ஒலிம்பிக் போட்டிகளில் 6 தங்கப்பதக்கம் வென்ற ஆஸ்திரேலிய நீச்சல் வீரர் தேர்ப்-க்கு மனஅழுத்த நோய்

கடந்த 2000-த்தில் நடைபெற்ற ஒலிம்பிக் நீச்சல் போட்டிகளில் ஐந்து தங்கப் பதக்கங்களையும், 2004-ல் நடைபெற்ற ஏதென்ஸ் போட்டிகளில் ஒரு தங்கப்பதக்கத்தையும் பெற்று ஆஸ்திரேலியாவின் புகழ் பெற்ற நீச்சல் வீரராக அறியப்பட்டவர் இயான் தோர்ப் (31). காமன்வெல்த் போட்டிகளில் 10 தங்கப்பதக்கங்களையும், 11 உலக சாம்பியன்ஷிப் பதக்கங்களையும் இவர் வென்றுள்ளார். ஆனால் பிரபலமான வாழ்க்கைமுறையும், தொடர்ந்த பயிற்சிகளும் அவரை 2006-ம் ஆண்டிலேயே தனது ஓய்வை அறிவிக்க வைத்தது. அதன்பின்னர் அவர் நகை வடிவமைப்பு மற்றும் தொலைக்காட்சி நிகழ்ச்சிகளில் தனது நேரத்தை செலவிட்டார். 2012-ம் ஆண்டு ஒலிம்பிக் போட்டிகளில் மீண்டும் பங்கு பெற வந்த தோர்ப் தகுதிச் சுற்றிலேயே தோல்வியடைய நேரிட்டது.

அந்த சமயங்களில்தான் அவர் மன அழுத்த நோய்க்கு ஆளானது வெளித்தெரிந்தது. அந்த சமயங்களில் வெளிவந்த அவரது சுயசரிதையில் குடிப்பழக்கத்துடன் தனக்கு நேர்ந்த போராட்டம் குறித்தும் அவர் விவரித்திருந்தார். இந்த நிலையில் சென்ற வாரம் கீழே விழ நேர்ந்ததில் தோள்பட்டையில் அவருக்கு ஒரு அறுவை சிகிச்சை செய்ய நேர்ந்தது. மருத்துவமனையில் அனுமதிக்கப்பட்டிருந்த தோர்ப் மனஅழுத்தத்திற்காகவும், மதுப் பழக்கத்திற்காகவும் கூட சிகிச்சை எடுத்துக் கொள்ளுவதாக செய்திகள் பரவ அவருடைய மேலாளர் அதனை மறுத்திருந்தார்.

மீண்டும் நேற்று அதிகாலை சிட்னி வீதி ஒன்றில் தனது பெற்றோர் வீட்டிற்கு அருகிலேயே தன் நண்பருடைய கார் என்று நினைத்துக்கொண்டு தெருவோரம் நிறுத்தி வைக்கப்பட்டிருந்த கார் ஒன்றினுள் ஏற இயான் தோர்ப் முயற்சித்துக் கொண்டிருந்தார். இதனைக் கவனித்த அக்கம்பக்கத்தினர் காவல்துறைக்குத் தெரிவிக்க அவர்கள் தோர்ப்பை மருத்துவமனையில் கொண்டு சேர்த்துள்ளனர்.

தோள்பட்டை சிகிச்சைக்கான மருந்துகளையும், மன அழுத்தத்திற்கான மருந்துகளையும் தொடர்ந்து சாப்பிட்டுவருவதில் அவர் நிலை தடுமாறி உள்ளார் என்று அவரது தந்தை குறிப்பிட்டார். அங்கிருந்த மருத்துவர்களின் அறிவுரைப்படி தோர்ப் மறுவாழ்வு சிகிச்சைமையத்தில் சேர்க்கப்பட்டுள்ளதாகவும் அவர் விரைவில் பூரண குணம் பெறுவார் என்றும் அவரது தந்தை நம்பிக்கை தெரிவித்தார்.

Cargo Ship Sinks Off Yemen Killing 12 Crew

A cargo ship sank off the coast of Yemen killing all 12 crew, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday.

The ship, which was carrying car tyres and car parts, ran aground on Thursday night but the incident did not come to the attention of Yemeni security until 10 hours later, its statement said.

Heavy winds and high waves prevented the rescue of the Indian sailors.

The ship was owned by a Yemeni and was on its way from the United Arab Emirates to Al Mukalla port in Yemen.

It sank off the coast of Al Shehar town in Yemen’s southeastern Hadramout province, the ministry said. (Reporting by Mohammed Mukhasahf; Writing by Maha El Dahan; Editing by Alison Williams)

12 indian sailors dead as cargo ship sinks off yemen

US doctor walks 10 km in snow to perform brain surgery

Houston:  Where there is a will, there is a way; an old adage was proved by a US surgeon who walked nearly 10 kilometres through snow to perform a life-saving brain surgery.

Dr Zenko Hrynkiw, the only brain surgeon at Trinity Medical Centre in Birmingham, was at a hospital when he was called at a different hospital for an unexpected, life-saving brain surgery.

According to reports, Hrynkiw tried to make the drive, but a sudden snowstorm unfortunately produced a traffic nightmare. He was only able to drive for a few blocks before it became clear that he would not be able to make it behind the wheel.

So, he walked about 10 kilometres to the hospital and then performed the surgery on a patient suffering from a traumatic brain injury.

According to a nurse Steve Davis, Hyrnkiw called up and said: "I'm walking".

On reaching, he spoke to the family of the patient and performed the surgery, Davis said.

"Without the surgery, the patient would have most likely died," hospital sources said.

Despite a light dusting of snow in the south on Tuesday, many cities were dealing with bad road conditions and terrible traffic, with some abandoning their cars on the roads and taking refuge in nearby stores.

Cong names Selja, Sanjay Singh for Rajya Sabha

Union minister Kumari Selja was on Tuesday named Congress nominee for Rajya Sabha elections, putting an end to speculation that former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit could be brought to the Upper House from Haryana.

Congress also nominated Sultanpur MP Sanjay Singh from Assam besides re-nominating Assam PCC chief Bhubaneswar Kalita from the state.

Dikshit was being talked about as a probable candidate from Haryana where several local leaders were also aspirants. Five names were suggested from Haryana.

The former Delhi chief minister was also being talked about as the probable nominee from Himachal Pradesh but there, too the high command brought Viplove Thakur as a candidate.

Sanjay Singh hails from Amethi and holds considerable influence there. Amethi is the constituency of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi while Sonia Gandhi contests from neighbouring Rae Bareli. There was earlier speculation that Singh could join the BJP.

Congress general secretaries Digvijaya Singh and Madhusudan Mistri were among five Congress nominees for Rajya Sabha elections announced yesterday.

From Andhra Pradesh, Congress re-nominated all the three sitting Rajya Sabha MPs, KVP Ramachandra Rao, MA Khan and T Subbarami Reddy. Khan hails from Hyderabad.

The party had on Sunday announced the names of seven candidates, including Motilal Vora, Murli Deora and Ranjib Biswal from Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Odisha respectively. Hussain Dalwai was also re-nominated from Maharashtra.

Other nominees were Haji Abdul Salam from Manipur, and Wansuk Syiem from Meghalaya.

Tuesday is the last date for filing nominations for the February 7 polls and the scrutiny will be held tomorrow. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is January 31.

Maoists abduct five officials in Jharkhand

Suspected Maoists abducted five people in Jharkhand's Giridih district, police said on Saturday.

Three of the victims are members of the Prime Minister Rural Development Fellowship programme.

The abduction took place in Navkania village, around 300 km from Ranchi.

"We have launched an operation to free the abducted people," Kranti Kumar, the superintendent of police of Giridih, told IANS over telephone.

PM meets President Pranab Mukherjee, Arvind Kejriwal's protest features in talks

New Delhi:  As Delhi remains grid-locked by a stand-off between Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Delhi Police, the Prime Minister met President Pranab Mukherjee this evening and briefed him on Mr Kejriwal's sit-in protest, now in its second day.

Sources say the meeting was pre-scheduled to discuss the arrangements for Republic Day.   Mr Kejriwal's sit-in protest, now in its second day, is being held in the heart of the capital in a high-security zone that houses parliament, various ministries and the President's home, Rashtrapati Bhawan.

There is no question of any extreme steps like dismissing the government, sources told NDTV. "He is a Constitutional authority. We can only watch," they said.

The Republic Day parade involves missiles and tanks moving down the main avenue in a proud and patriotic display of India's military might.

The arrangements for those celebrations necessitate a security lock-down of the area that Mr Kejriwal has now turned into his camp. He spent the night in the cold on the road near his Wagon-R and woke up to chilly winds and rain, vowing, "This is not a 10-day protest. It could be infinite if we don't get what we have asked for."

Mr Kejriwal's demands involve what he describes as urgent police reforms. He wants the control of the Delhi Police to be transferred to his government from the Union Home Ministry, a point made by earlier chief ministers of Delhi as well. Mr Kejriwal, 45, also wants five police officers to be suspended immediately for failing to make a series of arrests ordered by his ministers. The police officers concerned have said they did not have warrants.

The Congress anchors the ruling coalition at the Centre. It is also propping up Mr Kejriwal's minority government in Delhi. Sources in the party say the Congress is determined not to withdraw that support because it could confer martyr status on Mr Kejriwal ahead of the national election. Instead, sources say the Congress wants him to stand exposed as a man more suited to leading demonstrations rather than a government.

Sanjay Dutt's parole extended by a month

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, in Mumbai on a month's leave from Pune's Yerwada Jail, has received an extension of his parole for a month. The actor, who was scheduled to return to prison on January 21, had applied for extension citing wife Maanyata's ill-health.

Manyata is reported to be suffering from multiple ailments of the heart and liver and was admitted to Global Hospital in Parel, south-central Mumbai, over a week ago for treatment.

Mr Dutt was previously granted an extension on his last leave from jail in October last year. He was granted two weeks leave on medical grounds on October 1 and an extension of another two weeks on October 14.

Mr Dutt had surrendered in a TADA court in Mumbai in May last year after the Supreme Court delivered a final verdict on the Bollywood actor's part in the bomb blasts that ripped Mumbai apart in 1993. Mr Dutt, who was sentenced to six years in jail in 2007, had his sentence reduced by a year. He had already served 18 months of his sentence and was sent to prison to serve the remaining 42 months left of the five-year jail term he was handed by the Supreme Court.