Boy with massive tumour growing from his neck

A nine-year-old boy with a massive tumor was whisked from a dangerous neighborhood in Mexico in an armored vehicle by U.S. federal agents and taken across the border for treatment in New Mexico, his family said.

The boy and his parents were snatched on Thursday from the gang-infested neighborhood in Ciudad Juarez — one of the deadliest cities in the world — after members of a New Mexico Baptist church saw him near an orphanage and sought help.

The parents of the child, identified by officials only as Jose to protect his family, said the tumor on his shoulder and neck has grown so large that it affects his eyesight and could move into his heart.

With no money for medical care, the family sought treatment in Juarez and El Paso, but did not receive any help removing the tumor, which has afflicted Jose since birth.

Si Budagher, pastor of First Baptist Church of Rio Rancho, New Mexico, said the church members spotted the boy while doing missionary work and felt compelled to do something to help him.

Church members only recently resumed missionary work in the border city after suspending visits there due to the deadly violence between competing drug cartels. The violence has claimed thousands of lives.

Denise Gutierrez, a victim assistance coordinator for Homeland Security Investigations, said she felt compelled to help as soon as she saw photos of Jose.

Gutierrez said the boy and his parents were granted a 45-day humanitarian visa for treatment in New Mexico, and a coalition of U.S. federal agencies began working to get them into the United States.

The U.S. Border Patrol helped the family enter the country.

Budagher said the church has set up a fund for private donations and is helping with the cost of the family's stay in the U.S. The church is also seeking help from doctors to examine Jose.

It's still unclear, however, what treatment is needed or if he'll need to return for follow-up visits.

Beautiful PINK lake in real life will give you a big WOW

No photo-shopping here folks...that water is pink! It's Lake Retba, aka Lac Rose, in the Cap Vert peninsula of Senegal. The pink is caused by a harmless Dunaliella salina halophile algae. The color is especially vibrant during the dry season. It also has a super-high salt content, 1.5 times higher than the Dead Sea.

Kumbakonam filter coffee in London!

In a land where you wake up to English tea and remember to eat burger on the move, who cares for a filter coffee? Well, the Tamil community of London does! For an English person to get a feel of the Tamil culture and to enjoy authentic Tamil food, one need not travel all the way to Tamil Nadu! London's East Ham is comparable to Ranganathan Street of T Nagar in Chennai where a dozen of restaurants are located with English and Tamil sign boards. The Taste of India restaurant is a 'must to visit' place if you wish to rejuvenate yourself with a typical filter coffee. This restaurant has a branch in Kumbakonam, London and Paris. To an Indian, East Ham is a heaven to enjoy Tamil cusines. At the same time, get ready to brush up your Tamil skills as to your surprise, in the heart of England, the business transaction in this area takes place typically in Tamil! To all Tamil tourists, East Ham in London is a home away from Tamil Nadu.

Many People Death in Bangladesh after Heavy Rain

At least 70 people have been killed and about 200,000 stranded due to landslides and floods in southeast Bangladesh after three days of some of the heaviest rains in the country, officials said.

The army has been deployed to help with search and rescue efforts in the affected hill region of Chittagong, south of the country, said the region's chief administrator, Sirajul Haq Khan on Wednesday, who warned that the toll could rise.

At least 15 people were killed in and around the southeastern port city of Chittagong, while 30 died in Bandarban in an area known as the Chittagong Hill Tracts. A further 24 died in the coastal district of Cox's Bazar near the Myanmar border, officials and police said.

"We are having the worst rainfall in many years," said Jainul Bari, district commissioner for Cox's Bazar.

Chittagong port received 40 centimeters of rain in a single 12-hour period on Tuesday.

In Sylhet, north east of the country, houses stood up to one metre under water, leaving residents scrambling to reach higher ground. Three children were reported killed in the area.

According to the state Disaster Management Information Centre, 150,000 people had been marooned by the floods in the southeast while 50,000 in Sylhet were affected by flash floods. Weather officials said more heavy rain was expected over the next few days.

Flights in and out of Chittagong's Shah Amanat International Airport have been suspended since Tuesday afternoon.

Train links between Chittagong and the rest of the country were also severed after a railway bridge collapsed.

Suicide blast near Afghan University

A suicide blast near a university in southern Afghanistan has killed at least seven civilians and left another 23 wounded, according to officials.

The attack happened in Kandahar city in front of Kandahar University, around two kilometers from the former compound of Taliban leader Mullah Omar, which is now used as a base by US special forces, provincial police chief General Abdul Razaq told AFP news agency on Monday.

"A suicide bomber in a car packed with explosives hit a civilian mini-bus while crossing the street, as a result of

the blast seven people were martyred, 23 others were wounded -- eight of them in a critical condition," said Raziq.

The provincial governor's spokesman Jawed Faisal confirmed the death toll and said most of the victims were Afghans working at the US base.

In a statement on twitter, the provincial governor's office said students at the university were on vacation at the time of the "cowardly attack".

The target of the blast is not known, but high-ranking government officials study at the university in the evenings.

Attacks in Kandahar, considered to be the birthplace of the Taliban, have been increasing recently.

The attack comes a day after a gunman wearing an Afghan police uniform killed three British soldiers in Helmand province.

The UK defence ministry has confirmed that all three NATO soldiers at the checkpoint were British.

The attacker was arrested after the incident.

'Vanakkam' London 2012

London, the English capital and the host of Olympic 2012, begins with 'Vanakkam'! In an advertisement to represent and celebrate London's diverse ethnicity, it has touched the hearts of over a million Tamils most of whom are of Eezham origin. On the contrary, India insists on 'Namaste'. Ilayaraja's music and the performance of a British Tamil M.I.A in the opening ceremony is considered as a great honour by the Tamil community world over. The world criticises the UK for asserting the English and British identity, but one fails to notice the subtle gestures by the same society that recognises, values and celebrates the presence of numerous languages and cultures in the UK particularly in England. It is estimated that over 300 languages are spoken in London. On this august occasion, the British society chose to begin with the Tamil word 'Vanakkam' which indeed is an honour and proves that it distinctly recognises the Tamil identity because the next word uttered by a young girl is 'Namaste'!

Tamil genocide and potential future Indian President

It is hard to deny that the Sri Lanka Government recieved the Indian Government's assistance during the last stages of the war. The DMK and Congress have earned a dubious reputation in Tamil Nadu particularly after the self proclaimed victory over LTTE by the Sri Lankan Government. Today, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee is at the mercy of the Tamil people to get to one of the most respected position in any country. If we were to request an impartial investigation into the alleged war crimes of Sri Lanka, the Indian Government must also be included in the list as the Indian Government also bears blood in its hand. Its a shame that leaders with dubious reputation are allowed to contest for the highest position of the country and the concern is that the sanctity of the President's post would be lost. The Tamil society which claims to have a high self-respect and concern for its kith and kin must ensure that only clean politicians are allowed to contest in any election at any level. One can never forget the Tamil genocide in Sri Lanka and at the same time, people who were in responsible position during that stage must be punished by the people. Although Mr. Mukherjee is hopeful to get support from his Tamil counterpart, it will be a National shame if they extend their support, for the sins of the Union Government is unpardonable.

The Royal Tamil 2012

The Royal Tamil 2012
Promoting Tamil pride

'Autonomy for Tamil Nadu'

Tamil Nadu or Tamil country, as the name implies is the most urbanised state in the country. In a federal set up, every state does have autonomy to certain extent however, the state is dependent on the Union Government on its decision for various issues to a great extent. As the second largest economy of the country, Tamil Nadu today struggles to settle disputes - be it TN fishermen, Eezham Tamils, Mullaiperiyar, Hindi imposition or Cauvery water- to protect the Tamils interest. Is not time for the Tamils to have an autonomous state to fulfill their aspirations and at the same time retain the Indian tag?

Autonomy may be defined as:

1. (of a country or region) The right or condition of self-government.
2. A self-governing country or region.

In not more than 3000 words, tell us if this objective is feasible, and if the answer is yes, then how it could be realised, its pros and cons and the role that Tamils ought to play to accomplish this mission.

Hints to help you:
1. You could use any country's example.
2. You could conduct a session to educate your fellow citizens and use their feedback as an evidence in support of your argument.
3. You could also think of conducting a random poll in support of your essay.
4. Any other work that you think would be helpful not just for this competition but to the Tamil society in order to accomplish the task.

We will be judging you on:
1. Creativity
2. The depth of research and evidence to prove the same
3. Originality
4. Presentation
5. Ability to provide unbiased view

Two best essays would be awarded and honoured. Remember that your work must be original and they would be registered with the UKCS (United Kingdom Copyright Services)

Who can participate?
Anyone who is over the age of 18. We will treat all applicants equally.

Registration and queries
Please e-mail us at news@tamilswave.com for any questions you may have or to request a registration form. We strongly recommend you to do this as soon as possible.

Important dates
Registration deadline : July 10 2012 1800 GMT, 2230 Madras Time
Submission of drafts : August 24 2012 2359 GMT, 0429 Madras Time
You will then recieve feedback on your work (if it doesnt meet the expected standard). This is to help you progress to the next stage.
Submission of final essay: September 21 2012 2359 GMT, 0429 Madras Time
Declaration of results: November 05 2012

Award ceremony titled 'Royal Tamil Mega Maalai' is being planned. Please watch this space for further updates.

Venue: Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Date and Time: To be advised

Please note that the editor's decision would be final and binding.

** We wish you good luck with your application! Please watch this section to check for updates**

PDK warns: Hindi will be defaced across TN

The destination board in Hindi in a Coimbatore bus is perhaps a move to please the North Indian community of Coimbatore. If you carefully look at the picture, Podanur and Ukkadam are in Hindi and English and not in Tamil. Are Hindi speaking Indians any different to Sinhala speaking Sri Lankans in terms of imposition of Hindi? While it may appeal a Hindi speaking Indian, it is unfair to Non Tamil linguistic groups living in the city particularly Malayalees, Kerala being close to Coimbatore. Tamil Nadu must resort to either Tamil only sign boards or bilingual (Tamil and English) sign boards. This initiative of a private bus company was protested by the members of Periyar Dravida Kazhagam. The party warned that if the Government failed to issue notice to the owner of the private bus compay, it would deface Hindi signs across.

The Jaffna library

The public library was a repository of archival material written in palm leaf manuscripts , original copies of regionally important historic documents in the contested political history of Sri Lanka, newspapers published hundreds of years ago in the Jaffna region. The Jaffna library was burnt by an oraganised mob of Sinhalese origin in 1981. At the time of burning, it was one of the biggest libraries in Asia.

Weather updates 28 June 2012

London : Max. 25 Min. 13
Edinburgh : Max.21 Min.14
Cardiff : Max.19 Min. 14
Chennai : Max.36 Min.28
Madurai : Max.36 Min.27
Coimbatore: Max.30 Min.22
Trichy : Max.37 Min.26
Jaffna : Max.31 Min.28
Trincomalee: Max.33 Min.25
Singapore : Max.33 Min.26

Tamil girl holds banner to the visiting Indian Prime Minister in Myanmar. Asks for justice.

Tamil girl holds banner to the visiting Indian Prime Minister in Myanmar. Asks for justice.

Saratha Muthuraamalingam who is a Tamil descendant in Burma decided to hold a banner on the route of visiting Indian Prime Minister in Burma . On behalf of Burma (Myanmar) Tamils , Saratha appealed to the Indian Prime Minister that ,

1. Separate Tamil Eelam is the only solution for the ailing Tamils in the island ,

2. War criminals of Sri Lanka must be punished .

3. Rajiv Assasination convicts Perarivaalan, Murugan, Santhan, Nalini who have already undergone 20 years of imprisonment must be released. These people are not directly connected with Rajiv's murder These were the appeals from the Tamils of Burma the message stated.

Of course world Tamils are also wishing the same.