London Olympics mascots unveiled

Organisers of the 2012 London Olympics have unveiled their mascots Wenlock and Mandeville - creatures supposedly fashioned from droplets of steel used to build the stadium.With a metallic finish, a single large eye made out of a camera lens, a London taxi light on their heads and the Olympic rings represented as friendship bracelets on their wrists, they resemble characters dreamed up for a Pixar animation.

The pair is based on a short story by children's author Michael Morpurgo that tells how they were fashioned from droplets of the steel used to build the Olympic stadium.

They will be crucial in raising funds and spreading messages about the games.Wenlock, named after the Shropshire town of Much Wenlock that helped inspire Pierre de Coubertin to launch the modern Olympics, and Mandeville, inspired by the Buckinghamshire town of Stoke Mandeville, where the Paralympics were founded, will become very familiar in the next two years.

The chairman of the London organising committee of the Olympic games (Locog), Lord Coe, said the mascots were aimed squarely at children and designed with the digital age in mind.

The pair was introduced in an animated film that followed their story from the Bolton steelworks where the frame of the Olympic stadium was made. They will become a range of up to 30 cuddly toys, including versions based on celebrities and sports stars, as well as adorning badges, T-shirts, mugs and more.

The organisers hope that Wenlock and Mandeville will rank alongside the more fondly remembered mascots, such as Waldi the dachshund from the 1972 Munich games and Misha the bear from the 1980 Moscow Olympics

Today is World Refugee Day

The United Nations' (UN) World Refugee Day is observed on June 20 each year. This event honours the courage, strength and determination of women, men and children who are forced to flee their homeland under threat of persecution, conflict and violence. In our country too there are many people whop have become Refugees due to the war and natural disasters .

It is a day to recognise the contributions of refugees in their communities. Organisations such as Amnesty International and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) often get involved in various activities for the day. Some communities dedicate an entire week that includes World Refugee Day to encourage people to think about the lives of refugees and the human right to a secure place to that one can see as "home".

For years, many countries and regions have been holding their own events similar to World Refugee Day. One of the most widespread events is Africa Refugee Day, which is celebrated on June 20 in many countries.

The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to express its solidarity with Africa on December 4, 2000. The Assembly therefore decided that June 20 would be celebrated as World Refugee Day from 2001. This year's World Refugee Day has as its theme, "Home," in recognition of the plight of more than 40 million uprooted people around the world.

Fathers too have their special day

Complementing Mother's Day which is celebrated in May on the Second Sunday of the month, Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June in 55 countries and on other days elsewhere.Father's Day is a day honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. It was inaugurated in the early twentieth century to complement Mother's Day .

The first observance of Father's Day is believed to have been held on June 19, 1910 through the efforts of Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington. After listening to a church sermon at Spokane's Central Methodist Episcopal Church in 1909 about the newly recognised Mother's Day, Dodd felt strongly that fatherhood needed recognition, as well.