Next Indian Ocean cyclone to be called Bandu

New Delhi, May 20 (IANS) It might not be known when the next cyclone will hit the northern Indian Ocean, but what is already known is its name - Bandu, an official said Thursday.

Cyclones derive their names through a systematic procedure laid down by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

Cyclone Laila, which developed in the Indian Ocean off the Andhra Pradesh coast creating much havoc in the state, was named by Pakistan. The next to hit countries in the north Indian Ocean region will be called Bandu - a name given by Sri Lanka, and the one after that will be Phet, named by Thailand.

Eight north Indian Ocean countries - Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand - have prepared a list of 64 names.

'We give identity to the cyclones as per the list finalised by the WMO,' M. Mahopatra, director of the cyclone division of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), told IANS.

'The practice of naming storms (tropical cyclones) began years ago to help in their quick identification while issuing warnings because names are presumed to be far easier to remember than numbers or technical terms,' Mahopatra explained.

'When a hurricane hits these countries, the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre (RSMC), housed in the IMD office in New Delhi, picks up the name next on the list. The RSMC has been set up by the WMO for forecasting tropical cyclones in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal,' he said.

The countries take turns in naming the cyclones. The last six were: Nisha (Bangladesh), Bijli (India), Aila (Maldives), Phyan (Myanmar), Ward (Oman) and the most recent being Laila (Pakistan). Local names are used for cyclones to make it convenient for use.

In the 1970s, the WMO in Geneva asked some countries around the Pacific Ocean to prepare a list of names. The decision to name the cyclones in the Indian Ocean was taken at a meeting of WMO/ESCAP in 2000.

Now, Al Qaeda develops 'boob-job bombs' which are impossible to detect

London, Mar. 24 (ANI): Al Qaeda is laying deadly "booby traps" by equipping its female suicide bombers with explosive breast implants that are impossible to be detected at airport security checkpoints, British intelligence agency, MI5, has claimed.

"Women suicide bombers recruited by al-Qaeda are known to have had the explosives inserted in their breasts under techniques similar to breast enhancing surgery," The Sun quoted Terrorist expert Joseph Farah, as saying.

The lethal explosives called PETN are inserted inside plastic shapes during the operation, before the breast is then sewn up, he added.

According to MI5, Al Qaeda doctors have been trained at some of Britain's leading teaching hospitals before returning to their own countries to perform the surgical procedures.

The intelligence agency has also discovered that extremists are inserting the explosives into the buttocks of some male suicide bombers.

Top surgeons have confirmed the feasibility of the explosive implants.

"Properly inserted the implant would be virtually impossible to detect by the usual airport scanning machines," one surgeon said.

"You would need to subject a suspect to a sophisticated X-ray. Given that the explosive would be inserted in a sealed plastic sachet, and would be a small amount, would make it all the more impossible to spot it with the usual body scanner," he added.

A sachet containing as little as five ounces of PETN could blow "a considerable hole" in an airline's skin, causing it to crash, experts say.

Hours after London-educated Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's Christmas Day flight bombing bid, MI5 began to pick up "chatter" emanating from Pakistan and Yemen that alerted MI5 to the creation of the lethal implants, the paper says.

A hand-picked team investigated the threat which was described as "one that can circumvent our defence," it adds. (ANI)

Sachin is more than just a cricketer

Sachin Tendulkar sugar coated the recent reality of India and gave its people something to cheer about. It is not easy to possess the mandate to lift the spirits of such a large nation but he has done that consistently. The comparison with Sir Donald Bradman is not restricted to his batting alone. Like the great man who brought cheer to post war Australia, Tendulkar allowed India to momentarily forget fires and bombs and inflation and terrorist threats.

It was like that with the century after England so graciously agreed to tour after 26/11. It has been like that for a long time. For better or worse cricket is more than a sport in India; Tendulkar is more than just a cricketer. Where our elected representatives callously fritter away the mandate people give them, Tendulkar has stayed true to it.

And he has never forgotten why he started playing the game in the first place. The best have lofty ambitions when they begin but soon commerce, like a tenacious worm, gnaws into them. Fame surrounds them and prevents the fresh air of reason from breaking through. They acquire sycophants, that great curse of success.

Playing the game becomes a means to a seemingly superior but, in reality, a hollower end. Tendulkar has kept those demons at bay. He has made more money than anyone else, acquired greater fame than is imaginable but you could never guess that from the way he plays his cricket. He remains the servant, pursues the game with purity. Through the last decade India have been well served by like minded giants.

And he works as hard as anybody has. Lance Armstrong once said that he wins the Tour de France not when he is cycling down the Champs-Elysees but when he is out in the mountains facing icy winds while others are cozying in their blankets for an extra hour.

Two years ago Tendulkar realised that his future lay in the way his body coped; that eventually his body rather than a bowler would get him. During the first IPL, as he struggled with his groin injury, he admitted that he found continuous rehab very difficult to live with.

Once fit, he was like the child again, able to do what he wanted without worrying about whether his body was accomplice or traitor. And so he trained harder and rested well. You could see the effect as he scampered between wickets. Tendulkar's delightful second wind is the result of what you and I have not seen; hours in the gym and in training.

As a result, Tendulkar's end game is nowhere in sight. He is peeling off centuries like he did in his prime, the old air of predictability is still around; he is grinding his way through when needed, clobbering the ball when required. In this extraordinary long distance race he is running, this looks like a mid-race burst rather than like the finishing kick his age suggests it should be.

So why has no one else scored a double century in limited overs cricket so far? Well, because it is very difficult for a start. Assuming 300 balls you should expect to get no more than 150 which means you need to bat at a strike rate of 133; you should be mentally alert because one casual shot, one moment of disrespect, could be your undoing.

But, let's admit, because the combination of pitches, outfields and boundary ropes has rarely tilted the balance so much in the batsman's favour. At Gwalior, the groundsman told one half of the class they were not wanted; the bowlers were the extras in a movie seeking, at best, a talking part. The stage had been prepared for Tendulkar but he still had to deliver an unforgettable performance.

Inevitably the question will be asked: what next? I know there is only thing he genuinely covets and that is not in his hands. In twelve months Tendulkar hopes to play his sixth and last World Cup.

So far his relationship with the World Cup has been like that of a child who scurries to the rosogulla shop only to find it shut everytime. If he was a golfer seeking a Masters win or a tennis player hoping to win another Grand Slam, he could plan for it but he doesn't hold the key to a win in a team sport. It must happen, he cannot make it happen. But what else? Frankly, I don't care.

Tendulkar's journey is about joy and purity and a landmark is merely a comfort stop.

Harsha Bhogle

The Lord of the Willow...

Prefer to leave it blank, he can't be put into words...but this space dedicated to him...I love you !