April 11th, 2016

C M Y K

www.morungexpress.com

monDAY • APRIL 11 • 2016

DIMAPUR • Vol. XI • Issue 98 • 12 PAGes • 5

T H e

ESTD. 2005

The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible Two die in Pakistan as quake hits region

Despite making an investment of 278.44 crore in 2014-15, the returns were ‘zero’ in both percentage and absolute terms

Dimapur | April 10

Doctor, you went home for lunch or something? The lock’s rusted pretty seriously.

Morung Express news Dimapur | April 10

An illegal fireworks show in a Hindu temple in Kollam (Kerala) early on sunday, April 10, set off a huge fire which left around 110 people dead and over 350 injured, many critically. (REuTERs) Story on page 8

Major fire breaks out at Kiphire school our Correspondent Kiphire | April 10

A major fire broke out at the Jawahar Navodiya Vidyalaya in Kiphire on Saturday night at around 11:40pm on Saturday, April 9. The school sustained substantial damage, with the Principal’s chamber, administrative office, medical instruction room, staff room and staff quarter completely razed by the flames. No casualties were reported. The fire reportedly broke out due to a short circuit.

According to Tapan Kr Mishra, Principal of JNV Kiphire, 17 fire personnel with fire tenders reached the spot but by that time most of the school was burnt down and property worth more than Rs 25 lakh

A Flower Festival is underway from April 9-11 at Phukhro, Mao Gate. (Morung Photo)

Mao Gate | April 10

Wholesalers may contact

CITIZEN UMBRELLA MANUFACTURER LTD. H.O.: 147, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kolkata-7 Ph. No. 033-2268-1396, 2271-2152 Fax : (033) 2271-2151 E-mail : citizenkolkata@gmail.com

The Morung Express Poll QuEsTion

Vote on www.morungexpress.com SMS your anSwer to 9862574165 Should the Nagaland State government have an independent review on the merits and demerits of the Prohibition Act?

C M Y K

Yes

no

others

Do you support the Nagaland Prohibition of Gambling and Promotion of Online Games of Skill Bill, 2015? Why? Yes

31%

no

64%

others

05%

Details on page 7

was destroyed. The Principal informed that staff residing on the ground floor had also tried to bring the fire under control but failed. The flames razed the belonging of the staff, including official documents of the school.

The JNV night chokidwar informed that the fire started at the top floor of the building. It spread quickly as the building was mostly constructed out of wood.

It may be mentioned that the Jawahar Navodiya Vidyalaya, which was established in 2006, is still running in a temporary building with no fencing and proper building. The school is facing lot of hardship and with the burning down of the only temporary building, the future of the students enrolled at the Vidyalaya appears grim.

By all accounts, Nagaland State Government’s investment prowess could give even top financial honchos a run for their money. Or, conversely, astound them.

The State’s returns from investment of Rs. 278.44 crore in 2014-15 in various financial instruments and companies stood at Zero, both in percentage and absolute terms, stated a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).

“The return for this investment was ‘Nil’ during the last five years while the Government paid an average interest rate of 6.81 per cent on its borrowing during 2014-15,” it added.

“The Report of Comptroller and Auditor General of India on State Finances for the year ended 31 March 2015” was recently tabled in State Legislative Assembly and buried under a ‘13 Minute’ session.

While the report shows that the major part of the investments were made in five government companies, that included a non-

Flower Power – A path to economic sustenance

Morung Express news

CITIZEN UMBRELLA

Manny Pacquiao beats Timothy Bradley in farewell fight PAGE 12

nagaland Govt’s investment prowess— bogus or intentional?

Morung Express news

By Sandemo Ngullie

T R u T H

PAGE 02

Rilan village allege ‘intrusion’

by Assam Police

reflections

o F

— Oscar Wilde

Reviving springs through Springshed development

PAGE 09

The Rilan Village Council (RVC) has expressed concern over the Assam Police’s (AP) frequent intrusion into the village without any information to the villagers. The RVC stated that fully armed AP personnel numbering over hundred have been passing through the village for the past three days. The RVC asked the Nagaland State Government to intervene immediately.

Without being able to provide a plausible explanation for the visits, the RVC said that the AP personnel enter the village and camp briefly before moving out. It has been a routine for the past three days with the armed personnel making 2-3 such “intrusions” daily. Assam Rifles personnel have also accompanied the AP personnel in all the visits, it was added. According to the RVC, no prior information was given in any of the visits, which has raised apprehension among the border village’s residents. “The unexplained intrusions are creating fear psychosis and harassment,” the RVC said.

Maintaining that Rilan village has no connection with the development activities at Daldali Reserve Forest, the RVC added that it has no problem so long as the AP restricts its movements within its own jurisdiction. While urging the Nagaland State Government to intervene, the RVC said that the visits, if not stopped, would disturb the peaceful atmosphere prevailing in the village.

P o W e R

It started with an idea suggested by a group of young people at Songsong village who proposed a flower show and competition at Mao Gate in 2015.

Making it a Flower Festival, around 50 flower growers participated on October 11, 2015.

This year the idea turned into a 3 day festival starting from April 9 till 11 at Pfukhro, Mao Gate, with over 60 participants and hundreds of visitors from Senapati district. Under the theme, ‘Colours of Spring,’ the Festival this year has been jointly organized by the Senapati District Administration and Mao Flower Growers Association in collaboration with the Department of Horticulture and Soil Conservation, Government of Manipur (GoM) and Department of Commerce and Industries, GoM. The organizers stated that the Festival has been commemorated to celebrate “a concept nurtured by the people with a collective desire to preserve, promote and develop the gift of nature endowed upon the land found a common platform together.”

Flowers have an economic value for the people in this area, said Jacintha Lazarus, DC, Senapati during the inaugural event.

Mao Gate is around 32 km from Kohima and 100 km from Imphal.

The border town, a transit point for travelers from Nagaland and Manipur, is set to become one of the most economically sustaining areas with its flower business.

The Flower Festival maybe a new concept, but growing flowers and making a living out of it has been a matter of economic importance for the Mao Nagas for more than ten years. Many villagers, especially women, have economically empowered themselves through the flower business. “We really like flowers,” said Adaphro, who has recently taken up the flower business, also mentioning that most of the Mao Naga villages (there are around 37 Mao villages) take up flower growing for economic sustenance. Adaphro also mentioned that the flower business has been going on for more than 10 years and the villagers have been growing flowers without any support from the government. Many college students have also taken up the flower business to save money for their higher education, added Adaphro.

For Lophro, a young teacher, growing flowers was just a hobby which turned out to be lucrative business with high demands from Kohima and Imphal. Flowers are grown throughout

the year but the peak seasons are mostly winter, during the wedding season.

However, the demand for flowers does not fall too short throughout the year.

Lophro, who grows flowers in her village Rabunamai, also mentioned that the flowers that are sold the most are Geraniums and Alstroemerias. The annual income amounts to 2 lakh or more for each grower.

The inaugural event witnessed both local visitors from Mao villages as well as visitors from Kohima, Imphal and neighboring districts.

The highest number of participants is women, showcasing the numerous varieties and rare breeds of flowers such as geraniums, orchids, chrysanthemum, alstroemeria, daisy, carnation, lobelia, lupin, begonia, rhododendron, hydrangea, as well as cactuses and succulents.

During the inaugural event of the Flower Festival, V. Shanmuganathan, Governor of Manipur graced the occasion as Chief Guest and O Nabakishore Singh, IAS, Chief Secretary of Manipur was the Guest of Honor.

This is also the first time, in a very long time, that a Governor and a Chief Secretary have attended an event and visited the Mao Gate which borders Nagaland, said Athikho, an Economics Lecturer, further explaining that often the borders and peripheries of the State are neglected.

The Governor in his address stressed on the importance of plants and flowers which, according to him, have the potential to combat global warming. He also asserted that the Festival is viable for a tourist destination. Chief Secretary, ON Singh, urged the flower growers to promote the business on a larger scale by meeting requirements such as capital, land and technology.

The organizers believe that the Festival has opened a “new chapter to flower growers and proprietors for future sustainability and growth of the flower market.” With the flowers being marketed in neighboring states and beyond, the Festival envisions a higher common good.

RetuRNS ON INveStmeNt

investment/Return 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 Investment at the end of the 213.4 228.01 270.01 270.01 278.44 year (A-E) (Rs. In Crore) Joint Stock companies 32.10 32.11 32.10 32.10 32.10 Government Companies 145.60 160.19 168.69 182.05 190.48 Statutory Corporations 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 D. Rural Banks 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 E. Cooperatives 35.67 35.67 41.82 55.82 55.82 Return (in Crore) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Return (%) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Source: Report of Comptroller and Auditor General of India on State Finances for the year ended 31 March 2015 working company (NWC) viz. Nagaland Sugar Mills Ltd (NSML), the zero returns on other entities like Co-operatives and Joint Stock Companies are a cause for serious concern.

ing. The four working companies—Nagaland Industrial Development Board; Nagaland Industrial Raw Material & Supply Corporation Ltd; State Mineral Development Corporation; and Nagaland Handloom & Handicraft Development Corporation—were all incurring losses.

Apart from NIDC, the accounts of the three remaining companies were in arrears for the period ranging between 2-5 years, the CAG observed. The account for non-working NSML was in arrears for last 37 years. Consequently, the CAG said the actual financial status of the companies could not be assessed at the time of auditing.

The Break-up The break-up of the investment shows that out of Rs. 287 crore, Rs. 190.48 crore was spent on government companies undertaking as under – five government companies (105.57 crore), Distillery project (0.30 crore) and Public Sector and other Undertaking (84.61 crore).

Rs. 32.11 crore was invested in two joint stock companies and Rs. 55.85 crore in statutory corporations, co-operative bank and societies etc. Howev- Reason for low returns Commenting on the Reer, all the investments depict zero returns in last five port, a CAG official, on the condition of anonymity, years. (See Table) said that while returns on investments are usually low Position of Government companies in many states, as it involves According to the CAG, supporting loss making Nagaland has five govern- Public Sectors Undertakment companies – four ings (PSUs) enterprises, the working and one not work- zero returns shown even on

bank deposits were a cause for big worry. While the government supporting PSUs serves social and economic purposes by way of employment, the zero returns on other instruments are quite suspicious, he indicated.

The CAG Report suggested identifying companies/corporations which are endowed with low financial, but high socioeconomic, returns and see if high cost borrowing needs to be invested in those companies/corporations. Besides, the government may expedite closing down of the Non-working companies, it added.

Will these suggestions improve returns? That’s an even bigger question than the dubious zero-returns play of the Nagaland State Government.

Did investments reach where desired? Are the zeroes intentionally produced? Could there have been some returns which may have disappeared?

These are questions the CAG’s next audit may want to investigate.

2

MonDAY 11•04•2016

NAGALAND

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Rilan village turns 25 years; villagers celebrate with jubilation Reviving springs through

Villagers of Rilan during the 25th anniversary celebration of the village on April 9.

DimApur, April 10 (mexn): Rilan village in Dimapur district celebrated its 25th anniversary on April 9 with great fervour and jubilation. TL Merry, Chair-

man, Lotha Hoho Dimapur attended the event as the chief guest along with hosts of the Hoho officials.

According to a press release received here, Merry

MEx File

RSU condemns rape of school girl Tseminyu, April 10 (mexn): The Rengma Students’ Union (RSU) has condemned the rape of a school girl at Tesophenyu village on April 5 by one Dilip. In a press statement, the Union has demanded the authorities concerned and the law enforcing agency to immediately nab the accused who is still absconding and award befitting and exemplary punishment to avert recurrence of such crime in the society.

It warned that failure to book the accused at the earliest will compel the Union to take its own course of action. The statement issued by RSU President, RN David Magh further informed all non-Nagas residing under its jurisdiction that RSU will start registration of nonNagas from April 11 to 15 from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm at its office headquarters Tseminyu. It warned that failing to comply with the order, the Union will take its own strict course of action.

CRPF to distribute sports items, solar lights to public KohimA, April 10 (mexn): As part of Civic Action Programme and to promote friendly relation between the CRPF and local people, the 78th Battalion, CRPF New Secretariat, Kohima will be distributing various sports items to WAPO youth clubs of Sechü Zubza and solar lights to the people of Jakhama village on April 13, 10:00 am at WAPO Ground, Sechü Zubza.

Mothers’ Day at Phek village KohimA, April 10 (mexn): The Phek Village Baptist Church will observe 36th Mother’s Day cum 2nd sisters and in-laws get-together from May 7 to 8 at Phek village under the theme “A gracious mother.” The main speakers of the celebration are Zashetalü Chiero, Bino Kenye and Niekhosalü Venuh. The organising committee convenor Sürhonielü Keyho in a press release stated, “We are indeed grateful to God for this blessed opportunity to be organizing such an auspicious and rare get-together programme for the Phekmi women family.” He expressed hope that everyone will participate to make the programme a meaningful and a memorial one despite their busy schedule. All Phekmi sisters and sister-in-laws have been invited to join the programme.

urged the villagers to be selfless as the founders and the donors of the village have been. He emphasized on the aspect of hard labour put in by the early

settlers. Appealing to the villagers to dedicate themselves for the good of the society, the chief guest further stressed on upholding honesty and hard labour so

that the society, especially the Rilan villagers, attain greater heights in the days to come. He also refreshed the gathering on how the village came into being.

Mrs. CY Kithan, one of the donors of the land, also narrated the early history of the village and thanked the pioneers, especially TL Merry and his team, for putting hard work in making the village a reality.

Earlier, Lisemo Merry, who chaired the programme, summed up the history of the village. Greeting messages were read out by the chairperson on behalf of CY Kithan, retired Addl. Secretary (Home) and Thungbemo Lotha, retired IGP. Rev. Moses Murry, who invoked God's blessings upon the people, advocated for unity so that God's grace and mercy may be felt by the villagers.

Yanthamo Ngullie pronounced the vote of thanks, while John Lotha, Catechist, Holy Trinity Church Dimapur, prayed for the villagers during the concluding prayers.

Springshed development

11 springs identified to be developed into model Springsheds Our Correspondent Kohima | April 10

Nagaland being a predominantly rural and hilly state with more than 90 per cent of water demand for domestic purpose in rural areas depending on springs, it is important to revive/rejuvenate the dying springs and to increase the water availability through Springshed development.

This was stated in the annual administrative report 2015-16 of Nagaland’s Land Resources Department.

The report stated that the department has taken initiative for Springshed develop-

ment in 2015 which seeks to address the issues of regenerating springs, streams and underground flows.

The prime focus is to identify recharge area of springs and streams and enhance recharge through community-led (participatory) actions and for proper management and equitable distribution of water, the report stated, adding that springshed development can help enhance rainfall infiltration into the ground, recharge springs, revive dysfunctional traditional systems, moderate flood peaks and recharge streams and rivers.

As prelude to the initiative of Springshed development in Nagaland, a consultative workshop took place in the month of November last year at Ruzaphema, involving experts, researchers, development agencies, policy makers and other stakeholders from various parts of the

country, during which several important issues and problems were indentified and recommendations suggested for the state of Nagaland.

Outcome of that workshop was the identification of 11 Springs from 11 districts of Nagaland to develop them into model Springsheds which will be implemented in convergence with PSI, ARGHYAM, ACWADAM and PMKSY-WDC. The report stated that water quality testing has been carried out and awareness created among the primary stakeholders on conservation and management of natural springs.

A Detailed Project Report for implementing Springshed in 50 villages has been prepared and submitted to the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change which is under active consideration, the report added.

Nagaland State GIS & Remote Sensing Centre Our Correspondent Kohima | April 10

Since its inception, the Nagaland State GIS & Remote Sensing Centre has been providing full spectrum of innovative geospatial services and solutions, application software, geospatial data engineering and analytics services to facilitate all line departments, resource managers, planners and decision makers for sustainable development planning activities in the state of Nagaland.

A source said that Indian Space programme emphasizes on utilization of space technology for the

betterment of the society.

Towards realizing this objective, the centre is acting as nodal agency of the state of Nagaland for space technology applications such as Remote Sensing and GIS. The Centre has now become a geospatial resource hub and the repository of various thematic layers; geospatial applications satellite imageries, most modern hardware and software (Image Processing, GIS, GPS/DGPS) installations in addition to a team of scientists and committed technical personnel.

The vision of the Cen-

tre is to develop state infrastructure for the availability of and access to organized Geo-Spatial Data, to develop techniques and methodology that could be helpful in alleviating the problems of the state, committed to provide benefits of Geospatial technology to common man, provide scientific inputs to various line departments and institutions of state using Geospatial technology in their programmes.

Its objectives are: to undertake, promote, guide, coordinate and aid research and development in the field of remote sensing, satellite communica-

tions & geospatial science, survey for monitoring and assessment of natural resources, to carry out spatial temporal surveys, surveillance using Geo-spatial technology, to develop an efficient data acquisition and retrieval system and to act as a repository of various natural resources data of the state, to act as nodal organization in the state, advising the user agencies and to disseminate the remote sensing & GIS technology at operational levels, to provide research and development support to the teaching and research organizations of the state in specified

areas of geospatial technology, to organize training and capacity building programmes for advanced study and research in Geospatial technology and its applications, to cooperate and collaborate with other national and overseas institutions, and research in geo-spatial technologies and its applications.

The goal of the Centre is to create a platform where all stakeholders can cooperate and interact with each other with the relevant technologies in order to meet objectives at different political and administrative levels for perspective planning and

development.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister TR Zeliang recently expressed happiness that Nagaland has also made much progress in various space technologies applications such as GIS, remote sensing, photogrammetry and Location Based Services (LBS), state wide GIS & IT based projects in the field of health, education, disaster management, vehicle tracking, e-learning, 3D Terrain Modelling, natural resource and land use mappings, weather reports and forecasting etc, which are being done in collaboration with various national organizations

Free medical camp in Kohima Nagaland prayer convention concludes

KohimA, April 10 (mexn): As part of Fellowship Exchange and People to People Programme initiated by Governor of Nagaland PB Acharya and motivated by the Indian National Fellowship Centre Mumbai, a group of specialised doctors will conduct free medical camp at Naga Hospital Authority Kohima from April 11 to 14.

A release from PRO to the Governor informed that the team of doctors comprise of Dr Suparna Nirgudkar (MD Medicine), Consultant physician and intensivist; Dr Umesh Borwankar (MS Surgery), General and Laparoscopic surgeon; Dr Manjiri Ranade (MD Anaesthesia), Consultant Anaesthetist and specialist in pain management; Dr Nili-

ma Dumbre (BHMS).

The team will conduct free surgery to needy patients and also distribute free medicines to deserving patients. Interested public have been advised to avail the opportunity of free expert advice from the visiting doctors. For more details, the MD and MS of NHAK may be contacted, the release added.

Our Correspondent Kohima | April 10

The three-day Nagaland Prayer Convention, which began on April 8 under the theme “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God”, concluded this evening at Nagaland Christian Revival Church (NCRC), PR Hill, Kohima.

The main speakers of the convention were Rev. Neivotso Neikha, Mission Director, North East India Christian Revival Church and Sanyi Nyekha, Pastor, Chiesezou CRC. Yangulie Sanchu, Pastor, NCRC, PR Hill informed that the convention was held under the directive of Lord’s programme to pray for the Nagas to have peace, unity and tranquility among the people and to rededicate themselves to serve God.

He also said the convention was very successful as thousands of people from various churches, irrespective of denomination, came and attended the services and many were blessed. He called upon the people to rededicate and serve God with all humbleness and faithfulness as “the last day is nearing.”

Preaching the gospel to the congregation, Rev. Neivotso Neikha said prayer is a very important tool to open the gate, window and door of heaven for God to pour out his spirit and blessing upon the people. He therefore encouraged the people to pray to God without cease.

During the three-day service, Avibou Mor, Chathe Prayer Christian Centre and Adi Sothu, NCRC, PR Hill, Kohima chaired the programme, while Khezhakeno, CRC Youth Choir, presented special song.

PNU general assembly KohimA, April 10 (mexn): The Assembly Affairs of Poumai Naga Union (PNU) has informed that the first general assembly of PNU for the year 2016 will be held on April 26 at Thiwa village. Around 600 delegates will join in the general assembly. This was stated in a release issued by PNU Assembly Affairs Speaker CD Jongeo John and Secretary PS Shelavei.

Black topping of the road around Old MLA Hostel Junction in Kohima underway on the night of April 9. (Morung Photo)

83 vehicles caught with faulty indicator lights in Dimapur

Oleoresin project to generate employment for women Kohima | April 10

Child Evangelism Group of Kumlong Baptist Church presents a special song on the occasion of the ABAM Children Sunday at Kumlong Baptist Church on April 10. The Ao Baptist Church Council (ABAM) stipulates a special day for children every year. The Kumlong Baptist Church celebrated the ABAM Children Day with the Principal of Clark Theological College, Rev Dr Takatemjen as the main speaker.

A new project for oleoresin extraction and marketing is being planned to be taken up during the financial year by State’s Women Resource Development Department.

The project aims at employment generation for women at various levels- cultivation of oleoresin spice crops, transportation, sorting and grading, pre-processing, processing and extraction, packaging and marketing.

Development of the main production and processing centre is planned to be taken up at Jalukie under Peren district, according to the annual administrative report of the Women Resource Development Department 2015-16.

The programme will also cover Zunheboto, Wokha and Mokokchung districts for plantation, cultivation and supply of oleoresin spice crops such as turmeric, ginger, Naga King Chili, mint and sesame to the main centre.

Pochury men in traditional attire escort Chief Minister TR Zeliang during his recent visit to Meluri. Morung Photo/Chizokho Vero

Our Correspondent

DDLSA members and Dimapur Traffic personnel during the Mobile Lok Adalat held on April 9.

DimApur, April 10 (mexn): In an effort to promote road safety, the Dimapur District Legal Services Authority (DDLSA) in association with the Office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) organised night Mobile Lok Adalats at two locations in Dimapur on April 9.

The primary purpose of the Lok Adalats set up at Court Junction and 7th Mile was to ensure that indica-

tor lights of various vehicles were in proper working order, a press release from DDLSA informed.

In random spot checks conducted by the personnel of the DCP (Traffic), the release said, a total of 83 vehicles were found to be plying with defective or non-functional indicator lights.

The defaulting vehicles were penalised under the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, with

nominal fines amounting to a total of Rs. 12,800/-. The Panel Lawyers of the DDLSA also stressed on the importance of proper maintenance of vehicle lights in the larger interest of public safety.

The release mentioned that DDLSA has been conducting such Lok Adalats on a regular basis with the objective of creating awareness on both the rights as well as responsibilities of citizens.

monDAY 11•04•2016

NORTH-EAST

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Will regional parties weigh down BJP?

Guwahati, april 10 (iaNS): With Assam poised to vote in the second phase of the assembly elections on Monday, there are speculations about the BJP's prospects following its alliances with regional forces like the AGP and the BPF. Given the high-decibel campaigns by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on behalf of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and state Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi for the Congress, people, largely in the rural areas, seem to be in the dark about their parties' political alliances.

Now that the 'lotus' (BJP) and the 'hand' (Congress) are the most visible signs in the state's high political drama, smaller or regional parties seem largely reduced to the periphery.

According to sources, rural voters in upper Assam that went to the polls in the first phase on April 4, were left confused when

Phase II polling for 61 Assam assembly seats today

Guwahati, april 10 (iaNS): Over one crore voters will exercise their franchise in the second phase of polling in Assam for the 61 assembly seats on Monday and decide the fate of 525 candidates in the fray.

The polling will be held from 7 a.m. till 5 p.m. at 12,699 polling stations in the 61 constituencies spread across 13 districts.

Of the total 1,04,35,277 voters eligible to cast their ballot in the second phase, 50,44,051 are women. Of the 525 candidates in fray, only 48 are women.

Some prominent candidates include former Assam chief ministhey did not see the 'lotus' symbol on the electronic voter machines.

That was because those seats were left by the BJP to its ally, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).

So, they pressed on the next most well-recognised symbol, the 'hand' of the Congress.

Not surprising at all,

ter and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) candidate Prafulla Kumar Mahanta (Barhampur), Moulana Badaruddin Ajmal (AIUDF, Salmara South), Agriculture Minister Rockybul Hussain (Congress, Samaguri), Himanta Biswa Sarma (BJP, Jalukbari) and former Assam BJP president Siddhartha Bhattacharyya (Guwahati East).

Among the 525 candidates, 57 are from the Congress, 47 from the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), 35 from the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP), 19 from the AGP, five from the Communist Party of India, nine from the Communist Party of India-Marxist, 10 from

since the AGP has been rendered largely irrelevant for many years and people have not been familiar with the once ruling party's 'elephant' symbol in the onslaught of the 'hand' and the 'lotus'.

When contacted by IANS, BJP sources in Guwahati confirmed that they were aware of this fact.

NEIWAC holds first convention

V. Baskaran, IPS, AIGP (Law & Order) Tamil Nadu releasing the NEIWAC souvenir magazine.

Dimapur, april 10 (mExN): The North East India Welfare Association Chennai (NEIWAC) held its First Convention on April 9 at Hotel Vestin Park under the theme “Co-existence”.

The programme was attended by the leaders and various northeast states organizations in Chennai, a press release received here informed.

Wapangtoshi, President of NEIWAC while addressing the gathering said, “Today we are making a new history together.”

According to Wapangtoshi, NEIWAC has been instrumental for the various welfare activities of the northeast community in Chennai such as recently concluded NEIWAC Aadhar Card camp in which more than 600 northeast people were benefited.

He further informed that the association is willing to conduct a medical camp in collaboration with one of the city hospitals.

The souvenir magazine with the title NEIWAC Voice: Co-Existence was released by the northeast nodal officer V. Baskaran, IPS, AIGP (Law & Order) Tamil Nadu during which he also assured safety and security for the northeast people in the state.

R. Lalvena, IAS, Director, Social Defence Govt. of Tamil Nadu, Aso K Shimray, DGM, UIIC Ltd. and Imtimenla, Chief Geologist, ONGC were the special guests on the occasion. The convention programme started with a Bihu Dance from Assam followed by an indigenous song from Manipur and a special song was presented by the Mizo Welfare Association Chennai.

Bodoland Peoples Front, and 129 candidates from smaller or unregistered parties.

The Congress has fielded six women candidates, AIUDF two, BJP four, the CPI-M one and BPF one.

Fifteen women nominees are from smaller and unregistered parties.

A total of 214 candidates, including 19 women, are contesting as Independents in various constituencies, poll officials said.

During the first phase of peaceful polling for 65 assembly constituencies on April 4, 82.20 percent of the eligible voters exercised their franchise.

Local TV channels in Assam have given high visibility to Modi's as well as Gogoi's campaigns, but little space and time have been given to the electioneering of the AGP and the Bodo People's Front (BPF).

Exit polls apart, the trend emerging is that sections of the electorate are casting their votes in favour

One more dies after having wild mushroom aizawl, april 10 (pti): With the death of Ramdinmawii (34) today, four persons of a family have died after eating wild mushroom in Mizoram-Tripura-Bangladesh border Mamit town since Thursday last. Earlier, Ramdinmawii's sons Biakrinawma (10), and Malsawmtluanga (8) and her husband Saikhuma (35) died.

Saikhuma had collected wild mushroom from the jungle on April four and cooked it for dinner the same evening after which they started suffering from stomachache and loose motion, and were admitted to the Mamit District Hospital.

Now, their other son Saihmingthanga (12), daughter Miriami (3) and their guest V.L. Hriata (20) are in Aizawl Civil Hospital here. The condition of Saihmingthanga was stated to critical.

Royal couple to be served Assamese cuisine: Gogoi

Guwahati, april 10 (pti): The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Prince William and Kate Middleton will be served Assamese cuisine as the royal couple will pay a two-day visit to the state on the eve of spring festival 'Rongali Bihu', Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said here today. "We are very happy and honoured that Prince William and his wife will visit the Kaziranga National Park and we have decided to give them a taste of Assamese cuisine and hospital-

ity," the chief minister said.

"Since they are coming during Bihu, pithas (rice cakes) and larus (sweetmeats) will be definitely served, besides other Assamese delicacies," Gogoi added.

The royal couple was scheduled to arrive at Tezpur airport in the evening of April 12 where they will be received by the chief minister and given a traditional welcome. The couple will drive down to the Diphlu River Lodge near the Kaziranga National Park where

they will stay the night and attend a programme on ethnic cultural traditions to be presented by local artistes in their honour. The Duke and Duchess will visit the Kaziranga National Park, famed for the onehorned rhinoceros, the next morning and enjoy a jeep safari inside the Park.

The royal couple are interested to see how communities manage the conflicts that arise when humans and wild animals live in close proximity and will also meet park rangers

inside Kaziranga, to discuss how the Park protects its animal populations from poachers as demand in other parts of Asia for rhino horns continues to rise, a release by the British High Comission said.

Meanwhile, the banned ULFA (Independent) in a statement has welcomed the visit of the royal couple and hoped that their visit to Kaziranga may be a "turning-point to save the rhinoceros whose plight in its habitat is a matter of great concern.

of personalities rather than parties.

A source told IANS from Dibrugarh: "I went to this mechanic who happens to be a Bengali Hindu. When asked, he told me that his community's people will vote for so-and-so and not to any party. Because this so-and-so candidate has done good work for our

constituency, he said."

Dibrugarh has elected BJP's Prasanta Phukan as its legislator for two consecutive terms largely because of the goodwill he has earned with the local populace and the "work he has done".

However, sources told IANS that after they voted for the party (BJP) in the municipal elections without thinking of the candidate, the city was regretting.

"The city has become so dirty. There is hardly any civic work done," a resident, like many others, lamented.

"For the first time in our memory, flood waters entered our homes last year.

The Congress's C. Barua, who headed the municipal board earlier, did much better work," one source said.

"Now I remember, when we voted in the municipal elections based on party symbols, I asked my wife whether we knew who was the candidate we voted for."

3

Manmohan, wife to vote in Assam polls on Monday Guwahati, april 10 (iaNS): The second phase of the Assam assembly elections on Monday will have at least two VVIP voters -- former prime minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gurcharan Kaur.

The couple are voters in the Dispur constituency, and will cast their ballot at the Dispur Government High School polling station no.207 in Guwahati, a spokesman of the Assam unit of the Congress said on Sunday, Manmohan Singh and his wife will arrive at the Guwahati airport around 12.30 p.m. and will head directly to the polling station.

"They are likely to cast their votes around 1 p.m. After casting their votes, the couple will go to Brahmaputra State Guest House in Guwahati for some time and will return

to Delhi around 5.30 p.m.," the spokesman said.

Manmohan Singh is enrolled in the electoral roll as voter no.570, Gurcharan Kaur is enrolled as voter no.571.

Manmohan Singh has been a member of the Rajya Sabha from Assam since 1991. The then chief minister late Hiteswar Saikia offered him a Rajya Sabha seat from Assam when he became the finance minister in the Narasimha Rao government.

Saikia also made him a tenant in his house and Manmohan Singh's address in the electoral roll is mentioned as house no.3989 in Sarumataria area of Guwahati.

The second phase of polls on Monday involves 61 constituencies. Polling for 65 constituencies took place on April 4 and recorded 83.20 percent turnout.

Will be happy if corruption cases are probed: Gogoi

Guwahati, april 10 (iaNS): A day after BJP president Amit Shah said that if the BJP-led alliance comes to power in Assam, it will probe all cases of corruption of the Congress government, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Sunday welcomed the move, but questioned the Centre's silence for the past two years.

"If the BJP-led government

at the Centre was so serious that the present state government has indulged in corruption and misappropriated central funds, then why did it not institute a probe in the nearly two years of its tenure? This is nothing but an election gimmick," Gogoi said.

He said central leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been

raking up the foreigners' issue with an eye on the elections. "As in the last parliamentary elections so also in the ongoing assembly elections, the BJP's central leaders including the prime minister have been raking up the problem of infiltration from across the border. But once the elections are over, the issue will be put on the backburner,"

Gogoi said. Questioning the Centre's seriousness over infiltration, he said it (Centre) did virtually nothing to strengthen the borders in the past almost two years. "If infiltration is taking place, then it is the central government's responsibility to stop it rather than passing the buck on the state government," he added.

Eight Bangladesh-trained militants surrender in Tripura

Caption: Surrendered NLFT militants at a BSF camp. (IANS Photo)

aGartala, april 10 (iaNS): Eight Bangladesh-trained extremists surrendered to the BSF with foreignmade arms and ammunition on Sunday, an official said.

"Eight dreaded militants of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) fled their Bangladeshi hideout and crossed over to Tripura before surrendering to the BSF in the presence of Tripura Police on Sunday at a border out post in northern Tripura's Sewarampar," Border Security Force deputy commandant Lakshya Mehta said.

The guerrillas deposited sophisticated arms including one selfloading rifle and an AK-series rifle, six loaded magazines, three China-

made grenades and a large cache of ammunition and sharp weapons.

The BSF official said the NLFT was currently facing scarcity of funds and the condition of lower rank cadres was miserable.

"The frequent joint operations by the Bangladesh Army and Border Guard Bangladesh in Rangamati and Khagrachari districts (in mountainous southeastern Bangladesh) are also creating a huge problem for the outfit for hiding and free movement," Mehta said.

He said the surrender was a big jolt for the NLFT especially at a time when the outfit is plagued by weak finances, disillusioned cadres and frequent rifts. The surrendered rebels

are being interrogated by police and intelligence officials here.

Members of NLFT and All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) undergo arms training in hideouts and covert camps in various parts of Bangladesh, which shares an 856-km border with Tripura.

Both outfits, banned in 1997 by the union home ministry, have been advocating secession of Tripura from India. But as most ATTF cadres have surrendered, the group is almost non-existent now.

Officials of Tripura and the union home ministry held two rounds of talks last year with the NLFT after the rebel group expressed willingness to hold peace talks.

Indian power changes life in Myanmar border towns Congress issues show-cause notice to Tripura leader

imphal, april 10 (iaNS): Night life in Namphalong and Tamu towns in neighbouring Myanmar near the international border has undergone a sea change following commencement of power supply by India.

There was so far no power supply in these important commercial towns, which have traditionally been conduits for consumer items from China and other South and Southeast Asian countries.

Things changed from Friday when the Manipur government started supplying 3MW of power up to Tamu, just across the border from Moreh.

A Manipur government official told IANS that power supply will remain uninterrupted during night.

However, there is heavy demand for power during the day time also as it is a hot region.

Manipur's border town Moreh in Chandel district

has so far been without reliable power supply. In fact, there is no night life in the absence of assured power.

However, there used to be three bars at Namphalong market just across the international gate where visitors from India could hang around till midnight.

One could guzzle canned beer and dance to western music. As there was no power supply in these two commercial towns, people and shopkeepers had to depend on power generators and solar lamps.

Moreh, Tamu and Namphalong markets display a high range of solar lamps and power generators. Residents of the north-eastern region, who have to contend with dark nights, buy these items like hot cakes.

Teenaged Mary Chang runs a family shop at Namphalong. One of the items the shop stocks is bottled foreign made liquor and beer in cans. She depends on power generators for

chilling beer cans and other edible items. mary told IANS: "Now that there is assured power supply, it will be convenient to run the business as I am told that I will get a power connection."

But other shop keepers and traders may not be as lucky as her.

In Myanmar, power connections and other government facilities are not given on mere asking for them and permission has to be secured from higher authorities. Though Namphalong has over 500 shops, hotels, kiosks and restaurants, only a few of them will get power connections, if at all.

About 30 years ago, Tamu -- about 20 km from the international gate -- was a nondescript, ramshackle village market with old and battered wooden shops.

People from Manipur had to trek the mountain bridle path and wade through a river during the

lean season to reach Tamu since there was no road or bridge. However, a few years ago, it was transformed into a modern marketing complex the like of which is seen in advanced countries.

But it had so far been without power supply.

Chi and Suu -- two sisters who do not speak Hindi or English or Manipuri or any tribal dialect -- have been running a popular restaurant near Tamu.

In view of the language barrier, Indian visitors had to point to food items to order or for extra helpings.

Since Indian Rs.10 equals to 100 Myanmarese Kyat, bills are always in figures running into thousands.

Using a Manipuri, who speaks chaste Myanmarese, as interpreter, Suu said the visitors had to be satisfied with generatorpowered fans and most of the food items spoiled by night fall as there was no refrigerator. But now with power being supplied from

India, shopkeepers like her stand to gain much.

An official said the power is being supplied in accordance with the commitment made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Myanmar.

Manipur itself has been facing power shortage. The only source of power is the NHPC-run Loktak hydroelectric project which generates about 65 MW although the full capacity is 105 MW. Out of that, Manipur gets a negligible share of power since other northeastern states to have to be given a due share.

Accordingly, Manipur has been buying power from various sources to meet its own requirements.

Lukhoi, a resident of Moreh told IANS that there has been a slight improvement in the power supply -- which used to suffer numerous outages -- following the introduction of pre-paid meter system in Manipur.

aGartala, april 10 (iaNS): The Congress has issued a show-cause notice to its Tripura unit leader Sudip Roy Barman, days after he resigned as the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader to protest the party's alliance with the Left Front in West Bengal.

The party has warned Barman of disciplinary action if he failed to explain his position properly within a fortnight.

Congress general secretary V. Narayanasamy in the show-cause notice to Barman said: "If you have any views on the Congress having an understanding with the Communist Party of India-Marxist in Bengal, you could have expressed your views to the Congress president personally."

Narayanasamy, who is in charge of the party affairs in north-eastern states, told Barman that by criticising

the party's alliance with ten Left Front through the media, he deliberately acted in a way calculated to lower the prestige of the Congress and carry out propaganda against the party leadership.

Barman, who is the opposition leader in the Tripura assembly, on Thursday resigned as Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader in the assembly, protesting his party's tie-up with the Left Front n West Bengal.

In his resignation letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, he said the alliance would prove "harmful" to the Congress.

On Friday, four more Congress leaders quit party positions on the issue.

They are Tripura Congress working president Ashish Saha, state Youth Congress president Sushanta Chowdhury, West Tripura Lok

Sabha constituency Youth Congress president Viki Prasad, and East Tripura Lok Sabha constituency Youth Congress chief Rantu Deb. Meanwhile, Tripura Congress president Birajit Sinha and some others party leaders have said they would abide by central leadership's decision on the alliance with the Left parties.

"We will abide by central leadership's decision on the issue. Congress leaders' resignations are unfortunate," said Sinha, a sitting lawmaker and former minister of Tripura.

Informed sources said a few other Congress leaders close to Barman and Saha might quit party posts either to form a new party or join the Trinamool Congress of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Tripura.

4

MonDAY 11•04•2016

Business

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

PMO’s no to smart cards, insists on Aadhaar new delhi, april 10 (agencieS): The government has decided to stop issuing new smart cards to beneficiaries of government schemes as Aadhaar is now backed by a law.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has issued strict instructions to the Information Technology Ministry to ensure that States and the Central governmentstop issuing smart cards for new programmes for beneficiaries, and to rely on the Aadhaar-based Direct Benefit Transfer platform instead.

The move will impact ministries such as Labour, Social Justice and Health, which are in the process or have already rolled out smart cards.

The government had said earlier that over 100 crore people, constituting 93 per cent of the adult population, had a unique identification (UID) number under the Aadhaar platform.

“The undersigned is directed to request the department to examine the need for state and central government departments to issue separate smart cards in the light of the near universal coverage of Aad-

Lata Latwal displaying three Aadhaar Card in same address at Lata Latwal’s residence in Bangalore. (File Photo)

haar and the delivery of the most public welfare benefits through Aadhaar enabled platforms,” according to a directive issued by Gulzar N, Director, PMO, to Aruna Sharma, Secretary, Department of Electronics and Infor-

mation Technology.

“The undersigned is also directed to request the department to prepare policy on the delivery of various public services using Aadhaar, Jan Dhan Yojana and existing platforms without the

issuance of new smart cards.”

Last month, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawar Chand Gehlot had announced that all differently abled persons would soon get a unique identity card to avail welfare schemes. .

State governments had also planned to use smart card technology for welfare schemes. For instance, Odisha was mulling smart cards for construction workers in the State.

The PMO sent a separate communiqué to Labour Secretary Shankar Aggarwal in the context of a proposal to issue 40 crore smart cards to informal sector workers, called the Unorganised Workers’ Identification Number (U-WIN). The UWIN cards were to be used by these workers to access benefits under schemes such as Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana , Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana , Atal Pension Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana.

The PMO rejected the proposal noting that Aadhaar would act as a “universal unique identifier for each citizen.”

“Adding a UWIN number would not only duplicate work,

but also introduce further problems in linking up with other databases which have already been linked with Aadhaar,” said the missive reviewed by The Hindu.

However, experts are sceptical of the government’s move.

“Smart cards are always better than biometrics. If that was not the case, the global financial infrastructure today will be working on biometrics and not on smart cards,” said Sunil Abraham, executive director of The Centre for Internet and Society.

“Why are these banks working on smart cards? Smart cards work using cryptography, which is more fool-proof than biometrics. Biometrics allow for remote, covert and nonconsensual identification,” Mr. Abraham said.

Smart card vendors, however, said the move may not impact their market. “The demand for smart cards is massive in all the other segments such as for use in debit and credit cards or driving licenses and vehicle registration numbers,” said Deven Mehta, managing director of the Mumbai-based Smart Card IT Solutions.

‘Global outlook changing on India’s protection for innovation’ Micromax, TranServ, Visa strong laws that the coun- ings in the country, Anand form strategic partnership new delhi, april ried to IANS. Corroborating this, try has on protection of said: “The government 10 (ianS): After decades of concern, the outlook of foreign entities over India’s intellectual property rights regime (IPR) is beginning to turn positive, thanks to a realisation in the country that innovation will be meaningless without legal protection for creativity, say experts.

“One of the most powerful things being done in 50 years is on intellectual property rights. The new policy (under consideration) talks about encouraging innovation. We have seen in the last two years huge changes in our approach in this area,” said Pravin Anand of law firm Anand and Anand.

Modernisation efforts at patent offices, amendment of rules to streamline procedures, recruitment of a large number of examiners to handle the volumes of patent applications and efforts to reduce backlog are positive changes in this domain, he said.

“If this kind of a policy continues at the same momentum at which it is proceeding, then it will hugely change the perspective of Western investors. If foreign players are assured that they are safe here, then who wouldn’t want such a fantastic market (like India)?” Anand que-

Andrew Bradshaw, director, Asian Coalition Against Counterfeiting and Piracy, said Western countries feel there has been a lot of difference in India’s intellectual property rights protection after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s drive for a better regime.

“Since Modi took charge there is a lot of difference. I think it is a refreshing change. In the West, we can see that,” Bradshaw, who is also global head brand protection, Superdry, told IANS. He said law enforcement was equally important as India steps up the regime.

India’s ranking globally on intellectual property has also not been encouraging.

According to the International Property Rights Index, published by the Americans for Tax Reform Foundation’s Property Rights Alliance, India was ranked 62nd globally in 2015. India’s score in 2015 was 5.2 -- lower than its score of 5.5 in 2014.

The report analysed the regimes of 129 nations, both on the legal and political environments.

Regarding enforcement, Anand said it was important to ensure that

piracy and counterfeiting should be taken to their logical conclusion by way of implementation.

“All bottlenecks must be removed. Conviction rates must go up if people are counterfeiting. Also, statutory damages should be introduced and granted by all courts. Currently it is the Delhi High Court that grants damages. It should be in every district court,” Anand said.

“Making laws is not sufficient unless customers are educated by way of policy and advocacy. We must have shelter of law first. Then policy document must be in place.

Government support via dedicated enforcement agencies is also needed,” Pulin Kumar, legal expert at Adidas group, told IANS. On the low patent fil-

must send a message to all business houses that their chief executives should have a budget for filing patents and should make simple targets for patent filing.”

He added: “If that happens then the abysmally low filing, which is around 45,000 applications for the whole country in a year, would increase dramatically.”

China files around one million patent applications per year.

Echoing the same concern, Bradshaw said: “Education is very important, especially for newcomers in the business. Educate these new brands so that they protect their intellectual property from the beginning through trademarks and copyrights, designs and patents.”

leisure

new delhi, april 10 (ianS): Indian electronics company Micromax on Sunday announced a strategic partnership with digital payments company TranServ and global payments technology major Visa to offer the next generation of payments solutions in India. “Digital payments are clearly an important part of our digital experience and services strategy and our partnership with Visa and TranServ further reinforces our commitment to make commerce easier through tight integration with popular services enabling lifestyle of our consumers,” Vikas Jain, co-founder of Micromax, said in a statement.

The three leading brands have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to utilise Micromax’s mobile devices, ubiquitous presence and extensive partner ecosystem in the Indian market. The partnership will leverage Visa’s unique digital payments products and TranServ’s fin-tech capabilities to promote indigenous digital payment infrastructure. “Mobile payments are part of the future of payments and their rapid adoption will be instrumental in helping India move towards a cashless society,” said Chris Clark, group executive, Asia-Pacific of Visa Inc. Using the proposed payment solutions, Micromax users will be able to use mobile-based Push Payments using mVisa, seamless e-commerce payments on merchant and social media applications, interpersonal payments to personal contacts, and in the future mobile contactless payments in physical locations through NFC (near-field communications), the company said.

Daily Cross WorD ACROSS 1. Become narrower 6. Absent Without Leave 10. Flat float 14. An edict of the Russian tsar 15. dad 16. Arab chieftain 17. Related to tides 18. Buttocks 19. List of options 20. Unfit 22. A Freudian stage 23. mobile phone 24. haughty 26. Prison 30. Beer 31. Long-haired wild ox 32. dwarf buffalo 33. knights 35. Bog hemp 39. In the interval 41. Spouse 43. mops 44. Thug 46. Bloodsucking insects 47. Ribonucleic acid 49. Crimson 50. Distinctive flair 51. Profession 54. Cook 56. Dogfish 57. detestation 63. An 80’s style of music 64. Wild hog 65. Each and all 66. Being 67. Forsaken 68. Creepy 69. Clairvoyant 70. Terminates 71. Prigs DOWN 1. Ballet attire 2. Analogous 3. Cushions or mats

CROSSWORD # 3559

Indian Navy Recruitment 2016 for Pilot/Observer/NAIC Posts Source: Jargan Josh

I

ndian Navy invited applications from unmarried men and women to join the Indian Navy as Short Service Commissioned Officer as Pilot/ Observer/ NAIC for the course commencing on Jan 2017 at the Indian Naval Academy, Kerala.

The eligible candidates can apply for the same through the prescribed format on or before 29 April 2016.

Eligibility Criteria for Indian Navy Pilot & Observer Jobs: BE/ B. Tech in any discipline with Physics and Maths at 12th standard. Minimum percentage in BE/ B. Tech for Pilot entry is 60% and for Observer entry is 55%.

CPL holder must have valid and current CPL issued by DGCA (India).

Eligibility Criteria for NAIC Jobs: BE/ B.Tech with 60% in any one of the streams i.e., Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics, Production, Instrumentation, IT, Chemical Metallurgy and Aerospace Engineering Age Limit for Indian Navy Pilot & Observer Jobs: 19-24 years; CPL Holders: 19-25 years.

Age Limit for Indian Navy NAIC Jobs: 19 ½ - 25 years Selection Procedure for Indian Navy Pilot/ Observer/ NAIC Jobs: Candidates will be selected on the basis of examination, interview and physical examination conducted by the body.

How to Apply for Indian Navy Pilot/ Observer/ NAIC Jobs: Eligible candidates can apply to the post through the prescribed format along with other necessary documents on or before 29 April 2016.

Important Date: Last Date of Application: 29 April 2016 Indian Navy Vacancy Details: Name of the Posts: Pilot- Male only Observer- Male & Female NAIC- Male only Important link: www.indiannavy.nic.in

SUDOKU

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

Game Number # 3545

Answer Number # 3544

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ELNINO PARAgUAY URUgUAY FRENChgUIANA SURINAmE PAmPAS LLANOS BRAZILIANhIghLANdS ChILE COLOmBIA ECUAdOR TIERRATEmPLAdA OIL PATAgONIA ESCARPmENT AmAZONBASIN PARANARIVER PARAgUAYRIVER URUgUAYRIVER

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U I A I N O g A T A P O R C k C A A P B

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N C C O U V Y R A T I A X g A P S R N E

A A A C E I P I E R R V F Y m E N I T R

4. Brother of Jacob 5. museum piece 6. Awful 7. A small active songbird 8. Iridescent gem 9. Recently 10. Noteworthy 11. Change 12. Last 13. genuinely 21. make fun of 25. Paddles 26. Barbed comments 27. Again 28. greek letter 29. Criminal 34. Crams 36. Letters, etc.

37. Ancient Peruvian 38. Biblical garden 40. Feudal worker 42. Not over 45. Plantation 48. Fit for farming 51. Sleeveless garments 52. divert 53. Washing machine cycle 55. Liberates 58. godsend 59. Not odd 60. Roman emperor 61. Baby’s bed 62. Visual organs

KolKata, april 10 (the hindu): The tea industry has sought a special tax rate under the new GST regime as it will have an impact on the livelihood of poorer sections of the society. “We have voiced our concerns,” Arijit Raha, Indian Tea Association Secretary General, told The Hindu. The current tax rate for tea sector is between 5.5 and 6 %. As against this, the lowest rate proposed in the GST is 12% for “low” rate goods which would be applicable for tea.

The apex industry association has already urged the Centre to consider their request. Under the current tax structure, various concessions/ benefits are provided both by the Centre and the State to tea sector. These benefits are in the nature of exemption from excise duty payment and lower VAT rates on tea across all states (including concessional rates for teas sold through auctions).

Government’s attention was also drawn to the labour-intensive nature of the plantation-based industry, which provides livelihood to people, many of whom

are poor and economically weak. Tea industry provides direct employment to more than 1.1 million – half of whom are women. This apart it also looks after three million dependents who reside at the tea estates. “The government had favourably considered the industry’s position during the period of transiting from sales tax to value added tax too,” Raha said.

Saddled with a host of problems, ranging from ageing tea bushes to climate change, the more than century-old industry fears the withdrawal of its benefits. “A rise in tax incidence could fuel inflationary pressures, affecting consumer demand. This would have adverse effect on the sector’s economic viability as well as the sustenance of the large workforce” employed by the sector, Raha said.

SHALOM HOSTEL

JOB VACANCY

Near West Police Station duncan Basti, dimapur

FREE ADMISSION Walkable to: SmC, Unity, Cornerstone, Immanuel, don Bosco, govt. College

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PIANO TUNER (Tuning & Repairing) Recognised by the govt. of S. korea Ph: 8416089458 Urgently required 72-m/F in govt. Registered Company.

Age : 18-30, Qualification: 10 to Graduate Income: 7,500-15,000, 30,000.

Exclusive Bonus + Free Training.

Contact with Bio-data and 2 passport photos.

Dimapur: 9615828074 Kohima: 8133911553 Zunheboto: 8416012212

LAND FOR SALE

Land with Tree Plantation

About 25 years old, 52.80 Acres, Rate Negotiable Near Train Station, 10th Mile, Tuli Contact: 9436603562/8730054807

dImAPUR Civil Hospital:

STd COdE: 03862 232224; Emergency- 229529, 229474

Metro Hospital: Faith Hospital:

227930, 231081 228846

Shamrock Hospital

228254

Zion Hospital:

231864, 224117, 227337

Police Control Room Police Traffic Control East Police Station West Police Station

228400

CIHSR (Referral Hospital) Dimapur hospital

242555/ 242533

Apollo Hospital Info Centre:

230695/ 9402435652

Railway:

131/228404

Indian Airlines

229366

232106 227607 232181

224041, 248011

Nagaland Multispe- 248302, cialty Health & 09856006026 Research Centre

kOhImA

Police Control Room: North Police Station: South Police Station: Fire Brigade: Naga Hospital: oking Hospital: Bethel Nursing Home: Northeast Shuttles

STd COdE: 0370 100/2244279 2222222 2222111 2222952 2222916 2243339 2224202 08974997923

WE4WOmEN hELPLINE 08822911011

N A A F A F P L C h T d Z R N V P E Y L

A N O F O L O A N A I U g h C N E R F d

L d B R A Z I L I A N h I g h L A N d S

C

P Z E d F B L C O L O m B I A P O F F P

I S A V O S I L V E R V L N C h I L E I

T I O P C N N J k R Y A U g A R A P A g

H

L h A R g E N T I N A U U E k R O S J O

A C g Z O N I N L E B S A P m A P A A L

KoHIMA NoRTH: 7085924114 (o)

CHUMUKEDIMA: 7085982102 (o) 8732810051 (oC) WOkhA: 03860242215/101 (o) 8974322879 (oC) MoKoKCHUNG: 0369-2226225/ 101 (o) 8415830232 (oC) PHEK: 8414853765 (o) 8413822476(oC) zUNHEBoTo: 03867-280304/ 101 (o) 9436422730 (oC) TUENSANG: 8414853766 (o) 9856163601 (oC)

kIPhIRE: 8414853767 (o) 9436261577 (oC) PEREN: 7085189932 (o) 9856311205 (oC) LONgLENg: 7085924113 (o) 9862414264 (oC)

Toll free No. 1098 childline

R

KoHIMA SoUTH: 0370-2222952/ 101 (o) 9402003086 (oC)

MoN: 03869-251222/ 101 (o) 9862130954 (oC)

ChILd WELFARE COmmITTEE

mOkOkChUNg:

FIRE STATIONS

DIMAPUR: 03862-232201/ 101 (o) 9856156876 (oC)

Chumukedima Fire 282777 Brigade Nikos Hospital and 232032, 231031 Research Centre

ANSWER TO CROSSWORd 3558

A

O C m m L A N m O A X Q E d A R L V B A

Tea industry seeks special rate under GST

STd COdE: 0369

Police Station 1:

2226241

Police Station 2 :

2226214

Civil Hospital: Woodland Nursing Home:

2226216 2226263

Hotel Metsüpen (Tourist Lodge):

2226373/2229343

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

CURRENCY NOTES

222246 222491

BUY(Rs)

SELL(Rs)

US Dollars Sterling Pound Hong Kong Dollar Australian Dollar Singapore Dollar Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen

64.8 91.08 8.08 48.61 47.78 49.28 59.29

68.10 96.53 9.06 51.80 50.68 52.28 63.43

Euro

73.55

78.06

Thai Baht Korean Won UAE Dirham (AED) Chinese Yuan

1.76

2.02

0.0542

0.0607

17.07

19.13

9.67

10.83

MondAY 11•04•2016

NAGALAND

DPC, KPC discuss issues confronting the fraternity Dimapur, april 10 (mExN): An interactive meeting was held between Kohima Press Club (KPC) and Dimapur Press Club (DPC) at the premises of Tourist Lodge, Dimapur on April 9.

The meeting, hosted

by DPC, was convened on the initiative of the KPC as part of the club’s program to reach out to other press clubs in the state to strengthen fraternal ties.

During the meeting, KPC president Xavier Rutsa and DPC president Moa Longkumer highlighted the activities of their respective clubs.

Among other things, the house discussed several matters pertaining to the welfare of the press fraternity in the state as well as issues confronting the fraternity.

After a thorough deliberation, a set of resolutions was jointly adopted by the members of the two clubs. These include, to jointly observe the annual National Press Day on No-

State government constitutes Task Force for Accessibility Audit

Dimapur, april 10 (mExN): In view of the Accessible India Campaign conceptualized by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities for accessibility of Persons with Disabilities, the Government of Nagaland has constituted a Task Force for conducting Accessibility Audit of government buildings.

30 Government buildings in Kohima have been identified for Accessibility Audit and the physical inspection and audit of each of the selected building by the State Task Force will commence from April 1219. The main components of Accessible India Campaign are environment accessibility, transportation accessibility and information & communication system accessibility. Each department is to submit an estimate to Social Welfare Department within One month of the inspection.

The Task force will consists of ComMembers of KPC & DPC posing for lens after their interactive meet on April 9 at Tourist Lodge Dimapur. missioner, Disabilities, Dr. Atha Vizol as vember 16 by all the press journalists for accredita- taken-up during the meet“Coming together in Chairperson; Assistant Director, Direcclubs of the State in col- tion who have been ac- ing, and the house appealed such interactive platform laboration with the Direc- tive in field for 10 or more the public to inform the re- also displays that our Press torate of Information and years in addition to allot- spective club in the district fraternity is a growing fraPublic Relations (DIPR); to ted numbers of accredi- for any clarification. ternity,” he said and further approach the DIPR/State tation; to approach the Meanwhile, KPC advi- lauded the KPC and DPC government to include at DIPR/state government to sor Kopelo Krome said that executives and members least one member each issue Press Stickers for ve- such interaction between for setting aside a day for from Kohima Press Club, hicles to working journal- the Press Clubs of different the meeting.

Dimapur Press Club and ists duly authorized by the districts is a good initiative Later, DPC general Mokokchung Press Club department’s Director on to get to know one another secretary, Paudi Renta in the State Level Press production of legitimate better as they are all inter- delivered the concluding Accreditation Committee press ID Card. linked through their pro- remarks. Altogether, 13 in consultation with the Reports of imperson- fession and such meetings members from KPC and respective clubs; to press ation by some non-working will open up doors for bet- 9 from DPC attended the for recognition of senior journalists was also seriously ter coordination. meeting.

torate of Social Welfare, Michael Zaren – Nodal officer; and Executive Engineer, Social Welfare Department, Er. Kezholel Rhetso as Member.

The government building identified for Accessibility Audit and conversion into fully accessible buildings are as follows: Nagaland Civil Secretariat, Kohima Civil Hospital, DC office, PHQ, under construction Commissions building, NPSC, AG, Administrative Training Institute, Kohima Municipal Council, New Super Market under Urban Development, IG Stadium, Kohima Local Ground, Commissioner’s office, Head Post Office, Kohima Science College, Kohima Arts College, Directorates of Employment Exchange, Social Welfare, Irrigation & Flood Control, Health & Family Welfare, School Education, Industries & Commerce, IT & C, Works & Housing, PHE, Power, Higher and Technical Education, Rural Development, Youth Resources & Sports, Employment & Craftsmen.

SC directs Nagaland, other states to form SHRCs NEw DElhi, april 10 (agENCiES): The Supreme Court, on Friday, directed governments of the States of Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi to set up State Human Rights Commissions (SHRC) within a period of next six months.

The Supreme Court was responding to a contempt petition filed by Indu Prakash Singh alleging that the Centre was delaying the establishment of SHRC in the National Capital despite recommendation being sent by the Delhi government to the Lieutenant Governor.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur asked Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar to seek instructions from the Centre on the contempt petition and

gave the Centre a week's time to respond to allegations.

Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for the petitioner, said the delay was on the part of Centre.

In July 2015, the Supreme Court, in a judgment, had pulled up the Delhi government for not moving a muscle to set up an SHRC for its citizens and ordered it to establish one in the next six months.

The judgment, also by Chief Justice Thakur's Bench, had said the Delhi government was not bothered to set up the SHRC even 22 years after the Parliament enacted the Protection of Human Rights Act in 1993.

It had said the inaction on the part of Delhi government was despite the National Capital accounting for the second largest human

rights violation cases, after Uttar Pradesh, with the National Human Rights Commission.

“NHRC Curtain Raiser published on its 20th Foundation Day show that out of a total number of 94,985 fresh cases registered in the NHRC, the largest number of cases (46,187) came from the State of Uttar Pradesh followed by Delhi, which reported 7,988 cases and Haryana, which reported 6,921 cases,” Chief Justice Thakur, who authored the judgment, observed.

The judgment was on the basis of a series of petitions filed for protection of human rights against police custody, torture. The apex court agreed that custodial torture violates basic human dignity and ordered State governments to strictly comply with the legislative intention behind the 1993 Human

Rights Act. “Despite a large number of complaints alleging violation of human rights from the Delhi region, the Delhi Government has not set-up a State Human Rights Commission so far,” the court held.

The Supreme Court had also given focus to human rights violations in the North Eastern States, noting how difficult it is for citizens, especially the tribals, of these States to access justice.

“North-Eastern parts of the country are mostly inhabited by the tribals. Such regions cannot be deprived of the beneficial provisions of the 1993 Act simply because the States are small and the setting-up of commissions in those states would mean financial burden for the exchequer,” the court had held.

A three-day Flower Festival is being held at Pfukhro, Mao Gate from April 9 to 11.

Over 60 participants are taking part in the festival being held under the theme, ‘Colours of Spring.’ It is jointly organized by the Senapati District Administration and Mao Flower Growers Association in collaboration with the Department of Horticulture and Soil Conservation, Government of Manipur (GoM) and Department of Commerce and Industries, GoM.

BJP Phek holds executive meeting phEK , april 10 (mExN): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Phek district unit held its executive meeting cum 36th BJP Foundation Day on April 6.

The programme started with an invocation prayer by Meselhitso Chi-

ZHSK holds seminar cum general session 173 Battalion CRPF observed ‘Valour’s Day

Vechisalu Nukhu, Additional Secretary, Horticulture, displaying some of traditional attires and explaining their significance to the women.

Dimapur, april 10 (mExN): The Zhavame Women Society Kohima (ZHSK) held its first one day seminar-cum-General Session on April 9 at Razeba Public Organisation Hall, Kohima with Vechisalu Nukhu, Additional Secretary, Horticulture, Government of Nagaland and Rekha Rose Dukru, Entrepreneur as the resource persons.

Speaking on the on the theme, ‘Women and Culture’ Nukhu stressed on the im-

portance of preserving culture in this fast changing world. She also said that women should encouraged their children to cultivate the habit of speaking in their own local dialect at least at home so they do not become alien to their dialect. Nukhu further spoke on observing some traditional festivals, hard work and respect for elders.

Dukru in her speech on “Women and Education” said that women are the best agent to spread education. Education is not only about learning to read and write, she said but more importantly “Good education facilitates the an overall development of a person that guides us through life.” With more educated women there can be more positive transformation in the society."

Earlier the President of Zhavame Union, Deo Movi in his exhortation said that women have a challenging role to play in the society and encouraged them to be active participants in building the home and the world. The new team of ZWSK headed by Ajoy Domeh was also elected, informed a press note received here.

Dimapur, april 10 (mExN): To remember the valour of its fraternity, the 173 Bn, CRPF on April 9 observed Valour’s Day in its unit Head Quarter at Dimapur.

According to a CRPF press note, the day is observed to honor valour and determination shown by the battalion in defending “SARDAR POST” when the 2nd Bn CRPF with strength of 2 Coys tactfully repulsed the attack a “full-fledged Pakistani Brigade” attack on the Post on April 9, 1965.

“The CRPF successfully defended the post till the arrival of reinforcements,” it added.

During the ceremony at Dimapur, 320 Police Antrik Suraksha Padak were

the event, which ended with a benediction prayer

by Pusayi, President, 18th A/C Chozuba Mandal. The unit also welcomed its new President Nucütso Ruho and stated that under his leadership, the party has a vision for prosperity in the district.

MEx FILE

MITE goes on educational trip Kohima, april 10(mExN): Modern Institute of Teacher Education (MITE) undertook an educational field trip to Makhel on April 8. The faculty and the studentteachers of the institute were greeted by S. Adani, the tour guide of the day. He enlightened the student-teachers about the significance of the banyan tree and the origin of the Nagas, according to a press release received here.

Meanwhile, the student-teachers interacted with the teachers of Don Bosco and Baptist English School, Shajouba. They got an insight of the assessment and evaluation process in both the schools, the release added.

Noklak SDPDB meet held NoKlaK, april 10 (Dipr): SDBDP meeting for the month of April 2016 was held on April 5 in Noklak at ADC’s chamber under the chairmanship of EAC, this occasion, he again re- Noklak, Thuniang. The meeting discussed agenda affirmed that CRPF is com- on opening of Government Primary School (GPS) at mitted towards mainte- Nokhu Noking, newly recognized village, which was nance of Internal Security forwarded by SDEO Noklak and registration of Pangthroughout the country, sha Area Public Welfare Society. the press note further said.

A CRPF jawan being felicitated on Valour's Day ceremony on April 9.

awarded to 173 Bn personnel and it was handed over to the unit personnel by Joseph Keishing, Commandant 173 Battalion.

While taking pledge on

'Will bring in foreign faculty to improve higher education in NE' agartala/guwahati, april 10 (iaNS): The government will bring in foreign faculty to improve the quality of higher education in the northeastern region, union Minister of State for Human Resource Development Ram Shankar Katheria has said.

"The government will do everything, including bringing of foreign faculty and development of infrastructure, to improve the quality of higher education in the northeastern states," Katheria told IANS. "The northeast region is a priority area for the central government. We will make all-out efforts for the development of higher educational institutions in the region," he added.

Katheria, who was here this week and inaugurated a newly-constructed Golden Jubilee Knowledge Centre at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Agartala, and opened an academic building at the Tripura Central University, was speaking to IANS on the recent ranking of higher educational institutions in India.

"We will include higher edu-

ra h. Kevechutso Doulo, State Executive BJP, and Dr. Vekhoshehu Thingo in their speeches exhorted the party members to have vision for the prosperity, political development and expansion of the party. The party’s chronology was highlighted in brief during

cational institutions of northeast The Rajiv Gandhi Indian Insti- spite its location in a far-flung India with the global educational tute of Management in Shillong area, has been steadily doing network for their advancement. In and the Department of Business study and innovation works. We the coming years, you will see the Administration in Tezpur Univer- have a clear vision of the research improvement," the minister said. sity (Assam) figured in the 50 best and quality education and we are Assam's Tezpur University, ranking of management institu- working in that direction."

Guwahati's Indian Institute of tions (Research and Teaching), "We are happy to be ranked Technology (IIT) and Meghala- while the Department of Phar- fifth among the universities in ya's North Eastern Hill University maceutical Sciences in Assam's India. We feel optimistic that the (NEHU), have figured combined hard work prominently in rankled by our vice-chan'Nagaland, Manipur and ings released recently cellor has been recArunachal Pradesh failed to by the union Human ognised nationally," Resource DevelopRajeev Doley, who is feature in the first HRD ment ministry. also Director of Centre university rankings' Of the eight northfor Inclusive Developeastern states, higher ment in Tezpur Unieducational institutions of Na- Dibrugarh University secured a versity, said. galand, Manipur and Arunachal position in the 50 best pharmacy According to the NIRF, TezPradesh failed to feature in the institutes (research and teaching) pur University in northern Asfirst university rankings, done in the national rankings. sam was in fifth place among 100 by the HRD ministry under its The Tezpur University was re- Indian universities, followed by National Institutional Ranking cently judged the best university NEHU in Shillong (15th), GuwaFramework (NIRF) programme. among 40-odd central universities hati University (22nd), Mizoram Eight universities of northeast and conferred the Visitor's award. University (51st), Sikkim UniverIndia featured in the 100 best uni- The 22-year-old central university sity (61st), Dibrugarh University versities picked up in the NIRF has made remarkable progress in (74th), Assam University in Silwhile four technical institutions the last two decades since its ini- char (77th) and Tripura Central of the region figured in 100 best tiation. Tezpur University Vice- University (88th). engineering institutes (research chancellor Mihir K. Chaudhuri In all, four technical institutions and teaching). told IANS: "The university, de- of the region figured in 100 best en-

gineering institutes (research and teaching). These are Indian Institute of Technology in Guwahati (11th), Tripura's National Institute of Technology (52nd), NIT, Shillong (57th) and NIT, Silchar (65th). NIT Agartala director Gopal Mugeraya told IANS: "Though our NIT got 52nd position, our achievements among the 31 NITs in India are remarkable.

The placement percentage in the NIT is over 85 percent. Among this year's 519 final year students, 477 have been already chosen by various government and private companies for jobs."

"Over Rs.16 crore research and development projects are being implemented by our faculties and students," Mugeraya said, sounding a little upset with the ranking of his institute. Tripura Central University registrar Onkar Sadhan Adhikari told IANS: "Among the central universities in India, our university rank is 21st. Though we have to do a lot, among the 700 odd central, state and deemed universities in India, Tripura University is almost a front runner."

Khriezephe elects new village council and office bearers ChumuKEDima, april 10 (mExN): The Khriezephe village under Chumukedima area has elected new village council and office bearers for the coming five years on April 2. Among the 14 village council members, the new office bearers are Chairman- KuteKapfo, Council Secretary- David Kapfo, VDB Secretary- Tepu Khieya.

All village matters will be hereby handled by the new office bearers. For more information, contact 8014453389.

‘Know your army’ phEK, april 10 (mExN): Under the aegis of Headquarter 5 Sector Assam Rifles, Chizami Coy of 9 Assam Rifles has conducted a lecture and demonstration on ‘Know your Army’ at Sacred Heart School. The same was attended by 12 teachers and 97 students.

New office bearers of KVC Kohima, april 10 (mExN): Office bearers of the Kohima Village Council (KVC) for the tenure 20162020 have been selected as follows: Medoselhou Keretsü - Chairman, Khriezothie Chielie - Vice Chairman, Zeneizo Rutsa - Secretary, Viliethie Solo - Treasurer, Theja-o Sekhose - Press Secretary, Meselhoulie Rame - Property Secretary, and Neisakhotuo Mepfhuo and Zayiekietuo Kire as Joint Secretary. This was informed in a press note issued by Neivor Rutsa, Chairman, KVC, who stated that the new team was selected and approved on March 21.

6

monday 11•04•2016

IN FOCUS

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

The Power of Truth

The Morung Express volume Xi issue 95 By moa Jamir

Time to sanitise the monumental mess

C O M M E N T A R Y

Yossi Alpher

"Economic peace" for Palestine?

I

n yet another strike over ‘yet’ another of the Government’s apathies, another stream of RMSA Teachers last week started an agitation demanding their appointment letter for the service they were elected legitimately for, after a long period of agitation and other challenges. The cycle of grievances are continuing for nearly 3 years after they first sat for written exams in May 2014.

It’s the same story again. One day it’s the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), the next day Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) followed by Hindi teachers and others - the endless cycle of victimisation by those at the helms of affairs continues the whole year round.

What ails thee, o education department? Countless but chronic symptoms with disastrous ramification for the welfare of students as well as quality of education, could be a possible retort.

While teachers are agitating, students await textbooks even as the first quarter of the academic year goes by. It doesn’t help that they are given ‘worm-infested’ rice or have to make do with makeshift shelters they lovingly call a school.

The problem is symptomatic of the desolate ‘state’ of affairs we are living in. By virtue of being more active and relatively more educated in some way, teachers voice out their grievances through various outlet. But such opportunity is seldom found in other departments.

What would you do if you were asked to work for free and your hard work compensated with delayed salary? Will you be motivated? Will you give your 100%? How can you teach the students earnestly if you are worried about how to adjust your monthly expenses with the sporadic and unpredictable salaries?

Over the years of administrative apathy and indifference, political influence and lack of coordination have resulted in the education department becoming a favourite hunting ground for political appointee or ‘backdoor’ appointments we are familiar, with every part of the State plagued by the disease.

It also reflects the lack of solidarity among teachers who fight separately against unfair practices – therefore one day it is RMSA, the other it is SSA or State education and the next is the Hindi teachers. For better or worse, the political appointees are too cowed down to lend a hand to their colleagues fearing repercussions.

Adding to the hotchpotch is the flip-flopping and random ‘cut and paste’ policy of the government which seems to be hugely dependant on ‘trial and error’ policy through the whims of the ‘concerned authority.’

For instance, while recently 45% graduation criteria was justified as appointment for any teacher and fiercely defended by the Director, the RMSA’s latest advertisement for Mathematics teacher curiously does not stipulate such criteria making one wonder whether it’s a case of acute selective amnesia or just game for controversy.

Time is ripe for the education department to put its house in order for the benefits of both of the students and the teachers. In the long run, it would accrue well to the improvement of the educational system as a whole.

It is also an opportune moment for the learned teachers to come together and put a check on two perpetual maladies affecting the profession – backdoor appointment and proxies.

Else they will always remain and get punished inadvertently under the topsy-turvy policy of the government, ominously undermining the welfare of the students as well as quality of education in Nagaland.

For any comment, drop a line to moajamir@live.com

lEfT WING |

IANS

Smoking causes vision loss in patients: Ophthalmologist

W

ith a surge in eye-related diseases in India, Ophthalmologist have said smoking is emerging as one of the major reasons behind vision-loss among patients. However, only 10-20 percent people are aware of it.

According to the doctors, several studies have shown that smoking increases the risk of age-related macular degeneration, cataract, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and dry eye syndrome.

"One way to reduce the risk of developing Age related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is by not smoking. Smokers are three to four times more likely to develop AMD than nonsmokers. Non-smokers living with smokers almost double their risk of developing AMD," said Mahipal S. Sachdev, chairperson and managing director of city-based Centre For Sight.

Macular degeneration causes loss in the centre of the field of vision. In dry macular degeneration, the centre of the retina deteriorates. With wet macular degeneration, leaky blood vessels grow under the retina.

Elaborating further, he said: "AMD begins as a loss of central vision which makes it difficult to read and see fine details.

Over time, vision loss increases significantly.

Sachdev said vision loss due to smoking does not have any symptoms like many other eye diseases, but a dilated exam can detect eye diseases in their early stages before vision loss occurs.

Some other types of eye-related problems caused by excessive smoking include cataract and glaucoma.

"People who smoke in excess like 10 cigarettes a day have up to three times the risk of cataract as non-smokers.

Similarly, there is a strong nexus between glaucoma and smoking," said Sachdev.

Talking about prevention, Ritika Sachdev, a Delhi-based opthalmologist, said there is a need for special awareness among people about the strong link between smoking and vision loss.

"First of all, it is important for people to either quit smoking or bring down its consumption. Not just lungs and throat but the eye nerves too get damaged in the entire process," said Ritika.

The doctor added that its time to seek professional help if any smoker finds that straight lines appear wavy, faded or blurred vision, or trouble seeing things in the distance, or faces or words on a page or constant water dripping from eyes.

"One of the major areas that needs to be emphasised for all smokers includes eating healthy. Protecting eyes starts with a healthy balanced diet. Nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, zinc and vitamins C and E might help ward off age-related vision problems such as macular degeneration and cataract due to smoking," she said.

By all means, give the Palestinians development aid.

But let us not delude ourselves that this will facilitate a two-state solution anytime soon

O

ne of the most persistent and constant themes in both the Israeli and the international approach to the Palestinian issue has been the notion that the road to peace has a strong economic dimension. According to this thinking, if the Palestinian economy and institutions of governance are developing and Palestinians are feeling more prosperous and hopeful regarding their material future, the chances for a successful peace process increase, the prospects for a Palestinian state improve, foundations are laid for Palestinian-Israeli trust and, at a minimum, the danger of violence subsides.

Norway has been a prominent and consistent advocate of this approach, both by generous economic support (close to 11 billion Norwegian kroner since 1993) and taking a leadership role internationally in offering external support for Palestinian state development as chair of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC), Local Development Forum (LDF) and the Joint Liaison Committee (JLC). Oslo is in good company. The pre-1948 British Mandate, the Zionist movement and the post-1967 Israeli occupation all adopted a similar policy.

Along with many aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, this “economic peace” approach has failed.

The time has come to reassess it.

To be sure, economic well-being is a good thing. Many Palestinians, par-

ticularly in the Gaza Strip, are extremely needy. The very existence of the Palestinian Authority with its multiple benefits for Palestinians in the West Bank is dependent on generous international grants. All these development and aid projects are vital and should continue. But not if the primary rationale is peace.

This conflict does not derive from economic roots and it is not fed by economic deprivation. It is political, with an increasingly strong element of religious extremism on both sides. In the Israeli-Palestinian case, enhanced trust is not a corollary of prosperity and prosperity has not nourished peace.

As far back as Britain’s 1937 Peel Commission report on the emerging conflict, the “conciliatory effect on the Palestinian Arabs of the material prosperity which Jewish immigration would bring in Palestine” was found to have failed asa catalyst for coexistence despite British mandatory expectations to the contrary. Indeed, as early as 1923 Revisionist Zionist leader Zeev Jabotinsky condemned the concept that “the Arabs will voluntarily. . . . sell out their homeland for a railroad network.”

Yet immediately after Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza Strip in June 1967, it proceeded to ignore these admonitions. Israeli Minister of Defense Moshe Dayan threw open the green line boundary and encouraged Israelis and Palestinians to go back and forth and interact at the commercial level. Legions of Palestinian day laborers came to work in Israel. Both sides prospered. Israeli security officials responsible for the Palestinian territories were certain a formula had been found to prevent violence and ensure harmony despite the failure to find a political solution.

It took 20 years, until the outbreak of the first intifada in December 1987, to prove them wrong and force at least a partial closing of borders and imposition of restrictions on economic interaction. Yet the emphasis on prosperity as an ingredient for peace continued.

In July 2000, when I represented Prime Minister Ehud Barak in recruiting American Jewish and media support for a hoped-for breakthrough at Camp David, a key talking point was the need for Washington to provide funds for Palestinian desalination projects and for refugee compensation in order to facilitate the political process.

In 2002, after two intifadas, the international community pressured Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat to appoint a distinguished international economist, Salam Fayyad, as finance minister—from 2007 until 2013 he was also prime minister—again on the assumption that economic development and interaction with Israel would help advance a peaceful settlement. In 2007, too, the “Quartet” (a peacemaking initiative involving the US, EU, UN and Russia) delegated former British prime minister Tony Blair to promote economic development in the territories as a key ingredient of an eventual peaceful settlement (he resigned in 2015).

Earlier, in 2005, outgoing World Bank president James Wolfensohn served briefly as the Quartet’s representative for the abortive project of promoting economic development in the Gaza Strip as Israel withdrew.

In 2009, Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud campaign in Knesset elections featured an “economic peace” platform for developing the Palestinian Authority as a necessary prelude to peace talks. To this day, hard-line Israeli politicians like Naftali Bennet promote ideas for developing the 40 percent of the West Bank that is under full or partial PA control (areas A and B) as a means of ensuring peaceful interaction in the absence of a viable peace process, which they either oppose or do not believe is feasible.

Further, the international community has responded to all three miniwars between Israel and Gaza-based Hamas since 2007 by pledging heavy infrastructure aid for the Strip and its population on the assumption that Gaza’s severe economic plight and its

war damages, rather than Hamas’s extremist Islamism, are a major cause of these conflicts. In May 2015 President Obama, in declaring that there was no chance for a peace process in the year ahead, nevertheless allowed that the US would seek to create “business opportunities and jobs” in the Palestinian territories in order to build trust between the two sides.

All these “economic peace” approaches have failed. They grossly undervalue the Palestinian national drive: the political, ideological and (increasingly) Islamic currents that inform the Arab side of the conflict. This in turn points to a serious lacuna in strategic understanding on the part of both Israelis and third parties. Perhaps to drive home the point, note that both Palestinian intifadas erupted (in 1987 and 2000) at times of relative prosperity; and as noted, even the Palestinian revolt against the British Mandate that broke out in 1936 began at a time of economic progress.

Today, Israeli security authorities seek to bring more West Bank laborers to work in Israel and to deliver more goods and services to the Gaza Strip, arguing that this will distance Palestinians from terrorism. As individual breadwinners, perhaps. But this approach has failed repeatedly at the societal level.

By all means, give the Palestinians development aid. But let us not delude ourselves that this will facilitate a twostate solution anytime soon.

For that to happen, we must first witness radical changes in both sides’ leadership profiles, a far-reaching mutual readiness to cease insisting on totally deadlocked narrative demands like recognition of a Jewish state and the right of return, and a much calmer Arab Middle East.

Yossi Alpher is a former Mossad official and former director of the Jaffee Centre for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University. Until recently he co-edited bitterlemons.net. He is currently writing a book on Israel’s periphery doctrine.

Drowning in liquid filth – in 21st century India Mari Marcel Thekaekara New Internationalist

We pretend that people are not condemned to the caste system

I

n 1996, I listened in disbelief as Martin Macwan, a dalit leader, told a Delhi gathering, ‘I am ashamed that as a dalit, working with my people for over 10 years, I did not know that balmiki people still carry shit on their heads everyday of their lives.’ It was on the eve of 50 years of independence from British colonialism.

The Indian economy, we were told at that time, was poised to take off. Indians were ready to take over the internet world. Silicon Valley was ours for the asking. Yet we couldn’t deal with our own excrement with a modicum of decency. Women scooped it up, of different textures, from large open gutters, with a tin sheet, a stick broom and their bare hands. These were semi-urban toilets.

Putting on my journalistic hat, I went to Gujarat in early 1997 and vis-

ited public toilet after public toilet. I gagged often. I thought it was the worst thing I’d ever seen. And I have not led a sheltered life. Then I interviewed the family of a 19-year-old balmiki boy who while unblocking a manhole, was overcome by the toxic fumes, fell inside and died. He died for the paltry sum of about seven dollars. The boy died of drowning. Drowned in excrement. Till then I’d never given any thought to the common tiny news item ‘Man falls into manhole. Dies.’

I learnt later what this innocuously misleading little item truly meant. Imagine the indignity, the sheer horror, of drowning in shit. Imagine the nightmares his parents must have had. But perhaps they are inured to life and death as a balmiki conservancy worker.

In 1999 I wrote a book, Endless Filth’ about the horrible caste based liftetime occupation of the balmiki community, India’s ‘untouchables’ among ‘untouchables’. They are considered the lowest in India’s venal caste system and no one ever let them forget it.

That was in 1997. I have written end-

less newspaper articles about these people and the life they are condemned to lead by the caste system. Educated Indians ignore the unpleasant. We prefer to pretend it doesn’t exist.

Almost 20 years later, little has changed. My good friend Bejawada Wilson continues to fight for his balmiki community to end the obnoxious, disgusting practice of manual scavenging. This year 14 April will see huge hypocritical celebrations on the 125th birth anniversary of towering Indian leader Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar who fought ferociously for dalit rights. Politicians of every hue can be seen jumping on the bandwagon to claim his legacy as liberators of dalits. Few of them ever bother to enforce the formidable barrage of laws which if put into practice could end the horrific atrocities faced by dalits on a daily basis. Every day, around three men die unblocking manholes in conservancy work.

Ahmedabad NGO Kamdar Swasthya Suraksha Mandal believes that at a conservative estimate, there could be over 1,000 manhole worker deaths per

WRITE-WING

year across India. The real figures are much higher as many deaths are covered up and go unreported even today.

India flaunts its global presence and boasts about India’s emerging image. Yet, we seek to hide the sordid reality of no toilets and the most neglected Indians dying everyday in a manner that must shame Indian society, any decent society. But we are a venal, thick skinned people. We don’t shame easily.

Bejawada Wilson and the Safai Karmachari Andolan have held a mammoth bus yatra (journey) covering every corner of the county. Their banner says ‘Stop Killing Us’. The memorandum was handed over to the president of India last week. Wilson says, ‘In India today, we talk about spending thousands of millions on a single bullet train, but haven’t yet found a way to automatize our sewer cleaning. The enormous hype generated by the ‘Swacch (clean) Bharat (India)’ campaign literally sweeps into obscurity, the dirt of manual scavenging and balmiki mens’ deaths by drowning in shithole sewers, even now in 2016, though Gandhi raised the issue and made untouchability a global term in 1901.’

‘Stop killing us,’ pleads Wilson. Will the government of India listen?

Letters to the Editor should be sent to: The morung express, House No. 4, Duncan Bosti, Dimapur - 797112, Or –email: morung@gmail.com All letters (including those via email) should have the full name and Postal address of the sender.

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

MonDAY 11•04•2016

PERSPECTIVE

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Vietnam’s Battle With Tuberculosis

A country’s stunning progress against tuberculosis may be threatened by reduced support for a health care system stretched thin

Ms. Pham’s eyes crinkled behind her mask, suggesting a sweet smile, and she gave a big thumbs-up.

Donald G. McNeil Jr. New York times

Dr. Bui Xuan Hiep, the head of tuberculosis control in this city’s Hoang Mai district, paged proudly through a large handwritten patient log.

“This district’s cure rate averages 90 percent,” he said. Still, Dr. Bui could see problems.

Seven patients had turned up with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis; four had been cured, two had died — and one had simply disappeared.

It’s a story repeated throughout Vietnam. The nation was once racked by a tuberculosis epidemic, one of the worst in which H.I.V. was not the driving force. But officials fought back fiercely.

Twenty-five years ago, battered by the aftermath of a long war, chronic poverty and a heavy-handed government isolated from much of the world, Vietnam had nearly 600 cases of tuberculosis for every 100,000 residents. Today, it has less than 200.

The country boasts a 90 percent cure rate for uncomplicated tuberculosis and cures 75 percent of its drug-resistant cases, easily beating the global average, 50 percent.

Indeed, public health officials worldwide have made remarkable progress against tuberculosis. Deaths from the disease have fallen drastically since 2000, according to the World Health Organization. Tuberculosis has been halted or reversed in 16 of the 22 countries that account for the vast majority of cases.

But Ban Ki-moon, secretary-general of the United Nations, last week warned that the fight was “only half won” and estimated that 1.5 million worldwide would die of the disease this year.

There is no better example of how fragile this success may be than Vietnam.

Hospital wards here are packed dangerously full, raising the risk that drug-resistant strains will spread.

The easy-to-reach patients have been treated, and many of the rest are the hardest to help: heroin-addicted couriers and laborers from the poppy fields of the nearby Golden Triangle, and mountain villagers who do not speak Vietnamese and are barely connected to the health care system.

But the biggest threat is that the money is close to running out.

“Our TB program is cost-effective and has great impact,” said Dr. Nguyen Viet Nhung, its national director. “But I always emphasize that this is a preliminary success. We need to sustain it.”

To reach Vietnam’s ambitious goal of pushing prevalence rates down to 20 cases per 100,000 residents — essentially eliminating tuberculosis as a public health problem — its tuberculosis-control program needs to spend at least $66 million a year. It now spends about $26 million a year.

About $19 million of that comes from foreign donors, with more than a third from the United States, Dr. Nguyen said.

Evidence of donor help is everywhere.

The expensive diagnostic machines in hospital laboratories bear stickers from the United States Agency for International Development or from The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, 30 percent of whose budget is paid by the United States. But The Global Fund, the chief support of the tuberculosis program

Dr. Hoang examined Le Van Khuyen, 60, from Thanh Hoa Province a TB patient at the hospital. here, is struggling and has promised support only through 2017. The White House, in its proposed budget for fiscal year 2016, reduced its contribution to the fund by 18 percent and to Usaid’s tuberculosis programs by 19 percent.

Officials here and at the W.H.O. fear that hard-won progress may soon be reversed and a remarkable success story may come apart, with deadly consequences.

An Ancient Scourge After years in the shadow of the AIDS epidemic, tuberculosis is regaining its notoriety as one of the world’s great killers: an airborne bacterium that spreads easily among people living crowded together — in jails, ships, mines, trenches or slums — and insinuates itself deep in the lungs and grows, slowly tearing apart the tissue until victims are coughing up blood.

Tuberculosis now kills more people around the world than AIDS, according to the W.H.O.: 4,100 a day, compared with 3,300 dying of AIDS, making tuberculosis the leading infectious cause of death in the world.

Mortality from both diseases is dropping, but tuberculosis deaths have fallen more slowly, especially in Asia.

Vietnam’s success where so many other nations have failed is not just because of donor money, said Dr. Mario C. Raviglione, the director of the W.H.O.’s global tuberculosis program.

“It succeeds because it’s a Communist country,” he said. “Socialist countries put a lot of resources into primary care: lots of doctors, lots of clinics. And once central government adopts a thing, they really do it. They give orders.”

Tuberculosis is an ideal disease for a regimented treatment approach.

Almost all patients with “uncomplicated” tuberculosis — bacteria that are not drug-resistant — can be cured if they take a standard menu of four antibiotics every day for six months without fail.

In Vietnam, treatment standards set at the national level are followed by the entire public health network. The National Lung Disease Hospital in Hanoi oversees 64 provincial hospitals, which oversee 845 district hospitals, which oversee 11,065 neighborhood health clinics.

The pharmaceutical-supply chain, the Achilles’ heel in many tuberculosisridden countries, is impressive. On a weeklong tour of urban and rural clinics, not one nurse or patient reported ever running out of drugs.

Those neighborhood clinics — usually just a few examining rooms, a small pharmacy and a parking lot — are as ubiquitous here as police stations and firehouses in the United States.

They treat many illnesses, but their role in tuberculosis is simple: Every tuberculosis patient in the district reports once a day to take his or her pills in front of a nurse. Each dose taken is checked off on a yellow card.

Most patients comply without complaint, doctors say. Many poor countries are chaotic; Vietnam, while poor, is not.

Parks are neatly trimmed, public bathrooms are clean, and police in gold-buttoned uniforms and high-brimmed hats are omnipresent.

Nonetheless, there are a few stubborn patients — Dr. Bui’s missing patient was a heroin addict who infected his mother with drug-resistant tuberculosis before disappearing. And the country has one surprising gap: It has no quarantine laws.

In New York City’s outbreak of drug-resistant tuberculosis in the 1990s, officials legally locked up patients who refused to take their pills. The rare noncompliant patient here faces no such threat.

“We can’t do that,” said Dr. Le Minh Hoa, the head of treatment at Hanoi’s provincial lung hospital. “And besides, we don’t have enough spaces for the people who want treatment.”

Patients with drug-resistant disease are especially hard to help. Their medicines, some of which are intravenous, must be taken for two years, and can cause deafness, psychosis and kidney failure.

Patients must be hospitalized, their movements restricted to one or two corridors, sometimes for months until they are no longer coughing up live bacteria.

Hospital wards are full of stooped, forlorn-looking men and women in masks and pajamas waiting to be declared well enough to go home and become a district outpatient.

If they become worse instead of better, the prognosis is usually grim. Extensively drug-resistant disease (XDR TB) requires even more toxic drugs costing 25 times as much. Most XDR TB patients here die.

Pham Thi Tuy, 25, was an unlucky woman — she caught a drug-resistant strain, perhaps at her job as a medical technician. Facing two years of treatment, she lay hooked up to an IV in Dr. Le’s hospital, nauseated and exhausted by the drugs, watching videos on her cellphone all day.

“I only went to the doctor for an earache,” she said. “It didn’t go away and didn’t go away — and they finally did a test and said it was TB.” She hoped her fiancé would wait two years for her to recover, she said — and then suddenly looked up at Dr. Le. “When I finish this, will I still be able to have children?”

“Yes,” Dr. Le said, patting her hand.

The Morung Express

Limited Resources There are many signs that the national tuberculosis program here survives on a shoestring budget.

While its top laboratories have some modern equipment, the 64 provincial hospitals share only 60 rapid diagnostic machines, less than half the number they need, even though Vietnam pays only $17,000 for each, about a tenth of the American retail price.

More ominously, hospital wards are dangerously crowded. Seven patients a room, with beds only a foot apart, is not an uncommon sight. (That effectively means 14 inhabitants a room, as many patients have a relative sleeping on the floor or in a corridor to do nursing chores and bring food.)

Windows and doors are kept open to blow away the bacteria that patients cough up. In chilly Hanoi, patients like Ms. Pham wear parkas in bed; in tropical Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon, they perspire in the muggy heat.

Dr. Thuy Nguyen Thu, the head of the inpatient unit at the National Lung Disease Hospital, which treats the toughest cases, said four of her staff had caught tuberculosis in the last five years. New nurses were nervous, she said.

Dr. Thuy had asked for ozone air filters, better fans and safer face masks, “but there are budget limitations.”

Geography presents the tuberculosis-control program with another kind of obstacle. In the Shangri La-like valleys of Son La province, a six-hour drive west of Hanoi, some inhabitants live in villages with thatched roofs and speak only Hmong, Meo or Thai.

Finding and keeping them in treatment is hard, said Dr. Tong Van Hieu, the director of the Quyet Thang neighborhood clinic in Son La. Some believe tuberculosis is caused by fog or dust or gold mine fumes, and turn first to folk remedies.

In the cities, a new problem is on the rise.

Vietnam’s growing prosperity lets some patients afford private doctors — who often ignore the official four-drug regimen and fail to insist their patients take every pill.

Pharmacists sell antibiotics without prescriptions, so some wealthy patients swallow only what they feel like taking. As a result, Dr. Phat Nguyen Ngoc, the head of a district hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, said about a third of his patients with drug-resistant disease had gotten it because they had seen private doctors first and had taken too few pills, or the wrong ones.

And sometimes, even when compliant patients play by the rules, treatment fails, anyway.

In the Hanoi Lung Disease Hospital, Hoang Van Toan, a weathered farmer looking much older than his 49 years, sat wrapped in a blanket. He had taken all his pills, he said, but tuberculosis had somehow outwitted them.

The room was bare, with no television or any other diversion. “I talk to my wife,” he said, nodding at the woman sitting on the temporarily empty bed opposite him.

“And I walk for three hours every day at dawn,” he added, pointing out the window to a nearby park. He wears a surgical mask as required, he said, but that makes no one nervous in Hanoi; thousands of passing motorcyclists wear them, too.

What made him saddest, he said, is that it is still too dangerous for his grandchildren to visit.

Asked if he would make it through the next two years, he said “Yes,” emphatically.

“I was a soldier,” he added. “I fought the enemy. I can fight this.”

poll results

Do you support the NagalaND prohibitioN of gambliNg aND promotioN of oNliNe games of skill bill, 2015? Why? Some of those who voted YES had this to say: 24 • Yes we Nagas are people without limitation. We are fond of earning money sitting at home, since all others in public offices are doing it. How many families have lost their fortunes in 10% interest loan, double your money income scams. Even in some illegal gambling that is going on in Dimapur, people have sold whatever they have in the hope that they will make a windfall. No not for us Nagas this online gambling.

This will be just another menace to the society in addition to drug and alcoholism.

• Yes. But I will totally support it only after the Nagaland government can prove its worth by lifting prohibition from Nagaland.

• Yes. It should be on trial basis first to see if it works.

Before it is made into a law the Prohibition of Gambling and Promotion of Online Games of Skill should be partially implemented on a trial basis. After that a final decision can be taken.

• Yes, Whether online or open streets, gambling is covetousness. Nagas must learn to a decent to stand on his/her own feet to make Nagaland economically independent/ self-sustaining. After losing money, gamblers tend to loot and kidnap people in the name of Nagaland for Christ.

• Yes. But I hope the state government has got the proper system in place and a mechanism to see that it is done properly. I hope it is not a kneejerk decision.

Lets hope that the Governor will make the right call on this important Bill.

kids are already too much into it and i doubt what kind of regulation are they going to do • No. The only reason for this is revenue generation.

This is not reason enough.

• No. Its damned impossible...

• No, because the intention is not right. All the government is thinking about it money, money and

64%

31% 05% YES

NO

OTHER

more money by giving our licenses to individuals and groups.

• No. I dont support the Prohibition of Gambling and Promotion of Online Games Skill Bill. I do not think our people are aware. This is just another way for our beloved politicians to make money. When the State government cannot lift Prohibition from Nagaland, how on earth are they introducing this bill. This is clear double Some of those who voted NO had this to say: 49 • No. it will still allow wager to continue and for a de- standard. velopment stagnant state it makes no sense. school • No. Whats the use of this bill when we don’t see a

clear transparency in anything here at Nagaland, like prohibition on Alcohol, etc. which can be run illegally. Do we look like we respect any bill?

• No. I wonder how many of the legislators are actually aware of this Bill and what it means. I am sure they are only thinking about the revenue and not looking at what it is doing to do in our society. News reports are saying that Nagaland will be the first state in India if the Governor approves the Bill. I think the government is only is only doing this for revenue collection and so I do not support it. This like drugs and alcohol addiction is going to destroy a generation of Nagas.

Gambling addiction I tell you is worse and very destructive.

• NO. It seems we still don’t really know what is prohibition, cause we scorned at it … Online gaming or so , whats the point in it, with a lot of negative. It will always be the same as before whether its banned or No ban?? Eg. Was there any effect on alcohol? What ever life goes on.

Some of those who voted OTHERS had this to say: 4 • Prohibition is one thing and taking a firm action in implementing the prohibition is another. If it is going to be like the Liquor prohibition or ILP to check the influx of the outsiders in the state then better not waste resource and time. Prohibition is effective only when a strict action is being taken up by the authority or else it becomes a Joke.

• Its very difficult to comment on technical things such as this because I tell you the common man is ignorant about this. The government has not done much to create awareness on this bill.

7

Women Benefit from simple Eco-Ventures Miriam Gathigah

A

Inter press service

ngelina Chiziane starts her day by getting her husband ready for work in a small village in the southern province of Gaza, Mozambique, some 216 kilometers away from the capital, Maputo.

She then makes the three kilometer journey to a nearby stream to fetch water and firewood and by the time she gets back home, her two children will be up and ready to be fed.

Chiziane then straps the youngest on her back and leaves with them to the farm where she will spend most of her day. At only 17 years old, this is her life and she will know no better.

Statistics show that nearly 50 per cent of Mozambican women between the ages of 20 and 24 years old get married before the age of 18, with 14 per cent of them, just like Chiziane, getting married before their 15th birthday.

These damning statistics by the Mozambican women’s organisation Forum Mulher [Women’s Forum] paint an accurate picture of the plight of a significant number of women and girls in this southern African nation.

Consequently, the Forum aggressively pushes for a female empowerment agenda, which has included calls for protection of women, promoting gender parity in education, encouraging society to embrace women in government while also raising awareness on women’s rights.

Nzira Deus who works at Forum Mulher says that “training on leadership and political participation of women is the key. Women in power can significantly improve the situation of women in Mozambique.”

In March this year, Forum Mulher presented the results of a study on the situation of women in Mozambique for the period 2005-2015 which confirmed that though Mozambique is a fast-growing economy, the same cannot be said of gender equality.

While the number of women in political leadership has steadily increased, the same cannot be said of the representation of women in other sectors of the economy.

Mozambican female ministers have increased from 15 per cent in 2003 to 28.5 per cent in 2014.

The number of parliamentary seats held by women has also increased from 29 per cent in 1997 to 39 per cent in 2014.

Though gender experts such as Forum Mulher’s Karina Loferte Dulobo emphasise that women are twice as likely to invest in health and education, they are still largely peasant farmers and also — as is the case across Africa — account for 60 to 80 per cent of agricultural labourers.

As a result, women are affected more disproportionally by the extreme poverty which is still severe and widespread where a majority of Mozambican rural population live on less than US$1.25 a day.

Deus particularly decries the high prevalence of child marriages despite the “negative impact it has at a personal, social and economic level. Fighting this practice is a priority for us. If girls drop out of school to get married, they will remain poor and their children will have no better lives than their parents.”

Socio-economic experts such as Kenya’s Dan Mwangangi emphasise that tackling extreme poverty in Mozambique and in Africa indeed must go hand in hand with addressing the glaring gender inequality.

“Such studies on gender inequality are vital because they clearly show the magnitude of the problem and can be used as basis to establish various sustainable interventions to improve the situation of women,” Mwangangi explains.

“We have a huge number of women in Mozambique who have been denied an education, as a result, women remain underrepresented in main decisionmaking processes, be they political, economic or social and the majority of women [60 percent] are still illiterate,” he expounds.

He however told IPS that just because they are not educated does not mean that they are a lost cause.

Mwangangi gives the example of Kenya where simple economic empowerment ventures targeting rural poor women such as the Joyful Women Organisation (JOYWO) have completely transformed the lives of thousands of households across this East African nation.

JOYW0, which has so far directly benefitted over 200,000, is a Kenyan registered non-governmental organisation formed to empower Kenyan women economically and enhance house-hold food security among them through supporting their involvement in livelihood projects.

Operation in about 33 of the country’s 47 counties, JOYWO has mobilised over 150,000 women to participate in economic activities in excess of US$10 million under their revolutionary table banking concept which is now in its sixth year.

Members form small groups of between 15 and 35 members contributing money based on the group’s constitution, the money is then literally placed on the table and is immediately available to be borrowed as loan.

“The money is never banked revolving amongst the members, we all record the transactions in each meeting,” says Irene Tuwei, a member of the Chamgaa [which means the one who loves home in her Kalenjin native language] table banking group.

Members are free to pursue projects of their choice and most of them are involved in agriculture and livestock “we use what we have. Being in rural areas means that our money comes from our land,” she says.

Tuwei is a reformed alcoholic and a polio survivor who, like many, have found success in simple economic ventures.

“Women can achieve great things with very little money, what they need is direction and support. My initial contribution was US$2 only in an entire month. I have about US$1,000 in savings after only four years,” she says.

Her primary aim in JOYWO was to buy a plot and a cow “I wanted a place I could call home,” she says.

Tuwei is now the proud owner of a car which helps her move around, three motorbikes, cows, chicken and pigs.

Mwangangi says that Tuwei’s is only one of the many success stories that can be witnesses through simple but well thought out interventions.

Even as women continue to push for more seats at various decision-making processes, there is a great need for Africa to focus on both the rural and urban poor women and design simple but effective strategies to help alleviate the challenges they face, he says.

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.

8

mondAY 11•04•2016

INDIA

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

10 die in Kerala temple tragedy, Modi calls it 'dreadful'

Kollam (Kerala), april 10 (iaNS): At least 110 devotees were killed and over 350 injured when an illegal fireworks show set off massive explosions and caused a huge blaze in a Hindu temple in Kerala before dawn on Sunday in what Prime Minister Narendra Modi said was a "dreadful tragedy".

Many of those warded in hospitals were in critical condition. Modi, who visited the disaster-hit Puttingal Devi temple in Peravur town here, suggested that they could be flown to Mumbai or New Delhi for treatment. Only two of the dead were women, police sources told IANS. "The tragedy is unimaginable and dreadful," a sombre Modi said in Thiruvananthapuram just before taking a flight to Delhi. He announced Rs.2 lakh as compensation to families of each of the dead.

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy announced a compensation of Rs.10 lakh to families of the dead, Rs.2 lakh each to the seriously injured and

Rs.50,000 to those with minor injuries.

He also ordered a judicial probe and a simultaneous investigation by the Crime Branch of Kerala Police to determine how the fireworks show ended up raining death.

Dazed survivors said the disaster happened when stacks of explosives stored in a building a little away from the 100-year-old temple exploded, apparently after a spark from a firecracker landed on its roof.

The incident occurred just after 3 a.m. amid a dazzling and deafening fireworks display even after the local authorities had declined permission for it.

The celebrations had begun the previous night.

K. Jayakumar, a travel agent, explained how the disaster struck. "A fireball engulfed the entire area right before my eyes," he told the media. "A concrete slab came flying my way and hit the person sitting next to me. He died on the spot." The impact of the explosion brought down the building where the crack-

Policemen cordon off the area after a fire broke out at a temple in Kollam in the southern state of Kerala, April 10. (REUTERS)

ers had been stored, trapping many. Chunks of concrete flew at great speed, killing unsuspecting devotees who had gathered in thousands.

Lallu S. Pillai, a journalist who was on the terrace of a nearby house, told IANS that many died within minutes. Once the building came crashing down,

"we felt the place shake", he said. "After that it was absolute chaos." Other devotees said people, frightened by the explosions, started to run, at times tripping over

one another.

Several houses in a half-kilometre radius were damaged.

Prakashan, who lives near the temple, said he

had been complaining for years against the fireworks display but was ignored.

Temple officials fled the spot after the tragedy. IANS tried to reach some of them on their mobile phones but they were switched off.

Police arrested five men linked to a father-and-son contractor pair who were responsible for the fireworks show. The father himself was in a serious condition in a hospital while the son had suffered 50 percent burn injuries.

For hours after the tragedy, charred bodies and human remains lay scattered in the temple complex. Authorities then began clearing the heaps of debris.

Amid the election fever in Kerala, Chief Minister Chandy held an emergency cabinet meeting in Kollam. He said the incident "should open the eyes of all of us" vis-a-vis temple celebrations. He said the government would bear the expenses of the injured.

Spiritual guru Mata Amritanandamayi Devi called for a ban on the use of firecrackers in temples or at least

their minimum use, that too under careful supervision. At the Medical College in Thiruvananthapuram, about 60 km away, 124 people were admitted, mostly with broken bones in their hands and legs. A few had burn injuries, indicating fire was not the only cause of death.

Within hours, the army, air force and the navy joined in rescue operations and to provide medical treatment. Ships sailed from Kochi while helicopters flew in from Tamil Nadu as well.

Making a brief statement at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital, Modi said he was deeply grieved. "We stand

by Kerala's grief and we will do everything we can to bring down the misery."

After spending about 10 minutes walking around the temple complex, Modi and Chandy drove to the Kollam district hospital where 185 of the injured are undergoing treatment.

All political parties on Sunday cancelled their election meetings as a mark of respect for the dead.

State CPI-M secretary among star Nitish Kumar as JD-U chief set to expand 'Janata Parivar' hopefuls as Bengal votes on Monday

KolKaTa, april 10 (iaNS): The fate of several political stalwarts, including CPI-M state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra, will be decided as 31 constituencies spread over three districts vote on Monday in part two of the opening phase of the West Bengal assembly elections.

Thirteen of the constituencies are in West Midnapore, and nine each in Bankura and Burdwan.

Voters in 18 constituencies -- six in West Midnapore, nine in Purulia and three in Bankura -- exercised their franchise on the first polling day on April 4. That was part one of the Phase One. An electorate of nearly 70 lakh (69,90,900) across 8,465 polling stations including two auxiliary stations is eligible on Monday to choose its representatives from a field of 163 candidates -- 21 of them women. High security marks the poling arrangements.

In the 2011 assembly polls, the Trinamool Con-

gress had bagged 17, and its then ally Congress three of the seats now going for the balloting. The Left Front, then in power, won the remaining 11.

But the political alignments and allegiances have changed dramatically since then. While the Congress has now entered into a seat adjustment with the Left Front, the Trinamool has virtually established its monopoly in these areas in subsequent polls to the Panchayat and the Lok Sabha.

The Trinamool is hoping to win a large chunk of the seats in the region on the strength of the social security schemes and development ushered in by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The opposition parties are harping on the issue of corruption by highlighting the Saradha chit fund scandal and the Narada sting footage (that purportedly showed some Trinamool leaders accepting money in return for extending fa-

vours to a fictitious company), besides raising the lack of new big-ticket investments in the Durgapur-Asansol industrial belt of Burdwan district, once called the Ruhr of India.

The Trinamool, the LFCongress combine and the BJP are battling all the seats.

Among the LF constituents, the CPI-M has put up 19 candidates, followed by the Communist Party of India, Revolutionary Socialist Party, the All India Forward Bloc and the Democratic Socialist Party (Prabodh Chandra) one each. The Congress is in the race in eight constituencies.

Amid the soaring mercury, the political fever reached a peak in this region with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, host of union ministers like Sushma Swaraj, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Pyush Goel, BJP president Amit Shah, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury hitting the campaign trail.

New delhi, april 10 (iaNS): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was on Sunday unanimously elected president of the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) at the party's national executive meet here and was expected to strengthen the 'Janata Parivar', an official said.

Former chief of the party Sharad Yadav, who headed the organisation for over 10 years and stepped down on April 4, proposed Nitish Kumar's name that was sec-

onded by senior party leader K.C. Tyagi and others.

“I think with Nitish Kumar at the helm, the party would grow further,” Yadav said. The JD-U is planning to reach out to “like minded parties and leaders and expand the “janata parivar”, party spokesman Tyagi told IANS after the meeting.

“The present government has failed to meet people's expectations.

Once again the same political uncertainty is loom-

ing as was there before the 2014 elections. Now there is a need for a national political party to emerge,” Tyagi told IANS. “So we feel that all likeminded parties should gradually come on a single platform. To this effect, we are already in talks with Ajit Singh of Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and Babulal Marandi of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik). In future, we would be reaching out to more parties,” he

added.

Asked whether it was a precursor to a grand alliance of sorts of the CentreLeft parties before the 2019 general election, Tyagi said there are “many more smaller battles” before the big one.

“We would be focussing on the Uttar Pradesh state elections next year. Our endeavour would be to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party in the state,” he said.

On the no-love-lost

between the JD-U and the BJP after 17 years of coalition, Tyagi said that it was a “wise decision” to part ways with the BJP. Dismissing speculations whether it would be too much for the Bihar chief minister to effectively run the organisation and the state government simultaneously, Tyagi said there are too many precedents when leaders effectively headed the party as also the government.

BSNL testing WiFi tech to connect 1 lakh panchayats New delhi, april 10 (pTi): As the government's rural broadband project is facing long delays, telecom PSU BSNL is testing an alternative WiFi-based network to connect about 1 lakh village panchayats in a year with high-speed Internet.

"The process of laying fibre network calls for huge amount of physical labour. We have started a pilot to test broadband connectivity to village panchayats using WiFi network. With this we are hopeful of connecting about 1 lakh village panchayats in a year," BSNL Chairman and Managing Director Anupam Shrivastava told PTI. The state-run firm is testing

sustainability of technology in three villages in Alwar district of Rajasthan.

"We have written to the Department of Telecom about this project and looking for support of USO fund for it. Once we get the approval, we will start process for commercial deployment," Shrivastava said.

Under the project, a wireless network over six kilometres has been set up connecting WiFi towers in three villages -- Karenda, Phalsa and Bahadri -- with BSNL's exchange in Bhiwadi. About 500 test connections have been provided to various users, including schools. A domestic telecom

equipment maker firm, Vihaan Networks, is implementing the pilot project for BSNL. "Government is exploring best possible technological options to expedite the implementation of National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN). With this WiFi-based technology, we are able to deliver benefits of broadband in villages where there is no connectivity," Vihaan Networks Chairman Rajiv Mehrotra said.

The government had approved NOFN project worth around Rs 20,100 crore in 2011 for facilitating at least 100 megabit per second (Mbps) bandwidth in all the estimated 2.5 lakh gram panchayats

(GPs).

The project is being handled by a special purpose vehicle under the Telecom Ministry which has distributed work to three central pubic sector units -- BSNL, Railtel and Powergrid.

The project was to be completed by 2013 but has missed several deadlines. The NDA government, which came in power in May 2014, had planned to connect 50,000 GPs by March 2015, another 1 lakh

by March 2016 and rest of the one lakh by December 2016.

However, it now expects to complete roll out by 2018 and connect only 1 lakh panchayats with broadband by end of this year.

U.S. defence secretary visits India Bharatiya Chikitsa practitioners on mission to draw militaries closer can't practice modern medicine: HC Goa, april 10 (reUTerS): U.S. Defence Secretary Ash Carter began a three-day visit to India on Sunday, seeking to advance a relatively new defence relationship with a country Washington sees as a counterweight to the growing power of China.

In a sign of the importance Carter places on improving defence ties with India, the visit is his second in less than a year, and it kicks off in Goa, the home state of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.

For India, closer U.S. defence ties would bring greater access to American technology, and it too has been alarmed by China's naval forays in the Indian Ocean. But India has been historically wary of drawing too near to any one country.

"India's very reluctant to be seen as too close to the United States, but the Pentagon is very bullish on this relationship," said Shane Mason, a research associate at the Stimson Center in Washington.

It is also a favored initiative of Carter, who established a special cell within the Pentagon last year to promote cooperation with India.

"There's no question about where the United States-India relationship is going," Carter said on Fri-

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter gestures at a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington February 29, 2016. (REUTERS)

day, at a talk at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. "We can control and influence the pace, and I want to do that."

The U.S. military has made clear it would like to do more with India, especially in countering China's moves.

Last month, Admiral Harry Harris, the commander of U.S. Pacific Command, said the United States wanted to expand the naval exercises it held with India each year into joint operations across the Asia-Pacific. But India, which has never carried out joint patrols with another country, said there were no such plans.

"The Indians are being careful because it's their neighborhood," said a U.S. congressional source familiar with U.S.-India mili-

tary discussions. "It's been a long-standing Indian policy to deal with China on a bilateral basis."

DEFENCE MANUFACTURING U.S. defence manufacturers hope closer ties will boost their own prospects in India, which is one of the world's biggest defence spenders but still has major gaps in its military capabilities. India has been looking to rebuild its ageing air force and last week Lockheed Martin and Boeing pitched their fighter planes to its defence ministry.

In a statement, Boeing said it was in talks with India about the possibility of making F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft in India.

A Lockheed spokesman said the company also took part in talks last week be-

tween India and the United States on fighter jet production opportunities.

Separately, the two countries are negotiating India's request for 40 Predator surveillance drones, officials said, a possible first step towards acquiring the armed version of the unmanned aircraft.

But deeper security cooperation has been tricky, because India has for more than 10 years demurred at signing three "foundational" defence agreements that would streamline military interactions.

India is concerned that the pacts, including the Logistics Support Agreement (LSA) that allows the two militaries to access each other's bases, could draw it into an undeclared military alliance with the United States.

Ahead of Carter's trip, an Indian defence source said both sides were eager to conclude the negotiations on the LSA. "They're actually quite prosaic agreements," said Benjamin Schwartz, until last year the India country director at the Pentagon.

Nonetheless, signing them "would indicate that the Indian government is more willing to work with the U.S., even if it means that they're going to take some political heat," said Schwartz.

New delhi, april 10 (iaNS): The practitioner of 'Bharatiya Chikitsa' - Indian System of Medicine - such as Ayurveda, Siddha, Tibb and Unani medicine cannot practise modern scientific system of medicine including prescribing allopathic medicines, the Delhi High Court has said.

A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Rrajiv Sahai Endlaw said that allowing persons not holding qualification in modern scientific system of medicine to practise this system of medicine can play "havoc with the health and lives of citizens" of the city.

The order said: "Allowing persons not holding qualification in modern scientific system of medicine to practise the said system of medicine... can

play havoc with the health and lives of citizens of the city."

The court's order came on a petition filed by Delhi Medical Association (DMA), which is an association of registered medical practitioners of Allopathic System of Medicine affiliated to the Indian Medical Association (IMA), saying practitioners of 'Bharatiya Chikitsa' in the capital were prescribing allopathic drugs, jeopardizing the health of residents of the city.

It said that the Delhi Bharatiya Chikitsa Parishad (DBCP) was relying on a Section of DBCP Act defining "integrated medicine" to claim that its members are entitled to prescribe allopathic drugs.

In the order, t e court said those

having qualification in "integrated medicine" under the DBCP Act could make use of the modern advances in various sciences such as Radiology Report, X-Ray, Complete Blood Picture Report, Li pids report, E.C.Ga for purposes of practicing in the Indian system of medicine.

"To hold otherwise would blur the otherwise well defined boundaries between the two systems of medicine," it added.

The bench further said: "No practitioner of Indian System of Medicine or holding a qualification as listed in the Schedule to the Indian Medicine Central Council Act, 1970, even if it be of in integrated medicine... of the DBCP Act, 1998, is entitled to practice modern scientific system."

After Bihar liquor ban, alcohol sellers flourish on India-Nepal border

KaThmaNdU, april 10 (iaNS): The complete ban on alcohol in India's Bihar state seems to have come as a boon for small traders in Nepal who sell low-quality alcohol. Reports here say there has been a sudden rise in small huts along the India-Nepal border to target alcohol customers from Bihar.

Authorities from India's border districts have sought help and cooperation from their Nepali counterparts to check the possible smuggling of alcohol and increase in surveillance along the border.

Bihar imposed a complete ban on sale of alcohol from April 1.

At a recent meeting in Forbesganj in Bihar, Indian authorities sought help from their Nepali counterparts

to curb the movement of people seeking alcohol from Nepal.

Toyam Rai, chief district officer of Sunsari district who led the Nepali team, said that due to the open international border, there was high chance of smuggling of alcohol from Nepal to India, and so the Indian authorities asked Nepal to cooperate in preventing the smuggling.

Himanshu Sharma, district magistrate of Araria in Bihar, local police chiefs and others also participated as part of the Indian side in the meeting.

Reports said mostly people from the working class come to the Nepali side to buy alcohol. But when there is a holiday, businessmen and youth also cross the border.

Local hoteliers say there has been

a 2-3 fold rise in sale of alcohol in the past one week, since the ban in Bihar.

Nepali traders have now increased the prices of local alcohol, but reports said the quality was quite poor due to the sudden rise in demand.

"With the ban on alcohol in Bihar, the Indian authorities have asked us to curb the smuggling of alcohol from Nepal. They are also concerned that after the ban, criminals may sneak into Nepal that will further invite security complications," said Sunsari Superintendent of Police Sandip Bhandari.

"With this new unfolding situation, we may face new security threats along the border," said Rai. "We have assured the Indian side about the security arrangements on the border."

MondaY 11•04 •2016

WORLD

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

9

Nations seek rapid ratification of Paris climate deal OSLA, APRIL 10 (REUTERS): Many nations are pushing for swift ratification of a Paris agreement to slow climate change and lock it in place for four years before a change in the White House next year that might bring a weakening of Washington’s long-term commitment.

More than 130 nations with 60 leaders including French President Francois Hollande are due to sign December’s pact at a U.N. ceremony in New York on April 22, the most ever for a U.N. agreement on an opening day, the United Nations said.

Both China and the United States, the world’s top emitters accounting together for 38 percent of emissions, have promised to sign then. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to attend.

But signing is only a step in a tortuous U.N. process for the deal to enter into force, which requires formal approval by at least 55 nations representing 55 percent of man-made greenhouse gas emissions.

Some experts predict

“I would expect noncompliance, but not necessarily a formal withdrawal,” under a Republican president, said Oliver Geden, of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.

And many nations see self-interest in signing up.

“Moving to clean energy is in every country’s interest and I am confident that climate action is an historic inevitability,” Maldives Environment Minister Thoriq Ibrahim, chair of the Alliance of Small Island States, told Reuters.

Massive fumes emitted in an industrial sector. World leaders are set to quicken ratification of the Paris Climate Deal and lock it in place for four years before a change of leadership in the United States. (ReuteRs File Photo)

the 55 percent thresholds can be reached this year, before President Barack Obama leaves office in January 2017.

But many develop-

ing nations want the Paris agreement to move forward as rapidly as possible on ratification, partly to lock in the United States if Republican candidates

Donald Trump or Ted Cruz, who do not think that climate change is manmade, win the U.S. presidency.

Once the Paris accord

enters into force, a littlenoted Article 28 says any nation wanting to withdraw will first have to wait four years - the length of a U.S. presidential term.

NICARAGUA All 195 nations in Paris agreed the deal except Nicaragua, which objected that it demanded too little of the rich. Some were reluctant such as OPEC oil producers led by Saudi Arabia.

Still, the agreement could reach 55 percent of emissions with support from just a handful of countries, for instance China, the United States, Russia, India, Japan and Brazil. The European Union, with a 12 percent share, is likely to lag because it first has to share

out promised curbs among member states.

Many nations want to avoid a repeat of the U.N.’s previous climate deal, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which only entered into force in 2005 after years of disputes between Washington and its main allies.

Kyoto dictated cuts in greenhouse gas emissions only for developed nations, unlike the Paris Agreement which involves both rich and poor but lets all countries set national targets.

U.S. President Bill Clinton’s administration signed Kyoto but never submitted it to a hostile Senate for ratification. His successor, Republican President George.

W. Bush, stayed out, saying Kyoto would threaten U.S. jobs.

Obama says his administration can now join the Paris agreement without getting approval from the Senate.

“A lot has changed” since Kyoto, Christiana Figueres, head of the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat, told Reuters, noting that prices of wind and solar energy have tumbled and scientists are ever more cer-

tain that burning fossil fuels causes global warming.

“Much is made by some of the politics in the United States but it seems unthinkable that, whatever political complexion is in the White House ... (they) cannot see the selfevident economic and social benefits” of reducing emissions, she said.

And more countries say they are suffering heatwaves, desertification, downpours and rising sea levels.

Several vulnerable nations have already ratified the Paris agreement, even before the signing ceremony, led by Fiji, the Marshall Islands, Palau and the Maldives.

“My sense is that it (ratification) will move fairly quickly, possibly this year,” said Alden Meyer, of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Any Republican president might seek to undo Obama’s domestic plans to cut emissions by 2628 percent by 2025 below 2005 levels, he said. And Obama’s plans to cut emissions from power plants also face legal challenges.

Two die in Pakistan as quake hits region Sanders wins Wyoming, prepares to take on Clinton in NY ISLAMABAd/KABUL/ NEW dELHI, APRIL 10 (IANS): A major earthquake jolted parts of Afghanistan, Pakistan and India on Sunday, reportedly killing two people and injuring 10 in Pakistan. In Pakistan, officials said the earthquake measured 7.1 on the Richter scale and hit parts of the country’s northern and eastern regions.

Pakistan’s meteorological department said the epicentre was determined at the Hindu Kush mountain range, located along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, with a depth of 236 km.

The tremors were felt

in capital Islamabad, parts of Punjab province and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province including the capital Peshawar as well as tribal areas.

The quake created panic among residents. Emergency was declared in hospitals in Peshawar for possible quake victims.

Media reports said two people were killed but provided no details.

In India, the authorities said the magnitude was measured at 6.8, and the depth at 190 km. The tremors were also felt all across northern India, including Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh,

Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

People rushed out of their homes and offices in some parts of New Delhi and surrounding areas, residents said. In Delhi, Metro services were briefly halted as a precaution. Normalcy quickly returned. The tremors were felt in several Afghan provinces including Nangarhar, Kunar and Laghman in the east, Baghlan and Kunduz in the north and Takhar and Badakhshan in the northeast.

However, no casualties have been reported so far in Afghanistan. Sayed Abdul-

lah Hamayon Dehqan, director of the National Disaster Management Authority in Badakhshan province said that the epicentre was in the mountainous Ashkashim district.

The tremors were also felt in Xinjiang in northwest China. The China Earthquake Networks Center said the quake hit the Hindu Kush area at 6.28 p.m.

(Beijing time) at 36.56º north and 71.31º east, at a depth of 200 km. Residents of Kashgar, Hotan and Kizilsu Kirgiz prefectures of the autonomous region that borders Afghanistan felt strong tremors.

Brussels bombers had planned to hit France again BRUSSELS, APRIL 10 (REUTERS): The militant cell behind bombings in Brussels had been plotting to hit France again after carrying out the Paris attacks but was forced to strike closer to home as police closed in, Belgian prosecutors said on Sunday.

Investigations into the Islamic State attacks in Paris in November which killed 130 people showed many of the perpetrators lived in Belgium, including surviving suspects who managed to evade police for more than four months.

Prime suspect Salah Abdeslam was arrested by police on March 18 after a shootout in the Belgian capital. Four days later, suicide bombers killed 32 people in attacks on Brussels airport and a rush-hour metro train.

“Numerous elements in the investigation have shown that the terrorist group initially had the intention to strike in France again,” Belgium’s federal prosecutor said in a statement.

“Surprised by the speed of progress in the investigation, they took the decision to strike in Brussels,” the prosecutor said.

Born and raised in Belgium to Moroccan-born parents, Abdeslam told a magistrate he planned to blow himself up at a sports stadium in Paris but backed out at the last minute. His brother Brahim blew himself up at a Paris cafe.

Another man linked to the Paris attacks, Mohamed Abrini, was arrested in Brussels on Friday and he has admitted to being the “man in the hat” captured on video walking into Brussels

airport alongside two suicide bombers.

Abrini, 31, has been charged with terrorist murders, prosecutors said.

Belgian intelligence and security forces had been criticised from abroad for not doing more to dismantle the militant cell, because of its links to the Paris attacks, though as of Friday all known suspects were either in detention or dead.

Belgium maintained its second highest threat level, however, on Sunday with Prime Minister Charles Michel saying his government would remain alert.

Another main suspect who was seen alongside the suicide bomber in the Brussels metro and identified by prosecutors as Osama K was also arrested on Friday in the Belgian capital.

WASHINGTON, APRIL 10 (REUTERS): Bernie Sanders won the U.S. presidential Democratic nominating contest in Wyoming on Saturday, besting rival Hillary Clinton and adding to a string of recent victories as the two candidates gear up for a crucial matchup in New York.

Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, has won seven out of the last eight state-level Democratic nominating contests, trying to chip away at Clinton’s big lead in the number of delegates needed to secure the party’s nomination.

Wyoming’s 14 Democratic delegates - fewer than any other state - are awarded proportionally based on support from individuals participating in the nominating contest.

Early estimates showed that while Sanders won the contest, both he and Clinton would likely receive seven delegates each in the close race, maintaining Clinton’s lead overall.

Going into Wyoming, Clinton had more than half of the 2,383 delegates needed to win the nomination.

Sanders trailed her by 250 pledged delegates, those awarded based on the results of the state nominating contests.

Clinton’s lead widens when superdelegates, Democratic leaders who

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders hugs former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner at a campaign “Community Conversation” at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, in New York, New York on April 9. (ReuteRs Photo)

can decide whom to support at the party’s July convention, are included in the tallies.

Clinton and Sanders both spent Saturday campaigning in New York, which holds its contest on April 19 and where a total of 291 delegates are up for grabs, more than 10 percent of the tally needed to win the party’s nomination.

Sanders’ wife, Jane Sanders, went onstage where he was speaking at a community college in Queens, a borough of New York City, to alert him to Saturday’s victory.

“News bulletin - we just won Wyoming!” Sanders said to cheers.

Speaking to reporters after the event, Sanders said he believed he had enough momentum to secure the nomination.

“We are closing very fast,” Sanders said.

Clinton, a former U.S. secretary of state, campaigned in the nearby borough of Brooklyn, where her campaign is based.

Clinton represented New York as a U.S. senator and considers the state her home turf. Recent polls have shown Clinton more than 10 points ahead in the state.

Tension between the two candidates flared earlier this week in a party race that has typically focused

on policies and not personal attacks. The candidates dialed back their criticism of one another on Friday.

In Wyoming’s Republican contest last month, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas beat New York billionaire Donald Trump, the party’s front-runner. Cruz is trying to block Trump from receiving enough delegates to win the nomination outright, which would lead to a contested convention in July.

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that a third of Trump’s Republican supporters could consider abandoning the party’s candidate if Trump is denied the nomination at a contested convention.

Syrian Prime Minister says Russia to back new Aleppo attack B E I R U T / M O S C O W, APRIL 10 (REUTERS): The Russian air force and Syrian military are preparing a joint operation to take Aleppo from rebels, the Syrian prime minister was quoted saying on Sunday, and an opposition official said a ceasefire was on the verge of collapse.

With a U.N. envoy due in Damascus in a bid to advance struggling diplomatic efforts, the “cessation of hostilities agreement” brokered by Russia and the United States came under new strain as government and rebel forces fought near Aleppo.

The ceasefire came into effect in February with the aim of paving the way for a resumption of talks to end the five-year-long war. But it has been widely violated, with each side blaming the other for breaches. The fighting south of Aleppo marks the most significant challenge yet to the deal.

Diplomacy has meanwhile made little progress with no compromise over the future of President Bashar al-Assad, his position strengthened by Iranian and Russian military

Children play near upright buses barricading a street, which serve as protection from snipers loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, in Aleppo’s rebel-controlled Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, Syria on April 6. (ReuteRs Photo)

support.

A top Iranian official, in comments to Iran TV, rejected what he described as a U.S. request for Tehran’s help to make Assad leave power, saying he should serve out his term and be allowed to run in a presidential election “as any Syrian”.

Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halaki told a del-

egation of visiting Russian lawmakers of preparations to “liberate” Aleppo, Syria’s biggest city and commercial hub before the conflict that erupted in 2011. Aleppo is divided into areas controlled separately by the government and opposition.

“We, together with our Russian partners, are preparing for an operation to liberate Aleppo and

to block all illegal armed groups which have not joined or have broken the ceasefire deal,” he was quoted as saying by TASS news agency.

Dmitry Sablin, a member of Russia’s upper house of parliament and a member of the delegation, told RIA news agency “Russian aviation will help the Syrian army’s ground offensive

operation”.

The deployment of the Russian air force to Syria last year helped tip the war Assad’s way as it bombed rebels supported by his enemies including Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United States.

President Vladimir Putin last month withdrew some of the Russian forces, but maintained an air base in Latakia, and kept up strikes on the Islamic State group.

Neither the al Qaedalinked Nusra Front or Islamic State are included in the partial ceasefire. Rebels have reported the resumption of Russian air strikes south of Aleppo, an important theatre where Iranian forces and Lebanon’s Hezbollah are fighting in support of the army and the Nusra Front is deployed in close proximity to rebels.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a total of 35 combatants had been killed on both sides in a 24 hour period in the area, where fighting has been raging for some 10 days.

a serious deterioration, to the point where the ceasefire is about to collapse”.

Bassma Kodmani of the High Negotiations Committee also told Journal du Dimanche that a U.S.-Russian ceasefire monitoring mission was “powerless”.

The war has killed more than 250,000 people, created the world’s worst refugee crisis, and allowed for the rise of Islamic State.

Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said “in Aleppo there is a real collapse of the truce”.

The army says groups that had agreed to the cessation of hostilities had taken part in Nusra Front attacks on governmentheld positions south of Aleppo. Free Syrian Army groups meanwhile blame the fighting on government violations.

“The air strikes are now roughly back to what they were,” said Mohamed Rasheed, head of the media office with the Jaysh alNasr rebel group. A Syrian “ABOUT TO COLLAPSE” military source said: “The A member of the main battles are raging because opposition council said the ... armed groups that were last 10 days had “witnessed part of the (truce) joined

Nusra in the attack.”

The Observatory also reported fighting on Sunday between government and rebel forces near the opposition-held town of Douma outside Damascus, and said government helicopters had dropped barrel bombs on rebel-held areas north of Homs.

Barrel bombs are oil drums filled with explosives. While the government denies dropping them, their use has been widely recorded, including by a U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Syria.

IRAN REJECTS U.S. “PRECONDITION” U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura is due to arrive in Damascus on Sunday evening, and is expected to meet Syrian officials on Monday. He said last week he would go to Damascus and Tehran to sound out their position on a political transition before beginning a new round of peace talks on Wednesday.

De Mistura has said the next round of talks needs to “be quite concrete in the direction of a political process leading to a real beginning

of a political transition”.

Ali Akbar Velayati, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s top adviser on international affairs, said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had asked “Iran to help so that Bashar Assad leaves.

“We should ask them: “What does this have to do with you? Shouldn’t the Syrian people decide?’”

“From Iran’s point of view Bashar Assad and his government should remain as a legal government and legal president until the end of his term. And Bashar Assad shall be able to take part in a presidential election as any Syrian citizen.

And their precondition that Bashar Assad should go is a red line for us.”

In a sign of Assad’s confidence, the Syrian government plans to hold parliamentary elections on Wednesday. Salim alMuslat, opposition spokesman, said the vote was illegitimate.

“I don’t know how they can really announce an election in Syria. In Idlib or in Aleppo or in Deir al-Zor or in Homs, can people go there and vote?” he said.

10

MonDAY 11•04•2016

SportS

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Ruthless Joshua claims IBF world heavyweight crown

LAS VEGAS, APRIL 10 (REUTERS): Britain's Anthony Joshua lived up to his billing as the new superstar of heavyweight boxing when he stopped Charles Martin in the second round with a demonstration of brutal power to claim the American’s world IBF title on Saturday.

Joshua became the first boxer in history to hold the Olympic super-heavyweight crown and a version of the world heavyweight title simultaneously with his stunning triumph at the O2 Arena, a few miles from where he won gold at the London 2012 Games.

The 26-year-old handed champion Martin his first career loss to grab the title with his 16th knockout win in his 16th professional fight, putting him down twice in the second round with magnificent right hands in front of 15,000 fans.

On the second knock down, Martin tried to beat the count and was on his feet at nine but the referee felt he was in no state to continue and ended the contest as Joshua landed his world title after 1 minute 32 seconds of the second round after only 34 rounds of boxing in his three years in the paid ranks.

It was so conclusive that Joshua, who looked as if he had just enjoyed a leisurely sparring session, told the crowd he was

going back to his dressing room to work on the pads.

“It’s only a quarter of the way there. There's still a lot of work to be done. I've got people like (fellow British heavyweights) David Haye and (WBA and WBO champion) Tyson Fury calling me out so I need to keep improving,” Joshua said in an interview in the ring afterwards.

“This was one for myself. I told you I was going to come out and punish him.”

Joshua reiterated that his ambition was to unify the heavyweight title, which will mean having to dispose of Fury and American Deontay Wilder, the American WBC champion.

On this evidence, he has every chance of doing so, even though Fury, who defeated long-standing champion Wladimir Klitschko of Ukraine last year, professed to be unimpressed.

"So AJ gets a belt, looked slow ponderous, & still looked like a bodybuilder, let me slay the lamb," he wrote on Twitter.

MERCILESS POWER It was a demonstration of skill as well as merciless power from the relativrly novice professional Joshua, who was expected by many to receive a genuine test from the first southpaw opponent he has met as a professional.

Yet from the moment the dreadlocked Martin felt the thud of Joshua’s right fist in the opening round it quickly became clear he had never experienced such ferocity. One roundhouse left hand made him wince as the home fighter easily won the first round.

That was just a softening up exercise.

After a minute of the second round, Joshua slipped Martin’s southpaw lead and unloaded with a booming right hand that sent the American sprawling on to the seat of his pants.

Martin beat the count but looked dazed and Joshua stalked him calculatingly before unleashing another huge blow.

This time, Martin again just about beat the count after staggering to his feet but, though he protested, the referee had no choice but to call off the contest.

Martin, who had lost his crown after a 94-day reign, raised the arms of his conqueror and said afterwards: “He was the better man. I got hit by a right hand I didn't see and that cost the fight.

“I was OK but the referee came over at six, I got to the knee at seven, took a breath and when I stood up he was at 10.

“He's a great fighter, I want to say that, it was just that his right hand was fast, I didn't see the right. He's got good speed."

Anthony Joshua lifts his IBF Heavyweight Title belt. (Reuters)

Dortmund's draw at Schalke puts Bayern on verge of title BERLIn, APRIL 10 (AFP): Shinji Kagawa's superb chip was not enough to prevent Borussia Dortmund drawing 2-2 at Schalke on Sunday, edging Bayern Munich towards a historic fourth straight Bundesliga title.

The draw in Gelsenkirchen leaves Pep Guardiola's Bayern seven points clear of second-placed Dortmund in Germany's top flight with five games left.

"We're all realistic. Bayern keep on winning and the games are getting less and less," said Dortmund's director of sport Michael Zorc.

The Bavarians are hoping to become the first club to win the Bundesliga title four years in a row.

"It is very likely that Bayern will be champions," conceded Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel.

The Borussia boss gambled by resting star forwards Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Marco Reus and Henrikh Mkhitaryan from his starting line-up, but was pleased with the point.

Borussia play Liverpool away on Thursday in the Europa League quarter-final return leg at Anfield, after the first match ended in a 1-1 draw.

The game at Schalke's VeltinsArena burst into life after a goalless first half when Japan midfielder Kagawa put Dortmund ahead with a perfectly-timed chip over Schalke goalkeeper Ralf Faehrmann on 49 minutes.

It sparked Schalke into life as they equalised two minutes later when German junior international Leroy Sane, who has been linked with Manchester City, smashed home his shot.

Sloppy defending allowed Dortmund to go back in front when Schalke's Roman Neustaedter was out-jumped by Matthias Ginter from a free-kick and the defender headed home on 56 minutes.

There was plenty of bite in the derby between the neighbouring clubs, who are only 50kms apart.

Dortmund defender Sokratis brought down Schalke striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in the area on 66 minutes and the Dutch striker nailed the spot kick.

Denmark midfielder PierreEmile Hoejbjerg, on loan to Schalke from Bayern, was lucky to escape with only a yellow card when he hacked down Mkhitaryan in the 71st minute.

Schalke replacement Max Meyer had the chance to win the game in added time when he fired over the bar with the goal at his mercy.

The draw leaves Schalke seventh, just outside the European places for next season, while Dortund's 68 points from 29 league games is a club record for this stage of the season, although Bayern have 75.

In 49 of the last 52 Bundesliga seasons, their tally would have been enough to win the title outright with a month still left.

Bayern are bidding to repeat their 2013 treble of Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup titles in Guardiola's swansong before taking over as Manchester City manager.

The Bavarians play Benfica away in the Champions League quarter-final return leg on Wednesday, holding a slender 1-0 lead from the first match in Munich.

I haven't signed a contract Barca beaten again at Sociedad, Atletico, Real apply pressure with anyone, says Mourinho

LOnDOn, APRIL 10 (REUTERS): Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has not signed a contract with anybody, he said on Saturday, but expects to be back in football in time for the start of next season and would prefer to work in England again.

"At this moment I can promise you that I don't have a contract with anybody," he said at the 02 Arena on Saturday where he was watching a night of international boxing.

"I'm in a position to be open to any club, to any national team, but to be honest if possible I'd like a club, and analyse and think what's best for my career and to be back with everything I have."

Mourinho, one of the world's most successful coaches, was sacked by

Chelsea in December after the Premier League champions started the season with nine defeats in their first 16 matches.

The 53-year-old, who has also coached Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Porto, has been strongly tipped in media reports to take over from Louis van Gaal at Manchester United next season.

"Reports are reports and I made a decision in the beginning ... not to feed them, not to confirm, not to deny," he told Sky Sports television.

"If anybody has respect for Mr Van Gaal I'm probably one of the first ones because he's my friend and I worked with him a few years (as an assistant coach at Barcelona).

"I'm linked with many jobs ... in the summer I will

have a job," said Mourinho.

"This is April, everything starts in July. Every decision normally is made between the end of May and the start of June."

The Portuguese made it clear he would prefer another club in England where his family is settled.

"I love the country, I love the football here. My family is very stable and happy. If possible, yes, it (England) would be my first choice," he said.

Mourinho also confirmed he had rejected an offer from the Syrian FA to coach their national team.

"The Syrian one is true because they published the letter that they sent to my agent (Jorge Mendes) ... but in a very respectful way we told them we were not interested in that job," he said.

mADRID, APRIL 10 (AFP): Barcelona suffered a second consecutive La Liga defeat to blow the title race wide open as Mikel Oyarzabal's header handed Real Sociedad a 1-0 win over the European champions on Saturday.

Atletico Madrid are now only three points behind Barca after goals from the on-form Fernando Torres, Antoine Griezmann and Koke saw them come from behind to win 3-1 at Espanyol.

Cristiano Ronaldo also kept Real Madrid in the hunt a further point back in third with a goal and two assists in a 4-0 rout of Eibar.

Barca still need to drop points in two of their last six games thanks to their better head-to-head record with Atletico.

However, the pressure is now firmly on the Catalans after tasting defeat for

the second time in a week after seeing a 39-game unbeaten run snapped by Real Madrid last weekend.

Barcelona have now not won in their last seven visits to Sociedad and lost each of their last four league meetings in San Sebastian.

Just as in last season's 1-0 win under the tutelage of David Moyes, Sociedad made the perfect start as 18-year-old Oyarzabal soared to power home Xabi Prieto's cross into the far corner.

Barca were without the suspended Luis Suarez and badly missed the 45goal Uruguayan's presence as they struggled to create clear-cut chances.

Luis Enrique had rested Andres Iniesta, Ivan Rakitic and Jordi Alba with one eye on the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final at Atletico on Wednesday.

However, all three were called upon as Barca chased the game after the break and Geronimo Rulli had to produce a brilliant save to prevent Iniesta's left-footed drive finding the top corner.

Rulli came to Sociedad's rescue once more to deny Messi his 500th career goal from close range moments later.

And Rulli saved from Messi and Iniesta once more late on to seal a three points celebrated as wildly in Madrid as by the home fans at Anoeta.

Real bounce back

Real Madrid bounced back from their Champions League embarrassment against Wolfsburg in midweek despite coach Zinedine Zidane making eight changes as they look to overturn a 2-0 deficit against the Germans at

the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.

Despite the changes, the hosts were always comfortable against the Basque minnows from the moment Rodriguez smashed home a sumptuous freekick after just five minutes.

Ronaldo showed he was in a generous mood on 18 minutes when he unselfishly squared for Vazquez to turn home the second.

A typically clinical Madrid counter-attack followed just two minutes later as Jese bore down on goal before teeing up Ronaldo to smash home his 30th La Liga goal of the season and extend his lead to four over Suarez in the battle to be the league's top scorer.

The roles were reversed for the fourth just before the break as this time Ronaldo picked out Jese's unmarked run to the far post to leave the Spanish under-21 inter-

national with the simplest of finishes.

In contrast to Enrique and Zidane, Atletico boss Diego Simeone named his strongest available side and was rewarded with a vital win as his side stormed back from Pape Diop's opener for Espanyol.

Torres latched onto Koke's through ball before firing low into the net for this third goal in as many games to equalise 10 minutes before the break.

Griezmann completed the comeback when he drilled another Koke assist in off the far post just before the hour mark for his 20th La Liga goal of the season.

Atletico then had a series of chances to kill the game on the counter-attack, but had to wait until two minutes from time for their third when Koke stooped to head home Torres's cross.

Warriors edge Grizzlies to keep record quest alive Lee Chong Wei wins 11th Malaysia Open title KUA L A LU m P U R , APRIL 10 (IAnS): Home favourite Lee Chong Wei dismantled world No.1 shuttler Chen Long of China in straight games to win his 11th Malaysia Open title here on Sunday.

Chong Wei lightened up the home fans by winning six consecutive points after he tied with Chen 2-2 in the opening game.

The defending champion seemed unable to mount any real challenge and Chong Wei won the match 21-13 and 21-8 in 42 minutes, reports Xinhua.

With this win, world No.4 Chong Wei levelled 12-all in career meetings against the two-time reigning world champion.

Lee admitted he was surprised to win by such a margin. But Chen seemed to be satisfied with the runner-up, saying he had achieved his goal for the tournament by grabbing points to qualify for the Olympic Games.

In the women's singles final, former world champion Ratchanok Intanon from Thailand moved past Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei, winning 21-14, 2115. With this win, 21-yearold Ratchanok clinched

Malaysia's Lee Chong wei poses on the podium after defeating China's Chen Long during their men's singles final match of the 2016 Malaysia Open Badminton Superseries at the Malawati stadium in Shah Alam on April 10. (AFP PHOTO)

her eighth victory out of 13 meetings against Tai. Also, it was Ratchanok's second consecutive Superseries title -- she won in Indian Open in New Delhi on April 3.

China won its only title in the tournament after Tang Yuanting and Yu Yang delivered a handy victory over Jung Kyung Eun and Shin Seung Chan of South Korea, winning 21-11, 21-17 in the women's doubles final.

"It was the first time we play against these Korean shuttlers since we paired, so we had prepared to face difficulty," Yu said. "But the

strong wind within the stadium make it impossible to apply our tactics, we win because we managed to control the shuttle better."

In the men's doubles, Chai Biao and Hong Wei of China failed to hang on to their 18-16 lead in the first set against Kim Gi Jung and Kim Sa Rang from South Korea. They subsequently lost the match 19-21, 15-21.

Indonesian mix doubles Tontowi Ahmad/Liliyana Natsir dismayed the home fans by defeating Malaysia's Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying, winning the title 23-21, 13-21, 21-16.

LOS AnGELES, APRIL 10 (AFP): The Golden State Warriors kept their bid for an historic 73 NBA regular-season victories in 2015-16 alive with a dramatic 100-99 triumph over the Grizzlies in Memphis.

The reigning NBA champion Warriors trailed the injury-depleted Grizzlies, who had lost 11 of their last 14 games, by 10 points midway through the fourth quarter.

But Golden State turned up the heat to improve to 71-9.

They are just the second team in NBA history to notch 70 wins in a regular season, along with the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.

They must win their last two games of the season to surpass that Michael Jordan-led Bulls' team's record 72 triumphs.

They face a big hurdle in their penultimate game on Sunday, when they visit the San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs are a perfect 39-0 on their home floor and trying to become the first team to go unbeaten at home in a single season.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr -- who played on that 1995-96 Bulls team -- said the record isn't his foremost concern.

"I just want to be fresh and ready for the playoffs," Kerr said.

The pursuit of the record had become almost controversial in the wake of the Warriors' shock loss to the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, which came days after a home loss to the playoffbound Boston Celtics.

Pundits immediately pounced, speculating the chase for the record had left the Warriors physically and emotionally fatigued just when they needed to be prepping for the postseason and the nitty-gritty of their title defense.

"These things are tricky," Kerr acknowledged. "You're not sure what you're trying to accomplish.

"The record is out there," Kerr added. "It's important to a lot of people."

That includes Golden State's Draymond Green, whose 23 points included the game-winning tip-in with a minute remaining.

Green also pulled down 11 rebounds.

NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson both struggled from long range, combining for five three-pointers on 24 attempts.

Thompson finished with 20 points and Curry added 17. Curry didn't make his first three-pointer until the third quarter after missing his first five

Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors in action. (Getty Images)

attempts.

Nevertheless, the Warriors led 53-50 at halftime, the Grizzlies erasing the deficit with a strong third quarter that saw them enter the fourth with a 78-70 lead.

Golden State chipped away and took a 98-97 lead with a three-pointer by Harrison Barnes with 1:40 remaining.

The Grizzlies regained a 99-98 lead with free throws

by Matt Barnes, but Green then tipped in a basket that was allowed to stand upon review after first being ruled basket interference.

"We dug deep," Green said. "We got stops when we needed to get stops down the stretch."

Cristiano Felico chipped in 16 off the Bench as the Bulls kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 105-102 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

LeBron James scored 33 points and J.R. Smith added 24 for the Cavaliers, who could have clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference with a victory.

But the Bulls' bench came up big, contributing a total of 44 points and sparking a 13-0 scoring run in the fourth quarter.

The Bulls, who were without injured forward Taj Gibson and guard E'Twaun Moore, remain on the brink of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

Chicago needs to win their two remaining regular-season games and have the Indiana pacers lose all three of theirs in order for the Bulls to advance.

Hawks swoop

The Atlanta Hawks boosted their playoff position with a 118-107 comefrom-behind victory over the Boston Celtics.

Paul Millsap scored 31 points with 16 rebounds for the Hawks, who with two games remaining have a one-game lead on the CeltBulls fend off ics and a 1 1/2-game lead elimination over the Miami Heat for the In Chicago, Jimmy But- third seed in the Eastern ler scored 21 points and Conference.

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

monday 11•04•2016

EntErtainmEnt

Priyadarshini Chatterjee Kate Middleton dons

crowned Miss India World Anita Dongre creation

D

elhi girl Priyadarshini Chatterjee was announced as the winner of FBB Femina Miss India World by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan during a star-studded ceremony, which was attended by eminent names from the film and fashion industry.

Priyadarshini will represent India at the Miss World 2016 pageant. She saw off competition from Bangalore girl Sushruthi Krishna, who was the 1st runner up and Lucknow’s Pankhuri Gidwani, to win the title here last night.

Shah Rukh kept the contestants entertained with his charm and humour as he promoted his upcoming film “Fan” before announc-

ing the winners of the pageant. The jury included Sanjay Dutt, Yami Gautam, Arjun Kapoor, Kabir Khan, Amy Jackson, Miss World 2015 Mireia Lalaguna, tennis player Sania Mirza, Ekta Kapoor, designers Manish Malhotra and Shane Peacock.

The evening saw performances by Varun Dhawan, Shahid Kapoor, Tiger Shroff, Jacqueline Fernandez and rapper Badshah.

During the final gown round, the finalists walked the ramp while Sunidhi Chauhan performed her hit numbers.

The show was hosted by film-maker Karan Johar and Manish Paul. During the ceremony the contestants wore creations designed by Anju Modi, Namrata Joshipura and Falguni and Shane Peacock.

Source: PTI

MTV Movie Awards: Randeep Hooda becomes Will Smith honoured face of Mumbai fire brigade with Generation Award Here’s the complete list

W

C M Y K

ill Smith was recently honoured at MTV Movie Awards as he was crowned with the MTV Generation Award.

The awards that took place at the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California were hosted by Kevin Hart and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, reports E! Online.

While every prominent flick won something or the other, Charlize Theron bagged the Best Female Performance for ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ and Leonardo DiCaprio took home the Best Male Performance trophy for ‘The Revenant.’

MOVIE OF THE YEAR: ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ COMEDIC GENIUS AWARD: Melissa McCarthy TRUE STORY: ‘Straight Outta Compton’ DOCUMENTARY: ‘Amy’ BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE: Daisy Ridley, ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE: Ryan Reynolds, ‘Deadpool’ BEST ACTION PERFORMANCE: Chris Pratt, ‘Jurassic World’ BEST HERO: Jennifer Lawrence, ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2’ BEST VILLAIN: Adam Driver, ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ BEST VIRTUAL PERFORMANCE: Amy Poehler, ‘Inside Out’ ENSEMBLE CAST: ‘Pitch Perfect 2’ BEST KISS: Rebel Wilson and Adam DeVine, ‘Pitch Perfect 2’ BEST FIGHT: Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) vs.

Source: ANI

D

uchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, who is in the country along with Prince William, has opted for a creation by Indian designer Anita Dongre for her day outing.

The Royal chose to wear a long printed tunic with Mughal details on her maiden visit to India.

“The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton looks elegant in a Mughal inspired tunic by Anita Dongre Royal Visit India,” tweeted Dongre along with Middleton’s image in her creation.

Middleton teamed her tunic with beige velvet wedges teamed with black wayfarers and completed her look by keeping her tresses open.

Middleton, who arrived in India in a red printed Alexander McQueen ensemble on Sunday along with Prince William, looked dapper in a dark blue suit paired with a white shirt and black shoes.

The Royal couple’s maiden visit to India will be part of a fundraiser which is expected to be attended by celebrated names like Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Rishi Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

The royal duo will travel on April 14 to the neighbouring Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan and return on April 16 for a visit to the Taj Mahal, a Unesco World Heritage monument, in Agra at the conclusion of their two-nation tour.

The Mumbai gala is being held collectively by three charity organisations -- Magic Bus, Doorstep, and India’s Childline -- to generBritain’s Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, ate funds to support vulnerable stand after paying their respects at the 26/11 memorial at the Taj Mahal Pal- children across India. ace hotel, site of the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, India, April 10, 2016. REUTERS Source: IANS

Marvel superheroes to join 'Spider-Man' reboot

A

ctor Randeep Hooda has become the brand ambassador of Mumbai’s fire department. Honoured to be the brand’s face, the “Main Aur Charles” actor shared that the firefighters are not only fighting fire, but are also involved in “rescue and relief operations which a lot of us are unaware of”.

Randeep revealed that he is not afraid of fire, but knows just how dangerous it can be given the high temperature. The actor even discussed the perils

with the men-in-uniform during the shoot. As for getting into their uniform, Randeep admitted that it was a proud moment for him to wear it.

“It’s hot,” he said.

The campaign for the department will begin on April 14, and seeks to rope in volunteers from all walks of life. On the film front, Randeep is currently filming for “Sultan” and “Do Lafzon Ki Kahani” with “Laal Rang” and “Sarbjit” slated to release on April 22 and May 20.

Source: IANS

Petition calls for Donald Trump’s Walk Of Fame Star to be removed

T

he upcoming “Spider-Man” reboot, starring Tom Holland as the superhero, will include cameos from other Marvel superheroes. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed the news to ew.com, saying “He (SpiderMan) is in the universe now, and the fun of the universe is that characters go back and forth. Sony Pictures En-

tertainment has teamed with Marvel Studios to produce the sixth movie in its franchise. Jon Watts is directing the currently untitled “Spider-Man” film, which focuses on a teenage Parker’s high school days.

Marisa Tomei will star as Aunt May, and Zendaya will also be a part of the film, which is set for release July 7, 2017. Its production is

scheduled to begin in this summer.

Holland will debut his Spider-Man in “Captain America Civil War”.

A recent trailer shows Iron Man calling upon Spider-Man to use his web shooters against Captain America, implying that Holland’s character is on Team Iron Man in the film.

Source: IANS

Sunny Leone to produce, star in drama-thriller

O

ver 20,000 people have signed a petition calling for Donald Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to be removed. The star has been repeatedly targeted by vandals over recent months and has been marked with a swastika, a mute symbol and even dog excrement by anti-Trump campaigners.

The petition on the Care2 Petitions website reads “Donald Trump has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and it has been vandalized again and

again since the start of his presidential campaign. It’s clear that the community does not think he deserves to be represented there.”

“The fact that Donald Trump has a star along with the likes of Meryl Streep, Bill Murray and Audrey Hepburn is an insult in and of itself. The presidential candidate and former reality TV star has been spawning hateful, sexist and racist rhetoric since the beginning of his campaign.”

“Everything from spray paint to spit to feces has shown up on his star in the

last few months,” the petition continues. “One person spray painted a mute symbol over the star, another put a large swastika.

Humans have peed on it, pet owners have let their dogs poop on it, and many passerby spit at it.”

“The message is clear the public does not approve of Trump or the fact that he has a Hollywood Star.” So far the petition has amassed nearly 21,000 supporters, since it appeared online. Trump was awarded his star on the Walk of Fame in 2007,

following his reality show ‘The Apprentice’.

But despite the protests, there are no plans to remove the star. Leron Gubler, president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which operates the Walk of Fame told the LA Times, “The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a registered historic landmark.

Once a star has been added to the walk, it is considered a part of the historic fabric of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Because of this, we have never removed a star from the walk.”

Source: Contactmusic

T

he ‘Mastizaade’ actress will also star in the untitled project, which will be a dramathriller. We plan to shoot hopefully in July-August sometime this year. It will be in the drama-thriller space and we will test the waters that way. Hopefully it will turn out nice, Leone told PTI. I’ll be starring in it, because

that will be the best idea.

Rest of the details are still being worked out, she said. Leone, who had also shown keen interest in producing a superhero movie, said the project is in the pipeline. The superhero movie is in the pipeline. We are going to shoot this movie (dramathriller) before we get into the superhero space, she said. I believe if we as a

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production house release PlaTinuM - `320 something which is more -I don’t know want to say Gold - `150 ‘normal’- but on a differSilveR - `80 ent level of story, then we can get a good idea if we can accomplish a superhero movie. Because that will take a good one-anda-half years of planning, she said.

The 34-year-old actress, however, may not try her hands at script writing as of now and will focus solely on her home production.

I don’t know if I am quite equipped for that, it takes a different kind of talent to be able to actually put together a script or a screenplay.

All I know is now we are working on our home project, she said. Leone will be next seen shaking a leg with in English superstar Shah Rukh Khan 11:00 Am | 05:00 PM in the reprise version of the 1980 chartbuster ‘Laila O in Hindi Laila’ in the crime-thriller ‘Raees’.

02:00 pm | 08:00 pm Source: PTI

12

MonDAY 11•04•2016

SPORTS

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Manny Pacquiao beats Timothy Bradley in farewell fight

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (C), is watched by former Indian cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar (R) as she and Britain's Prince William play a game of cricket with Indian children, who are beneficiaries of NGOs, at the Oval Maidan in Mumbai April 10, 2016. (REUTERS) (LEFT) Manny Pacquiao lands a punch to bring down Timothy Bradley. (USA TODAY Sports) (RIGHT) Pacquiao and Bradley fight during their WBO welterweight title boxing bout. (AP Photo)

KKR overwhelm Delhi

Daredevils by 9 wickets C M Y K

(LEFT) Pacquiao speaks with media following his victory. (Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports) (RIGHT) Filipino boxing fans celebrate after Pacquiao's victory while watching on a live telecast monitor inside a basketball court in Manila. (REUTERS)

LAS VEGAS, APRIL 10 (REUTERS): Manny Pacquiao defeated Timothy Bradley by unanimous decision in the rubber match between the fighters on Saturday, prevailing in what the Filipino has said is the final fight of his career.

Pacquiao, who bounced back from a controversial split-decision defeat to Bradley in 2012 with a decisive win two years later, delivered the final blow in their welterweight clash

in Las Vegas as all three judges scored it 116-110 in his favor.

With fans chanting 'Manny' at the conclusion, Pacquiao (58-6-2) maintained that he is heading into retirement and continuing his political career in the Philippines.

"I have a commitment to my family that I'm going to retire after this and we don't know," Pacquiao told ringside reporters.

"If you ask me about if

I'm coming back, maybe I enjoy by being retired and serving and helping the people."

After a slow start narrowly controlled by Bradley, the 37-year-old Pacquiao seized the momentum in the middle portion following a furious fifth round.

Pacquiao then caught an off balance Bradley with a right hand to the ear to drop him in the seventh, but the American surpris-

ingly bounced back to hurt Pacquiao during the eighth.

From there Pacquiao wrested back control, highlighted by a right uppercut that dropped Bradley in the ninth.

At the strong urging of his trainer Teddy Atlas, Bradley (33-2-1) continued to hang in for the latter rounds though he appeared in trouble at the final bell.

"Every round (I was)

looking for a KO but Bradley is a very good boxer," Pacquiao said of the performance, which may go some way to helping cement his legacy after a disappointing fight against Floyd Mayweather last May. Mayweather easily won the fight that lacked much action to retire undefeated, though Pacquiao's support team said afterwards he had suffered a shoulder injury in training beforehand and later needed surgery.

Piyush Chawla takes a return catch. (Photo by IPL)

KoLKATA, APRIL 10 (IANS): A stupendous bowling effort backed up by steady batting helped two time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) overwhelm Delhi Daredevils by 9 wickets in their Indian Premier League (IPL)

opener at the Eden Gardens here on Sunday.

Chasing a target of 99, KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir remained unconquered with a 41-ball 38 alongside Manish Pandey who scored 15 off 12 balls, while Robin Uthappa con-

tributed 35 runs.

Earlier after electing to field, Chinaman bowler Brad Hogg (3/19) and West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell (3/24) helped to skittle out Delhi for 98 on a strip that had some purchase for the bowlers.

Leicester close in on title, Tottenham blow away Manchester United

LoNDoN, APRIL 10 (REUTERS): Premier League leaders Leicester City moved even closer to the title by winning 2-0 at relegation-threatened Sunderland while Tottenham destroyed a lacklustre United with a three-goal salvo in six secondhalf minutes to keep alive their Premier League title quest.

In the day’s other game, Liverpool romped to an easy victory over Stoke City despite manager Juergen Klopp resting a number of players ahead of Thursday's second leg of the Europa League quarter-final against his former club Borussia Dortmund.

Starting the match 10 points adrift of leaders Leicester, Tottenham shaved the gap to seven with goals from Dele Alli, Toby Alderweireld and Erik Lamela earning them a first home Tottenham Hotspur's Dele Alli scores his side's first goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and league win over United since 2001.

Manchester United at White Hart Lane stadium in London, Sunday, April 10. (AP Photo)

After a flat first half in which Lamela missed an open goal, Spurs broke the deadlock after 70 minutes when Alli fired home Christian Eriksen's low cross.

Alderweireld rose to head in Lamela's free kick four minutes later and Lamela swept in a third for a rampant home side who remain the only possible threat to Leicester City's march towards the title.

Fifth-placed United managed only one shot on target as their hopes of a Champions League spot suffered a severe blow.

England international Jamie Vardy put Leicester ahead in the 66th minute and he added his second -- and 21st of the season -- in added time.

With five games left, Claudio Ranieri's unfashionable side has already qualified for the Champions League and need a maxi-

mum of nine more points to become English champions for the first time.

Sunderland remain in the bottom three, four points behind Norwich City, who they play next Saturday.

Liverpool made seven changes from the side that had drawn 1-1 in Germany, giving first Premier League starts to youngsters Kevin Stewart and Sheyi Ojo. Ojo set up the second goal for Daniel Sturridge with a fine cross and when he was substituted at halftime, replacement Divock Origi scored twice. Earlier Alberto Moreno had put the home side in front before Bojan Krkic equalised.

The victory sent Liverpool above Stoke into eighth position, one point ahead of them but nine short of the Champions League places.

‘Self discipline, determination vital in making a good wrestler’ The Morung Express interacts with Naga Wrestling Champion 2016 Chizoko Vero Kohima | April 10

Thirty year old Vechita Khesoh has carved a niche for himself in the field of Naga wrestling.

The 6 feet 2 inches and 120 kilo macho-man recently won the coveted Naga wrestling champion title at the 25th Anniversary tournament of Nagaland Wrestling Association (NWA) earlier this year.

Self discipline and determination are vital in the making of a good wrestler, according to Vechita Khesoh. “A wrestler has to go through intense physical training, maintain strict diet and be fed with a lot of positive motivations,” he says when asked by The Morung Express on what a wrestler needs to do to excel in the field.

Born into a family of ardent wrestling followers, Vechita says, “The love for the game runs in the family, young and old alike.” The eldest son of Lt. Suluyi Khesoh and Zanet-

solu Khesoh, Vechita’s father was a policeman and a recipient of the Governor's medal but unfortunately passed away when he was still young.

Vechita points to a certain Sir Lhuvesii Puro and says that he loved watching him in action. “Seeing and hearing about his passion and dedication for the game inspired me to pursue wrestling seriously,” he adds.

He is a two time winner of the Chozuba Range Wrestling Association (2014 and 2016) and also emerged Chakhesang wrestling champion in 2016. He has also a two time champion at the International Hornbill Naga Wrestling Championships (2012 and 2014) and two time heavyweight champion of Naga Wrestlemania (2014 and 2015). He also emerged champion at the King of the Ring 2015.

But winning the NWA tournament was a dream come true for Vechita. “I feel extremely happy at the same time I am humbled to win

such a prestigious title,” he says.

Apart from wrestling, Vechita is also interested in basketball. “I love playing basketball,” he says.

Vechita’s message to his fans is simple – to always be “grateful and humble”. “Life is short lived. Fame and glory, transient,” he says. “What remains forever is the memory of kind gesture, shared joy however simple.”

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