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FriDAY • JAnuArY 22 • 2016
DIMAPUR • Vol. XI • Issue 20 • 12 PAGes • 5
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ESTD. 2005
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T R u T H
When a man is wrapped up in himself, he makes a pretty small package — John Ruskin ‘Putin ‘probably’ approved murder of Litvinenko’ PAGE 09
Nagaland State Cooperative Bank records growth of 10.74%
End of an era: Ferrer sends Aussie legend Hewitt into retirement
PAGE 02
PAGE 12
New bird species found in North East ‘ennG’ formed for governance
MuMbai, January 21 (MExn): A bird species, locally common in eastern Himalaya and overlooked till now, has been identified as a new species. A team of scientists from India, Sweden, China, US and Russia have described this species from the North East region and adjacent parts of China as the Himalayan Forest Thrush, informed a press note from Atul Sathe, Assistant Director - Education & Communication, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). This is the first Indian bird (Zoothera salimalii), which has been named after Late Dr Sálim Ali, who was closely associated with BNHS-India, including as a researcher, honorary secretary and finally as its president. The bird has been named after him in recognition of his huge contributions to the development of modern Indian ornithology and wildlife conservation. The BNHS stated that new bird species are rarely discovered nowadays, as most natural habitats are shrinking. Since 2000, an average of five new species has been discovered globally every year, mostly from South America. The Himalayan Forest Thrush is only the fourth new bird species described from India by modern ornithologist since independence. Commenting on the development, Dr Asad Rahmani, Senior Scientific
reflections
By Sandemo Ngullie
of Myanmar eastern nagaland • Eastern Naga National Govt to ‘fully concentrate on Myanmar Eastern Nagaland’ • To ‘discuss ‘Nation Statement of Eastern Nagaland’ with NLD govt • Announces formation of armed wing Eastern Naga Independent Army (ENIA)
The newly identified Himalayan Forest Thrush (Photo by Craig Brelsford)
Adviser and former Director, BNHS said, “It is a remarkable discovery and shows how much more we have to do in the field of ornithology in India. It also proves that North East India is a treasure trove of biodiversity that needs protection from the mega projects that are planned in Arunachal Pradesh without giving any attention to biodiversity conservation.” The tale of discovery Dr Per Alström and Shashank Dalvi first discovered the species in MayJune 2009 while studying birds at high elevations in western Arunachal Pradesh. It was realized that instead of a single species - Plain-backed Thrush
(Zoothera mollissima) – as believed till now, in reality there exist two different species in eastern Himalaya. Till now Himalayan Forest Thrush has been overlooked because of its close similarity in appearance to the Plain-based Thrush, now renamed as Alpine Thrush. Studies of specimens in 15 museums across seven countries revealed consistent differences in plumage and structure in the birds from the above two populations. It was confirmed that the species - Himalayan Forest Thrust - found to be breeding in the coniferous and mixed forests of eastern Himalaya was not separately classified till now. What first caught the atten-
tion of the scientists was the fact that the ones found in forests (Himalayan Forest Thrush) had a rather musical song, whereas individuals found in the same region on bare rocky habitats above the tree-line (Alpine Thrush) had a much harsher, scratchier and unmusical song. Further analyses of its plumage, structure, song, DNA and ecology throughout the range revealed that a third species was present in central China. While this population was already known, it was treated as a subspecies of Plain-backed Thrush. A fourth species from China remains unnamed. Future field studies are required to confirm this, the BNHS said.
DiMaPur, January 21 (MExn): A new political entity calling itself the Eastern Naga National Government (ENNG) declared was formed on January 14, 2016. This was stated today in a press statement to the media by the newly formed ENNG, which has R Stephen Naga as President, Khongwong Mossang as Minister for Home Affairs, M Saimon as Minister for Defence and Kim Juv NG as Minister for Foreign Affairs. The ENNG further stated that it will have an armed wing known as the Eastern Naga Independent Army (ENIA). The ENNG said that the people of Eastern Nagaland have suffered “untold terrible pain, agony, extreme poverty, and human torture during the past few decades due to mismanagement by various Naga national political leaders and wrong political philosophy and misguided policies of various Naga groups under the influence of other North East militant groups.” As such, the ENNG reasoned that the “emergency formation” of a new political organisation was necessary for the “welfare
and governance of the people of Eastern Nagaland and for bringing peace and tranquillity in the land.” The ENNG, it stated will “fully concentrate on the Myanmar Eastern Nagaland and take care of their own people to become a recognized nation in the days to come.” “And the People of Eastern Nagaland shall never and ever disappoint of doing their well being among the races of human beings.” Further it stated that the newly formed ENNG would discuss with the NLD government in Myanmar “about the Nation Statement of Eastern Nagaland in the days to come.” “Guided by our faith and deep belief that God has a plan and purpose for the Eastern Naga People, we affirm that it is our calling to survive and regain our rightful destiny as Eastern Naga,” stated the ENNG. “We honour the histories and traditions that had made us Naga,” it said while affirming to “uphold our economic resources, and right to exercise political rights in our own nation. We commit ourselves to
advancing the economic, political, social and spiritual well being of the Eastern Naga People.” The ENNG, it stated is based on the “political strategy over the Eastern Nagaland and the People and Tribes of Eastern Nagaland.” “The ENNG, manifesto is deem and more satisfaction for People of the land and there is a fortunate blessing of almighty God for our nation,” it claimed. Releasing its vision statement to the media, the ENNG affirmed to unite all caste, creed, nation, organization and factions in Eastern Nagaland “currently under the military occupation of Myanmar.” It recognized the urgent need to reclaim Nagaland, which it said has been carved out into different regions and states over the years since Myanmar got her independent from the British in 1948. The ENNG also recognized the need for a separate national organization for the eastern Nagas “at this juncture of our history with the blessings and support from the entire Naga people of Eastern Nagaland.”
The ENNG, in its vision statement expressed concern that the Eastern Nagas have suffered from discrimination, extreme poverty, colonization, occupation and historical injustices, which has resulted in dispossession of their land and resources, thus, preventing them from exercising their right to development in accordance with customary and traditional laws. It then expressed concern at the lack of development, educational and technological disadvantages of Eastern Nagaland. While affirming its respect to the “origin of Eastern Nagaland and the people,” the ENNG said: “we cannot impose the nonNaga residing in our territory those who become enemy for the son of the soil and other foreign nations.” It cautioned that the ENNG would not allow entry of any armed group in their “Peace Zone” and cautioned that any kind of illegal smuggling will not be tolerated. “Any such entry will be defended by Eastern Naga National Government (ENNG) Army,” it warned.
film, northeast 2016 to salute Tohanba bats for unity, peace talents and nurture passion Morung Express News Shamator | January 21
Morung Express News Dimapur | January 21
Let’s go home, son, they told me ‘the money i have is not enough to pay for your admission.’
Letter cautions French prez on India visit: Bengaluru Police
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bEngaluru, January 21 (ianS): A letter allegedly conveying Al Qaeda’s warning to French President Fancois Hollande not to visit India for the coming Republic Day parade has been received here, Bengaluru Police said on Thursday. Bengaluru police registered a case on January 14 under the Indian Penal Code after court permission since it is a non-congnisable offence, Additional Commissioner of Police (East) Charan Reddy said. “The letter which ends with words ‘Al Qaeda’ - was received by the French consulate here and handed over to the Highgrounds police station on January 11,” he said. The single page letter, with an Indian map in the background, contains three lines in the English language, warning French President Francois Hollande not to participate in the Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi on January 26. The letter also contains a warning to the French people in unstructured English. The police officer said that the letter’s address indicated it was posted in Chennai in Tamil Nadu.
This February, creators of motion pictures from the North East region will be converging at the high grounds of Arunachal Pradesh to salute talents and nurture passion in filmmaking. In a maiden initiative, Arunachal Pradesh is hosting a regional film festival from February 17-20 at its capital Itanagar to promote an understanding and appreciation of the diversity of cinema in the North East region. ‘Film, Northeast 2016,’ which is anticipated become a biennial event, and organized in partnership with the Film Federation of Arunachal (FFA) seeks to create a space where filmmakers from the 8 NE states can meet and engage with each other their stories, films, and art. “North East is unparalleled when it comes to culture, compassion and creativity. In this backdrop, we decided to create a platform to showcase the films of NE, create an interaction point and share experiences,” Sonam Chombay, secretary Information public Relation (IPR), Arunachal Pradesh said at a press conference held at Hotel Lake Shilloi, Dimapur on Thursday. Most importantly, Chombay hoped that the festival will be the beginning of generating an accord among filmmakers of the region to come together and make films on the issues of Northeast as a whole. Arunachal Pradesh IPR director, CM Longphong and festival director, Moji Riba was also present dur-
Arunachal Pradesh invites filmmakers from Nagaland to attend and take part in the Northeast film festival
(From L-R) Film, Northeast 2016 festival director Moji Riba, Arunachal Pradesh IPR secretary Sonam Chombay, IPR director CM Longphong along with Nise Meruno and a member of Zowie Madrigal at the press conference held at Hotel Lake Shilloi on Thursday. (Morung Photo)
ing the present conference. The film festival will be a precursor to the 30 years of Statehood celebration of Arunachal Pradesh. The vision of the film festival, according to the organizers, is to provide space for film makers of the region to interact and engage, create a network (both virtual and real) to share their work and concerns, build capacity and nurture talent of the art of cinema in the region. “It is very rare that filmmakers here from the region meet in our own home ground. We meet either in Delhi or Mumbai during film festivals organized by the outside actors,” Moji Riba said. He expressed that the upcoming film festival will create an opportunity not only share films of the region but also help in strengthening the emotional link between the NE states. The Arunachal Pradesh government has invited film and documentary makers from Nagaland to
attend and take part in the festival and also showcase their productions. The film festival will have a diversity of segments. In competition through official nomination, there is Chiaroscurowhere a feature film from each State would be nominated by IPR/Art and Culture departments. Films shot after January 1, 2013 is eligible to apply and the last date of submission is February 5, 2016. First Cut: debut films of directors form the regionthe IPR and Arts and Culture departments of east State will nominate 2 films for this segment. In open competition, there is Clapperboard which is films by young filmmakers (under 5 minutes) and Our Stories: documentary films on contemporary issues facing the region (20-30 minutes). The entries can be sent directly to the secretariat of Film, Northeast 2016. Last date for submission of entries is January 31.
There will be cash awards running in lakhs of rupees and trophies for the winners of the competition segments. Besides, there will be non competitive events such as children film festival, shorts, documentaries and features from Arunachal, retrospective of the films of master filmmaker Aribam Syam Sharma, discussion on the issue of northeast cinema, scripting workshop, sound design workshop etc. With invitation from the Arunachal Pradesh government, Nise Meruno and the Zowie Madrigals will also be performing at the festival. “I am excited and proud that the Northeast finally has a major film festival…this is a good start,” said Meruno who also attended the press conference. The film festival will be held at Annex Lawns, IG Park. Those interested can get more details from their website: www.film-northeast.in.
Parliamentary Secretary for Municipal Affairs and Economics & Statistics, R Tohanba has stressed on unity amongst the Yimchungrüs in order to realize the aspirations of the younger generation for a progressive and vibrant society. The Parliamentary Secretary said whatever language the Yimchungrü people speak, whichever geographical area they belong to and the diverse traditions they follow, all these signify the rich cultural heritage of the Yimchungrü people as a whole. “We should be proud of who we are,” Tohanba said. Addressing the valedictory function as chief guest of the golden jubilee celebration of Yimchungrü Akherü Arihako (YAA) at Shamator Wednesday evening, Tohanba who also represents 58 Shamator-Chessore constituency in the state legislative assembly, said unity can be possible only when there is mutual trust and respect among different sections of the people. He said YAA being the apex student body of the Yimchungrü tribe, should be the harbinger of unity and peace among various sections of the society. “We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided”, Tohanba added quoting the famous author JK Rowling. Dwelling on the jubilee theme “Honoring our past, charting our future”, he said the theme aptly suggests that as the students move towards higher goals, they should at the same time remain rooted in their culture and tradition to retain their unique identity. “However, being root-
Parliamentary Secretary for Municipal Affairs and Economics & Statistics, R Tohanba, addressing the valedictory function of the YAA golden jubilee celebration at Shamator, Wednesday evening. (Morung Photo)
ed should not mean to imply holding on to our raw lifestyle. But it is important to celebrate and promote the positive, practical and logical practices of our forefathers like hard work, honesty and integrity. Yimchungrüs are fortunate to be blessed with a plethora of rich and amazing culture, which should be preserved while shedding off negative practices”, he said. Underscoring the importance of education in the modern world, the Parliamentary Secretary said education opens windows to the world. Tohanba said a society advances according to the progress made in education and that education is the only instrument which can open the eyes of ignorance and deliver the people from bondage. “When we look back to the time of our forefathers who did not have access
to education, they did not see the world beyond the boundary of their villages. But as soon as formal education came to our land, it empowered the people with knowledge and gave us the strength to move forward”, he said. Congratulating YAA for reaching an important milestone, Tohanba further said jubilee is not only a time of celebration and jubilation, but also a time for retrospection and reprisal and, a time to fondly remember the pioneers of YAA including P Hopong, late P Thsamphu, Kiulongba, Pensokiu, Kejinggkhum and H Chipong and others, whose sacrifices have made the student body into what it is today. ADC Shamator, Wonchio Odyuo and former presidents of YAA also addressed the valedictory function.
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FriDAY 22•01•2016
NAGALAND
THE MORUNG EXPRESS
Nagaland State Cooperative Bank records growth of 10.74%
Dimapur, January 21 (mExn): The 46th Annual General Meeting of Nagaland State Cooperative Bank ltd (NStCB) was held on January 20 in the Head Office of the Bank at Dimapur. Temjen Toy, IAS, Principal Secretary & Finance Commissioner, Nagaland and Chairman of the Bank who chaired the meeting placed the Annual Report of the bank for the year 2014-15 before the General Body. The report revealed a growth of 10.74% in the business of the bank. He placed on record that as per statutory audit report the Bank is well capitalised with an overall CRAR of 8.94% well above the bench mark requirement of 7 % stipulated by RBI and has acquired net
worth of (+) Rs. 2400.21 lakh as on March 31, 2015. He highlighted that the bank has made an operating profit of Rs.57.55 lakh as on March 31, 2015 and the size of Balance Sheet has improved from Rs.57550.96 lakh as on March 31, 2014 to Rs.61410.51 lakh as on March 31, 2015 registering a growth of 6.70%. The Working Capital of the Bank is Rs.52088.73 lakh recording a growth of 7.10% over the previous year. He said that the Share Capital of the Bank as on March 31, 2015 was Rs.5737.37 with the State Government contributing major shares of Rs 4174.21 lakh constituting 72.75% of the total stake holder. He informed that with the induction of Information Technology in the
(Middle) Temjen Toy, IAS, Principal Secretary & Finance Commissioner, Nagaland and Chairman of Nagaland State Cooperative Bank ltd reporting the 46th annual report at the Annual General Meeting held in Dimapur on January 20.
bank, the Bank has leveraged its technology to make available good quality products and services to its customers. During 201415, the Bank launched a host of technology initiatives to create a strong foundation for sustainable growth in the years ahead. The Bank had em-
barked on an IT enabled Business Transformation Project to reposition itself in an intensely competitive banking environment. The Project envisaged a host of applications to be implemented in the Bank over a three-year period ending March 2018. This will help the Bank to transform itself
into a customer-centric organization and reduce the cost of its services. He said that the bank now is capable of offering all types of normal banking facilities to its customers and clients at par with that of any other bank operating in the country. While addressing the flagship programme on
social security called the Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJYD) which was launched in the state on August 28, 2014 by the Chief Minister of Nagaland, where the bank was allotted with 16 Sub Service Area (SSA) in eight districts viz Mokokchung, Tuensang. Zunheboto, Wokha, Mon, Kiphire
and Peren, he informed that the bank has successfully acquired cent percent coverage of the allotted areas as on March 31, 2015. The plan envisages channeling all Government benefits from the Government to the beneficiaries’ accounts and pushing the Aadhar seeded Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) scheme of the Union Government. Auditors Report was read out in the meeting by CR Lotha. Board of Director informing that for the first time the Bank was awarded Scale 'B' in Audit rating. The meeting was attended by all Board of Directors of the Bank Officials and dignitaries from State Government, NABARD, Cooperative Societies and
Share holders of the Bank. Velasa Nalco, Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Nagaland declared the result of election of Board of Directors where M. Bendangnukshi Longkumer, LN Ngullie and Noklem Konyak were elected unopposed to the Board representing Mokokchung Wokha and Mon district respectively. Rev. Dr. S.Vitoshe Swu, Sr.Pastor Sumi Baptist Church , Dimapur lead the invocation prayer and Welcome Address was delivered by O.T. Chingmak Chang, IAS, Secretary, Cooperation, Nagaland. Vote of thanks was articulated by Imtilemba Longkumer, Managing Director, Nagaland State Co-operative Bank Ltd.
IETC Medziphema conducts study tour
Dimapur, January 21 (mExn): The Integrated Extension Training Centre (IETC) Medziphema Department of Agriculture led by Dr. Watimongla Jamir, Academic Incharge and lecturer along with SDAO (Sugarcane) A. Temsu and Samsanghiele AO undergone outside study tour for the Agriculture Field Asst (AFA) the 25th batch Trainees from January 11 to 19. The highlight of the tour included visit to IARI (Indian Agriculture Research Institute) New Delhi, where 64 trainees Integrated Extension Training Centre Medziphema Department were appraised and created awareness of Agriculture team during the study tour held for the Agricul- on agricultural farms and crop experiture Field Asst. mental stations on latest trends in agri-
culture research. They also visited Progressive Farmers Field to acquaint the latest progress of activities on Rabi crops, in order to give a chance to the Trainees to bring together all individual parts of the course they have studied during their 2 years training course i.e. 2014-2016 in IETC Medziphema, Department of Agriculture. The trainees also visited important historical places and other field activities in Agra, Jaipur and in and around New Delhi. This was stated in a press release issued by Nguzonyi Wetsah, Principal IETC Medziphema, Nagaland.
(Left) Miazielie Sakhrie, Pastor Kuda Village Baptist Church Dimapur (right) Y. Nuklu Phom, Executive Secretary. Phom Baptist Christian Association Nyengching, Longleng speaks at the 8th Annual Conference of Association of the Gorkha Baptist Churches Nagaland held from January 15 to 17 at Nepali Baptist Church, Kuda Village, Dimapur on the theme “Envisioning the future ; Change, Challenge and Opportunity”. The 40 Churches under AGBCN attended the Conference.
JKM adopt resolutions aimed at ‘Future Vision’ SSP cadets visit Air Force at Rangapahar
mokokchung, January 21 (mExn): The 69th Japukong Students’ Conference (JKM) general conference was successfully held at Satsükba village from January 13 to 15 on the theme, ‘Future Vision’, where more than 500 delegates from twelve villages under the Japukong range and units from different towns attended the conference. The three day conference at Satsukba, which is located some 50 Kms away from Mokokchung town, was attended by a host of dignitaries, guest, invitees, students’ leaders and others. After a hectic three days conference, the JKM adopted a five-point resolution which aspired for a better future of the Japukong Students’ community. The JKM resolved that
the triennial JKM general conference will restart from Yajang ‘C’ and go on to the next village on rotation basis. It was also resolved that the J.N Aier Trust Award for Academic Excellence will continue till the Platinum Jubilee celebration which will be held at Yajang ‘A’ in the year 2025. The JKM also resolved to set up a Planning Committee for the JKM Platinum Jubilee celebration, the task for which was entrusted to the new team of office bearers. Keeping in mind the importance of information technology in the modern world, the JKM resolved to create and launch an official website at the earliest. Besides, it was also resolved to open groups and pages in different social networking sites for the
JKM members to keep in touch and share views and opinions among them. Moreover, it was also resolved to set up a corpus fund committee, it was resolved that the first seed money would be contributed by each village unit and well-wishers. During the general conference, a new team of office-bearers was also nominated and accepted by the delegates. The new team would be headed by Rongsenmongba Aier, who retained the presidentship; and Wapang as the general secretary. The most interesting event was the Mr & Miss Japukong which was won by Nungsangtemsu (Yajang ‘A’) and Imcharenla Jamir (Changdang) as the Mr Japukong and Miss Japukong respectively.
Also in recognition of their achievement, fifteen achievers from the Japukong students who excelled in their educational fields were awarded the JN Aier Trust Award for Academic Excellence; they were awarded certificates and cash awards of Rs 10,000 each. The main speakers at the conference were Dr Sunep Imchen (Dy Chief Veterinary Officer, Mokokchung) and Advocate Supu Jamir from Dimapur. Executive Engineer, Irrigation & Flood Control, Mokokchung, Er J Lanu Longchar inaugurated the games & sports cum cultural events, while the Director, Soil & Water Conservation, Kohima, T Imkongmar Aier was the special guest at the valedictory function.
Gp Capt Sateesh Nawathe, TAC Commander and Gp Capt Sanjay Gaekwad, Principal, Sainik School Punglwa with Cadets at Rangapahar.
Dimapur, January 21 (mExn): As part of training, 48 Cadets of class XI accompanied by Principal and two staff of Sainik School Punglwa visited TAC, Air Force at Rangapahar. It was a day visit under school arrangements on January 21. The trip was conducted in order to instill in the minds of cadets to join the Armed Forces. An impressive and heart awakening documentary on NDA was screened for the cadets,
wherein they were all inspired. The cadets also had an interactive session with Gp Capt Sateesh Nawathe, TAC Commander, Wg Cdr Paul Devis and Wg Cdr T Kiba where they were motivated to join the Armed Forces. The cadets also visited Army Aviation Flt and other places at the military station and had a closer look to military hardware. The trip ended with a visit to war memorial and cadets paid tribute to brave soldiers who sacrificed
their lives for the cause of the nation. Gp Capt Sanjay Gaekwad, Principal, in his address to the cadets on return to school stated that such tours and visits widen up the thinking horizon of the cadets and allow them to have unique experience that remain in their memories all through their lives. He expressed his gratitude to Commander, TAC for providing an opportunity to the cadets to have a glimpse of Air Force.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT We, the family members of Lt. Nchuponi Kikon (wife of Lt. Mhonsao Kikon), acknowledge with deep appreciation of compassion and love, your thoughtful gestures and support in various forms during her illness until her last breath on 13th January, 2016 at Zion hospital Dimapur. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to friends, well-wishers, relatives, doctors and staff of Zion hospital, Officers Hill Colony and Yimpang Community of Kohima, Dimapur and Bhandari for rendering immense assistance during our time of sorrow. We also express our gratitude to Kohima Lotha Baptist Church and Yimpang Baptist Church for conducting the funeral and committal services respectively. We are forever grateful to everybody who consoled our hearts during the loss of our beloved mother. We have nothing to give in return but we pray that the Almighty God will bless you all abundantly. Loving children, Grandchildren, Great-grandchildren, in-laws and relatives.
50th year of Walim Puthru kohima, January 21 (mExn): The 50th year of Walim Puthru (Clan) Organization will be celebrating a foundation day from January 28 to 30 at Chenmoho village under the theme “Get up and walk.” Minister for rural development & REPA C.L.John will grace the occasion as the chief guest while Yemwang Angh of Chenmoho village will be the guest of honour. All the members/citizens of Walim Puthru (Clan), public leaders and well wishers from different communities have been requested to attend the celebration.
ADC Kohima informs on Republic Day kohima, January 21 (Dipr): Additional Deputy Commissioner, Kohima, Lithrongla Tongpi has informed all Heads Departments/NGOs/Awardees to collect Car pass, Invitation Cards for Republic Day celebration 2016 on January 24 and 25 onwards from the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Kohima.
DC Mkg informs mokokchung, January 21 (Dipr): Deputy commissioner Mokokchung, Sushil Kumar Patel IAS has informed all the village councils and GBs union of Ungma, Mokokchung, Chuchuyimpang, Khensa villages, the GBs of Mokokchung town, all the 18 Ward authorities and all denizen of Mokokchung Town, that the celebration of January 26 Republic Day function will commence at the Imkongmeren Sports Complex, Mokokchung. He has further requested all the public of Mokokchung town to make it convenient and attend the function.
Dimapur to observe National Voters Day Dimapur, January 21 (Dipr): Along with the rest of the country, Dimapur district will also be celebrating the 6th National Voters Day on January 25 under the theme “Inclusive and Qualitative Participation.” Editor, Nagaland Page, Monalisa Changkija will grace the occasion as the chief guest while DC & DEO Dimapur, Kesonyu Yhome IAS will deliver the keynote address. The programme will be held at Lotha Hoho Ki at 11.00 a.m.
FriDAY 22•01•2016
NORTH-EAST
THE MORUNG EXPRESS
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UNC calls for 48-hour strike from Jan 24 Uneasy calm in Manipur after Tahamzam, January 21 (mExn): The United Naga Council (UNC) has called for a 48-hour general strike beginning from the midnight of January 24 in all the tribal territories of Manipur. A press release from the Publicity Wing of the Council informing this stated that the general strike has been called to draw the political intervention of the Government of India in the matter of the passing of the “3 anti tribal Bills and Resolutions” passed by the Manipur Legislative Assembly on August 31, 2015 and the subsequent killing of 9 innocent civilians, whose bodies are still lying at the Civil Hospital in
Along with ‘other tribal people will abstain from this year’s Republic Day celebration’
long cherished political aspiration is achieved. The Council has informed Tribal Hohos/ Frontal organizations/ Regional organisations to take up appropriate steps to ensure that the 48-hour democratic general strike is strictly implemented in their respective jurisdictions. “Anyone found violating this directive shall be at his/her own risk and UNC shall not be held responsible for any untoward consequences,” it warned. UNC further informed the people to remain alert against the “evil designs and policies” of adversaries to sabotage the democratic rights and movement.
violence over renaming of place
Imphal, January 21 (IanS): An un- Road which passes through Imphal west, easy calm prevailed in Manipur on Thurs- Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts. day in the wake of prohibitory orders However, the blockade was on Thursday which were clamped following clashes relaxed for 30 days. Churachandpur. should be placed back to its at 7.30 pm. between two groups over the state govWangkhemcha Shyamjai, president Religious p r o - original respective districts, The apex Naga body in ernment's plan to rename a religious of the All Manipur Working Journalists' grammes, Earthquake UNC maintained. Manipur state maintained place, police said. Union, said: "This government action has related activities, educaThe council demand- that the Naga people along Violence broke out in some villages bor- created a misunderstanding among some tional institutions, medi- ed the withdrawal of all with other tribal people will dering Bishnupur and Churachandpur dis- groups who have been living for generacal, electricity, water sup- Manipur Police Comman- abstain from this year’s Retricts on Wednesday afternoon when some tions in complete communal harmony." ply and media have been dos and IRBs from Cease public Day celebration over tribal women attacked members of another Several cultural and religious groups have exempted from the pur- Fire and SoO covered ter- the “indifferent attitude” of community over the state government's ap- opposed the government action. view of the general strike. ritories and also demand- the Government of India proval of a proposal to rename the Thangjing A meeting was held on Wednesday UNC also sought the re- ed adequate justice to the being shown towards the mountain -- a 1,801-metre peak near Chura- night between Chief Minister Okram Ibobi chandpur -- as Thangting mountain. A tem- and representatives of the activists but no vocation and nullification victims of K. Somrei Naga tribal people. ple said to be in existence for the last almost agreement could be reached, members of of the Notification/Order Village who were indisIn this regard, UNC 2,100 years is located at its top. the Joint Action Committee, who were part of the Home Department, criminately fired upon has strongly appealed to According to official sources, the pro- of the meeting, later said. Three MLAs, inGovernment of Manipur and beaten up by alleged all right thinking Naga and posal was approved in mid-December. Its cluding ruling Congress legislator M. Prithon “Re-Organising of Po- Manipur Police Comman- tribal citizens to extend approval -- at the behest of members of the viraj, were also present at the meeting. lice District boundaries”. dos of ABCI based camp fullest support and co-opKuki community of Churachandpur district Some women who held a meeting at Hundreds of tribal villages on December 27, 2015 eration to the proposed 48-- has led to unrest in the area. After the dis- Torbung on Wednesday at the border of which were carved out into during the village’s Christ- hour general strike and also trict administration imposed prohibitory or- the two districts were pelted with stones 4 valley districts of Imphal mas festival programme to stand united till their ders on Wednesday evening, heavily armed rocks by another group of women, accordpolice and paramilitary personnel in full riot ing to media reports. Some witnesses said gear have been patrolling the area. shots were also fired in the air. The Joint Action Committee -- a group In another incident, three buses carof five to six religious and cultural groups rying members of the Young Mizo Asso-- has been protesting the state govern- ciation for an annual conference were ag a rTa l a/I m p h a l/S h I l In Imphal, Chief Minister Okram Asian Games to be co-hosted by As- ment's decision and enforced an indefi- stopped, damaged and one driver was long, January 21 (IanS): Ibobi Singh and Deputy Chief Min- sam and Meghalaya from February 6. nite blockade since January 17 on Tiddim manhandled, reports said. Three northeastern states of Tri- ister Gaikhangam addressed a The 5-km mini marathon - "Run for DImapur, January 21 pura, Manipur and Meghalaya on meeting on the occasion. "Manipur North-East" - which was participated (mExn): The Zeliangrong Thursday organised numerous is facing serious financial crunch by hundreds of young and old peoUnited Front (ZUF) has ex- programmes and events to cele- and the central government is not ple, was flagged off by Chief Minister tended best wishes to the brate their Foundation Days. helping the state adequately," the Mukul Sangma from the Fire Brigade Zeliangrong people living Prime Minister Narendra Modi chief minister said and urged the ground on Thursday. ITanagar, January one feet of snow for the last clear the snow. in the three states of Mani- greeted the people of Tripura, union government to come forward Sports Minister Zenith Sangma, The entire Tawang valley pur, Assam and Nagaland on Manipur and Meghalaya on their generously to help the state. "Since Indian boxing star M.C. Mary Kom 21 (agEnCIES): Bom- few days. The road goes dila and Tawang have up to China border and is is presently covered with a the auspicious occasion of statehood days. "Greetings to peo- attaining statehood, Manipur has and Bollywood star Milind Soman, Chakaan Gaan-Ngai which ple of Meghalaya, Manipur and made rapid strides in the field of de- were among the sports stars of the witnessed snowfall in considered a lifeline of the thick blanket of snow while is being celebrated on Janu- Tripura on their Statehood Day. velopment and sustained efforts are country and the state who took part Arunachal Pradesh with Indian Army. According to the whole of Arunachal is temperatures dipping to reports, the road has been currently gripped with an ary 22. “May the Almighty I wish the states the very best in being made to keep pace with the in the colourful run. blocked completely and unusually long spell of cold The erstwhile princely states of subzero level. Tingkao Ragwang bestow their development journey," the rest of the country," Singh added. The headquarters of would take a few days to wave this time. The statehood day celebrations Tripura and Manipur were merged his bountiful blessing upon prime minister said in a message. West Kameng Districts, Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy in Meghalaya involved a series of with India in October 1949 and beall and bring an all-round development and peace with inaugurated a three-day programme events, including sports meets in came full-fledged states on January Bomdila, was seen with new the coming of this grand fes- in Agartala to celebrate the statehood various parts of the state. On the oc- 21, 1972. Meghalaya was part of As- snow covered settlements. It is reported that the tival,” a press release from the day. Roy released a publication high- casion, a "Run for North-East" was sam before becoming a full-fledged lighting Tripura's achievements in organised and this was also a prelude state under the North Eastern Re- Bomdila-Tawang road is ZUF stated. CANCER SURGEON FOR CONSULTATION various fields since 1972. to the eleven-day-long 12th South gion (Re-Organisation) Act, 1971. covered with more than Dr. GANESH DAS MS (PGIMER, Chandigarh), DNB, FMAS, FAIS, Trained Cancer Surgeon from Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai will be available for consultation on 24th Jan. (Sunday). ChEnnaI, January 21 supplies on time. The group nating with other groups like For Registration, please contact: (ThE hInDu): During still continues to engage in Red Elephant Foundation, ADMISSION NOTICE the floods in Chennai, they relief activity in Chennai Flood Support Manipur and 03862 – 231864, 227337, 224117 The Baptist Theological College (BTC) offers Bachelor of Divinity (B.D.) Degree Course came together to offer help and Cuddalore. Sphere India to mobilise For more information, visit our website: www.zhrc.in under Senate of Serampore College/ University toto the affected. Now, with “We met with several help for quake-hit Manipur. - 10+2 passed candidates from any recognized Higher Secondary School or University this experience guiding challenges as we tried to “Our Chennai experi- Graduates and Post Graduates from any recognized University them, the spirited group of reach out to people. Many ence has taught us to idenBTC gives special emphasis on three main things - Academic Excellence volunteers is coordinating had supplies and funds and tify the specific needs of - Spiritual Formation relief efforts in the quake-hit did not know how to reach people and avoid supply- Ministerial Training Manipur. It all started when people. Much time was lost ing things they don’t need. Application Form can be collected during office hours (9:40 am - 4: 00 pm) individuals joined hands to in transporting supplies. For instance, we realised Or it can also be downloaded from the College website: www: btcnagaland.org reach out to the flood-af- Sometimes, there were much later about the need Entrance Examination will be held on 26th May 2016 fected residents in Decem- more volunteers than nec- for children’s clothes in The candidates will write Scripture Knowledge, General Knowledge and English. There will ber. They then formed Tam- essary at one place,” said Chennai. In Manipur, there be personal interview after written examination. il Nadu Flood Support and Shashi Kumar M. of Tamil is a greater need for tents For detail please contact worked several hours in a Nadu Flood Support. and warm clothes than for Principal Vice Principal day , carrying out functions, Using this experience volunteers,” said Anusha 09436428870 09436642791 from mobilising volunteers and database of over 55,000 Padmanabhan of Tamil Email- principal1btc@gmail.com/ ywezah@gmail.com and materials to delivering people, the team is coordi- Nadu Flood Support.
ZUF extends GaanNgai greetings
Three NE states celebrate their Foundation Days
Bomdila & Tawang witness heavy snowfall
ZION HOSPITAL & RESEARCH CENTRE
Chennai reaches out to quake-hit Manipur BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE
Website: btcnagaland.org
6000 RTI cases pending in Assam JorhaT, January 21 (agEnCIES): A total of 6,220 cases of RTI complaints and appeals are pending in the office of the Assam Information Commission where a post of information commissioner remains vacant. Assam chief information commissioner Himangshu Sekhar Das told reporters and RTI activists here on January 20 that the commission has three sanctioned posts - a chief information commissioner and two information commissioners. However, one post of information commissioner has been lying vacant since the tenure of Mohan Chandra Malakar, a retired principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), expired in March 2014, he added. Das, a retired additional chief secretary in the Assam government, had assumed charge on December 1, 2014. His post had been lying vacant since January 2011, when his predecessor D.N. Dutt's term expired. When Das took charge, both the posts of information commissioners were vacant, following the expiry of the tenures of the previous incumbents, and more than 6,000 cases were pending. Das said with three posts, including his, lying vacant "for some time", the pendency of cases had increased. He said he had tried to clear the backlog and had written to the government to fill up the two posts of information commissioners. Pinuel Basumatary, a retired bureaucrat, was appointed to one of the posts in August 2015 while the other still re-
mains vacant. Das said complaints are filed by applicants to the commission under Section 18 of the RTI Act, 2005, against specific government officials, designated as public information officers (PIO), for not providing the information sought, and under Section 19 of the act for not getting sufficient information from the PIO concerned and their superiors in a particular department. Das said the commission, which has the power of civil judicial court, brought down the pendency level by disposing of more than 1,000 cases in the past year. "To bring down the pendency, both of us (Das and Basumatary) are hearing cases daily," he said. However, with fresh cases pouring in, the pendency has shot up to 6,220, he added. On date, 1,815 complaints and 4,405 appeals are pending. Among the 1,000 cases disposed of, the commission recommended departmental action against government officials in 10 cases for not providing information to applicants sought under RTI, Das said. Fines were also imposed on officials for delaying or not providing proper information to applicants. Under the RTI Act, the commission's recommendation in such matters is final and binding, he added. He said in the last 10 years, since the RTI Act came into effect, about five crore RTI applications have been filed across India, of which 1.4 lakh were filed in Assam. He said Assam's share was not very encouraging and called for greater awareness.
BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE T. CHIKRI, PFUTSERO, NAGALAND POST VACANCY
The post of lecturer in the field of Pastoral Care and Counseling is vacant at Baptist Theological College, T. Chikri, Pfütsero, Nagaland. The College prefers Ph. D./D.Th. degree holder recognized by Senate of Serampore College/University. Interested candidates may apply with all the necessary academic documents on or before 20th February 2016. Personal interview will be conducted by the members of the Board of Governors. The date and place of interview shall be informed through phone and email. Salary (initial): 19200+3840+2500+500= Rs. 26,040/For any detail please contact: Principal, Baptist Theological College T. Chikri, Pfutsero-797107 Phone No. 09436428870/9089418995 Email: principal1btc@gmail.com ywezah@gmail.com
GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND OFFICE OF THE PRINCIPAL GOVERNMENT POLYTECHNIC KOHIMA KOHIMA :: NAGALAND NO.GP/CDTP-1/2016
/Dated, Kohima, the 20th Jan.2016
ADVERTISEMENT Interested candidates are invited for undergoing Free training in the following courses under Community Development Through Polytechnic (CDTP) Scheme based on Modular Employable Skills (MES) courses organized by Government Polytechnic, Kohima. Sl. No 1 2 3 4 5 6*
Program Title Carpentry Cutting & Tailoring Computer Basic Soap Making (Dish washing & Surf) Mushroom Cultivation Weaving
Training Centre
Minimum Qualification Govt. Polytechnic Kohima 8th passed Govt. Polytechnic Kohima 8th passed Govt. Polytechnic Kohima 10th Passed Panchayat Hall, Dihoma Village Not required
Duration
Intake Capacity 1 month 30 2 months 20 1 month 20 2 days 30
Panchayat Hall, Dihoma Village Not required 2 days CWWS training centre, Pfütsero Not required 3 months
30 20
NB: 1. Applications can be collected from the office of the Principal Government Polytechnic Kohima w.e.f the date of advertisement, during office hour. 2. Attested copy of Educational qualification wherever applicable, 1 photograph of passport size with filled form of application shall be submitted to the office of the undersigned. 3. Selection of candidates shall be done on first come first basis. 4. The list of selected candidates shall be pasted on the College Notice Board on 4th Feb. 2016 5. Date of Commencement of training, 8th Feb.2016 6. Applicants for weaving (ie; Sl.No.6) may contact Managing Director, Chakhesang Women Welfare Society, Pfutsero. Contact No: 9436010260 (Er. VIPULHOU LHOUNGU) PRINCIPAL
CONGRATULATIONS The Officers and Staffs of Dimapur Forest Division Congratulates Shri. K. Ihevi Aomi, DFO Dimapur for induction to the Indian Forest Services (IFS). The qualities you have are exceptional, the dream you cherish are bold. The achievements you got witness your unconditional effort. You are the inspiration in you and we are really proud of you. Congratulation.
4
FriDAY 22 •01•2016
Business
THE MORUNG EXPRESS
Pawan Hans declares Rs.7.76 cr dividend Titan launches JUXT smartwatch new Delhi, January 21 (ians): State-run chopper operator Pawan Hans (PHL) on Thursday declared a dividend of Rs.7.76 crore for 2014-15. “The Minister for Civil Aviation P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju received a cheque of Rs.3,95,84,735 from B.P. Sharma, chief managing director, Pawan Hans, as dividend for the year 2014-15,” the ministry of civil aviation said in a statement. “Pawan Hans has declared a dividend of Rs.7.76 crores for the financial year 2014-15. A cheque of Rs.3,80,15,265 has also been paid to ONGC as being 49 percent shareholder of PHL.” According to the ministry, PHL has been making profits since 1992 and has paid Rs.223.69 crore dividend as on 2014-15. “For the financial year 2014-15, PHL’s operat-
ing revenue increased to Rs.538.15 crore (Rs.529.57 crore in the previous year). The net operating profit for 2014-15 is Rs.79.13 crore against Rs.73.03 crore in the year 2013-14,” the statement elaborated. “This year the company has managed to turn around with net profit after tax of Rs.38.81 crore against Rs.38.57 crore during previous year and has declared dividend at the rate of 20 percent of the net profit after tax (i.e. Rs.38.81 crores) to Govt. of India and ONGC.” The company has a paid up share capital of Rs.245.62 crore. Further, the ministry revealed that the company has prepared a ‘Strategic Business Plan 2020’ which envisages industry trends, future challenges and growth opportunities of general aviation sector in India particularly helicop-
ters, seaplanes, small fixed wing aircraft and development of heliports. “Fleet acquisition under options of leasing and procurement routes through which 20 new helicopters in various categories like light, medium and heavy and 2 seaplanes will be procured,” the statement cited. In addition, the ministry informed that the company’s prospects for an IPO (initial public offering) is being reviewed with SBI Cap and work plan for the same is being prepared in a time bound manner. “Construction of Rohini Heliport is in full swing. Independent internal committee has been constituted for monitoring Heliport progress,” the ministry noted and assured that efforts are underway to complete the project within the stipu-
lated time frame. The proposed date for the project completion is set for February 16, 2016 as per contractual agreement, while operationalisation is expected by June 30, 2016. “Pawan Hans intends to manage and operate to develop more such heliports to promote regional connectivity in various parts of the country under Heli-Hub concept through viability gap funding model with state and central government,” the statement pointed out. Besides, the ministry disclosed that PHL plans to venture into MRO (maintenance, repair and operations) business. “To start with, the MRO facility is being planned to be established at Rohini at Delhi and Juhu at Mumbai through PPP (public private partnership) model/ develop, manage and op-
erate revenue based model,” the statement added. Presently, the company operates its helicopter fleet in various parts of the country for operations of ONGC, NTPC, GAIL, GSPC, Oil India, MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs), BSF and various state governments. The company runs the helicopter services from Phata to the holy shrine of Kedarnathji during the May-June and September-October seasons every year. It promotes ‘Heli-Tourism’ in other parts of the country as well, such as Amarnath Shrine. Currently, the country’s largest chopper operator is designated as a ‘Mini Ratna-I category PSU.’ PHL has its own fleet of 43 choppers. It also operates and maintains six Dhruv helicopters belonging to BSF and HAL.
MuMbai, January 21 (agencies): World’s fifth largest watchmaker Titan Company Ltd, of the Tata Group has unveiled JUXT, a smartwatch in partnership with global technology giant HP Inc. The company said the watch is aimed at providing connectivity while staying true to the essence of classic watchmaking. The smartwatch is priced between Rs.15,995 and Rs.19,995 and is available in three variants — titanium, stainless steel and rose gold — across select World of Titan, Helios and large format stores. Speaking about the product, Bhaskar Bhat, managing director, Titan Company said, “Today, as we take our first step into the world of smartwatches, we once again, place the consumer at the heart of our approach. Our offering is a classic timepiece with features that are useful and relevant.” The timepiece features a subtle honeycomb dial, 3D indices and a leather
strap. This watch can be paired with smart phones having either Android 4.4 or iOS 8.1 and above operating system. S. Ravi Kant, CEO, Watches and Accessories, Titan Company said, “JUXT is India’s most stylish smartwatch. It has been designed for those who are appreciative of classic watches, yet want smart capabilities in their time piece.” Kant said that partnering with HP Inc. was a natural choice for a product of this nature. Elaborating on the association Sridhar Solur, General Manager, Wearables and Smart Platforms, HP Inc. said, “The smartwatches segment is booming with innovation and at a time when product offerings are heavily infused with technology, there was an opportunity for Titan and HP Inc. to create a smartwatch that is suited the tastes of consumers who appreciate the quintessential leather watch with smart capabilities. JUXT keeps the wearer connected and alert, but does not intrude in his daily life.”
prints faulty IMF opens search for top job New Mexico sues VW over emissions scandal RBI Rs 1,000 notes,
Christine Lagarde offers to serve again
washington, January 21 (reuters): The International Monetary Fund said it plans an open selection process for its top job and will begin accepting nominations on Thursday, even though Christine Lagarde has said she is open to another term leading the crisis lender. The International Monetary Fund said it plans an open selection process for its top job and will begin accepting nominations on Thursday, even though Christine Lagarde has said she is open to another term leading the crisis lender. Lagarde’s initial five-year term as managing director expires on July 5, and IMF executive board member Aleksei Mozhin said he expects the board to complete its selection process by early March. Lagarde, a former French finance minister, was elected in 2011 after competing against Mexican central bank governor Augustin Carstens to replace Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who was forced to resign the top IMF job amid a sexual assault scandal. “The Executive Board has adopted an open, merit-based, and transparent process for the selection of the managing director, similar to the one used in the previous round,” Mozhin said in a statement. “Individuals may be nominated by a Fund governor or executive director. Like we did in 2011, we aim to reach a decision by consensus.” Lagarde, who is well regarded among international leaders, said in October she was “prepared to serve” another term, but
that was up to the Fund’s members to decide. So far, no challengers have emerged for the top IMF job. One potential complication is that a French court in December ordered Lagarde to face trial for negligence over her role in a payout of some 400 million euros ($434 million) to businessman Bernard Tapie when she served as France’s finance minister. Lagarde has vowed to appeal the trial order and has said she acted in the best interests of the French state and in full compliance with the law. The IMF board has reaffirmed its confidence in Lagarde’s ability to effectively carry out her duties.
albuquerque, January 21 (Pti): New Mexico has become the first US state to sue Volkswagen and other German automakers over an emissions cheating scandal that involves millions of cars worldwide. Attorney General Hector Balderas filed the lawsuit in state district court late yesterday. He alleges Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche and their US subsidiaries violated New Mexico’s air quality standards and engaged in deceptive marketing to pass off certain diesel models as clean and efficient. “Supported by a massive adver tising campaign, defendants claimed that superior engineering allowed their cars to perform better, consume less fuel and emit fewer harmful pollutants than diesel cars of the past, making them a great fit for eco-conscious consumers. In fact, the complete opposite was true,” the lawsuit says. Dozens of state attorneys general have teamed up for a civil investigation of VW. Others are conducting separate inquiries.
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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 # 3468
Earlier this month, the US Justice Department sued on behalf of the federal Environmental Protection Agency. That action alone could potentially expose VW to more than USD 20 billion in fines under the Clean Air Act. A spokeswoman for VW declined to comment on New
Mexico’s lawsuit. The automaker has acknowledged installing software on cars that turns on pollution controls during government tests and shuts them off on the road. It first admitted in September that suspect software was installed in cars with its popular 2.0-liter diesel engines. It later acknowledged similar software was also included in diesel vehicles with
3.0-liter engines. Matthias Mueller, VW’s chief executive officer, apologized earlier this month for the scandal and said the company’s most important task in 2016 would be to win back its customers’ trust. He has suggested a small number of software developers in Germany are to blame for the suspect computer code. The company has hired a US-based law firm to conduct an internal investigation. According to New Mexico’s lawsuit, somewhere between 4,000 and 10,000 of the affected models were delivered, marketed and sold in the state from Volkswagen Beetles and Jettas to several Audi models and the Porsche Cayenne. Prosecutors say the vehicles exceeded average nitrogen oxides emission limits by as much as 30 to 40 per cent. Such pollution contributes to smog and has been linked with serious health effects such as asthma attacks. New Mexico prosecutors are seeking a jury trial as well as damages, including penalties for each day and each violation of the state’s air quality act.
DAILY CROSS WORD
CROSSWORD # 3480
Answer Number # 3467
asks banks to stop circulation
MuMbai, January 21 (agencies): The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday said it has received complaints about notes of Rs 1,000 denomination without the security thread being in circulation and has asked banks not to issue them in case these are found. “We have received complaints regarding bank notes in the denomination of Rs 1,000 printed by Currency Note Press, Nashik, on the paper (without security thread) supplied by Security Paper Mill (Hoshangabad),” an RBI spokesperson said. The RBI has informed all the banks in Mumbai region not to issue such notes if found in stock and to provide exchange value to the customer who approaches with such a note, if it is otherwise genuine. “We have also escalated the matter to the government,” the spokesperson said. The total number of such notes with public may not be more than 500 pieces, the spokesperson added. So, in value terms these would be worth Rs 5,00,000. Currency Note Press, Nashik is a Unit of Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL) under administrative control of the Finance Ministry.
DIMAPUR civil hospital:
STD CODE: 03862 232224; emergency229529, 229474
metro hospital: Faith hospital:
227930, 231081 228846
shamrock hospital
228254
Zion hospital:
231864, 224117, 227337
police control room
228400
Police Traffic Control
232106
east police station West police station
227607 232181
cihsr (referral hospital)
242555/ 242533
dimapur hospital
224041, 248011
Apollo hospital info centre:
230695/ 9402435652
railway:
131/228404
indian Airlines
229366
nagaland multispe- 248302, cialty health & 09856006026 research centre
W
O
MythOlOgy ExtRAvAgANzA AeneAs
juno
AesculApius
jupiter
AegAmmem-
mArs
non
medusA
AjAx
mercury
AndromedA
midAs
Apollo
minervA
ArAchne
morpheus
AtlAs
nArcissus
BAcchus
neptune
ceres
orpheus
chAryBdis
FAunus
circe
pegAsus
cupid
perseus
dAedAlus
phAeton
demeter
polyphemus
echo
proserpinA
europA
pygmAlion
eurydice
romulus
gAnymede
sAturnus
hercules
scyllA
icArus
vestA
iris
venus
isis
vulcAnus
jAson
jAnus
R
D P R T U L N E S U E H P R O M D J Q G
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N P K B J U E C H A R Y B D I S A J N E
J O L L O P A I E S S A U V U D N I N I
S
A N T D X O V D R A A P S L E O H H J D
N A F E G Y X Y C D A I U M S E C J U J
E
U P A E A G K R U I B M O A P A C P N K
S O Y P N H V U L M O R J O R U R R O S
F R R G Y U P E E R D A L A Y O A Z I L
A
C U A A M Y T N S N X Y G R S X D S B C
K E H M E A P P A F P G U E I C I A S E
S L S Q D G L W E H Y C R J U P I T E R
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B U R U E D A I E N R P S P S P I U R Z
A V R E N I M M O E I R I S U E S R E P
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C J R D C S C N A E S C U L A P I U S N
H E V P Z I R L P E M O D P D V E S T A
Police Control Room: North Police Station: South Police Station: Fire Brigade: Naga Hospital: Oking Hospital: Bethel Nursing Home: Northeast Shuttles
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U H X V H V E N U S N N B D E M E T E R
S A S U D E M L O V A E O F A U N U S Z
P P E G A S U S S I C R A N D E C H O J
N G A L L Y C S O F J L I E A Z Y Q K K
STD CODE: 0370 100/2244279 2222222 2222111 2222952 2222916 2243339 2224202 08974997923
ACROSS
1. Front part of vessels 6. Large indefinite quantity 10. Ailments 14. Hearing-related 15. Dwarf buffalo 16. Tidy 17. Diacritical mark 18. “Phooey!” 19. Carryall 20. Tenacious 22. Not under 23. Pigeon-___ 24. Glue 26. Lacking intellectual acuity 30. In song, the loneliest number 31. Regret 32. Hodgepodge 33. On the left or right 35. Genus of heath 39. Invigorate 41. Experienced 43. Chip dip 44. A metric unit of weight 46. Where a bird lives 47. “___ the season to be jolly” 49. Former boxing champ 50. Sounds of disapproval 51. Coming
DOWN
1. A Maori club 2. Wreckage 3. Paris airport 4. Dry riverbed 5. Mixture of rain and snow 6. Exasperating 7. Unassisted 8. Maize 9. An airplane “garage” 10. Unable to express yourself 11. Depart 12. Optical maser 13. Cubic meter 21. Not tight 25. A song for 2 26. Accomplishes 27. Forearm bone
28. Foundry 29. Unruly 34. Assessed 36. Angers 37. Keg 38. Picnic insects 40. Conceited 42. Gives forth 45. Wanderer 48. Flower part 51. San Antonio fort 52. Put off 53. French science-fiction writer 55. An analytic literary composition 58. Brood 59. Relating to aircraft 60. Perished 61. A single time 62. Genuine Ans to CrossWord 3479
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CHILD WELFARE COMMITTEE 54. Speechless 56. Lascivious look 57. A diplomat of the highest rank 63. Hairdo 64. Exuviate 65. A river through Paris 66. List of options 67. Type of sword 68. Betel palm 69. Mining finds 70. Egghead 71. Alpine call
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FridAY 22•01•2016
NAGALAND
HuNTeRS TuRN PROTecTORS: amur ‘Come forward and raise your genuine rights’ Falcon conservation Monolith unveiled NPCC kick-start Party's mass contact tour Wokha, January 21 (MExn): Amur Falcon Conservation Monolith stone was unveiled in Pangti on January 20 by M Lokeswara Rao, PCCF & Hoff in presence of the Chairman Village Council, convenor and members Amur Falcon conservation, Pangti, village elders, Church leaders, students, NGOs etc. Six feet stone with inscriptions and images of different awards has been unveiled near the Amur Falcon roosting site on the roadside at scenic location in Pangti, Wokha. Speaking on the occasion M. Lokeswara Rao IFS, PCCF & HoFF, Kohima said that it is historic day for Nagaland. The monolith of conservation of Amur falcon will become monument in future reveals the story of efforts of Pangti people’s conservation of wildlife from generation to generation. The big conservation moment started in Nagaland with the conservation of Amur Falcon by Pangti village communities and conservation movement has spread all over Nagaland and communities are now committed to preserve the rich biodiversity of Nagaland “I am also proud to be
Inscription on the Monolith
Seen in the picture is the six feet Amur Falcon Conservation Monolith that was unvield near the bird's roosting site in Pangti, Wokha on January 20.
part of this conservation effort of the communities and the world has recognised and patted the communities for the conservation efforts. This conservation movement should contin-
ue and Forest department has committed to protect and conserve the rich biodiversity of Nagaland with the help of communities,” Rao said. He also informed the
"WE ERECT THIS MONOLITH TO COMMEMORATE THE DECLARATION OF PANGTI OF NAGALAND AS FALCON CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. The migratory bird Amur falcons were first spotted roosting in Pangti in the year 2001 in flock of thousands. In the subsequent years the flock increased into massive numbers. Owning to lack of awareness for conservation of Wildlife, the villagers’ hunters by tradition started hunting the birds for delicacies. In the year 2006 the hunters started using net for trapping the birds on commercial scale for sustenance. The massive killing of Falcons was brought to fore in 2012 through the efforts of conservation India and its associates, the Nagaland Wildlife& Biodiversity Trust. Following exposure of the random killing of Falcons in October 2012, Awareness campaign for protection & conservation of the migratory bird started on war footing in 2013 by State Forest & Wildlife Department and various NGOS namely , The Natural Nagas, the Wildlife Trust of India, the Nagaland Wildlife & Biodiversity Trust, BNHS etc involving entire community village councils, churches etc. Responding to awareness campaign of State Forest & Wildlife Department & various NGOs, the village council together with the entire community resolved to protect & conserve the migratory bird Amur Falcons and prohibited killing of Falcons in any form... …WE, THE HUNTERS TURN PROTECTORS PLEDGE TO REMAIN OURSELVES COMMITTED AS PROTECTIONISTS &CONSERVATIONISTS ALONG WITH REST OF THE WORLD.” Pangti will have been nominated for India Biodiversity Award 2016. Ronchamo Shitri, Chairman Village Council Zhankhamo Jami Convenor convenor and mem-
bers Amur Falcon conservation also spoke on the occasion. This was stated in a press release issued by Temjen, CF (Publicity) office of PCCF & HoFF, Kohima.
DiMapur, January 21 (MExn): With an earnest appeal to the people to come forward and raise their genuine rights, the NPCC today kick-started the party’s mass contact tour by addressing public meetings at Pfutsero Town and Chizami Town. The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee’s (NPCC) Mass Contact for Change Tour is scheduled from January 21 to 30. Chairing the public meetings, Phek DCC President Mikha Kenye highlighted the purpose of the Tour Programme and called upon the people to come forward and raise their genuine rights for redressal. He also expressed appreciation to people of Chizami Range for initiating the recent bandh as a means of public redressal to the electricity problem, a press release from the NPCC Media Cell informed. Former MLA and General Secretary, NPCC, Medokul Sophie, according to the press note, highlighted the Party’s Roadmap and stated that the Tour was not an election campaign but an effort to have mass contact with
Kiphire district HODs directed to reach posting place Businesses in Wokha Town kiphirE, January 21 (MExn): The Deputy Commissioner Kiphire A. Chumremo Odyuo has directed all the HODs in Kiphire district to reach their respective posting place on or before January 22 without fail. The Deputy Commissioner in a press release stated that many HODs of Kiphire district are yet to report to their posting place after
Christmas holidays. Therefore, all HODs are directed to immediately reach their posting without fail. It also stated that in view of the upcoming Republic Day celebration and visit of VVIPs in the district, the presence and assistance of all officers are invariably required. Further, it is directed that all the heads of offices of all departments to attend the Repub-
lic Day celebration on 26 January 2016 at Kiphire headquarter along with their staffs compulsorily. The Deputy Commissioner also warned that, the District Administration would be conducting inspection after the due date and failing to comply with the above directives will invite disciplinary action, stated in the press release.
Review meeting of MGNREGA convergence held kohiMa, January 21 (MExn): A review meeting of MGNREGA convergence with concerned line departments and Project Directors of DRDAs was held here today under the chairmanship of Rural Development Secretary, Kelei Zeliang at the Conference Hall of the Directorate of Rural Development. The meeting deliberated on several agendas including status of implementation of the convergence projects and issue of completion certificate among others.
The proposed activities under convergence of MGNREGA and SAGY with the concerned line departments were also discussed at length. The meeting was also addressed by Deputy Commissioner, Dimapur, Kesonyu Yhome and Director, RD, Metsubo Jamir. Meanwhile, during the meeting RD Secretary urged upon all the concerned line departments to do their part in order to ensure completion of projects on time.
Sons of god in heaven and sons of India on earth?
I
Kaka D. Iralu
n his welcome address to the President of the Baptist World Alliance in 1993, Tubu Kevichiisa, the then General Secretary of the NNC wrote the following words: “We take this opportunity to state that we are deeply indebted to those of our Christian brothers who in the last century, came from across the seas to liberate our souls. But our bodies are now held in bondage by foreign powers. We have no wish to be assimilated into other alien cultures, nor to be preserved like museum specimen to be displayed in the Republic Day parades of foreign powers.” These poignant words of Tubu have inspired me to write the following thoughts. In that liberating power of the Gospel of Christ, our souls were indeed liberated from bondage to sin when we experienced the new birth in Christ. Our subsequent status in Christ was nothing less than becoming sons and daughters of the living God through Christ (John 1:12). Our status in Christ also includes- being seated with Christ in the Heavenly places (Ep.2:6); being more than conquerors (Rom.8:37) and also, our bodies becoming the temples of God (1 Cor.6:19). But what is the point of having such high spiritual positions in Christ, if our bodies are now under political bondage to India? Also, what is so special about our status in God as bearers of his divine image if we can be shot to death even on mere suspicion under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act? Another question in this connection is: Where do our liberated souls reside in? Do they float in the air or reside in our physical bodies? Surely they reside in our physical bodies that- in turn- reside in the soil of Nagaland. Why must then Nagas be enslaved and imprisoned inside the Constitution of India while residing in our own God given lands? Nagas need liberation of both our souls and our bodies because God created both the entities to live in freedom and liberty here on earth. The point I am trying to state is precisely this: After all, what is the point of being sons of God, if we cannot simultaneously be sons of the lands in which we were born and have our existence? It can only be the naïve and the ignorant who would insist that it is OK to be bodily in bondage as long as we are spiritually liberated.
As part of the convergence of MGNREGA with the line departments/schemes in the year 2015-16, convergence was proposed with the following five departments; Land Resources Department (Integrated watershed Management Programme), Department of Forest, Ecology, Environment and Wildlife, Public Works Department (Roads & Bridges)- PMGSY, Department of Horticulture and Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY).
the people; to hear their suggestions, to work together in taking the Naga people forward and to build a Vision Roadmap. He recalled that it was in 1972 at Pfütsero that the NNO resolution for Naga Political Settlement started and said that the Chakhesang people should therefore lead the people in bringing the Solution, the release added. “The present Government has come to a complete standstill with neither a vision for the future, nor any works programme,” the release quoted Sophie as saying. He further maintained that the elected Legislators should not use LADF and MGNREGA funds for garnering votes but use it for public development activities. The Working President, NPCC Ayang Aonok, also highlighted that the interests of successive governments for Naga political settlement right from the inception of Statehood till the present Government. Aonok contended that the present Government has taken a different and confusing stand by offering to resign if Naga Political settlement is reached while on the other hand,
their party leaders are optimistic that TR Zeliang will continue to be the CM beyond 2018, it further noted. Wondering where the Naga issue is headed, Aonok pointed out that for three terms, successive NPF led DAN Governments have been indulging in empty promises such as ‘Settlement’ within three months to conducting Road Shows in all the districts. “It has finally landed in presenting bad roads, unpaid scholarships and salaries and financial deficit in successive state budgets,” the NPCC Media Cell quoted Aonok as saying. The NPCC Working President further highlighted the Secular, Social and Democratic principles of the Congress party as against the ‘Communal, Hindu and Dictatorial’ outlook of the BJP-RSS, the Media Cell stated. Also addressing the meetings, Vice President, NPCC, Vetetso Lasuh called upon the people to embrace the NPCC Roadmap as the People’s vision representing the stand of the Nagas by encompassing the people’s dreams irrespective of political party affiliation.
KMC inform local vendors
kohiMa, January 21 (MExn): The Kohima Municipal Council (KMC) informed all the local vendors of Kohima town that the Keziekie Local Market is renovated and is now ready for vending. In this respect, any suing various business permits interested vendor willing to sell their local products may and to levy the required taxes for avail the forms from the KMC office from January 27 to revenue sources whose offices 30 during office hours. are functioning through the revenue income, WTC informed. Free computer course This is done, the council added, to streamline the sys- kohiMa, January 21 (MExn): The Government tematic official works in the of- Polytechnic Kohima is inviting interested candidates for unfice and avoid any future com- dergoing three months free computer course under Gandhi plication in the discharge of Institute of Computer Education & Information Technology at Government Polytechnic Kohima. Admission form can official duties. In this regard, the WTC be collected from its office on all working days with immeadministrator informed that diate effect till January 30. The minimum eligibility is 10+. activities or trades requiring proper permits from its office NSCN (IM) Ao Region gets new CAO are: night bazaar, import and export, mela, circus, concert, DiMapur, January 21 (MExn): There was a change of guard at the NSCN (IM) Ao Region adminisweekly bazaar, any type of gamtration with the handing over of the CAO office to a new bling, hoarding & advertise- Caretaker, ‘deputy kilonser’, Bendang Aier at a brief funcments, lotteries and permit for tion on January 19. The handing and taking over ceremostreet vendors. ny of Central Administrative Officer (CAO) was held at Ao “Such permits issued from region headquarter, Watiyim under Mokokchung district any other offices shall not be where the outgoing CAO Caretaker, ‘Maj. Retd’ Maong allowed to run the business” it Ozukum handed over the office to the new CAO. A press asserted adding that the noti- note from the new CAO informed that it was attended by fication from WTC should be several NSCN (IM) functionaries including 3‘Kilonsers,’ considered as a “Government steering members, Tatars, Talk Secretary, Ao Regional Order.” Authorities and Ao National Workers (UT) Dimapur,
directed to renew permits
DiMapur, January 21 (MExn): All shop keepers and other business establishments of Wokha Town are hereby directed renewed their permits within one month commencing January 25- February 25 without failure. A press notification from Administrator of Wokha Town Council (WTC), Hotolu Swu said that the concerned entities has to come personally and renew the permits. “Anybody coming after the above fixed date shall be penalized with late fine of Rs. 20 per day,” it added requesting for compliance with the order to avoid any problem. Meanwhile, on the issue of business permits, the WTC maintained that it is the sole authority empowered by the Nagaland Municipal Act of 2001. Through the act, the government has empowered the municipals and town council for is-
Public SPace
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agas are always proud and talk highly of their history and identity. If you are really proud of your history, give credit to your forefathers. If you are really proud of your identity, do you understand what that identity is? For example, when you are dressed in western culture with suit, necktie etc. can anybody identify you from your outlook as a Naga, a Sema, a Lotha, an Ao or an Angami? But when you speak Ao, Lotha or Sema language, only then people will come to know your identity that you are a Sema, a Lotha or an Ao etc. Therefore, LANGUAGE is one of the most important identi-
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ormally, the festival falls between December and January. However, at present, it is observed for a single day, that is, 16th of January. The festival is closely associated with the accomplishment of agricultural works and harvest. Thus it may be stated that the festival is an occasion for displaying one’s wealth. The people labour in their respective field unceasingly throughout the year and when all the crops are harvested and hoarded in their granaries they rest for some months. During such leisure, the womenfolk weave shawls and clothes for their spouse and near ones while the men folk weave basketry, set out for hunting and fishing. With a tall preparation people began to
Naga-Assamese, Nagamese
ties of a people. Language is the equation true for all values of the symbol involved. I interact with every aspect of human life in society. Linguistics, the science of language, is a highly technical subject; the major divisions of it are phonetics, grammar and semantics dealing in detail with various aspects of language. Therefore, from the linguistic point of view, it is too pre-mature for Nagamese to reach that stage to be recognized as a language. Because it has no literature, and even as a lingua franca, it has no standard form of spellings and pronunciations. Without litera-
ture, grammar, semantics etc. can there be any way to give recognition to a Pidgin-language under the schedule VIII of the Constitution of India? Schedule VIII deals more with the academic aspects of languages. Towards this end, Nagamese is yet to make a start. Therefore such imposition will be grossly understood by the young generation. It will be wise for all of us not to bring up highly controversial issue of this nature at this particular period of time when Nagas are expecting something good to come out of the ‘Framework Agreement’. Why not Prime Minister’s Office first think to pro-
mote Hindi, the National Language. Young people in Nagaland are now learning refined Hindi. Language can neither be imposed nor encouraged from outside the society. It has either to grow or go extinct as per the behavior of the society. We do not believe that this idea to promote Nagamese was initiated by the Prime Minister’s office as reported by the press. But if this idea was initiated by some sections of the Naga people, let it be known to them that this is an attempt to deprive the Nagas of their identity. To be more precise, this is an attempt to uproot the very culture of the Nagas. This proposal
Significance of Tsungkamnio Festival
invite each other in merrymaking. The most interesting aspect of the festival is the making of cake at every household through Zhidong (sesame) known as Zhütsüt. People saunters around the village singing and dancing in group tasting Zhütsütat every household. There is no rest in merriment until the invitation of each other is accomplished. It is also a festival of peace. The belligerent villages may invite each other for a peace treaty, beside the individual persons or families engaging themselves in extinguishing their differences. The festival is also a good time for the paupers of the village because
they receive numerous gifts in the form of rice and meat from the well-to-do families. In this festival the young boys and girls can associate freely with one another. The young lovers may also exchange a gift to each other. Mostly, marriage betrothal is made during the festival when the parents of the intending lovers may fix a day for their marriage. It is a day when the friends, relatives, brothers and sisters are invited and treated with drinks and meat. It is a time of love and consolidation of friendship and a day of declaration for hosting the feast of merit. It is a day of inculcating a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. The married sis-
ters present mugs of seasoned local beer, agricultural products and other gifts to their brothers. In return their brothers present chunks of meat to them. One of the most interesting aspects of the festival is that there is no single house hold without meat and drinks. Even the pauper of the village manages to maintain some quantity of rice, meat and drinks for the festival. The food provisions are stored in advance enough for the whole period of celebration. The influence of festive mood is so great that even the aged people and the toddlers of the village join hands in singing and dancing day and
is, therefore, diametrically opposite and a harsh contrast to what we have been trying to preserve our cultural heritage through various platforms and which is patriotism in its true sense. India is said to be the largest democracy in the world. Its greatness depends on unity in diversities. Nagaland is contributing a lot to the nation in matter of cultural heritage. Why anybody is trying to do away with it? Lastly, I appreciate and congratulate V. Pushika Awomi, former President, NSF for his article published on 10th Jan. 2016 (NP). Kereivilie Kire Research Scholar
night. There is no grief and regret in merrymaking. During the festival, it is forbidden for anyone to set out to one’s field or wood for the purpose of hunting, collecting firewood and the like. It is believed that the field of a person who acted in defiance of the customary rule may be devastated by the storms and other unnatural aspects. It is also forbidden for a person to wander around the village all alone owing to the belief that a malevolent spirit is always seeking for an opportune time to either devour of cause infliction to a person. Thus, it is expedient that a person should be accompanied by one or more friends to avert the impending belief. Tsukhumong Yimchungrü Kuda Village Dimapur
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.
FRiDAY 22•01•2016
IN FOCUS
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THE MORUNG EXPRESS
The Power of Truth
The Morung Express Xi volume issue 20 X issue 185 Thursday 9volume July 2015 By dr. sao Tunyi
Intellectuals arise
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merican cultural critic Chris Hedges said, “Cultures that endure carve out a protected space for those who question and challenge national myths. Artist, writers, poets, activists, philosophers, dancers, musicians, actors, directors and renegades must be tolerated if a culture is to be pulled back from disaster.” When Belarusian writer and journalist Svetlana Alexievich won the 2015 Nobel Prize for Literature, she started her Nobel Lecture at the Stockolm City Hall with the words: “I do not stand alone at this podium…there are voices around me, hundreds of voices.” Likewise, intellectuals in every society carry the voices of the people. Our own Naga writer, Easterine Kire who won The Hindu Literary Prize 2015 in her acceptance speech said, ‘This is not my book, but our book, because of the number that embrace it’. Our society like any other society is going through a transition which is anything but a smooth ride. We see failed institutions and weak leadership which are causing political and social regression in our State. Most of us are now frustrated and infuriated with the plight of our state. But times such as these demand more than our response of anger and frustration. In the midst of the mess we are in, one is tempted to ask the question, ‘Where are our intellectuals?’ In every society, the intellectuals are leaders and agents of change. They guide public opinion and enlighten members of the society about their rights and duties. But if intellectuals, a society’s conscience shapers and keepers, do not forward, how can real change take place? It will be unfair to assume that our intellectuals today do nothing to address our societies’ problems or anxieties. But their engagement with the prevailing issues is still far from adequate. We are bombarded daily with conflicting ideologies which cannot be ignored or wished away. We need guidance to sort out the truth from the lie. We are in need of stronger ideas to counter or prevail over the false ones. Our society is long driven by norms and values which have become redundant, learning everything by rote and following the crowd without questioning or challenging the status quo. We are in need of change and transformation driven by enduring intellectual roots, firm principles and a clear vision. There is a need to create an open space where people realize that they have the freedom and power of the democratic spaces and institutions to talk and discuss about issues which matter. The intellectuals have to take the lead in preparing that viable space so that through it, all may participate and thereby come to a realization of what is happening in the society and what we need to do about it. On every issue that is confronting our society, we allow emotions to overtake reasoned debate. Public outcry and protest tend to get twisted along communal lines making it impossible for sober discussions. Simplistic linear thinking that allows no other view to co-exist and putting authoritative stamp on any issue are marks of an intolerant and regressive society. I believe that a society should create an environment where competing views can exist, where disagreements are addressed or resolved through reasoned debate. The intellectuals among us need to guide us towards that direction. Dr. Sao Tunyi works as an Epidemiologist at Directorate of Health and Family Welfare, Kohima. Feedback can be sent to saotunni@yahoo.co.in, or visit his blog www.thatchhouse.blogspot.in
lEfT WING |
Sam Pizzigati Foreign Policy in Focus
Here is what the Millionaires at Davos can do about global inequality
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very winter the world’s political and business elite retreat to the Swiss mountain resort of Davos to think deep thoughts and sup at five-star eateries. The corporate execs, bankers, and finance ministers who frequent this annual Davos World Economic Forum have of late devoted considerable time to the topic of inequality. Last year’s forum, for instance, identified income inequality as 2015’s “most significant trend.” But talk can be cheap. In fact, the more the elites at Davos seem to contemplate our global great divide, the Instead of just talking more global wealth seems about inequality, to concentrate in fewer pockets. the global business Back in 2010, as the elites gathering in global charity Oxfam reSwitzerland can do minds us in a new report released on the eve of Davos something about it: the world’s 388 richStop dodging their taxes 2016, est billionaires had a combined fortune that equaled the net worth of the poorest half of the world’s population. But last year just 62 top billionaires had enough net worth to match the wealth of humanity’s poorest half. That bottom half totals some 3.6 billion people. Since 2010, those 3.6 billion folks have together lost just over $1 trillion — 41 percent — of their household wealth. The richest 62 of our global billionaire class, meanwhile, have gained $542 billion over that same time span, a 44 percent increase in their personal net worth. These fortunate 62 — a group small enough to fit in a bus — certainly do have some good-times company. Our world’s wealthiest 1 percenters now average $1.7 million each in wealth, a total over 300 times greater than the average net worth of our world’s bottom 90 percent. The ultimate global inequality bottom line? Our top 1 percent, notes Oxfam, “now have more wealth than the rest of the world combined.” The crowd that’s assembling this January in Davos could, with a snap of a few fingers, end this staggeringly stark inequality in a relative matter of minutes. Wealth, after all, isn’t concentrating at such a ferocious rate because the rich are “innovating” at some spectacular level. Wealth is concentrating so ferociously in good part because the rich have become incredibly adept at concealing — from tax collectors — a huge chunk of their fortunes. Oxfam’s researchers put the amount of wealth that the global rich now have stashed away in offshore tax havens at $7.6 trillion. And those doing the hiding include the hefty share of the movers and shakers at the Davos World Economic Forum. Oxfam has analyzed the tax machinations of 200 of the world’s top corporations, a group that encompasses a fair number of the corporate “strategic partners” at Davos. Nine of ten of these corporate giants turn out to “have a presence in at least one tax haven.” Those corporate CEOs sashaying around Davos, in other words, could with some simple executive orders put a huge dent on a “global system of tax avoidance” that, says Oxfam, “denies poor countries the resources they need to tackle poverty, put children in school, and prevent their citizens dying from easily curable diseases.” Don’t hold your breath.
C O M M E N T A R Y
Graham Peebles
In Ethiopia, famine stalks the land once again
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shadow of fear and panic is creeping through villages in north-eastern, central and southern Ethiopia, where once again famine stalks the land. The seasonal rains that usually fall between June and September did not arrive, and now, with the ‘dry season’ here, the already severe situation can only deteriorate. According to the UN, Ethiopia “is experiencing its worst drought in 30 years”. In some areas, the poorest, most vulnerable infants are already dying at a rate of two per day. Around “350,000 children are in need of treatment for severe acute malnutrition,” UNICEF declares, and up to 8.2 million people (out of a population of 95 million) urgently require relief assistance. This number is expected to rise to a staggering 15 million by early 2016. A villager near Wallo in the north of the country told the BBC, “although this drought has just started, it's going to get worse…It’s already really severe. Some people have died of hunger, others are sick in their beds – right now it's just like 1984." In that year alone, almost half a million people starved to death. The drought is caused by the El Nino weather system, and has resulted in a 90 percent reduction in crop yields; the famine, though, is brought about by various factors, some of which are the result of poor governance and state neglect. El Nino is characterised by warming sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, causing “extremes such as scorching weather in some regions of the globe and heavy rains and flooding in others,” Reuters reports. Scientists say it has been with us for millennia, but is intensifying and becoming more frequent due to global climate change; last year’s phenomenon is said to be one of the worst on record. Duplicity and deceit The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) government has “earmarked $192 [£127] million for emergency food and other assistance, diverting money from projects such as road construction,” and the Integrated Regional Information Network news agency (IRIN) says that $163 million has been pledged by the ‘international community’. This is to be welcomed, but it’s nowhere near enough – according to aid agencies $600 million is needed. The amount set aside by the EPRDF is inadequate and there is growing anger at the way food aid is being distributed, with some people inside the country and within the diaspora making allegations of state corruption. Ethiopian Satellite News (ESAT) spoke to a farmer from Raya Qobo in Afar who claims that “government officials tell us that aid is coming soon; however no aid has so far been delivered and we are pondering to migrate to towns.” The ruling regime “has gone to the extent of kidnapping people who enquire about the food aid even at this critical time.” Partisan food distribution is consistent with the manner in which all humanitarian support, as well as employment opportunities, homes, medicine and university places are given. Those who openly oppose the EPRDF receive little or nothing – smallholder farmers are denied fertiliser; families refused food; students forbidden university places; men and women not allowed to work. Not only are people on the verge of starvation, farmers, whose crops have failed due to the lack of rainfall, are being hounded by government thugs for loan repayments (taken to buy fertiliser that in all likelihood should have been given as aid) they cannot now make. ESAT news reports that, “local government officials jail farmers who could not pay their loans”. Consumed with vain ideals of regional status, economic development (despite some growth, the country ranks as the third poorest in the world) and a distorted national image, the ruling party – a brutal dictatorship, despite democratic pretensions – lacks the political will and compassionate honesty to deal with the situation openly. They have stopped people in Addis Ababa and elsewhere collecting funds for famine victims, and, consistent with past denials, the deputy prime minister, Demeke Mekonen, commenting on a BBC programme discussing the crisis, is reported to have told a local journalist that “there is no such thing as famine in Ethiopia these days”. The BBC news coverage was also condemned by the
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his winter, Delhi’s government and the judiciary have implemented several policies aimed at cutting the national capital’s air pollution. The just-concluded odd-even scheme in the city required motorists to find alternative means of transportation every other day. Car-free days, first in Gurgaon and then in Delhi, appeared to cause a temporary dip in pollution levels. The night hours when trucks can pass through Delhi have been reduced, and the National Green Tribunal has issued a direction to lower truck traffic coming into the city at night by levying an additional entrance fee. On some days the air may be clearer. But what remains hazy is where Delhi’s air pollution comes from. Over the years, multiple attempts to find out - called source apportionment studies - have yielded contradictory results. There are numerous suspects: cars and trucks, smokestacks, farm fires in Punjab and Haryana, and dust from construction sites to name just a few. Without a better knowledge of the portion contributed by different sources, any policy response, no matter how bold, will be a little like a blind attempt to pin the tail on the donkey. But that may be changing. The Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur (IIT-K) has now released a major study, commissioned by the Delhi environment department in 2011. This promises to give the clearest picture of source apportionment yet. And other new sources of quality information on air pollution are
Ethiopian Embassy in London, which contradicted the UN’s information, that children are dying from malnutrition in drought-affected areas, and said the BBC report was "sensational". The government’s propaganda is most commonly churned out by communications minister Getachew Reda, who, according to IRIN, has stated that, “there is no one that we know of that has lost their life as a result of the drought-induced crisis”. Tell that to Bertukan Ali, whose five-year old son died “when the family ran out of food because the rains did not come,” the BBC says. Such dishonesty is reminiscent of 2012, when prime minister Meles Zenawi died, and the government kept it hidden for months; or when thousands were dying of starvation in 1973 but Emperor Haile Selassie denied there was famine in the country, or in 1984 when the military ruler Mengistu Haile Mariam attempted to conceal starving millions from the world. Irrespective of the era or the rulers, duplicity is, it seems, a characteristic of the state; so too is regime apathy, neglect and corruption. The EPRDF will no doubt continue to try to control and manipulate the media coverage of the crisis – local, national and international; allowing only restricted access to affected areas of the country, and silencing aid organisations in an attempt to lessen the ‘political’ impact of what they see as negative images of the country. Stark images of parched land; dried-up wells and dead cattle; malnourished children crying with hunger, and desperate, anxious men and women waiting for food aid, praying for help and support. A history of state-fed famine Ethiopia has been plagued by famine going back to the sixteenth century. In recent times it struck the country in 1973 (40,000 starved in the north-east and around 55,000 died in the Ogaden region), and, most notoriously between 1983 and 1985, when areas of northern Ethiopia and Eritrea were affected in what is regarded as the worst famine to hit the country in a century. Although the UN estimates that one million people died in the ‘Great Famine’ (1983 to 1985), scholar Alex De Waal states that the number of fatalities ranged from 400,000 to 500,000. Millions of others were made destitute, lives shattered. Climatic conditions resulting in drought are widely blamed. But many believe the famine was caused, in large part, by government policies. In his highly detailed report for Africa Watch, "Evil Days: Thirty Years of War and Famine in Ethiopia", De Waal makes clear that “one consequence of the government’s military policies particularly during the early 1980s was famine.” Widespread drought occurred “months after the famine was already under way”, and “information on food production and prices gives an account which contradicts important elements of the drought hypothesis.” The key factors driving the famine (many of which are similarly taking place today, such as selling off land to international corporations for industrial farming), De Waal explains, were “the counter-insurgency strategy adopted by the government [much like the state violence currently taking place in Amhara, Oromia, Gambella and the Ogaden], and restrictions and burdens imposed on the population of non-insurgent
areas in the name of social transformation.” As well as the government’s “repeated military offensives, which destroyed the crops in surplus producing areas, and with them much rural employment.” The Mengistu government bombed market places, which stopped 'rural trade and exchange', hindering the redistribution of surplus foods. Other governmentmade causes of the famine were the “punitively high delivery quotas of staple grains to the Agricultural Marketing Corporation and heavy taxation,” plus the fact that the majority of food relief was channelled through the “government side”. This despite them only having access to a minority of the “famine stricken population” in the north. De Waal estimates that over half of the 400,000 who died in the famine can be attributed to “human rights abuses causing the famine to come earlier and strike harder, and extend further than would otherwise have been the case.” Human rights abuses that are just as acute, if not more so, under the present regime, are perhaps even more widespread. Planning for famine Although the Ethiopian government has made some provision to mitigate the impact of poor harvests, such as establishing a sort of social security net so poorer farmers can access funds for public works such as digging water holes, many have been critical of the EPRDF’s response, and their inability to foresee and plan for the current crisis. Given the country’s exposure to drought, as well as the intensifying, ongoing threat caused by climate change and El Nino weather patterns, long term plans need to be put in place to mitigate the effects. The answer to famine is not increased levels of food aid, but strategic planning to enable communities to survive the impact of extreme weather, made more acute by climate change. As Thabani Maphosa, World Vision's Vice President of Food Assistance Programmes, states, “food assistance interventions must be designed to empower poor people to build productive assets such as water harvesting tanks, dams and irrigation projects,” as well as strengthening and consolidating small holder-farming – not allowing foreign companies to build industrial-sized farms and grow crops for export only (which continues apace in Ethiopia) – in order to help them become self-sufficient in the long term. The first duty of any government is the safety and wellbeing of its citizens: to this end much more should and could have been done to safeguard the people of Ethiopia against the risk of low yields and resulting food poverty. But the priorities of the ruling regime are not (and they consistently prove this) the security, freedom and happiness of the population, but control – often violent, holding onto power and the accumulation of personal wealth. Donor countries also have a long-term responsibility to the people they purport to support; to this end the governments of Britain, America and the European Union (who collectively give over half of Ethiopia’s annual federal budget in various aid packages) must ensure that the Ethiopian government, whoever it may be, put in place visionary plans to mitigate the impact of any future drought, which, with climate change a fact for us all, will undoubtedly take place.
To cut Delhi's air pollution, pinpoint the source eric dodge & rohini Pande IANS appearing: the government has plans to add 10 new air quality monitoring stations in Delhi, and news outlets are setting up their own monitoring systems, including IndiaSpend #Breathe. This could be a turning point in our understanding of the sources of Delhi’s deadly air, as well as our ability to craft smart policies that shut them down. We at Evidence for Policy Design (EPoD) are researchers who assist government ministries in formulating such responses. We think that at a time like this - a critical convergence of public concern, policymaker attention, and academic contribution - it’s worth taking stock of what we know now and how we came to know it. That clarity will make it easier to guide the discussion toward a policy response that will stick.
source apportionment studies: direct sampling based on chemical analysis, and secondary data analysis based on monitoring data. The international best practice is to rely on receptor-based studies, but where budgetary constraints inhibit adequate sampling, analysis using secondary data may dominate. Over the past 10 years and excluding the just completed IIT-K study, we count 15 source apportionment studies that sought to pinpoint the sources of emissions and their respective contributions to Delhi’s overall air pollution. Ten are based on direct sampling; the other five rely on secondary data. While the main sources identified are similar across studies, the relative weights placed on different sources by these studies vary dramatically. This underscores both the difficulty of conducting Search out the source them and the wide range in quality of There are two ways of conducting the studies currently available.
WRITE-WING
Getting a reliable picture of air pollution is inherently difficult due to Delhi’s changing weather conditions and constantly shifting patterns of emissions throughout the day, week, and year. Moreover, some of the most important pollution sources lie outside the National Capital Region. This makes it important that direct air sampling studies are broad enough to capture multiple sources and take samples at several different time points. An inability to do this-largely due to budgetary considerations-and the resulting differences in what gets sampled are an important part of the explanation for the large differences across studies. In such situations, secondary databased analysis may well be the best option for source apportionment studies, as long as these secondary sources are reliable and span relevant emission sources. Right now, we lack a measure of whether that is the case. Without standardised best practices about which secondary data sources to use and which model to use, source apportionment studies will continue to give conflicting results going forward. So, we not only lack the best information on pollution, we also lack consensus on how to determine the second best. In Wednesday’s continuation of this article, we will describe how findings from the IIT-K study fit into that data hierarchy, and the other information systems needed to create a policy response that will clear Delhi’s deadly air.
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.
FriDAY 22•01•2016
PERSPECTIVE
THE MORUNG EXPRESS
Blackmail in the Hornbill Market
N
ow that the dusts have settled over the festivity and merry making, allow me to pen down here a few afterthoughts on our recent tryst with another annual so-called festival of festivals. To make my point clearer, let me begin with an analogy. Suppose you go to attend a birthday party or a wedding party with a very noble intention to bless the birthday boy/girl or the newly-wed couple with your presence / gifts and also to spend quality time with friends and relatives. At the party, what would be your reaction if someone tells you that you will have to pay Rs.5 or Rs.10 for using the urinal or the toilet? Undoubtedly, it would be a very embarrassing situation and such a revelation would spoil the whole atmosphere at the party. For once, it would spoil your mood, it would degrade the whole meaning of the party and the get-together and it would make you want to leave the party as soon as possible. I am afraid many of the people who visit the hornbill festival venue at Kisama every December experience this embarrassing and humiliating situation because the urinals and toilets there do not come for free. It is a foregone conclusion that a good majority of the people visiting the hornbill site at Kisama will use the urinal at least once during their visit. Therefore it is pure blackmail on the part of the organizers to be charging people on this very basic and fundamental need of man. Wherever mammoth people gather, urinals and lavatories are a must and it must be provided free of cost. Or else the main theme or focus of any event / program may get diverted by a money-oriented environment. Now, everyone knows that the basic motive and intention of the Nagaland state government in organizing the annual Hornbill festival is to showcase and promote the rich culture, heritage, tradition, fabrics and cuisines of the Naga people. And as such, we take pride in the fact that the number of tourists (both domestic and foreign) visiting our great Hornbill festival is increasing every year. Many tourists from outside Nagaland and even outside India come to experience the Hornbill festival after reading about the festival in the internet websites. And indeed it is understandable that everything at such a well-known, popular and extravagant festival site cannot be free. But what actually is the logic behind charging money for using the urinals and toilets at Kisama during the festival? Is the practice authorized by the Nagaland state government, by some particular department or is somebody without any authorization simply charging fees on the urinals and the toilets? Who are the personnel manning the gates of the urinals and the toilets at Kisama and where does the money collected go – to the state government, any particular department, any particular organization or to the pockets
Khrietuonyü Noudi
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Oh boy, that’s my girl! Battling gender biases in India David Lalmalsawma
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of the individuals manning the entrance of the urinals and the toilets at the Hornbill festival site? We often talk about self-employment and we say that there is no job too small or too insignificant. But for me, standing at the entrance of urinals and toilets and collecting money from the people for peeing and defecating at a large public gathering like Kisama during the Hornbill festival is the last thing I would do. Even if I am to die of starvation, I would never stoop so low as to stand at the entrance of toilets and urinals at the Hornbill festival site and collect money from the hapless people who come to answer the call of nature. So to the volunteers who stand at the gates of the urinals and toilets at Kisama to collect money, I would say “Where is your honour?”, “Where is your self-respect?” and “Can’t you find something a little more decent to do?” As mentioned above, the hornbill festival is staged every year to introduce the rich and vibrant culture, tradition and heritage of the Nagas to the outside world. As such all the visitors who come to witness Kisama during the Hornbill festival should return home with fond memories and meaningful experiences. The hornbill festival cannot be considered a success if the visitors feel humiliated, embarrassed or insulted in any manner while roaming around in the Kisama complex. The purpose of the hornbill festival will also remain unfulfilled if the interests and expectations of the visitors coming from outside Nagaland are not met and entertained in proper environments. As mentioned, everything cannot be offered free of cost at such an extravagant and colourful festival site. But it is really sad to see the hornbill
W
elcome to the world's inequality countdown. In 2010, some 388 people owned as much wealth as the poorest half of the world's population. Jump to 2014 and that 388 is down to 85 people. In 2015 the figure was 80 and now today Oxfam has revealed that 62 rich individuals own as much wealth as the poorest 3.6 billion people. If this deeply alarming inequality clock continues to tick as fast, by 2020 a mere 11 people could have the same wealth as half the world. That's not even a dozen. This extreme inequality is not a sign of a healthy global economy as all the wealth is being sucked up by those at the dizzying top. Trickle-down economics is a fallacy this is not just Oxfam's view but that of the World Bank also. The rich can no longer pretend their wealth benefits the rest of us. It doesn't: it harms us. The only thing that's "trickling down" is inequality, and powerlessness. The consequences of this extreme economic inequality are far reaching. If inequality is not dealt with, we could see more social unrest across the world, a brake on growth and all the work that has been done in the last quarter century on poverty halted - potentially reversed. Unstable unequal world What this means to you and me is a more unstable, unequal world with fewer people able to escape poverty. The world's most unequal region is still Latin America, despite income inequality there falling in recent years. In 2014, the richest 10 percent of people in Latin America had amassed 71 percent of the region’s wealth. If this trend continues, according to Oxfam's calculations, in only six years the region's richest 1 percent will have more wealth than the 99 percent. Meanwhile, inequality in Asia has risen by as much as 18 percent since the mid-1990s. Had this rise not happened,
festival becoming more and more money-oriented with every passing year. If the trend continues, it would become very burdensome for the low income people and the middle class people to go to Kisama in the coming years. The hornbill festival should be a people-oriented affair and not a money-making endeavor of some people. So I feel that it is pure blackmail when visitors are made to pay even for using the urinals and toilets. Remember, the Hornbill festival is a platform to showcase the rich and vibrant Naga ‘way of life’ to the outside world. So the environment within the Kisama complex should be polite, gentle, friendly and cordial. And one best way to make Kisama polite, gentle, friendly and cordial would be the availability of free and sufficient urinals and lavatories where the visitors can use them freely as much as they want. Or for that matter, why only free urinals and toilets, the organizers can also install bathrooms with sufficient water within the Kisama complexes and allow the visitors to bath and use water free of cost to their heart’s content. There may be visiting tourists who intend to spend even a whole day at Kisama. If these visitors are made to pay for even answering the call of nature while in Kisama, they may not have much wonderful things to say about the Nagas or the festival when they go back home. On the other hand, if the organizers of the festival can provide at least free urinals, toilets and bathrooms with sufficient water, the festival would very much become an international festival worthy of its name. If people can use urinals, toilets and bathrooms free of cost at Kisama during the hornbill festival, nobody would mind even if some nominal fees are charged on
the other services provided at the venue. It would also be relieving if reasonable and nominal prices are charged on the many colourful items on sale at Kisama so that a visit to Kisama in December would not became a burden for the common man. Let us remember that the hornbill festival can become a ‘festival of festivals’ or an ‘international festival’ in the real sense of the word only if the festival is people–friendly and people-oriented. A Naga festival where people have to pay even for answering to the call of nature would never be able to project the Nagas or Nagaland in the right and intended spirit to the outside world. If the present trend of charging money from the people for using urinals and toilets within the Kisama complex is justifiable in any sense, then somebody may also think about charging money from the visiting people for breathing air within the Kisama complex by the time the next Hornbill festival comes in December 2016. Every true Naga would not mind working towards projecting Nagas and Nagaland in the right light and spirit. Let outsiders remember Nagas for their hospitality, their generosity, their broad outlook and their rich culture and traditions. And let no outsiders dare say that “in the land of the Nagas, you cannot even pee if you don’t have money”. Charging our guests and visitors for even answering the call of nature is nothing but pure blackmail and it is disgusting, embarrassing, humiliating, cheap and ignominious……… Or else, if we intend to make some quick bucks through the urinals and toilets at Kisama during the Hornbill season, it would be more befitting to change the nomenclature from ‘Hornbill Festival’ to ‘Hornbill Market’………..
ike most parents, our life revolves around our daughter. Sarah is almost 5 years old. She brings a lot of laughter into the house, and we marvel at her achievements (Wow, she’s humming to the tune of that song. She must be a genius). We also spend lots of money on her (have you seen private school fees lately?), stay up nights when she gets sick (even if we must get dressed for work at 6:30 the next morning), and worry a lot about her health, how she is coping at school, and her security. When we decided to have another baby, I pushed past the big questions about whether we have the moral right to introduce another child into this often grim world and so on, and decided to wonder instead if this time we might have a boy since we already had a girl. “Girl or boy, it’s all a blessing,” my parents said. I wish the rest of India felt the same way. Around here, everybody wants you to have a boy. Girls? Not so much. Across much of India, many people see girls as a financial burden. Dowries cost money. Girls marry off into other families. They’re good only for making more babies. If they are caught acting out sexually or if they are the victim of assault, some people say they bring shame on a family. Some people abort their foetuses if they find out they’re going to have female children, resulting in a skewed sex ratio. India has a law that bans doctors from disclosing the gender of unborn babies to prevent sex-selective abortions. According to government data, the sex ratio of registered births fell from 909 girls per 1,000 boys in 2011 to 908 the next year and 898 in 2013. (In the UK, by comparison, the figure is around 952). I grew up in a small town in the northeast of India where no one really made a fuss over a baby girl, so I was unprepared for the reaction when we brought our first child to Delhi. Our landlord gave me a pat on the back and said, “Don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll be a boy next time.” Even our neighbourhood grocery store proprietor was dismayed. “What? First child is a girl?” Then came Aria. She was premature, there were complications for mother and baby. In the hospital waiting room, I sat there, rattled. Next to me, a tall man bawled like a boy while an older woman comforted him. I was dozing in a chair when a nurse woke me up, showed me the baby she was carrying, and left for the nursery. Nothing wrong with her, the nurse said. I was still grinning when an aunty (not my real aunt, just the term for any middle-aged Indian woman whose name you don’t know) started with the questions. “Boy or girl? Oh, OK. First child? Second? Oh.” She looked at me with sympathy and shook her head. “Don’t worry, have one more. I assure you, it’ll be a boy. It’s always a boy if the first two are girls. You have to believe me.” “I’m ok with a girl,” I said. A few other women answered the same way when I told them Aria was a girl. I wondered about these women. They were in the maternity ward because their daughters, daughters-in-law and other relatives were there to have babies. What if they had girls? A few days later, I drove my wife and new baby home from the hospital. We met a neighbour when pulling into our apartment parking lot in New Delhi. “A girl? Again?” he asked. “These things happen,” I thought I heard his wife say. They’re both friendly types, and we always chat when we pass each other. The thing is, I’m sure that everyone whom my wife and I let down with our second child is a “nice” person. Whether they have it in them to be happy for us, or to at least mind their own business and keep their opinions to themselves, I can’t say. For all I know, this is the thought that will hang in the air when the four of us go anywhere in India. There goes Lalmalsawma and his family, just making it worse on himself with all those girls. As for me, ever since Aria was born in October last year, I’ve been sleeping less. I’m cleaning up more than my share of baby poop. I’m guessing that parents of boys must know how that goes. When she gets older, I’m expecting to repeat some of the things I said to Sarah (“stop throwing your food!”) and that my wife and I have said to each other (“She emptied the body lotion container on the floor… again.). I plan to love her unconditionally too. I hope the country can see its way to doing the same thing.
The World's Inequality Countdown Winnie Byanyima
The rich can no longer pretend that their wealth benefits the rest of us - the only thing trickling down is inequality 240 million people across Asia could have escaped poverty. In Africa, four million children's lives could be saved each year if 30 percent of Africa's wealth was not held in tax havens. This means an estimated $14bn is lost in tax revenues each year, a sum that could pay for life-saving healthcare for Af-
rican mothers and children, and employ enough teachers to get every African child into school. Across the world, Oxfam is seeing devastating impacts on the people we work with. But it doesn't have to be this way. Inequality is not inevitable. Oxfam has done the analysis and we
Reuters
have some of the solutions. What we need - what the world needs - is more action on dealing with extreme inequality and there has been some progress, but not enough. In 2015, we saw the Sustainable Development Goals on extreme poverty and inequality enshrined. We also saw G20 governments agreeing on measures to curb
(Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters)
tax dodging by multinational companies, but these reforms don't go far enough in ensuring governments receive the taxes they are due. So more does need to happen, especially as tax havens are becoming an ever more common way of doing business. The leaders of some of these multinational companies will be attending this week's World Economic Forum in Davos. Oxfam has found that nine out of 10 WEF corporate partners have a presence in at least one tax haven and it is estimated that tax dodging by multinational corporations across the world costs developing countries at least $100bn every year. Corporate investment in tax havens almost quadrupled between 2000 and 2014. Era of tax havens That's why I am going to Davos to challenge governments, companies and elites to play their part in ending the era of tax havens, which is fuelling economic inequality and preventing hundreds of millions on people lifting themselves out of poverty. And it is also why Oxfam has released "An Economy for the 1%" just before this year's Davos. This research has led to tax havens being at the top of our Inequality To Do list. Tax may be boring to some, but the figures are eye watering. Roughly $7.6 trillion of individuals' wealth sits offshore. If tax were paid on the incomes this wealth generates, we are looking at an extra $190bn for governments to spend on services that are essential for a functioning society, such as schools and hospitals. We need to end the era of tax havens if we are to stop the inequality countdown. For the benefit of all of us, our governments - that are meant to represent our interests - need to shun the vested interests of the richest by stopping the race to the bottom on tax and pulling back the curtains on shady financial dealings.
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.
Winnie Byanyima is the executive director of Oxfam International
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FridAY 22•01•2016
INDIA
THE MORUNG EXPRESS
Hyderabad varsity bends, but student protests go on hyDeraBaD/New Delhi, JaNuary 21 (iaNS): The Hyderabad university on Thursday revoked the suspension of four Dalit research scholars, but students continued to protest for the fifth day over the suicide of a Dalit student who too had been suspended. Addressing the protesting students at the campus, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack his ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya over the suicide by Rohith Vemula. And protesting against Human Resource Development Minister Irani's "misleading" statement, 10 Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe teachers quit their administrative roles. Under attack, the university's executive council decided to revoke the suspension of four students who along with Rohith were suspended in November after an alleged clash with an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) leader. The ABVP is the student wing of the RSS. "After taking into account the extraordinary situation in the university, it resolved to terminate the punishment imposed on the students with immediate effect," a university statement said. Vice Chancellor P. Appa Rao urged the university community to maintain harmony.
Delhi Chief Minister Aravind Kejriwal paying tribute to Rohith Vemula at at a memorial pylon on Hyderabad Central University campus in Hyderabad on Thursday.
Slamming Irani's statement that a Dalit headed the committee which expelled the five Dalit students including Vemula, 10 teachers quit their administrative posts and joined the students on protest. Kejriwal visited the campus and sought the dismissal of Irani and Minister of State for Labour Dattatreya whose letters to the HRD ministry on the alleged
assault on the ABVP leader reportedly forced the university to suspend Vemula - son of a farm worker - and the others. The Aam Aadmi Party leader also asked Irani to apologize for "playing dirty caste politics" over Vemula's suicide. Modi "should dismiss both the ministers", he said to applause. He demanded that Irani's name should be included in the
FIR filed against Dattetreya, the vice chancellor and two ABVP leaders. In New Delhi, the AAP demanded the arrest of Dattatreya, the BJP MP from Secunderabad. BJP ally and Lok Janshakti Party MP Chirag Paswan also demanded a probe into a letter written by Dattatreya to the HRD ministry ahead of the Dalit research scholar's suicide.
"The suicide should be probed by an independent agency, which should decide who it should be probing. Those found guilty must not be spared, no matter how influential they are," he said. The Congress called for Irani's dismissal from the cabinet for misleading people about the suicide. Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said in New Delhi that the "anti-Dalit mindset of the BJP and the RSS" had manifested itself over the last 20 months in various forms across the country. He said Dattatreya, "on whose letter the HRD ministry pressurised for the expulsion of the five PhD Dalit students", should also be booted out of the cabinet. The BJP hit back, accusing the Congress of "giving a communal colour or caste angle" to every untoward incident in the country. "It is very unfortunate," BJP national secretary Srikant Sharma said. Sharma also demanded to know why Kejriwal, who visited Hyderabad, did not "meet even one family of dengue victims in Delhi". "They (AAP) are silent over law and order issues in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. But they blame the centre for issues it is not even responsible. It proves their dishonesty," he said.
Around 130 Pakistan nuclear warheads aimed at deterring India: US government report waShiNGToN, JaNuary 21 (PTi): Pakistan's nuclear warheads which are estimated to be between 110130 are aimed at deterring India from taking military action against it, a latest Congressional report has said. The report also expressed concern that Islamabad's "full spectrum deterrence" doctrine has increased risk of nuclear conflict between the two South Asian neighbours. "Pakistan's nuclear arsenal probably consists of approximately 110-130 nuclear warheads, although it could have more. Islamabad is producing fissile material, adding to related production facilities, deploying additional nuclear weapons, and new types of delivery vehicles," Congressional Research Service (CRS) said in its latest report. In its 28-page report, the CRS noted that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is widely regarded as designed to dissuade India from taking military action against it, but Islamabad's expansion of its nuclear arsenal, development of new types of nuclear weapons and adoption of a doctrine called "full spectrum deterrence" have led some observers to express concern about an increased risk of nuclear conflict between Pakistan and India, which also continues to expand its nuclear arsenal. CRS is the independent research wing of the US Congress, which prepares periodic reports by eminent experts on a wide range of issues so as to help lawmakers take informed decisions.Reports of CRS are not considered as an official view of the US Congress. "Pakistan has in recent years taken a number of steps to increase international confidence in the security of its nuclear arsenal," said the CRS report authored by Paul K Kerr and Mary Beth Nikitin. Moreover, Pakistani and US officials argue that, since the 2004 revelations about a procurement network run by former Pakistani nuclear official A Q Khan, Islamabad has taken a number of steps to improve its nuclear security and to prevent further proliferation of nuclear-related technologies and materials, it said. A number of important initiatives, such as strengthened export control laws, improved personnel security, and international nuclear security cooperation programmes, have improved Pakistan's nuclear security, the CRS said. "However, instability in Pakistan has called the extent and durability of these reforms into question. Some observers fear radical takeover of the Pakistani government or diversion of material or technology by personnel within Pakistan's nuclear complex," the CRS said.
Food security law to be implemented by April New Delhi, JaNuary 21 (PTi): The National Food Security Law will be implemented in all states and Union Territories, barring Tamil Nadu, by April this year, Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said on Thursday. Till now, 25 states and UTs have rolled out the law while 11 are in the process of doing so, he said. The law was passed by Parliament in 2013 and state governments were given one year to implement it. Since then, the deadline has been extended thrice till September 2015. The food law provides legal entitlement to 5 kg of subsidised
foodgrains per person every month at Rs 1-3 kg to twothirds of India’s population. “When we came to power, the food law was implemented in only 11 states. Now, it has been rolled out in 25 states. All states and UTs, barring Tamil Nadu, will implement by April this year,” Paswan told reporters. Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Megalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman Nicobar, Mizoram, Dadar and Nagar Haveli and Tamil Nadu are 11 states which are yet to implement the food law. Tamil Nadu is already providing foodgrain for free through its
public distribution system. The minister said that direct cash transfer of food subsidy is being implemented on a pilot basis in Puducherry and Chandigarh. “Dadra and Nagar Haveli, is also in full readiness for implementation of this pilot cash transfer/ DBT scheme,” he added. Outlining steps taken in last 19 months to strengthen Public Distribution System (PDS), Paswan said digitisation of ration cards is one of the important components for making PDS leak proof and the government has digitised 97% of total 24.99 crore ration cards across the
country and soon 100% will be digitised. Over 10.10 crore ration cards have been seeded with Aadhaar, online allocation of foodgrains implemented in 19 states/UTs, 61,904 fair price shops (FPS) have been automated by installing ‘Point of Sale’ devices, he said. “By March this year, about 2 lakh FPS will have this device,” he said. The minister further said that the transparency portal to display all operations of PDS has been launched in 27 states and UTs. Online system for redressal of PDS grievances has been put in place in all states.
Govt to extend girl child campaign to 61 more districts New Delhi, JaNuary 21 (PTi): Buoyed by the success of its flagship programme 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' (BBBP) which will complete a year tomorrow, the government has decided to extend the scheme to 61 more districts this year to improve the skewed child sex ratio in those places. The programme was launched in 100 districts with poor sex ratio across the country in January last year. An increasing trend was registered by the Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry, the nodal agency for its implementation in at least 50 per
cent of the BBBP districts during the first 3 months of its launch in comparison to the sex ratio at birth in 2013-14. "More than 50% of our districts showed improvement during initial months of the launch of BBBP. Therefore, we have decided to launch the scheme in 61 more districts this year," a senior Ministry official said. The first landmark achievement of the programme was registered this month when Haryana declared an upward trend in its child sex ratio, crossing the 900-mark for the first time in the past ten years.
"It is due to BBBP's success that for the first time in 10 years, Haryana's sex ratio at birth for December 2015 has crossed the 900 mark with 903 girls per 1,000 boys," he said. Haryana has had the dubious record of being the worst among states in sex ratio with just 879 females per 1,000 males. Through BBBP, the government sought to improve the declining trend of child sex ratio (CSR) in 100 selected districts from every state and UT from the current level of 918, by preventing gender-biased sex selection and ensuring survival, protection and education of a girl child.
People warm themselves around a bonfire in Meerut. Dense fog and cold wave conditions across north India affected normal life on Tuesday, and badly hit road and rail traffic as well as flights as visibility remains poor. Cold wave conditions intensified last the next few days and local residents and school going children are finding it hard to cope with the bone chilling cold. (PTI Photo)
LGBT Indians to drive taxis in Mumbai, sign of social acceptance MuMBai, JaNuary 21 (ThoMSoN reuTerS FouNDaTioN): Mumbai's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens will soon be able to drive private taxis in the city, in a sign of the increasing acceptance of the marginalised community in India's commercial capital. A project launched by Wings Travels and community organisation Humsafar Trust will train up to 300 members of the LGBT community to drive cabs
in the city. The service, to be called Wings Rainbow, may then be expanded nationwide. "The LGBT community, especially transgenders, have very few economic opportunities because of the huge stigma that they still face," said Pallav Patankar, director of programmes at Humsafar Trust in Mumbai. "We hope that this will set the ball rolling and that it will open up other such opportunities for them." The Supreme Court
recognised transgender as a legal third gender in April 2014 and, in a landmark judgment lauded by human rights groups, called on the government to ensure their equal treatment. Despite this, sexual minorities – especially transgender people who are more visible - have been driven to the fringes of society into begging and sex work, and face discrimination in jobs and basic services such as health and education.
Wings Travels can place about 1,500 LGBT drivers in its taxi fleet nationwide, said Arun Kharat, the company's founder and director. The travel and car rental company also operates a taxi service that employs retired army personnel and one with female drivers for women passengers. "Driving a taxi is a way for these marginalised people who may not get so many opportunities to gain respectability and independence," Kharat said.
Brush your teeth twice a day & revitalise your heart 'Military aid to Kabul will cause more Pathankots'
New Delhi, JaNuary 21 (iaNS): What have brushing and cleaning your teeth to do with your heart? A lot, say health experts, suggesting that taking care of your teeth and gums will not only help keep oral hygiene or make you smile better but also save your heart from various heart diseases. Gum disease can be a reason for heart disease because bacteria from infected gums can dislodge, enter the bloodstream, attach to blood vessels and increase clot formation. "Swelling caused by gum disease may also trigger clot formation. Clots decrease
blood flow to the heart, thereby causing an elevation in blood pressure and increasing the risk of a heart attack", said Dr Subhash Chandra, chairman (cardiology) at BLK Super Speciality Hospital in the capital. Dr Chandra recently treated Neelam, an 18-year-old girl who was diagnosed with endocarditis (suffering from leaking heart valve). The infection in her heart valves was caused by mouth bacteria. Endocarditis is an infection of the heart's valves or inner lining. It occurs when germs get into the bloodstream and settle inside the
heart, often on a valve. The infection is usually caused by bacteria but in rare cases it is seen to be caused by fungi. Not brushing the teeth increases the bacterial count in the mouth which can travel to the damaged heart valves to cause infection. Many of the risk factors for gum disease are the same as those for heart disease, such as tobacco use, poor nutrition and diabetes. Overall, people who have chronic gum disease are at higher risk for a heart attack. The people with moderate or advanced gum (periodontal) disease are more likely to have heart disease than those with healthy gums. There are two groups namely coronary heart disease and infection in heart valves in which the effect of poor oral health can be studied. Poor oral healthcare increases the risk of coronary heart diseases. "Poor oral health increases the risk of infection in heart valves, especially in case of pre-existing damage in the heart valve. With such a condition, the infection due to poor oral health can reach to the already damaged heart valves, causing an infection there too."
explained Dr Tapan Ghosh, director (cardiology sciences) at Paras Hospitals, Gurgaon. Brushing your teeth twice a day is a mandate to maintain good oral healthcare. It is always advisable to go for a regular dental checkup in order to maintain a good oral health. "One of the biggest mouth-heart connections is related to gum disease. The spread of infected bacteria by swollen and bleeding gums not only destroys the structure of teeth jawbones but can also cause heart attack," the experts cautioned. Gum disease which is called "gingivitis" in its early stages and periodontal disease in the late stages is caused by plaque build-up along and below the gum line. "Apart from heart attack, poor oral health hygiene may result in various serious health consequences as respiratory infections, diabetes, poor nutrition, osteoporosis and stomach disease like gastro-intestinal infection, H Pylori, gastritis and stomach cancer," added Dr Ramesh Garg, head (gastroenterology) at Saroj Super Speciality Hospital in Delhi.
JaiPur, JaNuary 21 (iaNS): The Pakistani security establishment is unlikely to be happy with Indian military aid to Afghanistan, and in the short run this could lead to more Pathankot-like attacks, says South Asia politics and security expert Christophe Jaffrelot. "If India helps Afghanistan mililtarily, it could result in more Pathankots," Jaffrelot, a professor at the Centre for Studies in International Relations at the Paris Institute of Political Studies and author of several books on India and Pakistan, told IANS in an interview at the Jaipur Literature Festival on Thursday. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kabul and agreed to provide helicopters to the Afghan forces, and the attacks on the Indian Air Force (IAF) base at Pathankot in Punjab and the Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan followed, he said. "The Pakistan Army has not taken the Indian offer of helicopters in a very good way. They already have a constant temptation to use jihadi groups against India," said Jaffrelot. "In the 10 years of (Congress rule), India gave Afghanistan aid but no military aid. You had talks, skirmishes, talks, skirmishes... India could
live with that. It cannot live with a Pathankot every month," he said. On Pakistan, Jaffrelot, whose most recent book "The Pakistan Paradox: Instability and Resilience" (2015), dealt with the country's curious paradoxes, said the world has to change its approach towards Islamabad. "One solution will be to stop bailing it out... force it to reform its fiscal structure. The rich don't pay taxes there. The state has no resources for development," he said. "The way must be trade, not aid," he said, noting increased trade with Pakistan will also create more employment in the populous country. "This has to be among the first steps." Earlier, at a session titled "The Pakistan Paradox", Jaffrelot maintained that a crackdown by the Pakistani security establishment on certain military groups makes "no real difference" for India. "Recently, the head of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi was killed in an 'encounter'... The Pakistani forces only crack down on any group when it gets out of hand - and set up new ones. They still distinguish between 'good' and 'bad' Islamists." Jaffrelot, who has also studied Indian politics, epecially the Hindu right and has authored "The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics" (1996),
"India's Silent Revolution - The Rise of the Lower Castes in North India" (2003), "Saffron Modernity in India: Narendra Modi and his Experiment with Gujarat" (2015), also cautioned against the rise of majoritarianism in India. "There is a risk of India becoming a mirror image of Pakistan... it would not be a very wholesome prospect," Jaffrelot told IANS. Noting it was a global trend with the success so far of Donald Trump in the race for the US presidential candidacy and right and far-right wing political parties in Europe, he said India had so far resisted this with its diversity and secularism. "Majoritarianism, which would imply the majority community or Hindus are first-class citizens and minorities are not, can happen in practice, it dosn't need a constitutional change. Israel is an example. They have not changed the law, but still," he said, adding any such change would have implications. "Things like 'ghar wapsi', beef ban, 'love jihad' and the like would lead to more estrangement, and 'ghettoisation' of the minority communities," he said. Apart from the security aspects of such an outcome, India would lose its "moral high ground" and its "soft power" would diminish," he warned.
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WORLD
THE MORUNG EXPRESS
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‘Putin ‘probably’ approved murder of Litvinenko’ LONDON, JaNuary 21 (reuters): President Vladimir Putin probably approved a 2006 Russian intelligence operation to murder ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko with radioactive polonium-210 in London, a British inquiry concluded on Thursday, prompting a row with Moscow. Russia, which had declined to cooperate in the inquiry, described Britain’s handling of the case as opaque and biased. Litvinenko, 43, an outspoken critic of Putin who fled Russia for Britain exactly six years to the day before he was poisoned, died after drinking green tea laced with the rare radioactive isotope at London’s Millennium Hotel. An inquiry led by senior British judge Robert Owen found that former KGB bodyguard Andrei Lugovoy and another Russian, Dmitry Kovtun, carried out the killing as part of an operation probably directed by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the main heir to the Sovietera KGB. “The FSB operation to kill Mr Litvinenko was probably approved by Mr Patrushev, then head of the FSB, and also by President Putin,” Owen said. “I have concluded that there is a strong probability that when Mr Lugovoy poisoned Mr Litvinenko, he did so under the direction of the FSB. I have further concluded that Mr Kovtun was also acting under FSB
UK considering more action against Russia
Vladimir Putin. File Photo
direction,” he said. The death of Litvinenko marked a post-Cold War low point in Anglo-Russian relations, and ties have never recovered, marred further by Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The British government said it would summon Russia’s ambassador. “The conclusion that the Russian state was probably involved in the murder of Mr Litvinenko is deeply disturbing,” interior minister Theresa May told parliament. “This was a blatant and unacceptable breach of the most fundamental tenets of international law and of civilised behaviour.” The image of Litvinenko lying on his bed at London’s University College Hospital, cadaverous and having lost his hair, was emblazoned across British
Alexander Litvinenko. File Photo
and other Western newspapers and later shown to the inquiry. He took over three weeks to die. The Kremlin has always denied any involvement but the claim that Putin directly ordered a killing of an opponent with a radioactive isotope in a major Western capital provoked immediate censure from Moscow. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said what it called Britain’s politicised, biased and opaque handling of the Litvinenko case had clouded relations. POLONIUM TEA From his deathbed, Litvinenko told detectives he believed Putin had directly ordered his killing. The Kremlin dismissed that accusation at the time as absurd. The judge said he was sure Lugovoy and Kovtun had placed the polo-
nium 210 in a teapot at the Millennium Hotel’s Pine Bar on November 1, 2006. Traces of the highly radioactive substance were found at several sites across the city including offices, hotels, planes and Arsenal soccer club’s Emirates Stadium. Russia declined to participate in the six-month British inquiry, as did Lugovoy and Kovtun, the two Russian men who met with Litvinenko in London. Both Lugovoy and Kovtun have previously denied involvement and Russia has refused to extradite them. Lugovoy was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying the accusation was absurd. Owen cited several reasons why the Russian state would have wanted Litvinenko dead. The ex-spy was regarded as having betrayed the FSB by accusing it of 1999
apartment block bombings that killed more than 200 and which Moscow, launching an offensive to restore control over the southern region of Chechnya, blamed on Chechens. The FSB also had information Litvinenko had started working for British intelligence. KREMLIN CHIEF He was also close to leading dissidents and opponents of Putin and his administration who he had accused of collusion with organised crime. “There was undoubtedly a personal dimension to the antagonism between Mr Litvinenko on the one hand and President Putin on the other,” Owen’s report said. Some of the inquiry was held in secret and evidence from the British government and spy agencies has not been publicly dis-
Oldest evidence of warfare found in Kenya WasHINGtON, JaNuary 21 (reuters): Man’s inhumanity to man, as 18th century Scottish poet Robert Burns put it, is no recent development. Scientists said on Wednesday they had found the oldest evidence of human warfare, fossils of a band of people massacred by a troop of attackers with weapons including arrows, clubs and stone blades on the shores of a lagoon in Kenya about 10,000 years ago. The remains of 27 people from a Stone Age huntergatherer culture were unearthed at a site called Nataruk roughly 20 miles (30 km) west of Lake Turkana in northern Kenya. One man’s skeleton was found with a sharp blade made of a volcanic glass called obsidian still embedded in his skull. Another man had wounds from two blows to the head apparently with a club, crushing his skull. A woman in the last stages of pregnancy
Dr Marta Mirazon Lahr (R) and Justus Edung are pictured at the end of the excavation of the skeleton of a woman found in the sediments of a lagoon 30km west of Lake Turkana, Kenya, at a place called Nataruk, in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters January 20, 2016. REUTERS
appeared to have been bound by her hands and feet. Victims also had projectile wounds to the neck and broken skulls, hands, knees and ribs. University of Cambridge paleoanthropologist Marta Mirazón Lahr said evidence indicates these people, who hunted animals, caught fish
and gathered edible plants, were slain in a premeditated attack by raiders, perhaps from another region. “It is a brutal, physical, lethal attack with the intention to kill those individuals who could put up a defence or mount a counter-attack, or who perhaps were of no use to
Is there a real 9th planet out there? NeW yOrk, JaNuary 21 (IaNs): Astronomers from the California Institute of Technology have claimed to find an evidence of a new giant planet that has a mass about 10 times that of Earth and can bring the tally of planets in our solar system back to nine. Their analysis of objects in the Kuiper Belt suggests that this planet nicknamed “Planet Nine” orbits about 20 times farther from the sun on average than does Neptune (which orbits the sun at an average distance of 2.8 billion miles). In fact, it would take this new planet between 10,000 and 20,000 years to make just one full orbit around the sun. The researchers, Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown, discovered the planet’s existence through mathematical modeling and computer simulations but have not yet observed the object directly. “This would be a real ninth planet,” says Brown, the Richard and Barbara Rosenberg professor of planetary astronomy. “There have only been two true planets discovered since ancient times, and this would be a third. It’s a pretty substantial chunk of our solar system that’s still out there to be found, which is pretty exciting,” he added. Brown notes that the ninth planet - at 5,000 times the mass of Pluto - is sufficiently large that there should be no debate about whether it is a true planet. Unlike the class of smaller objects now known as dwarf planets, Planet Nine gravitationally dominates its neighbourhood of the solar system. In fact, it dominates a region larger
than any of the other known planets--a fact that Brown says makes it “the most planet-y of the planets in the whole solar system.” Batygin and Brown described their work in the Astronomical Journal and show how Planet Nine helps explain a number of mysterious features of the field of icy objects and debris beyond Neptune known as the Kuiper Belt. “Although we were initially quite skeptical that this planet could exist, as we continued to investigate its orbit and what it would mean for the outer solar system, we become increasingly convinced that it is out there,” added Batygin, assistant professor of planetary science. “For the first time in over 150 years, there is solid evidence that the solar system’s planetary census is incomplete,” he added. Planet Nine’s existence helps explain more than just the alignment of the distant Kuiper Belt objects. Where did Planet Nine come from and how did it end up in the outer solar system? Scientists have long believed that the early solar system began with four planetary cores that went on to grab all of the gas around them, forming the four gas planets - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. “But there is no reason that there could not have been five cores, rather than four,” said Brown. Planet Nine could represent that fifth core, and if it got too close to Jupiter or Saturn, it could have been ejected into its distant, eccentric orbit.
them, whether it was a man or a very pregnant woman, too young or too old,” Mirazón Lahr. Our species arose 200,000 years ago in Africa. Many scholars had thought warfare first emerged long after the time of the Nataruk people when humans formed settled communities instead of a nomadic, hunter-gatherer existence. The Nataruk fossils “raise the question of whether warfare has been part of the human experience for much longer than previously thought,” Mirazón Lahr added. A planned attack would suggest that resources the Nataruk people possessed, perhaps water, dried meat or fish, nuts or even women and children, were considered valuable, she said. There were remains of 21 adults and six children, most under age 6. There were no older teenagers. “Whether they managed to escape, or were taken, we will never know,” she said.
closed. Owen said this information had helped form his conclusions which were contained in his 326-page report. Litvinenko’s widow, Marina, whose persistence led to the inquiry being held, called for Russian spies to be kicked out of Britain and for sanctions against Russia. “I’m calling immediately for exclusion from the UK of all Russian intelligence operatives whether from the FSB, who murdered Sasha, or from other Russian agencies based in the London embassy,” she said outside London’s Royal Courts of Justice. “I’m also calling for the imposition of targeted economic sanctions and travel bans against named individuals, including Mr Patrushev and Mr Putin,” she said, adding that the British government had promised action.
LONDON, JaNuary 21 (reuters): Britain is considering taking further action against Russia after an inquiry found Russian President Vladimir Putin probably approved the murder of ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister David Cameron said. “The conclusion that the murder was authorized at the highest levels of the Russian state is extremely disturbing,” the spokeswoman told reporters. “It is not the way for any state, let alone a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, to behave.” “In light of the inquiry’s findings we are considering what further actions we should take,” she said. The Kremlin has denied any involvement in the death of Litvinenko.
Litvinenko murder suspect calls UK inquiry accusations ‘absurd’ MOsCOW, JaNuary 21 (reuters): Andrei Lugovoy, one of two Russians named on Thursday by a judge led-British inquiry as the killers of Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko, said the accusations against him were “absurd”, the Interfax news agency quoted him as saying. The inquiry into the 2006 killing in London concluded that President Vladimir Putin probably approved a Russian intelligence operation to murder ex-KGB agent Litvinenko. It said his poisoners were former KGB bodyguard turned lawmaker Lugovoy and fellow Russian Dmitry Kovtun. Lugovoy, who represents the ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia in the Russian parliament, called the British inquiry “a pathetic attempt by London to use a skeleton in the closet for the sake of its political ambitions”. He said the findings of the inquiry published on Thursday continued Britain’s “anti-Russian hysteria” which he said began after “the events in Ukraine in 2014”. “The accusations brought against me are absurd,” he said. “As we expected, there was no sensation. The results of the inquiry published today are yet more proof of London’s anti-Russian stance, its blinkered thinking and ... unwillingness to establish the true cause of Litvinenko’s death.”
How two-degree target to tame global warming can’t be met LONDON, JaNuary 21 (IaNs): The ambitious plan to limit global warming to “well below” 2ºC is abstract and invites misunderstanding, a team of Swiss researchers has claimed. According to Sonia Seneviratne, professor of land-climate dynamics at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), many people will interpret 2 degrees globally as 2 degrees of warming in their region and, accordingly, will not be proactive enough about reducing CO2 emissions in their countries. The problem is that, according to various climate models, the temperature will rise more sharply over land than over oceans. The big question, therefore, is how a maximum of 2 degrees global warming will affect individual regions of the world. To understand this, a team of climate researchers from Switzerland, Australia and Britain led by Seneviratne has calculated the levels of extreme and average
temperatures, as well as of heavy precipitation, that will occur in individual regions if the average global rise in temperature is taken as a reference. Recently published in the journal Nature, the study based their calculations on several existing climate scenarios, as well as on the assumed and effective development in atmospheric CO2 concentration. The scientists tested their new model using four examples: the Mediterranean, the USA, Brazil and the Arctic. For each of these regions, the researchers computed a separate graphical representation. For the Mediterranean, the results reveal the following: if the global average temperature increases by 2ºC, the region will see mean temperatures increase by 3.4ºC on average. “If, however, our aim is to limit warming in the Mediterranean to 2ºC, then the global temperature must rise by no more than 1.4 de-
grees Celsius,” the authors noted. The most extreme changes could be seen in the Arctic. With global warming of 2ºC, the average temperatures in the far north increased by 6 degrees Celsius. The 2ºC target for the Arctic had already been exceeded when global warming reached 0.6ºC on average. The study illustrates that the 2ºC target cannot be met in many regions of the world, even if it were adhered to on a global scale. “We wouldn’t have expected the effects to be so clear-cut,” emphasised Dr Markus Donat, a researcher at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science in Australia. According to Seneviratne, anyone can use these calculations to see how 2ºC of warming would affect their region. This makes them a valuable tool for politicians and decisions-makers, as well as for civilians, agriculture and the tourism industry.
Rare brain defect linked to Zika virus on the surge rIO De JaNeIrO, JaNuary 21 (aP): The suspected number of cases of microcephaly, a rare brain defect in babies, continues to rise in Brazil, reaching 3,893 since authorities began investigating the surge in October, Health Ministry officials said Wednesday. Fewer than 150 cases of microcephaly were seen in the country in all of 2014. Brazil’s health officials say they’re convinced the jump is linked to a sudden outbreak of the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne disease similar to dengue, though the mechanics of how the virus might affect babies remain murky. Infants with microcephaly have smaller than normal heads and their brains do not develop properly. Many fetuses with the condition are miscarried, and many others die during birth or shortly after. Those who survive tend to suffer from developmental and health problems. The ministry’s emergency response official, Wanderson Oliveira, said at a news conference in Brasilia on Wednesday that the reported cases are being
investigated to determine whether they are really cases of microcephaly. He stressed that the situation is very much in flux and “will change every day.” Another official, Claudio Maierovitch, who heads the ministry’s transmissible disease department, said officials are learning quickly about microcephaly and Zika, but much still remains unknown. “With Zika, it’s all new,” he said, adding that Wednesday’s announcement that the virus had been detected in the placenta of a woman who miscarried in the first trimester was one more piece of the puzzle. The announcement was made by the Fiocruz research institute’s branch in the southern state of Parana. Maierovitch said Brazil was working to ramp up its capacity to test for the Zika virus. Officials hope Brazilian labs will soon be able to process 20,000 Zika tests per month, compared with the current 1,000. Brazil has also invested in developing a vaccine against the illness, though Maierovitch said development would likely take 3 to 5 years.
A health agent uses a new test kit that rapidly diagnoses three different mosquito-borne viruses in Sao Paulo, Brazil on January 18. (REUTER Photo)
HE said that the introduction of genetically modified sterile mosquitoes could be a potential tool in the fight against Zika, as well as diseases such as dengue and chikungunya that are also transmitted by the Aedis aegypti mosquito. Recent tests by a British biomedical company suggest their sterile mosquitoes succeeded in drastically reducing local mosquito populations. However, Maierovitch cau-
tioned that such a solution is not yet ready to be used on a large scale. For the moment, the best way to prevent transmission is by doing away with stagnant water where the insects breed, using repellent and wearing covering clothing, he said. The reported cases of microcephaly remain concentrated in Brazil’s poor northeastern region. However, the developed southeast where Rio de
Janeiro and Sao Paulo are located is the second hardest-hit region. In Sao Paulo, Army troops are being used to help health agents combat the proliferation of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Teams made up of health agents and up to four soldiers each fanned out through the megacity’s middle class Vila Madalena neighborhood on Wednesday checking for and removing areas of stagnant water.
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FriDAY 22•01•2016
sports
THE MORUNG EXPRESS
Spurs beat Leicester, Liverpool through LONDON, JaNuary 21 (reuters): Son Heungmin's thunderous finish helped Tottenham Hotspur secure a 2-0 victory at Leicester City and Liverpool eased past fourth-tier Exeter City 3-0 in FA Cup third-round replays on Wednesday. Son, who rifled home the opening goal after 39 minutes, set up Nacer Chadli for the second with a beautiful pass in the second half as the eighttimes Cup winners eased through against surprise Premier League high-flyers Leicester. Liverpool scored early through Joe Allen, but then made heavy weather of their lower league opponents and did not add to their lead until substitute Sheyi Ojo curled home superbly. Joao Teixeira rounded off a comfortable victory for Juergen Klopp's side with a neat near-post finish eight minutes from time. After the first meeting between Tottenham and Leicester had ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw and with both teams harbouring hopes of challenging for the Premier League title, their managers showed where the FA Cup ranks in
Klopp urges patience as Liverpool youngsters dazzle
LONDON, JaNuary 21 (reuters): Manager Juergen Klopp has tried to temper the weight of expectation on Liverpool's youngsters, insisting that the talents on display during Wednesday night's FA Cup win over Exeter City have steep learning curve ahead. Liverpool ran out 3-0 winners in their third-round replay, with youngsters Joao Teixeira and Brad Smith impressive on the right and midfielders Kevin Stewart and Cameron Brannagan pulling the strings in the middle of the park. Sheyi Ojo, 18, marked his substitute's appearance by becoming the youngest goalscorer in Liverpool's FA Cup history, while Teixeira and Joe Allen also netting to set up a fourth-round clash against West Ham United. Klopp praised his makeshift team, but cautioned fans to be patient about the youngsters' prospects in the Premier League, where Liverpool are languishing
Liverpool's Joao Carlos Teixeira scores their third goal. (Reuters)
their priorities. Both made a raft of changes to the sides they fielded at the weekend and left out their principal attacking weapons, with Jamie Vardy warming the Leicester bench for most of the match and Harry Kane starting on the sidelines for Spurs. The game began at a pedestrian pace and only sprang to life after 39 min-
utes when Son finished emphatically, thumping the ball into the top corner past Kasper Schmeichel as the Leicester defence retreated. Demarai Gray tested Spurs keeper Michel Vorm at the start of the second half with a curling effort, but Leicester struggled to find any momentum and fell further behind after 66
Lotha Football C’ship enters semis
WOKha, JaNuary 21 (MexN): The 7th edition of the Lotha Football Championship being organised by the Wokha District Football Association entered into the semifinal stages with Pangti XI and Niroyo Range Sports Association (NRSA) registering narrow victories in their quarterfinal encounters. Pangti XI saw off Lower E Khel 3-2 to book their berth in the semis. Nchumbemo of Pangti XI drew the first blood in the 5th minute and again found the back of the net on the 19th minute. Lower E Khel were back on level terms after Yanpothung scored just before the in-
terval and Mesita grabbed the equalizer in the 55th minute. However, Lower E Khel could not maintain their momentum as Ekonthung of Pangti XI sealed the victory with a clinical finish in the 60 minute. In the other quarterfinal match, two first half goals from Alumai saw Niroyo Range Sports Association (NRSA) edging out Ordovician FC 2-1. Etsoshan of Ordovician FC grabbed a late consolation in the 81st minute to offer some hope of a comeback but it was too little too late. Today's match: PFC vs NRSA Friends Club vs Pangti XI
minutes. The ball found its way through to Son, who slid a perfectly-weighted through ball for Chadli to calmly finish past Schmeichel and round off a pleasing display for Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino. "The performance was fantastic," he told the BBC. "We played well
from the beginning to the end. I think we deserved this victory." Liverpool manager Klopp introduced a smattering of experience to the side that drew 2-2 at Exeter, in the shape of Allen, Jose Enrique and Christian Benteke, but it was still populated mostly by academy graduates. One of those, Brad
Smith, made a telling contribution as seven-times winners Liverpool took the lead after 10 minutes. The 21-year-old Australian exchanged passes with Benteke and drilled his low cross into the box for Allen to side-foot home. The second half was as onesided as the first and with a similar outcome as Liverpool pressed and domi-
in ninth place, eight points off the Champions League spots. "They showed what they are able to do and showed what they still have to learn. Now it is about giving the lads time to develop, not protecting them," Klopp told reporters after the game. "There are a lot of things to learn. The target at the end of the road is Liverpool FC in the Premier League and for this you have to be ready in all parts of development." The German was particularly pleased to welcome back defender Jon Flanagan, who made his first appearance for the club since the end of the 2013-14 season after twice undergoing knee surgery. "The whole stadium stood up and clapped their hands. It was really good and nobody deserved it more than him. It's such a long time, an unbelievably long time," Klopp said. "Since I've been here he was always injured -- but never in a bad mood. That's unbelievable. He's a really strong lad."
nated but failed to find the killer blow. While the hosts' struggles to extend their advantage added to the tension inside Anfield, the second goal was worth waiting for as Ojo strolled into the area before beautifully curling his finish into the roof of the net. That effectively ended any hopes of an upset and was swiftly followed by a
third goal as Teixeira was fed through by Benteke and calmly slotted home, allowing Klopp to sing the praises of his young players. "They showed they are talented with really big skills," he told BT Sport. Spurs travel to third-tier Colchester United in the fourth round and Liverpool host Premier League rivals West Ham United.
Atletico draws Celta; Barca beats Athletic
MaDrID, JaNuary 21 (aP): Atletico Madrid and Celta Vigo played to a 0-0 draw and Barcelona defeated Athletic Bilbao 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday. Barcelona got the away victory but Aritz Aduriz's late goal kept Athletic alive going into next week's second leg at the Camp Nou. Atletico and Celta will play the return match at the Vicente Calderon Stadium in Madrid, where Atletico has won its last nine matches. Atletico relied on solid defending to keep the hosts from scoring, but Diego Simeone's team failed to take its chances on counterattacks. Celta nearly scored in the 82nd but Gabi Fernandez cleared the ball just in front of the goal line to maintain the deadlock. "It was an open match, but they had more ball possession," Simeone said. "Now any draw other than 0-0 will benefit them. We need the victory at any cost." The sides had met
Mascherano accepts one-year jail term in plea bargain - reports
BarCeLONa, JaNuary 21 (reuters): Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano accepted a one-year prison sentence for tax evasion on Thursday as part of a plea bargain, Spanish media reported, although he is unlikely to serve time in jail. The 31-year-old Argentina international, who joined Barca in August 2010, pleaded guilty last year to defrauding the Spanish tax authorities of more than 1.5 million euros by concealing earnings from his image rights by using companies set up in the United States and Portugal. During a brief appearance in court on Thursday, he agreed to pay an 800,000 in the Spanish league just 10 days ago, with Atletico winning 2-0 in Vigo. Atletico Madrid leads the Spanish league with 47 points from 20 games. Barcelona is two points behind from 19 games. Celta is fifth with 34 points, also from 20 games. Barcelona was set for a 2-0 win at the San Mames in Bilbao, but Aduriz found
euro ($870,000) fine and cover the legal costs, the newspaper El Pais reported. Sentences shorter than two years are not usually enforced in Spain. Mascherano also paid back the unpaid tax plus almost 200,000 euros in interest. In a tweet, Mascherano acknowledged the plea bargain, and said he reserved the right to take legal action against those who had given him poor advice on his personal finances. Mascherano's Barcelona and Argentina team mate Lionel Messi, FIFA's world footballer of the year, is due to appear in court with his father at the end of May to answer charges of tax fraud.
the net in the 89th after Barcelona defender Dani Alves failed to clear a ball from inside the area. Athletic almost equalized a couple of minutes later after a ball deflected in front of the goal, but Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen made a good save to secure the win. Munir El Haddadi gave
Barcelona the lead in the 18th after a cross by Ivan Rakitic, and Brazil striker Neymar increased the lead in the 25th after a long ball sent into the area. "Athletic pressured a lot," Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said. "It was complicated, but I'm satisfied with the result despite conceding the late goal." The Catalan club got
the win — its fifth in a row — despite playing without Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. Messi was rested after receiving a knock on his right leg in the Spanish league game against Athletic over the weekend, while Suarez served the last of his a two-game suspension for insulting Espanyol opponents in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey. Suarez, the Spanish league's top scorer with 18 goals, netted a hat trick in Barcelona's 6-0 rout of Athletic in the league on Sunday. The Basque club played that game with 10 men after goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz was sent off for a foul that prompted a penalty kick to Barcelona in the fourth minute. T h e q u a r t e r f i na l matchup is a rematch of last year's final in the Copa del Rey, which Barcelona won 3-1. The teams also met in the Spanish Super Cup final a few weeks later, when Bilbao came out on top to win its first major title in more than 30 years.
As mobile fuels sports betting boom, corruption concerns mount WASA 53rd wrestling meet from today
syDNey, JaNuary 21 (reuters): The rise of mobile betting is transforming global sports wagering faster than regulators can react, flooding the industry with cash and potentially contributing to corruption scandals like the one roiling world tennis, experts and insiders say. Allegations this week that tennis authorities failed to deal with widespread match-fixing has rocked the game, following similar allegations that have blighted cricket, football and other sports. The ubiquity of mobile phones and tablets has helped transform bookmakers from operators of dingy, smoke-filled betting shops into multi-billion dollar de facto tech firms, pouring resources into developing apps and complex algorithms and marketing to younger and broader demographics. "We're no longer restricted by geography or the limited choices of one betting company. And we have wall-to-wall sport every day of the week from across the globe beamed into our lounge rooms, on our smartphones," said Scott Ferguson, a wagering industry consultant. "Technology is everything." The greatest danger for mobile gambling to intersect with corruption lies in
Customers prepare their sporting bets at the betting shop Victoria in Madrid in this October 11, 2008 file photo. (REUTERS)
the ease of fixing a one-onone sport like tennis, darts or snooker, according to experts and professional gamblers. Mobile apps that allow in-game betting on individual points or games allow athletes to stealthily manipulate the results and may strike some of them as less unethical as throwing an entire match, said Sally Gainsbury, a senior lecturer at Southern Cross University who has written a book on the subject. "A PERFECT COMBINATION" Most major bookmakers operate from small offshore jurisdictions, making accurate predictions of industry worth extremely difficult, said Gainsbury.
"There's a large grey sort of offshore market ... in every country, where it's actually just not possible for the government to regulate these sites that are based in all these tiny remote jurisdictions," she told Reuters. "So it's difficult to get a really accurate size of how much people are betting because a lot of it is actually illegal." Patrick Jay, a betting consultant and former sports and football director at Ladbrokes, estimates the global sports betting market is likely worth about $1 trillion a year, having doubled in size in the last five years. He expects it to double again in the next five. The Australian government, citing a 2015 United Nations conference at which
Jay was a speaker, put that figure as high as $3 trillion, of which 90 percent was "illegal" or in contravention of laws regulating gambling in which the bet was placed. That range of figures, which includes betting on sports from soccer, cricket and tennis to much less widely followed sports like snooker, darts and table tennis but excludes racing, illustrates the difficulty in accurately valuing the overall market. "It has grown because of mobile technology. It allows people to place bets anywhere, anytime," Jay told Reuters. "People are also dealing in credit, and therefore accounts are being run all over the world. It has created a perfect combi-
nation." Leading bookmakers including Betfair Group PLC, Ladbrokes PLC, Paddy Power PLC and William Hill PLC did not respond to requests for comment. There have not been any allegations of wrongdoing by the bookmakers in the World Tennis scandal. Worried about the boom in sports betting and incidents of match fixing, countries like Australia and across the European Union are in the process of reviewing laws that experts like Gainsbury say are "hopelessly outdated". In Australia, for example, 2001 laws regulating Internet sport betting bar anyone from placing a bet on a sporting event online once it has begun, despite allowing live betting over the phone or at retail bookmakers. William Hill, an official partner of the Australian Open, has a new "Bet-in-Play" feature for its Australian customers that requires access to a smartphone's microphone while the bet is placed to comply with such laws. "There's been a lot of stagnation where a lot of countries originally said, 'Well this is illegal, we won't let them do this', but of course with the internet you can't make things illegal and stop people going online," Gainsbury said.
KOhIMa, JaNuary 21 (MexN): The 53rd wrestling meet of Western Angami Sports Association (WASA) is scheduled to be held on January 22 and 23 at Khuochiezie (Local Ground), Kohima. A total of 60 wrestlers will compete in Naga style wrestling. The two-day wrestling event will also witness junior category wrestling for
under-14 wrestlers and free style wrestling for both seniors (Men & women) and cadets (Boys & girls). Kiyanilie Peseyie, Minister for Social Welfare & Parliamentary Affairs, will be the chief guest for the inaugural ceremony while Rovilato Mor, Deputy Commissioner, Kohima, will be the guest of honour at closing function.
Chozuba range wrestling meet from today
PheK, JaNuary 21 (MexN): The Chozuba Range Wrestling Association (CRWA) is set to hold its 26th Wrestling Meet on January 22 and 23 at Chozuba Town Local Ground. MLA Kiizholiizo (Azo) Nienu will be the chief guest on the occasion while Sovenyi will be the guest of honour. The in-
augural function will start from 8:30 AM onwards. CRWA General Secretary Vezholhii Khiisoh will oversee the administration of oath. The champion in Naga style will fetch a cash prize of Rs. 60,000 while second, third and fourth position holders will carry Rs. 40,000, Rs. 20,000 and Rs. 10,000.
Madrid top money league again
LONDON, JaNuary 21 (reuters): Real Madrid are the richest soccer club by revenue for the 11th straight year and La Liga rivals Barcelona have leapfrogged Manchester United into second, according to Deloitte's Football Money League. Real topped the list published on Thursday, with an annual revenue of 577 million euros ($629.3 million) as the combined figure for the top 20 Money League clubs rose by eight percent to a record high of 6.6 billion euros. Barcelona's stunning success on the pitch in 2015, when they claimed five of the six trophies on offer, including La Liga and the Champions League, helped them move above Manchester United, who fell to third. It was the first time that the top three clubs in the Football Money League have all passed the 500 million euros revenue mark. Although Manchester United slipped down the table, the outlook for the record Premier League winners remains positive. Tim Bridge, Senior Manager at De-
loitte, said their return to Champions League football this season as well as a number of commercial partnerships would only strengthen the business in 2015-16. "With this in mind, it would not be surprising to see United top next year’s Money League for the first time in 12 years," he said in a statement. Premier League clubs remained the major force in the Money League, nine English teams making the top 20 with revenues totalling 3 billion euros. Chelsea fell one place to eighth while London rivals Arsenal, who currently top the Premier League, climbed to seventh. Manchester City and Liverpool were the other two Premier League clubs in the top 10, in sixth and ninth places respectively. Bayern Munich fell from third to fifth place, their lowest position since 2006-07 and were overtaken by Paris St Germain, the only French team in the top 20.
Friday 22•01•2016
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female filmmakers ‘Star Wars’ toys generate more Hollywood'sshare their horror stories W than $700 million in sales in 2015 “S
tar Wars" toys generated sales of more than $700 million in the United States in 2015, making them the No.1 property in the toy industry during the year, a retail research group said. Sales of toys such as Kylo Ren light sabers, BB-8 droids and models of the Millennium Falcon spacecraft totaled more than those related to movie franchises "Jurassic World," "Minions" and "Avengers" combined, NPD Group said on Wednesday. Led by "Star Wars" merchandise, toy sales in the United States rose 6.7 percent to $19.4 billion in 2015, making it one of the strongest performances for toy sales in years, NPD Group said. Sales took off on Sept. 4, or "Force Friday", when retailers launched merchandise in anticipation of the opening of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," the first Star Wars film produced by Walt Disney Co. "With the early release of 'Star Wars' toys on Force Friday, 'Star Wars' managed to become the number-one property for the year," NPD said.
Toymakers Hasbro Inc and Mattel Inc are some of the biggest licensees of "Star Wars" products. Toys based on characters from the new movie were tough to find after Christmas, said Jim Silver, editor-in-chief of toys and sporting goods review website TTPM. Disney said last week that new toys and collectibles related to the movie are rolling out at Disney
stores and mass retailers across the United States. Many new products feature the female scavenger Rey, the lead character in "Force Awakens." Some customers had complained she appeared under-represented on store shelves filled with male characters from the film. Disney said it kept some Rey products under wraps to prevent revealing key plot points before the
movie's release. The company also underestimated the character's popularity, said Paul Southern, the head of "Star Wars" licensing in Disney's consumer products division. After the film debuted, sales of Rey products at Disney retail stores grew three times faster than other "Force Awakens" characters, a company spokeswoman said. Others, such as a limited edition Rey
and BB-8 figure, sold out quickly. "Rey came in with a huge amount of momentum and ultimately above what we were expecting," Southern said. "We really struggled to keep Rey on retail shelves." "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" has become the highest-grossing film of all time in the United States and Canada, beating 2009's hit 3D sci-fi movie "Avatar".
ith the ongoing clamour over gender parity in Hollywood, women in the film industry offered bracing tales of what to expect -- and encouraging words to keep at it -- to an audience of young, largely female student filmmakers at an event. “Women Strong,” an event co-presented by the Women in the Arts and Media Coalition and the School of Visual Arts (SVA), the coalition’s first academic partner, featured a screening of short films ranging from narrative to animation to documentary, all made by female students and SVA's alumni, reports variety.com. After a screening of five short films, a panel of professionals told war stories about succeeding in a male-dominated industry that is only now beginning to mobilise for change. “It’s the little comments you get sometimes,” said Rachael Levine, a cinematographer, director of photography and camera operator on projects including HBO miniseries “Show Me a Hero” and the upcoming film “The Zookeeper’s Wife”. “Like, ‘Oh, is this your first time doing this?’ It’s like, ‘Well, it is today, on this set.’ You just kind of have to roll with it," she added.
Panelists, including producer-turned-attorney Laverne Berry and producerdirector Katharina Rohrer, told stories of investors and distributors, both male and female, questioning female leadership of projects they deemed more “male". “With both of my films, I get asked how I’ve managed to tell such a masculine story,” said Jenna Ricker, whose second feature, noir outing “The American Side,” will see release this spring. “When we were seeking funding, I had women say to me, ‘Well, I would trust a guy with this, but not you'.” Women can also be hemmed in on the other side, by industry types who think it’s the responsibility of female filmmakers to focus on women’s stories. “You have to figure out your answer to questions
like that, because they’re inevitable,” Berry noted. Moderated by media consultant Caitlin Burns, the panel finished with the participants offering advise to the young filmmakers in the room. For many of the panelists, the advice boiled down to, “Don’t quit.” Introducing the panel, Shellen Lubin, the co-president of the Women in the Arts and Media Coalition, offered sobering facts with a dash of hope. “At the academic level, filmmakers average about 50/50 in terms of gender breakdown,” she said. “Every step of the ladder that you go, as projects involve more money and higher prestige, those numbers drop off. You get fewer and fewer women. “But what’s incredible,” she added, “is that right now, everyone is aware of it. People are noticing.”
Abba reunites for the first time in eight years
I will not dance at marriage Tabu is a director’s dream functions: John AbrAhAm F
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ohn Abraham says that one of the principles in his life is to avoid dancing at marriage functions. For the actorproducer, the act is below his dignity. "Definitely, one thing that I will not do and you can hold against me is that I will not dance at marriage functions. That is below my dignity,” John told IANS. "I have got very strong principles and I live by them. Also, I don't have any endorsement agent so I operate on my own. I do brands only if I believe in that," he added. John, who was last seen in Amitabh Bachchan star-
rer "Wazir", is currently planning to remake "Rocky Handsome" in Tamil and Telugu. And his work commitments are taking so much of his time that he is hardly seen at Bollywood social gatherings and award functions. Asked why he is keeping such a low profile, John told IANS: "There is one common thread that holds all actors together and that's insecurity.” “I can't be a part of that, hence I am content in my space. I feel uncomfortable at award functions and I don't go for award functions. Also party for me is definitely no,” he said.
Elton John collaborates with Lady Gaga
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ritish musician Elton John is reportedly on the list of collaborators for singer Lady Gaga's highlyanticipated new album. In a radio interview on Tuesday, John revealed that he would be having a writing session with Gaga, reports aceshowbiz.com. "I'm writing with GaGa tomorrow, she's doing a new record," he said.
John continued that he had heard some of Gaga's new songs and shared his opinion on them. "I've heard two songs which are killer, they're just great songs," he teased. "It's like back to the early stuff of hers: 'You and I' and the Bruce Springsteen 'Bad romance'," he added. The "Your song" hitmaker also called Gaga a "great writer".
"I think she's a great writer. To me, she is Stefani Germanotta and I love her and I care about her - she's Godmother to my two children," he said. Gaga's new album, which her fans have been referring to as "LG5", would be her first since 2014's "Cheek to Cheek" with Bennett and her first solo effort since "ARTPOP".
ilmmaker Abhishek Kapoor, who roped in Tabu to play a prominent role in “Fitoor”, says she is a director's dream. Veteran actress Rekha was initially roped in to play the character of Begum in “Fitoor”,but she walked out of the project in May 2015 and the role went to Tabu. “Tabu is one of the few actors who can mould herself according to the character. She is a dream for a director,” Kapoor told reporters in a group interview. “She never looks into mirror or monitor and always trusts the crew on sets. I am thankful to Tabu who stepped in at the last moment and got into the skin of the character within three to four days,” added the filmmaker. Kapoor, who has widely shot “Fitoor” in Kashmir, says he was very clear that he wanted to shoot this film in that state. “Many people told me not to shoot in Kashmir and gave me the option to shoot either in Himachal or abroad, but Kashmir has a different beauty altogether. Dal Lake in Kashmir is something I can’t take it away from the film. I was adamant I will make my
Big B and PC are brand ambassadors of 'Incredible India'
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ctors Amitabh Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra will replace Aamir Khan as new ambassadors of the Incredible India campaign to market the country to tourists abroad. Bollywood veteran Mr Bachchan, 73, the brand ambassador of Gujarat Tourism, had been picked for the position some time ago. His name was reportedly suggested by the Prime Minister's office. He was recruited directly by the government, unlike actor Aamir Khan, who was removed days after suggesting that India is experiencing growing religious intolerance. Stressing that he had been the campaign spokesperson for 10 years, Mr Khan had said it was government's prerogative to decide whether they need a brand ambassador for any campaign, and who it would be. "I respect the decision of the government to discontinue with my services," he had said. In November, Mr Khan had expressed concern about intolerance being displayed towards minorities. He was attacked on social media by many as "anti-national" for his remarks. He had said that his wife, Kiran Rao, said she was so concerned about the atmosphere of intolerance that she had wondered out loud about relocating from India.
film in Kashmir,” said Kapoor. The movie is an adaptation of Charles Dickens classic novel "Great Expectations" and will have Katrina Kaif playing Firdaus while Aditya Kapoor will portray the character of hey're one of the most Noor. commercially sucThe film also stars Aditi cessful music groups Rao Hydari, Lara Dutta and in history, with hits that Rahul Bhatt. It will hit the- have survived five decades. aters on February 12. But ABBA haven’t been glimpsed as a group together for over seven years. That all changed last night, when the Swedish pop foursome got together for the opening of a new restaurant in Stockholm – where people can eat while watching a show based on the group’s songs. Agnetha Fältskog, now 65, Björn Ulvaeus, 70, Benny Andersson, 69, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 70, were last pictured together in 2008, when they walked the red carpet at the film premiere of Mamma Mia!, based on the musical of the same name. The hit musical which features the disco group’s songs between 1972-1982 was premiered in London in 1999 and saw the album ABBA GOLD top the
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ctor Akshay Kumar is "delighted to inform" that his forthcoming film "Airlift" has been cleared for release in the UAE. The "Khiladi" actor also adds that the film, which is based on Kuwait-based Indians' evacuation during the 1990 invasion of Kuwait by Iraq, will be releasing across 70 screens in the Middle East on Thursday. "Delighted to inform fans of #Airlift in UAE that our film has been cleared for release. Its releasing across 70 screens in the Middle East today," Akshay tweeted on Thursday. This is not the first time that Akshay has featured in a film that promotes the spirit of patriotism. "Baby", "Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty" and "Gabbar" are some of the films in which he has essayed a responsible countryman. "Airlift" also stars Nimrat Kaur and Purab Kohli in key roles. Directed by Raja Krishna Menon, the film will release in India on Friday.
charts once more. The band were initially reluctant for a musical to be based on their greatest hits including Mamma Mia!, Dancing Queen, Take a Chance on Me, Money Money Money, Knowing Me Knowing You and The Winner Takes It All. But the show was so successful it spawned a worldwide tour and ran on Broadway for 14 years, making it one of the longest-running productions ever staged there. A film adaptation starring Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan and Julie Walters was released in July 2008, also garnering rave reviews and huge commercial success. Now the group are hoping for their live restaurant experience, called Mamma Mia! The Party, will replicate the reception. ABBA formed in Sweden in 1972 and topped the charts
'Airlift' to release across 70 screens in Middle East
worldwide from 1975 to 1982. They won the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 at the Dome in Brighton, UK, giving Sweden its first triumph in the contest, and were the most successful group ever to take part in the competition. The Mamma Mia! restaurant experience will be at the Nikos Taverna at Tyrol, with the experience designed to emulate an evening in a Greek taverna on the island of Skopelos, where the film was made. Guests can expect a three-course Mediterranean buffet - accompanied by entertainment from several acts singing and dancing to ABBA songs. The experience promises ‘daredevil stunts, Greek Gods, flirty waiters, and perhaps a Zorba and an Ouzo or two.’ Tickets start from around £109 per person for an evening at the venue.
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THE MORUNG EXPRESS
End of an era: Ferrer sends Hewitt into retirement
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MELBOURNE, JaNUaRy 21 (REUTERS): Lleyton Hewitt was ushered into retirement as Spain's David Ferrer ended the Australian former world number one's career with a 6-2 6-4 6-4 victory on an emotional night at Melbourne Park on Thursday. Hewitt, a two-time grand slam champion, scrapped for all his worth against the tenacious eighth seed but was unable to extend his record 20th and final appearance in the Australian Open men's singles to the third round. Once he has completed his doubles duty with Sam Groth, Hewitt's playing career will be over and he will turn his thoughts to becoming Australia's Davis Cup captain. "I left nothing in the locker room. My whole career I've given 100 percent," the watery-eyed 34-yearold said on court after video tributes from the likes of Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal were played on the Rod Laver Arena screens. "I love coming out here and competing. I've been so fortunate to have that opportunity 20 years in a row." Ferrer was in no mood for sentimentality as he hustled his way to victory after Hewitt's periodic fightbacks brought the crowd into the match, but was generous in his praise for the former Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion. "It's a sad day. I never had idols, but Lleyton was one for me," Ferrer told the crowd. "I have a museum in my house and I have a Tshirt of Lleyton. It's the only T-shirt I have of a tennis player." Fans on Rod Laver Arena, including the Fanatics who have followed him everywhere, did their best to motivate the man. Chants of
"here we go Rusty" or simply "COME ON!!" in reference to the war cry Hewitt has trademarked throughout his career filled the air. Every Hewitt winner was met with full-blooded zeal. Every unforced error with a collective sigh. Ferrer's winning shots, meanwhile, were met with polite applause, no matter how brilliantly played, but he did not mind. "Tonight was Lleyton's, not mine," he said. The crowd sensed this was to be Hewitt's last stand when Ferrer won the first set after breaking serve twice despite some typically pugnacious defence from the Australian who will go down in the history books as one of the game's true warriors. Ferrer needed just one service break to seal the second set, though it was a hold by the Spaniard when he was leading 4-3 that encapsulated the entire match. Sensing the possibility of one of his characteristic fightbacks, the 'Fanatics' whipped the crowd into a frenzy as Hewitt eeked out seven break points in a game that lasted more than 15 minutes. He was unable to land the killer punch though and Ferrer moved two sets ahead. Ferrer grabbed an early service break in the third but still Hewitt would not budge, breaking for the first time in the match to level the score at 3-3. Hewitt's temper boiled over in the next game, however, when he was called for a foot fault, which led to an expletive being directed at the linesman. He was warned by chair umpire Pascal Maria, who then was called "a freaking idiot" by Hewitt, though it did not fire him up enough to halt the inevitable. "He was too good," Hewitt said as his wife and family watched on.
Murray, Azarenka march on
Lleyton Hewitt of Australia is interviewed on court with his children after losing his second round match against David Ferrer of Spain during day four of the 2016 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 21 in Melbourne. (Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, JaNUaRy 21 (REUTERS): Andy Murray trampled on home sensibilities by mauling Australian Sam Groth at the Rod Laver Arena to reach the third round of the Australian Open on Thursday. There were no distractions for Murray as he ruthlessly demolished big-serving Groth 6-0 6-4 6-1 as the top seeds sailed through on a day of bright sunshine. The 2014 champion and fourth seed Stanislas Wawrinka swatted away Czech veteran Radek Stepanek in the twilight, while women's third seed Garbine Muguruza and twotimes champion Victoria Azarenka also charged into the third round. Rafa Nadal's first-round exit to Fernando Verdasco punched a hole in the bottom half of the draw, but four-times finalist Murray was not about to join the fallen Spaniard. He disarmed Groth, the world's fastest recorded server, with a clinical returning game, showing his guile by lobbing the 6-ft-4in (1.93m) Australian repeatedly when he lumbered forward in desperation. Murray has trounced both his first round opponents and Portuguese 32nd seed Joao Sousa is next in the firing line. Since her back-to-back titles at Melbourne Park in 201213, two injury-blighted years have kept Azarenka from claiming a third but the powerful Belarusian is looking dangerous. The former world number one, seeded 14th here, hammered Montenegro's Danka Kovinic 6-1 6-2 at Margaret Court Arena to set up a match with Naomi Osaka and offered some
Sania, Bopanna enter Round 2
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ndian tennis stars enjoyed comfortable wins in the Australian Open today as Sania Mirza eased into the second round with partner Martina Hingis while Rohan Bopanna also registered a straight sets win in the men's doubles first round here. Sania's rampaging run with her Swiss partner continued as the duo stretched its winning streak to 31 after brushing aside Mariana Duque-Marino and Teliana Pereira 6-2, 6-3 in the women's doubles opening round. The duo hardly broke a sweat in its 70-minute win against the unseeded Colombian-Brazilian pair. Sania and Hingis, who are slated to face the twin sisters from Ukraine -- Nadiia Kichenok and Lyudmyla Kichenok -- in the next round, are also sitting pretty at the top of the women's doubles rankings. The Indo-Swiss pair has been on a roll after clinching its 11th straight WTA title at the Sydney International last week. Bopanna, who took court soon after, combined well with Romanian partner Florin Mergea to outplay the Australian duo of Omar Jasika and Nick Kyrgios 7-5 6-3. The fourth seeds play Lukas Dlouhy and Jiri Vesely in the second round. (PTI)
chilling words for the Japanese qualifier. "I'm feeling in the best shape bodywise, you know, spirit-wise, everything-wise," Azarenka told reporters . She remains on course for a mouth-watering fourth-round clash with Spanish Wimbledon runner-up Muguruza, who crushed Belgian Kirsten Flipkens 6-4 6-2. Wawrinka eased past 37-year-old qualifier Stepanek 6-2 6-3 6-4 in the Hisense Arena and the Swiss next faces another Czech in Lukas Rosol. Thirteenth seed Milos Raonic continued to shape as a dark horse, beating Tommy Robredo 7-6(5) 7-6(5) 7-5. Underlining the fickle nature of grand slams, Nadal's first-round slayer and compatriot Fernando Verdasco exited after a hard-fought four-set loss to pint-sized Israeli Dudi Sela.
Aus Open: Dangers of being a tennis fan Talek Harris
Agence France-Presse
Playing tennis carries its risks but at this year's Australian Open, watching has been even more dangerous after a series of medical emergencies in the opening few days. Several players were struggling with injury in the build-up to the season's first Grand Slam, but so far it's the spectators and ball kids who have had more problems in Melbourne. On Thursday, Ana Ivanovic was shaken after an elderly fan was badly hurt in a fall on some steps in Rod Laver Arena, in worrying scenes which held up play for 30 minutes. "I was really shaking, because the sound of the lady falling was really loud. I could hear it," said the former world number one, who looked on anxiously before the spectator was finally stretchered away. The incident came after Bernard Tomic was left fear-
France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga assists a ball girl off the court after accidentally hitting her with a ball during his second round match against Australia's Omar Jasika at the Australian Open tennis tournament at Melbourne Park, Australia, January 20. (REUTERS)
ing for a spectator's life after she suffered a seizure during his first-round match against Denis Istomin. In dramatic scenes, an anti-allergy shot was quickly passed through the crowd and eventually the patron was taken out of the venue, with the worst of the danger past. Tomic said it was dif-
ficult to know how to react as a player, watching somebody in clear danger but also then having to refocus on one of the biggest matches of the season. "You know, at one stage I was looking directly at the lady. It was not a good moment to be in for me. I felt very, very sad. I really hope she's okay," he
The on-court drama spilled into the stands early in the day at Rod Laver Arena, where a spectator was injured in a tumble down the stairs during former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic's 6-3 6-3 win over Anastasija Sevastova. She faces big-hitting American youngster Madison Keys next in a meaty third-round clash. Teenager Osaka gave a bow to thrilled Japanese fans after dumping 18th seed Elina Svitolina 6-4 6-4, continuing her impressive main draw debut at a grand slam .Born to a Haitian father and raised in the U.S, Osaka remains a curiosity in her mother's country but a show-court appearance against Azarenka could change all that. "I always think that they're surprised that I'm Japanese," the frizzy-haired 18-year-old shrugged with an American accent.
The third day of the ongoing 4th All India Police Archery Championship being held at Chumukedima witnessed many close contests with players as well as dugouts of teams having tense moments. But rank chart aside, it was a display of high quality archery skills. (LEFT) Nagaland’s Kelenmeren Lemtur won Gold in the 30 Metres Recurve (Men Individual). BSF’s Surojit Nowholia won Silver while Thefuvoyi Swuro (Nagaland) won Bronze. (BOTTOM) Individual Compound event in progress at the 4th All India Police Archery Championship in Chumukedima on January 21.
said afterwards. French former finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also showed his caring side when he assisted a dazed and tearful ball girl after she had been struck in the face with a ball. Realising the girl was in trouble, the Frenchman took her by the arm, took the balls from her hand and led her from the court -- an act of kindness which drew warm applause. "I saw she was in trouble," the modest Tsonga said later. "It was normal to help her out of the stadium... To be honest I didn't do anything special." It mirrored a situation earlier in the tournament, when Spain's Carla Suarez spotted a ball boy swooning in the intense heat, and led him from the court, again to applause. Perversely, injuries to players have been relatively few, although Argentina's Diego Schwartzman also fell victim to the heat when he was stretchered away from his opening match with severe cramps.
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Lhikhrope is Khezha area wrestling champ Our Correspondent Kohima | January 21
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Lhikhrope Kenye today emerged as the champion of the 25th anniversary wrestling meet of Khezha Area Wrestling Association (KAWA) which concluded at Pfutsero Local Ground. Son of Lt. Kezulhi Kenye from Zapami village, Lhikhrope took home a cash prize of Rs. 60,000. Komeyie Kapfo, son of Zasheyi Kapfo from Pfutseromi, who bagged the runner-up position pocketed Rs. 40,000. Kadalo Kapfo, son of Dipezu Kapfo from Lekromi, bagged the third position while Khrowepe Mero, son of Kerelhi Mero from Pfutseromi, bagged fourth and were awarded Rs. 30,000 and Rs. 20,000 respectively. Earlier, the meet was inaugurated on January 20 last by Parliamentary Secretary for Planning & Coordination, Monitoring Cell, Evaluation and Taxes, Neiba Kronu, as the chief guest and Lakha Koza, Commandant, 14th (IR) Battalion, Ruzaphema, as the guest of honour.
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Wrestlers in action during 25th anniversary wrestling meet of Khezha Area Wrestling Association at Pfutsero Local Ground on January 21. Moung Photo Published, Printed and Edited by Aküm Longchari on behalf of Morung for Indigenous Affairs and JustPeace from House No. 4, Duncan Bosti, Dimapur at Themba Printers and Telecommunications, Padum Pukhuri Village, Dimapur, Nagaland. RNI No : NAGENG /2005/15430. House No.4, Duncan Bosti, Dimapur 797112, Nagaland. Phone: Dimapur -(03862) 248854, Fax: (03862) 235194, Kohima - (0370) 2291952
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