Frog wedding to bring rain to the village

In Patkhal, a remote village in India's Maharashtra state the villagers had organised a lavish wedding banquet. The wedding was held in the earnest hope of bringing the monsoon rains to the drought-stricken district. With five priests chanting scriptures Punavasu, the groom and Pushala, the bride were joined in holy matrimony.

Now you must be wondering what this strange wedding is and how can such a wedding bring in monsoon rain.

In Indian villages there is a belief that frogs' had special powers to know when it is about to rain-making a peculiar croaking sound whenever the heavens about to open.

Hence the bridegroom, Punavasu and the bride Pushala are frogs.

They are joined together in these unusual nuptials by the villagers of Patkhal with the hope of ridding the area of the long-standing drought. The bridal couple were decorated with flowers and smeared with turmeric and an auspicious ointment.

A woman in traditional robes dressed up the amphibians in red cloaks and matching headdresses.

While the priests blessed them a brass band played Bollywood film songs.

After the ritual the bride and the groom were held together by two men as they sealed their vows with a kiss.

The happy couple were then doused in an orange powder and photographed with colourful flowers in front of a single flame.After the ceremony - where prayers are chanted to the rain gods - the newly-weds are set free near a local stream to enjoy their honeymoon.

The entire village appears to be taking part in the special ritual and a number of children seem captivated by the service.

Unable to hear referee's whistle, deaf football team concedes 164 goals

How can you survive in a tournament when you lose 25 out of 26 games and in the process of conceding 164 goals?

This is what happened to Birmingham Deaf FC [BDFC] who ended up at the bottom of the division five in the city's AFA Saturday League. In addition the football team ended the season on minus 6 points.

The team made up of profoundly deaf players have the average age of 22 and its oldest player 30 years. They are a sturdy outfit and only excuse they had for their losses was their deafness. According to the Birmingham Mail the squad couldn't hear the referee's commands - and had claimed that their pleas for flags to be used instead, were ignored.

Club secretary Guy Whieldon, 26, who is also deaf, said: "Most lads feel officials are not geared-up for a deaf team due to communication breakdowns, which cause difficulty.

"The referees are supposed to wave flags while, at the same time, blowing a whistle. "Most referees forget to wave or simply don't want to use a flag." A player from Sutton United, who beat BDFC 10-0 home and away, said that difficulties were apparent from the first whistle.

"The ref would blow for a stoppage and they would continue to play," he said. BDFC, based at Birmingham City University's Moor Lane pitches in Perry Barr, were deducted nine points for failing to turn up for three games. And their showing during the season was so poor, they look set to be relegated two tiers to the league's basement, division seven.

A league official said: "We were told they had three players in the national deaf team, but it soon became apparent they were out of their depth.

The official admitted refereeing with a flag had proved unpopular among officials. "Three or four did it, but it was not something that came naturally," he said.

"They prefer the whistle."

The club, set up in 1921, also competes in the English Deaf Football North League and Cup.

The club secretary refusing to blame the officials for the team's performance, said that they wanted to start in division seven and learn, but the AFA decided to put them in division five. "We played in the Birmingham AFA to raise our standards for deaf fixtures. Currently, I have no idea if we'll continue in the league, that depends on the lads." He said.

Retirement home for elderly dogs

Pets are your companions. In addition to the companionship they protect you and provide physical and emotional strength you badly need. There may be many instances where all sorts of animals, creatures are kept as pets, but primarily dogs are the most animals that many prefer to keep as pets. But we must realise that our pet dogs too can get old and fall into infirmity and need extra care and nursing.

A Japanese pet company has opened a nursing home for elderly dogs, providing round-the-clock veterinary care, a specialist gym and a swimming pool to allow the pampered pets to live their final days in the lap of luxury.

Aeonpet Co., a subsidiary of the Aeon supermarket chain, has opened the first dog retirement home at a shopping mall east of Tokyo, providing an initial intake of 20 dogs with full-time care."We decided to open the nursing facility because so many dog owners have requested something like this," NanakoOiishi, a spokeswoman for the company, told The Telegraph. "Many Japanese people have pets now, but of course they get old and it can be difficult to care for them," she said. As well as a vet on call, the nursing home has a large grooming room and owners are able to stay with their animals as they live out the last of their days in luxury.The president of Aeonpet Akihiro Ogawa said he intends to use the first dog retirement home to home the company's skills and to "establish an industry standard"."We hope to eventually expand operations nationwide," Ogawa said. Already the largest speciality pet company in Japan, with a chain of more than 170 stores and 59 animal hospitals, Ogawa said he intends to expand the network of dog retirement facilities nationwide. Improved living conditions and health services for animals mean that the majority are living far longer than in the past, while new laws that went into effect in Japan last year make it a legal obligation for pet owners to take care of their animals until they die.

(On right) Elderly pet dog being treated at the retirement home