Bangalore girls make it to Children's Olympics

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August 11, 2013

Childrens_Olympics
Bangalore, Aug 11: They are the Chak De girls in real life. For the first time in 46 years, India will be sending an all-girls under-15 football team to Children's Olympics, to be held in Canada.

A bunch of eight girls from Bangalore will represent the country at the 47th International Children's Games, which is endorsed by International Olympic Committee.

“We have been sending a boys team for the past four years. This is the first time we decided to send an all-girls soccer team. The exposure they will get now will go a long way in preparing them for future competition,” says Elvis Joseph, founder director, Bangalore Schools Sports Foundation.

It has not been long since the team started preparing for the competition. It has been two months since the preparations started. When asked if a two-month preparation is enough for a competition of this stature, Joseph laments the sad state of sports environment in the country.

“We could take out only two months. This itself was difficult as schools have their examinations and all. There is no formal time given to sports,” rues Joseph.

“No training is enough, but we have worked hard for this. Hopefully, we will be able to put up a good show in Canada,” says Keya Viswanathan, one of the participants.

Arjuna Awardee Reeth Abraham, pointed out how schools nowadays do not have a proper playground in place.

“The ideal situation would have been if we could start training the kids an early age. However, there is little time devoted to sports. Their schedule is usually packed with studies, hence there is no time left to play,” she says.

Poor response

Only seven schools in Bangalore came forward to nominate girls from their schools for the competition. “The response was poor. Out of so many schools in Bangalore, only seven came forward. This clearly shows that girls are not encouraged in sports,” says Joseph.

Priyanka Bakshi, one of the members of the girls soccer team says she has not seen many friends of her taking up sports. “Even before the practice started, I knew my teammates as there are only these many girls in Bangalore who take part in sports competition.”

Sponsor withdraws

The team is going to Canada minus their main sponsor. As a result, the team management has to borrow money from other sources to pay for tickets of the players.

“There has been no communication from this sponsor of ours. I have not been given the reasons behind withdrawal of support,' says Joseph.

Joseph says sponsors should come forward to promote sports rather than waiting for players to achieve something before agreeing to sponsor them.

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News Network
December 19,2025

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru CEN police have arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly posting provocative and misleading content on an Instagram page named “mr_a_titude”, targeting the Bajpe police.

Mangaluru Commissioner of Police Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H identified the arrested as Abhishek M, a resident of Katipalla in Mangaluru.

A case has been registered at the Bajpe Police Station under Sections 353(1)(c), 353(2), 56, and 57 read with Section 189 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in connection with the post.

According to police, the accused uploaded a photograph of a hotel on the Instagram page and alleged that accused persons in a murder case under the Bajpe police jurisdiction were being given “royal treatment” by the police, including being served beef meals daily from the hotel.

The post further accused the police of supporting criminals, misusing their authority, and betraying public trust. Police said the content was provocative in nature and aimed at inciting public outrage against the police.

Following the post, a case was registered at the Bajpe police station, and further investigation was transferred to the CEN police station.

Police records indicate that the accused has a criminal history, with multiple cases registered against him, including murder, attempt to murder, assault, and robbery at the Surathkal Police Station, and one case at the Kaup Police Station.

The Commissioner said the accused was traced and arrested using technical evidence.

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News Network
December 7,2025

SHRIMP.jpg

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru police have arrested a 27-year-old NRI on his return from Saudi Arabia in connection with an Instagram post allegedly containing derogatory and provocative remarks about the Hindu religion, officials said on Monday.

The accused, Abdul Khader Nehad, a resident of Ulaibettu in Mangaluru, was working in Saudi Arabia when the post was uploaded, police said.

A suo motu case was registered at the Bajpe police station on October 11 after an allegedly offensive post circulated from the Instagram account ‘team_sdpi_2025’. Police said the content was flagged for being provocative and derogatory in nature.

During the investigation, technical analysis traced the Instagram post to Nehad, who was residing abroad at the time, a senior police officer said. Based on these findings, a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him.

On December 14, Nehad arrived from Saudi Arabia at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, where he was taken into custody on arrival. Police said further investigation is underway.

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