December 18th, 2015 by The Morung Express

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www.morungexpress.com

FriDAY • December 18 • 2015

DIMAPUR • Vol. X • Issue 344 • 12 PAGes • 4

T H e

ESTD. 2005

P o W e R

The great thing about human language is that it prevents us from sticking to the matter at hand Yazidi woman begs UN Security Council to wipe out Islamic State

ANPWDMFSA appeals for regularization of service

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others

Naga Hoho condemns killing of businesswoman

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Says the “decisive shift in the thinking of NPGs showed acknowledgement of the roadmap of change and reconciliation they all know they should take for the benefit of all Nagas”

Drink just enough to scare the businessmen out of the shopkeepers.

Mourinho sacked as Chelsea manager

FNR calls for Non-Violence

By Sandemo Ngullie

Yes

T R u T H

— Lewis Thomas

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reflections

Is Nagaland government providing the space for protection of freedom of the press and freedom of speech and expression?

o F

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A Brazilian indian attends a protest against the Proposed Constitutional Amendment (PEC 215), in front of the national Congress in Brasilia, Brazil. PEC 215 proposes the transfer of power to demarcate indigenous lands to the Brazilian national Congress. (Reuters Photo/Ueslei Marcelino)

Gauhati HC stays Arunachal assembly proceedings ITANAgAR/ gUwAhATI, DECEMBER 17 (IANS): The political drama in Arunachal Pradesh for the last two days came to an end on Thursday after the Gauhati High Court stayed the proceedings of the state's legislative assembly till February 1. The high court single bench of Justice Hrishikesh Roy passed the order while hearing a writ petition filed by Supreme Court advocate Kapil Sibal on behalf of Arunachal Pradesh Speaker Nabam Rebia. Rebia, in his petition, alleged that Governor J.P. Rajkhowa summoned the winter session of the assembly without consulting Chief Minister Nabam Tuki and his council of ministers and that it was done at the behest of a certain political party. The court

DIMAPUR, DECEMBER 17 (MExN): The Naga Hoho has condemned the murder of Ritika Mehta, proprietor of Apna Hotel at Dimapur on December 14 at her Hotel premises. “Killing of any human life in whichever form is not acceptable in any civilised society…,” said a press note from the Naga Hoho. It expressed condolences to the bereaved family and urged law enforcing agencies to arrest the culprits/ murderer(s) at the earliest so as to deliver justice to the victim and let law and order prevail. Meanwhile, the Naga Hoho also appealed to all the Naga Political Groups, Assam Rifles, Para Military, etc to “abstain from creating and implanting fear psychoour Correspondent sis to the citizens and avoid unwanted scenes and to Sendenyu | December 17 maintain maximum restrain even in the face of confront- Nagaland State Governor, PB Acharya today urged ing one another.” NGOs and civil societies to Kiren Rijiju’s visit to work together with one goal stay united to bring Nagaland cancelled and peace in Nagaland state. KohIMA, DECEMBER Addressing the 38th 17 (DIPR): The scheduled general conference of the visit Union Minister of State Rengma Students’ Union for Home, Kiren Rijiju to Na- (RSU) here under the theme galand to inaugurate 14th “Envision, Enlighten and IRB headquarters at Kiphire Empower,” he said that dehas been cancelled due to velopment has no meaning unavoidable official engage- at all unless there is peace ment. According to DRC, Delhi, the Union Minister in the state. He also called was set to arrive in Nagaland upon the people of the state at Dimapur Airport and from to change their mindset and there flown to Kiphire by march forward. “We have potentiality MHA Chopper on December 18 for the inauguration of to become a great state,” he the 14th IRB HQs at Kiphire. said and at the same time

will hear the next arguments on February 2 next year. The high voltage political drama in Arunachal Pradesh, however, continued, as 34 legislators including Deputy Speaker T. Norbu Thongdok, 20 Congress legislators, 11 BJP legislators and two Independent legislators took part in the second day of the "winter session" of the assembly at a hotel conference hall. During Thursday's proceedings, Leader of Opposition Tamiyo Taga of the BJP tabled a no confidence motion against Chief Minister Tuki and his council of ministers, which was adopted in the house. "Since April, members of the assembly have been experiencing lack of confidence in the council of ministers led by Chief

Minister Nabam Tuki," Taga said. "Because of his (Tuki's) bad governance,nepotismandcorruption,members are gradually withdrawing their support from him. "It was a government with absolute majority of 47 members but looking at the situation, we are compelled to bring this motion," Taga said. He supported rebel Congress legislator KalikhoPulasthenextchiefminister.Independent member Paknga Bage also extended his support to Pul. Chief Minister Tuki and the other 25 Congress legislators, however, remained away from the "session", terming it illegal and unconstitutional. Tuki on Thursday wrote to President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking their intervention in the matter.

DIMAPUR, DECEMBER 17 (MExN): The Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) has urged all groups and individuals not to resort to any kind of provocation or violence, if and when any Agreement might be signed and implemented. “This is especially important with respect to NSCN (IM) and the GoI, and all other NPGs, State politicians and officials,” said a press statement from the FNR today. The FNR expressed concern that “a settlement that may turn out to be the best for the Nagas under today's circumstances is in real danger of being characterised only as an IndoNSCN (IM), not an IndoNaga, settlement.” It said that that such an interpretation could give rise to violence, while cautioning that “a renewal of conflict will become too heavy a burden for the Naga people to bear after

the decades of destructive conflict they have lived through,” it cautioned. The FNR informed that the forum along with a “number of concerned Nagas” met to take stock of the situation following the Framework Agreement reached between the NSCN (IM) and the Government of India (GoI) on August 3, 2015 in Delhi. “It is clear that a moment has come for a settlement that Nagas as well as GoI urgently need. We should also be aware of both the fearful dangers and the opportunities presented by the process,” it said. It therefore appealed to the NSCN (IM) and the other Naga political groups to “grasp the rare opportunity together and take Naga society forward.” “This in our view will require a meeting between the NSCN (IM) and the other groups to discuss the terms being negotiated for a settlement,” the FNR said, while cautioning that the “hidden dangers and opportunities of the situation will require the other NPGs to respond truthfully and responsibly demonstrating the needed statesmanship at this juncture.” It further noted that the response to such transparency shown by the NSCN (IM) will be an indicator of the unanim-

ity by the national workers for the long term good of all Nagas. It recalled that for a decade, the FNR has worked to bring all the NPGs together, as desired by the Nagas, for meaningful reconciliation, with the hope that an honourable political solution acceptable to both Nagas and India would be achieved. Acknowledging the positive response of the Naga Political Groups (NPGs), the support of the churches, the Hohos and the public for whatever has resulted from its efforts, “especially the dramatic lowering of the level of bloodshed in our society,” the FNR noted that the “decisive shift in the thinking of NPGs showed acknowledgement of the roadmap of change and reconciliation they all know they should take for the benefit of all Nagas.” The discernable change demonstrated by the NPGs has given hope to the Nagas, it said. Urging Churches, tribe hohos, Naga Civil Society Organizations and all the Naga people to remain alert and vigilant to prevent and oppose all forms of violence, it further called upon Nagas to “pause, ponder and make the right response to the challenges confronting us today.”

Gov urges NGOs to work together with ‘one goal’ NPF President assures stressed on the need to focus on Education, Electricity and Employment. He said the coming year 2016 is a great challenge and opportunity for the people of the state to build a strong and prosperous Nagaland. He hoped that 2016 would bring in permanent peace in the state. Responding to the memorandum submitted by RSU for opening of a government college in Tseminyu Sub Division, the Governor assured that he would take the responsibility to get it done. Acharya said he would sit with the School Education Minister and see to it that Government College starts by the next academic year in

Tseminyu Sub Division. “Students organization is the strongest pillar of the society,” he further said and asked them to be a watch dog and a nodal agency for development of the society. Stating that student organizations should be the torch bearer of the society, he called upon them to stand up and check the practice of proxy teachers in their respective areas. Parliamentary Secretary for PWD (Housing) Er Levi Rengma meanwhile said students are the pillar of the society. He called upon the students to acquire knowledge and disseminate the same to the under privileged and poor sections of society. He also

challenged the people to maintain integrity and peace. “Peace is a must in our society,” he said adding that the society cannot proper without peace. Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) President, Subenthang Kithan noted that RSU is one of the strongest units of the NSF and called upon them to be more effective and competitive and march towards greater heights. He also urged upon the RSU to work for overall development of the students and the public in general. Rengma Hoho President, Kenyuseng Tep said “we need change” and asked the RSU to carry the wheel of change. He also stated that Tseminyu Sub Division is

the oldest sub division in the state, which require more administrative and block development centres. Earlier, RSU President, Er Meshenlo Kath delivered the presidential address while welcome address was delivered by Chogin Range Students’ Union President, Shwenlozii Thongseb. Chaired by Zentilo Tep, the inaugural function was followed by a song competition cum entertainment, glimpses of Chogin range. A talk show on ‘Social media impact on our youth,’ panel discussion on ‘Status of Rengmas in Nagaland,’ song competition, Union Assembly will take place on December 18.

better governance for all

KohIMA, DECEMBER 17 (MExN): President of the Naga People’s Front (NPF) and DAN Chairman, Dr Shurhozelie Leizitsu has assured the minority community in Nagaland that the State Government would provide better governance and peace in Nagaland for all. A press note from the Minority Wing of the NPF held a meeting with Dr Shurhozlie on December 14 on the political and other issues related to safety and security of permanent settlers in Nagaland. “Dr Shurhozelie said that the NPF government is working its best for safety, security and peaceful coexistence of each and every citizens living in Nagaland,”

said a press note from the NPF Minority Wing Central General Secretary, Devendra Rana. The NPF President further stated that development is possible only with the cooperation of the common people with the Government. “It is started with the activities like repairing of road and drainage system in town areas and providing better administration for all round development,” he added. Dr Shurhozelie also lauded the activities of Minority Wing NPF, the political setup for minorities, “which is working its best for the betterment of the minority communities living in Nagaland.” He further extended Christmas and New Year greetings to all.

Heart diseases biggest killer worldwide ‘Encountering Life’- KK Sema’s autobiography released C M Y K

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NEw YoRK, DECEMBER 17 (IANS): Heart disease and stroke were the number one and number two killers worldwide in 2013, reveals a new report. While 31 percent of all deaths were from cardiovascular disease, with 80 percent occurring in low- and middle-income countries as of 2013, stroke accounted for 11.8 percent of all deaths, according to American Heart Association's 2016 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update. "Statistics about cardiovascular disease and stroke, and particularly the metrics about death and the factors that contribute to cardiovascular disease are incredibly important," said Mark Creager, president, American Heart Association (AHA). Despite the progress

in reducing the number of deaths from heart disease and stroke, the numbers are still too high, Creager said. Produced since 1958, the update is created from the most-recent data available and compiled by the AHA, the US National Institutes of Health, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and other government sources. The study found that one of every three deaths in the US in 2013 were from heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular disease is not only the top killer in the US, but worldwide, David Siscovick, senior vice president for research at the New York Academy of Medicine in New York City. Hypertension, obesity

and diabetes are global epidemics, he said. The update now tracks health factors and behaviours known to contribute to good cardiovascular health. These habits include smoking status, physical activity, healthy diet, body weight, and control of cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar. "We need to maintain our vigor and resolve in promoting good cardiovascular health through lifestyle and recognition and treatment of risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and smoking," Creager said. "We have made progress in the fight against cardiovascular disease, but the battle is not won," Creager noted. The findings appeared in the journal Circulation.

Morung Express news Dimapur | December 17

“I have been brutally honest...” are the words Khekiye K. Sema (IAS, Rtd.) uses to describe his book ‘Encountering Life- Antics of a Govt. Servant’ released here today. The book, published by Heritage Publishing House, was released by peace activist Niketu Iralu at Hotel Acacia. “Many sentiments will be hurt by the book,” said KK Sema while highlighting how he has put out his honesty in the book “almost with vengeance.” During his tenure as a government servant, he could not “open my mouth” about the frequent transfers and other practices that make life difficult within the Nagaland State bureaucracy and outside it. He was transferred 24 times in his 36 odd years in government service. Sema talked about how this autobiography is also an attempt to etch out his life from an “uncontaminated village boy” to an officer of the Indian Administrative Service. He acknowledged the education that his parents, particularly

Khekiye K. sema, niketu iralu and lanusangla Tzudir at the book launch of ‘Encountering life- Antics of a Govt. servant’ on December 17 at Hotel Acacia, Dimapur.

his mother, guided him through apart from the “moral understanding of life as it ought to be lived.” According to Dr. Lanusangla Tzudir, Chief Editor of Heritage Publishing House, the book will be the “best Christmas gift” for the emergence of Naga society. While speaking at the book launch, she admitted that it will “make some noises” while speaking honestly to Naga society.

Conscience & Guidance “Mankind has to live by the dictates of conscience,” said Niketu Iralu while releasing KK Sema’s book today. Through their movement, ACAUT has brought the “mental, moral and spiritual upsurge of our people,” noted Iralu. The ACAUT voice has been “audible and clear,” much like a trumpet, personified

by KK Sema. Today’s book launch was organised by Heritage Publishing House but minutely managed by ACAUT members. The central issue is to build a “just and fair world for the human race.” Conscience, he said, is central to what one believes in to fight against all that is wrong around us. Acknowledging that ACAUT faces the challenge of how to sustain itself, the peace activist stated that ACAUT shows the role one can play in a difficult world where “we need to selflessly look out for each other.” For this, “guidance from god” confirms the path ahead while a sharper conscience leads to social and political advancement. “Hope is born when one fights for what one believes is right. It us up to all of us to create that hope,” said Iralu while appreciating the author for his endeavour and wishing him the best. The book release was chaired by KY Sukhalu, Vigilance Commissioner, Government of Nagaland and an invocation was offered by Rev. Hevukhu Achumi.

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FRiDAY 18•12•2015

NAGALAND

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Book on literary cultures Morung- Heart of Listening and back to one’s roots- Phase 4 of North East released Morung Express News Kohima | December 17

‘Literary Cultures of India’s Northeast: Naga Writings in English’ authored by Dr. K.B. Veio Pou, and published by Heritage Publishing House, Dimapur, was released on December 16 at Ozone Café. The book was released by Dr. Temsula Ao. Holding a PhD from JNU, New Delhi, and currently teaching in the English Department at Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, Delhi University, Dr. Veio Pou noted that it took him three years of research to complete the book. The book gives a comprehensive insight into the literary cultures of the Northeast with special reference to Naga writings in English. Dr. Temsula Ao, Chairperson, Nagaland State Commission for Women, Padma Shree awardee in Literature and Education, and one of the pioneers of Naga writing in English stated that the oral tradition is the basis of our culture and identity and that Naga writers are yet to explore this area of translating the storehouse of our

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oral tradition into the written form. Appreciating the fact that an entire chapter of the book had been devoted to oral tradition, Dr. Ao encouraged writers produce works of literature from our own unique stories and culture. In her introduction to the book, Dr. Lanusangla Tsudir of Heritage Publishing House, Dimapur, commended the author on the meticulous work done and added that the book will be of immense help to students and research scholars. Dr. Nigamananda Das, Prof. and Head, Department of English, Nagaland University also added that Dr. Pou’s book is a unique contribution to Indian literary criticism which will enthuse critical studies on writings from the Northeast. Meanwhile, President of Naga Scholars Association, Delhi, Dr. Zuchamo Yanthan asserted that the book is a dream of the Naga scholars community materializing with the publication of the book. Dr. Yanthan highlighted that the book is divided thematically into five chapters beginning with a look

at the Northeast as India’s Post-colonial “other” and situating the emergence of writings in English through the prism of history, polity, society and culture. He said that the book also contains analyses of works by prominent Naga women writers such as Easterine Kire, Temsula Ao and Nini Lungalang reflecting how our women writers have so skillfully preserved our culture and history through literature. The programme was chaired by Dr. Sentinaro Tsuren, Asst. Professor in English, Baptist College, Kohima. A special song was presented by Kimneihoi Vaiphei, student of BCK. The event concluded with an interactive session with the author over coffee and snacks, followed by book signing. It was well attended by literature lovers, lecturers, scholars, and students of English from Nagaland University, Model Christian College and Baptist College, Kohima. The book is available for sale at Crossword, Cornerstone and Pages in Kohima and Signet Books, Dimapur.

Participants at the fourth phase of the ‘Morung- Heart of Listening and back to one’s roots’ initiated by Pathfinders in collaboration with Angami Students’ Union (ASU) held on December 17 at ASU office, Kohima. (Morung Photo) Morung Express News Kohima | December 17

Stressing on the role of Student bodies in facilitating quality education, the fourth phase of the ‘Morung- Heart of Listening and back to one’s roots’ initiated by Pathfinders in collaboration with Angami Students’ Union (ASU) was held on December 17 at ASU office, Kohima.

The workshop focused on evaluating and sharing of experiences of the past series of workshops. A major topic of discussion was the role of Student Unions in facilitating and keeping a check on school particularly government schools in rural areas in imparting quality education and preventing irregularity and proxy teachers. The participants most-

Notification on JEE (Main) 2016 admission Kohima, December 17 (mexn): All concerned are informed that the State of Nagaland will follow the Single National Test during 2016 for admission against state quota to under graduate course in engineering, through JEE (Main) 2016 to be conducted by Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). As notified by the CBSE on November 26, 2015 in local daily, the online application process has started on December 1. The last date for application is December 31. All interested candidates desirous of availing state quota for

engineering courses are requested to visit www. jeemain.nic.in for detail information. Online applications are invited for All India Pre-Medical/Pre Dental Entrance Test- 2016 for admission to MBBS/BDS Courses under 15% All India quota seats. Candidates are requested to log in to the website www. aipmt.nic.in to fill up the form. This was informed in a press release issued by Directorate of Technical Education, Kohima Additional Director Er Arjun Singh.

ly consisted of Students’ Activist under ASU who shared experiences on the condition of education in villages where teachers are mostly found absent in the schools. Even if present, the lack of imparting basic education to the village children is a major concern. “Community should take the ownership,” stated Peno Hiekha, Pathfinders, who highlighted the impor-

tance of concern shared by community on education which has a positive impact in education of the children especially in government schools. Hiekha suggested that surprise checkings are important and it is more efficient when the community takes a check on the schools. “You build nice churches and houses but when the school does not even have

basic facilities it shows the standard of the people,” noted Gugu Haralu of Pathfinder, further adding that the future of the children is bleak when the schools in villages do not even provide facilities as basic as toilets. Often teachers are not equipped with the knowledge they need to teach the children, viewed Haralu and the lack of interaction among the students is another hurdle to learning and building confidence. An important factor that Haralu pointed out is the skill of teachers in simplifying the lessons for the students. Simplifying is an art and skill which is necessary while teaching students. The workshop also discussed issues where children are not only deprived of their right to education but often sandwiched between the blame-game of the teacher and the parent. Haralu also pointed out the lack in Student bodies where ‘they don’t go far enough to study and research’. Unless one is informed, one cannot have the authority to say what is right. The importance of a stable comprehensive attitude and identifying the deficiencies and training each other to develop skills were outlined.

Orangkong Union Nyengching celebrates Golden Jubilee

Mickael Lecou, GM, Dealer Network, Nissan gives away award to Managing Director, Nili Nissan, H. Tovito Aye in Dimapur on Thursday. Nili Nissan on Thursday celebrated second anniversary at its showroom in Dimapur. During a short programme, Mickael Lecou, GM, Dealer Network, Nissan delivered a brief speech and gave away award to Managing Director, Nili Nissan, H. Tovito Aye for highest Datsun sales pan India and also highest Nissan vehicle sales in East region. The programme was attended by Regional Manager, East, Mudit Gupta; After Sales Manager, East, Mrinmoy Gogoi; Area Sales Manager, East, Dipjyoti Deka and other invitees.

LongLeng, December 17 (mexn): Orangkong Union Nyengching (OUN) Longleng celebrated its Golden Jubilee under the theme, “In Step with Vision” on December 16, in the PBCA Convention Hall, with Ex-MLA 50 A/C Longleng, M. Shami Angh, as the Chief Guest. The day started with the unveiling of monolith in the medical junction, Longleng by the Chief Guest, after which the gathering marched to the Convention hall for the program. In his speech, the chief guest applauded the OUN for overcoming the challenges and bringing a change in the society as a whole. He also encouraged the younger generations to follow the steps of their elders in achieving greater heights. Speaking on the theme of the Jubilee, “In Step with Vision”, Dr. B. Henshet PhomVice Principal Yingli Government College Longleng as the Resource person stressed on the provocative and vital role which can be played by OUN in promoting the people

of Longleng District. He further encouraged the union and the younger generation to have a strong vision like our forefathers; who according to him were visionaries. Short speeches were delivered by Y. Niamko DB, H. Leisha PPC President, Chauchei VCC Orangkong and Y. Denngan Avennoho Phom DC Longleng. The gathering was hosted by B. Pauloi and T.Lomistartedwiththewelcomeaddressfrom the Planning Chairman H. Tenchem Phom and special numbers by Orangkong La Union (OLU) Longleng and Orangkong Students’ Union Nyengching Unit, Longleng. Action Committee of the Union enthralled the gathering with a humorous and heart touching play in which they depicted the likeminded individuals who were involved in forming the Union. In conclusion, President OUN Longleng B. Shamkai Phom thanked the gathering, guest and invitees for their prayer and support while the benediction was proclaimed by B. Ngailong, Home Evangelist (ONU).

ANPWDMFSA appeals for regularization of service DEF and YouthNet organises eNGO workshop Kohima, December 17 (mexn): The All Nagaland (PWD) Mechanical Field Staff Association has made an appeal to the Nagaland State Chief Minister for early implementation of Government Office Memorandum NO-AR-3/GEN-201/2009 Dated, Kohima, the 17th March 2015 regarding regularization of service The Association, in reference to earlier notification mentioned that the memorandum No.1 clause (1) as All existing Work-Charged and Causal Employees of various Departments who are enjoying scale pay and who have

completed 30 years or more continuous service as on 01.01.2015 will be regularized by conversion of their post into regular ones subject to fulfillment of conditions as (a) The incumbent have been duly verified and found genuine by the District Level Verification Committee constituted by the Government (b) Availability of service records including appointment order, date of initial appointment proof of length of service/ age etc. The PWD Mechanical Department is concern with the initiative of All Nagaland PWD Mechani-

cal Staff Association has verified and fulfills all the directives/criteria given in the office memorandum to the Government of Nagaland and submitted for necessary action with high expectation. “However, so far, the concern Work-Charged and Casual Employees Commission did not implemented this office order at any departments. Whereas, most of the incumbents are retire from their service without getting their due rights,” stated the appeal appended by ANPWDMFSA general secretary I Mar Pongen.

The ANPWDMFSA has appealed to the CM to take prompt initiative in regularize the service of the work-charge employees those who have completed 30 years and above as on 01.01.2015 under PWD Mechanical Department without delay anymore. “So, that the next group of incumbents those who have completed 30 years of Service as on 01.07.2015 shall process for the same and also the aggrieved Work-Charge employees could relieved from their grievance during your Leadership regime,” the ANPWDMFSA added.

Wear Helmet

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Participants of the one-day workshop for NGOs, NPOs, CBOs and SHGs conducted on December 17 at NBDA Conference Hall, 6th Mile, Dimapur.

Dimapur , De ce mbe r 17 (mexn): A one-day workshop for NGOs, NPOs, CBOs and SHGs was conducted on December 17 at NBDA Conference Hall, 6th Mile, Dimapur. The eNGO workshop was organised by DEF (Digital Empowerment Foundation) with local partner YouthNet. The objective of the workshop was

to encourage the local organizations to have an online presence and improve global trust and visibility for non-profits in the ever crowded digital space. As the chief guest, Kesonyu Yhome, DC Dimapur, in his address shared how NGOs play such an important role in building society. He highlighted that though there are so

many NGOs within our state, only a handful are engaged in meaningful work. He encouraged the NGOs to develop trust amongst the people just like governments and other similar bodies. He also stressed on the need for NGOs to use technology to reach out to more people and to be able to share stories.

TYOD shares concern for local timber dealers

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Drive Slow & Safe DIMAPUR TRAFFIC POLICE in collaboration with The Morung Express

Dimapur, December 17 (mexn): The Tenyimi Youth Organization Dimapur (TYOD) has expressed shock to learn that the allotment for issuing railway wagons for transportation of timbers to other parts of the state which have shown the list of 60% of works given in favour to the non-locals and 20% to the Government high officials, Ministers, MLAs and Naga political groups leaving aside

and snatching the rights of the landowners who were dealing with Timbers for the last 20 to 25 years. TYOD Treasurer Neizelie Keditsu and general secretary Khrozote Kapfo in a press release said it also felt that, local timber dealers whose hard labour and their rights was sold out directly or indirectly at throw away price due to certain elements which have hampering the local business in particu-

lar. Therefore, the TYOD question the handiwork of the state government particularly the concern department as to why the maximum allottees were given to VIPs and non local where genuine members were deprived? The TYOD appeal the state Government to retrospect the earlier decision taken in favour of the allottees and redress the demand as put up in the form of memoran-

dum submitted by the Nagaland Timber Traders Union (NTTU) dated 4-12-2015 to Chief Minister and Governor of Nagaland through DFO office, Dimapur regarding for re-allocation of railway wagons for transportation of Timber for the quarter December 2015 to February 2016 through the committee set up by the government before the matter is blown out of proportion.

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FridAY 18•12•2015

NORTH-EAST

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Tuki govt loses confidence motion, held in a hotel Norbu Thongdok, who is also a rebel Congressman, in the Chair. A total 33 members of the 60-member house, including 20 dissident Congress MLAs, later “elected” another dissident Congressman Kalikho Pul as the new “chief minister” of the state. The Chief Minister Nabam Tuki and his 26 supporting MLAs boycotted the proceedings terming them as “illegal and unconstitutional”. The “proceedings” were held at a new venue as the make-shift premises where Speaker Nabam Rebia was ‘impeached’ on Wednesday night was vandalised by miscreants and the MLAs opposing Tuki were not allowed to enter the Assembly premises by security forces. As per directive of the Speaker, the district ad-

ministration has sealed the Assembly premises since Wednesday. The MLAs then with “due consent” from Governor J P Rajkhowa shifted the venue to the conference hall of a in Naharlagun. The “session”, which was chaired by Deputy Speaker T Norbu Thongdok passed the motion by voice vote and signature consent by 33 members in the absence of 26 Congress MLAs including Tuki and his council of ministers. Thongdok announced Pul as the “new Leader of the House” and said that the “proceedings” would be sent to the Governor who would ask the new chief minister and his council of ministers to take the oath of office shortly. The Deputy Speaker said the “composite floor test” was introduced by the

Anup Chetia granted bail in two cases, to remain in jail

guwahatI, December 17 (PtI): ULFA 'general secretary' Anup Chetia, recently extradited by Bangladesh, was today granted bail by a court here in two TADA cases but will remain in jail as some other cases against him are pending. Special judge Alokesh Bhattacharya allowed Chetia, alias Golap Baruah, to go on bail by submitting a bail bond of Rs 5 lakh and security of the same amount. The plea was made for Chetia's bail for facilitating his trial and for him to participate in the ongoing peace process.

Additional Public Prosecutor said the Assam government had no objection to Chetia being granted bail. He will, however, not walk out as there are a number of cases against him. Another TADA case related to the ULFA leader would be heard tomorrow followed by an Indian Penal Court (IPC) case the day after. Chetia had in his first interaction with the media earlier this month said that he was for peace talks between ULFA and the Centre. Following his extradition by Bangladesh on

November 11, Chetia was arrested by CBI in Delhi in connection with a murder incident at Golaghat in Assam. Chetia was in Bangladesh jail since his arrest by that country's police in 1997 on charges of crossborder intrusion, carrying fake passports and illegally keeping foreign currencies. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had said that the state government has all along been pursuing with the Centre for repatriation of Chetia and now since he has been repatriated he should be associated with the ongoing peace talks.

Supreme Court of India in the case of Kalyan Singh Vs Jagadambila Pal in the UP assembly, for the first time in the country where members could participate in a no-confidence motion against the government. “Since the current situation of the state is similar to that of Uttar Pradesh, the motion was brought in accordance to the apex court judgement on a special leave petition No 4498/1998,” Thongdok said. He added that only maximum six members are required to table such a motion as per laid down norms but in the current session 13 members moved it. Tabling the “motion”, Leader of the Opposition Tamiyo Taga (of BJP) alleged that since April this year the members of the Assembly have been experiencing lack of confidence

in the council of ministers led by Tuki. “Because of his (Tuki’s) misgovernance and mismanagement, nepotism and corruption, members are gradually withdrawing their support from him. It is a Congress government with absolute majority of 47 members but looking at the situation we are compelled to bring this motion,” Taga said. The opposition leader further alleged that the financial position of the state deteriorated under Tuki while contractors payment, stipends, salaries were not paid. “The central fund under National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) and State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) have been grossly misused by Tuki. There has been no annual operating plan (AOP) since Tuki took the rein of the state and all development funds have

been siphoned off,” he pointed out. He said, the Tuki government has been reduced to a minority and it has no right to exist for even a single day. Terming Pul as a capable leader with his vast experience, Taga supported him as the next chief minister of the state. Seconding the motion, senior BJP member Japu Deru said the Nabam Tuki government had failed in all front, while another BJP MLA Laisam Simai echoed similar resentment. Independent MLA Paknga Bage also extended his support to Pul. The Deputy Speaker called for chief minister and ministers to participate in the discussion on the motion but they were absent. After the motion was adopted, Thongdok adjourned the house sine die.

new DelhI, December 17 (IanS): The northeastern region has been projected to face a rise in temperature of 1.8 to 2.1 degrees Celsius, DoNER Minister Jitendra Singh said on Wednesday. He said this citing a 2010 report based on a study conducted by the Indian Network of Climate Change Assessment (INCCA) to assess the impact of climate change on four key sectors of Indian economy -- agriculture, water, natural ecosystems and biodiversity and health -- in four climate sensitive regions of India, namely the Himalayan region, the Western Ghats, the coastal area and the northeastern region. "The report projects rise in temperature in the northeastern region (NER) in the range of 1.8 to 2.1 de-

grees celsius and increase in the mean annual rainfall in the order of 0.3 percent to 3 percent in 2030s, with respect to the 1970s," the minister for Development of the North Eastern Region said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. "Projected increase of night-time temperature may lead to decrease in the production of rice and may affect the nutritional health of the population," he said. The minister said soil erosion due to increase in intensity of precipitation events might lead to an increase in occurrence of landslides, affecting agriculture activities, including tea plantations. "The report also projects that the window of transmission of malaria may remain open for at least for seven to nine

months in a year," he said. According to Singh, climate change-related activities are addressed through various schemes of the Indian government by integrating these concerns into programme implementation. "The government has formulated the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) in June 2008 to deal with the climate change-related issues. NAPCC comprises eight missions in specific areas of solar energy, enhanced energy efficiency, sustainable habitat, water, sustaining Himalayan ecosystems, green India, sustainable agriculture and strategic knowledge for climate change," he said. "Thirty two states and union territories, including all states from the northeastern region, have pre-

chanDIgarh, December 17 (tnn): The police on Wednesday arrested 10 students of a private educational institute in Mohali for allegedly attacking their batch-mates from north-east near Khuda Lahora on December 9. Police said an old dispute was the reason behind youths from Himachal Pradesh hitting the others. At the same time a student captured the attack on his mobile phone and uploaded it on social networking sites. On December 15, the rivalry flared up again when the Himachal Pradesh youths started pelting stones at the north-east students while they were travelling in an institute bus, leaving four of them injured, said inspector Narender Patial of Sector 11 police station.

pared State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC) consistent with objectives of NAPCC and incorporating state specific vulnerabilities, adaptation needs and other priorities." Singh said the respective SAPCCs would be implemented by the states through state plans, central schemes and other sources of funding. "A thematic scheme on Climate Change Action Programme (CCAP) with an outlay of Rs.290 crore

was launched during the 12th Five Year Plan to address the issues related to climate change," he said. "Coordinated studies on climate change in the northeastern region is one of the components under CCAP to undertake studies on impacts of climate change on forests biodiversity, water, agriculture and human settlement with a view to develop adaptation and mitigation benefits in the region," the minister added.

Government of India Ministry of AYUSH National Medicinal Plants Board Room No.309, 3rd Floor, AYUSH Bhawan, B-Block, GPO Complex, INA New Delhi - 110023

NOTICE Sub: Extension of date for submission of EOI for engagement of Professional Management Consultants (PMCs) for National Medicinal Plants Board schemes.

(Ashok Kumar) Finance & Administrative Officer (NMPB)

NAGALAND LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY SECRETARIAT KOHIMA ORDER Dated Kohima, the 17th December, 2015

Dated Kohima, the 17th Dec, 2015

PRESS RELEASE

(Thejao Vihienuo) State Mission Director, RMSA: Nagaland

10 from HP attack NE students, held

In continuation to this office advertisement Notice' issued on 04.11.2015 for the Expression of Interest for engagement of Professional Management Consultants (PMCs) for National Medicinal Plants Board Schemes, the date for submission of EOI is hereby extended upto 05.01.2016. The all other terms and conditions shall remain the same, which are available on NMPB website www.nmpb.nic.in and Ministry of AYUSH website www. indianmedicine.nic.in

NAGALAND, KOHIMA

The attention of the Nagaland Education Mission Society, RMSA, Nagaland is drawn to news items appearing in the Local Dailies raising allegations and seeking clarifications on the conduct and declaration of teacher recruitment result published on 27th November 2015. For information of the individual candidates, groups, organizations and general public the following clarifications are hereby issued:(i) The advertisement dated 14-12-2013 was issued for recruitment of a total of 951 teachers including Sports Instructors, for 133 upgraded GHS under RMSA. However, the State Cabinet had approved only 627 posts of Graduate Teachers and 112 posts of Head Masters for only 112 Government High School. (ii) Against 112 posts of Graduate Teachers for Maths, only 42 candidates could be selected. The State Mission Authority proposes to re-advertise the remaining posts. (iii) The State Cabinet had earlier given relaxation upto 40% of marks in graduation for candidates belonging to the backward tribes of the State for a period of 5 years which already expired and further extension was not given. The State Cabinet in its sitting on 26th November 2015 has agreed to give preference to the candidates having educational qualifications prescribed by the MHRD. In subjects, where there is shortage of qualified candidates, those candidates who have not acquired B.Ed qualification, but are otherwise qualified were considered subject to the condition that such candidates shall be required to acquire B.Ed qualification within 5 years of their appointment. The effect of the decision of the State Cabinet is that those candidates having less than 45% in graduation were not to be considered for appointment as they would not be eligible for admission to B.Ed course under the existing MHRD and National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) norms. (iv) The State Mission Authority did not get sufficient number of candidates having 45% or above in graduation for the following subjects: a. Ao language b. Sumi Language c. Lotha Language Hence, the remaining vacancies are to be advertised again. (v) The advertisement for recruitment of graduate teachers was made district wise and subject wise. Even though preference was to be given to the candidates having B.Ed from recognized universities, the Cabinet also decided that candidates from other districts would not be selected for posts in the districts of Kiphire, Longleng, Mon, and Tuensang, except for posts in Science and Maths. Hence, excess B.Ed candidates from other districts were not considered for the said 4 backward districts of Nagaland. (vi) The post of Head Masters cannot be filled through direct recruitment. In lieu of Head Masters, assistant Head Masters are proposed to be posted to 112 upgraded Government High Schools under RMSA from amongst the existing senior most graduate teachers. Against the resultant vacant posts of graduate teachers, the candidates in the waiting list are proposed to be considered for appointment as graduate teachers in order of merit. (vii) As decided by the State Cabinet the State Mission Authority, RMSA will shortly be issuing advertisement inviting candidates for filling up the positions in which sufficient number of eligible candidates were not available.

DImaPur, December 17 (mexn): A 42 year old Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) Constable from Manipur, identified as one SZ Nagapai Khui, has gone missing in train on his way home for Christmas Holiday. According to the Delhi Police Nodal Officer for North East Region, IGP Robin Hibu, the constable who was posted at Tulsipur, Uttar Pradesh was travelling alone to Guwahati by Awadh Assam Express Train from Gorakpur, Uttar Pradesh on December 16. He last contacted his relative on December 16 when he called them speaking incoherently from his mobile phone, the Nodal Officer added. The IGP has further requested people to share the information in social media forums to know about his whereabouts.

North East faces rise in temperature

GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND NAGALAND EDUCATION MISSION SOCIETY RASHTRIYA MADHYAMIK SHIKSHA ABHIYAN No.NLD/RMSA/APPT-R/2013

Manipur constable goes missing

GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND DIRECTOR OF FOOD & CIVIL SUPPLIES NAGALAND : DIMAPUR

No. DSC/SUGAR/2015-16/1069

NO:/AS/ESTT/4/2015/1004: Sanction is hereby accorded to an expenditure not exceeding to Rs. 6000/- (Rupees Six Thousand) only in connection with the cost of an Advertisement for the posts of Lower Division Assistant Cum Computer Assistant & Stenographer Grade-III. The expenditure is debatable to the “Head of Account” 2011 State legislature 02 State Legislature 103 Legislature Secretariat, office expenses during the current financial year 2015-2016. This is “Non-Plan” expenditure. Sd/N. BENJAMIN NEWMAI COMMISSIONER SECRETARY

Dated Dimapur, the 14th Dec’ 2015

SHORT NOTICE INVITING TENDER FOR PROCUREMENT OF ISS GRADE S-30/31 SUGAR FOR SUPPLY THROUGH PDS NETWORK. The undersigned for and on behalf of the Governor of Nagaland invites tender in sealed cover from reputed sugar Manufactures/Private/Co operative sugar Mills/ Bulk suppliers/Traders for supply of S-30/31, ISS grade sugar out of 2015-16 seasons productions for a quantity of 1179 MT per month to state food godowns of Nagaland to be supplied for a period of twenty four months. (2016-18)

1 Name and address of the tenderer 2 Registration No. of the Firm 3 Cost of tender documents Rs. 1000 (Rupees one thousand only) payable to the office of Directorate of Food & Civil Supplies Nagaland, Dimapur. 4 Date of floating of the tender 15-12-2015 5 Last date and time of receipt of 05-01-2016 Till 3:00PM tender 6 Date and time of opening of 12-01-2016 12:00 Noon technical bids 7 Date and time of opening of 12-01-2016 02:00 PM Financial Bid (Price Bids) 8 Tender form available at Office of the Directorate of Food & Civil Supplies, Dimapur, Nagaland. (During office hour) 9 Place of receiving/opening of Office of the Directorate of Food & Civil tender Supplies, Dimapur, Nagaland. (Both receiving & opening of tender) Sd/(APOKLA JAMIR) Addl Director, Food & Civil Supplies, Nagaland : Dimapur

PRE - CHRISTMAS CUM FELICITATION AND MERGER PROGRAMME OF NAGALAND GOVT. REGISTERED CLASS -1 CONTRACTORS' UNION AND NAGALAND CONTRACTORS' & SUPPLIERS' UNION (NCSU) Date: 19th December 2015 Venue: Hotel Japfü Time : 4:00 PM

Order of Programme 1. Chairman

: Shri. John Kath

2. Invocation Prayer

: Rev. Viwelie Khezhie

3. Hymn

: Silent Night

4. " Declaration of NCSU and NGRCU" Merger : Shri. Vi-u Belho 5. Address

: Shri. Y. Vikheho Swu, Hon'ble Minister for PWD, Nagaland

6. Felicitation

: Best Traffic Award 2015

7. Vote of thanks

: Shri. Yanger Imchen

Pre Christmas Feast Follows

Davp: 17203/11/0012/1516

Itanagar, December 17 (PtI): In another controversial day of proceedings marked by high drama, Opposition BJP and rebel Congress MLAs got together to show “no confidence” in the Nabam Tuki-led Congress government in Arunachal Pradesh and to “choose” a rebel Congress MLA as the new “chief minister”. A day after they “impeached” Speaker Nabam Rebia in a make-shift “Assembly” premises in a community hall, the opposition and rebels Congress MLAs met at a conference hall of a hotel in Itanagar on Thursday as the Assembly premises have been sealed since Wednesday. On Thursday, a “no confidence” motion by 11 BJP MLAs and two Independent members was “adopted” with Deputy Speaker T

FRIDAY 18 •12•2015

Business

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

India ranks 97th on Forbes’ best countries for business list NEW YORK, DEcEmbER 17 (PTI): India has ranked a low 97th out of 144 nations, behind Kazakhstan and Ghana, on Forbes’ annual list of the best countries for business in 2015, scoring poorly on metrics like trade and monetary freedom and tackling challenges like corruption and violence. Denmark topped the list of the 144 nations on the Best Countries of Business in 2015 list by Forbes. The US has dropped four spots to number 22, continuing a six-year descent since 2009 when it had ranked second overall. The US is the financial capital of the world and its largest economy at USD 17.4 trillion (China is second at USD 10.4 tril-

lion), but it scores poorly on monetary freedom and bureaucracy/red tape, Forbes said. India is ranked 97th on the list, with Forbes saying that while the country is developing into an openmarket economy, traces of its “past autarkic policies” remain. “The outlook for India’s long-term growth is moderately positive due to a young population and corresponding low dependency ratio, healthy savings and investment rates, and increasing integration into the global economy.”

ruption, violence and discrimination against women and girls, an inefficient power generation and distribution system, ineffective enforcement of intellectual property rights, decades-long civil litigation dockets, inadequate transport and agricultural infrastructure, limited non-agricultural employment opportunities,” Forbes said. The publication added that India faces other challenges like high spending and poorly-targeted subsidies, inadequate availability of quality basic and higher education, and accommodating rural-to-urban migration. Forbes further said that growth in India last year fell to a decade low,

Challenges “However, India has many challenges that it has yet to fully address, including poverty, cor-

as its economic leaders struggled to improve the country’s wide fiscal and current account deficits. “However, investors’ perceptions of India improved in early 2014, due to a reduction of the current account deficit and expectations of post-election economic reform, resulting in a surge of inbound capital flows and stabilisation of the rupee,” it said.

Other categories The country performed moderately well on certain factors, ranking eighth on investor protection, 41st on innovation, 57th on personal freedom and 61st on property rights. It scored low on trade

freedom, ranking 125th and on monetary freedom it ranked 139th. On technology it ranked 120th, 77th on corruption and 123rd on red tape. The United Kingdom and Japan both moved up three spots to No 10 and No 23 respectively. Germany improved two places to No 18 and China rose from No 97 to No 94. South Africa is ranked 47th on the list followed by Mexico (53), Kazakhstan (57), Zambia (73), Ghana (79), Russia (81), Sri Lanka (91), Pakistan (103) and Bangladesh (121). The very bottom of the list features a number of emerging markets restrained by high levels of corruption and little freedom.

Micromax Informatics plans to make all phones in India NEW DElhI, DEcEmbER 17 (REuTERS): Indian consumer electronics firm Micromax Informatics will manufacture all of its phones in India by 2018, its co-founder said, as it shifts production from China back home, where costs are becoming cheaper. Rahul Sharma said with less than two-thirds of its products are assembled in India currently and full home production now made economic sense given rising Chinese labour costs and a growing network of local suppliers of components. “In the next 24 months 100 percent will be here. There was no ecosystem in India. Slowly, slowly we are attracting one,” he told Reuters in an interview this week. “In terms of manpower, India is far cheaper (than China).” Micromax, which has grown rapidly since 2008 by selling low-cost smartphones, said earlier this month it would invest 3 billion rupees ($45 million) on constructing new factories and would make more phones in India to cut its dependence on Chinese imports. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is try-

ing to expand the electronics manufacturing industry in India to boost employment and in August Taiwanese contract manufacturing giant Foxconn announced a $5 billion investment commitment in India. Micromax is the second largest smartphone seller behind South Korea’s Samsung in India, the world’s third biggest smartphone market. The company, controlled by its founders, said in April it was looking to raise capital from investors or through a stock listing as it expands into new businesses like personal computing. It has held talks with investors led by Japan’s SoftBank Corp to sell a stake, sources said in March. However, Sharma declined to comment on talks with investors but said Micromax was not currently looking to raise fresh equity or debt capital. “We are cash positive. We don’t need it (funding),” he said. Micromax brand YU on Thursday launched what it claims is the world’s most powerful smartphone, YUTOPIA, which it hopes to sell to well-heeled Indians.

‘India better-placed to withstand capital volatility’ Anil Ambani, Steven Spielberg NEW DElhI, DEcEmbER 17 (PTI): The uncertainty over transition of the US monetary policy to normalcy could set off volatility in capital flows to emerging economies, but India is better-positioned to weather these challenges, Moody’s Investors Service said today. Moody’s Investors Service VP and Senior Research Analyst Rahul Ghosh said that besides the Fed rate action, a slowdown in the Chinese economy and falling commodity prices are other major glob-

al developments that could impact emerging markets. “India appears less exposed than other similarlyrated emerging market sovereigns, given its small current account deficit and relatively low external debt as a share of nominal GDP,” Ghosh told PTI. The US Federal Reserve had last night hiked interest rates by 0.25 per cent. This is the first hike in about a decade, a hint that the US economy is on mend. The US central bank has said

Birthday Greeting

“The uncertainty over the transition back to monetary normalcy could still provoke some volatility in capital flows into emerging markets... India appears better-positioned to weather these challenges,” he said. Ghosh said the countries with limited buffers and policy space will remain most at risk to adverse capital flows and investor sentiment. The most affected large emerging markets have tended to be Brazil, Russia, Turkey and South Africa.

it is likely to proceed gradually in normalising the interest rates, although future policy actions will depend on how the economy evolves relative to its objectives of maximum employment and two per cent inflation. “With regard to the US monetary policy, the narrative will now shift from lift-off to the future rate trajectory. We expect further interest rate rises in the US to be very gradual,” Ghosh said. He projected the rates to go up by 1.5-2 per cent in the next two years.

Buy first ‘Made-in-India’ power banks at Re.1

Dearest Lizitsa T Sangtam, Happy 2nd Birthday. “ We know that you are too young to remember this day but we want you to know how much you are loved and that you are the only reason that we smile in everyday life.” God bless you. Athing, Avi, Adi, Mom & Papa

NEW DElhI, DEcEmbER 17 (IaNS): SUICH, one of the leading mobile original equipment manufacturer (OEM) companies, has launched the first “Made in India” low-price and stylish power banks. The stunningly colourful power banks are available in three variants -5000mAh, 7500mAh and 10,000mAh capacity. The power banks will be available in the “Re 1 Flash Sale” with an exclusive tie-up with mobile payment platform Paytm that begins December 21. “The new range of power banks are better than Chinese products which are available in the market. It is a fully safe user-friendly and affordable product,” said Gunnit Singh, managing direc-

tor, SUICH industries, in a statement on Thursday. These devices are made of VO flame - a retardant shell for safety of the users. The body is made from a super skin friendly material for comfortable handling and comes with a high-performance charging cable. The first product will be available at Re 1 through the flash sale with Paytm while other customers will get a Wrist Power band (fastest charging cable) worth Rs 499 free of cost. After the “Re. 1 flash sale”, the product will be available at a launch price of Rs.649 for 5,000mAh, Rs.799 for 7500mAh and Rs.999 for 10,000mAh. The power banks are available in red, yellow, blue, black and white colours.

LEISURE

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.”

SUDOKU Game Number # 3438

join hands for another project

mumbaI, DEcEmbER 17 (IaNS): Anil Ambani-led Reliance Entertainment and Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks on Thursday announced the formation of Amblin Partners -- a new film, television and digital content creation company. Participant Media led by Jeff Skoll and Entertainment One (eOne), leading US based entertainment companies, are also part of the joint venture and will work closely in the project for specific content, while also exploring co-production opportunities, a joint statement said. Ambani said ties between Reliance Entertainment and DreamWorks was over seven years old and the new project gave another opportunity for their entities to work together. “We look forward to the combination of Steven’s passion and integrity with Jeff’s unique socially conscious vision to create uplifting and quality content to entertain global audiences,” he said, adding the projects they pursue will combine all banners -- Amblin, DreamWorks and others. “We are honoured to continue our long-term associa-

tion with our dear friend, Anil Ambani and his team at Reliance. We have had the opportunity to develop and produce wonderful films thanks to their ongoing support,” Spielberg said. DreamWorks Studios and Participant Media have collaborated on many Academy Awards-nominated films such as “Lincoln” and “The Help” as well as the critically acclaimed “The Hundred-Foot Journey,” and the recently released “Bridge of Spies”. Amblin Partners’ Film projects in various stages of production include: “The BFG”, and “The Light Between Oceans”, scheduled for release by Disney and “The Girl on the Train”, all scheduled for release next year. This apart, “A Dog’s Purpose”, is set for release in the first quarter of 2017 and “Ready Player One”, a co-production between Amblin Partners and Warner is due in December of 2017, the company statement added. Upcoming shows from Amblin TV include “All the Way”, an HBO movie directed by Jay Roach, starring Bryan Cranston, with an airdate to be announced shortly, and

DAILY CROSS WORD

CROSSWORD # 3450

Answer Number # 3437

DIMAPUR Civil Hospital:

“American Gothic”, a summer series that will air on CBS and begin production in February 2016. JP Morgan Chase, which has been involved with the Ambani-Spielberg projects since 1994, structured and arranged a $500-million debt syndication with Comerica Bank for the venture. Others involved included Sun Trust Bank, Union Bank, City National Bank and Bank of America, among others. Reliance Entertainment is the media and entertainment arm of the Reliance Group, engaged in the creation and distribution of content across films, television, digital and gaming platforms. It also has a global footprint that was expended since 2009 with Spielberg’s DreamWorks Studios. Their partner Participant Media, founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll, is engaged in entertainment that inspires social change. Its 70-plus films include, “Spotlight”, “Contagion”, “Lincoln”, “The Help”, “He Named Me Malala”, “The Look of Silence”, “Food, Inc”, and “An Inconvenient Truth”. They have collectively earned 37 Academy Award nominations and eight wins.

STD CODE: 03862 232224; Emergency229529, 229474

Metro Hospital: Faith Hospital:

227930, 231081 228846

Shamrock Hospital

228254

Zion Hospital:

231864, 224117, 227337

Police Control Room

228400

Police Traffic Control

232106

East Police Station West Police Station

227607 232181

CIHSR (Referral Hospital)

242555/ 242533

Dimapur hospital

224041, 248011

Apollo Hospital Info Centre:

230695/ 9402435652

Railway:

131/228404

Indian Airlines

229366

Nagaland Multispe- 248302, cialty Health & 09856006026 Research Centre

CARDiOvASCulAR CARDIOVERSION BIFURCATE ANASTOMOSES EMBOLECTOMY VALVE THROMBUS VASOSPASM VENTRICLE CARDIOPLASTY ANGINA DIAPHORESIS MITRALINSUFFICIENCY MYOCARDIUM PALLOR VENACAVA SEPTUM OXYGENIC ANTIANGINAL AORTA AORTOSTENOSIS HEMANGIOMA HYPOTENSION HEART MEDIASTINUM ATRIUM VENOTOMY ATERIOLITIS COARCTATION PERICARDIUM

L K J U C V P L H R B F N W B A L A J N

P A V A C A N E V H D Z E N Y S U U I B

Y T L N O I T A T C R A O C A E S X P K

M E D I A S T I N U M L A L M S N A E G

Y R V E N O T O M Y P R C M O O G T R E

O I O R R P R U G R D A S P I M S R I M

C O X V O Z T T O I R A V S G O D O C B

A L Y W O P N L O D P U N O N T B A A O

R I G N E G L P I S I E X O A S I P R L

D T E S G A L O O R T A K F M A V Z D E

I I N D P A V S R O Q E P F E N V D I C

U S I Z S E A J P G D O N H H A A H U T

M O C T R V P Y K V V Y V O O P L A M O

R U Y S M D H T H R O M B U S R V D J M

Z M I T R A L I N S U F F I C I E N C Y

I O E R F F N B I F U R C A T E S S Z I

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

N G A I T C P G F X U G P S F I P I I D

K V A H E A R T I T J Y R A A G E Y Q S

E L C I R T N E V N X D N A J O I J Q J

T G W H F K N E A L A N I G N A I T N A

STD CODE: 0370 100/2244279 2222222 2222111 2222952 2222916 2243339 2224202 08974997923

ACROSS

1. Doctrine 6. Tall woody plant 10. Deviate 14. Birdlike 15. Alert 16. Type of sword 17. Skin layer 18. Dwarf buffalo 19. Madly in love 20. Hostility 22. Historical periods 23. Carpet 24. In base 8 26. Cool guy in the 50’s 30. Stripes 32. Perpendicular to the keel 33. A practice session 37. Wander 38. Pierced 39. Ancient Peruvian 40. Followers 42. Scottish for “Child” 43. Pee 44. Leased 45. A shoulder firearm 47. It is (poetic) 48. Six-stringed instrument 49. Buxom 56. Greek letter

DOWN

1. Early 20th-century art movement 2. Baking appliance 3. Encircle 4. Mother 5. A word with the same set of letters 6. Exaggerated nasality in speech 7. Hindu princess 8. God of love 9. Bewitched 10. He eats no meat 11. 3-banded armadillo 12. Kingly 13. Not nays 21. Not in 25. Spy agency 26. Rabbit 27. Black, in poetry 28. Kind of moss 29. Disguise

30. Twilled fabric 31. You (archaic) 33. A soft sheepskin leather 34. Hissy fit 35. Unit of land 36. Territory 38. Mourning 41. Website address 42. Inhumane 44. Tear 45. Violent disturbances 46. Scintillas 47. Tuxedos 48. Workbench attachment 50. Double-reed woodwind 51. Past tense of Leap 52. Annul 53. Ear-related 54. Component of urine 55. Essence Ans to CrossWord 3449

WE4WOMEN HELPLINE 08822911011

Police Station 1:

DIMAPUR: 03862-232201/ 101 (O) 9856156876 (OC) CHUMUKEDIMA: 7085982102 (O) 8732810051 (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

MOKOKCHUNG:

KOHIMA NORTH: 7085924114 (O)

MON: 03869-251222/ 101 (O) 9862130954 (OC)

CHILD WELFARE COMMITTEE 57. Wild goat 58. Foreword 59. Male deer 60. No 61. French farewell 62. Being 63. Obtains 64. Neighborhood

KOHIMA SOUTH: 0370-2222952/ 101 (O) 9402003086 (OC)

WOKHA: 03860242215/101 (O) 8974322879 (OC)

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

KOHIMA

FIRE STATIONS

STD CODE: 0369

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

65.49 99.14 8.18 47.50 46.35 47.70 53.80

68.44 103.95 9.11 49.85 48.61 50.02 56.82

Euro

71.97

75.44

Thai Baht Korean Won New Zealand Dollar Chinese Yuan

1.76

1.96

0.0536

0.0597

44.38

46.56

9.68

10.78

FridAY 18•12•2015

Settle our grievances Governor’s View Point at Khinru at the earliest: ANGPTA Our correspondent

Sendenyu | December 17

Dimapur, December 17 (mexN): Stating that the issue of the Graduate Primary Teachers is serious and genuine in nature to be sidelined or left ignored, the All Nagaland Graduate Primary Teachers Association (ANGPTA) has requested the Education Minister Yitachu and officers in the Directorate of School Education to settle its grievances at the earliest. A press release from ANGPTA General Secretary, Hoshika H Sumi and President, Bendang Longkumer maintained that the grievances of the Graduate Primary Teachers were “over sighted and ignored for long time due to various unseen factors.” Hence, the Graduate Primary Teachers duly joined hands and formed an association on July 6, 2014 naming it All Nagaland Graduate Primary Teachers Association (ANGPTA). In its initial stage, the Association submitted a representation to the Government on August 25, 2014 with two points. “The outcome of the said representation was

that our Minister for School Education Yitachu was very serious/ sincere and bold enough to take up the Herculean task to address the issue of the said teachers which was left long pending,” the release stated. Thus, through the initiative of the Minister and seriousness of the officers in the Directorate of School Education, various steps to upgrade the Graduate Primary Teachers have been taken up by working out the financial implication, feasibility at the directorate level, it pointed out. The Association also lauded the Director/ Additional Director for setting up a four-member committee on August 28, 2015 with regard to the representation of the ANGPTA and Government order (i) No.ED/EST/ASS0/1/2014 Vol-1 (ii) NO.DSE/ ESTT.1/2011/1199 (iii) N O . D S E / M I S C / R E PPT/12-49/2015/442 for promotion/ up-gradation of the Primary Teachers having Graduate Qualification. The four-member committee is to work out the modalities along with feasibilities.

Nagaland’s Governor PB Acharya today inaugurated Governor’s View Point at Khinru, Sendenyu village in the presence of Parliamentary Secretary for PWD (Housing) Er. Levi Rengma and several other dignitaries. Traditionally, “Khinru” is a significant view point in the social life of Sendenyu. There was a big stone slab protruding several feet beyond the vertical rocky fall on the top of this place. From this view point, people sight the dwelling places of off-shoot villages located westwards including the then Rengma Naga Hills of Assam (the pres-

Nagaland’s Governor PB Acharya, Parliamentary Secretary for PWD (Housing) Er. Levi Rengma and others during the inauguration of Governor’s View Point at Khinru, Sendenyu on December 17. (Morung Photo)

ent Karbi Along Autonomous District) and narrate the migration story of their young ones. By observing the shade of stone slab facing westwards during particular season of the year, the climate condition as well as

the impending future of the village in the following year used to be forecasted. This view point being located on the perimeter of the ‘Sendenyu Community Bio Diversity and Wild Life Conservation’ (SCBDWLC), the Committee

for SCBDWLC has taken up renovation and beautification of “Khinru” to keep a footprint of the historic visit of PB Acharya to Sendenyu and christened it “Governor’s View Point.” Earlier, Rev. Gwasolo Semp, Pastor, Sendenyu Baptist Church pronounced dedicatory prayer, while introduction of SCBDWLC was made by its chairman Gwasinlo Thong Seb. The programme was led by Er. Njilo Kemp, Vice President, Sendenyu Chwipen Union, while a memorandum was submitted to Governor by Sendenyu Village Council chairman Er. Judah Thong Seb.

DIOs asked to ensure immunization of children Kohima, December 17 (mexN): State Task Force-cum-State Level Meeting was held at the Directorate of Health & Family Welfare on December 17, which was attended by District Immunization Officers (DIOs) from all the districts, representatives from Department of Social Welfare and officers from

the Medical Directorate. A press release from IEC Bureau, Directorate of Health & Family Welfare informed that M. Patton, Commissioner & Secretary, Health & Family Welfare, who chaired the meeting, stressed that though IPPI is just one part of immunization, it is one of the most important activities

which will be conducted on January 17, 2016 and February 21, 2016 marking the last round of IPPI in the country. He added that after April 26, 2016, tOPV will no longer be in use and will be nationally replaced by bOPV on April 25, 2016. Therefore, he requested all DIOs to ensure immunization of all the

eligible children during IPPI and ensure full cooperation with subordinates and field workers. The resource persons in the meeting were Dr. Shiela Longkumer, SMO, NPSP, Dr. Visasieu Kire, SIO and Pearson, UNICEF Consultant, who gave brief presentations on different topics respectively.

DDADU opposes road divider at railway parking Proposal for empanelment under

Dimapur, December 17 (mexN): The Dimapur District Auto Drivers Union (DDADU) has objected to the construction of a road divider being planned by the railway authorities near a hotel in the railway parking area leading to the footbridge, where most auto drivers wait for passengers. In a press statement, K Hokaito Zhimomi, President, DDADU maintained that the Railways authority has already made enough dividers within the circulating area, making it difficult for vehicles to steer

through easily while going to the parking spaces. “The closing down of entry to the Parcel Office by constructing a barricade is also not appreciable,” it added. According to the release, most auto drivers operating from the railway station feel that closing the road leading to the footbridge will not only block the entry of people to the hotel, but also the access to auto rickshaws easily while they come out of the platforms. The passengers coming out using the footbridge will have to walk further to get an auto rickshaw, it pointed out.

“On the other hand, this would also deprive the auto drivers of their prospective passengers.” “The Union appreciates the development works being carried out, but that does not mean that the authorities should create hurdles to someone’s business while they execute their works without proper planning.” The DDADU further appealed to the authority concerned not to construct such barricade for the larger interest of the general public, especially the railway passengers.

‘Nai Roshni’ only through online

Kohima, December 17 (Dipr): Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India has informed that from the current financial year 2015-2016, proposals from NGOs/ Registered Societies/ Trusts etc. under the “Nai Roshni”, the scheme for Leadership Development of Minority Women, have been invited for empanelment through Online Application Management System (OAMS) developed by the Ministry recently, to bring in transparency and ensure accountability. The advertisement in this regard for inviting online proposals for 2015-16 has already been published in national/ state dailies on August 25, 2015. The link of OAMS (at the bottom of home page in

orange colour) is available on Ministry’s website www. minorityaffairs.gov.in. The Ministry further stated that the applications/ proposals will be received from NGOs etc. online only. No hard copy will be received by the Ministry. NGOs will register themselves on OAMS and fill the application form. The OAMS has been developed in such a way that it will screen the proposals online on the basis of mandatory criteria through a point based mechanism automatically and check the credentials of NGOs etc. The NGOs which pass through the mandatory criteria online and secures minimum 70% points will only be in position to complete the form online. The NGOs which do not get 70%

points will automatically be rejected by the system. Those which complete the application as mentioned above will take a printout of the application (with an ID automatically generated) and submit it to the District Administration along with the prescribed form available on the home page of OAMS under the “Menu-Forms” for recommendation. In this regard, the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Kohima has requested all the Additional Deputy Commissioners, Sub-Divisional Officers and Extra Assistant Commissioners under Kohima district to implement the scheme under their jurisdiction and submit proposal for further necessary action.

NIHESW silver jubilee on December 19

The chairman of Model Village Council with council members, head GB and GBs, presidents and respective office bearers of women and youth organisations during the inauguration of the bamboo toilet in Model village, Dimapur on December 14. The bamboo toilet, which was initiated by the Governor of Nagaland PB Acharya, was inaugurated by the oldest village GB Kedusuho Hibo.

Kohima, December 17 (mexN): The Nagaland Institute of Health, Environment & Social Welfare (NIHESW) Kohima is celebrating its silver jubilee at the Zonal Council Hall, Kohima on December 19 at 10:00 am. The institute, founded in 1990 by Prof. KK Sharma, Former ProVice Chancellor, NEHU and Late Dr KK Angami, commemorates 25 years of service to the State of

Nagaland in the fields of health, environmental awareness and science education popularization, stated a release issued by Dr. Vizovol Mekro, Honorary Director, NIHESW. The programme will be graced by Pankaj Kumar, Chief Secretary, Government of Nagaland as the chief guest and Nikhashe Sema, Ex-Officio Director & Secretary, Department of Science & Technology, Government

MEx FILE NSCN (IM) welcomes Dimapur, December 17 (mexN): NSCN (IM) has welcomed the following people who have joined its fold from Khehoi Camp: Capt. Khehuto, Capt. Toishe, Sgt. Aliba, Corpl. Lovito, Corpl. Vishepu, Corpl. Tobo, Corpl. Kitoshe. A press release from the MIP, NSCN (IM) wished them the best in their mission and prayed that God will help renew and strengthen their commitment. The release added that the above people joined the NSCN (IM) with 32 arms.

DPC&HM observes pre-Christmas Dimapur, December 17 (mexN): The Divine Prayer Counselling & Healing Ministry located at Diphupar ‘B’ Village, Dimapur, observed pre-Christmas on December 12 with the theme "Keeping Christ in Christmas". Obed Rai, Academic Dean, Servanthood Bible College, brought Christmas greetings and stressed on the importance of being prepared for the auspicious day of the birth of Christ. Bringing the word of God, Ren Ezung, Pastor, Faith in Action, Prayer Centre, 6th Mile, Dimapur, exhorted and reminded the congregation to "worship the Lord your God and serve Him only (Matt. 4:10)." "If Christ is in us, we can overcome all kinds of trials and temptations in our lives. Through Christ we receive both physical and spiritual blessing and healing as well," he preached.

NGRC-I CU office to be closed from Dec 21 to Jan 16 Kohima, December 17 (mexN): All members of the Nagaland Government Registered Class-I Contractors Union (NGRC-I CU) have been informed that the union office will remain closed from December 21 to January 16 for Christmas and New Year. The office bearers of the union have also thanked each and every member for co-operating with the union and wished all Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. This was stated in a press release issued by NGRC-I CU President Seyiekuolie.

Transfer & posting of NCS officers Kohima, December 17 (Dipr): Government of Nagaland has ordered transfer and posting of the following NCS officers with immediate effect: Alongdhimen Jamir, Under Secretary, Art & Culture is transferred and posted as SDO (C) Kuhoboto; Zakaboto V Rotokha, SDO (C) Kuhoboto is transferred and posted as Under Secretary, Art & Culture; Diana Patton, EAC, Peren is transferred and posted as EAC, Bhandari; Samuel Thyug, EAC, Bhandari is transferred and posted as EAC, Kiusam; Tsidi, EAC, Kiusam is transferred and posted as EAC, Peren; Thejavizo Nakhro, EAC, Mon is transferred and posted as EAC, HQ Kohima.

TVC warn against disturbances within village jurisdiction Dimapur, December 17 (mexN): The Thahekhu Village Council has informed all concerned that the village authority will not tolerate any nuisances/ disturbance within the village jurisdiction during the festive season. While warmly welcoming all to the village for sightseeing or visiting relatives and friends, TVC cautioned all motorists that “drunken/ rash driving and indulgence of anti-social and immoral activities within the village area is strictly prohibited.” The village council stated it will be vigilant and conduct checking anytime in order to create cordial atmosphere during the festive season and those found violating the rules will be sternly dealt with as per the laws of the village. Further, TVC extended warmest Christmas and New Year greetings to all.

NPCC to protest ‘political vendetta’ by BJP Dimapur, December 17 (mexN): NPCC will hold a meeting on December 19, 2:00 pm at Dimapur DCC office to protest against the “political vendetta unleashed by the BJP against the AICC President Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi and also over the rising intolerance in the country.” A press release from Media Cell, NPCC requested all PCC office bearers, members of various PCC committees, frontal Chiefs, all 5 ACCC Presidents under Dimapur DCC and their frontal members to attend the meeting. DCC Presidents of all 11 districts have been further directed to hold such protest meetings in their respective districts on the same day.

of Nagaland as the guest of honor. The programme will be attended by Prof. KK Sharma, Founding Member & President, NIHESW, Jaideep Baruah, Head, Environment Division, Assam Science Technology & Environment Council, Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of Assam, Life members, Former State coordinators, Teacher guides, National energy conservation day child scientists and well Kohima, December 17 (mexN): To create awarewishers, the release added. ness on energy efficiency and conservation under National Energy Conservation Day launched by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Ministry of Power, Government of India, the Nagaland State Designated Agency (NSDA) on energy conservation will conduct a seminar on December 18, 11:00 am at Zonal Council Hall, Kohima on “BEE Star Labeling programme on electrical and electronics appliance.” Er. G. Chishi, CE (D&R), Department of Power will grace the occasion as the chief guest.

Changtongya Town Four-day Dimapur Night Carnival begins Council yearend meeting Morung Express News

chaNgtoNgya, December 17 (Dipr): The yearend meeting of Changtongya Town Council was held on December 17 at DB Customary Court under the chairmanship of SDO (C) and Administrator, Changtongya Town Council, Chumlemo Humtsoe. Highlighting the achievement and the works undertaken by the Town Council for the year 2015, the SDO (C) thanked all for their co-

operation. Short speeches were delivered by Masanokdang Jamir, all ward chairman, I. Soa Jamir, Head GB and Alemtoshi, Head DB Changtongya. In connection with the Swachh Bharat Mission Clean Changtongya, a certificate of commendation and a cash reward for the cleanest ward was given to PWD ward and the cleanest shop to Star Bakery under Changtongya Town Council jurisdiction for the year 2015.

Dimapur | December 17

The inaugural of the 4-day ‘Dimapur Night Carnival’ at Naga Shopping Arcade here on Thursday night did not have the anticipated response from the public despite the publicity and free music concert. The most probable reason could be the economic recession in the State and a night bazaar that concluded last week at the same venue. Though hundreds of visitors thronged the 200odd stalls on the inaugural night, most of the stalls did not fare well in terms of cash registry. Stalls doing brisk business included kiosks selling Naga rice beer, barbeque and smoked meat, and, as usual, the legal gambling dens including ‘Tombola’, ‘chandi munda’, dice games and card games. The real business of the night carnival scheduled Nagaland Governor PB Acharya visited HQ 5 Sect Assam from 5:00-9:00 pm, started Rifles, Chieswema on December 17. During his visit, the Governor met all officers and appreciated good work be- one hour late on the opening night as most of the ing done by Assam Rifles.

Dimapur Sakshi Union meeting Dimapur, December 17 (mexN): The Dimapur Sakshi Union will be holding its annual general meeting on December 19 at its treasurer’s residence, Signal Angami village. A press note from the Union General Secretary, Amai Chingkhu informed all its executives and bonafide members of the Union to attend the said meeting without fail.

LSU 54th general session A visitor gets her face painted at the Dimapur Night Carnival on December 17. (Caisii Mao)

stalls hurriedly put up their wares and attractions and were up for sale only by 6:00 pm. “Today is the inaugural date and most of the stalls including ours were not ready till 6:00 pm. Tonight, the volume of customers was very thin in our stall but we hope by tomorrow our stall will also do brisk business,” said the proprietor of an eatery. A middle-aged man confided, “I just came back with my family from the

Chumukedima night bazar and to my opinion, the Chumu night bazar is faring better than this night carnival.” A couple of visitors to the night carnival also said they were outraged at the huge amount they have to pay for parking their vehicles. “We heard that Dimapur Police and Dimapur Naga Students’ Union were jointly conducting traffic operation and parking lots at the night bazaar. But they

are charging an atrocious amount of Rs. 50 even for parking of two-wheelers. This is another form of uniformed extortion,” lamented a motorcycleborne youth who visited the carnival. The carnival is jointly organized by Dimapur district administration, Dimapur Municipal Council, Business Association of Nagas, Development Authority of Nagaland, and East Dimapur Business Association.

Dimapur, December 17 (mexN): The Lasumi Students' Union (LSU) has convened its 54th general session on December 29, 10:00 am at GMS Zhikhutsa, Lasumi village. Therefore, LSU President, Welhilo Krome has invited all the members, senior leaders, elders and well-wishers to the session.

Hok AH festival at Nokhu Kohima, December 17 (mexN): The Nokhu Range Public Organisation (NRPO) will be organising a two-day Hok AH festival from January 8 to 9 at Nokhu. P. Longon, Minister, Health and Family Welfare and L Khumo, Parliamentary Secretary, Land Revenue, VG & Women Resources Development will grace the festival as the chief guest and valedictory chief guest respectively. Former NRPO & NRSU executives, gazetted officers, college students, DBs, VCMs and GBs of Nokhu Range have been invited to attend the Hok AH festival.

FriDAY 18•12•2015

IN FOCUS

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

The Power of Truth

The Morung Express X issue 344X issue 185 Thursday 9volume July 2015 volume By dr. sao Tunyi

A Local and a Tourist

local and a tourist may be both interested in a place but it may be for very different reasons. A case in point is an Editorial that this newspaper carried ‘Hornbill: The Grand Illusion’ written by a local, and a response called ‘A reader’s response’ by a tourist. One difference between a local and a tourist is that if the latter does not like the place, he can pack and leave and never come again. But a local does not have that liberty because the place is his home and that is where he belongs. A tourist does not need to have any connection to the place. But not so for the local, everything that happens in the place affects him. The tourist here was not interested in the context. He was only interested in what he experienced during the 10 days festival period. It doesn’t concern him what lies behind or beneath the spectacle of Hornbill festival. But for the local, context matters and he spoke in the context of lived reality. He had the ability to connect the dots and create connections because he lives in that reality. He referred to the lack of opposition in a democracy, the implications of the socio-political and religious life of the Nagas, unpaid salaries of thousands of Government employees, CAG reports and unfulfilled projects running into thousands of crores of rupees, and the discontents of the people in the run-up to the festival. But from a hotel room, it is understandable that an outsider cannot create the connections. That is alright for a tourist (so long as he does not pass judgments). It is more of a concern that locals could lead schizophrenic lives and is as unable as a tourist to make the connections. For a tourist, it is not easy to identify ‘exhibitionism and commodification’ of culture that the local alluded to. Therefore, an outsider questioning a local’s analysis of his own culture and calling it ‘an exercise in intellectual snobbery’ speaks of who the real snob is. Some tourists read the history and culture of the people they will be visiting and are mindful of the sensibilities of the local people. A ‘cultural team’ comes in jeans and latest modern fashion and changes to a costume which covers only a fraction of the body, puts up a show for a price, and leaves as he came. And that is defined as ‘promotion of culture’. Perhaps against such things, the local spoke. Locals speak out in the hope that things can be better. It is not criticism for the sake of criticism from a safe distance. Locals ought to raise uncomfortable questions and bear the responsibility of living with what one had said. ‘Why be so negative?’ some people who follow ‘positive attitude’ as a religion say when such uncomfortable issues are raised. But it is extremely important that there are voices of self-critique (without going into cynicism). That can be a positive sign, that people do care and they truly have a sense of belonging and responsibility to the place. Dr. Sao Tunyi works as an Epidemiologist at Directorate of Health and Family Welfare, Kohima. Feedback can be sent to saotunni@yahoo.co.in, or visit his blog www.thatchhouse.blogspot.in

lEfT wiNg |

IANS

Writing for children not easy: Ruskin Bond

riting for children is not an easy task as one has to get their attention from the first page itself, said legendary author Ruskin Bond. Delivering the annual Penguin lecture in the capital On Monday evening, the 81-year-old also shared memories spanning 65 years of his writing of beautiful mountains, unrequited love, ghosts and more. “Writing for children is not an easy task. You have to get their attention in page one itself or they will keep away the book. You got to tell the story, “said Bond adding that he started writing specifically writing for children only at the age of 40. However the writer, who has more than 150 titles to his credit, said that he enjoyed writing for both adults and children. Littered with his trade mark wit, the lecture titled ‘The joy of writing’ was lapped up by hundreds of Ruskin Bond fans who turned up at the Stein auditorium at India Habitatat centre. As the auditorium couldn’t accommodate overflowing audience, the organisers had to arrange LCD screens outside the venue. According to Bond, writing in India has come of age so as the publishing scene. “Publishing in India has come of age and writing too. I would say that publishers are giving good royalties. Good writers needn’t go abroad to get published anymore. People can make a living out of writing,” said the Kasauli born writer who has settled in Mussoorie. Admitting that he is a lazy writer, Bond said “I don’t work very hard. I take many naps a day,” he laughed. Sharing tips to become a good writer, Bond advised aspiring writers that only an avid reader can turn in a good book. “A writer’s job is to create magic. Books will give us not just pleasure but companionship too. The other day, when I ran out of books, I picked up an Oxford dictionary and I found myself reading it page by page,” said the author who has won multiple awards, including the Sahitya Akademi Award for English writing in India and the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri - India's third and fourth highest civilian honours. Talking about his autobiography, he said that it is still in the process. “The autobiography might take some time. One has to stick to truth while writing it. Most of the times, you have the tendency to go off the track, but you have to pull yourself in,” said the author who weaves magic with his pen. Rusty (as he is fondly called), has no intention to grow up, he said. “When people ask me this question, I tell them that may be after my 15th or 16th birthday!” as his latest Rusty adventure titled, "Rusty and the Magic Mountain" has been released recently. Ghoulish characters may be lurking around the corner of his cottage in Landour, but the author says his ghosts are friendly. “You can see ghosts anywhere if you want to. My ghosts are friendly. I keep seeing them, but I don’t believe them. A girl once asked me to make my ghosts scarier. When you see some of the horror shows on TV, my ghost stories are not at all scary,” he said. And the author also revealed that writing is the biggest source of joy in life. “I enjoy being an author and writing stories, probably because that is what I have been doing the best, besides playing football. Except that at 81, I can still write but not football,” he signed off.

C O M M E N T A R Y

ne of my most popular courses at Swarthmore College focused on the challenge of how to defend against terrorism, nonviolently. Events now unfolding in France make our course more relevant than ever. (The syllabus was published in “Peace, Justice, and Security Studies: A Curriculum Guide” in 2009.) In fact, the international post-9/11 “war against terror” has been accompanied by increased actual threats of terror almost everywhere. In the first place, who knew that non-military techniques have, in actual historical cases, reduced the threat of terror? I gathered for the students eight non-military techniques that have worked for some country or other. The eight comprised the “toolbox” that the students had to work with. We didn’t spend time criticizing military counter-terrorism because we were more interested in alternatives. Each student chose a country somewhere in the world that is presently threatened by terrorism and, taking the role of a consultant to that country, devised from our nonviolent toolbox a strategy for defense. It was tough work, and highly stimulating. Most of the students had a ball, and some did brilliant strategizing. Students especially liked brainstorming synergistic effects — what happens when technique 3 interacts with techniques 2 and 5, for example? At the time I wished we had an additional semester to handle the complexity of making the tools not just additive, but discovering how the whole became more powerful than the sum of the parts. Some students who assumed that military defense is crucial opened to a bigger perspective. They realized that, given the success some countries have had using just two or three of the tools, there is significant untapped potential: What if countries used all of the tools together, with the resulting synergies? For me the question arose: Why couldn’t populations rely completely on the nonviolent toolbox for their defense against terror? What are the eight techniques? 1. Ally-building and the infrastructure of economic development Poverty and terrorism are indirectly linked. Economic development can reduce recruits and gain allies, especially if development is done in a democratic way. The terrorism by Northern Ireland’s Irish Republican Army, for example, was strongly reduced by grassroots, job-creating, economic development. 2. Reducing cultural marginalization As France, Britain and other countries have learned, marginalizing a group within your population is not safe or sensible; terrorists grow under those conditions. This is also true on a global level. Much marginalizing is unintentional, but it can be reduced. “Freedom of the press,” for example, transforms into “provocation” when it further marginalizes a population that is already one-down, as are Muslims in France. When Anglophone Canada reduced its marginalization, it reduced the threat of terrorism from Quebec. 3. Nonviolent protest/campaigns among the defenders, plus unarmed civilian peacekeeping Terrorism happens in a larger context and is therefore influenced by that context. Some terror campaigns have lapsed because they lost popular support. That’s because terror’s strategic use is often to gain attention, provoke a violent response and win more support in the broader population. The rise and fall of support for terrorism is in turn influenced by social movements using people power, or nonviolent struggle. The U.S. civil rights movement brilliantly handled the Ku Klux Klan’s threat to activists, most dangerous when there was no effective law enforcement to help. The nonviolent tactics reduced the KKK’s appeal among white segregationists. Since the 1980s, pacifists and others have established an additional, promising tool: intentional and planned unarmed civilian peacekeeping. 4. Pro-conflict education and training Ironically, terror often happens when a population tries to suppress conflicts instead of supporting their expression. A technique for reducing terror,

he election process for the next UN secretary-general that could see a woman ascend to the leadership of the world body has been launched with the promise of openness and universal involvement. Assembly president Mogens Lykettoft and Council president Samantha Power on Tuesday called for nominations of women for the office with the assurance of an unprecedented open, democratic process that could erode the P-5's secretive, firm control of the election. For the first time in the UN's history, members will be directly involved in the election of its head, Lykettoft told reporters. "Convinced of the need to guarantee equal opportunities for women and men in gaining access to senior decision-making positions, member-states are encouraged to consider presenting women, as well as men, as candidates for the position of secretary- general," Lykettoft and Power wrote in a joint letter to all the UN members. "We note the regional diversity in the selection of previous secretaries-general." Several organisations and leaders have been lobbying for a woman to head the UN. They said they "will offer candidates opportunities for informal dialogues or meetings with the members" of the Council and Assembly. This sets up a campaign system reflective of the elections in democracies where candidates interact directly with voters. Releasing the letter to the media, Lykettoft said the new process would

George Lakey Waging Nonviolence

8 ways to defend against terror nonviolently

therefore, is to spread a pro-conflict attitude and the ter-terrorism, I described our Swarthmore work and nonviolent skills that support people waging conflict especially the eight techniques. The experts recognized that each of these tools have indeed been used to give full voice to their grievances. in real-life situations in one place or another, with 5. Post-terror recovery programs some degree of success. They also saw no problem, Not all terror can be prevented, any more than all in principle, in devising a comprehensive strategy crime can be prevented. Keep in mind that terrorists that would create synergies among the tools. often have the goal of increasing polarization. RecovThe problem they saw was persuading a governery programs can help prevent that polarization, the ment to take such a bold, innovative leap. cycle of hawks on one side “arming” the hawks on As an American, I can see the direct contradicthe other side. One place we’ve seen this cycle of viotion between, on the one hand, my government’s lence is in the Palestine/Israel struggle. huge effort to convince taxpayers that we desperRecovery programs build resilience, so peoately need our swollen military and, on the other, a ple don’t go rigid with fear and create self-fulfilling new policy that mobilizes a different kind of power prophecies. The leap forward in trauma counseling for genuine, human security. I understand that for is relevant for this technique along with innovative my country and for some others as well, a living revorituals such as those the Norwegians used after the lution might need to come first. 2011 terrorist massacre there. What I like about having an alternative, nonmilitary defense in our back pocket, though, is 6. Police as peace officers: the that it speaks to the real need of my fellow citizens infrastructure of norms and laws Police work can become far more effective for security in a dangerous world. Psychologist through more community policing and reduction Abraham Maslow long ago pointed out the fundaof the social distance between police and the neigh- mental human need for security. Analyzing and borhoods they serve. In some countries this requires criticizing militarism, however brilliantly, doesn’t re-conceptualization of the police from defenders actually enhance anyone’s security. Imagining an of the property of the dominant group to genuine alternative, as my students did, may give people peace officers; witness the unarmed Icelandic po- the psychological space they need to put energy lice. Countries like the United States need to join the into something more life-giving. growing global infrastructure of human rights law reOur role at the grassroots flected in the Land Mines Treaty and International The good news is that a number of these eight Criminal Court, and accept accountability for their techniques can be applied by civil society, without own officials who are probable war criminals. waiting for governmental leadership that may never come. Two are no-brainers: Spread the skills and 7. Policy changes and the strategy of nonviolent protest, and teach a pro-conconcept of reckless behavior Governments sometimes make choices that in- flict attitude. The Black Lives Matter movement found many vite — almost beg for — a terrorist response. Political scientist and sometime U.S. Air Force consultant white people joining in on black-initiated turf — Robert A. Pape showed in 2005 that the United States that’s a concrete example of reducing marginalizahas repeatedly done this, often by putting troops tion, a concept that generates dozens of creative on someone else’s land. In his recent book “Cut- moves by whoever happens to be mainstream ting the Fuse,” he and James K. Feldman give con- (Christian, middle class, etc.). We can also initiate crete examples of governments reducing the terror recovery programs after terror has erupted in our threat by ending such reckless behavior. To protect midst, as it did during the Boston Marathon. Activists are used to launching campaigns to themselves from terror, citizens in all countries need to gain control of their own governments and force force the government to give up some of its reckless policies, but may forget to frame activism that way. them to behave. A scared public needs to know that activists hear the 8. Negotiation fear, and are on the side of everyone’s safety. Governments often say “we don’t negotiate with By my count, these five of the eight tools can be terrorists,” but when they say that they are often lyused by people taking bottoms-up intitiatives to reing. Governments have often reduced or eliminated duce the theat of terror. They might be incorporated terrorism through negotiation, and negotiation skills by the Transition Town movement and others who continue to grow in sophistication. want to bring a holistic and positive approach to the fear that otherwise depresses and paralyzes. As Realistic application of usual, what helps others lightens the load for each non-military defense against terror At the request of a group of U.S. experts on coun- one of us who takes that step.

WANTED: Women to run for office of UN secretary-general arul louis IANS "increase the de-facto power" of the 193-member Assembly. He noted that there were strong sentiments for having a woman as the secretary-general and also for someone from the East Europe, but said the decision was up to the members. All the eight secretaries-general in the UN's 70-year history have been men selected in backroom deals by the permanent members of the Council and rubber-stamped by the Assembly to fulfill the Charter's requirement. Ban Kimoon's second term concludes at the end of 2016 and the election will be held in the second half of the year. Under the informal system of regional rotation followed since the election of Myanmar's U Thant in 1961, it is a European's turn to follow Asia's Ban. No East European has served in the UN's highest job, which has been held by three from the West. Because the region had been under the firm control of the Soviet Union whenever it was Europe's turn, no one from there was acceptable to the other

permanent members. India has advocated the more open process that has been introduced following an Assembly resolution earlier this year. In April India's Permanent Representative Asoke Kumar Mukerji told a panel on reforming the election process that the Security Council should present a slate of candidates, rather than just one, to the General Assembly, which should elect one of them by a two-thirds majority. "The secretary-general is often unfortunately perceived to be a secretary vis-a-vis the Security Council and a General vis-a-vis the General Assembly" because the official is beholden to the Council, Mukerji said. "This perception has to be reversed." The election of Ban's successor "gives us an historic opportunity to change and improve the existing selection process of the secretary-general in the interests of the United Nations system in general, and the Assembly's prerogatives in particular," he added. Although the election process has

wRiTE-wiNg

been opened up, it was not clear from the Power- Lykettoft letter if a slate of candidates would be presented by the Council to the Assembly, as requested by India, or it would follow the practice of presenting just one. The UN Charter does not say that the Council can recommend only one candidate to the Council. But the practice was recommended as "desirable" by a 1946 Assembly resolution. Even if the Council were to persist in sending only one name, it is likely that the candidates' interactions with the members would strongly and openly influence the Council's choice. With the acknowledgment that the popular sentiment was for a woman from Eastern Europe, the list of likely candidates has narrowed. Checking off both those boxes are Vesna Pusic, Croatia's first deputy prime minister (who has already been formally nominated by her government); Irina Bokova, the UNESCO director general and former Bulgarian foreign minister; Kristalina Ivanova Georgieva, a Bulgarian economist who is the European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources, and Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaite. Bokova, with her experience leading UNESCO, is considered a strong candidate. An Eastern European man Srgjan Kerim, the former Macedonian foreign minister, has also been formally nominated by his government. This time around, India is unlikely to repeat the debacle of nominating a candidate as it did in 2006 by having Sashi Tharoor run against Ban.

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.

FriDAY 18•12•2015

PERSPECTIVE

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Seven Wrinkles in the Paris Climate Deal Will the landmark UN climate deal mark a turning point in the fight against climate change? The devil's in the details

port for high-emissions investments” was struck out too, at the behest of the big oil producers. Instead of getting out of fossil fuels, the Paris Agreement aims only to achieve “a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century.” Loosely translated: We’ll fake it if we don’t make it. “Removals by sinks” can mean protecting or even re-growing the world’s depleted forests, which capture carbon dioxide and convert it into oxygen. That would be a good thing. But the language hints at a variety of more damaging and outlandish ideas, too. “Reforestation” is sometimes so loosely defined that it can mean replacing forests with plantations, or kicking indigenous peoples and forest communities off their land. “Sinking” carbon can also be a way of referring to Carbon Capture and Storage, an unfeasibly expensive(and leaky) scheme to bury carbon emissions that dirty industries invoke whenever they want to avoid cleaning up their act. Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BeCCS), the latest fad in carbon sinks, proposes that we burn biomass as an energy source and then bury the carbon released by the process deep in the ground. The science behind this is contested, at best.

Oscar Reyes

Foreign Policy in Focus

he headlines from the Paris climate talks tell an inspiring story. Agence France-Presse reported an outbreak of “euphoria” as the international climate accord was sealed. Reuters hailed a global “turn from fossil fuels.” The Guardian headlined “a major leap for mankind.” The celebratory tone is partly relief at the fact that 195 countries managed to agree to any kind of climate deal at all. It drew a stark contrast with the finger-pointing and despair that followed the failed 2009 talks in Copenhagen, which ended with only vague promises to action and left many climate activists pessimistic that negotiators would be able to bridge their differences. This time, they were. They managed to seal a pact that sets a surprisingly ambitious target for limiting global warming, reflects the vast differences between countries in terms of their different historical and current responsibilities for causing climate change, and recognizes poorer countries’ need to eradicate poverty even as they embark on a more sustainable development path. Unfortunately, however, the main text of the agree- goes” approach. Countries are free to promise whatevment is long on rhetoric and short on action. Here are er they want, and there’s no penalty if they break these promises. seven takeaways from a closer parsing of the deal. All a country needs to do to meet its obligations un1. Its targets are ambitious, but they’re unlikely to be met der the Paris Agreement is to come back in 2023 (and An extraordinary claim at the heart of the Paris every 5 years after that) and say they’ll do a little more. Agreement aims not only at “holding the increase in That leaves a risk that if some countries clearly aren’t the global average temperature to well below 2° C above pulling their weight, others might take it as an excuse to pre-industrial levels” — that’s 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit call a halt on their own efforts. — but also promises “to pursue efforts to limit the temA number of rich countries have a history here: perature increase to 1.5°C,” or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit. The United States, Canada, and Australia all missed In other words, the emission reduction goals from their targets under the Kyoto Protocol, which makes Paris are even more aggressive than the 2-degree basetheir claim to be “high ambition” champions this time line promoted by scientists as a means to prevent the around ring particularly hollow. worst impacts from climate change. James Hansen, a former NASA scientist dubbed Yet actually achieving the 1.5°C goal is more than the “father of climate change awareness,” isfairly blunt even many climate campaigners have the audacity to about what this means in practice: hope for. It would mean the world would have to stop It’s just bullshit for them to say: “We’ll have a 2C burning fossil fuels by 2030. Unfortunately, nothing warming target and then try to do a little better every in the Paris deal itself suggests that’s likely to happen. five years.” It’s just worthless words. There is no acThis is even acknowledged in the introductory blurb to tion, just promises. As long as fossil fuels appear to be the treaty itself, which says that “much greater emisthe cheapest fuels out there, they will be continued to sions reduction efforts will be required” to meet even be burned. the 2-degree target. The new agreement doesn’t take effect until 2020, 3. No new money is promised to address the chance to achieve the 1.5-degree goal will have al- climate change in developing countries The 1992 global treaty that gave birth to the Paris ready gone, unless all of the world’s largest economies Agreement this year gets one thing straight: developed dramatically change course. But big polluters like the United States have been countries should give “new and additional financial redragging their feet for years — watering down and sources” to developing countries to cover the costs of then abandoning the Kyoto Protocol (which was the addressing climate change. last global climate deal), scuppering progress at the This “climate finance” isn’t aid or charity. It’s better UN climate talks in Copenhagen six years ago, and thought of as a form of debt. then killing off hopes of new global targets in Durban Imagine it this way: You hosted a party in a friend’s in 2011. The European Union, which has already met house, things got out of hand, and now you’re paying its unambitious 2020 emissions reduction pledge, has for the clean up. There are even some things that will been similarly obstructive, refusing to take on more never work the same way again, so you’d better pay a bit cuts despite falling a long way short of its fair share of more to patch those together or replace them, too. global efforts to limit climate change. Climate finance means paying developing countries Going into Paris, 176 of the world’s 195 countries to move beyond the reliance on fossil fuels that made wrote down what they intended to do to address cli- the U.S. and other developed countries rich. It also mate change. But even if all of these promises were met, means paying for vulnerable communities and ecosysthe world would still be heading for 3 degrees or more tems to adapt to the climate change that’s already hapof global warming. That would take us into extremely pening. dangerous territory, with rising seas inundating coastal Yet rich countries have repeatedly failed to provide cities and setting off some chain reactions (called “tip- climate finance on anything close to the scale needed. ping points”) that could fundamentally alter our ability Back in Copenhagen, they promised to “mobilize” $100 to live on large parts of the planet. billion per year of climate finance by 2020. Using some Leaving Paris, that’s still the case. highly creative accounting, they now say they’re already providing $62 billion, and that new promises made in 2. There are no legally binding Paris could take that total to $94 billion per year. targets to cut climate pollution In reality, only about $2 billion is actually deThere’s a big legal devil in the details that made the livered annually in dedicated climate funds, and a Paris Agreement possible. While the now defunct Kyoto Protocol set binding maximum $20 billion per year of climate finance is targets for rich countries related to their responsibility flowing if a broader definition is used. The estimated for causing climate change (admittedly, with some con- need, according to the Climate Fair shares tool, is upsiderable loopholes), the new deal takes an “anything wards of $400 billion annually.

The Paris Agreement offers no new numbers. Instead, it introduces language about making the fundraising a “global effort,” which sounds innocuous but is intended to chip away at the liability of developed countries. During the talks, rich countries snubbed efforts led by African negotiators to set a better target for adaptation funding over the next five years. And while rich countries now “intend to continue” efforts to provide $100 billion in climate finance a year until 2025, the wording of the deal is deliberately vague about their obligations after that. You don’t have to be a lawyer to see how weak that commitment is. 4. Climate reparations are off limits Unfortunately, the discussions of climate finance that did occur were limited from the outset. That’s because the U.S. categorically refused to consider any proposals for reparations for the damage rich countries’ emissions have already caused. “The idea of even discussing loss and damage now or in the future was off limits. The Americans told us it would kill” the agreement, said Leisha Beardmore, chief negotiator for the Seychelles. Other developing country diplomats reported the same message. Floods, typhoons, or droughts costing you billions? Tough luck. Climate change melting the glaciers that provide you with water? Don’t look to the United States for help, or the other developed countries who were supporting the same position with less fanfare. Washington’s negotiators shut down this discussion through a mix of bullying and bribery. The carrot was a promise that the U.S. would sign up to the 1.5-degree Celsius goal, or something approximating that — as long as it wasn’t binding, and as long as the U.S. didn’t have to take on its fair share of meeting that target. The stick was a threat to bring the whole show crashing down if compensation was mentioned. The U.S. even sought to go further, proposing that the Paris Agreement should insure wealthy countries against any future claims for “liability or compensation” for the loss and damage caused by climate change. That phrase was kicked out of the final Paris treaty, although it remains in the accompanying guidance on how it will be implemented. That’s a devastating blow to poor and vulnerable countries already facing the worst impacts of climate change. 5. It doesn’t tell oil, gas, or coal producers to leave fossil fuels in the ground Avoiding runaway climate change means leaving over 80 percent of the world’s remaining fossil fuel reserves in the ground, according to climate scientists. Earlier drafts of the Paris Agreement included options that reflect this, suggesting that countries should “decarbonize” over the course of the century. Even this languid approach to getting out of fossil fuels is absent from the final text. A call to “reduce international sup-

6. 3It opens the same carbon trading loopholes that undermined the last global climate deal The Paris Agreement is intended to replace the Kyoto Protocol, a planet-sized flop that established a target for reduced greenhouse gas emissions far below what science suggested was needed — and then set up a series of loopholes that allowed developed countries to avoid climate action. It relied on a system called the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), a carbon “offsetting” scheme that allowed rich countries to buy “carbon credits” from poorer countries instead of reducing their own emissions. The credits were meant to represent a ton of carbon cuts, but were based on dubious accounting that meant polluting companies got paid for doing almost nothing, or even expanding harmful projects. The market for CDM credits “essentially collapsed” in 2012, and since then a ton of carbon has cost far less than a cup of coffee. The idea of trading emissions hasn’t gone away. Though there’s no mention of carbon markets, the Paris Agreement explicitly allows countries to count emissions reductions made in other countries as part of their own domestic targets, referring to these by the euphemism “internationally transferred mitigation outcomes.” It also creates a new mechanism to replace the CDM. To keep the diplomatic silence on the discredited carbon market system, this is referred to as “a mechanism to contribute to the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and support sustainable development” (MCMGGESSD?). It’s based on a joint proposal from the EU and Brazil, who clearly intend it to be a carbon trading scheme. But the length of the acronym and the obscurity of the language reflects the controversy surrounding international carbon markets, with Bolivia and its allies in the ALBA group of Latin American countries raising particularly strong objections. Nonetheless, a new carbon market mechanism won’t get off the ground without a fight. A battle over the rules for creating one will likely take place at the next UN climate change conference in Marrakech — the same city that hosted the 2001 summit that established the rules for the CDM and the other UN carbon trading mechanisms. 7. Carbon pollution from international shipping and flights doesn’t count Carbon emissions from international transportation already have as much climate impact as those from Germany or South Korea. And it’s going to get worse: Emissions from international flights are on course to triple by 2050, and shipping emissions set to quadruple. But for some reason, that pollution doesn’t count as greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Paris Agreement. That’s scandalous, but sadly predictable. A similar hole was worked into the Kyoto Protocol, which gave responsibility for emissions cuts in those sectors to the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Maritime Organization, respectively. In the 18 years since Kyoto, those bodies have shown themselves incapable of taking meaningful action. Oscar Reyes is an associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies.

Note to World Leaders: This Is How to Welcome Refugees Antonia Zerbisias

Commondreams

hey were hardly the poor, huddled masses Canadians might have expected. In fact, the 163 privately sponsored Syrian refugees from Lebanon who landed in Toronto late last Thursday looked less bedraggled and besieged than other Canadians do after a long overseas flight. But then, most Canadians don't travel in government jets, don't get the red carpet treatment, don't bypass line-ups for baggage and border clearance - and don't get greeted by their recently elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. These refugees did not arrive like the tens of thousands of Vietnamese "boat people" did in the 1970s, or any other group of terror-fleeing refugees at other times inCanadian history. "This is a wonderful night where we get to show not just a planeload of new Canadians what Canada's all about, but we get to show the world how to open our hearts and welcome in people who are fleeing extraordinarily difficult situations," Trudeau said. "Tonight, they step off the plane as refugees. But they walk out of this terminal as permanent residents of Canada, with social insurance numbers, with health cards, and with an opportunity to become full Canadians." Personal welcome Two days later, another planeload of 161 privately sponsored

Syrian refugees landing in Montreal barely made national news, let alone international headlines. That was despite a personal welcome by Philippe Couillard, the Quebec premier, John McCallum, the federal immigration minister, and Denis Coderre, Montreal's mayor. Would the newcomers' landing at Toronto's Pearson International - which was named after another Liberal prime minister - have made world news had Trudeau not been there with his trademark baby-kisses, warm hugs and selfies? Trudeau, the telegenic son of Pierre Trudeau, arguably Canada's most popular prime minister of the 20th century, was made for the internet age. Young, handsome and to the official manor-born, he is backed by a top-flight team of political strategists who know how to maximise media - new, old, and social - to sway public opinion and perceptions. This would explain why the trending hashtag #WelcomeRefugees, coined by the government itself, now appears on its immigration and citizenship ministry website. (Not surprisingly, that site has been radically overhauled since the refugee-hostile Stephen Harper Conservatives' nine-year reign ended.) And so heart-warming images of Trudeau zipping the new arrivals into bulky winter coats hit TV, tablet and telephone screens everywhere. They were splashed on the pages of the world's newspapers, from the Times of India to Britain's Indepen-

Canada welcomes a small group of refugees but its telegenic new PM puts on a big show

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau greets refugees fleeing Syria, during their arrival at Pearson International airport in Toronto. (AP Photo)

dent. They were tweeted and they were facebooked. They became the perfect Christmas story. In the US, The New York Times, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times published reports and editorials accusing the US of not measuring up to its northern neighbour's compassion. They pointed out how more than half of the states' governors want to keep their borders closed and how the leading Republican presiden-

tial candidate Donald Trump has promised, should he win the White House, to "shut down" Muslim immigration and register all US-based Muslims. Anti-refugee rhetoric in the US Indeed, the anti-refugee rhetoric in the US has reached such a hysterical level that more than one-third of all Americans approve of Trump's proposed ban. Onearmed vigilante-type group known as the "Three

Percenters" even vows to "interfere" with Muslims "threatening to take over" the US. "…Canada's generosity - and Mr Trudeau's personal warmth and leadership - can serve as a beacon for others," a New York Times editorial headlined Canada's Warm Embrace of Refugees maintained. "[I]t puts to shame the callous and irresponsible behaviour of the American governors and presidential candidates who have argued that the United States, for the sake of its security, must shut its doors to all Syrian refugees." Others were not so genteel. "US politics right now feels like a clown show of ventriloquised garbage bags yelling dangerous nonsense about Muslims and the Second Amendment," the men's magazine GQ taunted. "But just north of the border ... Trudeau is showing just how far leadership traits like compassion and openmindedness can go toward endearing yourself to your countrymen. Who would have thought?" Right now, Trudeau's approval ratings stand at 57 percent, higher than when his Liberal party swept to power on October 19. Nearly threequarters of all Canadians believe he has the makings of a good leader. He clearly has an effect. Canadian business has delivered millions in sponsorships, housing, furnishings and even mobile phones. Church and community groups, as well as individuals, have pledged to sponsor and support one newcom-

er. One chief executive is personally committed to bringing in 50 families at a cost of more than $1m. Coming around Judging by the reception for the first wave of refugees, largely Armenian-Syrian families with relatives in the country, Canadians who had concerns about security, especially following last month's terrorist attacks in Paris, will be reassured. They're already coming around. In mid-November, polls showed that opposition to Trudeau's refugee resettlement plan - 25,000 are expect to arrive by the end of February 2016 - was as high as 60 percent. Last week, two days before the first planeload, Canadians were split, with those saying they welcome refugees slightly outnumbering those who would not. True, other polls show that Canadians are worried that the influx will strain the already hardpressed healthcare system as well as other social services. This nation of immigrants and refugees also feels that Syrian refugees are getting preferential treatment over other groups. But their faith and pride in their country has been restored. As Trudeau himself has repeatedly proclaimed, "Canada is back." Canadians, new and old, have left the dark Harper decade behind and are once again charting a familiar course, one where the world's weary and war-sick are welcomed.

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.

FriDAY 18•12•2015

INDIA

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Cong seeks to exploit Gandhis' day in court 'Leaders asked not to come to Delhi on Dec 19' NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 17 (IaNS): The Congress on Thursday said its leaders and supporters have been directed not to throng Delhi on December 19 when party president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi are scheduled to appear in a trial court here in the National Herald case. "The Congress has made it clear to everybody that they should not come to Delhi on December 19 (Saturday)," Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters here. Azad's remarks came amid speculation that the party may put up a show of strength on Saturday to express solidarity with its two top leaders. Azad, leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, indicated that the party will avail of all legal options, including bail, in the National Herald case. "The Congress president and vice NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 17 (REUTERS): Opposition leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi will appear in court on Saturday to defend themselves against graft allegations in a case they hope to turn to their advantage by energising their party faithful against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The mother and son are the political heirs of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, that

ruled India for most of its post-independence history, but suffered a humiliating election defeat last year at the hands of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The case was brought by a BJP leader who says the Gandhis misused party funds to acquire properties. The Gandhis deny wrongdoing and would seek bail on Saturday, a senior Congress leader said.

Delhi police arrest 3 suspected members of al Qaeda India wing NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 17 (REUTERS): Delhi police have arrested three suspected members of an Indian wing of al Qaeda, an officer said on Thursday, describing the detentions as the first successful raid on the militant group since it was set up last year. Militants announced the formation of Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) in September 2014, vowing to raise the flag of jihad across the region. Arvind Deep, a special police commissioner, said police were interrogating the three members of the group who were arrested in different states. "We have busted this module before they could do anything, so it is a big achievement," Deep told Reuters. One of the suspects, identified as Mohammad Asif, was a founder member of the group, police said. Delhi police said in a statement the arrests were likely to reveal other al Qaeda affiliates in India.

'India clears purchase of Russian air defence systems' NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 17 (PTI): India's Defence Acquisition Council has cleared the purchase of five S-400 air defence systems from Russia, two defence ministry sources said on Thursday. One of the sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the deal is expected to cost around 300 billion rupees ($4.52 billion) but that the final price tag would be negotiated during the procurement process. India's air defences are old and outdated and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who heads to Moscow later this month to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, is keen to modernise the country's defences against airborne attacks.

Bengaluru Woman who posed as bank executive to swindle crores nabbed BENgaLURU, DECEMBER 17 (IE): A 42-year-old woman, who posed as a senior executive of a major private bank and offered interest rates of five per cent per month on large deposits but disappeared after people made the deposits, has been arrested in Delhi by the Bengaluru police. The suspect, identified as Vishalakshi Bhat, is alleged to have fraudulently collected money to the tune of Rs 30 crore from her victims who include, the personal assistant and a close relative of Karnataka housing minister and film star M H Ambareesh. The alleged cheat who is a resident of Subramanyapura in South Bengaluru had claimed before the police that she is an employee of HDFC Life. The Deputy Commissioner of Police (South division), B S Lokesh Kumar, said Bhat who was on the run for several days was nabbed in Delhi and subsequently produced before a court in Bengaluru. “There are five cheating cases registered against her involving the duping of five persons to the tune of Rs 3 crore. There are many people yet to file complaints against her and we estimate that she has cheated people to a tune of Rs 30 crore,” DCP Kumar said. In the first week of November, Bhat’s husband Srikant V Hegde had filed a missing person complaint stating that his wife was missing. When police began investigations into the case they began receiving complaints that the missing woman had cheated several people. A woman Renuka Devi who is the sister-in-law of housing minister Ambarish alleged that Vishalakshi Bhat had cheated of Rs 72 lakhs. Similar complaints were also registered against Bhat at police stations in JP Nagar, Banashankari, Madiwala and Mahalakshmi Layout. The police investigation so far has revealed that Bhat used to approach rich people claiming to be a top executive of HDFC Life who is eligible for a five per cent interest rate per month against deposits of upto Rs two crore. She convinced many people to deposit large amounst of money in her account. She also cheated some people by promising good returns in some insurance policies. “We have not been able to find out what she did exactly with these large deposits of money. We are still investigating,” DCP Kumar said.

The Congress accuses Modi of pursuing a political vendetta against the family. Party workers said there would be uproar if the court treated the pair harshly, which would back-fire on Modi. "If the judiciary makes a call to detain them for a day, it will be an acrossthe-board tsunami, but that tsunami is bound to work in our favour in the

upcoming state elections," said a Congress party official. Modi's top aides have denied any involvement in the case. The court hearing comes after Modi's defeat in Bihar election last month raised doubt about his popularity and dimmed chances he would be able to win more states to consolidate power in the Rajya Sabha, where he lacks a majority.

The legal battle has also soured relations between the BJP and Congress in parliament and has apparently scuppered the chances of them working together to clear legislation for landmark tax reform critical for economic growth. Two other Congress sources said they believed the Gandhis' court appearance would help turn the public mood against Modi.

president have full faith in the judiciary and full faith in the law of the land. Whatever we shall have to do as per the law, we will do," he said. There were reports that the two Congress leaders may not seek bail, if asked by the court. The party, however, asked its members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to stay put in the national capital during the weekend. Asked about the issue, Azad said such instructions were given as the party wanted its parliamentarians to be present in full strength during the last few days of the winter session that ends on December 23. The Congress leader said as parliament did not function normally and as the session was slated to end next week, some MPs could possibly decide to stay in their respective constituencies.

"Showing up in court and attempting to play victim, in a highly public way, is a way of rebuilding morale among the rank-andfile," said Milan Vaishnav, a political expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Former prime minister and Sonia's mother-in-law, Indira Gandhi, chose to go to jail in a case brought by her rivals in 1977, using it to win sympa-

Party sources said many leaders from various states were expected to arrive in Delhi on their own on Saturday and converge at the party's central office at 24, Akbar Road. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will appear in the trial court here on December 19 in connection with BJP leader Subramanian Swamy's complaint in the National Herald case. The Delhi High Court this month dismissed a plea of the Gandhis to quash the summons issued to them for personal appearance by a trial court in the case. The Congress said no illegality was committed by the party leaders in the case. The party alleged political vendetta on part of the Centre and claimed that Swamy had been given the specific task of targeting the Congress.

thy and launch a comeback. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who has brought the lawsuit, accuses the two of setting up a shell company to illegally gain control of properties worth $300 million. The assets were owned by a firm that published a newspaper founded by Rahul's great grandfather, Jawaharlal Nehru. Congress workers are gearing up for protests.

Sanjay Nirupam, the party's chief in Mumbai, said workers were ready to face arrest on Saturday. Swamy said he would not be cowed. "I don't like this mob behaviour, these Congress party demonstrations and all," the 76-yearold told Reuters. "If they launch massive protests, then I can say they are unfit to live in a civilized society and should be sent to jail."

AAP-BJP war rages on, Jaitley terms charges 'untruth' NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 17 (IaNS): The AAP and the BJP were locked in a bitter war on Thursday, with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seeking Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's resignation for corruption and the latter accusing the AAP leader of spreading "untruth and falsehood". Continuing its attack on Jaitley over alleged corruption when he headed Delhi's cricket association, Kejriwal said Jaitley must resign or should be sacked. The BJP and the central government rejected the demand. Responding to Jaitley's defence of himself, Kejriwal asked: "Can Jaitley's denial be taken as gospel truth? Very serious allegations against him. Why is he running away from investigations? "If Jaitley were (to be) let off without investigations on (the) basis of his press denial, then should all coal and 2G (scandal) accused also be similarly let off?" Kejriwal -- who took on Jaitley

two days after accusing the CBI of searching his room while targeting his principal secretary Rajendra Kumar, a charge denied by the CBI -- said huge amounts of money were involved in alleged wrongdoing in the DDCA. Jaitley refuted all this, saying Kejriwal believed in "untruth and only falsehood". "Free speech is unquestionably a pre-eminent fundamental right, but does free speech include the right to speak only falsehood? Kejriwal seems to believe in untruth and defamation, delivered in a language that borders on hysteria," the BJP veteran said in a Facebook post. Jaitley denied corruption charges levelled against him by the AAP and also the Congress regarding the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), which he headed for years. "It is a part of propaganda technique to deflect attention when you yourselves are in the dock. Finding himself acting as a shield to

cover an officer under investigation, the Delhi chief minister has attempted to focus attention on me," Jaitley said. Parliamentary Affairs Minister and BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu said: "There is no question of the resignation of Jaitley." Union minister Smriti Irani said: "Political hysteria is being created to deflect attention from a corrupt officer. AAP has made false allegations."

Jaitley added: "I left cricket administration in 2013. By referring to some facts of 2014 and 2015, he (Kejriwal) can't drag me in." Earlier, at a press conference, AAP leaders hurled a string of charges against Jaitley. "A free and fair probe cannot be done as long as Jaitley remains in the post," AAP leader Sanjay Singh said. "So he should be removed."The AAP allegations - an elaboration of what it

spoke about a day earlier - came two days after the CBI raided the office of the principal secretary to Kejriwal on charges of corruption.Kejriwal insisted that the CBI officials had searched his room too and read the file related to the probe report on the DDCA he had ordered. The CBI denied entering his room. In a related development, former cricketer Bishan Singh Bedi demanded to know that if all was hunky-dory in the DDCA, "then why did the court order the fourth Test (between India and South Africa to be) administered by Justice Mudgal? Will someone please educate me?" Kejriwal, who re-tweeted Bedi's remark, said: "Good point."Commenting on reports that the BJP had put a gag on its MP and former cricketer Kirti Azad, who has been campaigning against alleged corruption in the DDCA for years, the Delhi chief minister asked: "Is this true? Why is BJP trying to cover up Jaitley's corruption?"

India hardens stance in WTO; objects to agri draft LS passes arbitration bill by voice vote NaIRoBI, DECEMBER 17 (PTI) Hardening its stance in the ongoing WTO talks, India on Thursday strongly objected to the draft text on agriculture and said some countries are pushing for a deal on phasing out export subsidies with "some undue haste". Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also made it clear here that without concluding the pending agenda of the Doha Round, it would be difficult for India to talk about the new issues being pushed by the developed nations. She said that there is still no consensus on anything with regard to agriculture issues and several countries are of the

similar view. On the agriculture draft provided to the Chair, the minister said that India has expressed its unhappiness about the language, particularly on the stockholding for food security purposes. "Our team has gone line by line on the agreed draft and on the (WTO's) Ministerial draft. I have told my team (that wherever we have problem), we will give our language. I have told the Lesotho Minister (who is chair of the agriculture group) that even on the public stockholding, I am not happy with the draft. "We shall give our line... Similarly in the Ministerial declaration also, I have told (Ke-

nyan Trade Minister) Amina Mohamed (Chair of the WTO meeting) that I will send the draft with the language which will be suitable for India," Sitharaman told reporters here. She said that these things were not discussed earlier and hence "how can we come to a conclusion... so clearly this agenda is getting pushed with some undue haste." Today, she said, "we are at a stage where surprises sprung on us on topics which have not reached a conclusion in Geneva". Public food stockholding is crucial for India's food security programme. India wants permanent solution to the issues related to it.

NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 17 (IaNS): The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed by a voice vote the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2015, which aims to make the country more investorfriendly. The bill, which seeks to amend the Arbitration and Conciliation Act of 1996, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 3 by Law and Justice Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda. Suggestions made by a parliamentary committee and the Law Commission were taken into consideration while preparing it, Gowda said, adding that the government was working to update the country's legal system. While under the existing law, a principal civil court or a high court with original jurisdiction is the rel-

evant court for handling arbitration matters, the bill makes the high court the relevant court for international arbitration. Under the new bill, these provisions will also apply to international commercial arbitrations even if the place of arbitration is outside India. This will apply unless the parties agreed otherwise. Under the existing act, if any matter brought before a court is a subject of an arbitration agreement, parties will be referred to arbitration. The bill says this power of referral is to be exercised by a court even if there is a previous court judgment to the contrary. The court must refer the parties to arbitration unless it thinks that a valid arbitration agreement does not exist.

'Delhi's Khan Market most expensive retail spot in India' NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 17 (IaNS): Khan Market in New Delhi is the most expensive retail location in India and the 24th worldwide, a report by global real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield said on Thursday. "Khan Market is the most expensive market in India since five years, as demand for retail space has remained steady owing to its upscale location and current occupier profile," the report noted, ranking the posh shopping place at the top. With Rs.1,250 ($19) per sq ft rental, Khan Market is followed by Connaught Place in the city centre at Rs.850 per sq ft and DLF Galleria at Gurgaon in Haryana and South Extension in south Delhi at Rs.750 per sq ft. "Moving two positions up to 24th worldwide and 10th in the Asia Pacific region, Khan Market is centrally located in the nation-

al capital, flanked by high-end residential catchment area, with many global and national brands' stores in its vicinity," the report on 'Main streets across the world' pointed out. Globally, New York's Upper 5th Avenue retained top spot with rental at a whopping $3,500 per sq ft, followed by Hong Kong's Causeway Bay at $2,399, Avenue de Champs Elysees in Paris at $1,372 and Bond Street in London at $1,321. "In India, New Delhi and NCR (national capital region) accounted for top four most expensive locations in the country due to steady growth in retail activities year-on-year (YoY), entry of new brands and expansion of existing brands," the report found.

Interestingly, DLF Galleria witnessed 15 percent YoY hike in rentals owing to better tenant mix and better quality of retail space and high footfalls due to location

Linking Road (ranked fifth) in western suburb. "Poor infrastructure and lack of amenities for shoppers have led to these locations fall out of preference, while Lower Parel and Kurla are preferred for their quality space and growing catchment areas," the report said. Vashi and Chembur in the western city's northwest and northeast suburbs have, however, seen 14.8 percent and 9.4 percent rise in rental values YoY, as population with disposable income grew proportionately. Kolkata' Park Street and Camac Street ranked among top 10 in the Indian retail market despite recording no change in rental values on account of robust retailer interest and a

At Rs.1,250 per sq ft rental, Khan Market is followed by Connaught Place in the city centre at Rs.850 per sq ft and DLF Galleria at Gurgaon follows suit. and amenities. In contrast, retail locations in the country's commercial capital Mumbai such as Colaba Causeway in southern suburb (ranked sixth) saw 14 percent YoY rental decline, while it remained flat on

regular inflow of brands to their location. "The Indian retail industry has progressed to a certain level of maturity, where it has rationalised to ensure healthy growth on the basis of market dynamics," C&W India managing director Sanjay Dutt said on the findings in the report. Cautious growth by retailers and quality real estate have readied the sector for a new phase of growth. "Investment in retail space is expected to change and improve supply and effective management leading to better performance of shopping centre," Dutt added. With presence in about 60 countries the world over and 15,000 employees, the 98-yearold US-based C&W deals in real estate process from strategy to execution.

FRidaY 18•12•2015

WORLD

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Yazidi woman begs UN Security Council to wipe out Islamic State UNITED NATIONS, DEcEmbEr 17 (rEUTErS): A young Yazidi woman pleaded on Wednesday for the United Nations Security Council to wipe out Islamic State after describing the torture and rape she suffered at hands of the militants, who abducted her as “war booty” and held her for three months. “Rape was used to destroy women and girls and to guarantee that these women could never lead a normal life again,” Nadia Murad Basee Taha, 21, told the 15-member council’s first meeting on human trafficking. “Islamic State has made Yazidi women into flesh to be trafficked in,” she said of the extremist group that has seized swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria. Taha said she was abducted in August last year from her village in Iraq and taken by bus to a building in the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul, where thousands of Yazidi women and children were exchanged by militants as gifts. A few days after she was taken by a man, she said: “He forced me to get dressed and put my makeup on and then that terrible night, he did it. He forced me to serve as part of his military faction, he humiliated me every day.” She tried to flee, but was stopped by a guard.

US supplies Syrian fighters ahead of stiff battle against Islamic State

Nadia Murad Basee, a 21-year-old Iraqi woman of the Yazidi faith, speaks to members of the Security Council during a meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York on December 16. (REUTERS Photo)

“That night he beat me. He asked me to take my clothes off. He put me in a room with the guards and then they proceeded to commit their crime until I fainted,” she said. “I implore you, get rid of Daesh (Islamic State) completely.” Taha, who said several of her brothers were killed by Islamic State militants, eventually escaped and is now living in Germany. Visibly emotional after tell-

ing her story, the members of the U.N. Security Council applauded her courage. The United Nations has said that Islamic State may have committed genocide in trying to wipe out the Yazidi minority and has urged the U.N. Security Council to refer the issue to the International Criminal Court for prosecution. The council said in a statement on Wednesday that it deplored people traf-

ficking by Islamic State and other groups such as the Lord’s Resistance Army and Boko Haram. It warned that “certain acts associated with trafficking in persons in the context of armed conflict may constitute war crimes.” Islamic State militants consider the Yazidis to be devil-worshippers. The Yazidi faith has elements of Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Islam. Most of the Yazidi population, num-

bering around half a million, remains displaced in camps inside the autonomous entity in Iraq’s north known as Kurdistan. Of around 5,000 Yazidi men and women captured by the militants in the summer of 2014, some 2,000 have managed to escape or been smuggled out of Islamic State’s self-proclaimed caliphate, activists say. The rest remain in captivity.

WASHINGTON, DEcEmbEr 17 (rEUTErS): The United States has delivered a fresh supply of ammunition to Syrian Arab fighters ahead of an expected stiff battle with Islamic State as they push toward the Syrian town of al-Shadadi, a key logistics hub for the group, U.S. officials tell Reuters. The munitions were shipped into Syria over land in recent days to Syrian Arab forces fighting in the northeast part of the country, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the operation. It appeared to be the third delivery of ammunition to the Syrian Arabs since the United States started supplying them with an airdrop in October. The Syrian Arabs are allied with Kurdish fighters, and the initial shipment of U.S. ammunition unnerved NATO ally Turkey, which is sensitive to any operations that could benefit Syrian Kurdish YPG militia. The Syrian Arabs number around 5,000 fighters. With the Kurds and others, they form the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces seeking to claw back land from Islamic State, officials say. The U.S. officials said the fighters were preparing eventually to move toward al-Shadadi, which is located on a strategic network of highways. Capturing it would help isolate Raqqa, Islamic State’s defacto capital. U.S. Army Colonel Steve Warren, a Baghdad-based spokesman for the U.S.led coalition against Islamic State, said the militants used al-Shadadi to stage weapons, equipment and personnel for distribution throughout the battlefield. Warren declined to comment on any specific U.S. resupply operations but noted past U.S. commitments to carry them out.

BATTLEFIELD ADVANCES U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they expect Islamic State to put up a tough fight for al-Shadadi, largely because of its strategic importance. One official said the group was believed to be digging long trenches and berms to prepare fighting positions. Washington’s strategy in Syria has shifted this year from trying to train thousands of vetted fighters outside the country to supplying groups headed by U.S.vetted commanders. In October, Obama decided to deploy dozens of special operations forces to northern Syria to coordinate with local ground forces, acting in an advisory role away from combat. Speaking at the Pentagon on Monday, Obama said the special forces had already begun supporting local Syrian forces as they push south. The U.S. military has said it would dole out the ammunition to Syrian Arabs as the fighters showed progress on the battlefield pushing into Islamic State-held territory. That began in earnest with the capture of the town of al-Hawl after the October airdrop and has been followed by the seizure of smaller villages further south this month. The U.S. military estimates the larger Democratic Forces of Syria has captured around 1,000 square kilometers of terrain in the past six weeks or so, bolstered by coalition air strikes. The battle against Islamic State has often confounded U.S. expectations, sometimes moving slower than hoped. The Iraqi forces have fought for months to retake the city of Ramadi, which fell to Islamic State in May.

‘Do not mix religion with running of state’ Singapore Strait collision sinks freighter ISlAmAbAD, DEcEmbEr 17 (IANS): The tendency to mix “religion with the running of the state” has led to the disintegration of both in Pakistan, an editorial in a prominent daily said Thursday. The editorial, headlined “State And Religion” in The Nation newspaper, noted that the National Assembly on Wednesday “accepted an amendment to include recitation of ‘Naat’ after the recitation of Holy Quran at the beginning of the proceedings of the house”. “Was there no other issue of importance to legislate on?” wondered the daily. “While no one denies the good intention behind this amendment, we must understand that it is precisely this mindset, of mixing religion with the running of the state, which has led to the disintegration of both,” it said. The editorial, however, contended that religion plays an important role in shaping society and morals. Religious belief and practice re-

mains vibrant in Pakistan, “but this does not require that religion be blatantly displayed in the legislatures. The National Assembly is a place of work, not of worship. Yes, we must start the proceedings with the name of Allah and his word, but extended worship must take place apart from regular proceedings”. “It is necessary that the state remains separate from religiosity so that the constitutional structure is maintained. Religious beliefs do not need the protection and support of the state like this,” it added. The daily went on to say that instead of passing amendments on Naat Khwani, poetry in praise of the Prophet, should the members of the National Assembly “not be passing legislation to promote religious freedom and protection to those who dare to belong from a different belief than what the state imposes on them?” There are laws and bills that already relate to religious issue that need to be amended, including the

Blasphemy law and the Hindu Marriage act. It categorically said that the parliamentarians were doing “a disservice to Pakistan’s religious minorities when laws and acts pertaining to the majority are so readily adopted, and those relating to minorities become controversial landmines”. “Islam will always have a place in the political landscape as it is the religion of the majority. This does not mean that it needs to be ‘saved’ or institutionalised by MNAs. The problem is that religion is the trump card, and once the Naats were suggested, what MNA would have the guts or irreverence to say no to the proposition? “But what must be understood is that nobody is criticising Islam by arguing for a separation of the state and religion. What is being criticised is the lack of space for people of different backgrounds to even have a voice, when the voice of the majority is so loud,” it added.

SINGAPOrE, DEcEmbEr 17 (rEUTErS): Six crew members are still missing after a general cargo freighter sank in the Singapore Strait following a collision with a chemical tanker on December 16. The 10,385 deadweight tonne (dwt) cargo freighter Thorco Cloud, operated by Danish shipper Thorco Shipping and registered in Antigua and Barbuda, had a crew of 12. Singapore’s Police Coast Guard, supported by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), rescued five of the crew members, while the chemical tanker picked up a sixth, the MPA said. The rescued seamen were sent to Singapore General Hospital for observation, it said. Search and rescue operations continued for the six missing crew members,

An Indonesia rescue team approaches the sunken Antigua and Barbuda flagged freighter MV Thorco Cloud which sank after colliding with a tanker the night before, in the Singapore Strait off the Indonesian island of Batam on December 17. (REUTERS Photo)

said an MPA spokesman in an update. To ensure shipping safety, the MPA deployed a buoy tender and a hydrographic survey vessel to cordon off the area. So far there have been no shipping disruptions, the spokesman said. The incident, which took place in Indonesian

waters six nautical miles northwest of Batam, left the Cayman Islands-registered chemical tanker Stolt Commitment with minor damage and in stable condition, said the MPA. The 37,438 dwt tanker is owned by Stolt Tankers, part of Norwegian bulk liquid transportation and

storage company StoltNielsen Ltd. Indonesian authorities have also commenced search and rescue operations and Singapore is ready to render assistance if required, the MPA said. The sunken cargo freighter was carrying 560 metric tonnes of bunker fuel.

Libyan factions sign UN deal to form unity gov’t Climate change warming world’s lakes at alarming rate SkHIrAT, mOrOccO, DEcEmbEr 17 (rEUTErS): Delegates from Libya’s warring factions signed a U.N.-brokered agreement to form a national government on Thursday, a deal that Western powers hope will bring stability and help fight a growing Islamic State presence. Four years after Muammar Gaddafi’s fall, Libya is deeply fractured with two rival governments -- a selfdeclared one in Tripoli and an internationally recognized one in the east -- each backed by coalitions of former rebels and militias. The U.N. deal calls for a presidential council to lead a unified government, but hardliners in both factions reject it and questions remain about how it will be implemented in country where rival armed factions are key to power. Chants of “Libya, Libya” erupted as representatives from both parliaments signed the accord along with local councils and political parties in the Moroccan coastal town of Skhirat, after more than a year of hard-scrabble negotiations. “The doors remain wide open to those who are not here today,” U.N. envoy Martin Kobler said at the ceremony attended by regional foreign ministers. “The signing of the political agreement is only the first step.”

NEW YOrk, DEcEmbEr 17 (IANS): Climate change is warming lakes around the world at an alarming rate, threatening freshwater supplies and ecosystems, says the largest study of its kind led by an Indian-origin researcher. For the study spanning six continents, a total of 236 lakes, representing more than half of the world’s freshwater supply, were monitored for at least 25 years. “We found that lakes are warming at an aver-

Nouri Abusahmain (R), head of Libya’s General National Congress (GNC), meets with Martin Kobler (L), United Nations Special Representative for Libya, in Tripoli November 22, 2015. (REUTERS File Photo)

Western officials believe war fatigue, promises of foreign aid, the strain on Libya’s oil economy and the common threat of Islamic State will help build momentum for the national government and bring onboard opponents. Under the deal, a ninemember presidential council will form a government with the current, easternbased House of Representatives as the main legislative and a State Council as a second consultative chamber. The presidential council will name a new government in a month and a U.N. Security Council resolution will endorse it. But the agreement faces questions about how representative the proposed

government will be, how it will set up in Tripoli and how various armed factions on the ground will react to a government critics say was imposed on Libya. The chiefs of each rival parliament already rejected the U.N. deal and called for more time to negotiate a Libyan initiative though diplomats say both men may face international sanctions for blocking a vote on the agreement. Since revolution ousted Gaddafi, Libya has struggled with almost constant instability as heavily armed brigades of former rebels and their political allies squabbled for control. Battered by protests and attacks, oil production that accounts for most gov-

ernment revenue is now less than half of the 1.6 million barrels per day level prior to 2011. But last year, fighting intensified when one armed faction took over Tripoli, set up its own government and reinstated the old parliament, the General National Congress. Since then, the recognized government and elected House of Representatives operate out of the east of the country. In the chaos, Islamic State militants have steadily expanded their presence, taking over the city of Sirte, attacking a hotel and a prison in Tripoli, ransacking oilfields to the south of Sirte and executing a group of Egyptian Christians.

age of 0.34 degrees Celsius each decade all around the world, threatening freshwater supplies and ecosystems,” said study lead author Sapna Sharma from York University in Toronto, Canada. “This can have profound effects on drinking water and the habitat of fish and other animals,” Sharma said. At the current rate, algal blooms, which can ultimately rob water of oxygen, will increase 20 percent in lakes over the next century,

the study said. Algal blooms that are toxic to fish and animals would increase by five percent. These rates also imply that emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide, will increase four percent over the next decade. “We found that ice-covered lakes, including Canadian lakes, are warming twice as fast as air temperatures and the North American Great Lakes are among the fastest warming lakes in

the world,” Sharma noted. It is also the first to combine manual lake measurements - made by thousands of scientists over more than a century - with satellite measurements of lake temperatures collected by NASA over a quarter century, the researchers said. The study results, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, were announced at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco, US.

‘Obama welcome to visit but not to meddle’ HAVANA, DEcEmbEr 17 (rEUTErS): U.S. President Barack Obama is welcome to visit Cuba but not to meddle in its internal affairs, a senior foreign ministry official said on Wednesday on the eve of the first anniversary of the two countries’ historic rapprochement. “The day that the president of the United States decides to visit Cuba, he will be welcome,” Josefina Vidal, director of U.S. affairs in the Cuban foreign ministry, told reporters. “Regarding what I just said, I’d like to recall that Cuba has always said ... it is not going to negotiate matters that are inherent to its internal system in exchange for an improvement in or the normalization of relations with the United States,” Vidal said. Obama told Yahoo News in an interview about the Dec. 17 anniversary that he hopes to visit Cuba in 2016 but only if enough progress

has been made in bilateral relations, he is able to meet with political dissidents, and if he can possibly “nudge the Cuban government in a new direction”. It was a year ago that Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro shocked the world by announcing the former adversaries would normalize relations. By July they had agreed to restore diplomatic ties after a 54-year break. Obama has about 400 days left in office before handing over to the next president, potentially a Republican hostile to his new Cuba policy. Castro has 800 days left before stepping down and handing over power to a new Communist leader. Both have some urgency to cement the new relationship while advancing their strategic interests. “We are playing a game of chess and we have to make a certain number of moves before the time is up,”

said Rafael Hernandez, a Cuban political analyst. “We have to make enough moves so that if there is an unfavorable change in the U.S. administration, we will be too far along to turn back.” In the year since detente, more Americans are visiting Cuba, and more Cubans are trying to reach America, concerned that preferential treatment for Cubans migrants may end. Under Cold War-era laws, Cubans are welcomed without a visa and given residency with relative ease. Since detente, Cuban overland arrivals to the United States have soared nearly 80 percent while the number arriving by sea has more than doubled. Since Obama eased restrictions on travel, U.S. visits to Cuba have climbed more than 70 percent, with 138,000 arrivals in the first 11 months of 2015.

FriDAY 18•12•2015

SPORTS

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Switzerland freezes millions of Swiss francs related to FIFA ZUricH, deceMber 17 (reUTerS): The Swiss Justice Ministry has frozen millions of Swiss francs related to world soccer body FIFA, a spokesman said on Thursday, confirming a media report. World soccer's governing body is suffering the worst corruption scandal in its more than 100-year history, with 41 entities and people including soccer bosses from throughout the Americas charged by U.S. prosecutors and FIFA President Sepp Blatter suspended from his post pending a full investigation. "U.S. authorities asked for documents related to 50 accounts at different banks, through which corruption money is supposed to have transited," Swiss Justice Ministry spokesman Folco Galli said, confirming a report by Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger. In a statement, Galli said a "high double-digit million amount" had been frozen following the U.S. request to authorities in Switzerland, where FIFA is based. Blatter and European ((UEFA) soccer chief Michel Platini have both been provisionally suspended for 90 days over a suspicious payment made to Platini, pending a thorough investigation. Both men have proclaimed their innocence. Thursday's announcement came a day after officials said German prosecutors had asked Switzerland to help look into a suspicious payment linked to Germany's hosting of the 2006 World Cup, including by sifting through bank data. "The justice ministry has recently passed on the request for administrative assistance from the prosecutor in Frankfurt to the Swiss attorney general’s office so it can deal with it," Galli said. "The ... ministry has not received any other requests for administrative assistance related to FIFA."

Blatter appears before FIFA ethics board

Suspended FIFA President Sepp Blatter appeared before the ethics committee of world soccer's governing body on Thursday in a case that could end with him banned from the sport for years. FIFA is reeling from the worst corruption scandal in its more than 100-year history, with 41 people including national soccer bosses as well as entities charged by U.S. prosecutors and Blatter under criminal investigation in Switzerland. Blatter, who is due to leave the post on Feb. 26 when his successor will be elected, arrived at FIFA headquarters in Zurich in a chauffeur-driven vehicle with one of his lawyers. Blatter was suspended on Oct. 8 from

all soccer-related activity for 90 days alongside European (UEFA) soccer chief Michel Platini pending a full investigation into their conduct. The FIFA ethics inquiry began in the wake of the Swiss attorney general office's decision to open criminal proceedings against Blatter over a $2 million payment to Platini in 2011. Blatter and Platini have both denied wrongdoing.Platini, who had intended to run for the FIFA presidency, was due to be heard by the committee on Friday but has refused to attend, saying the process against him is purely political. Earlier this week, Blatter wrote to FIFA's 209 member state associations, on his own stationary, proclaiming his innocence. He reiterated that the payment made when Blatter was running for re-election of UEFA, was legitimate and resulted from a verbal contract for work Platini had done for FIFA years before. Separately, a spokesman for the Swiss Justice Ministry said on Thursday it had frozen millions of Swiss francs related to FIFA in response to a request from U.S. investigators. (REUTERS)

Guardiola 'is leaving Bayern' berliN, deceMber 17 (aFP): Pep Guardiola, strongly linked to a move to the Premier League, has told Bayern Munich he will be leaving the club at the end of the season, German media reported on Thursday. The Spaniard's threeyear contract expires next June and Bayern's head coach has said he will announce "before Christmas" whether he will extend his stay or leave, with Manchester City among the English sides keen to secure his services. According to German daily Bild, Guardiola gave his decision to Bayern boss Karl-Heinz Rummenigge "last week". "Everything points to his leaving," the paper added. Kicker suggested his departure was "an open secret". The 44-year-old Catalan is in his third year at the helm of the Bavarian giants. Last month Rummenigge indicated that talks on his future would

begin after December 19 "to avoid any Christmas surprise, one way or the other". Barcelona daily Sport claimed a month ago that Guardiola had already given his word to former Barca colleagues Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain, now Manchester City's chief executive and director of football respectively, that he would join them at the Etihad next season. Bild suggested Guardiola was alive to the danger of out-staying his welcome if he remained at Bayern. "He is someone who enjoys a challenge. That's

the reason why he joined Bayern in 2013," the paper said. Bayern laboured to a 1-0 German Cup win over Darmstadt on Tuesday to book their place in the quarter-finals and keep alive their dreams of winning the treble of Champions League, Bundesliga and cup titles this season. The Bavarian giants hold a five-point lead in the German league ahead of their final game of 2015 at Hanover 96 on Saturday, but the sense of anticipation is building in the Bayern squad over Guardiola's impending announcement.

Dortmund, Berlin advance, while Stuttgart struggle in German Cup Zidane ready to take big coaching leap at Real Madrid

Madrid, deceMber 17 (iaNS): French football legend Zinedine Zidane, current coach of Real Madrid's reserve team, has become the centre of attention in Spain amid rumour that he may succeed Rafael Benitez as coach of the first team, if the latter fails to lead the team back onto the right track. Zidane is now focused on the upcoming match against Talavera de la Reina in Segunda Division B next Saturday. But at the same time he does not rule out a surprising elevation to the first team when they face Rayo Vallecano in La Liga's 16th round next Sunday, which might speed up the process of Benitez's departure, which will provide

the Frenchman with the opportunity he has always longed for, reports Efe. The former Real Madrid star is respected by all members of the capital side, including club president Florentino Perez, as well as the trust of the management, which contracted him at the peak of his career, and provided him with the chance to coach the Castilla. This opportunity in particular prevented Zidane from coaching in France, despite the offers he received following his retirement. Zidane has furthered his coaching experience after spending the last two seasons as assistant coach to the club's former Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti. The Frenchman, usual-

ly reserved, which he must overcome in the future, is focused on leading Real Madrid Castilla to promotion in the Segunda Division again. Following his failed attempt last season, Zidane seems to have found the right way this season, after his squad was successful in climbing to second position in its group with 35 points, and only three points behind leader Barakaldo after 17 weeks into the competition. Those with close connections to the 1998 World Cup winner told EFE that he wants to lead the first team starting from next season and not as an interim manager during the current one, if Benitez is fired. If Zidane's request is rejected by the management, he has no other option but to accept the opportunity he has always dreamed of since he started coaching. Despite being at the very beginning of his managerial career, Zidane is very popular among all players of the first team, while he is well aware of every single detail in the locker room following his involvement with Ancelotti.

berliN, deceMber 17 (iaNS): Borussia Dortmund cruised to a 2-0 win over Augsburg, while Hertha Berlin edged past second-division side Nuremberg by a similar margin and Stuttgart carved out a 3-2 win against resilient Braunschweig in overtime to book their berths for the last-eight stage of the German Cup. Last year's finalist Borussia Dortmund booked their tickets for the quarter-finals on Wednesday after they defeated Augsburg thanks to second-half goals by PierreEmerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, reports Xinhua. Nevertheless, it was a stiff piece of work as the "BVB" lacked in ideas to overcome Augsburg's defensive bulwark. Thus, the spectators had to wait until the 40th minute before Aubameyang tested onrushing Augsburg goalkeeper Marvin Hitz following a one-on-one situation. Aubameyang cut a better figure in front of Augsburg's custodian after the restart, as the Gabon international capitalized on Dong-Won Ji's miscued clearance to break the deadlock into the top left

We deserve to be in final: Chennaiyin FC coach Materazzi KolKaTa, deceMber 17 (iaNS): Chennaiyin FC coach Marco Materazzi said his side deservedly got into the final of the Indian Super League (ISL) after going through on aggregate (4-2) even after losing to Atletico de Kolkata 2-1 here in the second-leg semi-final on Wednesday. Chennaiyin had beaten Kolkata 3-0 in the first-leg of the semis in Pune last Saturday. They now face FC Goa in the final on Sunday. "After a string of losses in the middle of the tournament we found what were the strong and the

weak points and the strong points had to come out someday, we peaked at the right time. We have to enjoy the final and we deserve to be in it," Materazzi told reporters here in the postmatch media conference. The Italian World Cup winner said the only time he got angry and nervous in the game, where ATK had Chennaiyin on the ropes for much of the 90 minutes was when they conceded the first goal. "Problem was giving away the first goal. I was nervous and angry because of that," he said.

Asked if it was a nerve wracking experience playing in front of 70,000 vociferous fans at the Salt Lake stadium, Materazzi said: "When I won the World Cup (2006) there were 90,000 spectators at the stadium. So it wasn't a problem for me." He also praised the referee for the decisions he made. "The referee did a good job, he made tough decisions under pressure and most were right. I would want to take him to Goa (for the final)." The former Italian defender also said that he

wasn't surprise at the behaviour of rival coach Antonio Lopez Habas who was sent off by the referee towards the end of the game. "Like me, he is a coach who was desperate for a win. Maybe, he lost a bit of control towards the end but I have huge respect for him," he said. Materazzi, lastly lauded the efforts of Edel Bete, Chennaiyin FC goalkeeper who put in a remarkable performance and also congratulated Atletico striker Iain Hume for the whole season where he grabbed 11 goals.

Russia will cooperate to eradicate doping: Putin MoScoW, deceMber 17 (aP): President Vladimir Putin on Thursday pledged that Russia would cooperate with international officials to eradicate the ''poison'' of doping, but said it was wrong to suspend athletes who have not been accused of cheating. Putin suggested the IAAF's blanket suspension of Russia's entire track and field team was unfair because it penalized athletes for the cheating of others. Russia's track and field federation was suspended by the IAAF after a World Anti-Doping Agency panel accused the country of operating a widespread, state-sponsored doping program and covering up positive tests. The penalty could keep Russia's

track and field athletes out of next year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. ''If someone is doping, they should definitely be punished in the proper way because it destroys the idea of fair competition,'' Putin said in his annual news conference. ''Those who are guilty - the coach, the organizer, the athlete - they should be held responsible. Those who have nothing to do with it should not answer for those who are violating something. It's not fair and it's not right.'' Putin promised to make sure that Russian officials work with international bodies to fight doping, which he described as a ''poison for people.'' ''Russia must and will be open for a joint fight on doping,'' he said in

televised remarks. ''I will order officials on all levels to cooperate openly with international bodies, not cover up anything. It's in our interests.'' Putin also reacted to the corruption scandals at FIFA which are overshadowing Russia's preparations to host the World Cup in 2018. Asked to comment on the ongoing investigation, he said that Russia has done nothing wrong and had won the right to host the soccer tournament in an ''honest competition.'' Putin also praised FIFA's suspended president, Sepp Blatter, for his contribution to world soccer and reiterated his belief - first expressed in July - that Blatter deserves a Nobel Peace Prize.

Dominik Kohr (L) of Augsburg and Henrikh Mkhitaryan of Dortmund vie for the ball during the round of sixteen German Cup (DFB Pokal) match between FC Augsburg and Borussia Dortmund at WWK-Arena on December 16, 2015 in Augsburg, Germany.

corner with 61 minutes into the game. Thomas Tuchel's men gained momentum and doubled the lead through Mkhitaryan, whose deflected shot on target made the game safe in the 66th minute as Augsburg failed to pose any threat to Dortmund's defence. Stuttgart needed the overtime to sew up their last-eight ticket with a hard earned 3-2 win over sec-

ond-division side Braunschweig on home soil. Braunschweig caught the hosts flat-footed with just six minutes into the game as Joseph Baffo poked home a rebound that dropped off the bar to open the scoring. With 21 minutes played, the hosts recovered from the setback and restored parity through Georg Niedermeier, who made use of a flicked on corner to

head home. Stuttgart had even the chance to turn the tides but Braunschweig goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz saved Alexandru Maxim's weak shot from the penalty spot in the 34th minute. After the restart, Stuttgart continued to work out opportunities but Braunschweig goalie Gikiewicz denied Christian Gentner's and Toni Sunjic's promising chances. As both sides failed to grab the lead in the

second-half, the overtime had to bring the decision. The hosts grabbed a perfect start into the overtime as Timo Werner nodded home Borys Tashchy's pinpoint cross into the box in the 99th minute. However, Braunschweig kept it bowling and shocked the retracting hosts with the equalizer in the 110th minute after substitute Orhan Ademi tapped home a follow up shot from close range. Despite everything, Stuttgart bounced back with just two minutes remaining in overtime as Filip Kostic's cross into the box found Sunjic, whose header marked the 3-2 final score. Elsewhere, Berlin secured their progression into the quarterfinals with a faultless 2-0 performance against second division side Nuremberg. Vladimir Darida opened the scoring on the road before Anthony Brooks' header sealed the deal for "Hertha". Meanwhile, the goals by Bochum's Janik Haberer and Tim Hoogland were enough to oust 1860 Munich 2-0 on the road. The German Cup quarterfinals will be held on 9th and 10th February 2016.

Los Angeles public 'firmly behind' LA 2024 Olympic bid loS aNgeleS, deceMber 17 (aFP): The leader of Los Angeles's bid for the 2024 Olympics believes there is no chance the city's quest to stage the games for a third time could falter through public scepticism following the abrupt withdrawal from the race of Hamburg. LA24 chief executive Gene Sykes told AFP in an interview that polls had shown overwhelming public support for the city's bid, which faces stiff competition from Paris, Budapest and Rome. Hamburg's bid ended last month after a referendum in the German city surprisingly voted 51.6 percent against staging the games, with respondents citing fears of terrorism, bankruptcy and sporting scandal. Yet Sykes believes a mood of optimism is squarely behind the 2024 campaign, with many in the city still harboring fond memories of the successful 1984 Olympics. - Security priority "We have tremendous home support, the polls suggest over 80 percent public support," Sykes told AFP. "I don't think we have any negativity at all. "We actually believe we can deliver the Olympics in a fiscally responsible way. It will not require an enormous amount of new buildings, we are ready to host the Olympics today, we have the capacity within ourself, we could have a more affordable Olympics." LA24 has said the Games could generate $4.8 billion, resulting in a

The entrance to the Los Angeles Coliseum, which played host to the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics, in Los Angeles, California. (AFP File Photo)

profit of around $161 million. Sykes meanwhile said that security concerns raised by the recent bloody attacks by a Muslim husband and wife in San Bernardino near Los Angeles would not redefine the city's bid, adding security challenges were shared across the Olympic movement. "I do not think these challenges stand in the way of the Olympics. The challenges say 'We need the Olympics more than ever'," said Sykes, who has said security will be a "very high priority." The host of the 2024 Olympics will be chosen by the International Olympic Committee at a meeting in Peru in September 2017. The United States last hosted a summer Olympics in Atlanta in 1996. Los Angeles will hope to impress voters with a bid that relies heavily on existing venues such as the downtown Staples Center, home of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers, which would host gymnastics.

A revamped Los Angeles Coliseum -- the main Olympic stadium used in the 1932 and 1984 Games -- will be at the heart of the extravaganza. The bid also outlines plans to incorporate famous Los Angeles city landmarks and attractions, such as mountain biking in the shadow of the Hollywood sign, beach volleyball on the golden sands of Santa Monica and Hollywood Boulevard hosting the marathon and road cycling. "We will be a very competitive bidder but we have great competition, I respect the competition because they are all distinctive world class cities, I expect us to be different from the competition and very much our own, but the competition will be strong," Sykes said. "LA is the home of the Olympics, everyone is enthusiastic about hosting the Olympics here again. We had a great experience in 1932 and 1984, every single one of them has a great story to tell about these Olympics".

Friday 18•12•2015

X-Men villain identifies with Krishna, Hindu leader wants line deleted

Hindu leader based in America has petitioned director Bryan Singer to delete a reference to Lord Krishna from his next X-Men film, subtitled Apocalypse. A new trailer for the movie, released this week, contains a line spoken by the antagonist Apocalypse in which he identifies with Krishna - "I have been called many things over many lifetimes, Ra, Krishna and Yahweh." Rajan Zed, President of an organization called Universal Society of Hinduism, described the comparison of a Hindu deity to a movie villain as 'inappropriate' in a tweet and asked for all references to Krishna deleted from the trailer and the film: In a statement published on his website, Mr Zed said that "such trivialization of Lord Krishna, wo is revered in Hinduism, is inappropriate and disturbing to devotees." He also suggested that Hollywood executives be trained in religious and cultural sensitivity. Hollywood is welcome to make films

about Krishna, he said, as long as "the final product remain true to the scriptures and not a fantasised or re-imagined version." There has been no response on Bryan Singer's Twitter account as yet, or an official statement. Apocalypse, as depicted in the X-Men universe, is an ancient and immortal mutant - possibly the first ever mutant - and is depicted in the comics with gray skin and blue lips. In the movie, played by actor Oscar Issac, he has been shown as blueskinned. As per the trailer, Apocalypse is more powerful than the X-Men and is able to control all of them. X-Men: Apocalypse is calendared for the summer of 2016. James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult and Rose Byrne return as Professer X, Magneto, Mystique, Beast and Mora MacTaggert. Other than Oscar Issac, additions to the cast include Sophie Turner and Olivia Munn as Jean Grey and Psylocke.

Niall Horan wants to marry Selena Gomez

ne Direction member Niall Horan says he wants to marry pop star Selena Gomez. Horan made the confession in the "Carpool Karaoke" for an episode of "The Late Late Show with James Corden" on Tuesday, reports aceshowbiz.com. "Do you know the game 'Sleep With, Marry, Cruise'?" host James Corden asked Horan, before explaining, "One person you want to cruise for a year, sharing a room - you spend every minute, every day with them but you do not sleep with them. One of them you marry. One of them you just sleep with." Horan showed a serious facial expression as he listened to Corden's explanation. He then gave Horan three names that he had to choose either to sleep with, marry or cruise. "Your three are Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez and Tina Fey," said the 37-year-old. Without further ado, Horan said, "Sleep with Tina Fey," to which Corden exclaimed, "Nice!" "Marry Gomez," Horan continued. "Marry Selena Gomez, good choice," Corden said of his choice. "Go in a cruise with Demi Lovato," Horan added. His bandmate Harry Styles who sat on the back seat said of Demi: "Great voice." Horan then chimed in and said: "Yeah, yeah. She could sing a song. We can have good time."

I was under stress filming ‘Neerja’: Sonam Kapoor

ctress Sonam Kapoor says she was under stress working in upcoming biopic Neerja, which is a story of a slain air hostess. The Ram

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Madhvani helmed biopic is on senior flight attendant Neerja Bhanot, who saved 360 lives on a Pan Am flight that was hijacked in Karachi in 1986.

Bhanot became the youngest and first woman recipient of the prestigious Ashok Chakra Award, posthumously. "It was not emotionally draining. It is important that this story is told. It is about this girl, the youngest civilian who got Ashoka Chakra. She was a normal girl...She did bit of modelling. She had the courage to save the world," Sonam said. The Khoobsurat actress said she was stressed throughout the shooting in anticipation that whether she is doing justice with her role. "I hope I have done justice to it. I was

stressed throughout the film hoping I have done best job possible. I feel the reason why this film was made is to recognise everyone that it doesn't matter who you are, where you come from. "You have to be ordinary to do extra ordinary things and everybody has that in them. You need to have courage to do things." The 30-year-old actress revealed that there are quite a few similarities between her and Neerja. "My values with family, relationships, sensitivity, strong sense of ethics...I think the sense of right

and wrong, young people need to see these values and have courage to do right things. This ordinary girl did extraordinary," she said. With her last release Prem Ratan Dhan Payo being a superhit, Sonam says the Rajshri Production film has given her a wider reach as an actor. Prem Ratan Dhan Payo has given me wider reach as it has gone into the heartland of India and people are loving the film. For me it is important as my next film (Neerja). It is not about me, director and producer but about Neerja," she said.

Waiting for Bollywood to call: Danish band MLTR

anish soft rock/ pop band Michael Learns To Rock (MLTR) is waiting for Bollywood to call! Known for cult songs "Paint My Love" and "Take Me to Your Heart", MLTR is all set to perform in the city on Thursday. Currently, the threemember band consists of drummer Kare Wanscher, singer-keyboard player Jascha Richter and guitarist Mikkel Lentz. Admitting they are fans of Bollywood movies and Indian pop music, Lentz said they would love to collaborate. "We are waiting for calls from Bollywood all the time but nobody calls us! Somebody from Bollywood should call us," the guitarist told the media here on Wednesday when asked about possible collaborations. However, they want to

stay away from collaborating "too much". "... on the other hand we don't want to collaborate too much. We want to stick to what we are best at so that we don't disappear music-wise." With a global record sale of 11 million physical albums, over six million paid downloads and estimated 50 million video views on YouTube, the band has been entertaining music lovers with their melodic numbers since 1988. With over 25 years of making chart-topping music, they now have a strong presence online and like it that way. "Our fans are all online so we are online," Wanscher said. For beginners wishing to make a mark on the music scene, MLTR's tip is: "Have the courage to trust yourself and don't pretend to be someone else."

Congratulations Mr Moa Ross & Mrs Aren Sayer

s the two of you enter a new phase of your lives together as one: uphold the truth, appreciate one another, never take your relationship for granted, in faith overcome life’s challenges, and always remember to walk with wisdom and love. Embrace your marriage as a beautiful partnership in the journey of life. . Wishing you happiness and may the love you share be without end.

With best wishes

The Morung Express Family

Bajirao Mastani to be George Clooney launches campaign to BaNNeD iN PaKiSTaN feed homeless people on Christmas Day

wo of the year's biggest films are set to hit the cinema halls this Friday, Dilwale starring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in lead after 16 years and Bajirao Mastani, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's larger than life depiction of Maratha warrior king Bajirao Peshwa, starring Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra. However just a day before release date, Bajirao Mastani seems have run in to some unexpected trouble in Pakistan. A poster of Bajirao Mastani with Ranveer Singh as Bajirao, Deepika Padukone as Mastani and Priyanka Chopra as Kashibai A poster of Bajirao Mastani with Ranveer Singh as Bajirao, Deepika Padukone as Mastani and Priyanka Chopra as Kashibai Knowing that Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Bajirao Mastani explores the relationship between Bajirao Peshwa and his Muslim wife Mastani, it has been a topic of hot discussion in the Indian subcontinent, however just a day before release, Bajirao mastani has failed to get a no objection certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) of Pakistan. Reports in the The Express Tribune quote Mobasher Hasan, chairman of the CBFC explaining why the decision to not allow screening was made,“Firstly, the film is in Hindi and our ordinance does not allow Hindi films to be screened. Secondly, it is a historical drama that is indirectly against Islam and Muslims.”

While speculations that intimate scenes and certain dialogues could have also played a part in the decision to ban the film, Hasan clarified that the reason for not allowing the release is not because of these reasons. The Pakistan's censor board has termed the film antiislamic and has said that it cannot allow such a film to be released in Pakistan. However, according to the local film distributors who called for a full board film review again, the board has agreed to review it previous decision. However the outcome is yet to declared. Vishal Bharadwaj's Haider was disallowed to be released in Pakistan by the CNFC in 2014 terming it as against the "ideology of Pakistan". Aamir Khan's PK that discussed religious oddities of India was also heavily edited before release in akistan. Pakistan has three regional censor boards Sindh Board of Film Certification (SBFC) in Karachi, Punjab Censor Board in Lahore, Central Board of film Certification (CBFC) of Pakistan in Islamabad. Punjab and Sindh have approved the release of the movie and distributors hope that because regional boards of Punjab and Sindh have no objection to the film's release the CBFC might reconsider its decision and clear it for release however it appears to be a long shot. While the final decision is yet to be made, Shah Rukh Khan's Diwale has been approved for release in Pakistan.

uperstar George Clooney has launched a new fundraising campaign with the aim of feeding thousands of homeless people in Scotland on Christmas Day. The 54-year-old star grabbed headlines in November when he paid a visit to the Edinburgh sandwich shop Social Bite, a non-profit organisation that gives proceeds to charity, allows patrons to buy food for homeless people and is staffed partly with people who were once homeless themselves, reported Daily Mirror. Josh Littlejohn, cofounder of Social Bite, said, "Last year we asked the public to pay £5 to allow us to

open on Christmas Day and give local homeless people a place to go for a good meal. Our target was to provide 800 meals. We were amazed by the response and received over £36,000 donations from all over the world meaning we not only fed folk at Christmas, we were able to feed them all year round in all five of our shops." About the trip to the refugee camps to help alleviate the suffering of migrants, Littlejohn said, "Our trip is about reaching out a hand of compassion, and letting them know Scotland cares. We don't know how many vans we'll fill but we'll take as many as we can with the donations we get."

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China end 11-year US streak Mourinho sacked as Chelsea manager

(LEFT)Abby Wambach lines up a first-half shot against China defender Wu Haiyan (5). (USA TODAY Sports) (RIGHT) Fans hold up signs for United States of America forward Abby Wambach (20) during a match against the China PR for the World Cup Victory Tour at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. (Reuters)

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New OrLeANs, December 17 (reuters): Abby Wambach, the most prolific goalscorer of all time in international soccer, bowed out of the game in defeat on Wednesday when the United States women's team lost 1-0 to China to end an unbeaten run of 104 matches on home soil. Despite the best efforts of her American team mates to get the ball to her in the friendly played in front of 32,950 fans in New Orleans, Wambach had only a couple of halfchances to add to her tally of 184 international goals. China struggled to get the ball out of their own half for long periods, but scored on a rare attacking foray when Wang Shuang

connected with a cross in the 58th minute, her shot deflecting past a wrongfooted American goalkeeper Hope Solo. The result, the first home loss for the U.S. since 2004, was not exactly the perfect Wambach send-off but it did not detract too much from an evening that was largely a celebration of her career. She was substituted after 71 minutes, trotting off the pitch to a standing ovation after removing her boots and hugging several team mates. Wambach bowed out with 184 goals, the most by either man or woman in internationals, from 255 matches. Iranian Ali Daei holds the men's record with 109 goals in 149 games.

"It is time to go. I think it's a little fitting that this is the result," Wambach said in a pitch-side interview. "I know everybody wanted to get me a goal. That's probably why we didn't score, because they were so focused on trying to get me a goal. "I think it's kind of appropriate I lost my last game. Today wasn't about winning. Today was about celebrating a long career and almost the end of an era." Wambach, 35, will be remembered for her unflinching determination to advance the cause of American, and women’s, soccer on and off the pitch. She was part of an unsuccessful player lawsuit that sued FIFA over its decision to play this year's

Women's World Cup in Canada on artificial pitches. And just two weeks ago she was a member of the American team that refused to play a match on what it said was sub-standard artificial turf in Hawaii, a stance that forced the US Soccer Federation to cancel the contest. Outspoken to the last, she made her swansong on artificial turf at the Superdome just hours after saying U.S. men's coach Juergen Klinsmann should be fired for playing too many overseas-born players. Wambach retires just months after finally adding a World Cup winner's medal to her collection, even if she only came on as a substitute late in the final against Japan.

The World Cup capped a career that includes two Olympic gold medals and the 2012 FIFA World Player of the Year title. "She’s been vocal about everything, whether it's turf-related issues, whether it's just making this team atmosphere better, whether it's fighting for women's rights, equal pay, she's done it all," team mate Carli Lloyd said. "I don't think anyone will ever bring what she brings, her leadership on and off the field ... She's basically carried the team on her shoulders over the years." Coach Jill Ellis summed up the feelings of many in U.S women's soccer. "She will be irreplaceable."

LONDON, December 17 (AP): Jose Mourinho's second spell as Chelsea manager ended Thursday, only seven months after he won his third Premier League title with the club. Although Chelsea is only one point above the relegation zone, the 52-year-old coach had been defiantly insisting he was the right man to oversee the team even as it collapsed on the field with a succession of humiliations. A 2-1 loss at Leicester on Monday was Chelsea's ninth in 16 games, the worst-ever start for a defending champion team in the Premier League. ''Both Jose and the board agreed results have not been good enough this season and believe it is in the best interests of both parties to go our separate ways,'' Chelsea said in a statement. ''The club wishes to make clear Jose leaves us on good terms and will always remain a much-loved, respected and significant figure at Chelsea. His legacy at Stamford Bridge and in England has long been guaranteed and he will always be warmly welcomed back to Stamford Bridge.'' There was no immediate announcement about a replacement for Mourinho.

''The club's focus is now on ensuring our talented squad reaches its potential,'' Chelsea said. After easing to the league title by eight points in May, Mourinho was awarded a new four-year contract on the eve of the new season. First hired by Chelsea in 2004, the Portuguese coach won the league twice before a fall-out led to his firing three years later. He was brought back in 2013 by owner Roman Abramovich. Although Mourinho has won every honor in English soccer, he never

managed to win a European trophy in either of his two spells at Chelsea. He won the Champions League with FC Porto in 2004 and with Inter Milan in 2010, before and after his first tenure at Chelsea. ''All at Chelsea thank Jose for his immense contribution since he returned as manager in the summer of 2013,'' Chelsea said. ''His three league titles, FA Cup, Community Shield and three League Cup wins over two spells make him the most successful manager in our 110-year history.''

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Suarez hat trick sends Barca into Club WCup final VSU sports meet close today

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YOKOhAmA, December 17 (AP): Luis Suarez made up for the absence of Lionel Messi and Neymar, scoring a hat trick Thursday as Barcelona beat Guangzhou Evergrande 3-0 to advance to the final of the Club World Cup. Suarez put Barcelona ahead just before halftime, hammering in a rebound off Ivan Rakitic's longrange effort that was parried by Guangzhou goalkeeper Li Shuai. The striker made it 2-0 five minutes after the break when he controlled a pass from Andres Iniesta off his chest and beat Li with a right-footed volley. He put the result beyond doubt with a penalty kick after Huang Bowen took down Munir El Haddadi in the area. ''Suarez was spectacular,'' Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said. ''He is very

talented in difficult situations and knows what to do in those situations. We had some injuries to deal with so we had to adjust and he stepped up.'' Barcelona will face South American champion River Plate in the final on Sunday. Messi was diagnosed Thursday morning with renal colic, a type of abdominal pain commonly attributed to kidney stones. His availability for the final will ''depend on the outcome of further medical tests,'' the club said in a statement. Neymar, who has been recovering from a groin injury, remained on the bench. Guangzhou entered Thursday's semifinal match on a 28-game unbeaten run stretching back to May, shortly before Luiz Felipe Scolari took charge. ''We lost 3-0 to them but

KOhimA, Dec 17 (mexN): The four day long 52nd sports meet of Viswema Students’ Union (VSU) cum Lt. Dr. Vizadel Sakhrie & Lt. Visakhol Sothu Memorial Trophy will conclude on December 18 at

John Government Higher Secondary School, Viswema. The closing function will take place at 1:00 PM with Adu Naleo, Chairman, Viswema Village Council, as the guest of honour. The function will be chaired by

Vikekiil Sothu, member Sports Committee while prize distribution will be led by Atsopi Theyo, women coordinator VSU. Vote of thanks will be proposed by VSU president Puvito Neikha.

Senapati FC, Wings FC face off in Chizami Cup final

FC Barcelona's Luis Suarez, right, kicks the ball past Guangzhou Evergrande FC’s goalkeeper Li Shuai to score a goal during their semifinal match at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament in Yokohama, near Tokyo, Thursday, Dec. 17. (AP Photo)

other big clubs have lost to them by the same score so we are no worse,'' Scolari said. ''We are a good team. We've improved a lot but

we have not caught up with the big clubs of the world.'' Guangzhou will face Japanese champion Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the third-place

game, also on Sunday. Barcelona is bidding to win the tournament for a record third time after titles in 2009 and 2011.

chizAmi, December 17 (mexN): Senapati FC will take on Wings FC, Chizami in the final of the 6th Chizami Cup after the two sides won their respective semifinal encounters on Thursday. Mayosing of Senapati FC scored four goals to lead his side to a comfortable 4-1 victory over The Hills FC, Pfütsero in the first semifinal. This was also the second hat-trick of the tournament for Mayosing. Nusu scored the consolation goal

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December 18: CLOSING CEREMONY (12:00pm) Chief Guest: Rev. Dr. Vezopa Tetseo Executive Secy, Chakhesang Baptist Church Council Guest of Honour: Moa Lemtur, SDO (C), Chizami 1. Third Place: The Hills FC, Pfutsero vs Halcyon United, Pfutsero (8:00 am) 2. Exhibition Match: Life Sports U-17 (A) vs Life Sports U-17 (B) (11:00am) 3. Final: Wings FC, Chizami vs Senapati FC, Senapati (12:30 pm) for The Hills FC. In the other semifinal, Yhunshalo Kemp scored a brace as Wings FC, Chizami defeated Halcyon United, Pfütsero 2-0. An exhibition match be-

tween the Organizing Committee (Life Sports), Chizami and Teammates, DABA, Dimapur was also held during the day. Teammates won the match 4-1.

Warriors rebound to thrash Suns

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LOs ANgeLes, December 17 (AFP): The Golden State Warriors bounced back with a vengeance from their first defeat of the NBA season, routing the Phoenix Suns 128-103 on Wednesday. Klay Thompson scored 43 points including 27 in a third quarter in which the Warriors led by as many as 40. Golden State, the reigning NBA champions, saw their historic 24-game season-opening winning streak halted by the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday. But three days’ rest and a return to their home floor in Oakland saw the Warriors back to their winning ways. It took the Warriors some time to fire. They trailed 42-38 eight minutes into the second quarter before a 21-4 scoring run put them in charge. “We were real sloppy in the first quarter,” Thompson said. “We made the adjustment.” Stephen Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green combined to make eight straight shots, including five three-pointers, in the second-quarter flurry. Curry finished the game with 25 points and seven assists in only 30

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors goes up for a shot against Eric Bledsoe of the Phoenix Suns on December 16 in Oakland, California (AFP Photo)

minutes on the floor. Thompson, who improved on his prior season-best of 39 at Indiana eight days ago, was playing just his second game since spraining his right ankle late in that win over the Pacers. He scored 12 when Golden State lost 108-95 in Milwaukee.

The Warriors will get another crack at Milwaukee when they host the Bucks on Friday. The Bucks have lost the first two games of their Western road trip, falling to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday and dropping a 103-90 decision to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.

Ailing Wade leads Heat Dwyane Wade scored 28 points to lead the Miami Heat to a 104-98 victory over the Nets in Brooklyn, hours after a sore and swollen tongue forced him to miss his team’s morning shoot-around. “I wasn’t worried about it, I knew I would play basketball,” said Wade, who connected on 13 of 17 attempts from the floor to lead five Heat players in double figures. The Heat won their third straight, and Wade himself bounced back from a tough 3-of-16 shooting night on Monday in his team’s victory over the Atlanta Hawks. “You never know in this game,” Wade said. “I had so many great shots the other night and couldn’t get them to go down.” As for the mouth trouble that Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said made Wade sound “like he had a bunch of marbles in his mouth,” Wade said he didn’t know the cause. “I really can’t explain it,” he said, adding that he planned to consult a doctor back home in Miami. Across town in Manhattan, Arron Afflalo scored 29 points and made all eight of his free throw attempts in

the last two minutes to help the New York Knicks to a 107-102 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony scored a double-double of 20 points and 15 rebounds, falling one assist shy of a triple-double. Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis scored 11 points with six rebounds and a seasonhigh seven blocked shots. Gasol vs Gasol Derrick Rose set an early tone, scoring 10 of his 19 points in the first quarter of the Chicago Bulls’ 98-85 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Shooting guard Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 24 points and center Pau Gasol chipped in 10 points and 14 rebounds to help Chicago to a victory over his brother Marc Gasol’s Grizzlies. Marc Gasol is now 9-12 in games against his older brother, but said it’s “always cool” to play him. “We just have so much respect for each other and the game. We both expect our team to win, and when we don’t accomplish that, it’s obviously a little more frustrating to not only lose, but to lose to your brother.”

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