February 1st, 2017 by The Morung Express

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wednesdAY • FebruArY 01 • 2017

DIMAPUR • Vol. XII • Issue 29 • 12 PAGes • 5

T H e

ESTD. 2005

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I would rather be accused of breaking precedents than breaking promises — John F. Kennedy

Fired: Trump dumps top lawyer who defied immigration order PAGe 09

NSLSA holds meet on Access to Justice Project in Nagaland

Manipur’s Asian Games hero now battling cancer, poverty

PAGe 02

PAGe 12

ULBs polls: joint pact dissolves; protests erupt 144 CrPC promulgated in Dmp DIMAPUR, JANUARY 31 (MExN): The Commissioner of Police, Dimapur has promulgated 144 CrPC prohibiting assembly of five or more persons, carrying lethal weapons and arms in public places including lathis, dagger, sticks, spears, catapults etc in areas within Dimapur Town up to Chumukedima. Morung Express News Dimapur | January 31

Just as a semblance of normalcy was returning, the Nagaland state government’s move to announce the conduct of polls to 12 town councils on February 1 led to violent upheavals in Dimapur and Longleng. In Dimapur, two persons were killed and at least five others were injured; while seven people were injured in Longleng in police firing. The government going back on its words and announcing polls despite agreeing to defer the February 1 polls ignited emotions in an already tense atmosphere. In the lead up to the violence in Dimapur, a meeting scheduled by the Joint Coordination Committee at 2:00 pm in Dimapur on January 31 to take forward the NBCC brokered January 30 meeting between the JCC and the Nagaland state government ended abruptly after news of impending polls circulated. Apparently feeling betrayed, youths in a highly agitated state called for ‘lighting bandh’ across the state at the meeting held at the Tourist Lodge. The JCC subsequently announced an indefinite bandh beginning 6:00 pm, Tuesday while wrapping up the meeting to head to its temporary office at the

Police stated that this has been necessitated as “some individuals/groups and organizations are likely to create trouble thereby causing disturbance of public peace and tranquillity, endangering life and property.” The order will be in effect from 8:00pm of January 31 till further orders.

BandHS On FEBrUarY 1

• Dimapur: Jan 31 6:00 pm till indefinite • Phek: 6:00 am to 6:00 pm • Tuensang: 6:00 am to 6:00 pm • Tseminyu: 6:00 am to 6:00 pm • Kohima: 8:00 am to 3:00 pm • Mokokchung: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm • Longleng: Jan 31, 6:00 pm till Feb 1, 6:00 pm • Wokha Town: Jan 31 evening till Feb 1, 6:00 pm

Violence erupts in Dimapur and Longleng

2 killed, at least 12 injured as police resort to firing Tenyimi Union Dimapur (TUD) complex. Businesses though began to down shutters by 4:00 pm. As dusk fell, youth assembled at the Tenyimi Union Dimapur complex where a brief yet adrenaline charged meeting was held. The youth then dispersed apparently headed to the Chief Minister’s Dimapur residence at 2 ½ Mile. Police set up barricades at the Dhansiri bridge to prevent the apparent move but hordes of youths managed to bypass taking alternatives routes. Report from the site of the confrontation said that the police deployed water cannon to disperse the gathering crowd only to be responded with catapult shots and other projectiles. It happened at the NH 29 junction of the approach road leading to the CM’s residence, said the report. It was around 10:00 pm when the police personnel retaliated with gunfire, said one person from the site of the incident. Three of the injured protestors were admitted to the CIHSR while another

was admitted to the ZHRC. One of the dead victims was reportedly brought dead to the CIHSR while the other was reported to have succumbed at the ZHRC. The injured in Dimapur were identified as Nokuzo (23), Abenjang (48), Moa (32), Rongsentoshi (63). One of the dead was identified as Avizo, while the other’s name could not be ascertained. The firing was reported to have lasted for over an hour which occurred as the NBCC met the JCC in Dimapur. Earlier, in the evening, JCC convenor, Supu Jamir said that the JCC declined an invite from the NBCC to meet, only for the meeting to take place later. Before the violence erupted, the JCC co-convenor, Vekhsayi Nyekha responding to queries from media persons at the TUD complex, had expressed displeasure at the state government’s perceived failure to uphold the January 30 assurance and stated that the government will be held responsible for any untoward incidents. “The government has turned

back on its word… it has rendered yesterday’s agreement null and void,” further said Nyekha. “We’re happy the NBCC intervened but it’s unfortunate the situation has come this,” added Nyekha as emotions rose on the streets. ENPO Advisor, Toshi Wongtong termed the act of the government as “blasphemous and treacherous.” “They have cheated the people and the church. The government owes the people an apology. No one can say what will happen on February 1. Full responsibility lies with the government,” said Wongtong. On the mobilisation of youth, that subsequently tragically went awry, the JCC said that no instruction was given to create disturbance. Meanwhile, at Longleng town, eight polling stations, including ballot boxes were destroyed on Tuesday evening by protestors opposing the decision to hold polls to the Longleng Town Council. Seven people were injured in police firing during the violence, informed the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO). Three of these people, the ENPO stated, were in critical condition. Longleng has 11 polling stations. The situation at Longleng was said to be tense.

Miscreants fire shots at Industries AMK dissociates from NMA & Commerce Director’s residence

DIMAPUR, JANUARY 31 (MExN): Unidentified miscreants fired at the private residence of the Director of Industries and Commerce at United Colony, Dimapur on January 30, around midnight. Fortunately no one was home during the incident. Police informed that 7 empty shells were found on the ground near the entrance gate to the residence. The iron gate bore 2 bullet marks, 2 went through ventilations on the first floor, one hit the balcony ceiling and 3 more bullet marks were found on the roof. Police said that an FIR to this connection was received in the morning while the motive

NBCC Statement

The January 30th (2017) Agreement signed between the State Government and the Joint Coordination Committee, initiated by and in the presence of the NBCC, was a welcome news to the Naga people. However, with much sadness, because of the stance of the State Government and the directive of the State Election Commission, the January 30 Agreement could not be taken forward. Despite the painful situation that affects every Naga citizen, we remain hopeful. Rev. Dr. Zelhou Keyho General Secretary, NBCC

Govt has duped people: Ao Senden

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DIMAPUR, JANUARY 31 (MExN): The Ao Senden, while calling for a total bandh on February 1 across Mokokchung district from 8:00am to 4:00pm has accused the Nagaland State Government of “committing a sinful act by going against the very ethics of Christianity when even the highest Christian body in the state was taken for a ride by nullifying the signatures of NBCC which was made on January 30, 2017.” It accused the state government of “duping the Naga people and denying their rights.” The Ao Senden meanwhile informed that military, medical and press personnel would be exempted from the purview of their bandh.

was still to be established and that investigation was on. Police stated that the interior of the house was still to be checked as the owner of the house was in Kohima. Meanwhile, the Nagaland Industries & Commerce Gazetted Officers Association (NICGOA) has condemned a firing incident. ApressnotefromtheNICGOAstatedthatunknown miscreants had “attacked and threatened the life of the Director and his family.” “This kind of barbaric action cannot be tolerated at any costs,” it stated while appealing to the district administration to expedite the processofinvestigationandarresttheculprit/ culprits, and book them under relevant laws.

DIMAPUR, JANUARY 31 (MExN): The Angamimiapfu Mechu Krotho (AMK) today informed that it has decided to “dissociate itself completely and immediately” from the Naga Mothers Association (NMA) for the “time being until further notice.” A press note from the AMK informed that on January 26, the JACWR in its meeting held in Kohima had reviewed the situation leading upto to the announced ULB polls vis-a-vis the appeal made by the state government and various tribe bodies for the JACWR to withdraw the Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court and decided to take steps for the same. However, the AMK lamented that “without the knowledge of AMK and with no consultation” the NMA has filed a PIL on the same matter in the Principal High Court at Guwahati.” This, it stated has caused “a lot of misunderstanding, distrust and possibilities of inciting other negative repercussions.”

SEC postpones elections of 7 ULBs for 2 months

Elections for twelve ULBs today

DIMAPUR, JANUARY 31 (MExN): The Nagaland State Government today informed that elections to twelve town councils in the state will take place as scheduled, that is, on February 1. A press note from the Nagaland State Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) informed that the twelve town/municipal councils where elections are scheduled to be held on February 1 include Peren, Jalukie, Tening, Aboi, Tobu, Tizit, Naginimora, Shamator, Noklak, Pungro, Longkhim and Longleng. The Nagaland State Election Commission (SEC) has meanwhile postponed the ULB polls to Dimapur Municipal Council, East Dimapur Town Council, Kiphire Town Council, Tseminyu Town Council, Bhandari Town Council, Wokha Town Council and Zunheboto Town Council for a period of 2 months. A notification from the SEC informed that the commission has taken this decision after receiving a letter from the Home Department conveying reports from the concerned district administration and IGP (Intelligence) that it is not conducive to conduct free and fair polls in view of the serious apprehension of law & order situation for holding peaceful elections. The SEC also received the State Cabinet decision dated 31/01/2017, impressing upon the commission to postpone the election process in 7 municipal and town councils. Meanwhile, it was informed that candidates for Meluri, Phek and Longleng have been declared elect-

Elections postponed in seven Municipality and town councils: 1. Dimapur Municipal Council 2. East Dimapur Town Council 3. Kiphire Town Council 4. Tseminyu Town Council 5. Bhandari Town Council 6. Wokha Town Council 7.ZunhebotoTownCouncil

Three Town Councils where candidates have been declared elected, and hence no polling is necessary: 1. Meluri 2. Phek 3. Tuli

ed, and hence no polling is necessary. The CMO release further stated that nominations to ten municipalities and town councils, including Kohima, Mokokchung, Pfutsero, Chozuba, Mangkolemba, Changtongya, Tuensang, Mon, Medziphema and Chumukedima could not take place, and hence no election will be held. The CMO also informed that the Guwahati High Court today ruled that the State Government should constitute the Municipalities and Town Councils in the State with 33% reservation of seats for women. The judgment, it informed, came in the wake of a petition which had informed that “some extra constitutional bodies, who are opposed to election, are creating hurdles in holding the election freely and fairly and that the State Government be directed to ensure holding of free and fair elections to the ULBs with 33% reservation of seats for women.”

The judgment which was passed this morning by Chief Justice Ajit Singh and Justice Achintya Malla Bujor Barua stated: “Having regard to the fact situation of the case, we are prima facie convinced that as per Notification dated 21.12.2016 of the State Election Commission, the election to constitute the Municipal Councils and Town Councils in the State of Nagaland with 33% reservation of seats for women should be held freely and fairly.” The Court went on to direct the State “to ensure that the election, in question, is held freely and fairly and if necessary, adequate security provided to the candidates and voters.” However, the CMO stated that “considering the fluid situation prevailing in several towns and Municipal areas,” the State Cabinet as mentioned wrote to the SEC for postponement of polls to the above listed seven municipality and town councils.

Nominations to the ten Municipalities and Town Councils could not take place, and hence no elecElections in twelve town tion will be held: councils to take place on 1. Kohima February 1, 2017: 2. Mokokchung 1. Peren 3. Pfutsero 2. Jalukie 4. Chozouba 3. Tening 5. Changtongnya 4. Aboi 6. Mangkolemba 5. Tobu 7. Tuensang 6. Tizit 8. Mon 7. Naginimora 9. Medziphema 8. Shamator 10. Chumukedima. 9. Noklak 10. Pungro Issued by Media Cell, 11. Longkhim Chief Minister’s Office, 12. Longleng Nagaland

WYSU express aYO calls for 8am-3pm bandh on Feb 1 WYH, support to JCC

DIMAPUR, JANUARY 31 (MExN): The Angami Youth Organization (AYO) today called for a bandh on February 1 from 8am – 3pm in Kohima and Dimapur, with Chakhroma Youth Organization entrusted to coordinate with the Dimapur Naga Youth Front in Dimapur. A press note from the AYO condemned the “diabolical plan” of the state government to “fool Nagas with divide and rule policy.” “Keeping in mind the interest of

the public residing in Angami areas chairmen will not be allowed to pitals will function of Kohima, the public are advised appear in public or traverse dur- • Public movement will not be not Panic and take note of the exing the bandh. stopped, be it pedestrian or veemptions and restrictions,” the AYO • Nagaland Armed Police includhicular stated. ing the Indian Reserve Battalion • District administration, Raj Bhawill also not be allowed to move van, Police Headquarter, SP ofRestrictions: about during the bandh. fice, north and south police sta• All government Offices will not tions, Chiephobozou Police be allowed to function Exceptions: Station, Khuzama Police Station, • No government registered vehi- • Businesses activity, trade and Zubza Police Station, Phesama cles will be allowed to ply commerce, shops will not be afpolice station, Kezocha Police • Legislators including the chief fected station, fire services, power deminister and officials of any polit- • Media and banks exempted partment and para military forcical party, including presidents/ • Educational institutions and hoses exempted.

DIMAPUR, JANUARY 31 (MExN): The Western Yimchunger Hoho (WYH) and Western Yimchunger Student Union (WYSU) have expressed support to the JCC agitation. A joint statement from the two organizations further appealed to the YTC to support JCC’s call for postponing /boycott the ULB election.

CPO bandh from 6:00 am to 5:00 pm

DIMAPUR, JANUARY 31 (MExN): The Chakhroma Public Organisation (CPO) has informed it will impose a total bandh under its jurisdiction on February 1 from 6:00 am to 5:00 pm. A press note from the CPO informed that the bandh will be in effect from Piphema to Assam-Nagaland border on the National non-compliance with the peo- Highway and all adjoining routes. Police and ple’s request, and the failure to army personnel on duty, magistrates, ambulance and media have been exempted from fulfil its assurance. It also expressed its “re- the bandh. morse on the Government’s adamant move to conduct the election in places it deems safe by dividing Nagaland electorate.” DIMAPUR, JANUARY 31 (MExN): The Chakhesang Youth Front (CYF) today informed that it would impose bandh in the Chakhesang region of Phek district on Februal. Meanwhile, it further in- ary 1 from 6:00am to 6:00pm. Hospitals, pharformed that a PIL was heard macies, security forces, administration, medtoday by the Chief Justice at ical duties, wedding and funeral parties and Guwahati and the State Gov- power department are exempted from the ernment has been directed by purview of bandh, informed a press note from the Court to give full security the CYF. The CYF directed that government for voters and candidates for registered vehicles are to remain off road. It the ensuing ULB elections in also asked the town/village youths to make Nagaland. necessary arrangement in this regard.

Special initiatives for NE, Railway Listen to the voice of the people: ABAM to Govt projects worth Rs 10,000 Cr: Prez DIMAPUR, JANUARY ABAM while appreciating the NEw DElhI, JANUARY 31 (IANS): President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said the government is taking special initiatives to develop the North East region, including by developing railway projects worth Rs 10,000 crore. “My government is taking special initiatives to develop the North East region. Special attention is being given to provide financial assistance with the ratio of 90:10 for the central Centrally Sponsored Schemes. For the Railways related development the government has already poured in 10,000 crore,” said Mukherjee addressing the joint session of Parliament. For the first time in India the Union Budget will be presented on February 1. Talking about other initiatives for the North East region, Mukherjee said: “Arunachal Pradesh has been brought in the Railway map.” On the setting up of various new organisations in North East, Mukherjee said: “Organisations like Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited, Numaligarh Refinery and others are new projects which will create tremendous job opportunities in the region.”

31 (MExN): The Ao Baptist Church Association (ABAM) today appealed to the Nagaland State Government to listen to the voice of the people to ensure that peace and harmony prevails. A press note from the

initiative taken by NBCC as mediator between the Government of Nagaland and JCC in signing the Tri-partite agreement at Chumukidema, however expressed “displeasure in the strongest sense” against the Nagaland State Government’s

JACWR informs on withdrawal of appeal

DIMAPUR, JANUARY 31 (MExN): The Joint Action Committee on Women Reservation (JACWR) has followed up its decision on withdrawal of the SLP, with the two petitioners on Monday submitting signed petitions at Delhi, for withdrawal of the Civil

Appeal and the writ petition from the Supreme Court of India. A press note from the JACWR informed that necessary formalities will be done by their advocate Dr. Colin Gonsalves and copies will be served to the Government of Nagaland on the withdraw-

12 hour bandh in Phek on February 1

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Mind counselling ‘to heal the brokenness’ NSLSA holds meet on Access Charis Counselling Center opens in Dimapur

DiMapur, January 31 (Mexn): Charis Counselling Center opened on Friday, January 28, 2017 with Rev Dr Wati Aier, Principal Oriental Theological Seminary (OTS) inaugurating the facility here at Dimapur. The center, located at Grace Cottage, Lake View Colony, Khermahal, Dimapur, is the brain child of Centena Aier, a trained counsellor from Singapore Bible College. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Aier noted that such a counselling center was the need of the hour for society and predicting that ‘mind counselling’ will become a growing need to cater to the challenges of a modern world. Referring to studies done of physical illness and the subsequent medical treatment in hospitals, he pointed out that a big percent of patients who visit hospitals are actually in need of psychological therapy. “Many of our health problems can be solved if we can bring healing to our minds”, he said. Dr Aier expressed his firm belief that Charis Counselling Center, which is rooted in Christian principles, will grow into a place where patients will find peace, comfort and new hope in their journey of life. Explaining the purpose behind opening such a center, Centena said that “it was a response to a special call-

ing” as she saw “a greater need in helping others, especially those hurting emotionally”. She said that there was a great need of counselling among different age groups in our society keeping in view the rate at which our society, family, peer groups of different age are undergoing change. “In a society today that seem to value competence and performance, the need for tending to one’s emotional growth becomes less important and often an area neglected and compromised”. Centena also laments that despite the urgent need, our society is yet to open up to the ‘concept, idea and need of counselling’. She further explains that the biggest taboo in our society with regard to counselling is that counselling is meant only for people with psychological issues. “The fear of finding out and how society will brand them is a fear. We need to break out of this”. Expressing her personal philosophy, Centena sees the work of counselling as a restoration within families and individuals, of empowering clients to manage their issues and experience healing. “In this broken world we are touched by difficult relationships at work or school or even at home, faced with crisis situation, losses, trauma, etc”. She also explains that

Centena Aier(Centre) along with fellow counsellors at the Singapore Bible College.

counselling is no easy task and there are no quick-fix solutions. “The process of counselling takes one to examine parts of self that are broken, bringing to awareness what needs to be repaired. It is like laying a foundation for a home; starts with one brick at a time, until the house in built, one step at a time until life is transformed”. It may be mentioned that Centena has done her Bachelor of Divinity at Union Biblical Seminary from 2007-2011 and M.A in Counselling (2014-2016)

from Singapore Bible College. She also received additional training in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Choice Theory Reality Therapy (CTRT), Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT), Addictions Therapy and Expressive Therapy. Since returning to Nagaland, she has worked with families, individuals, secondary schools and rehabilitation centers. She has handled different clients with issues such as depression, self-esteem, anger issues, grief and loss, personality disorder and schizophrenia.

to Justice Project in Nagaland

Tuensang, January 31 (Mexn): The annual meeting of 2nd phase of establishment of 46 LACs in Tuensang and Mon districts, on ‘Access To Justice Project’ (Northeast & JK), a project of Department of Justice, Ministry of Law & Justice, Government of India, being implemented by Nagaland State Legal Services Authority (NSLSA) at the districts of Tuensang and Mon was held on January 27 at CKs Hall, Tuensang organized by Nagaland State Legal Services Authority. Altogether 85 participants including judicial officers of Mon and Tuensang, Panel Lawyer, NGO representatives, PLVs of 46 Legal Aid Clinics under Mon and Tuensang, GBs and DBs of Mon and Tuensang and Project Team Nagaland attended the meeting. The officials from Department of Justice, Ministry of Law & Justice, Government of India also graced the occasion. The programme was chaired by Nokshei Kano, Judicial Magistrate First Class-cum-Secretary Tuensang DLSA. Welcome address was presented by Nino Iralu, Member Secretary NSLSA. Keynote ad-

About Access to Justice Project at Tuensang and Mon districts

he Access to Justice Project at Tuensang and Mon Districts in Nagaland was launched since November 2014, to provide legal aid and legal awareness to the marginalised community in the two most backwards district of Nagaland. Even though this two projected Districts have been cut off from the main stream disadvantaged by its topographical location and isolated by internal conflict and insurgency the project has been successfully implemented overcoming any obstacles and challenges. The project was implemented with the strength of 16 trained panel lawyers and 92 PLVs, 44 from Mon and 48 from Tuensang along with 30-40 students from Kohima Law College, 2 NGOs and Gaonburas and Dobashis of both the districts. Under the project, 46 Legal Aid Clinics were successfully established, 24

dress was delivered by SC Barmma, Joint Secretary, Department of Justice, Ministry of Law & Justice, GOI. An overview of Access to Justice (A2J) Project in Nagaland was presented by Limasenla Longkumer, Project Coordinator, A2J, Nagaland. Further, Premlata Kaushik, Under Secretary, Department of Justice, Min-

istry of Law & Justice, GOI gave a short speech on behalf of the Department of Justice, Ministry of Law & Justice, GOI .Meanwhile, Report on the activities carried out on A2J Project in Nagaland was presented by the representatives of Tuensang and Mon DLSAs, PLVs of Mon and Tuensang, Panel Lawyers of Mon and Tuensang District and GBs, DBs and NGOs.

Nagaland aims to achieve 7.11 lakh metric tons of food grain

KohiMa, January 31 (Mexn): In the Agri and allied sector, during 2015-16 the total food grain production in the state of Nagaland was 6.77 lakhs metric tons with a productivity level of 2096 kg per hectare. Governor of Nagaland, P.B. Acharya disclosed this during the 68th Republic Day function held at the Secretariat Plaza, Kohima on January 26. He said that the department aims to achieve production of 7.11 lakh metric tons of food grain with productivity level of 2138 Kg per hectare. The Department of Horticulture has introduced the concept of ‘Vegetable Villages’ under the Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayan states scheme. The Governor explained that potential villages were identified and adopted as vegetable villages and provided with vegetable needs. Significant progress has been made in different districts of the state and so for 650 hectare area has been covered in all the 11 districts with a production of 3380 metric tons, he stated. The Public Health Engineering Department is implementing four

major rural water supply schemes funded by DoNER in Chiephobozou Block in Kohima, Japukong Range in Mokokchung, Akuk village in Wokha and in Mon village and four surrounding villages. In the road sector, the work on 4 laning of Dimapur-Kohima stretch of National Highway 29 has started. The Department of Transport has launched the Helicopter service by the new operator Global Vectra Helicorp on January 2, 2017, the Governor said. The Department of Science & Technology has completed an Innovation Hub and Astronomy and Space Exposition Hall infrastructure with the support of National Council for Science Museum, Kolkata. The Department of Information Technology and Communication organized the 2nd e-Naga summit in 2016, making the State of Nagaland the next IT hub South East Asia. He added that Nagaland has been selected by the computer society of India ‘Nihilent eGovernance Award Committee’ as the best performing state in the A major fire broke out in SP Colony Kuda Village in Dimapur on Monday night around 11:30 pm on January 30. Around 20 North eastern region for it and e- houses were completely gutted down by the fire rendering 37 families homeless. According to Dimapur Fire department Governance initiatives. personnel, an electric short circuit was ascertained to be the cause of the fire. (Morung Photo)

'GoI must establish iconic national institutions in Nagaland'

‘Establishment of medical college must be expedited’ Kohima | January 31

The Nagaland Vision 2030 document stated that the Government of India must establish some iconic National institutions in Nagaland by 2030. It stated that the state must take proactive measure to build up technical institutions adding the establishment of medical college must be expedited so also the long pending proposal for the establishment of a Central Agricultural University. “This must be taken up on priority keeping in mind the fact that the state’s economy will remain agriculture based for a long time to come,” the vision document stated. It also stressed the need to establish medical, engineering IT and management institute by 2030. Underlining the need to establish colleges of forestry, horticulture and fishery by 2030, it also stressed on the need to establish institutes such as Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) and School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) and also make Veterinary College Jalukie as National Centre of Excellence for veterinary science. “There should be

a policy for promotion of private institutions, colleges and universities within premium on technical institutions. Such private sector colleges should be promoted in the more interior districts such as Eastern Nagaland,” it stated. It also observed that the state should formulate proper accreditation and quality control policies by 2020. It observed that promoting the potential of Nagaland to attract students from the South East Asian countries is essential, for which development of higher and technical education should form an integral part of the Vision. Other findings include; substantial investment in higher education must be made for fruition of the

Vision, NAAC accreditation of all colleges by 2020, digitization of library and training of all librarians, e-classrooms and related ICT infrastructure for all colleges by 2020-2025, upgradation of infrastructure for all colleges, Kohima Science College Jotsoma to be upgraded to the status of Deemed University by 2021, establish job oriented institutes such as aviation maritime and sports institutes along with polytechnics and tool rooms, set up institutes for bamboo, bee-keeping, biodiversity, climate change and sustainable development, incentive entry of private sector for higher and technical education, promote the private universities such as North Eastern Christian

University (NECU), St. Joseph’s University, strengthen the existing technical institutions and establish centres of excellence in discipline such as IT, Hospitality, Journalism etc. The Vision document stated that the biggest challenge for the state will be to train Naga youths to develop the desired skills so that the local youth can replace the non-local workers particularly in government constructions such as buildings, roads, bridges etc. “In the face of enormous challenges both economic and social, which have been aggravated by high percentage of educated unemployed youth, the government has to utilize education as the game changer to optimize the

human resource capital to take the state forward,” it stated. Approximately, 65,00067,000 students pass out every year from Class 8 and above upto the degree level. The state therefore need to focus on manpower planning in the absence of industries and organized private sector, as almost all educated youth look for government jobs as employment. However, there is practically very less scope for government jobs as employment in the government is already saturated. It also stated that there is need to focus and invest on a strong vocational education right from elementary level of education as many students drop out of school at the level of Class 8 & 9.

Dr. Manazir J. Samoon IAS, ADC Tuensang and Bharat Laxman Mukard, SDPO, Tuensang were also present during the interaction hour. A press release informed that the Project Team of Nagaland along with the officials from Department of Justice, Ministry of Law & Justice, GOI visited various LACs under Tuensang District.

Fire renders 37 families homeless

DiMapur, January 31 (Mexn): Around 20 thatch houses were completely razed to ashes rendering 37 families homeless in a fire that broke out at SP Colony Kuda Village in Dimapur on Monday night around 11:30 pm on January 30. According to Dimapur Fire department personnel, an electric short circuit was ascertained to be the cause of the fire. Police said five fire tenders were rushed to the spot and it took them around an hour and a half to douse the fire and stop it from spreading to other houses. Property worth Rs. 30 lakh has been estimated to have been lost in the inferno, said the fire department official. No casualty was reported in the incident. The Kuda Village ‘C’ Khel Council, K. Kire colony and Kuda Village Youth Organisation have lauded the Dimapur Fire Department for timely intervention and preventing the fire from avoiding the fire to a major incident. The three organisations provided breakfast, lunch and dinner to the affected families.

President's Correctional Service Medal for T. Bendangsenla

DiMapur, January 31 (Mexn): The Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi has approved the name of T. Bendangsenla, Assistant Office Superintendent of Prison Headquarter for award of the President's Correctional Service Medal for Meritorious Service on occasion of Republic Day 2017. According to a press release issued by Director General of Prison, Kohima her name was forwarded by the Director General of Prison Nagaland, Rupin Sharma IPS, to the Government of Nagaland and Government of India who have duly recognized these achievements and contributions. Bendangsenla is also an awardee for the Governor's Gold Medal on occa-

Our Correspondent

LACs in Tuensang and 22 LACs at Mon. Each of the LACs is manned by two trained PLVs with the assistance of the panel lawyers. All the LACs are functional and witnessed many success stories and increasing response from the villagers. From Oct 2014- 2016, a number of 11, 202 beneficiaries have been benefitted through the A2J Project by way of advice, counseling, drafting, door to door campaign by the PLVs, conducting of Legal Awareness programmes and providing Court based legal services. The beneficiaries included women, children, senior citizens and Village Council Members. Mentioned may be made that under the Access to Justice Project, PLV from Tuensang Yemlong Chaba from Chingmei LAC brought laurel to the state by awarding the Best Zonal PLV (North East Zone) by the Justice T.S Thakur, former Chief Justice of India.

sion of Republic Day 2017 announced by the Government of Nagaland. The press release also stated that Bendangsenla, apart from the usual duties actively contributed to nurture the ideas regarding reforms of prisoners in Jails within Nagaland. She was instrumental in imparting trainings and being the demonstrator for short term skills inside the jails. For the welfare of the prisoners of Nagaland, she shepherded the projects by coordinating with the NGOs, churches and organizations. The Catholic Churches, Pentecostal Churches, Revival Churches and Baptist Churches of many Major tribes within Kohima are a part of the reformatory project.

Seminar on ‘Church & Minister Bible Study’

Rev. Longri Longchar (center) with the participants during the three day seminar organised by Medziphema Town Ao Baptist Church.

MeDzipheMa, January 31 (Mexn): The Medziphema Town Ao Baptist Church conducted three day seminar from January 27 to 29 under the theme ‘Church & Minister Bible Study’ for the Church leaders/serving members of different Ministry. Resource person for the pro-

gramme was Rev. Longri Longchar, Yimyu, Mokokchung. Focusing on the theme, the speakers spoke on the topics Minister, Church, Serving God with Honesty and Dedication, To Serve with Patience, and Serving God from inner heart. Around 64 members attended the seminar.

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NORTH-EAST 3

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

UNC to join February 3 tripartite talks in Delhi Concerned NE women for

iMphal, JaNuary 31 (iaNS): The United Naga Council (UNC), which had imposed an indefinite economic blockade of Manipur on November 1 to protest against the creation of new districts, will take part in the proposed tripartite talks in Delhi on February 3. A. Noutuneswori, the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Imphal East, has allowed them to join the proposed talks to be held in the national capital. The CJM also directed the government to facilitate their travel and participation in the talks. Indications are that the meeting may last about a week as many issues are to be covered during the tripartite talks, involving the Manipur and central governments and the UNC.

UNC President Gaidon Kamei and Publicity Secretary S. Stephen have been praying to the court for quite some time to release them on bail, enabling them to participate in the talks. But the court had turned it down since the UNC and the Manipur government do not see eye to eye on many basic issues triggering the blockade. The UNC has been demanding unconditional release of the two leaders, who have been in police custody since November 25. But the state government refused. The UNC has also been saying that the talks should be held at its Senapati district headquarters. But Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh said: "The UNC should

first call off the blockade and give an assurance never to repeat it. Besides, the venue cannot be selected by the UNC, which is merely a local club and others will emulate it. The talks should be held either in Imphal or Delhi." Ibobi Singh maintains that seven new districts were created for administrative convenience and there is no question of a rollback. The central government has been facing severe flak from some quarters for allegedly not trying sincerely to end the blockade. On the other hand, the central leaders say that the Manipur government has been lacking in its efforts. In view of the fact that even several Naga organisations are now

demanding lifting of the blockade as it is severely affecting the common people, the UNC has chosen to soften its stand. The Manipur High Court has also taken a serious view of the blockade and has been giving directives to the government to ensure free and unfettered supply of consumer items and fuel. Although the Centre had assured all assistance, it has sent only 29 companies of paramilitary forces as against Manipur's demand for 60 companies, the state government alleges. There have been ambushes of supply convoys along NH 37, claiming some lives and injuring others. There are indications that the blockade would end following the talks.

MHA asks EC to get Naga blockade in Manipur cleared before polling

New Delhi, JaNuary 31 (TNN): The home ministry, worried at the lack of efforts on part of the Okram Ibobi Singh government to end the three-month-old blockade of National Highway-2 in poll-bound Manipur, has sounded out the Election Commission and sought its intervention to get the arterial road cleared of Naga rebels ahead of polling. "While enough Central forces have been put at the disposal of the Manipur government to have the highway cleared, the state government has been rather reluctant to

utilise them. Among the reasons cited by them is that since women are squatting on the highway to enforce the blockade, it cannot risk the use of force," said a home ministry official. The home ministry fears that if serious efforts to clear the highway, which runs through Naga-dominated hill districts, are not made soon enough, there may be direct impact on the poll. "If NH-2 is blocked, how will the candidates conduct their campaign? Also, how will polling personnel and poll material be transported? The economic blockade has hit supply of essentials like petrol and

diesel. Even voters may find it difficult to access polling booths in the hills, which are due to go to polls in the last phase on March 8," said an official. Given that the superintendence of district officers as well as police is currently with EC in view of the ensuing poll, the home ministry has now sensitised the commission on the alleged "failure" on part of the Ibobi government to rein in the Naga rebels, led by United Naga Council (UNC), and asked it to ensure that the Central forces allocated to Manipur are deployed optimally and judiciously to end

the blockade ahead of the poll. "Unless this is done, the arterial highway will continue to be choked by the Naga rebels, making a free and fair election impossible. An assessment says that polls in most hill districts cannot be held if the current situation continues," said an officer. The UNC is protesting the carving of new districts out of Naga-dominated areas in Manipur hills. The Ibobi Singh government, however, is not willing to risk a crackdown on those blocking the highway as that would mean loss of lives and thus a misadventure on the eve of poll.

gender justice in Nagaland New Delhi, JaNuary 31 (MexN): A group of women and citizens of North East have expressed deep concern at the current development in Nagaland following the State government’s decision to reserve 33 per cent of the seats for women in the Urban Local Body (ULB) election. In a statement, 36 signatories comprising mostly women and a few organizations appealed to all “right minded people” to work collectively “for ensuring inclusion and participation of women in decision making forums and spaces.” The signatories further requested all to kindly look into the concerns of women in Nagaland and to empower them in their effort for peace and justice. Citing various media reports which reported of candidates being threatened and intimidated, the statement sought to highlight the Preamble of the United Nations adopted from the historic Convention on the Elimination of

All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), 1975 which states, “The full and complete development of a country the welfare of the world and the cause of peace required the maximum participation of women on equal terms with men in all fields.” It also mentioned the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which aims to achieve, by 2030, equal participation of women and men in decision-making for strengthening the composition of society, democracy and promote its proper functioning among others. Drawing attention to the minimal representation of women in decision making bodies of the Northeast, the statement made it known that only 5.15% (or only 24 of the total of 466 seats in the assemblies of eight North Eastern states) are women. It added that in Assam, there have been talks of increasing the reservation

NFR organizes workshop on improving safety Ticket distribution triggers discontent in Manipur BJP

MaligaoN, JaNuary 31 (MexN): In a first of its kind, a workshop on “Generation Action Plan for Improving Safety” was organised by NF Railway (NFR) at Rangbhawan, Maligaon today in order to achieve the objective of “Zero Accident”. Chahatey Ram, General Manager, NFR, and Lokesh Narayan, Additional Gen-

eral Manager, NFR, among others participated in the workshop. The GM during the workshop interacted directly with the grassroots staff and took stock of their views relating to the safety aspects. Ram appealed to the staff for their dedicated service towards accident free train operation.

During the workshop, improvement of quality of training to safety category staff, liberal availability of safety items stocks and block for maintenance work were discussed. Also action plan to make NFR an accident free zone was discussed with the stress on proper education and training of safety standards.

iMphal, JaNuary 31 (The hiNDu): Almost all the BJP members who were denied party ticket have gone on to join other parties to contest the elections on March 4 and 8 in Manipur. Before the contestants for the 31 constituencies were named, they had all publicly pledged to extend support to the chosen candidates. The announcement of BJP candidates for the remaining 29 seats is expected shortly. And more disgruntled elements are likely to leave the party. Some new parties have timed the last date for submitting applications to allow for the entry of BJP leaders who are denied ticket. Congress sources have indicated that no new ticket aspirant will be admitted

to the party, which is hoping to retain power for the fourth consecutive term. Such new admissions in the past had triggered resignations in both the BJP and the Congress. Party leaders feel such partyhopping will adversely affect poll prospects. Muslims in the State too are unhappy that only one of them, Anwar Hussain, was given the BJP ticket. Hussain is contesting from the Lilong constituency. The current Assembly has three Muslim MLAs belonging to the ruling Congress. “Lilong is the only constituency where there is a Muslim majority,” said a senior BJP leader. “In a few remaining constituencies, there is a mixed population and Muslim contestants

Assam’s Manas National Park obliterated by human activities: study

New Delhi, JaNuary 31 (hT): A majority of Natural World Heritage Sites are suffering at the hands of humans, a new study has found, particularly highlighting the human impact on Manas Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam. “Sites like the Manas Wildlife sanctuary has been obliterated in just two decades,” James Watson, one of the authors of the study at the University of Queensland, Australia, said in a video release. Not everybody agrees with this assessment. Amit Sharma, a senior coordinator at WWF-India, who works on Rhino conservation, maintained that the situation in Manas Wildlife Sanctuary was in fact improving. “It is relatively undisturbed in the core areas,” he said, “Only the peripheral areas are a bit disturbed.” The University of Queensland research is the first time a global quantitative assessment has been done to evaluate the impact of human activities on Natural World Heritage Sites (NWHS). Watson described the results as “alarming.” with human pressure increasing in 63% of sites across all continents except Europe. The study blamed see massive deforestation human encroachment.for the degradation of these sites. For Manas, the findings show that growing human pressure was impacting areas within the boundaries of the sanctuary. The human impact captured in the human footprint index rose from 5 to 17 according to the study, which is the largest jump, meaning that the sanctuary is the most highly impacted.

would win in the past benefiting from the division of non-Muslim votes.” Salam Khan, president of the State Minorities Morcha said there was sizeable number of Muslim voters in 18 constituencies in Manipur. “Some more Muslims should have been given the party ticket,” he said. Meanwhile, electioneering is yet to begin in a big way. Some candidates have begun house campaigns. People in Manipur still spend most of their time standing in long queues for petrol and cooking gas. They also have to pay through the nose for essential consumer items as a result of the ongoing economic blockade imposed by the United Naga Council on November 1, protesting

against the creation of new districts. No one has time for election work. The ruling Congress and the BJP are merely passing the buck and not taking firm steps to end the blockade. The State government is preparing to declare the UNC an unlawful organisation.

for women in local body election from 33 per to 50 per cent while in Manipur, a minimum of 33 per cent members of the panchayat and a 30 per cent reservation in the urban local body election is for women. Also pointing to the 17 groups from the North East currently involved in peace talks, the signatories lamented the absence of women in all these peace talks. “We, the undersigned affirm by the values of this and several other international and national conventions that safeguard the rights of its women,” the signatories asserted. “Without the active participation of women and the incorporation of women's perspective at all levels of decision-making, the goals of equality, development and peace cannot be achieved,” the 36 signatories maintained. The Martha Farrell Foundation, New Delhi, and Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), New Delhi, were among the signatories.

AFFIDAVIT Regd. No. 21

I, Shri Alambe S/o Late Gaidabe of New Peren Village, PO & PS Jalukie, Peren Dist. Nagaland hereby declare that the name Alambe and Ilamneung is of same person. I hereby declare that my correct name is Alambe and shall be used for all official purposes in the future. Deponent 1st Class Magistrate

AFFIDAVIT

Regd. No: 328/17 Date : 31/01/2017 By this deed I, the undersigned Chidangnok Tinumayang Ao (new name) previously called C. Tinumayang (old name), doing Govt. Servant (give profession or vocation) and resident of H/No. 1076, Padumpukhiri, Dimapur - 797112, Nagaland solemnly declare: 1. That for and on behalf of myself and my wife, children and remitter issue, I wholly renounce/relinquish and abandon the use of my former name/surname of C. Tinumayang and in place thereof, I do hereby assume from this date the name/surname Chidangnok Tinumayang Ao, so that I and my wife, children and remitter issue may hereafter be called, known and distinguished not by my former name/surname, but assumed name/surname of Chidangnok Tinumayang Ao. 2. That for the purpose of evidencing such my determination declare that I shall at, all times hereafter in all records, deeds and writings and in all proceedings, dealings and transactions, private as well as upon all occasions whatsoever, use and sign the name of Chidangnok Tinumayang Ao. Deponent Signed sealed and delivered by the deponent on 31/01/2017. Notary Public, Dimapur: Nagaland

GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND

OFFICE OF THE GENERAL MANAGER

NAGALAND STATE TRANSPORT NO. NST/T/HIL/488/2016-17/670

NAGALAND: DIMAPUR

NOTIFICATION

Dated: 31/01/17

In pursuance of Government approval vide NO.TPT/NST/HELI-6/2012 Dated, 21.12.2016, the Fare and Weekly Scheduled Programme of the State Helicopter Service have been revised (Enclosed as annexure-A & B) which will come into effect from 1st Feb. 2017. Annexure-A WEEKLY PROGRAMME OF HELICOPTER SERVICE IN NAGALAND

“Manas wildlife reserve, and Keoladeo National Park (both Indian) have been impacted by human pressure more than any other sites in the world,” James Allan, lead author of the study said. “ In Manas, many of these changes occurred in the last two decades - it suffered more damage than any other site during this time. Kaziranga faces a lot of pressure from the landscape around it, but the site is less damaged.” Sharma acknowledged that there are lots of factors like extraction, poaching and encroachment that are at work in the area. Other parks like Kaziranga are much more secured and there is more human impact in Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, according to him. Manas Wildlife sanctuary is a biodiversity hotspot hosting several endangered species, such as the tiger, pygmy hog, Indian rhinoceros and Indian elephant. It stretches across 39,100 hectares.It was de-

clared a world natural heritage site in 1985. Sharma underscored the need to appreciate the context in which conservation efforts are taking place. “It is dominated by the tribal group called Boros or Bodos, that are culturally religiously attached to the biodiversity of the forest areas.” It is complicated by the social unrest has been breaking out at regular intervals in the region. “During the late 1990s and early 2000s it was a totally disturbed area; there was social unrest and militancy in the area. Since mid -2000 we have been working towards a revival of the park.” There are currently 1052 world heritage sites, of these the overwhelming majority are cultural sites including the Pyramids of Egypt and the Taj Mahal in India. There are 203 natural world heritage sites and 35 that are mixed.These sites are selected for being of “outstanding universal value.” “These are world heritage areas these are the

same as the Pantheon, the Acropolis, Pyramids,” Watson said. “Would we accept a car park in the middle of these cultural heritage sites? Absolutely not!” “But with natural heritage sites we seem to accept that these sites are not globally significant and we seem happy to lose them,” he said. Manas Wildlife sanctuary A biodiversity hotspot that stretches across 39, 100 hectares hosts several endangered species, including the tiger, pygmy hog, Indian rhinoceros and Indian elephant. It was declared a Natural World Heritage site in 1985. *Total Natural World Heritage Sites: 203 *Natural World Heritage Sites in India: 7 *Natural World Heritage Sites subjected to increasing human pressure (Between 1993-2009): 63% *Human Footprint in Manas Wildlife Sanctuary: 17 (2009) Source: University of Queensland, Australia, study & UNESCO

MONDAY Dimapur Dep:0930 Hrs. Mokokchung Arr: 1010 Hrs. Dep:1020 Hrs. Dimapur Arr: 1100 Hrs. Dep:1110 Hrs. Kiphire Arr: 1155 Hrs. Dep:1205 Hrs.

TUESDAY Dimapur Dep:0930 Hrs. Tuensang Arr: 1015 Hrs. Dep:1025 Hrs. Dimapur Arr: 1100 Hrs. Dep:1120 Hrs. Zunheboto Arr: 1155 Hrs. Dep:1215 Hrs

Dimapur Arr:1205 Hrs

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY Dimapur Dimapur Dimapur Dimapur Dep:0930 Hrs. Dep:0930 Hrs Dep:0930 Hrs. Dep:0930 Hrs. Mon Tuensang Kiphire Zunheboto Arr: 1030 Hrs. Arr: 1005 Hrs. Arr: 1015 Hrs. Arr: 1005 Hrs. Dep:1040 Hrs. Dep:1015 Hrs. Dep:1025 Hrs. Dep:1015 Hrs. Dimapur Dimapur Dimapur Dimapur Arr: 1140 Hrs. Arr: 1100 Hrs. Arr: 1100 Hrs. Arr: 1050 Hrs. Dep:1150 Hrs. Dep:1110 Hrs. Dep:1120 Hrs. Dep:1110 Hrs. Phek Longleng Wokha Mokokchung Helicopter Arr: 1220 Hrs. Arr: 1155 Hrs. Arr: 1145 Hrs. Arr: 1140 Hrs. Maintenance Dep:1230 Hrs Dep:1205 Hrs Dep:1155 Hrs Dep:1150 Hrs Day Dimapur Dimapur Dimapur Dimapur Arr:1300 Hrs Arr:1205 Hrs Arr:1220 Hrs Arr:1230 Hrs Dep: 1310 Hrs. Pungro Arr: 1355 Hrs. Dep: 1405 Hrs. Dimapur Arr: 1405 Hrs.

Annexure-B

FARE STRUCTURE OF STATE HELICOPTER SERVICE IN THE STATE BASED ON ESTIMATED COST OF FARE @ RS. 58600/HR. WITH & WITHOUT SUBSIDY FARE PER FARE PER PAX AT 25% FlyPAX WITHOUT CHARTERING CHARGES Sl. No. of AFTER 75% SUBSIDY Sector ing SUBSIDY No Pax. Infant(0-2 Years) Time Adult Adult With Subsidy Without Subsidy @ 10% 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 Dmr-Wka 25 10 610 61 2443 14640 58620 2 Wka-Dmr 25 10 610 61 2443 3 Dmr-Phek 30 9 813 81 3257 17080 68390 4 Phek-Dmr 30 9 813 81 3257 5 Dmr-Zbto 35 7 1220 122 4885 19520 78160 6 Zbto-Dmr 35 7 1220 122 4885 7 Dmr-Mkg 40 10 976 98 3908 21960 87930 8 Mkg-Dmr 40 10 976 98 3908 9 Dmr-Mon 60 13 1126 112 4509 31720 127010 10 Mon-Dmr 60 13 1126 112 4509 11 Dmr-Tsg 45 10 1098 109 4397 24400 97700 12 Tsg-Dmr 45 10 1098 109 4397 13 Dmr-Kip 45 13 845 85 3382 24400 97700 14 Kip-Dmr 45 13 845 85 3382 15 Dmr-Longleng 45 11 998 99 3997 24400 97700 16 Longleng-Dmr 45 11 998 99 3997 17 Dmr-Pungro 45 10 1098 109 4397 24400 97700 18 Pungro-Dmr 45 10 1098 109 4397 Note: i) For Chartering atleast 48 Hrs. requisition in advance, be submitted to NST GM’s Office, Dimapur and additional 10 Minutes Flying Time is added for flying from Hangar to Apron & vice versa. ii) The passenger carrying capacity for every sector will depend upon the load/weight of the passengers and maximum baggage of 5 Kgs. per passenger. iii) Operation of the State Helicopter Service is subject to weather & technical conditions. (O. ELHIBEMO YANTHAN) General Manager, Nagaland State Transport, Nagaland: Dimapur

WednesdAY 01•02•2017

Business

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Survey advocates lower taxes, quick remonetisation for faster growth

Work as a Technician, Assistant at ONGC Apply before March 6

The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) has released an employment notification inviting interested, eligible candidates to apply for the positions of Assistant Technician, Junior Assistant Technician and Junior Assistant. Vacancy details Total posts: 15 Name of the posts: Assistant Technician: 2 Junior Assistant Technician: 2 Junior Assistant: 11 Eligibility criteria Educational qualification: Assistant Technician: Those interested in applying for this post should have pursued a three-year diploma in instrumentation engineering. Junior Assistant Technician: Those interested in applying for this post should have passed high school or class 10 equivalent board examination with science. They must also possess a trade certificate in electrician trade with a valid certificate of competency as electrical supervisor. Junior Assistant: Those interested in applying for this post should be graduates/BCom pass with typing speed 30 w.p.m. Age limit: The age of the candidates applying for this post must not exceed 30 years and must be a minimum of 18 years. Relaxation in age will be provided as per the government norms.

New Delhi, JaNuary 31 (iaNS): A day ahead of the tabling of India’s budget for next fiscal, the latest edition of Economic Survey has called for lowering tax rates and stamp duties, quick adoption of goods and services tax and a check on overzealous tax administration to restore higher growth. The survey also advocated a Universal Basic Income (UBI) scheme as an alternative scheme for poverty reduction in place of various ongoing social welfare programmes, even as the Niti Aayog has already said India does not have the necessary financial resources for the project. “Demonetisation has had short-term costs but holds the potential for longterm benefits,” said the survey tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, calling for follow-up actions to minimize the costs and maximise the benefits. Areas listed include fast, demand-driven remonetisation, further tax reforms, including bringing land and real estate into GST, reducing tax rates and stamp duties, and acting to allay the anxieties on overzealous tax administration. “These actions would allow growth to return to trend in 2017-18, following a temporary decline in 2016-17,” said the survey, while pre-

Economic Survey 2016-17: Here are the highlights New Delhi, JaNuary 31 (PTi): India’s economic growth has been pegged at 6.5%t for the current fiscal, down from 7.6 per cent recorded in the last financial year, but is expected to rebound in the range of 6.75-7.5% in 2017-18. The Economic Survey for 2016-17, tabled in the Parliament by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today, underlined the need for more reforms. The Survey’s GDP growth figure for the current fiscal is lower than 7.1% the Central Statistics Office had forecast earlier this month. Here are the highlights of the Economic Survey 2016-17 tabled in Parliament: * GDP growth for next fiscal pegged at 6.75-7.5% dicting the GDP to expand by 6.75-7.5% in the next fiscal, with inflation already having moderated to around 3.4% at December-end. “Core inflation has, however, been more stable, hovering around 4.5% to 5% for the year so far,” the Survey said. “The outlook for the year as a whole is for CPI inflation to be below the RBI’s target of 5%, a trend likely to be assisted by demonetisation,” it added. The Survey has sharply cut the GDP growth for 2016-17 to 6.5%, from 7.6 % last financial year. Elaborating on the rationale behind its GDP growth

leisure

CROSSWORD # 3844

estimate for the next fiscal, the Survey said demonetised cash will be replenished by end March 2017 and the economy would revert to the normal thereafter. Though it provides a detailed table on the impact of the ban on Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes, the Survey, however, gives no figures on the increase in deposits by way of old currency. “It says that bank deposits increased sharply through end-December, that they will decline and probably settle at a slightly higher level, it doesn’t say how much was the deposit increase.

* * *

han Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, low oil price Farm sector to grow at 4.1% this fiscal, up from 1.2% last year Fiscal gains from GST will take time to realise Demonetisation may affect supplies of certain agricultural products like sugar, milk, potatoes and onions Growth rate of industrial sector to moderate to 5.2% this fiscal, from 7.4%last fiscal Efforts to collect taxes on disclosed and undisclosed wealth should not lead to tax harassment Universal Basic Income Scheme is an alternative to plethora of state subsidies for poverty alleviation.

The survey also called for societal shifts in narratives to overcome three long-standing meta-challenges: Inefficient redistribution, ambivalence about the private sector and property rights, and improving but still-challenged state capacity. “In the aftermath of demonetisation, and at a time of gathering gloom about globalisation, articulating and embracing those ideational shifts will be critical to ensuring that India’s sweet spot is enduring not evanescent,” it said. Meanwhile, in its first projection on India post

the demonetisation, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut its forecast for the next fiscal by 0.4 percentage points 7.2%. It cut India’s growth estimate for the current fiscal year by one per cent to 6.6%. World Bank has also lowered the country’s GDP growth estimate for this fiscal to 7%, from the 7.6% estimate made in June last year. Acknowledging the demonetisation factor, the Reserve Bank of India has lowered its gross value added growth estimates for the current fiscal to 7.1% from 7.6% forecast earlier. Commenting on the

10 lakh bankers to strike Government moves Supreme Court work on February 28 to impose ban on 344 fixed dose drugs

Selection procedure The candidates will be selected on the basis of a written test and academic performance. MuMbai, JaNuary 31 (DNa): The government has Pay scale Assistant Technician: The selected candidates will be moved the Supreme Court to impose a ban on 344 fixed dose getting a monthly salary of Rs 12,000 to Rs 27,000. Junior Assistant Technician: The selected candidates drugs, an order that was set aside will be getting a monthly salary of Rs 11,000 to Rs 24,000. by the Delhi High Court. The Delhi HC set aside a govJunior Assistant: The selected candidates will be geternment notification on the issue ting a monthly salary of Rs 11,000 to Rs 24,000. which called for a ban on 344 fixed dose drugs citing health hazards How to apply Interested, eligible candidates are required to apply at of using them. The Health Ministry had the official website www.ongcindia.com asked for the cessation of manufacturing and sale of such drugs. Important dates The last date for submission of online application is The ban would have taken popular drugs like Corex cough syrup, March 6. Written test will be held on April 2 (tentative).

* Growth this fiscal to be 6.5% * Prescribes cut in individual I-T rates, real estate stamp duties * Income Tax net could be widened gradually by encompassing all high income earners * Time table for cutting corporate tax should be accelerated * Tax administration could be improved to reduce discretion and improve accountability * Growth to return to normal as new currency comes in circulation * Demonetisation to affect growth rate by 0.25-0.5%, but to have long-term benefits * GST, other structural reforms should take the trend growth rate to 8-10% * Fiscal windfall likely from Prad-

Survey, industry chamber Ficci said it agrees with the stated need to overcome the three “meta challenges” of inefficient redistribution, ambivalence about the private sector and property rights, “and the improving but still challenged state capacity”. “”The growth projected for the current year is lower by quarter to half a percentage point compared to the baseline of 7%. The downward pressure is on account of demonetisation,” Ficci President Pankaj Patel said in a statement here. “As the first official assessment of the impact of the demonetisation, the Economic Survey has rightly highlighted that the agriculture and informal sectors of the economy were impacted more by the note ban and thus, it would be only in the fitness of things if remonetisation is done expeditiously,” said Assocham President Sunil Kanoria. “Confederation of Indian Industry is hopeful that the Budget to be presented tomorrow would deal with the aspects of creating demand, especially through direct tax interventions on the personal income tax and corporate taxation side,” said CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee.

ABoVe ALMost BLACK CLeAr CoULd CoUrse CUrse CUss desCent dIVot eLsewHere eMPtIed GIsts GreetInG GroUP JeweL LeAst LeVeL Loose Mete noIse

Vicks Action 500 extra and several anti-diabetes medication off the shelves. The Delhi HC set aside the order after allowing 454 petitions moved by various pharma and healthcare majors like Pfizer, Glenmark, Procter and Gamble and Cipla. According to a report by The Times of India, “a bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra said the matter would be taken up after four weeks.” While the Delhi HC had said that the Ministry had failed to

get the inputs of agencies like the Drug Technical Advisory Board and Drugs Consultative Committee for the ban, the government said since the action was in favour of public health safety, it didn’t require any consultation with any authority, according to the report. The shares of domestic pharmaceutical companies were trading in the red. Sun Pharma was down 0,23%, Aurobindo Pharma down 0.62%, Lupin Pharmaceuticals down 0.17%, Pfizer down 0.46%. DiMaPUR

ACROSS 1. Nascence 6. An enclosed conduit 10. Mend (archaic) 14. Potato state 15. Dwarf buffalo 16. Shade of blue 17. A popular vote by the electorate 19. Religious splinter group 20. Potential 21. Mineral rock 22. Scrabble piece 23. Smell 25. Pariah 26. What a person is called 30. Antenna 32. Not precise 35. Deviate 39. 2nd largest country 40. Autobiography 41. Hard to pin down 43. Big ape 44. Verse 46. “Oh my!” 47. Units of land 50. Four-bagger (baseball) 53. Rude person 54. Bro or sis 55. Gambling 60. Constellation bear 61. Frugal 63. Hissy fit 64. Be worthy of 65. Investigate 66. Feudal worker 67. If not 68. Feel DOWN 1. Engage in logrolling 2. Bright thought 3. Flat float 4. You (archaic) 5. Brass musical instruments 6. One of the tribes of Israel 7. Foiled 8. Wooed

H PeoPLe Pest PLACe PoInt QUICK QUIte reAsons rest rIPe sees sIGHt sLoPe stAre steAM stood sUBordInAte toUCH Under VAULt VesseL wInCe

9. Docile 10. Germs in the blood 11. Provide 12. Gown fabric 13. Consumer of food 18. And so forth 24. Eastern newt 25. Pry 26. Agreeable 27. A Freudian stage 28. List of options 29. Incense 31. Large luxurious car 33. “Bye” 34. Grotto 36. Somersault 37. Arizona river 38. Historical periods 42. Honorable 43. Athletic facility 45. Androids 47. Bad treatment 48. Sores on toes 49. Kino gum 51. Conceit 52. Stadium walkways 54. Arid 56. Bog 57. Computer symbol 58. Apprehends 59. Delight 62. Born as Answer to Crossword 3843

CheNNai, JaNuary 31 (iaNS): Around 10 lakh bankers will now go on strike on February 28 to demand recovery of bank loans that have since turned bad and action against wilful loan defaulters as well as solution to cash crunch post-demonetisation, a top union leader said on Tuesday. “Earlier, three unions had given the strike call. But now all the nine bank unions have agreed to go on strike and hence the February 7 strike has been withdrawn,” C.H. Venkatachalam, General Secretary, All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA), told IANS. He said around 10 lakh bankers -- ranging from officers to clerks -- belonging to nine unions will resort to strike on February 28. The three unions that gave the February 7 strike call were AIBEA, All India Bank Officers’ Association (AIBOA) and the Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI).

std code: 03862

Police station Fire Brigade

222246 222491

232224

MH Hospital

227930 231081

Fire Brigade

2222952

Faith Hospital

228846

naga Hospital

2222916

shamrock Hospital

228254

oking Hospital

2243339

Zion Hospital

231864 224117 227337

Bethel nursing Home

2224202

northeast shuttles

08974997923

Police Control room

228400

KoHIMA Ps/oCs Contact numbers

Police Traffic Control

232106

north Ps

229529 229474

KOHiMa

east Police station

227607

west Police station

232181

south Ps

CIHsr (referral Hospital)

242555 242533

Zubza Ps

dimapur Hospital

224041 248011

Apollo Hospital Info Centre 230695/ 9402435652 railway

131/228404

Airport Indian Airlines

229366 242441 225212

nikos Hospital and research Centre

232032, 231031

nagaland Multispecialty Health & research Centre

248302, 09856006026

eden Medical Centre

248288

std code: 0370

8575045501

Officer-in-Charge 8575045510 8575045502

Officer-in-Charge 8575045520 8575045508

Officer-in-Charge 8575045518 Chiephobozou Ps 8575045506 Officer-in-Charge 8575045516 tseminyu Ps

8575045507

Officer-in-Charge 8575045517 Khuzama Ps

8575045505

Officer-in-Charge 8575045515 Kezocha Ps

8575045549

Officer-in-Charge 8575045538 women Cell

8575045509

Officer-in-Charge 8575045519 Control room

Simple Rules - Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.

Game Number # 3839

std code: 03871

(formerly senapati)

Civil Hospital emer

Chumukedima Fire Brigade 282777

SUDOKU

TaHaMZaM

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Wednesday 01•02•2017

child raped at lewoza in Phek

Phek, January 31 (Mexn): A 1 year and 9 months old girl child was allegedly raped by a 14-year-old minor at Lewoza in Phek district on January 20. According to the Chairperson of Leshemi Village Women Society (LVWS), Ketsheü Losou, the alleged accused lured the minor girl to an undisclosed place and raped her at Lewoza. “At first, the suspect denied to the crime but after medical examination, the rape was confirmed,” the Chairperson stated in a condemnation note. W h i l e ve h e m e ntly condemning the act against the girl child,

LVWS said, “Such brutality and heinous crimes towards girl and women should be debarred from a civilized society. It is shameful and humiliating to take away the modesty and integrity of women.” The Society further asserted that it will not remain a mere spectator but fight against any harassment towards the girls and women. It also demanded the authorities concerned to give befitting punishment to the perpetrator as per the law. Meanwhile, LVWS requested the “law abiding body” to excommunicate the alleged accused from the village vicinity.

LFHSS student wins 2nd position at National Level Painting Competition DiMaPur, January 31 (Mexn): Tsuzolu Rakho, a Grade-VI student of Livingstone Foundation Higher Secondary School (LFHSS), Dimapur won the second position in the National Level Painting Competition on Energy Conservation 2016, which was conducted by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under the Ministry of Power, Government of India at New Delhi. A press release received here informed that Tsuzolu Rakho was a state level winner of the painting competition on energy conservation under Category-A of the competition and was selected to represent Na-

galand in the national level competition at New Delhi. The competition, organized under the National Campaign on Energy Conservation on the theme of ‘Save Energy, Save Mother Earth’, was held at the Power Management Institute, New Delhi on December 12, 2016, where all the state level winners from various states of India participated. Tsuzolu Rakho was felicitated with Certificate of Merit and a Cash Award of Rs. 50,000 on December 14, 2016 at the Le Meridien Hotel by Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines, Government of India.

NAGALAND

Perils of social media: Nagaland girl befriends Tenyimi Peoples’ Organisation Delhi trafficker on Facebook, rescued just in time deliberates on various issues Faizan Haider

Hindustan Times

Traffickers are using social media to lure minor girls from northeast India to Delhi. In a recent case, which has baffled the police, a girl from Nagaland was rescued from Imphal airport minutes before her flight to Delhi was to take off. She told the police that a man from Delhi had contacted her through Facebook in 2016 and soon they became friends. He chatted with her for nearly a year before mailing her an air ticket to the Capital. Investigation revealed that

the man was planning to push her into prostitution and had contacted several girls in a similar way. “The incident shows how social media is making young girls vulnerable. The traffickers are randomly sending messages to girls and when someone replies, they trap them. The girl was promised a good job in Delhi but was saved just before her flight was to take off. We have accessed the contact details and the man is regularly chatting with many girls in northeast, Punjab and Goa,” said Joseph Hesso, Superintendent of Police (Kohima).

Sources said that the ticket was booked from Delhi and the girl was asked to come to Imphal airport. Her parents contacted the police once she went missing and the officials at Imphal airport were informed. “We had her old photo. Our staff was alerted but she did not come to the airport on the day we were expecting her to. Two days later, staff at the airport informed us that a 17-year-old girl was boarding a Jet Airways flight. We rushed and stopped the flight and later it was confirmed that she was the one Nagaland police had been looking for,” said K H Sarma,

SP (CID), Imphal. The accused has been identified and a team of Nagaland police is in the Capital to nab him. They are also trying to access his Facebook chats. “The incident shows how innovative the traffickers have become. Earlier, they used to send agents to bring girls and now they do not even need to go there. Young girls need to be sensitised on the use of social media and why they should avoid chatting with strangers,” said Rishi Kant of Shaktivahini NGO, which is assisting police in the operation.

kohiMa, January 31 (Mexn): A meeting of the Tenyimi Peoples’ Organisation’s (TPO) executive council was held on January 24 at its President's residence. The meeting deliberated on the Board of Arbitrators (BOA) vis-à-vis Kezoltsa/ Kozürü/ Kazing dispute. Against the backdrop of expiry of the deadline for the BOA to resolve the dispute, the executive council viewed that although the BOA has been taking up the issue with all seriousness and sincerity the pace towards resolution of the matter encountered certain setbacks owing to unforeseen circumstances

and situation, informed a release from Timikha Koza, President and Vipopal Kintso, General Secretary of TPO. Therefore, the meeting felt it necessary to extend the timeframe for another 6 months, which shall be placed for endorsement in the Presidential Council Meeting, which will be held on February 11 at Senapati. TPO called for attendance of at least 5 members from each constituent unit. It further decided to take up the issue of Dikoi and Tolazouma village with concerned authority(s), tribe hohos and organizations so as to bring it to an amicable logical conclusion.

KVK Nagaland University conducts training, farmers-scientists interaction ACAUT stands LuMaMi, January by clean election 31 (Mexn): Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Nagaland University conducted training cum farmers-scientists interaction at Atoizu Town on January 30, sponsored by ATMA, Zunheboto. Toshi Longkumer, Subject Matter Specialist (Plant Protection) spoke on the topic ‘IPM on Summer Vegetables and Maize’, while Dr. Nongothung Ezung, SMS (Animal Science) dwelt on “Poultry Disease Management”. During the interaction between the scientists and the farmers, problems and solutions were discussed on insect pest and disease management on maize, summer vegetables, potato, nutrient and disease management of poultry, piggery, turkey birds and dogs, informed a press

DiMaPur, January 31 (Mexn): The ACAUT Nagaland today affirmed to stand by the principle of Clean Election campaign of the NBCC and stated that it has not endorsed any particular individual or candidates in the ULB elections. A press note from the ACAUT Nagaland Media Cell stated that “malpractice during election is the root cause of all corruption in the state.” The ACAUT is witness to rampant usage of money and muscle power during the canvassing period -for the ULB electionsand therefore, the rumours being spread that the ACAUT Nagaland is actively participating in the elections is totally erroneous and false, it clarified. “While it’s the prerogative of Participants with KVK officials at the training cum farmers-scientists interaction held at Atoizu Town on January 30. any individual to contest elecrelease from Dr. Rakesh land University, Lumami. distribution of bio-pesti- mals and poultry birds. tions, the ACAUT Nagaland Kumar Chaurasia, Sr. SciThe day long pro- cides, minerals, vitamins Altogether, 25 participants has not endorsed any candientist & Head, KVK, Naga- gramme ended with free and medicines for ani- attended the programme. date thus far,” it added.

Naharbari village organizations assert DiMaPur, January 31 (Mexn): The Naharbari Village Council, GBs, Naharbari Youth Organisation and 11 communities of Naharbari Village have asserted that Naharbari Village was established since the time of the British and is one of the oldest villages in Nagaland. It is also recognized by the Government of Nagaland and its citizens/residents are peace loving and maintain peaceful atmosphere in

the village and foster harmony and oneness among the communities of the village, they added in a press release. “Therefore, any individual, group, community, organization etc without prior formal information/intimation interfere/meddle in the affairs and tries to destroy the peaceful atmosphere of our village by issuing threat/ threatening any of our citizen(s) shall be looked upon as an insult and any

untoward eventualities that may occur in course of our action(s) shall solely be the responsibility of the individual, group, community, organization etc. concerned,” the release stated. The press release was appended by a representative each of the Naharbari Village Council, GBs, Naharbari Youth Organisation, Kachari, Sumi, Ao, Lotha, Chakhesang, Angami, Rengma, Chang, Sangtam, Garo, Muslim communities.

15 Assam Rifles conducted a free medical camp for the villagers of Waphar of Tuensang district on January 30 under the aegis of Headquarter IGAR (North). A total of 296 patients comprising 94 men, 76 women, and 126 children were treated by the medical team of 15 Assam Rifles and provided free medicines. The camp was inaugurated by Children receive polio drops during the first round of Intensive Pulse Polio Immunization (IPPI) carried out by Assam Rifles across Nagaland 15 Assam Rifles' medical team in the presence of the village authorities. on January 29.

Public SPace

Assam Rifles organize medical camps

Government by Free Will Elected Representatives Thepfulhouvi Solo. IFS Retd (RR -68) Principal Secretary, Retd.

ne of the most precise and famous definitions of Democracy is perhaps by Abraham Lincoln the President of the United States of America: DEMOCRACY IS GOVERNMENT BY THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE AND OF THE PEOPLE. The definition in the Oxford Dictionary is also very informative; DEMOCRACY IS GOVERNMENT BY THE WHOLE POPULATION THROUGH ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES. In the second definition, the phrases “by the whole population” and “elected representatives” are very informative and significant. However, both the definitions are silent on other Key Ideas of what constitutes a Democracy. EQUALITY of the whole population Represented

including the Representatives, are Equal. This is a very important principle ingredient of DEMOCRACY. There is yet another cardinal point of Democracy, and that is that, of ‘FREE WILL’ in which the Election of the Representative is conducted without any FAVOR. There are many other Points of what constitutes a DEMOCRACY, yet the Corner Stones arei. Equality of ALL, ii. Freewill of ALL, iii. Justice to ALL, iv. PEACEFULNESS of All, and v. FAVOR to NONE. The Regulations of Democracy hold good for all the Countries of the World and of every People. The Regulations of Democratic Governance is the same everywhere and in every People and One principle of Democracy cannot contradict other principles in the same Democracy.

The proposed Regulation of 33% SEAT RESERVATION in Towns, Cities and in Local Bodies of a State for Woman ALONE in India contradicts the Principles of Equality of All. A. This is not Equality for ALL. B. This is not Justice to ALL. C. This is not FREEWILL Democracy of the whole Population. D. It is Political Favor made available only to one Section alone and not equality for the Population as a whole. This contrivers fundamental modern Freewill Democracy, and is very uncomfortable, unconscionable to the uneducated Naga. The Writer finds Readers often misinterpret the thoughts in the written Words, Reporters on occasions give their own Version of the Composition, and therefore, to avoid human error, this thought are in monosyllable and saves the Reader’s precious TIME.

The Morung Express “Public Space” is to provide space for diverse opinions to be expressed and heard. The opinions in the “Public Space” do not reflect the views and position of the newspaper nor the editor.

(Left) Assam Rifles doctor examine a patient in Chukitong. (Right) A child receives health check up during the medical camp organized by 7 Assam Rifles in Pungro Town on January 29.

kiPhire, January 31 (Mexn): 7 Assam Rifles under the aegis of HQ IGAR (North) organized a medical camp and free health checkup in Pungro Town for the people of Pungro sub-division on January 29. 483 patients comprising 175 men, 206 women and 102 children were treated by the doc-

tors, informed a press release from Assam Rifles. In addition, 15 children were administered polio drops as it was also the day of pulse polio drive. Local administration also rendered support of two civil doctors to attend to the patients along with the Medical Officer of the Battalion. Meanwhile, a free

medical camp was also conducted at Chukitong in Wokha district by 28 Assam Rifles for the people of the village and nearby areas on January 30. A total of 232 people – 74 men, 107 women and 51 children – benefitted from the camp, where free medicines were also provided, informed Assam Rifles in a press release.

Apart from the check up, the people were also educated on topics like timely vaccination, personal hygiene and sanitation and AIDS awareness through a small lecture cum workshop on health and hygiene. Assistance was also provided by District Administration for smooth conduct of the camp.

wednesday 01•02•2017

IN FOCUS The Power of Truth

The Morung Express

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

C O M M E N T A R Y

Stephanie Woodard Yes! Magazine

The Never-Ending Indian Wars: Unclear and Spotlight Returns to Standing Rock volume Xii issue 29

By Dr. Asangba Tzüdir

Unprepared

he agreement between the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) and the Nagaland State Government to postpone the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) elections in principle for two months under the initiative of the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) evaporated in thin air as ‘unconfirmed news’ circulated on social media. The State Cabinet had decided to go ahead with the ULB elections except in seven ‘troubled’ areas. This raises serious concerns on the credibility of the Government so also issues of trust, negating the voice and aspirations of the people. The signing of the agreement under the initiative of the NBCC may not have produced the desired effect but it should be lauded for moving out of their comfort zone in playing the timely intervening role both as a mediator and facilitator. Coming to JCC, the contents of the ‘joint statement’ has only exposed how unclear and unprepared the JCC is. Tables are now turned but in signing such a ‘content’ they have only defeated themselves. They could have negotiated for clearer provisions and terms; and also checked loopholes towards achieving the objective of postponing the elections in totality. Besides being contradictory, the JCC seems to have ignored the larger ‘issues’ while preparing for the immediate ones. The present imbroglio is compounded by the State Cabinet’s decision to go ahead with the elections selectively leaving out the ‘troubled’ areas by postponing for two months, thereby creating a dramatic shift. This has opened room for speculation as well as confusion. But, what about the ‘troubled’ areas for which the election was postponed indefinitely? These are not just speculative matters but there are larger contentious issues concerning Article 371A, 33% women reservation and the Municipal Act. Sadly, this decision has closed doors for a possible dialogue which was initiated by the NBCC. It is indeed a missed opportunity. The bandh is imposed again creating further confusion and depression. As an immediate cause, it will be agonizing to think and speculate about the possible turn of events. One can imagine the possibility of Nagaland flaring up. But, for now and the times to come, the whole issue should serve as a reference point of how Nagas have failed to think positively as a unit towards the collective good of our society. On the ‘sidelines,’ it is a lesson for the JCC that they need to be well-informed, clear and prepared regarding the issues at hand for which well-informed dialogue is pertinent. (Comments can be mailed to asangtz@gmail.com)

lEfT WING |

Andrea Germanos CommonDreams

Appears 'The World Is Preparing for War' 'Wars must be outlawed, because none of the global problems we are facing can be resolved by war,' writes former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev

ormer Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has warned that it appears "as if the world is preparing for war." Writing in an op-ed published Thursday at TIME magazine, Gorbachev, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for his role in ending the Cold War, writes that the most pressing problem facing the world is "the militarization of politics and the new arms race." State budgets, he continues, claim austerity to sacrifice social spending, but easily back funding for weapons of war. At the same time, he writes of the buildup on Russia's borders: "NATO and Russian forces and weapons" are now in close proximity "as if to shoot point-blank." He continues: Politicians and military leaders sound increasingly belligerent and defense doctrines more dangerous. Commentators and TV personalities are joining the bellicose chorus. It all looks as if the world is preparing for war. While he and President Ronald Reagan agreed in 1985 "that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought," now, "the nuclear threat once again seems real," with "advocates for arms build-up and the military-industrial complex [...] rubbing their hands." And that, he declares, is absolutely the wrong direction to solve the world's ills. Instead, war of any kind must be abolished, he writes: In modern world, wars must be outlawed, because none of the global problems we are facing can be resolved by war—not poverty, nor the environment, migration, population growth, or shortages of resources. He called on the United Nations Security Council to adopt a resolution—which should be put forth by U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin—that restates that "a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought." In 2014 Gorbachev warned that the world was "on the brink of a new Cold War"—a situation fueled in part by the U.S. being "tortured by triumphalism." More recently, in 2016, he said, "The window to a nuclear weapon-free world…is being shut and sealed right before our eyes." "As long as nuclear weapons exist, there is a danger that someday they will be used as a result either of accident or technical failure or of evil intent of man, an insane person or terrorist," Gorbachev said. Trump, however, out of step with most of the world, used Twitter to call for an expanded U.S. nuclear arsenal— a fact that contributed to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists this week moving its symbolic Doomsday Clock closer to midnight.

The drama and injustice on display at Standing Rock have taught a new generation of observers what Native Americans already know: Even today theirs is a brutal fight to survive

he world has been shocked by North Dakota’s violent reaction to the anti-oil pipeline resistance at Standing Rock. For the better part of a year, people have watched via social media, then increasingly on conventional media outlets, as heavily armed law enforcement officers and private contractors attacked unarmed civilians with rubber bullets, mace, tear gas, batons, and water cannons in sub-freezing temperatures. Water protectors, as the demonstrators call themselves, have been dragged from prayer ceremonies, injured, and arrested. More than 100 have been hospitalized. Last week, the National Guard confirmed it has positioned the platform of an Avenger missile system near the Dakota Access Pipeline construction site; it will be used for surveillance, according to Morton County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Rob Keller. The force used against unarmed civilians has been extreme, even by military wartime standards. The concussion grenades that have allegedly caused some of the most serious wounds in North Dakota were banned in Iraq for fear of harming civilians, U.S. Army veteran Griz Grzywa told YES! in an interview at Standing Rock. Grzywa served as an Army Ranger for 15 years, including one tour of duty in Somalia and three tours in Iraq. He had come to Standing Rock to help shield the demonstrators from harm. “They are using a level of force against women and children here that our military would hesitate to use,” he said. Indeed, Standing Rock has revealed this long-standing and violent dynamic to a new generation of observers, as the U.S. government and corporations use military-level force while unarmed tribal people protest with prayer. For Native people, the brutality is nothing new. It is a generations-old policy, according to Wendsler Nosie Sr., leader of Apache Stronghold, a group that seeks to protect the sacred Arizona landscape Oak Flat from mining. They are doing so by camping there and holding supporting actions throughout the country. “Federal and state involvement with us has always been military, from the days when we Native people were prisoners of war until this very day,” says Nosie. The second half of the 20th century saw many examples of statesanctioned violence toward Native people. During the 1960s and 1970s, unarmed members of Northwest tribes were shot at, clubbed, gassed, and arrested—notably at Frank’s Landing, in Washington state—while

seeking recognition of treaty-guaranteed fishing rights. For decades, law enforcement officers have roughed up and arrested protesters from Pine Ridge Indian Reservation as they try to shut down the town of Whiteclay, Nebraska. With about a dozen residents, the town exists almost exclusively to bootleg alcohol onto the dry reservation, setting off a cascade of physical and social ills and crime. Just under 10 years ago, South Dakota sent its entire on-call contingent of highway patrol to help local police make arrests on the Yankton Sioux Reservation. Tribal members and others were demonstrating peacefully against a concentrated animal feeding operation that was being constructed on their homeland against their wishes. And in Montana in 2012, after Northern Cheyenne spiritual teacher Mark Wandering became lead plaintiff in a voting-rights lawsuit, police traffic stops of Native people in the area spiked. Natives are not just arrested and abused by police; they are killed by law enforcement officers at a higher rate than any other group. Mike Males, senior research fellow at the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, analyzed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data and found that from 1999 to 2014, Natives aged 20–24, 25–34, and 35–44 were three of the top five groups to die during arrest or while in custody. The other two groups were African Americans 20–24 and 25–30.

In April 2016, Claremont Graduate University scholars Roger Chin, Jean Schroedel, and Lily Rowen announced research showing that in six states— Mississippi, South Dakota, Idaho, Washington, Alaska, and North Dakota—death rates for Native Americans were higher than for any other group. Chin adds that in 79 percent of the cases over a recent 15-month period, the Natives were shot or died in the custody of off-reservation police. “The violence toward us is embedded in our history,” says Nosie. “When we started the Oak Flat encampment, right away military-type planes began flying overhead.” Indigenous Environment Network (IEN) reports that in May 2016, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers representatives showed up in combat gear to discuss Missouri River issues with Yankton Sioux officials. When tribal members said this was inappropriate, the Corps representatives stalked out of the meeting, according to IEN. According to Nosie, using military equipment and appearing in battle gear is meant to send a message: “We did it to you before, and we can do it again.” Meanwhile, a North Dakota legislator wants to make it easier for ordinary citizens to injure or even kill protesters. Keith Kempenich and six co-sponsors, all Republicans, have submitted a bill that Kempenich told the Bismarck Tribune is a response to frustrated constituents who oppose

the anti-DAPL movement, which has at times spilled into public roadways. If the measure passes, motorists who “negligently” hurt or kill anyone obstructing traffic “would not be held liable for any damages.” Well-known North Dakota civil rights attorney and former U.S. attorney Tim Purdon, of the firm Robins Kaplan, calls the bill a “new low” that “legalizes negligent homicide with a vehicle of a certain class of people.” Whether the bill passes or not, he says, “It was introduced to send a message that we are going to dehumanize those with whom we disagree.” Purdon says the measure has unintended broader consequences, since it in fact allows anyone driving negligently—while drunk or texting, for example—to kill or maim. Throughout the months of confrontations at Standing Rock, the water protectors there have welcomed media coverage and have used social media to get their story out in their own words. They were glad to see the surge of media attention to their movement during December, when more than 2,000 veterans arrived. Though publicity does not mean immediate solutions, it can support ongoing indigenous struggles. These are increasingly successful, according to Native leaders, as tribal members and their allies throughout Indian Country work to protect land, water, culture, and sacred places.

Can Trump make the whole earth green again? Rajendra shende

IANS

n the barrage of criticism against US President Donald Trump for his utterances on refugees and Muslims, what has been missed is that he has an "open mind" on environmental issues. He should now again see with an open heart the image of the "whole Earth" taken by the Apollo 17 mission commanded by Eugene Andrew Cernan (who died on January 16, four days before Trump assumed office). That may trigger action to make not only America, but the entire Earth, great again. It would be worth retracing the Apollo 17 mission, the last US manned space mission during which Cernan became the last man, till now, to walk on the moon. It was the winter of 1972; December 7 to be precise. Nearly five hours after launch and space travel of 45,000 km, the three American astronauts had adjusted themselves well in the space craft. Outside was the universe of absolute darkness. In that vastness of infinity they saw a perky and intensely bright globe hanging from nowhere. It took some time for them to come to the terms with the reality and fathom that it was the very planet from where they were propelled five hours back. The Sun behind them, the Earth was strikingly dazzling and lively. With the help of a 70-millimetre Swedish camera specially modified for the Apollo mission, and an 80-millimetre German lens, the American astronauts captured that sharp image of the Earth. Never before had a space craft,

manned or unmanned, taken such an image of the whole Earth -- that appeared like a blue marble, full of life. That clear image, with polar ice cap in the south, the distinct Arabian peninsula at the centre, the island of Madagascar in the vicinity of the eastern African coastline and the western Indian coastline vaguely seen on the horizon, later became perhaps the most-reproduced and revolutionary image in human history. Cernan would hardly have realised it in 1972 - that, more than anything else, the image would trigger a global movement for caring for our mother Earth. Numerous obituaries that appeared after Cernan's death recited his exceptionally heroic exploits that included his three rover excursions of about 30 km on the moon, 22 hours of moonwalks, commanding the longest lunar landing flight of 302 hours, and the longest, 73-hour sojourn on the lunar surface. None of these tributes highlighted the remarkable photograph of the whole Earth. In reality, the image complemented the outcome of the first UN conference on Human Environment and Development in Stockholm in June 1972, six months before the Apollo 17 mission. Its declaration of 26 principles on environment and development and an action plan with 109 recommendations set in motion the enhanced understanding of environmental imperatives. The image supplemented that very understanding by visualising the frailty of the Earth and the sense of urgency to

act. The image was stored in the hearts of global citizens and became the root of modern environmentalism. In his 2011 book, "Scales of the Earth", El Hadi Jazairy, an MIT Research Scientist and Architect, wrote: "Time and time again, the environmental movement has circulated the NASA Earth photographs to cash in on their... delicate and bounded beauty." Indeed, that image became a symbol of the environmental crusade, by depicting Earth's frailty, vulnerability, and isolation amid the vast expanse of space. Ten years before the capture of that momentous image, a compelling book, "Silent Spring", also transformed the way the Western world comprehends the Earth. It was authored by Rachel Carson, who described hauntingly how indiscriminate use of pesticides like DDT and hazardous chemicals were harming the Earth's ecosystems. The book targeted the chemical industry and regulatory officials for disinformation and casual attitudes that were threatening the life-supporting food chain. Al Gore, the former US Vice President and Nobel Laureate, wrote: "'Silent Spring' had a profound impact... Indeed, Rachel Carson was one of the reasons that I became so conscious of the environment." Many are convinced that "Silent Spring" tilted the balance of power in the world and diluted the hegemony of Western-style consumerism as the way to the progress. Discover magazine listed it as one of the 25 greatest science

WRITE-WING

books. The passionate naturalist, Dr. Richard Attenborough, considered it the book that transformed the scientific world the most, after "Origin of Species" by Charles Darwin. But again, the book stopped short of providing the vivid urge and vibrant impel to protect the Earth. It created controversies - including that Carson did not take into account the balance needed between the essential use of pesticide like DDT in poor countries to save the lives of millions from malaria, and the environmental damage it does. That gap was, undoubtedly, filled by the 1972 image of the beautiful, elegant but dainty whole Earth. The world started to appreciate the idiocy of people fighting over borders, killings in the Middle East over some imaginary lines on the self-proclaimed territorial maps that cannot even seen from space. The only borders visible from space are the lines that separate oceans from land, forests from deserts and, if viewed carefully, deforested land from the pathetic forests that still exist. After 45 years, the image is recalled in 2017 - with Cernan's death and and when the trumpets are being blown to silence not only springs but also to blur the images that made us understand mother Earth. Triumphant shouts are heard for the repeal not only of treaties, but to reverse the treatise that the world had mustered to imagine. Thus, Trump's words on the environment have come not a day too soon. Will he take them forward? Rajendra Shende is Chairman, TERRE Policy Centre, former Director UNEP and an IIT Alumni

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.

WednesdAY 01•02•2017

Morung Express Learning

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Critical thinking: a post-truth remedy Dr Albert P'Rayan

“I

The Hindu

’m sorry, Jeannie, your answer was correct, but Kevin shouted his incorrect answer over yours, so he gets the points,” says the quiz master to a group of participants, in a cartoon with the caption “Facts don’t matter.” The cartoon gives a clear picture of the post-truth and surreal world. Oxford Dictionaries (OD) announced post-truth as its 2016 International Word of the Year. Post-truth “relates to or denotes circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Coincidentally, the word ‘surreal’, which refers to something marked by the intense irrational reality of a dream, is Merriam-Webster Dictionary’s Word of the Year 2016. In the post-truth and surreal era, we are constantly bombarded with messages that can be labeled as “half-truth” or “no-truth.”

Propagandists speak in such a way that the targeted people believe and accept disinformation as information. They are successful in their mission as they are convinced that the audiences can be persuaded, manipulated and deceived. Lies that are told in a convincing way are treated as truth and result in shaping public opinion. Lies coupled with emotional appeals win the hearts of the weak who do not know how to differentiate between falsehood and truth, information and disinformation, honesty and dishonesty. We live in a world where deceit, disinformation, distortion, falsehood and fiction try to have victory over information and truth. In the posttruth era, certain lies are considered too benign to be treated as lies. What is the role of educators in the post-truth world? The U.S.-based Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) has identified communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking (known as 4Cs) as the skills required for 21st century education. In my view, critical thinking is the most important of the four skills in the

32 private medical colleges fail MCI test Hindustan Times

early 4,000 medical students in 32 new private colleges might find their institutes disqualified as these have failed to pass standard checks. These are among 34 colleges approved by a Supreme Court-appointed oversight committee in May 2016, but debarred by the country’s medical education regulator for failing to meet required standards. The committee, headed by retired judge RM Lodha, had overruled the Medical Council of India’s (MCI) decision with the condition that if these colleges fail another inspection, they cannot admit students for two years. Subsequently these colleges admitted their first batch — 3,957 students — last summer. These students had cleared the national eligibility cum entrance test (NEET). Rules stipulate that these students — studying for their bachelors of medicine (MBBS) — should be moved to other medical colleges if their institutes get disqualified. But experts feel such an effort will be challenging. “You can’t stretch facilities to accommodate so many students in other approved colleges. This will hamper studies of the students,” said KK Aggarwal, national president of the Indian Medical Association.

“If the oversight committee accepts the MCI report, it will have to address the concerns of students admitted to these colleges.” The MCI and the oversight committee didn’t respond to requests for comments. Trouble began for the students after the MCI conducted another round of inspection in those 34 colleges in November and December. Only two colleges — Maheshwara Medical College in Andhra Pradesh’s Chitkul, and Amaltas Institute of Medical Sciences at Dewas in Madhya Pradesh — met the regulator’s benchmark. In most of the institutes, the MCI found shortage of faculty and resident doctors, locked intensive care units (ICU) and emergency wards, and vacant general wards. Some of the colleges forged documents to show adequate faculty or lined up fake patients for MCI inspectors. A Hindustan Times investigation had found similar shortfalls. Empty ICUs, no faculty, locked operation theatres, and under-construction departments and buildings awaiting students in many of the institutes approved by the oversight committee. Meanwhile, Sudhir Giri, chairman of Venkateswara University that has failed to meet the MCI standard, said: “The MCI is biased and adamant on barring us for vested reasons.”

Quiz #46

post-truth and surreal century. There is an urgent need to foster critical thinking in students and help them distinguish between information and misinformation/disinfor-mation. Critical thinking, according to Health and Physical Education in the New Zealand Curriculum (1999), is “examining, questioning, evaluating, and challenging takenfor-granted assumptions about issues and practices”. The critical mind is the inquisitive and fact-finding mind. Critical thinkers do not take anything for granted. They question every piece of information they receive, analyse and evaluate it based on their previous knowledge and then arrive at a conclusion. They ask questions such as Who said it? What is his/her intention? Is the information authentic? Why is it important? How does it affect us? They are also able to recognise their own preconceptions. In many ways critical thinking can be fostered in the classroom. The 4Cs are interconnected. To achieve the fourth C, that is critical thinking, the other 3Cs can be used as tools.

2. Cartoonist for The Morung Express, Sandemo ngullie was recently awarded the Governor’s award on – a) Art b) Music c) Literature d) Cartoon 3. according to Oxfam International’s report, “an Economy for the 99%” which was released recently, how many years, based on current trends, will it take for women to be paid the same as men? a) 30 years b) 50 years c) 60 years d) 170 years 4. The Transparency International in its recently released Corruption Perception Index 2016 ranked India in ____ position. a) 36 b) 38 c) 79 d) 100 5. who claimed his 18th grand slam at the australian Open in Melbourne? a) Rafael Nadal b) Novak Djokovic c) Roger Federer d) Andy Murray Send in your answers to The Morung Express Office (address given below) or email to morunglearning@gmail.com or WhatsApp/SMS @ 7085976283 Answers to Quiz #45 – 1-b, 2-a, 3-d, 4-a, 5-d Winner of last week’s contest:

Tolito K Shohe, 6th Mile Sovima

Each week, one lucky winner will be given a prize of Rs. 500. The winner may collect the same from The Morung Express Office, H/No.4, Duncan Basti, Dimapur within two weeks. *Winners should bring along a valid ID to claim the prize.

Collaboration It is important to make learners feel that they are part of a group. Teachers should encourage group activities and promote collaboration and team skills among students. When students discuss topics in groups, they get an opportunity to look at issues with different perspectives and analyse them in different ways. Group activities, if planned well, will promote collaboration rather than competition. In

Connect the dots Times of India Madhavi Shilpi, founder, Study Smart Now

mind-mapping coach shares various techniques for problem solving, creative thinking and enhancing one’s memory Diagrams have been used to visually ’map’ information for centuries. According to the Dual Coding Theory of Cognition developed by Allan Paivio, capturing knowledge in two forms, linguistic and non-linguistic, enhances learning and recall. As a powerful visual-thinking and data-capturing tool, Mind Maps not only mimic the way the brain works but also make full use of the cortical skills of the left and right brain – logic, word, number, image, rhythm, colour and space. Mind Maps use lines, colours, keywords, symbols and images to convert information into colourful, graphical and memorable diagrams. An image representing the main topic or central idea is drawn in the centre of the paper. Branches fan out radiantly in all directions, bearing keywords and images that represent associated thoughts and ideas. Having gained worldwide recognition as an efficient tool for personal, educational and business thinking, Mind Mapping can be used for brainstorming and generating ideas, visualizing and explaining concepts, planning events and projects, problem-solving, creative thinking, note-making, and most importantly, for learning and enhancing memory. In education settings, students use Mind Maps for a variety of applications. It is a particularly powerful tool to aid students in an environment where the bar to achieve is set very high, and the pressure to excel is immense. Mind Maps can help simplify the burden and ease the stress that often pervades student life in India.

Creative Thinking: Mind Maps are ideal for planning creative thinking and writing assignments such as essays, speeches, drama scripts and novels. The organisation of the branches provides structure while the radiant capability of capturing ideas promotes thinking that is not restricted by the predominant hierarchy of linear notes. This also makes it a very useful tool for planning wellordered responses to essay topics in tests and examinations. Research and Presentations: This simultaneous capability of Mind Maps to enhance creative thinking as well as provide order and structure makes them useful for designing as well as presenting research projects. Students have access to limitless information these days via the Internet. Being able to determine the direction of research by first creating a Mind Map on the topic greatly reduces the amount of time students spend sifting through material to find relevant information. Moreover, Mind Maps themselves make visually attractive presentations. Note-Making and Exam Prep: The process of taking notes as well as converting chapters into review summaries is greatly improved when students are encouraged to replace the common practice of writing linear notes with Mind Mapping. Studies show that students who use Mind Maps to review study material perform better at factual recall than their counterparts using traditional study techniques. Thus Mind Maps, as concise visual summaries of chapters, are ideal for reviewing large tracts of information right before an exam. Also used for capturing student reflections, planning school events, creating book summaries, group ideation and more, Mind Mapping is a versatile tool that increases productivity and confidence, and supercharges thinking, learning and memory skills.

a collaborative group, there is room demonetisation? Why did you refor creative and critical thinking. act that way? How do you respond to your friends’ views on demonCreativity etisation? How did you react to poWhen students are engaged in litical leaders’ views on demonetiproblem-solving activities, they sation? If you were to write a letter learn to think for themselves. When to the editor expressing your views they are encouraged to find solu- on demonetisation, what would tions to various problems that they you write? encounter, they become more crePhotocopies of some letters on ative and in the process they be- the issue of demonetisation that come critical thinkers. appeared in various newspapers Here is an activity. The teacher can be distributed to students can take any current issue and find and a healthy discussion can be out what students know about the conducted with the intention of issue and how they feel about it. A making students become aware healthy and unbiased discussion of the issue, analyse it, and form can help the students develop their a judgement. critical thinking skills. Teachers can call themselves For example, let us take the is- educators only when they can help sue of demonetisation. The teach- learners cultivate their thinking er can initiate discussion based systematically, analyse issues obon these questions: What do you jectively and form a good judgeunderstand by the term demone- ment. Do educational institutions tisation? Why did the government in India help students acquire these decide to demonetise 500- and skills? Is it not the responsibility of 1,000-rupee notes? What is your educators to foster these skills? Is it view on demonetisation? On what not important for schools and colbasis have you formed the view? leges to incorporate critical thinkWhat was your initial reaction to ing into the curriculum?

ISB, IIM-A among top 100 world’s best MBA schools Indian Express

he Indian School of Business (ISB) took the first place among top Bschools securing the 27th position in global ranking. It shot past the Indian institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad which has toppled to the 29th position, five ranks lower than the previous year. This year, four Indian business schools stood among the rankings which feature the world’s best 100 full-time MBA programmes. The 2017 Financial Times Global MBA ranking is based on surveys of the business schools and 9000 graduates of 2013. The assessment is done by noting alumnus’ career progression, the school’s idea generation and the diversity of

(ISB)

(IIM-A)

students and faculty. Also read: IIT, IISc ranking drop in QS World University Rankings 2016-17, MIT retains top position This year, IIM Bangalore has moved up the ladder leaving behind its 62nd rank from last year and standing proudly at the 49th position. Meanwhile IIM Ahmedabad, considered to have India’s best MBA programme, stands one meek step behind ISB, no longer

holding a 24th rank. For the first time, IIM Calcutta has made a stand among the hundred best institutions for MBA according to the Financial Express. It currently holds the 95th rank among the global institutions. The top three rankers among the 100 are Insead (in France/ Singapore), Stanford Graduate School of Business (in the US) and the University of Pennsylvania: Wharton (also in the US).

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Christianity in Nagaland Nagaland having just recently experienced a tumultuous period over the ULB elections, we witnessed the intervention of religious bodies to help provide an interim solution to the existing deadlock. But what truly is Christianity in Nagaland? This thought provoking article reveals glaring observations and anxious thoughts of an anxious Naga youth witnessing the way we Nagas live by our Christian faith. Aware that societies are far from perfect and that humans are fallible beings, this Naga youth makes an appeal for humility and sincerity in our Christian state.

ParTICIPaTE & wIn

1. The nagaland state electoral roll has an electorate strength of – a) 10,78,000 b) 11,38,000 c) 12,36,000 d) 12,87,000

Communication Teachers should encourage students to ask questions about everything they are interested in. Teachers need not be the source of knowledge always. Learners themselves can be resourceful and they can answer the questions posed by their peers. Teachers should also encourage students to question all assumptions. By celebrating students’ curiosity, teachers can develop learners’ communication as well as critical thinking skills. Teachers also should challenge the students by asking open-ended questions that will make them think creatively and critically.

am writing to express my opinion on the behaviour and attitude of Christians in Nagaland society. Christianity is the predominant religion in Nagaland. Nagaland was Christianised in the 19th century by the well-known American missionary, Edward Clark. He is known as the first missionary in the Naga hills from abroad. In 1872, Clark and his wife opened their first mission station in the Naga Hills. In Nagaland, the number of Christian population is increasing rapidly with high church attendance both in rural and urban areas. We also see that many churches are reconstructed and enlarged from time to time because of revival crusades, conferences, and so on. We hear the word of God from many renowned preachers from around the world. During these programmes, we praise, worship, fast, pray in those programmes. My question is, after coming across all these activities, are we able to see changes in our society, ie. spiritually? Can we say that Nagaland is truly a Christian state? In the past, I have observed church elders usually visiting and praying effectively for those families who financially support them. Whereas, on the other hand, for the poor, it is just the

Tokavi V. Sumi, 5th Semester (English Honours), Tetso College opposite. I'm not saying that everyone is doing the same thing, but I think a lot are. In the churches that I have visited, I have noticed that the first rows are always reserved for the elites: ministers, bureaucracy, and so on; and this is becoming the standard practice of the people which is not the will of God. In my opinion, the ones who come first should be allowed to sit in the front because in God’s eyes everyone is same. I believe that the first row should always be preserved for the old people who are deaf and blind so that they can hear the Word of God. But no one seems to put emphasis on the elderly. Certainly, it is not as though only the church elders are to be blamed but it is a joint responsibility — both you and I should be aware of it and correct this practice. What is happening to the people even after hearing the Word of God every Sunday? It makes us all seem like hypocrites. It is as if we have two faces — one for the church and one for the other half our lives. For instance, I have seen people selling goods and stuff in the guise of fundraising for the church, but there are some who do this for their own self-interest and profit. Such practices diminish the church’s reputation and shake a persons’ faith, while discouraging one from co-operating or aiding fu-

ture church activities. And who are the ones doing all this? It is we Christians. In my opinion, one of the main factors causing such behaviour is that we lack 'humility' in our society. As a Christian, being humble is the most important character for a person. Our 'proudness’ has also become our weakness for it encourages us to look down on others, whoever they may be. I believe that we should try to become humble. But the question also arises why do we lack humility? Simple, because we always try to find 'shortcut' ways in everything we do; no matter the consequence. Most of us do not like to sacrifice our time and energy in one particular task; in fact, we tend to prefer the easy way out. Is the easy way out really worth it when we are tarnishing the church’s image? If all this continues, can we really call Nagaland a Christian state? Dear friends, being a Christian does not always mean one must be holy and go to church. But one has to be humble, faithful, and honest. In fact, I should say that in order to grow spiritually even in terms of education, which is the backbone of the society, every educational institution should conduct fellowships regularly. Evangelical Unions can take the initiative. I believe if colleges and schools conduct fellowship from time to

time, there will be some change. As a Christian, I also believe that fasting, prayer, and fellowship are three most powerful weapons for spiritual growth, so I would like to encourage institutions to conduct fellowship programmes from time to time if they have not done so. Through this article, what I really wish to convey to my readers is that one should first know how to lead a religious life, for I believe that living in harmony with the guidance of the Almighty is a life that is blissful and joyous. Moreover, it is not about changing the thoughts and ideas of people; rather it is about one's beliefs which ultimately shape us and the life we lead, be they good or bad. Therefore, we should also put emphasis on the religious life besides our daily work; and we should also have the faith that we can make a prudent difference in our own lives, as well as in our own society, regardless of the situation we come face-to-face with. Degree of Thought is a weekly community column initiated by Tetso College in partnership with The Morung Express. Degree of Thought will delve into the social, cultural, political and educational issues around us. The views expressed here do not reflect the opinion of the institution. Tetso College is a NAAC Accredited UGC recognised Commerce and Arts College. The editors are Dr. Hewasa Lorin, Anjan Behera, Dr. Salikyu Sangtam, Nivibo Yiki, and Kvulo Lorin. For feedback or comments please email: dot@tetsocollege.org.

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.

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INDIA

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

identifies 18 L people Surgical strikes apt reply to terror, govt CBDT with suspicious deposits committed to development: President New Delhi, JaNuary 31 (iaNS): President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said that Indian defence forces had given a fitting reply to repeated crossborder incursions through "surgical strikes" as he outlined the Narendra Modi government's various initiatives for India's security and development, including demonetisation. Addressing the joint session of the two houses of Parliament, he listed the work done by the government across various sectors and said the core of its policies was welfare of the poor, marginalised, farmers and youth. Noting that Jammu and Kashmir has been "affected by terrorism sponsored and supported from across the border" and attempts of infiltration, terrorist violence and loss of lives of civilians and security personnel remained a cause of grave concern, he said the government was committed to combating terrorism and ensuring that its perpetrators were brought to justice. "Terrorism poses a serious danger to the global community. India will actively collaborate with other nations in decisively defeating these forces," he said. He said the defence forces "successfully conducted" surgical strikes at several launch pads along the Line of Control. "My government has taken decisive steps to give a fitting reply to the repeated incursions on our territorial sovereignty," Mukherjee said in his address that lasted about an hour.

President Pranab Mukherjee on his way to the Parliament to address the Joint Session of both Houses of Parliament on January 31 (Twitter/President of India)

The President, who came to Parliament in the traditional buggy and delivered the last address to the joint session of Parliament of his present term, said India has been widely acclaimed as a bright spot in the global economy when global growth has been slow. He said demonetisation had been carried out by the government in November last year with the aim of combating evils such as black money. Stressing that the vision of Mahatma Gandhi and other founding fathers lays down a

great path for a resurgent India, he said: "This path is of debate, discussion, accommodation and understanding." The president called for working to the promise of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas" to bring to every citizen equality and dignity enshrined in the constitution. "Just as all the drops of rainwater and streams converge in an ocean, all the policies of my government converge for the welfare of the poor, deprived and the underprivileged," the president said, adding that the government

was guided by the Antyodaya philosophy of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. Mukherjee said a more focused approach has been taken towards minorities including Muslims, noting that "like the strings of sitar, which produce different notes but come together to create a beautiful melody, people professing different faiths and religions constitute the spirit of India". The President said that frequent elections put on hold development programmes and the

government welcomes a constructive debate on simultaneous elections. He said funding of elections also needs to be debated. He said that the highest-ever allocation of Rs 47,000 crore had been made to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in 2016-17. Terming that financial inclusion was the key to poverty alleviation, he said 26 crore Jan Dhan accounts have been opened for the unbanked, 20 crore RUPAY cards issued to enable cashless transactions, 13 crore people covered under various social security schemes, 5.6 crore loans sanctioned, Rs 2 lakh crore provided under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana and Rs 16,000 crore made available to self-help groups under Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana. Mentioning sportspersons P.V. Sindhu, Sakshi Malik and Deepa Karmakar, he said their achievements in the Rio Olympics "illustrate strength of our women". Referring to infrastructure, he said the highest-ever capital outlay of Rs 1.21 lakh crore had been provided for modernisation of railways. Mukherjee also said that the intensity of India's international engagements has helped it shape a diverse and purposeful agenda with its global partners, while the government will maximise the strength of 30 million overseas Indians in nation-building and for deepening its global outreach.

New Delhi, JaNuary 31 (PTi): The Income Tax department has identified 18 lakh people who have made 'suspicious' cash deposits post demonetisation, including those having deposited over Rs 5 lakh, and will send emails and SMSes seeking explanation about their source of funds. These people will have to reply within 10 days to avoid any notice from the tax department or further enforcement action. The department today launched 'Operation Clean Money' project under which CBDT, with data analysis and profiling of assessees, will send e-communications to people whose cash deposits post November 8 note ban do not match their income. "Operation Clean Money/ Swachh Dhan Abhiyan is a programming software which will be used to get answers on all the deposits made and only after preliminary answers from the people, if need be, we would take legal action against those people," Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia said. Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) Chairman Sushil Chandra said 10 days' time would be given to people to reply to the e-communication and replies can be filed by logging on to the e-filing portal of the Income Tax department. "In the initial phase, we are putting data of those persons who have deposited Rs 5 lakh or more and deposits between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 5 lakh of suspicious nature and who have poor tax compliance after November 8," Chandra said. Initially, this will cover 18 lakh tax payers whose data will be uploaded on e-filing portal. These people while filing reply have to explain to tax department the sources of deposit. Chandra said that tax department has compiled huge data which shows that there are over 1 crore accounts where above Rs 2 lakh money have been deposited and involves unique PAN of 70 lakh persons. "We have compared these vast data with the income profile, turnover and the various other particulars of income available in the income tax data bank. In the first phase where the deposits in account are not matching with our data, we are putting the same on our e-filing portal seeking explanation of source of income," he said. Chandra said the intention of the scheme is to avoid any harassment to the tax payer, they need not come to office and online verification would be completed. "Swachh Dhan Abhiyan is a continuous exercise to widen and deepen the tax base. All the accounts in which money has been deposited will be tracked and we have hired the data analytics and we will identify the ultimate beneficiaries even in layered accounts," he said.

Medical entrance exam NEET in 80 cities on May 7 SC refuses to stay Tamil Nadu amendment permitting Jallikattu New Delhi, JaNuary 31 (iaNS): The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to stay the Tamil Nadu government amendment permitting Jallikattu, while telling the the state government that it was its primary responsibility to maintain law and order. The court allowed the Union government's plea to withdraw January 7, 2016 notification that permitted the Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu and bullock cart race in some States. The operation of said notification was stayed by the top court on January 12, 2016. Issuing notice on a plea seeking stay on the amendment permitting the popular bull-taming sport, the bench comprising Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman took exception to the manner in which the Supreme Court verdict banning Jallikattu was sought to be openly defied. "We are only concerned with the court's honour, which we all share," the bench told the senior counsel appearing for Tamil Nadu government. "To say that we changed the law peacefully is one thing. To come out openly to defy the supreme court is another. We are only concerned with court's honour... which we all share," said Justice Nariman.

Taking exception to the failure of Tamil Nadu government in maintain the law and order, Justice Misra told the three senior counsel (K.Prasaran, C.A.Vaidyanathan and Rakesh Dwivedi): "Please tell your State executive (Tamil Nadu government) that the law and order has a primacy in a civil society. Please tell them ... convey to them when the highest court is seized of a matter there has to be an absolute silence...." "We are concerned with rule of law, this kind of things should not occur," he said asking K.Prasaran: "Are you supporting this action. If you can't answer, we will not ask you." The court also wanted to know how many people lost their lives during recent bulltaming sports that took place after law was amended, while adding that describing the breeding of native bulls - that are used in Jallikattu - as culture was a question that has to be debated. Defending the Tamil Nadu law permitting Jallikattu, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said that Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, as it stands also permits slaughtering. The Act also allows the slaughtering off animals for religions functions and mentioned "Halal". Advocating a holistic ap-

PM's Office clears Rs. 119 Cr bills of Air India for foreign trips New Delhi, JaNuary 31 (PTi): Bills worth Rs. 119 crore pending towards cash-strapped Air India, generated for some foreign visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have been cleared. RTI applicant Commodore (retired) Lokesh Batra said that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on January 30 uploaded on its website the details of bills worth about Rs. 119.70 crore cleared for eight trips, which were shown pending or under process since last year. "I sincerely hope that all the public authorities concerned - PMO, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Civil Aviation and Air India - will institute suitable norms and guidelines to facilitate expeditious clearance of chartered flights bills as the issue is directly concerned with the 'TaxPayers' money," Batra said. The move comes following an order of Chief Information Commissioner R K Mathur who had refused to disclose the file notings related to the travel expenses incurred on the Prime Minister's visits abroad, but took note of Batra's quest for timely payment of bills by the government to the public sector units. "During the hearing, the Commission observed that the appellant's motive is to improve the governance and transparency in settling the bills of the PM's foreign or domestic visits, as public money was involved. The loss of public money can add to the burden of tax payers," Mr Mathur said. The PMO has claimed on its website that bills for trips - Japan, Laos, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya and Uzbekistan - have not been received while it shows that bills are under process for the four visits.

proach in dealing with the issue, he said that law allows the killing of animals for consumption but at the same time prohibits cruelty. The court said when law allows the killing of animals for consumption, then it comes under the "doctrine of necessity". Having expressed its displeasure over the protest at Mariana Beach and rest of the State in favour of Jallikattu, the court allowed the NGOs Compassion Unlimited Plus Action, the Animal Welfare Board of India, and People for Ethical Treatment of Animals India to amend the prayers in their petitions to challenge the Tamil Nadu amendment permitting Jallikattu. The apex court by its May 7, 2014 verdict had said that "Jallikattu, bullock-cart races and such events per se violate Sections 3, 11(1)(a) and 11(1)(m) (ii) of PCA Act and consequently, Bulls cannot be used as performing animals, either for the Jallikattu events or bullock-cart races in the State of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra or elsewhere in the country." Tamil Nadu had sought the review of this verdict which was rejected last year. Animal welfare organisations and activists are seeking the compliance of this judgment by the states.

New Delhi, JaNuary 31 (PTi): The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will conduct the National Eligibilitycum- Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to all medical colleges in the country on May 7. The board will conduct the test as per the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 (amended in 2016) and the Dentists Act, 1948 (also amended in 2016). The test will be conducted across 80 cities on May 7 for admission to MBBS/BDS courses in medical/dental colleges run with the approval of Medical Council of India/Dental Coun-

cil of India under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, except for the institutions established through an Act of Parliament ie AIIMS and JIPMER Puducherry. "Candidates have been given an opportunity to submit the online application for a month from January 31 to March 1. This year in all the seats of MBBS/BDS courses, admission will be done through NEET," an official statement said. Accordingly, admissions will be done in all-India quota seats, state government quota seats, state/management/NRI

quota seats in private medical/ dental colleges or any private/ deemed university and central pool quota seats. Indian citizens, non-resident Indians, overseas citizens of India, persons of Indian origin and foreign nationals are eligible to appear in NEET (UG) 2017 and will also be eligible for 15% all-India quota seats. The upper age limit of the candidates has been fixed at 25 years on the date of conduct of the test. Reserved category candidates will get a fiveyear relaxation. Candidates will be allowed to appear for

three attempts. Candidates need their Aadhaar number to fill up the online application of NEET 2017, except those from Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and Meghalaya. After conducting the test, the CBSE will prepare an all-India rank list based on the instructions of the Medical Council of India. The test will be held at 1,500 examination centres across the country and more than 10 lakh candidates are expected to appear. Last year, in both NEET-I and NEET-II, 8,02,594 candidates were registered.

Indian IT sector warns against US visa bill MuMBai/BeNGaluru, JaNuary 31 (reuTerS): India's IT lobby warned on Tuesday that a bill before the U.S. Congress aimed at imposing tougher visa rules unfairly targets some of its members and will not solve a U.S. labour shortage in technology and engineering. Industry lobby group Nasscom was responding to a bill introduced by Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat from California, that would double the minimum salary required for holders of H-1B visas to $130,000 and determine how many of the visas were allocated, based on factors such as overall wages. India's $150 billion information technology sector, led by Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys Ltd and Wipro Ltd, uses the H-1B visas to fly engineers and developers

to service clients in the U.S., their biggest market, but opponents say they are using the visas to replace U.S. workers. Concerns about President Donald Trump's immigration policies were heightened by his ban on refugees on Friday. "The Lofgren Bill contains provisions that may prove challenging for the Indian IT sector and will also leave loopholes that will nullify the objective of saving American jobs," Nasscom said. The industry body said the bill did not address the shortage of skilled STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) workers in the U.S., adding that its provisions were "biased against H-1B dependent companies". The chief executive of Tech Mahindra, the country's fourth-biggest software services ex-

porter, said the Indian IT sector was already looking for alternatives. "We will have to wait and watch for any impact felt on us after a few quarters," C.P. Gurnani said in a statement. "Indian IT is already creating jobs and have been investing in form of setting up delivery centers and local hiring." India's Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday it had expressed its concerns to the U.S. government, without providing further details. Shares in India's IT firms have tumbled in recent days on worries about the impact of the bill. Analysts have said the bill would push India's software services exporters to ramp up automation, reducing the need for workers, although IT firms would still need to hire more workers in the US, including university graduates, increasing costs.

Economic Survey weighs idea of cash handouts to fight poverty New Delhi, JaNuary 31 (reuTerS): Handing cash to Indians rather than providing the poor with cheap food or guaranteed jobs would nearly eradicate poverty but at a cost of 4 to 5% of gross domestic product, a government report said on Tuesday. Universal basic income (UBI), a radical idea that is gaining attention in countries such as Finland and France, proposes giving every citizen an income to cover their basic needs. Several economists advocate cash transfers in Asia's third-largest economy, where despite rapid economic growth one in three of the world's extreme poor reside. An emergency medical payment or bad harvest risks a return to poverty for millions more. The annual Economic Survey, which forms the basis of the annual Indian budget Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will present on Wednesday, said UBI was a

'Indian states not catching up with richer ones' New Delhi, JaNuary 31 (iaNS): Even as nations globally are improving in terms of income convergence, several Indian states have not been able to catch up with other richer ones and, therefore, lagging behind, revealed the Economic Survey on Tuesday. "Poorer countries are catching up with richer countries, the poorer Chinese provinces are catching up with the richer ones, but in India, the less developed states are not catching up; instead they are, on average, falling behind the richer states," said the Economic Survey 2016-17. According to the Economic Survey, in terms of income convergence, Indian states offer a striking contrast to the catch-up that is happening globally -poorer countries are catching up with the persuasive alternative for replacing existing welfare programmes. Yet it warned about implementation risks and the potential cost to government. "The key merit of it is that it has the potential to improve the weak targeting

richer ones. "Since 1980, the long-term trend was reversed and poorer countries started catching up with richer ones. In stark contrast, there continues to be divergence within India or an aggravation of regional inequality," said the survey. Convergence means that a state that starts off at low performance levels on an outcome of importance, say the level of income or consumption, should see faster growth on that outcome over time, improving its performance, so that it catches up with the states that had better starting points. "This was despite the promise that less developed states such as Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh had started improving their relative performance. ," said the Economic Survey.

of current schemes," Arvind Subramanian, the ministry's chief economic adviser, told a news briefing. Under the survey's calculation, a UBI that cuts the poverty rate to 0.5% of the population would cost 4 to 5% of GDP. The calculation

presumes that the richest quarter of Indians do not get the income, because it says any programme cannot in practive strive for strict universality. At 2011/12 prices, the basic income would amount to 5,400 rupees per person

per year. Some economists have questioned whether payments of that size could eliminate poverty. Tackling entrenched poverty has preoccupied policymakers since India ended colonial rule in 1947, and in the survey Subramanian said he drew on the wisdom of independence hero Mahatma Gandhi in weighing the social justice of a basic income. HEAVY SUBSIDIES India currently spends 3 percent of GDP on subsidies, much of them for the middle class. It pays billions of dollars for some of the world's largest welfare schemes, including cheap food for more than 800 million people and jobs for 50 million households. "Our main fear is that Universal Basic Income is just being used to replace existing social schemes," said Reetika Khera, an economist at the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi. "This is a sys-

tem that is tried and tested and showing signs of improvement." The survey cautioned that it was not yet advocating introduction of UBI. A basic income risked becoming too costly, and India would need to improve identification schemes to ensure transfers reached beneficiaries, it said. Critics of India's existing programmes say they are undermined by corruption and leakages. Subramanian cited research showing schemes reached more people in the areas where they were least needed, because of the weak capacity of the state in less developed ones. Many economists expect Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party to cut back on populist welfare schemes expanded under his predecessor. So far he has shown little willingness to embrace bolder structural reforms.

WednesdAY 01•02•2017

WORLD

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Fired: Trump dumps top lawyer who defied immigration order WASHINGTON, JANuAry 31 (reuTerS): U.S. President Donald Trump fired top federal government lawyer Sally Yates on Monday after she took the extraordinarily rare step of defying the White House and refused to defend new travel restrictions targeting seven Muslim-majority nations. It was another dramatic twist in the unusually raucous roll-out of Trump’s directive that put a 120-day hold on allowing refugees into the country, an indefinite ban on refugees from Syria and a 90-day bar on citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The Friday night ban prompted protests and chaos at airports on the weekend as customs officials struggled to put the order into practise, and the fallout spread to U.S. markets on Monday, where stocks suffered their biggest drop of 2017 and companies affected by the change spoke out against it. Yates said late on Monday that the Justice Department would not defend the order against court challenges, saying that she did not believe it would be “consistent with this institution’s solemn obligation to always seek justice and stand for what is right.” Hours later, she was fired. The White House said Yates “has betrayed the Department of Justice by refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States” and portrayed her actions as political. Trump has argued tougher vetting of immigrants is needed to protect America from terror attacks but critics complain that his order unfairly singles out Muslims and defiles

As Donald Trump shifts immigration and foreign policies, State Department is silent

Sally Quillian Yates testifies during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on “Going Dark: Encryption, Technology, and the Balance Between Public Safety and Privacy” in Washington. (REUTERS File Photo)

America’s historic reputation as a welcoming place for immigrants. Yates, an appointee of former Democratic President Barack Obama, was days away from being replaced by Trump’s pick for the top spot at the Justice Department, Republican Senator Jeff Sessions, who is awaiting Senate confirmation. “Ms. Yates is an Obama Administration appointee who is weak on borders and very weak on illegal immigration,” the White House said in a statement. The White House said that Dana Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, was sworn in at 9 p.m. ET and would be acting U.S. attorney general until Sessions is approved. Boente said in an interview with the Washington Post that he would enforce

the immigration order. DRAMA There have been only a handful of instances in U.S. history of top Justice Department officials publicly breaking with the White House. The most famous example was in 1973, when thenAttorney General Elliot Richardson and his deputy resigned rather than obey President Richard Nixon’s order to fire a special prosecutor investigating the Watergate scandal. The incident, which became known as the “Saturday Night Massacre,” was a public relations disaster and is seen as a turning point in Nixon’s administration. The drama at the Justice Department is another sign of how hastily Trump’s immigration order was developed and how little it was

reviewed by the agencies now grappling to implement it. The White House said key government officials were briefed before Trump signed the order on Friday, but there was little coordination or consultation, resulting in confusion. Most State Department officials found out about it from media reports. Officials from the State Departmentcirculatedadraft memo of dissent on Monday, saying Trump’s move would hurt America’s image abroad and inflame anti-American sentiment. White House spokesman Sean Spicer dismissed the memo. “These career bureaucrats have a problem with it? I think that they should either get with the program or they can go,” he told reporters at his daily briefing. An internal Department of Homeland Se-

curity document seen by Reuters showed 348 visa holders were kept from boarding U.S.-bound flights this week, and more than 200 people came to the United States but were denied entry. More than 735 people were pulled aside for questioning by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at airports, including 394 green card holders, who are legal permanent residents of the United States, the document said. Trump’s administration is granting waivers from the refugee ban to allow 872 people into the country this week - refugees that had already been cleared for resettlement in the United States and were in transit when the order came out. Tens of thousands of people protested Trump’s order in major American

WASHINGTON, JANuAry 31 (reuTerS): The U.S. State Department will not conduct its regular daily press briefing until a new secretary of state is confirmed, leaving the main U.S. agency responsible for dealing with the rest of the world silent amid the uproar over President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration. Trump on Friday announced a fourmonth hold on allowing refugees into the United States and a temporary bar on travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries. The decision provoked a widespread backlash in foreign capitals, documented in cables U.S. embassies sent to Washington. Typically, in the aftermath of a major foreign policy shift, a State Department spokesperson would appear on camera within days to take questions from reporters and defend or explain the U.S. positions on different issues. The State Department has not briefed since the day before Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration, however, and on Monday a department spokesperson said no one cities and at airports on the weekend. Obama took the rare step of weighing in, saying through a spokesman that he was heartened by the political activism on the issue. Employees of Alphabet Inc’s Google in San Francisco, Mountain View, Seattle and other cities held protests. Backed by a sign that said “We are a nation of immigrants,” Sergei Brin, president of Alphabet, said he was outraged by the order. “The U.S. had the courage to take me and my family in as refugees,” he said in a YouTube video of his remarks. TECH BACKING FOR COURT CHALLENGES Federal judges blocked deportation of those detained under the order through the weekend, and more lawsuits were filed

will appear at the podium until the U.S. Senate confirms a new secretary of state. “Until you know what policy you’re advancing, it doesn’t do you any good to get out there,” said Richard Boucher, a former State Department spokesman who briefed reporters on the first weekday of the George W. Bush administration, in January 2001. “The decision not to brief is a simple admission that they don’t know what to say.” The Senate is due to vote on Monday on moving forward on confirming Rex Tillerson, the former Exxon Mobil Corp executive whom Trump has tapped to lead the State Department. The lack of briefings this far into a new administration is a departure from the three previous inter-party transitions. In 1993, 2001, and 2009, State Department spokespeople briefed reporters no later than Jan. 23, according to briefing transcripts stored in online archives. In those three transitions, the new secretary of state was confirmed on or just after Jan. 20.

on Monday. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the country’s biggest Muslim advocacy group, filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of more than 20 people. Washington state filed a lawsuit, arguing that Trump’s order violates the equal protection clause and the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Several other Democratic state attorneys general have said they are considering legal action. “It is an insult and a danger to all of the people of the state of Washington, of all faiths,” Washington state Governor Jay Inslee, a Democrat, told reporters. Amazon.com Inc and Expedia Inc, both of which are based in Washington state’s Seattle area, are supporting the state’s suit. Amazon scrapped a

business trip for a senior company lawyer who was born in Libya but has UK citizenship, according to a declaration filed in support of the lawsuit. Forty-nine of its employees were born in one of the banned countries, and seven new hires may need to be placed in offices outside the United States, it said. A declaration from Expedia said the order could impact the travel itineraries of at least 1,000 customers, costing it refunds as well as expenses to monitor how the order is applied and who exactly is affected. The U.S. technology industry, a major employer of foreign workers, has been the most vocal corporate opponent to Trump’s order. A group of top companies plans to meet on Tuesday to discuss how best to support legal challenges.

US & SKorea to defend against Tiny marine creature linked to human evolutionary path JANu- of an inch (1 millimetre), “evolving” North Korean threat WASHINGTON, Ary 31 (reuTerS): Sci- appears to be the most WASHINGTON/SeOuL, JANuAry 31 (reuTerS): U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis and his South Korean counterpart agreed during a phone call on Monday to strengthen their defense against “the evolving North Korean threat,” the Pentagon said, amid reports the North may be preparing a new missile test. Mattis, who is to visit South Korea on Thursday, reaffirmed to South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo the U.S. commitment to defend the country and “provide extended deterrence using the full range of U.S. capabilities,” the Pentagon said in a statement. The South Korean Defense Ministry said in a statement the two sides had agreed to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea as planned to defend against North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic capabilities. China has objected to THAAD, saying it will destabilize the regional security balance, leading to calls from some South Ko-

rean opposition leaders to delay or cancel it. Mattis’s visit to the region comes amid reports that the North may be readying to test a new ballistic missile in what could be an early challenge for of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. The North also appears to have restarted operation of a reactor at its main Yongbyon nuclear facility that produces plutonium that can be used for its nuclear weapons program, according to a U.S. think tank. North Korea has carried out a series of nuclear and missile tests in defiance of U.N sanctions. It conducted its fifth nuclear test in September. North and South are technically still at war because their 195053 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. Mattis also met Jordan’s King Abdullah at the Pentagon and expressed his deep appreciation for Jordan’s contributions to the fight against Islamic State, the Pentagon statement said.

China objects to THAAD, says it will destabilize regional security

No improvement in heart failure survival rates in two decades LONdON, JANuAry 31 (IANS): There has been no improvement since 1998 in survival rates for heart failure patients, a new study has found. Researchers from the University of Oxford looked at routinely collected medical records from 54,313 patients with heart failure and found 81.3 per cent survived for one year, 51.5 per cent survived for two years, and 29.5 per cent survived for 10 years, following diagnosis with the condition. “Getting an accurate estimate of heart failure prognosis is vital for those who commission healthcare services, so resources can be allocated appropriately,” said Clare Taylor, a primary care researcher at the University of Oxford. Survival rates, between 1998 and 2012, for people aged over 45 with heart failure showed no improvement though, in contrast to cancer survival rates in the Britain which have doubled in the last 40 years. “Perhaps more importantly, this allows patients to make more informed choices about treatments and possible end-of-life care. While the survival rates were better than other studies, we disappointingly did not see any improvement over time,” added Taylor. According to the study published in the journal Family Practice, heart failure is a common long-term condition affecting around nine lakh in the Britain and represents the second highest cost to the National Health Service for any disease after stroke. “An estimated one to two in every 100 adults in the west currently live with the condition,” the study noted. The paper found that survival rate estimates vary depending on a person’s age, gender, other health conditions and blood pressure.

entists on Monday said a tiny marine creature from China that wriggled in the seabed mud about 540 million years ago may be the earliest-known animal in the lengthy evolutionary path that eventually led to humans. It was a weirdlooking beastie with a baglike body and, for its size, a really big mouth. University of Cambridge palaeontologist Simon Conway Morris noted that humans, who appeared a relatively recent 200,000 years ago, have a series of “evolutionarily deeper ancestors” than monkeys and apes. That point is exemplified by the unique-looking creature called Saccorhytus, whose name means wrinkled sack. “And is not beauty in the eye of the beholder?” Conway Morris asked. Saccorhytus, measuring about four-hundredths

primitive member of the broad animal group called deuterostomes. This group includes vertebrates - fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals including people - as well as animals called echinoderms including starfish and sea urchins and obscure creatures called hemichordates including acorn worms. Saccorhytus lived during the Cambrian Period, a time of exceptional evolutionary experimentation. The primitive biological traits possessed by Saccorhytus helped pave the way for the various deuterostomes including vertebrates. Fish, the vanguard of the vertebrates, appeared roughly 10 to 15 million years after Saccorhytus. “Saccorhytus now gives us remarkable insights into the very first stages of the evolution of a group that

Artist’s reconstruction of Saccorhytus coronarius, based on the original fossil finds, whose actual size was probably no more than a millimeter in size, is shown in this image released on January 30, 2017. (REUTERS Photo)

led to the fish, and ultimately, to us,” palaeontologist Degan Shu of China’s Northwest University said. Fossils of about 40 Saccorhytus individuals, including a few superbly preserved specimens, were unearthed in Shaanxi Province in central China and look like miniscule black grains. Saccorhytus probably lived between individ-

ual grains of sediment on the bottom of a shallow sea. With its large mouth, it probably ate by simply engulfing food particles or smaller creatures whole. The researchers found no evidence that it had an anus, meaning that its waste material may have been expelled out of the mouth. Conway Morris said that process “from our

perspective sounds rather unappealing.” It also boasted small conical structures on its body, which was covered with a thin, flexible skin. These structures may have allowed water it swallowed to escape, possibly the evolutionary forerunner of fish gills. The research was published in the journal Nature.

Philippines narcotics agency takes over drugs war, likely military role MANILA, JANuAry 31 (reuTerS): Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte suggested on Tuesday he may seek military support after withdrawing the national police from his war on drugs and handing the job to a much smaller anti-narcotics agency. More than 7,600 people, mostly users and small-time dealers, have been killed since Duterte took office at the end of June, vowing to crack down on methamphetamine use. About 2,550 of the deaths were in police operations while the others were vigilante killings or were unsolved murders. The Philippine Drugs Enforcement Agency (PDEA) would run anti-drug operations, according to presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella. Its 1,800 staff are equivalent to just over 1 percent of the 160,000-strong Philippine National Police (PNP). After a high-level security meeting on Sunday, Duterte said the PNP was “corrupt to the core”. A suspension of its drugs opera-

tions came a few hours later. Duterte is furious with the PNP for the kidnap and killing of South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo by police drugs squad officers. Jee was killed within the PNP headquarters grounds. In a speech to soldiers on Tuesday, Duterte suggested he might need their help, saying he would be dead “if I don’t include you in the game”. The mercurial Duterte has threatened several times to invoke military rule to help his war on drugs. Last week, he appeared to rule out declaring martial law, but said he could do so if he wished. Presidential spokesman Abella could not immediately confirm whether the military, which has played a minor supporting role in the drugs war, would be given more responsibility. Armed forces spokesman Brigadier-General Restituto Padilla said military involvement was discussed at the security talks, but it was not clear what that would be.

Duterte said police had been ordered to stand down from antidrugs operations. “No policeman in this country anywhere is allowed to enforce laws related to the drug campaign,” he said, adding about 6,000 of them were “into drugs”. Local radio stations, which routinely cover drug killings, said there were no reports of any deaths in what appeared to be a rare bloodless night on Monday, although police could not confirm whether or not there were casualties. Official data on Tuesday showed four additional deaths in police operations, although it was not immediately clear when those took place. The attack on the PNP is a surprise about-face by Duterte, who had been unwavering in his support for police on the front lines of his drugs war. His spokesman said the president was fully aware of PNP corruption when he gave police the lead in fighting narcotics, but the drugs problem was so big, he had

no other choice. “The president had to act, he did act, to enforce his political will,” Abella told a news briefing. “To avoid any of the apparent corrupt activities within the organisation, he has now transferred (control) to PDEA.” TOUGH TASK The anti-drugs campaign has caused international alarm due to the high death toll and disputed circumstances of many of the killings. Human rights groups say the police have been involved in widespread extrajudicial killings. The PNP and Duterte strongly reject that. Congressman Edcel Lagman described the sidelining of police as “a blessing” and said it was time to get tough. “For the first time in six months there are no reports today of drug-related killings,” Lagman said. “There should be no more kids gloves for police scalawags who deserve an iron fist.” Police officials who spoke to Reuters said there had been no

written directive on the suspension of their role in the drugs war, but they were following the police chief’s comments on television. “That is good as an order,” said Senior Superintendent Roberto Fajardo at Manila’s Northern Police District. “We now go after other crimes ... that’s better for us, we fight all crimes.” One senior policeman said raids and sting operations on drug sellers had stopped and police operations had shifted towards reining in wayward officers, especially those reinstated following internal investigations. “The cleansing process will take a front seat by strengthening our counter-intelligence operations, checking lifestyles of police officers involved in drug operations,” said the officer, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to media. “This is a huge job. I’m not sure how long will it take to do this because our Internal Affairs Service lacks manpower.”

wednesdAY 01•02•2017

SPORTS

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Green Paris bid pledges to slash carbon emissions Bundesliga gamble on youth BERLIN, JaNuaRy 31 (REutERs): The Paris 2024 Olympics bid committee is proposing a strong eco-friendly plan that will slash carbon emissions by more than half compared to the last two Games in London and Rio. Speaking to Reuters on Tuesday, three days before the third part of their bid book is submitted to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), bid copresident Tony Estanguet said Paris had placed sustainability at the top of its list of priorities. The French capital is bidding for the Olympics along with Los Angeles and Budapest, with the IOC set to select the winning candidate in September. "For us it is quite simple. Our vision is the most sustainable Games ever," Estanguet said in an interview, adding that the bid was in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gases. Estanguet said that a Games held in France would produce an estimated 1.56 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, down 55 percent from the roughly 3.42 million tonnes created by

The logo of the Paris candidacy for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games is pictured in Paris, France. (Reuters File Photo)

the Rio 2016 and the London 2012 Games. "The experts we used to asses the project are exactly the same ones who evaluated the carbon footprint for the past Games," the three-time Olympic canoeing champion and IOC member said. The use of existing venues and temporary structures has helped Estanguet believe that the bid's goal was realistic, with the construction of an aquatics

centre regarded as the only new major legacy project. Public or shared transport would be used for 100 percent of spectators while 85 percent of athletes would be housed within 30 minutes of their competition venues. "We have a very strong concept. We will also have low carbon installations for the rare venues we have to build and we will use specific materials to reduce the overall carbon footprint," he said.

CONTRASTINGCONCEPTS "We also have all the infrastructure -- roads, hotels, airports -- already in place. That allows us to claim we will be the most sustainable Games ever." The IOC passed a series of reforms in 2014 called Agenda 2020, aimed at making the Games more attractive to future hosts after a string of candidate cities withdrew due to the sheer size and costs of organising such an ambi-

tious project. The 2024 campaign has already witnessed several withdrawals, with Hamburg, Boston and Rome dropping out of the running. The remaining cities are pitching contrasting concepts to the IOC, with Paris offering a compact Games in a city that last hosted the Olympics in 1924. Two-time hosts Los Angeles is highlighting its "risk-free" plan, with the vast majority of venues and athletes' villages already in place, and minimal construction required. Budapest is proposing a model for a mediumsized city as a choice that offers an alternative to traditional big cities of the past, paving the way for new potential bidders. "For us the legacy of the Games will not be in equipment. We want to invest our money, time, energy in leaving a legacy for people in the way of educating them," Estanguet added. "We want more people to practice sport and... during the seven years (of preparations), we want to educate people on sustainability."

sends transfer record tumbling

BERLIN, JaNuaRy 31 (aFP): German clubs shattered Bundesliga winter transfer spending records in January, forking out close to 100 million euros ($107.6 million) and largely gambling on the potential of youngsters like Leon Bailey and Alexander Isak. Promising Jamaican teenager Bailey joined Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday for a reported 12 million euros ($12.8 million), while Swede Isak -- dubbed the 'next Zlatan Ibrahimovic' -- turned down Real Madrid to sign for Borussia Dortmund. France's Dayot Upamecano swapped Red Bull Salzburg for RB Leipzig for a reported 10 million euros, yet the trio are all in their teens and untested in Europe's top leagues. The previous record set during the 2014/15 season saw Bundesliga sides pay out around 65 million euros, but that mark has been obliterated with several hours still to go before the deadline. Throw 20-year-old Riechedly Bazoer, who joined Wolfsburg from Ajax for 12 million euros, and

Swedish striker Alexander Isak has joined Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, snubbing an offer from Real Madrid. (AFP Photo)

new Hamburg signing Walace, 21, into the mix and the focus on investment in youth is undeniable. Wolfsburg have spent the most of any club by stumping up 33 million euros to try and salvage a disastrous season. The 2009 Bundesliga champions drafted in five new faces -- including French winger Paul-Georges Ntep -- after offloading Germany international Julian Draxler

to Paris Saint-Germain for around 40 million. But despite the record outlay, the country's richest club Bayern Munich have largely stayed silent with no new arrivals this month. However, the defending champions did complete a double swoop for Hoffenheim pair Niklas Suele and Sebastian Rudy, who will join the league leaders at the start of next season.

Finch to lead Australia in Brazil's Pato latest to head to Chinese Super League T20 series against Sri Lanka MELBOuRNE, JaNuaRy 31 (REutERs): Opening batsman Aaron Finch will lead Australia in the absence of regular captain Steve Smith in next month's three-match Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka, the country's cricket board said on Tuesday. Finch, who was Australia's T20 captain before Smith was handed the reins in all three formats last year, will take charge of an inexperienced side shorn of players named in the squad for the four-test series in India. Smith, David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Matthew Wade are all unavailable for selection as they continue preparations for the challenging tour of the South Asian Country. "It's very exciting to be back and leading the side in Steve's absence," the 30-year-old said in a Cricket Australia statement. "It's been a roller-coaster from being

captain leading up to the ICC World Twenty20 (in 2016), being injured and then Steve taking over the reins for that tournament but it's something that, any time you get the chance to captain your country in any format, you're very chuffed about." Sri Lanka recently won a three-match T20 series 2-1 in South Africa and will face Australia in the first match in Melbourne on February 17.

BEIJING, JaNuaRy 31 (aP): Brazilian forward Alexandre Pato has signed with Tianjin Quanjian, the latest major acquisition by the Chinese Super League. Pato posted on Twitter Monday that he was “very happy” to join Quanjian from Spanish club Villarreal. Tianjin did not immediately confirm a report in Chinese state media that his transfer fee was 18 million euros ($19.3 million). The 27-year-old Pato scored six goals in 24 appearances for Villarreal after playing just twice during a disappointing loan spell at English giants Chelsea. He has been in and out of Villarreal's starting lineup amid rumors of a transfer to China. Quanjian, promoted to China's Super League

Alexandre Pato

after winning the second tier last year, also acquired Belgium's Axel Witsel this month and is coached by former Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro.

Other prominent players lured to China include Brazilians Hulk, Oscar, Ramires and Paulinho, Colombian striker Jackson Martinez and Argentines

Ezequiel Lavezzi and Carlos Tevez. China has spent heavily to bring in international stars and build up its football infrastructure

at all age levels, with the stated goal of producing a national team capable of winning the World Cup by 2050. The big contracts handed out by its clubs have raised some alarm among major European clubs that previously had no rival in signing the world's top talent. And skepticism is starting to grow in China. The governing body of Chinese soccer announced Jan. 16 that it would reduce the number of foreigners allowed to appear at any given time for a club from four to three, along with other steps targeting “recent irrational investments by clubs, highfigure transfer fees and salaries paid to domestic and international athletes and other issues.”

Sutton get plum Arsenal tie, La Liga to introduce video referees from 2018 United at Blackburn in FA Cup

LONDON, JaNuaRy 31 (REutERs): Sutton United will host 12-times winners Arsenal in the fifth round of the FA Cup while fellow non-league side Lincoln City were handed a trip to Burnley as the Premier League clubs were kept apart in Monday's draw. "This will be like our World Cup final," said Sutton manager Paul Doswell. "It's as big as that for us - the profile of the club has risen so much in these last six to eight weeks." Holders Manchester United, who last season matched Arsenal's record FA Cup haul, are at Black-

burn Rovers while Premier League leaders Chelsea also visit a Championship (second tier) club after being paired with Wolverhampton Wanderers. Tottenham Hotspur were given a London derby at second-tier Fulham and Manchester City are away to Huddersfield Town. Oxford United visit Middlesbrough while Millwall host Leicester City or Derby County who replay their fourth-round tie on Feb. 8. But it was the giantkilling non-league sides who again grabbed the headlines following Sut-

ton's home victory against Leeds United and fellow fifth-tier club Lincoln's win over Championship leaders Brighton & Hove Albion in round four. Arsene Wenger's starstudded Arsenal team will have to cope with the 3G pitch at Sutton's 5,000-capacity stadium to take on a club who famously knocked out Coventry City in 1989. "I have just picked myself back up off the floor a plum, plum game for us against one of the best sides in England, if not Europe," Sutton manager Doswell told Sky Sports.

MaDRID, JaNuaRy 31 (REutERs): Video referees are expected to be used in Spanish soccer by the 2018-19 season when they are fully approved by FIFA, La Liga president Javier Tebas has said. Tebas was speaking after Sunday's 1-1 draw between Barcelona and Real Betis, a game in which champions Barca appeared to have been denied a clear goal. Video replays showed that after Betis' Cristiano Piccini diverted Aleix Vi-

"To have Arsenal coming to Gander Green Lane - our little fortress - is just incredible," "Everyone will want it to be played at Sutton. We have no thoughts of switching the tie. "I think half the team support Arsenal and about three of them have played for Arsenal." It is the first time two non-League clubs have progressed this far since the competition was reorganised more than 90 years ago. The pair can now look forward to money-spinning last 16 ties against top-flight opposiLONDON, JaNuaRy 31 tion next month. (REutERs): The head of world athletics Sebastian Coe has denied that he misled a British Parliamentary committee investigating doping in sport his historic performance in when he appeared before London in 2012 when he it last December. became the first doubleCentral to Coe's eviamputee to race at Olym- dence was his insistence pic level. that he did not know the Nel was already well specific detail of an email known in South Africa be- sent to him by former Lonfore taking the case but don Marathon race direcbecame renowned during tor David Bedford, which the Pistorius trial due to Coe says he sent to the his sharp eye for detail and IAAF Ethics Commission his take-no-prisoners ap- without opening the atproach. tachments. His interrogations Bedford told the Parliaprompted at least one com- mentary Committee this plaint to South Africa's Hu- month that he was surman Rights Commission -- prised to hear that Coe had which later found Nel had not read the attachments no case to answer. of the 2014 mail and comThe judge in the Pistori- mittee chairman Damian us case, Thokozile Masipa, Collins said Bedford's evihad to interrupt proceed- dence had raised questions ings to say "restrain your- over "the timing and extent self, Mr Nel" while he was of Lord Coe's knowledge of scrutinising witnesses. these allegations".

dal's pass towards goal the ball crossed the line by around a metre before defender Aissi Mandi slid in and scrambled the it away. "The tests are already underway. We have been working on video referees for the last eight months," Tebas told El Pais. "We will be testing it from next season in La Liga," he added. "If FIFA finally approve it, we will start using it from July 2018." Football's law-making body IFAB approved last

March a two-year trial of the video assistant referee (VAR) system with access to replays to help match officials review key decisions. Unlike other top leagues in Europe, La Liga does not have goal-line technology available because it is considered too expensive to be put in place. Barcelona coach Luis Enrique believes the officials need assistance. "The referees need help, whether it's with cameras or whatever, for decisions that favour us or go against

IAAF chief denies misleading doping committee

Pistorius prosecutor 'the bulldog' resigns JOhaNNEsBuRG, JaNuaRy 31 (aFP): South African prosecutor Gerrie Nel, who came to worldwide attention for securing the murder conviction of Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius, has resigned, the country's prosecuting authority said on Tuesday. Nel's forensic questioning and ferocious style attracted global interest as the so-called "blade runner" trial was broadcast around the world after double amputee Pistorius shot dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius clamed he mistook Steenkamp, a model and law graduate, for a burglar when he fired four times through the door

of his bedroom toilet in the early hours of Valentine's Day in 2013, a claim that Nel hotly contested. "You killed a person, that's what you did! You shot and killed her, won't you take responsibility for that?" he said during the trial. National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Luvuyo Mfaku confirmed Nel's departure to AFP. "We can confirm that prosecutor Gerrie Nel handed in his resignation (on) January 30," he said, adding that he would pursue "other interests". South African agency News 24 reported that Nel, who was dubbed "the bulldog" during his 25-year career, will be joining Afrikan-

er lobby group AfriForum to pursue prosecutions on their behalf. AfriForum refused to confirm or deny the reports but said that there would be an announcement "very soon". In July, Pistorius was given a six-year jail term after an appeals court upgraded his manslaughter conviction to murder. He had earlier been given a five-year sentence and was released on parole after one year. Nel led the state's criticism of Pistorius' six-year sentence, calling it "shockingly lenient and disturbingly inappropriate". Pistorius killed his 35-year-old partner at the peak of his fame, following

us," he said. "The technology can help us. I've already said that before." Not everyone, however, is in favour of the technology. "I'm against video refereeing because it would break the essence of what soccer is," Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo told Marca. "Referees make mistakes and get it right. There are times that those go in favour and others were they go against. I don't see a problem with this."

A mail sent by Coe to Michael Beloff, head of the Ethics Committee, and released by the Parliamentary Committee on Wednesday, suggested the IAAF President was aware of the detail of the allegations. Coe's mail to Beloff referred to the receipt "doc-

umentation of serious allegations being made by and on behalf of the Russian female athlete (Liliya) Shobukhova from David Bedford". "The purpose of this note is of course to advise you that I have now been made aware of the allegations," Coe added.

Coe, however, said he did not know the specifics of Bedford's claim and explained why in a four-page email to Collins this week which was made public by the committee. "I wish to confirm that to the best of my recollection I was not aware prior to December 2014 of the allegations that Papa Massata Diack/others associated with the IAAF were involved in covering up Russian doping," Coe, who was an IAAF vice-president at the time before being elected president in 2015, wrote. "This is even though I accept that in August 2014 David Bedford emailed me documents containing allegations along those lines," he added. "I trust this clarifies the matter to the satisfaction of the committee and as such there are no grounds for suggesting I misled the committee in any way."

wednesday 01•02•2017

EntErtainmEnt

Paris Jackson to make acting debut

aris Jackson, the daughter of the late King of Pop Michael Jackson, will make her acting debut on TV show "Star". According to the official casting announcement, the 18-year-old will play Rachel Wells, a young, chic and intimidating social media guru, reports eonline.com.

Soha Ali S Khan turns writer

oha Ali Khan will come out with her debut book this year which will be a collection of humorous, and sometimes bizarre, stories on her life as a royal princess and a moderately famous celebrity, as she likes to call herself. In a statement, Penguin India said it will publish Sohas debut book "The Perils of Being Moderately Famous". "If I had a dollar for every person who told me to write a book, I would have umm...six dollars. I do love to read and I do that quite well (510 words a minute), so it can’t be much harder to write, right? I also have some time on my hands, as most actors often do (stop sniggering). "I can use this time creatively to pen down memories, some insights from what surely must be a life less ordinary. I am a princess (her official title is Nawabzadi Soha Ali Khan of Pataudi and Bhopal) after all," she says. But she has a "word of caution". "If you are hoping I will reveal the secret behind Kareenas glowing complexion or how Bhai (Saif) trains for an action film then, I am afraid you are barking up the wrong book. Although, in its pages there may be

The cast of "Star" also includes Queen Latifah, Benjamin Bratt, Jude Demorest, Brittany O'Grady, Ryan Destiny, Amiyah Scott and Quincy Brown. Other guest stars in the first season are singers Lenny Kravitz and Tyrese Gibson as well as supermodel Naomi Campbell.

a passing reference to some of the idiosyncrasies of the more famous members of my family, the bulk of it, Im afraid, is about...well, me. Just me," she says. "Having read a few chapters, I can safely say Soha was born to write," says Penguin India Commissioning Editor Gurveen Chadha. "She has amassed a huge fan following not only for her movies but also for her witty repartee on Twitter, and her charm and wit continue to shine in this brilliant collection of personal essays where she recounts with self-deprecating humour some of the most poignant moments of her life - from growing up as a modernday princess to life as a celebrity in the times of social media culture," Gurveen adds. Soha, who studied modern history at Balliol College, Oxford and earned a Masters degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science, starred in the recent "31st October", a true story focussing on the aftermath of Indira Gandhis assassination. Source: PTI

Source: IANS

Shah Rukh Khan feels 'awkward' being called the King of Bollywood

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something derogatory. It's a nice name. I don't have a crown. Maybe someday like Mr [Sir] Elton John!'' Khan also vehemently disagrees with suggestions that the appeal of Bollywood is lessening. He said: ''Every few years there is a conversation about this. The solution is that change is gradual as society changes - but Bollywood is certainly not in crisis. The stories remain more or less the same as when I was a 26 playing a sweet college kid, it's just the language for telling them is changing. And the technology is such that Indian cinema can venture into different genres, such as science fiction and superhero films, which is exciting for me as a producer.'' And when it comes to

superheroes, Khan has revealed he'd love to play the role of Batman one day. He said: ''I was a big Batman fan growing up - I still am. I don't know if I have the height to play him but I have the darkness and I love the costume.'' Khan has a net worth of $600 million but he claims he doesn't worry about what he's earning or has amassed and lets other people do that for him. He said: ''I'm not a businessman at all. To be honest I'm not successful at it. I keep telling Forbes when they list me, 'You've got the wrong guy!' I have 200 to 300 people all working for me, all professional people. I just do the stuff I know which is acting. My experts handle all the other stuff.''

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Iulia Vantur to be showstopper at LFW

o ma n i a n T V presenter Iulia Vantur, who has been in news for her rumoured relationship with Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, is set to walk as showstopper for brand Splash's latest line at the forthcoming Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Summer/ Resort 2017. "It's the very first show for both, the brand and me, in India and it cannot get better than this. I have always loved the collection at Splash and I am a regular patron of the brand. The idea of being 'in love with fashion' totally resonates with me," Vantur said in a statement. The fashion brand will be showcasing their latest collection on the third day of the five-day fashion gala, which starts on Wednesday. LFW will be held at the Reliance Jio Garden here. Source: IANS

11:00 AM | 05:00 PM davp 06302/13/0004/1617

C M Y K

he 51-year-old actor - also known as SRK has been bestowed the title having appeared in more than 80 Bollywood films and won numerous awards for his films. His latest movie is action thriller 'Raees', a crime drama set in India in the 1980s, sees Khan makes his 84th feature film appearance but he still struggles to get his head around the extent of his fame. In an interview with the Metro newspaper, Khan said: ''I come from a very humble background in Dehli. I came to the movie industry from the outside - from TV and theatre. So when they started calling me 'King of Bollywood' I felt awkward - I don't feel so entitled. But I'm glad they call me 'king' rather than

Raees

02:00 PM | 08:00 PM

wednesdAY 01•02•2017

SPORTS

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

With Love sidelined, Cavaliers fall to Mavericks

Washington, January 31 (aFP): Struggling with star forward Kevin Love sidelined by back spasms, the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers were downed 104-97 at Dallas. LeBron James on Monday led the Cavaliers with 23 points on 9-of-19 shooting while Kyrie Irving added 18 points and five assists but made six turnovers, only one fewer than the entire Mavericks' squad. But an up-tempo Dallas attack proved more than the Cavaliers could stand a night after defeating Oklahoma City. The Mavericks seized a 100-85 edge with 4:18 to play on a 3-pointer by Yogi Ferrell and coasted home from there. Love, averaging 20.1 points and 11.1 rebounds, stayed home for medical tests Monday and no structural damage was found in his back, but he will also miss the Cavaliers' home game Wednesday against Minnesota. Asked if he thought the Cavaliers would make a trade for another playmaker as he has sought, James replied, "If it happens, it happens. We've got what we got. We've got to get better every game." Dallas forward Harrison Barnes

C M Y K

points in the last period to lift the Boston Celtics over Detroit 113-109 despite squandering an 11-point lead. Thomas was one point shy of joining Larry Bird and Paul Pierce as the only Celtics to average 33 points in an entire month. "I was close but I wasn't trying. I was just trying to do what my team needed me to do," Thomas said. "It doesn't sound real. To have my name up there with those legends is unbelievable." Boston improved to 30-18, a game ahead of Toronto atop the Atlantic division. Pistons big man Andre Drummond had a season high-tying 28 points and 22 rebounds in a losing effort. At Phoenix, Mike Conley scored a career-high 38 points, hitting 7-of10 3-point shots, and Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph each added 18 as the Memphis Grizzlies downed the host Suns 115-96. - Cousins hits 46 in loss -

The Philadelphia 76ers, playing Dallas Mavericks guard Seth Curry (30) attempts a layup as Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert (4) defends during without team points and rebounds the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Jan. 30, 2017, in Dallas. Dallas won 104-97. (AP Photo) had a game-high 24 points and 11 rebounds, and guard Wesley Matthews added 21 points. Ferrell had 19 points and Curry added 16 for the Mavericks.

The Cavaliers fell to 32-15 but still remained the top team in the Eastern Conference by 2.5 games over Boston, while the Mavericks rose to 1830, third-worst in the Western Confer-

ence but only four games out of the last West playoff spot. - Thomas powers Celtics' win Isaiah Thomas, the NBA's top fourth-quarter scorer, netted 24 of his 41

leader Joel Embiid, had 23 points and 10 rebounds from Robert Covington and 17 off the bench from Dario Saric in a 122-119 home victory over Sacramento. Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins produced 46 points, 15 rebounds

and five assists, but the Kings squandered a 16-point second quarter lead and the 76ers finished January 10-5 -- their best one-month mark since going 13-4 in 2012. Embiid missed his fifth game of six with a left knee bruise. A spectacular left-handed slam dunk by James Johnson in the final minute added an exclamation point to Miami's eighth consecutive victory, a 104-96 triumph over the visiting Brooklyn Nets. Johnson leaped high to rebound a missed shot and slammed the ball home in one motion to pull Miami ahead by the final margin. Goran Dragic had 20 points and eight assists while Dion Waiters added 19 for the Heat, who improved to 19-30 while the Nets, with the worst defense in the NBA, slid to a league-worst 9-39. Andrew Wiggins scored a gamehigh 27 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 23 points and 12 rebounds and Ricky Rubio had 22 points to spark the Minnesota Timberwolves over visiting Orlando 111-105 in overtime. Wiggins sank a tying jumper with 10 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to force overtime, then scored six points in the extra session as the TWolves improved to 19-29 while the Magic slid to 19-31.

Kashmiri athlete Manipur's Asian Games hero I-League: Lajong beat Chennai denied US visa now battling cancer, poverty

neW Delhi, January 31 (ians): Kashmiri snowshoe athlete, Tanveer Hussain Parra, on Tuesday claimed he was denied visa by the US Embassy here, with officials citing the "current policy" under the Donald Trump administration. Parra, 24, was scheduled to attend the World Snowshoe Federation (WSSF) World Championship on February 25 in Saranac Lake, New York. President Trump last week signed an executive order banning immigrants from seven Muslim-majority nations and placed Pakistan under "extreme vetting", an action which has led to widespread protests. Parra told IANS that he was denied the visa despite having completed all formalities, and that his documents were in order and checked by a US embassy official. "However, the official later told me she was 'sorry' and added that 'under the current policy, we cannot issue you visa'," Parra said. The US embassy told IANS that Indian citizens are "not affected" by the Trump administration order. "For privacy reasons we cannot discuss specific visa

cases. However, we note that Indian citizens are not affected by the recent executive order," a US Embassy spokesperson said, declining to be named. Parra said he had got invitation letters for the US event from WSSF and Mayor of Saranac Lake Village, New York, which he emailed to IANS. He was being accompanied by Abid Hussain Khan, Secretary General, Snowshoe Federation of India, for the US event. Last year, Parra represented India during the World Snowshoe championship that was held in Vezza de Ogglio, Brescia, Italy, where he finished 31st in the senior category.

neW Delhi, January 31 (Pti): Dingko Singh, who made Manipur proud by clinching a gold medal in boxing at the 1998 Asian Games is fighting for his survival as he is going toe-to-toe with bile-duct cancer. Dingko, who once brought fame and name to the country, is now battling all odds in life, be it physical or financial. It's almost a decade since 1998 the Bangkok Asiad winner retired, but little did he know then that his biggest fight lay ahead of him, a battle with liver cancer. Singh underwent a procedure in the first week of January, during which 70 per cent of his liver had to be removed. Family members and relatives remain helpless to bear the huge burden of expenditure to be incurred of the 6 chemotherapy sessions to be done in the coming days ahead. A sportsperson and a former Navy man of the country, Dingko was compelled to sell his house in Imphal for Rs. 10 lakhs for his treatment. The first signs that all was not right came with a bout of jaundice in August. Further examination at the All India Institute of Medicial Science in New Delhi concluded that the father of two was suffering from cancer.

shillong, January 31 (ians): Shillong Lajong FC won their third straight home match with a 2-0 win against Chennai City FC in the I-League football tournament here on Tuesday. Dipanda Dicka gave the hosts an early breakthrough in the 20th minute and followed it up with another goal in the 65th minute. The victory takes Lajong to nine points from six matches while Chennai re-

main static at four points. Buoyed by two wins on the trot at home against Minerva Punjab and Mumbai FC, Lajong started the proceedings on a dominant note looking to control the game from the outset. The first real chance came Lajong's way when Dipanda crossed one back to Redeem Tlang whose shot got blocked. Dipanda then put the home team ahead with a

header. Chennai did look like making a comeback towards the end of the first half but solid defending kept them at bay as they went into half time trailing 0-1. Dipanda took the game away from the visitors by scoring from close range in the second half. C h e n na i' s e f f o r t s thereafter to stage a comeback bore no fruit as the hosts romped home to another victory.

Rooney going nowhere: Mourinho

Ferocious and talented but volatile are the adjectives scribes in the '90s would often use while writing on the boxer. There are reports, which the boxer also confirms, on how he went bingedrinking after his name did not initially feature in the squad for the '98 Asian Games. Dingko's chemotherapy cycle will begin soon. He has received Rs 50,000 as advance from the Sports Authority of India and hopes the rest of the expenditure will be reimbursed soon.

Manchester, January 31 (aFP): Jose Mourinho has confirmed Wayne Rooney will remain at Manchester United for the rest of the season despite reports linking him with a move to the Chinese Super League. But Mourinho insisted Tuesday that Rooney, 31, will stay in his squad until at least the end of the season, despite having long since lost his status as an automatic first-choice at

the club where he has been such a key player for the last 13 years. “Yes,” said Mourinho when asked if Rooney, who

recently became United's all-time leading goal-scorer, will see out the season at Old Trafford. Mourinho, like most of the other managers near the top of the Premier League, has had a quiet January transfer window with the sales of Schneiderlin and Depay his only major business. “We are more focused on the summer period. I like my players, so nothing for me,” he said.

India, England gear up for do-or-die final T20I Diana Edulji vows to put BCCI's house in order

MuMBai, January 31 (aFP): The first woman to hold a top post at India's powerful and immensely wealthy cricket board vowed Tuesday to put the scandal-plagued body's house in order. Former India captain Diana Edulji was appointed Monday to a fourmember team tasked by India's Supreme Court to oversee the running of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). "The first step we have to take is to get the house in order," Edulji, who played 20 Tests and 34 one-day internationals for India between 1976 and 1993, told AFP outside her home in Mumbai. "Let's hope we can bring justice and bring BCCI back to its glorious days," added the 61-year-old, saying it was time for Indian cricket to "look ahead" after years of turmoil. The Supreme Court's appointment of the panel, headed by former government auditor Vinod Rai, was the latest development in its BCCI shakeup. The board has been embroiled in a series of scandals, including accusations of corruption in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and a betting scandal involving an IPL team linked to its former head Narayanas-

New BCCI administrators meet for first time

Diana Edulji

wami Srinivasan. Charges of corruption and nepotism dented the BCCI's image in recent times, leading many activists to urge India's top court to intervene to reform the privately-run organisation. The Supreme Court earlier this month sacked the BCCI's two most senior officials for failing to implement reforms aimed at improving governance and transparency. Edulji, who joins prom-

inent historian Ramachandra Guha, Mumbai-based banker Vikram Limaye as well as Rai, on the new administrative body, said it was unclear how long the four would be in place. "Until we get the house in order, BCCI elections are done and everything (with) the state associations. Until the orders of the Supreme Court are implemented then only we will know." Their exact titles were expected to become clear

MuMBai, January 31 (Pti): A day after being appointed as the administrators of the BCCI by the Supreme Court, three of the panel members had their first meeting here today away from the BCCI's headquarters in South Mumbai. Vinod Rai, former Comptroller and Auditor General of India, former India women's captain Diana Edulji and banker Vikram Limaye were present at the meeting held at the IDFC Bank's premises in suburban BKC. However, the fourth administrator - noted historian Ramachandra Guha - was not present. Rai, who heads the committee, told waiting reporters it was a "famil-

iarisation meeting" before going in. Yesterday the apex court had appointed the four-member committee of administrators (COA) to run the affairs of the BCCI and implement court-approved recommendations of the Justice R M Lodha panel on reforms in the cash-rich cricket body. The court had ruled that BCCI's CEO, Rahul Johri, would report to this body of administrators. "We just had a familiarisation meeting just to get ourselves briefed with the functioning of BCCI, we have finished that. Soon we will decide on the course of action," Rai said after the meeting.

when the group meets for the first time in Mumbai on Tuesday. Edulji added it was a "great honour" to be selected but that she was "a bit surprised" to be the only cricketer in the group, pledging to work hard to improve all aspects of the game. The Parsi is one of India's most-decorated women cricketers. As a

left-arm orthodox bowler she collected 63 wickets in Tests and 46 in ODIs during an illustrious career. Edulji said one of her focuses would be on growing the women's game. "I hope I can bring something that women's cricket can progress definitely, popularise the game, play more cricket and have a lot more international exposure," she said.

Bengaluru, January 31 (ians): With the three-match T20I series squared at 1-1, the final game at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Wednesday promises to be an exciting contest with India aiming to pocket another series win while England will be hoping to end their lacklustre tour on a high. After a poor batting display in both the previous games, all eyes will be on local boys Lokesh Rahul, and Virat Kohli (captain of the Indian Premier League side -- Royal Challengers Bangalore) to give a strong start to the hosts. Not only the opening pair, the onus of piling up a good score will also lie on the famed middle order comprising Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh, with youngster Manish Pandey providing the momentum lower down. So far, India's middle order has failed to click as a unit in both the games, with England seizing the advantage to restrict the hosts to below par scores. But with the game being the last limited overs outing before the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy in June, Kohli may also want to test the bench by including the hard-

hitting Rishabh Pant and Mandeep Singh in the third game. India managed to win the second game, thanks to the last over heroics of medium pacer Jasprit Bumrah but with the dry and flat deck at the Chinnaswamy Stadium promising to be a run-feast, the ICC No.2ranked side's batsmen cannot afford to let the opportunity slip here. Not only Bumrah, but the old warhorse Ashish Nehra (3/28) also gave the hosts a dream start in the Nagpur tie. India will once again hope for a great start from Bumrah and Nehra with the spinners -- Amit Mishra, Yuzvendra Chahal and part-timer Raina -- putting the brakes on the scoring rate and getting the breakthroughs in the middle overs. On the other hand, the visitors have shown their intent by clinching the first T20I and would eye another victory to end their dismal tour on a winning note. England's batting will once again revolve around the likes of Joe Root, skipper Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes and the opening duo of Jason Roy and Sam Billings. So far, No.4-ranked England have preferred to chase in both the games and with a long batting

line-up, the visitors may once again go with the same strategy. England's bowlers have been quite effective in the shortest version and it will be interesting to see how they frustrate the strong Indian line-up in a batting-friendly track at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Having played for the RCB, pacer Chris Jordan will be well-acquainted with the track and will once again be Morgan's go-to option with the likes of Tymal Mills, Liam Plunkett and all-rounder Stokes. Moeen Ali has been quite handy with his off-spinners. Squads: India: Virat Kohli (Captain), Lokesh Rahul, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Rishabh Pant, Mandeep Singh, Manish Pandey, Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Parvez Rasool, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya. England: Eoin Morgan (Captain), Moeen Ali, Joe Root, Jos Buttler (wk), Liam Plunkett, Ben Stokes, Tymal Mills, Chris Jordan, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Sam Billings, Liam Dawson, Alex Hales, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, David Willey.

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