February 2nd, 2015

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www.morungexpress.com

The Morung Express

Dimapur Vol. X issuE 30

www.morungexpress.com

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Modi master communicator at work, but that’s not enough, says Shashi Tharoor [ PAGE 8]

‘Murder 2’opened doors for me: Jacqueline Fernandez

‘Stop RSS activities within Nagaland’ [ PAGE 2]

The world’s problems enter Japan’s psyche

[ PAGE 11]

Morung Express news Dimapur | February 1

Vote on www.morungexpress.com sMs your answer to 9862574165 Is the ‘VIP Culture’ impacting the quality of leadership in Nagaland state?

Yes

no

others

Do you support the Church’s intervention in the ongoing NPF crisis?

Yes

39% 45%

no others

16%

Details on page 7

Police recover unidentified body

– Alan C. Kay

Djokovic wins 5th Australian Open title [ PAGE 12]

Agent of peace, or selective positioning?

By Sandemo Ngullie

The Morung Express Poll QuEsTion

Monday, February 2, 2015 12 pages Rs. 4

[ PAGE 9]

reflections

Here 5000 for admission,4000 for registration,9000 for books,15000 for uniforms, Computer, Piano, Kung fu.......

”

All understanding begins with our not accepting the world as it appears

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In January this year, concerned by the political crisis taking shape with the Naga People’s Front (NPF), the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) called for all Churches in Nagaland to offer special prayers for the NPF legislators. Leaders from the Council met both sides of the NPF on January 24.

The Morung Express conducted a poll last week which asked people: Do you support the Church’s An Afghan refugee boy who sells meat on a grill, smiles while sitting on his wooden cart, intervention in the ongoon a roadside on the outskirts of islamabad, Pakistan, sunday, February 1. (AP Photo) ing NPF crisis? 38% of those who participated in the poll said YES, 45% said NO and 16% polled OTHER.

nsf urge against re-composition of middle & pre-primary schools

DIMAPUR, FEBRUARY 1 (MExN): The Naga Students Federation (NSF) has written to the Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and SCERT, urging for reconsideration for the proposed detachment of Class V from pre-primary schools.

A letter from the NSF President, Tongpang Ozukum and General Secretary, Esther Rhakho stated that students about to be admitted in class V in the current academic session are facing “difficulties and uncertainties” due to the “confusion” created by the proposal of changing the composition of pre-primary and middle school sections by the Department of School Education.

Changing the composition of pre-primary and

DIMAPUR, FEBRUARY 1 (MExN): Dimapur Police on Sunday afternoon recovered the dead body of an unidentified male from the Burma Camp Police Point, Dimapur. A press note from the Additional Superintendent of Police and PRO, Dimapur Police informed that the victim, aged about 65years, is “suspected to be a local male.” The victim was wearing a black jacket, black T-shirt and grey pants. Police stated that no “foul play was found” upon the dead body.

The body is being kept at the Civil Hospital morgue for post mortem examination and identification.

DIMAPUR, FEBRUARY 1 (MExN): The United Naga Tribes Association of Border Areas (UNTABA) today asserted that it would not accept any judgment that is “detrimental to the tradiDIMAPUR, FEBRU- tional, historical and politiARY 1 (MExN): The Di- cal rights of the Naga people” mapur police conducted with regard to the border disa series of raids in Dima- pute between the states of pur on January 31 cracking Assam and Nagaland. down on the wanton sale A press note from UNof illicit SIM cards. During TABA President, Hukavi T the raids, 22 persons were Yeputhomi and Joint Secarrested, while confiscat- retary, Yanger Sangtam ing 420 “unauthorized said that recent observaactivated SIM cards of dif- tions made by the Supreme ferent service providers,” Court on January 14, 2015 stated the Additional Su- on the dispute needs to be perintendent of Police in a “seriously considered and media release. The raids be pursued by the Governwere conducted by per- ment of Nagaland” with all sonnel of Diphupar, West, available legal resources.

East and Sub-Urban police UNTABA said that the stations in their respective Civil Suit filed by the Govjurisdictions. During the ernment of Assam in 1988 is raids conducted by Diphu- not an issue that can be setpar PS, 9 persons were ar- tled by the Court judgment rested, who were identi- because it is “basically a pofied as Akali Chishi, Seema litical problem that needs Devi, Watila, Kheyi, Kezha- political decision as rightly lenuo, Nirmal Das, Mano- observed by the Court.” har, Boto and Sunita Devi.

The litigation process Six persons were arrested that has been pending for within the jurisdiction of more than 27 years now, it West PS. They were identi- stated, is “totally unconstitufied as Aloto Swu, Samlak tional because it is by-passNrang, Mughato Kiba, Md. ing the Constitutional ProIsmail Ali, Denish Kumar visions of Article 3 & 4 of the and Azir Uddin. Two per- Constitution of India which sons, identified as Hupeto stipulates that an Inter-State Chisho and Sanaton Chin- boundary demarcation can gam, were arrested by East only be undertaken by the PS personnel. From the ju- parliament alone.” risdiction of Sub-Urban PS, UNTABA stressed that one Asenla was arrested. the inter-state boundary

middle schools, the NSF stated, will result in no additional class rooms being available to accommodate class V students in Middle Schools. In addition, it revealed that since redeployment of teachers is yet to be exercised, many schools, particularly in interior areas, will lack the required number of teachers.

The NSF reminded that having pre-primary till class V is a national policy and pattern. As such, it questioned as to why the state of Nagaland is adopting a different composition or pattern unlike the rest of the states.

The NSF further queried whether deviating from the MHRD directive of having class I-V for preprimary schools will have no future repercussion, “as

it is learnt that proposed new pattern or system has been used before, however it was replaced by present system after much study, research and consultation.”

The NSF asserted that this proposal would be difficult to implement unless the redeployment of teachers is implemented in the state and the required number of teachers with additional class rooms are made available in all the middle schools. It therefore urged the Parliamentary Secretary and the department to either revoke or keep in abeyance the proposal for implementing a new composition in pre-primary and middle schools until middle schools are provided with the required infrastructure and teachers.

The Morung Express poll brings the Church back to the discussion table

lective decision” to pray on the political crisis “for the sake of the people.”

“It is not healthy for the people to hear leaders accusing each other. We need to create a conducive atmosphere for the society.

The Church’s message to both sides was not to defame each other, people should not suffer out of the crisis and that reconciliation should be based on the highest wisdom from god—they all have to completely submit and sacrifice YES on many levels,” explained Some of those who Rev. Dr. Anjo. polled YES stood up for the Church’s role as an “agent NO/OTHER of peace,” an anchor, which People who did not needs to “correct, restore, agree with the Church’s inrebuild.” For others, the tervention remained conChurch is the people. Its cerned about the separa“role as peacemaker” is tion of the Church from necessary as the Church politics. “Religion and polhas a “vital role in making itics should be separate,” our society a better place to stated a commentator, live in,” said commentators others asking Church leadrecognizing the crisis will ers to stay away from “dirty affect all citizens if “recon- politics.” Questioning if ciliation” remains evasive. politicians do “anything for After all, pointed out one the people,” another maincommentator, “all MLAs tained that “Religion is for or Ministers are members the betterment of manin one or the other church kind/society not for politiand therefore, on that basis cians.” One commentator the Churches has a say on even blamed the Church them.” for the present political criAccording to Rev. Dr. sis due to its “failure to conAnjo Keikung, Executive duct clean election.”

Secretary of the NBCC, the “It is well accepted that Church leaders took a “col- the Church should not in-

volve itself in politics but we have to be concerned about the moral welfare of the people,” said Rev. Dr. Anjo. Further, “the Church is not taking any political sides...we are not giving any directives but only praying that the political crisis will end for the sake of the people. We are merely giving both sides the teachings of the word of god.”

The Church is not trying to negotiate between the two groups but praying that they arrive at a just solution, noted a Baptist theologian. Offering prayers to them is a good thing—and if not the Church, who else will? As a commentator in the ‘Other’ section noted, “Faith Based Organisation are well mobilised and organised and play a vital role in bringing people of different ethnic groups under one church.”

The Baptist theologian however finds that the “clergy and the public are misled about the separation of the Church and State.” Constructed in western tradition, the Church and State were separated in order to keep the church free from the influence of money and political power. Yet the Church remains “heavily dictated” by the economic and political classes. “In the tribal con-

text, all sectors of life are interconnected—they exist side by side—and to understand this context there should be an open dialogue between the Church, State and civil society,” he offered.

The critics in the poll got harsher still. Where are the churches, asked a commentator, when there are beggars and homeless people around? They are overlooked but seriousness is shown towards “politicians hungry for power,” stated commentators. Some people commenting in the ‘Other’ section maintained the ‘pointlessness’ of the Church’s intervention as “reconciliation at this stage is practically impossible” or “the fear of God has been completely diminished from the minds of our so called political leaders.”

The theologian observed that the Church can be criticised for not maintaining a “consistent moral position.” There has been a tendency towards a class approach, and its involvement has been “selective.” The Church involves itself in prohibition (also a political issue under the State) but keeps away from corruption. All this makes the Church’s interventions questionable to many. Referring to the current intervention, he said, “This is a good start and a challenge that the Church could take up,” towards achieving consistency within itself and in the minds of the people.

Poll results on Page 7

UNTABA calls for political Centre plans to make bribery in polls a cognisable offence will to solve border issue

Police crackdown on unauthorized SIM card vendors

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demarcation between Assam and Nagaland have to be settled according to the Sixteen Point Agreement Point No. 12 & 13 in 1960 “because the posterity of the Naga people will never forgive the acceptance of less than this Agreement.”

It further reminded that this Civil Suit covers only some few square miles in the bifurcated Reserved Forests of Diphu, Nambor, Rengma, Kakadanga, Desoi, Tiru, Geleki, Doyang and Abhaypur. Whereas, it said that the “traditional, historical and political Naga lands covers an area of approximately more than 4974.16 square miles roughly accounted since April 18, 1841 Political Proceeding when the first Rengma Naga Hills was created by the then British Imperial Government of India under Section Nos. 79 & 80 and subsequently the first Administrative Headquarter of Naga Hills Agency at Asoloo in 1854.”

It further censured the “lack of political will of the present dispensation in the Government of Nagaland,” and lamented that the “likelihood of the outcome will never right the historical wrong committed to the Naga people of systematically transferring large track of Naga’s land to the then Assam Province by the British Imperial Government of India.

NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 1 (PTI): In its bid to check corruption in the poll process, the NDA government is contemplating to amend the law to makebribery -- both cash and kind -- during elections a cognisable offence, empowering police to arrest the violators without a warrant and jail up to two years.

The Home Ministry has recently conveyed to the Election Commission that it has initiated the process to amend the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and

a note has been sent to law officers to prepare the draft amendment bill.

“If the draft is prepared on time, we may introduce the amendment bill in Parliament sometime in second half of the budget session,” a Home Ministry official said. The letter of the Home Ministry has been sent to the Election Commission in response to the poll panel’s query asking the status of its suggestion to make bribery a cognisable offence.

A cognisable offence is

a crime for which a police officer has the authority to make an arrest without a warrant. Police are also allowed to start an investigation with or without the permission of a court for cognisable offences. Currently, bribing voters, in cash or kind, during the electoral process is a noncognisable offence under sections 171B/171E of the Indian Penal Code, which attracts only up to one-year of imprisonment or fine as punishment. The Election Commission in 2012 had

asked the Home Ministry to amend the first schedule of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1973, to make it a cognisable offence and also increase punishment to up to two years.

Sources said many officials in the poll panel on several occasions had said in the past that without changes in the IPC and CrPC, it can do very little as currently bribery is a bailable offence attracting only minimal punishment. Currently, without a warrant, no house can

be searched even if there is specific information that a large amount of cash is stored there.

Officials feel changes in the law have become necessary as there have been increasing incidents of bribery being detected in all elections -- from local body polls to Lok Sabha elections. Finding large amount of cash, liquor, clothes, household goods like TV and other gifts has become very common in some states during electoral process.

50 years of VHP commemorated in nagaland Morung Express news Dimapur | February 1

People from various Hindu communities on Sunday converged at Shankar Mandir, Purana Bazaar, Dimapur to commemorate the golden jubilee year of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) 2014-15. They pledged to build a united India and work for the welfare of the people of the North East, who follow Hinduism.

Addressing the gathering as chief guest, Swami Chinmayanand Saraswati, former Union Minister of State for Home emphasized on providing protection to ‘tribals’ dwelling at the borders. He said protection of India’s borders depended hugely on the security and upliftment of the ‘tribal’ people who

Dignitaries including swami Chinmayanand saraswati (centre) former union Minister of state for Home during the commemoration of the VHP golden jubilee in Dimapur on sunday. (Morung Photo)

keep the borders safe. He asserted that the borders would automatically be safe if their welfare was properly looked into. “If we are not able to protect the tribals, then we will not be able to protect the borders even with the help of secu-

rity forces,” he added.

Swami Chinmayanand urged the Kachari community in the region, who have become a minority, not to feel insecure as the VHP was trying to use its powers to strengthen the weaker sections of the society. He

said that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has been working towards providing security to the people of the country. It was also pointed out that the VHP has been establishing schools in various parts of the country, where students from ‘back-

ward’ regions were provided education along with those from rich families.

Unlike the pre-Independence period when India was under the British Rule, the former Union Minister said the country was now marching ahead in safe hands with the motto “Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas.”

He also stressed on preserving the unique culture and identity of Nagaland saying that nowhere in the country can one find such culture.

VHP Organizing Secretary of Northeast, Dinesh Upadhaya and President of Kachari Tribal Council of Nagaland, S K Khemprai also spoke during the programme, which was marked by cultural dances and songs from various communities.

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Dimapur

Monday

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2 February 2015

The Morung Express C

‘Stop RSS activities within Nagaland’

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PM uRged to Pave way foR Peaceful liviNg

Dimapur, February 1 (mexN): In a letter to the prime minister of India, Narendra Modi, two leaders from Nagaland today stated that “the GoI (Government of India) should not try to chase the Nagas further away from our country for the Hindu religion.”

The letter appended by Rev. Dr. N Paphino, president, Nagaland Christian Revival Church, HQs Kohima, and TL Angami, founder & first president, Village Chief (GB) Federation of Nagaland, queried “why the Governor of Nagaland, PB Acharya is showing other religion symbol within the Christian state of Na-

galand.” In this, it urged the prime minister to stop the governor from practising “his RSS activities” within Nagaland.

The leaders reminded that Nagaland is a Christian state and “the Nagas are also living peacefully according to their Christianity religion for the last 150 years or so” even before the Government of India (GoI) attained her Independence in 1947. “There is a real God in Heaven and we are to worship Him only,” they added.

Highlighting that the GoI allowed the Nagas to live under Article 371A of the Constitution of India

and the Nagas are still waiting for the fulfilment of the promises, the letter stated, “The Nagas issue is Nation issue which is yet to be finalized.”

The letter also reminded the prime minister of his promise to bring an amicable solution between the Nagas and GoI within 18 months time.

“And for which of your kind assurance given, the Nagas are really hopeful on your brave leadership that the BJP Party Government will be far better than the Congress Government within India if you have fulfil your commitments. Now the Nagas are anxiously wait-

ing for your timely decision taken.”

Further, Prime Minister Modi was told about Barak Obama’s statement on religious tolerance during his recent trip to India. Asserting that “our” country is secular and democratic, the letter affirmed that “we should not force our countrymen to follow a particular religion.”

The letter also maintained that “the BJP Government tried to preach the Hindu religion and practiced its doctrine within the Country” while it was in power once. “And for which, the BJP Government failed to uphold the

Ministry due to mix with religion and the law of the land. The religion and the laws for the people should go separately,” it added.

Underlining that country ought to be controlled

by Constitution and not by any religion, the letter questioned, “How can we force the Christians to worship the Idols within the country?”

Rev. Dr. N Paphino and TL Angami also appealed to Modi to give special consideration to the issues mentioned above “so that the way of amicable solution and peaceful living within our countryside will be open.”

Indo-Naga issue DAN govt.’s ‘top priority’: Shurhozelie-led NPF

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A boutique of Botanic Love, a natural skin care products brand, opened in Dimapur, near Zion Hospital at Purana Bazaar on January 31. This is the first Botanic Love boutique in Nagaland and the channel partners, Ayut Wangnao and Sanulu Lohe, in a press release informed that they aim to expand as and when the demand for the toxin free products rise. According to the release, Botanic Love aims at making people aware of the toxin substances found in almost all cosmetics and “gradually eradicating them from our society.” The store has spa products, beauty products, professional sulphate free haircare, and paraben free cremes and emulsions. It will also offer skincare consultations.

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that a time bound attention needs to be given, and, “the NPF (with its coalition partners) will continue to be the foundation upon which the principles and ideology of the Naga people’s political aspiration lies, so as to provide a strong and stable platform for the Government to translate their (Naga people) quest into reality.”

The statement further called it “utterly ridiculous” and “astonishing” that the “rebel campers” at Sovima “have taken it so bitterly and murmur about the reelection of Dr Shürhozelie Liezetsu as President of NPF through constitutional and democratic ethos on

November 26, 2014.”

“It only confirms how their greed and folly has driven them to the nadir.

Their rhetoric and outrageous attack on the very political party, NPF (from which they have not resigned yet) only reflects the degree of their frustrated and desperate state of mind. They should rather realize their situation and keep away from meddling into the affairs of the NPF Central Hq. Kohima Nagaland manned by down to earth, diehard workers supported by unwavering party men and women, with the untiring, tolerant, seasoned and God fearing Naga leader - Dr Shürhoze-

lie Liezetsu as the legitimate and dynamic President,” it stated.

It also declared that the current DAN-III government, (a pre-poll alliance partner of the NDA since 2003) under the Chief Minister TR Zeliang and NPF President Dr Shürhozelie Liezetsu extend “wholehearted support” to the Prime Minister Narenrda Modi led NDA government in Delhi. “If the dissident leaders in Nagaland are uncomfortable with this arrangement,” it stated, “then it is for the people to realize the state of jealousy and negativity that engulf the architects of the ongoing imbroglio and the group of

NPF rebels at Sovima.”

The NPF (S) further requested the people from all walks of life and other political parties to assist the government in speeding up all developmental activities in the interest of the public, rather than adopting negative attitudes.

The Press Bureau also affirmed that NPF led DAN, under the leadership of Chief Minister TR Zeliang and Dr Shürhozelie Liezetsu has always been transparent with every effort to uphold the sanctity and status of the assembly.

“It is the people’s desire that constitutional justice prevails, and, without further delay.”

Kohima, February 1 (mexN): Kohima Cathedral (Mary Help of Christian Cathedral Church) honoured the four newly

The four newly ordained priests.

ordained priests on February 1. Rev. Fr. Carolus Neisalhou, Vicar General of the diocese of Kohima accorded words of welcome to the

newly ordained priests. He applauded them for the great challenge they have taken and cited that the Diocese of Kohima is privileged

to have the four priests from different tribes.

A press release received here informed that Rev. Fr. Charles Ongdok was the main celebrant; he was concelebrated by seven other priests.

Regina Razousinuo, President, Nagaland Catholic Movement anchored the felicitation program.

During the program, Anthony Viphrezol Richa, principal of Model Christian College, said the words of gratitude and wished the newly ordained priests. The newly ordained priests presented a special song, entitled, “Home of a soul”. After the mass, Rev. Fr. Carolus blessed the newly elected leaders of Angami Catholic Union and women.

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Kohima Cathedral honours newly ordained priests

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Kohima, February 1 (mexN): The Naga People’s Front (NPF) led by Dr. Shurhozelie today asserted that NPF is a “well-knit, disciplined family, with unwavering stand to safeguard and uphold the Naga identity and work towards bringing a solution to the Indo-Naga political issue acceptable to all.”

Stating that the quest of Naga people for a permanent solution of the IndoNaga political issue has dragged on for decades, a press statement from the Press Bureau of Shurhozelie-led NPF assured that the issue has been on the DAN government’s “top priority.” It underscored

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Chief executive, Gorkha Development Council, Government of Assam, Arun Updhaya, lighting the lamp at the North East Nepali Literary Symposium-cum-felicitation progamme organized by Mirmiray Kanchanjunga, Sikkim, and hosted

by Dimapur Gorkha Union at Town Hall Dimapur on Sunday (February 1). Also seen is Editor, Nagaland Post, Geoffrey Yaden, the guest of honour.

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on church 176 inducted into Assam Rifles ESDP on steel fabrication and computer accountancy & tally Seminar leadership held

Parade Adjutant, Maj Julee (forefront) during the passing out parade.

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Dimapur, February 1 (mexN): In an ‘Attestation Parade’ held at the Assam Rifles Training Centre and School (ARTC&S), Shokhuvi, 176 Assam Rifles recruits were inducted into the Force on January 31. Major General MK Yadav, Additional Directorate General, Assam Rifles reviewed the parade which was witnessed by a large number of audience, including parents of the recruits, informed a press release received here.

While addressing the recruits, Major General MK Yadav highlighted the antecedents of the Assam Rifles as the oldest paramilitary force of the country and its diversified role which is all encompassing in the present day environment, ranging from securi-

ty to providing welfare and developmental assistance to the civil population. He added that Assam Rifles is the backbone of the Society and always go hand in hand with the civil populace in bringing peace and harmony amongst the people, Nagaland in general and Northeast states of the country as a whole. He also complimented Brigadier K Narayanan, Commandant ARTC&S and his team of “dedicated” staff for imparting value based training to the recruits for their future as trained soldiers of the nation.

The General complimented each and every recruit on passing out from ARTC&S and added that they should be able to live up to the expectations of his comrades, unit, force

and the country in the days to come and bring laurels in their endeavor, keeping up the good name of the Force by way of hard work and dedication and keep the Assam Rifles flag flying high in the true spirit of its acronym “Friends of the Hill People”.

The Chief Guest awarded Recruit/Clerk Bishal Rai of No. 1 Trg Bn as the ‘Over All Best Recruit’. Recruit/ Tailor Balbir Singh of No. 2 Trg Bn, Recruit/Clerk Bittu Pradhan of No. 3 Trg Bn and Recruit/Clerk Govind Parihar of No. 1 Trg Bn were awarded ‘Best in Drill’, Recruit/Clerk Jitu Chhetri of No.3 Trg Bn, Rectruit/Tailor Sandeep Kumar of No.2 Trg Bn and Rectuit/Tailor Kamal Chhetri of No.1 Trg Bn were awarded for ‘Best in Physical’.

moKoKchuNg, February 1 (mexN): The valedictory programme for Entrepreneurship & Skill Development Programme (ESDP) on Steel Fabrication and Computer Accountancy & Tally conducted in Mokokchung was held at Ongpangkong Salang on January 30 here. The programme was conducted by Alaphra Group, Dimapur, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship, Guwahati. 60 trainees, who attended both the programmes, were present at the valedictory event.

The chief guest, Er. Chuba Tzudir from the Public Works Department encouraged the trainees to work for the future of Nagaland and to be sincere in whatever they do. He also stated that the trainees are the future entrepreneurs to bring up industries in Nagaland.

Trainees of the Entrepreneurship & Skill Development Programme.

Ricky Ozukum, Managing Director, Alaphra Group also encouraged the trainees and explained about the various schemes which are provided by the Government of India.

A press release informed that the training for Computer Accountancy & Tally took place from

November 20, 2014 to January 20, 2015, while the Steel Fabrication training was held from November 24, 2014 to January 16, 2015.

The programme was also attended by Toshi Ao, Director (Operations) and Imti Jamir, Director (Business Development), Alaphra Group.

Kiphire, February 1 (mexN): A one day seminar on church leadership was held on January 30 at Kiphire Town Baptist Lithro (KTBL) under the theme “Christ, inter personal relationship.” S. Chopongkyu, pastor; Hoting, Women Pastor; and Alison, Assoc. Pastor, KTBL were the resource persons. In the first session, the resource persons spoke on “Qualities of a Church Leadership”, “Family and Church Stewardship”, “Christ inter personal relationship”, and “Church and Accounts” respectively. In the second session, discussion hour cum prayer partner was observed with Lilongla, Christian Education Secretary and Tsalise, Home Evangelist, KTBL as moderators. More than 200 church leaders took part in the seminar, informed Horiba Sangtam, Secretary, KTBL in a press release.

Activities of ATMA in Phek district inspected

pheK, February 1 (mexN): As part of the annual Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) programme of central schemes, the 3rd Party M&E team from NU SASRD visited ATMAPhek from January 27-29.

Overall, the M&E team were satisfied with the activities undertaken during 2013-14 by ATMA-Phek in the district, stated a press release received here.

The team comprising Dr. N. Patra, Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Extension and Dr. S. Banik, Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Pathology inspected Cafeteria of Activities for the year 2013-14. Under the

physical achievement assessment, Farm Schools and SHGs were visited.

The inspection covered Kiwi farm schools at Pfutsero, Bee farm school at Suthazu village, Banana farm school at Yoruba village and garlic farm school at Porba village. ATMAPhek beneficiaries, namely Farmers’ Friends, Women SHGs, Farm school teacher, BTT convener and progressive farmers participated in the programme.

Women SHGs from three RD also showcased their products.

The three-day programme was led by ATMAPhek DPDs Keviu Shuya and Tiajungla Longchar.

3rd Party M&E team with ATMA-Phek officials and beneficiaries at Bee Farm School, Suthazu village.

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REgional

The Morung Express

Monday

2 February 2015

India for 'early settlement' of boundary issue Beijing, FeBruary 1 (PTi): India is committed to finding an "early settlement" to the vexed boundary issue, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday said on her maiden visit to China as she proposed a six-point template to build Sino- India ties to realise the common dream of 'Asian Century'.

Addressing an IndiaChina Media forum at the start of her four-day visit here, she said the two countries should follow action oriented approach, broad base bilateral engagement, convergence of common, regional and global interests, develop new areas of cooperation, expand strategic communication, fulfil common aspirations to usher in an "Asian Century".

Highlighting that her visit is taking place against the backdrop of new government taking over office in India with a decisive mandate, Swaraj said Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government propelled the aspiration of young, vibrant and enter-

prising generation.

"Even in the last eight months it is already evident that dramatic transformations are underway in my country that will accelerate our journey to modernity," Swaraj said.

She said Prime Minister Modi already met Chinese President Xi Jinping thrice and once Premier Li Keqiang.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi was the first foreign dignitary to have been invited

by India after Modi government took over, Swaraj said pointing to the importance India attaches to its relations with China.

"Our relationship today has reached a level where we have interactions in fields that could not have been imagined some years ago. We have made considerable progress in establishing and expanding defence contacts and exchanges, including across our border," Swaraj said.

"They contribute to the maintenance of peace and tranquillity there, a perquisite to, for the further development of our rela-

Northeast Briefs MCI asks Manipur to not give recognition to RIMS iMPHaL, FeBruary 1 (THe HinDu): The Medical Council of India (MCI) has asked Manipur University not to extend recognition to Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal. Set up in 1972, RIMS is meant for students from seven states of the Northeast, who cannot compete with candidates of other States for seats in medical colleges in the country. The MCI team had inspected the academic facilities and infrastructure in RIMS on September 5 and 6, 2014. According to the assessment report tabled in the MCI meeting held on January 13, 2015, infrastructure and academic facilities were not adequate in RIMS. In view of these lapses, the MCI decided to ask the Manipur University not to extend recognition to the MBBS course in RIMS. If RIMS restores academic facilities and provides the required infrastructure in another three months, the MCI stand may be reviewed. However, the medical students and parents from the Northeastern States and other all India quota beneficiaries are worried since RIMS has been without a regular Director since August 2014. Prof S. Sekharjit was ‘relieved’ in August last year on the basis of the CBI inquiry into the allegation that dental chairs had been purchased at inflated rates.

Back channel lobbying among some NE States has taken place to have RIMS shifted to a safer State in the Northeast region. Apart from these administrative and academic loopholes, law and order problems on the campus have been a major concern. Several instances of bomb blasts, killings and other acts of violence have occurred in Manipur. Besides one director, one professor and some officials had been abducted in the past by armed persons from the college. The MBBS students who had recently launched a strike in protest against the way their share of post graduate seats had been whittled away by the all India quota students, are keeping their fingers crossed.

Mission 'Clean Brahmaputra' launched in Guwahati guWaHaTi, FeBruary 1 (PTi): An initiative called 'Mission Clean Brahmaputra' was launched here today to keep the river clean for a better habitat of aquatic animals and for a greater benefit of the people. The Mission launched by Aaranyak, a society for nature conservation and a Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, would focus on cleaning different river side areas of the Brahmaputra and the community residing alongside will be made aware to maintain the cleanliness drive. The mission received active participation of local communities and other related stakeholders, Project Head of 'Mission Clean Brahmaputra' Dr Abdul Wakid said. "We are greatly encouraged to get such participation from different institutes, organisations and individuals," he said. The Mission was formally inaugurated at Uzanbazar Ghat by Vice-Chancellor of Dibrugarh University Dr A K Buragohain and more than 250 students from 12 different educational institutes participated in the cleaning of the river, river banks and river islands of Brahmaputra in and around Guwahati today. As a follow up of this launch, similar cleaning activities will be conducted in another 30 areas of Brahmaputra, which is already getting support from various governmental and non-governmental institutes, individuals and public figures of Assam.

Sushma Swaraj

tionship. On the boundary question my government is committed to exploring early settlement," she said, referring to the long pending boundary issue.

Chinese position is that the border dispute is confined to 2,000 kms mostly on Arunachal Pradesh whereas India asserts that the dispute covered the western side of the border spanning to about 4,000 km.

The two countries have held 17 rounds of Special Representative talks so far to resolve the boundary dispute.

The issue also figured during talks between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi during his historic visit to India in September last year.

The two leaders had agreed to make efforts to resolve the border dispute at the earliest.

Swaraj said that "a critical nature" of the bilateral ties are the growing economic ties.

"China today is our largest partner in trade and goods. The two countries are moving to invest in each other. Serious discussions enhancing connectivity has been initiated.

On that foundation we are now seeking to take our economic cooperation to a qualitatively new level,"

she added.

"We will make it easier for Chinese companies to do business in India and expect that similar encouragement would be given to our companies to expand their business in China," Swaraj said.

She also pointed out that another major thrust is in establishing industrial parks in two Indian states that would contribute to the 'Make in India' initiative. She said China has agreed to invest USD 20 billion in the parks.

Stating that the relations have grown beyond bilateral ties, Swaraj said the two countries now are parts of multilateral bodies like BRICS and BASIC. She said she will be attending the Russia, India, China Foreign Ministers meet tomorrow.

Swaraj said more importantly the relationship with key neighbours requires strong and broad based support from people of both the countries.

"It is only logical that therefore we have invested our energies in strength-

Order on land transfer quashed in M’laya SHiLLOng, FeBruary 1 (THe SHiLLOng TiMeS): The High Court of Meghalaya has quashed the executive order of the State Government which had restricted transfer of land to non-tribal entities.

Under section 4 (1) (f) of the Meghalaya Transfer of Land (Regulation) Act, 1971, transfer of land is allowed for industrial and education purposes.

But the State Government had on March 30, 2011 passed an executive order to keep on hold all proposals for transfer of land to non-tribal entities like companies, societies, NGOs to streamline the administration of the Act and to restrict alienation of tribal land in the state pending consideration of the amendment to the Meghalaya Transfer of Land (Regulation) Act, 1971 and also pending the restructuring of the Industrial Investment Policy in the State.

However, the single bench of the High Court

comprising Justice T Nandakumar Singh, while hearing a petition of Amrit Cement company, on Friday set aside the executive order.

The petitioner-company after fulfilling various criteria including clearance from single window agency had submitted three applications before the then Additional Deputy Commissioner, Khliehriat for sanction for transfer of land at Umlaper village which is the land of one Bhalang Singh Phanbuh in favour of the company for setting up of cement plant and captive power plant.

The applications filed since 2009 were duly received by the Additional Deputy Commissioner.

Section 4 (4) of Meghalaya Transfer of Land (Regulation) Act, 1971 states that if no order is passed by the competent authority on such applications within six months, it shall be deemed that sanction has been accorded.

The company had un-

Assam massacre mastermind G Bidai may have fled from state rangia, FeBruary 1 (PTi): NDFB-Songbijit leader G Bidai, who allegedly engineered the massacre of 81 persons last December in Assam, may have fled to neighbouring states or countries, a senior Army officer said here today.

"Indications are there that Bidai has gone out to neighbouring states or countries. Contradictory inputs are there about his whereabouts," Army's Red Horns Division GoC Maj Gen C P Mohanty said.

Bidai is second in command of NDFB(S) after the faction chief I K Songbijit.

"Major NDFB(S) leader in Sonitpur district, Soha, and others like Madan are also on the run. Only a handful

of the cadres are with Songbijit as most of his cadres have fled," he said interacting with reporters here.

On the operations against the NDFB-S, the officer said, "We have moved northward around the Bhutan foothills where they were operating. We have got their senior leaders. Once their top leaders are arrested, there will be a vacuum". "We have also gone to the jungle areas. We are recovering their sophisticated arms, including AK-47 and 56 rifles and M-16 rifles," Mohanty said. "Our people on the ground are giving useful information on the terrorists.

Whenever we receive information about militant trouble or ethnic threat we rush to the area," the GoC said.

dertaken the industrial project for setting up a cement plant along with 10 Megawatt Captive Power Plant at Umlaper village with an initial project cost of Rs. 164.50 crore which was subsequently revised at Rs.420.26 crore.

As per the company, the project envisages to give employment to local tribals and also to contribute a substantial amount of revenue to the state and central exchequer by way of taxes.

The company had also entered into agreements and Memorandum of Understanding with Elaka Rymbai, Minkre and Moosiang Lamare village authorities committing corporate social responsibility initiatives for the welfare of local residents of Umlaper village by way of setting up of a higher secondary school, dispensary, drinking water facility, scholarship to deserving candidates, providing further education and production-based contribution to Elaka fund for

carrying out development projects.

Earlier, the petitioner while challenging the executive order of the State Government had stated that the order is ultra vires and in clear violation of second proviso to Section 3(1) of the Land Transfer Act, 1971 inasmuch as, the second proviso to Section 3(1) of the Act, 1971 provides that no notification made under the first proviso shall apply to transfer of land for any of the purposes mentioned in clause (f ) of Sub-Section (1) of Section 4 of Land Transfer Act .

According to the petitioner, the executive order of March 30, 2011 which is “neither the notification issued by the State Government under Section 2(c) nor under first proviso to Section 3(1) of the Act, 1971 cannot whittle down the statutory provisions i.e. second proviso to Sub Section of Section 3, Section 4(1)(f) and Section 4(4) of the Act”.

to be exact.

Frolicking around the Village, despite the suppressing heat, the initial impression is that she might the kid of an athlete or an official. But the giant tag hung around her neck, big enough to weigh her down, is a giveaway. Her coach Kiran Mala has to literally run behind her, lest she could be lost in the vast fiber jungle that is the Village. “I’ve lost quite a lot of weight running behind her. I wonder how I’ll be after the event gets over,” Mala, a former international swimmer jests.

Joining Panmei from the behind a cluster of bricks are Yaipha Phi and H Ritu, aged eight and 10, respectively. Mala shouted at them to not split from the group. She informs they are playing hide and seek. They promptly trotted back to her, chirped something in Manipuri, laughed heartily and formed a ring around her. “I’m like a mother to them. I have to be with them throughout.

They are quite mischievous,” she laughs.

For all their playfulness, Mala asserts they are quite serious about

the sport. “They are not here for time pass. They want to learn and they are practising as hard as some of our senior athletes. They were selected after trials. In addition to almost a full school week, they train for nearly 20 hours a week.”

But you again wonder the logic behind initiating such young swimmers into a serious tournament.

“Some of the seniors are only competing in water polo. Some of them are injured. See, they haven’t even competed in subjunior nationals. But we want to give them early

After hearing the submissions , the Court observed that it is clear in the writ petition that the transfer of land for which three applications dated 03.08.2009, 21.05.2010 and 27.05.2011 had been filed are for the purposes mentioned in Section 4(1)(f ) of the Act, 1971. “In this context, this Court is of the considered view that the impugned order dated 30.03.2011 (executive order) is not sustainable in the eyes of law so far as the transfer of the said land is concerned”, Justice T Nandakumar Singh said in his order.

The Court also said that the applications of the petitioner “shall deem to have been granted by the competent authority; and also that any order, after deemed sanction, passed by the authority in correlation with the deemed sanction shall have no effect and also that the impugned order dated 30.03.2011 is illegal”.

Rare bat species discovered in Arunachal Onai/iTanagar FeBruary 1 (agenCeiS): A rare species of colourful bat belonging to Chiroptera group has been discovered in Arunachal Pradesh, drawing attention of the local Zoologists and researchers on the winged species. The scientists and forest zoologists are enthusiastic on survey and documentation over distribution of the rare bat species, which is not yet reported from the Himalayan State.

The small-sized orange coloured bat was discovered in Pasighat-West area near Gutin Reserve Forest in Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday, which has been identified as ‘Painted Bat (Kerivoula picta)’ by the local zoologists. A young school boy encountered the colourful bat species in

a bamboo grove near Rombo hillsite, about six km from the Assam-Arunachal boundary at Ruksin.

The adult male bat’s body length is four centimetres and weighs about eight grams. The bat, which has scarlet fur and black and orange wings is said to be a vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family and Chiroptera order.

According to zoologists, Painted bat is often found roosting in unusual places like under bird nests or under man- made structures.

Senior Forest Zoologist of State Forest Research Institute (SFRI), Dr Asham Borang, who is enthusiastic on the discovery of the rare bat species in Arunachal forests, said that presence of Painted Bat was not

Child Care in Manipur Talent Pool THiruVananTHaPuraM, FeBruary 1 (Tnie): Dekalu Thi Panmei—your tongue takes a few innocuous twists before you get the pronunciation correct—is only eight. She looks even younger, and straight out of feted Chinese director Jack Neo’s criticallyacclaimed movie Home Run, which tells the story of a pair of siblings and their adventures over a lost pair of shoes. If you are wondering what she is doing in the Games Village, you’ll wonder more when you realise she is a participant, a swimmer

ening people to people contacts. During this visit I expect to that area to be forward in many ways", she said.

Stating that she will be launching '2015: Visit India Year in China, Swaraj said, "Tourism is an effective vehicle to promote people-topeople understanding and the two countries agreed that we need to make stronger efforts in that regard".

She said the cultural exchange initiative agreed during President Xi's visit is currently under way.

The 2nd India-China Media Forum is being attended by a number of journalists from the two countries.

Swaraj said the "close developmental partnership" agreed during last September visit of President Xi to India "symbolises that determination".

Eluding to civilisational links between the two countries and the far reaching influence of Buddhism, Swaraj said, "Our ancient scholars of two civilisations have played their critical role in building of these ties".

exposure. This experience will be of huge benefit as they graduate to a bigger level. This exposure part is something I have never had when I was growing up,” explains Mala, who had competed in the 1982 Asian Games.

This youth drive, she informs, is a concerted effort by the Manipur Olympic Association.

“We reckon the best way to nurture talented athletes is to give them early exposure, and we have been doing this every sport. If you look at our contingent, the average age must be 20-21,” she

points out.

Panmei is not only the youngest swimmer around—she is a couple of months younger to Bi—but also the shortest and the lightest. “She will be a bit nervous seeing the bigger swimmers around her. But we want the kids to shed the fear,” she says. Bi then pulls out a candy from her jacket.

Panmei shakes off Mala’s fingers and sprints behind her. Mala too sets off behind them. They might be too young to realise the legacy of boxer Mary Kom. But the spirit of Mary is not lost.

traced by the researchers.

He feels the need for more research on distribution of the rare bat species in the Himalayan region.

According to Prof Daniel Mize (Zoology) of Rajiv Gandhi University, existence of Blame Forte Fruit Bat and Hurley Queen Bats among three colourful bat species have been reported in Arunachal, Sikkim and West Bengal, but presence of the Painted Bat in the State is news for them. Dr Mize, is all set to conduct a special study on different bat species in the State and explore their habitats at various altitudes.

Meanwhile, high ranking Forest department officials of the State visited the area and conducted primary survey of the geographical information of the area.

Dimapur

3

Sanitation minister inspects M'laya village

Ram Kripal Yadav

SHiLLOng, FeBruary 1 (ianS): Ram Kripal Yadav, union minister of state for drinking water and sanitation, Sunday visited a village in Meghalaya, interacted with villagers and looked at the condition of toilets and kitchens in a few houses.

Yadav visited the tincovered house of Saralin Wankhar in Mawphlang Nongrum village in East Khasi Hills, 25 km from state capital Shilling.

He interacted with her and her school-going son.

Yadav was offered kwai (betel nut, betel leaf and lime) which he took. He inspected the kitchen and the toilet at Wankhar's home.

Yadav told IANS he visited the village following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's direction that ministers should gain first-hand information about the problems confronting people.

"Your beautiful state need to progress ahead in development and Prime Minister Modi too is serious in ensuring rapid development," he said.

Wankhar said she "did not expect a union minister to step into my house, and spend time with us. No minister in the past made such a visit".

"I told him about our difficulties in the village and he promised that he will make efforts to bring development to our village."

Suktimai Lyngdoh Mawphlang, who waited outside Wankhar's house to interact with Yadav, said: "Not even our legislator makes such visits after winning the assembly election. They come and visit us only during election time to seek votes."

Yadav interacted with other villagers at the community hall where they complained about the nonavailability of doctors.

He said he would place the people's grievances before Modi, and this would not be his last visit to the village.

"I will visit your village again, and we will have food together," he said.

Accompanied by government officials, Yadav visited the Mawphlang dam, the main source of water for Shillong and adjoining areas.

He tasted the water pumped from the dam, and remarked that the water was "sweet".

Yadav said the central government has enhanced the financial package, under the Total Sanitation Scheme, for the construction of a toilet and to provide safe drinking water from Rs.3,000 to Rs.12,000.

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2 February 2015

The Morung Express

GM & China’s SAIC to push into Indonesia with no-frills vans

Beijing, FeBruary 1 (reuters): General Motors and Chinese partner SAIC Motor Corp will soon announce a joint push into Indonesia, using their no-frills Wuling brand to establish a beachhead in Southeast Asia’s biggest market and from there tackle other markets in the region.

They have already made moves to purchase a property in an industrial district on the outskirts of Jakarta, according to two people familiar with the matter, and are expected to detail within days what GM China chief Matt Tsien called an important joint venture in a country of 240 million people.

For GM, Indonesia will be its second non-China market in Asia, having al-

ready broken into India with SAIC, where they cooperate to market Wuling’s small multi-purpose workhorse vans.

The move points to a thaw in what industry watchers considered a creeping chill in the two companies’ partnership over recent years.

GM said SAIC-GMWuling, which also includes Wuling Automobile Co as a stakeholder, will own 80 percent of the new Indonesian venture. SAIC will separately own the rest.

GM owns 44 percent of SAIC-GM-Wuling, SAIC owns 51.1 percent, and Wuling owns 5.9 percent, so GM’s stake in the Indonesian venture will effectively be 35 percent.

The venture will manufacture and market low-

cost “people mover” microvans, based on the same vehicles that in China, under the Wuling brand, can sell for just under 30,000 yuan ($4,800).

GM already operates a sales and manufacturing company in Indonesia with a range of Chevrolet vehicles that includes a strategic compact people mover of its own, the Chevy Spin.

Tsien said GM and SAIC saw the two brands as complementary, rather than rivals, as they will be differentiated by pricing, product quality and features.

Wuling’s focus is “great functionality, attractive styling and value for money”, Tsien said. “That’s the basic element that really works here in China, and we believe under SGMW’s leadership this will be

quite successful in Indonesia as well.”

The GM China chief said Indonesia had a large and growing appetite for simple multi-purpose vans, often with three rows of seating that can accommodate seven or eight people.

He declined to say exactly what type of microvans they are planning for Indonesia or how they would market or price them.

Officials from Indonesia’s industry ministry told state news agency Antara late on Friday that GM and SAIC would invest $700 million, with an aim to commence production in 2017 from a factory with capacity for 150,000 vehicles a year.

A GM spokeswoman in

Shanghai could not con- Indonesia aren’t standing firm those details. still, with Toyota and Daihatsu fiercely defending its Japanese Competition dominating share and NisStiff competition will san and Honda aggressivecome from Toyota and ly expanding their product other Japanese brands, line-up.” which control over 90 perThe GM-SAIC move has cent of the auto market in much in common with the Indonesia. strategy of Japan’s Nissan, James Chao, Asia-Pa- which has revived the Datcific managing director of sun brand it retired in the consultants IHS Automo- 1980s to market cars affordtive, said the Wuling multi- able to middle-class conpurpose microvans were a sumers in countries such good fit for Indonesia, but as Indonesia, India, Russia there was plenty of work and South Africa. Nissan to do. began selling a Datsun in “Creating brand aware- Indonesia last May startness for a new entrant, ing at 87.9 million rupiah as well as establishing a ($6,968). widespread and effective Daihatsu, a small car distribution network in a specialist affiliated with challenging geographic Toyota, is scrambling to footprint will also be key come up with $5,000 cars success factors,” Chao said. and is trying to compete “The established players in in Indonesia with Datsun

and Suzuki, which also focuses on no-frills massmarket cars.

“There’s plenty of room to play,” said Tsien.

The new GM-SAIC venture suggests their global emerging-market strategy might be building a head of steam.

GM’s top executives including former chief executive Dan Akerson have previously said GM and SAIC were likely to cooperate beyond India.

Tsien said the new joint venture aims eventually to export out of Indonesia to neighbouring markets in Southeast Asia.

The GM-SAIC partnership went global in 2010 when China’s biggest carmaker became a 50-percent partner, but SAIC nearly reversed that invest-

ment in 2012 by cutting its stake to 9 percent after the joint venture struggled.

That was widely seen as a cooling of the relationship, a view compounded later that year when SAIC formed a joint venture with a local firm in Thailand to market cars there without GM involvement.

GM officials at the time downplayed concerns over the health of their partnership and noted the two were still looking to cooperate closely in India and Southeast Asia.

“Our relationship is stronger than ever,” Tsien told Reuters.

“It’s a very ... mutually respectful relationship.

We understand each other’s interests. We look for opportunities to win together.”

Not much changed on ground for Milk does a body good? A look at the science industry in 6 months: Assocham milk is only a minor source of these ovarian and prostate cancers — liminary to merit a change in divitamins. Overall, pasteurization though many scientists believe etary recommendations, and said Mike Stobbe

new Delhi, FeBruary 1 (Pti): Showing signs of restlessness, a majority of business leaders have said “not much” has changed on the ground in the last six months, while many of them do not foresee any change in investment plans even during the current quarter, as per an industry body Assocham survey.

The Business Confidence Survey results follow the months-long euphoria among industry leaders about prospects of improvement in business environment after a new government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi stormed to power with a strong majority in May 2014.

“Not much has

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Your loving children and grandchildren

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changed on the ground at the industry level in the last 6 months,” Assocham said citing its ‘Business Confidence Index’. It, however, added that the situation is going to improve within first half of 2015, as reflected in the optimism about sales volume and hiring of workforce by corporates.

“As many as 54.2% of the respondents in the confidence measuring survey said not much has really changed at the operating level in the last 6 months, but more number of industry leaders expressed optimism about the shape of things to improve going forward,” the industry body said.

The survey also found that 45.8% of business leaders believe that the January-March 2015 quarter won’t see any change in their domestic investment plans, while similar outlook was noticed with regard to international investments.

Besides, the industry believes that export market will remain sluggish. A considerable 41.7%, however, expect hiring prospects to improve in the current quarter and the subsequent months.

Embattled milk producers in the U.S. launched a social media campaign this week to rebuild public confidence in the health benefits of their product.

But how healthy is it? While the U.S. government urges milk consumption, some studies have begun to suggest potential ill effects from drinking too much of the white stuff. It gives a body pause, so to speak. Here then is a quick review of what science currently says about milk’s health benefits: The Old Hurrah A diet rich in milk has long been promoted as a way for children to build strong bones and muscles, and stave off the harms of osteoporosis in seniors. Proponents have especially noted its calcium, potassium, and Vitamin D content.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends daily consumption of fat-free or low-fat milk or dairy products, at 2 to 2 1/2 cups for younger children and 3 cups a day for older children and adults.

Raw Milk Concerns Some consumers say the healthiest type of milk is raw milk, straight from the cow. But health officials say milk must be pasteurized to kill off disease-causing germs like campylobacter and salmonella. Studies indicate pasteurization can affect a few of the vitamins found in milk, like thiamine, vitamin B12, and vitamin C — but

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LEISURE

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

SUDOKU Game Number # 3126

more research is needed before differences in the American diet drawing conclusions about milk might diminish the kind of potenas a cause. tial harms seen in the Swedes in his study.

The Swedish Study Last year, a Swedish study pub- The Milk Industry Says lished in a British medical journal The Swedish study prompted Recent Questions Some scientists have begun found women who drank three or media headlines such as “Milk to question previous statements more glasses a day died at a nearly may not be very good for bones about milk’s benefits. For exam- twice the rate of those who drank or the body.” Calling it a breaking point, milk producers decided to do something more to address declining milk consumption and anti-milk messages from vegan groups, non-dairy competitors and others. The new social media campaign highlights, for example, how much more protein a consumer can get from cow milk compared to almond milk. Milk producers also are arguing the importance of milk in a culture where soda consumption is high and many kids don’t eat recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables. does not significantly change the nutritional value of milk — and it may save lives, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

ple, some researchers have noted low fracture rates in Asian countries where little milk is consumed, and questioned whether there is enough evidence to support the federal milk consumption recommendations. What’s more, some studies have linked milk to risk of

Less Than Perfect “The idea that milk is ‘a perfect food’ has been discredited,” said David Levitsky, a nutrition and psychology expert at Cornell University. But it remains a rich source of calcium and is still viewed as a valuable part of a well-balanced diet — especially for kids, Levitsky said, adding that the bonebuilding benefits of milks fall off for people during their 20s. “It’s a good food,” Levitsky said. “But you shouldn’t look at it as a magic food.”

less than one glass a day. Broken bones were more common in women who were heavy milk drinkers, too. Other dairy products were not linked to such problems.

The study’s lead author — Dr. Karl Michaelsson of Uppsala University — called the results too pre-

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ACROSS 1. Panache 6. Rapscallions 10. Container weight 14. French for “Sister” 15. Sodium chloride 16. Ends a prayer 17. A kind of macaw 18. Chocolate cookie 19. Back of the neck 20. Unacquainted 22. Not us 23. Immediately 24. Paltry 26. Sharp intake of breath 30. Estimated time of arrival 31. Sweet potato 32. Dwarf buffalo 33. It comes from cows 35. Cleansing agents 39. A member of the Cosa Nostra 41. Instinctive 43. African antelope 44. Close 46. Roman emperor 47. A parcel of land 49. 16 in Roman numerals 50. Give and ____ 51. Idolize

54. Annoyance 56. Prima donna problems 57. From that time on 63. Goddess of discord 64. Hindu princess 65. Not tight 66. Tumbled 67. Backside 68. Deservedly receives 69. Remain 70. D D D D 71. Mixture of rain and snow

DOWN 1. Brother of Jacob 2. Maize 3. Foliage 4. Emanation 5. Trolleys 6. Separation 7. Matrimonial 8. Urgent request 9. Tempestuous 10. Equivalent 11. Housemaids 12. Fend off 13. Foe 21. List components 25. Where the sun rises 26. Contest 27. A Freudian stage

28. Couch 29. In a non-hurting manner 34. Treacheries 36. Region 37. Recreational area 38. Blackthorn 40. Smell 42. Come up 45. Cost 48. Foursome 51. Submerged ridge of rocks 52. Heron 53. “There you have it!”

55. Stories 58. Rabbit 59. A young horse 60. Ripped 61. Feudal worker 62. A musical pause Ans to CrossWord 3134

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LOCAL

The Morung Express

I

Monday 2 February 2015

Dimapur

Office Attendance + A Mixed Bag

n the greater interest of the general public, this guy is opting to candidly address the subject captioned in the header ... "+ A mixed bag"... which must obviously sound meaninglessly ambiguous. This crafty guy is just opening a window of liberty to ramble into unchartered, seemingly unconnected territories in the same breath beyond the immediate subject of attendance along the way. So adjust your antenna accordingly as you travel with him.

Just the other day the Chief Secretary had made an official statement that the attendance in office in general was not being affected on account of the present political turmoil... that the office attendance was normal. He was genuinely expressing the first part of the half truth because absenteeism has always been a chronic disease suffered by the government even under normal circumstances and therefore it is nothing different from the usual....a normal scenario with or without the jokers in the guise of 'leaders' within the NPF party on both camps, each washing their soiled underwear in broad daylight and doing their best to cause destabilisation and confusion with the end objective of gaining greener financial pastures of a personal kind. The descriptive truth of the other half of 'normalcy' has been conveyed by the Chief Secretary who has expressed his "serious concern over poor attendance of employees in office" as carried by the local dailies in their 31st January 2015 publication. It is of interest to note that the focus is on the 'employees' (meaning the subordinate ministerial staffs) as has always been the case even in the days gone by and not so much on the 'Officers' who too are 'employees' of the Government. This misplaced concern has been addressed over and over again in the past by all the other Chief Secretaries before him, during 'Administrative Heads of Department' (AHOD) and Heads of Departments (HOD) meetings, and will continue to be addressed way into the future after his departure unless this focus undergoes a drastic overhaul on a realistic plane where the senior bureaucrats come to terms with their behavioural attitudes first. As a senior retired bureaucrat, this guy too was privy to all the discussions that used to be had on this subject. Most of the senior Controlling Officers would invariably proffer 'visitors coming to the house in the morning hours

causing them the delay' or 'attending to their respective Ministers/ Parliamentary Secretaries at their residence' as a consistent excuse for coming late to the office or not come at all. At the cost of earning their displeasure, this guy had often expressed the need for the AHODs and HODs to show the first example before attempting to demand disciplined attendance from the subordinates, during such meetings. A faint voice of the minority in the wilderness was always drowned by the overwhelming cacophony of the sounds emitting from the majority who had other ideas. Proactive leaders ought to be saying "follow me" rather than say "go ahead, I am coming". Unfortunately we have more of the latter kind at the helms of affairs and this misplaced focus still persists as is evident from the Chief Secretary's expressed 'concern'. The disciplining arrow never point to the Controlling Officers who too are expected to attend office in time without exception, without excuses and expect the subordinates to follow suit... Mr. Chief Secretary Sir, as an old work horse, let this guy assure you that the subordinates will do their bit if their controlling officers show them the way. It defies all sense of natural justice when accountability is fixed only on the subordinate staffs and not on the Officers who in fact are more rampantly guilty of defiling the system. The principle of "no work no pay" must begin with the Officers club as a starter. Unless the upper echelon in the bureaucracy is prepared to own up to their default in all fairness and shoulder their responsibilities honourably and squarely, coining catchy phraseology like "no work no pay"... in imitation of the NPGs' "Nagaland for Christ"... would amount to nothing. Attendance will always remain "normal" as usual.

Having said that, this guy would however concede that there is a modicum of truth in the claims of Controlling Officers, citing the hazards of attending to the calls of the Ministers/Parliamentary Secretaries in their residence at odd official hours, as an impediment to attending office in time. Therefore, on behalf of the senior bureaucrats, who seem to have lost their voice somewhere, let this guy tender a well intended suggestion that ought to have been made a thousand years ago to the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Nagaland. Superficially speaking, as it may, one would assume that

every Chief Minister would want to see a smooth functioning of his Government machinery, whether productive or otherwise. However, this is not about to happen as long as the CM along with his Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries conduct their official and 'not so official' business in their residence and expect the Secretary/Director of the Department to call on them at all hours at their pleasure. Logistically consider the location of the New Secretariat and the residences of the Ministers/ Parliamentary Secretaries...throw in the problem of traffic congestion in between...the disruption of their official hours become genuine. While exceptional circumstances will always be there to warrant such a need, such exception should not be transformed into a regular operational norm instead, as is generally the ongoing practice.

At the end of the day, it is the people who suffer the consequence of an unfinished work that may only require the 'dhobi' mark of a Secretary/Director. Why then continuously harp on a stable Government for the welfare of the people...when the people that they refer to are nowhere in their prioritised mind frame by way of action? The Government is annually spending a tidy sum for the upkeep and maintenance of offices of the Chief Minister, the Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries in the Secretariat which mostly remain a 'vacant decor' throughout the year(s). Being a political animal does not necessarily relieve them from performing their elementary duty. Even if they have been able to purchase their status, they too are expected to function under the government laid down rules and regulation of management that include attending office. This contemptuous attitude of living above the law should be brought to an end both within the political and the bureaucratic circles. It is therefore imperative that the Hon'ble Chief Minister issue a strict directive to himself and to all the Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries to punctually and regularly attend office and conduct their 'business' in their regular designated office instead of calling the Secretaries/ Directors to their residence. Leading from the front is a lesson yet to be learnt in real earnest in Nagaland. Learning the use of official time economically is another virtue that both the politicians and bureaucrats need a serious crash course. Many a Minister/

Parliamentary Secretary/ Senior Secretaries of the Government are known to sit over a cup of tea with friendly visitors needlessly reviewing the world history while the public anxiously wait in the anteroom for hours to get their work done. In the first place, attendance is irregular but when in office this is what happens.

It is pathetic. During his visit, the Prime Minister of India crisply dealt with hoards of public and NGOs on a strict timeframe. Perhaps a lesson should be learnt from this and be adopted by those in authority.

It is pointless for a Chief Minister to voice his disenchantment against the bureaucrats for poor attendance when the force of disruption beings from within his own kitchen cabinets. The mixed bag of the story is that, perhaps the Hon'ble CM could fix accountability at least on his Ministers if not on himself... threatening them with withdrawal of their plumb portfolios and get reassigned to independent charge of other 'big' departments like Arts & Culture/ Labour & Employment/ Weights & Measures etc. with 'big' budgets that even chickens ignore. Finding a Chief Minister with a political will to establish an honourable facade to his government and streamline the issue of discipline within the rank seems to be an impossible nightmare as is being experienced

by Mr. T.R. Zaliang. For whatever he may represent, Mr. T.R.Z at least showed an exemplary political spunk. Where Mr. N.R, his predecessor, glorified the garbage with a ministerial berth, Mr. T.R. Zaliang dumped this foul waste to where it belonged... away from his ministry...despite jeopardising the equilibrium of his government. That same unfortunate garbage was not thrown far enough behind the bars and is now on the other side of the fence polluting his backyard with a loud hypocritical noise as a spokesperson. Be that as it may, he salvaged a modicum of Christian propriety, dignity and honour for the Nagas. For that, he deserves a pat on the back... one should give credit where it is due. Other than this little saving grace, the larger picture of the value system in Nagaland is at its negative best that the Church is praying for. The NBCC is now probably worried that a prolonged confusion in the political world would only destabilise their dependant resources and sees the need to pray for the "leaders"... their greatest provider. Yes! Yes!! We know! We know!!

The Church must pray for the sinners. The sanctimonious guys out there do not need to convince anybody about this expected retort.

It is only the unnerving motive behind the prayers that is being brought to question ...that's all. The Church seems to have run out of Christian ideas and now they have come down to praying for an inanimate contraption called cars/vehicles in Nagaland. Three cheers for the Church... in fact why three? Four and a half cheers! Perhaps the time is rife for them to now spend a meaningful moment of prayer for the

Churches and its 'leaders' in our land for a change.

Meanwhile, coming back to the core issue of office attendance... it would serve the Nagas well if the Hon'ble CM, the Ministers the Parliamentary Secretaries ... the Chief Secretary, his AHODs and HODs can begin to set the example of following the beaten track of governance with their 'dignified' presence in their respective offices in time, conduct the official duties in office as is expected, desired and required...at least the subject of attendance would recede to the background...even if real honest

aries met some of the BJP leaders including its president Amit Shah to ascertain the actual position of the central BJP as its state unit was issuing “various contradictory” statements on the present crisis.

“It was made known to the visiting delegation that the BJP as well as central Government is neither interested nor involve to destabilize the NPF-led-DAN government in Nagaland”, the press note reiterated, adding that Dr. Shurhozelie had only made this “known” to the party workers and the general public to clear the confusion created by “the dissident group.”

The NPF Youth Wing further argued that there is no question of the door

being “open to all” the party workers as the Sovima camp has no door either to open or shut. “They formed their own camp by inviting people to enter from ventilation and now trying to jump in from the window to take over the government which of course is not possible in the Indian democracy.”

If you are in majority why are you scared of going for floor test? NPF Central Youth Wing said questioning the claims of majority by the Noke led NPF. “Exactly, in a democracy majority will prevail so come out from the Sovima camp and let us prove the majority on the floor of the house.” Regarding the issue of disqualification of the three NCP MLAs, the press note once

again maintained that, it is purely constitutional matter and the speaker has only acted in accordance with the Indian constitution.

Challenging Imchen to “bring the order” from the election commission regarding the “de-recognition” of Dr Shurohozelie as the president of NPF, it asked him to submit the proof at any working hours at the central office, Kohima or desist from false propaganda.

Further denying that Dr. Shurohozelie had boycotted the visit of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, the Central Youth Wing claimed that he was seated along with the rest of the VIPs Modi inaugurated the Hornbill festival.

work output would remain a question mark in the forefront. It is as good as asking them to make their pocket money from their officially designated stations... but at least it would be the better of the two evils because the lucky few may still get their job done by default.

Set these two eschewed towering citadels in order and then, only then perhaps one would expect to see an improvement in attendance downstairs, even in the absence of "no work no pay" threat...but not before.

Khekiye K. Sema IAS (Rtd) Forest Colony, Kohima

Nagaland party politics in horns of dilemma

D

elhi faced the same situation Nagaland faces today and it is now going for a midterm Poll today.

Had the Parties in Delhi showed the same magnanimity and maturity the way the Liberals and the Conservatives showed in UK years ago, Delhi would have shown a great example not only to India and Nagaland but to the whole world also.

In Nagaland it is easier a Mithun is captured bare handed in the jungle than for the NPF Party to choose their Party Leader democratically.

Neither the biggest Democracy nor the Purest Democracy in the World has any Politicians of maturity who take Public Interest above their Party Interests to forge a coalition Government to serve their Constituencies and their People.

Nagaland Leaders are fond of going to Jerusalem but it seems they have not learnt the processes of forging a Coalition Government the like in Israel. In Nagaland, it is easier for a Nepali Milkman to sell Milk unadulterated with Water than for a Naga Politician to show political magnanimity to its Opponent Party.

I personally dislike President Rule because it very much curtails the Personal Freedom of the common People and decreases potentials of the Citizens for Innovations. Most educated Nagas I came in contact do not favor President Rule in Nagaland. Only those few, who are very sour with the Politicians welcome Presidents Rule in the State.

If President Rule comes, like in Delhi, there will be Election soon after and Nagaland will again come to Square No.

Shurhozelie had only disclosed ‘assurance and commitment’ made by BJP leaders Dimapur, February 1 (mexN): The NPF Central Youth Wing today maintained that its president, Dr. Shurhozelie had only “disclosed” assurance and commitment of the Prime Minister and other BJP leaders in Delhi and he did not ‘dragged’ their names keep its camp together as alleged by the Noke led NPF. Refuting the allegation made by the Noke led NPF spokesperson, Imkong L Imchen against its president and the chief minister regarding the issue, the press bureau of Naga Peoples’ Front (NPF) Central Youth Wing in a press note maintained that, the President Dr. Shurhozelie along with some party function-

5

I and Corruption, Political Trading, and sale of many things, even the Rights of the People of the State will again be the same thing.

It may better the law and order situation a little more but not much to the desired expectation of the People. Delhi does not seem, or it has not time, to be serious about smooth law and order in the State.

But the sorriest thing about the President Rule is that it will not improve the future Political behavior of Naga Politicians: Politics in Nagaland will not improve in quality after the President Rule.

Nagas must improve their political quality in their own State and not depend on Delhi to coach us; the best thing would be to solve the our political Party problems ourself.

Like there is a solution for the AssamNagaland Border dispute; there can be a settlement for the present political tangle. The issue is best settled for the good future Party Politics in Nagaland. The Issue can be settled: i. on the basis of Give and Take, and ii. on the basis of Ground Realities.

1. Let the NPF (original) magnanimously and unconditionally accept the Sovima Campers.

2. Reshuffle the T. R. Ministry to include untainted 3 MLA into the New Cabinet from the Sovima Campers.

3. Have equal Parliamentary Secretaries from both Kohima and Camps.

4. Treat all Acts of Commission and of Omission as if nothing has happened.

Thepfulhouvi Solo

PBCC children rally concludes

Dimapur Bangali Samaj, Dimapur organized its free education project for 'talented but financially weak students' at function held at Shree Shree Ram Thakur Seveshram premises, Dimapur on February 1. In the picture, the president of the Samaj, KK Paul is seen handing over books to one of the students at the function.

Dimapur, February 1 (mexN): More than 100 Sunday Schools children from both the upper and lower class successfully attended a two day, “Life refreshing and enchanting” Children Rally from January 31-February 1.

The rally was organised Phom Baptist Church Chumukedima (PBCC) Sunday School Department at its Church Premises with Tialila Imchen, Christian Education Director (PBCC) as its Resource Person. The resource person was accompanied by Soyim Longkumer and Alemla Jamir.

A press note from the organisers informed that on the first day, the children were taught songs, bible memorization as well as different games.

On the concluding day today, the resource person exhorted the parents to spend quality time with their children and also urged them solve the problems face by children by listening to them. All the attendees of the rally had a blessed stay, added the press note.

NPSC bids farewell to Puroh, Merry DMC extends license renewal AR medical camp report Dimapur, February 1 (mexN): The due date for renewal of DMC trade license for 2015, which was supposed to expire on January 31, has been extended for period of 15 days i.e. up to February 15 as a grace period.

A press note from the Executive Officer of Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC), H Atokhe Aye informed all concerned business entities to renew their respective trace license within the stipulated period. Late fine will be imposed upon the expiry of the grace period.

Our correspondent Kohima | February 1

The Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) on Saturday accorded a benefitting farewell to its outdoing chairman Kiihiipoyo Puroh and member Chipeni Merry. Kiihiipoyo Puroh served as 6 years in NPSC (4 year as member and 2 years as chairman) while NPSC member Chipeni Merry served for 18 months.

NPSC secretary Sarah R Ritse acknowledged both for rendering immense contribution to the Commission. She also looks forward to their unending advice and support to the Commission in the years to come and wished them a successful retirement life.

Puroh in his speech acknowledged the NPSC fraternity for being so cooperative and supportive, adding that he did not find any difficulty or problem and had exercise his re-

Outgoing NPSC chairman and member during farewell function with others in Kohima on Saturday. (Morung photo)

sponsibility with pleasure. Everyone is equal though the nature of the work defines the different chapter, he added stressing on the need to respect one another and work cohesively.

He was appreciative of the volume of the love, care and respect shown to him during his association with NPSC, declaring that he will be treasured it forever. He admitted that the Commission is marching for-

ward to the aspiration of the people and asked the staff to work with understanding, integrity and unity.

Chipeni in her address also recalled the good days with the Commission and thanked one all for their “immense kindness.”The programme was chaired by deputy secretary Kelhoupuseto Nakhro while staff Association vice president Thejasaliie Nuh spoke on behalf of staff association.

Dimapur, February 1 (mexN): Around 183 patients including kids and elders attended during the free medical camp at Changpang -II village, Wokha District on January 24.

The camp was organised by 17 Assam Rifles under the aegis of HQ 5 Sector Assam Rifles and a Medical team headed by the Regimental Medical Officer of 17 Assam Rifles oversee the camp.

Kohima, February 1 (mexN): Sechü Patients with variety of ailZubza Village Council (SZVC) has elected a new ments including respiratory team of office bearers for the tenure 2015 to 2019 tract infections, gastrointesheaded by Mhasikhoto Zhünyü as chairman and tinal infections, skin infecVichasielie Medoze as vice chairman. The gener- tion etc were treated and proal secretary is Vitsiakho Meyase and Thepfunei- vided medicines and some tuo Rino - treasurer. The colony representatives of them were advised further to the Village Council are Seyiekielie Nagi, Kho-u investigations, stated an AR Nipu, Neiphingulie Viya, K. Charles Suokhrie and press note.

Keviserie Kuotsu; Mezhüno Miasalhou is the lone Thekrezenoma camp woman representative to the village council.

Meanwhile, the 37 As-

SZVC elects new team

sam Rifles under the aegis of Headquarters 6 Sector Assam Rifles also organised a free medical camp at Thekrezenoma village in Kohima district on January 20.

A total of 320 patients, including 109 males, 175 females and 36 children were given medical treatment and medicines for various ailments.

Lectures were organised to increase awareness on important issues like communicable diseases, family planning, health and hygiene.

A friendly volley ball match was also played between the teams of Thekrezenoma village and 37 Assam Rifles. Medical aid and free medicines were provided to the locals of the region, informed a press release received here.

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

6

IN-FOCUS

The Power of Truth

The Morung Express MonDAy 2 fEbruAry 2015 voluME X IssuE 30

Along Longkumer Consulting Editor

The Common Man

I

n a remarkable coincidence of sorts, the legendary cartoonist RK Laxman, whose depiction of the common man was awe-inspiring to one and all, passed away on January 26, a day reserved each year to celebrate the people’s republic. And as a column in the Wall Street Journal put it quite nicely, “long before the upstart Aam Aadmi Party took up the cause of India’s common man, political cartoonist R.K. Laxman” had created the caricature which appeared on the front page of The Times of India for more than 60 years “depicting the idiosyncrasies and peculiarities of everyday life in India”. The Common Man appeared as a cartoon under the column ‘You Said It’, giving millions of readers everyday something to ponder on the struggles faced by the average Indian. Where prominent space in newspapers are determined mostly by populism, sensationalism and the levers of money, power and violence, through his relentless work, Laxman should be credited for putting the common man on the front page, thereby giving prominence to the voice of the voiceless and hope for democracy and the people. Laxman’s cartoons always had people’s issue as his central message and helped garner popular opinion in favour of the weak and downtrodden. As a result, those in power and authority could no longer ignore the issues that were highlighted of the common man. Today there is a change in the mindset of both the citizens and those who rule over us. The common man can no longer be taken for granted. It was because of artists like Laxman, who were the conscience keepers of this nation, that India can celebrate the story of the people.

Here perhaps, not many people may have noticed the significance of the symbolism in the trinity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Barack Obama and RK Laxman during this year’s Republic Day. Even in his death, Laxman was able to share the front page news with the likes of Modi and Obama, the focus of media attention given the importance attached to the US President’s visit to India. For this writer, it truly revealed the triumph of the common man. RK Laxman devoted his whole life to highlighting the plight of the common man. And even though his common man was an Indian character, it resonated with the common man all over the world. The problems faced by the common man are many in all societies no matter which part of the world you may be in.

Faithfully and tirelessly for many years, Laxman fulfilled his purpose in life by doing his duty of giving voice to this common man. And as a fitting tribute to him and his ideals, the two leaders, one of a super power and the other of a rising super power, both from humble backgrounds themselves, triumphantly took part in the celebrations of the republic, the world’s largest democracy. Today we see them as two powerful men yet we can trace their roots to the obscure, neglected world of the common man. Both Modi and Obama came from humble beginnings, one a son of a cook, an African-American and the other, the son of a tea seller. What a triumph of the common man! This is the kind of story that the world needs now. In a world burdened by the problems of terrorism, violence, fear, poverty, illiteracy, inequality, the rise of the common man and our common human ideals gives us hope for a better future. It definitely does justice to Obama’s slogan and which can now be the slogan of the common man ‘Yes we can’.

(Feedback can be sent to consultingeditormex@gmail.com)

lEfT WING |

Mazie Nakhro, Ph.D

Day 19: The Secret of a Great Nation Thought-Provoking Question: Will God show special favor upon our Nagas even if we don't put God-fearing people to lead us?

What does God say? Read 2 Chronicles 1:7-12 Solomon was one who started well. No other king of Israel, not even David himself, led a higher pinnacle of worldly splendor. Solomon's vast building program, his unlimited wealth, his far-flung commercial enterprises, his up-todate military program and his patronage of wisdom and the arts were all admired with open-eyed wonder by his subjects and by visitors from afar like the Queen of Sheba.

Under his leadership, Israel rose from political obscurity to the rank of a small empire that commanded the political attention and economic envy of other nations. During most of his reign peace prevailed.

Although Solomon, unlike his father David, was not a military man, he brought political shrewdness and showed international diplomacy. Under his rule, neither Egypt nor Assyria was a threat for over 50 years. Other small nations were either kept in military subjugation or bound to Israel by commercial treaty.

Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates river to the very border of Egypt. The people of Israel "were as many as the sand by the sea; they ate and drank and were happy" (1 Kings 4:20-21).

What was the secret of Solomon's success? The answer is simply this: Solomon sought God and put Him first. Therefore, God gave him everything he asked for, plus much more.

Okay, so now what?

Some Naga national workers would talk about fighting for Naga greatness until they find some big positions for themselves under the setup of the Indian constitution. (This happened before and could happen again.) They would boast about their capability to negotiate with mighty India by living within their tiny, confined camps. They shout "Nagaland for Christ" with their mouth, but their hands and feet are quick to do the works of the Devil. Reliability doesn't seem to be their strength. Or, have lost clarity of thinking?

Our main problem, I believe, is that we are trying to build our own Naga kingdom in our own way, apart from God. If we want to succeed as Solomon did, do what he did: Put God first. Even Jesus says, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matt. 6:33).

Prayer: Our Heavenly Father, send down on our national leaders the spirit of wisdom and righteousness; that with steadfast purpose they may serve You faithfully in our generation and honor Your holy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Taken from the book “Breakfast with the King: The 100-Day Devotional” by Mazie Nakhro

THE EDIT PAGE

C O M M E N T A R Y

Robert Ito NYT

The Book Ends, and the Story Begins ‘American Sniper’ Script Looks for the Human Behind the Hero

I

n “American Sniper,” Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) peers through the scope of a high-powered rifle, finger on the trigger, preparing to shoot a young boy. A Navy SEAL on his first tour of duty in Iraq, he has been tasked with protecting the lives of the Marines under his watch, and the boy is running full speed at a convoy of them, his hands wrapped around an enormous Russian-made grenade.

Given the nature of a sniper’s assignment, any reasonably intuitive moviegoer has a fair idea how this is going to end. (If you’re still not sure, now would be a good time to stop reading.) Mr. Kyle shoots the boy square in the chest, and when a woman grabs the grenade and tries to finish the job, he shoots her, too. Both die.

The scene is crucial to the film, but you won’t find any mention of a boy being killed in the book “American Sniper,” the autobiography upon which the film is based. After Mr. Kyle submitted the galleys to the Department of Defense and the United States Naval Special Warfare Command for review, that part of the story was removed. “Things were redacted from the book,” said Jason Hall, the film’s screenwriter. “And one of the things that was redacted was the way that that went down.”

And that’s not the only way that the Clint Eastwood-directed film version of “American Sniper,” which has gone on to break box-office records, differs from the 2012 best seller. Much about Mr. Kyle’s life is already the stuff of armed forces lore: the most confirmed sniper kills in American military history; nicknamed “the Legend” by his SEAL teammates; once shot a man from an incredible 2,100 yards out (a little over a mile).

But the Chris Kyle viewers encounter in the film is a much more complicated figure than the one readers find in the book — in large part because of what took place in the months and years between the book’s beginnings and the film’s first day of shooting.

Mr. Kyle began work on his memoir in 2010, just a year after serving four tours of duty in Iraq. In the book, he refers to the enemy as “savages” and describes the “despicable evil” he encountered in Iraq.

“What you’re getting is a glimpse of a man at a particular moment in time,” Mr. Hall said. “He had been at war or training for war for a decade. In places, he sounds downright nasty, but that’s what we created. This is what these people have to be.”

Mr. Hall was already working on a screenplay about Mr. Kyle’s life at that time and had gotten to know the former SEAL through visits and calls, and

T

houghts about Gandhi for this day seamlessly turn into thoughts about the scores of innocent boys killed in Peshawar on December 16. The Mahatma was quite old and the boys were very young, but there were common elements.

In neither case had the killed done any harm to the killers. Deception was employed in both cases. The killers entered the Army Public School in the security personnel uniform. Gandhi’s assassin pretended he was venerating his victim before pumping bullets into the old man’s unprotected chest. Since many of the APS boys’ bodies showed bullet wounds in the head, they too were probably shot from a close distance. In any case, one boy after another was cold-bloodedly gunned down.

Gandhi in 1948 as well as the APS boys in 2014 symbolised an idea the killers detested. Gandhi's assassins - the man who did the actual killing plus his associates — hated Gandhi's stand, which India's Constitution would enshrine, that Indians should be left free to believe and practise any or no religion. They detested Gandhi's reminder of the thought, embraced for centuries by India's masses, that both Ishwar and Allah were God’s names.

The Peshawar killers likewise hated the idea that people could worship the way they liked. Because the Pakistani army was now targeting violent extremists who want to forcibly impose one form of religion, the killers decided that the boys of the army's soldiers and officers merited death. Uniformity required the elimination of the young sons of those defending diversity.

In both cases, freedom and its twin, tolerance, were unbearable for the killers.

In both cases, an extreme act produced a strong reaction against the killers.

Believers in coercion have recently obtained a stage in India. In Pakistan they have had a free run for decades. The army and the police looked away as killers on motorbikes mowed down people belonging to targeted sects, or when mobs incinerated alleged blasphemers.

When hate-merchants declared that Pakistan’s Hindus, Sikhs and Christians were not worthy of equal rights, or decreed that Ahmadis and Shias were outside Islam's pure fold, and thus not entitled to equality or protection, politicians remained silent.

What can Indians do to help the effort against coercion in Pakistan? For one thing, we can recognise the bravery of the many in Pakistan who in the teeth of deadly danger continue to ask for freedom and tolerance; and we can spread word of this bravery.

by watching him interact with his wife and children.

Despite struggling with his own demons, Mr. Kyle had been helping other veterans who had returned from the war. “I felt him change in those couple of years,” Mr. Hall said. “You could hear it in his voice.

The laughter started coming easier, especially in those last months, when I was writing the script.”

On Feb. 1, 2013, Mr. Hall handed in the first draft of his screenplay. The next day, Mr. Kyle was killed by a former Marine he had been trying to help. Mr. Cooper, who was executive producing the film and set to star in it, had only been able to have a five-minute chat with Mr. Kyle before he was killed. “It was a cursory conversation,” Mr. Cooper said in a phone interview from Manhattan. “We joked around a bit.

He talked about taking me to the back of his truck and knocking the pretty out of me.”

“The book was interesting source material,” Mr. Cooper added. “But it was never going be my primary tool to get into who this guy was, because I literally had the guy” there to consult with directly.

After Mr. Kyle’s death, the task of fleshing out the character beyond what was in the book fell in large part to Mr. Kyle’s widow, Taya, who provided the filmmakers and actors access to home movies, letters and a decade’s worth of emails. “Jason and I spent hours on the phone,” Ms. Kyle said, speaking by phone from her home in Midlothian, Tex. “He would catch me at any time of the day or night, at times where I just needed to cry or vent or go through something. And that was a blessing, because he ended up getting so much more than either of us would have thought you needed for a movie.”

After those conversations, the screenplay changed “immensely,” Mr. Hall said. “The draft that I had written under the tutelage and watchful eye of Chris was much more of a war film.” The focus of the

film began to shift more toward the relationship between Chris and Taya, and the struggles that Chris had had in readjusting to civilian life. “What I got was the other side of Chris Kyle that wasn’t in the book,” he said. “The Chris before the war that this woman fell in love with.”

And there were other changes. In the book, Mustafa, an Iraqi sniper and former Olympics marksman, registers as little more than a four-sentence blip. “I really got on Chris about that, and he said that he felt that it was really possible that this guy shot his friend, and he didn’t want to memorialize him in the book,” Mr. Hall said. In the film, the character becomes a much larger figure, Mr. Kyle’s doppelgänger and archnemesis, a shadowy phantom whom the hero ultimately confronts in a Wild West-style showdown.

The film also depicts Mr. Kyle’s beloved brother Jeff, a Marine, bitterly complaining to Mr. Kyle about the war. The scene is shocking — the gungho, legendary sniper versus his war-weary younger sibling — and utterly untrue. “In real life, Jeff did not have that moment,” Ms. Kyle said. But millions of other veterans have, so the scene is true in that sense. “Jeff understands that there was a need for that in the movie,” she added. “But for him to wear, it is going to be hard.”

The movie has gained a life far beyond that of the 2012 book, with politicians, pundits and others arguing over the film’s meaning and intentions even as it drew Oscar nominations for, among other things, its screenplay and lead performance.

“It’s very easy to say, this movie’s this and that, and then write it off and say it’s propaganda, which is so insane,” Mr. Cooper said. “Because what you really neglect are the soldiers. To me, Chris was utterly human. I never had to go from icon to human. I was studying a man, and I was trying to inhabit the man.”

The rising tide of coercion rajmohan Gandhi

Create a climate where diversity and diverse opinions are respected

Most Indians are unaware that many followers of Badshah Khan the Frontier Gandhi -- have been active in the effort in Pakistan against intimidation. Hundreds connected to the Awami National Party, founded by Badshah Khan's son Wali Khan, have been killed in recent years by militant extremists.

Yet the struggle of these fighters for "insaaniyat" continues.

These Pakhtun men and women have courageous counterparts in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. Open praise in India could create problems for brave Pakistanis, but we can at least keep them in our thoughts and prayers.

In addition to wishing strength to Pakistani fighters for freedom and toler-

ance, we can acknowledge India's own coercive trend and strive to reverse it.

I take some heart from my recent study of Punjab's history, where I found that even during the terrifying months of 1947 — terrifying in both halves of what once was a single Punjab — Punjabis who protected threatened lives greatly outnumbered the gangs that took lives.

I am certain, likewise, that in today's Pakistan those who want freedom and tolerance greatly outnumber the intimidators. If the latter thrive, it is because of an irresolute government and a civil society divided by enmities, and certainly not because of the people of Pakistan.

To return to Gandhi: in September 1944, when he and Jinnah held

WRITE-WING

fourteen rounds of talks in Mumbai, Gandhi asked the Muslim League president whether the Pakistan he was demanding would give Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and minority Muslims equal rights. ‘Yes,’ Jinnah replied.

In June 1947, painfully acquiescing in the Partition which had been accepted by the all-India Congress, the League, and leading political figures of Punjab, Gandhi reiterated his core belief and asked direct questions regarding the two new nations that were about to emerge: “13 June 1947. When God is here, there and everywhere God must be one…That is why I [ask] whether those calling God Rahim would have to leave [India] and whether in the part described as Pakistan Rama as the name of God would be forbidden. Would someone who called God Krishna be turned out of Pakistan? Whatever be the case there, this cannot be permitted here. We shall worship God both as Krishna and Karim and show the world that we refuse to go mad” (Collected Works 95: 270).

Had he not been killed, Gandhi would have gone to Pakistan, with Jinnah's full agreement. That was the plan for February 1948. If the two were to return today — 67 years later — to the subcontinent, Jinnah would probably be even more disappointed than Gandhi.

Yet Pakistan’s sad scenes would wound Gandhi as well. Claiming that Pakistanis were also his people, Gandhi had declared on 2 July 1947: “Both India and Pakistan are my country. I am not going to take out a passport for going to Pakistan” (CW 95: 388-9).

Gandhi's death-day should be used for honest reflection. If there is a rising tide of coercion in Pakistan and also in India, what should be the response of citizens and governments? The duty of the latter is clear: governments should make life difficult for intimidators and freer for citizens. There should be no tolerance whatsoever for threats, whether from organisations, extremist groups, mobs or persons in power.

What about the rest of us? As individuals, we may not be able to paralyse an AK 47 or defang a bomb. But we can help create a climate where diversity and diverse opinions are respected.

We can agree that in every informal and formal institution where we have a place — family, farm, workplace, legislature, or whatever — we will listen to, reason with, and respect one another.

In such a climate, the militant owning a lethal weapon would feel increasingly isolated, and citizens who cherish tolerance would acquire confidence.

The writer, a biographer and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, is a Distinguished Scholar in Residence, IIT, Gandhinagar

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

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

7

Monday

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

2 February 2015

PERSPECTIVE NEWS ANALYSIS, FEATURE AND DISCOURSE

the great naga tamasha of 2015 T he present imbroglio within the fold of the NPF has left the Nagas disgusted, frustrated and redfaced. No matter what the two camps may be saying repeatedly, such dramas and tamashas over selfish issues will no longer appeal to the weary Naga public who are all fed up with the rampant tamashas and corruption within the ranks and files of our state government. Our so-called honorable legislators have been even trying to impress the Naga public by projecting an image that even Delhi is interested in the ongoing Tamasha. But is it really so? And do our state legislators think that the Naga public is holding its breath and watching what will happen? And do they think that Delhi is really interested in such a cheap political game being played out in the small and faraway state Nagaland. I personally don’t think so. To ally my stand, let me start with an analogy: Suppose that I am walking through the Diampur railway station area and happen to come across some beggars arguing or fighting amongst themselves by the side of the street. Such a scene will be of no concern and interest to me. Rather it would be quite a funny and amusing sight because beggars fighting amongst themselves by the side of the street would be quite a comical scene. I guess this is how Delhi is viewing us today.

But if these beggars (or for that matter anybody with similar aims and objectives) are able to at least present a united image to others despite their inner differences and bickering, it will be at least hard for others to mock or laugh at them. But unfortunately our so-called honorable state legislators cannot even do something as trivial as this.

There were times in our past when we Nagas were able to shake Delhi because of our valiant steps and actions in asserting our rights and stands. For instance, when the Nagas conducted their Plebiscite in 1951, it must have been something which really made Delhi concerned and uncomfortable. Later also, when the Nagas refused to partake in the Indian elections, it really provoked and angered the Indian government. Of course, these stands and actions of the Nagas invited some very harsh and aggressive actions from the Indian government. However, we were still a people to be reckoned with because Honour and Dignity were still on our side.

Again in 1960 when our great leader landed in London, it was something which completely shook Delhi to its very foundation. This news completely dismayed and demoralized the Indian Prime Minister so mush so that he did not even hesitate to accept the absurd proposal of the NPC for making Nagaland a full-fledged state within the Indian union.

But these events are long gone and I am sorry to say that there is practically nothing here in Nagaland today that has the potential to shake the corridors of power in Delhi…why? Simple….. because we have become beggars – only expecting and trying to feast on the money released from Delhi.

Now, our state legislators make a big deal about the 16 Point Agreement signed in 1960 which brought about the Nagaland state in December 1963. Some of them even go to the extent of saying that this document saved the Nagas from total destruction and annihilation and that it is this document which has brought about many developments in Nagaland. But do our so-called honorable legislators know that some of the provisions

of this 16 Point Agreement have already been unilaterally violated by the Indian government while some of the provisions are yet to be fully realized. So my assertion is this – If our legislators are so fond of tamashas / dramas, why don’t they create Tamashas and Dramas out of these very genuine and relevant issues. If they create Tamashas out of these genuine issues, I am certain that the whole Nagas would rally behind them.

For instance, as per the original provisions of the 16 Point Agreement, Nagaland was actually placed under the Ministry of External Affairs thereby implying that the Naga case was an external matter of India. But in 1972, the Indian government unilaterally and cunningly shifted Nagaland to the Ministry of Home Affairs thereby implying that the Naga case had become an internal matter of India. Now, if our state legislators have any regard for our history and struggle, they should have strongly protested against this unilateral and insulting violation of the Agreement. But as far as this violation was concerned, there was no protest or tamasha from our legislators then and even now.

According to another two provisions of the 16 Point Agreement, all the Naga forests that are under Assam would have to be transferred back to Nagaland in due course of time and also that all the lands inhabited by Nagas outside the 16579 sq.km would have to be ultimately integrated into Nagaland. It is really unfortunate that these two very important provisions of the 16 Point Agreement remain unfulfilled and unrealized even after 50 years of statehood. So, if our state legislators want to create tamashas and dramas, they should do so over these vital issues. If they take up these issues, I am sure they will not only garner the support and confidence of the Nagas but they may also be able to shake the corridors of power in Delhi. This is so because these are issues that genuinely involve the past, the present and the future of the Nagas.

An interesting episode was that both the rival camps tried their best to project themselves as being the one

who is in favor and collaboration with the central leadership in Delhi. This is the reason why both the camping parties flew to Delhi probably to have some photo sessions with the PM himself or at least the Home Minister.

Because once such a photo is published in our local papers by any of the rival camps, some of the public would be tempted to think that the concerned camp (whose legislators are shown standing besides either the PM or HM) is the bona-fide one. But no such pictures were published in any of our papers. This clearly demonstrates the apathy and indifference of the central leadership towards a small and faraway state like Nagaland.

The truth is that Delhi is too occupied and busy with many vital and genuine issues (both national and international) to be actually concerned about a case in faraway Nagaland where the elected legislators are fighting amongst themselves because of their sheer greed for money and power. This kind of tamasha in Nagaland holds no water whatsoever to shake the corridors of power in Delhi. Rather when we fly off to Delhi for all these kinds of embarrassing and disgusting tamashas, we are inadvertently implying that we have sold away out rights and genuine stand long ago. The sooner we realize this the better it will be for all.

Some years ago, some of our eastern Naga brothers also started another very humiliating tamasha by demanding a new state (to be called ‘Frontier Nagaland’) to be carved out of the present state of Nagaland. I guess this kind of tamashas crop up because the Nagas do not know how to honor their history or even their special status within the Indian union. The manner in which Nagaland state was born in the 1960s was nothing short of a miracle. In other words, it was born under extraordinary circumstances the likes of which independent India had never seen and will never see. Therefore when we create this kind of tamashas (including the present one) in total disregard of our unique history or special status even under this Indian union, we are only making a mockery of ourselves.

The Morung Express

As to the question whether TR should remain as CM or Kaito should occupy the coveted chair, the lesser I talk about it the better it will be for me. Because to a common man like me, it will make no difference. I will still be eating the same food, doing the same things and driving the same old car whether TR remains in the chair or whether Kaito gets it. For me it would only mean transfer of cash from one coffer to the other.

However, this recent tamasha has vividly brought out the fact that some of our so-called honorable legislators would go to any extent to keep themselves safely entrenched in their chairs from where they can grasp the lion’s share of the money that comes down from Delhi. The Tamasha has also illustrated that many of them are not even aware about the rules and regulations of the Election Commission of India and also of the 10th Schedule of the Constitution. This is the reason why they didn’t mind flouting an already existent and recognized party by forming and launching another parallel party with the same nomenclature. They even went to the extent of impeaching the genuine leaders of the original party in a meeting held faraway from the party headquarter in Kohima.

Our so-called honorable legislators also always proclaim themselves as the mediators and facilitators in regard to the long-standing Naga political issue. They even say that they are ready to even give up their offices to facilitate a final and honorable solution to this Naga issue. But the recent tamasha has clearly unfolded the fact that the Naga political issue is just a terminology in their propaganda to keep themselves strongly entrenched in their chairs. Because had they been really concerned about the Naga political issue, they would not have resorted to such cheap political gimmicks which has embarrassed the whole of Nagas within and outside and made a mockery of us all.

There was a time in the past when the Indian government even made some minor adjustments in its grand constitution to accommodate the Nagas because of our genuine case and apprehensions. Here we can state about the so-called Article 371 (A) and also the provisions in the so-called 16 Point Agreement through which our statehood became a reality. But now I am afraid the Indian government has nothing “exclusively” for the Nagas. This is evident from the recent visit of the PM Narendra Modi. Standing firmly on Naga soil, the PM announced many programs and schemes but all these were for the entire North-East and none “exclusively” for the Nagas. So even when the PM comes to Nagaland, if he has nothing special and exclusively for the Nagas anymore, then that speaks volumes about ourselves and the attitude of the central leaders towards us. This is what we have become today – just another state of the North East.

Under normal circumstances, the people of Nagaland should have been disappointed when the PM did not announce any financial package for the Nagas. But the unthinkable happened when many Nagas rejoiced over the fact that no financial packages were announced. This clearly demonstrates that many in Nagaland are now aware and weary of the rampant corruption prevalent in our state government sector. And the present imbroglio in the NPF fold is nothing but a reflection of the corrupt ideals and propagandas that are part and parcel of our state government machinery. And so it is no wonder that many are least bothered about the tamasha……

POLL RESuLTS

Do you support the ChurCh’s intervention in the ongoing npF Crisis?

Some of those who voted YES had this to say: • Yes Yes and Yes Church exists as an agent of peace. She exists not for herself but for others so she needs to be an anchor...

• Yes, Church leaders are more reliable and dependable for the society in the present situation. The righteous shall win but the selfish and greediness shall falls.

• Yes. Last option.

• Yes, it was needed. Do we want President's Rule by being silent? No NGO could intervene leaving the responsibility to the church.

• Church must stand to bring reconciliation in such a time. From me YES • Churches are the representative of God, they are the one's to guide us from wrong to right. so i stand for yes.

• Churches should involve in such situation to reconcile both the parties and bring back peace to our society.

• Church cannot just sit back and watch the dirty dramas that is going on...Church needs to correct, restore, rebuild... the society. She cannot let injustice just creep in...

• Yes, its not only the responsibility of the church but every responsible citizen must intervene..

• Yes I firmly support Church(s) Intervention to the present political crisis for the reason that whatever is happening is not happening Good or something that every one should not feel Glad about it. Well, The church Infact has to play a vital role in making our society a better place to live in. Of course I dont' mean the church should involve in politics however, the present crisis is effecting the normal Life of the society either directly or indirectly and that is wrong. So, The church has every right to oppose that wrong happenings.... I should say only preaching within the four wall of the church will not do but, in times they should also act outside the church. Religion is a lifestyle and it aint' have any boundary...after all Jesus christ our savior mostly carried out his ministry outside the Synagogue or "Building of worship".

Lastly, all MLAs or Ministers are members in one or the other church and therefore, on that basis the Churches has a say on them. "Praying for our Leaders is not politics." Infact, in Old testament we could find the Kings or Rulers were chosen and further anointed by the Priest.

• Yes! being Christian State 0h hahaha the post-

away from all these dirty politics. master reminding me the last "clean election camare only a group of few peoples, who are meant • No, not at all. No religion is allowed in politics. Religion only for preaching Gospels to the people, and its paign" • Yes absolutely. Literally we are the Church. If is for the betterment of the mankind/society but not for non of their business. politicians. Does the so called politicians doing anywe as Christian jus watch without doing anything for the people but instead doing...... . I know that Some of those who voted thing. What makes us different from other peoOTHERS had this to say: ple. Whether the result is success or failure you know what I mean. is not a question but the thing is that we the • NSF, NAGA HOHO, NMA, etc should keep out • Motives of d Nbcc officials doubtful. There are more Church has at least done something in time of of politics, so the question of Church does not pressing issues where they have remained silent. arise. Church should focus more on spiritual life • Are ‘leaders’ worth our prayers? Why church political crisis in Nagaland. and not all these worldly things. You never know, • Yes. Why not! It has to play its role as peacesuch a stooge? Many don’t get salary in time, maker especially in this type of crisis. But at the tomorrow church might even dictate about the arrears and promotions are scuffled unfairly, same time, as pointed out by many bloggers, the food we eat, everything has their limit, Church price and extortion no control yet they and their Church needs to be consistent in playing out her should know their limit. sycophants get rich in no time. Any prayers for • There was a crisis for leadership in congress, the role and not be selective. us children of a lesser god? crisis was worst than the • Church should stand separate from politics. Howpresent NPF crisis. We Some of those who ever they can act as an impartial third party when all knew that some oppovoted no had this the situation don't improve. nent party use arm ele- • No...They can pray for solution but not directly into say: ments and also set fire in • I seriously don't support tervene coz its a very dirty game. their office too . That time • Our leaders if they can't solve the problems within the intervention of the where was NBCC and church. Its high time the themselves .... How can we expect them to solve what did they do to pacpublic intervene in the the problems that common people face... Don't ify the crisis? Therefore, i form of a 'revolution.' change leadership change your mindset should say no....... within the finer distinction • In a multi-cultural or ethnic society like us • Where is the churches of 'We' and the 'Church,' (nagaland) where Religious/Faith Based when there are lots of the Church should rather Organization(FBO) are well mobilsed and orbeggars, homeless just focus on 'soul winning' ganised and play a vital role in bringing people in their footsteps. they • A big no..different entity of different ethnic groups under one church; will just put a scarf on with different objective... therefore, if this FBOs act as a pressure group, I their nose and go away • Aristotle is considered think things might change in our society. but why serious about • The Church's 'intervention' is pointless beas the father of politics this ongoing thief polibecause he seperated cause it cannot influence or assert itself on ticians hungry for powreligion from politics. . . . any of the conflicting parties to form the "gover. I am sure even the My opinion is a big 'NO'. ernment" and sadly but as a matter of fact a reconciliation at this stage is practically imchurches is hungry for . No, they should not inYES possible as no legislator is going to be swayed money instead of salvavolve in politics. Religion no OTHER at this present juncture. tions. corruption itself and politics should be starts from church nowadays but still praying • The fear of God has been completely diminseparate. ished from the minds of our so called "political for corruptions lol.

• No, Bcoz families are directly or indirectly involved leaders" who are so corrupt and power hungry.

• No, Even to go to heaven, people betraying them- • What they SOW so they are REAPING, No need But its not just the "political leaders" we Naga to intervene selves so why not this type.

Christians need to ask ourselves , each one of • Trying to curry favor with the politicians by pretend• Politics and religion is different subject.

• Church and politics..??? Seriously?? Doesn't go hand ing to be peace makers. Shed your wolf in sheep's us , individually ; Am I also corrupt like them , in in hand.. they rather pray for the crisis than intervene clothing. Stay home and pray. Everyone can see right my work, Am I honoring God , am I a Christian in it. God bless. at home, am I bringing glory or shame to Jesus through your pretension.

• No, The present political crisis is because of church • No, for a Govt. to function efficiently in the modern Christ by my behaviour. The "Local Church" is failure to conduct clean election, this is jas the beginthe Hope of the World said Bill Hybels. And inera the separation of the State and Church is a ning, there is more crisis to come. ner true Transformation can only come when must.

• No. Its a shameful thing for Church/religious organiza- • NO, Why does this NBCC always interfere in all a person is born again and lives as a True foltion to be involved. Dear church leaders, please keep the activities, Someone please tell them that they lower of Christ in every sphere of society.

45%

39%

16%

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

8

Dimapur

NATIONAL

Monday 2 February 2015

The Morung Express

Battleground Delhi: Poll campaign hits crescendo New Delhi, February 1 (PTi): With just four days left for it to end, the high octane campaigning in Delhi assembly polls reached its crescendo on Sunday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal pulled no punches in taking on rivals.

As Sonia jumped into the campaign mode for the first time in the February 7 polls, the four leaders traded charges and countercharges with the Congress president slamming “pracharak” Modi and “dharnebaaj” Kejriwal. Sonia also asked voters to guard against “politics of hatred”.

Wooing voters to back BJP and not to support those who believed in “dharnas”, the Prime Minister took a swipe at his opponents who say prices of petrol and diesel have come down in India because Modi is “lucky”. The “rivals”, particularly the Congress, say the prices have come down just because he is “lucky”, he said, adding “Do you want a lucky person or someone who is less lucky?

Taunting his rivals, he said, “Ok, let’s accept that I am lucky but you have saved money. If Modi’s luck is benefitting the people, what can be more fortunate? If because of my good luck, prices of petrol and diesel get reduced and common man saves more, then what is need for bringing someone who is unlucky?”

Women candidates promise the moon on security

A supporter waves to Congress party president Sonia Gandhi, during a campaign rally ahead of Delhi state elections in New Delhi, India, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015. Delhi goes to polls on Feb. 7 and results are expected on Feb.10. (AP Photo

Modi was addressing a rally in Dwarka in south west Delhi — the second in as many days. Taking on both AAP and Congress, Modi said they “forge friendship behind the curtains” to form a government, apparently referring to their alliance last year.

“However, as soon as polls were declared, they start competing each other in spreading lies which could lead to sensation and give them some space in the media,” he added.

Targeting Kejriwal, he asked people whether they want development

or “dharnas”.

Modi said the city will suffer if the electorate vote for someone who is more interested in “dharnas” and “looking for space in TV media” than talking about issues to address them. Responding to the constant “dharna” jibes at him, Kejriwal said,” I don’t sit on dharna for myself. I sit on Dharna for people.”

Taking a dig at Modi, Kejriwal said at his rally in Shastrinagar he thought the prime minister will speak about big schemes but he kept speaking against him.

Addressing her first election rally Delhi at Meethapur near Badarpur, Sonia asked voters to save Delhi from those who make only “hollow promises”. “While one party has a ‘pracharak’, who only does ‘prachar’ the other just a ‘dharnebaaj’, who is all the time busy organizing dharnas. Delhi needs good governance and not false promises ... BJP and AAP can only talk big and make hollow promises.

She also raked up the issue of communal violence that took place in some parts of Delhi be-

fore the assembly election dates were announced and alleged that it was being done to “capture power” in the state.

“There are some forces which cause incidents like what happened in Trilokpuri and Dilshad Garden.

Such forces will have to be defeated which spread the politics of hatred,” she said, as she appealed to people to strengthen secular forces. Sonia also alleged that BJP kept on “delaying” elections in Delhi and “continued with its rule” here in the name of President’s rule.

New Delhi, February 1 (iaNS): With women’s security being such a big issue in the capital, women candidates in the Feb 7 Delhi assembly polls are promising the moon as far as women’s security is concerned. CCTV cameras and marshals in public transport, gender sensitization training for men and even random calls to drivers of cabs with female passengers to check on their safety are just some of the promises they are making to woo the voters.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has pinned its chief ministerial candidate, former IPS officer Kiran Bedi, as the best bet for improving security for women in the capital.

The national capital, which has the unflattering reputation of having one of the worst track records as far as women’s security is concerned, has only 19 women candidates - out of 673 - for the elections. Despite being more than vocal about women related issues, the three major parties - the BJP, AAP and Congress - have fielded only eight, six and five candidates respectively.

Congress turncoat and BJP candidate from Patel Nagar Krishna Tirath said: “Women’s security is definitely a major issue. The root cause of all trouble is the declining sex-ratio and social evils like dowry.”

Tirath, a former woman and child development minister in the UPA government, told IANS: “When I was a minister at the centre, then I had launched a scheme called ‘saksham’ for boys, which was aimed at counselling them on gender parity.

“I would propose to bring in the same scheme in Delhi. Once we address this issue, then the situation on women’s security will automatically improve,” she said.

Former BJP councillor and candidate from the Timarpur assembly constituency, Rajni Abby, said all laws made for women need to be properly implemented. “Prosecution in such cases should be fast,” Abby told IANS. She said innovative measures like more CCTV cameras for the entire city

Rajasthan ex-CM tests positive for swine flu

India wants to take economic ties with China to new level beiJiNg, February 1 (iaNS): Stating that both countries should have mutual confidence, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj Sunday said that India desired to take economic ties with China to “a qualitatively new level”.

Addressing the launch of the Second India-China Media Forum, Sushma Swaraj also said that the Narendra Modi government was committed to exploring an early settlement to the Sino-Indian boundary row.

“China is today our largest partner in trade and goods,” the minister said.

“The two economies are moving to invest in each other. “Serious discussions on enhancing connectivity have been initiated. On that foundation, we are now seeking to take our economic cooperation to a qualitatively new level,” she said.

Sushma Swaraj said that as both countries play a larger international role, “our contacts and dialogues must commensurately grow. As the two major civilizational powers of Asia, we should have confidence in each other, to build on our shared interests”.

She said that a particularly significant new area of bilateral collaboration was in railways. This included heavy haulage, boosting speed and station development besides capacity building.

“Another major thrust is in establishing industrial parks in two Indian states that would contribute to the ‘Make in India’ initiative,” she said.

“We will make it easier for Chinese companies to do business in India and expect that similar encouragement would be given to our companies to expand their business in China.”

Sushma Swaraj also appreciated China’s decision to open an additional route through Nathula for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra.

“Our relationship today has reached a level where we have interactions in fields that could not have been imagined some years ago. “We have made considerable progress in establishing and expanding defence contacts and exchanges, including across our border.

“They contribute to the maintenance of peace and tranquility there, a prerequisite for the further development of our relation-

ship.”

The minister underlined that India had a new government “with a decisive mandate propelled by the aspirations of a young, vibrant and enterprising generation. “Even in the last eight months, it is evident that drastic transformations are underway in my country that will accelerate our journey to modernity.

“A number of key initiatives addressing a wide range of ambitious goals are unfolding. They provide new opportunities for cooperation insofar as our key international partners are concerned. “Where China is concerned, this is very evident in the frequency of our high-level exchanges and the widening of our already substantive bilateral agenda.”

She recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had three successful meetings with President Xi Jinping, who visited India in September 2014. Modi, she said, had also interacted with Primier Li Keqiang.

“We expect that the momentum that has been set in the last few months would not only be kept up but accelerated event further at various levels.”

would also be explored. “If so many cameras can be put up for the visit of (US) President (Barack) Obama, then why not every day for women’s security?” Abby also has innovative proposals like making mothers and sisters of rape accused apply for their bail.

Last but not the least, she said that the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi has been in the police and has been a long-time champion of women’s security. “She is the best bet to make Delhi safer for women. This (Bedi as chief minister) sends a clear message how seriously we take this issue,” she added.

As far CCTV cameras go, they seem to be the common promise of all parties. According to Congress candidate from Greater Kailash and President Pranab Mukherjee’s daughter Sharmishtha Mukherjee, very strong and concerted efforts have to be made by the state and the police for women’s security. “Delhi Police have to increase the number of personnel on public transport.

CCTV cameras have to be installed in public transport and not only this, they also have to be monitored,” Mukherjee told IANS. She promised an increase in the number of home guards and more women security personnel. “We will also run gender sensitization programmes at all levels,” she added.

The first-time candidate proposed monitoring of all taxis, which are hired by women passengers. “Why can’t random calls be made to the drivers and women passengers to ensure their safety,” she asked. Mukherjee said: “Kiran Bedi has been involved with the women’s movement, but when you elect a chief minister there are different things involved.”

Kiran Walia, a Congress candidate and former health and women and child development minister in the Delhi government, said that it was her party that had introduced major schemes for women’s security in the capital during its 15-year regime that ended in Dec 2013.

JaiPur, February 1 (iaNS): Former Rajasthan chief minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot Sunday said he is suffering from swine flu. “I have tested positive for swine flu. However, I have started treatment on time and now there is improvement,” Gehlot tweeted. He criticised the Vasundhara Raje government for not launching awareness campaigns on swine flu. “Why did the state government not launch awareness campaign on swine flu earlier?”

39 people have died in the state till Saturday because of swine flu. Of these, 12 are from the state capital Jaipur. Over 120 people are reported to have been tested positive for swine flu across the state.

The state government has set up a control room in the state’s largest state-run SMS Hospital in Jaipur where five doctors are deA homeless Kashmiri man anticipating alms sits in the open on a cold and wet morning in Srinagar, ployed round the clock to provide services to India, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015. The weather office has predicted moderate rains or snow in the plains of people having swine flu like symptoms.

Kashmir over the next 24 hours. (AP Photo

Fresh probe likely into 1984 anti-Sikh riots New Delhi, February 1 (PTi): Thirty years after the antiSikh riots in Delhi, a fresh probe is likely with a government-appointed committee recommending constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for the same, a move seen by the Congress as an attempt to woo voters ahead of polls here.

The committee headed by former Supreme Court Judge Justice (retd) GP Mathur, which was set up on December 23 last year to look into the possibility of re-investigation of the 1984 riots, submitted its report to Home Minister Rajnath

Singh last week, sources said.

It has recommended setting up of an SIT for a fresh probe into the riots that followed assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984, the sources added. An order to this effect is likely after the February 7 Delhi Assembly polls as the Model Code of Conduct is in place in the national capital now and no such announcement can be made, the sources said.

3,325 people were killed in the riots. Of them, Delhi accounted for 2,733. Rest were killed in Ut-

tar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and other states. The move was seen by the opposition as an attempt to woo Sikh voters in the upcoming polls.

“Is it a gimmick by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to woo voters ahead of polls. If it is so, then it is deprecating,” said Congress spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala. Akali Dal leader and Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Committee chief Manjit Singh G K welcomed the move and said the SIT should be set up at the earliest.

Manjit Singh, who took a del-

egation to meet the Home Minister, said Rajnath Singh had assured them that justice will be done. “Akali Dal has been fighting for a long time for justice for the 1984 riots and now we are thankful to the Prime Minister who created this committee... I think, now the government should not waste any time and should constitute an SIT so that justice is delivered because it has been delayed for over 30 years,” he said.

BJP had earlier demanded reinvestigation into all anti-Sikh riot cases.

Modi master communicator at work, but that’s not enough: Tharoor New Delhi, February 1 (PTi): Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who only recently earned the party’s wrath for praising Narendra Modi, says in the Prime Minister “we are all seeing a master communicator at work” but hit out at BJP for “promoting a nakedly bigoted Hindutva agenda”.

Noting that communication has been a major strength of the NDA government, particularly Modi, he said, “The Prime Minister is very effective in speech-making, comes up with slogans, sound bites, photo ops in quite an unparalleled way.

“There is no question that we are a l l

seeing a master communicator at work. And that has its merits but it is not enough.”

Tharoor has praised Modi quite a few times recently which was frowned upon by Congress. Last year, he was removed as party spokesperson for his praise of Modi.

He, however, said not much of what Modi has promised has been implemented. “After all, the people who voted for Modi thought they were voting for a man of action. So far instead of a man of action, the nation has got a man of words and the real question that comes is when these words get translated into results,” the former diplomat-turned politician told PTI. “Consciousness raising is fine and the Prime Minister has raided consciousness on some issues but implementation is essential. The

gap between rhetoric and results in Modi’s government is wide enough to drive a rath through,” he said.

He also dismissed rumours that he is cosying up to BJP, saying he will remain a Congressman. Tharoor, who has recently come out with a book “India Shastra: Reflections on the Nation in Our Time”, took strong exception to some saffron leaders’ recent comments.

“The party and the political machinery that Modi is riding to get to his goals is a profoundly illiberal. The language used by RSS and saffron leaders is simply divisive and not unifying.

“You can’t say ‘sabka saath sabka vikas’ and then have ministers using outrageous language. You can’t have leading lights of the party hailing (Nathuram) Godse and talking about how many

children women should bear,” he said.

“Your party is simply promoting a nakedly bigoted Hindutva agenda,” Tharoor said. He also questioned Modi for not taking a tough stand on his ministers for their comments, saying, “Instead of silencing them, Modi himself is silent on the issue.

“This silence of the Prime Minister tantamounts to condoning it and if you condone it you are undermining your own declared objective.” Tharoor said he would have probably delayed publishing his new book, which has two sections devoted to Modi, had the last Lok Sabha election not so overwhelmingly favoured BJP. “I probably would not have published the book right now because honestly ‘India: From Midnight to the Millennium’ was my look at

the whole 50 years of India’s independence, society, politics, culture, economics; and the ‘The Elephant, the Tiger and the Cellphone’ was a 10year update on the 60th anniversary. “I would probably waited for the 70th or the 80th anniversaries to conclude the trilogy. But when this election result happened, David Davidar (of publisher Aleph) said this is the perfect time for stock-taking -- where India has headed and where we have come.”

He said so the timing of this book has definitely been prompted by this watershed election and the emergence of the Modi era. Asked whether he would write a book exclusively on the Congress and the UPA government, he said, “What I needed to say has been said in this book.

“I don’t think I have anything enough to add to make

it worthwhile. So to my mind let others who are not as caught up in the internal politics of the country, outside scholars, observers analysts take a look at that.” There is a section in “India Shastra” called ‘The Legacy’ which is about the “legacy left” to this government by Congress and UPA. “So there are chapters not only on the earlier legacy from the 40s onwards, Nehruvian legacy, the hijacking of history and Sardar Patel.

There is also material on Nehruvian socialism or Nehruvian consensus which has been challenged by the Modi government. “And on the rule and achievements of the UPA government under Manmohan Singh. Plus there is a chapter on steps forward for the Congress party to take as it seeks to revive itself in the new era,” he said.

InternatIonal

the Morung express

Monday 2 February 2015

Dimapur

9

The world's problems enter Japan's psyche

TOKYO, FebruarY 1 (aP): The Japanese, who inhabit one of the safest countries in the world, have been reminded in brutal fashion that the world is a dangerous place. In a shock to a country that can feel insulated from distant geopolitical problems, two of their own have reportedly been killed by Islamic radicals in Syria, the latest apparently beheaded in a video posted online this weekend by militant websites.

This island nation, which once closed itself to the outside world for two centuries under samurai rule, has been venturing out as it has in fits and starts for the past two decades. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in a bid to restore Japan's position in the world, has been driving his country to play a larger international role, most controversially seeking to loosen constitutional restraints put on its military after World War II. And as Japan has learned before, venturing out inevitably carries risks.

The question then is whether the risks will drive Japan back into its shell. Analysts say it is too early to predict the impact of the crisis on government policy and the public psyche. Past experience, though, suggests that Japan may, after some handwringing, continue what has been a very gradual expansion of its military role. A major test could come in the spring, when the parliament is expected to take up Abe's proposals to allow its Self-Defense Forces to do more.

"Contrary to what some people are arguing, the ongoing hostage crisis will have little to no effect as far as official policy or public opinion is concerned," predicts Jun Okumura, an independent analyst.

Since coming to power about two years ago, Abe has traveled far more widely than his predecessors, meeting dozens of his counterparts in Latin America, Africa, Europe and Southeast Asia.

His most recent trip was to the Mideast, where he pledged humanitarian and development aid last month for the countries battling the Islamic State group. A larger global role includes joining the effort against terrorism, even if Japan cannot contribute troops under a post-World War II constitution that limits its military to defending Japan. "All that, we shall do to help curb the threat ISIL poses," Abe said in a Jan. 17 speech in Cairo, using an acronym for the militant group that controls parts of Syria and Iraq. "I will pledge assistance of a total of about 200 million U.S. dollars for those countries contending with ISIL, to help build their human capacities, infrastructure, and so on."

His words apparently reached the Islamic State group, which in a video three days later accused Japan of donating money "to kill our women and children" and threatened to kill two Japanese men it held as hostages. It's not the first time Japan faced such a crisis. It ventured out in

a relatively big way in 2004, sending several hundred troops to Iraq to help in the reconstruction. Though in a noncombat role, the overseas deployment was a significant break with past policy. It required special legislation and stretched the selfdefense limits imposed by the postwar constitution — some say too far.

At home, many opposed the deployment. In Iraq, half a dozen Japanese were kidnapped. One was found decapitated, his body wrapped in an American flag, after then-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi refused demands to pull the troops out of Iraq.

Such violence is shocking anywhere, but particularly so in Japan, which has among the lowest murder and gun ownership rates of anywhere in the world. The troubles of the Mideast can seem farther away than in the United States or Europe. Unlike New York or Paris, Tokyo hasn't been attacked by radicalized Muslims. The most infamous terrorist act in recent times was home grown, the release of poisonous gas in the Tokyo subway system by a religious cult in 1995. "It is unusual for Japan, which has not participated in the military operations (against the Islamic State group), to be targeted," the Mainichi, one of Japan's major newspapers, observed in an editorial. It concluded: "We no longer live in a time when we can feel safe, just because we are Japanese."

In the decades after World War II, when Japan ventured out in a really big way with disastrous consequences, the country focused on economic growth and relied heavily on the United States, its vanquisher and new ally, for protection from global threats.

It still does today, but Japan has been edging its own military overseas for more than 20 years now, though in a very cautious way.

The risks came home early. Over public opposition, the Japanese parliament passed a law in 1992 that allowed it to dispatch troops and others to U.N. peacekeeping operations. A Japanese police officer was killed in Cambodia the following year.

While the police withdrew from peacekeeping for several years afterward, the Cambodia mission was completed, and the military has continued to join others in the years since, notes Okumura, the analyst.

The 2004 killing of one of the hostages in Iraq increased pressure on the government to pull out its troops, but that mission continued too, until 2006.

A decade later, Abe is trying to push the edge of the envelope a little further. He laid the groundwork when his Cabinet reinterpreted the constitution last year to allow Japan, in some situations, to defend allies that come under attack. He still needs lawmakers to approve legal changes necessary to empower the military to do that and more. Heated debate is expected, but with his party holding a solid majority in parliament, Abe may well get his way.

In this Friday January 30, 2015 file photo, Junko Ishido, the mother of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto who was taken hostage by the Islamic State group, speaks to the media during a press conference as a framed photo of her with Goto is displayed at her home in Koganei on the outskirts of Tokyo. The news of a video purportedly showing the killing of Goto rushed through Japan early on Sunday, February 1. Goto’s family and officials in a nation that has long held pacific views and where many were not emotionally prepared to cope with the hostage crisis, especially one that involved a reporter known for his coverage of children and the poor. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File)

Japan mourns Kenji Goto as caring, courageous reporter

TOKYO, FebruarY 1 (aP): Whether in tsunami-stricken northeastern Japan or conflictridden Sierra Leone, the stories of the vulnerable, the children and the poor drove the work of journalist Kenji Goto.

The news of his purported killing by Islamic State militants sent Japan into shock and mourning early Sunday morning, days after his plight as a hostage in Syria united many people in praying for his release. "I want to cuddle with the people. That's the best way to express my approach," Goto, 47, said about his work. "By cuddling with them, I can talk with the people. I can hear their views — their pain and their hopes." A pony-tailed man with a friendly, carefree laugh, Goto was a veteran freelance reporter, working often with other filmmakers and Japanese TV producers. His comments were some-

times featured on Japanese mainstream media. The 2005 book he wrote about the suffering of children in Sierra Leone was titled "We Want Peace, Not Diamonds." But Goto had always stressed he was not a war reporter. He had insisted he was instead devoted to telling the story of regular people, one step removed from the war zone.

That took him to refugee camps and orphanages. He told the stories of children suffering violence, hunger and nightmares. In a testament to his charm and integrity, people responded with an outpouring of support to try to win his release.

A Facebook page, set up immediately after the first video released by militants last month, quickly drew tens of thousands of "Likes" and photo postings that showed people, from not just Japan but around the world, holding up hand-written signs that said: "I am Kenji." "Kenji lives on — in

all our hearts. In our daily work. Every time you smile with those around you, you will be sure to remember that big smile Kenji always gave us," wrote Taku Nishimae, a filmmaker living in New York and the page's creator. An online petition demanding the government do more to save Goto collected thousands of signatures. Crowds have gathered outside the prime minister's office, holding up "Free Kenji" and "I am Kenji" signs. Those who knew Goto said he was a gentle and honest man. On the streets of Tokyo on Sunday, many people were clutching the Yomiuri newspaper extra with the latest news, expressing disbelief that his captors went as far as to kill a reporter. U.S. reporter James Foley and AmericanIsraeli journalist Steven Sotloff were among several Westerns who had been killed by the militants last year.

"Kenji has left us on a journey," said Junko Ishido, 78, Goto's mother.

"It is my only hope that we can carry on with Kenji's mission to save the children from war and poverty." Goto had been captured at least once before by militants in the Middle East, but had convinced them to let him go by showing that he was a reporter.

According to Goto's wife Rinko Jogo and others who had spoken with him, Goto had gone to Syria late last year to try to save the other Japanese hostage, Haruna Yukawa, 42. Yukawa was shown as killed in an earlier video purportedly released by the militants.

Yukawa's father, Shoichi Yukawa, could not hold back his tears at the news of Goto's killing. "He was kind.

And he was brave," he told reporters.

Goto went to Syria just three months after his second daughter was born.

Before his last trip, he made a video recording. "No matter what happens to me, I will always love the people of Syria," he said calmly, looking straight into the camera.

Pro- democracy returns to streets of Hong Kong Daunting challenges ahead for the next US defense secretary

Thousands of pro-democracy activists take part in a democracy march to Central, demanding for universal suffrage in Hong Kong on Sunday, February 1. The march is the first large-scale demonstration since the Occupy Central protest ended last year as the government started a second round of public consultation on democratic reform.

The yellow placards read: “I want genuine universal suffrage.” (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

HONG KONG, FebruarY 1 (aGeNcies): Several thousand pro-democracy protesters returned to the streets of Hong Kong on Sunday in the first largescale rally since protests rocked the global financial hub late last year.

Some 2,000 police flanked an estimated 3,000 protesters marching on the city's glitzy shopping and financial districts, seeking to avoid a repeat of the socalled Occupy Central campaign that saw demonstrations shut down key roads for nearly three months. While organisers stood fast to earlier demands for full democracy in the former British colony, they insisted Sunday's marchers would be peaceful and not seek to occupy any sites. "We want to make it clear to the government that ... we want true universal suffrage," said Ms Daisy Chan, one of the organisers.

Other protesters feared they might face violence from anti-democracy groups later in the evening, and some were arming themselves with protective shields. Many carried yellow umbrellas - a symbol of last year's campaign

after protesters used them to fend off police pepper spray attacks.

Organisers had said the rally would draw 50,000 people. An AFP reporter estimated that several thousand had joined the march by mid-afternoon, but no police estimate was available. The police warned that attempts to reoccupy main roads cleared of tented protest camps in December are likely. But no protest group has announced it intends to relaunch the occupation, and the march began peacefully on Sunday afternoon with many carrying yellow balloons.

The rally will gauge the public’s willingness to keep fighting for free leadership elections. The authorities have made no concessions to activists’ demands and tensions remain high in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. “We just want to express our frustration with the government in Hong Kong,” said protester Ronnie Chan, who is in his 40s and works in sales and marketing. “We understand there is very little we can do, but if we don’t speak out nothing will change.”

Officials in December cleared protest camps which had blocked several main roads. Rallies drew around 100,000 at their peak and saw intermittent violent clashes with police. Ms Chan said the rally would show that the Occupy movement, as the protests were known, was a political awakening.

“In the past, these citizens were less political than they are right now. The Occupy movement woke people up.” The founders of the movement including Benny Tai, along with teenage activist Joshua Wong and other student leaders, are also attending the rally.

Student activist Alex Chow said there was no plan to take back the streets. “We don’t have a plan (to reoccupy). If others want to do it, they will have to do it themselves,” he told AFP. “This march demonstrates to the citizens that the pro-democracy momentum is not dead,” said political analyst Sonny Lo. But Mr Lo also believes residents are exhausted from protests over political reform. “At this moment members of the public are tired of politics. The demo-

crats have to strategise very carefully,” said Mr Lo, head of the social sciences department at the Hong Kong Institute of Education.

Ms Chan said marchers were not planning to re-occupy the streets on Sunday, but the police were nervous. “It is believed that those supporting the illegal occupation are likely to seize the opportunity to reoccupy roads which have been now reopened to traffic,” a police statement said.

Around 2,000 police are being deployed to the rally, according to local media. Hong Kong’s government is urging the public to support Beijing’s electoral plan, which needs the backing of two-thirds of the city’s legislature to be passed. Mr Lam Woon Kwong, convenor of the Executive Council or cabinet, warned campaigners to accept Beijing’s framework.

“You can’t threaten the central authorities,” he told a radio programme on Sunday. “If we can have consensus to have universal suffrage in 2017 first and democratise further later, it would be a more pragmatic approach,” he said. Protests in Hong Kong pre-date Occupy, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets to protest over issues including an unpopular security bill.

Last July, hundreds of thousands also demonstrated a month before Beijing ruled on political reform.

Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 and enjoys wide-ranging freedoms under a so-called "one country two systems" arrangement.

Beijing has allowed elections for choosing the next chief executive in 2017, but wants to screen candidates first.

The situation is being closely watched internationally, a reflection of Hong Kong traditional importance as a free commercial centre and port.

WasHiNGTON, FebruarY 1 (aP): As U.S. defense secretary, Ashton Carter would face a daunting pile of problems at home and abroad. And then there are the unforeseen crises.

His confirmation hearings before the Senate Armed Services Committee are scheduled to begin Wednesday. A sampling of the top issues facing the 60-year-old Carter, who served in the Pentagon under President Bill Clinton and was deputy defense secretary in 2011-2013:

Islamic State Among the toughest problems Carter would inherit is the war against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

The bombing of IS targets in Syria, which began in September, probably will continue well into Carter's tenure and maybe beyond. But he may face a more rapidly changing situation on the ground in Iraq, where the U.S. now has about 2,500 troops.

The Iraqi government wants to launch a major counteroffensive to regain lost territory, particularly the northern city of Mosul, but it is unclear whether Iraqi troops can succeed without U.S. soldiers by their side to call in airstrikes. Carter may have to decide in coming months whether to recommend to President Barack Obama that he authorize U.S. troops to perform that role.

Carter also would manage, and

assess the effectiveness of, a program that aligns with Carter's long history designed to train members of the of advocating for closer NATO ties to moderate Syrian opposition.

Ukraine. Carter would be expected to weigh in on the question of whether Afghanistan to expand U.S. assistance for Ukraine Obama decreed that America's to include weaponry. combat mission in Afghanistan is Carter's background also fits anover, but there are more than 10,500 other Russia problem: Moscow's reU.S. troops on the ground and many luctance to continue with a decadesare still conducing counterterrorism long U.S. program to help secure operations against the Taliban and surplus Russian nuclear materials other insurgents. to ensure they do not fall into terrorAmerican and coalition forces ists' hands. Carter has focused on continue to train and advise the Af- the problem of "loose nukes" in Rusghan military. Obama has said that sia since the collapse of the Soviet the U.S. can continue to provide Union in 1991. ground and air support to the Afghan forces when needed.

China Carter will have to deal with nagImproving defense relations with ging questions about the pace of the China is likely to rank as a Carter priU.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, ority, in part because of tensions over which under current plans would have Beijing's growing military might, reall U.S. troops out by the end of 2016. gional influence and expanding cyAfghan officials are worried about the berwarfare capability. Carter will reduction in U.S. troop support. have to key an eye on the other leadU.S. military commanders say ing defense challenge in Asia: North they will wait until after this sum- Korea's nuclear weapons program. mer's fighting season to decide if they should request any changes to the Health Of The Force current drawdown. Any change to After more than a dozen years at the pace could be seen as Obama re- war, America's service members have neging on his promise to end the war. battled more than enemy insurgents.

At home, suicides, sexual assaults, Russia traumatic brain injuries and postThe U.S. is relying on NATO part- traumatic stress all increased as the ners to help pressure Russia to relent wars dragged on. Both suicides and in its support of anti-government reb- reported sexual assaults increased els in eastern Ukraine — a problem last year, compared with 2013.

US rejects invitation to Pyongyang seOuL, FebruarY 1 (reuTers): North Korea said on Sunday the United States had rejected an invitation to send one of its top diplomats to Pyongyang, accusing Washington of trying to shift the blame for the deadlock in denuclearisation talks on the North.

Sung Kim has been meeting with officials of the countries that had been part of the so-called six-party talks in the past week in Tokyo and Beijing, where he said it was up to the North to show it was serious about ending its nuclear programme. "(We) invited Kim Sung to visit Pyongyang as he expressed his willingness to meet with his counterpart of the (North) during his visit to Asia this time," the North's KCNA news agency quoted an unnamed foreign

ministry spokesman as saying. "However, the U.S., in disregard of this, is working hard to shift the blame onto the (North), misleading public opinion by creating impression that dialogue and contacts are not realized due to the latter's insincere attitude."

Kim said in Beijing on Friday that Washington was "open to engagement, substantive dialogue with North Korea about the issue of denuclearisation". He did not mention a possible trip to Pyongyang or an invitation by North Korea to visit for talks. The U.S. embassy in Seoul did not immediately have comment.

In Washington, the State Department denied the United States and North Korea had planned for a meeting. In 2005, North Korea reached an

agreement with the United States, South Korea, China, Japan and Russia to suspend its nuclear programme in return for diplomatic rewards and energy assistance. Negotiations collapsed after the last round of talks in 2008. North Korea declared the agreement void after refusing inspections to verify compliance with the deal.

North Korea has called for the resumption of the talks, but the United States and South Korea have said Pyongyang must first show it was serious about ending its nuclear programme. Pyongyang has said it was willing to suspend nuclear testing if the United States halted annual joint military drills with South Korea. Washington and Seoul rejected the proposal saying the drills were for defensive purposes.

10

Dimapur

SPORTS

Monday 2 February 2015

The Morung Express

Warriors back to winning ways with win over Suns Chelsea, Man City in

OaKLaND, February 1 (aP): Golden State ended a rare form lapse and beat Phoenix 106-87 on Saturday, maintaining the Warriors' three-game lead atop the NBA's Western Conference. The Warriors had lost their previous two games — having only lost six other matches all season — but got back to winning ways with a fourth-quarter scoring surge.

Golden State maintained its conference lead over Memphis, which beat Oklahoma City in a tight defensive struggle, and a 5-1/2 game advantage in the Pacific Division ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers, who had a surprisingly comfortable win at defending champion San Antonio.

In the Eastern Conference, Toronto stretched its Atlantic Division lead to a giant 14 games by winning in extra time at Washington, while Atlanta maintained its record winning streak. Golden State's Stephen Curry had 25 points and seven assists while Klay Thompson scored 22 points for the Warriors, who started slowly and trailed by 12 points during the second quarter before taking the lead by halftime.

The Warriors put together a 15-2 run midway through the fourth that put the game away.

Markieff Morris had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Suns. Toronto gave up a substantial secondhalf lead but recovered to win in overtime at Washington, beating the Wiz-

Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry (30) scores past Phoenix Suns' Goran Dragic during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, January 31, in Oakland, Calif.

Golden State won 106-87. (AP Photo)

ards 120-116. Kyle Lowry scored 23 points and Lou Williams added 19 points for the Raptors, who tied a season high with their sixth straight victory.

Lowry scored seven

points in overtime for Toronto, which has won two straight games in which it squandered big secondhalf leads.

John Wall, battling headaches and a sprained

right ankle, took his place and led all scorers with 28 points and had 12 assists.

Los Angeles' Blake Griffin had 31 points and 13 rebounds as the Clippers rolled to a 105-85 victory at San Antonio that snapped the Spurs' six-game home winning streak.

Chris Paul had 20 points for the Clippers, who had lost their previous four meeting with the Spurs.

San Antonio went 10 for 30 on 3-pointers and was outrebounded 56-36.

Kawhi Leonard scored 24 points for San Antonio, which went 10 for 30 on 3-point attempts and was outrebounded 56-36.

Memphis extended its run of wins to six by beating Oklahoma City 85-74.

Zach Randolph had 21 points and 18 rebounds, and Marc Gasol added 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Grizzlies.

Kevin Durant, back after missing two games with a sprained big toe, led the Thunder with 15 points.

Milwaukee added to Portland's form concerns by beating the Trail Blazers 95-88. Jared Dudley scored 18 points and O.J. Mayo had 17 off the bench for the Bucks, who maintained the form that saw them win at Miami and Orlando before this homecoming.

Damian Lillard and Wesley Matthews scored 19 points apiece for the Blazers. The Northwest Division leader has lost eight of 10. Detroit's D.J. Augustin had 28 points and 12 assists in the Pistons' 114-101 win against Houston.

Detroit held off former teammate Josh Smith, who was booed throughout his return to the Palace, just more than a month after the Pistons waived the high-priced forward. He had seven points and seven rebounds, shooting only 3 of 11 from the field.

Kentavious CaldwellPope scored a seasonhigh 28 for Detroit, which snapped a four-game skid and ended Houston's fourgame winning streak.

James Harden scored 21 of his 26 points in the second half, returning from a bruised knee to help the Rockets nearly rally from a 21-point, third-quarter deficit. Atlanta's winning streak reached 19 games with a 91-85 victory over Philadelphia, with Al Horford scoring 23 points, including a tying basket after the 76ers took the lead late in the game.

Dallas sent Orlando to its eighth-straight defeat, beating the Magic 108-93, with Monta Ellis contributing 25 points and 13 assists.

Charlotte's Cody Zeller scored a career-best 21 points to help the Hornets win 104-86 at Denver.

Cleveland's LeBron James scored 16 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter to win a stirring duel with rookie Andrew Wiggins, leading the Cavaliers to a 106-90 victory over the Timberwolves in Kevin Love's first game back in Minnesota since he was traded. Sacramento ended an eight-game skid by beating Indiana 99-94, with Rudy Gay scoring 31 points.

Kohima denizens to witness mega ASA sports meet from Feb 4 Our Correspondent Kohima | February 1

The denizens of the state capital Kohima is all set to witness a mega sports event this week as Angami Sports Association (ASA) is all set to hold its 43rd games, athletics and 1st ever ASA Open wrestling here from February 4 to 6.

Informing this to media persons, ASA president Er..

Neisievilie Lhousa said the Association aims to create platform for sports person, to tap the talents/potential of the youth and promote them to state/nationaland international standards.

The meet, he is said also aim to promote cooperation, unity and better understanding amongst the youth of four regions of the Angamis in particular the Nagas in general Over 400 prominent players from four rangesNorthern Angami Sports Association, Southern An-

ASA officials during the press conference at APO hall Kohima on Sunday. Morung Photo

gami Sports Association, Western Angami Sports Association and Chakhro Angami Sports Association will vie for coveted champion title n athletics, football, volleyball and wrestling.

The inaugural function will be graced by Dr Neikiesalie Kire, Minister of Forest, Wildlife and Environment on February 4 while the open Naga wrestling would be graced by Kiyaneilie Peseyie, Minister of Social Security and Welfare as the chief guest on February 6.

The games and athlet-

ics meet would be held on February 4 and 5 at Kohima Local Ground and D Khel Ground, Kohima village respectively, while the open wrestling exclusively for Angami wrestlers onFebruary 6 at Kohima Local Ground.

The first prize for the open Naga wrestling championship is prized at Rs 1 lakh, while the 1st runnerup will receive a cash award of Rs 70,000. The third position winner will be given a cash award of Rs 40,000, while the fourth position winner will get Rs 20,000.

The losing four quarterfinalists will receive a cash award of Rs 5,000 each.

The first prize for Naga wrestling is sponsored by Er. Keneilhoulie Keditsu, Retd Chief Engineer and former president Nagaland Wrestling Association (NWA) and former president Angami Sports Association, while the second prize is being sponsored

by Er. Kezha Theünuo, SE, PWD, National Highway.

The third prize sponsored

by Er. Toba, executive engineer, Tourism and former president Southern

Angami Sports Association and the fourth prize

by Dr. Keduozetuo Punyü, senior specialist, Health & Family Welfare department and losing quarterfinalist

by Viliehu Nguzhü, District Soil Conservation officer, Longleng, and former general secretary ASA and present joint secretary NWA. The gallery ticket for Naga wrestling is priced at Rs 100, chair- Rs 300, donor- Rs 2000 and patronsRs 10,000.

Overall group champion for the meet will receive a cash award of Rs 40,000, while the runners-up will be given Rs 30,000. The third and fourth place will receive cash award of Rs 20,000 each.

Meanwhile, there will be a meeting for games and athletics officials on February 3 at 3 pm, while another meeting would be held for wrestling officials on February 5 at 3 pm at Kohima Local Ground.

Benzema nets 2 in Real victory

barCeLONa, February 1 (aP): Karim Benzema scored twice as Real Madrid brushed off an early goal and thrashed Real Sociedad 4-1 without the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo, ensuring it remained top of the Spanish league on Saturday.

Defending champion Atletico Madrid stayed in contact with its crosstown rivals before the two clash next week, after Mario Mandzukic also grabbed a brace of early goals in its 3-1 victory at Eibar.

Ronaldo watched from the stands at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium as he served the first of a twogame ban for kicking a Cordoba player last weekend.

His team didn't miss him, though, as David Moyes' Sociedad failed to build on a goal scored 36 seconds into the match, displaying little of the verve from its stunning 4-2 victory over Madrid in August before the arrival of the former Manchester United manager.

"As has happened in other games, we didn't start well, and we conceded a goal," Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said.

"The same happened at Cordoba and against Atletico in the Copa (del Rey). We have to improve that. Then we defended

Real Madrid's Karim Benzema, center, celebrates after he scored during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Real Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday January 3. (AP Photo)

well and we pressed up front. We played very well in the second half." Madrid opened a four-point gap over Barcelona and Atletico. Barcelona hosts Villarreal on Sunday. Madrid has a game in hand that it will play against Sevilla on Wednesday before it turns to the derby at Atletico.

Elsewhere, Celta Vigo and Granada both earned much-needed victories.

Only Geronimo Rulli's goalkeeping spared Sociedad a bigger defeat as it

slipped into 12th place and remained the only team yet to win away in the league this season.

Sociedad defender Aritz Elustondo headed in his first goal for the Basque club moments after kickoff, but Madrid never looked back after James Rodriguez headed the hosts level from Marcelo's pass in the third minute. Dangerous early on, Sociedad didn't threaten after forward Carlos Vela hurt his right knee and had to be substituted in the

17th. Sergio Ramos blasted in a rebound before halftime, and Benzema made it 3-1 from Gareth Bale's assist soon after the break.

He then struck an exquisite second goal in the 76th when he received the ball near the corner of the box and curled an unstoppable strike around Rulli.

"I knew when I struck it the shot was good," Benzema said. "But I didn't know it was going to be so beautiful." Atletico bounced back from its midweek elimina-

tion from the Copa del Rey to Barcelona with a commanding win under less than ideal playing conditions.

Because the muddy field at Ipurua Stadium slowed the ball and stopped passes short of their recipients, Atletico smartly attacked through the air. Antoine Griezmann tallied his 11th league goal in the seventh minute, and lobbed for Mandzukic to redirect into the net in the 23rd. Two minutes later, Mandzukic hit in his 10th league goal after Eibar failed to clear. Federico Piovaccari got eighth-place Eibar's goal one minute from time. "We wanted to attack through Griezmann on the good side of the pitch and avoid the areas where the ball wouldn't circulate," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said. Celta rose back into 10th after it beat Cordoba 1-0 from Manuel "Nolito" Agudo's beautiful curling strike for its first victory in 11 rounds. Celta coach Eduardo Berizzo was sent off late for going on the pitch during a drawn-out refereeing decision.

At the bottom of the table, Granada ended a 16-round winless streak dating to September by beating 10-man Elche 1-0 to provisionally escape from last place and climb free of the relegation zone.

summit stalemate

Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero, right, competes for the ball with Chelsea’s Ramires during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge, London, England, Saturday, January 31. (AP Photo)

LONDON, February 1 (aP): There was stalemate at the summit meeting between Chelsea and Manchester City on Saturday as the Premier League front-runners drew 1-1 on Saturday.

Although Chelsea dropped points for the first time at home this season, the leaders' defensive-minded approach in the second half suggested they were satisfied with the draw. It preserved the fivepoint lead over the defending champions.

Although Chelsea was without suspended striker Diego Costa, Lioc Remy initially filled the void by giving the hosts the lead in the 41st minute after latching onto Eden Hazard's volley across the face of goal.

A City counterattack before halftime led to the leveler, with David Silva completing the move by turning in Sergio Aguero's shot. Although City avoided defeat, it is now three games without a win in the league. "It was a solid game and Chelsea probably accepted a point in the end," said City midfielder Frank Lampard, playing at Stamford Bridge for the first time since leaving Chelsea in May after 13 years. "Chelsea will be happy to be five points clear, we're not stupid. We know what that lead is. But there are lots of points to play for."

Neighbor Man United is only five points behind now in third place after Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao rediscovered their scoring touch in a 3-1 win over Leicester.

Van Persie put United ahead in the 27th minute with his first goal since Dec. 26 and Falcao netted only the fourth goal of his loan spell from Monaco five minutes later.

The victor y was wrapped up before halftime through Wes Morgan's own goal. Marcin Wasilewski scored a consolation goal in the second half for Leicester, which stayed bottom.

Unlike the more illustrious striking duo of Falcao and Van Persie, 21-year-old Tottenham forward Harry Kane has been a scoring revelation this season.

In a 3-0 victory at West Bromwich Albion, Kane took his season's tally to 20 with a double — one from the penalty spot at the

No angel but not guilty: Costa LONDON, February 1 (reuters): Chelsea striker Diego Costa has denied he deliberately stamped on Liverpool's Emre Can but admitted to being no angel on the field. The Brazilian-born Spain international missed Saturday's top-of-the-table 1-1 draw with Manchester City after serving the first of a three-game ban for the incident during Tuesday's League Cup semi-final, second leg victory at Stamford Bridge. "As far as what happened on Tuesday, the main thing is when I get home I can go home and I can go to sleep knowing that I’ve not done anything wrong, because I never meant to do that and it was not on purpose," he told British newspaper The Daily Telegraph.

"And you can clearly see that on the video. But it is a suspension. Obviously I feel sad because I’m not going to be able to help the team, to play. But I have accept it and respect it. "I'm not saying I'm an angel. I'm no angel. You can see that. But every time I play I will play the same way because that's the way I am. That's what I need to do in order to support my family.

"That’s my bread and butter, also that’s what I need to do for this club and for the fans of this club, for the supporters and for all the people involved in this club."

The 26-year-old has proved an instant hit since joining from Spanish champions Atletico Madrid last year, scoring 17 league goals to help Chelsea open up a fivepoint lead after 23 matches in the English Premier League. He has, though, received heavy criticism for Tuesday's actions, which followed accusations of diving on more than one occasion.

Costa was also involved in a spat with American goalkeeper Tim Howard in August after Everton boss Roberto Martinez accused him of taunting Seamus Coleman following a Chelsea goal. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has accused television pundits of tarnishing his striker's reputation and has shunned talking to the media since the club failed to overturn the violent conduct suspension on Friday.

Costa, who will also miss fixtures at Aston Villa and home to Everton, defended his actions and said he would not change his competitive streak. "On the pitch I transform myself, I really, really want to win," said Costa, who is named after Argentine World Cupwinning great Diego Maradona. "You have to see how many times have I injured someone. Never. I’ve never injured another colleague, another player on purpose.

I’m not going to change the way I play because I got banned for a few games now."

Hawthorns— after Christian Eriksen opened the scoring with a trademark free kick. Liverpool was relieved to see its star striker, Daniel Sturridge, make an instant impact on his return from five months out with thigh and calf injuries.

Within 12 minutes of coming off the bench, Sturridge completed a 2-0 victory over West Ham that took Liverpool above the London club into seventh place. Just like Raheem Sterling's opener, Sturridge was also set up by Philippe Coutinho.

At Sunderland, there was a first goal for the northeast club from Jermain Defore, who joined

from Toronto earlier this month. Connor Wickham had headed in the opener as Sunderland beat Burnley 2-0 for only its second home win of the campaign.

Queens Park Rangers has failed to collect a single point on the road this season, with Jonathan Walters scoring a hat trick as Stoke beat the relegation-threatened team 3-1.

Romelu Lukaku's early goal gave Everton a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace, handing Alan Pardew his first loss since taking over the London club. It was Everton's first win in nine games in all competitions, and put the team three points clear of Palace in 12th place.

Monday

Entertainment

The Morung Express

2 February 2015

Dimapur

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‘Murder 2’opened Aniston: I Was Almost doors for me: Replaced in Friends!

Jacqueline Fernandez

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ctress Jacqueline Fernandez says she doesn’t regret featuring in a bold film like “Murder 2” as the Mohit Suri directorial gave her lots of opportunities in the film industry.

“I don’t regret doing a film like ‘Murder 2’. It was my first hit. I had the experience of working with Mohit.

It opened lots of doors for me. It was a risk that I had taken but there is a beauty in taking risks,” Jacqueline, who made her Bollywood debut in 2009 with “Aladin”, told IANS. “We as actors have nothing to lose. People will remember your performance and you get signed based on your performance. Not because your film is doing well or not. I want to stick to being diverse, not playing safe,” she added.

The former beauty queen, who will be soon seen with Ranbir Kapoor in “Roy”, says it’s a dream to work with him.

“When you meet Ranbir, he is quiet. I feel he is shy. Once we started shooting, I realised his energy is great. I feel like he is actually talking to me and not saying his dialogues that makes me a better actress. For any actress, he is a dream to work with,” she said. “Roy” also features Arjun Rampal.

Post ‘Bigg Boss’, Gautam Gulati eyes Bollywood

Actor Gautam Gulati, who emerged the winner of the reality show “Bigg Boss Halla Bol”, says he’ll now focus more on films than television.

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part from the “Bigg Boss” trophy, Gautam also won the prize money of Rs.5 million.

He pipped Karishma Tanna, who was the runner-up of this season, followed by Pritam Singh. The spin-off of “Bigg Boss 8” was hosted by filmmaker Farah Khan.

“Winning ‘Bigg Boss’ is a very big moment in my life. When the show started, I thought that I would last there for long but winning the show was never on my mind,” Gautam told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

“Since I had that fight with Karishma in the first week itself, I decided that I’ll stand out and make my presence felt.” “But now, I don’t have any grudges against anyone.

I’m happy and would love to continue my friendship with all the fellow contestants,” he added.

From flaunting abs to the romantic

moments with Diandra Soares, Gautam was always seen on the higher side on the show, amid all of the accusations made against his group ‘P3G’ - which comprised Pritam, Puneet Issar, Praneet Bhai and Gautam.

The “Diya Aur Baati Hum” star, who has been part of international projects like “Siddhartha - The Buddha” and “Darpok”, says “Bigg Boss” was a memorable experience for him but now he’ll not do more TV shows.

“My journey inside the ‘Bigg Boss’ house was like a roller-coaster ride. I’ll never forget the months I spent in the show. Some of the contestants did try to dominate me, but I never felt the pressure.

It was like a war for me which I have won,” he said. “All the members of ‘P3G’ shared a very close bonding with each other inside the show and we will continue that outside too,” Gautam said.

“But I’ll focus more on films now and not TV. I think it’s the best opportunity for me to look forward to the big screen. I’m eager to make my Bollywood debut,” he added. Asked what kind of films he wants to do, Gautam said: “I would love to do films which suit my personality and image like ‘Vicky Donor’ and ‘Dhoom’.”

t’s hard to imagine anyone besides Jennifer Aniston playing Rachel Green on Friends. But according to the actress, the producers were almost forced to replace her before the show even aired.

“Friends came when I was off doing Muddling Through,” Aniston explained at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Friday, referencing CBS’s short-lived 1994 sitcom. “So there was a period where I had to stand out of the photographs for the group shots, and I had phone calls from girlfriends saying, ‘I’m auditioning for your part in Friends.’ “ While Aniston, 45, had signed on for Friends, she was also already appearing on Muddling Through, and she was aware that she might have to back out of Friends if her other show was a hit.

Luckily for Aniston, the show’s producers didn’t need to find a replacement.

“They just took the chance that Muddling Through would fail after the two episodes they picked it up for,” the star said during the film festival’s Q&A. “And so I just started doing this back-and-forth from Sony to Warner Bros. for two weeks.”

Muddling Through only lasted for three months, leaving Aniston to focus solely on Friends once the show had been canceled.

Another thing that may come as a surprise: Friends producers wanted Aniston to play Monica.

“They wanted Courteney [Cox] to play Rachel,” the Cake actress says. “And unbeknownst to each other, I wanted to play Rachel and she wanted to play Monica. It worked out perfectly.” Aniston was at the Santa Barbara Film Festival to accept the Montecito

Jennifer Aniston

(AP Photo)

Award, which is given to a star whose standout performances and style have been a contribution to film.

She attended the festival

with her fiancé, Justin Theroux, and they were both greeted by cheers when they arrived for Aniston’s Q&A session.

Tom Brady’s Super Bowl ban for Gisele Michelle Obama praises ‘American Sniper’ Katy Perry guarded

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ing ‘’My husband cannot S First Lady Michelle Obama has f**king throw the ball and praised ‘American Sniper’ for its decatch the ball’’ after his team piction of military families and “the lost the championship in complex journeys that our men and 2012’’ and wants to avoid a women in uniform endure”. Obama spoke to a repeat episode. gathering here on Friday organised by Got Your A source said: ‘’He sug6, a group that promotes accurate portrayals gested she watch from a reof veterans in entertainment. Bradley Cooper, mote location. Tom knows who played Chris Kyle in ‘American Sniper,’ was all of Boston, not to menone of the panellists at the event, reports varition that his teammates, ety.com. “The number one movie in America were stunned by Gisele’s right now is a complex, emotional depiction of a poor sportsmanship afveteran and his family. While I know there have ter the Super Bowl slipped been critics, I felt that, more often than not, this away from them. Tom’s film touches on many of the emotions and exteammates don’t comment periences that I’ve heard firsthand from military on Gisele’s career, so they families over these past few years,” she said. think she should keep quiet Obama said that the movie “reflects those when it comes to their prowrenching stories that I’ve heard - the complex fession. ‘’He knows there’s journeys that our men and women in uniform way too much on his mind endure. The complicated moral decisions they to let Gisele become a disare tasked with every day. The stresses of baltraction.’’ If she does deancing love of family with a love of country. And cided to attend the game, the challenges of transitioning back home to which is taking place in their next mission in life.”

Phoenix, Arizona between Tom’s team the Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, anyway, the Brazilian beauty won’t be seated next to the other WAGS. The insider hitney Houston and Bobby Angeles on 11 February, 2012. om Brady is said to triots quarterback, who has added to US OK! magazine: Brown’s daughter Bobbi KrisLisa Holland of the Roswell Police have banned his two children, Benjamin, ‘’Tom’s seats are located in tina has been hospitalised Department tells People.com, “Obviwife Gisele Bund- four, and Vivian, two, with a different section of the after her husband found her ously we all know her mom died this very chen from attend- his supermodel wife, was stadium because Gisele ing this weekend’s Super mortified when she was doesn’t get along with most unresponsive and face down in a bath- same way.” Houston died from accidental tub at their home in Roswell, Georgia on drowning, and a toxicology report found Bowl. The New England Pa- captured on camera shout- of the other women. ‘’ Saturday. Nick Gordon and a friend called that the singer had a cocktail of drugs, inemergency services after finding the cluding cocaine, marijuana and Xanax, 21 year old on her stomach in the bath. in her body. Bobbi Kirstina is clearly still Brown was revived and taken to North struggling with her mother’s death - on Fulton Hospital, where her condition was Monday (26Jan15), she tweeted, “miss stabilised hours later. you mommy... So much... loving you more The incident comes just two weeks every sec (second).” Police executed a before the third death anniversary of search warrant for Bobbi Kristina’s home Wonder added that people live in a Houston’s death - the soul star was found but officials have not explained what they time where he believes they have a presi- unconscious in a hotel bathroom in Los are looking for. dent that truly wanted to see the world come together, to see this nation come together, but yet too much, too many people are judging their dislike of him based on the color of his skin.

Wonder then appeared to suggest that free speech in America should be limited in terms of religion, adding that he believes that people can’t go around feeling just because they don’t agree with someone that they’ve got to kill them. He concluded before breaking into song that he tevie Wonder has launched a pro- prays for the world, for all people because Obama rant at the recent funeral he knows that love is in need of love today.

An attendee at the funeral, who was of Grammy-winning gospel singer Andrae Crouch, in which he de- apparently upset by Wonder’s comments, cried racism against the US President. said Crouch “was not about color or poliThe 64-year-old singer said while softly tics,” he was about his faith and reached playing the piano that for him, seeing the out to everyone. The source added that in world and visualizing in his mind what is a time where racial tension has escalated, going on, some of it is such heartbreak, the the inclusive spirit and heart of Andrae was a healing balm.

Washington Times reported.

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Stevie Wonder launches pro-Obama rant at Andrae Crouch funeral

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op star Katy Perry plans to open up about her feud with singer Taylor Swift because she refuses to allow anyone to “defame” her character. The “Dark Horse” hitmaker, who is reportedly planning to take aim at her 24-year-old rival at the Super Bowl Sunday with her new song “She’s So Creepy”, admits she won’t hold back when it comes to defending herself, reports femalefirst.co.uk. Asked about the tension between her and the “Blank Space” singer, she told Billboard.com: “If somebody is trying to defame my character, you’re going to hear about it.” The duo reportedly fell out last year when Taylor revealed one of her latest tracks “Bad Blood” was written about another famous singer, calling her a “straight-up enemy.” While Swift didn’t name Perry, the “Roar” hitmaker fuelled rumours the comments were about her when she tweeted the next day: “Watch out for the Regina George in sheep’s clothing,” referencing a character from the film “Mean Girls”.

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Gunners torch hapless Villa Djokovic wins 5th Australian Open title

Arsenal's Mesut Ozil celebrates scoring a goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Aston Villa at the Emirates stadium in London on February 1. (AP Photo)

LONDON, FEBRUARY 1 (AGENCIES): The home side dominated from start to finish as Arsenal dominated Aston Villa at the Emirates with a comprehensive 4-0 victory thanks mostly to a deadly counter-attack that struck three times in the second half.

Aston Villa capped their disappointing day with a dubious club record – that of 612 minutes (and counting) since their last goal in Premier League play.

Arsenal had a chance straight away, inside two minutes as Theo Walcott sprung free on goal, but Jores Okore recovered to make a key tackle before the shot could come off.

That was a harbinger of what would come. Aaron Ramsey missed a chance five minutes later from outside the box, butOlivier Giroud would put the Gunners up on eight minutes when Mesut Ozil sprung him through on the breakaway with a sublime flick.

The Frenchman made no mistake, lifting the ball over Brad Guzan one-on-one.

The home side contin-

ued as the brighter team, with numerous chances through the first half-hour, and Santi Cazorla pinged the post on a 25th-minute shot after cutting into the top of the box. Arsenal could have had more but on occasion tried to overplay their attacks, with a few too many passes resulting in the breakdown of their openings. On 30 minutes, another slicing run by Cazorla from the touchline put Mesut Ozil into a position to score but the offsides flag went up as the ball hit the back of the net.

With Aston Villa creeping towards 600 straight minutes without a Premier League goal, their best chance wasn’t much of one, as Christian Benteke tried an off-balance shot but he barely made contact and Hector Bellerin cleared.

They had a better opportunity four minutes before halftime as a long ball found Andreas Weimann near the right post but it was covered well by the Arsenal defense again. Arsenal broke immediately, but Theo Walcott bundled

the buildup as the Gunners looked to threaten.

Three minutes into the second half, Villa broke its club record for longest goalless streak at 570 minutes. Arsenal, however, kept scoring. With Kieran Richardson losing out in the Arsenal half, the Gunners broke. This time it was Giroud’s turn to feed Ozil, who slotted past Guzan neatly into the far corner for a 2-0 lead just 10 minutes after the halftime break.

Arsenal would add a third when Cazorla found Walcott on the break, and the England international scored his first of the season in his first start for 14 months to put the Gunners up 3-0. Cazorla would snatch a goal of his own from the spot after substitute Chuba Akpom was chopped down by Guzan in the box, and the Spaniard ripped his penalty right at the American keeper who got both hands to it but couldn’t stop the powerful blast. Bellerin would pick up his first Arsenal goal in stoppage time to rip the wounds wide open.

MELBOURNE, FEBRUARY 1 (AP): Novak Djokovic won his fifth Australian Open title and his eighth career Grand Slam while extending Andy Murray's misery at Melbourne Park. Djokovic beat Murray 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-0 in Sunday's final, relegating the Scotsman to runner-up status for the fourth time in four tries in the Australian Open final.

The No. 1-ranked Djokovic, meanwhile, is a perfect 5-for-5 in Australian Open finals. "There were a lot of turning points in the match," Djokovic said. "Regardless of the record I have here, we both knew we had equal chances to win.

It was a cat-and-mouse fight, it always is with us."

Djokovic swung momentum in a close match with a service break in the eighth game of the third set, winning four straight points.

When he took a 4-0 lead in the last set, he smacked his fist hard against his chest in celebration. At the end of the match, Djokovic threw his racket into the crowd at Rod Laver Arena.

Roy Emerson, the only other man with five or more Australian titles, was in the crowd and Djokovic acknowledged the presence of the six-time champion.

"I'm so grateful to be standing here as a champion for the fifth time, and to be in the elite group of players," Djokovic said.

Murray sat slumped over in his chair after the match, awaiting the presentations,

Novak Djokovic of Serbia, left, holds the trophy with runner-up Andy Murray of Britain during the trophy presentation after winning the men's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne on February 1. (AP Photo)

and once again received the runner-up plate instead of the trophy.

"It's been my most consistent Grand Slam of my career. I haven't been quite able to win, but the support I've received here has been amazing," Murray said. "I'll try and come back next year and hopefully have a slightly different outcome in the final." Murray said he had chances to win the match.

"Obviously I had opportunities in the first three sets," Murray said. "In the fourth set, I mean, he was just ripping everything. Returns he was hitting on the baseline. Once he got up a

break, he just loosened up and was just going for his shots. I couldn't recover.

"Novak has won five times here now, there's no disgrace, obviously, in losing to him." Djokovic appeared to be troubled by a leg ailment in the third set, and it distracted Murray. "I had a crisis at the end of the second, beginning of the third (set), I needed some time to regroup," Djokovic said. "I just had weakness, I couldn't call for medical because I had no reason."

Djokovic served for the first set after breaking Murray in the eighth game, but Murray broke back. After that

game, Djokovic had a trainer attend to this right thumb.

He double-faulted to open the tiebreaker but then, after Murray took a 2-1 lead, won five of the next six points to regain control. He clinched the set when Murray netted a backhand service return. In the second set, Djokovic saved a set point in the 10th game and Murray saved three break points in the 11th before it went to the tiebreaker. Sixthseeded Murray dominated the breaker to lead 6-2, securing four set points before clinching it on Djokovic's serve.

The second set was de-

Hingis and Paes win Oz mixed doubles

MELBOURNE, FEBRUARY 1 (AP): Martina Hingis won her first Grand Slam title since returning from retirement, combining with Leander Paes of India to win the Australian Open mixed doubles title with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Kristina Mladenovic of France and Daniel Nestor of Canada. With Paes serving for the match, Hingis hit a hard overhead to Mladenovic, who netted a half volley from near the baseline.

Hingis, who has three singles, four women's doubles and two mixed doubles titles at Melbourne Park, returned to the tour to play doubles in 2013 and teamed up with the 41-year-old Paes for the first time at the Australian Open. Paes has won three Australian Open mixed doubles titles.

Martina Hingis of Switzerland, left, and Leander Paes of India hold trophy after defeating Kristina Mladenovic of France and Daniel Nestor of Canada in the mixed doubles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne on February 1. (AP Photo)

The 34-year-old Hingis, won the singles champion- Paes had been two years in who started playing at the ships in 1997, '98 and '99, the making, adding that she Australian Open in 1995 and said the partnership with was glad it came to fruition

Australia beats England by 112 runs in tri-series final

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PERTH, FEBRUARY 1 (AP): Glenn Maxwell scored 95 and took 4-46 Sunday to spur Australia to a 112-run win over England in the final of the one-day international tri-series.

Maxwell led Australia to 278-8 as it batted first after losing the toss, then had the opportunity of a hat trick as it bowled out England for 166 to boost its preparation for the Cricket World Cup. Mitchell Johnson also had the chance of a hat trick, dismissing Moeen Ali (26) and England captain Eoin Morgan with consecutive deliveries to finish with 3-27 in an explosive return to the Australia team. The one discordant note for Australia was an injury to all rounder James Faulkner. Faulkner scored an unbeaten 50 from 24 balls, completing his half century with a six from the last ball of the innings, and took 1-11 before being forced from the field with a side strain.

England made an ineffective bid to chase down Australia's total and to boost its own confidence ahead of the next meeting between the teams, in Melbourne on the opening day of the World Cup. It lost wickets in clusters that robbed its innings of mo-

The Australian Team pose for a photo with the trophy after defeating England in the final of their one day international cricket match in Perth on February 1. (AP Photo)

mentum and it was finally all out in 39.1 overs.

England lost Ian Bell (8) at 18 and James Taylor, who guided its successful run chase against India on Friday, for 4 at 35-2. Ali fell to a ball from Johnson that reared alarmingly and that he fended to slip at 46-3, then Morgan fell first ball, offering no shot to a ball that cut back from outside off to bowl him.

Joe Root was trapped lbw by Faulkner to leave England 71-5 in the 20th over and England's efforts to rebuild the innings suffered a major setback when Jos Buttler (17) and Chris Woakes fell to consecutive balls from Maxwell in the 25th over when England was on 98. Buttler was caught by Pat Cummins, who had just taken the field as an injury substitute

layed for about five minutes after the seventh game when a court invader protesting Australia's refugee policies was removed by security after stepping on to the court. Other spectators in the stadium unfurled a political banner.

Organizers said two people were arrested, and the court invasion was dealt with swiftly. There was a bigger cheer for Djokovic when the introductions were made, but plenty of Scottish flags in the stands.

Some Serbian fans yelled "Adje Nole" — Serbian for "Come on Nole," which is Djokovic's nickname.

for Faulkner, and Woakes was caught and bowled first ball, continuing a woeful match in which he conceded 89 runs from his 10 overs.

Stuart Broad hit 24 from 30 balls, including two sixes, before he was also caught by Cummins to give Maxwell his third wicket and he then dismissed Ravi Bopara for the innings' topscore of 33.

where "I had my greatest memories." "After 20 years being back on the court... who would have thought," Hingis said. "It's more than I could ever dream of." Hingis won the 2006 Australian Open mixed doubles title with Manesh Bhupathi, who was Paes' former longtime doubles partner.

In a news conference after the match, the pair heaped praise on each other with Paes saying "our understanding of each other is amazing." "Martina is such a smart tennis player and she knows exactly what movements I'm going to do (and) I know what movements she's going to do," Paes said. Asked if they would team up again in the future, Paes said, "If she lets me. I don't know if she will." Hingis responded: "Of course!"

Earlier, Maxwell shared a 141-run partnership with Mitch Marsh (6) that steered Australia to a solid 278-8 after it had been sent in to bat.

Maxwell beat his previous-highest score in oneday internationals of 93 and broke a recent scoring drought with an innings that rallied Australia after it had been 60-4 in the 18th over. The half century was Maxwell's first in nine innings and followed his previous scores in the tri-series of 0, 20 and 37, adding another tick to Australia's preparation for the Cricket World Cup. After reaching 95 by hitting Woakes for four fours in five balls in the 40th over, Maxwell tried to reach his century with a single shot, top-edged a hook off Broad and was caught by Buttler.

"It was nice to do that (anchor) role," Maxwell said. "I've screwed it up a few times for us so it was nice to get through to that 40th over and give us a good platform to launch.

"James Faulkner just showed his class in finishing the innings off so well for us. I've just got to keep trying to get past that threefigure mark. It's not something I'm thinking of too much."

C M Y K

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