February 25th, 2017

C M Y K

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SaturDaY • FebruarY 25 • 2017

DIMAPUR • Vol. XII • Issue 53 • 12 PAGes • 5

T H e

ESTD. 2005

P o W e R

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T R u T H

By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures VX nerve agent killed North Korean leader’s half brother: Malaysian cop

Govt take stock of offices damaged in Kohima on Feb 2

PAGE 09

— Proverbs

O’Keefe’s six puts Australia in command against India

PAGE 02

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Wui struggles to preserve the GOI has recognized legal rights of the Nagas: NSCN (IM) states traditional art of iron smelting There was a time when daos & spears forged from Wui were highly valued possessions Imti Longchar Wui | February 24

There was a time when Wui village was famed far and wide for its distinct iron tool production.

Almost all the Khiamniungan villages, including those from the far-flung Myanmar would journey to Wui to have them forge a neu (dao) or a spear or an octje (axe).

For the Wui villagers, with demand high for their prized iron smelting tools, this craft was once the primary source of livelihood.

With the passage of time, Wui, the only known village among the Khiamniungan Nagas that practice the craft of iron smelting, is under threat of losing its glorious past and craft. In fact, in the present day, not many will have heard about this village where traditional technology for iron smelting has been practiced for generations.

Located around 52 kilometers away from Noklak town, Wui has a household of 150 and is now a neglected village in the remote corner of Tuensang district bordering Myanmar.

The Wui indigenous art of iron smelting, a craft perfected by their ancestors, is slowly growing obsolete by the day and becoming eco-

Readymade daos forged at Wui village. (Morung Photo)

nomically unviable as signified by the young generations of the village as they leave the village gate for the urban areas in pursuit of better opportunities.

Tsothung, a village guard commander at Wui village reveals there are now only 20 people from the village who knows the traditional art of iron smelting. Most of them are young men who are still learning the craft. The last of the fading generation who possess the knowledge and skills of the craft are only a handful-five of them to be exact.

Unlike older times when daos, spears or axes were everyday tools and therefore always-in demand, the present day usages of these

tools/weapons have been relegated to mere objects of display- to be hung in the drawing room or flaunted at festivals.

“It is not easy to sustain simply from forging daos and spears alone, times has changed,” says Thangmong, a 30-year old blacksmith, one of the young generations who chose to learn the craft from his father instead of exploring for opportunities outside like his peers.

And unlike his forefathers who used local mineral sources accessed from the village area, Thangmong has to procure engine parts of vehicles like Gypsy, Tata and Sumo to manufacture the iron tools.

Apart from the accounts that

their forefathers accessed iron ores to forge the tools from a swamp area called ‘Malai Dai’ located just above the village, the present generation Wui villagers has no specific knowledge or details.

The young blacksmith supplies at the most 70 daos and other iron tools in a year, which fetches him around Rs 20-25, 000. Most of these orders come from Kiphire district where farming is still widely practiced and occasionally from handicrafts stores outside.

“The demand for our iron crafts is growing less by the day. It is not enough to sustain my family with the income I earn from this,” Thangmong reveals. It is for this reason that the young blacksmith says he took up farming.

The elders in the village are also aware that this indigenous art of iron smelting handed down to them by their ancestors may disappear if efforts are not made for its perseverance. With no assistance coming from the government agencies, there is little that the village can do to sustain from this traditional art.

“We have been holding discussions on how to preserve this legacy from vanishing. So we figured on the need to teach this art to the young generations so that it can find a new leash of life,” Tsothung informs.

“The commercial aspect is not imperative anymore. What is vital here is to teach the art to the youngsters so that it is not lost,” Tsothung says.

DIMAPUR, FEBRUARY 24 (MExN): The NSCN (IM) today stated that “whether we like it or not there is going to be a transformation in the history of the Nagas very soon.” It also revealed that the Government of India has “recognized the legal rights of the Nagas” and “candidly proclaimed integration the legitimate right of the Nagas.”

A press note issued by the MIP of the NSCN (IM) stated that the Framework Agreement signed with the Government of India has become a “milestone.”

The Naga issue, it affirmed, has entered a “new remarkable stage” and has “gained momentum” during the last few years, engaging a dialogue with the GoI in the right direction and where both the entities were “seriously committed to inking on a deeper level than ever before for unconditional settlement.”

It however lamented that “some greedy people” are “trying to rebut the Framework Agreement without any decency” and trying to distort the agreement “with itchy drive so called the content of its Agreement to be disclosed with their obligatory manner…”

It further stated that while the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi has

reposed “authenticity towards the Naga aspiration,” the Naga people “should have more accommodative spirit to shoulder the destiny of the Nagas.”

“The attitudes of few dogmatic writers,” it added, “are confrontational to Naga solution.” “If we are true Naga one should not create any logjam towards our objective. Seeing the present grim scenario, it is mixed with disappointment created by some few vested people,” it said.

The NSCN (IM) went on to state that “when the entire Naga populace are sincerely yearning for the final settlement there are some individuals trying to sabotage the peace talk between the NSCN and GoI by projecting a new means as ‘Nagas of Nagaland’ and spreading a treacherous venom to mislead the people by their menacing atrocious strategy with a tagline ‘The Content of its Framework Agreement.’” This, it alleged, is being done to “disgrace the aspiration of the Nagas.”

It however claimed that this would not deter the “dedication of the true Nagas.” “The Naga are sure that NSCN will bring peace and honorable negotiated settlement of the Naga goals,” it said.

The NSCN (IM) fur-

ther stated that the Indian Prime Minister “has been deeply concerned in resolving the protracted Naga political issue,” and had pronounced the Framework Agreement as a “shining example of what India can achieve.”

The Prime Minister, it informed, had stated that “India will not only try to heal the wounds and resolve the problem but also be a part of Naga pride and prestige and declared Nagalim as the ‘Guardian of Indian Eastern Frontier and the Gateway to the world beyond.”

“Equally India will also join the Nagas in shaping the future and dignity of Nagas as we dawn a new glorious chapter with sense of self confidence and self respect,” it added.

The NSCN (IM) further stated that the “majority of the Naga people had democratically mandated in favor of the Naga solution through numerous consultative meetings.” It asked the Naga people to realize that “we have entered a decisive step in the recent past which firmly takes Nagas ahead in her aspirations.” “Naga people should also know that there can be no better platform to contemplate our actions towards our goal if we miss this opportunity,” it stated.

2 yr-old killed List of Ministers/ Parl. Secretaries/ Advisors/Chairmen with portfolios Govt informs on working Saturdays KohIMA, FEBRUARY 24 (DIPR): The Government of Shetoyi Fisheries, Printing & Stationery Minister in road mishap Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu Chief Nagaland has declared February 25, 2017 (fourth SaturL. Khumo Land Revenue, VG, Women Dev P&AR; Food & Civil Supplies, Er. Levi Er. Picto N. Jacob Zhimomi Cabinet MiniSterS Pukhayi Kiyanilie Peseyie Social Security & Welfare, Parl. Affairs Amenba Yaden Yanthungo Patton Home Y.M. Yolow P. Longon Health & Family Welfare Toyang Chang Kipili Sangtam Power S. Chuba Longkumer C.L. John R.D., REPA Hukavi Zhimomi Yitachu School Education, SCERT Paiwang Konyak Transport & Civil Aviation, IT & C, Border Affairs Eshak Konyak Vikheho Swu Roads & Bridges Khekaho G.Kaito Aye National Highway, Political Affairs Vikho Yhoshü Imkong L. Imchen Environment & Forest, Climate Change Torechu Chotisuh Sazo PHED Tovihoto portfolios not allotted to others.

Morung Express News Dimapur | February 24

A two and a half year-old child was killed in a tragic road accident in Dimapur on February 24. The child was on a 2-wheeler (scooty) with his mother when it was reportedly struck by the rear of a truck at the Burma Camp traffic point at around 7:45 am. The Traffic police said that the mother identified as Shoba Gurung, a teacher by profession, was on way to school. The child was identified as Reshab Gurung. The truck was reportedly making a turn at the traffic stop when it knocked down the scooty behind, the Traffic police said, adding that the child fell under the rear tyres. The mother was also injured with two fingers severed. The truck driver identified as Maynal Hoque (29 years) was arrested and the truck seized.

ParLiaMentary SeCretarieS Kejong Chang Horticulture, DB & GB C. Apok Jamir Tourism Deo Nukhu Higher & Technical Education R. Tohanba Municipal Affairs Khriehu Liezietsu MTF & State Lotteries Dr. Benjongliba CAWD, Taxes E.E. Pangteang Home Guard & Civil Defence, Seri B.S. Nganglang Land Resources Dev. & Excise

aDviSorS N.Thongwang Konyak S.I.Jamir Imtilemba Sangtam Naiba Konyak Dr. T.M. Lotha ChairMen Dr. Longriniken

A step towards inter religious dialogue Morung Express News Dimapur | February 24

C M Y K

A two day national seminar on ‘World Religions: a step towards inter religious dialogue’ organized by the Department of Philosophy, Patkai Christian College (Autonomous) and sponsored by Indian Council of Philosophical Research (ICPR), commenced here at PCC on Friday.

In the first session, a host of resource persons including scholars, intellectuals and leaders of different religious faiths presented their papers.

Executive, SD Jain Samaj Dimapur, Ajay Sethi in his presentation ‘Jainism: a way of life’, said for Jains, the purpose of life is to attain ‘moksa’, or release from the cycle of rebirth and in order to achieve this, a person has to undertake ‘Five great vows’ namely Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truth), Achaurya (non-stealing), Brahmachara (celibacy) and Apaigraha (non-acquisition).

Anjan Kr. Borah, DCB Girls College, Jorhat who spoke on ‘Buddhism as the religion of a human world’, said the philosophy and teachings of Lord Buddha has become most relevant in the context of the 21st centu-

ry. He said the core of Buddha’s teaching of ‘Dharma’ is to abstain from evil, to accumulate what is good and to purify one’s mind. Borah also expounded on the four noble truths of Buddha’s teachings – the truth of suffering, truth of the cause of suffering, truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering.

Prof. RC Pradhan of University of Hyderabad in his discourse on ‘Religious humanism and the new world order’ explored the possibility of humanism within the religious framework and its relevance to the emerging new world order. “It is the demand of the new world order that religions across the globe promote humanism without which the world order may not survive the onslaught of anti-humanist forces. There is a need for reestablishment of human values at the heart of the religious life of the people in general,” he said.

Dr. CP Anto, principal NEISSR, and founder Peace Channel in his paper presentation ‘Peace Channel: a model for inter-religious harmony and universal peace’, said today there is a growing awareness

among the followers of different religions living in India that they have to integrate themselves with the reality of pluralism (that no public function or celebration is done without intermingling of religions) and the ideologies of the land if they want to fulfill their obligation and responsibility in building up a new humanity. Anto said Peace Channel draws inspiration from various traditions, civil society practices, religions and philosophies that engender a more peaceful, just and a harmonious society.

Dr. Temjenkala Jamir of Fazl Ali College Mokokchung who dwelled on ‘The assertion of religious studies in the segment of inter-cultural dialogue’, said in a world of diverse cultures and religions, the main aim of inter-cultural dialogue is to create social attitudes which can help the people to understand, appreciate and respect other cultures. She added the dialogue is not just about intellectual understanding of other cultures but to look at the broader perspective by embracing the diversity of culture and by pushing oneself into critical dialogue, which would enhance the boundaries of our humaneness.

Ahidur Rahman, working president Muslim Council Dimapur, in his presentation ‘Islam” a step towards religious dialogue’, said though there might be serious differences among different faiths, which also change with the passage of time’ yet the fundamental concepts of all religions are universal peace and harmony. Stressing on inter religious dialogue to promote cooperation, bondship and remove misconceptions, Rahman also quoted from the Holy Quran, “Invite (all) to the way of the Lord, with wisdom and beautiful preaching and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious.” (Al-Quaran 16:25) Other resource persons and their topics in the first session were Dr. Vanlaltanpuia of Pachhunga University College, Aizwal (‘Re-interpreting mysticism in dialogue with Eckhart-Heideggerian Hermeneutics” and Dr. Bishnu Charan Das, Assam University (‘Humanity is divinity’).

Prof Xavier P Mao, HoD, Department of Philosophy NEHU and observer from ICPR, New Delhi, chaired the first session.

Both Prof Xavier and PCC principal, H Epao addressed the seminar.

Housing Justice & Law, SIRD Irrigation & Flood Control Soil & Water Conservation Industries & Commerce Agriculture NRE, Fire & Emergency Services Vet & A.H Jails & Science & Tech., KVIB Art & Culture Sports & Youth Resources Mechanical, NSMDC Election & Evaluation Economics & Statistics

DUDA, LM & CP, NIDC Urban Development Cooperation, R&R., MARCOFED Geology & Mining Tr./Ac; Labor/Employment, Skill Dev

day) and second and fourth Saturdays of March, 2017 as working days for all Government offices in Nagaland on account of the Financial Year ending and several working days being disrupted by agitation.

Power shut down on February 25 DIMAPUR, FEBRUARY 24 (MExN): All consumers under Dimapur Electrical Division are informed that there will be a jungle cutting/maintenance work on February 25 from 5:00 am till 10:00 am. During this period there will be a total power shut down, hence if any group or individual wanting to cut/trim trees near their residence/compound are requested to do so. Dimapur Electrical Division, Executive Engineer Imsenkabe has requested all to note the timing of power shut down, if any work is to be done.

TR Zeliang is appointed Finance Advisor to govt Our Correspondent

DAN, NBRM

Nagaland Gov for focused education on conservation DIMAPUR, FEBRUARY 24 (MExN): Nagaland State Governor, PB Acharya today advocated for a widespread and focused education initiative on nature conservation. This he stated is imperative, as the bulk of Nagaland’s forests fall in community owned areas and there is need to involve stakeholder groups like the Church, schools, markets and villages.

He further stressed on the need to develop programmes to train Naga youth as animals watching guides, to meet the growing demand for such guides, and to provide these prospective youth with alternate employment. The Governor said this during a meeting with the Assistant Conservator of Forest, Dimapur, Obed Bohovi Swu at Raj Bhavan on January 24 to discuss the conservation of biodiversity in Nagaland.

During the discussion, the Governor expressed the need of saving the state’s flora and fauna, and urged the people not to kill animals. He also asked the Forest Department to bring up proper measures to motivate the younger generation to conserve nature. He encouraged rearing of pets, domestic animals and birds “since it reduces stress at the same time it also gives us personal satisfaction by living in harmony with nature,” informed a press note from the PRO to the Governor.

The Governor presented, as a token of this idea, two small rabbits reared in Raj Bhavan to the Assistant Conservator of Forest for his personal home rearing as a model.

Kohima | February 24

Nagaland State Governor, PB Acharya today appointed former Chief Minister, TR Zeliang as Advisor (Finance) to the Government of Nagaland in the rank and status of Cabinet Minister with immediate effect. He will be entitled to pay and allowances and all other facilities admissible to a Cabinet Minister. This was stated by Cabinet Secretary Pankaj Kumar. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu has appointed Pele Khezhie as PRO to CM and Diethoselhou Sachü and James Liezietsu as personal secretary to CM. This was communicated by I Himato Zhimomi, Commissioner and Secretary to the Chief Minister.

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SaturDaY 25•02•2017

NAGALAND

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Govt take stock of offices Naga student researchers attend damaged in Kohima on Feb 2 Nobel Prize Series India 2017

• Total 30 offices damaged • Affected offices to submit reports by February 25 Kohima, February 24 (DiPr): The Deputy Commissioner, Kohima, Rajesh Soundararajan, IAS has informed that altogether thirty (30) offices have been damaged on that evening where seventeen offices have submitted their reports and further requested the other affected offices to submit their reports by February 25, 2017 evening for onward submission to the Government.

The DC informed this during the co-ordination meeting with all the heads of offices under Kohima district and offices affected/damaged on the evening of February 2, 2017 in DC’s Conference hall, Kohima on February 24.

The meeting was held to discuss on the offices damaged/affected and also to make arrangement for the affected offices to function temporarily in other district offices and sister de-

DC Kohima, Rajesh Soundararajan, IAS addressing the co-ordination meeting in DC’s Conference hall, Kohima on February 24. (DPR Photo)

partments where spare rooms would be available.

Terming the February 2nd incident as unfortunate where many offices were burned down, the DC lamented that it was a big lost not only for the affected offices but the State as well, as the hard work of the entire

offices have been destroyed. He said that as a team, co-operation and assistance is required to show the team spirit and help the affected departments to be back on track. To which, the DC requested all heads of offices to spot any spare rooms available in its office buildings and to submit a report

by February 25, 2017 evening in order to let them function temporarily for few months. He also urged the offices to take the matter seriously and make arrangement for the affected offices.

Additional Deputy Commissioner, Lithrongla Tongpi also informed that some office items have been recovered by the Kohima Village Youth Organisation during the incident which were kept under the custody of the Dobashi at DC’s Court and further requested the concerned offices to collect it after verifying it.

In the meeting, various district heads of offices and representatives also shared their grievances facing at present and some other offices also highlighted on the alternative arrangement made so far for accommodation.

Kohima, February 24 (mexN): The Nobel Prize Series India 2017 on the theme ‘Science Impact Lives’ organized by Department of Biotechnology, Government of India was held from January 9 to 13 at Science City Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

This series aims to bring together Nobel Laureates, Indian scientists and other eminent scientists around the world together to impart scientific thinking. The series was graced by Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India and was attended by Nobel Prize Laureate from different fields and disciplines across the world.

Along with other young scientists and researchers across India, two student researchers from Kohima Science College, (autonomous) Jotsoma, attended

Zenwang Konyak (left) and Peihauding (right) at the Nobel Prize Series India 2017 held at Science City Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

the series with their research ideas.

Zenwang Konyak, B. Sc 1st year presented on ‘Enhancement of Secondary Growth in Dicotyledonous

Stem’. The enhancement of secondary growth in dicotyledonous stem mainly aims to enhance the cell division of the cambium which helps in the proper

growth of the plant stem increasing in girth/thickness of a plant through a process by injecting the prepared chemical substance.

Another research idea on “To Extract Water or Latex from Dicotyledonous Stem by inserting Absorption Devices” was presented

by Peihauding of B. Sc 2nd Year. The extracted material is 100% purely organic which can be beneficial for making medicines and in various fields. The extraction by inserting absorption devices also reduces the cutting down of tress which is a great cause of Global warming.

A press release from the college informed that the two student researchers from Kohima Science College (Autonomous) Jotsoma were awarded a certificate along with a medal for their innovative research idea.

Students visit first settlement place of Tikhir Naga Mkg DPDB members and officers told to be punctual

KiPhire, February 24 (mexN): The Tikhir Students’ Union (TSU) officials along with executives and the representatives from Wapher Village Students’ Union and council visited Taimephu, “the first settlement place of Tikhir Naga” on February 21 and 22.

Taimephu which is located on a hillock at the conjoining rivers of Thurak (Zungki) and Yaye River is about 5 kms down way from Wapher village in the Tuensang District. “Tikhir tribe first settled at this place around 12th century AD,” informed a press release issued by TSU president, S Longkamse and general secretary Temong Y Tikhir.

Giving an account of the place, the TSU release informed that Taimephu, which means ‘bridge over river’, was named by the Tikhir ancestors since they built a bridge over the river to reach out to the other side to fetch pure flowing water.

TSU officials at Taimephu morung during the trip to visit Taimephu, “the first settlement place of Tikhir Naga” on February 21 and 22.

From this particular place Tikhirs moved on to establish new villages namely, Tükhiakiupong, Powong (999 households, below Sekiur Village) and then spread out to the rest of the Tikhir land. The historic evi-

dence here being the leg of a gaur that had turned into a rock which was given as a dowry to a woman named Jonexüshi from the supernatural being on marriage.

It is popularly called ‘Longrashi Shuhphi.’

TSU also stated that Tikhir apex bodies are keen towards the historical sites of Tikhir tribe and thus, maintain the uniqueness of Tikhir origin, customs, traditions and factual history.

TSU also inducted its

new team with Executive Chairman Y. Shuvin, Executive Secretary Bokti Bosco, Vice President T. Visuthong, Joint Secretary W. Linsushi, Speaker Revenkiu and Literary Secretary N. Vikhianthong.

moKoKchuNg, February 24 (DiPr): Deputy Commissioner, Mokokchung, Sushil Kumar Patel has once again asked all the DPDB members and officers in the district to be punctual in office and reiterated that all the officers to leave the station, be it on duty with a notice given to the DC saying that it is for their good.

Addressing the monthly meeting of District Planning & Development Board meeting in the conference hall of ADC (Planning) on February 24, Patel said that the officers of district administration maintained utmost punctuality in the office and asked others to follow suit. He expressed deep gratitude to administrative officers for their punctuality in office.

On the issue of maintaining good neighborly

relation with the border areas of Assam-Nagaland, D.C said all efforts are being made at district level to ensure that peaceful atmosphere always prevails in the border areas with Assam. He appealed to all the members to play a part in sensitizing people living in the border areas on both sides.

Temsuwati, DIO, NIC, Mokokchung who is also the member of the Border Peace Coordination Committee, BPCC (Assam-Nagaland) informed the members in the meeting that as part of creating good neighborly relations between Assam and Nagaland an exchange programme for High school students of Mariani area of Assam and Tsurangkong area of Nagaland is being scheduled to be held in March 2017. He said

atleast 60 High school students from border area of Assam side will be invited along with their teachers and parents to Tsurangkong for the exchange programme. During the meet there will be exchange programme between students, parents and teachers. The objective is to create oneness among the people living in the border areas by knowing each other through interaction, Wati said.

The meeting also discussed upgradation of Eden Academy School, Kumlong Ward, Mokokchung town and establishment of Government Primary School at Satsu village.

Earlier, DC welcomed new DPDB member Arenla Longkumer, Principal, Fazl Ali College, Mokokchung.

MEx File Zuboni for Nari Shakti Puraskar 2016 Kohima, February 24 (mexN): Zuboni Humtsoe from Nagaland has been selected for Nari Shakti Puraskar 2016 for outstanding contribution to women’s empowerment by Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India. President of India Pranab Mukerjee will give the award on March 8 at 12.00 Noon at Rastrapati Bhavan, New Delhi on the occasion International Women’s Day 2017.

Angami Sekrenyi festival at Tuophema

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Kohima District team visited Japfü Phiki Krüna School Viswema, Sweba Colony Kohima, on February 24 and interacted with the staff members and students and donated eatable items and some amount of cash. There are 19 students and five teachers in the school.

Timely electricity bill delivery affected Dept of Power expresses regret Kohima, February 24 (mexN): The Department of Power, Nagaland today expressed regret to the consumers for their inability to timely deliver electricity bills for the past few months. Department of Power, Chief Engineer (D&R) G. Chishi in a press release said that this situation has arisen due to the adoption of a new billing system (SAP).

He said that a smooth transition from the old system to the new system, as envisaged, has not been possible, despite the best efforts of all concerned.

Hence, the delivery of bills has been affected. The recent ban on Government offices has further prevented rectification in the system for about a month, he added.

The Chief Engineer also said that though the process to enable timely bill delivery is underway and consumers will receive electricity charges for a few months in a single bill. Consumers are requested to bear with the inconvenience caused.

“Müluori Nyusho cum Nazhu Khu 2017” was celebrated on February 22 and 23 at Local Ground, Meluri. Z. Nyusietho Nyuthe, Additional secretary, Social Welfare graced the occasion as the chief guest and all the VCCs of Pochury as the guests of honour. The festival was attend by various dignitaries like the ADC, Meluri, President, Pochury Hoho, Gazetted Officers and a delegation from Sohomi village.

Financial literacy prog held at Chubayimkum Village moKoKchuNg, February 24 (mexN): To promote the cause of financial literacy and inclusion, a one day Digital Financial Literacy Awareness Program (dFLAP) supported under FIF managed by NABARD was conducted at Chubayimkum Village on February 24 organized by Care and Support Society, Mokokchung in collaboration with ICICI Bank, Mokokchung Branch sponsored by NABARD. During the programme, S. Amarjit Mangang, DDM, NABARD informed the villagers on digital transaction and importance of cashless economy. He highlighted the objectives of demonetization and informed the villagers to go for cashless transactions to save time and money. He advised the villagers to open account and apply for Rupay cards from the banks. He also informed them to connect their mobile numbers with the bank account for doing cashless transaction. He also shared about internet banking and other digital wallets including *99#. He further shared initiatives of NABARD i.e.

Farmers Club, SHG, JLG and other Government Sponsored Schemes routed through NABARD. Nungsangmongba Jamir,

Kohima, February 24 (mexN): The Angami Sekrenyi (Phousanyi) festival will take place at Tuophema village on February 27 at Tuophema Dahou (Ampi Theatre). MLA Dr. Neiphrezo Keditsu will grace the occasion as the chief guest. Significance of Sekrenyi will be given by Tuophema Village Council chairman Pfuduolhou Kense. Folk song & indigoes games session will take place at 1:00 PM. Indigenous games will be in the form of Phipra (Bamboo stilt walk), Misi Dzieguo (muzzle loading gun shooting), Seitheii dziequo (Indigenous catapult shooting), Phita Meshii (High Kick) and Mepfii (Traditional yelling).

APO Sekrenyi Festival at Kisama Kohima, February 24 (DiPr): The Angami Public Organisation (APO) is organizing a programme to celebrate the premier festival of the Angami - Sekrenyi Festival at Kisama on February 25 at 11:00 am. Chief Minister of Nagaland, Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu will be attending the festival as special invitee. The programme will be chaired by President, Angami Youth Organisation, Neinguvotuo Krose while invocation will be offered by Parish Priest SFS, Kohima, Rev. Fr. Alex Vizo. President of APO, Dr. Vilhousa Seleyi will deliver Sekrenyi Greetings while speech will be delivered by the Chief Minister. President of Angamimiapfü Mechü Krotho (AMK), Ruokuoheü Miachie-o will deliver the vote of thanks. The formal programme will be followed by Sekrenyi feast.

Sunday school teachers training in Khm Section of the gathering attending the one day Digital Financial Literacy Awareness Program conducted at Chubayimkum Village on February 24.

Branch Manager, ICICI Bank, Mokokchung Branch shared the importance of banking, savings, financial planning. He shared various financial services offered by the banks for the general public. He further highlighted PMJDY, PMSBY, PMJJBY and APY in details. He further shared the gathering about

the current demonetization going in the country. Cautioning the public about unscrupulous people, he further advised the people not to entertain people who try to evade Tax by trying to park their Cash in the Accounts, which is equal to abetting the tax evaders and is punishable by law.

The programme was chaired

by Imchawati Kichu, Managing Director, Care and Support Society. Invocation prayer was pronounced by B. Alem Pastor, Chubayimkum Baptist Church.

Welcome address was addressed

by Limasungba, Chairman Chubayimkum Village Council.

Kohima, February 24 (mexN): The Kohima Town Baptist Church Christian Educators (KTBCEF) is organizing a two day Sunday school teachers training Programme on February 27 and 28 at Jubilee Memorial Centre, Lerie, Kohima. KTBCEF, President, Alice Walling has informed in a press release that three resource persons from St. Andrew Centre for HRD and Counselling of the India Sunday school Union Creative Teaching for Transformation will be conducting the sessions. Few seats are available. Interested churches/Christian educators are requested to contact Chengkoi 9615627144 or Hikali 9402635363. The session will start on February 27 9:00 am sharp.

SATURDAY 25•02•2017

NORTH-EAST 3

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Shutdown called in Manipur ahead of PM's visit IMPHAL, FEBRUARY 24 (IANS): The insurgent groups in Manipur have called for a shutdown in the state on Saturday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigns here for the upcoming assembly election, a statement said.

Late on Thursday night, the Coordinating Committee (Corcom) that constitutes of six insurgent groups, in a communi-

que said that the blockade would start at 6 a.m. on February 25 and would be in place till Modi leaves the state capital here.

The police said that security measures were beefed up to ensure that there was no law and order problem during the one-hour visit of the Prime Minister.

The Corcom statement also levelled serious charges against the Centre, including driving a wedge

between the communities who have lived in peace and harmony for generations.

Members of public were asked not to venture out during the "curfew".

However media and those in essential services were exempted.

The established insurgent groups in Manipur have always boycotted visits of the central dignitaries, an official said.

Police said: "During

Mizoram MLA turns surgeon, performs surgery in Doctor’s absence GUWAHATI, FEBRUARY 24 (HINDUSTAN TIMES): A Mizoram MLA swapped his political duties for a doctor’s when a woman in his constituency required an emergency procedure on Wednesday.

Dr K Beichhua, a qualified MBBS graduate from the Regional Medical College in Imphal, decided to carry out the operation when he heard that the surgeon at Saiha district hospital was away on a training programme in Imphal.

“I was informed that a 35-year old woman was having severe abdominal pain and needed to be operated immediately. The woman’s stomach had a large perforation (hole) and if the operation had not been performed, she may have died,” Dr Beichhua told Hindustan Times, adding he left his political engagements and rushed to perform the surgery.

The woman is reportedly fine now. “I visited her on Thursday and she was laughing,” Dr Beichhua said.

The 52-year-old MLA completed his medical degree in 1991, and was a general practitioner for about 20 years before entering politics and joining the Mizo National Front (MNF) in 2013.

“I have performed hundreds of operations during my career, but the last one was in December 2013 after I got elected as an MLA,” he said.

Dr Beichhua, whose wife is also doctor, had unsuccessfully contested from Saiha as an independent candidate in the 2008 assembly polls. In 2013, he contested on a MNF ticket and defeated the sitting Congress MLA, S Hiato, by a margin of 222 votes.

N Chakhai, the officiating deputy commissioner of Saiha district,

said Dr Beichhua brought up the surgery at a district development and coordination committee meeting on Thursday while talking about the shortage of doctors.

The Saiha civil hospital has seven doctors, but only one surgeon, who was away at a training camp in Imphal when the patient developed complications and required the operation.

NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 24 (PTI): The Election Commission today ordered registering FIRs against three candidates in Uttar Pradesh and one in Manipur after a TV sting purportedly showed them indulging in electoral malpractices.

The Commission directed poll authorities in the two states to issue showcause notices to the candidates and lodge FIRs under various sections of the IPC dealing with electoral bribery and Representation of the People Act. The candidates are: BSP's Ateeq Ahmad Saifi contesting from Moradabad, SP's Atul Garg from Agra North and Peace Party's Rakesh Balmeeki from Agra Cantt.

Woba Joram from the Mao seat in Manipur is the other candidate against whom action has been ordered.

should spell out the details of the framework agreement that New Delhi had signed with the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland Isak-Muivah (NSCNIM) in 2015.

Students and women activists also demanded the disclosure of details of the agreement.

Elections for the 60-seat assembly in the state will be held in two phases on March 4 and 8.

ANGAMI PUBLIC ORGANIZATION Kohima : Nagaland

APO CONGRATULATES DR. SHÜRHOZELIE LIEZIETSU The Angami Public Organization (APO) congratulates Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu on becoming the 17th Chief Minister of Nagaland on 22nd February 2017. Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu is one of the senior most politician of the state with experience over five decades in leadership and state politics. APO hope that the current prevailing situation of misunderstanding will come to a swift end under his leadership. APO is certain that the new government under his leadership will do good things for the people and bring peace, prosperity and stability to Nagaland on all fronts. It is APO's prayer that our Almighty God bless you and your family and may God guide your every step in this fantastic chapter of your life.

All the best Kepethau.

FELICITATION

nd

4th Price :- 809, 3rd Price :- 010, 5th Price :- 921 Consolation Price 10 Nos: 1816, 058, 976, 1330, 1787, 181, 1557, 645, 1322, 966 Contact: 9615336460

The NPF Phek Division extends a hearty congratulation to Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu, on his historic achievement as the 17th Chief Minister of Nagaland on 22nd Feb. 2017 at 11 am Raj Bhavan Kohima. While endorsing our fullest support to the leadership of Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu Hon’ble CM, we thanks and appreciate the DAN legislators for rightly chosen and consensually elected Dr. Shürhozelie as its leader keeping the DAN Govt. intact. We believe and hope that, under his visionary, experienced and elderly leadership Nagas will learn the value of peaceful coexistence and progress toward socio economic development with the rest world. We acknowledged Dr. Shürhozelie and his colleagues for winning numerous intimidated battles, who never led regional party in shame or succumb to negative forces but enabled the regional party more stronger and come to this far. We wish him all the best in all his future endeavours and wish him good health and long live.

The NPF Phek Division deeply appreciated Shri. T.R Zeliang then Chief Minister of Nagaland for taking bold decision and honourable sacrifice for the sake of peace and harmony in our society. His love for our people, our regional party and Govt. and his envisioned to develop the state will never be forgotten in our memory. We credited to his true statesmanship and commendable job done to the state during his leadership. May truth prevail!

The NPF Phek Division deeply acknowledged Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu Hon’ble CM for given 2 Cabinet Ministers to Phek Division namely: Former Speaker Shri.

Chotisuh Sazo & Shri. Yitachu and also appointed Shri.

Kuzholuzo Azo Nienu as Advisor to CM to the rank of cabinet status. We thanks the Government for maintain status quo in sharing portfolios and also appreciate the right decision taken with the entry of new faces in the government set up under the vision leadership of Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu Hon’ble CM and CAC for adopting the true regional policy of inclusiveness and forgiveness.

We wish the new set DAN Government all the best and call them all to heartily work for all section of the people.

Sd/- (Mr. CHIVOTSO NIENU) President, NPF Phek Division Sd/- (Mr. WEPE MEKRISUH) General Secretary, NPF Phek Division

OFFICE OF THE

“Sci-connect” Science Quiz Competition-Invitation for participation

Vigyan Prasar-an autonomous institute under Department of science and Technology, Govt. of India and Nagaland Science & Technology Council (NASTEC) is going to organize a young talent program “Sci-Connect” especially for the North-Eastern states of India. The students of 8-9th classes are eligible to participate and they can register themselves on or before 28th February 2017. The filled forms-scan copy may also be sent on email gihuchishi@gmail.com .The language of program will be English.

For details please visit web site dst.nagaland.gov.in and Vigyan Prasar web site www.vigyanprasar.gov.in and contact +91 9856-311664

THETA TUTORIALS Lower P.R. Hill, Kohima, Nagaland

ADMISSION NOTICE

1. Coaching for NEET-UG (AIPMT) 2017 2. Coaching for JEE Main 2017 Issue of Form & Prospectus : In progress Admission : In progress Commencement of Classes : 06-03-2017 (Monday) Contact No. (0370) 2226005/2244814/9436410403

GUWAHATI, FEBRUARY 24 (PTI): Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh today announced nine new Passport Seva Kendras would be set up in Assam soon.

According to an official release by Assam Government, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh announced setting up of new Passport Seva Kendra (PSK)

in the state during a discussion with Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal here.

"On request from the Chief Minister, Singh assured him that the External Affairs Ministry will set up Passport Seva Kendras at Dibrugarh, Silchar, Tezpur, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, Goalpara, Lakhimpur, Nagaon and Diphu soon," it added.

Singh said the External

Affairs Ministry will extend all required support to maximise the presence of PSKs in Assam and accordingly such centres will be opened at District Head Post Offices initially.

"Apart from MEA personnel, such centres will be manned by staff of the Postal department with technical support from TCS," Singh said.

NAGALAND PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION KOHIMA

Office of the

Sd/NEISAKHOLIE ZIEPHRÜ (Secretary Info & Publicity)

EC orders VILHUME COLONY FIR against RAFFLE DRAW RESULT Mnp candidate 1 Price :- 2750, 2 Price :- 1707, st

such public curfew people usually stayed indoors and did not stick out their necks."

There was always a thin attendance in such public functions. There were also stray violent incidents to drive home the message that the "boycott call" should not be taken lightly, the official added.

The ruling Congress party has demanded that during his visit, Modi

Nine Passport Kendras to come up in Assam

NAGA PEOPLE’S FRONT ZUNHEBOTO DIVISION Zunheboto: Nagaland

Dated: 24/02/2017

FELICITATION

The NPF Zunheboto Division and its Sub-Ordinate units appreciate the DAN legislatures for reposing faith upon Hon’ble President NPF, Dr. Sürhozuie in the DAN legislature wing as their leader. Dr. Sürhozulie, who reluctantly accept the chair of Chief Minister, just to salvage the NPF Party and Nagaland Government for the love of the people itself exhibit his personality of selfless leader. The man who pose the personalities of; Diligent, Humbleness, Honesty, Loyalty, Sincerity, Knowledgeable, wisdom and justice with vast life experience in various fields, deserves to be rewarded by destiny.

His achievement is an encouraging exemplary to the younger generation to emulate his role models.

His reign as chief minister, Nagaland shall see brighter rays in governance, etc. We wish him good health and long life.

The Division and its units also do appreciate Mr. T.R. Zealiang, former Chief Minister, Nagaland for his humble gesture for acknowledging the instigated plight of the masses of no fault of his, such leader is rear to be found in our self centered society. His humble and diligent personality in serving our state as DAN Chairman shall benefit our state Government to a larger extends.

The Division congratulates Shri. Vikheho Swu and G. Kaito Aye, for their induction as Cabinet Ministers, and Er. Picto, Shri. Shetoyi, Shri.

Khekaho, Shri. Pukhayi and Shri. Hukavi as Parliamentary Secretaries.

Sd/- (AKAVI SUMI) President, NPF Zunheboto Division

Dated Kohima, the 24th February, 2017

NOTIFICATION

No. NPSC/ADVT-1/04: Refering to Letter No. HFW(A) APPT-13/2012 Dated 24th Feb. 2017 intimating the Hon’ble High Court’s order dated 23/2/2017 in W.P.(C) No. 11(K) of 2017 staying the post of Imagining Technical Officer under Health & Family Welfare Department from the ensuing CTSE scheduled to be held from 25/2/2017 to 4/3/2017, it is hereby notified that the examination for the post of Imagining Technical Officer shall not be held in the aforesaid examination till further order from the Hon’ble Court.

Sd/- KHRUPI SOTHU Secretary Nagaland Public Service Commission, Kohima

4

SaturDaY 25•02•2017

Business

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

‘China missed the bus on roping in Indian talent’

Hyundai Motor to launch eight new models

CA Technologies has disbanded its almost 300-person research, development team in China Beijing, FeBruary 24 (PTi): China has made a “mistake of ignoring” science and technology experts from India, Chinese official media said on Friday, underlining that the Communist giant should attract high-tech Indian talent for maintaining its innovation ability.

“China has made the mistake of ignoring Indian talent, and instead has attached a greater importance to talent coming from the US and Europe,” an article in state-run Global Times said.

“China has perhaps not been working hard enough to attract science and technology talent from India to work in the country,” the tabloid daily from the group of ruling Communist Party of China which has been carrying articles critical of India all most on daily basis in recent months said in a rare positive write-up.

“Over the past few years, China witnessed an unprecedented boom in tech jobs as the country became an attractive desti-

nation for foreign research and development centres.”

“However, now some high-tech firms are turning their attention from China to India due to the latter’s relatively low labour costs.

Attracting high-tech talent from India could be one of China’s options for main-

BIRTHDAY GREETING Dearest Agnes,

taining its innovation ability,” it said.

Referring to reports that US-based software firm CA Technologies has disbanded its almost 300-person research and development team in China while setting up a team in India with some 2,000 scientific and

leisure

CROSSWORD # 3868

suaded by Goel and other company officials to take up the distributorship of “Freedom 251” (costing less that $4) smartphones in November 2015.

In India, each phone was to cost Rs 250.

“We paid Rs 30 lakh to Ringing Bells through RTGS on different occasions. But it delivered us product worth Rs 13 lakh only. Upon followup, we could get products plus money totalling Rs 14 lakh,” the company said.

According to Akshay Malhotra, one of the distributors of Ayam Enterprises, Goel contacted him two years ago to become the clearing and forwarding (C&F) agent for his products.

Malhotra paid Rs 30 lakh to Goel in four instalments but Goel did not supply the consignment even after the promised delivery time lapsed.

After much persuasion, Goel supplied the first con-

Answer Number # 3862

signment of mobile phones, called ‘Freedom 251’, worth Rs 8 lakh. After finding them substandard in quality, Ayam Enterprises returned them to Ringing Bells.

Ayam Enterprises was later forced to accept power banks and LFD bulbs from Goel in place of mobile phones, Malhotra claimed.

After registering the FIR under sections 420, 406, 467, 468, 471 and 120 (b) of the Indian Penal Code, police arrested Goel from his residence at ATS Towers at Indirapuram on Thursday.

A report in TeleAnalysis, a leading news portal on the telecommunication and technology industry, claimed in December that Ringing Bells owners had shut down the company and opened a new firm, MDM Electronics Private Ltd. Ringing Bells later refuted these charges.

After announcing that it had delivered 5,000 ‘Free-

dom 251’ smartphones to customers in July last year, Ringing Bells said it would deliver 65,000 more to those who had booked the device in cash on delivery (COD) mode.

After that, no new numbers were shared. The company has since forayed into making TVs and other smartphones, burying the Freedom 251 dream.

The company in mid-February last year had planned to deliver 2.5 million handsets before June 30. Ringing Bells received mammoth -- over 70 million -- registrations before its payment gateway crashed.

The world’s cheapest phone made a splash across the globe, with almost every big media house writing about the “miracle device”.

Doubts were initially raised over Ringing Bells’ handset after some experts said no smartphone could be manufactured for less than Rs 2,000. std code: 03862

DiMaPUR ACROSS 1. . Smooth-tongued 5. Assists 10. “Wise” birds 14. Boorish 15. A single-masted ship 16. Mangle 17. All excited 18. Plague 20. Delineate 22. Knickknack holder 23. Neither ___ 24. Trainee 25. Insert a screw below the surface 32. Grant 33. Hairstyles 34. A large vase 37. Clairvoyant 38. Sacred hymn 39. Not false 40. New Zealand parrot 41. Hill 42. Dot 43. Ceremonies 45. Anagram of “Balsa” 49. S 50. Out-hussle 53. Mollify 57. Feelings of anxiety 59. Stink 60. Blend 61. Film 62. Sea eagle 63. Feudal worker 64. Pilfer 65. Specks DOWN 1.Alumnus 2. Olympic sled 3. False god 4. Novice 5. Yearn 6. Decay from overripening 7. Dawn goddess 8. Carry

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

Game Number # 3863

software developers working there are born outside the US. China should also strive to attract more foreign talent into the country as it aims to build itself into a world-class research hub,” it said.

“A total of 1,576 foreigners were granted Chinese permanent residence in 2016, registering an increase of 163 per cent from the previous year. It seems that China is aware of the importance of tapping into international talent,” it said.

“Some reports claim that the cost of employing an Indian engineer is just half the cost of hiring a Chinese worker, which means Indians could see their revenue more than double if they came to work in China,” it said.

“Some enterprises in Southwest China’s Guizhou Province provide convenience for Indian talent in terms of housing, insurance and transportation and could enjoy a much better standard of living in Guizhou cities than in Bangalore,” it said.

‘Freedom 251’ fraud: Police hunt for other directors

ghaziaBad, FeBruary 24 (ianS): After arrestA very Happy Birthday!!! ing Mohit Goel, Director of May every day for the rest of your life bring U Noida-based Ringing Bells lot’s of Happiness..

Pvt Ltd, police said they were searching for four more diContinue to live a life of Blessing!! rectors of the company that God Bless you my Love!!.. launched the world’s cheapFriend for lifetime~ £olo est smarphone.

Goel was detained late on Thursday after an FIR was filed by Ghaziabad-based Ayam Enterprises, alleging that Ringing Bells defrauded it of Rs 16 lakh.

“We are trying to arrest four other directors -- Anmol Goel, Dharna Garg (Mohil Goel’s wife), Ashok Chadha and Sumit Kumar -- named in the FIR,” Superintendent of Police Salman Taj Patil told IANS. As news of Goel’s arrest emerged, several other distributors reached the police station, describing their suffering at the hands of the company, the official said.

In the FIR, Ayam Enterprises claimed it was per-

SUDOKU

technical professionals over the past few years, it said, “with a sufficient young talent pool, India is becoming increasingly attractive.”

“China cannot afford to risk a decline in its attractiveness for high-tech investors. The nation is among the third echelon

in cutting-edge technology fields and is working to catch up with the US and the result of its efforts will decide whether China will maintain its status as an emerging global economic power,” it said.

China in recent year boosted the budget for technological innovation by allocating billions of dollars of incentives for start-ups and research firms as it witnessed decline of its labour force due to rapid increase in old age population.

China has carried out a lot of measures, including increasing research spending and creating a favourable investment environment for high-tech firms, to enhance its innovation capability.

“However, one issue has become increasingly prominent: The talent pool in China is not large and flexible enough to meet demand for the rapid expansion of innovation capability,” the article said.

“In Silicon Valley, a considerable number of

9. Expectoration 10. Alpha’s opposite 11. Ebbed 12. Ill-gotten gains 13. Mixture of rain and snow 19. Needs 21. Bit of dust 25. Keg 26. Curved molding 27. Component of urine 28. Corrodes 29. Sudden burst 30. Lazybones 31. French for “Name” 34. Relating to urine 35. Graphic symbol 36. Catches 38. Tavern 39. Shaved 41. Style of neckties 42. Overtake 44. Boat 45. Haul with a tackle 46. Parental sisters 47. Mug 48. Cognizant 51. Edges 52. Clove hitch or figure eight 53. Largest continent 54. Relating to aircraft 55. Lady’s escort 56. Anagram of “Seek” 58. Night before

Answer to Crossword 3867

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India’s wind power tariffs hit new low in push for renewables new delhi, FeBruary 24 (reuTerS): Indian wind power tariffs fell to a record low in a governmentrun auction on Friday, weeks after solar power rates too hit an all-time low, in one of the world’s biggest clean energy programmes aimed at cutting chronic electricity shortages.

India, the world’s third-biggest greenhouse gas emitter, has set a target of raising its renewable energy generation to 175 gigawatt by 2022, around five times current usage, to supply power to its 1.3 billion people and fight climate change.

The government push, personally monitored by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has prompted companies to bid aggressively for solar and wind projects, pushing tariffs low enough to challenge power generated by fossil fuels such as coal over the long term.

In an auction conducted by state-controlled Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) for various wind projects totaling 1 gigawatt, five companies separately quoted a tariff of 3.46 rupees ($0.0519) per unit to win the projects.

“After solar cost reduction below Rs. 3/unit, wind power cost down to Rs. 3.46/unit through transparent auction,” India’s coal, power and renewable energy minister, Piyush Goyal, said in a tweet on Friday.

Mytrah Energy, part of London-based Mytrah Group, Ostro Kutch Wind, backed by British private equity firm Actis, and Indian company Inox Wind Infrastructure won contracts for 250 megawatts (MW) each.

Green Infra Wind Energy, majority-owned by Singapore-based Sembcorp Industries Ltd, won a contract for 249.90 MW and Adani Green Energy, part of Indian billionaire Gautam Adani’s infrastructure group, was awarded a 50 MW project, according to a senior SECI official and a bid document seen by Reuters. The companies were not immediately available for comment.

TaHaMZaM

std code: 03871

(formerly senapati)

Police station Fire Brigade

222246 222491

Civil Hospital emer

232224

MH Hospital

227930 231081

Fire Brigade

2222952

Faith Hospital

228846

naga Hospital

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oking Hospital

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Bethel nursing Home

2224202

northeast shuttles

08974997923

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KOHiMa

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Police Control room

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KoHIMA Ps/oCs Contact numbers

Police Traffic Control

232106

north Ps

east Police station

227607

west Police station

232181

south Ps

CIHsr (referral Hospital)

242555 242533

Zubza Ps

dimapur Hospital

224041 248011

131/228404

Airport Indian Airlines

229366 242441 225212

8575045507

Officer-in-Charge 8575045517 8575045505

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nagaland Multispecialty Health & research Centre

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eden Medical Centre

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nikos Hospital and research Centre

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railway

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Apollo Hospital Info Centre 230695/ 9402435652

S

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Officer-in-Charge 8575045510

Chumukedima Fire Brigade 282777

W

Chennai, FeBruary 24 (ianS): South Korean automobile major Hyundai Motor Co will launch eight new models in the next four years, said a top official of the Indian subsidiary.

Hyundai will log double digit growth in India in 2017 while the industry as a whole would log a single digit growth, the official said.

Speaking to reporters here on Thursday evening, Y.K. Koo, Managing Director, Hyundai Motor India Ltd, said over the next four years the company would launch 10 products.

Of these, eight will be new models and the remaining upgrades of the existing models.

He said Hyundai will showcase its Ioniq Hybrid model at the Auto Show 2018 in New Delhi and select models would be launched in the future.

According to him, Hyundai will strengthen its mid segment portfolio.

He said the second half of 2018 will see the company launching a family car while ruling out the tall boy model similar to its first Indian model Santro.

Koo said Hyundai was strong in the compact car segment that accounts for 51 per cent of the Indian car market with its models like i10, i20 and others.

The proposed family car will be positioned above its existing model Eon. In the Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) segment, Hyundai intends to come out with a sub-four metre model.

For the parent Hyundai Motor, India is key as it is the third largest market in global sales after China and the US, Koo said.

8575045549

Officer-in-Charge 8575045538

H

women Cell

8575045509

Officer-in-Charge 8575045519 Control room

8575045500 (Emergency No. – 100)

FiRE STaTiONS

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Police station 1 Police station 2 Police station Kobulong Police station tuli Police station Changtongya Police station Mangkolemba Civil Hospital

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woodland nursing Home

2226263

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CURRENCY NOTES BUY (rs) seLL (rs)

Us dollars sterling Pound Hong Kong dollar Australian dollar singapore dollar Canadian dollar Japanese Yen euro thai Baht Korean won UAe dirham (Aed) Chinese Yuan

65.26 81.27 8.14 50.17 46.12 49.56 57.39 68.77 1.8 0.0554 17.19 9.2

68.38 85.42 9.09 52.78 48.51 52.10 60.78 72.28 2.02 0.062 19.20 10.27

saturday 25•02•2017

NAGALAND

Yimchungrü orgs mourn More extend condolences for Dr. AB Choudhury Rev. Hankiu's death Tuensang, February 24 (Mexn): The Yimchungrü Baptist Borü Amukhungto (YBBA) has deeply mourned the sudden and tragic demise of its “beloved colleague” and former Church & Mission Secretary, Rev. M. Hankiu Joshua, who succumbed to his vehicle accident injuries on February 24, 2017 in Dimapur. “He faithfully laboured for fruitful 18 years in YBBA from 1998 to 2016,” stated a press release from Rev. Z. Thsankiu, Executive Secretary, YBBA. Rev. Hankiu’s funeral will be held on February 25 at Shamator Town Baptist Church (member church), after which his body will be taken to his native village Shiponger for burial.

Meanwhile, the Western Yimchungru Hoho (WYH) and Western Yimchungru Students’ Union (WYSU) in a joint press release expressed

anguish and pain at the sudden demise of Rev. M. Hankiu Joshua. The release appended by PKF Tochu, WYH President and Amos, WYSU President said that Rev. Hankiu was the first among the tribe to seek foreign education in theological studies in Philippines and the community placed him in high regard for his dedication in church ministry and social uplift of Yimchungru tribe. “The community has lost a talented, dedicated & gifted leader,” it added. The two organizations also conveyed condolence to the bereaved family members and YBBA and prayed that God will grant solace in this difficult time.

The Western Yimchungru Hoho also conducted a send off programme for Rev. Hankiu at Showuba Village Ground for its members to pay their last respects.

DiMapur, February 24 (Mexn): More people expressed condolences today for Dr. Ashit Baran Choudhury, who passed away on February 23 following a heart attack.

Governor: Governor of Nagaland, PB Acharya described the deceased as a sincere, dedicated and disciplined doctor, a humble human being and a renowned social worker. He recognized that Dr. Choudhury worked cohesively to bring people together. Stating that his demise is a great loss to the people of Dimapur in particular and Nagaland in general, the Governor added his contributions will be remembered by all. Acharya along with his wife further conveyed heartfelt condolences to the wife of the deceased and other members of the family and prayed to the Almighty to grant them strength and solace to overcome the grief.

Tovihoto Ayemi: Parliamentary Secretary Tovihoto Ayemi said that Dr. Choudhury travelled to every nook and cor-

ner of the state serving the Naga people and all communities alike. He was born and brought up in erstwhile Tuensang and did his schooling in Longleng, he informed. “His immense love for the Naga people and the downtrodden could well be attested through his humane services to those poor patients who came to him for consultations but in addition to free consultations and medicines, he even used to provide monetary assistance for returning home,” the Parliamentary Secretary added in a condolence note. “Without any intention for monetary benefits, his service as a medical professional was mostly directed towards humanity and helping the poor.” Tovihoto also pointed out that through his service in various parts of the State, Dr. Choudhury became well versed in communicating through several Naga dialects.

With shock and sadness over the sudden demise, he further conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and prayed

for the departed soul to rest in eternal peace.

DDPA: The President of the Dimapur Dental Practitioners' Association (DDPA), Dr. Seto D. Kera thanked all members for shutting down clinics on February 24 as a mark of respect to late Dr. AB Choudhury. The association also thanked all the patients for bearing the inconvenience caused by the lightening closures. It added, “A great vacuum has been created by the sudden demise of late Dr. A.B. Choudhury and it will be difficult to fill in by any measures.” The association also prayed for the bereaved family and wished for the departed soul to rest in peace.

KTCN: Kachari Tribal Council, Nagaland (KTCN) in a note also conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members of Dr. Choudhury and prayed that God grant them solace and comfort at this hour of grief.

NMC: The Nagaland Medical Council (NMC), with regret and sorrow, expressed shock

to hear of the sudden demise of Dr. Choudhury, who was an executive member of NMC. The President and members of the Council in a note offered their condolences to the bereaved family and friends.

NMS: Nagaland Mithila Samaj (NMS) remembered Dr. Choudhury as “a prominent doctor, a saviour for poor patient and a guardian of everyone, who has been in his contacts.” The Samaj maintained that his “great vision, helpful nature, cool personality and many more” cannot be described on paper. Stating that his demise is a great loss for the people of Dimapur and the vacuum created will be very difficult to fill, it further offered condolences to the family of the deceased and prayed that God will give them strength to bear the pain.

NBBSS: Nikhil Bharat Banga Sahitya Sammelan (NBBSS), Dimapur (Nagaland Chapter) also expressed its deepest sorrow and condolence at the sudden demise of Dr. Choudhury, a life-

Governor extends best wishes on Maha Shivaratri, Sekrenyi KohiMa, February 24 (Mexn): Governor of Nagaland & Arunachal Pradesh, PB Acharya has extended greetings to all on the auspicious occasion of Maha Shivaratri celebrated on February 24.

Maha Shivaratri, which means ‘the Great Night of Shiva’, is celebrated annually in honour of the God Shiva, said a press release from PRO to the Governor. “It is a major festival in Hinduism, but one that is solemn and marks a remembrance of ‘overcoming darkness and ignorance’ in life and the world. It is observed by remembering Shiva and chanting prayers, fasting, doing Yoga and meditating on ethics and virtues such as self-restraint, honesty, no injury to others, forgiveness and the discovery of Shiva,” it added.

The ardent devotees of Lord Shiva keep awake all night for the festival, the release recounted. Hundreds of lakhs of Hindus visit Lord Shiva temples or go on pilgrimage to Jyotirlingams. Unlike most Hindu festivals which are celebrated during the day, the Maha Shivaratri is celebrated at night.

Furthermore, unlike other festivals which include expression of cultural revelry, the Maha Shivaratri is a solemn event notable for its introspective focus, fasting, participation and meditation on Lord Shiva, self study, social harmony, it was added.

The Governor also extended greetings to the Angami community on the occasion of Sekrenyi, the festival of purification,

which normally falls on the 25th day of the Angami month of ‘Kezei’. Acharya mentioned that the festival is an occasion to showcase the culture and traditions that have been preserved since “time immemorial.”

The occasion reminds afresh the customary practices of “our” forefathers towards purification of oneself, he added. The Governor hoped that the festival will strengthen the bond of love and unity among the Angami community in particular and Nagas in general.

On the occasion of both Maha Shivaratri and Sekrenyi festival, Acharya conveyed his best wishes and hoped that the Almighty God will continue to bestow abundant blessings upon the people of the State and country as well.

‘Our state is in utter need for matured politician like you’: KL Chishi to new CM DiMapur, February 24 (Mexn): Former Chief Minister of Nagaland and Member, North East Congress Coordination Committee today congratulated Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu on his appointment as the new Chief Minister of Nagaland. “Our state is in utter need for a matured politician like you with wide experience in public life because of your age and having faced the complexities of the nature of politics in the midst of overground and underground as well. I am sure that you will be in a position to steer the flagship of our state and its people with political sagacity,” Chishi said in a letter to the new Chief Minister. He further wished Dr. Shürhozelie the very best of luck for an efficient administration which he said is urgently needed at this juncture.

Candlelight service for Khriesavizo, Bendangnungsang DiMapur, February 24 (Mexn): Diphupar Naga Students’ Union (DNSU) in collaboration with the Diphupar Village Council and Diphupar Naga Youth Organisation is organizing a candlelight service in memory of Prof Xavier P Mao, NEHU and observer from ICPR, lighting the lamp at the inaugu- Khriesavizo Metha and Bendangnungsang Longkumral session of a 2-day national seminar on ‘World religions: a step towards inter er on February 26, 5:00 pm at Diphupar Village Local religious dialogue’ organized by the Department of Philosophy, Patkai Christian Ground. The two were killed on January 31 in Dimapur.

College in presence of PCC principal, H Epao (right) and others. (Morung Photo)

Digi Dimapur: Campaign to promote digital payment DiMapur, February 24 (Mexn): Dimapur district administration has adopted Thahekhu village to make it the first cashless village in Nagaland. The adoption is part of the first phase of ‘Digi Dimapur’, a campaign of Dimapur district administration launched with an objective of popularizing and promoting digital payment system.

The district administration, according to a press release from Deputy Commissioner of Dimapur, during the campaign will coordinate the activities of various agencies like banks and government offices to launch awareness campaigns and digital drives to The 28 Assam Rifles under the aegis of HQ IGAR (North) had an interaction with GBs and Chairman of Bhandari Village in Wokha district on February 23. A total of 40 participants discussed number of enable more transaction in digiimportant issues pertaining to the development, peace, education and skill development with Maj Varun tal mode.

The schemes of union governSharma, an AR press note informed. The participants appreciated the initiative taken by AR, it added.

Organic tea farming training on March 1

ment like the Lucky Grahak Yojana, Digi Dhan Vyapari Yojana will be popularized so that people may take advantage of the same by making digital payments, the release added.

Stating that all the government offices and utilities beginning with the DC’s office will be going cashless in a time bound manner, the press release informed that for the under banked sections, special account opening sessions will be held leveraging the Jan Dhan Yojana. All the bank account holders will be given ATM/Rupay cards and mobile banking facilities, it added.

The Dimapur district administration has urged all the citizens to actively participate in the ‘Digi Dimapur’ campaign.

Medical camp held at Orangkong village

9 AR apprehend NSCN (R) cadres pFuTsero, February 24 (Mexn): Troops of 9 Assam Rifles under the aegis of HQ IGAR (North) apprehended two NSCN (R) cadres along with “Royalty vehicle tax collection receipt” during a search operation conducted at Welcome Gate, Putsero on February 23, 2017, according to a press release from Assam Rifles. The operation was conducted based on specific intelligence. The cadres identified as Ape and Theteveuo along with the seized articles were handed over to Police Station, Pfutsero, the release added.

LSU inducts new team WoKha, February 24 (Mexn): Lotha Students’ Union (LSU) has elected a new team of office bearers for the tenure 2017-2020. Election was held for the posts of President, Vice President and Finance Secretary, while others were elected uncontested. The election result was declared by the LSU Election Commission on February 24 at Tiyi Hall, Wokha. The new team will be led by Libemo Tsopoe as President, Yenronthung Odyuo as Vice President, Ashanthung Humtsoe as General Secretary, Chumben Khuvung as Assistant General Secretary, Benathung Khuvung as Education and Statistical Secretary, Yanthanthung Yanthan as Finance Secretary, Thungbeni Kikon as Social & Cultural Secretary, Longshithung Tungoe as Games & Sports Secretary, Rhanbemo Y Patton as Magazine Secretary, C. Longshithung Lotha as Information & Publicity Secretary and Limhathung Y Ezung as Speaker U/A.

Mangkolemba SDPDB meeting

DiMapur, February 24 (Mexn): Nagaland Small Tea Growers’ Association (NSTGA) in collaboration with Tea Board India is conducting one-day training on organic tea farming in Tuli on March 1 at Forest Contractors’ Union hall. The training will start at 10:00 am. A press release from NSTGA president, M Shami Angh has asked at least ten members from each district unit to attend the training.

MangKoleMba, February 24 (Dipr): The monthly Sub-Divisional Planning and Development Board (SDPDB) meeting of Mangkolemba sub-division will be held on February 27 at the Additional Deputy Commissioner’s conference hall. All the members have been asked to attend the meeting without fail.

NSCN (IM) condemns attacks DiMapur, February 24 (Mexn): The NSCN (IM) today condemned the alleged “unprovoked joint attack carried out by the 5/2 Gurkha Regiment upon NSCN cadres” in the wee hours of February 23 at Khoupumkhuntak in Manipur’s Noney District.”

A statement from the MIP of the NSCN (IM) informed that one Sgt Maj Solomon was killed and one Lt Kahaolung was injured. It also informed that a woman identified as 50 year old Kadijinliu of Khoupum Chingkao succumbed to her injuries sustained during the incident.

Accusing the Zeliangrong United Front, it alleged that “NSCN cadres were waylaid” which had resulted in the injury of one. The MIP claimed that it has been remaining quiet and “restraining ourselves” and further warned against taking the NSCN as being “weak and feeble.” “We are restraining ourselves not to hurt the sentiment of the people. Hence forth, the NSCN will leave no stone unturned but to show an exemplary and root-out the killers,” it cautioned.

long member of NBBSS. A condolence message from (NBBSS) acknowledged that it is an “immense loss” for the organization that a veteran member like him will be no more associated with it. The Sammelan further stated that Dr. Choudhury had dedicated himself for the welfare of the people through medical treatment and rendering selfless service towards the society.

“NBBSS feels society has lost precious life and a great human being,” the message added.

The NBBSS, Dimapur Branch prayed to God to give solace and strength to the bereaved family members of Dr. Choudhury.

Zion Hospital: The doctors and staff of Zion Hospital & Research Centre, Dimapur, Nagaland also expressed heartfelt condolences to the family of Dr. Choudhury. A condolence message from Dr. Rendemo Shitiri, Managing Director, Zion Hospital prayed that almighty God will give solace to the bereaved family at the time of immense sorrow.

Review meeting of North Eastern Council projects held

Villagers receive treatment at the medical camp organised by 44 Assam Rifles at Orangkong village on February 24.

longleng, February 24 (Mexn): 44 Assam Rifles under the aegis of HQ Inspector General Assam Rifles (North) organised a medical camp at Orangkong village of Longleng district on February 24 as part of its effort

to reach out to the medically deprived section of the society. Assistant Commandant Jubin Henry, Medical Officer and paramedical staff of 44 Assam Rifles treated 356 patients - 77 males, 167 females and 112 children - and

distributed free medicines to the patients, informed an AR press release. With no hospital in the near vicinity, locals of far flung area who are deprived of medical treatment facilities also turned up for treatment, the release added.

The villagers, AR said, conveyed their gratitude towards the unit for their efforts in looking after the medical needs of the local populace and for providing treatment to the poor and under privileged at their doorsteps.

shillong, February 24 (Mexn): A Review Meeting of various Government of India projects in the North Eastern Region funded by the North Eastern Council (NEC) under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region was held today at NEC Secretariat, Shillong.

According to a press release, the meeting was attended by senior officers from Planning and Development Department and other departments of various North Eastern States.

NEC Secretary Ram Muivah speaking on the occasion emphasized on proper and timely utilization of the allocation and submission of Utilization Certificates by States. He also emphasized on creation of more projects of regional character and not merely state specific, the release informed.

NEC Planning Adviser K. H. Kharshiing, Financial Adviser G.K. Chin, and Economic Advisers W. Synrem and D. Khound besides other senior officers from NEC spoke on development activities funded by NEC in the North Eastern Region.

6

SATURDAY 25•02•2017

PEOPLE, LIFE, etc...

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Zuckerberg manifesto is a blueprint for destroying journalism Adrienne Lefranc

I

The Atlantic

t’s not that Mark Zuckerberg set out to dismantle the news business when he founded Facebook 13 years ago. Yet news organizations are perhaps the biggest casualty of the world Zuckerberg built.

There’s reason to believe things are going to get worse.

A sprawling new manifesto by Zuckerberg, published to Facebook on Thursday, should set off new alarm bells for journalists, and heighten news organizations’ sense of urgency about how they—and their industry—can survive in a Facebook-dominated world.

Facebook’s existing threat to journalism is well established. It is, at its core, about the flow of the advertising dollars that news organizations once counted on. In this way, Facebook’s role is a continuation of what began in 1995, when Craigslist was founded. Its founder, Craig Newmark, didn’t actively aim to decimate newspapers, but Craigslist still eviscerated a crucial revenue stream for print when people stopped buying newspaper classifieds ads.

Craigslist was the first signal (and became the prototypical example) of a massive unbundling of news services online that would diminish the power and reach of the news, culturally, and make it more difficult to produce a profitable news product.

Zuckerberg’s memo outlines a plan for the next phase of this unbundling, and it represents an expansion of Facebook’s existing threat to the news industry.

Facebook already has the money. The company is absolutely dominating in the realm of digital advertising. It notched $8.8 billion in revenue last quarter—more than $7 billion of which came from mobilead sales. One analyst told The New York Times last year that 85 percent of all online advertising revenue is funneled to either Facebook or Google—leaving a paltry 15 percent for news organizations to fight over.

Now, Zuckerberg is making it clear that he wants Facebook to take

over many of the actual functions— not just ad dollars—that traditional news organizations once had.

Zuckerberg uses abstract language in his memo—he wants Facebook to develop “the social infrastructure for community,” he writes—but what he’s really describing is building a media company with classic journalistic goals: The Facebook of the future, he writes, will be “for keeping us safe, for informing us, for civic engagement, and for inclusion of all.”

In the past, the deaths of news organizations have jeopardized the prospect of a safe, well-informed, civically-engaged community. One 2014 paper found a substantial dropoff in civic engagement in both Seattle and Denver from 2008 to 2009, after both cities saw the closure of longstanding daily newspapers. (In Seattle, the Post-Intelligencer halted its print edition, but continued to produce online news; In Denver, the Rocky Mountain News folded.)

Lee Shaker, an assistant professor of communications at Portland State University and the author of the

2014 study, found that the decline was “not consistently replicated over the same time period in other major American cities that did not lose a newspaper,” suggesting that the decline in civic engagement may be attributed to disappearance of local news sources. (The effects in Denver, where 20 percent of the population had subscribed to the shuttered Rocky Mountain News, were especially pronounced.)

News organizations provide the basis for public action by building and strengthening community ties, “so, if local media institutions are strong and are binding individuals and groups together, then citizens should be participating in more community groups, contacting their government more frequently, and circulating more petitions because they are more aware of shared problems, interests, and opportunities,” Shaker wrote.

Zuckerberg obviously understands this. “Research suggests reading local news is directly correlated with local civic engagement,” he wrote in his manifesto. “This

shows how building an informed community, supportive local communities, and a civically-engaged community are all related.”

The problem is that Zuckerberg lays out concrete ideas about how to build community on Facebook, how to encourage civic engagement, and how to improve the quality and inclusiveness of discourse—but he bakes in an assumption that news, which has always been subsidized by the advertising dollars his company now commands, will continue to feed into Facebook’s system at little to no cost to Facebook. (Facebook has paid news organizations in some limited partnerships, like when it launched its live broadcasting platform.)

Most news organizations would describe themselves the way Zuckerberg describes Facebook—as “not just technology or media, but a community of people,” and dedicated to helping people stay “engaged with the issues that matter to them every day.” In some ways, Zuckerberg is building a news organization without journalists. The uncomfortable

truth for journalists, though, is that Facebook is much better at community building in the digital age than news organizations are.

It’s also not Zuckerberg’s responsibility to solve a broken business model in journalism. (One could argue he has a moral imperative to do so, given his position of power, but that’s not the same thing.) Facebook has its own problems, exceedingly complex ones, and it is operating at a scale that’s unimaginable to any news organization on the planet.

Last quarter, Facebook counted nearly 1.9 billion monthly active users. Comparing Facebook users to news audiences is imperfect— counting news audiences is itself flawed—but for context: The Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun claims that its circulation of 9 million copies daily makes it the largest in the world. In the United States, the combined daily prime time average viewership for CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC was 3.1 million people in 2015, according to Pew Research Center’s analysis of Nielsen data.

And The New York Times had about 1.6 million digital subscribers as of last fall. (Clearly, one of the ways you get to 1.9 billion users is you make your platform free.)

Facebook is operating at “such a large scale that even a small percent of errors causes a large number of bad experiences,” Zuckerberg writes. This is why, he explains, users will be asked to help shape the content they see by adjusting personal settings that help train Facebook’s algorithms. The Facebook population is massive, and the same set of standards won’t be acceptable to everyone in different regions and cultures. It’s a good idea.

Viewing this approach through the lens of journalism, however, you can see how Zuckerberg is continuing to push Facebook’s hands-off approach to editorial responsibility. Facebook is outsourcing its decision-making power about what’s in your News Feed. Instead of the way a newspaper editor decides what’s on the front page, the user will decide. “For those who don’t make a decision, the default will be whatever the majority of people in your region selected, like a referendum,”

Zuckerberg wrote. Which makes some sense. There are all kinds of issues with an American company imposing its cultural values uniformly on 1.9 billion individuals all over the world.

Then again…

The most cynical way to describe this set-up is to say that Facebook is asking its users to act as unpaid publishers and curators of content—posting baby photos, Facebook Live broadcasts from newsworthy events, and links to news stories by publications desperate for Facebook traffic—and now also to act as unpaid editors, volunteering to teach Facebook’s algorithmic editors how and when to surface the content Facebook does not pay for.

In other words, Facebook is building a global newsroom run by robot editors and its own readers.

This strategy may be right for Facebook, which has a strong track record of predicting what its users want. You certainly don’t rake in nearly $9 billion a quarter by building something people aren’t interested in. But if journalism is an indispensable component of the global community Zuckerberg is trying to build, he must also realize that what he’s building is a grave threat to journalism.

“A strong news industry is also critical to building an informed community,” Zuckerberg wrote in his manifesto. “There is more we must do to support the news industry to make sure this vital social function is sustainable—from growing local news, to developing formats best suited to mobile devices, to improving the range of business models news organizations rely on.”

There is more Facebook must do.

But what? Lip service to the crucial function of the Fourth Estate is not enough to sustain it. All of this is the news industry’s problem; not Zuckerberg’s. But it’s also a problem for anyone who believes in and relies on quality journalism to make sense of the world.

Zuckerberg doesn’t want Facebook to kill journalism as we know it. He really, really doesn’t. But that doesn’t mean he won’t.

Why Space Operas Will Never Come True Off-roading costs a bomb, but for enthusiasts passion counts

The universe is just too big

A

Michael Strauss

s an astrophysicist, I am always struck by the fact that even the wildest science-fiction stories tend to be distinctly human in character. No matter how exotic the locale or how unusual the scientific concepts, most science fiction ends up being about quintessentially human (or human-like) interactions, problems, foibles, and challenges. This is what we respond to; it is what we can best understand. In practice, this means that most science fiction takes place in relatively relatable settings, on a planet or spacecraft. The real challenge is to tie the story to human emotions, and human sizes and timescales, while still capturing the enormous scales of the universe itself.

Just how large the universe actually is never fails to boggle the mind. We say that the observable universe extends for tens of billions of light years, but the only way to really comprehend this, as humans, is to break matters down into a series of steps, starting with our visceral understanding of the size of the Earth. A nonstop flight from Dubai to San Francisco covers a distance of about 8,000 miles— roughly equal to the diameter of the Earth. The Sun is much bigger; its diameter is just over 100 times Earth’s. And the distance between the Earth and the Sun is about 100 times larger thanthat, close to 100 million miles. This distance, the radius of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, is a fundamental measure in astronomy; the Astronomical Unit, or AU. The spacecraft Voyager 1, for example, launched in 1977 and, travelling at 11 miles per second, is now 137 AU from the Sun. But the stars are far more distant than this. The nearest, Proxima Centauri, is about 270,000 AU, or 4.25 light years

away. You would have to line up 30 million Suns to span the gap between the Sun and Proxima Centauri. The Vogons in Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (1979) are shocked that humans have not travelled to the Proxima Centauri system to see the Earth’s demolition notice; the joke is just how impossibly large the distance is.

Four light years turns out to be about the average distance between stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, of which the Sun is a member. That is a lot of empty space!

The Milky Way contains about 300 billion stars, in a vast structure roughly 100,000 light years in diameter. One of the truly exciting discoveries of the past two decades is that our Sun is far from unique in hosting a retinue of planets: Evidence shows that the majority of Sun-like stars in the Milky Way have planets orbiting them, many with a size and distance from their parent star allowing them to host life as we know it.

Yet getting to these planets is another matter entirely: Voyager 1 would arrive at Proxima Centauri in 75,000 years if it were traveling in the right direction—which it isn’t. Science-fiction writers use a variety of tricks to span these interstellar distances: putting their passengers into states of suspended animation during the long voyages, or traveling close to the speed of light (to take advantage of the time dilation predicted in Albert Einstein’s theory of special relativity). Or they invoke warp drives, wormholes, or other as-yet undiscovered phenomena.

When astronomers made the first definitive measurements of the scale of our Galaxy a century ago, they were overwhelmed by the size of the universe they had mapped. Initially, there was great skepticism that the so-called “spiral nebulae” seen in deep photographs of the sky were in fact ‘island univers-

es’—structures as large as the Milky Way, but at much larger distances still.

While the vast majority of science-fiction stories stay within our Milky Way, much of the story of the past 100 years of astronomy has been the discovery of just how much larger than that the universe is. Our nearest galactic neighbor is about 2 million light years away, while the light from the most distant galaxies our telescopes can see has been traveling to us for most of the age of the universe, about 13 billion years.

We discovered in the 1920s that the universe has been expanding since the Big Bang. But about 20 years ago, astronomers found that this expansion was speeding up, driven by a force whose physical nature we do not understand, but to which we give the stop-gap name of “dark energy.” Dark energy operates on length- and time-scales of the universe as a whole: How could we capture such a concept in a piece of fiction?

The story doesn’t stop there. We can’t see galaxies from those parts of the universe for which there hasn’t been enough time since the Big Bang for the light to reach us. What lies beyond the observable bounds of the universe? Our simplest cosmological models suggest that the universe is uniform in its properties on the largest scales, and extends forever. A variant idea says that the Big Bang that birthed our universe is only one of a (possibly infinite) number of such explosions, and that the resulting “multiverse” has an extent utterly beyond our comprehension.

The U.S. astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson once said: “The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you.” Similarly, the wonders of the universe are under no obligation to make it easy for science-fiction writers to tell stories about them. The universe is mostly empty space, and the distances between stars in galaxies, and between galaxies in the universe, are incomprehensibly vast on human scales. Capturing the true scale of the Universe, while somehow tying it to human endeavors and emotions, is a daunting challenge for any science-fiction writer. Olaf Stapledon took up that challenge in his novel Star Maker (1937), in which the stars and nebulae, and cosmos as a whole, are conscious. While we are humbled by our tiny size relative to the cosmos, our brains can nonetheless comprehend, to some extent, just how large the universe we inhabit is. This is hopeful, since, as the astrobiologist Caleb Scharf of Columbia University has said: “In a finite world, a cosmic perspective isn’t a luxury, it is a necessity.”

Conveying this to the public is the real challenge faced by astronomers and science-fiction writers alike.

Tajinder Bains

O

IANS

ff-roading is slowly but surely catching up among the young as also the not-soyoung from diverse walks of life with a healthy appetite for high-adrenaline adventure, and deep pockets.

All off-roaders, coming all the way from places as far as Arunachal Pradesh and Kerala at the Kikar Lodge, about 35 km from here to participate in the three-day February 17-19 "JK Tyre Xtreme 4Play 2017", were unanimous that this sport is clearly not for an average Joe. It is a passion and so money is just not a consideration, they averred.

How can one put money over the pleasure and thrill of driving on rough terrains like dry river beds, almost vertical climbs of hillocks, in the wilderness, and across semi-arid and dusty deserted landscape?

The adventure of off-roading is certainly catching the imagination of the extreme sport enthusiasts across the country, though their numbers are not mind-numbing, at least for the present.

And those in India who go all the way to pursue their love for the sport, are not the regular superrich brats, as many may tend to believe, but serious sport enthusiasts like businessmen, doctors, dentists, lawyers and army officers.

Asked how costly this passion for off-roading is for a sports enthusiast, Naveen, a team member of KTM Jeepers from Kerala, said: "It costs a bomb."

"But what to do?" he countered, and came up with an answer: "After all, it's a passion."

Naveen pointed out that a set of five tyres alone costs anywhere near Rs 1.25 lakh, while suspension costs between Rs 20,000 and Rs 2 lakh.

Expenses to ready an off-roader vehicle are anywhere between Rs 5 lakh to Rs 13 lakh.

"Once your participate in an off-roading event, you end up with broken, twisted and damaged parts, which are costly and need to be replaced before the vehicle is battle-ready again," he said in a matter-of-fact manner.

And who are those willing to put that kind of money in their passion?

Naveen pointed out that one of the team-

mates, Dr. Mohame Fahed V.P., is an Ayurveda practitioner back in Kerala.

Chow Ujjal Namshum, the 37-year-old tea planter from Arunachal, said the modification of the two vehicles they have brought to the competition, cost them Rs 12 lakh to Rs 13 lakh each.

Gurmeet Singh, a member of "Gerrari Offroaders" club based in Chandigarh, said they got into off-roading initially just for fun.

"Now, we have 60 active members who go offroading near Chandigarh regularly on vehicles fit enough to take the rough with the smooth on dirt tracks, dry river beds and hillocks."

He pointed out that the members of Gerrari Offroaders club include businessmen, two doctors, two lawyers and one dentist.

Gurmeet said they are a close-knit group in which families knew one another.

"We prefer not to allow entry of unknown persons in our club, since we take along family members, including women, too during our offroadings."

Asked how they took off and formed the club, his teammate Kabir, 34, a businessman like Gurmeet, said: "There were only seven to eight of us in the beginning. We did off-roading for around two years in 2006-07 before we formed our own club -- Gerrari Offroaders -- in 2009."

Gurmeet was the overall champion at the Rain Forest Challenge, an off-roader event held in Goa in 2016 on the lines of RFC event in Malaysia, while Kabir came third. Gurmeet is also a champion off-roader of the Malaysian RFC in the Diesel Vehicle category.

Asked about the money they spend on offroading, Kabir quipped: "Hun te jaeb vich kuch nahi hai (I have empty pockets now)."

"Each of our vehicles costs around Rs 12 lakh to Rs 15 lakh to make them capable of tackling the inhospitable terrain," he said.

These include independent suspensions, commercial winches and broad tyres, among several other attachments and fittings.

As for cost, Kabir echoed Naveen's remarks: "Off-roading may be costly but it's a passion."

So, for off-roaders, the motto is simple: You don't weigh a life-long passion for something against the money spent.

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.

SATURDAY 25•02•2017

Morung Youth Express

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

B

Blue Haze

eginning from the middle of January and lasting the whole of February and well into early March is the period we know asblue haze time. The mountains and fields are covered with a blue haze that looks like mist at the wrong period of the year. The blueish colour gives it its name.

Coming as it does at the beginning of the year, it is like a herald of Spring and warmer days. It is such a poetic image because the blueness overlays our landscape of stubbled fields and forest cover, or whatever remains of it, like a thin veil. It inspires verse, and brings to mind failed love stories. Blue haze in the month of February gave the month its name of Kezei, or dark month.

Marriages were taboo in this month. Nobody in their right mind gets married in the month of Kezei, an aunt used to mutter angrily when she heard of Christ ia n s g e tti ng married in the taboo month.

Citing premature deaths, she would warn any relative making nuptial plans for their offspring. “Can’t you see that the forests stay dark and the sun can’t pass through the dark in this month?” she would proclaim with a dire look. That was what the blue haze meant to us in our generation, a time when the spirits covered the earth’s surface with their wizardry so they could go about causing distress to humans. The dark month was when people were spirited awayon their wanderings into the woods to gather herbs, hunt, fish on their own.

Even at the end of the nineties, our sweeper lady was spirited away when she went herb picking in her part of the woods. Her clansmen found her after three days, and she said that a group of people had come to invite her to go herb-gathering.

In the same month of the blue haze, an uncle, now long dead, was woken up in the wee hours of the morning, by men who he thought were his neighbours. They said they needed him to accompany them to the fields to check on the water sources for their respective fields. Uncle led the way to the

7

Preventing many diseases via olive oil

fields in semi-darkness. He didn’t get suspicious until even he noticed that the voices of his companions kept alternating between normal conversation, and periods when their voices drifted off and seemed to come from very far away. He stopped in his tracks and looked carefully at his neighbours only to discover he was all alone on the wooded field-path, being spirited away by deceitful spirits. Luckily for him, he was fleet-footed enough to run home and elude the rest of the adventure planned for him.

But in this day and age, blue haze, my geologist friendexplains is actually“caused by a gas called Isoprene which is a common organic compound released by trees andshrubs on sunny days.” He adds, “We mostly have sunny days in January andFebruary hence the blue haze during these months.

Isoprene gasmolecules form a e ro s o l s t hat scatter sunlight, the scattering isenhanced at short-wavelengths, which is where the short-wavelengthblue colour comes from. Isoprene reacts with nitrogen oxides presentin air to form ozone.” That’s it then. Science is so effective at taking out the magic from magic.

But what if there was something to all the cautionary tales our ancestors lived by? Why were people warned about going against age-old taboos in contracting marriages? It would be very interesting to follow the fates of February weddings to see if they managed to defy culture and survive. Whichever age it is, things seem to have a knack for happening under cover of blue haze, be it culturally navigated or politically designed. And while we accept the scientific explanation that it is only Isoprene engaging with sun aerosols to manufacture blue haze, it is a bit difficult to brush away the possibility of spirit activity in our day. Could the spirits of yesteryear have been replaced by spirits of division, spirits of blame, spirits of greed and dark mindedness? Even in these days it’s a good thing to recall the cautionary aspect under which wiser folk than us have lived.

Rajneesh Bhasin

P

IANS

eople in India these days want greater control over the food they consume.

There is also increased attention to choosing the ingredients. Preferred are food items with enriching and nourishing features and properties which prevent diseases and empower the body to gain immunity.

There are a few food items which Indians consume on a daily basis like salt, sugar, milk and oil. Oil is the first element and base for almost all Indian recipes. It is the major component which contributes to the body's fat requirements. So, the oil we choose decides the fats we consume.

Described as "liquid gold"

by Homer in ancient Greek history, olive oil is the healthiest medium to consume both externally and internally. Today, olive oil has found a significant place in every household, thanks to its extensive health benefits.

Being an essential part of the Mediterranean diet, most health benefits of olive oil are attributed to the natural properties it possesses. Additionally, this oil is naturally free of the five main culprits that cause most health problems: cholesterol, salt, sugar, gluten and trans fats. Not only this, it contains the nutrients required by our body like good fats (MUFA), Omega-3 and anti-oxidants. The oil is available in three variants -- extra virgin olive oil, pure olive oil and extra light olive oil -- all of which have similar constitution of nutrients.

Here are some important facts you should know about olive oil: Olive oil is a rich source of monounsaturated fats, which reduce the risk of heart disease by decreasing levels of arteryclogging lipids in the blood.

Monounsaturated fats in olive oil help the human body fight against several diseases like cardiovascular diseases, cancer, arthritis, diabetes and microbial diseases. The goodness of Omega-3 and Vitamins like E and K and minerals like iron, calcium, potassium make it great for eye, skin, bone and cell health.

During ancient times, olive oil has been known to be used as an aphrodisiac, laxative, sedative and a tonic to treat ailments as diverse as colic, paralysis, rheumatic pain, hypertension and sciatica. Additionally, olive oil is a rich source of polyphenols --powerful antioxidants that are increasingly attracting attention for their ability to promote good health.

Keep your Heart Young: Heart disease is currently one of the world's leading causes of death, claiming millions of lives each year. India has seen a rapid transition in its heart disease burden over the past couple of decades. Heart health itself accounts for a staggering 40 per cent of all deaths among Indians, which itself is a major point of concern for many.

Olive oil helps the human body fight against cardiovascular diseases by aiding in decreasing low-density lipoprotein (LDP) and cholesterol.

According to the US FDA, "Two full tablespoons of olive oil daily reduces the risk of coronary heart disease." Daily usage of olive oil in food reduces the levels of LDL (bad cholesterol), blood sugar, trigclyceride and oxidative stress-makers in the body. Olive oil also helps improve the arterial functions in elderly people.

Olive oil also helps the human body fight osteoporosis. It affects the thickness of bones as it is a good source of calcium. It

helps women fight against postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Research says that an olive oil-rich diet lowers the risk of depression in comparison with the food with ample amount of transfat and hydrogenated fat.

Also, olive oil contains antiinflammatory substance called oleocanthal which helps to relieve pain.

Being a good source of vitamin E and also a valuable amount of the beta-caroteneas antioxidant, as well as squalene, a less common antioxidant that also plays a special role in skin health, olive oil slows down the growth of skin cancer.

It lowers the risk of colon cancer as it protects the body against free radicals, while virgin olive oil has oleic and mono-unsaturated fatty acid that helps fight against breast cancer.

Olive oil contributes in the prevention of malignant melanoma and helps to counter the oxidising effect of sun.

It also helps in preventing the risk of Alzheimer's as it has polyphenols which aids in preventing Alzheimer's, a buildup of protein tangles called beta amyloids plaque. Polyphenols help clear up these plaques from the brain.

Changing lifestyles and bad eating habits are two major reasons behind the declining health among all age-groups.

Everyone should start leading a healthy life through healthier eating habits because we have always known that a sound mind dwells in a sound body.

Olive oil has found a place in the several kitchen shelves not just to satisfy the taste buds but majorly to ensuring good health and wellness.

The Naga Blog is a forum on Facebook where Nagas from Nagaland and around the world network, share ideas and discuss a wide range of topics from politics and philosophy to music and current events in Nagaland and beyond. The blog is not owned by any individual, nor is it affiliated to or associated with any political party or religion. The only movement it hopes to stir is the one raised by the voices of the Nagas every step of the way, amassing perhaps to mass consciousness one day. www.facebook.com/groups/thenagablog

Tell us the Truth

need no court or lawyers to settle any kind of case in future. Indeed, we are blessed with uncountable Nokchem Angth: The present cri- advocates and lawyers-proud of it! sis in our state (Nagaland) has 3. The agreement: The 30th Jancaught the attention of everyone across the state. Many intellec- uary agreement should not hold as tuals have started analyzing and a reason why the CM should resign. have opined on the matter with Why because those who could read no positive outcomes. Rather, the and reason oneself can easily unagitators and the government are derstand the content of the agreemore and more stubborn. No one ment. The JCC's convenor should can really say what the intention not ignore what he did but accept it of the people was but many mute in a good faith and rectify, if needed spectators are now in stand and but simply saying he didn't accept some have even concluded that the ULB Election with 33% reserthe present issue is for political vation is a serious matter that the people ought to question his wisgain, whether we like it or not.

We, as responsible and con- dom. I blame the government only cerned citizens of the state who will for changing their decision and take the chair of our state one day agreeing for postponement though or other, should really ponder upon the agreement (as per the content) and avoid following the crowd with- wasn't the final but "subject to" to out having a concrete reason or well cabinet and SEC. So, seeing the conversed on the subject matter. The tent of the written agreement, I only below mentioned points should be conclude that the JCC was wrong to taken under consideration and we accept the agreement blindly. should question ourselves.

4. Diverting the core demands: 1. Shifting of issues: Started to A man who can't sit idly at home oppose the 33% reservation yet the when people move around, went representative gracefully accepted to attend a funeral program of our the controversial point during a joint late two brothers at Kohima. On the meeting under the initiative of NBCC. day when their dead body arrived Now the organization is denying the and the following day, many leadagreement which was signed by their ers spoke but what really struck my convenor. But today the main agen- mind was when the charter of the da of the group is out: to bring down demand was repeatedly read out by the CM. The municipal election isn't a representative standing near two being held for the first time but it coffins in front of thousands of specwas held even in the past. Now, the tators. The content of the demand question arises, what were the Tribal was in fact very impressive and satHohos doing or why didn't they op- isfactory for the people where they pose when the election was held in were compelled to clap loud and 2004 (without reservations)? Except loud as the speaker pointed out the Mokokchung, all the others have ac- demand one after another: Resignation; cepted the election with Taxes and (a) Chief Minister Schedule Caste in the Act but it didn’t (b) Party President infringe upon Art. 371(A)? Or only the (c) Home Minister women reservation infringes upon (c) Concerned Parliamentary Art 371 (A)? Note that many advocates Secretary & have said that 33% reservations do not (d) Commissioner of Dimapur infringe upon Art 371 (A) whatsoever.

Police (Suspension) Time to ponder! *And nullifying the process of 2. Interpretation: In the his- ULB Election. tory of the Indian constitution, I But today, as a responsible perbelieve, we have courageously in- son, I can't remain silent on the deterpreted the Art. 371 (A) in our velopment of the issue, particularly own convenience. We all are expert when the civil organizations have lawyers and we all are from legal "singled out" the CM and protected background. No one accepts no the other leaders who were in the one's opinion but we all are right in list of the demands. I just want to ask our own. From old to young, I have the leaders of the JCC & NTAC, what seen all the Nagas interpreting the happened to others? constitution this time and I wonder 5. Is it really the voice of the if this happens even in other part of the country? If we can accept people?: We Nagas are much known all this interpretation then we will to use the phrase "voice of the people". I really wonder if the present

fight with the government can be termed as the voice of the people because we should remember that many women and even some men are against and do not support the agenda of the newly formed civil organizations. It is very necessary to note down that even the women are Nagas and we can't truly proclaim voice of the people when only men folk take part in the agitation.

Astonishingly, we have created new type with new concept the voice of the people. For others, the voice of the people is highly granted because they use it judiciously and it is most powerful weapons in a democracy like India but what happened to our voice that went unheard by our representatives? Maybe they didn't acknowledge because they knew that it was not the people's voice but theirs. Passing a resolution to fine if one doesn't turn up to block the road, to tease the innocent students and demolish/attack private properties and burn down public offices into ashes speaks volume. The present voice of the people is condemnable whether we like it or not. And we murdered the concept of the Voice of the People.

6. People's movement: We might be very selfish to use the term "people's movement" when it is totally different. Please let us accept the fact that some of our fellow people aren't taking part in asking the resignation of CM because many intellectuals and even the illiterate knew that the movement is not with good intentions. The 'singling out' tells us more and if you don't agree with me then you should give me a convincing reason as to why the first charter of demand was compromised? And since, it is a people's movement, did the JCC & NTAC consult the people before compromising the other demands? I don't think so. So, I will only conclude this movement as "people's movement against individual because he was from the minority".

7. We are violating our custom: I think the JCC & NTAC were formed and exist to protect and preserve the rich custom of Nagas. I strongly believe these organizations are fighting because they believe the decision of the government violated and undermined the custom and practices of the Nagas, I believe. But seeing the activities of them is so disgusting especially when they can't practice what they preach. Many of their activities are alien to Naga Custom. I don't know about your

ancestors/¬grandparents but my grandparents and ancestors never practiced bandh, they respected the dead body, fast undo death is new to our custom where my grandparents and parents didn't mention about when they elaborated the social and political history of their time, they never teased their fellow women folk but gave them highest respect and care, they didn't drink MC whiskey and Rum, Foster and Kingfisher beers but only rice beer and most importantly, they didn't use any western garments while they stood guard. Many will view this as immature or childish but this is a serious subject that we all need to study and correct ourselves.

Or, if the JCC & NTAC think that they truly stand for Naga custom and they can't accept the Indian constitution to be implemented in Nagaland state then I pray and hope that these civil organizations will administer the state affairs even after TR resigns from the chair. Now, we don't need any section from IPC/IC to deliver the justice to the rape victim or other offence related because it is INDIAN LAW and not OURS. Now, the JCC & NTAC and Tribal Hohos should make sure that Naga customary laws are once again brought back and executed very strongly, for a case rape and murder, the most popular word "EXCOMMUNICATION" that hit our state for ULB matter should be handed over to the culprit accordingly because our forefathers did this and it is purely our practices and if we are truly to carry forward our customary law and practices then we don't need to approach any judicial institutions anymore for the settlement of the case. Once again, I repeat the phase "WE SHOULD PRACTICE WHAT WE PREACH".

8. Moral ground: Oh really!

So, we can use violence and force to demand someone to step down on moral ground? Is that also ever possible? I really can't make it out.

But I have a right to ponder upon as to whether those who are asking someone to step down on moral ground have a moral responsibility to do so? Till it happened with regard to current issue, I was thinking that the moral responsibility can be taken on our own wishes and no one has any right to force me or someone else to do this and that citing a "moral responsibility". Had that same yardstick been applied even before, many of our legislators would have lost their chair before

the stipulated time.

Lastly, the leader should lead the people in a right path but taking the people just for a ride to fulfil one's need/personal interest will surely be crushed at the end of the day. They should lead in such a way that people aren't misinformed about the subject because it will have an effect on long process. We as an earthly men and women can't see the inner or mind of someone else but our creator is truly watching and He will judge everyone of us and award accordingly on the day of our judgment.

I know, many of you will not accept my view or some may even get offended but I'm asking them to tell us the "TRUTH". That's the matter and I stand by it. Criticize me or crucify me but the truth will remain as it is.

Note: This was posted on The Naga Blog on February 21, 2017.

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Restructuring and strengthening the Naga organizations

Bendanchuba Naga: Shouldn't we restructure and strengthen the apex organisations like Naga Hoho, NSF and NMA? I know, the very mention of these entities is not going to go well with many people. But the larger question is ‘Don't Nagas deserve a common platform in difficult times like this?’

Every sensible person would have observed that during the last few days there was a total leadership vacuum. In fact there was seemingly no credible organisation or authority to give unbiased counsel and direction when our people needed it most. On the hindsight, if we had one, may be the ugly incidents which happened could have been avoided. In absence of any other alternative, the NBCC did what was right at that time but it got its finger burnt in the first attempt.

The sad thing is that we have systematically undermined the authority of every credible institution we have. We have almost rendered them redundant by forming parallel organisations and dissociation. Today Naga Hoho and NSF are not what they were 15 or 20 years back. It is true that these institutions have failed to live up to our expectation. But everybody would agree that not having them is not the solution either.

It may be politically wrong but today in absence of credible institutions, Nagas are often led by the

piece meal organisations which are formed in a hustle and this trend doesn't auger well for an evolving society. Let's understand that good leadership goes far beyond the ability of organising a successful bandh or protest. Our land has become a thriving industry for manufacturing new organisations at the slightest pretext.

But the people's movement pertaining to our future need be led by men of wisdom and repute.

In situation like this the importance of having a credible Naga organisation at different level cannot be over emphasised. We still have the rudimentary structure even though there are missing links. But we can restructure them and bring back all Naga tribes to the same platform again.

For the sake of discussion we can have our organisation in 3 tiers. (Nomenclature only for illustration) 1. On the top is Naga Hoho which is interstate or international in nature and cover all Naga inhabited areas. The State level hohos will affiliate to it. At present the Naga Hoho plays both the role of interstate as well as for the state Nagaland. The mixing of role is not desirable in the changed situation as there are many problems now which are state specific.

2. In the state level for Nagaland we need to have Nagaland People hoho. This is the missing link and it needs to be put in place as early as possible. All the tribal hohos in Nagaland will be affiliated to Nagaland People hoho.

3. Next is the tribal hoho of all recognised Naga tribes in Nagaland. All the tribes will be directly affiliated to Nagaland People hoho.

There are some regional groupings like ENPO, CNTC, CMTC. Whether these organisations should be given the status of a hoho or not can be debated.

The same formula can be applied for both NSF and NMA. The need of the hour is to unite all the tribes and bring them under one umbrella. I believe we can still do it by restructuring the existing organisations to the need of the present time instead of substituting them with new ones.

The articles in this column are compiled by The Naga Blog administrators.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of The Naga Blog.

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.

saturDaY 25•02•2017

INDIA

8

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

PM Modi: Kanpur train accident was a conspiracy

GONDA, FebruAry 24(PTI): The Kanpur train tragedy in which 150 people were killed, was a "conspiracy" and the perpetrators carried it out "sitting across the border"+ in Nepal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday.

Addressing an election meeting in Uttar Pradesh' Gonda district, which is close to the India-Nepal border, he touched upon the derailment of 14 coaches of the Indore-Patna Express+ near Pukhraya in Kanpur Dehat district on November 20, and said the findings showed it was a "conspiracy".

"The Kanpur rail ac-

cident in which hundreds of people were killed was a conspiracy and conspirators carried it out sitting across the border ... Gonda is adjoining Nepal," he said.

"If the cross-border foes want to carry out their work, is it not necessary that more vigil is maintained in Gonda?" PM Modi asked the people as he exhorted them to vote for the BJP. "Gonda needs to elect only those who are full of patriotism, only then we can do anything good for Gonda," he said.

"There should not be any mistake in this election ... be it the SP or the BSP, not

a single seat should go to them ... 100 per cent seats should be won by the BJP," the Prime Minister said.

Nepalese national Shamshul Hoda, an alleged ISI agent and the prime suspect in the Kanpur train tragedy, was arrested on February 7 in Kathmandu after being deported from Dubai, Nepal police had said. After the November train tragedy, at least 62 passengers were injured on December 28 when 15 coaches of the Sealdah-Ajmer Express derailed+ while it was crossing a bridge near Rura Railway Station in Kanpur Rural district.

Scared Modi tries to create tension between two religions: Rahul

Local residents wait in a queue to collect drinking water from a municipal corporation water tanker in Ahmedabad. (REUTERS)

Indian man killed in hate crime in US bar

WA s h I N GT O N/ h yDerAbAD, FebruAry 24 (IANs): An Indian engineer was killed and another injured by an American who mistook them for "Middle Easterners" and yelled "Get out of my country" before shooting them at a bar.

Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, was killed and Alok Madasani was injured when Adam W. Purinton, a white who earlier served in the US Navy, shot them at the Austins Bar & Grill in Olathe, Kansas state, on Wednesday night.

Purinton reportedly got into an argument with the victims and hurled racial slurs. He yelled "get out of my country", "terrorist" before shooting them.

Purinton, according to reports, provoked them into argu-

ment asking their presence and work in his country, and how they are better than him.

To avoid unwanted scuffle, the bar management asked him to leave the place, only to find him back at the bar later with gun when he fired at the Indians.

Ian Grillot, 24, an American who tried to save the Indians, was also shot at, media reports quoted police as saying. Grillot was recovering in a hospital while Madasani was discharged.

The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) called it a hate crime. Police said Purinton, 51, fired multiple rounds and fled the bar. He was arrested on Thursday morning in Clinton city in neighbouring Missouri state when a bartender told police that he had bragged

about killing "two Middle Eastern men", The Kansas City Star reported.

The US "strongly" condemned the shooting and said it has reached out to Indian consular officials to offer support.

The US Embassy in New Delhi expressed full faith in the US authorities investigating the matter. "We have full faith that US legal authorities will bring the case to justice," the statement said. Purinton has been charged with first-degree murder. "It was a tragic and senseless act of violence," Olathe Police Chief Steven Menke said.

Kuchibhotla hailed from Hyderabad while Madasani is from Warangal town in Telangana.

They were aviation programme managers at Garmin, an elec-

India steps up lobbying with Trump administration

NeW DelhI, FebruAry 24 (reuTers): India has stepped up its lobbying effort against moves in the U. S. Congress to impose curbs on visas for skilled workers that threaten the South Asian nation's tech sector, which employs more than 3.5 million people.

Speaking to Reuters, Trade Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said New Delhi had reached out to the administration of President Donald Trump to stress the importance of India's $150-billion IT services industry to U.S. citizens.

"India's investments in the United States have provided jobs to U.S. citizens," she said in an interview. "That has to be brought to the notice of the U.S. administration."

The comments come days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Washington to keep an open mind on admitting skilled Indian workers.

Indian software companies such as Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys Ltd and Wipro Ltd shot to prominence in the 1990s by helping Western firms stamp out the "Y2K" bug.

Trump's "America First" rhetoric on jobs, however, has put their biggest market under threat.

A bill was introduced in the U.S. Congress last month to more than double the minimum salary of H-1B visa holders, which could significantly boost costs for IT companies, whose margins are

already being squeezed.

New Delhi has backed a move

by NASSCOM, India's high-tech industry association, to lobby U.S. lawmakers and companies to urge the administration not to crack down on allowing its skilled workers into the United States.

A NASSCOM delegation is now in the United States to make its case to officials on Capitol Hill and in the White House.

"We will have to engage with the new administration," Sitharaman said. "Our engagement at every level is intact and continuing." The United States is India's biggest trading partner, but trade in goods between the two countries has been stagnant, at around $67 billion, for the last three years.

Indian software exports to the U.S. rose more than 10 percent, to $37 billion, in the last fiscal year from a year earlier.

Indian nationals are by far the largest group of recipients of the 65,000 H-1B visas issued annually to new applicants under a cap mandated by Congress.

More than 60 percent of the U.S. employees of Infosys hold H-1B visas. A global pact on services trade would go a long way towards settling disputes over professional visas, Sitharaman said.

"If only there is a framework... you will know how movement can happen and how certain restrictions can or cannot come," she said. "It's time for countries to sit together and look at it."

tronics manufacturer. Kuchibhotla is survived by his wife, Sunayana, in the US. She also works in Kansas. Madasani's wife is five months pregnant.

According to his profile on LinkedIn, Kuchibhotla graduated from the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in Hyderabad in 2005. Madasani is a graduate of the Vasavi College of Engineering in Hyderabad.

Kuchibhotla's family in India was in shock and sought help from the state and central governments to bring home his body. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday expressed "heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family" and said she had spoken to the Indian ambassador, Navtej Sarna. The Minister said Consul R.D. Joshi

had rushed from Houston to Kansas and Vice Consul Harpal Singh was also proceeding from Dallas to Kansas. They would meet the injured Madasani and help in flying back the mortal remains of Kuchibhotla.

According to The Star, federal officials were investigating if the attack was a hate crime.

The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) said the killing was "the first reported bias-motivated fatality in the US after the bitter Presidential election" that catapulted Donald Trump to office.

"We call upon the US Department of Justice and local law enforcement to investigate this murder as what it is, a hate crime," said Jay Kansara, the HAF Director of Government Relations.

The killing of the innocent

engineer triggered dismay in India. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said he was saddened to learn about the attack.

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page created to collect money to help Kuchibhotla's family crossed its $150,000 goal, raising nearly $250,000 in 11 hours.

More than 6,700 people, including Americans, donated $248,404 on the page created by Kuchibhotla's friend Kavipriya Muthuramalingam.

Kuchibhotla is the second youth from Telangana to be killed in the US in February. Software engineer Vamshi Reddy Mamidala was shot dead by an alleged drug addict in Milpitas, California, on February 10, in the garage of his apartment building.

bAhrAIch, FebruAry 24 (IANs): Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Friday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying "when he gets sacred, he tries to create tension between two religions". "When Modi ji gets scared, then he tries to spread communalism and create tension among people belonging to two religions. He tries to spread poison in the society," said Gandhi during a public rally here. His reference was to Modi's speech on Sunday, where he said: "If you create kabristaan (graveyard) in a village, then a shamshaan (cremation ground) should also be created. If electricity is given uninterrupted in Ramzan, then it should be given in Diwali without a break. Bhedbhaav nahin hona chahiye (there should be no discrimination."

Attacking the Prime Minister, Rahul Gandhi said: "He keeps lying. He promised to give Rs 15 lakh to every Indian, two crore jobs, loan waiver to the farmers." "Prime Minister Modi has been benevolent towards the rich and has waived their loans, but not the loans of farmers," he added. "We (Congress) waived off the loans of the farmers, gave them food security and MNREGA," said Gandhi. He also said the Modi government has not been able to send "a single person accused of keeping black money" to jail and that 94 per cent of black money is still stashed away in foreign countries.

Subsidy sought on CBSE school bus guidelines

NeW DelhI, FebruAry 24 (IANs): The National Independent Schools Alliance has (NISA) contended the latest CBSE guidelines on school buses were an "unwarranted interference" and demanded subsidies from the government.

It demanded subsidies from the government to carry out recommendations that include installing CCTV cameras and GPS on all school buses.

The Central Board of Secondary Education on Thursday issued comprehensive guidelines on safety of children in school buses, mandating the

schools to strictly comply with them. The board also warned them of action, including disaffiliation, if the guidelines were ignored.

Pointing to media reports about "callous approach" of certain schools towards safety of school children, the CBSE in its circular said: "Time has come to make the schools sensitive to this serious issue and to take proactive remedial measures to ensure that safe transport for school children becomes one of the paramount safety objectives for every CBSE-affiliated school."

Divided into seven broad categories, the guidelines mandate installing speed governors with cap at 40 km per hour, GPS and CCTV cameras.

The CBSE also demands that the bus windows be fitted with horizontal grills and wire mesh and each bus should have a well-trained lady attendant.

While asserting that safety of the children was non-negotiable, NISA President Kulbhushan Sharma accused the CBSE of needless interference in schools' functioning.

"This is a matter of transport and there are sufficient guide-

lines by the government as well as by courts. It is the government's duty to look into issues of safety of the children and not of the board. This interference by the CBSE is totally unwarranted," Sharma told IANS. "Complying with these guidelines entails huge amount of expenses which will eventually be passed on to the parents, thereby increasing their financial burden," he said. "The government, therefore, needs to think about providing subsidies to school buses. We are not opposed to any of the guidelines. It is just that

the government needs to come to the aid of the schools in this regard," added Sharma.

The CBSE guidelines come following the January 19 school bus accident at Etah in Uttar Pradesh, in which at least 12 children were killed.

The new guidelines also assign greater responsibility on parents for the safety of the children. The baord has also asked parents to note down any violations committed by the driver and other staff of the school buses and immediately report these to the school authorities.

Talks on Masood Azhar under progress: Chinese envoy

NeW DelhI, FebruAry 24 (IANs): China supports India on combating terrorism and a discussion to declare Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar a "global terrorist" is in progress, Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui said on Friday.

"The discussion is going on. I am so happy to see your Foreign Secretary in Beijing two days ago... discussing everything... so, just wait," Luo said while talking to media persons on the sidelines of a Chinese Visa Application Service Centre inauguration ceremony here.

"China supports India

and other countries on terrorism... The discussions are going on. It takes time," Luo said. India on Wednesday again asked China to declare Jaish-e-Mohammad chief and Pathankot attack mastermind Masood Azhar an international terrorist.

China blocked a proposal by the US to add Azhar to the list of such terrorists, in addition to the three previous rejections in 2016 to the Indian proposal.

India's Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar was in Beijing on Wednesday to co-chair the China-India strategic dialogue with the neighbouring country's Vice Foreign

Minister Zhang Yesui and he raised the issue of Masood Azhar during discussions.

Speaking further on bilateral issues, Luo said: "Don't focus only on this issue. This is important but more important is bilateral cooperation."

He advised the media to focus more on the positive cooperation between India and China.

On the other controversial issue about Chinese opposition to India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG), he said: "It is the same."

On the rise of ISIS in the Afghanistan-Pakistan re-

gion, the Ambassador said: "The Chinese position is quite clear. We are against any form of terrorist activities. On this matter, China will always speak in the same language in the international community to take concrete measures."

On the recently-concluded talks on Afghanistan in Russia, Luo said Afghanistan is China's neighbour and is crucial for peace and stability in Central Asia. "The countries concerned about Afghanistan are making joint efforts to bring peace and stability back to that country and the region," he added.

With pastures shrinking, India may be importing milk by 2021 Gangadhar S. Patil

I

IndiaSpend and IANS

ndia may have to import milk in four years, if it cannot increase fodder supply for its 299 million cattle, as rising pressure on land reduces pastures nationwide.

Spurred by rising incomes, a growing population and changing food preferences, the demand for milk and milk products will grow to at least 210 million tonnes by 2021-22, a rise of 36 per cent over five years, according to government estimates. To meet this demand, production must grow by 5.5 per cent per annum, according to the State of India's Livelihood (SOIL) report. In 2014-15 and 2015-16, milk production grew at 6.2 per cent and 6.3 per cent, respectively.

To boost milk yield, India would need to generate 1,764 million tonnes of fodder by 2020, according to an IndiaSpend analysis of government data. But existing sources can only manage about 900 million tonnes of

fodder -- a shortage of 49 per cent.

Demand for private consumption has risen from five per cent per annum in the period 1998-2005 to 8.5 per cent per annum between 2005 and 2012, according to an Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, report.

This demand and supply gap has pushed up milk prices by an average of 16 per cent per annum, according to the 2015 SOIL report.

In the decade to 2015, milk production went up 59 per cent from 92 million tonnes to 146 million tonnes in 2015. But fodder shortages may knock India off its position as the world's top milk producer (it contributes nearly 17 per cent of global production).

The milk productivity of India's livestock is less than half (48 per cent) of the global average: 987 kg per lactation compared to the global average of 2,038 kg per lactation.

The availability and quality of fodder has a direct bearing on the quantity and quality of milk productivity, the data show. All the three states that topped milk productivity in terms

of gram per day -- Rajasthan (704), Haryana (877) and Punjab (1,032) -had earmarked more than 10 per cent of their cultivable land for pastures, according to the 2015 SOIL report.

The national average is 337.

Currently, all three types of fodder are in short supply -- green (63 per cent), dry (24 per cent) and concentrates (76 per cent). Only four per cent of total cultivable land in India is used for fodder production, a proportion that has remained stagnant for the last four decades.

Considering the demand for milk, land under fodder production needs to be doubled, according to a December 2016 report of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture.

Shortages are forcing states to now source fodder from elsewhere.

"The quality of fodder is a concern.

We are now looking to source fodder from Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh)," said Sudhir Mishra, who runs a dairy farm in Ranchi (Jharkhand).

But major portions of grazing lands have either been degraded or encroached upon, according to the

Parliamentary Committee report.

However, the availability of crop residues, the largest single source of fodder, has been impacted by increasing pressure on land and the replacement of traditional cereal crops, especially coarse ones. Crop residue includes coarse and fine straws, leguminous and pulses straws.

Given the importance of food and cash crops, it is very unlikely that the area under fodder cultivation will increase substantially, the parliamentary committee report said.

"If India fails to achieve substantial production growth, the country would need to resort to significant imports from the world market which has the potential to cause prices to spurt since India is a large consumer," said 2015 SOIL report To cut costs, easy access to fodder is important for small farmers Feed cost constitutes about 6070 per cent of operating expenses on dairy farms. Nearly 70 per cent of India's milk production comes from small and marginal farmers, who depend on homegrown fodder. Unlike

big operators like Mishra, they cannot afford to buy fodder from other states.

Take the case of Dundappa Patil, a 10th-class pass from Belagavi in North Karnataka, who took a loan of Rs 35,000 for dairy farming eight years ago.

The process of applying and getting a loan for the enterprise was simple and quick because Patil was covered by a scheme for unemployed youth in Karnataka. He went through a crash course in dairy farming in Belagavi and in less than a month, set up business with four buffalo.

Patil's target was to sell 20 litres of milk every day to a local cooperative society. But the yield per buffalo on Patil's farm was less than 2 litres a day; his buffalo produced less than half the milk he hoped they would.

"I realised that just buying a good buffalo was not enough, quality and quantity of fodder too had to be good," he said. "You have to be ready to spend a lot of time and money on sourcing fodder."

Patil said he and other villagers were using a common pasture on a

hill 5 km from the village. "But that is seasonal and not enough for the all the village cattle," he said.

So, he tried buying the fodder, but then the business did not look viable.

The contribution of livestock to the incomes of landless and small farmers ranges between 20-50 per cent, and the poorer the family, the greater the potential of dairy farming's contribution to livelihood, according to the SOIL report.

Unlike agriculture, which tends to be seasonal, dairy farming provides returns through the year. It can minimise the risks agricultural households face when they run short of cash.

In Belagavi, that scenario did not work for Patil because he could not overcome the fodder shortage -- an issue India must address if it is to be self-sufficient in milk and dairy farming is to succeed.

Eventually, after a year, Patil sold the buffalo and repaid half the loan.

The bank waived the rest after failing to recover it. Today, he is a construction worker in Belagavi city.

saturdaY 25•02•2017

WORLD

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

9

Philippine law enforcers arrest VX nerve agent killed North Korean Duterte’s critic on drug charges leader’s half brother: Malaysian cop VX kills in minutes Reuters

A still image from a CCTV footage appears to show (circled) a man purported to be Kim Jong Nam being accosted by a woman in a white shirt at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia on February 13. (ReuteRs tV Photo)

KUALA LUMPUR, FebRUARy 24 (ReUteRs): VX, the chemical used in the airport murder of Kim Jong Nam, is one of the deadliest chemical weapons created by man. Just 10 milligrams of the nerve agent or a single drop is enough to kill in minutes, experts say.

With the texture and feel of engine oil, VX was first produced in the United Kingdom in the 1950s. It can cause convulsions, loss of consciousness, paralysis and respiratory failure in minutes.

Its only known use is as a chemical warfare agent: VX is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations.

“You can think of VX as being a pesticide on steroids, this is an extraordinarily toxic substance,” said Bruce Bennett, a specialist in North East Asian security issues at the California-based RAND Corp.

“Roughly 1/100th of a gram, a third of a drop, on someone’s skin, will kill them.”

Malaysian police said on Friday that VX was found on the body of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged halfbrother of North Korean leader

Kim Jong UN. Police said they were investigating whether the VX was brought into the country - and how that was done - or concocted inside the country.

VX and other nerve agents were believed to have been used in chemical warfare during the IranIraq War in the 1980s.

Sarin gas was used in Syria, killing hundreds in deadly attacks in 2013, while a mix of Sarin and VX was used by members of a Japanese doomsday cult in their deadly 1995 attack on a Tokyo subway.

THIRD-LARGEST STOCKPILE North Korea is believed to have the world’s third-largest stockpile of chemical weapons, according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative project, which analyses weapons of mass destruction.

North Korea is one of only six countries in the world that have not signed a global chemical weapons convention that prohibits the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons.

Pyongyang has denied it has chemical weapons.

VX, the chemical used in the airport murder Kim Jong Nam, is one of the deadliest chemical weapons created by man. Just 10 milligrams of the nerve agent or a single drop enough to kill in minutes, experts say. With the texture and feel of engine oil, VX was first produced in the United Kingdom in the 1950s. It can cause convulsions, loss of consciousness, paralysis and respiratory failure in minutes. Its only known use is as a chemical warfare agent: VX is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations.

“You can think of VX as being a pesticide on steroids, this is an extraordinarily toxic substance.

Roughly 1/100th of a gram, a third of a drop, on someone’s skin, will kill them,” said Bruce Bennet, defense researcher at California-based RAND Corporation. VX and other nerve agents were believed to have been used in chemical warfare during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s.

In 2015, traces of VX and sarin - another nerve agent - were found at a military research site in Syria that had not been declared to the global chemical weapons watchdog.

South Korean defence officials have estimated that Pyongyang has between 2,500 and 5,000 tonnes of chemical weapons in stockpiles.

South Korean analysts have identified Sarin and VX as the focus of a North Korean chemical weapons program.

But VX is known to be much more potent than Sarin and other nerve agents because of its persistency. Sarin evaporates from the skin surface but VX does not.

The chemical is hard to produce but a few countries are known to make it and remain in possession of it. The United States and Russia still have some VX stockpiles.

AIRPORT SECURITY VX is toxic through skin contact but much more lethal in gaseous form. Symptoms after contact with VX in vapour form will appear within a few seconds, and within a few minutes to up to 18 hours after exposure to the liquid form, said John Allum of forensic science firm Hawkins.

People may not even know they have been exposed to VX as it is tasteless and odourless. In fact, it is unlikely to have been detected by

HARD TO PRODUCE Sarin gas was used in Syria, killing hundreds in deadly attacks in 2013, and by members of a Japanese doomsday cult in their deadly 1995 attack on a Tokyo subway.

But VX is known to be much more potent than sarin and other nerve agents because of its persistency. Sarin evaporates from the skin surface but VX does not. The chemical is hard to produce but a few countries are known to make it and remain in possession of it.

The United States and Russia still have some VX stockpile. South Korean analysts have identified sarin and VX as the focus of a North Korean chemical weapons program.

Pyongyang has denied that.

Symptoms after contact with VX in vapour form will appear within a few seconds, and within a few minutes to up to 18 hours after exposure to the liquid form, Allum said. VX is considered to be much more toxic by entry through the skin and somewhat more toxic by inhalation. Any visible VX liquid contact on the skin, unless washed off immediately, is believed to be lethal, according to the U.S. government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. airport security or sensors if it had been brought in small amounts.

VX can be transported in sealed containers, without affecting the person holding the chemical, experts say. It is also possible to survive some exposure to VX, if immediate medical attention is provided or if it is washed off quickly.

Malaysian police say two women are believed to have attacked Kim Jong Nam, using their bare hands to wipe his face with a liquid. The women were then instructed to wash their hands off afterwards.

North Korea unsuccessfully tried to prevent an autopsy on the body, accusing Malaysia of working with South Korean and other “hostile forces.” Pyongyang has said Malaysia should be held responsible for killing one of its citizens, though it has not acknowledged the victim is Kim Jong Un’s half-brother.

The two women and a North Korean have been detained in Kuala Lumpur. Police are searching for seven other North Koreans, four of whom are believed to have fled to Pyongyang.

Trump wants to make sure US nuke arsenal at top of the pack WAsHINGtON, FebRUARy 24 (ReUteRs): President Donald Trump said on Thursday he wants to ensure the U.S. nuclear arsenal is at the “top of the pack,” saying the United States has fallen behind in its weapons capacity.

In a Reuters interview, Trump also said China could solve the national security challenge posed by North Korea “very easily if they want to,” ratcheting up pressure on Beijing to exert more influence to rein in Pyongyang’s increasingly bellicose actions.

Trump also expressed support for the European Union as a governing body, saying “I’m totally in favour of it,” and for the first time as president expressed a preference for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but said he would be satisfied with whatever makes the two sides happy.

Trump also predicted his efforts to pressure NATO allies to pay more for their own defence and ease the burden on the U.S. budget would reap dividends.

“They owe a lot of money,” he said.

In his first comments about the U.S. nuclear arsenal since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump was asked about a December tweet in which he said the United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capacity “until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes.”

Trump said in the interview he would like to see a world with no nuclear weapons but expressed

concern that the United States has “fallen behind on nuclear weapon capacity.”

“I am the first one that would like to see ... nobody have nukes, but we’re never going to fall behind any country even if it’s a friendly country, we’re never going to fall behind on nuclear power.

“It would be wonderful, a dream would be that no country would have nukes, but if countries are going to have nukes, we’re going to be at the top of the pack,” Trump said.

Russia has 7,000 warheads and the United States, 6,800, according to the Ploughshares Fund, an anti-nuclear group.

“Russia and the United States have far more weapons than is necessary to deter nuclear attack by the other or by another nuclear-armed country,” said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the independent Arms Control Association non-profit group.

The new strategic arms limitation treaty, known as New START, between the United States and Russia requires that by February 5, 2018, both countries must limit their arsenals of strategic nuclear weapons to equal levels for 10 years.

The treaty permits both countries to have no more than 800 deployed and non-deployed land-based intercontinental and submarine-launched ballistic missile launchers and heavy bombers equipped to carry nuclear weapons, and contains equal limits on other nuclear weapons.

Analysts have ques-

MANILA, FebRUARy 24 (ReUteRs): A Philippines Senator and staunch critic of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs was arrested on Friday after charges were filed in court alleging she received money from drug dealers inside the country’s prisons. Senator Leila de Lima, her former driver and bodyguard and a former national prison official were ordered to be arrested by a local court after a judge found merit in criminal charges filed by the Department of Justice last week.

“The truth will come out and I will achieve justice. I am innocent,” she told reporters shortly before law enforcers escorted her away from her office. She is facing two more drug-related charges in the same court. De Lima, a human rights lawyer before joining government, says the charges are a vendetta against her after she last year led a Senate probe into alleged extrajudicial killings during Duterte’s antidrugs crackdown.

On Tuesday she described Duterte as a “sociopathic serial killer” and urged his cabinet to declare him unfit to rule because he had a “criminal mind”. “These are all lies,” De Lima said, adding the charges will not silence her. According to complaint filed at a regional trial court, de Lima received 5 million Philippine pesos ($99,850) delivered by the former prison official to her home when she was justice minister between 2010 and 2016.

The criminal cases filed against the senator and two others are non-bailable.

Duterte’s chief legal counsel, Salvador

Philippine Senator Leila de Lima is escorted by the Senate’s security personnel after a Regional Trial Court (RTC) ordered her arrest, at the Senate headquarters in Pasay city, metro Manila, Philippines on February 23. (ReuteRs Photo)

Panelo said in a statement on Thursday de Lima should “welcome this development as she is now given the opportunity to refute any and all allegations and/or evidence to be presented by the prosecution against her.”

About 7,700 people have died in the drug crackdown, with more than 2,500 people killed in operations when streetlevel drug peddlers resist arrest and fight back, according to police. De Lima was removed by Duterte’s allies as head of the investigation into extrajudicial killings and just days later came under investigation herself in a congressional inquiry in which witnesses testified to her having pivotal role in the narcotics trade.

GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND

DIRECTORATE OF SCHOOL EDUCATION NAGALAND: KOHIMA

No.ED/SCH/RIMC/EE/2012-13

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Dated 30thJan 2017

entrance examination for Admission to Class VIII in Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehradun, for January 2018 term will be conducted on 1st(thru) and 2ndJune 2017.

1. Only boys are eligible to apply for admission to the RIMC, Dehradun.

Candidates appearing for the above test should not be less than 111/2 yrs (eleven and half) in age but should not have been attained the age of 13 yrs as on 01 Jan 2018 i.e. they should not be born earlier than 2ndJan 2005 and not later than 1stJuly 2006.

2. Candidates should either be studying in class VII or Pass Class VII from any recognised school at the time of admission to the RIMC i.e. 1stJan 2018.

3. the written part of the examination will consist of three papers namely english and Mathematics (on 1stJune 2017) and General Knowledge (on 2ndJune 2017). the Oral interview will be held for only those candidates who qualify in the written exam and the date for interview will be intimated to them by early sept 2017.

4. Application form and Prospectus and old Question papers can be obtained by speed post by sending a written request with an account payee Bank Demand Draft of Rs. 490/- for General Candidate and Rs. 435 for ST/SC candidates along with certificate. The Demand Draft will be made in favour of tHe COMMANDANt, RIMC DeHRADuN, DRAWee BRANCH, stAte BANK OF INDIA, teL BHAVAN, DeHRADuN, (BANK CODe -01576) uttARKHAND. 5. Applications forms along with three Passport size photograph should reach the Directorate of School Education on or before 31st March 2017. Certificates of age (in duplicate) from the school record or Municipal Board should be submitted along with the application.

(WONTHUNGO TSOPOE) Addl. Director (HoD) Issued by: DIPR

GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND

DIRECTORATE OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION KOHIMA: NAGALAND

NOTIFICATION

U.S. President Donald Trump is interviewed by Reuters in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 23, 2017. REUTERS

tioned whether Trump wants to abrogate New START or would begin deploying other warheads.

In the interview, Trump called New START “a onesided deal.”

“Just another bad deal that the country made, whether it’s START, whether it’s the Iran deal ... We’re going to start making good deals,” he said.

“WE’RE VERY ANGRY” The United States is in the midst of a $1 trillion, 30-year modernization of its ageing ballistic missile submarines, bombers and land-based missiles.

Trump also complained that the Russian deployment of a groundbased cruise missile is in violation of a 1987 treaty that bans land-based American and Russian intermediaterange missiles.

“To me it’s a big deal,” said Trump, who has held out the possibility of warmer U.S. relations with Russia.

Asked if he would raise the issue with Putin, Trump said he would do so “if and when we meet.” He said he had no meetings scheduled as of yet with Putin.

Speaking from behind his desk in the Oval Office, Trump expressed concern about North Korea’s ballistic missile tests and said accelerating a missile defence system for U.S. allies Japan and South Korea was among many options available.

“There’s talks of a lot more than that,” Trump said, when asked about the missile defence system.

“We’ll see what happens.

But it’s a very dangerous situation, and China can end it very quickly in my

opinion.”

China has made clear that it opposes North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs and has repeatedly called for denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and a return to negotiations between Pyongyang and world powers.

But efforts to change Pyongyang’s behaviour through sanctions have historically failed, largely because of China’s fear that severe measures could trigger a collapse of the North Korean state and send refugees streaming across their border.

Trump did not completely rule out possibly meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at some point in the future under certain circumstances but suggested it might be too late.

NO.Dte/eXAM/6/2011-12: Prescribed application form of Diploma entrance examination for admission to 3-year Diploma courses within the state during the session 2017-18 will be issued from the office of the undersigned with effect from 1st March 2017 during office hours on all working days at a cost of Rs.200/- (Rupees two hundred) only per application form. Candidates who have appeared HSLC/HSSLC final examination of 2017 are also eligible to apply for the Diploma entrance examination 2017– however they have to submit all necessary documents within the stipulated time period set by the Department and fulfill all criteria for selection to study of Diploma programmes.

Last date for submission of filled application form in the office of the undersigned is 28th March 2017.

Application form may also be downloaded from the website at http:// www.dtenagaland.org.in in which case the fee of Rs. 200/- (Rupees two hundred) only may be deposited while submitting the form.

Programmes offered in the Polytechnics:Sl. Name of Institute No. 1 Khelhoshe Polytechnic, Atoizu, Zunheboto

2 Institute of Communication & Information technology, Mokokchung 3 Government Polytechnic, Kohima

Programmes offered

Required Minimum Educational Qualification

Civil engineering electronics & electrical engineering Mechanical (i) HsLC/10+ passed with engineering Automobile minimum aggregate of 45% engineering in Mathematics & science Computer engineering electronics & (ii) Secured Pass Marks in Communication both Mathematics & science engineering subjects Information technology Computer science & engineering Civil engineering Modern Office Practice HssLC/12+ passed with Fashion Design & minimum aggregate of 40% Apparel production (Er. Arjun Singh) Director

Issued by:DIPR

SaturDaY 25•02•2017

public discourse

10

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

VIOLENCE AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT: REVOLUTIONARIES OR MOBS Robert A. Silverstein

O

n February 22, 2017, in The Morung Express, the Nagaland Post, and the Eastern Mirror, an article

by Nukhosa Chuzho appeared. It was titled, “Fide Non Armis,” according to the author meaning, “by faith, not arms,” and is the motto of the Naga People’s Front (NPF).

It is a lengthy and ambitious article, addressing the author’s views of what has transpired the last few weeks in relation to the issue of women’s representation on ULBs, and attempts to assign blame and makes suggestions on what should happen in the future. It also discusses the relationship between the state government, the people of the state, and the Government of India (GoI).

I’m only interested in addressing two quotes of the author’s, both seemingly logical when read by themselves, but together express a confusion that is at the foundation of so much of what, in my opinion, is seriously wrong with Nagaland.

The first quote is: “… [I]f the mistake of crushing the genuine apprehensions of the ruled (who have the right to lodge their complaints to the rulers) persists, then it is deliberately instigated by the rulers at the cost of the ruled, who has every right to rise against the established system in the form of movements, revolutions, or

in extreme degree, civil wars. Leaders ought to patiently read the signals that the people communicate to them intermittently.”

In the next paragraph the author goes on to compare the causes of the French Revolution that led to the overthrow of the French Court of Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette, and their execution, with the alleged wrongs of the present Nagaland state government. I am familiar with the latter accusations, as I have been following the articles in the major Nagaland newspapers for many months now, and certainly think some of them are serious. But I can’t help feeling, after researching the causes of the French Revolution, that the analogy is not a good one, if for no other reasons than that Nagaland is a state within a nation, India, and it has a working court and political system, although admittedly ones that are imperfect.

But on to the second quote: “…

Mobism is hard to be tamed. Nevertheless it should not be taken as an excuse for arson, destruction of public assets and hence polluting a social environment with fear and vengeance. Reducing magnificent structures to ashes in a matter of minutes without much remorse by mobs caught the attention of many right thinkers. While peaceful agitation to convey our plights to the government is envisaged, at the same time, engag-

Sin of slang words Vebu Khamo

N

Seoul Christian University

agas are fortunate to have English as one of the basic form of communication. English, of course, is a rich language but the abrasive misuse of this language by so-called modern people comes in plenty. The use of “modern slang” may sound impressive or cool in the ears of many people but truthfully, it tells us of how low and wicked humans have become.

The world of social media has open up platforms for every individual to speak out their thoughts and opinions about events and important news.The freedom of speech is granted but the corruption of this expression in speaking all kinds of evil derogatory remarks reveals the depraved condition of a society.

Of late, the young Nagas, I suppose, have contributed a whole lot of ideas about the political mess in our state. Some have given quite remarkable insights into our problems and discussed succinctly of all that’s gone wrong but there are this whole bunch of voices that do nothing but murder the image of others and themselves! It’s quite like the stench of leaking toilet and it’s totally unpleasant! This may sound harsh but in venting out your anger or frustration through offensive speeches, you are only expressing the rottenness that lies deep within. Jesus said, “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” The Bible calls it “empty words” and this sin will condemn you on the final judgment day (Matthew 12:36, 37).

It’s important to inculcate decency and proper use of language in voicing out to the public domain. In learning, it is noble and wise to choose the brighter and hopeful way of using words to correct, rebuke, encourage and motivate people to do right and not contrariwise. Remember the stern warning of Jesus, “Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister ‘Raca,’ (An Aramaic term of contempt) is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell (Matthew 5:22).

F

ing in vandalism thereby trespassing the democratic limit of expressing our resentment need to be pondered by both leaders and private citizens.”

Now what is the reader to make of the two quotes? The first argues that there may be the basis here in Nagaland for “movements, revolutions, or… civil wars.” That is, after all, why the author brought up the analogy of the causes of the French Revolution, which was very bloody (one part of the revolutionary period in France was called “The Terror,” and was the basis for Dickens’s “A Tale of Two Cities,” the latter of which includes scenes of the guillotining of substantial numbers of the citizens of France).

The second quote condemns much of the vandalism of the last few weeks in Nagaland under the statewide bandh. Admittedly, the author does not include the deaths of the people shot by the police. In relation to that, he states, “Liquidation and inflicting injuries on its own subject contravened the core ideal of the party. It is by faith that the people draws [sic] close to the party, not by arms; it is by faith that the people elects [sic] their leaders, not by arms; and it is by faith that the government functions, not by arms.”

“Liquidation” is a very strong word, more appropriate if the government fired at the crowd with machine guns with the clear intent of

wiping all of them out. Since the Judicial Investigation Committee has yet to be formed, more less come to any conclusions as to what specifically happened the night of January 31st, it is highly inappropriate to draw any conclusions on the cause of the incident where the men died, and certainly does not merit the term “liquidation.”

But the immediately above is an aside. The main quote directly above the immediately preceding paragraph serves as a good beginning to clarify the two main quotes at the beginning of the article. Yes, it is by faith that people join a party and elect its leaders, but is not by faith that the government functions.

The government functions because all citizens, those who were elected and those who elected them, have agreed (in political science lingo, it’s called a “social contract”) to obey the law. That’s the way a civilized state functions, because the people obey the law that they all agreed to obey, whether they like the law or not. If the people don’t like the law, the law generally provides ways to change the specific law that is unpopular.

Which gets us closer to the heart of the matter. One should resort to breaking the law, up to and including revolutionary overthrow of the established government, when there is clearly no recourse to us-

ing the established law to attempt to change the laws you don’t like. If people felt they had the right to resort to force to change a law every time the other members of society followed the law and put in place a law some of the others did not like, there would be no law, there would be chaos, which, by the way, is what we had in Kohima the last few weeks.

You see, the NMA used the law to get a law passed that it wanted and those opposed to the law chose not to use the law, that is, the courts, to fight the NMA, but chose to use intimidation, coercion, and violence to get what they wanted. And they won, for now.

But, really, Nagaland lost. To use violence to get your way should be a LAST RESORT, after you have tried every legal way possible to change a law you don’t like, and even then, illegal force should only be used if the law you do not like goes to the heart of the society and revolutionary violence is warranted, which should be very rarely.

So as readers, you should be focusing on all the thousands of laws that we all obey, from driving on the left side of the road, to the laws that allow the prime minister to drag the people into a war. They are all in the same category, the law, period. And you should keep in mind that to casually break the law because your state government is so weak it lets you get away with it does not make it right,

nor is it in the best long-term interest of the state. If you want to live in chaos, that’s your choice. But if you want to join the majority of the world and live in a world of laws, you should reserve law-breaking for the clear moments when things are so bad that revolution is the only solution. (The one exception to this rule is civil disobedience, that is, breaking a law, allowing yourself to be arrested for breaking what the law-breaker argues is an unjust law, with the hope that the wider public will be sympathetic and assist you in eliminating the unjust law, using the legal tools available to do so.)

The author tried to address both a revolutionary situation and one that was not so, and he could not make up his mind which view of things applied to the present situation. The state government is alleged to have done many things that have hurt its citizens, and done it illegally, but you are a part of a nation, and that nation has a constitution which provides protections, and it is the obligation of every citizen to utilize that system if he or she can. Only when the system has clearly failed you and the government has done things that shock the conscience of the people (think of the situation in Syria, where peaceful demonstrators were shot, arrested and tortured, and/or murdered), at that point and that point only, should you consider criminality.

Annals of Christianity in Ukhrul District of Manipur *Pamkhuila Shaiza

C

hristian conversion in colonial era was never an outcome of intellectual appeal; rather, it was an appeal to a new social-economic system that empowers people towards cultural re-invention, thereby syncing with the western ways of life. Although Christian missionaries failed in other Hindu dominated areas of India during the British Imperialistic regime, they had striking success in many tribal regions of North-East India, including the present state of Manipur. One major success was among the Tangkhul tribe, where conversion from their primal religion to Christianity became their manifested step towards forming "new life and culture" in the lines of the Western countries.

For the Tangkhuls, the Christian faith was 'allowed' to be propagated based on social allegiance between the Scottish Missionary, William Pettigrew (1869-1943), and the Hunphun (Ukhrul Headquarter) Chief Raihao (1830-1905). The first phase of Christianity was marked by individual assent as the main form towards conversion to new Christian faith. There was no forced conversion of the surrounding weaker villages or chiefs, since the Hunphun Chief Raihao himself never converted to Christianity (or more so because there was no such compulsion to adhere to another powerful village's customs). Although conversion to Christianity started as an individual and personal conviction at the outset, following Christianity has now become a public act involving the entire society. In many ways, following Christianity has become a binding custom among the contemporary Tangkhuls. "Identifi-

cation with the Church" is now the distinguishing feature of the Tangkhul community, forming a conformed custom to organize society.

Conversion to Christianity involved undergoing the ceremony of baptism that allows them to be accepted inside the Christian fold.

Many were still struggling to learn rudimentary alphabets, and their convictions to convert to Christianity got manifested through oral sermons of Pettigrew. The first Christian conversion happened in 1901, when 12 Tangkhuls converted to Christianity, thereby receiving their baptism at Ngayira Spring Pond (Ngayira Rakhong). They include: Hollei Rumthao, Sangmayang Kashung, Ramkaiphang Samrar, Leishisan Shaiza, Maninglum Kashung, Mangaleng Shaiza, Sakhayang Awungashi Shimray, Shangam Kasar, Kaphungkui Chiphang, Haora Mahongnao, Mashokring Kasomhung, and Thiksha Shokchui Kapai. Their conversion has been regarded as the birth of Christianity and the birth of Phungyo Baptist Church at Ukhrul Headquarter.

For these early converts, motive towards conversion come in various forms, including personal conviction; convinced through the demonstrations of spiritual power; the need to change their social status; and improvement of professional and economic positions. Change of heart among these converts however remain doubtful, since many of them were reported to have continued to follow their old traditional culture. Among the prominent culture followed by the converts, maintenance of mohawk hairstyle (Hao Kuiret), brewing and drinking rice beer (Khor), attending traditionaleducational schools (Longshim),

and participating in the death ritual ceremony (Kathi Kasham) remained popular. The western missionaries were against such culture, making the early Tangkhul Christian Converts to forgo this unique and prized culture, and follow the ethics and customs manifested in the Western-Christian norms. By 1915, Pettigrew had made a rapid headway among the Tangkhuls where conversions were growing at a rapid rate. He reported that there was no organized Church in Manipur, except the one at Ukhrul (Phungyo Baptist Church), during this time, attesting that Phungyo Baptist Church was the first Christian Church of Manipur.

Through Pettigrew's wife, Alice Goreham Pettigrew's efforts and prayers, many women were also inducted into Christian faith after the first ten women were baptized in 1910. They include Sanamla Ragui, Mahongai Rumthao, Horngaila/ Harngaila Singnaisui, Lanotla Samrar, Charoni Ngakang, Ngalew Ngakang, Kasuni Ngakang, Shareila Muirung, Lasengla Kasomwoshi, and Mikngaola Shingnaisui. Alice's service of 27 years as Mission Middle School Headmistress, and her efforts of many years to spread western education, empowerment among women, and Christianity culminated towards establishing the Women Society of Phungyo Baptist Church on 31st August, 1917.

The rise in Christian population also led to the establishment of Christian Endeavour or CE (for Youth) by William Pettigrew on 7th July, 1910.

Christian youth leaders and young people are seen as launching and fulfilling the much needed reforms in terms of the younger generations becoming more active in the

church, and emphasizing that they are the wave of the future. Through reforms, they find sense of political power in their religious activities, and in channeling innate power among the youngsters.

Since Protestant Reformation in 1517, the Christian Protestant Sect has always yield to the growth of many other forms and norms of worshiping. Within the Baptist Protestant Sect, Manipur saw different form of worshiping through the “rise of revivalism” among the Kukis first, when they witnessed it in Mizoram in 1922, and introduced it to Tongkoi Church at Sadar Hills (Manipur). Four Tangkhul men who are attributed to have introduced revivalism activity among the Tangkhuls reportedly saw it in Tongkoi Church. These men – Ruichumhao Rungsung, Ninghei Luikham, Miksha Kashung Shimray, and Thisan Luikham introduced it at Somdal Baptist Church and at Phungyo Baptist Church in 1923.

The spread of education and religion made many Tangkhul villages to start building churches, including Phungyo Baptist Church. The church, which is the social unit centre of the Christians was deemed vital to be constructed by the church members. The first Phungyo Baptist Church building in particular was constructed with mud walls (fixed with fodder), and tin roofs (constructed between 1927-1934). The church building remained in good structural form, until it was left in ruins by the air raid of the British Allied Force in search of Japanese Axis Force during the Second World War. The church was re-constructed and rebuilt only after the Japanese left Ukhrul by October, 1944. The present (standing) Phungyo Baptist

Church was constructed from 1959 onward. Inaugurated on 7th February, 1977 by Kanrei Shaiza, the church was constructed with the help of various people, including the church members, and 33 Indian Army Engineers who helped raised the steeple. Women, the main workforce of Tangkhul society, gave their labour vehemently in this construction, in terms of carrying stones, fetching water, and grinding stones (for sand) with mortar and pestle until the completion of the church.

Since the initial conversion from 1901, the church has always been considered as a unifying unit of the Tangkhul society, and the church leaders have always been the recognized lot among the community, trusting them for moral and leadership guidance. However, in modern contemporary Tangkhul Christian society, questions regarding their true Christian grit remain debatable. The power hungry leaders' quest for recognition and economic gain has made the Tangkhul Baptist churches to become highly divisive in nature.

Church leaders are now propagandistic, opportunistic, and power hungry in nature, bringing in schismatic actions that have disfigured the annals of progressive Tangkhul spiritual growth. The followers in the meantime blindly follow the leaders' intolerant, unpleasant, radical, deceitful, and hypocritical activities. Since Christianity is now the defining culture of the Tangkhuls, the community should scrutinize and stand for progressive reformation seeking to affect the present and future in ways that shape people, institutions, and events along the lines of ultimate values. *Freelancer

Can this be a beginning?

Z. Lohe

or the first time in the history of the State of Nagaland and in its 54th year of existence, a Chief Minister was removed from office by the power of the general public. The former Chief Minister TR Zeliang was ousted by the ordinary people, the common man. The power that smoked out the former Chief Minister of Nagaland from his rat hole is the real and ultimate power that exclusively lies with the people. With that power, the people of Nagaland have created history and more histories can further be created with the same power. The simple reason for his removal is the people of Nagaland are just tired of the way how the DAN Govt. has been treating the common man with the mandate of the people all through these years. The people refused to tolerate the illtreatments of the popular Govt. in every respect and not only ULB issue though that became the flashpoint.

Nevertheless, what the people of Nagaland rejected today was the creation of Nagas of Nagaland themselves. What we call mismanagements as bad roads, bad health system, dete-

riorated education system, siphoning developmental funds, non-release of salaries of Govt. employees, nepotism, favouritism, lawlessness, destruction of established systems of governance, lack of accountability to public and successive stories of failures under DAN Govt. are the choice of majority. All what we call it unacceptable today were considered the best and wiser decisions 4 years ago.

When Nagaland is found developmentally stagnated, when we realized that our basic rights are allowed to be infringed, when our due shares from State Govt. are denied, when the major stakeholders are treated as secondary and when most of the decisions of the Govt. are found detrimental to the sons of the soil, only then we are now blaming the people in authority. We are passing the buck to decision makers for whatever mess we are in in Nagaland as though we, the mass, had not committed any wrong.

We have placed ourselves in the sight of the people of the country as corrupt, uncivilized, barbarous, greedy and unreliable which are all antithesis to the Gospel of Christ. Needless to say that the voters are respon-

sible for all the mess. The voters are responsible for the vicious cycle. Yet, no voter may like to admit that he/she is responsible for the mess. In other words, there is no realization. And I do not believe that any voter has regret today. In case, there is regret there can be hope meaning one may not repeat the regrettable action in future.

Whereas, had it been in other States where there is rule of law, those authorities, be it politician or bureaucrats who involved in such magnitude of rice scam, fuel adulteration, illegal appointments or any degree of abuse of power will be appropriately punished as per law. Whereas, in Nagaland the laws are kept as decorative items which decorates the corner where it is positioned and are simply good to look at. The Laws in Nagaland are toothless tiger which bites none. Not to speak of respect or fear of law, rather people are hardly aware of the existence of laws in Nagaland today. No law in Nagaland is strong and efficient enough to bring any wrong doer to book. Particularly to people in authority there is no law in the State as they are free to do anything they like without encum-

brance at people’s expense.

Nagaland is indeed a magical place as whenever CBI, the most fearsome investigation agency, comes to investigate any case, it simply becomes malleable. I mentioned it earlier that CBI comes to Nagaland as lion and departs as pussy cat quoting from the past instances. What law or authority can tame people of Nagaland?

What does it mean by rule of law? In October, 1998 the Indian High Commission official at Wellington, New Zealand told me two true stories. A High Court Judge in New Zealand travelled by air in executive class was dismissed from service. The Judge was entitled to economy class air travel but not executive class whereas he violated the rule causing extra amount of monetary loss to Exchequer and thus he had to be punished as per law of the land. The law of the land does not know who is great or small in that small but very rich country. The law of New Zealand knows only the difference between who keeps the law and who violates the law. Secondly, the lady Prime Minister of New Zealand Mrs. Siply at that time used to do her marketing all

alone like any other ordinary citizen in the vegetable market without attracting attention of people and used to chat with fellow marketers over a cup of tea from roadside vendor. The law in that Island country gives protection to honest, ignorant, simple and law fearing citizens who do not need anxiety for personal security. So long as a citizen is law abiding he/she is secured in the country. This is the beauty of the rule of law.

What the deposed Chief Minister TR Zeliang stated in his last letter addressed to NTAC saying that all what were the decisions of his Govt. were ‘taken collectively’ was true.

Yet, he being the head, he had to face the wrath of the people and thus his Chief Minister ship came to an unprecedented tragic end. Can the removal of TR Zeliang from public office by people be a beginning in the land of Christians? Can this precedent be used as the common yardstick for all classes of people in Nagaland? Can this precedent as a yardstick be used impartially and rationally against any wrong doer from any tribe irrespective of minor or major henceforth? Can the precedent be applied to both

politicians and bureaucrats alike? Can this yardstick make the contractors and suppliers become more responsible?

We do dream about better Naga society than what is existing. That better society can be borne by reformation. The removal of former CM TR Zeliang by movement of people was an act of reformation. Yet, the absence of TR Zeliang in CMO is not the panacea to Nagaland’s ailments. Nagaland has to be reformed, and it requires major operation. That operation cannot be performed by anybody except by voters. When any ordinary voter is asked whether change in Nagaland is required, the response is obvious ‘yes’. But the saddest thing is he or she wants change from others and not from himself or herself. Unless each voter changes his or her mindset, change never comes. Yet our gullible voters mass will go back to square one at the right time because of the fact that people were angry with TR Zeliang but not with themselves.

People may be feeling relaxed now since the bandhs, closure of Govt. offices and restriction of the movement of Govt. registered vehicles are lifted by JCC and NTAC. People may be satisfied that Na-

galand is reformed, better Naga society is re-established since all the sins of Nagaland Govt. were carried away by TR Zeliang. Yet, No, it is never. Massive tasks are lying ahead of us. The question is who will come forward to use the removal of the former CM as the steppingstone for bringing change in Nagaland? Here lies the opportunity as 2018 is at the doorstep. Yet, my belief is as we draw closer to 2018, the enthusiasm for change so built under JCC and NTAC will fizzle out and allow ourselves to be drowned in the melee of my party, your party, my candidate and your candidate and your range and my range whereby victimising TR Zeliang becomes the forgotten episode. People did that to TR Zeliang and more injustice will be done to him if the same yardstick is not applied to anyone who has committed similar mistake. The action of the people in removing TR Zeliang from Chief Minister’s chair will become discriminatory, tribalistic and irrational should the tribal organisations, JCC and NTAC fail to treat everybody equally hereafter. Here lies the challenge that the people do justice to everyone when the necessity arises.

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.

Saturday 25•02•2017

EntErtainmEnt

Deepika denies remake of ‘Mr & Mrs Smith’

D

eepika Padukone won’t be a part of the Hindi remake of the Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie-starrer action-comedy Mr & Mrs Smith (2005). Right now she is only doing Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period drama titled Padmavati. Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh also star in the SLB film.

Buzz is that the Hindi remake of Mr & Mrs Smith will have Sidharth Malhotra opposite Deepika in the male lead playing Mr Smith. The Hollywood film was directed

by Doug Liman and showed Pitt and Jolie as an uppermiddle class married couple who learns that in real life they are assassins belonging to competing agencies, and have been assigned to kill each other.

Earlier, it was also reported that Deepika will be walking the red carpet at Oscars this year, but the actress refuted those reports as well, while hinting that she may not be attending the Academy Awards this time.

Calvin Harris drops sizzling new track ‘Slide’ featuring Migos & Frank Ocean

C

alvin Harris, 33, delivered his promise and dropped a sizzling new track featuring Frank Ocean, 29, and Migos on Feb. 23. “Slide� is the first original song from the DJ this year, and it surpassed all expectations. With Frank’s smooth voice and Quavo and Offset‘s lyrical prowess, the song has all the elements of a major hit! Calvin took to Twitter to make the announcement alongside the caption, “Slide ft. Frank Ocean & Migos is out everywhere now.� The song has an island vibe, catchy beat and dope flow, so fans can’t get enough!

After hearing the new single, Calvin was flooded with supportive messages, some of which he re-tweeted.

One fan wrote, “I didn’t know i needed @Migos and frank ocean with these summer vibesđ&#x;˜Šđ&#x;˜Šđ&#x;˜Šđ&#x;˜Šđ&#x;˜Šđ&#x;˜Šđ&#x;˜Šđ&#x;˜Šđ&#x;˜Šđ&#x;˜Šđ&#x;˜Šđ&#x;˜Šđ&#x;˜Šđ&#x;˜Šđ&#x;˜Šđ&#x;˜Š @CalvinHarris,â€? while another hilariously added, “‘Slide’ x @CalvinHarris ft. @ Migos & Frank Ocean makes me feel like I actually have plans for the weekend & have people keeping tabs on me.â€? It’s definitely the perfect song for an adventurous night on the town!

Frank made it clear that he “appears courtesy of Frank Ocean,� confirming that he’s still an unsigned artist

following the release of his last studio album, Blonde, with his company Boys Don’t Cry. We love that he lent his superb vocals for this future charttopping banger. Late last month, Calvin shared snippets of an epic upcoming collaboration. “Ill post liner notes for all my songs in 2017 detailing each instrument played so u can recreate my songs live in the comfort of ur own home,� he told his almost 10 million followers. The DJ previously revealed that he plans to release some “incredible music� this year, and he’s definitely off to a great start!

Source: HollywoodLife

Ed Sheeran says Harry Styles working on quality music

S

inger Ed Sheeran says former One Direction member Harry Styles is working on music which will "show him off as an artist and a singer".

While there's no word on when the record will be out, Sheeran - who is a close friend of Styles - hinted that it could be sooner than people think while talking to Heat, reports mirror.co.uk.

He said: "I've heard a little

bit. I've heard a little. It really shows him off as an artist and a singer, which is what it was always going to be.

"I can't say too much about it as it's not my project, and I've got no idea when it's coming out. It's quality." There's no official word on when Styles's album will be released. Before his music comes out, Styles will make his debut in World War II movie "Dunkirk".

Source: DNA

Now ShowiNg

Matt Reeves to direct 'The Batman'

F

i l m m a k e r Ma t t Reeves will direct "The Batman", it has been officially announced.

Reeves took over the reins as director after actor-filmmaker Ben Affleck stepped aside to focus on starring as the superhero, reports

Source: IANS

revIseD TICKeT rATes (silver) : `.120 (Gold) : `. 200 (recliner) : `. 400

variety.com. Reeves will also produce the movie.

It was earlier reported that Reeves was in negotiations. "I have loved the Batman story since I was a child. He is such an iconic and compelling character, and one that resonates

with me deeply," Reeves said. "I am incredibly honoured and excited to be working with Warner Bros to bring an epic and emotional new take on the Caped Crusader to the big screen," he added.

Source: IANS

Tom Cruise to reconnect Hugh Jackman reveals DISASTROUS Wolverine audition peaking on tonight’s day of his audition he said need another look!� with daughter Suri Graham Norton to Stewart: “Well, you guys The two actors - who

S

Show alongside his old friend and fellow actor Patrick Stewart, the pair opened up about the 48-year-old’s first audition to play the Marvelcharacter.

Stewart began: “We had already started filming and we didn’t have a Wolverine.

All the other X-Men were sitting around chatting and this young, charming, smiling Australian guy turns up for a screen test.�

The Logan star has made an impressive career from his part in the franchise that began 17 years ago, but Jackman has already said this could be his last farewell playing the fantasy character.

He revealed he had no idea his success would come this far, when on the

C M Y K

are never going to see me again!�

He added: “The test went badly and I was never more sure that I didn’t have a part.�

Stewart admitted he thought the Aussie actor was “great� and was surprised that only 30 minutes later Jackman came over lamenting about his terrible audition.

He even divulged a cheeky anecdote from their days on set of the first X-Men. “Towards the end of filming on the first movie there was an unexpected and unannounced naked appearance by Hugh."

He added with a cheeky grin: “He streaked through the set and we all thought, Slow that man down, we

admitted to crying when they saw Logan at its premiere - also shared stories about their fellow actor in X-Men, Sir Ian McKellen, when the star suddenly showed up on stage to their delight.

Jackman lightly reminded him of the astute advice he’d given him on the first film, to which McKellen teased the Wolverine actor: “That’s because I was in love with you.�

11:00 AM, 03:15 PM 05:30 PM

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Source: Express.co.uk

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ctor Tom Cruise is reportedly ready to reunite with daughter Suri after more than three years.

According to a source, Cruise "has some reprioritising in his life" after mourning the loss of his mother Mary Lee South, who died at age 80 earlier this month, reports aceshowbiz.com.

"Tom now wants to reestablish his relationship with his daughter and begin seeing her on a regular basis," the source told In Touch magazine. Cruise is "ready to ramp up his relationship with her in a big way".

The source said Cruise knew Suri will need some time to warm up to the situation.

"Tom knows she won't just go jumping back into his arms, and that he's going to have to take it slow and steady to show her he's back in her life for good," the source said.

Cruise is reportedly going to tell his former wife and actress Katie Holmes "through their handlers and attorneys that he wants to see Suri within the next few weeks".

Cruise married Holmes in 2006. The two parted ways in 2012.

Source: IANS

rangoon (hindi)

Demi Lovato oversees mental health documentary

11:00 AM | 02:00 PM 08:00 PM

T

he Cool for the Summer singer was diagnosed bipolar when she was 18 and she has also overcome an eating disorder and addiction issues in the past. The 24-year-old is a spokesperson for Be Vocal: Speak Up for Mental Health, an initiative aimed at encouraging people across America to use their voice to support mental health, and now she has executive produced a documentary featuring three individuals living with mental illness.

"It's important that we get that message out there because mental health is so important - it's just as important as physical health," she told Variety. Demi is aiming to raise awareness about the struggles people living with mental illness face and wants to encourage others to be vocal about their issues. "I hope that this film will show people that there is nothing wrong with having a mental health condition," she said. "If you do have one, you are able to live well and thrive with a mental health condition."

Source: Contactmusic

guardians the superheros

05:00 PM

12

SaturDaY 25•02•2017

SPORTS

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

O'Keefe's six puts Australia in command against India

Australia's players celebrate the wicket of India's Ajinkya Rahane. (REUTERS)

C M Y K

PUNE, FEbrUary 24 (rEUtErs): Left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe picked up a career-best six for 35 to help Australia take command of the first test against India after 15 wickets fell on a bowlerdominated second day of the contest on Friday.

Playing only his fifth test and first in India, O'Keefe took all his wickets in the space of 24 deliveries, including three in an over, to trigger a spectacular collapse and help Australia bundle out India for 105 in their first innings.

Australia took a first innings lead of 155, a significant advantage on a spin-friendly track at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, which is making its debut as a test

centre.

The touring side, who have lost their last nine tests in Asia and were considered underdogs before the start of the four-match series, reached 143 for four at stumps in their second innings, an overall lead of 298 runs.

Captain Steve Smith was unbeaten after a chance-filled 59, during which he was dropped three times, with all-rounder Mitchell Marsh 21 not out.

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin picked up three quick wickets to boost India's hopes of restricting Australia to a low second innings total but Smith and Matt Renshaw (31) then added 52 for the fourth to boost the touring side.

Replying to Australia's 260, the world's top-ranked side, unbeaten in their previous 19 tests, lost their last seven wickets for 11 runs as O'Keefe ran through their batsmen to pick up his maiden five-wicket haul.

O'KEEFE HEROICS India's meltdown started after lunch when opener Lokesh Rahul fell to O'Keefe's bowling.

Rahul, who was top scorer for his side with 64, collapsed immediately after playing the shot, clutching his left shoulder and looking as if he was in pain.

The dismissal ended a fourth-wicket stand of 50 between Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane and what followed was a procession of batsmen returning to the pa-

vilion.

Two deliveries later, Rahane was out for 13 off O'Keefe, who also dismissed wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha in the same over.

Off-spinner Nathan Lyon picked up Ashwin in the next over before O'Keefe wrapped things up with the dismissals of Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav and Umesh Yadav.

Australia paceman Mitchell Starc earlier ripped through India's top order with two wickets in three balls.

Cheteshwar Pujara was dismissed for six, while India captain and batting mainstay Virat Kohli was despatched for a two-ball duck on a wicket favouring both pace and spin.

Ranieri sacked again, but now has a golden legacy LONDON, FEbrUary 24 (rEUtErs): Even by the standards of modern soccer management mayhem, the vertiginous rise and equally stunning fall of Leicester City coach Claudio Ranieri takes the breath away.

The Italian was sacked by the Premier League club on Thursday less than 24 hours after his team battled to a creditable 2-1 defeat in the first leg of a Champions League last 16 knockout game against European specialists Sevilla.

Leicester and the Champions League in the same sentence is not something fans of the Midlands club would ever have thought about before last year, let alone a brilliant group stage campaign they swept through as winners with a game to spare.

The club are three points, three places and millions of pounds better off than they were at this stage of the Premier League campaign two years ago.

Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri after the match. (Reuters)

There is also the little matter of writing one of the most amazing stories in the history of world sport as they defied odds of 5,000-1 to win the title and enter the lexicon of the English language as people now talk of “doing a Leicester.”

So, of course, having had such amazing success after a century of mediocrity, at the first sign of trouble, the manager had to go.

“After all that Claudio Ranieri has done for Leicester City, to sack him now is inexplicable, unforgivable and gut-wrenchingly sad,” the club’s former strikerturned pundit Gary Lineker said in comments echoed across social media.

Moving on is something Ranieri is used to, of course, having led and now left no fewer than 14 clubs – and one country – dur-

ing his peripatetic 30-year coaching career.

Not small clubs either as he has led Napoli, Roma, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Inter Milan, Monaco and, of course, Chelsea, where he was and still is universally loved by the fans.

He led the Londoners to a second-place finish in the league, their best for 49 years, and the Champions League semi-finals.

Manchester United are favourites but Southampton can harness spirit of '76

FA Cups Final on Sunday LONDON, FEbrUary 24 (rEUtErs): For Manchester United fans of a certain age the name Bobby Stokes will still induce cold sweats as their team prepare for Sunday's League Cup final against Southampton at Wembley.

With United boss Jose Mourinho enjoying such an affinity with the competition that launched his English trophy collection, United will be favourites against their Premier League rivals.

But that's what they were in the 1976 FA Cup final when Southampton, then a second-tier club, stunned them with a 1-0 victory secured by Stokes in the 83rd minute.

Stokes, who died aged 44 in 1995, is still a cult hero at the south-coast club whose highlights since have been defeats in the 1979 League Cup and 2003 FA Cup finals.

While Saints manager Claude Puel can gild his first season in the job with an unexpected trophy, the stakes are higher for Mourinho as he tries to make his mark at a club where silverware is a basic

requirement.

Victory on Saturday would bring Mourinho level with his United predecessor Alex Ferguson and Brian Clough, who jointly hold the record as the most successful managers in League Cup history.

United's preparations have not been helped, however, by the distraction of their Europa league engagement with St Etienne who they saw off 4-0 on aggregate on Wednesday.

A 1-0 victory in France came at a price as Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Michael Carrick were both injured and have been ruled out against Southampton.

While United have been busy making progress to the last 16 of the Europa League and FA Cup quarter-finals, Southampton have been able to focus entirely on Wembley since a 4-0 win over Sunderland in the Premier League on Feb. 11.

No wonder keeper Fraser Forster is confident of spoiling United's day.

"If you look at the teams we've beaten on the way to the final, there's no reason why we can't do that when we face Man United," he said. "We've got huge respect for Man United but there's nothing to fear."

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