiga township is surrounded by the 1,000-acre Mallapur forest, where the police is currently carrying on their search operation.

Moreover, due to seasonal heavy rains, police personnel are finding it hard to negotiate a swelling Kali river in the Western Ghats, adjoining the township.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel stationed at the atomic power plant and forest guards are also assisting the police in their combing operations.

The police had already searched for Mahalingam in the 100-acre Kaiga township but failed to trace him.

JYOTI, WORLD'S SMALLEST TEENAGER


Jyoti, who is half the size of her two-year-old nephew, is treated as a celebrity in her home town of Nagpur.
She weights 12lbs - only 9lbs more than her weight at birth - and stands 1ft 11ins tall.
Jyoti, who is set to feature on Channel 4's Bodyshock programme on June 11, dreams of becoming an actress and is believed by many to be the reincarnation of a goddess.
"When I tell people my age they don't believe me," she said, "When I was three I realised that I was different to the rest of the kids.
"I thought that everyone was bigger and I should get bigger too."
She has her own mini grey uniform and school bag and even a tiny desk. But she looks like a doll next to her teenage classmates.
"I am proud of being the smallest girl. I love all the attention I get," she said. "I'm not scared of being small, and I don't regret being small.
"I am sure there are many people in this world who are dwarves like me. I'm just the same as other people. I eat like you, dream like you. I don't feel any different."
Jyoti insists on living as normal a life as possible including going to the local school.
"I used to get stressed and couldn't go out much but now I like going out and speaking to people," she said, "When I first went to school everyone was so big I used to get scared but I'm okay now, I like it. I have a different desk and chair that were made for me. I'm a normal student.
"I would like to be an actress when I grow up. My dream is to do films. Amge has already had a taste of fame in a pop video for Indian star Mika Singh."
Doctors believe Jyoti is a pituitary dwarf but have never been able to pinpoint her condition.

SYMONDS LOSES AUSTRALIA CONTRACT


SYDNEY: The prospects of Andrew Symonds rekindling his international career were dealt another blow on Friday when he was officially stripped of his playing contract for next season.
Symonds was one of 25 elite Australian players offered playing contracts for the 2009-10 season, starting next month, but the offer was revoked after he was sent home from the Twenty20 World Cup in England for disciplinary reasons.

Australia's national selectors announced on Friday that they were offering the contract intended for Symonds to fast bowler Shaun Tait, who was considered unlucky to miss out on the original roster.

"With Cricket Australia now withdrawing its previous contract offer to Andrew Symonds, Shaun Tait has moved into a position where he has been offered a CA contract offer for 2009-10 under the rankings system CA uses to offer contracts to players," Australia's chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said in a statement.

"Shaun at his best is an important part of our One-Day International and Twenty20 make-up and I'm sure he will now seize the opportunity presented to him with this offer of a further Australian contract."

Local media have speculated that Symonds would soon announce his retirement from international cricket and quit Australia to focus on the lucrative Indian Premier League after he was sent home in disgrace for an alcohol-related incident in London.

Symonds has not yet made any decisions about his future but told reporters on his arrival home that he would make an announcement soon.

The 33-year-old has been dogged by off-field problems during his international career and only recently rejoined the team after undergoing counseling for alcohol problems.

Symonds revealed last year that he had started drinking heavily to cope with the pressure of constantly being in the spotlight as a professional sportsman.

Australia officials said the latest incident was relatively minor but they had no alternative other than to send him home because of his long record of ill-discipline.

MINISTER OFFERS 42 CRORES TO TIRUPATI


TIRUPATI: Karnataka tourism minister and Bellary mine baron Gali Janardhan Reddy will probably be better known for something else: with an offering of a diamond-studded crown worth Rs 42 crore, he became the biggest donor to Lord Venkateswara at Tirupati since the Vijayanagara kings 400 years ago.

The 20-kg stunner was a thanksgiving gesture, the minister said. Sources added that 32kg of `aparanji (pure)' gold went into its making, besides 70,000 diamonds weighing 4,000 carats. The 2.5-ft crown has a huge 890-carat emerald from Africa engraved in the centre which alone costs around Rs 10 crore.

The crown will be placed the Lord's idol during Abhishekam seva on Friday morning. It was earlier kept in the Vaibhavotsava Mandapam in Tirumala and special pujas were performed. After a ritual called Sahasra Deepalankara seva, it was taken around on a procession along with the deity, Lord Malayappa Swamy. Around 7pm, the crown was taken inside the sanctum sanctorum.

Keertilal Jewellers of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu took nine months to fashion the crown.

There are no records of more expensive donations to the temple and Gali's donation is considered as the costliest gift offered to the Lord after the Vijayanagara kings in the 16th century. The Vijayanagara kings ruled from Hampi not far from modern day Bellary.

With this offering, the total number of crowns placed with the Lord has gone up to seven. This precious crown has been added to the jewel treasury of Lord which holds over 11 tonnes of gold ornaments and vessels.

``I am in this position only with the blessings of Lord Venkateswara. This is only a small offering to the Lord. I believe in Madhava seva (service to the Lord),'' said Gali, who owns several iron ore mines.
The minister said his Brahmani Steels, once it starts operation, would employ 25,000 people. ``This I consider as manava seva (service to mankind),'' he said. Andhra Pradesh chief minister YSR Reddy's son Jagan has a large stake in Brahmani Steel that is coming up in the Andhra chief minister's home district.