January 11th, 2016

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MOnDAY • JAnuArY 11 • 2016

DIMAPUR • Vol. XI • Issue 9 • 12 PAGes • 5

T H e

ESTD. 2005

P o W e R

I believe discrimination still exists in society and we must fight it in every form US flies B-52 over S Korea after North’s nuclear test

PAGE 12

Manipur quake victims resent government apathy

Imphal January 10 (IanS): A week after an earthquake jolted Manipur, the people here have started resenting the government apathy, notwithstanding the repeated assurances that they would be provided relief materials.

Both the state and the central governments appear to be fumbling while most of the victims, rendered homeless in this icy winter, said they are compelled to stay at temporary relief camps without any government help.

The lucky few are relying on their relatives and friends. The earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale killed 9 and over 110 left injured. Many families were rendered homeless as their houses crumbled to ground.

The quake-hit viewed the response from the government as short of public expectation. “Though the earthquake hit the state on January 4 morning, it was only on January 9 evening that Governor V. Shammuganathan visited the damaged women’s market which is less than 50 metres away from his residence,” said S. Apabi, a vendor.

Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi and others are yet to visit the quake victims.

Deputy Chief Minister and Prasdesh Congress Committee president Gaikhangam is the only elected member who visited the affected tribals in Tamenglong district, from where he was elected to the state assembly. Meanwhile, hundreds of women vendors have started selling consumer items, handloom clothes and other items on the footpath.

“We are daily wage earners. When we return home with a morsel of rice, our children are waiting for us and the scratch meals,” said Sakhitombi, a greengrocer.

“As we have to earn money for supThe official quarter of the Block Development Officer (BDO) in Changtongya Town lays in perpetual ruin. Administrative apathy as well as well as absenteeism of the concerned officers over the years has resulted in the decay porting the family, we are sitting here. As and when we are allowed, we will shift to and virtual ruin of the building, locals informed. (Morung Photo)

By Sandemo Ngullie

no

Others

Fire scare at Signal Angami

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DImapur, January 10 (mexn): A major fire incident was averted at Signal Angami on Sunday evening. Panicked residents called up the Fire Brigade informing of a fire starting at a thatch residential house. The Dimapur Fire Brigade responded to the alarm immediately but the residents doused the flames before it engulfed the entire house. A bedding roll was reported to have been burned. The fire was reportedly caused by an unattended candle. One fire personnel said that it could have been a major fire had the flames not been doused early on. The house was located adjacent to an RCC building and in a congested neighbourhood.

Manipur governor visits quake-affected Imphal, January 10 (IanS): Manipur Governor V. Shanmuganathan on Sunday visited a hospital and enquired about the health of the victims of the recent earthquake.

“I was in Shillong when the earthquake struck Manipur. I rushed to Imphal on January 9. I have visited the women’s market and listened to the problems and demands of the women vendors. I have promised to look into their demands and I am sure the government will address the same,” said Shanmuganathan, who is also governor of Meghalaya.

“I met some victims of the quake.

Many of them have lost homes. But I am sure they will get new houses with running water and uninterrupted power supply.” Official sources said the governor may soon visit the hill the temporary market earmarked by the government,” said Bina, who sells handloom clothes by the roadside.

“It is anybody’s guess how long the government will take to repair the damaged portions of the markets,” she aded.

Chief secretary Oinam Nabakishore had said: “The government has sanctioned Rs.2 crore for rehabilitation -Rs.50 lakh each will be distributed in the four districts for victims.”

Most of the quake victims, however, say they have not received a single rupee from the government.

Some of them even fear some corrupt officials may swindle their relief money.

The state government had sought a central assistance of Rs.20 crore for victims’ rehabilitation. However, affected families say so far there has been no response although several central minis-

district of Tamenglong, where the epicentre was located.

Meanwhile, women vendors of Kongba Market in Imphal East district blocked roads on Sunday, and no vehicle was allowed to pass.

Though traffic was obstructed till evening, police stayed at a safe distance, not wanting to provoke the angry women.

“The Kongba market which suffered damage is slowly crumbling. The market will collapse any day now. Under these circumstances, we cannot enter and sell consumer items,” one woman vendor said.

“We are demanding the immediate demolition of the market complex and construction of a new one. We shall continue (with the agitation) till the government asks the authorities to act.” ters and Bharatiya Janata Party workers in Manipur are claiming many things are being done for the victims.

Officials declined to explain why even blankets and packaged foods have not been distributed to the victims, staying in relief camps.

“The big shots of the BJP and the ruling Congress seem to be occupied with the local body elections on Monday,” said K. Panmei, an earthquake victim. “In any case, they have no time for us since our villages do not come under the valley local bodies,” Panmei added.

Officials said the central government has received a report as sought by central ministers Kiren Rijiju and Jitendra Singh during their visit to Imphal shortly after the earthquake.

Rijiju said: “Once we receive the report, we will come out with relief measures.”

iMA suggests sugar tax policy ‘Villages on the Moon’ can to help curb diabetes in india be reality by 2030: Scientists

new DelhI, January 10 (aGenCIeS): The Indian Medical Association (IMA) says it is possible provided the government implements a “sugar taxation policy”, like the one in Mexico. The need of the hour, it says is to cut consumption of high trans fat and sugar-laden products. India is reportedly home to some 60 million diabetic patients.

Citing Mexico, the IMA Custom designed earth quake said that the South Ameriproof house? ingenious, but can nation saw a reduction how do we get in ???? in sugar consumption afit introduced tax on The Morung Express ter sugary drinks in 2014.

POll QuEsTiOn Quoting a British reVote on www.morungexpress.com port, it said further that a SMS your anSwer to 9862574165 six percent decline in purchase of sugary beverages Will 2016 be the year was reported within a year. of the great Change in Nagaland? Why? “This led to a 12 perYes

Djokovic crushes Nadal to start year with title

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In Ruins...

reflections

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—Andrew Cuomo

Students told to do away with casual attitude

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cent decline in the final month of the year, mostly amongst lower income strata. Chile, Barbados, and France have also implemented sugar beverage taxes with the UK now considering it, and Mexico has further imposed taxes on other sugar-laden junk foods,” PTI quoted Dr KK Aggarwal, Secretary General of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), as saying.

“With India being the diabetes capital of the world there is an immediate need to reduce the consumption of high trans-fat and sugar laden products.

The first and foremost step is to raise awareness about the increasing burden of lifestyle diseases in our country and the ways

in which they can be prevented.

“In the long run it is important for the administration to consider following taxation laws similar to that in Mexico,” he said.

“Given the diversity of our country, it would be recommended to take Mexico’s policy on sweetened beverages as a benchmark and customize it to suit the Indian needs,” Dr Aggarwal added.

IMA National President SS Agarwal said that while Delhi has followed Mexico City’s footsteps in curbing vehicle circulation to reduce pollution, the government must work on the overall regulation of vice, starting with curbing what is in

‘Rock On!! 2’ about conflict in north east: farhan Akhtar new DelhI, January 10 (pTI): Actor Farhan Akhtar says his upcoming musical-drama “Rock On!! 2” focuses on the conflict in the NorthEast region of India.

The movie has been majorly shot in Shillong, Meghalaya.

“The film really is about that place, about that culture, it is about the region’s problem. The largest conflict in the movie is the regional conflict…

There is a personal issue also but the main is the regional problem,” Farhan said in an interview.

The 41-year-old “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag” star said the movie will promote North-East music, which has a dedicated fan following across the country.

“The movie is about rock and this genre is huge in the North-East. There is a band in the region called Somersault, which is a part of the film, there

is a song in Khassi. The Noth-East music features seriously in the film.

“I am very happy to do this (promote North-East music). It is important to bring everything in mainstream.

Everybody in the North-East plays an instrument or they sing. You don’t get to see that generally. When we were there, we had music playing 5 or 6 in the morning and no one was complaining.

Everyone was enjoying that.”

“Rock On!! 2”, also starring Shraddha Kapoor and Arjun Rampal, is directed by Shujaat Saudagar. The sequel to 2008’s box office success “Rock On!!” will release on November 11.

Farhan shared he has been penning songs for some time now and once he completes filming “Rock On! 2”, he will focus on his songs. The multifaceted performer might release his own album or an array of separate singles.

its control to stem lifestyle disease such as diabetes, currently at epidemic proportions.

Like India, prevalence of diabetes in Mexico is amongst the highest in the world, with around 70 per cent of adults being overweight or obese. Clearly regulation of vices such as cigarettes through increased costs have led to intended benefits world over of lower consumption as well.

A new report in The Lancet has estimated that reducing sugar content in sugar sweetened drinks by 40 per cent over five years could prevent half a million people from becoming overweight and a million people from becoming obese.

new york, January 10 (IanS): Villages on the Moon, constructed through cooperation between astronauts and robotic systems on the lunar surface, can become a reality as early as 2030, a group of scientists has predicted.

Scientists are exploring the idea of “moon villages” that can serve as a potential springboard for future human missions to Mars and potentially other deeper space missions.

In order for that vision to become a reality, scientists must first determine if the resources on the Moon are as significant as we think they are.

“We keep talking about lunar resources but we still need to demonstrate they

can be used a (that) they are, in fact, reserves,” said Clive Neal, a planetary geologist from the University of Notre Dame in the US. The ground truth verification of deposit size, composition, form and homogeneity requires a coordinated prospecting programme as a first step.

“The next step would demonstrate extraction techniques followed by refinement of the product into usable commodity.

A successful programme would then clearly demonstrate that lunar resources can enable solar system exploration,” he said.

Neal’s research explores the origin and evolution of the Moon, focusing on the petrology and

geochemistry of returned samples coupled with geophysics and other remotely sensed datasets. It looks at the geophysical instrumentation and investigations of the Moon, formation of impact melts, and more basalt petrogenesis.

In this regard, the European Space Agency (ESA) hosted a symposium titled “Moon 2020-2030 -- A New Era of Coordinated Human and Robotic Exploration”, in the Netherlands recently.

According to Neal, who attended the conference, the ESA meeting highlighted technology development in terms of precision landing, robotic sample return, and cryogenic sampling, caching, return and curation.

CP0 urges ‘unity through justice’ Our Correspondent

Phusachodu | January 10

The need to strengthen the bond of unity and oneness amongst the Chakhesang community was stressed upon during the 34th general session of the Chakhesang Public Organization (CPO) cum Chakhesang Day here today held under the theme ‘Unity through justice.

The main speaker, Rev Dr Vezopa Tetseo, Executive Secretary, Chakhesang Baptist Church Council stressed on the need to propagate unity and emphasis justice on a larger scale. He said unity is an essential component to receive all rightful blessings

from God and live in harmony with one another. Rev Tetseo hoped for an end to all divisions among the community.

Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) Speaker, Chotisuh Sazo in his greetings challenged the Chakhesang community to maintain their traditional practices and customs. He stated that the Chakhesang people are known for honesty, simplicity and hard work. He added that the democratic system at the grassroots level, respect to elders and sense of patriotism are assets for the Chakhesang community.

Meanwhile, Parliamentary Secretary for Planning

& Coordination, Evaluation, Monitoring Cell and Taxes, Neiba Kronu called upon the Chakhesang community to focus on developing the economy and give importance to human resource development.

He advised the Chakhesang Public Organization, Chakhesang Students’ Union and Chakhesang Youth Front to thoroughly discuss both their strengths and weaknesses and frame a comprehensive strategy to take the Chakhesang community forward on economy and human resource development.

Meanwhile, the CPO search committee has announced the new team of

CPO office bearers for the tenure 2016-18. The new team is led by Kekhwengulo Lea as President, with Ariyi Nienu as Vice President, Mutsivoyi Kotso as General Secretary, Dozhohii Tunyi as Joint Secretary, Wekhrope Marhu as Press Secretary, Vezoto (Jack) Dozo as Finance Secretary, John Lohe as Treasurer and Neilo Khape and Besupra Swuro as representatives to Naga Hoho.

Earlier, the Chakhesang Day function was chaired

by CPO outgoing President, Sovenyi. A cultural exhibition and feast marked the day. Vote of thanks was proposed by Veziihii Keyho, Treasurer CPO.

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monDAY 11•01•2016

NAGALAND

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Healthy lifestyle camp at CHC Jalukie Peren, January 10 (Mexn): District Health Society, Peren will be conducting Healthy Lifestyle Camp under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke (NPCDCS) on January 13 starting 9:00am at CHC Jalukie, Peren District. Free screening for diabetes, cardio vascular, body mass index, test for blood sugar, blood pressure, counseling services on healthy lifestyle and referral services will be provided. Apart from free health checkups, distribution of free medicines, sensitization of public in the form of one to one and Focus Group Discussions by the IEC Personnel will be conducted. Therefore, all the general public is hereby informed to come and avail the various health services at the camp.

KBCA Children Conference DiMaPur, January 10 (Mexn): The Kuzhami Baptist Churches Association Children Conference will be held from January 15 to 17 at KBC Chumukedima, under the theme ‘God's Children.’ Kewechelo Mero, Chairman and Kewekhro Mero, Secretary Children Ministry, KBCA in a press release has invited all to join the conference and also requets to continue praying for conference. Rev. Prof. K. Lasuh, Rev. Nikko Mero, Rev. Dr. Kenny Kapfo, Rev. Dr. K. Kapfo, Mrs. Apele Daili, will be the main speakers. The opening inaugural ceremony will be graced by Neikolo- u Mero, Women Pastor KCBCK.

Sunset in Mongchen village: Mongchen is located in Changkikong range of Mokokchung district in Nagaland. Alongkima and Mangkolemba are the nearest towns to Mongchen village. (Photo by Lanu Pongen)

Sustainable Land and Ecosystem Management in Shifting Cultivation Areas of Nagaland for Ecological and Livelihood Security (June 2009- December 2015)

T

Women farmers combat land degradation in Nagaland

he project, in partvegetation cover by over nership with the 2,000 hectares of land in government of project areas UNDP partnership with the govNagaland, aims to • Soil erosion rate has deernment of Nagaland has readdress land degradation creased from 50 m/ha per duced soil erosion and increased in shifting cultivation loyear to 26 m/ha per year vegetation cover on 30,000 hectcations in three districts of • Incomes of 4,400 womNagaland through particien have increased by 10 ares of land in 70 villages. The partnerpatory planning, generatpercent as a result of sale ship in the North Eastern Himalayan state ing awareness, building inof organic farm produce has empowered 7,000 women farmers to adopt farming practices that can prostitutions and supporting from jhum fields integrated farm develop- • Average incomes of 5,008 tect soil fertility, diversify livelihoods and ment that enable sustainhouseholds have in- strengthened market linkages.

48 year old Pongha has long been faable land and ecological creased by 15-20 percent management. The project annually through access mous in her hometown of Mon village for is funded by Global Envito existing credit facilities, the beautiful mekhelas or traditional Naga ronment Facility (GEF). agriculture revolving fund dress worn by women that she weaves for and sales from increased selling to her neighbours. But in recent years, Pongha has also become an inspiProject Overview yield of jhum fields ration for women farmers in her village.

Project Start Date: June 2009 • Over 800 jhum-prac- In 2013, Pongha and her husband began ticing households have introducing a number of simple soil and Estimated End Date: Debenefited from the in- water conservation strategies on the small cember 2015 troduction of integrated piece of land they cultivated in the village.

Geographic Coverage: Nafarm development prac- The results have been astounding. Harvest galand (Mokokchung, Mon and Wokha) tices that integrate crop, from her field has increased by 60 percent, Focus Area: Environment livestock, fishery, forest- raising family income, and improving the ry and horticulture and soil fertility of her land. and Energy reduce soil erosion MDG: Goal 7 - Ensure EnSince 2009, UNDP has partnered with vironmental Sustainability • The jhum cropping the Government of Nagaland to introduce phase has increased sustainable land management practices Partners: Ministry of Enfrom two to three years that could help farmers address land degvironment and Forests, Government of India; Dein pilot jhum farms as radation. The partnership aimed to propartment of Soil and Waa result of timely intro- mote integrated farming practices such as ter Conservation, Governduction of soil and water agro forestry, horticulture, and livestock ment of Nagaland conservation measures rearing that could retain soil fertility and • Informed decision mak- preserve the local ecosystem as well. The ing by traditional institu- partnership is funded by the Global EnviHighlights tions on land manage• Nagaland faces a major ment systems through challenge in adapting participatory land use land use and production plans (PLUP). Formal systems to meet demands codification of land use Farming Communities in Northof a rising population has led to more effective • Horticulture and agroforparticipatory planning eastern India Improve Soil Ferestry plantations introand management. PLUP tility and Earn Higher Incomes duced as part of the project has helped to address conhas increased forest cover • Over 800 jhum-pracservation challenges inNDP, in partnership with the ticing households have cluding rampant burning Government of Nagaland, is benefited from introducof jhum fields, protection helping farmers practicing tion of integrated farm of forest and water bodies, jhum cultivation in 70 villages in development practices land degradation, etc Nagaland grow healthier crops and earn • Increase in average in- • Land use committees better income by introducing sustainable have been formed to en- land management practices. By slowing comes of 4,000 housesure implementation of rates of soil erosion, these practices have holds by 15-20 percent annually the land use plans and also helped farmers improve soil fertility • Increase in incomes of to create an enabling en- and cultivate the same land for three years 3,000 women by 10 pervironment for improved instead of the normal span of two years. cent as a result of sale of local ecosystem and liveHigh school drop-out Atula, a woman organic farm produce lihoods farmer from India’s northeastern state of from jhum fields • Strengthened coor- Nagaland, is today an expert on improvdination and conver- ing crop cultivation and soil fertility, two • Improved land regengence mechanisms be- subjects that come in handy as she works eration through greater involvement of local and tween line departments the small piece of land she has leased from traditional institutions in through increas e d a local landowner. awareness of linkages bedecision-making For generations Atula’s family and their tween land degradation, fellow villagers have practiced a form of forest resources and rural subsistence, slash and burn farming called What is the Project About? development • Horticulture, agro-forjhum. But jhum is no longer sustainable Source: United Nations in the face of rapid rates of land degradaestry plantations and soil and water conservation Development tion and population pressures in India. A measures have improved Programme in India joint programme between the United Na-

A

ronment Facility.

Improving soil fertility is crucial in Mon district of Nagaland which shares borders with Assam on the west and Myanmar in the east. Farming is the mainstay of the local economy, engaging more than 90 percent of the population. Farmers here like Pongha and her husband practice a unique form of subsistence farming called jhum or shifting cultivation. Traditionally, each family in the village is allotted a small piece of land on lease by the village council.

Farmers slash and burn the forest and farm for up to two years. They then move on to the next piece of land, leaving their previously farmed land, fallow to regenerate.

Changing land use practices, population pressure and an increasingly erratic climate are threatening this traditional form of farming. Ten years ago an entire jhum cycle took 15-20 years. Today, it is merely 5-8 years, barely enough for families to grow enough food to eat, and not nearly enough for the land to regain its fertility.

Seventy percent of jhum farmers in Nagaland are women and the partnership has focused on empowering women farmers through introducing soil and water conservation practices such as contour bunding and developing common local water bodies. Pongha has built soil embankments called contour bunds on her jhum plot which help retain water and prevent soil erosion. Pongha describes the

difference. “The quality of soil below the contour bunds is much better than above.

I can now prevent water from flowing away, and the size and quality of crops has vastly improved.” Pongha now also grows ginger along the contour bunds, earning her additional income.

Close to 7,000 women farmers like Pongha have benefited from the adoption of integrated farming practices. Vegetation cover across jhum lands has increased by over 30,000 hectares and importantly, families can now cultivate the same piece of land for three years, instead of two.

In addition to supporting women in making farming more sustainable, the partnership has also aimed to strengthen market linkages for women farmers. In 2010 a marketing shed was constructed with UNDP support, in Lampong Sheanghah village, at the main traffic junction.

Before the construction of the shed, women farmers would carry their vegetables load on their head for upto 10 kilometres to the nearest market. But now, they have easy access to a closer marketing source, which provides much needed protection from the weather to ensure vegetables do not get spoilt quickly. Even if it rains, the women of Mon are ensured of a steady income. Toimai, a regular trader here says, “I was always dependant on my husband for household items, but now because the marketing shed is so close by, I can sell vegetables myself and earn my own

income.” Marketing and livelihood interventions have increased the income of women farmers by 20-25 percent.

Key to the partnerships’ success has been the setting up of self-help groups of women farmers which have spread the word on sustainable land management practices. These SHGs share knowledge and information on integrated farm development, and equip women with the skills to adopt these practices on the land they cultivate.

Today, women like Pongha, are also members of the local village land use committees, making sure women have a voice in the land use planning of their villages, something unheard of five years ago in an area where women do not have land rights. The Soil and Water Conservation Department has provided financial support through an agriculture revolving fund dedicated to providing credit to women’s SHGs. Here too, innovations have benefitted women. Livestock credit for example, means women can livestock as loans. Once the credit period is over, the women return the loan, again in the form of livestock.

The partnership in Nagaland is a powerful demonstration of the role women farmers can play in arresting land degradation if equipped with skills, knowledge, credit access, and voice – crucial to addressing climate change and improving food security.

Source: UNDP India

FroM ‘SLASh AND BurN’ to SuStAiNABiLity

U

1st Death Anniversary of Lt.Talikala Pongen One Year has passed since you left us, yet your memories and your inspiring deeds in our life remains a treasure. A mother’s love and prayer you have shown us will always be cherished in our hearts.

Loving family me mbers

tions Development Programme (UNDP) and Nagaland’s government introducing subsistence farmers to new kinds of sustainable land management practices have helped Atula grow healthier crops and earn a steady income to better support her three children.

Since 2009, UNDP has been partnering with Nagaland’s Department of Soil and Water Conservation to bring these new techniques to farmers in 70 villages across three districts in Nagaland, including Atula and her neighbours. Traditionally, farmers practicing jhum would be allotted a small piece of forest area from their village council or they would lease it from the land’s owner. Farmers then slash and burn the forest and farm it for about two years – producing just enough food to feed their family – until the soil loses its fertility and then move on to the next piece of land.

Up until about a decade ago, the entire jhum cycle took about 20 years; today, in the face of overpopulation and the ongoing effects of climate change on the land, that cycle has shrunk to only seven to nine years. Today, thanks to training from the UNDP and Nagaland government, farmers like Atula are building critical earthen embankments on the hills where they

farm, slowing rates of erosion and keeping the soil fertile for much longer as a result.

With support from the project, community-based land use committees have been formed in 24 villages. Twenty to twentyfive percent of these members are women, a significant achievement in an area where women have not been permitted to participate in village council meetings or have any rights over land holdings. “We thought we would have to leave the land after two years, but now we are continuing to cultivate the same land for a third year,” she says.

Atula also now plants additional crops like ginger and peas, which she is able to sell at market. Her household – along with the 4,000 other households in the project villages benefiting from this programme – has witnessed a 15 to 20 percent increase in average income. She has also started to raise pigs, feeding them recycled crop fodder and using the manure in turn to fertilize her crops.

“Earlier the land earned us barely enough to live on,” Atula says. “Now I make INR400 to 450 (US$7.20 to $8.20) a week selling vegetables in the local market.” In addition, Atula has earned INR 12,500 annually by selling five piglets from her new-

ly-set piggery enterprise through integrated livelihood activities introduced as part of the project.

The project has also helped women from Atula’s village revive traditional indigo dying techniques by adopting organic methods of dying. Women are now planting indigo plants on fallow land, which is both improving soil fertility and providing the women with the dye they need to revive the production of their tribe’s traditional shawls, a product that the village was once known far and wide for. The project has supported efforts not only to empower women to earn additional incomes through integrated farming practices and encouraged a greater voice for women in the village council, but also supported strengthening of self-help groups of 300 women. Trained in book keeping and maintaining accounts, women members of these groups have increased incomes by 25 percent.

The project is a pilot one that is now being studied by other districts in Nagaland and other states in the northeastern region of India, bringing a much-needed awareness of the importance of sustainable land use in the face of a rapidly changing future.

Source: UNDP India

Students told to do away with casual attitude

Phek, January 10 (Mexn): Member of Nagaland Legislative Assembly from 19th A/C Phek, Kuzholuzo (Azo) Nienu gracing the 29th Phekmi Collegiate Forum (PCF) annual session at Phek village Panchayat hall on January 8 urged the students to do away with casual attitude and learn to compete at the highest levels to survive.

Addressing the session as the guest speaker, Nienu pointed out that there was no room for complacency if one is to achieve their desired goal. We have to be discipline and punctual, he said.

The MLA also urged the PCF to conduct career guidance and counselling

sessions for the upcoming students so that their talents can be tapped in the right fields. ‘We have to mould and shape them to become assets to our village and society’, he stated.

Also speaking on the occasion, Dr Vekusa Nienu, retired professor from the University of California, USA reminded the students community the need to aim to be the best in any discipline.

The retired professor also emphasized the need for students to be well educated in technology as the contemporary times have digitalized the world. Just degree’s alone will not suffice students to get the desired job or find a place if he or she is not sound in tech-

nology, he opined.

Also addressing the session as the main speaker on the theme, ‘Education – a new perspective’, senior journalist, Merina Chishi Soho, told the students to understand the difference between being “educated” and being “literate.” She stated that a society needs not only literate people but also educated ones.

Highlighting the various aspects of education, she emphasized the need to be truly educated so that one is empowered by the acquired knowledge and not just earned a college degree. “What is the point in being educated if you can’t make anything out of it, she pointed out.

MLA and guest speaker, K Azo Nienu flanked by main speaker, Merina Chishi Soho (right) and Dr Vekusa Nienu (Left) during the 29th Phemi Collegiate Forum (PCF) annual general session at Phek village Panchayat hall.

She further stated that Nagas need to move away from traditional courses and also take up technically advanced courses. She encouraged students to take up technical courses and

multi disciplinary courses.

She emphasized the need to understand the purpose of the subject he or she is studying and have a wider perspective on education.

She called on the stu-

dents’ community to take up challenging yet job oriented courses rather than just earn college degrees and wait for political appointments stating, such trend is what corrupts our society.

MonDAY 11 •01•2016

NORTH-EAST

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

‘No magic wand for Sino-Indian border issue’

3

Home Ministry meeting on Bru repatriation inconclusive

such cases emotion plays a very small part its hard facts and hard facts pertaining to strategic interests. And strategic interest of countries doesn't change with change of governments they remain the same.

"Because after all the geography, economy and country is the same, governments may change but your strategic interests don't change. So, you may have good relations which makes things easier to negotiate and talk but those hard facts cannot be ignored," Kalha said.

India and China have so far held 18 rounds of talks at the level of special representatives on the boundary problem but many sticky issues still need to be sorted out.

AIzAWL, JANUARY 10 (PTI): A meeting convened by the Union Home Ministry on the issue of repatriation of Brus in six relief camps in Tripura remained inconclusive, Mizoram Chief Secretary Lalmalsawma today said.

The meeting held in New Delhi yesterday was chaired

by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi while the Tripura Chief Secretary was not present, Lalmalsawma told PTI. "We informed the Home Ministry officials that the Brus refused to return to Mizoram despite repeated arrangements made by the Mizoram government in the relief camps for the repatriation," he said. The Mizoram government expressed the opinion that it would be a futile exercise if more repatriation attempts are made in future, he said.

Lalmalsawma said the time or venue of the next meeting was not fixed to discuss the issue in future. The last attempt to repatriate the Brus during June 2 to September 4 last year was a complete failure as not a single Bru appeared before the Mizoram officials in the six relief camps to be identified as bona fide residents of the state.

The arrangement was made to repatriate over 20,700 Brus belonging to 3,455 families who have fled from Mizoram due to ethnic clashes in the 1990s.

Security tightened around Chetia to lead ULFA peace talks gUWAHATI, JANUARY Pradeep Gogoi, deputy com- that some cadres were conIAF's Dibrugarh airbase 10 (AgENCIES): In what mander-in-chief Raju Ba- templating to join back to

ITANAgAR, JANUARY 10 (PTI): Arunachal Pradesh Cabinet has approved two bills to provide hassle-free public services and redressal of grievances in a timebound manner, and to monitor the mushrooming of private educational institutes in the state. The Arunachal Pradesh Right to Public Service Bill, approved by the Cabinet yesterday, will be tabled in coming Assembly session starting from January 14, government spokesman Bamang Felix said in a statement today.

Concerned over the prevailing scenario in which officials at various levels delay and deny services to common people, the Cabinet viewed that the process of governance, particularly on public services delivery system, has to be overhauled and improved, the statement said.

For this reason, it said, state government has brought the bill which intends to guarantee time-bound delivery of services by government to citizens and to initiate a mechanism for punishing errant public servants.

This legislation would reduce corruption and increase transparency and accountability while ensuring timely delivery of public services. Another major decision that the Cabinet took was to frame regulations for effective and proper monitoring of functioning of private higher educational institutions in the state.

The Cabinet took serious note on mushrooming of private universities in the state and the lack of effective mechanism to monitor their activities, the release said. In this backdrop, the Cabinet approved Arunachal Pradesh Private Educational Institutions (Regulatory Commission) Bill 2016, which will also be tabled in coming Assembly session.

NEW DELHI, JANUARY 10 (PTI): The SinoIndian border issue is a complex problem which cannot be solved overnight as both the countries have to reach a strategic understanding of the situation, says former diplomat Ranjit Singh Kalha.

"This is a complex issue and cannot be solved overnight. Unless and until there is a strategic understanding it will be very difficult for a settlement. Solution is only that we keep putting our case continuously and work on it slow and steady there is no magic wand for resolving such a dispute," Kalha said.

Kalha along with former ambassador Ronen Sen and Srikanth Kondapalli, professor in Chinese

studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University were discussing the issue at a session - Negotiating the China-India Boundary: Why no Settlement so Far? organised by Ananta Aspen Centre.

A former secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs Ministry, Kalha had led India's negotiating team in the Boundary SubGroup from 1985 to 1988.

Kalha's book 'IndiaChina Boundary Issues: Quest for Settlement' published in 2014 includes researches from the declassified Chinese, Russian and US records on the matter.

"I have basically discussed in this book the reasons on why we don't have a settlement both from the

DIbRUgARH, JANUARY 10 (PTI): Security has been tightened around Indian Air Force station at Chabua in Assam's Dibrugarh district following intelligence inputs about threats to the air base, a police official said.

Following the Pathankot terror attack, police has received certain inputs which need to be corroborated and confirmed in consultation with various agencies and security forces but security has been tightened around the airbase, Dibrugarh Superintendent of Police Bir Bikram Gogoi said today.

"Security measures are being taken accordingly by the police, Army and IAF so that any unwarranted situation may be avoided," he said.

"After receiving the input, the IAF has restricted entry of casual workers in the base. The identity of these workers who are engaged for various works by contractors are cross checked and verified," sources at

Indian side and the Chinese side. I have also given them a little bit of the background on the negotiations which took place from the last 50 to 60 years," Kalha said.

According to the former diplomat until and unless there is an understanding between China and India on the larger strategic issues it will become rather difficult to have a settlement.

"A boundary settlement is not a simple drawing of lines on a map or on the ground, it's a political act and since it is a political act the two countries in turn have to be sure that what they are getting is better than what you have at the present moment," Kalha said while discussing the issue.

Citing an example, he

Chabua airbase said.

Chabua is a key base of the IAF and it has the latest airplanes including the Sukhoi-30 MKi and Chetak helicopters.

Chabua is also known as the 'eastern bastion' of the IAF which was built in 1939 and used through the war by allied forces in support of the Chinese against the invading Japanese forces.

The station has served as a major supply point for the troops deployed in Arunachal Pradesh with various transport aircraft and helicopters operating from the base.

It then took on a training role as MIG-21 were based here training young fighter pilots and providing air defence to the region.

In 2009, however, the last squadron of Mig-21 moved out from Chabua and after undergoing major renovation and expansion, the Sukhoi-30 MKI multi-role fighters were indicted in the base since Feb 2011.

goes on to state that India is in possession of Arunachal Pradesh and China is in occupation of Aksai Chin and if a settlement has to be achieved, it means give and take of territories which would be the natural consequence of a compromise.

"The question arises here that new situation that comes about if such a deal is struck between the two nations will it be better than the present situation or not? So that's a political determination which one has to make. And as far as I can see right now that situation does not prevail," Kalha said.

Recounting the visit of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1988, former ambassador Ronen Sen says that the reasons for the

has given a sense of relief to security agencies, the ULFA general secretary Anup Chetia has been given the responsibility of leading the peacetalks with the government of India in place of its chairman Arbinda Rajkhowa.

Chetia, who was arrested in Dhaka in December 1997, had since then been in Bangladesh prisons after he was held guilty for illegally entering that country and for illegal possession of foreign currency. He has been deported to India recently from Bangladesh where he wanted political asylum.

The decision to lead ULFA talks was taken formally in a central committee meeting which was attended by ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, vice-chairman

unsettled dispute may have changed over the years as compared to the present situation but the goals remain the same.

"This issue is purely not just a technical issue. Secondly, its is not the only problem India had with China at that particular point in time and its linked to the overall relationship between the two countries and with the regional and global perceptions and goals of the two nations and these goals are not necessarily the same today as compared to that time," Sen said.

Observing that relations between the present Narendra Modi led government and the Chinese government are on good terms, Kalha said "In most

rua, foreign secretary Sasha Choudhury, finance secretary Chitraban Hazarika, and several other leaders of the outfit, including Mrinal Hazarika, Jiten Dutta and Pranjit Saikia.

Though, the outfit has ruled out that decision in this effect would marginalize the ULFA chairman who was leading the peace-talks so far, security sources claimed that Chetia’s elevation to lead the peace-talks might subside the simmering dissension in the pro-talk faction of ULFA to a large extent.

Pointing out that some hard-core ULFA cadres were not happy over the way dayto-day affairs were being handled by the ULFA leadership, security sources said that the situation had come to stage

anti-talk faction of ULFA lead by its commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah.

Referring intelligence inputs, security sources said that some ULFA cadres of protalk faction had established contact with anti-talks faction to join them again.

Informing that a delegation of ULFA will also meet the families of the martyrs, Chetia has also expressed happiness on this development and said that issues like granting of Schedule Tribe (ST) status to six indigenous communities of Assam also featured in the central committee meeting. He told reporters that he would soon meet with the organisations of the indigenous communities of the state to seek their suggestions.

Arunachal cabinet nod on bill to provide time-bound service

Manipur local bodies go to polls today BJP plans to woo young voters in Assam ATTENTION ! ATTENTION !

Our Correspondent Imphal | January 10

Eighteen Municipal Councils and eight Nagar Panchayats in the four valley districts of Manipur will go to polls on Monday.

All polling and security personnel from each district headquarters have reached their respective polling stations spread over four districts of Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal and Bishnupur, officials said Sunday. The polling will take place from 8 a.m. till 4 p.m.

Two Councillors and 52 Ward Members have been declared elected unopposed in Thoubal. A total of 236 candidates are contesting for 81 seats of Councillor while 309 are in the fray for 334 Ward Development Committee members to be elected in the district.

A total of 98,886 voters are eligible to cast their votes in the 213 polling stations in the district.

Thoubal Deputy Commissioner T Ranjit said necessary security measures have been put in place at 209 polling stations in Thoubal to ensure smooth conduct of the poll.

In Bishnupur, election will be held for six seats of Municipal Council and one Nagar Panchayat. The district has 166 polling stations. A total of 61,656 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the 83 wards of the district where 24 polling stations have been declared as sensitive while 142 were declared normal.

Five polling personnel and eight security personnel are being deployed for each polling booth.

In Imphal East, 31 Councillors and 62 Ward Development Committee members will be elected from Jiribam Municipal Council, Andro Nagar Panchayat, Lamlai Municipal Council. A total of 14,252 voters will cast their votes in 62 polling stations.

In Imphal West, a total of 72 Councillors and 144 ward development committee members will be elected. A total of 61,396 voters are eligible to cast their votes in the 146 polling stations.

The local body poll will witness a neck-to-neck fight between Congress Party and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The poll is considered ‘very crucial’ for the ruling Congress and opposition BJP in view of the upcoming state assembly polls expected to be held in 2017.

gUWAHATI, JANUARY 10 (TNN): The saffron party is turning to young voters in the state in the run-up to the assembly polls for a smooth sail.

A senior BJP leader said Prime Minister Narendra Modi would visit the state on January 19 to address young party workers, enthuse them with his ideas and boost their morale so that they put in all efforts to garner young votes.

The event will be organized in connection with the commemoration of Swami Vivekananda's birth anniversary.

"Assam has about 50 lakh voters aged between 18 and 29 years. Our target is to earn their support and turn them into votes as the assembly election will bring a change in the present political dispensation and usher in a new phase of progress in the state," a senior BJP leader said.

Modi is also expected to address party workers in Kokrajhar, the Bodo heartland, under Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) administration. The meeting in Kokrajhar is significant as speculation are rife that BJP and Bodoland People's Front (BPF), the party in power in BTC, are exploring poll alliance.

Modi is also expected to announce development package for BTC during his

Kokrajhar visit.

"In Guwahati, the PM will attend a Yuva Sanmelan in which over 1 lakh youth from different parts of the state are expected to participate. Our target is to channelize the entire youth energy to bring a change in the the state," the leader added. Young party workers from over 20,000 booths across the state will take part in the event."

Youths of the state are a deprived lot. For this reason, the state is facing problems like insurgency for a long period of time. Now, it is time to correct the mistakes committed by the past governments by channelizing the youth energies for the state's progress," BJP spokesperson Shiladitya Dev said.

Also, Modi's upcoming visit is being touted as the start of BJP's election campaign, polls being barely four months away. BJP is putting high stakes on the polls, eyeing to wrest power from the ruling Congress, which ash been in power since 2001.

Also, after the Bihar debacle, BJP is pinning high hopes on Assam, where the saffron party has claimed to have made inroads since the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. In the last Lok Sabha election, BJP created political history in the state by winning even out of 14 seats for the first time.

Jumbo effort: Assam village shifts to make way for elephants DIPHU, JANUARY 10 (HT): The villagers of Ram Terang exchanged gifts with the wild elephants of Assam this Christmas, in a manner of speaking. On December 25, 11 of the 19 tribal families began the process of moving to New Ram Terang, clearing out of a vital elephant corridor. The other eight families will follow over the next 10 days, after which Ram Terang will be surrendered.

In exchange, each family has got a new home built to look like their old one, with the added advantages of 1.3 acres of arable land, a toilet and a bathroom (only a handful of the families had toilets in Ram Terang) and solar power (Ram Terang had none).

“Our new village is nice.

We have got our houses, and also a community hall, and farmland to practice settled cultivation,” says village headman Khoi Terang. “We didn’t want to move when this was first discussed, but the NGO showed us all their plans, along with the workshops

they plan to build to help us learn settled cultivation.

And we decided to shift to help protect our own crops and to help protect the elephants.”

As an added advantage, the tribals will practice settled farming on their new plots, as opposed to their traditional slash-and-burn methods, and this will help protect local forest land.

The move has been in the making for five years, negotiated by NGO Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), in association with the local forest department and the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council. Planning and financial support was provided by the UK-based NGO Elephant Family, the Netherlands-based International Union for Conservation of

Nature and the Japan Tiger and Elephant Fund.

The initiative has cost approximately Rs 1 crore.

“When we first approached the Terangs, naturally no one wanted to move,” says Dilip Deori of WTI. “But we discussed the plans with them in detail, negotiated with them and made them aware of the crucial conflict in play. Eventually, we

convinced them that it was as much about saving the elephant as it was about recognising their problems and trying to solve them.”

In a country where mananimal conflict claims hundreds of lives each year, this kind of voluntary relocation could offer a template for success. The corridor in which Ram Terang is located is a vital one because it connects the NamborDoigrung Wildlife Sanctuary with eastern Karbi Anglong, en route the Kaziranga National Park, says Abhijit Rabha, additional principal chief conservator of forests in the Karbi Anglong Forest Department.

Elephants, like most wild animals, are creatures of habit. They tend to follow the same paths as they migrate from one habitat to another through the year.

This corridor is about 2.5 km wide, and when human settlements appear within or along them, it results in conflict.

“An estimated 1,800 elephants use the corridor in which Ram Terang is situ-

ated, so the village often found its fields raided by the elephants, and the elephants were in danger as people tried to keep them out of their fields,” Sandeep Tiwari, deputy director of WTI. This, then, is a first-ofits-kind initiative for northeast India. “There have been previous instances of corridors being secured in Kerala and Karnataka,” says Sandeep Tiwari, deputy director of the WTI. “This is a big development in the struggle to reduce mananimal conflict as well as protect wildlife.”

Now that Ram Terang’s 101 residents are on their way out of the corridor, the second phase of the project will begin, with similar relocations and rehabilitations of other villages in the elephant corridor.

Next up is Tokolangso village. “Most of the people in this village seem much more forthcoming about moving now that they have seen New Ram Terang take shape,” says Deori. “We are hoping to start work with them soon.”

A Naga Guest House is opened at GANESHGURI CHARALI, G.S.ROAD, GUWAHATI. It is within walking distance from/to International Hospital, Dispur Hospital and Nightingale (ENT) Hospital. It offers clean and hygienic Naga food, Indian food, A/C. Rooms with attached bathrooms at reasonable charges.

Contact:  9402696117, 9856822951

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*Lithotripsy (ESWL) for stone treatment is also available, which is painless, affordable cost and does not require operation/ hospitalization.

DIMAPUR HOSPITAL & RESEARCH CENTRE LANDMARK COLONY, NEAR WEST POLICE STATION CONTACT: 03862-224041/248011/9856851178

OFFICE OF THE

CHANGTONGYA VILLAGE COUNCIL (Kosasanger Putu Menden)

P.O. — Changtongya — 798613: Mokokchung; Nagaland NO: VC/CTN/Secy/1 0/01 /2016

Date: CTN, the 10th of January /2016

PRESS RELEASE The Changtongya Villages citizen meeting held on 26/12/2015 had deliberated upon the judgment Dt. Oking 9th Nov 2015 passed in case No 04/15, delivered by National Judiciary Board (GPRN) NSCN (IM) with regard to river dispute between Changtongya Village and Yimjenkimong Village at Milak river from Tsungmok Longok to Tsuben Lama. The meeting had unanimously resolved not to accept and abide by the said judgment Dt. 09/11/2015.

There are sufficient customary evidences and proofs to show that Changtongya Village is the traditional owner of the Milak river from Tsungmok Longok to Tsuben Lama. This is clearly vindicated by the Judgments of the Court of ADC (Jud) Mokokchung, Gauhati High Court and Supreme Court of India.

The Changtongya citizens solemnly declares that it exclusively belongs to Changtongya Village for the last nine (9) generation (Putu), presently it belongs to Changtongya Village and in future it shall belong to Changtongya Village.

The Changtongya Villagers also solemnly declare that no one shall be allowed to take ownership under any circumstances.

(IMNAKUMZUK LONGKUMER) Chairman Village Council Changtongya

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MonDAY 11•01•2016

Business

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

India to be star performer; China to slow down in 2016

Targeting 50 crore internet subscribers in 6-7 months MuMbai, JaNuary 10 (iaNS): The government plans to reach up to 50 crore internet subscribers in next 6-7 months, besides installing 2,500 Wi-Fi hotspots at 256 places by the next fiscal, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Sunday.

“Today mobile penetration is 100 crore, while internet penetration is 40 crore. It took more than 3-4 years to become from 20 to 30 crore. It took less than a year to become from 30 to 40 crore and I have fixed a target of 50 crore,” Prasad said at the launch of the Bombay Stock Exchange’s (BSE) free public Wi-Fi service started in partnership with Tata Docomo.

“God willing, we will cross 50 crore in coming 6-7 months,” he said.

The minister said the state-run BSNL aims to install 2,500 Wi-Fi hotspots at 256 places by the next fiscal.

The Digital India programme includes projects which aim to ensure that the government services are available to citizens electronically and people benefit from information and communication technology.

“Digital India will transform the country, and it is more for people like chaiwallas and paanwallas so that they can enhance their skills,” Prasad said.

He also announced that the BSE, which is Asia’s oldest stock exchange with 3 crore registered investors, would get its own postage stamp.

“In acceding to your (BSE) request to have postal stamp, I am feeling happy as it is the official recognition of the work you are doing,” he said.

New Delhi, JaNuary 10 (PTi): India will be a “star performer” among emerging market economies and is expected to clock 7.7 per cent growth in 2016, outshining China for the second consecutive year, a PwC report says.

According to the global consultancy firm, of the emerging economies, only India is expected to grow faster in 2016 than its longterm average growth rate.

Among the seven emerging economies (China, India, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Indonesia and Turkey), India will be a “star performer”, while the Brazilian and Russian economies will contract and China will slow down, the report said.

“For the second year in

a row, we expect India to grow faster than China, expanding by around 7.7 per cent in real terms,” it said.

While the G7 economies (the US, the UK, Japan, Germany, France, Italy and Canada) are expected to grow at fastest rate since 2010, led by the first two, the E7 emerging economies will grow slower than their trend rate (but still faster than the G7).

“We expect the US recovery to switch into a higher gear in 2016, while the UK will also enjoy continued consumer-led growth. We should also see at least the beginning of the end of the Eurozone crisis. The once-mighty BRICs, however, will have another tough year in 2016, with the notable

exception of India,” PwC UK Chief Economist John Hawksworth said.

According to PwC, the Chinese GDP growth will ease to 6.5 per cent in 2016, as growth in manufacturing and exports will continue to slow gradually.

The report further noted that India will continue to reap the benefits of recent reforms.

“The cut in the policy rate by the Reserve Bank of India from 8 per cent to 6.75 per cent last year will help support consumption and investment growth this year,” PwC said, adding that FDI in the country’s “underdeveloped” manufacturing sector should also pick up as foreign investment caps have mostly been lifted.

Geopolitics, rather than economics, will be at the top of policymakers’ agendas, the report noted.

The migrant crisis in Europe, the response of the international community to the crisis in the Middle East and the referendum on the fate of the UK’s membership of the European Union, will be the three major geopolitical issues to dominate the news headlines.

Meanwhile, commodity prices are expected to remain lower for longer.

“This will be a good news for most businesses, households and policymakers in commodity importing economies, but a challenge for countries that rely heavily on commodity exports,” the PwC report added.

Rlys pick vibrant colours for semi-high speed train coaches Highway construction set to New Delhi, JaNuary 10 of total six colour schemes in the next fiscal,” the official cross record 6k km this fiscal (PTi): Financial year 2016- submitted to us by NID. The said.

17 may see brightly coloured trains in shades of grey, navy blue and yellow clocking speeds of 160-200 kilometre per hour on select routes.

Indian Railway has selected colour scheme ‘Vitality’ inspired by cheetah, created by the National Institute of Design, for the coaches of the semi-high speed trains the state-run transporter has proposed to launch. The coaches will be painted in grey and navy blue with yellow border.

“We selected ‘Vitality’ out

colour combination of grey, navy blue with yellow border was chosen keeping the speed factor in mind,” said a senior Railway Ministry official.

Railways has planned to reduce the travel time between major cities by running semihigh speed trains. The new coaches will be manufactured at Kapurthala Coach Factory (RCF). “A prototype coach with the new colour scheme will be ready by March this year and later on about 20 modern coaches will be manufactured

According to the plan, Railways will introduce trains that can clock speeds up to 200 kmph after strengthening the tracks and fencing off certain select routes including Delhi-Agra, Delhi-Kanpur, Chennai-Hyderabad, NagpurSecunderabad and MumbaiGoa. Initially, the trains will run at 160 kmph which will be enhanced to 200 kmph. The long-awaited 160 kmph Gatimaan Express between Delhi and Agra is expected to start in February.

Power sector does not need ‘crutches’ of tax breaks New Delhi, JaNuary 10 (PTi) Power sector does not need any “crutches” in form of tax incentives as it is no longer facing any stress and can stand on its own, Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal has said.

The statement assumes significance in the run-up to the Union Budget as various sectors are seeking tax breaks and other incentives from Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. “I believe that now we don’t have to have the crutches of tax incentives. We can stand on our own,” Goyal told PTI. He was replying to a query on whether the Power Ministry will seek any tax incentives for the sector from Jaitley.

“Now the approach has been that my power sector can stand on its own. You have seen that with all transparency we have brought all costs

down. Now the stress that is faced by the sector is by and large over,” Goyal said. The Minister further said that the UDAY scheme will itself help save Rs 1.8 lakh crore annually within next three years and the savings will go to the people of India.

The government in November launched Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) for revival of debt stressed power distribution companies. The accumulated debt of these companies is over Rs 4 lakh crore and they suffer losses to the tune of over Rs 60,000 crore every year. Under the scheme, 75 per cent of the debt of these firms will be taken over by the states which would issue bonds to repay the loans.

The remaining debt will be repaid by discoms by issuing bonds guaranteed by states.

New Delhi, JaNuary 10 (aGeNCieS): Construction of national highways is powering along and is set to touch the maximum distance covered in a year. Work during the current fiscal is estimated to cross 6,000 km, surpassing the previous best — 5,700 km completed in 2012-13 during UPA-II. Though road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari needs to wait some more time to achieve his ambitious target of building 30 km of highways daily, in less than two years since the Modi government assumed office, the average daily construction is set to touch at least 17 km against 16 km earlier.

Ministry data shows an uptick in the pace of awarding contracts and construction as well till December 2015 in comparison to the corresponding period in 2014-15.

Total construction between April and December, 2015 was about 1,500 km more than the corresponding period in 2014 — the first year of the NDA government.

Similarly, the increase in awarding highway projects came to 1,900 km during April-December, 2015.

“The pace of building roads is the maximum during last quarter of every financial year. The weather is best for construction across the country except in some parts of the hilly regions impacted by snowfall.

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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 # 3457

Even monitoring is stepped up to meet the target,” said a highway ministry official, explaining the push to improve performance.

During January-March 2015, construction almost doubled to 1,500 km against the average of about 800 km a quarter in the previous three.

Officials said the real jump in construction should be visible over the next two years. The government hopes to touch the 30-kma-day target by 2019. “This is because the sharp increase in award of works since June 2014 will result in completion of these stretches in two-three years. Due to positive decisions, including bringing in more public investment in road projects and doing away with irritants in contract norms, award of projects has increased manifold,” said an official.

According to ministry data, the award of works had fallen to 1,961 km during 2012-13 before an uptick in 2013-14. But during the last fiscal, the pace of award of projects rose to around 8,000 km and the ministry expects to hit the 10,000 km this financial year.

The ministry is also in the process of putting in place a webbased system called “e-pace” for real time monitoring of all projects since their inception to accelerate roll out and timely completion.

DAILY CROSS WORD

CROSSWORD # 3469

Answer Number # 3456

‘FCI labourers earn Rs.4.5 lakh a month’ New Delhi, JaNuary 10 (aGeNCieS): The Supreme Court on Friday expressed shock at the revelation that labourers at the Food Corporation of India (FCI) earned a whopping Rs. 4.5 lakh as monthly wages, considerably more than the salary of the President of India.

A Bench led by Chief Justice T.S. Thakur said the revelation was an example of the “malpractices” in the FCI system. The Bench was hearing an appeal filed by the FCI Workers’ Union against a series of directions passed by the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court on the basis of a scathing report on the FCI by a High Level Committee headed by senior BJP leader Shanta Kumar.

The Bench, while refusing to intervene in the High Court decision, said there had been “Rs.1, 800 crore of loss per year” to the FCI where departmental labourers engaged proxy workers.

“How can a labourer carrying sacks earn Rs. 4.5 lakh per month? You (departmental labourers) are today earning wages more than that of the President of India,” the Bench observed.

Dismissing claims that the money came in the form of incentives, the court asked “what are the incentive schemes? There is an allegation of proxy labour”.

It said there was something “seriously wrong” within the corporation and either the government should act or the apex court would be compelled to constitute a committee led by a retired judge to probe and fix liability.

Honda hikes car prices by up to Rs. 10,000 New Delhi, JaNuary 10 (aGeNCieS): Honda Cars India has increased prices of its vehicles across models by up to Rs. 10,000, joining the likes of Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Tata Motors and Skoda in taking such a step from this month.

The Japanese automaker has raised prices of entry level car Brio by Rs. 2,000 and is now available at a range between Rs. 4.27 lakh and Rs. 6.85 lakh (all prices exshowroom Delhi).

Compact sedan Amaze is costlier by Rs. 3,500 and is tagged at Rs. 5.26 lakh to Rs. 8.56 lakh.

The company has increased the price of premium hatchback Jazz by Rs. 4,800 and the overall cost is between Rs. 5.45 lakh and Rs. 8.73 lakh.

Multi-purpose vehicle Mobilio and mid-sized sedan City have also become costlier by Rs. 3,000 each. These are priced from Rs. 6.82 lakh to Rs. 11.95 lakh.

Honda’s premium SUV CR-V price has been increased by Rs. 10,000 and is now tagged at Rs. 25.23 lakh. Already, Toyota Kirloskar Motor has raised product prices by up to Rs. 31,500.

Czech carmaker Skoda has also increased prices of its model range by up to Rs. 33,000 from January 1.

Similarly, Tata Motors has also hiked prices of its passenger vehicles by up to Rs. 20,000 without sharing details.

Maruti Suzuki and General Motors had said they would hike prices by up to Rs. 20,000 across their different models.

Hyundai Motor India had also stated that it would increase prices by up to Rs. 30,000, while Renault, Nissan and BMW had said they would increase prices by up to 3 per cent.

Mercedes-Benz said it would hike prices by up to 2 per cent. Every year carmakers announce at the end of November or December their plans to increase prices of their vehicles by January in the next year.

Automobile industry observers say the practice is mostly a tactic to push sales to liquidate stocks after heavy discounting in festive season and before a model year change starts.

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1. Laugh 5. “What a shame!”

9. Large brown seaweed 13. Auspices 14. Scruffs 16. Found on a finger 17. Blockhead 18. Kiss lightly 19. Sea eagle 20. Award 22. Widened 24. Pearly-shelled mussel 26. Caper 27. Flee 30. Deprave 33. Registered 35. Potatoes 37. Estimated time of arrival 38. Unpaid 41. Spy agency 42. Relating to audible sound 45. Language variants 48. Azotic 51. Queen of the jungle?

52. American symbol 54. Gestures of assent 55. Without appeal 59. Sheriff’s group 62. Indian music

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32. Makes changes to 34. Accomplished 36. Back talk 39. Zero 40. Acquire 43. Go over again 44. Study hard 46. Coil 47. Approve of 49. Snow house 50. Split 53. S S S S 55. Team 56. Despise 57. Food thickener 58. Transgressions 60. Skidded 61. L L L L 64. South southeast Ans to CrossWord 3468

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MondAY 11•01•2016

NAGALAND/North-EAst

St Xavier's Zhavame celebrates Golden Jubilee GPRN/NSCN discharges one Dimapur, January 10 (mExn): St Xavier's Catholic Church Zhavame Golden Jubilee cum Church Dedication under the Parish of St. Ignatius, Razeba, Phek District was held from January 8-10 at Zhavame Local Ground under the theme, “Be filled with the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19).

Most Reverend Dr James Thoppil, DD, Bishop of Kohima was the Main Celebrant at the event.

Addressing the occasion, Dr James Thoppil asked the faithful people to reflect the sentiment of gratitude and repentance before the Holy Mass celebration.

With God, everything is possible, Thoppil opined adding that, “Church is the physical and material magnificent and the faithful people are the spiritual and living Church and the temple of God.” Nagaland Home Minister, Y Patton, who was the Cultural Guest at the occasion urged the gather-

ing to protect and preserve cultural heritage and traditional activities for social values.

Catholic Church dedication in Zhavame was not only purifying the village but is also giving a sense of

inspiration for the people, Patton maintained.

Further mentioning the rich cultural heritage, the Home Minister expressed hope that the tourism industry can provide alternatives for employment apart

RNPO condoles TA Rongmei's passing Dimapur, January 10 (mExn): The Rongmei Naga People’s Organization (RNPO) has expressed its deep deepness over the untimely demise of TA Rongmei on January 9 after a prolonged illness at Zeliangrong village.

Late Rongmei was the founding president of Rongmei Community Dimapur who later served as the president of Rongmei

Council Nagaland as well as the president of Rongmei Council Nagaland (Nagaland, Manipur, Assam).

He had also served as the general secretary of Naga Council Dimapur.

Describing him as a tall leader, the RNPO in a condolence note issued by it is President, G Namgai, said Late Rongmei from his youthful days till his last breadth

had remained steadfast for the cause of “Naga political solution’ and a his passing away has created a huge vacuum.

“We convey our deepest condolences to the bereaved family members and pray that the Almighty God may give them solace and strength to bear the loss” RNPO added while praying for eternal peace to the departed soul.

from the government.

Parliamentary Secretary, Higher & Technical Education, Deo Nukhu, who was the Special Guest asked Christians to live in honesty, truthfulness and hard work.

Hailing from Zhavame,

Nukhu recalled the history of Catholic faith in the village and likened it to the story of Apostle St Paul who suffered from varied persecution for practicing and professing his faith.

Elias T. Lotha, Trans-

port Commissioner, Government of Nagaland, who is also President of Catholic Association Nagaland (CAN) greeted the Parishioners in the name of laity of Nagaland in the joyful celebration for their great show of faith.

During the occasion, 54 children also received their First Communicant.

Other highlights of the event included Folk tune

by Mothers’ of St. Xavier’s Church, Zhavame; Cultural dance by St Mary Parish, Lozaphuhu, St Xavier’s Parish, Meluri, and St Aloysius Church, Tungjoy; Rosary prayer; Eucharist celebration; Choir from Christ King Church, Kohima Village, Christ King Church, Liyai Parish and St Xavier’s Catholic Church, Zhavame.

Different denominations, Associations, congregation from neighbouring villages and states, Parishes, priests, and nuns joined in the three days celebration, a press note received here informed.

LVSU's 44th session held

kiphirE, January 10 (mExn): The 44th session of the Langzanger Village Students Union was held on December 28 and 29 last with Achumse, former president, Eastern Naga Students Union Guwahati as the main speakers.

Speaking on the theme 'Education in emergencies' Achumse asked the students gathered to get edu-

cation for humanitarian cause which is the greatest value of education.

He also said, education should bring about happiness, balance life and also self dependent and if education does not possess these qualities it does bear no value.

Sharing his observation the speaker also asked the gathering to

reason against illogical thought which bears no fruit.

He also encouraged the students to get exposed to the outside world and learn how things are going so as to catch up with time.

Cultural display, literary competition and sports were the highlights of the two day event.

Centre to help protect endangered deer in Manipur: Javadekar imphal, January 10 (ianS): Union Minister Prakash Javedkar has said the Centre will extend all help to protect the brow antlered deer whose numbers in the entire world is just 204, according to a 2013 census.

Wildlife enthusiasts feel there is an encouraging ray of hope for the survival of the rare deer on the brink of imminent extinction.

The union minister for forest, environment and climate change made the announcement as he visited the 40 sq. km Keibul Lamjao National Park, the natural habitat of the brow antlered deer, locally known as Sangai, on Saturday shortly before leaving for Mizoram after a two-

day visit to Manipur.

Javedkar said: "As per official information, there are now 90 stags, 86 hinds and 28 fawns. All assistance will be extended for the protection of this endangered species."

There is a slight increase in the deer numbers. There were 180 deer in 2000.

Asked if the Centre is thinking in terms of a project on the lines of Project Elephant or Project Rhino, Javedkar said: "Once we get a concrete proposal from the forest department in Manipur, we will chalk out the plan."

Referring to the Manipur government proposal to have the Loktak lake, the largest fresh water lake in eastern India, declared

as the world heritage site, he said: "We welcome the plan. However, specific proposal should first come to the Centre."

Obliquely referring to localised objections from some sections of the fringe villages, Javedkar said: "The govenment plans are not against any village. We seek cooperation from all sections of people."

For generations, the Loktak lake has been the source of livelihood for the people of the fringe villages who catch fish, pluck edible plants, as also for other living beings.

From time to time budding politicians instigate the villagers to demand closure of the national park so that it could be convert-

ed to paddy fields.

In view of snatchings of firearms from officials in this insurgency afflicted state, the forest guards, deployed in the lake and the national park area, are not issued firearms.

There have been occasions when the frenzied villagers incinerated the personal effects of the skeleton staff of forest department in the national park. They were also manhandled and taunted.

Later, the government stemmed the tide by deploying some Manipur Rifles troopers there. However, the troopers were later recalled as the wildlife wing of the forest department could not pay for the troopers' deployment.

"As there is a shoestring budget, we cannot erect a barbed wire fence, with the result that domesticated cattle enter the national park. In the process, they spead killer diseases among the deer," an official said. "As fishing cannot be checked, hundreds of fishermen are daily entering the national park areas, which are part of the Loktak lake, in their country canoes. Some hardcore poachers get lost as they masquerade as fishermen," said wildlife lover Devika L. "After slaughtering the deer, they come out with gunny sacks filled with venison. Tribal markets in Chandel and Churachandpur districts openly sell

deer carcasses."

"The poachers had severed and secreted the heads with the tell-tale antlers and in Manipur the authority looks the other way despite frequent exposes in the local media," Devika L. added.

Minister Javadekar said the onerous task should not be left to the forest department of Manipur alone and the need is to associate all sections with the project.

"The Centre is shortly coming out with an action plan on the protection of the lake, the endangered deer and development of the national park. Since these will help develop eco-tourism we seek cooperation from all sections of the people," he said.

Dimapur, January 10 (mExn): The GPRN/ NSCN in a press note from GSO-l (Admin) Naga Army, Maj. Gen. Vihoto Chophy informed that, Capt.

Leose (Dinos) of Nathsar village under USR has been “forced discharge” on the grounds of “anti national activity.” This order comes into immediate effect, the press note added.

NPF DAC meeting kohima, January 10 (mExn): The meeting of the Disciplinary Action Committee (DAC) of the Naga People's Front (NPF) will be held on January 13 at the NPF Central Office Kohima at 1:00 pm. Therefore, all the members are requested to attend the meeting without fail.

Dr. Imtiwapang tours 23 Impur Assembly Constituency mokokchung, January 10 (mEXn): Nagaland Parliamentary Secretary for Geology and Mining, Dr.Imtiwapang Aier earlier this month conducted a constituencywide tour to his 23 Impur Assembly Constituency.

Dr.Imtiwapang Aier was elected on a Congress ticket during the last state assembly elections and this was his first tour to the constituency after the Parliamentary Secretary along with 7 other Congress legislators merged with Naga People’s Front during November last year.

Aier visited Longjang, Longpa, Kobulong, Chami and Mopungchuket villages on January 5 and visited Yisemyong, Alongchen

and his native village Sungratsu the next day.

During the tour, he met his supporters and grassroots party workers as well as the respective village councils. While interacting with them, the Parliamentary Secretary explained the reason why the 8 Congress legislators merged with NPF. He also assured the people of the constituency that he will try to bring in more centrally sponsored developmental projects to the constituency.

While requesting the villagers to forget and forgive past differences and inadequacies, Aier during his visits to the various villages also urged them to work together for the development of the constituency.

Lakhuti Officers’ Forum holds general session Dimapur, January 10 (mExn): The Lakhuti-I Officers’ Forum (LOF) held its general session at the residence of James Mhonbemo Humtsoe at Chumukedima on January 9.

Exhorting the forum, MLA N. Thomas Lotha, who is also a native of Lakhuti Village, mentioned the need to thank the Almighty God for blessing the village with many officers and urged the forum to foster unity and oneness in taking the village forward.

Reminding the gathering that for a progressive society, a strong village council is required, Thomas urged upon the forum members to contribute their wisdoms in making the village council have a strong foundation. He added that the forum should act as a catalyst for the benefit of the Lotha community and also the Nagas. The

MLA further assured to assist the forum to the best of his capacity.

Earlier, chairing the session, President Lakhuti-I Officers’ Forum (LOF) Etsungmomo Kikon, Addl.

Director, Geology & Mining, welcomed the members of the forum while LOF Secretary O. Elhibemo Yanthan, Addl GM NST, delivered an Annual Report.

During the session, the forum decided to conduct a one day seminar on “Prospective Review of the Socio- Economic Advancement of Lakhuti Village” on January 29 at Lakhuti Village. The Synopsis of the proposed seminar was presented by Mhathung Yanthan Director Land Resources & Treasurer LOF. All bona fide members are informed to attend the proposed seminar positively, the press release stated.

Change of guard at Red Centre mulling ways to fast track healthcare system in NE DElhi, January multi-centric healthcare long destinations for treatShield Division in Manipur nEw 10 (uni): The acute short- collaboration to meet the ment. imphal, January 10 (pTi): Major General Shashank Shekhar Mishra today took over the reins of the Red Shield Division in Manipur.

At a ceremony held at Leimakhong, Major General P Nagesh Rao relinquished the command of Red Shield Division with a successful

age of medical facilities in the Northeast region has prompted the Centre to mull over ways and means to fast track new health care initiatives for the region.

Admitting this, Union Minister of State (independent charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh, who addressed the India Health Summit organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) late last year, called for establishing a ''Make in India" healthcare module, The college said the le- based on PPP as well as gal aid cell will be open every second and fourth Saturday of the month.

"The purpose of setting up a legal aid cell in NIT is to assist northeastern stu- guwahaTi, January dents on legal issues," said 10 (Tnn): One person DLSA secretary Yogesh Ku- died and several people mar Singh. were injured after a thunLast year, National derstorm lashed the state Legal Services Author- on Saturday. Several housity had issued a directive es were damaged across to Jharkhand State Legal Assam.

Services Authority to set up Officials of the Sonita legal aid cell for people pur district administration from the northeast, follow- said one person was killed ing which the cell was set by lightning under Gohpur up in the college. revenue circle, but added Sources in DLSA said that they were waiting for the directive came in the an official report. Four vilwake of rising incidents lages were destroyed and of racial discrimination many people were injured against students from the in Karbi Anglong district's region.

Dolamara area. In Barand eventful tenure, an official statement said.

Maj Gen Mishra is a decorated soldier with varied staff and instructional appointments in the Army.

In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the Army, he was awarded the prestigious 'Vishisht Seva Medal' in 2009, it said.

NE students get legal aid cell at NIT Jamshedpur JamShEDpur, January 10 (Tnn): Students from the northeast studying in National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur, can now avail of legal aid on campus.

The District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), which set up a cell in the campus on Saturday, will provide free legal assistance to northeastern students.

"We have a dozen-odd students from the northeast studying in different streams of engineering. The legal aid cell has come as a big support for them at a time NIT is on expansion mode," said NIT-Jamshedpur media coordinator Deepak Chourasia.

changing health needs of 21st century India.

Despite nearly half a dozen medical colleges in the region, the Northeast is still faced with a huge shortfall of health resources, including speciality hospitals, personnel and medicines.

However, increasing health awareness among all sections of society has shown that the need of the hour is not only bolstering basic services, but providing quality healthcare so that patients from the region do not have to travel to

With Sikkim, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh being brought on the rail map of India and rail links connecting Gangtok in Sikkim via West Bengal, the Northeast is no longer miles and miles away but getting closely inter-linked to the mainland.

After decades of neglect, there is articulation of demand for better healthcare facilities.

In November, Dr Singh announced super-speciality courses for doctors from the eight North-Eastern states.

Lightning kills one in Assam peta district's Kalgachia, too, houses were damaged. Hailstorm in Golaghat district also damaged houses. Several areas of Nagaon district bore the brunt of the thunderstorm.

Many trees were uprooted.

Houses were also damaged in north Guwahati areas under Kamrup (Rural) district. The Kharupetia area of Darrang district also suffered severe damage to property.

The Met department had earlier predicted a thunderstorm with wind speed between 29

kmph and 74 kmph in Assam and Meghalaya on Saturday. It warned of more squalls and hailstorms across Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura in the next 24 hours. Squall with hailstorm will also occur in some areas of Guwahati.

The weather forecast said dense fog was likely to occur at isolated places in Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura on Sunday and Monday.

NLA Speaker Chotisuh Sazo and Parliamentary Secretary for Planning & Coordination, Evaluation, Monitoring Cell and Taxes, Neiba Kronu with others during the 34th general session of Chakhesang Public Organization (CPO) cum Chakhesang Day at Phusachodu village on January 10. (Morung Photo)

Researchers develop viruses to protect Muga silkworm

lonDon, January 10 (pTi): Researchers at a university in Britain have developed viruses that could halt the decline of 'Muga' caterpillar in India which produces one of the finest silks in the world.

Muga caterpillars, which produce a highly valuable silk, are dying from bacterial infections, in Assam.

Researchers at the University of Leicester claim that they have developed viruses that could protect the silkworms from disease and as a result could save the Muga silk industry.

Muga silk is produced

only in the North East India as the silkworms form their cocoons. The caterpillars have been in decline over the last few years because they are eating infected leaves.

Dr Mahananda Chutia, a visiting academic from Assam at the university who is employed by the Indian government, said: "As well as its silk trade, Assam is known for its tea and farmers often spray pesticides to protect the tea leaves-these sprays are thought to have reached the silkworms and have weakened them.

"In our model system

at Leicester, we have found that the consumption of phages (viruses) by caterpillars is a very effective method of preventing bacterial diseases."

Dr Chutia has tested his research on common white wax worms, as Muga caterpillars cannot survive in the UK, the BBC reported.

He returns to Assam at the end of the month to test the viruses by spraying them on to the leaves the caterpillars eat.

The university claims if the research works on Muga caterpillars, thousands of farmers in India would benefit.

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.

monDAY 11•01•2016

IN FOCUS

6

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

The Power of Truth

The Morung Express Xivolume issue 9 X issue 185 Thursday 9volume July 2015 By moa Jamir

A wake-up call The NPCB’s warning on coal mining needs utmost attention

“B

lessings can sometimes turn out to be a curse if we fail to utilize them in a proper way,” warned a booklet published by Nagaland Pollution Control Board (NPCB) entitled ‘Study of Coal Mining Areas in Nagaland and Its Impact on Environment’ highlighting widespread environmental degradation and health hazard caused by unrestricted and unscientific mining in Nagaland.

A laudable and bold effort on the part of NPCB as governmental agencies is perceived, and often rightly so, of being in complicit with perpetuation of maladies prevailing in the state. Carried out in 48 mining sites in four districts- Mokokchung, Mon, Longleng and Wokha, it observed that majority of active mines are seasonal, practiced unscientifically in most cases by the individual landowners or in collaboration with contractors and businessmen outside the state.

Without going much into details, it concluded that the adverse environmental damage was a ‘clear and present danger,’ having dramatic ramifications for the bio-diversity and wellbeings of the people if immediate course corrections were not implemented.

The study also seems to predate the Nagaland Coal Policy & Rules (First Amendment) 2014 which was notified in November 17, 2014 that amended the earlier Nagaland Coal Policy and Mining Rules, 2006. The amended bill, however, was an honest admission of grand failure of policy implementation, supervision and monitoring mechanism put in place to bring coal mining under the ambit of systematic development and check rampant illegal mining in the state.

Rampant and illegal mining activities have resulted in many types of accident, health hazards, ecological and environmental degradation besides loss of coal resources and leakages, it noted. It more or less confirms the NPCB findings and one can assume safely that the report though not publicly released then, was instrumental in its amendment.

It estimated coal reserves in Nagaland at 315.84 million tonne, with highest concentration in Mokokchung followed

by Mon. The implication of illegal mining, in the context of the study, will be catastrophic if it continues unchecked.

On its part, the policy put harsher licensing and coal prospecting criteria harsher with Prospecting and Inspection Report; Mining Plan, Progressive Mine Closure Plan and Final Mine Closure Plan; Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Management Plan (EMI) in place. However, it seems inadequate insofar as the post-mining reclamation and regeneration is concerned. Not a single penalty or criteria is given for the prospectors or miners to follow once the prospecting ends; a common malady that plagues the previous policy.

Most alarmingly, while clipping the discretionary authority of the Village Council (VC), it put too much onus on them as the guardians of the policy. Among others, it has to ensure that the Company or Licensee causes minimum damage to environment, health and infrastructural development during the development stage of mining and checked illegal coal mining.

But issuance of No Objection Certificate (NOC) by Village Council directly to any person or company for undertaking coal mining within the village jurisdiction was stopped. It can only recommend the case to local administration for issue of N.O.C. after satisfying the “technical expertise and financial capability.” The VC also cannot claim any environmental damage or crop damage compensation from the State Government once they have recommended the case. This remains the most problematic provision that needs straightening.

The Department of Geology and Mining was also supposed to organise consultative programme, sensitization programme, public awareness programme etc. with the NGOs, Village Councils, Licensees, etc. from time to time. It must honour its duty.

Exploitation of Coal should be guided by long-term State “goals and perspective,” the Coal policy maintained. Ergo,the government should stop acting like a fly by night operator.

Stricter implementation, supervision and monitory mechanism and awareness are imperative to curb the menace.

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

lEfT WING |

IANS

DNA changes affect nicotine consumption

S

mall differences in a particular region of the mouse genome can alter nicotine consumption, a new study has found. "We know that genes influence nicotine behaviours, but trying to figure out what specific genetic variants do requires different types of tools," said Helen Kamens, assistant professor of biobehavioural health at Pennsylvania State University.

Nicotine binds to and activates specific receptors on nerve cells in the brain that can also bind the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. These receptors are made up of five subunits, and human genetic studies show that changes in a single subunit can alter nicotine behaviour.

The researchers at Penn State and the University of Colorado focused on the gene that encodes the beta-3 subunit, which is found in areas of the brain important in drug behaviour.

"This work was based on associations that were found in human genetic studies. Genetic variants were shown to affect certain nicotine behaviors, but the question was why? Here we focused on trying to figure out what these genetic variants actually do," Kamens said.

The researchers used a mouse model to study how reducing how much of the beta-3 subunit was made, or preventing its production completely, affected nicotine consumption.

They used genetic engineering techniques to remove one or both copies of the beta-3 gene.

Then, to measure how much the mice wanted the drug, the researchers provided each mouse with two water bottles, one with nicotine and one without nicotine, and recorded how much water the mice drank from each bottle.

Mice lacking one or both copies of the gene encoding the beta-3 subunit consumed less nicotine than normal mice.

The researchers performed these tests using two different strains of mice, but the lower consumption of nicotine was only seen in one of the strains, indicating that other genetic factors also play a role in nicotine cravings.

Finally, by individually reversing each of the three genetic differences in the minor allele in mouse cells in culture, the researchers found that only one of the three differences reduced the amount of beta-3 protein the cells produced.

"All three of these single nucleotide changes are inherited together, so in a human population, you get a sequence where all three nucleotides are either major or minor," said Kamens.

"Using a cell culture system, we were able to disentangle which of the nucleotide changes actually has an effect on protein amounts, which is something we could never see in a human population," Kamens added.

The study findings were published recently in the journal Neuropharmacology.

C O M M E N T A R Y

Bernardo Gutiérrez González

The 'Podemos wave' as a global hope

Podemos’ bursting into Spain’s parliament is a breath of fresh air for the Left, and for the global movements seeking to replicate the Spanish political phenomenon

Historic. Imagine a world where elections are more than a choice between one or the other. Congratulations, Spain! (Tweet from Edward Snowden)

E

dward Snowden’s congratulatory tweet on December, 20 was posted at 9.40 pm, when the election results, giving the new party 18% of the seats in parliament, were almost final. Snowden, a true new millennium star, added a link to one piece from The Guardian, which highlighted the emergence of Podemos and the end of the two-party system in Spain.

He was not the only one. Nor was he the first. Ever since the surprise results of Podemos at the May 2014 European elections, praise and support for Podemos have been coming in from all over the world. Not only that: in some European and American countries there are people busy trying to replicate the experience of Podemos in a variety of ways. While the Spanish caverna mediática (the powerful rightwing media apparatus) lambasts Pablo Iglesias’s party, Podemos keeps drawing increasing international attention.

Pepe Mujica, the admired former president of Uruguay, said a few months ago that Podemos is "a warning roar in the contemporary world".

Eduardo Galeano identified Podemos with empowerment: "Podemos, you are the enemies of impotence". Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, former president of Brazil, wished Pablo Iglesias’s party success at the December 20 general elections and avoided doing the same with his traditional ally, the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español - PSOE).

Declarations of love have been coming in from Europe too. Filmmaker Ken Loach declared that Podemos "should be the banner of the European Left". And Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks and a new era icon, stated that Podemos is the "first party of the 21st century".

But fascination with Spanish political developments after the 15M outbreak goes beyond Podemos. The “municipalist” confluences – that is, the citizen fronts that include Podemos - which conquered the main cities in Spain at the last local elections, is a phenomenon that has also had a deep global impact. Ada Colau and Manuela Carmena, the current mayoresses of Barcelona and Madrid, are being pronounced as true heroines of change. And different cities around the world are studying the methods, technology and narrative of Spanish municipalism.

However, despite the impressive score at the recent general elections – Podemos is now the third party in Spain and the first party, through adhoc configurations, in Catalonia and the Basque Country – the Spanish political and media system tries hard to de-legitimize anything that has to do with Podemos, including Manuela Carmena’s and Ada Colau’s governments in Madrid and Barcelona.

What is it exactly that so frightens the Spanish establishment? Why does the Spanish Left, especially Izquierda Unida (United Left), shun the rise of Pablo Iglesias? Why does all that hov-

Podemos' crowds celebrate huge gains in Spanish general elections, Madrid, 21 December 2015.

ers around Podemos inspire citizens, the Greek coalition Syriza and the intellectuals, politicians and move- anti austerity policies that are being demanded in Southern Europe. ments around the globe?

But in recent times, even Financial Times columnists such as Wolfgang A new Left for Europe The perception of Podemos in Münchau have been siding with the Europe and Latin America, which is purple party’s economic prescripwhere the party is mostly talked about, tions on debt restructuring. Generis substantially different. Europe is ally, the Left and the European intelfascinated with the energy, optimism ligentsia regard Podemos as the best and popularity of Podemos. It sees its recipe to put an end to the "extreme network and street-level participatory centre" – a metaphor used by Tariq Ali framework as a shot of inspiration for to describe the Labour and Socialist the birthing of a new continental Left parties that have turned themselves poised to change the European Union in to neoliberalism, austerity and the neoliberal course. British political sci- EU’s mother-ship. entist Owen Jones, possibly the greatest defender of Pablo Iglesias’s party, The Americas In February 2015, Pablo Iglesias in an article titled What I learned from Podemos, offers a comprehensive re- made a strategic US tour. He met with view of what Europe can learn from renowned economists Joseph Stiglitz the new Spanish party. Highlighting (Nobel Prize in Economics in 2001) the importance of the Spanish social and Mark Weisbrot, co-founder of ecosystem, the15M movement and the influential Centre for Economic some other movements such as the and Policy Research (CEPR), who was Mortgage-Affected Citizen Platform full of praise for Pablo Iglesias. The (Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipo- leader of Podemos also spoke with teca - PAH), Owen singles out what, to social movements and a number of his view, is the most important contri- key intellectuals of the American Left. bution of Podemos: the giving up of His appearance on Amy Goodman’s the methods and symbols of the old Democracy Now talk show, an emLeft. "The colour of Podemos is pur- blem of the American Left, was esple, not red. It is hard to find words pecially important. The dialogue belike Socialism in its leaders’ speeches. tween Iglesias and Goodman at the Podemos even refuses the Left-ver- University of New York, organized sus-Right terminology, choosing in- by the prestigious Left Forum, had a stead “People-versus-Elite”". Owen spectacular attendance. And some Jones emphasizes Podemos’s "enthu- influential critical thinkers, notably Noam Chomsky, have repeatedly emsiasm" and "bright optimism".

Most European observers, in ad- phasized the importance of the new dition to considering Podemos a Spanish party: "Podemos is a party driver for the renewal of the Left, also which stands up against the neolibhighlight its democratizing poten- eral assault that is strangling and detial. Thomas Piketty, professor at the stroying the peripheral countries in Paris School of Economics, notes that Europe." For her part, French-Amer"Podemos carries hope for the de- ican author Susan George claims that mocratizing of the Eurozone”. British Podemos "has the correct stance on author Paul Mason (PostCapitalism: climate change and TTIP (the Transa Guide to our Future) considers, in atlantic Trade and Investment Parta recent article, that the Spanish cit- nership between the United States ies governed by confluences, espe- and the European Union ,currently cially Manuela Carmena’s Madrid, under negotiation). are the great hope for building a new Latin America has a special recity model based on collective intelli- lationship with Podemos. The fact gence and citizen collaboration. that Podemos is embracing some of Renaud Lambert, the editor of Le the political theories of Argentinean Monde Diplomatique, wrote an ar- theorist Ernesto Laclau, such as the ticle in early 2015 in which he assert- "hegemony" concept or the "coned that Podemos is "the party that is struction of a people", raises some changing Spain", for it is "translating concern in a region where the prothe Left’s traditional discourse into gressive bloc’s narrative is on the dediscursive coordinates which can cline. However, a good part of the Left gather an increased popular base: and the Latin American movements democracy, sovereignty and social feel that Podemos’ strong winds can rights ". The leftist German weekly become a renewing hurricane, espeDer Freitag devoted its April front cially in terms of building a new narcover to Podemos with the following rative. headline: "Why the Podemos moveIn Mexico, Andrés Manuel López ment can change Europe".

Obrador has founded a new party, the On the other hand, European me- National Regeneration Movement dia usually associate Podemos with (Movimiento Regeneración Nacional

– MORENA), a self-proclaimed "Mexican Podemos" that is experimenting with the party-movement formula. In Brazil, where the Spanish 15M social effervescence has had a large impact, Podemos arouses passions. Late in 2014, some dissidents from the Rede Sustentabilidade launched the Raíz Movimento Cidadanista (Root Citizen Movement), which has been hailed by the media as “Brazil’s Podemos”.

The Circulos de Cidadania (Citizen Circles) in Rio de Janeiro were also activated mirroring the Podemos’s circles, and aim at reinventing political participation and the people’s storytelling. The interest in Brazil runs so high that a top selling book this year was Podemos e Syriza: experimentações políticas e democracia no século 21 (Podemos and Syriza: political experiments and democracy in the 21st century). The last third of the book is devoted to the municipalist confluences governing the some of the main cities in Spain, including Madrid and Barcelona.

And here is a clue: the emergence of Podemos has generated an influence and an asymmetrical, organic and symbolic inspiration that exceeds the party itself. In Brazil, Ahora Madrid or Barcelona en Comú (Carmena’s and Colau’s confluences) have been as influential as Podemos itself, if not more. In Belo Horizonte, one of Brazil’s main cities, a local confluence is currently under construction: Muitxos: Cidade que Queremos (Many: the City We Want) following the steps of the Spanish municipalist model. In Mexico, the Wikipolítica movement that has managed to get the first Mexican independent congressman elected, Pedro Kumamoto, clearly echoes the Spanish municipalist conception.

While the Spanish powerful rightwing media apparatus, the Old Left (Izquierda Unida) and the extreme centre (PSOE) criticize Podemos’s phenomenon, there is a planetary echo that feeds on its energy, its practices and its narrative outstripping the classic revolutionary symbolism.

There have been some issues concerning the internal democracy of Podemos, which are the main object of criticism levelled by Spanish social movements, but it could be said that the purple party is becoming a watershed in global politics.

Portuguese philosopher Boaventura de Sousa Santos talks about the Podemos Wave. In a March 2015 article, he stressed that Podemos is not a Southern European or Latin American phenomenon. Quoting the Indian Aam Aadmi Party (Party of the Common Man), Boaventura de Sousa Santos predicts that what he calls the Podemos Wave "can emerge under different features on another continent or context." In fact, Podemos’ significant burst into the Spanish parliament during the past general elections has been praised by several emerging parties worldwide. For example, the Turkish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HPD), born after the Gezi Park riots in Istanbul, celebrated via Twitter the end of the Spanish two-party system.

The Podemos Wave, whatever may happen in Spain, will continue.

The Wave may expand and even generate some improvements in the participatory methods so far implemented by the purple party. Ultimately, it is a breath of fresh air for the world’s Left. The Podemos Wave – according to Boaventura de Sousa Santos – "is a metaphor of the quest for a political solution to the progressive impasse in which we find ourselves, a solution that does not entail an abrupt political breakdown".

Does the media say too much when reporting on terrorism?

News coverage of investigations into terrorist attacks raise concerns about whether the media goes too far in reporting police findings that may be of some help to bloodthirsty fundamentalists

B

Javier delgado rivera

efore committing their heinous acts, terrorist-minded individuals will be sure to wipe out all the information on their cell phones after learning in the media how the damaged handsets found near the San Bernardino shootings in early December helped the FBI track a confidante. They may also decide not to use phone communication altogether after reading precise media reports on how, in January last year, Belgian police were able to kill two jihadists after intercepting suspicious calls originating in Athens. The same ill-intentioned individuals will tear to pieces their receipts after finding out in the mass media how French police linked one of the terrorists of the Paris bloodbath to Brussels, thanks to parking tickets issued in Molenbeek, a district in the Belgian capital.

These are only three examples of how detailed media reporting on police investigations can inadvertently help attackers avoid past miscalculations and refine their modus operandi. Journalists would argue that their job is to protect

society's right to know. Yet in such exceptional circumstances, editors should ensure that the latest information they feed to their audience is useless to fundamentalists seeking to do harm.

Of course, in most cases, the media does not come up with its own findings, but rather echoes what the authorities reveal. Therefore, security forces have the primary responsibility to prevent investigation details from reaching extremists. In the same way that the army does not share with the media details of its intelligence gathering in operations like the US-led intervention in Syria and Iraq, law enforcement bodies should look at all the potential consequences of unveiling sensitive details of their domestic counter-terrorism investigations.

It is fair to say that to a large degree the mainstream media avoids covering this type of susceptible information. However, this rule of thumb can get overturned in the 24/7 global news cycle. Karin Raeymaeckers, a professor at the Department of Communication

Sciences at Ghent University in Belgium, argues that “authorities negotiate in good faith with national media the boundaries of information, but these lines of mutual understanding are far weaker when the international media gets involved.”

As in so many other areas, the Internet has changed the way jihadists learn and polish their gory business. “As lone terrorists are increasingly self-radicalising and learning how to commit terrorist attacks over the Internet, as opposed to only learning from other terrorist group members, we may want to think carefully about the type of information we present in media stories about terrorism,” says Jeff Gruenewald, assistant professor at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University-Purdue University in the US. Even when the media praises security forces’ efforts to prevent carnage, it could be hinting to radicalised minds how not to repeat their peers’ mistakes.

“Failed or foiled terrorist plots may also receive increased news coverage with

WRITE-WING

an emphasis on how authorities were able to successfully thwart tragedy and protect the public,” says Gruenewald.

Having said that, it should be acknowledged that the media often plays a supportive role, assisting security services. To pick just one example, last year the American mass media widely spread an FBI call asking for the public's help in identifying a militant who appeared in an ISIS video. In other instances, “the media can hold back the publication of evidence or publish misleading information to assist authorities in apprehending a suspect by, for example, lulling him or her into a false sense of security,” stresses Raeymaeckers.

It only takes a single media outlet reporting compromising details of past or ongoing investigations to put this information a simple click away from tomorrow’s terrorists. In the wake of attacks like the ones that hit Turkey, Lebanon, France and the US—to mention just a few—over the last months, newsrooms must strike a delicate balance between journalistic ethics and the public’s right to know. The media should be the last place extremists look when planning their gruesome plots.

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

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

MonDAY 11•01•2016

PERSPECTIVE

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

7

the city at the Heart of the policy papers Philippines’s HiV epidemic New infections in the country have skyrocketed, even as they’re declining worldwide. Cebu City, one of the hardest-hit areas, is struggling to control the drug use that’s spreading the virus ANA P. SANTOS

T

The Atlantic

he dealer’s hands move quickly as he dispenses small vials from the waistband of his shorts, his front pockets bulging from the weight of coins and small bills. From his back pocket, he hands out syringes or collects them. Occasionally, he uses the tshirt slung over his shoulder to wipe away the beads of sweat that made his goatee glisten.

The shanty where he works— a small room full to bursting with people—is home to one of Cebu’s many “shooting galleries,” a place where people gather to purchase and inject the narcotic pain reliever Nubain. At this particular gallery, a small glass capsule containing 1 mL goes for Php 150, or around $3.

For individuals on a tighter budget, the dealer can squeeze out a single squirt for Php 20 ($0.50). Those who bring their own supply of the drug only have to pay a fee to use the shooting gallery, a charge of Php5Php10 ($0.10 - $0.20).

An unused needle sells for another Php20 ($0.50), but few people who came through the shooting gallery chose to purchase one—the dealer also supplies free “service needles,” new and slightly used syringes on rotation that any customer can use. It’s common for groups of customers to split the cost of a vial of Nubain between them, and share a service needle as they use it. The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) says that the typical shooting gallery has three to five service needles on rotation at a time, each of which can be used four to six times before it gets too blunt. According to Genesis Samonte, the head of the department’s HIV surveillance unit, one shared needle can infect four to six people with HIV or hepatitis C. Public-health experts say shooting galleries like this one are to blame for the high rate of HIV in Cebu City, one of the highest in a country that’s already struggling to combat the virus—even as new infections have declined worldwide, they’re on the rise in the Philippines. (In most other parts of the country, the primary means of transmission is sexual contact rather than drug use). In October, the DOH reported a total of 29,079 HIV infections in the country. More than 24,000 of those cases were detected in just the last five years. At this current rate, the DOH predicts that the number of HIV infections in the Philippines could reach 133,000 by 2022.

But HIV prevention is a difficult undertaking in Cebu City, which has plenty of places to go shoot up on Nubain or “milkshake” (an injectable combination of Nubain and crack cocaine) but few places to access a clean needle.

In 2014, the Cebu HIV/ AIDS Registry reported that 74 percent of the city’s 1,366 recorded HIV infections were due to needle-sharing.

The DOH estimates that more than 50 percent of the roughly 6,000 intravenous-drug users in Cebu and its neighboring cities are positive for

HIV. Needle disposal has become a public-health problem: In some areas, used syringes dot the streets.

Since the Philippines’s first reported case of HIV in 1984, the country has remained “low-incidence,” meaning less than 1 percent of the population is infected with HIV. Even with low condom use and a sizable population of citizens who work overseas—both factors that typically contribute to a higher rate of HIV—the health department recorded only 2,410 new HIV infections between 1984 and 2005.

As a result, HIV was low on the Philippines’s list of public-health priorities during the earliest years of the virus, as the government focused its efforts and funding on other infectious diseases like tuberculosis and malaria. It wasn’t until 1998 that the country passed the Philippine AIDS Prevention and Control Act, creating educational programs about the disease and funding prevention efforts.

The disease continued to spread slowly in the following years, with the rate of new infections increasing by about 10 percent each year. But in 2009, public-health authorities saw a spike: Infection rates jumped 58 percent from the previous year.

There was a similarly dramatic increase the next year, and again the year after that. In October 2015, the DOH’s HIV/AIDS registry counted just over 29,000 cases in the country since 1984—with more than 24,000 of them reported after 2010.

“The rate of infection in the last five years has eclipsed the rate of infection over of the last 30 years of the virus,” says Zimmbodilion Mosende, the strategic information adviser for the UNAIDS office in the Philippines.

The registry also reported a total of 1,359 deaths since 1984, but because of the stigma of HIV, many public-health workers believe the true figure is much higher.

Although most of the country’s new infections come from sexual

contact, current policies can make it difficult for health workers to promote safe sex: Testing and contraceptives are off-limits to minors, for example, unless they have parental consent.

And in Cebu City, where, the primary mode of transmission is intravenous drug use, other laws have made it just as difficult to develop prevention programs targeted towards users. The Dangerous Drugs Act was amended in 2009 to criminalize the possession and distribution of drug paraphernalia like syringes. As a result, Cebu’s local public-health organizations had to discontinue their needle-exchange programs; the city also passed an ordinance limiting the sales of needles and syringes without a prescription.

The following year, HIV cases among injecting drug users in Cebu jumped from less than 1 percent to 53 percent.

The United Nations defines a “concentrated epidemic” as an area where infection rates are higher than 5 percent of the population.

Surveillance data released by the health department last November showed that Cebu was one of eight Philippine cities that breached this percent threshold.

“The 5-percent prevalence rate is like a tipping point,” Samonte explains. “The moment you reach 5 percent, you reach a critical mass of people who can infect others and the epidemic will rapidly spread.”

But as public-health officials call for aggressive needle-exchange programs in Cebu, some local government officials continue to fiercely oppose them.

“The answer to this problem is not distributing clean needles,” says Alice Utlang, the executive director of the Cebu City Office of Substance Abuse Prevention (COSAP). “The answer is rehabilitation.”

But advocates say rehabilitation isn’t enough to combat what’s becoming an urgent problem. Cebu

only has two public drug-rehabilitation centers, both of which are already crowded, and the cost of treatment puts their services out of reach for many people at risk for HIV. “Our objective is harm reduction. While we are weaning them off the drugs, we can stop the spread of the virus through a needle exchange program,” says Ilya Tac-An, the head of the Cebu City’s STI/HIV Detection Unit.

In the meantime, Tac-An and her team make do with their current limitations. They’ve enlisted former drug users to lead education programs that discourage needle sharing, and teach both users and dealers how to clean used needles using bleach and water.

In the meantime, the city’s drug problem is creating a sort of ripple effect, increasing the risk of infection for non-IV-drug users as well.

Over at Cebu City’s Vicente Sotto Hospital, which offers free HIV testing and treatment, Chamberlain Agtuca, is worried: In recent years, he’s seen a growing number of women come into his clinic for treatment, most of them pregnant.

“Before, we had maybe one case per year—if any at all,” Agtuca says.

But “since the start of the year, we have had 10 pregnant women test positive for HIV.” “Many of these (pregnant) women do not have an HIV risk profile. They are not engaged in sex work nor do they inject drugs,” he adds. But many of them received the virus from sexual partners who were infected via needle-sharing.

(UNAIDS estimates that 50 million women in Asia who are in longterm monogamous relationships are at risk for HIV infection through intimate-partner transmission.)

“We did not see this coming. But when more male injecting-drug users get infected, they will infect their female partners,” Samonte says.

“The [drug use]-HIV issue does not end with the users.”

By Vyasan R

The Chinese Squiggle

2016 has started with a bang for global financial markets. In the first week of trading more than $2.3 trillion were wiped off global stocks due to fears of a Chinese slowdown and a depreciation of the Chinese renminbi. The fall in the stock index was also accompanied by a record depreciation of the RMB. The RMB depreciated by 1% in the space of 10 minutes on January 7th and stood at a little over 6.59 RMB to a US $ on January 8th down from 6.51 on January 4th.One reason for the fall in the Chinese RMB was the increased tolerance by the People’s Bank of China of a fall in the RMB value which was in contrast to the strategy in 2015 when during December 2015 the PBoC sold $108 billion of its foreign exchange reserves to shore up the value of the RMB. Chinese growth in perspective The only bright spot during the Great Recession of 2008 was the Chinese economy. During 2008-09, a fiscal stimulus package amounting to more than $ 4 trillion renminbi was implemented even as other advanced economies were unsure about the nature of their response to the crisis that was unfolding just then. The fiscal stimulus package was implemented through the State Owned enterprises which helped China’s economic growth rebound back to its long run economic growth by 2010 and by which time its GDP contributed 50% of global GDP and a doubling of industrial production between 2007 and 2013.

This story is still beginning to unfold this calendar year and the dragon is seeing red for the first time in more than 3 decades. The supra 10% growth rates that analysts were used to while discussing Chinese growth has now been revised. Some independent estimates of economic growth have been pegged at 2.4%.Financial market analysts are already talking about the largest New Year fall in US stock markets. When a year begins with such superlative talk then the global economy and its players should be well-advised to beware of the many pitfalls that lie ahead of them in case they do not manage the economy in a proper manner. The evidence for the latter was seen in the manner in which the circuit breaker mechanism introduced by the, China Securities Regulatory Commissionthat was designedto halt trading in a bearish atmosphere proved ineffective in stopping the free tumble of the Shanghai and Shenzhen indices this past week.

Global Economy and India Is the tumble seen in the Chinese stock market a foreboding of a bleak future for the global economy? If the 2008 economic crisis was primarily caused by US housing sector, will there be a new crisis triggered by crises in emerging markets? Both Brazil and Russia have seen their economic growth reduce by 25% and 40% respectively.

Reflecting the poor prospects for the emerging market economies as a whole the MSCI Emerging Markets Index has lost 7% the past week which is the largest loss since September 2011. The interest rate hike that happened this past month had exposed the vulnerabilities of both South Africa and Turkey. In other words there is widespread concern about the impact of the Chinese Stock market on the emerging market economies. India is by far the only bright spot with stabilising currency markets and a recovering stock market. This prognosis stands despite the initial negative impacts, the depreciation of the Chinese RMB had on the Indian stock markets. However, for India to continue to remain as a beacon of performance in the world economy there are many reforms that have to be undertaken especially in the banking sector and a need to encourage investment in infrastructure that can then promote economic growth in the country. These reforms therefore assume a global importance that is over and above the earlier domestic focus that the reform debates in the country had.

The reforms are important not just because they improve allocative efficiency but these are weak links in the economy. These weak links may be the point of attack for any crisis that may erupt due to a currency crisis.

As events unfold it is again too early to even speculate whether the recent trends in the Chinese stock market and the currency is localised to the domestic economy or not. Macro theory predicts how a fiscal stimulus can lead to a building up of inflationary pressures in the economy that can lead to a depreciation of the currency. The inflation rate is still low in China. December 2015 saw a year on year inflation of only 1.6% whereas the Producer Prices Inflation was down 5.5% on a yearly basis in 2015. This data therefore points more to the impending low levels of economic activity than to any evidence of the inflationary pressures that were generated by fiscal surplus.2016 may however be too late in the day for the effects of the Keynesian fiscal surplus to surface as it is a good 7 years since the 4 trillion RMB stimulus package. The riposte to that however is the lack of believability of any official data put out by the Chinese government. Again the turmoil in the US markets could be a manifestation of the tenuous nature of the economic recovery of US more than it could be reflective of any problems in the Chinese economy.

As the Chinese year of the goat ends it has been a mixed year for the economy. The goat is symbolic of prosperity and promise for the Chinese. The RMB has been officially included in the SDR list of reserve currencies adding to its global stature as an international currency of importance. However, questions are still asked about the credibility of those at the helm of Chinese economic affairs to do a good job.The next few weeks could be an interestingtest on how the last few days of the 2015 Lunar year pan out for the Chinese and the global economy.

(The author is an IAS officer of Nagaland cadre. The views expressed in his column, featured every Monday, are personal.

Feedback can be emailed to vyasan_r@yahoo.com)

How sHould we deal witH waR cRiminals?

The eternal dilemma of prosecuting war criminals is that they are usually charged and tried by the victors Rachelle Marshall

A

s ISIS and its affiliates continue to wreak havoc in various parts of the world there have been calls for war crimes trials for its leaders, trials similar to those held in Nuremberg and Tokyo after World War II. Dozens of German and Japanese wartime leaders were convicted and punished for crimes for crimes such as genocide and aggression. Six Japanese leaders and 15 Germans, including Herman Goering and Josef Goebbels, were either executed or committed suicide.

A former Nuremberg prosecutor wrote a recent letter to the New York Times saying “the hopes of the Nuremberg trials 70 years ago are being tarnished by being ignored.”

In the late 1990s after the Balkan wars, several Serb leaders including Slobodan Milosevic were tried for war crimes before the International Criminal Court in The Hague and sentenced to prison. But that court has only limited jurisdiction, since both the U.S. and Israel have refused to join. Consequently the former Nuremberg prosecutor urges that the U.S. adopt new laws that “hold perpetrators of large-scale atrocities accountable.”

The problem with prosecuting perpetrators of war crimes is that the individuals

found tried and guilty are invariably on the losing side. It’s the victors who determine who the war criminals are. The legal definition of war crimes under the Geneva Conventions includes unprovoked aggression, attacking civilians, and subjecting prisoners to humiliating treatment, unlawful confinement, and torture.

All of these acts were committed by the United States during its wars in Indochina, Iraq and Afghanistan. The process of “extraordinary rendition” and the torture of terrorism suspects became routine during the administration of George W. Bush, despite the fact that the United States had signed the international agreement outlawing torture. Israel is equally culpable under international law for its continued occupation, its 8-year blockade of Gaza, and for establishing settlements in occupied territory.

In the real world, however, when it comes to punishing villainous behavior, it is political expediency that determines what is a war crime and who is guilty of them.

The government officials from Vice-President Dick Cheney on down who authorized the systematic use of torture will never be brought to account and neither will the CIA agents and contractors who carried out their orders, because the Obama administration considers it politically unwise to

raise the issue.

Surely the Nazis are among history’s most notorious lawbreakers, not only for invading other countries but for committing genocide in their systematic attempt to exterminate the Jewish populations of Europe along with Gypsies and Slavs. But what, if not war crimes, would we call the Allied firebombing of Hamburg and Berlin, which literally incinerated thousands of ordinary German civilians, and the levelling of the city of Dresden, a cultural landmark that had no war industries?

A few years ago Robert McNamara, the secretary of defense under President Kennedy, said in a filmed interview that had the United States lost World War II American officials would undoubtedly have been accused of war crimes for having firebombed into ashes every major Japanese city and killing thousands of Japanese civilians.

Many people think Harry Truman could legitimately have been accused of war crimes for dropping atom bombs on two cities that had no strategic importance, and for doing it when Japan was on the verge of surrendering.

Since 1945 war has become even crueler, with the victims predominantly civilians. The International Criminal Court at The Hague held trials of individuals ac-

cused of war crimes during the Balkan war in the early 1990s, and several Serbs and Croats served prison terms as a result. Individuals considered responsible for the genocide in Rwanda, and atrocities elsewhere in Africa have also been tried and sentenced to prison.

The U.S. war in Indochina filled every definition of a crime. But since the victor determines who is a war criminal, no one has ever been punished. Our forces invaded Vietnam and Cambodia, that posed no threat to our national security, and killed an estimated 2 million members of a largely peasant population. We poisoned their forests and crops with agent Orange, which resulted in thousands of cases of birth defects, and the cluster bombs used by U.S. forces caused agonizing wounds.

The war crimes have continued. In retaliation for Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1991, the U.S. under George H.W. Bush dropped more bomb tonnage on Iraq than was used in the ten years of war in Indochina, according to then Defense Secretary Cheney. The sanctions imposed on Iraq by the Clinton administration were responsible for the deaths of 500,000 Iraqi children, according to the British medical journal, the Lancet. Operation Shock and Awe in 2003 that ousted Saddam Hussein

killed untold numbers of Iraqis as well as four thousand American soldiers and left behind a society fractured by sectarian rivalry. The perpetrators of that war, are not likely to be charged with war crimes.

The truth is, the object of a war is to win it, by any means necessary, and those means are almost always ugly. Looting, rape, torture, and the killing of civilians, have been integral parts of every war. The United States now has troops stationed in more than 650 places around the world, and American forces are fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Niger, Cameroon, and aiding in the bombing of Yemen by Saudi Arabia and the Gulf emirates.

It’s a safe bet bet that in such dangerous territory, war crimes are being committed by both sides. All wars involve the killing of civilians and there are no limits on brutality when soldiers are trained to regard the enemy as less than human, and their worst impulses are released. Since the winner determines who is a war criminal, the only way to deal with war criminals is to prevent wars from taking place in the first place.

Rachelle Marshall is a former editor and writer and a member of Mill Valley Seniors for Peace, a Jewish Voice for Peace, and Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.

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

8

MondAY 11•01•2016

INDIA

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Despite Congress rap, Manish Tewari stands by troop remark New Delhi, JaNuary 10 (iaNS): Congress leader Manish Tewari on Sunday defended his claim on a 2012 controversial troop movement towards Delhi, even after the Congress pulled him up and central minister V.K. Singh, the then army chief, came out with an emphatic denial.

"Whatever I said yesterday (Saturday), I have nothing more to add or subtract to that," Tewari told reporters on Sunday, a day after commenting that the news report on the troop movement that had created a stir was true.

Minister of State for External Affairs and former general V.K. Singh, who was the target of the 2012 report, on Sunday dismissed Tewari's statement, saying the Congress leader was "jobless".

Tewari said at a book release function on Saturday that he was on parliament's Standing Committee on Defence when the reported incident took place. The report, he said, was "unfortunate but true".

"...at that point in time I used to serve in the Standing Committee on Defence. It's unfortunate but the story was true, story was correct."

This drew a sharp reaction from Singh.

"Manish Tewari is jobless these days. I have written a book, tell him to read it," Singh told reporters in Ujjain.

Contacted by IANS, Singh said he had "no comments" on the issue.

Tewari responded on Twitter that he would love to read Singh's book "provided he promises to read mine - in offing!".

The Congress not only distanced itself from Tewari's statement but - using strong words advised him not to comment on the incident which was said to have taken place when the Congress-led UPA was in power. It added that Tewari was not an official spokesman of the party.

"When this alleged incident regarding the army is supposed to have taken place, senior ministers had even then clarified, and I am now clarifying, that

President Pranab stresses need to arrest declining education standard

there is absolutely no truth in the allegation," Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said here.

"In fact, it was also clarified (then) that some troop movements are necessary, inbuilt and inevitable part of a defence mechanism. But to read into it all the other elements is completely wrong," he said.

Singhvi pointed out that Tewari was never a member of any decision-making body on defence, nor was he a party spokesperson or spokesperson on issues pertaining to external affairs and defence.

"He is neither the authorised spokesperson of the party, nor the spokesperson on foreign or defence affairs, nor privy to any of the committees or decisionmaking group," he said.

According to a published report, late on the night of January 16, 2012, the day Singh approached the Supreme Court on the issue of his date of birth, intelligence agencies reported an unexpected and non-notified movement by a key military unit from Hisar in Haryana in the di-

rection of New Delhi.

Both the then Congress government and the army denied the report.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who was also then a member of the Standing Committee on Defence, said on Sunday that there was no discussion ever in the panel on the issue.

He said discussions in parliamentary panels cannot be brought out in the public domain.

Satpal Maharaj, who was a Congress MP and headed the parliamentary panel on defence in 2012, also said that the troop movement was defined to them as "routine".

"We were told the army movements keep happening," Maharaj, who joined the BJP in 2014, told reporters.

The Janata Dal-United (JDU), however, demanded Singh's resignation from the Narendra Modi government following Tewari's claim. JD-U spokesman K.C. Tyagi sought a probe into the entire affair.

India did not give communalism to the world: PM Narendra Modi MuMBai, JaNuary 10 (PTi): India has not given communalism to the world but only spirituality, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday, asserting that saints and other learned men have always espoused for ‘rashtra dharma’ (duty to nation).

Modi, while unveiling the 300th book penned by prominent Jain monk Acharya Ratnasundersuriji Maharaj through a video conference, said former President APJ Abdul Kalam believed in India’s legacy of spirituality and had said it can help mankind deal with the major challenges it is facing today.

“The world has not been able to understand us the way it should have. India is a country which has never followed sectarian tendencies.

India has never given communalism but spirituality to the world.

“Sometimes, community can be a creator of problems but spirituality provides resolution to problems,” he said.

Modi described the monk as a “great social reformer and spiritual leader” who

has expressed his views on all concepts and objects of the universe through his various books.

The book, ‘My India, Nobel India’, in four languages – English, Hindi, Gujarati and Marathi – was released at the Somaiya Grounds in SionChunabhatti area here during the ‘Sahitya Satkar Samaroh’ programme on the concluding day of the 10-day-long religious and spiritual conclave.

“May be I am away from you, but I am very near to your heart and bowing down to the holy feet of Acharya,” Modi said to the audience of 30,000 present at the pandal here.

“I don’t think that these are merely creations of literature, but I deeply feel the heart and soul-felt penance of a reverend saint that introduce us with sublimity of mankind, equally pure like the Ganga,” he said.

The Prime Minister said that Ratnasundersuriji Maharaj is a great listener too, by virtue of which he (Acharya) assimilated the life of entire cultural ethnicity of the country in him and it truly reflects

in his writings.

Modi also said that the Acharya has equally highlighted various social evils, deficiencies prevailing at individual level, and has expressed his anger about these evils in his book as well.

“At one time we find the coolness and tranquility of moonlight in his creativity, we also come across his acerbic lines that he has manifested against the evils,” he said.

“Rashtra dharma (duty to nation) is above all religions and Guruji has lit the candle of rashtra dharm through his writings, as it has been the glorious tradition of our country,” Modi said.

He also said that India is the only country which never attempted to divide the world into communities.

“Our saints, hermits and religious leaders have blessed the world with spirituality, a legacy in which our former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam believed and said that the problems of human beings can be neutralised by the spiritualisation of mankind,” Modi said.

Government to continue reforms with single minded focus: Jaitley ViSakhaPaTNaM, JaNuary 10 (iaNS): Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday said the Narendra Modi government would continue with the economic reforms with singleminded focus.

Addressing the CII partnership summit in this coastal city in Andhra Pradesh, he said the government would continue with reforms which it failed to pursue in recent months.

"Some of our reforms, which we have missed out on in the last few months, have to be pursued with a single-minded focus. We cannot afford a change in direction, and in these circumstances, every state has to contribute," the minister said.

Stating that the world economy

raNchi, JaNuary 10 (PTi): President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday stressed the need to arrest the declining standards of education in the country and sought quality improvement by engaging focussed attention of academic leaders, policy makers and other stakeholders to this end.

"Multiple interventions are necessary. Attracting quality faculty and continuous faculty development is one. Adjunct faculty from the industry and research institutions if hired can provide practical orientation to course modules," he said.

Inaugurating the Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the 26th Convocation of the Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, here, Mukherjee said through promoting centres of excellence, core competencies of an institute can be nurtured. "Through the establishment of research parks, cutting- edge research can be pursued and that will help develop a world class eco system in our institutions," he said.

The President also said that institutes can also pursue establishment of partnerships with foreign and domestic institutions by signing Memoranda of Understanding.

He said there was a need for giving a boost to start-ups to provide a head-start to various innovative activities.

"Due to facilitated environments that have evolved, the youth today has a greater share for entrepreneurship.

Many start-ups in India have become successful and have shown the path of progress to others," the President said.

In fact, India with over 4,200 start-ups has the third largest start-ups eco-system in the world, behind the US and the UK, Mukherjee said.

ShiMla, JaNuary 10 (iaNS): Einstein's mass-energy equation (E=mc2) is inadequate as it has not been completely studied and is only valid under special conditions, an New Delhi, JaNuary 10 (PTi): Congress today Indian researcher has claimed said engagement with Pakistan need not be disrupted in an international paper.

Einstein considered just despite the "grave provocation" of the Pathankot attack.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that two light waves of equal enit is up to the government to decide what the level, nature ergy emitted in opposite directions with uniform relative and intensity of the engagement should be.

"We have said that despite this grave provocation, en- velocity, Ajay Sharma, a Shimgagement with Pakistan need not be disrupted," he told re- la-based researcher who chalporters here. He said that the government has not shared any lenged Albert Einstein's deriinformation with the opposition regarding the Pathankot at- vation mass-energy equation, said on Sunday. tack, security situation and the talks with Pakistan.

The equation was given by "And therefore, we call upon the government to enEinstein in 1905. sure that on the basis of the very special domain expertise His technical paper -which they alone have, they must, while continuing with the engagement, ensure that there is no breach of India's "The mathematical derivation or speculation of E=mc2, security," he said, taking a dig at the BJP government.

He also made it clear that the the party does not stand in Einstein's September 1905 by the remarks and observations, made by individuals paper, and some peculiar exwho are not the spokespersons or in the decision making periments" -- was published process, that foreign secretary talks should be suspended by Bauman Moscow State or cancelled. He said that the Congress condemns in the Technical University in Mosstrongest and unequivocal terms the slightest lapse in the cow last month.

E=mc2 means energy is Indian national security.

"After all, Indian national security is of paramount im- equal to mass multiplied by portance and any inefficiency, looseness or lapse in that the speed of light squared.

Sharma, an assistant diregard is inexcusable and therefore we have called on the Prime Minister and the government to ensure highest pos- rector for education with the sible and unbreachable standards on this subject," he said. Himachal Pradesh govern-

was going through an extremely difficult and challenging time and difficulties, he said this had "spilled over into our system also".

Jaitley pointed out the World Bank has lowered the global growth forecast to 2.9 percent while the growth rates of economies across the world are hovering around extremely low figures.

"Many of our competing economies are facing extremely serious challenges. In an integrated economy, a large number of those challenges and difficulties gets spilled over.

"So because of the integrated economy, what happens in China, what happens in oil prices, impact our markets. Our revenues also get impacted, when the price regimes are low because nominal

GDP gets reduced," he said.

He, however, said that even under the trying circumstances Indian economy was doing well.

"India continues to remain the fastest growing economy in the world. So our 7-7.5 percent growth rate stands out amongst the larger economies as bright spot among global economy."

The minister said he believed that India can convert these circumstances into an opportunity beacuse some of the factors adversely impacting the world suit the country.

Jaitley said after Start Up India, the government will launch Stand Up India, which will be available to only to women and the SC/ST entrepreneurs.

"Every public sector and pri-

vate sector bank, each branch in the country has to fund one SC,ST and one woman entrepreneur," he added.

Lauding the reforms initiated

by Andhra Pradesh, he said the state was recording double-digit growth and it would be one of the key engines of growth.

Responding to a request made by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Jaitley assured all help to the state in dealing with the post-bifurcation challenges.

He noted that Andhra has many assets to become an investors' destination because of dynamic leadership and ecosystem Jaitley hailed competition among states, who have been holding investors' meets to at-

tract investment, and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is successful in converting cooperative federalism into competitive federalism.

He suggested states improve ease of doing business as investors look for stability of policy and business eco-system.

Nearly 1,600 delegates including 350 from US, China and 39 other countries are attending the three-day summit.

CII director general Chandrajit Banerjee said that this is the largest ever turnout at the Partnership Summit.

Eminent industrialists including Anil Ambani, Baba Kalyani, Naushad Forbes, G.M. Rao and Adi Godej were present at the inaugural session.

Einstein's mass-energy equation Young IAS officer quits inadequate: Indian researcher job, turns free e-tutor

Engagement with Pakistan need not be disrupted: Cong

ment, told IANS that Einstein's theory has not been studied completely.

"It's only valid under special conditions of the parameters involved, e.g. number of light waves, magnitude of light energy, angles at which waves are emitted and relative velocity," he said.

Einstein considered just two light waves of equal energy, emitted in opposite directions and the relative velocity uniform. There are numerous possibilities for the parameters which were not considered in Einstein's 1905 derivation, said Sharma's paper.

This equation expresses the fact that mass and energy are the same physical entity and can be changed into each other, the paper said.

It said E=mc2 is obtained from Lmc2 by simply replacing L by E (all energy) without derivation by Einstein. "It's illogical," he said.

The paper said Fadner correctly pointed out that Einstein did not mention E in the derivation.

Sharma's book, 'Beyond

Einstein and E=mc2' published by the Cambridge International Science Publishers, says Einstein was not the original propounder of the theory of relativity -- rather he took work from existing literature and published it in 1905 in German journal 'Annalen de Physik'.

"Many people will be surprised that Einstein's work was not peer reviewed before publication. The first postulate of relativity was given by Galileo in 1632 in his book 'Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems'," the 51-year-old Sharma said.

According to him, Einstein took this opportunity to publish the work of Galileo (1632, Principle of Relativity), Poincare (1898, Constancy of Velocity of Light), Lorentz (1892, Variation of Mass etc), Larmer (1897, Time Dilation), and Fitzegerald (1889, Length Contraction) in his own name.

Although Einstein's theory is well established, it has to be critically analysed and the new results would definitely emerge, a beaming Sharma added.

JaBalPur, JaNuary 10 (PTi): Adept at wearing many hats, a young IAS officer bucked the trend by deciding to quit his coveted job to tutor civil service aspirants for free through his online initiative.

24-year-old Roman Saini, with a vision of providing free education to aspirants through 'Unacademy', had completed his graduation from the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) prior to joining the prestigious IAS. The thirst to serve the country at the national level has driven the Assistant Collector posted in Jabalpur to take such a decision.

In a Facebook post today, Saini wrote, "In 2011, Gaurav Munjal, whom I have known since school as the closest friend, called and spoke about his new idea 'Unacademy' which he had started on YouTube by posting a

bunch of videos."

"He (Munjal) had a vision of free education - and he asked me to join him. Four years later, 'Unacademy' is now India's one of the largest YouTube channels with 1.1 crore lessons delivered and over 5 Lakh students benefited," he said.

"Recently, Gaurav and I took a life changing decision, we decided to quit whatever we were doing to pursue this full time," he said in his post.

Jabalpur Collector S N Rupla said that Saini had decided to quit the IAS in September last year as he wants to do better at national level.

The young IAS officer has started an online initiative "Unaccademy" to offer free tutorials to civil services aspirants, Rupla said, adding that his resignation is yet to be accepted by the Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT).

Saini, in the Facebook post, termed the decision to quit his lucrative job as "difficult", but said he will pursue his passion to take forward 'Unacademy' full time.

"Personally, it was a difficult decision to quit the civil services, as I have utmost respect for it. But I believe in Unacademy's vision of free education, and hence, will be pursuing it full time from now," he said in the post.

Air pollution drops by 50 percent in Delhi: Government

'Tame selfie craze, treat selfies as fun activity'

New Delhi, JaNuary 10 (iaNS): Air pollution caused by vehicular traffic has declined by 50 percent in the national capital, the Delhi government said on Sunday. "More than 50 percent drop in air pollution primarily caused by vehicular traffic has been recorded according to the latest ambient air data collected by mobile teams of Delhi Pollution Control Committee on Saturday at 18 locations, through mobile dust samplers on using the light scattering technique," the government said in a statement.

According to the scientists, Saturday's favourable weather conditions helped in improvement of air quality. Scientists have been consistent in their opinion that the moment weather conditions improve, the results of the odd-even formula restricting movement of four-wheeled vehicles will show immediate results, the statement said.

PM 2.5 air pollution levels on Saturday showed recordings of less than 100 micrograms/m3 at nine locations, which is more than 50 percent less than average recordings since the odd-even regulations were put in place, the government said. It added that four locations showed PM 2.5 measurements between 100-200 micrograms/m3. Of these total 18 locations, the lowest measurement was at 59 and the highest at 301 micrograms/m3.

New Delhi, JaNuary 10 ( (iaNS): If the disturbing news of two selfie deaths - one each in Mumbai and Jammu and Kashmir this weekend shattered your Sunday morning, it is time to pause and see if your young ones are not trying a dangerous pose for a selfie to impress their peers.

A college girl who fell into the swirling Arabian Sea while clicking a selfie off a rocky part of the Mumbai beach and a youth who plunged into the water to save her on Saturday were both swept away, police said.

And in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district, an attempt to take a selfie atop a fort proved fatal for a

youth as he fell backwards and died, police said.

“There have been cases where youngsters have put themselves at unnecessary risk to take that one good picture. It is crucial that you draw a line between habit and obsessive behaviour,” Dr Ashish Mittal, consultant psychiatry at Columbia Asia Hospital in Gurgaon, told IANS. In November, a 14-year old schoolboy, who was trying to take a selfie on his cellphone atop a stationary train wagon, was electrocuted and died in Mumbai.

“Parents should intervene as it is no more a laughing matter. Their 'selfie crazy' children may require expert help. Else, they may

put their lives at risk for a mere picture,” he added.

The craze for a perfect selfie shot has taken many young lives globally in the past year.

In neighbouring Pakistan, a 22-year-old man was killed while trying to take a selfie in front of a moving train in Rawalpindi city in December.

In the same month, two teenagers were killed in Turkey after they lay on the middle of a road to try for a selfie with a plane in the background.

In another tragic instance, a 17-year-old schoolboy fell from the roof of a nine-storey building while trying to click an “extreme selfie” in Russia in

September last year.

“Not only in India but worldwide, people should be careful for taking selfies in dangerous situations.

The habit needs to be discouraged,” added Dr (Brig) S. Sudarsanan, senior consultant (Psychiatrist), at BLK Super Specialty Hospital in the capital.

Ironically, clicking a selfie proved to be more lethal than getting mauled by a shark in 2015.

There were at least 12 selfie-related deaths globally while only eight people died in shark attacks in 2015, tech website Mashable reported.

Alarmed by the growing number of selfie deaths, Russian police recently

started a campaign called “Safe Selfies” - to guide how to be responsible selfie-takers.

According to Dr Samir Parikh, director (mental health and behavioural science) at Fortis Hospitals in New Delhi, education and guidance are useful for any novel or upcoming phenomena like selfie and selfie sticks.

“Taking precautions while taking selfies can be beneficial in order to ensure more informed and responsible decisions associated with social learning,” Parikh told IANS. “We all are familiar with the craze of selfies, especially among youngsters.

But if someone is taking a

selfie in a dangerous situation like on a mountain or in the middle of the road, it can lead to fatal accidents,” noted Dr Mittal.

“Also, if someone's selfie is not liked by friends on social media, it can lead to further stress and frustration. This can turn into obsessive behaviour if not taken seriously,” he emphasised. According to experts, it is the right time to tame selfie obsession.

“Do not succumb to peer pressure. Be smart enough to draw the line as at the end of the day, it is just a picture,” Dr Mittal advised. Consult an expert if needed. “Treat selfies only as a fun activity," Dr Sudarsanan added.

MondaY 11•01•2016

WORLD

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

US flies B-52 over S Korea after North’s nuke test

SEOUL, JANUARY 10 (REUTERS): The United States deployed a B-52 bomber on a low-level flight over its ally South Korea on Sunday, in a show of force following North Korea’s nuclear test last week.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un maintained that Wednesday’s test was of a hydrogen bomb and said it was a self-defensive step against a U.S. threat of nuclear war.

North Korea’s fourth nuclear test angered both China, its main ally, and the United States, although the U.S. government and weapons experts doubt the North’s claim that the device was a hydrogen bomb.

The B-52, based in Guam and capable of carrying nuclear weapons, was flanked by two fighter planes, a U.S. F-16 and a South Korean F-15, in a low flight over Osan Air Base, before returning to Guam, the U.S. military said in a statement.

Osan is south of Seoul and roughly 100 km (62 miles) from the North Korean border. The flight was “in response to recent provocative action by North Korea”, the U.S. military said.

“The United States remains steadfast in its commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and to maintaining stability on the Ko-

A U.S. Air Force B-52 flies over Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea on January 10. (REUTERS Photo)

rean Peninsula, to include extended deterrence provided by our conventional forces and our nuclear umbrella,” said U.S. Lt. Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy.

The United States is also considering sending a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to waters off the Korean peninsula next month to join a naval exercise with Seoul, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported without identifying a source. However, U.S. Forces Korea officials said they had no knowledge of the plan.

Experts believe the

North’s nuclear test, which produced a seismic tremor of 5.1, too small to be a proper hydrogen bomb test, was designed to set the stage for a rare general meeting later this year of its ruling Workers’ Party, the first since 1980.

After the North’s last test, in 2013, the United States sent a pair of nuclearcapable B-2 stealth bombers over South Korea. At the time, the North responded by threatening a nuclear attack on the United States.

The two Koreas remain in a technical state of war after their 1950-53 con-

flict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, and the United States has about 28,500 troops based in South Korea.

Earlier on Sunday, North Korea’s state news agency KCNA quoted Kim as saying no one had the right to criticise its nuclear tests.

“The DPRK’s H-bomb test ... is a self-defensive step for reliably defending the peace on the Korean Peninsula and the regional security from the danger of nuclear war caused by the U.S.-led imperialists,” it quoted Kim as saying.

The North’s official name is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“It is the legitimate right of a sovereign state and a fair action that nobody can criticise,” he said.

TIMING OF TEST Kim’s comments were in line with the North’s official rhetoric blaming the United States for deploying nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula to justify its nuclear programme but were the first by its leader since Wednesday’s blast.

The United States has said it has no nuclear weap-

ons stationed in South Korea. Kim noted the significance of the timing of the test as being held in the year of the party congress, “which will be a historic turning point in accomplishing the revolutionary cause of Juche,” according to KCNA. Juche is the North’s home-grown state ideology that combines Marxism and extreme nationalism established by the state founder and the current leader’s grandfather, Kim Il Sung. KCNA said Kim made the comments on a visit to the country’s Ministry of the People’s Armed Forces.

South Korea continued to conduct high-decibel propaganda broadcasts across the heavily militarised border into the North on Sunday.

The broadcasts, which include “K-pop” music and statements critical of the Kim regime, began on Friday and are considered an insult by Pyongyang. A top North Korean official told a rally on Friday that the broadcasts had pushed the rival Koreas to the “brink of war.”

Daily life was mostly as normal on the South Korean side of the border on Sunday. A popular ice fishing festival near the border attracted an estimated 121,300 people on Saturday and another 100,000 on Sunday, Yonhap reported.

NASA mission finds Syrian rebel group casts new doubt on peace process 100 new alien planets NEw YORK, JANUARY 10 (IANS): NASA’s planet-hunting revamped Kepler mission has found more than 100 confirmed planets orbiting other stars.

The information about the planets, some of which are very different from what the spacecraft observed during its original mission, was shared by University of Arizona’s Ian Crossfield at a conference of the American Astronomical Society, National Geographic reported.

According to the report, many newly-found planets are in multiplanet systems and orbit stars that are brighter and hotter than the stars in the original Kepler field. It has also found a system with three planets that are bigger than Earth, spotted a planet in the Hyades star cluster -- the nearest open star cluster to Earth -- and discovered a planet being ripped apart as it orbits a white dwarf star.

“Scientists have also found 234 possible planets that are awaiting confirmation,” Andrew Vanderburg of the HarvardSmithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said.

Meanwhile, Tom Barclay of NASA’s Ames Research Centre said that spacecraft is probing different types of planets (than the original Kepler mission).

“We are focusing on stars that are much brighter, stars that are nearer by, stars that are more easy to understand and observe from

the Earth. The idea here is to find the best systems, the most interesting systems,” Barclay said.

With a mission to determine how common Earth-like planets are, Kepler stared at the same patch of star-filled sky, watching for periodic blips in starlight caused by orbiting planets and from 2009 to 2013, Kepler discovered more than 1,000 new planets. With a tweak to its steering ability, scientists rectified the mechanical malfunction of Kepler’s lost ability to stare at the same exact spot.

Since then, K2 has been spying on supernovas, and studying planets orbiting our star. In 2014, it spent about 70 days observing Neptune, studying the ice giant’s extremely windy weather and would also attempt to spot planets that are wandering through the galaxy without stars of their own.

Among its notable discoveries, K2 has spotted strong evidence of a tiny, rocky object being torn apart as it spirals around a white dwarf star and discovered a new planet orbiting two stars and located within its host stars’ “habitable zone”, the area around the stars in which life could potentially exist.

It also collected data to reveal that our solar system was born 4.6 billion years ago and only eight percent of the potentially habitable planets that will ever form in the universe existed.

BEIRUT. JANUARY 10 (REUTERS): A big Syrian rebel group said it was unacceptable to talk about a political solution to the war as people die of hunger and bombardment and the best way to force Damascus towards a settlement was to give insurgents anti-aircraft missiles.

The statement from Islam Army (Jaysh al-Islam) underlines opposition concerns over a U.N.led diplomatic effort to launch peace talks in Geneva on Jan. 25.

The opposition want goodwill measures including a ceasefire, a detainee release and the lifting of blockades on besieged areas before negotiations.

U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura is shuttling around the region to prepare for the talks, part of a plan endorsed by the Security Council last month to end the five-year-war that has killed 250,000 people and created millions of refugees.

Islam Army, part of a newly formed council set up to oversee the negotiations on the opposition side, said the “best way to force the regime to accept the (political) solution and stick by it” was to allow states that back the opposition to supply rebels with anti-aircraft missiles.

The statement, sent by the group’s spokesman overnight, said it would guarantee the missiles would not reach groups that would use them “illegally”.

While foreign governments including the United States and Saudi Arabia have provided reb-

Residents help an injured man in a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes carried out by the Russian air force in the rebelcontrolled area of Maaret al-Numan town in Idlib province, Syria.

(REUTERS Photo)

els with military support, they have resisted demands for such missiles for fear they would end up with hardline jihadist groups such as Islamic State.

The Syrian government says Islam Army is a terrorist group, like all the groups that fighting to topple President Bashar alAssad, who has received crucial support from Russia and Iran.

Both states have sent forces to help him fight the insurgency.

The Syrian government told de Mistura on Saturday it was ready to take part in Geneva talks but stressed the need to see the names of the Syrian opposition figures who will take part.

Pointing to another potential complication, Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem also stressed the need for the government to obtain a list of groups that would be classified as terrorists as part of the peace process.

Islam Army said the success of the success of the political process “depended on the seriousness of the international community in putting pressure on the criminal regime to halt the killing”. Opposition officials have already cast doubt on whether the talks will go ahead on schedule, citing the need to see the goodwill measures from the government side.

9

Four-country talks on Taliban to begin in Pakistan ISLAMABAD, JANUARY 10 (REUTERS): Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States are set to begin talks on Monday aimed at restarting the Afghan peace process and eventually ending 14 years of bloodshed fighting the Taliban insurgents.

Officials from the four countries will meet in Islamabad, Pakistan foreign office sources said, in what they hope will be a first step towards resuming stalled negotiations.

The Taliban are not expected to attend the talks. The Islamist militants have stepped up their violent campaign in the last year to oust the government in Kabul that is struggling after most foreign troops left at the end of 2014.

High-profile suicide attacks in the capital and major territorial losses in Helmand province have underlined how far the country remains from peace without major Taliban factions on board.

A previous fledging peace process last year was stopped after the Taliban announced that its founder, Mullah Omar, had been dead for two years, throwing the militant group into disarray and factional infighting.

Kabul has been trying to limit expectations of a breakthrough at Monday’s talks, and has said the aim is to work out a road map for peace negotiations and a way of assessing if they remain on track.

Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai and Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry will attend the talks on Monday, Pakistan foreign office sources told Reuters. Besides an official from China, the U.S. Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Olson or the U.S. ambassador would attend from the United States, a state department official said. “It’ll be an opportunity to further our partnership with Afghanistan, Pakistan and China in support of an Afghan-led, Afghanowned reconciliation, which is what we’ve said all along we want to see,” U.S. state department spokesman John Kirby said. “We’re obviously looking forward to ... to trying to make some progress here on what has been a very difficult issue.”

Afghanistan last month turned to Pakistan, with which it shares a porous border from where the Taliban operate bases on both sides, for help in reviving the peace talks.The Taliban, who are fighting to restore strict Islamic rule in place before the group was ousted from power in 2001, are split on whether to participate in any future talks. Some elements within the group have signalled they may be willing to send negotiators at some point, but other factions remain opposed to any form of negotiation with Kabul.

Afghanistan suffered one of its bloodiest years on record in 2015. More than 3,180 Afghan civilians were killed, a record high, the United Nations said, bringing the number killed since 2009 to more than 17,000.

Smartphones to turn into pancreas, treat Type 1 diabetes NEw YORK, JANUARY 10 (IANS): US researchers have developed a system that treats Type 1 diabetes automatically and effortlessly -- with the help of a smartphone -- ditching constant finger pricks and manual insulin injections. Combined with a tiny sensor and wearable insulin pump, a smartphone can stand in for a pancreas, automatically monitoring blood-sugar levels and delivering insulin as needed, Ars Technica published citing the researchers’ report.

“We have been working on this specific artificial pancreas as it is called since 2006. We show that it is not only possible, but it can run on a smartphone,” lead researcher Boris Kovatchev, director of the Centre for Diabetes Technology in the US University of Virginia, said. The system works with a readily available pen drive-sized blood-glucose sensor that can be worn in a variety of places on the body, such as an arm, leg, or the abdomen.

The sensor reads blood-glucose levels every five minutes and wirelessly reports the results to a specially designed app on a nearby android smartphone. The app’s algorithm analyses the data and wirelessly controls a discreet, wearable insulin pump, which can be hooked to a belt or other piece of clothing. The pump has a very fine needle that delivers insulin into the blood stream.

“If it is working, you do not know that it is there,” Francis Doyle III, dean of Harvard’s Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, who is collaborating with Kovatchev on the system, said. Together, the “closedloop” system should act much like a home thermostat, automatically sensing and adjusting the temperature to match preset targets.

The ultimate goal is to make managing Type 1 diabetes effortless and automatic, easing the daily lives of the 1.25 million people who suffer from the disease, Doyle said. The system will enter two final phases of international trials this year that will take place at various clinics in the US, France, Italy, and the Netherlands.

Hong Kong publishers spooked, anti-China books go off shelves HONG KONG, JANUARY 10 (REUTERS): Hong Kong publishers and vendors of books on Chinese politics that are banned in China are unnerved by the mysterious disappearances of five booksellers, and in some cases pulling books critical of Beijing’s leaders from their shelves.

In three bookstores selling political books visited by Reuters, owners declined to be publicly interviewed, citing the fear of mainland anger. Hong Kong, a former British colony handed back to China in 1997, is constitutionally guaranteed freedoms and autonomy from Beijing for 50 years but the series of disappearances has led to suspicions that mainland law enforcement officers were ignoring the law.

Lee Bo, 65, a shareholder of Causeway Bay Books and a British passport holder, went missing from Hong Kong in late December, although his wife has

withdrawn a missing persons report saying he travelled to China voluntarily to assist in an unspecified investigation.

Four other associates of the publisher have previously been unaccounted for, since late last year. Police said they continue to investigate and China has yet to clarify the fate of the men and whether they are in custody.

Bao Pu, a prominent publisher in Hong Kong, was openly critical of the events and said he suspected mainland officials had breached the law. His father, Bao Tong, was the most senior Chinese official jailed over the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing.

“Nobody is safe in Hong Kong now,” said Bao, who published the secret memoirs of Zhao Ziyang, a former Communist Party general secretary who was purged after the 1989 crackdown.

As of Thursday, over

500 publishers, writers, booksellers and members of the public had signed an online petition pledging to: “Not fear the white terror and uphold the principle of publication freedom”.

White terror is a term used to describe periods of political persecution by authoritarian regimes.

Britain and the United States have expressed concern about the disappearances.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi skirted a direct question on whether the men were under Chinese detention at a recent press conference. The Guangdong and Shenzhen Public Security Bureaux, and the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office in Beijing, have not responded to repeated Reuters’ requests for comment.

China’s state-run Global Times tabloid, however, wrote in a recent editorial that the booksellers were exercising an “evil influence” in China through their political books. The

newspaper went on to say that it was “reasonable” for law enforcement agencies to “circumvent the law when they seek cooperation from an individual for investigation.”

NICHE MARKET Political gossip books and exposes on Chinese leaders have been a lucrative niche market for Hong Kong booksellers catering to Chinese visitors accustomed to pervasive censorship of sensitive literature back home.

But now, some stores have distanced themselves from such books. At the PageOne bookshop chain, a young sales assistant told Reuters some of these books had been pulled recently.

“This is the company’s decision,” he said. “I’m not very clear about it. We only have history books now.” A spokesperson for PageOne said the firm wouldn’t comment.

At the People’s Book Cafe, posters of Mao Zedong - the late founder

A local artist ties himself with a rope that forms characters reading “Kidnap” during a protest over the disappearance of booksellers, in Hong Kong on January 10. (REUTERS Photo)

of modern China - were hanging above mainland Chinese tourists scouring the aisles to buy banned books on China’s leaders, including Mao himself.

Paul Tang, the owner, told Reuters, that in the event the industry for banned books collapsed in

Hong Kong, he expected it to “migrate to other nearby countries” like Taiwan or Japan given the huge sustained demand from Chinese visitors.

At two other small, independent bookshops visited by Reuters; Insiders Books and Best Reading

Bookstores, staff refused to comment about the disappearances.

The Causeway Bay Books shop, which has been linked to all five missing men, remains locked, while at the firm’s warehouse in an industrial building where Lee was

last seen in late December, stacks of books wrapped in brown paper were piled up outside the door. One pile of books was on Chinese President “Xi Jinping’s ultimate battle with the old Communists” according to an invoice glued to the side.

Lee told Reuters in November that “the only possible reason” for the disappearances of his associates was because of a new book they were going to publish, that some local media said was an expose on Xi Jinping’s love life. Lee, however, declined to give specifics.

“I really hope that they will be found,” said Angela Gui, the daughter of Gui Minhai, one of the other missing publishers who was an associate of Lee and a shareholder in Mighty Current Media which ran the shuttered Causeway Bay Books shop.

“And that they will be returned from wherever they are, as soon as possible,” she told Reuters by phone from Britain.

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sports

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

'Vintage' Horford helps Hawks halt Bulls

Los AngeLes, JAnuAry 10 (AFP): Atlanta center Al Horford made sure the Hawks measured up, scoring 33 points in a 120-105 victory that ended the Chicago Bulls' winning streak at six games.

Horford also pulled down 10 rebounds, handed out six assists and blocked four shots as Atlanta led throughout.

"We understood that this was a good measuringstick game for us," Horford said. "We knew that the effort had to be there more than ever. "We've been playing hard, but we knew we had to play harder.

From the beginning of the game, we did that."

The Hawks, who improved to 23-15, had six players shoot in double figures and forced 22 turnovers from the Bulls, who at 22-13 are clinging to the number two spot in the Eastern Conference behind Cleveland.

Horford said the Hawks will need to produce more of the same to move up.

"We need to continue to do what we did today, mov-

ing the ball and hustling on defense consistently," Horford said. "As a team, I feel that we sometimes have lapses in those areas."

Horford set the tone with 11 first-quarter points.

He made 15 of 21 shots and his points total was one short of his career high.

"Al Horford was very vintage," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said.

"Everyone kind of followed his lead."

The Bulls had 27 points and 10 rebounds from guard Jimmy Butler and 24 points form Nikola Mirotic, but rarely matched the Hawks' intensity.

"We dug ourselves a big hole obviously early in the game," Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg said. "They had way more energy coming out of the gate than we did."

- Clippers clamp down Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul scored 25 points, handed out seven assists and grabbed seven rebounds in a 97-83 victory over short-handed Charlotte -- and said it's defensive committment that has fueled the team's eight-

Jan 9, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) scores off a pass over Chicago Bulls center Pau Gasol (16) during the second half at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

game winning streak.

Moute early in the first The Clippers blocked quarter showing Charlotte nine Hornets shots -- a what they were in for. rejection by Luc Mbah a By halftime DeAn-

Raonic takes revenge on Federer to win in Brisbane

BrisBAne, JAnuAry 10 (reuters): An inspired Milos Raonic toppled Roger Federer 6-4 6-4 to win the Brisbane International on Sunday and avenge his defeat to the Swiss master in last year's final.

Raonic unleashed his usual serving blitz but it was the rangy Canadian's groundstrokes that impressed the most as he outwitted the Swiss with a masterful display of clean hitting from the baseline.

Federer, irrepressible in his semi-final win over Dominic Thiem, was off-colour from the start at Pat Rafter Arena and his 25-year-old opponent feasted repeatedly on his wayward backhand.

Beaten in three tight sets last year, Raonic won at a canter in the rematch to clinch his eighth tour title and complete the perfect buildup to his bid for a maiden grand slam at the Australian Open starting later this month.

Closing out the match with a booming first serve that Federer could only parry long, Raonic roared in triumph, having beaten the 17-times grand slam champion for only the second time in 11 encounters.

He accepted the winner's trophy from 77-year-old Australian great Rod Laver, the only player to complete the calendar grand slam twice.

"Hopefully (we have) a better year this year than the last," Raonic said in his victory speech, delivering a message of peace.

"I hope in 2016 we learn to love each other a little bit more and the world becomes a safer place.”

Although wearing a furrowed

dre Jordan had added two more blocks and Paul Pierce and Wesley Johnson one apiece -- part of

SATball tourney from January 19

brow for much of the match and showing rare negative body language, Federer was gracious in defeat but referred to a flu that had troubled him during the week.

"I’d like to congratulate Milos on a great start," the 34-year-old said.

"This year you deserve it, well played and good luck at the Aussie Open. "I was a bit sick but we made it to the final."

Long tipped to rock the tennis establishment, Raonic showed a bullet-proof poise in response to his opponent's frustration and broke

Federer's serve in the ninth game of the opening set.

Federer blasted a forehand long to concede the set then blew a giltedged chance to break Raonic early in the second by spraying a backhand long. Missing a regulation forehand winner down the line, Federer gave up a break-point and Raonic captured the decisive break in the eighth game.

Federer battled hard to put the set back on level terms, but Raonic's thunderbolt serve proved to be impenetrable.

Nik Vucevic took a swipe at Washington center Marcin Gortat of Poland and was whistled for a flagrant foul.

The Magic will try to regroup in unfamiliar territory, when they play the Toronto Raptors on Thursday at London's O2 Arena.

- Warriors subdue Kings Stephen Curry scored 38 points and passed out 11 assists and Draymond Green added 25 points and nine rebounds as the Golden State Warriors beat the Kings 128116 in Sacramento.

The reigning champion Warriors improved to 35-2 -- turning back the tenacious Kings who trailed by just two at halftime.

Kings center DeMarcus Cousins helped the hosts stay close, but when he went to the bench with four fouls early in the second half, Golden State put together a 9-2 scoring run to take their first doubledigit lead and were never in trouble from there.

Cousins finished with 33 points and 10 rebounds -- the fourth time in five games that he has scored at least 30 points.

1st Aonokpu Shooting C’ship held

dimAPur, JAnuAry 10 (mexn): The Emporia Sporting Club, Dimapur under the aegis of Nagaland SATball Association, is organizing the 6th Running Tournament 2016 at GHSS sporting ground, United Colony, Dimapur from January 19 to 22. A press release from the organizers has invited intending sporting clubs to avail free forms at Halleluya Books Centre, Nagarjan Junction, Dimapur. For further information, one may contact 8575872332, 9612472750, 9774217696.

East Bengal begin I-League campaign with win

Milos Raonic of Canada holds the winners trophy alongside runner-up Roger Federer of Switzerland during the Brisbane International. Getty Images

an overall defensive effort that saw the Clippers hold the Hornets to 36.7 shooting for the game and force

16 turnovers.

Paul said the defensive effort was allowing the Clippers to thrive in the absence of leading scorer Blake Griffin, sidelined by a torn quadriceps tendon.

"The only way we can really score without the big fella (Griffin) is if we defend and get out in transition," he said.

Hornets guard Jeremy Lin led all scorers with 26 points, but it wasn't enough to stop the Hornets from dropping their seventh straight on the road.

- Magic succumb to wizardy All-Star point guard John Wall led the hotshooting Washington Wizards to a 105-99 victory over Orlando -- Washington's fourth win over the Magic this season and 12th in a row dating back to 2013.

Wall scored 24 points and handed out 10 assists, one of six Wizards players to score in double figures.

The Magic lost for the fifth time in six games and their frustration boiled over in the third quarter when Montenegrin center

FAtordA, JAnuAry 10 (iAns): Nigerian striker Ranti Martins scored twice to guide East Bengal to a come-frombehind 3-1 victory over Sporting Clube de Goa in their ILeague opening game here on Sunday.

Sporting were the better side in the opening stages of the match and duly took lead in the 29th minute through Nigerian goal scorer Odafa Okolie. They led 1-0 at halftime. But the Kolkata giants overturned the tide in the second half scoring thrice in an inspired display to claim the three points. Martins (67, 81) and Bikash Jairu (78th) scored for the away side at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa.

mokokchung, JAnuAry 10 (mexn): The 1st Aonokpu Rifle & Pistol Shooting Championship 2016, organised by the Aonokpu Rifle Shooting Club, was held at Aonokpu Village from January 6 to 8.

The Nagaland Rifle Association assisted by the Aries Rifle & Pistol Shooting Academy, Dimapur conducted the championship as per the rules and regulations of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), a press release re-

ceived here informed.

The Championship was conducted in 6 categories: Air Rifle- Senior and Youth; Air PistolSenior and Youth; 25m Standard Pistol- Senior and 50m Peep sight Rifle prone- Senior.

Shooters from neighbouring villages as well as from Longchem and Mokokchung participated at the Training Camp and the Championship. The youngest participant was an 11 year old shooter who

Events 1) 10 Meter .177 Air Rifle (Senior) 2) 10 Meter .177 Air Rifle (Youth) 3) 10 Meter .177 Air Pistol (Senior) 4) 10 Meter .177 Air Pistol (Junior) 5) 25 Meter Standard Pistol (Senior) 6) 50 Meter Peep Sight Rifle Prone (Senior)

Gold.

Akumtemsu Imonenba Chubawati Imtirong Chubawati Akumtemsu

scored 60% in 10 meter Air Pistol.

Medal winners from the championship will be given free training from January 15 at the Aries Rifle & Pistol Shooting Academy Range at NST Colony and Aries Sports Complex at Bamunpukhuri-A. The winners will also be allowed to join and participate in all the forthcoming training camps and championships in 2016. Registration for the Dimapur Camp starts January 12.

Silver.

Watinungsang XXX K.Asangba Longchar Y.Ritong Yangerlemba Imtisangba

Bronze Sosangmar XXX Limatemsu Rongpangnok Akumba Jamir Watinungsang.

We will exploit WACA bounce New Zealand thrash Sri Lanka with Guptill, Munro blitz against India: Aaron Finch Guptill set the tone with a 25-ball 63 but Munro steals the show with 14-ball fifty

Perth, JAnuAry 10 (Pti): Looking to exploit the fast and bouncy conditions at the WACA, Australian opener Aaron Finch on Sunday said his team would look to corner the Indians early on in the opening cricket ODI on January 12.

India last played an ODI at the WACA against Australia in 2004 and even though the wicket has changed since, Finch believes the hosts can still put the visitors in a spot of bother.

"The Perth wicket has changed over the last few years. I don't think that there is same amount of carry that used to be. But there is extra bounce and that's something that they will have to adjust to and we can start to exploit that straightaway in the very first game of the series.

"But I think their young players, who have come at the back of the seniors, like Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli are pretty well-rounded players. I am sure they will adapt but if we can exploit that first hour I think that can go a long way to winning a match," Finch told reporters after a net session here.

Having beaten India in the semifinals en route to their fifth 50-over World Cup triumph, Australia go into the five-match series as favourites and Finch said it feels good to be in that position. "When you have that tag, that means you have played good cricket. It means you are favourites or there is excitement around your team because you have played so well in the past and I think that is something for which we can hold our head high.

"We had a great World Cup, we had a

great couple of years leading into it. So, I think we deserve that tag and there is no reason why there shouldn't be a big buildup and such excitement around our team," he said. Finch, who has a decent average of 38.06 in 52 ODIs, is confident of himself and the Australian team.

"I think I have played quite well. In my technique, I have adjusted to a couple of things lately that have me free up my game a little bit. I am confident going into this series. As a team, we have played great cricket in Australia, so everyone is confident and everyone is feeling good about the games," he said. Not too bothered about switching gears from T20, part of the Melbourne Renegades side in Big Bash League, Finch is just focusing on playing good cricket. "Any cricket at high level, Test cricket Big Bash cricket, domestic cricket, I think you are up to speed with the game in many ways, so that's not a huge change to me. But at the same time, the principles of the game remain the same. Still trying to give a smack at the top of the innings with Dave Warner, personally and that's great fun," said the 29-year-old batsman.

He also brushed aside talks of the oneday game losing its sheen. "Well I think the World Cup that went on here proved that the game is in great hands. The amount of crowd that showed up for the World Cup was phenomenal. The support that all the teams around the world had, people travelling from all around the world to watch a one-day tournament, I think was pretty special. So I think ODI cricket is still going unbelievably strong," he opines.

AuckLAnd, JAnuAry 10 (AFP): New Zealand blitzed the second Twenty20 against Sri Lanka in Auckland on Sunday with a whirlwind display by Martin Guptill and Colin Munro to set up a nine-wicket win. Munro brought up the winning runs with a six to be unbeaten on 50 after 14 balls, the second fastest Twenty20 half-century behind a 12-ball spree by India's Yuvraj Singh against England in 2007.

It was also the fastest 50 by a New Zealander, eclipsing the 20-minute-old record set by Guptill who took 19 balls to get there at the top of the innings.

Guptill was the only wicket to fall in the New Zealand innings, out for 63 off 25 balls with six fours and five sixes, while Munro clouted seven sixes and one four. It took New Zealand exactly 10 overs to mow down the modest 143-run target with Kane Williamson unbeaten on 32.

New Zealand captain Williamson said it was "pretty special" to see Guptill and Munro flay the bowling. "I thought it

Colin Munro of New Zealand plays a shot during the second T20 cricket match against Sri Lanka at Eden Park in Auckland on January 10. (AFP Photo)

would be a bit of a scrap on that wicket as it was holding up a fraction, but it didn't seem to be a problem for those two guys and they cleared the ropes consistently," he said.

"It was exciting to see."

The victory gave New Zealand a clean sweep of the tour by Sri Lanka, winning the Twenty20s 2-0 to

go with their 2-0 domination of the Tests and 3-1 win in the one-dayers.

- 'Bad batting' Sri Lanka's resounding defeat in the Twenty20 matches saw them slip from first to third behind the West Indies and Australia in the world rankings. As has happened throughout the tour, the Sri

Lankan top order failed to click. After being sent in to bat, they were all out for 142 with only Angelo Mathews showing any resistance with an unbeaten 81.

It was Mathews' highest score in the shortest form of the game, easily eclipsing his previous best of 58 against England five years ago. Tillakaratne Dilshan

with 28 was the only other Sri Lankan to reach double figures as the wickets tumbled. Sri Lanka's downfall was as much a result of poor shot execution -- repeated ill-timed slogs -- as it was good bowling and fielding by New Zealand.

"We just played bad batting out there," Sri Lanka skipper Dinesh Chandimal said.

"Thanks to Angelo he put a comfortable total at the end, but I'm really disappointed with the way we played."

The chief destroyer for New Zealand was Grant Elliott with four for 22 in his first game back at Eden Park since his six off the penultimate ball against South Africa to get New Zealand into the World Cup final last year.

Adam Milne and Mitchell Santner, who replaced Matt Henry and Ish Sodhi in the New Zealand line up, took two wickets apiece.

Faced with an undemanding target, Guptill and Williamson starting in rollicking form.

The 50 came up in 22 deliveries and the 100 in 43.

Monday 11•01•2016

EntErtainmEnt

Sean Penn under investigation for `El Chapo’ interview

'Martian' Digital HD Sales Break Record

A

D

igital HD sales of director Ridley Scott’s “The Martian” have soared to a new record, making it the quickest-selling live action Digital HD title ever, according to Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

The title has sold 1 million Digital HD copies to date, reaching that milestone in just three weeks of availability, reported the studio. The sci-fi hit, which debuted on Digital HD Dec. 22, was also the industry’s best-selling live action Digital HD title in its first week of release.

Based on the best-selling novel by Andy Weir, “The Martian” follows an astronaut’s (Matt Damon) fight for survival on Mars.

“Audiences have emotionally connected with Ridley Scott’s ‘The Martian’ in theaters around the world, and now again through the phenomenal results on Digital HD,” said Mary Daily, president and chief marketing officer, worldwide marketing, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

ctor Sean Penn is under investigation for a Rolling Stone magazine interview with drug kingpin Joaquin Guzman, ABC News reported, citing unidentified people in the Mexican government.

Kate del Castillo, the Mexican actress whom Penn says helped arrange the meeting, is also being investigated, the report says. The U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment on the Rolling Stone story and whether the interview led to Guzman’s recapture

by Mexican authorities on Friday, ABC says.

Penn spoke with Guzman, known as “El Chapo,” for seven hours in October while he was on the run from the authorities, and had follow-up interviews by phone and video, the Rolling Stone said.

Guzman told Penn in a video recording he had tried drugs but isn’t a drug addict and hadn’t taken any drugs in the last 20 years, the report says. He started to grow and sell marijuana and poppies at the age of 15 to survive, he said, according to the report Guzman was first caught in Guatemala in 1993 and extradited to Mexico. He escaped from a high-security prison in Jalisco state in 2001. Before it's here, it's on the Bloomberg Terminal.

“This is the clearest indicator yet that consumers are embracing digital, and it’s now a natural part of the purchase consideration for movie ownership.”

The Digital HD release contains more than 90 minutes of special features, including a fictional retrospective, starring Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Sean Bean, covering the “true” story behind the daring rescue seven years after the events of the film occurred. The release also includes two making of documentaries and a gag reel.

“The Martian” has been named one of the American Film Institute’s top 10 films of the year and has garnered numerous accolades, including top honors to Scott for best director, Damon for best actor and Drew Goddard for best adapted screenplay from the National Board of Review.

“The Martian,” which has earned $600 million at he animated wonder the box office worldwide, boy Chhota Bheem will be released on 3D Bluhas acquired an ray, Blu-ray and DVD on iconic stature among the Jan. 12. young Indian audience.

Chhota Bheem Himalayan Adventure review: An exciting escapade for its young audience

T

Those who have grown up seeing the popular TV series created for Pogo TV are now staunch fans of the little character.

Tom Cruise C M Y K

"Chhota Bheem Himalayan Adventure" is the third release after "The Throne of Bali" and "The Curse of Damyaan".

For those uninitiated into the series, Chhota Bheem and his friends Chutki, Raju, Kalia along with Dholu, Bholu and Jaggu the monkey live in a fictional town of Dholakpur ruled by King Indravarma.

In this edition, while playing Indumati, the princess of Dholakpur, expresses a desire to play with snow and enjoy the adventurous winter games. So, the entire entourage travels to the kingdom of Manali in the Himalayas. Unfortunately, during the same period, Manali is reeling under constant attack by a powerful, wicked bandit Hidimbak and his troupe. Hidimbak dreams of ruling the place one day.

So entry into the Hima-

layan state is forbidden.

Dhiru, one of the soldiers of Manali, feels sorry for the royal entourage. He suggests that they can still enjoy the winter sports on the outskirts of Manali in his father's estate and he instructs his dog Juju to lead them to his father Sardar Negi.

What follows is predictable. The children learn skiing and soon have a faceoff with the bandit.

The story is simple and meanders aimlessly with fun-filled skiing and life's lessons. The plot and the screenplay, though laced with verbose exposition, is uncomplicated, smooth and direct with much emphasis given to the exploits in the Himalayan terrain.

“T

wilight” star Kristen Stewart is ready to get behind the camera. The 25-year-old actress said she would be great in directing, reported People magazine. “I really want to do that now. I think that I’d be pretty good at getting people on the same plane and on the sort of train. Yeah.

I can’t wait,” she said. The type of film she wants to direct is unclear, but it will likely not be anything close to the near-death experience she had on her latest film, “Personal Shopper”. “I genuinely felt closer to death on a movie than I’ve ever felt. It’s like 16-hour days, six days a week, running around Paris. Literally nonstop running. “(Director Olivier Assayas) sort of gave me this opportunity for a short period of time to contemplate infinity in a really disarming and scary way, that’s like little questions that you ignore when you lay your head down on your pillow at night. Like, ‘I’m alone, who am I?’ All those things, they plague her.”

seeking custody of daughter Suri?

Can’t wait to direct: KrisTen sTewarT

Katie Holmes reportedly fears actor will reintroduce her to Scientology

T

om Cruise is reportedly trying to get primary custody of his nine-year-old daughter Suri, even though he allegedly hasn't seen her in a couple of years. If a new report is to be believed, the actor is also upset with ex-wife Katie Holmes over her purported relationship with his former co-star Jamie Foxx.

HollywoodLife.com cites an article from In Touch that claims Cruise is consulting a lawyer to consider his options.

A source revealed: "[Tom] is planning to make a big effort [to spend more time with Suri]. Tom has the money and the legal clout to re-enter his daughter’s life in a

And the fun-packed action sequences are exhilarating.

Most of the dialogues are derivatives of famous dialogues of Hindi films and they are delivered in the same tone and tenor of the original, giving it a total Bollywood flavour. The song "Zip, zap, zoop" and the rap number "Himachal ka Raja hu main" are bright and lively. They break the monotony of the action and yet keep the audience engaged.

The screen is filled with a colourful palette. The 2D animation though a bit backward given today's advance digital technology, is visually exciting. Though amateurish, the film is an exciting escapade for its young audience.

big way. If he wants to play a larger role in Suri’s life with more custody rights, there’s no deterring him."

The reports claims that Cruise was okay with Holmes raising Suri as a single mom. But now things have changed. The insider added, "He’s been fine with Katie raising Suri as a single parent. There’s no way he’s going to sit still and let another man — especially Jamie — raise his daughter."

Meanwhile, Holmes is reportedly scared that her ex plans on "reintroducing Suri to Scientology."

The source said: "Katie knows Suri would be putty in Tom’s hands. He has this way of being

the ultimate superstar dad, a father with the ability to captivate and win over his daughter completely."

Foxx, 47, and Holmes, 36, have never publicly confirmed their relationship. The pair has reportedly been dating since October 2013.

The In Touch source added: "There’s going to be a wedding, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a custody battle. Katie knows her decision to marry Jamie could invite Tom and his team of advisers and lawyers back into her and Suri’s life. But that isn’t going to stop her. Katie just wants to live a normal life — and that life now includes Jamie."

Hillstar NOW SHOWING

H

arrison Ford is the highest-grossing actor in Hollywood history, thanks to the unprecedented box office success of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The 73-year-old actor's 41 movies have grossed a total of USD 4.7 billion, with Mr Ford's latest movie, Star Wars: The Force

Harrison Ford named as highest grossing Hollywood actor Awakens, pulling in a whopping USD 770 million, according to Box Office Mojo .

Mr Ford has ousted Samuel L Jackson from the top spot, with the 67-yearold actor falling to second place. His 68 movies have taken in a total of USD 4.6 billion. Actors like Tom Hanks, Morgan Freeman

and Eddie Murphy round out the list of top five. (Also Read: Star Wars: The Force Awakens Fastest Film to Hit $1 Bn at Box Office) Star Wars has been breaking records since its release, starting with its opening weekend when it made a staggering USD 248 million at the box office.

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SPORTS

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Late penalty from Rooney saves toothless Man United at FA Cup

Wayne Rooney goes round Sheffield keeper George Long as David Edgar keeps an eye on things. (Getty Images)

C M Y K

Manchester, January 10 (Pa): Wayne Rooney scored an injury time penalty against Sheffield United to spare Louis van Gaal’s blushes and send Manchester United through to the fourth round of the FA Cup by the finest of margins.

In the third of six added minutes, Rooney stepped up and blasted the ball past goalkeeper George Long after Memphis Depay went down in the box following a challenge by Dean Hammond. Rooney and his United teammates made a habit of scoring late goals for Sir Alex Ferguson and Van Gaal will be happy they still know how to dig themselves out of trouble at the end of matches.

This was not a victory

United deserved. At times it seemed the home supporters inside Old Trafford were on the verge of an open revolt against their manager.

They cheered ironically when Matteo Darmian registered the hosts’ first shot on target in the 69th minute and thousands had already streamed out of Old Trafford by the time Rooney had scored from the spot.

The home supporters inside Old Trafford had every right to complain. Once again they did not get value for money from their players or their manager. Far from it. In truth, it was as bad a performance seen here this season.

Sheffield United began the day 46 places below the 20-time English cham-

pions in the league ladder.

They have been beaten by Bury, Crewe and Colchester this season. Last week they lost 3-2 at home to Peterborough. But the League One side never looked being defeated in this third round tie until Depay went down following an apparent trip by Hammond.

Van Gaal’s men mustered one shot on target in the match and they only came to life when their manager brought on Depay and Jesse Lingard with half an hour to go.

It was also the 10th successive home game that Manchester United had failed to score before half time – a damning statistic that demonstrates how boring the football has become at Old Trafford.

FA Cup: Arsenal and Man City march on LonDon, January 10 (aFP): Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud scored as Arsenal started their FA Cup defence by coming from behind to defeat Sunderland 3-1 in the third round on Saturday.

Arsenal were joined in round four by Premier League title rivals Manchester City, who won 3-0 at Norwich City, but Southampton and Newcastle United were both eliminated and West Bromwich Albion survived a huge scare.

Sunderland took a 17thminute lead at the Emirates Stadium through Jeremain Lens, but Joel Campbell equalised eight minutes later before second-half goals by Ramsey and Giroud gave Arsene Wenger’s men victory.

“It was a test for us to come from behind. There was a great mental response and there is a special solidarity in the team,” said Wenger, who has never lost a third-round tie. “I am very happy overall.”

Premier League leaders Arsenal are seeking to become the first team to win three FA Cups in a row since Blackburn Rovers between 1884 and 1886.

A side showing five changes fell behind when Lens picked Laurent Koscielny’s pocket and fired home, but in the 25th minute Theo Walcott teed up Campbell to tuck away the equaliser.

Substitute Ramsey made it 2-1 in the 72nd minute after a one-two with Hector Bellerin and three minutes later Bellerin teed up Giroud for Arsenal’s third.

Olivier Giroud scores the third goal for Arsenal against Sunderland at the Emirates. (Reuters)

Ma n c h e s t e r C i t y strolled through at Carrow Road, where Sergio Aguero put the visitors ahead in the 16th minute with a driving run and emphatic shot.

Aguero set up 19-yearold strike partner Kelechi Iheanacho for City’s second goal on the half-hour and substitute Kevin De Bruyne wrapped up victory 12 minutes from time.

Southampton and Newcastle both fell at the first hurdle, but could at least console themselves that they were beaten by fellow Premier League teams. Wilfried Zaha’s 68th-minute goal gave Crystal Palace a 2-1 win at Southampton, while Troy Deeney punished a loose back-pass from Georginio Wijnaldum to give Watford a 1-0 home victory over Newcastle.

West Brom manager Tony Pulis had James Morrison to thank for an equaliser in the fifth minute of stoppage time that prevented his side from losing at home to second-tier Bristol City.

After substitute Saido Berahino gave West Brom a 67th-minute lead, goals from Jonathan Kodjia and Kieran Agard put Bristol City in charge, only for Morrison to secure a 2-2 draw at the death.

Aston Villa’s wretched season continued as they were taken to a replay by fourth-tier minnows Wycombe Wanderers following a 1-1 draw at Adams Park — their 16th successive game without victory.

Eleven points adrift of safety at the foot of the Premier League table, Villa took a 22nd-minute lead

Djokovic crushes Nadal to start year with title

Doha, January 10 (reuters): Novak Djokovic moved ahead for the first time in his longrunning rivalry with Rafael Nadal when the world number one thrashed the Spaniard to win the Qatar Open in Doha on Saturday.

The Serb, appearing in his 16th consecutive final, won 6-1 6-2 in little more than an hour and now has 24 career victories over Nadal, compared to 23 for the former world number one. Djokovic dominated 2015, winning three of the year's four grand slams, and already looks in the groove in the build-up to this month's Australian Open.

He and Nadal boast

the most prolific rivalry, in terms of meetings, in the professional era of men's tennis but the latest only emphasized how dominant Djokovic has become.

The Serb has now won nine of his last 10 clashes with Nadal. Saturday's onesided affair saw Djokovic claim a 60th career ATP title, one of only 10 players to achieve such a feat.

The 28-year-old suffered one of his few blips last year in Doha when he was surprisingly beaten

by Ivo Karlovic, failing to reach a tournament final for the only time in 2015.

But he made up for that with an immaculate week alongside the Arabian Gulf.

Nadal was power-

less to stop Djokovic as he watched 16 winners fly past him in the opening set.

World number five Nadal, competing in his 99th final, fared little better thereafter and has now lost 11 consecutive sets against Djokovic since the 2014 French Open final.

"I played pretty much perfect tennis today. From the very beginning I managed to get every shot the way I wanted," said Djokovic.

"The way I played today gives me great satisfaction."

Djokovic will aim to retain the Australian Open crown in Melbourne where he has won half of his 10 Novak Djokovic (L) and Rafael Nadal after the Qatar Open men's single tennis final in Doha, major titles.

Qatar, January 9. (REUTERS)

through Micah Richards, only for Joe Jacobsen to equalise with a penalty early in the second half.

Villa captain Richards went over to speak to frustrated Villa fans at the final whistle and manager Remi Garde said: “It was brave of him to do that.

“As professionals, we have to face our responsibilities — not only Micah, me and all the players.”

Bolton Wanderers, bottom of the Championship and at risk of bankruptcy, narrowly escaped succumbing to the day’s biggest shock as Darren Pratley’s scrappy 87th-minute goal earned them a 1-1 draw at fifth-tier Eastleigh.

The lowest-ranked team left in the tournament, Eastleigh had gone ahead in the 51st minute via an own goal by Bolton’s

French defender Dorian Dervite.

“It’s quite emotional.

The players have put in an unbelievable performance and we probably deserved to win the game,” Eastleigh manager Chris Todd told the BBC. “But we’re still in the draw for the fourth round, so we’re happy overall.”

Manchester United face lower-league opposition later on Saturday in the form of third-tier cup specialists Sheffield United, who reached the League Cup semi-finals last season and the FA Cup last four the year before.

Liverpool were taken to a replay by fourth-tier Exeter City on Friday, Brad Smith’s 73rd-minute equaliser sparing Jurgen Klopp’s youthful side from an ignominious exit.

Swansea ousted, Chelsea progress in FA Cup

Manchester, January 10 (aFP): Kemar Roofe scored twice as fourth-tier Oxford United pulled off the first major shock in this season's FA Cup by stunning Premier League stragglers Swansea City 3-2 on Sunday. Chelsea avoided the same fate against third-tier Scunthorpe United, with goals from Diego Costa and Ruben Loftus-Cheek earning them a straightforward 2-0 win.

Swansea went ahead at Oxford through Jefferson Montero's clever back-heel, but Liam Sercombe equalised and Roofe's classy 10-minute brace took the League Two side through despite Bafetimbi Gomis replying in the 66th minute.

Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink's quest to repeat his feat of 2009 by leading the club to FA Cup glory got off to a positive start with a routine home win over League One Scunthorpe.

Costa steered in Branislav Ivanovic's cross to give Chelsea a 13th-minute lead and half-time substitute Loftus-Cheek, 19, clipped home his first goal for the club from Cesar Azpilicueta's pass in the 68th minute.

Bale hat-trick gets Zidane off to dream start at Madrid

Messi hat-trick puts Barca back on top

Gareth Bale scores his team’s third goal. Getty Images

MaDrID, January 10 (aFP): Gareth Bale struck a hat-trick as Zinedine Zidane enjoyed a winning start to his career as Real Madrid boss with a 5-0 rout of Deportivo la Coruna on Saturday.

Bale took his tally to 10 goals in his last seven games with two excellent headers either side of a composed left-footed finish after Karim Benzema had opened the scoring before the Frenchman also smashed home the fifth in stoppage time.

Victory moves Zidane’s men back to within two points of leaders Barcelona, who were 4-0 winners over Granada earlier in the

day. Zidane’s name was chanted before kick-off, whilst on the big screens a video recalled his most glorious moments as a Madrid player, including his sumptious volley to win the 2002 Champions League final.

Once ahead, Madrid looked far more dominant and doubled their advantage seven minutes later when Bale stooped to head home Dani Carvajal’s cross.

Having seen his strike partners find the net, Ronaldo obsessively went in search of a goal of his own as he flashed a shot inches wide of German Lux’s far post.

The World Player of

the Year was then furious with himself as he headed against the post from Bale’s inch-perfect cross just before the break.

The roles were reversed four minutes after the interval as this time it was Ronaldo who squared for Bale and he made no mistake with his side-footed finish into the bottom corner.

Having waited over two years for his second Madrid hat-trick when he hit four against Rayo Vallecano just before Christmas, Bale then completed his second hat-trick in four games with another towering header from Toni Kroos’s corner.

BarceLona, January 10 (aFP): Lionel Messi warmed up for his anticipated fifth World Player of the Year crown by scoring his first hattrick of the season to move Barcelona back to the top of La Liga by cruising past Granada 4-0 on Saturday.

Messi effectively ended the contest within the first 15 minutes with two easy finishes before completing his hat-trick after the break to take his tally to 12 goals in 10 games since returning from knee ligament damage in November, while Neymar completed the rout late on.

The European champions lead Atletico Madrid, who travel to Celta Vigo on Sunday.

Arda Turan made his first league start for the hosts after Barca's yearlong ban from registering new players was lifted earlier in the week, and the Turkish international provided his first assist for the club with a lovely through ball for Messi to slot home after just eight minutes.

Barca's all-star front

three combined to perfection six minutes later as Neymar's cross was helped first time by Suarez into the path of Messi to roll past the helpless Andres Fernandez.

The hosts should have been much further clear by half-time than 2-0 as Suarez inexplicably fired wide with the goal at his mercy after a neat onetwo with Neymar.

Fernandez also produced a fine save to temporarily deny Messi his hat-trick before Neymar drilled a volley into the side-netting.

The Brazilian was frustrated again just before the hour mark when he fired against the post from a narrow angle, but Messi followed up to complete his hat-trick.

Neymar finally got his goal seven minutes from time when Messi cleverly let Suarez's cross roll across the area knowing he was in an offside position and Neymar took his time before blasting the ball into the roof of the net for his 18th goal of the season.

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