12th January 2014 by The Morung Express

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The Morung Express

Dimapur VOL. IX ISSUE 10

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www.morungexpress.com

Sunday, January 12, 2014 12 pages Rs. 4

I feel like unforgiveness, bitterness and resentment, it blocks the flow of God’s blessings in life India says no US standoff as diplomat returns home

Hilary Duff separates from husband

Walking the Pilgrim Path [ PAGE 2]

US weighs targeted sanctions against South Sudan

[ PAGE 11]

[ PAGE 8]

[ PAGE 9]

‘I can knock off Nadal, Djokovic’

By Sandemo Ngullie

[ PAGE 12]

Morung Express News Dimapur | January 11

He is terrified of our pastor’s monotonous preaching and he will do anything to avoid it.

NPCC Responds to Home Minister Full text on page 5

Fire at Chumu, two houses razed

Conservation awareness increasing among people

DIMAPUR, JAnUARy 11 (MExn): Nagaland Forest Minister Y. Patton today visited Nagaland Zoological Park and met the Officers and staff of the Park. While appreciating progress of the park, he emphasized the need for more development so that it can also serve as a center for wildlife conservation. In a statement released to the media, the officer-in-charge of the Nagaland Zoological Park stated that the minister acknowledged the increase in level of conservation awareness among the people. It was further informed that the minister also inspected the area where encroachment was removed in August 2013 and assured that the construction of fencing around the evicted area will be taken up immediately by the department.

Cholera kills 71 people

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AbUJA, JAnUARy 11 (IAnS): At least 71 people have died of cholera in Nigeria’s Kano state, an official said. Abdulsalam Nasidi, project director of Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control, said Friday that 2,165 cases had been recorded in the affected areas in the past two months, Xinhua reported. The government has sent a team with drugs to the state to help control the spread of the disease and to combat the outbreak. Cholera is an acute intestinal infection that causes severe vomiting and diarrhoea, which can lead to serious dehydration and prove fatal if not properly treated. Nigeria has suffered several epidemics such as cholera, measles and meningitis over the years.

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–Ja Rule

Corruption, a loss of value system—I

reflections

DIMAPUR, JAnUARy 11 (MExn): A major fire incident was averted at Chumukedima on January 11. The fire, which started around noon at Chumukedima Ward – III, completely gutted two houses. According to firemen, who rushed to the scene, flames razed two thatched residential structures and were threatening to engulf other dwellings in the vicinity. The situation worsened when an LPG cylinder burst, a fireman said. But the flames were brought under control before it could spread, it was added. The cause of fire could not be ascertained, while no injury to life was reported.

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Wrestlers from Kohima Village participate on the final day of 61st Kohima Village Sports Association Meet on January 11 at Khuochiezie Local Ground, Kohima. Khrievotuo Sekhose won the coveted Naga wrestling championship at the five-day sports event. (Detailed story on page 12)

Nagaland sees growth in population of women Our Correspondent Kohima | January 11

The overall growth in population of women in Nagaland state, between 2001 and 2011, is 12,000 in absolute numbers, which indicates a growth rate of 1.27%. This means that in 2011, the overall growth in population of women is greater than that of its male couterpart, which has decreased by -2.05%. The districts with the highest increase in female population in the last decade are Dimapur (27.96%), Kohima (24.78%) and Phek (12.04%), according to the Census of In-

dia, Provisional Population Totals Paper 2 Volume II of 2011 (Rural- Urban Population Nagaland Series 14). Districts showing a decline in female population in the last decade include Longleng (-58.04%), Kiphire (-28.17%), Mokokchung (-16.39), Zunheboto (-9-13%) and Mon (-2.70%). In the urban areas, the growth in female population is 1,17,267 in absolute numbers and in percentages, 75.48%. In males, the corresponding figures are 1, 13, 687 or 60.66%. Similar to the national trend, where the gender ratio is showing an up-

ward climb, the gap between male and female population is lesser than the last decade in Nagaland. The districts with the highest increase in female urban population are Mon (117.78%), Phek (105.29%), Mokokchung (84.94%), Dimapur (79.34%) and Kohima (67.95%). In absolute figures, the increase in female urban population in the above mentioned district are Mon (8777), Mokokchung (11920), Phek (5834), Dimapur (41415) and Kohima (24032). In rural areas, the growth of females decreased by

1,05,267 or -13.37%. The district of Longleng had the highest decline in female population in rural areas, with a figure of -36820 or -64.36%, followed by Mokokchung with a decline of 30134 or -31.03. Kiphire district also showed a decline in female rural population by -22166 or -43.89%. On the other hand, four districts increased in rural female population, namely Wokha (7. 67%), Phek (4.15%), Tuensang (3.24%) and Kohima (2.57%). In absolute figures, the corresponding figures are: Wokha (4625), Phek (2722), Tuensang (2430) and Kohima (1770).

A hundred years ago, narrates grassroots entrepreneur Abokali Jimomi, if you found a honeycomb in a forest, you marked it as yours and went back home to sleep in peace. No one would steal it. A hundred years here, if you tried the same humility, your honeycomb would be long stolen for the lone benefit of the thief. And family, perhaps. This, she feels, is corruption. “There is a total loss of a value system in Nagaland,” says Jimomi. “Rights and wrongs have no meaning anymore; it is all distorted. Things that we held true—love and respect for people and life—have been given up in this mad race for power and status, spurred by greed.” This power and status is easily available in Naga society today through the path of hoarding money (more money equals more glory), whether by downing a hook or deploying a crook. People prefer the latter for a simple reason—it’s easy. There is no struggle involved in production, according to lawyer Joshua Sheqi, nor accountability, and crooks to support you are easy to come by in Nagaland today. “The unemployed do not want to work; they want a government job because there is no one to hold officers accountable. This is not an ambition to have, and the lack of ambition is a dangerous thing as people like this who land up getting jobs, easily lose morality to favours,” Sheqi explains. But as Jimomi points out, and as peace activist Gwangphun Gangmei reiterates, “rights and wrongs are mixed up.” “Naga society has developed a selfish attitude. Our sense of morality is lost in our attitude towards society—now we only think on selfish terms and it is not outsid-

ers, but our own culture at the root of it,” he feels. This loss of the morality radar itself is lost to most. In a fast forward mode to modernity, assert almost all commentators, there is only a need to be at par with the world at this point of time. “A sense of corruption does not exist,” notes the man behind the Entrepreneurs Associates, Neichute Doulo, which is why the type of change being witnessed in Delhi cannot happen here. Hiking rates of products unreasonably and blaming any inflation on extortion, charging an exorbitant amount as taxi or auto fare during festivals, taking a cut off every government project even if meant for the disabled, all amount to corruption, but, as Doulo puts

it, since everyone is doing it, it becomes okay. And, “The more money you have, the more glory you get.” It requires no “skill set,” chips in Sheqi, not to mention the complete lack of law and order here that facilitates all sorts of crimes. Of the many ways out, Doulo has a suggestion to start with, though one that “requires a lot of courage.” “It is easy to always find an excuse or justification to steal. When I was 15, I stole a chicken from my village and we enjoyed a great picnic. It was only after I joined Moral Re-Armament (now Initiatives of Change) that I realized Frank Buchman’s words, ‘as I am, so is my nation.’ I never thought I was corrupt in everyday life, but when I realized and then apologized to my village for stealing that chicken, it strengthened my principles in a way a hinge does a door.”

BJP confident of poll win UN seeks more resources to end conflicts

Decision of Nagaland candidate for Lok Sabha to be taken by DAN Morung Express News Dimapur | January 11

BJP Scheduled Tribe Morcha national vice president, Johnny G. Rengma has exuded confidence that the party would obtain majority in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and form the government at the Centre. He described the party’s Prime Ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, as an honest and secular leader whose acceptability as the future prime minister has invoked a mass movement not only among corporate houses but the middle and lower strata of the society as well. Rengma was addressing media persons at the Hotel Saramati here on Saturday. Drawing attention to a report in one of the local dailies about Chief Secretary Alemtemshi Jamir’s candidature for Nagaland State’s lone Lok Sabha seat, Rengma termed the report as “speculative.” He said the DAN coalition was a unique conglomeration of both regional and national political parties and that the issue of setting up a candidate would be addressed by DAN partners. He, however, added that the final call would be made by the leader of DAN. On the issue of Karbi-Rengma conflict, Rengma said that the situation created was due to the “Centre’s negligence of tribals.” He said that the BJP-led NDA would focus on these issues and deal accordingly to alleviate not only the economic condition of the

tribals but generate employment opportunities. He appealed to all communities living in Karbi Anglong to re-invent the harmonious relationship which the forefathers of different communities maintained. The BJP leader also revealed that the party has assigned him the task ‘Mission Myanmar,’ the objective of which is to “maintain economic relationship with Myanmar.” In this connection, he would be meeting the Naga MPs in Myanmar on January 27 and 28 and other tribal MPs on January 29 and 30. He regretted that the UPA government took a political stand on the Look East Policy the foundation for which was laid by then Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee. With proper attention, Rengma said, India could have developed a strong economic relationship and fostered closer political ties with neighbouring countries, especially Myanmar. Stating that there was no boundary dispute between Myanmar and Nagaland, he said that the Nagas do not have any territorial ambition with Myanmar. Commenting on the huge presence of para military forces in Nagaland, Johnny Rengma said, “This much of para military forces is not necessary in the present context” since all the underground groups are in ceasefire with the Government of India. He said such presence suggested the redundancy of Assam Rifles in Nagaland. The BJP leader also felt that the tenure of an interlocutor for the Government of India and the NSCN (IM) should not be indefinite but for a maximum of 6 months which could be extendable. According to Rengma, one of the reasons for the Naga peace talks dragging on indefinitely is due to the indefinite tenure of the interlocutors.

UnItED nAtIonS, JAnUARy 11 (IAnS/WAM): UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called on the international community to provide more political attention and resources to the world body as it faces an overflowing plate of conflicts and disasters. “The situations in Syria, South Sudan and the Central African Republic have gone from bad to worse,” he said in his first

news conference of the new year Friday. Ban highlighted not only the immediate need to end the fighting in those countries but also the larger imperatives of 2014 in the run-up to reaching the UN’s anti-poverty Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and achieving a global accord to counter climate change. The year 2015 is the deadline for attaining both targets. Ban stressed that the UN was

doing its utmost to ease the suffering and provide life-saving aid in all three strife-torn countries, staying and delivering assistance wherever it could even as people continued to flee their homes and countries. “These are avoidable tragedies in which millions of civilians are paying an unconscionable price,” he said. “I am especially alarmed by the spread of sectarian animosity, and by the dangerous

regional and global spillover effects. Years of development are at stake. A generation of young people is at risk.” According to him, UN personnel were all showing tremendous courage and professionalism in all the three countries “but humanitarian assistance, vital as it is, can be only part of our response”. “The international community must pull together to help these countries find the path of peace,” he added.

Former Israeli PM Ariel Sharon passes away

JERUSALEM, JAnUARy 11 (REUtERS): Ariel Sharon, the trailblazing former Israeli general and prime minister who was in a coma for eight years after suffering a stroke at the height of his power, died on Saturday aged 85, his family and the government said. Sharon’s son Gilad announced the death at the hospital where his father had been treated. Doctors there had predicted his imminent death after his health declined sharply last week. Ministers in Israel’s rightwing government, and the political opposition, mourned a tough and wily leader who left big footprints on the region through military invasion, Jewish settlement building on captured land and a shock, unilateral decision to pull Is-

In this Wednesday Feb. 7, 2001 file photo, Ariel Sharon, then Israel’s Prime Minister-elect, looks up as he touches Judaism holiest site, the Western Wall, in Jerusalem. The son of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says his father has died on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. The 85-year-old Sharon had been in a coma since a debilitating stroke eight years ago. (AP Photo)

raeli troops and settlers out of the Gaza Strip in 2005. “The nation of Israel has today lost a dear man, a great

leader and a bold warrior,” Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz said in a statement. There was no imme-

diate comment on the death from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, with whom Sharon’s Likud party successor, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has been holding U.S.-sponsored peace talks. But in Gaza, the Hamas Islamists whose political fortunes rose with the Israeli withdrawal savoured Sharon’s demise. “We have become more confident in victory with the departure of this tyrant,” said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zurhi, whose movement preaches the destruction of the Jewish state. “Our people today feel extreme happiness at the death and departure of this criminal whose hands were smeared with the blood of our people and the blood of our leaders here and in exile.” Related story on page 9

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Dimapur

Sunday 12 January 2014

Walking the Pilgrim Path

LocaL

The Morung Express C M Y K

DABA youths’ retrace the footsteps of missionary Rev. Dr E.W Clark Morung Express Feature Dimapur | January 11

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If you want to serve the universe, the obvious place to begin is right where you are. This is exactly what a team of 33 members from the Dimapur Ao Baptist Church Youth ministry recently took upon as a challenge, and embarked on a “Pilgrim Tour”. I. Anungba Sanglir and his family, Dr Tali Imsong, and Pangjung Longkumer, Deacon, DABA joined the team. On January 6, 2014 the team journeyed to Molungyimsen, under Mokokchung district, located at the altitude of 500 metres above sea level. The village had been declared as a Naga Christian Pilgrimage and Educational Heritage Village. The tour was planned with hopes of being transported to the days of the forefathers, when Rev. Dr E.W. Clark, the pioneer missionary to the Nagas stepped into Naga soil with a mission to spread Christianity and educate the Nagas. Carrying bare necessities, the team moved from Dimapur at 7:30 am and journeyed to Tzudikong, reaching at 12:30 pm. After a quick rest at Milak River, the team began the Pilgrim Walk from Clark’s Bridge, Milak River to reach the Pilgrim’s Path to Molungyimsen Village. The Bridge located at Milak River was constructed by Rev. Dr. E.W Clark, the pioneer Christian Missionary to the Naga Hills and the road which was surveyed and constructed by him was a vital route used to spread the Gospel to the Nagas. Leading the way was Yimjung Sanglir, the spirited and adventurous son of I. Anungba Sanglir. 11years old, and a student of Maple Tree School, Dimapur, he never once expressed fatigue, and proved to be a source of inspiration for his seniors who were left

trailing behind him. Walking the 15 kms of rough terrain, and endless steep slopes, the youths reflected on the significance of this walk. The participants from different walks of lives, ranging from entrepreneurs-educationalists-media personnel’s- et al, were filled with trepidation and questions of “Is it safe? Will we make it? How will we carry our bags?” The team as believers had vowed to undertake the walk to pay a tribute to the man who had done so much for Nagas, also to renew their commitment with the Lord, and as an act of reverence towards the legacy of Edward W. Clark (1872-1911) and other pioneer missionaries. And with the presence of DABA Youth director, Toshi Longkumer, and Assistant Youth Director Jongshimanen, in the team, providing constant shouts of encouragement, the team was able to successfully fulfil the Pilgrim Walk, in joyous spirits and with a sense of great achievement. It was a very profound, joyful, and enriching spiritual experience for the youths to walk the same path where the footprints of our pioneering missionaries are eternally engraved. Heading to the newly constructed Dr Clark Light Tower at Molungyimsen village, the team was welcomed warmly by the villagers. In a short welcome programme, the Molungyimsen Baptist Church Pastor and his family graciously welcomed the team and Anungba Sanglir’s family with prayers and a brief introduction, followed by dinner. The team comfortably rested for the night at the Tourist Home, located at the Mission Compound, Molungyimsen. After a nights rest, the next day, the DABA youths also had an enjoyable time viewing the famous Litchi Tree, planted by Clark in 1878. The team also di-

vided into groups and conducted ‘home visitation’ wherein short prayer time, and reading from Proverbs 10:7-10) was held with village council members and full time staff of the Molungyimsen Baptist Church. Thereafter, the DABA youths also planted tree saplings on the grounds of the Molungyimsen Baptist Church to commemorate the Pilgrim Tour and add to the beauty of the ‘Heritage Village’. Afterwards, the team headed to the neighbouring Molungkimong Village, located some 3 kilometers away for a brief tour. Walking the hallowed grounds, which Clark and his wife Mary took, to reach the Naga village in 1872, the team reverently entered the village gate where long ago, 60 Molungkimong warriors had escorted Rev. Dr. E.W Clark and his wife. The team also visited important historical monuments like the pond where the first Baptistery in Naga Soil in which Dr. E. W Clark baptized the fifteen converts on 22nd December, 1872, the Rev Dr EW Clark Monument, and several other significant sites. After, an enlightening time, the team headed back to camp at Milak River where the evening was spent exploring the area crossing the suspension bridge over the river, and the youths trying bamboo rafting. After hitching tents for the night, the team also lit a roaring bonfire, and spent time participating in group games and sharing their experiences with one another. After dinner, popular singer and brilliant song composer, Tiameren Aier, entertained the crowd by performing several songs from his latest debut album “Itaya Nungo”. January 8th morning, after having lunch at the Milak River, the team departed for Dimapur. Certificates of participation were distributed to all the members of the team. The youngest trekker, 11 years old Yimjung Sanglir, who completed the ‘Pilgrim Walk’.

The members of DABA youth ministry, that journeyed to Molungyimsen, under Mokokchung district, located at the altitude of 500 metres above sea level.

The Suspension Bridge over Milak River, constructed by E.W Clark in 1888. It is located near Tuli Paper Mill about 300 yards from Amguri-Mokokchung Highway.

Listening to the story of how Clark and his wife The team entering the village gate where long Mary Mead travelled, to reach Molungkimong ago, 60 Molungkimong warriors had escorted in 1872. Rev. Dr. E.W Clark and his wife.

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I. Anungba Sanglir exhorting the team, after the completion of the walk.

Learning about the significant historical sites.

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The DABA youths planting tree saplings on the grounds of the Molungyimsen Baptist Church to commemorate the Pilgrim Tour and The team during the Pilgrim Walk from Clark’s Bridge, Milak River to reach the Pilgrim’s Path to Molungyimsen Village. add to the beauty of the ‘Heritage Village’.

(Photo Courtesy/Lanu Pongen)

Sharing Words of Experience

oshi Longkumer, Youth Director, DABA Youth Ministry, shared that the program aimed at conducting a ‘relevant ministry’ with the senior youths who were on their holiday. He felt that the Pilgrim Tour will help them to remember the church in their prayers even after when they are living in their respective posting places, and also encourage younger youth to participate in the church activities. Personally, he also felt that with more than 4080 youth members in DABA, the tour had allowed him to build closer relationships with the 32 of them. With the trip coming to an end, he added, “Seeing the youth quenching their

spiritual thirst in a different atmosphere outside the church is such a joy. All glory to the Almighty.” Oyimpong Imchen, meanwhile, compared the experience as having gone to ‘Israel’. He felt that not everyone can go to Israel but the Pilgrim Tour was of a similar experience. He further added that the Pilgrim Walk is also a part of Christian ministry where one could connect deeply with Christ. Imnajungla Longkumer, teacher at Hope Academy, Dimapur shared that the Pilgrim walk was a blessed experience, which she compared to her own life’s journey. The experience she said compelled and challenged her mind to ponder more on life’s journey.

Also sharing his experience, singer, Tiameren Aier stated, “I’ve walked where Dr EW Clark walked. And his memories are still alive even after more than 100 years. I want to be like him, never die and live among people with the good deeds that I do today. Thank you DABA for the experience.” To sum up his experience, Rongen Jamir borrows the quote: “There is a well-worn road which is pleasing to the senses and gratifies worldly desires, but leads to nowhere. And there is the less travelled path, which requires purifications and relinquishments, but results in untold spiritual blessings.” Indeed, it was definitely a walk to remember.

Regional

The Morung express

Sunday

12 January 2014

Manipur CM urges to shun blockades and bandhs SENAPATI, JANuAry 11 (NNN): Manipur chief minister O Ibobi Singh today visited Senapati and appealed to shun blockades and bandhs, saying blockade and bandh culture is detrimental to the implementations of developmental works. The chief minister was here to inaugurate the Court of District and Sessions Judge located above new mini-secretariat in Senapati district headquarters. "Bandh and bockade have affected the State especially the masses in the remote areas, the government is ready to talk and hear grievances," Ibobi stated. Appealing the people of the district to abstain from bandh and blockade, the chief

minister assured that the State Government will go extra miles to implement projects and development works. On memorandum submitted by the Karong Senapati Town committee, Ibobi assured to initiate necessary action within a month. The town committee had requested for re-organization of the infrastructure including 10MVA transformer, dismantling poor quality works at Karong Sports complex, water reservoir and super market at DHQ. The chief minister also assured to provide 10MVA against the 1x5MVA transformer installed at Karong power sub-station. Manipur CM O Ibobi Singh being gifted a Naga spear at the The new court has been inaugural function of Court of District and Sessions Judge established temporarily at in Senapati on January 11.

'Incomplete Indo-Bangla fence causing illegal influx'

SHILLONG, JANuAry 11 (NNN): The A’chik Indigenous Justice Initiative Forum (AIJIF) today said that delay in the completion of fencing work at the Indo-Bangla international border poses a serious threat to the Garo Hills region in Meghalaya due to influx of people illegally. “Such incomplete fencing is a threat and mileage for cross border terrorism and arms smuggling from Bangladesh and criminal persons easily sheltered by crossing the border,” AIJIF director Alex K Sangma said in a statement. Stating the NBCC left the construction incomplete, near Balughat BOP two years ago, he alleged it has given way for influx of illegal immigrants, who commit crimes like rape, robbery, dacoity, smugglings, human trafficking. The AIJIF further pointed out that as per NBCC, 80% compensation has been already paid to the local people of Garo Hills. The organization, however, claimed that as per its field visit to the nearby IndoBangla border areas of Garo Hills, the indigenous people of Garo Hills

are yet to get compensation. “The NBCC paid little penny how they say that 80% compensation has been paid,” AIJIF questioned. “The present scenario of IndoBangla border of Garo Hills is in a terrified mode that it seems the future of Garo Hills is going to be ruined by the influx of people,” the director said, adding “Garo Hills will only remain in name if influx is not checked.” The AIJIF further alleged the existing Mahendraganj to Mankachar road, which passes through “no man’s land” entering the border fence, and remains open for the public from 5am-6pm, allows people to enter from Bangladesh to India. The newly sanctioned Mahendraganj to Mankachar road is to be diverted from the “no man’s land” outside the fencing. In light of this, the organization questioned why the PWD department is constructing the road in the existing road. “Is the PWD department saving the sanctioned amount for the economic growth of Garo Hills or to give opportunity to the influx into Garo Hills?”

Further, highlighting that most of the plain belt areas of Garo Hills are under threat of influx of illegal people, Sangma said no measures have been taken by the Government to stop infiltration. Pointing out that in last two decades, most part of Garo Hills have been encroached by the illegal immigrants, he said, “Even the Nokmas had sold the A’king land to the influx people in Jeldupara, Bollongre, Boldamgre and Newalgre of Halydayganj (Singimari) area in Garo Hills.” He said that in Patharkata area near Chibinang, almost 500 Bighas grazing land of district council was encroached by the “influx”. The district council surveyed on “influx” in 2010-2011, but till today no action or measures have been taken by the district council, the note added. The organization also informed that a petition was submitted by one Nokma Prenilla G Momin of Gatiligre Aking II-23 (13) for eviction of 23 households of non-indigenous “influx” from her Aking land, but the Deputy Commissioner of South West Garo Hills is yet to take any step till today.

the old PWD Office before actual construction begins at the earliest, informed a source. Ibobi expressed happiness over the inauguration and opined that it will deliver justice to the people and less burden to Judiciary and Police departments. During the programme, Sochoiphy, winner of Senapati District Students Association (SDSA) Voice Hunt enthralled the crowd and Shajouba youths presented a Mao cultural dance. Dignitaries included judicial head/officials, ADC members, DLOs, PWD officials and Senapati District Bar Association members also attended the event. It may be noted that Ibobi last visited Senapati

district in November, 2011, when the then Union Home Minister P.Chidambaram inaugurated the new minisecretariat and the 50 bedded district hospital. Speaking at the occasion, Chief Justice Laxmi Kant said that it will be the first among the hill districts of Manipur. For strengthening judicial benefits to the people, subordinate courts and infrastructures are proposed in every district; however, financial position has to improve to fulfill the desired outcome. Meanwhile, Works minister Ratan Kumar announced the proposal to establish State Judicial Academy and provide better infrastructure to the judicial departments.

GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND OFFICE OF THE ADDITIONAL DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, PFUTSERO: NAGALAND No.Jud-4/SC/2008-09/734

General of Police C. Balasubramanian Friday night. Tripura, 51, was wanted as he was the self-styled army chief of the NLFT and was involved in number of militant activities in Tripura. The police had earlier declared a reward of Rs.1 lakh to anyone who could give information about his whereabouts. The central government also issued a red corner notice against him. "Senior police and intelligence officials are now interrogating the Pakistan and Bangladesh-trained NLFT leader to get details

NOTICE This is to notify that Shri Khrukutu Puro under Pfutsero subdivision district Phek has applied to under signed for issue of succession certificate for drawl of family service benefits etc pending in the name of Late Thipuzo Peon NCSK. It is hereby notify that any objection representative regarding issue of succession certificate may be presented before the undersigned within 30 (thirty) days of this notice if no representation or objection is received within the stipulated time/period the succession certificate will be issued to the claimant. Sd/Addl. Deputy Commissioner Pfutsero:Nagaland

AFFIDAVIT

Regd.No: 2991/13 By this deed I, the undersigned AZUNGLA METHA previously called IMKUMZUNGLA, doing housewife and resident of Daklane Kohima, Nagaland solemnly declare: 1. That for and behalf of myself and husband, children and remitters issue, I wholly renounce/relinquish and abandon the use of my former name/ surname of IMKUMZUNGLA and in place thereof, I do hereby assume form this date the name/surname AZUNGLA METHA, so that I and my husband, children and remitter issue may hereafter be called, known and distinguished not by my former name/surname, but assumed name/ surname of AZUNGLA METHA. 2. That for the purpose of evidence such my determination declare that I shall at all times hereafter in all records ,deeds and writings and in proceedings, dealing and transactions, private as well as upon all occasions whatsoever, use and sign the name of AZUNGLA METHA as my name/ surname in place and in substitution of my former name/surname. 3. That I expressly authorize and request all persons in general and relatives and friends in particular, at all times hereafter to designate and address me by assumed name/surname of AZUNGLA METHA. Deponent Solemnly signed and sworn before me by the deponent on this day the 9th day of Dec’2013 at Kohima. Notary public Kohima: Nagaland

about the militants' shelter and operation of camps in Bangladesh, Myanmar and other neighbouring countries," a police spokesman told reporters. "Misappropriation of funds and other issues are troubling the NLFT leadership that compelled him to return to the mainstream of life," the police spokesman said, quoting the surrendered rebel. "Tripura, NLFT leader since 1994, was coordinating among the northeast militant outfits regarding arms supply, procurement of money and training," he added.

IMPHAL, JANuAry 11 (NNN): In the first ten days of this year, a total of nine crimes against women and children have been reported in Manipur – three murder, one rape and murder, one rape, one assault, two infanticides and one found killed. Concerned over the bleak situation, Women Action for Development (WAD) has drawn the attention of the people of Manipur to check the growth of rising crimes against women and children. "A trend of cold blooded killing related to domestic violence has been observed in recent cases,” WAD said. WAD attributed drug addiction and culture of settlement of such heinous crimes by MLAs, pradhans, councillors, local clubs, customary laws with some

amounts or by any means as one of the most leading factors in contributing crimes against women and children. “The criminals run scot free without any punishment and this trend further enhances the commission of more crimes in our state...” WAD added. WAD has appealed to all the concerned to initiate every possible measure, including structuring of Special Investigation Teams (SIT) to control the growth of crimes against women and children in the state. It also expressed worry that if the current trend of crimes pervade at such pace, then 2014 will create history for maximum increase in crime rate. It asserted it was the responsibility of the institutions concerned of the State to look into the matter.

Mission Road, Near-North Police Station-Kohima.

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Duration 2 Years 2 Years 1 Year

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ZION HOSPITAL & RESEARCH CENTRE UROLOGIST FOR CONSULTATION/OPERATION Dr. JOY N. CHAKRABORTY MS.DNB (Surgery), DNB Urology, FRCS renowned Endourosurgeon from Guwahati will be available for consultation on 15th January 2014 (Wednesday). Patients requiring Consultation/Operation for Urinary problems, Prostate, Kidney & Bladder Stone may contact the Reception for Registration. CANCER SURGEON FOR CONSULTATION Dr. GANESH DAS MBBS, MS (PGIMER) Trained Cancer Surgeon from Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai will be available for consultation on 18th January 2014 (Saturday). Patients requiring Consultation/Operation may contact the reception for registration. For Registration, please contact:

 03862- 231864, 227337, 224117 ZION CENTRE ZIONHOSPITAL HOSPITAL & RESEARCH RESEARCH CENTRE PLASTIC & COSMETIC SURGEON FOR CONSULTATION/OPERATION Leading Plastic Surgeon Dr. SANDEEP SHARMA MS, MCH (Plastic Surgery, formerly Consultant Plastic Surgeon at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia will be available for Consultation/Operation on 6th February 2014 (Thursday). Patients requiring reconstructive surgery for Postburn and other Post Traumatic Contractures, Congenital Birth Defects and also patient requiring Cosmetic Surgery for Face (Eye-Lids, Ears, Lips, Nose and Facelift, etc.) Breast (Enhancement, Reduction, Up-lift, etc.), Body and Skin procedures may contact the Reception for Registration.

respectively arrived by boat from Assam at the banks of river Tlawng near Sairang village on January 11, 1894. The two missionaries made Lushai (Mizo)-English Dictionary, known to the local people till today as 'Pu Buanga Dictionary' and establish Presbyterian Church, began education by creating Mizo alphabets using Roman scripts. They changed the whole Mizo way of life through education and the Christian Gospel and all the Mizos, earlier animists, were converted to Christianity.

Crime against women and children rise in Manipur

EXCEL COACHING AND COMPUTER CENTRE

*** LASER TREATMENT AVAILABLE FOR URINARY STONES***

Missionary Day observed in Mizoram

AIZAWL, JANuAry 11 (PTI): Christiandominated Mizoram on Saturday observed 'Missionary Day' the anniversary of the arrival of the two pioneer Christian missionaries at Sairang village near Aizawl in 1894. All the church offices remained close and special prayer and worship services being held on Saturday in different local churches, especially belonging to the Presbyterian Church and the Baptist Church. Welsh Christian missionies - Rev JH Lorrain, and Rev FW Savidge, fondly called by the Mizos as 'Pu Buanga' and 'Sapupa'

Dated Pfro. the 10th Jan 2014

Wanted Tripura militant leader surrenders

AGArTALA, JANuAry 11 (IANS): Pasaram Tripura, a dreaded militant leader who was involved in kidnappings and killings, has surrendered to the Tripura Police, an officer said here Saturday. According to the police, Tripura alias T. Thomas, a top leader of the banned National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) militant group, sneaked into India along with his wife and three children from Myanmar through Bangladesh two days ago before surrendering to Tripura Director

Dimapur

For Registration, please contact:  03862- 231864, 227337, 224117

SüMI KIPHIMI KüQHAKULU Platinum Jubilee Akimiji : ‘Ajuküvüpu Tiqheli’ Hukuthu Tushoh Khakiqhi Hoho

ado : inaqHe ayi 10 : 30

Atushoh ikhikiphe Kighini Rev. DR. KHeHovi sHoHe, Director, sümi Baptist convention Atushoh Khakiqhi

MHesHo sHikipiye

Aphilo Kuwo Thisho le Ayeküzü le Litsa Baghi le

- imulomi - sükomi - yesholuto - Litsami

aküpüGHü kikitHi 40

Atushoh Khakiqhiu Justice H. KHetoHo semA,

Aboghü tsah ino KitoHo s. RotoKHA, chairman, PBPJ, Alakhümpeu muku Abidiu, (1997-99), sKK

Atsala : Ashigheni, Lu–uqhi 15, 2014 A-a : i. B. imulomi Phu

Alakhümpeu tsapi ino HoLuvi cHoPHy Alokivi tsah ino yesHito cHisHi,

Rtd. Judge, supreme court of india, Alakhümpeu Akütsüghou(1965-66), sKK

Ajuküvüpu tiqheli Lejo sümi sHesHu

HukutHu tusHoH kHakiqHi

ex. mLA, Alakhümpeu Akütsüniu, (1966-67), sKK

Atushoh Khakiqhiu tsapi Justice H. KHetoHo semA, Rtd. Judge, supreme court of india, Alakhümpeu Akütsüghou, (1965-66), sKK.

Jubiliee küküMGHa kiGHini i.

Rev. s yevito Jimo, e.s. sBAK, nito mount

ii. Rev. DR. JosHuA RocHiLL, e.s, sBAK, Aizuto iii. Rev. HotoKHu ZHimomi, e.s. sABAK, Pughoboto iv. Rev. s. vitosHe swu, e.s. wsBAK, Aküvüto v.

Rev. KiHosHe Assümi, e.s. ncRc(sumi), Ayinato

KUKUSSÜ : Sümi, Yehpeka lo yezahkumlami, Hyampemi, Aqo-aho lo Sapheakemi, wove keulo SKK lo mula ighive kemi, SKK loka lo ampemi, kighithimi eno alokumsumi kumtsu ighino Jubilee kukumugha kusajelu penike alokivishi kussu ani.

Media & Publicity Committee, Platinum Jubilee (1940 - 2014-15), Sumi Kiphimi Kuqhakulu

C M Y K

Dimapur

businEss

Sunday 12 January 2014

The Morung Express

Carmakers may be short of aluminium in future

Detroit, January 11 (reuters): With automakers’ demand for aluminum growing explosively as they seek to improve fuel efficiency, aluminum providers are selling out their automotive capacity almost as fast as they can build new plants, raising the question of whether some car makers could be caught short in the future. The U.S. market for aluminum sheet is expected to be up fivefold this year from 2012 with the development of vehicles like Ford Motor Co’s next generation F-150 full-size pickup truck, a more aluminum intensive model that will be shown Monday at the Detroit auto show. Demand is expected to continue its surge as automakers look to slash vehicle weights to boost fuel efficiency, industry executives and analysts said. “The one thing that has proven itself to be accurate is that any forward forecast of the use of aluminum in automotive will change upward,” Phil Martens, chief executive of aluminum provider Novelis Inc NVLX.UL, said in a telephone interview. The U.S. market for alu-

A new aluminium Range Rover in the making - minus the family. (File Photo)

minum sheet, which stood at less than 200 million pounds in 2012, is expected to hit 1 billion pounds this year, and then double from there by 2020 and reach 3.2 billion to 6.4 billion pounds by 2025, according to independent industry analyst Lloyd O’Carroll. Other vehicles using a lot of aluminum include Land Rover’s Range Rover

SUV, Volkswagen’s Audi A8 sedan, Daimler’s Mercedes Benz CLA sedan, General Motors Co’s Chevrolet Corvette sports car and Tesla Motors Inc’s Model S electric sedan. Novelis, along with Alcoa Inc, dominates the U.S. aluminum market, a trend that should continue for the time being as both companies pour hundreds of millions of dollars

into expanding capacity to meet demand. Analysts and industry officials said growth in the United States is exponential because consumers’ preference for bigger engines and larger vehicles at a time of rising fuel economy requirements and lower emission standards has forced automakers to push for greater weight reduc-

tions in their vehicle designs than they can get from high-strength steel alone. “If you really want to save a lot of weight, like on a pickup truck, you really have to go with something lighter than steel to take 700 pounds out,” said Dick Schultz, managing director of the auto practice at research firm Ducker Worldwide. U.S. government

standards mandate that by 2025, automakers must increase corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) to 54.5 miles per gallon, up from 35.5 mpg by 2016. The key question is whether the industry can keep up with demand, industry officials and analysts said. If not, some automotive customers could be caught short, lacking sufficient aluminum for their next-generation of lighterweight cars and trucks. Aluminum executives said they need two to three years advance notice to meet demand to give them enough time to expand existing plants or build new ones. If automakers do not effectively communicate their needs, shortages could develop, analysts and industry officials said. “You could have pinch points develop if all of a sudden the auto industry rolls out a set of designs that are heavy in aluminum, if this transformation that we see taking place gradually occurs more quickly,” said John Mothersole, director of research for the pricing and purchasing service at IHS. Nevertheless, Mothersole and others do not see

it becoming a long-term problem. “If the automakers make the decisions quickly, then it will work. If the automakers delay the decisions too long, then some could have issues,” said Pierre Vareille, CEO of Dutch aluminum products maker Constellium NV, which intends to announce its plans for entering the U.S. aluminum auto market in the first quarter. Constellium has an aluminum plant in West Virginia that serves aerospace customers. Certainly, the aluminum suppliers’ customers have faith. “As we work to lightweight our vehicles, our use of aluminum and other materials continues to grow,” said Doug Parks, vice president of GM’s global product programs. “We stay very close to our suppliers to be sure they can meet our growing needs, and we’re comfortable they will.” The growth in demand has Novelis and Alcoa spending big. Last month, Novelis said it would invest $205 million to build aluminum finishing lines at plants in New York and Germany. The company also is finishing construc-

tion of a plant in China this year. Novelis expects the auto industry to account for 25 percent of its business in two years, up from 6 percent two years ago as it shifts away from aluminum beverage cans, Martens said. Down the road, that could hit 50 percent. Alcoa is on the cusp of completing a $300 million expansion dedicated to the auto sector at its Iowa plant. It also is building a factory in Saudi Arabia this year and will finish a $275 million expansion at its Tennessee plant next year. “We’re in constant communication with automakers about available capacity,” said Alcoa’s head of global marketing for automotive, Randall Scheps. “Every customer wants to know how much they can have.” Customers are clamoring for more, as the aluminum suppliers have already sold virtually all of their added capacity even if those plants are not yet online. “The era of ‘Build it and they will come’ is over,” analyst O’Carroll said. “Companies are not going to add capacity with volume and (profit) margin commitment.”

Hiking subsidised LPG cylinder cap would Soon, wireless power transfer on the go Give a missed new york, January 11 power coil onto its twin nearly a foot promote black market: Oil Ministry (ians): Imagine charging your cell away, inducing an electric current call to know your phone while on an evening walk in the receiving coil, said the study new Delhi, January 11 (Fi- recently. In fact, at the initial cap of ter a Gujarat High Court order that bank balance nancial express): Even as six cylinders, the consumption was asked the ministry to ensure rates at without any wire or device near you. published in the journal “Scientific This ‘power in the air’ thought Reports”. petroleum minister Veerappa Moily came under increasing political pressure to raise the cap of subsidised LPG cylinders from 9 to 12, his own ministry is dead against the move and has advised that this will only promote black marketing of cylinders. It is learnt that the ministry has done an quick assessment, which Moily is expected to put before the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs. This shows that already 89.2 per cent LPG consumers, as per 2011-12 consumption, are covered by the current cap of nine subsidised cylinders a year. By increasing the cap to 12 cylinders, the figure goes up marginally to 97.1 per cent but the final analysis is that these are more likely to be hoarders and black marketeers than genuine users. Sources said this inference is drawn from the fact that the consumption rate of LPG has reduced showing just about 1 per cent growth

actually going down and started increasing after the cap was enhanced to nine. If at all any genuine users do get added, the ministry believes that they would be people who can afford to pay the additional amount for extra cylinders. Official sources said the ministry has decided to oppose the move and a political decision will have to made to overrule the advice. On the other political issue of increasing gas prices in Delhi to which new Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has taken strong objection, sources said, the ministry has given Indraprastha Gas Ltd the free hand but has indicated that any additional subsidy burden to reduce the prices should be borne by the state government. It has also decided to approach the Supreme Court transferring all petitions pending before different high courts demanding lesser prices. The ministry is in a peculiar situation as it increased the price af-

Ahmedabad are not more than Delhi and Mumbai. When the Ministry tried to comply by this orders and slightly increased rates for Delhi and Mumbai in order to effect a reduction in Ahmedabad, the Bombay High Court issued an order on a PIL restraining it from increasing prices in Mumbai. A similar petition is now in Delhi High Court. For this reason, the ministry has now decided to approach the Supreme Court to club all petitions and rule on the matter. Meanwhile, the ministry Friday also notified the Domestic Natural Gas Pricing Guidelines, which puts in place a new formula for calculating the price of domestically produced natural gas, which at present is way lower to international prices and proves to be a disincentive to producers. However, when the price is calculated and notified on April 1, sources said, the estimate is that domestic gas prices will double across the country.

LEISURE

Simple Rules - There is just one simple rule: “Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box co ntains the digits 1 through 9.”

SUDOKU Game Number # 2759

has received a big boost with Duke University researchers demonstrating the feasibility of wireless power transfer using low-frequency magnetic fields over distances much larger than the size of the transmitter and receiver. “What consumers want and expect from a useful wireless power system is the ability to charge a device wherever it is - not simply to charge it without a cable,” said Yaroslav Urzhumov, assistant research professor of electrical and computer engineering at Duke University. “Previous commercial products like the PowerMat have not become a standard solution exactly for that reason as they lock the user to a certain area or region where transmission works,” he added. The Duke researchers have created a ‘superlens’ that focuses on magnetic fields. The superlens translates the magnetic field emanating from one

This is the first time such a system has successfully sent power safely and efficiently through the air. “We have demonstrated that the efficiency of magneto-inductive wireless power transfer can be enhanced over distances many times larger than the size of the receiver and transmitter,” said Urzhumov. “This is important because if this technology is to become a part of everyday life, it must conform to the dimensions of today’s pocket-sized mobile electronics,” he added. Superlens looks like a few dozen giant Rubik’s cubes stacked together. Both the exterior and interior walls of the hollow blocks are intricately etched with a spiraling copper wire reminiscent of a microchip. On one side of the superlens, the researchers placed a small copper coil with an alternating electric current running through it, which creates a magnetic field around the coil.

DAILY CROSS WORD

CROSSWORD # 2770

DIMAPUR Civil Hospital:

Manipal, January 11 (Bl): It is quite common for some to give a missed call to their friends so that the other person calls him/ her back. What if your bank allows such a facility? Not for transaction. It is only for enquiring about the balance in your account. Syndicate Bank has introduced such a facility for its customers. In an informal chat with Business Line, on the sidelines of the inauguration of the office of the Field General Manager of the bank at Manipal on Friday, T.K. Srivastava, Executive Director, said that the bank launched the facility of missed-call to its customers a month ago. After giving a missed call to a dedicated number, the customer will get his/ her balance amount in the account as an SMS, he said. The customer will not be charged for the facility. The customers will have to follow the procedures related to SMS banking.

STD CODE: 03862

Metro Hospital: Faith Hospital: Shamrock Hospital Zion Hospital: Police Control Room Police Traffic Control East Police Station West Police Station CIHSR (Referral Hospital) Dimapur hospital Apollo Hospital Info Centre: Railway: Indian Airlines Chumukedima Fire Brigade Nikos Hospital and Research Centre Nagaland Multispecialty Health & Research Centre

Answer Number # 2758

KOHIMA

Police Control Room: North Police Station: South Police Station: Fire Brigade: Naga Hospital: Oking Hospital: Bethel Nursing Home:

232224; Emergency229529, 229474 227930, 231081 228846 228254 231864, 224117, 227337 228400 232106 227607 232181 242555/ 242533 224041, 248011 230695/9402435652 131/228404 229366 282777 232032, 231031 248302, 09856006026

STD CODE: 0370

Northeast Shuttles

100/2244279 2222222 2222111 2222952 2222916 2243339 2224202

Olympic GAmes

ARCHERY ATHLETICS BASEBALL BASKETBALL BOXING CYCLING DIVING FREESTYLESKATING GOLF GYMNASTICS JUDO POLO SAILING SKIJUMP SOCCER TABLETENNIS VOLLEYBALL WATERMOTORSPORTS WRESTLING

D I L Q I S E B A S E B A L L T N T R I

A A E N E A I E I A O P W E A W W E A

S D Y Y O V P O U Q F A E R H B G A V I

I A R C H E R Y O R A R E J L H T A S

E S V C N N O P N N E L I S M E R E W P

B L Y E E S M I J E R A T W T T R A B

A E S A E O U R W S A L L D E E M J I

A S I E V K C J D Q T E U I L N H O A T

K K O O V C I R E Y S A N N N E T O E

E T J L L E K O S L V T G L I E O E C

R T F Y L V R S O O E E H N N S I R N Y

B A L S A I R U A E Y B A O M T W A A A V D P I T N D S K A O L O L E T G L M O E U L T D F I I S P O J U D C L I

C L L G A G D T I I T P I A E O E R O N

H R I L L E Z Q I V I O C J T R W T T G

Q N S L D G A D I N V S D C A Y S Y E

C G S B U A V O N G G N I X O B R W S

ACROSS

A L O O E I N G G G Y M N A S T I C S

1. Close 5. Historical periods 9. Association 13. Bluefin 14. Bushbaby 16. Sharpen 17. The products of human creativity 18. 10th Greek letter 19. Quaint outburst 20. Tumbler 22. Ample 24. Jump 26. Grain disease 27. Latticework 30. Harangue 33. Famous genius 35. Verse 37. Astern 38. Velocity 41. A long continuous strip 42. Napped 45. Stretch 48. Invented the light bulb 51. Student 52. Of the cheekbone 54. Whirl 55. Received from a predecessor

59. Grin 62. University administrator 63. Worth 65. Corrosive 66. Gave temporarily 67. Make into law 68. Concern 69. Cocoyam 70. Kid 71. Distinctive flair

DOWN 1. Male deer 2. Throw 3. Not gifted 4. Braided cords 5. Antlered animal 6. Harvest 7. Enough 8. Surpassingly good 9. Long-legged spotted cat 10. Corporate image 11. Two-toed sloth 12. What we sleep on 15. Cooktop 21. Sodium chloride 23. Unit of pressure 25. Desserts 27. Orange pekoe 28. A shoulder firearm 29. Take in slowly

31. Despotic 32. Overact 34. Born as 36. Pitcher 39. L 40. Accomplishes 43. Salad pepper 44. Russian emperor 46. Short sleeps 47. Contorted facial expression 49. Drink garnish 50. Floating in water 53. Pass-the-baton race 55. Doing nothing 56. Require 57. Paw 58. Dodge 60. Former Italian currency 61. Biblical garden 64. French for “Summer”

Ans to CrossWord 2769

DIMAPUR: 03862-232201/101 (O) 9436601225 (OC) CHUMUKEDIMA: 03862-282777/101 (O) WOKHA: 03860-242215 (O) 9402643782 MOKOKCHUNG: 0369-2226225/101 (O) 9856872011 (OC) PHEK: 03865-223838/101 (O) 9436012949 (OC)

TUENSANG: 03861-220256/101 (O) 8974322879

08974997923

MON: 03869-290629/101 (O) 9856248962/ 9612805461 (OC)

Toll free No. 1098 childline

KOHIMA: 0370-2222952/101 (O) 9436062098 (OC)

ZUNHEBOTO: 03867-220444/101 (O) 9856158740 (OC)

CHILD WELFARE COMMITTEE

MOKOKCHUNG:

FIRE STATIONS

STD CODE: 0369

Police Station 1: Police Station 2 :

2226241 2226214

Civil Hospital: Woodland Nursing Home: Hotel Metsüpen (Tourist Lodge):

2226216 2226263 2226373/2229343

TAHAMzAM (formerly Senapati) STD CODE: 03871 Police Station: Fire Brigade

222246 222491

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For details & Test drive Contact: Urban Station, Near NSC Petrol Pump, 6th Mile Dimapur. Ph No : 240994 CURRENCY EXCHANGE CURRENCY NOTES BUY(Rs) SELL(Rs) US Dollars Sterling Pound Hong Kong Dollar

61.55 101.12 7.92

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54.47

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48.34 56.58 58.47

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83.57

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Public SPace/lOcal

The Morung Express

NPCC Responds to Home Minister

he promptness of the Home Minister G Kaito Aye in responding to the statement of the NPCC the very next day was badly missing when the Dec 21 incident at Aghuito under Zunheboto district was left to spiral out of control and the state govt remaining clueless and hapless to address a situation that ended in violent confrontation costing 2 innocent lives and leaving six injured. The NPCC finds it amusing that the Home Minister choose to give a lengthy discourse on the sequence of events leading to the siege of Mukali designated camp and its destruction rather than accept moral responsibility for the turn of events that has put the state in a precarious position which has enough potential to create seri-

hile extending my appreciation to the peace effort initiated by various civil societies of Karbi Anglong district of Assam and sharing my sorrow with the families of all the nine killed at pachaspura, Dimapur, recovered on 3rd January 2014. I would like to supplement to the views expressed by George Rongpi, president, All India Karbi National Assembly (AIKNA) in daily papers dated 6th January 2014. First of all, it must be noted that JACAS chief advisor, J.I. Kathar (IAS retd.) stated in Nagaland Post dated 21- 12-2013 accused the Assam government agencies trying to eliminate the hill tribes from Karbi Anglong. He told the media that, "they want to kill all the Karbis, which have got five lakhs population and after which they will finish the other tribes," The Assam government must clarify its position and let the people know whether the statements given by IAS officer retired are relevant and have truth in it. Let us agree with George Rongpi's statements which termed the killing and piling of nine persons as heinous crime and repugnant to all norms of civilized human behavior and referred to it as Taliban style of execution. Then what about kidnapping and killing of innocent

ous ramifications on the ongoing Indo Naga political peace talks. The Home Minister going on record to state “one can simply imagine what would be the human tragedies had the state govt not asked the NSCN (IM) cadres to vacate their camp at Mukali,” has proven all along the Congress contention that the state govt could have avoided the standoff and the resultant loss of lives, had it acted promptly with all the state resources at its disposal when the situation was simmering. The silence of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio throughout the entire ordeal was indeed baffling when he is always quick to jump the gun on issues outside the state. Though the Home Minister would like to proudly proclaim his role and effort in the

entire episode, the total disappearance of the state govt machinery was glaringly evident, a bitter fact that had even prompted the NPF Working President Huska to publicly question the state govt for not coming to the rescue of the Sumi people or if the state govt had forgotten their tribe. The NSCN (IM) too had also gone on record to criticize the state govt for its failure in handling the entire situation. Therefore, both the Chief Minister and the Home minister cannot escape the blame for the utter callousness displayed by the NPF govt where an extraordinary situation of public unrest against injustice was allowed to unfold into violent confrontation. By needlessly questioning the Congress MLAs of Zunheboto, the Home Minister has contradicted him-

self when he had categorically stated the Zunheboto issue should not be politicized. The NPCC therefore concludes that the contradictory statement of the Home Minister is a desperate attempt to shield the Chief Minister who choose to play deaf and dumb on the Zunheboto incident and to cover up his own abject failure and dismal handling of the entire situation since it is the bounden duty of those in govt to enforce the rule of law as the entire govt machinery is at their disposal. On the justification of the Home Minister about his track record as R&B Minister in the last govt, the deplorable roads of Nagaland mirrors his achievement for which the NPCC need not elaborate further as the public remains the best witness.

The Zunheboto episode has once again proved that the NPF led DAN govt headed by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has run out of ideas to govern the state other than indulging in partying and merrymaking activities that glues them toghether with scant regards towards the cries of the people. Repeated justifications and rejoinders will invite more scorn from the people who have regularly witnessed the impotency of the NPF govt that has miserably failed to protect the rights and lives of its citizen’s. The people and the state will be spared from more misery if the NPF govt steps down gracefully rather than fiddle around without any semblance of its existence when people needs them the most.

boy, Nzankheng Rengma of Guzenlanyu gaon (Khawani) by KPLT in November, which led to holding of John Rogphar and Deven Tisso involved in killing with KPLT. But they were released and not killed. What about the killing of four Rengmas including three women on 27th December at Guzenlanyu village (Khawani) and recovery of dead bodies of two Rengma women at Lolashunyu (Shati gaon), Chokihola on 29th December 2013.That too after various civil societies made peace and assured by KPLT itself. They were cut with machetes and charred by Karbi villagers after shot by KPLT. They burnt down the Rengma houses and granaries to ashes, killed domestic animals and cut down all plants and trees in farms wherever they went. What style of killing human beings and animals and burning down of houses and destruction of agri-horti-farms was that? Was that KPLT style of execution? It must be noted that the NRHPF killed nine people because of their involvement in arms supply to KPLT whose role is to wipe out the Rengmas and non-Karbis in order to achieve Karbi statehood in Rengma Hills. If the two

outfits are compared, the KPLT had shot and killed women and children, burnt houses and destroyed live stocks and properties. The NHRPF had killed three KPLT cadres and nine illegal arms suppliers and not innocent persons. Whereas the seven Rengmas killed including five women by KPLT were all innocent farmers who sweated hard for livelihood. The KPLT and the Karbi villagers had already declared war against the unaware Rengmas when they suddenly attacked Guzenlanyu village and killed four people including three women. They killed two more women and continued burning down of houses for a week. Various Karbi social organizations are quick to find out the faults of Rengmas and cover up their misdeeds because they are politically and financially more powerful. And it is true that Rengmas are helpless and voiceless and many crimes and inhumanly treatment against them went unreported. It is also true that the Rengmas have been denied the right to life with basic human needs and human dignity for over sixty years which is a gross human rights violation

in the garb of promoting the welfare of indigenous tribal people under the 6th Schedule of the constitution of India. AIKNA was silent when KPLT served ultimatum to the Rengmas in June 2013 to surrender the NRHPF within a month or all the Rengmas would be killed and that led to exodus of Rengma villagers. KPLT imposed economic blockade and served ultimatum again to Rengmas as routine work in December ahead of Christmas to surrender NRHPF within three days or they would not be allowed to cultivate from the New Year onward and that the Karbis were prepared civil war with the Rengmas. Why did KPLT serve ultimatum to the Rengma villagers again and again to surrender the NRHPF and not directly to NRHPF to surrender? How can unarmed Rengma villagers catch armed cadres to surrender? The Karbi militants in various forms from KNV and UPDS to KPLT had been torturing the Rengmas for over twenty years prohibiting them from selling their oranges and looting their edible items and extorting taxes from them. KPLT desires the Rengmas to be defenseless and abhors the NRHPF

coming into existence and protecting their people from all kinds of dangers from Karbi militants. AIKNA stated RNPC's political agenda for creation of Rengma Hills autonomous district for Rengmas and non-Karbis cannot be tolerated and termed the statements as provocative and offensive. Then what about the demand of the Karbi state to be placed at Rengma Hills which became a part of Naga Hills later. Was that tolerable and not provocative? Karbis have no legitimate right to do so and for which the Assam Government and centre government will never grant Karbi state in Rengma homeland. George Rongpi, in his press release dated 8th January stated that ASDC gave ticket to Resulo Rengma to contest from Lumbajon constituency where there are only a few hundreds of Rengma voters. Thanks to the ASDC and the Karbis for electing him. But, the ASDC had also used him for its benefit and that is nothing compared to the NOC given by the Rengmas in 1951 for creation of united autonomous district of Mikirs, Rengmas and Dimasas and the council budget received for the development and all

Issued by: Media Cell, NPCC

Sunday 12 January 2014

Dimapur

Counter To Vedeta Neinu

he allegations and remarks made against me on January 09th 2014 in the local dailies by Vedeta Neinu are totally false and unbiased. Under what convictions and based on what grounds can Neinu hurl such accusations against me. The onus of explaining the land matter lies with the village council of Toulazouma and not with me. I do not have to explain or clarify any of the accusations except those which amounts to personal attacks against me. It is surprising to see how low a person can fall down to lash out such venom when the same person is in fault in many ways. Being a habitual deserter, and a characterless personality with no respect for authority, Vedeta Neinu has no right or moral authority to comment/ pass judgment or even

make a slight remark about my life or my achievements or what I did for the well being of Toulazouma Village or for any government or individual/individuals for that matter. Nor has he any right to make false allegations, defamatory accusations etc against me. There is a Living God who sees all and Justice shall be meted out to all in this life and the next. The crimes one did should not be blasted out to others and in this case, perhaps Vedeta Neinu must have made such crimes and his state of mind is in such a state that he professes others did the same. Regarding the statements made out in the last paragraph, my only retort will be to ask Vedeta Neinu to bring the witnesses(if any), name them, details etc for I would like to see how low a person can lie,

the opportunities enjoyed by the KAAC and Karbis. The Mikir leaders betrayed the Rengmas and removed the nomenclature Rengma Hills. The Rengmas, the sons of the soil, have been denied even the least human basic needs in their homeland. George stated that the total number of Rengma population is more than 18,000 but the total number of voters is about 4000 only. If that is the case then the Rengmas have been badly deprived of their political right as the voters comprise about 23% only of the total population when it must be at least 70%. George stated that Karbis are majority in the Rengma inhabited areas. Who gave Karbis land? From whom they took permission to stay there in Rengma traditional land? The KAAC does not have any land as Rengmas have not allotted any land to it, The KAAC has been issuing land pans to Karbis in violation of the law. Karbis population is immensely increasing from zero population over the years because KAAC is importing them from East Khasi Hills, Arunachal Pradesh and Tezpur, Morigaon, Sibsagar, Darrang and other districts of Assam to fill

up vacant land in Rengma Hills with autonomous budget while Rengma villagers are deserting their villages for employment and facilities. The Karbis constitute about 26% population and the rest 28 non-karbi communities in the district comprising Hamrem and Diphu subdivisions with Nagaon district between them. So the winning or losing election is not decided by the Karbis and Rengmas alone but all the voters comprising other non karbi communities. The total population in Karbi Anglong is about nine lakhs and fifty thousand, It is astonishing that no MLA or MAC seat has been reserved for the sons of the soil, the Rengmas and the migrant Karbis are contesting everywhere with money power. This is how the Rengmas have been very badly exploited by the KAAC in various ways. George stated that K. Solomon and friends leaders should meet KAPF and discuss. But, Political decision can be given only by the government. As far as making peace is concerned the AIKNA and KAPF cannot guarantee that KPLT will not make a mockery of peace again as it recently did, nor can they guarantee

‘Assam Government must clarify its position’

be it present kilonsers from NSCN IM or anyone else for that matter. If Neinu considers himself to be a man, why lay unbidden claim on the allotment given by me, he should instead go and claim some other land and leave mine alone or better yet form a village. What Neinu should remember is first and foremost, he is a deserter, an identity with no commitment to any purpose or government but his own and to his own gain. This matter does not concern any government whether it be GPRN/NSCN or NSCN/GPRN IM, this matter does not even concern Toulazouma Village nor its council. This is between Vedeta Neinu and Myself and none other. It all depends upon now who takes the first step. Lieut. Col. Retd. Neipfupe (Ape) Venuh Kilonser, Care-Taker CAO. UT

the lives of Rengma villagers as human lives are more valuable than peace resolution. Because, the KPLT is an unpredictable underground outfit. The story revealed to Hills Commissioner by KAPF published in daily papers on 8th January 2014 is one sided and cannot be fully relied on unless the story from other side in the Rengma side is presented. The KAAC and the Karbis under Diphu subdivision must understand that they are in the Rengma traditional land and they have more than sufficient population here. Therefore, they must stop importing their people and occupying land in Rengma hills but give the Rengmas the opportunities to enjoy their rights being deprived for over six decades if ever they want peace in the real sense. Because, the nomenclature Rengma Hills will be restored. The Rengma Hills belongs to the Nagas because the Rengmas are Nagas. Prolong attempt of KAAC and Karbi militants to wipe out the Rengma Naps will not be successful. Because Karbis too cannot live here if Rengmas cannot. Therefore, the legitimate land rights of the Rengmas must be given due honor for peaceful co existence. K. Thong, Convenor, Rengma Hills Support Centre (RHSC)

The Morung Express is introducing “Public Space” as part of our intention to provide deliberate space for the opinions of the people to be expressed and heard through this newspaper. Nonetheless, The Morung Express points out that the opinions expressed in the contents published in the “Public Space” do not reflect the views and position of the newspaper or the editor.

‘Know your children, their abilities and limits’

Dimapur, January 11 (mExn): The Longmisa Gazatted Officers Forum (Dimapur unit) organised a seminar for parents at Ana-ki conference hall, Khermahal, Dimapur on January 11. The objective of the seminar was to make parents aware of their children’s needs - ‘role of parents in children’s education’, in particular. Pro Vice Chancellor

of Nagaland University, Prof. A. Lanununungsang Ao was the resource person. According to Prof. Ao, as responsible parents, understanding the needs and aspirations of children is paramount. He said that children of today are more aware, of their wants and aims. The role of parents therefore must be to measure and assess their limits and talent

early on, while working towards cultivating the faculty inherent. Waiting for adolescence to decide their future will be too late, he said. As a child grows, several factors come into play, which ultimately affects the child’s intellect and perception. This is where the role of parents, as guardians and as role models is crucial, Prof. Ao

said. Stating that amount of time spent with children influences how and what he or she learns, he said that parents should establish a foundation of friendship and sharing, while devoting quality time. When a child learns from a positive role model, it cuts down on the time that the child would need to spend learning from other influencing factors or neg-

ative external influences, Prof. Ao said. Moreover, he said that parents should be well aware of the prevailing system of education, starting from primary to the secondary level. It is pertinent, as a parent, to understand a child’s academic interests, so that the ward can land in the right institution conducive to his or her calling, he said. Further, Prof. Ao

touched on the importance of mother-tongue. Expressing concern at the increasing trend of Naga households conversing in Nagamese, he said the trend has become a threat to identity. In this regard, he urged parents should lead by example and discourage the use of Nagamese in the household, while encouraging conversation in one’s mother-tongue.

pErEn, January 11 (mExn): The Zeme Council North East India (ZCNEI) headquarter-Peren Nagaland has expressed deep sorrow and grief over the killings of innocent persons belonging to Rengma Nagas and Karbis and loss of several lives and properties in the wake of violence, arson and barbaric killing in Chokihola area under Barpathar police station of Karbi Anglong, Assam. In a press statement, the Council president, Raitu Elu Som Kamei, Director, Indian Postal Services inaugurat- and its general secretary, Iluing Beanstalk School. (Right) Amen Aier, Administrator, ilung appealed to Karbi PeoBeanstalk School. (Morung Photo) ple Liberation Tigers (KPLT)

and Rengma Naga Hills Protection Force (RNHPF) to abstain from killing innocent people. It stated that killing of innocent person(s) would never achieve anything, “but invite the wrath of God Almighty, who created man in His likeness.” It stated that Zemes have experienced bitterness and irreparable loss of lives and properties of similar nature in earlier times, and does not want anyone to bear or experience such nature of bitterness. ZCNEI further urged both KPLT and RNHPF to for-

give and forget so as to give peace a chance and asked them to come forward to pursue their causes through peaceful and democratic means. It also appealed to Assam Government to treat both Karbis and Rengmas equally in terms of providing relief materials to the displaced persons and ex-gratia payment to the deceased. Meanwhile, ZCNEI conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, while calling for a total halt and end of bloodshed in Karbi Anglong.

Dimapur, January 11 (mExn): Angami Sports Association (ASA) has expressed shock at the sudden demise of Ekobe, president, Zeliang Wresting Association (ZWA) on the night of January 10, 2014. In a press statement, ASA president, Er Neisievilie Lhousa remem-

bered late Ekobe as a man who always made himself available for the service of the society, particularly for the wrestling fraternity of the Nagas. His passing away has created a great vacuum not only to the Zeliang Wrestling Association, but also to the Angami Sports Asso-

ciation (ASA) and the Nagaland Wrestling Association (NWA) as a whole, the note added. Angami Sports Association further conveyed its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members and prayed that the God almighty grant solace and strength to bear the loss.

Beanstalk: New school in ZCNEI appeals to abstain from killing town to offer quality teaching Dimapur, January 11 (mExn): With the aim to impart education away from “traditional ways” of schooling, Beanstalk School was inaugurated today at Lengrijan, Dimapur. Som Kamei, Director, Indian Postal Services was the chief guest during the inaugural function. The school, with the motto “Onward to Success”, follows the XSEED module, a program for quality teaching and learning in schools, and will cater to students from Primary, LKG, and UKG, within the age group of 3-5 years, for the first year and upgrade in the following years. Amen Aier, owner and the administrator of the school said that it had always been her dream to work with children and mould them. Quoting the educationalists theory that ‘a child’s mind is a tabula

rasa’ (tabula rasa meaning a blank slate), she explains that a child’s potential is endless. She also stressed on the importance of parents’ role in bringing up a child, and sought the support of parents so they could collectively work together in bringing up a child. Som Kamei, in his speech as chief guest, called upon the teachers and the administrator of the school

to commit to the task of teaching. With passion and commitment, he said, there is opportunity for the school to succeed. Earlier, N. Wati, G.B. Lengrijan, said the introductory prayer, while, Lima Jamir, Associate Pastor, Dimapur Ao Baptist Arogo, pronounced the dedicatory prayer. Helen performed a special song during the function.

Angami Sports Association offers condoles

President of Dimapur Network of People Living with HIV/ AIDS (DNP), H Moatemjen Phom (left), receiving the Rasthtrya Jewel Award and Indian Award for Excellence in Social Work from Friendship Forum of India (FFI), during the award presentation for Economic Growth & National Unity on December 14, 2013.

MEx FILE One NSCN (K) cadre apprehended Dimapur, January 11 (mExn): Troops of 19 Assam Rifles along with police had launched a search operation in Jail Colony, Kohima and apprehended one NSCN (K) cadre. A press release issued by AR informed that the individual was identified as SS 2nd Lt Akuto of NSCN (K). One 7.65mm Pistol with six rounds were recovered from the cadre. He has been handed over to Police Station (South), it added.

NPCC meeting on Jan 13

Kohima, January 11 (mExn): An emergency meeting of the NPCC Sub-Committee, constituted for the forthcoming Lok Sabha Election has been called on January 13 (Monday), 1:00 PM at Pusa’s residence, Kohima. The Committee Convener K.V. Pusa has informed the members concerned to attend the meeting without fail.

Six NPS officers inducted as IPS

Kohima, January 11 (mExn): The Director General of Police, Kohima through a press release has informed that six NPS officers have been appointed and inducted into IPS, w.e.f December 26, 2013 and allotted Nagaland cadre vide Ministry of Home Affairs letter No. I-14011/11/2013-IPS.I (II) DATED 26th December, 2013. The officers are K Martin Pienyü, Richard Yimto, Zekatso Mero, Nganshimakok Sangtam, Temsuba Aier and K Kivigho Chishi.

Sunday 12 January 2014

www.morungexpress.com

EXPRESS

Review

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Thailand’s Future: make sense, not war Rightly or wrongly, finally the people of my generation are now all for public participation, talking about "Thailand's future," and debating the meaning of democracy. Politics has indeed become a part of our every day lives. Isn't this what democracy is meant to be like? Rattana Lao here were thousands of people filling the Royal Plaza in front of Thammasat University. While the university’s infamous political opera held the stage, the academics and the public were exchanging views on how to put an end to the corrupt crony capitalism of the majority elected government under the former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra. My phones kept ringing. Although I was not participating in the rally, I was a part of the Thammasat Speakers' Union (TSU), which was to host an English debating session for 250 students nationwide. Believing that debating provides fundamental skills for fostering a democratic society such as critical thinking, persuasion and teamwork, our slogan had been chosen to resonate with the political deadlock taking place at that time: “Make Sense, Not War.” Everyone asked – ‘To cancel or not to cancel?’ This was in March 2006. It felt like a high tide of Thai democracy when people took to the streets to question and challenge the Government's alleged corruption charges. Not long after, however, the military coup took place that ousted Thaksin. While the involvement of the military was supported by many Bangkok residents and anti-Thaksin campaigners, it also undoubtedly destroyed any hopes of fostering a democratic society in Thailand at that time. Eight years have since gone by. Many things have changed but in most respects everything seems substantially the same. But what has changed forever is the attitude of Thai people towards street protests. We have become accustomed to it, whether it is spontaneous or politically manipulated. In the name of “civil disobedience”, we have seen the leaders of demonstrations break

Anti-government protesters make their way across Buddhayodfah bridge during a warm-up rally to paralyze the capital on Thursday, January 9, 2014, in Bangkok, Thailand. Thousands of protesters took part in the rally aimed at toppling the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Protest leaders have set Jan. 13 as the date to bring Bangkok to a halt. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)

into government institutions, close down the airport and take over free TV in order to mobilize their supporters, occupying Thailand’s public spaces and putting pressure on the government. During the past eight years, we have lost count of how many times protests have erupted –not to mention how many lives have been lost and injuries sustained as a consequence. Indeed, this has become the new norm of “Thai-style” democracy. Since they started in November 2013, the goal of such protests has morphed from being a mobilisation directed against the Blanket Amnesty Bill, to expelling Thaksin's regime out of Thai politics so that cleansing the country from corruption may begin. On January 13, 2014, the protesters will stage another “Shut Down Bangkok”action which intends to occupy twenty key areas in the heart of Bangkok to shut down major government institutions. Confidently and fiercely, protest leaders mobilise their

supporters to come out to occupy Bangkok. “One more day” of shutting down Bangkok, they say, and we will reform Thailand. Not really. But interestingly, Sanitsuda Ekachai, Editor of the Bangkok Post, did point out that, “the table has now turned.” Suthep Thuagsuban was the former member of the Democrat Party, and was involved in the government operation to crack down on the red-shirts movement in 2010. He it is who has now become the leader of the demonstrations. The momentum of this protest owes much to the advent of social media. Thanks to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, the level of public participation has rapidly escalated and intensified, especially amongst the urban populace in Bangkok. News feeds are overflowing with pictures and comments full of political enthusiasm and overt patriotism. This is not to mention the commercialization of protesters’ gadgets such as whistles, t-shirts and headbands in the colours of Thai flags: red, white and blue.

Rightly or wrongly, finally the people of my generation are now all for public participation, talking about "Thailand's future," and debating the meaning of democracy. Politics has indeed become a part of our every day lives. Isn't this what democracy is meant to be? While social media might help to disseminate information and enables many more people to participate in the democratic process of 'checks and balances', it has also generated hate speech amongst Thai people. Indeed, the levels to which hate speech has stooped in this country have passed the point of no return. Stark dichotomies between “us” vs “them,” “educated” vs “uneducated,” and “urban” vs “rural” dominate political discourse in Thailand. While the government's supporters, who are mostly based in the North and Northeastern region of Thailand are labelled as “poor,” “uneducated” and “stupid,” the protesters mostly coming from Democrat Party supporters in Bangkok and the South

present themselves as the more sophisticated and educated urban middle class. As if these formulations aren't racist enough, every day there are new terms and new satirical smears attacking political opponents, generating and exacerbating hatred and enemy images amongst Thais. Quotes are taken out of context, misinformation and disinformation is spread far and wide and violence has been instigated. How have things gone this far? Eighty years since the political revolution in Thailand, what has not changed is the bleakest of hopes in parliamentarystyle democracy amongst some groups of Thai people. But blatant arguments such as, “Thai people are not ready for fully-fledged democracy,” “the majority of Thai people are not educated enough for elections” or “Thai politicians are so corrupt that we can't survive the tyranny of majority rule” are rampant and becoming ever more entrenched. The political polarization is so extreme that the Government has even been driven to dissolve parliament and call for a general election on February 2, 2014, - an election in which the opposition party, the Democrat Party, refuses to participate. Many of those who are demonstrating believe that regardless of how many general elections take place, the Phua Thai Party will win. So they are now talking about the alternatives to general election. What alternatives? Another military intervention? Please no. Suthep's proposal of an elusive “people’s parliament” or “people’s council” simply isn't feasible. Nor is it acceptable either. The protesters’ dream of a scenario where only the most noble will “elect” from those who are “eligible” the leaders to rule Thailand, is nothing but self-serving and self-selecting personal aggrandizement. With so much talk in the air, sadly there is no 'dialogue' in Thailand. No one is listening to anyone else. Each side is only listening to their own voices magnified, and reiterating the rhetoric of their own leaders. At the end of the day, the debate about Thailand’s political future has to be grounded in the principle of one person, one vote, respect for the rules of law and for the parliamentary system. No election is flawless, but without this there is no hope for democracy. The alternative must be a dead end. In any proper debate, you are judged according to three criteria: matter, manner and method. If the past eight years of political theatre in Thailand are anything to go by – the message is very very simple: Thailand has completely lost the plot.

10 things to look for in 2014 at the movies Driverless cars need legal framework

Jake Coyle aP Film Writer

ollywood may be hoping for a little less drama in 2014. 2013 was a tale of two cinemas. Blockbusters like "The Lone Ranger" and "After Earth" flopped spectacularly while many in the industry (including Steven Spielberg) bemoaned the increasingly commercial trajectory of the studios. And yet by the end of the year, Hollywood had set a record with nearly $11 billion in revenue, while critics hailed the year's crop as one of the best in years. How will 2014 unfold? The plot, at least, will be unchanged, with Hollywood moving to the familiar pattern of sketchy spring releases, summer superhero blockbusters and fall awards-contenders. Here are 10 things to look for at the movies in 2014:

Raphael Gindrat, from Induct, points to a guidance laser while demonstrating their new Navia driverless shuttle at the International Consumer Electronics Show on Monday, January 6, 2014, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Ryan Nakashima aP Business Writer

ydrogen- and solar-powered vehicles are on the streets. So are cars that can get you through stopand-go traffic while you sit back and send texts from behind the wheel. Cars are even using radar, ultrasonic waves and cameras to jump into the passing lane and get around slowpokes. Sure, all of these technologies are still in the testing phase, but that hasn't stopped car makers and technology companies from showing off a new paradigm of driving at the International CES gadget show this week. It's a world in which you no longer grip the wheel with excitement, but instead relax with a book or movie as your car chauffeurs you to your destination. That was the point of one simulation by Delphi Automotive PLC, a provider of auto parts and technology to major manufacturers including Ford, GM and Volvo. The scenario, using a stationary but souped-up Tesla Model S, imagines "autonomous driving lanes," much like carpool lanes today. The company imagines that vehicles might someday enter these lanes and then run on auto-pilot. The feat is possible today with a mixture of technology that keeps cars inside lanes and adaptive cruise control that matches a car's speed to the vehicle in front of it. While in the autonomous lane, the car's window glass frosts up and functions that had been disabled for the driver — like video playing from a mini pro-

jector — turn on. The driver can pursue other activities, like surfing the Web or even taking a nap. When the driver's exit nears, the car gets increasingly persistent, demanding that the driver take back control. First, the video player stops. Then a female voice intones, "Place both hands on the steering wheel and look ahead in the driving direction." Finally, the seat starts vibrating and a driver-facing camera ensures he or she is looking at the road. The driver taps a steering wheel knob, takes control, and drives on. The experience is similar to airline pilots who grab the controls for take-off and landing but let a computer do the rest. "These technologies exist now and the carmakers assure us they're ready to go," said Jim Travers, associate editor of autos for Consumer Reports magazine. "It's really not that far off." Though technological innovation isn't an issue, there are many speed bumps on the road to this envisioned future. Consumers must accept the safety and reliability of such systems, governments must draft and pass legislation and the insurance industry needs to draw up guidelines to answer tricky questions such as who'd be at fault in the event of a crash. "That's one of the biggest issues for the industry as a whole for autonomous technology," said Glen De Vos, vice president of engineering for Delphi's electronics and safety division. "The legal environment has to keep pace. Today we're at the very beginning."

STELLAR SCI-FI Anticipation runs especially high for "Interstellar" (Nov. 7), Christopher Nolan's deep space travel adventure starring Matthew McConaughey. Nolan, the director of "Inception" and "The Dark Knight," is one of few directors whose name alone makes fanboys salivate. His imprimatur promises a cinematic experience (he likes to shoot with IMAX cameras) that few today can match. Nolan's name also looms large in "Transcendence" (April 18), which he produced. The artificial intelligence tale, starring Johnny Depp is the directorial debut of Nolan's longtime cinematographer Wally Pfister. HOLD-OVERS FROM 2013 This year will benefit from last year's unusually good leftovers. George Clooney's World War II art rescue tale "The Monuments Men" will open Feb. 7 after being delayed from December. James Grey's Ellis Island drama "The Immigrant" (undated), starring Joaquin Phoenix and Marion Cottilard, could emerge as an Oscar dark horse after earning acclaim on the festival circuit. Bennett Miller's "Foxcatcher," featuring a dark turn from Steve Carell, will bow sometime in 2014. "Grace of Monaco," with Nicole Kidman as Grace Kelly, opens March 14. MARVEL's EXPANDING UNIVERSE Marvel's world domination continues with "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (April 4), "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" (May 2), "X-Men: Days of Future Past" (May 23) and "Guardians of the Galaxy" (Aug. 1). The last, the lone non-sequel, represents Marvel's reach for another ensemble team-up film, and, with a cast including Chris Pratt and Bradley Cooper, perhaps something a little different than its usual output. MUSICALS SING AGAIN Though 2013 contained no major live-action musical, several are coming this year. Clint Eastwood, of all people, directs the screen adaptation of the hit production about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons in "Jersey Boys" (June 20). "Annie" (Dec. 19), produced by Will Smith and Jay Z, will get a contemporary update with "Beasts of

This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Jennifer Connelly, left, and Russell Crowe in a scene from "Noah." (AP Photo/Paramount Pictures, Niko Tavernise)

the Southern Wild" star Quvenzhane Wallis as the titular orphan. Rob Marshall ("Chicago") will transfer James Lapine and Steven Sondheim's Grimm fable "Into the Woods" to the big screen (Dec. 25), with Meryl Streep as the Witch and Depp as the Big Bad Wolf.

Expendables 3" (Aug. 15) and "How to Train Your Dragon 2" (June 13). Peter Jackson will finally close out his lifetime with J.R.R. Tolkien with his final "Hobbit" installment: "The Hobbit: There and Back Again" (Dec. 17).

SURE BETS FROM VETERAN HANDS Paul Thomas Anderson ("There Will Be Blood," ''The Master") releases have become the highlight of many a movie buff's year. His "Inherent Vice" (not yet dated), adapted from Thomas Pynchon's novel and starring Phoenix, continues the director's series of California-set films. Also hotly anticipated is David Fincher's version of Gillian Flynn's best-selling thriller, "Gone Girl" (Oct. 3), starring Ben Affleck. Other directors to watch in 2014 include Wes Anderson ("The Grand Budapest Hotel," March 7) and Woody Allen ("Magic in the Moonlight," undated).

THAT WAS NOT THE END Co-directors Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg will quickly follow up their 2013 hit "This Is the End" with "The Interview" (Oct. 10), a comedy starring James Franco as a talk-show host caught up in an assassination plot. Rogen also stars with Zac Efron in "Neighbors" (May 9), by "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" director Nicholas Stoller, about a young family living next to a frat house. The 2014 comedy lineup also includes "Dumb and Dumber To" (Nov. 14), with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels; the one-night-stand comedy "Walk of Shame" (April 25) with Elizabeth Banks; and "Sex Tape" (Aug. 1) with Cameron Diaz.

SEQUELS, REMAKES AND, AT LAST, A FINAL HOBBIT Naturally, 2014 boasts a boatload of sequels and remakes including "Godzilla" (May 16), "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1" (Nov. 21), "Transformers: Age of Extinction" (June 27), "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" (July 11), "22 Jump Street" (June 13), "The

HUNTING THE HUNGER GAMES The competition is thick for the next hit young-adult franchise. Among the films looking to draw teenage audiences with stories from popular young-adult novels are: the post-apocalyptic "Divergent" (March 21); the high-school vampire fantasy "Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters" (Feb. 14); and the sci-fi dystopia "The Maze Runner" (Sept. 19). May the odds be ever in your favor.

BEARDED MEN OF THE BIBLE This year will boast not just a Noah, but also a Moses. First will come Darren Aronofsky's "Noah" (March 28), starring Russell Crowe and a very big boat. Ridley Scott will follow on Dec. 12 with "Exodus," starring Christian Bale as Moses. Greek mythology will also double up in 2014 with two Hercules movies. The demigod will be played by Dwayne Johnson in Brett Ratner's "Hercules" (July 25) and by Kellan Lutz in "The Legend of Hercules" (out Friday). More Greek warfare comes with the sequel "300: Rise of an Empire" (March 7).

JOLIE'S RETURN Angelina Jolie hasn't starred in a live-action film since 2010's forgettable "The Tourist," but she'll be a large presence in 2014. She stars as the title villain in "Maleficent" (May 30), the twisted "Sleeping Beauty" tale. She also directs her second feature in "Unbroken" (Dec. 25), a World War II prisoner-of-war drama co-scripted by Joel and Ethan Coen. Jolie's famous companion, Brad Pitt, stars in a WWII story of his own, "Fury" (Nov. 14), about an American tank crew in Nazi Germany.

Readers may please note that, the contents of the articles published on this page do not reflect the outlook of this paper nor of the Editor in any form.

FAITH LEAF

SunDAY

THE MORUNG EXPRESS 12 January 2014

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Christians and Alcohol Shane Vander Hart Christian Post Guest Contributor

y pastor shared on Facebook yesterday an article on Christians and alcohol that made me uncomfortable. Not because the Holy Spirit was convicting me, but because, in my opinion, lacked grace and it killed actual dialogue on the issue. This will be an issue that will forever be debated among Christians. This prompted me to revive an article I wrote in 2009 on the subject. This wasn't exactly how I pictured re-launching my blog for 2014, but it's interesting to discuss and debate. So what is my view on Christians and alcohol? First, I want to share a little of my background, so you have full disclosure. I didn't place my faith in Christ until I was 20-years-old. When I was at Drake University I abused alcohol. I went out binge drinking a lot. My intent was to get drunk, and that I did. Some highlights of those days – puking my guts out outside my fraternity in a cold October rain, waking up in strange places not remembering how I got there, and people I hardly knew the next day smiling saying "dude you were awfully friendly last night" I had no idea what they were talking about. So when I came to Christ I quit. Cold turkey. It had been an idol and I had to give it up. I didn't have a drink (that I can remember) for 10 years. My belief about alcohol consumption for Christians has never changed in my time of abstaining and now moderate consumption. Some thoughts:

1. Underage drinking is illegal and therefore sinful. We are to obey our governing authorities, (Romans 13:2). Being 21 is the law of the land, and therefore even drinking without being drunk for somebody who is under 21 is out of bounds. For countries whose laws are different, then that would be up to a young person's parents for children are to obey their parents, (Ephesians 6:1).

2. The Bible prohibits drunkenness and condemns poor behavior as a result of too much to drink. "Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise," (Proverbs 20:1, ESV). Proverbs 31:4-5, Isaiah 28:7-8, and Isaiah 56:12 speak out against leaders who drink irresponsibly to the point, Proverbs 31:5 says that the King forgets what he decrees. "Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink, who tarry late into the evening as wine inflames them… Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink," (Isaiah 5:11,22, ESV). Ephesians 5:8 says that we are not "get drunk with wine," but instead be filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul warns Timothy in the selection of deacons that they must not be those who are "addicted to much wine," (1 Timothy 3:8). Where the Bible prohibits the consumption of

wine or "strong drink" it is with those taking a Naza- ulations – 'Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch" rite vow and priests in their temple service, (Leviti- (referring to things that all perish as they are used) – according to human precepts and teachings?" cus 10:8-10; Numbers 6:3; Ezekiel 44:21). Those who decide to not consume, and I'm 3. Much of the taboo regarding Christians not saying that is a bad thing – I made that choice drinking in moderation seems to be more cultural than biblical. There is a quote from Benja- myself for 10 years, shouldn't judge when others min Franklin that always makes me laugh, "Beer is make a different choice. Likewise those who deproof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." cide to shouldn't look down on their brothers and While Franklin had other issues both theological sisters who decide not to. and social, he is correct with his sentiment. Con- 5. We have responsibility in Christ. Several peosider Psalm 104:14-15 – "You cause the grass to ple mentioned it in their comments already, but grow for the livestock and plants for man to culti- namely we are not to be a stumbling block to those vate, that he may bring forth food from the earth around us. "Do not, for the sake of food, destroy and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it his face shine and bread to strengthen man's heart." is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by Deuteronomy 14:22-27 shares commandments what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink regarding the tithe and how it was to be used, no- wine or do anything that causes your brother to tice verse 26 in particular, "and spend the money stumble," (Romans 14:20-21, ESV). for whatever you desire – oxen or sheep or wine or I wouldn't drink around current alcoholics, forstrong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And mer alcoholics, or somebody who came from a famyou shall eat these before the LORD your God and ily of alcoholics. Not only are you a stumbling block, rejoice, you and your household." but it would simply be rude. When it isn't being drunk it is a sign of judgment, I don't drink around people who believe that it is "no more do they drink wine with singing; strong drink wrong. Maintain relationships and unity, (Ephesians is bitter to those who drink it," (Isaiah 24:9, ESV). 4:3) is far more important to me. If I'm in a ministry Issac as he blessed Jacob said, "May God give you or church that says don't drink. I don't drink. of the dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth and Also we need to be mindful of our witness. I perplenty of grain and wine," (Genesis 27:28, ESV). sonally do not attend events where the soul purpose Wine was used as part of the food offering, (Num- of the event is for people to get completely wasted. bers 15:10). So that would now eliminate about all of the parties "Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the I attended in college. That doesn't mean I personally first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will go to a bar because I have for certain functions but be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting for me personally; it isn't a regular occurrence. with wine," (Proverbs 3:9-10, ESV). "Go, eat your hand with joy, and drink your wine 6. In all things moderation. I don't drink more than with a merry heart, for God has already approved of 1-2 beers or alcoholic beverages in a setting. what you do," (Ecclesiastes 9:7, ESV). Motive check – why do I want to drink? Is it because Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in it tastes good or do I have another motive? Am I drinkCana in John 2:1-11. He turned it into "good wine," ing for comfort or because I'm in a bad mood? Am I and this was uncommon because typically cheaper drinking due to stress? Who should I be going to when wine was given later on in the wedding feasts (which I'm in pain, sad, stressed, etc? Beer or God? Bad motive, would last seven days) when the senses became dull. pray don't drink then. This could be said with anything. All commentators I have read agree that this wine When I say everything in moderation, that is did have alcohol (as it would still numb the senses). what I mean. You notice some of those churches that Some say it was diluted to make it last and to make condemn alcohol consumption strangely have nothit less potent. Other books I have consulted on "man- ing to say about gluttony. Why is that? ners and customs" make no mention of this. One So now I personally will have a beer or glass of thing can be said for certain is that alcohol was not wine in some social settings. My conscience is clear. added to it artificially like what we see today in the I have liberty in Christ. I do not overindulge. We gendistilling process. erally don't keep it at home though there are times I 4. We have liberty in Christ. We have liberty to con- have, and that is out of respect for my wife who doesn't sume in moderation, and we have liberty not to. Paul drink. I also don't want it to always be around. I enjoy in Colossians 2:16 says, "Therefore (since Jesus tri- it on occasion, but it doesn't drive my social life. That's my view. What's yours? umphed at the cross) let no one pass judgment on (Shane Vander Hart is the founder and editor-in-chief you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to of Caffeinated Thoughts. He is also the President of 4:15 a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath" Communications, LLC, a social media & communications consulting/management firm. He is a communications Also going further Paul wrote, "If with Christ you director for American Principles Project's Preserve Innocence died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if Initiative. Prior to this Shane spent 20 years in youth ministry you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regserving in church, parachurch, and school settings.)

The Tale of Two Workers— James Bailey: A lasting prison prayer a Church Parable

Kathleen Ward

eet Mike and Peter. These two guys studied together, and have both recently started their new jobs. They both have the same training, the same skill set and the same potential. Mike is really happy with his new position. The boss seems like a great guy—intelligent and full of advice. He seems to know everything, the kind of guy who can talk for hours about any topic (and frequently does). He is willing to spend time telling Mike how to do his job well. He’s always quick to solve problems for Mike, and even takes over and does the work for him if Mike gets stuck. Mike has found a comfortable work environment and has settled in well. He doesn’t realize he is slowly being disempowered. Peter’s new boss is also an experienced, intelligent kind of guy. He asks Peter for his advice and opinions. He spends more time listening to Peter than telling him what to do—although he’s happy to provide advice when Peter asks for it directly. He makes space for Peter to make his own mistakes, but offers guidance when needed. He links Peter to other workers in relevant areas. He affirms Peter’s abilities and ideas, and gives him permission to try new things outside of his comfort zone. Peter is being empowered. Within a few years, we see a huge difference between the two young men. Mike is dependent on his boss. He shows no initiative, and is content to do the minimum requirements of his position. He is a passive employee, and has no real professional aspirations. Peter, on the other hand, is confident and thriving. He has been promoted twice and turned down an attractive job offer from another agency. He shows clear leadership skills and is mentoring others. He initiates his own projects and completes them efficiently. Peter is an empowered employee, of huge benefit to the company, and is achieving his personal and professional aspirations. It’s easy to see how a workplace shapes its employees. It can be harder for churches to realize they are shaping God’s people—often as passive workers, with no aspiration or motivation to grow, change or impact the world around them. Pastors pour many hours a week into inspirational sermons to activate people—never seeing the irony that lecture-style monologues turn people into passive recipients, not active participants. It is possible for church to become a place of great empowerment, where God’s people are built up and affirmed to take an active role in their own learning and growth, and the growth of others. However, changes may need to be made to the leadership model for this to happen. When leaders are willing to step off the stage and out of the limelight, and become facilitators rather than performers, we will see God’s people mature and grow as they are given a voice, a value and an impact. Kathleen Ward’s driving passion is welcoming outsiders into community. This involves drinking copious cups of tea and spending time with neighbours and new friends from other cultures and backgrounds. Her secondary interest is encouraging the church to move from performance to empowerment; from audience to community; from passive listening to active learning. She co-writes blog with her best friend and husband, Kevin-Neil Ward

INSPIRATIONAL STORIES, MESSAGES, POEMS & SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES

Michelle Wilson | The 700 Club

ames Bailey of Jacksonville Florida spent half of his life in prison for drug use, possession and trafficking. In the words of James Bailey: “It’s torment behind the bars because you’re having a mindset that you’re there. But then all of a sudden, deep down in your heart, you want to make it out.” James was raised by his mom. After his father abandoned the family, his mother was forced to work multiple jobs. That gave James plenty of time to get into trouble. By age 13, he was hanging out with a crowd that drank and smoked marijuana. “I was sitting out and they were smoking weed and they asked me would I like some and I said ‘yes.’ And I got started getting high with them and it became a normal thing in my life.” To support his new habit, he started stealing and selling drugs. Finally, at age 18, he was arrested for the first time and spent a night in jail. “And they started doing the booking and stuff like that. Reality started to set in, like, you know, ‘this is real.’” James was put on probation, but that didn’t keep him from selling drugs again; this time on a much larger scale. He raked in $3,000 a day. “It was coming in so fast that it was having money here, money there and get what you want, when you wanted it.” Then James made the mistake of selling to an undercover cop. He was sentenced to six months in prison for drug possession. He decided he would have to adapt quickly to his new environment. “I had heard so much stories about being raped and guys being beat up. I’m not soft, so I have got to prove to somebody that I got to whoop me somebody up, or I have to do something wrong, or to the point where I can make an example out of somebody; so I wouldn’t be taken advantage of.” Ironically, the system that locked James behind bars for drug possession was the same system that made it easy for him to get and use drugs while in prison. “You didn’t have to sneak them in. It was brought in for you. If you knew how to do it, you had to. If you had enough money, you can do what you want to do. You can get what you wanted.”

Over the next 13 years James was in and out of prison three times for drug possession. “Prison became a game too. Because you could learn how to work the system instead of the system working you. The fear was, could I make it out alive or was I going to have to spend the rest of my life in prison?” It was during his final stay, which lasted two and a half years, when he reached a breaking point. “I got tired of seeing my friends dying; I got tired of seeing my friends in prison. I got tired of going to prison. I got tired of knowing that if I don’t get my life together that I might die soon.” So James asked God to help him. “On the night that I gave my heart to the Lord, I was in jail on the side of my bed, and I was on my knees and I started crying out and I asked God; I said, ‘God, if you’re really real, would you reveal yourself to me? And whatever it takes for me to know you, I’m willing to go through it.’ And that’s when God revealed himself and He came in and He touched my life.” James started reading his Bible every day. “My mind had started being renewed by Christ. My life started to change to the point w h e r e e ve r y thing that was in me was striving for Christ. Everything in me desired Christ more than the d r u g s .” A f t e r James got out of prison, he lived at the Salvation Army for six months. There he met a young lady and she also became a Christian. She later became his wife. Today, James and his family attend a church that’s helping them to grow in their faith. “Being able to stay in the Word of God, being able to be around people that cared about you enough to see you delivered, to see you walking in the things of God.” James has been drug free for eight years. He’s actively involved in his church and works at an auto detailing shop. He’ll tell you, whether he’s working or taking care of his family, having a close relationship with God is his top priority. “God was in the middle of everything, as I know today. Even in my mess, God was there because he kept me enough to be able to be standing here today in my sound mind, to be able to know that His hand is on my life. The most important thing that God’s done in me - He saved me and I’m free. I’m a free man, not only in the society. But I’m a free man in God.

Christian deaths double in 2014 World Watch list World Watch Monitor

early twice as many Christians died for their faith in the past year than in 2012, according to Open Doors International’s 2014 World Watch List. Open Doors International, a charity that supports Christians under pressure for their faith, said 2,123 Christians were reported to have been killed during the 12 months ending Oct. 31. That compares to 1,201 during the previous 12 months. During the most recent period, more Christians were killed in Syria alone than were killed globally in the previous year. The World Watch List, which annually monitors the media worldwide for all reported incidents, emphasizes that this is the “very, very minimum” count—only those who have been documented as killed. Estimates of the total number killed range from around 7,000 or 8,000, according to the International Institute for Religious Freedom’s Thomas Schirrmacher, to the lofty 100,000 estimate of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity. Beyond those killed, the World Watch List recommends that three more categories of Christians should be considered: Christians whose death is never reported; Christians killed due to increased vulnerability, such as those in conflict areas; and Christians who die due to long-term discrimination. Taking these into account, as well as those whose deaths are reported by the media, the World Watch List suggests Schirrmacher’s estimation is roughly accurate, although the figure may be higher still. “Christians aren’t always directly killed, but are so much squeezed with regulations and vulnerabilities that they just perish—not at once, but in the course of years. If we would include them in the counting, it would be an enormous number of people. However, the precise number of Christians who die due to these factors is very difficult to quantify,” according to the World Watch List. Not surprisingly, Syria heads the list of the countries in which the most Christians were killed for their faith (1,213), followed by Nigeria (612), Pakistan (88) and Egypt (83). Of the top 10, six are in Africa—with Kenya (20), Angola (16), Niger (15) and the Central African Republic (nine) joining Nigeria and Egypt on the list. The World Watch List states that the number of Christians killed in the Central African Republic is especially likely to have been under-reported because “most analysts still failed to recognize the religious dimension of the conflict.” The list says the same is true of North Korea, where “it is extremely difficult to get public information.” Beyond the number of Christians killed, the World Watch List focuses upon other instances of violence, including: physical aggression; threats; the destruction of churches or other Christian buildings; attempts to destroy churches or Christian buildings; the closure of churches or Christian buildings; house expulsion or destruction; kidnap for ransom or intimidation; sexual assault; arrests; and displacement. Considering only the sum of violent incidents recorded, Egypt (167) tops the list, followed by India (125) and Nigeria (118).

Ministries teaming up to provide shoes to Syrian refugees

he Christian Post reported this week that global engagement advocate Lynne Hybels, wife of megachurch pastor Bill Hybels, is partnering with an organization of national social media experts on a project to provide shoes and other supplies to Syrian refugees displaced from their country by the civil war currently raging there. Hybels says the project, called “Shoes for Syrian Refugees,” is being done in the name and Spirit of Christ. “The local people providing these services to both Christians and Muslims are heroes, but they have to be unsung heroes,” Hybels said. “The more we give, the more we can show the love of Christ to Syrian Christians and Muslims who are suffering.” The project was devised and developed by Matt and Michelle Brown, founders of the nonprofit Think Eternity and are leading the donation effort via social media. The goal is to raise $10,000 for relief supplies. One hundred percent of donations are being directed to local ministries involved in this project. In the last two years, said project leaders, more than two million Syrian refugees have fled their country’s bloody civil war to Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. “Last winter my wife, Michelle, and I were watching a CBS Evening News report about the great need in refugee camps bordering Syria,” Brown said. “The report focused on a businessman from Texas who had begun overseeing one of the camps. He expressed the need for shoes for the children during the harsh winter there. “This broke my heart. I had a sensation that there are a million problems in the world, but that God wanted me to do something about this one in particular. To this day, I have that same sense in my heart, and I’m wondering how God could use us if everyone partnered a little bit. How many refugees could we help during this time?” Source: Christian Post

The untapped power of righteousness in Christ

Terry Crist | Charisma Magazine

hen we focus our hearts on righteousness, we leave little room for the works of iniquity to be found in our lives. Righteousness is a spiritual force that if yielded to will cause our motivations, thoughts and intentions to be pure, just as Jesus is pure. Our personal righteousness in Christ is a powerful weapon, and yet so often we reduce its inherent power and authority. But righteousness is who we are in conjunction with what we are empowered to do through the grace of God. God has given us a flawless standard, seen only in the face of Jesus Christ. When we see Jesus, we see the sum total of perfect righteousness, the same measure that is offered to all those who receive His provision. I believe the primary reason most Christians struggle with an overwhelming degree of sin consciousness is because they have not had a revelation of what it means to live righteous consciously. This lack of revelation leaves us insecure, wondering whether or not God really accepts us. The work of redemption is unquestioned in the heavens among principalities and powers, yet it is doubted among the children of men. What we have practiced--condemnation--has become permanent. Practicing condemnation, on ourselves or on others, gives a permanent foothold to this spiritually debilitating force. Left untreated, condemnation destroys our confidence in God and breeds insecurity in our identity as His children. Redemption is an eternal event. When we accepted Christ, we accepted freedom from sin consciousness. When you begin to live in the reality of who you were made to be in Christ Jesus, hell itself cannot stop you. When you fully awaken to righteousness, temptation cannot destroy you, personal failure cannot abort your purpose and condemnation can no longer hold you captive. Your identity as a child of the Highest authorizes you to live in this world, even as He lived in this world. You are anointed to rule over the powers of darkness and to minister life to those around you. What Christ accomplished on the cross was absolute and unconditional deliverance for all who believe and receive. Because of Jesus, we do not have to labor under the oppressive taskmaster of sin consciousness. Open your eyes to the wonder of who you are! As you live and move and have your being in Christ, you are forever secure in your position as sons and daughters of righteousness. Terry Crist is the author of The Image Maker (Charisma House), from which this article is adapted.

Readers may please note that, the contents of the articles published on this page do not reflect the outlook of this paper nor of the Editor in any form.

Dimapur

NATIONAL

Sunday 12 January 2014

The Morung Express

India says no US standoff as diplomat returns home new delHI, January 11 (aP): India’s government said Saturday that there was no standoff with the United States over the arrest and strip search of an Indian diplomat in New York, as both countries appear eager to defuse the monthlong dispute. After meeting with the diplomat, Devyani Khobragade, following her return to New Delhi, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid downplayed tensions with the U.S., saying the two countries would sort out their issues. Khobragade, India’s deputy consul general in New York, was indicted by a U.S. federal grand jury on accusations that she exploited her Indian-born housekeeper and nanny, allegedly having her work more than 100 hours a week for low pay and lying about it on a visa form. She denies the charge. She was allowed to return home in an apparent compromise with India, and arrived in New Delhi on Friday night. “There is no reason now to feel any immediate concern about any outcome that might be adverse or particularly disturbing in nature,” Khurshid told reporters Saturday. “In due course, we will take up all issues one by one and sort them out.” After the United States requested that Khobragade leave the country, India asked Washington on Friday to withdraw a diplomat from the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi. The State Department said it would

Devyani moves US court, seeks dismissal of visa fraud case

Devyani Khobragade, who served as India’s deputy consul general in New York, leaves Maharastra state house in New Delhi on Saturday, January 11. Khobragade, 39, is accused of exploiting her Indian-born housekeeper and nanny, allegedly having her work more than 100 hours a week for low pay and lying about it on a visa form. Khobragade has maintained her innocence, and Indian officials have described her treatment as barbaric. (AP Photo)

comply, although with “deep regret.” “We expect and hope that this will now come to closure, and the Indians will now take significant steps with us to improve our relationship and return it to a more constructive place,” spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters in Washington. Much of India’s outrage stems from the circumstances of Khobragade’s arrest, which were seen as unnecessarily humiliating. Khobragade was picked up Dec. 13 and then stripsearched while in custody,

which the U.S. Marshals say is common practice. India also unleashed a steady stream of retaliatory measures against U.S. diplomats. Some of the measures, such as preventing the American Center in New Delhi from screening movies, were seen by some observers as petty. But others raised alarm, including removing concrete traffic barriers around the U.S. Embassy and revoking diplomats’ ID cards. Asked about restoring the privileges of U.S. diplomats in New Delhi, Khurshid said they would be

treated the same as diplomats from other countries. “I don’t think we should be seen as showing more favor to one and less favor to others,” he said Saturday in an interview with CNN-IBN, an Indian television news channel, refuting criticism that U.S. diplomats enjoyed greater privileges in New Delhi than their counterparts from other countries. He also said a visit to India by U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz would be rescheduled soon. The visit was canceled by Washington as the controversy over

Happy if Pawar becomes PM, says Shinde

SolaPur, January 11 (IanS): Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde Saturday expressed a wish to see his political mentor Sharad Pawar of the NCP as the prime minister of India. “I would be happy if Sharad Pawar became the PM. He is my political guru and I entered politics because of him,” Shinde, a policeman-turned-politician and former Maharashtra chief minister, said during an interaction with the editors of the local Marathi news media here. The senior Congress leader’s comments came ahead of his party’ critical Jan 17 session where spec-

ulation is rife that party vice president Rahul Gandhi may be named its prime minister candidate for the 2014 general elections. Shinde said that everybody has ambitions. “Pawar has been trying (to become PM) since 1992, but he fell victim to Delhi politics.” He also added that he has merely reiterated what he has repeated on several earlier occasions, including at the national level. Incidentally, Pawar had split from the Congress in 1999 on the issue of party president Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origins and formed the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Last week, he declared that

new york, January 11 (PtI): Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade has moved a federal court here to dismiss the visa fraud case against her, saying there is lack of personal jurisdiction since she had been accorded full diplomatic immunity by the US Department of State. Khobragade’s lawyer Daniel Arshack submitted a four-page “motion seeking dismissal of action for lack of personal jurisdiction” on January 9 with Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn of the US District Court of the Southern District of New York. She was indicted for visa fraud and making false statements but flew back to India on the night of January 9 from the JFK airport here on an Air India flight after she was accorded diplomatic immunity by the State Department and was asked to depart from the US. Arshack said in his motion that even as the US Department of State fully credentialed Khobragade as a diplomat assigned to the Permanent Mission of India to the UN, “additionally and unexpectedly, they have required

Khobragade’s treatment raged in New Delhi. Ties with the United States have chilled in recent years over several serious policy issues, including India’s delays in enacting more business-friendly reforms and the U.S. National Security Agency’s alleged spying on New Delhi and other foreign governments. The U.S. charges against Khobragade will remain pending until she can be brought to court, either through a waiver of immunity or her return to the U.S. without immunity status, according to the office of U.S.

Attorney Preet Bharara. U.S. prosecutors say Khobragade claimed to pay Richard $4,500 per month in order to obtain a visa for her. But they say Khobragade actually paid Richard $573 per month and often forced her to work more than 100 hours a week without a single full day off. The long hours meant Richard was earning $1.42 or less per hour, the indictment says. After about six months of working for Khobragade, Richard fled and sought help from a nonprofit group that works with hu-

man trafficking victims because Khobragade refused to hand over her passport and allow her to return home, according to the indictment. It also alleges that after the housekeeper fled, Khobragade and a relative tried to intimidate Richard’s family in India by demanding they reveal Richard’s whereabouts. Khobragade also launched a legal complaint against Richard in India. The issue of immunity has been a key aspect of the case. Federal officials initially argued that Khobragade’s immunity was

he would not contest the ensuing Lok Sabha elections but instead settle for a Rajya Sabha seat. Responding to Shinde’s comments, NCP state spokesperson Nawab Malik, while thanking the Congress leader, made it clear that Pawar was “not in the race” for the PM’s post. In contrast, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party leader Prakash Jawadekar said that Shinde is not in a position to decide the PM “as the people of the country have already selected Narendra Modi”. There has been no response from the Congress on Shinde’s comments so far

After chaos, Arving Kejriwal promises better ‘Janata Darbar’

new delHI, January 11 (IanS): The first “Janata Darbar” of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet Saturday ended in chaos after thousands thronged the venue, forcing the AAP leader to leave the scene to avoid a possible stampede. The 45-year-old Kejriwal later promised a better show and soon. He said it could be held in a stadium. An estimated 5,000 people poured into the open space outside the Delhi Secretariat since early morning, eager to pour out their woes to Kejriwal and his ministers who took oath Dec 28. But the crowds were so overwhelming that Kejriwal, an activist-turnedpolitician, retreated to his room in about 45 minutes at the suggestion of Delhi Police. “Next time, we will be more prepared and may hold the ‘Janata Darbar’ at a stadium,” he said, and apologized to the people for not addressing all their

problems. The chief minister also apologized for the poor arrangements. According to him, such was the rush that some over-enthusiastic complainants climbed on his desk and the chairs around him. Some people broke the barricades. “If I had not left the place, there was a possibility of a stampede. Everybody wanted to meet me,” he said, admitting he didn’t anticipate such crowds. “We will streamline the system... We will improve the system,” he told reporters. Asked if he was in a seeming hurry to show results, Kejriwal replied: “We are in a hurry to save the country. If we don’t do that, the country will not change.” The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and former police officer Kiran Bedi slammed Kejriwal. “For God’s sake, Arvind and Team, Secretariats are not run from rooftops! Please take time to listen/absorb! And then take considered decisions!” Bedi wrote on Twitter.

In this Friday, January 10, 2014 photo, Indian girls, wearing traditional attire, stand at the doorway of a home at Hodko village in Kutch in the western Indian state of Gujarat. Hodko village is famous for its leather craft and exquisite embroidery styles practiced by the women as part of family tradition passed on through generations. (AP Photo)

History in the making in Andhra assembly

Hyderabad, January 11 (IanS): History is in the making in Andhra Pradesh legislature, which finally took up for debate on Wednesday a bill for creating a separate Telangana state after days of bitter wrangling over the issue. A war of words is on between the legislators of Telangana and Seemandhra (Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra) when the debate began on the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill 2013, sent by President Pranab Mukherjee last month for the legislature’s opinion. The unprecedented debate marks a significant step in the process for bifurcating the southern state, which was formed in 1956 with the merger of Telangana with the then Andhra state (now Seemandhra). Telangana, comprising 10 districts including Hyderabad, existed as separate state before the merger to create one state for Telugu-speaking people. Though Speaker N. Manohar has clarified that there will be voting on the bill

after the debate and a negative vote could create hurdles when the bill goes back to the president on Jan 23. Legislators divided along regional lines are engaged in a heated discussion marred by allegations and provocative remarks, leading to repeated disruptions and adjournments. The speaker Friday adjourned the house till Jan 17. The last six days of the session are likely to see more fireworks. The main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which along with YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) stalled the assembly for eight days to prevent a debate, finally reconciled. The TDP and Seemandhra legislators of Congress trained their guns on YSRCP by accusing it of cooperating in the state’s division by stalling the debate, which they believe will finally lead to the bill’s defeat. While the Congress and the TDP remained split along regional lines, YSRCP, which has no stakes in Telangana, has taken a clear stand in support of ‘smaikyandhra’ or a united

Andhra Pradesh. It has been demanding that before taking up the debate, the assembly pass a resolution urging the central government to keep the state united. It was is also of the view that agreeing to the debate amounted to accepting bifurcation. Its legislators were finally suspended from the assembly to facilitate the debate. The blame game among the three principal parties for bifurcation is being played both in and outside the legislature. Seemandhra Congress leaders argue that their party took the decision to carve out Telangana state after both TDP and YSRCP supported the demand. The TDP claims that Congress is playing a ‘game’ through ‘match-fixing’ with TRS in Telangana and YSRCP in Seemandhra. The YSRCP blames both the Congress and the TDP for the bifurcation and claims to be the only major party which stands for ‘samaikyandhra’. As Jan 23, the deadline set by the president for the legislature to send back the bill with

its views, is fast approaching, all eyes will be on the assembly, which will resume the debate on Jan 17 after the Sankranti holidays. What will be keenly watched are the actions of Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and Leader of Opposition N. Chandrababu Naidu, two of the three key political players, both of whom are from Seemandhra. The third, Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, is a member of parliament. “Wait and watch what I am going to do,” the chief minister quipped when he was asked at a news conference what he would do in the assembly. There has been a buzz in political circles that Kiran Reddy will announce his resignation during the debate on Telangana bill. Some even said he would float a new political party but he dismissed it as rumors. Opposing his own party’s decision to bifurcate the state, the chief minister is likely to come out with strong arguments for ‘samaikyandhra’. By insisting on voting, he is planning to turn tables on the Telangana lawmak-

ers. “The opinion of the house will be known only through voting,” said Kiran Reddy, who believes any decision of the president would be based on the result of the voting. However, the leaders from Telangana, irrespective of their party affiliations, argue that there is no need for voting as the president has only sought the views of the house. Political analysts say if the fate of the bill is to be decided through voting, the result is a foregone conclusion given the strength of Seemandhra. Telangana has only 119 legislators in 294-member house. Speaker N. Manohar, who visited Uttar Pradesh and Bihar recently to study the modalities for the debate on reorganization bills in their assemblies, has also asked members to submit their amendments to the bill. These amendments are likely to be put to vote and may ultimately lead to the bill’s defeat. Thus sparks are set to fly in the legislature as it goes into the final leg of the debate on a bill that will decide the destiny of the state.

her immediate departure from the US.” “Khobragade hereby moves this court for a dismissal of this prosecution for a lack of personal jurisdiction now that she has been designated as a diplomat and has acquired immunity. “The case should be dismissed without necessity of any further hearing or proceedings because Khobragade as a diplomat is entitled to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution in accordance with Article 31 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” Arshack said. “This court is clearly deprived of personal jurisdiction of Khobragade by virtue of her diplomatic immunity but nonetheless retains subject matter jurisdiction to hear this motion and dismiss this criminal proceeding,” Arshack said. The US State department has assured Khobragade that her departure in compliance with their order does not constitute a violation of the terms of her release from the court on bond on the visa fraud and false statements charges she faces.

limited to acts performed in the exercise of consular functions. But on Thursday, the U.S. accepted India’s request to accredit her to the United Nations, which confers broader immunity. It would have been almost unprecedented for the U.S. to deny such a request unless she posed a national security risk. The United States then asked India to waive the newly granted immunity so it could prosecute Khobragade, but the Indians refused. As a result, the U.S. asked her to leave the country.

Dawood not present in country: Pakistan

ISlamabad, January 11 (PtI): Pakistan on Saturday reiterated that fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim is not present in the country, a day after India asserted that its most wanted terrorist was living in the neighbouring country. “We have repeatedly informed Indian authorities that Dawood Ibrahim is not in Pakistan,” said Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam. Asked if Dawood was ever present in Pakistan, she said, “This issue has been raised in the past too. We have checked and have said he is not present here”. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde had said, “As per our information, Dawood is in Pakistan.” “When I went to America last year to discuss inland security, I met the Attorney General who looks after the FBI. I talked to him and we decided that we will pass whatever information we have on Dawood amongst each other. We decided we will make joint efforts,” Shinde had said when asked about the whereabouts of Dawood, who is wanted in a number of cases by Indian security agencies including the 1993 Mumbai blasts. Dawood, who heads a vast and multifaceted illegal business, has emerged as India’s most wanted terrorist after the 1993 Mumbai bombings, which he allegedly organised and financed. An Interpol red corner notice is still pending against him. According to the US, Dawood maintains close links with terror outfit al-Qaeda. As a result, the US declared him a “global terrorist” and pursued the matter before the United Nations in an attempt to freeze his assets across the world and crack down on his operations. During the past two years, security agencies successfully brought back several wanted terrorists including Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, the key plotter of Mumbai attack terrorists Fasih Mahmood aka Fasih Mohammed, Abdul Karim Tunda and Yasin Bhatkal.

Tech billionaire Nilekani plans to run for election

new delHI, January 11 (reuterS): Nandan Nilekani, the technology entrepreneur and co-founder of Infosys (INFY.NS) who was tapped by the government to run an ambitious identity-recognition programme, said he wants to contest elections on a ticket for the ruling Congress party. Professionals have traditionally kept away from politics, seen as corrupt and dominated by political dynasties that have promoted their own people rather than outsiders. But that has been changing over the past year, with new political parties launched, the most popular of which is the anti-corruption Aam Aadmi Party, or the Common Man’s Party, which was recently elected to govern Delhi. “Right now I’m just looking at entering into the fray and making a difference,” Nilekani told a news conference. “Yes, if I’m given a ticket, yes I will contest,” he said. The Congress party is trailing in opinion polls, losing a clutch of state elections last month due to voter anger over inflation and a raft of corruption scandals. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, its likely prime ministerial candidate, is trying to shore up the party’s fortunes by bringing in new faces. Nilekani is a self-made billionaire - Forbes pegs his net worth as $1.3 billion, making him the 50th-richest Indian. He is a graduate from the elite Indian Institute of Technology and made his money in technology and wrote the best-selling book “Imagining India”.

International

The Morung Express

Sunday 12 January 2014

Dimapur

US weighs targeted sanctions against South Sudan UNITED NATIONS/ WASHINGTON, JANUAry 11 (rEUTErS): The United States is weighing targeted sanctions against South Sudan due to the failure of leaders in the world’s youngest nation to take steps to end a crisis that has brought the country to the brink of civil war, sources briefed on U.S. discussions told Reuters. “It’s a tool that has been discussed,” a source told Reuters on condition of anonymity about the possibility of U.S. sanctions against those blocking peace efforts or fueling violence in South Sudan. Another source confirmed the remarks, though both declined to provide details on the precise measures under consideration. No decisions have been made yet, the sources added. Targeted sanctions focus on specific individuals, entities or sectors of country. The U.S. government was unlikely to consider steps intended to economically harm impoverished South Sudan but would likely focus on any measures on those individuals or groups it sees as blocking efforts at brokering peace or committing atrocities. Traditionally U.S. sanc-

Sudan gained independence from predominantly Muslim Sudan in 2011 after a referendum was held in keeping with a 2005 U.S.-backed peace deal that ended a north-south civil war that left millions dead.

In this Thursday, January 2, file photo, displaced people arrive with what belongings they had time to gather by river barge from Bor, some of the thousands who fled the recent fighting between government and rebel forces in Bor by boat across the White Nile, in the town of Awerial, South Sudan. South Sudan’s government faces monumental challenges: To bring warring factions, often from rival ethnic groups, back toward peace after violence broke out across the country on December 15, 2013. (AP File Photo)

tions against individuals or groups involve a ban on travel to the United States and freezing of their assets in U.S. banks. Three weeks of fighting, often along ethnic lines, is ringing alarm bells in Washington over the prospect that the conflict could

spiral into full-blown civil war, spawning atrocities or making South Sudan the world’s next failed state. The fact that Washington is thinking of threatening U.S. sanctions against a country the United States helped create and supports with large amounts

of aid shows how frustrated President Barack Obama’s administration has become with President Salva Kiir and a rebel faction led by former Vice President Riek Machar. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was asked about the possibil-

ity of U.S. sanctions against South Sudan, where the United Nations has a large peacekeeping force that is protecting some 75,000 civilians at its bases. He declined to comment on sanctions but urged all sides to stop fighting. Largely Christian South

EXPERTS FAVOR U.S. SANCTIONS Kate Almquist Knopf of the Africa Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University said on Thursday that Washington should consider targeted sanctions if the fighting and political deadlock in South Sudan continue. “The United States should move to invoke the president’s authorities to institute travel bans and asset freezes on senior leadership on both sides, as well as be prepared to extend those sanctions multilaterally to a resolution in the U.N. Security Council,” she told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. John Prendergast, a former U.S. State Department official and co-founder of the Enough Project, an anti-genocide group, told the same hearing that Washington should also target those in South Sudan who are linked to mass killings. He said Washington

“should focus on individual culpability - the targeted sanctions, prosecution of people who are found to be ... committing or planning atrocities.” In a statement on Thursday the White House urged both sides in the escalating conflict to sign an agreement to cease hostilities immediately. On Wednesday, South Sudanese rebels rejected a government plan to end a dispute over detainees and unblock peace talks. Fighting in the oil-producing nation has killed at least 1,000 people and caused hundreds of thousands to flee their homes, according to the United Nations. South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, in turn, has refused to release 11 detainees despite promising Washington last month that he would free most of them. U.S. President Barack Obama’s National Security Adviser Susan Rice said in the White House statement that the United States was disappointed the detainees have not been freed yet but noted that their continued detention was no excuse to continue fighting. “The United States reiterates its call upon President Salva Kiir to release

the detainees immediately to the custody of (the East African trading bloc) IGAD so that they can participate in the political negotiations,” Rice said. U.N. chief Ban echoed Rice’s comments, saying he urged Kiir in a telephone call on Thursday to release all political detainees. The U.N. Security Council also urged Kiir to release the detainees and called on Machar to “agree to a cessation of hostilities without precondition.” U.S. government officials and senators said on Thursday that hundreds of millions of dollars in support to South Sudan’s government could be stopped if the violence continues. In 2012 the United States joined the other 14 members of the U.N. Security Council in threatening sanctions against Sudan and South Sudan due to a crisis over the disputed oil region Heglig, though council diplomats said Washington was reluctant at the time to back measures that would undermine Kiir’s government. U.S. officials said Washington was satisfied then that the mere threat of U.S. support for sanctions was sufficient. The Heglig crisis was eventually resolved.

Smuggled sperm brings baby Sharon’s secret was war record, tough reputation JANUAry 11 in public. joy to Gaza prisoner’s family JErUSALEM, (AP): Many had written off Ariel Sharon was a courtly man.

Palestinian baby boy Al-Hassan, the son of Palestinian prisoner Tamer al-Za’anin (seen in photograph) who was conceived with al-Za’anin’s sperm smuggled out of an Israeli prison, is held by his grandmother after he was born in a hospital in Gaza City January 10, 2014.

GAZA, JANUAry 11 (rEUTErS): The wife of a Palestinian prisoner in an Israeli jail gave birth on Friday to a boy born from sperm smuggled into Gaza, her family said, the first successful pregnancy of its kind in the embattled coastal enclave. The procedure follows several similar cases last year in the West Bank, and Palestinians view such births as an act of defiance against Israel’s jail policies. “I am tired and very, very happy,” said mother Hana al-Za’anin, her voice weak, hours after delivering baby al-Hassan. Speaking from a hospital bed in Gaza City, she told Reuters Israel had banned her from visiting her husband since his arrest in 2006, citing unspecified “security reasons.” Most of Gaza’s 1.8 million people are barred from entering Israel for the same reason, although it allows some

merchants and seriously ill people to enter its territory from Gaza. Gaza has been run by the Islamist group Hamas since 2007. Israel has enforced a blockade on the territory and has fought a round of bloody battles with the militant party. Al-Za’anin declined to say how the sperm was conveyed out of prison, but said its journey to a medical lab in Gaza, where two specialists were waiting for it, took around six hours. Her husband Tamer was arrested in an Israeli army incursion into the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun and jailed for 12 years for belonging to the Islamic Jihad militant group. “Today a hero was born to a hero,” the prisoner’s 22-yearold brother Tareq, a hairdresser, said with a laugh. Israel regards 5,000 or so Palestinian prisoners in its jails, many imprisoned for killing civilians, as terrorists.

Sharon after his ill-fated 1982 invasion of Lebanon and a government commission’s finding that he was indirectly responsible for the massacre of hundreds of Palestinians at the Sabra and Chatilla refugee camps outside Beirut. They just didn’t get it. A few days after the blue-ribbon Kahan Commission presented its findings in 1983, Sharon went to the desert town of Kiryat Malachi for a meeting of the Likud Party, which he had helped found a decade earlier. It was a hot evening in the dusty development town, where most of the residents were working-class Jewish immigrants from North Africa and their children — Sharon’s constituency. The local Likud boss welcomed Sharon as Israel’s greatest hero, and cheers rattled the windows as the “disgraced” ex-defense minister made his entrance. “Arik, king of Israel,” they chanted, calling him by his nickname. One after another, speakers praised Sharon and defended his actions. People pressed forward to shake his hand. The peak moment came when a young man in a simple work shirt bound onto the stage carrying his tiny baby son. To the cheers of the crowd, he said that he had just named his son “Sharon.” These were Sharon’s people — less-educated, simple, straightforward and hardworking, who shared his views of Arabs as untrustworthy types who understood only the use of force. That was Sharon’s defining characteristic in those distant days. As an army commander in the

In this Sunday May 16, 2004 file photo, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon pauses during a news conference in his Jerusalem office regarding education reform. Sharon, the hard-charging Israeli general and prime minister who was admired and hated for his battlefield exploits and ambitions to reshape the Middle East, died Saturday, January 11. The 85-year-old Sharon had been in a coma since a debilitating stroke eight years ago. (AP File Photo)

1950s, he answered Palestinian bloodshed with bigger bloodshed. In 1973, with the Yom Kippur War going against Israel, he thumbed his nose at superiors who tried to keep him in check and led an Israeli force across the Suez Canal, trapping part of Egypt’s army and turning the war in Israel’s favor. A stocky figure with an unruly mop of white hair and a highpitched voice that was a gift to mimics, he did not come by his charisma with chiseled looks, modulated voices and carefully crafted statements. Sharon earned his with action on the battlefield, and a personal charm that often got lost in his tough public persona. At 260 pounds, the rotund Sharon was a hard man to miss, and he

wasn’t about joking about it. Shortly before he was incapacitated by a stroke in early 2006, Sharon was asked whether a new political alliance might drag the famously right-wing ex-general to the left. He patted his barrel of a paunch and replied: “Look at me. Do you really think anybody could drag me anywhere?” His love of dining took its toll. Driven to a June 2002 visit to British Prime Minister Tony Blair at No. 10 Downing Street he had to be pushed and pulled until he popped free from the back seat of the government Jaguar. He was reputed to have a fierce temper, but although he would rebuke journalists he believed had been sloppy or unfair, he did so without raising his voice — at least

Expectations low for Syrian peace talks

WASHINGTON, JANUAry 11 (AP): In its lastditch attempt to get moderate Syrian opposition groups to the negotiating table, the Obama administration faces the prospect that a no-show wouldn’t be such a bad thing. With less than two weeks to go before a long-planned peace conference in Switzerland, the main Westernbacked moderate political group seeking to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad has still not decided if it will attend. It’s the latest frustration for the U.S. and allies who have spent the last 18 months trying to negotiate a transition of power from Assad to a new, representative government. But even if the Syrian National Coalition agrees to attend the Jan. 22 peace meeting — as Secretary of State John Kerry will push this weekend in Paris with the coalition’s newly reelected president — analysts say it does not have

enough credibility with other Syrian groups to sit as an official counterbalance to Assad’s regime. And it might not matter, in the long run, if they don’t show. “If the expectations to begin with are very low, then you can’t really fail — can you?” Kamran Bokhari, a Toronto-based expert on Mideast issues for the global intelligence company Stratfor, said Friday. “The constraints that the U.S. has are clear to the international community, and it’s not going to be a surprise. “What would be a surprise is if they are able to make a difference,” Bokhari said. “So nobody has too high of expectations.” Coalition council President Ahmad al-Jarba, who was reelected last week, heads a shaky alliance of opposition groups that is sharply divided on whether to attend the conference, designed to begin a negotiated peace after three years of civil war. At least 45 members have

temporarily suspended their membership over the impasse. Most of its leaders are in exile outside of Syria and have been accused by rebel fighters and other activists inside the war-torn country of being ineffective and out of touch. An estimated 180 representatives of opposition groups to Assad met in southern Spain on Friday to seek common ground. In the meantime, Assad has stabilized his grasp on areas of Syria he still controls and shows no sign of stepping down in the war that has left at least 120,000 people dead. Persuading al-Jarba and the coalition to attend the peace conference in Montreux, Switzerland, will be a top priority for Kerry and 10 other diplomats from Western countries and Sunni-dominated Arab states meeting Sunday in Paris. For Syrian coalition members, the conference in

Switzerland offers their first opportunity to face the Syrian administration face to face. A senior State Department official said Friday that U.S. officials believe the Syrian coalition will be at the negotiating table in Montreux in spite of difficulties along the way because the coalition won’t want to miss the unique opportunity the conference offers them. “We have always said that we would like to see a representative delegation including the armed opposition,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. “We remain engaged with the opposition and we look forward to the opposition naming a representative delegation in the days ahead.” Iran, which is allied with Assad, will not attend the peace conference, U.S. officials said. That clears at least one objection of the moderate coalition. But the coalition also has asked that the peace conference

set a time frame for an end to the fighting as its main focus, which U.S. officials have rejected. Kerry also will likely discuss the possibility of resuming nonlethal aid to moderate rebel groups as a part of the talks in Paris. The aid, which included medical supplies and communications equipment and was halted in December amid fears it was being used by insurgents among the rebel groups, could be used as a bargaining point with al-Jarba. A senior State Department official said no decision has been made to do so, but that it is debated frequently with improving security within some parts of Syria. The official was not authorized to speak by name and requested anonymity. Whether or not al-Jarba’s group attends, Bokhari said the main purpose of the peace conference likely will aim to bring together the disparate backers of the regime and opposition groups to

When women entered a room he stood up until they were seated. And when an Israeli journalist covering his visit to Auschwitz was overcome with tears, he ushered her into his armored limousine so that she could compose herself in private. So strong was the adoration for him that many of his hard-line followers followed him when he switched ideological sides at the end of his career. After decades of building Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, urging settlers to grab as much land as they could and voting against peace deals, Sharon took the unprecedented step in 2005 of pulling out of all of the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank, destroying 25 settlements. If a dovish Israeli government had tried that, there could have been blood in the streets, riots led by Sharon’s own backers and maybe Sharon himself. Suddenly, Sharon became a hero even to many who hated him just three years earlier. The West embraced him. Israeli moderates turned to him for leadership. Arab leaders who had vilified and boycotted him called him the only hope for peace. In Israel’s 57-year history, there has never been anyone like Ariel Sharon. Only a figure who evoked such visceral empathy, such emotional identification, could switch sides so blatantly and not only get away with it, but also bring most of his supporters across the divide with him. It will be a long time, if ever, until another Israeli politician can attract that kind of loyalty.

In this Monday, January 6, 2014 citizen journalism image provided by Aleppo Media Center, AMC, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, Syrians inspect the rubble of destroyed buildings following a Syrian government airstrike in Aleppo. Syrian rebel groups battled one another Monday for control of a provincial capital, part of a vicious round of score settling targeting an al-Qaida affiliate that gained stature fighting President Bashar Assad but alienated many by imposing strict Islamic law. (AP Photo)

hammer out an agreement on moving forward. That is particularly important now as sectarian violence in Syria is spilling over into neighboring Iraq and Lebanon. “If you can’t make progress in resolving the conflict, can you make prog-

ress in dealing with the amount of human suffering and spillover into other counties from the conflict?” said Anthony Cordesman, a Mideast scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “The whole idea that somehow a

dialogue between the rebels and the people at the meeting would produce a political solution, or progress toward one, is literally almost the art of the incredible at this point, whether they show up or not,” Cordesman said Friday.

Dimapur

Sunday 12 January 2014

Hazard, Torres send Chelsea top

Chelsea's Fernando Torres, right, scores his goal past Hull City's Alex Bruce, left, during their English Premier League soccer match at the KC Stadium, Hull, England on Jan. 11. (AP Photo)

LONdON, JaNuaRY 11 (aFP): Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres scored two excellent goals as Chelsea won 2-0 at Hull City on Saturday to climb to the top of the Premier League table. Hazard, who turned 23 on Tuesday, broke the deadlock early in the second period at the KC Stadium before Torres marked his 200th Premier League appearance with a late goal. Victory moved Jose Mourinho’s side into first place above former leaders Arsenal, who visit Aston Villa on Monday, and set them up nicely for next weekend’s home game with Manchester United. Hull had beaten Fulham 6-0 in their previous home

game and they had the best of the early skirmishes, with Jake Livermore testing Petr Cech from long range and Yannick Sagbo shooting wide after John Terry lost the ball. Chelsea began to assert control, however, and Hull goalkeeper Allan McGregor had to produce a razor-sharp reflex save to deny Oscar before tipping a plunging David Luiz freekick over the crossbar. McGregor had to repel another free-kick from Luiz early in the second period before Hazard made the breakthrough in the 56th minute with a characteristic individual goal. The Belgian forward collected a flick from Ash-

Day 9 of MDCA Inter Club Cricket Tournament

ley Cole just outside the Hull area and shifted the ball away from a couple of defenders before drilling a low shot into the bottom-right corner with his right foot. Torres applied the finishing touch in the 87th minute, gathering a pass just inside the Hull half and wriggling past Alex Bruce before slamming a low shot inside the left-hand post. Later on Saturday, Manchester United will bid to avoid slumping to a fourth consecutive defeat for the first time since 1961 when they host Swansea City, who knocked them out of the FA Cup at Old Trafford last weekend.

SPORTS

The Morung Express

Nets knock out Heat in 2OT

NEW YORK, JaNuaRY 11 (aP): Shaun Livingston was flying all over the court. LeBron James could only sit and watch. Joe Johnson scored 32 points, Livingston helped Brooklyn dominate the second overtime after James fouled out, and the Nets beat the Miami Heat 10495 on Friday night for their fifth straight victory. Livingston had two baskets and two blocked shots in the second OT, finishing with 19 points, a career-high 11 rebounds and five assists over 51 minutes in a sensational effort while starting for injured Deron Williams. The Nets followed the lead of a player who spent years revitalizing a career that was sidetracked by a horrific knee injury, jumping on the Heat early and fighting them off late. "Gutsy. Gutsy," Kevin Garnett said. "I thought we fought for 48-plus minutes." Paul Pierce scored 23 points but missed jumpers that could have won it at the end of regulation and the first overtime. Still, the Nets remained unbeaten in 2014, adding a victory over the two-time defending NBA champions to their recent wins over Oklahoma City and Golden State. "It was huge," Livingston said. "We've obviously been playing better as of late. I think our momentum that we were carrying into this game, we're trying to ride that wave." James had 36 points, seven rebounds and five assists, but fouled out on an offensive foul with 36 seconds left in the first overtime and the Heat trailing by two. Miami pushed it to a second overtime without him, but it was all Nets from there against a

Los Angeles Lakers guard Wesley Johnson, left, puts up a shot as Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 10 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo)

Clippers notch their biggest win over Lakers

LOs aNgELEs, JaNuaRY 11 (aP): Blake Griffin had 33 points and 12 rebounds, and the Clippers shot 71 percent in the first quarter on the way to their largest-ever victory over the downtrodden Los Angeles Lakers, 123-87 Friday night. Darren Collison had 20 points and seven assists, J.J. Redick added 19 points in his return, and DeAndre Jordan had 13 points and 10 rebounds in the Clippers' third straight win and fifth in six games. They improved Heat team that was already missing Dwyane Wade and two other starters. James was visibly frustrated with his teammates in the first half - he said he apologized at halftime for his attitude and body language. He was

to 17-3 at home, second-best in the NBA. The Clippers' previous biggest win over the Lakers was 31 points on Feb. 19, 1992. That Lakers team included James Worthy, Byron Scott and A.C. Green. Kendall Marshall scored 16 points, and Wesley Johnson and Robert Sacre added 14 points each for the Lakers, who've lost four straight and 10 of 11. Pau Gasol had 10 points, eight rebounds and five assists. They had 21 turnovers and shot 34 percent. Both

irate when Mirza Teletovic flagrantly fouled him, but nearly overcame all that to help Miami pull it out. "We're a no-excuse team, but right now we have three starters that didn't play," James said.

teams were missing their resident superstars: Chris Paul has a separated right shoulder and Kobe Bryant has a fractured left knee, his second major injury this season. The Lakers beat the Clippers by 13 points in the season opener in October. Things sure have changed. The Clippers under new coach Doc Rivers are fourth in the Western Conference standings; the injury-riddled Lakers are mired near the bottom under Mike D'Antoni.

"Even though we've got a lot of depth, it is hard to make up for three starters being out." Miami totaled six points in the overtimes, fewest ever in the shot clock era (since 1954-55) in a game that went at least

two overtimes. Norris Cole scored 18 points, but Ray Allen was 2 of 14 for nine points in place of Wade, who rested his sore knees after playing 39 minutes in a loss at New York on Thursday.

Ascesis CC & Ethnic CC win

MOKOKchuNg, JaNuaRY 11 (MExN): Day 9 of the ongoing MDCA Inter Club Cricket Tournament played here today at Imkongmeren Sports Complex was a day of mixed results. In a high scoring encounter, Ascesis CC defeated Züngamedem CC by 48 runs in the first match of the day. Winning the toss and electing to bat first, Ascesis CC put up a huge total of 188/3 in 20 overs on the board with all their batsmen contributing. The opening pair of Alem and Supongmeren put up a good opening partnership of 85 in just 9 overs. They scored 35 and 38 respectively. Later in the inning, few lusty blows from the bat of Supong who scored an unbeaten 43 off 18 balls with 5 fours and 2 sixes helped his team to pose huge total. The Züngamedem CC bowlers were also to be blamed as they conceded 53 extras, the highest extras conceded in a single inning in the ongoing tournament. Their top two strike bowlers did not play the match today while their third bowler was also not in action owing to a shoulder injury. Only Imkum was bowling tightly who claimed all three wickets of the inning and finished with the figure of 16/3 in four overs. Chasing the mammoth target, Züngamedem batsmen came out all guns blazing, but fell short of the target and eventually finished at 140/9 in 20 overs. Though they lost wickets regularly, Züngamedem stayed in the game until the fall of their eighth wicket. After losing 3 wickets in the first three overs of their inning, Yanger (38) and Moalong (17) built up the platform, but in vain, as they lost both the set batsman in two consecutive balls. Tsukmen of Ascesis CC picked up 3 for 15 from his four overs. Alem and Shilu also chipped in with 2 wickets each to restrict Züngamedem. It may be noted that Ascesis winning today's match has opened up their Group and it is uncertain which team will qualify for the next round. Now Net Run Rate will be the deciding factor of their Group after the group’s last league match scheduled for Monday between Sovran Kings and Musketeers is played. Supong of Ascesis was named Man of the Match. In the last match of the day, a dead rubber match played between Ethnic CC and Euphemia, Ethnic won the low scoring encounter by 6 wickets with Temsumongba scoring an unbeaten 51 runs. Earlier, Euphemia won the toss and elected to bat first. They could score only 98 runs, losing 9 wickets in 20 overs. Among was the top scorer with 24 runs. Moa of Ethnic CC was the pick of the bowlers with 21/3 from 4 overs. Man of the Match was awarded to Temsumongba of Ethnic CC for his batting performance.

Sunday's Fixture:

8:00 am - Team Bendangsunep vs Bachelors CC 12:00 noon - Rolling Ball vs Ebullient CC

4th Nagaland Open Pcheda competition 2014

KOhiMa, JaNuaRY 11 (MExN): The 4th Nagaland open Pcheda (Naga indigenous game) competition 2014 under the aegis of Tragopan Club Viswema will be held on January 14 at Phuzwü, R. Khel, Viswema from 10:30 AM onwards. Puzashe Lcho, Class I contractor will grace the occasion as patron-in-chief at the inaugural function. Prizes set for the winners included; Ist- Rs. 15,000, 2nd- Rs. 10,000, 3rd- Rs. 7000 and 4th- Rs. 5000. Patrons of the 2014 edition included; Videsül Neikha, Tehevi Noswe, Viphekhwel Pusa, Vithel Pusa, Kerihokho Pusa and Pucüno Rhütso. For further information contact; 9436076910 /8974342919/ 9436070104.

Runners at the cross country race of 61st Kohima Village Sports Association Meet on January 11 in Kohima. In men's category, Kevingutuo Solo (T. Khel) emerged winner, while Vikuovolie Keyho (P. Khel) and Keneingunyu Sote (P. Khel) finished second and third place, respectively. Tsakounuo Chielie of L. Khel, Phrenuo Yhome of L. Khel and Kenei Kire of D. Khel finsihed 1st, 2nd and 3rd, respectively, in women's category.

McCullum brothers star in big win England look to salvage The McCullum brothers starred with bat and ball to lead New Zealand to a comfortable victory over West Indies in the first T20 international in Auckland. aucKLaNd, JaNuaRY 11 (agENciEs): Brendon McCullum's unbeaten 60 was the backbone of the hosts' 189 for five and older brother Nathan followed it up by ripping through the West Indian middle order, taking four wickets for 24. New Zealand seized the initiative before either man had entered the fray, with Martin Guptill taking the fight to West Indies soon after Brendon McCullum had won the toss and elected to bat. Fourteen runs off three balls during an expensive second over from Tino Best turbocharged New Zealand's early scoring rate and they made 32 off the opening three overs. Best had his revenge when Guptill hit a long ball to short cover for 25 soon after, but that brought Brendon McCullum to the middle. He watched a series of partners come and go - Jesse Ryder made 22 off 14 balls, Ross Taylor just five, Colin Munroe 22 while Corey Anderson was out for a duck - before Luke Ronchi arrived to form the partnership which put the game beyond the tourists. McCullum's 60 off 45 balls featured four sixes, as did Ronchi's unbeaten 48 from 25 deliveries, with

New Zealand’s captain Brendon McCullum bats as West Indies’ wicket keeper Andre Fletcher watches during the Twenty-20 International Cricket Match at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. (AP Photo)

the pair seeing it through to the finish. With a big total to defend, New Zealand rarely looked troubled during West Indies' reply. Although Johnson Charles briefly threatened to make a game of it, scoring 11 off the opening over, fellow opener Lendl Simmons fell for a duck in the second and Charles then departed in

the fifth for 16. Nathan McCullum then took over, with the offspinner taking the next four wickets. Kieran Powell was the first to go for 12 in McCullum's second over, hitting a ball straight up for Guptill to snatch, and two overs later, Andre Fletcher followed for 23 - the highest scorer for the tourists.

Andre Russell followed for a duck in the same over and by the time Dwayne Bravo went for 10, West Indies were 75 for six and essentially finished. Just to make sure, James Neesham swiftly removed Chadwick Walton and Sunil Narine to make it 77 for eight as West Indies limped to the finish.

some pride in ODIs

MELBOuRNE, JaNuaRY 11 (aFP): England go into the opening one-day international in Melbourne on Sunday desperate to salvage some pride, but face a torrid task with a fired-up Australia vowing no let-up after dominating the Ashes. The first of five matches, a day-nighter, is the first opportunity to see how the shell-shocked tourists progress from their nightmare Test series, with captain Alastair Cook demanding an improvement, and quickly. "I am desperate to try and turn it around," he said after the 5-0 Ashes whitewash. "When you strip everything down, every single player has to go back and have a look at themselves, have a look at their techniques. Have a look at the way they've bowled and start rebuilding again. "And that hunger has to come from within to do it." The series could see either team reclaim the number one limited-overs world ranking, depending on how India fare when they face New Zealand in a fivematch series that begins in Napier on January 19. India are currently the top-ranked one-day team in the world, followed by Australia and England, with all three building towards next year's 50-over World Cup. A rattled England head into the series without the experience of

Kevin Pietersen and Jimmy Anderson, who have both been rested, with Cook leading a team that has much to prove. He also needs to rebuild dressing room discipline with Test wicketkeeper Matt Prior on Thursday saying that during the Ashes, the players had shown a lack of respect for both the captain and coach Andy Flower -- who is reportedly at odds with Pietersen. Former left-arm spinner Ashley Giles has taken over from Flower as the one-day coach, assuming responsibility with Cook for repairing some of the damage inflicted by Australia. Only all-rounder Ben Stokes and paceman Stuart Broad came out of the Ashes with a semblance of pride, leaving the door open for the likes of Danny Briggs, Jos Buttler, Chris Jordan, Ravi Bopara and Chris Woakes to stake their claims in the one-day format. Australia have recalled dynamic opener David Warner while captain Michael Clarke, who missed the one-day series in India last year with chronic back trouble, also returns. But the tourists have been given some respite from Ashes man-of-theseries Mitchell Johnson, with the left-arm paceman rested for Melbourne after terrorising the tourists with 37 wickets during the Ashes.

Entertainment

The Morung Express

Sunday

Dimapur

12 January 2014

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Child singing star balances school, career

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hree years after a popular TV talent show launched child soprano Jackie Evancho on a meteoric career, she still has no singing coach, can't read music and sticks to a modest rehearsal routine. As she makes the transition from pre-teen singing sensation to professional artist, Evancho, who turns 14 in April, is seeking to balance her school work - and play time - with a busy concert tour schedule and recording her sixth album. "She has the challenge of going from child star to legitimate artist," said Lisa Evancho, who tours with her daughter, helping to steam-press her dresses before performances and supervising her rehearsal routine. "It's no longer ‘Let's go see the circus freak - the little girl with the grown-up voice.' It's more like wanting her to stand on her own ability and keep the career going in that direction. And, it looks as if it is," she said. A runner-up finish on "America's Got Talent" in 2010 introduced Evancho, from Pittsburgh, as the newest and youngest - classical crossover singer. Since then, Jackie has packed concert halls across the country and overseas, as well as landing duets with Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett and Jose Carreras, and two solo TV specials for PBS. She also appeared with Robert Redford

in a 2012 movie, "The Company You Keep." Evancho got a standing ovation last week at Miami's Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, where she displayed her stunningly mature vocal power, phrasing and range in a rendition of "My Heart Will Go On," from the movie "Titanic," as well as her personal favorite, "The Music of the Night" from "Phantom of the Opera." Onstage, she still has a little-girl-lost look between songs, accompanied by nervous little waves and glances at the audience. These days, however, she opts for wearing an elegant evening gown, over the knee-length skirts she wore on "America's Got Talent." "I still get very nervous," Jackie confessed after the show. "But I enjoy it all immensely." As soon as she starts singing, the

confidence in her largely untrained voice shines through. Despite her blossoming musical career, Evancho says she has no professional coaching, and only rehearses for an hour three times a week with her mother. She is often asked how she got such a voice. "We like to say it was a gift from God," Jackie said, admitting she has tried three times to learn to read music, but just can't get the hang of it. She has tried voice coaches but none has worked out. "They wanted to try and change Jackie's voice," her mother said. "But we don't want her to sound like every other soprano." Music runs in Jackie's family. Her father played drums in a band as a young man, and her mother played clarinet and oboe in high school. Her own musical tastes are diverse, all the way from classical to Lady Gaga. Despite her lack of formal music training, Evancho has been blessed with such a good musical ear that she has a virtually photographic memory for what she hears. "When she starts, she can see the entire song in front of her. It's a rare gift," said her traveling conductor John Mario Di Costanzo, who has worked with some of the world's top opera divas. "Jackie sees the architecture

of a piece as she is singing." Evancho performs at 2,000-seat concert halls around the country about three times a month, and has almost 100 concerts under her belt. After a Christmas show, she did two Florida performances last week and will be at the 2,600-seat Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix on Jan 18. "My parents don't want me to be exhausted. They let me stay home as much as possible so I can have my friends over," she said. The last two years were spent in cyber-schooling, but Jackie missed the classroom and returned this week to public school. How big her career will become is still hard to say. She has no ambitions to become a pop singer, and says the classical crossover genre suits her voice better. Evancho's next album another classical crossover - due out later this year, includes her first original composition. She already has one album that sold over a million copies, and three Top 10 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 album chart. Evancho says she hopes to go to university and study philosophy. "Singing is my main goal, and I think philosophy will help me write songs." However Jackie's singing future turns out, she will have plenty in the bank to pay for university. "She's done very well and she can afford her own education - and probably her three siblings as well," said her mother.

It’s time to lay the smack down 24/7. WWE

is moving outside the ring to mesh the best of Hulk Hogan, The Rock and John Cena all in one place — its own network. The WWE Network launches Feb. 24 as a streaming service for $9.99 per month with a six-month commitment and will include all 12 pay-per-view events. The network is available on desktops and laptops via WWE.com. WWE Network will also be available through the WWE App on: Amazon’s Kindle Fire devices; Android devices such as Samsung Galaxy; iOS devices such as Apple iPad and iPhone; Roku streaming devices; PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4; and Xbox 360.

“WWE Network will provide transformative growth for our company and unprecedented value for our fans,” WWE Chair-

latest sports-based organization that has its own around-the-clock network. The network will air original content, including pregame a n d postgame shows for its

flagship “Raw” man and on Monday CEO Vince McManights, clashon said Wednesday. sic events, reality WWE joins the NFL, shows, documentaries and NHL, NBA and MLB as the other forms of smashmouth

programming. The on-demand content is the main selling point for an older audience looking to reconnect with the product. “We believe that is the future,” WWE chief revenue and marketing officer Michelle Wilson said. Fans can relive matches from the Attitude Era or simply catch up on today’s franchise players like Daniel Bryan and C.M. Punk. From their own home or parts unknown, WWE believes it has the loyal fan base needed to support the project. Up against the BCS national championship game, Monday’s “Raw” averaged a sturdy 4.537 million viewers on USA Network for the three-hour show.

Dino Morea eager to face camera again

ctor-producer Dino Morea, who got himself enrolled for acting classes under celebrated theatre director N.K. Sharma, is now eagerly waiting to face the camera again. "It (acting class) was for me to learn. I wanted to get better at my own (acting) skill. I believe that all the actors at one point of time should unlearn to learn something new again. I went to Delhi for the same purpose," Dino told reporters here Friday at the opening of an art show. "So now I am just waiting for an opportunity to come my way where I can show my skills," he added. Dino was last seen on the celluloid in the 2010 film "Pyaar Impossible", donned the producer's hat with "Jism 2" in 2012. He is now is set to produce two more films this year. "I am producing my second and third film this year and hopefully I will act in a good film this year," he said. Sharing his experience of training under Sharma, Dino said: "He actually taught me what acting is. He really took me to the basics and taught me what I know now."

Hilary Duff separates from husband

ilary Duff and her husband of three years Mike Comrie have split, according to a Friday report from People. The 26-year-old and her former hockey-pro husband, 33, 'have mutually decided [upon] an amicable separation,' a rep for Duff confirmed to the weekly. 'They remain best friends and will continue to be in each other's lives. They are dedicated to loving and parenting their amazing son, and ask for privacy at this time,' the statement added. Taking to her Twitter page soon after the news broke, the So Yesterday hitmaker thanked her fans for their well wishes, writing: 'Mike and I are sitting here, we are so appreciative for all of your kindness & well wishes. Not an easy day but we're getting thru it together.' A source close to the couple reveals to People there was 'no major incident – no big event between the two of them. They really did drift apart. 'They have put effort and thought into this decision for a long time. They tried couples therapy, but in the end, they realised at this time, they work better as friends. The friend insisted that everything is civil between

the two: 'They really are great friends.' The doting parents to son Luca Cruz, aged 21 months, have reportedly already agreed on joint custody of the child, according to the star's mother, Susan Duff. 'They're still going to go to the park together,' adds the source. The split was not a 'rash' decision added the insider. 'It's something [Hilary] thought through,' the source explained. 'She really does care about him and he really does care about her.' In 2009 she said, 'I've never met anyone who can say a bad word about him. He's generous, caring and sunny. We just laugh our heads off.' Hilary has been spotted out lately without her husband - in December she was seen several times heading to the gym in good spirits. In 2010 the New York Post reported the two have a prenuptial agreement. Mike's family is worth $500m. 'While Duff made her fortune starring as Lizzie McGuire in the hit Disney television series and in PG-rated movies including A Cinderella Story, Comrie is the heir to a fortune in Canada,' the Post reported.

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Miley Cyrus is the new face of Marc Jacobs Spring 2014 fashion campaign. Her natural make-up give her a slight androgynous look.

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A unique and traditional touch dining table set for community feast at Viswema village recently. Photo by Chizokho Vero

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Khrievotuo becomes wrestling champion

Curtains come down on 61st KVSA Meet

Khrievotuo Sekhose (right) being declared the wresting champion of the 61st Kohima Village Sports Association Meet on January 11 at Khuochiezie Local Ground, Kohima.

KOhIMa, JaNUaRy 11 (MExN): The 61st Kohima Village Sports Association (KVSA) Meet came to an end with a glittering ceremony here today at Khuochiezie Local Ground, Kohima. Khriehu Liezietsu, MLA & Advisor, Music Task Force, NRE & Chairman DPDB graced the occasion as guest of honor. Tsütuonuomia Thinuo was adjudged the overall champion after an impressive haul of 13 golds. They also finished as the overall champion in the athletics category. Meanwhile, Lhisemia Thinuo and Dapfhütsumia Thinuo shared honours as group champions in the games category. The final day of the 5-day sports extravaganza saw Khrievotuo Sekhose defeat Khriekethotuo Mepfhü-o of L. Khel and win the coveted KVSA wrestling

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belt. The third and fourth spot were shared by Kevizenyü Rutsa of P. Khel and Visakuotuo Dzüvichü of L. Khel, respectively. The wrestling champion was awarded a cash prize of Rs. 25,000, while the second winner was given Rs. 20,000. The third and fourth winners were awarded a cash prize of Rs. 15,000 and Rs. 10,000, respectively. Altogether 52 wrestlers participated in this year's wrestling meet, out of which nine – Khrievotuo Sekhose, Khriekethotuo Mepfhü-o, Kevizenyü Rutsa, Visakuotuo Dzüvichü, Kepelhoutuo Yhome, Kekhriengulie Whuorie, Kelhouvakhrie Kire, Mhasisetuo Solo and Keyiekhrie Rutsa got through to the Individual rounds. Lhisemia Thinuo were crowned group champions in the Wrestling event.

Earlier in the day, Kevingutuo Solo and Tsakuonuo Chielie won the cross country race in the men's and women's category, respectively. Speaking at the closing ceremony, Khriehu expressed appreciation and gratitude to the village elders who had come up with the idea of a sports meet to encourage budding sportspersons in the village to take their talents and skills a further notch ahead, disciplining themselves in becoming accomplished sports persons. The Individual Champion for this year's KVSA Meet went to Menuokhrielie Solo for his haul of 4 gold medals and one Silver in the Men's category, while Dzüvichünuo Rutsa with her haul of 3 gold medals was adjudged the Individual Champion in the women's category.

AustrAliAn Open 2014

'I can knock off Nadal, Djokovic'

MELBOURNE, JaNUaRy 11 (aFP): Roger Federer warned he was still a force to be reckoned with as he heads into the Australian Open armed with a new, bigger racquet and with Stefan Edberg in his corner. The 17-time Grand Slam-winner, now 32, said world number one Rafael Nadal and defending champion Novak Djokovic should be wary of the other top 10 players at the season's first major. "Well, I think it's normal that they are considered, you know, the one and two favourites for the tournament," said Federer on Saturday, emphasising the word "considered". "Of course, we do believe we can knock them off, yes," he added, referring to the other members of the world top 10. Federer has more Grand Slam titles than any other player but only one, Wimbledon 2012, in the last four years. He is currently ranked at world number six. But Federer is hoping a switch from a 90-inch to a 98-inch racquet, and the arrival of boyhood hero Edberg, will pay dividends. "I mean, look, my life on tour is pretty much settled. It's always solid routines. He'll just fit in nicely into that," Federer said of the six-time Grand Slam title-winner. "I'm just really excited that he's taken up the offer because I didn't think he was going to do it because he's got a life. He doesn't need this. "For me, clearly it's very exciting to have him as part of the team. I'm looking forward to every week I'll spend with him on the tour this year." He added: "That's kind of what's very exciting, just hanging out with him. That was the idea, as well. "If it didn't work out, he would say, 'I'm not ready for this', at least I would have had a few nice dinners with him and able to spend time with a childhood hero, which would have been plenty to fuel my motivation." Federer won the Australian Open in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, and has not failed to reach the semifinals since 2003. He will be competing in a record 57th consecutive Grand Slam tournament, beating the mark of 56 set by South Africa's Wayne Ferreira. The Swiss great begins his tournament against Australian hope James Duckworth, with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic all lurking as potential opponents. However, he said he had little time for analysing the draw and whom he may or may not have to face. Victoria Azarenka of Belarus plays a shot as she holds hands with Switzerland's Roger "A draw is a draw. You guys debate it, I play in it. That's Federer during an exhibition match on Kids Tennis Day ahead of the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 11. (AP Photo) basically it," he told reporters.

Impatient Sharapova realistic on grand slam return

Bolt welcomes hair follicle testing

KINGSTON, JaNUaRy 11 (REUTERS): Jamaica's Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt has "no problem" with plans by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to test the hair follicles of athletes in a bid to clamp down on drug cheats in sport. "This is the first I'm hearing it," Bolt said minutes after collecting his 5th RJR Sports Foundation National Sportsman of the Year Award in Kingston late on Friday. "But I think that anyway you can crack down on drug use in sports, I have no problem with it," added the Jamaican, who holds the 100 and 200 metre world records of 9.58 and 19.19 seconds. Bolt's comments come after new WADA boss Craig Reedie revealed his intension to introduce hair follicle testing to help rid sports of drug cheats. "We test in the main blood and urine, but now we will look at different approaches, such as can we use a lock of hair," Reedie was quoted by the British newspaper The Guardian as saying. Bolt, the winner of six Olympic gold medals, welcomed the move. "If it's a new rule and it's a better way to clamp down on this, then I welcome it," the sprint star offered. Reedie, who says a new $10 million fund set up by the International Olympic Committee should open up new testing techniques to catch cheats said: "This is a really exciting development and means we can look at approaches that in the past have been unaffordable."

Maria Sharapova. (AP Photo)

MELBOURNE, JaNUaRy 11 (REUTERS): Maria Sharapova happily admits that patience is not her strongest trait but the Russian will temper her expectations as she begins her Australian Open title campaign. The 26-year-old missed the last few months of the 2013 season, including the U.S. Open, with an injury to her right shoulder, the same shoulder that required surgery in 2008. She made an impressive return to the WTA Tour last week by reaching the semi-finals in Brisbane before losing to world number one Serena Williams. After another lengthy absence, Sharapova knows better than to expect to hit top form immediately. "You obviously have to lower your expectations a little bit and be a bit realistic about maybe the first few matches," she said at Melbourne Park on Saturday. "You

have to grind, work through them, hope to get better as the tournament goes on." The Australian Open champion in 2008, Sharapova begins her campaign this year against American Bethanie Mattek-Sands, an opponent who has given her trouble in the past. Sharapova said she had spent so much time consulting doctors about her troublesome shoulder in recent years that she was contemplating a new career once she is done with tennis. "I know about everything," she said, laughing. "I know a lot more than I ever thought that I would about a shoulder. "But that's part of the game. Everyone has injuries. Everyone's body is different. They use their joints and muscles in very different ways because of the way they play. Everyone gets used up in different ways, I guess."

Li back in Melbourne with revamped game

MELBOURNE, JaNUaRy 11 (aP): Fresh from three weeks off the tennis court during her offseason and a win last week in China, Li Na is back at one of her favorite tournaments with a slightly revamped game looking to add a second career Grand Slam singles title. Li has twice been a losing finalist at the Australian Open — to Kim Clijsters in 2011 and to Victoria Azarenka last year. Three months after her loss to Clijsters, she won the French Open in the final over Francesca Schiavone playing primarily from the baseline. As she approaches her 32nd birthday next month, coach Carlos Rodriguez has her straying away from the back of the court and becoming more aggressive. "You know, getting old, need less time on the court," she said

China's Li Na. (AP Photo)

Saturday, smiling. "Before I only try to stay on the baseline," she added. "You're on this tour so many years, everyone knows exactly how you play. Maybe (Rodriguez) just wants to change a little bit to see (me) more stronger on the court ... just continue what I'm doing last year, more come to the net and play even more aggressive." Her three weeks off late last year weren't totally away from the sport she's earned more than $13.3 million from, most of it in the past five years while she's moved up in the rankings from 15th in 2009 to No. 3 this year. She spent the first week working with sponsors, most of the second with her mother and another on vacation with her husband and former coach, Jiang Shan.

Serena has Evert, Navratilova in her sights MELBOURNE, JaNUaRy 11 (aFP): Serena Williams on Saturday said matching Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova's 18 Grand Slam titles was in her sights and insisted she can cope with the searing heat expected at the Australian Open. The 32-year-old enters the opening Grand Slam of the season next week in formidable form, losing just five matches last year and winning the Brisbane International earlier this month. She is gunning for a sixth Australian Open crown, which would move her alongside Evert and Navratilova and further underline her reputation as one of the greatest women players ever seen. Ahead of Melbourne, Navratilova said she expects Williams to match the record this month and go on to surpass Steffi Graf's 22 titles to become the most successful Grand Slam champion in the Open era. Williams said it would be an honour to be in the same com-

pany as Evert and Navratilova, but she was taking nothing for granted after an injuryhit campaign last year ended with defeat to young fellow American Sloane Stephens in the quarterfinals. "It would mean a lot to be on the same level as such great players as Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova," she said. "I still have a lot of work to do. I obviously want to be able to reach that level, but I'm not there yet. Hopefully I'll get there." The top seed, who opens her campaign against Australia's Ashleigh Barty, is in such hot form that her French coach Patrick Mouratoglou on Thursday said she could pull off the "exceptional" achievement of sweeping all four Grand Slams in 2014. "It's happened just a few times in the history of tennis -- but she can do it and the goal is to do the best possible in all four Grand Slams," he said.

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Serena Williams. (AP Photo)

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