C M Y K
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wednesdAY • JAnuArY 13 • 2016
DIMAPUR • Vol. XI • Issue 11 • 12 PAGes • 5
T H e
ESTD. 2005
P o W e R
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T R u T H
We may go to the moon, but that’s not very far. The greatest distance we have to cover still lies within us —Charles de Gaulle Soul-searching by Mumbai police over lapses in Salman Khan case
Messi wins Ballon d’Or for fifth time
Mkg admin honour National Awardee Katibenla
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Myanmar: suu Kyi calls for all insurgents to take part in talks
At Washelo village in Meluri sub division under Phek district, children make their way to the forest to collect firewood and animal fodder. In this interior part of Nagaland, children are introduced to manual work from an early age to help contribute in sustaining the family. (Photo: Lipichem)
nagaland roads not worthy to serve common man: BJP national secretary
DIMAPUR, JANUARY 12 (MExN): The wretched road conditions of Nagaland caught the attention of BJP national secretary Farooq Khan after he landed in Dimapur to attend a party related function. Khan on Tuesday commented that the roads in Nagaland were not worthy to serve the common man, according to press note received from BJP Nagaland secretary, Jaangsillung Gonmei. “Only the national highways are visible and none other roads were worthy to serve the needs of the common man,” the former Inspector General of Police (IGP) from Jammu and Kashmir is learnt to have said during a function organized to welcome the
reflections
By Sandemo Ngullie
Scientists will say anything, if there’s global warming how come it’s getting colder?
SC hearing on women reservation on Jan 19
C M Y K
DIMAPUR, JANUARY 12 (MExN): The final hearing on the issue of women reservation in the Nagaland Municipal election could not take place on Tuesday’s Supreme Court hearing because of paucity of time. A press note from Joint Action Committee on Women Reservation (JACWR) said the item was listed at no-19 at the Supreme Court hearing today, however the court managed to reach only till item no-3. Therefore, the rest of the listed matters including this case will be heard before the same bench of judges next Tuesday (January 19) as decided by the bench. The petitioners and their advocates as well as the State Government counsels were present throughout the day in the Supreme Court, the press note added.
newly appointed State BJP president Visasolie Lhoungnu in Dimapur. Maintaining that the condition of Dimapur city roads was a clear indication of the indication of the neglect of the public needs, Khan lamented that poor infrastructure in Nagaland have affected the lives of the common person. Bringing this into fore, Khan urged the State BJP party workers under the leadership of its new president, Visasolie to work towards bringing positive changes by focusing on the development of public infrastructures. Visasolie Lhoungnu, the newly elected president in his address assured the party workers that he would strive hard for the betterment and up-
lift of the party on all fronts with focus on the next assembly election due on 2018. He also thanked the party leaders, national and state, for reposing faith in him to hold the reins of the State. Outgoing president Dr M Chuba Ao congratulated the newly elected president and formally handed over the reins of the State president office. He thanked the party members who had stood by him through thick and thin during his tenure. Ao also encouraged party workers to be loyal to the party programmes and work towards strengthening the party and the State. BJP general secretary (org) Prashant Arora, also congratulated and welcomed the new president.
NAYPYITAW, JANUARY 12 (REUTERS): More of Myanmar’s ethnic minority rebel groups should be brought into peace talks and the effort to end conflict should not divide groups that are involved in negotiations and those that have shunned the process, Aung San Suu Kyi said on Tuesday. Hundreds of representatives of guerrilla groups, the military and members of parliament, gathered in the capital, Naypyitaw, for the second stage of talks aimed at ending insurgencies that have plagued the country for decades. The outgoing semi-civilian government of President Thein Sein signed what it called a nationwide ceasefire agreement in October, but seven of 15 rebel groups invited to participate declined to sign, including some of the most powerful. Other groups were not invited to take part or showed little interest in the process. Since the signing, fighting has erupted between the military and groups that did not sign the ceasefire and groups that did not take part in the negotiations, as well as between groups that signed and others that did not, further complicating the already daunting task of reaching sustainable peace. “We need to work for all the ethnic armed groups to be participate in the NCA,” Suu Kyi said referring to the nationwide ceasefire
In this AP file photo, Kachin Independence Army troops are seen resting in a township. Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi during talks between the government, army and representatives of ethnic armed groups over a ceasefire called for an end to insurgencies, in Naypyitaw January 12. (REUTERS)
agreement. “It is important not to have conflicts between the ethnic armed groups which have signed the NCA and the groups which are still not involved in the agreement.” Ethnic minority guerrillas have been fighting the central government for greater autonomy and rights since shortly after the country gained independence from Britain in 1948. The military, which still wields huge influence under a constitution it drafted in 2008, has long portrayed itself as the sole power holding the ethnically diverse country together and it is widely seen as loath to give ground on minority demands for autonomy under a federal system.
‘HIGH EXPECTATIONS” Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy (NLD) swept a November election, said in an Independence Day speech last week that the peace process would be the first priority of her new government, which is due to take power in March. But she and the NLD have said little publicly about how they intend to push the process forward. Groups that chose not to sign the ceasefire have been invited to attend the latest talks, which could lay the groundwork for further negotiations once the NLD takes power. Several of the insurgent groups are hoping that Suu Kyi’s standing and mandate will help her in bridg-
ing differences with the military. “We have high expectations for Aung San Suu Kyi and her government to negotiate with the army chief - without the military’s involvement it will be impossible to end the fighting across the country,” said Saw Thamein Tun, a leader of the Karen National Union. The gathering in Naypyitaw was also attended by President Thein Sein and the powerful army chief Min Aung Hlaing. The appearance of the two alongside Suu Kyi reflected what has been a smooth transfer of power. Myanmar’s generals ran the country for 49 years, until 2011, when a hybrid civilian-military government was installed.
Replace transformer or face bandh; CRPO to power dept India now in ‘Big Three’ of porn consumption: Survey
DIMAPUR, JANUARY 12 (MExN): Chizami Range Public Organisation (CRPO) is set to impose bandh on vehicular movement barring medical and para-military on January 21 within Chizami range to protest against the non-replacement of the IMVA-33/11 KV power transformer at Pfutsero. A joint press statement received from CRPO and appended by Thetsumi village Council, Chizami Town Adhoc, Mesulumi Village Council, Sumi Village Council and Enhulumi Village Council said the transformer had broken down on January 3, 2016 and was yet to be replaced despite repeated appeals. The last break down of the transformer occurred on January 3, 2016,
which happens to be the third break down in seven months, thus depriving the populace of electricity for more than three months, the press statement informed. It also pointed out that continuous black out of electricity has partially halted banking, communication, office works and other activities thereby affecting the common people, students who are preparing for the coming examination as well as workers in innumerable ways. It has also caused huge loss to business sector and others depending on power supply. In this connection, the CRPO along with the executives of the range held a consultative meeting on January 7 to deliberate on the issue and resolved that the sub-station trans-
former which is presently installed at Pfutsero must be shifted and installed at Chizami Sub-Division along with the requirements number of officers and staff at the earliest. Furthermore, the CRPO resolved to express its frustration in the form of total bandh of vehicular movements within Chizami Range on January 21 from 6am to 6pm if the power department failed to restore power on or before January 20, the press statement informed. This would be the first phase agitation and would be followed by 2nd phase agitation should the concerned department fail to execute their demand. The general public has been requested to bear with the inconvenience.
‘1 in 4 children in conflict zones risk losing their future’ LONDON, JANUARY 12 (ThOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION): Nearly one in four children growing up in conflict zones are missing out on education, with South Sudan, Niger, Sudan and Afghanistan the worstaffected countries, the U.N. children’s agency (UNICEF) said on Tuesday. An estimated 24 million children of school-going age are out of school in 22 countries affected by conflict, according to the agency’s research. South Sudan has the largest proportion of children out of school, 51 percent, followed by 47 percent in Niger, 41 percent in Sudan and 40 percent in Afghanistan. “When children are not in school, they are at an increased danger of abuse, exploitation and recruitment into armed groups,” said UNICEF’s head of education, Jo Bourne. “School equips children with the knowledge and skills they need to rebuild their communities once the conflict is over, and in the short-term it provides them with the stability and structure required to cope with the trauma they have experienced,” said Bourne. If children grow up without an education, their future prospects are bleak, UNICEF said. “Unable to learn
A boy reacts in a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes carried out by the Russian air force in the town of Douma, in Damascus, Syria January 10. (REUTERS)
even the basic reading and writing skills, they are at risk of losing their futures and missing out on the opportunity to contribute to their economies and societies when they reach adulthood,” said Bourne. Education is one of the least funded sectors in humanitarian appeals. In 2014, it received 2 percent of humanitarian aid, the United Nations cultural agency UNESCO said in June.
UNESCO said 10 times as much - an additional $2.3 billion - is needed for education in conflict zones. U.N. Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown, UNICEF and others have called for a multi-million dollar humanitarian fund for education in emergencies to be set up, that can be mobilised quickly in a conflict, natural disaster or other humanitarian emergency.
NEW YORK, JANUARY 12 (IANS): The verdict is out. Ban or no ban, India is watching more porn than ever. In 2015, India knocked out Canada to grab the third position - after the US and Britain - in visiting one of the world’s largest adult websites Pornhub. In its annual review of how people around the world watch porn, Pornhub found that while the US added 11 seconds to their average time spent on watching porn, India - at 9 minutes 30 seconds - re-
corded a higher average time with a oneminute increase in the duration of each visit. “More and more, we are finding that our users are opting for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets when they visit Pornhub,” the website noted. PornHub received 21.2 billion visits in 2015 - 40,000 visits every minute or 2.4 million per hour. “In fact, visits from smartphones alone now account for 53 percent of traffic shares, up from just 45 percent last year,” the review noted.
cong opposes centre’s talks over Manipur bills
IMPhAL, JANUARY 12 (IANS): The central representatives’ participation in the talks over the three pending bills related to implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Manipur is not “acceptable”, Congress legislator R.K. Anand said here on Tuesday. A trouble shooter of the chief minister, Anand was associated with the protracted talks with the ILP campaigners. He said the three bills meant to regulate the entry and stay of non-Manipuris were passed by the Manipur assembly on August 31 last year after detailed discussions by the members of parliament and legislative assembly from Manipur. “If the bills are now to be discussed under the supervision of the central representatives, it will send a wrong message and this is unacceptable,” he said echoing the stand of Chief Minister Okram Ibobi on the issue. The chief minister is not happy that some tribal groups took out a “coffin procession” in Delhi recently and it sent a misleading message of the tribals being exploited in Manipur. Nine tribal youths were killed in Churachandpur district during anti-ILP campaign. The bodies are still lying in the district morgue all these months, as the activists have refused to claim the bodies and conduct their last rites, saying first the “anti-tribal bills should be withdrawn”. These bills, passed unanimously in the Manipur assembly have been sent to the President by the governor in view of the serious is-
sues associated with them. Anand said: “The non-tribals in Manipur do not enjoy any constitutional protection and they are nearing extinction.” Meanwhile, Ratan Khomdram, who is the convener of the Joint Committee on the Inner Line Permit System, said the next phase of the ILP campaign would be announced shortly. The deadline for giving assent to the three bills was January 3. He explained that the campaign was not announced because of the earthquake that struck the state recently. So far, there is no meeting point between the anti- and pro-ILP groups in Manipur and there is growing fear of a communal flare-up if the “anti-tribal bills” are given assent, officials say. During a meeting with the tribal activists last month, Chief Minister Ibobi made it clear that the impasse should be sorted out bilaterally. He reiterated that the bills were not anti-tribal and if there was anything to the contrary, the government would make amends if the issues were pointed out. Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam says: “Some scheming persons skim read the bills to mislead the people with tendentious interpretations”. While the tribal groups insist on withdrawal of the bills, the non-tribals say there should be no further delay in giving assent to these bills. All these months the Centre has been staying at a safe distance and there has been no comment on the proposal for the central participation in the negotiations.