January 7th, 2016

C M Y K

www.morungexpress.com

thursDAY • JAnuArY 07 • 2016

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

T H e

ESTD. 2005

The only way to enjoy anything in this life is to earn it first N Korea claims successful H-bomb test

By Sandemo Ngullie

o F

T R u T H

— Ginger Rogers

‘Nagas should unite for economic development’

PAGE 09

reflections

P o W e R

Williams’ buzzer-beater lifts Mavs in 2OT

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PAGE 12

Massive earthquake May hit northeast

• Call for compliance with building codes can animals actually predict natural calamities?

• Enhanced preparedness required for A goose in Dimapur may have actually anticipated the January 4 earthquake while reinforcing the claim effective response to earthquakes that animals can actually sense or detect changes in • Recent tectonic shifts put NE at risk the Earth.

“Yearly income tax? look i am just a small time tea stall malik, i don’t earn much take 50 lakh.”

The Morung Express Poll QuEsTion

Vote on www.morungexpress.com sMs your answer to 9862574165 Will 2016 be the year of the great Change in Nagaland? Why? Yes

no

others

Public Information All press statements, memorandums, articles, reports and news related documents should be sent to the official email address:

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Press releases will be accepted only till 8:00 pm Editor, The Morung Express

2 arrested for Jan 1 murder JaLuKIE, JaNuary 6 (mExN): Peren Police have arrested two juveniles in relation to the January 1, 2016 murder of a 67 year old widow at her home in Jalukie. A press note from the Superintendent of Police, Peren, informed that police apprehended the prime accused, a juvenile of 14 years and his accomplice, also a juvenile of 13 years from Jalukie Town on January 4. “Based on circumstantial evidences and statements of witnesses the two accused juveniles were apprehended for questioning and in course of investigation the prime accused confessed to the crime,” the police informed. It further stated that the weapon used for the crime was recovered and seized from the place of occurrence.

The motive of the murder is suspected to be robbery, police added. Both the accused juveniles have been forwarded to the Juvenile Justice Board and further investigation is in progress.

Directive to abstain from hunting Hornbill

C M Y K

DImapur, JaNuary 6 (mExN): The Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of Mangkolemba has directed all village councils under Mangkolemba sub-division to inform villagers and public to abstain from hunting the endangered Hornbill bird which has been sighted in the area. Any person violating this order will be penalized/punished as per the provision under Section 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, ADC T Imtiwapang Aier informed in a notification issued through DIPR.

NEW DELHI, JaNuary 6 (TNN): The Union home ministry’s disaster management experts have warned of a bigger catastrophe, earthquakes with a magnitude of 8.2 or greater on the Richter scale which may hit the already ruptured Himalayan region.

They say quakes with higher intensity than the one that struck Manipur on Monday are likely to rock the region in future. The tectonic shift a series of these recent earthquakes have caused in the region -- Manipur 6.7 (Jan 2016), Nepal 7.3 (May 2015) and Sikkim 6.9 (2011) -- have re-ruptured the plates that had already developed cracks during previous temblors.

This has led to conditions which might trigger multiple earthquakes which may go up to 8.0 in magnitude.

In a post-Nepal disaster assessment, the MHA’s National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) has warned of enhanced risk around the “ring of fire garlanding the entire north India especially the mountains”. This was also highlighted at a recent meeting organised by the Centre in Arunachal Pradesh’s capital Itanagar where policy-makers from 11 hill states had participated and resolved to develop a common building code for mountains.

Speaking to TOI, NIDM director Santosh Kumar said the interconnected plates across Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and India pose a bigger danger, and predicted a disaster of bigger magnitude that awaits hill states and parts of Bihar, UP and even Delhi which fall under the second worst seismic Zone IV classification. The NorthEast and other hill states fall under severe seismic Zone V. Though some Indian scientists have reservations, but international experts, prominently Roger Bilham, the seismologist of University of Colorado and an authority on the subject, are of the opinion that “the current conditions might trigger at least four earthquakes greater than 8.0 in

magnitude. And if they delay, the strain accumulated during the centuries provokes more catastrophic mega earthquakes.”

Kumar said the Centre has taken measures to sensitise the governments of all the hill states to adopt a common building code that is different from the rest of India.

The recent Itanagar deliberations on sustainable development of mountain states were part of Centre’s earthquake risk mitigation strategy to sensitise policy-makers about “the natural time bomb”.

Stress has increased in the mountains of north-east since the Nepal earthquake.

Monday’s 6.7 magnitude earthquake in Manipur shows the stress has not been fully released, it has only become worse. “The collision between the Himalayan plate in the north and the Indo-Burmese plate in the east and the risk created as a result is the highest at this moment,” according to NIDM experts.

India is divided into four seismic zones. The most active Zone V comprises of the whole of north-east, parts of north Bihar, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, J&K, Gujarat and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Delhi comes under Zone IV and is considered as one of the high-risk areas.

According to MHA’s own assessment, the regulatory mechanism in Indian cities that prominently figure on the disaster map are weak and any disaster striking in any one of these populous cities would cause huge casualties.

The UN office for disaster risk reduction (UNISDR), which considers India a valuable partner and had even acknowledged the leadership of minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju and made him a disaster risk reduction champion for Asia two months ago, has emphasised India’s need for compliance with building codes and the necessity for an “enhanced preparedness for effective response to earthquakes.”

This goose from Taxes colony, Dimapur may have anticipated the January 4 earthquake (Morung Photo)

Morung Express news Dimapur | January 6

Earthquakes are a sudden phenomenon and seismologists have no way of knowing exactly when or where the next one will hit. On the other hand, it is believed that animals can anticipate earthquakes, though there is no scientific evidence to support it.

More than a week before the January 4 deadly 6.7 magnitude earthquake which jolted the North East region and Bangladesh inflicting human casualties and properties damage, a goose in Dimapur may have actually anticipated the impending calamity, if one has to go with the claim of animals actually predicting earthquakes.

“The goose had been acting very strange for

more than a week before the January 4 earthquake- cackling unusually in high pitch tones all the time, even in the middle of night,” owner Toshirenla who stays at Taxes colony in Dimapur said.

Toshirenla said the goose, one out of seven that she rears, would at times even approach them with the peculiar cackling for no apparent reason. “We had never heard the goose act so restless, or cackle so nervously,” she said.

However, the goose reportedly stopped her ‘abnormal behaviors’ right after the earthquake.

Fearing that something might be wrong with the goose’s health, the owner took the bird to the vet on January 4, after the earthquake.

However, the veteri-

nary doctor, Dr Michael Imchen, who is a visiting consultant at Animal Concern located at Duncan Basti found nothing wrong with the health of the bird.

“There was nothing unusual with the goose’s health. The bird was healthy and fit. No external injury too,” Dr Michael said.

The veterinary doctor, who also holds special interest in animal psychology, said he asked the owner to take the goose and report back if the bird acts strange as before. The owner called back to say the goose was surprisingly acting in his normal behavior.

“I strongly believe the goose was acting strange because it had anticipated the impending earthquake and maybe in a way warning us of the approaching calamity,” Dr Michael said

The belief that animals and birds can detect an impending earthquake or a natural calamity by showing unusual behavior has been around for centuries but without any scientific evidence. However, researchers around the world still continue to pursue the idea.

Countless pet owners around the world claim to have witnessed their cats and dogs acting strangely before the ground shook— barking or whining for no apparent reason, or showing signs of nervousness and restlessness.

Even the United States Geological Survey (USGS), an agency that provides scientific information about the Earth conducted a few studies on animal prediction, but nothing concrete had come out of it.

After the 2011 magnitude 9 earthquake in Japan, Hiroyuki Yamauchi of National Tsing Hua University and colleagues conducted a survey on how cats reacted ahead of the quake.

The survey found that six or more days before the devastating earthquake, some cats engaged in unusual behaviors and became more stressed out.

In 373 B.C., historians recorded that animals, including rats, snakes and weasels, deserted the Greek city of Helice in droves just days before a quake devastated the place.

NSCN (R) reportedly recruiting 2016 is crucial for Naga people: Yitachu drug addicts in Arunachal Pradesh our Correspondent Hutsii | January 6

guWaHaTI, JaNuary 6 (HINDusTaN TImEs): A new Naga rebel outfit has reportedly been recruiting drug addicts across the opium belt of Arunachal Pradesh to broaden its extortion empire.

The National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Reformation had broken away from the NSCN-Khaplang group after the latter ended its 14-year ceasefire in March 2015. Its avowed objective was to pursue the Naga peace process with New Delhi.

But officials in south-

ern Arunachal Pradesh said NSCN-R has been recruiting drug addicts to control the state’s Longding, Tirap and Changlang districts. Rebels of NSCN-K and NSCNIsak Muivah were hitherto known to operate in these districts that are strategic for movement to and from bases in Myanmar.

“We had last month raided Kheti village in Tirap district on tip off that some rebels were carrying out recruitment and extortion drives there. They managed to escape but we recovered extortion notes

and a list of the group’s cadres in the area,” a senior police officer, declining to be quoted, told HT. Some names in the list were those of drug addicts and offenders, the security forces found.

Apart from Longding, Tirap and Changlang, Lohit and Anjaw districts of southern Arunachal Pradesh are notorious for opium cultivation besides the availability of heroin and methamphetamine from the ‘Golden Triangle of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand.

According to Narcotics Control Bureau, A r u na c ha l P ra d e s h topped the list of states in illegal poppy production for opium during 2014-15.

Of the 2,530 acres of poppy crop that NCB destroyed during that fiscal, the state accounted for nearly 40%.

NCB officials say the illegal poppy farms are guarded by armed militia who are known to work in coordination with rebels.

State chief minister Nabam Tuki admitted that checking opium cultivation was a major challenge.

Minister for School Education & SCERT, Yitachu today said 2016 is very crucial for the Naga people, postulating that important political developments may take place this year.

“To let solution come, we should analyze and examine the Naga issue, on the Nagas as whole perspective, not in line with factionalism, tribalism and favoritism, but it should be viewed Naga as a whole whether any solution that comes about is workable, practicable and accept-

able to the Nagas,” he said while speaking at Phoyisha cultural festival at Hutsii under Meluri sub division of Phek district.

“If we can view the issue on that line, solution can take place, but as long as we continue to look from the angle of our own favoritism, affiliation, tribalism and factionalism then solution will remain elusive,” he said.

Touching on education, he said there is huge increase in literacy in the state. He however said that problems in the education sector are compounded mainly because “we don’t

practice the truth, speak the truth and function the truth.”

He urged for better coordination between the village authority and the teachers and staff in order to provide quality education to the children. The Minister asked teachers, village leaders and leaders to work for the interest of the poor and weaker sections of the society. Unless the weaker sections are taken care of, society cannot progress, he said. “Extra service should be provided so that God blesses our children in return,” the Minister added.

shamator issue continues to see-saw 12 hr bandh enforced to

KIpHIrE/TuENsaNg/KoHIma, JaNuary 6 (mExN): The scales in Tuensang and Kiphire seem to be tilting as Yimchungrü leaders have now decided to temporarily withdraw their indefinite strike while Tikhir leaders have decided to impose one.

The Tikhir Tribal Council (TTC), expressing displeasure, at the Nagaland State Cabinet’s “ambiguity and contradiction” following its last emergency meeting held on January 5, has now authorised the Tikhir Students’ Union to impose an ‘indefinite blockade’ of NH-202 under Tikhir jurisdiction.

This was informed in a press release today from the TTC Executive Council Chairman Dioto Tikhir and its Secretary, ST Tsuthong Tikhir.

They appealed for “clarity and consistency” in adhering to the Cabinet decision of December 30, 2015.

Meanwhile, the Yimchungrü Akheru Arihako (YAA) and the Yim-

chungrü Tribal Council (YTC) have decided to honour the appeal of the Nagaland State Government and deferred the YAA Golden Jubilee celebration from January 7-10, 2016 to January 14-17, 2016 “for the convenience of the students’ community.”

YAA President TS Akiuba also informed in a press statement that the indefinite strike is “temporarily with-

ebration to a date which gives reasonable time to the Government to further discuss the issue and settle it amicably and also lift the indefinite bandh.”

This was informed in the minutes of an emergency meeting called on January 5 at 6:00pm in the residential office of the Chief Minister of Nagaland, albeit conducted in his absence.

The minutes were sent to the President of the YAA by Cabinet Secretary, RB Thong, with the request that the YAA and YTC lift the indefinite bandh.

The emergency Cabinet meeting, it was informed, happened only with five ministers and acknowledged that this is “short of quorum” of seven and hence not in a position to review the State Cabinet decision of December 30, 2015. Maintaining that the Cabinet will take up the matter for further consideration on the return of the Chief Minister, the minutes also offered that “If agreed to by YAA, the expenses incurred for deferring the function will be paid by the State Government.”

• One strike lifted, another imposed • YAA Golden Jubilee celebration deferred drawn” as requested by the State Cabinet “for further consideration.” The YAA also urged the State Government to “fulfil” the three-points charter of demands given by way of an “ultimatum” to the Nagaland Chief Minister.

The Government of Nagaland had reiterated on January 5 that it is not averse to the holding of the YAA golden jubilee conference at Shamator “so long as the situation is conducive.”

In the light of this, the State Cabinet had requested the YAA to “defer the cel-

protest alleged rape of minor

WoKHa, JaNuary 6 (mExN): A 12 hour total bandh was enforced in Bhandari January 4 in protest against the recent alleged rape of a minor girl. A public meeting was also held and a charter of demands was drawn to place before the Nagaland State Government for sanction within 30 days.

A press note from the Lotha Lower Range Public Organization(LLRPO) informed that the charter demanded that the culprit be “awarded rigorous punishment according to the quantum of crime committed and the victim be compensated as per provision of the scheme.”

It further urged that a EAC hq and police out post with a company of armed personnel be established at Yanmhon area where alleged rape occurred. “Law and order situations go out of hand almost all time due to absence of law enforcing agencies in the area. Officer on duty reaches only to retrieve dead bodies or at times to take custody of unlucky culprits apprehended by villagers,” the charter stated. It

said that Yanmhon area which is over 35 km from Bhandari can only be travelled through Assam. Hence to look after law and order affairs of the area from Bhandari has a practical inconvenience, it added.

Further, it was resolved that Bhandari Sub-Divisional HQ which functions under ADC be accorded full-fledged status by virtue of the oldest and largest Sub-Division in Nagaland. It added that the Sub-Divisional planning board be accorded to the Subdivision by keeping in letter and principle Nagaland Govt’s notification of 1982, declaring Bhandari Sub-Division as the most economically and educationally backward region of Nagaland. “Traveling another 60 km from Bhandari to attend DPDB to Dist.

HQ Wokha only defrauds of its priorities and shares and nothing else,” it said.

Urging the Nagaland State Government to fulfill these demands within the stipulated time, the LLRPO cautioned that failure to do so would compel it to initiate its own course of action.

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thursDAY 07•01•2016

NAGALAND

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

‘Nagas should unite for economic development’

SAKK biennial general conference from Jan 12-15 Dimapur, Janu ary 6 (mExn): The Sümi Aphuyemi Kiphimi Küqhakulu (SAKK) will be holding its 44th Biennial General Conference commencing from January 12 to 15 at Asukiqa Village, under the theme ” Retrospecting our footprints” (Ni Pukhu Nepa Cheju Kitheni).

Y. Vikheho Swu, Minister for Roads & Bridges Govt. of Nagaland will be

the Inaugural Chief Guest, Dr. Sukhato A. Sema, Mission Director, Directorate of Health and Family Welfare will be the Cultural Regale Chief Guest, Er. Kasho Chishi Executive Engineer (Electrical) Power Department, Government of Nagaland will be the Special Guest and Kuputo (Atupu) Shohe, Class I Contractor, G.B Hebolimi will be the Guest of honor.

Khesheli H. Chishi, Dis-

trict & Session Judge Zunheboto will be the theme speaker, Rev. Kiyeto G. Sema, Pastor SABCK will deliver the message under the topic “Shaping the Future” Prov. 6:6-11 and Joshua Sheqi, Advocate, Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench will deliver the message under the topic “Seven tenets of Education for progressive Society”.

President Lotha Students’ Union and Presi-

dent Rengma Students’ Union will share the Greeting and Youth Department “The Excelsis” Praise Team of Sümi Aphuyemi Baptist Church Kohima (SABCK) will be the Conference Worship Team.

President Tohovi Swu and Enoch Wotsa, Pub Info Secy SAKK have requested all the former Executives of SAKK, leaders of Aphuyemi and well wishers to attend the conference.

KSU 40th general conference held

Dimapur, January 6 (mExn): The 40th Kiruphema Students’ Union (KSU) general conference was held at Kiruphema Basa on January 4 with Theyievilie Suohumvü, Deputy Mission Director, State Mission Authority, SSA Nagaland as the Chief Guest.

Addressing the conference, Suohumvü said that one should focus on intend by using intellectual strength and have patience with determination to achieve goal and judge self to have positive capacity. He also urged students to know the value of time management and sustainable use of natural resources.

The programme was chaired by Lhouvizolie Vielie, invocation from Neihuü Suohumvü, special number from Mesalhoukho Zenyüu and meritorious award were presented to the students sponsored by Service Association Kiruphema.

Pfnüeilie Visienyü, Kiruphema Basa Village Council exhorted the valedictory session while a vote of thanks was delivered by Khrieke-

Theyievilie Suohumvü, Deputy Mission Director, State Mission Authority, SSA Nagaland addresses the conference.

toukho Visienyü and benediction was pronounced by Kedosietuo, Asst.Pastor CRC Kiruphe Basa. A new team office bearer for the year 20162018 lead by Keneiselhou Hozoyie was also installed.

The conference also included extempore speech and debate competition among the students. While

AAUD annual fellowship on Jan 9 Dimapur, January 6 (mExn): Akuluto Area Union Dimapur (AAUD) annual fellowship cum general meeting will be held on January 9, 10:00 AM at Apeto Assumi's residence Pudampukri, Dimapur. All the esteemed family members of AAUD are requested to participate and be blessed.

the extempore speech was bagged by Vikosielie Kruneilie, the debate held under the theme “Annual Nagaland Hornbill Festival” was bagged by the Motion group with Keneizekho Kruneilie as the best debater. The KSU further expressed gratitude to all well wishers, seniors, neighboring village Students’ Union, WASU and the SAK.

Dimapur, January 6 (mExn): Secretary to the Government of Nagaland, Finance Department, Kikheto Y Sema (IAS) has said that Nagas should unite to pave way for economic development both in the state, region and the country.

Speaking at the 15th session of Aghunaqa Area Students’ Union (AASU) at Qhuhoi village as the chief guest on Wednesday, Kikheto stated that “economic freedom is the complete freedom,” and asked Nagas not to be dependent on “aliens” but to “work and eat” as self-sustenance is vital for economic growth and prosperity.

Lamenting over the influx on “aliens” in the Naga society today, Kikheto asked the Nagas in the border areas and the plains to be extra vigilant lest the “outsiders” take complete advantage of the naive nature of the Nagas. He further asked the gathering to remember those Sumi pioneers who fought against all elements to settle in the fertile areas and not to invite the “laziness” factor in their present living styles.

Secretary finance also called upon the Nagas re-

Kikheto Y Sema (IAS) speaks at the 15th session of Aghunaqa Area Students’ Union held at Qhuhoi village on December 6.

siding in the border areas of Assam to maintain cordial relations with the immediate neighbours and maintain peace and tranquillity in these areas adding that both Ahoms and Nagas shared age old traditional relationships and added that this relationship should be “binding” in all aspects.

Stating that wisdom comes from God, he asked the youth to treat education as a vital element and inherit wisdom to bring about change in the social structure. He further asked

the youth not to talk about isms of clan and tribes but to unite and seek blessings from God. Asking the GBs and elders of the villages to be guardians of their respective villages, he also asked them not to rule with an “iron fist” but to be “accommodative” of the thoughts of others as well. He also asked the village authorities to include women representatives in any Government programmes and schemes for effective implementation of these schemes.

Traditional items were performed by Ghoshito Village Students’ Union (Aphilo kuwo) and Qhuhoi Village Students’ Union (Lejole). President AASU H.Pito Yeptho delivered the welcome address while Hokato Achumi, assembly secy, AASU delivered the vote of thanks.

Representatives from the Western Sumi Hoho, Western Sumi Kukami Hoho, former NSF and SKK officials and Western Sumi Students Union and host of officials accompanied the chief guest.

Bee species found in Nagaland

AMRUT: Govt designates SMD Kohima, January 6 (Dipr): The Government of Nagaland has designated the State Mission Directorate in the Urban Development Directorate for the implementation of Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) at the State level with immediate effect. The Director, Urban Development Nagaland is designated as the State Mission Director for AMRUT in the State.

MKG DPDB meeting on Jan 18 moKoKchung, January 6 (Dipr): Deputy Commissioner & Vice-Chairman DPDB Mokokchung, Sushil Kumar Patel IAS has informed that the monthly meeting at District Planning and Development Board (DPDB) Mokokchung will be held on January 18. In this regard, all members have been asked to attend the meetDimapur, January ing without fail.

6 (mExn): Nagaland is home to a variety of honTsg DPDB meeting on Jan 13 ey bee species, namely TuEnsang, January 6 (mExn): The Tuensang the Apis cerena (common honey bee), Apis District Planning and Development Board (DPDB) meetdorsata and Apis laboroing for the month of January is convened on January 13 at sia (Rock bee), Trigona/ the Conference Hall of the Deputy Commissioner, Tuen- Mellipona spp. (Stingless sang at 11 am. A press note issued by the Deputy Com- bee) and Apis florea (little missioner, Tuensang has requested all concerned mem- bee). All the species menbers to attend the meeting positively. tioned are widely found

Apis Cerena

Apis Laborosia

in all the parts of the state in the wild and species like the Apis cerena and Trigona spp are reared by many beekeepers in their homestead or farm apiaries.

According to the Nagaland Beekeeping and Honey Mission website, the most common Apis species are Rock Bee

(Apis Dorsata/Laboriosa), the Little Bee (Apis florae) and the Asian Honeybee (Apis Cerana).

The former two species are wild while the latter is domesticated.

Apis Dorsata, or the Giant honey bee, prefers to nest in exposed areas far off the ground, on tree limbs and under cliff overhangs,

ADC Zunheboto calls meeting ZunhEboTo, January 6 (Dipr): ADC Zunheboto, Nungsangmenla Imchen has informed that in view of the forthcoming Republic Day celebration, a meeting has been convened at DC’s Conference Hall on January 12 at 11:00 a.m. All the HODs, Commandants of the 5th Assam Rifle, 111Bn BSF, 8th NAP, Sumi Hoho, STHZ, SKK, all sector GBs, Principals and Head Master's of private and government schools have been requested to attend the meeting.

and sometimes on buildings. They are aggressive bees which have never been domesticated (as they do not use enclosed cavities for nesting), and can be extremely dangerous if the colony is provoked.

The most common bee is Apis Cerana, under this different kind of

strains are found. This bee is traditionally domesticated in the cavities of trunks, hollows of rocks, hollowed out logs, wooden boxes, buckets, packing cases etc. They are also domesticated in wooden boxes with fixed frames. Apis Mellifera has been tried in the state but is not found to adapt well

but the process is still on.

Trigona Iridipennis or the Stingless bee are primitive species and are commonly found in the underground, hollow of trees, crevices of rock and walls. The Process of experimental rearing is on for Apis Mellifera species is on in some foothill areas of the state.

KBES Sunday school rally at Dimapur underway

AKNOWLEDGEMENT We the bereaved family members and relatives of Late. Mrs. Heshu Lolia would like to convey our profound gratitude and our indebtedness and thankfulness to one & all, who stood by us during our time of grief & sorrow.

We convey our special thanks especially– Zion Hospital management, Doctors, Nurses & Staff.

May our almighty God bless each one of you abundantly.

KBES Sunday School Rally Underway at Christian Higher Secondary school Dimapur on January 6. (DIPR Photo)

Mrs. Heshu Lolia Born -1926 Died – 25th Dec.2015

With love & prayer.

Loving children, grandchildren & in-laws

Dimapur, January 6 (Dipr): The 4th Lotha Baptist Churches Association Sunday School Rally got underway today 6th January 2016 at Christian Higher Secondary School Dimapur under the theme “Be a champion for Christ.” During the 3 days rally competitions

including solo, quartet, bible recitation with action, walk through the bible and indigenous song competitions would be held.

Speakers during the rally will be Coordinator VIVA India Mrs. Evangeline, Director, WondangKi Charitable Foundation Dimapur, N.Thungdemo

Kikon, OCI Missionary, Coordinator for GCPN NE India Rev.J.Thungjamo Lotha, Psychologist National Tobacco Control Programme, Imkumla Aier besides others.

Around 630 delegates representing 48 churches have registered on the first day of the Rally.

ThursDAY 07 •01•2016

NORTH-EAST

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

3

Tuki calls on PM, complains In India, remote villages hold fast to food traditions against Arunachal Governor

SHILLONG, JANUARY 6 (REUTERS): The northeastern Indian region of Meghalaya is rich in native food traditions. Sandwiched between Bangladesh and Bhutan, and with Myanmar to its east, Meghalaya is a lush, hilly area of forests and lakes, with high rainfall, spectacular waterfalls and "living" bridges woven from trees that attract local tourism.

Yet many of its villages are remote, with few main roads or other means of access.

Their inaccessibility has helped preserve many traditional food customs, from rice growing to beekeeping.

Villagers dance at the Beh Dienkhlam festival in Mosakhia as men carry a life-sized oxen effigy. Credit: Copyright 2015 Carla Capalbo

Keeping the traditional ways "Our region has been proud to host this year's Indigenous Terra Madre," said Phrang Roy, chairman of the North East Slow Food and Agrobiodiversity Society (NESFAS). The event brought 600 members of international indigenous food-making communities together in the city of Shillong for a five-day meeting.

"It offered us a chance to showcase the many foods and traditions of the indigenous Khasi communities that are still well-preserved

in Meghalaya and its neighboring region, Nagaland."

During the conference, the delegates were invited to visit some of the villages to experience these customs firsthand.

In Mosakhia, a village of 94 households in the Jaintia Hills so small it's not on Google maps, a large crowd gathered to greet the visitors. They re-enacted Beh Dienkhlam, a colorful food festival that is usually held in July. During the festival, two life-size oxen effigies are raised on a large wood-

en platform and carried in increasingly rapid circles as the population rushes behind them, singing and dancing to the accompaniment of loud drumbeats.

"Its purpose is to drive away epidemics during the rainy growing season," explained H.H. Morhmen, a NESFAS director in that area. "With their brooms the villagers sweep the evil spirits away."

A native variety of nutritious brown rice, rymbai, is grown in the small rice terraces around Mosakhia

Experts to study buildings damaged in Manipur quake ImpHAL, JANUARY 6 (IANS): A three-member team of experts arrived here on Wednesday to examine the buildings damaged in Monday's earthquake that left eight people dead.

The team from the Industrial Training Institute at Roorkee will examine market complexes at New Market and Laxmi Market here that suffered damages in the 6.7-magnitude

quake that also injured some 120 people.

The team will remain here till January 11 and will decide if the buildings need renovation or should be demolished for new construction. The Manipur government has blamed the National Buildings Construction Corp (NBCC), under the union ministry of urban development, for poor quality construction.

State minister K. Ratan and Chief Secretary O. Nabakishore said the state government had no role in the construction of the complexes.

T. Chaoba, the Bharatiya Janata Party president in Manipur, has demanded a CBI probe into the matter.

A health department team is also visiting the interior areas and treating the injured.

Manipur CM inspects major projects after earthquake Our Correspondent Imphal | January 6

Manipur Chief Minister today inspected major on-going projects in the state in the aftermath of Monday’s powerful earthquake that jolted the North East.

Ibobi visited IT Park at Mantripukhri here, Mega Tourist at Kheba Ching in Khongjom in Thoubal district and a 400 KV Mega Project at Thoubal Khunou. He was accompanied by officials of the Power Department, Manipur State Power Distribution Company Ltd and Manipur Development Society.

Eight people were killed and 106 injured in the devastating 6.8 magnitude quake which also destroyed scores of houses and other structures in Manipur before dawn.

Scientists have warned such powerful earthquakes can strike the North East at any time as the region falls in Zone V which is ‘very severe intensity’ zone.

As part of the relief measures being taken by the state government, a free health camp was held at Khangabok village in Thoubal. Volunteers of National Mobile Unit took part during the camp.

Around 130 villagers were treated and given medicines.

Voluntary Health Unit Committee (VHUC) extended assistance to quake victims being treated at Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal.

According to VHUC, the state government has failed to provide any help to the victims so far and appealed to the latter to ensure timely assistance.

People for Animal, Manipur (PFA) joined the relief effort in Tamenglong district which was the epicentre of the strong tremor. Its volunteers distributed food items to villagers in Noney Part I, II, III and IV where PFA also treated animals.

The PFA volunteers were assisted by leaders of Longmai Students’ Union and village chiefs.

A five-member team of the Manipur BJP led by its general secretary M Ashinikumar visited Kabui Khullen in Tamenglong yesterday. Kabui Khullen located some 37 km from Noney, was the epicentre of the earthquake.

The BJP team extended aid to the villagers affected by the tremor and more assistance was assured by the party during the trip, Ashinikumar told reporters at the party office here on Wednesday.

He said there were 20 unconscious people in the village where four persons were critically injured, 10 sustained minor injuries and over 54 houses were damaged due to the quake.

The BJP leader said the Manipur government has yet to give any assistance to the victims till today. He demanded that the government send an expert team to the district to assess the ground situation at an earliest.

JOB VACANCY

that the villagers harvest in November, the women cutting it and the men threshing it by hand. an ancient method of beeKeeping Beekeeper Shahjop Khongiong demonstrated his unusual hives. Made of hollowed-out sections of tree trunks (of dieng maleng or dieng shyrngang wood), the hives are positioned in the surrounding forests and in natural rock crevices.

They attract local varieties of yellow or black bees.

Khongiong, a cheerful, sprightly 50-something, has been a beekeeper for 37 years but never uses any protection when working with his bee families.

He pulled a large chunk of honeycomb from one of the hives barehanded, simply blowing the bees that were on it gently away. The honey was exquisite: With the delicate floral notes of a citrus honey, it maintained its depth and mineral intensity long after it was eaten. Only 12 people still continue this ancient method of beekeeping. fish that's a delicacy Nearby, the equally rural village of Umladkhur is reached by a dirt road through rice paddies and forests. Alma Mulat squats outside her house by a hose of clean, running water as she washes a batch of fish.

When she's satisfied they're cleanly gutted, she drives a pointed bamboo stake through each fish, attaching them firmly with cane knots. She carries the fish down to the smokehouse behind her dwelling and smokes them for three to four hours using wood from the local otsyiah tree.

"We call these khabah in our native language," she said, pointing to chunky

going to marKet Back in Shillong, we visit one of India's largest and most fascinating food markets. Built in colonial times, it covers a hill in the town with steep, narrow alleys, each filled with boxed stalls of local produce vendors. They come to a pinnacle in the large, open square at the top where brightly colored foods and fabrics compete for the visitor's eye.

The maket -- and the street-food vendors who surround it -- showcase the many local and native plants and grains that contribute to the diets of the people of Meghalaya.

ZYF takes stock of earthquake ImpHAL, JANUARY 6 (mExN): The Zeliangrong Youth Front (Assam, Manipur, Nagaland) has informed that it is conducting independent enquiry and gathering detailed information on the degree of damages caused to residential building, houses, granaries, properties loss, Churches, Govt. offices and quarters, etc in Tamenglong District and other Zeliangrong villages in different districts by the powerful earthquake which shook the region on January 4.

In a press release, ZYF informed that a team led by its President had toured the National Highway No. 37 from Imphal up to Nungba HQ on January 4 to take stock of the situation and to ascertain and collect detailed information on the sufferings of the people caused by the incident.

While stating that it is coordinating with its different zonal offices to get detailed information from all the villages and far flung areas of the district, ZYF lamented that the poor connectivity and ineffective communication system has hampered immediate gathering of detailed information.

According to the ZYF, the information

gathered has so far revealed injury to four persons while over a hundred houses, churches, offices, SDPO quarter at Nungba HQ and structures of both private and government were damaged.

The newly constructed market shed at Nungba HQ, newly constructed and inaugurated Mini Secretariat, newly constructed hospital at Tamenglong HQ, and Guest House at Khongshang, about 50 ft on NH No. 37 below the Police Station diversion just before reaching Nungba bazaar, were found to have developed cracks during their physical inspection, ZYF stated.

In this regard, the Zeliangrong Youth Front has urged the concern authority and the Central Government to assess and collect detailed information on the degree of damages suffered and do the needful at the earliest. It also urged the concern authority to reach out to all the affected families of the district.

Meanwhile, ZYF has also extended deep condolences to the eight persons who lost their precious lives and stated that it shares the grief with the bereaved families. ZYF also extended prayers for speedy recovery of all the injured persons.

STATE HEALTH SOCIETY STATE PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT UNIT OFFICE OF THE MISSION DIRECTOR NATIONAL HEALTH MISSION NAGALAND,KOHIMA

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fish in the carp family. "My grandmother and ancestors did this smoking too, back when our rivers were clean. But 40 years ago surface coal mining began in this area, and our rivers became poisoned and the fish died. Now we buy fish from a nearby region, though the mining has recently been stopped and river life is gradually returning."

Smoked fish from this and Thangbuli village are a delicacy in Meghalaya, and Mulat and other women take them to market at Jowai to supplement their families' incomes.

Courses offered

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B.Th / B.A. / B. Sc

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3 years

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4 years

New Admission (Limited Seats) for the Spring Session 2016 is available. th The College will reopen on 11 January, 2016.

For more information contact: Principal Vice-Principal (M)- 9436011961 (M)-8575733192

ITANAGAR, JANUARY 6 (pTI): Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and submitted a detailed report on the recent political developments in the wake of Governor J P Rajkhowa advancing the Assembly session.

While mentioning that this matter was sub-judice and was being heard in the Gauhati High Court, the Chief Minister still maintained that the decision by the Governor was taken "without taking consent from him and his council of ministers," an official communique said here today. Tuki also complained to the PM yesterday about the Governor's "tacit role in fuelling dissidence within the ruling Congress party in the state," since Rajkhowa took over charge, the communique said.

The Chief Minister alleged that Rajkhowa's conduct was in violation of the principles of Co-operative Federalism as espoused by the Prime Minister after the NDA came to power, the release said. The Prime Minister assured Tuki that he would examine the report against the Governor and take appropriate decisions pertaining to the same, the communique claimed. While discussing the development issues, the Chief Minister requested the Prime Minister for expediting establishment of Greenfield Airport at Hollongi, establishment of Disaster Response Force (DRF) battalion in the state, establishment of High Court in the state and East West Industrial Corridor for border areas.

Tuki told the PM that despite repeated requests from the state government, the Centre is yet to depute a central team for inspecting the damages due to floods and natural calamities, the communique said. The PM assured that a team would be deputed soon to visit the state for the same.

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Business

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

to soon invite MGNREGA back on track, Railways bids for modernisation job numbers hit 5-year-high The seeming revival over the last two quarters reverses the trend of declining employment under MGNREGA seen during the first year of the Modi government New Delhi, JaNuary 6 (ageNcies): The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the flagship welfare programme of the previous UPA government, appears to be staging a revival of sorts. And this turnaround is being attributed mainly to better monitoring by the Centre and timely release of funds.

The July-September quarter witnessed 45.82 crore persondays of employment generated under MGNREGA. This was the highest for the quarter in the last five years. “It was more than even the 42.40 crore persondays during July-September 2012, which also happened to be a not-so-good monsoon year,” Rural Development Ministry officials told The Indian Express.

According to officials, the last quarter (October-Decem-

ber), too, posted a similar trend.

“In October alone, we provided 14.09 crore person-days employment, a record for the month. The data for the entire quarter is still being uploaded in our MIS (management information system) portal, but our expectation of the total persondays of work during OctoberDecember is 47 crore. That will again be a five-year-high for the quarter,” they said.

The seeming revival over the last two quarters reverses the trend of declining employment under MGNREGA seen during the first year of the Modi government.

In 2014-15, the programme — which provides 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work — generated only 166.32 crore person-days employment, compared to 221.15 crore and 230.33 crore in the preceding two fiscals and the peak 283.59 crore achieved in 2009-10 (a drought year).

Also, the average days of employment provided per house-

Bithday Greeting

hold dropped to 40.17 in 201415, from 45.98 in 2013-14, 46.19 in 2012-13 and 53.19 days in the best performance year of 200910. “This year, we have already

done 37.5 days, which should cross 50 by March-end,” the officials claimed.

They attributed the better numbers this year mainly to better monitoring by the Centre and timely release of funds. “In 201415, most states, including those implementing the programme well, ran out of funds by Octo-

downsizing MGNREGA”, said Reetika Khera, associate professor at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

Incidentally, of the 137 crore person-days MGNREGA employment generated so far in 2015-16 (based on latest uploaded data), more than half has been accounted for by five states: Tamil Nadu (24.9 crore), Andhra Pradesh (14.6 crore), Rajasthan (14.3 crore), West Bengal (13.6 crore) and Uttar Pradesh (10.9 crore).

On the other hand, the states worst affected by drought — Maharashtra (4.5 crore), Karnataka (2.5 crore) or even Madhya Pradesh (6.6 crore) and Chhattisgarh (3.7 crore) — haven’t registered any significant uptake in MGNREGA works.

“We have now moved to linking fund releases to performance, measured in terms of both person-days generation and quality of asset creation.

The states doing well on these counts will get MGNREGA money, which will otherwise simply be parked for earning interest,” officials said.

Indian economy not doing good, reforms slowed down: Industry Body

Dearest Nizuto H. Awomi When you blow out your candle and make a wish today, please wish for time to stop passing by so quickly. On your first birthday we want to celebrate the miracle of your birth and new life by stuffing our faces in front of you.

My son, you are turning one and it is such a special moment. You might not remember today, but we will.

Happy 1st birthday!

From your Loving Mom & Dad Dear Vera!!!

On this Day the 7th January, you have entered into to this World and had crossed many odds and obstacles till this day. We really felt glad and proud that you have been our good friends and in the meantime keeping yourself like a blooming Rose even in the midst of the thorns since then. Your friendship to us is really awesome and thus we began to build Love, Peace, Oneness, Trustworthy etc. within our friendship circle.

May you continue to live like a blooming flower that would reflects our friendship in the long run.

“A Very Happy Birth Day Vera”.

-Lots of Love from Atshu Soho & Huve Soho

New Delhi, JaNuary 6 (PTi): The economy is not doing as good as it was expected and the pace of reforms has slowed down, industry body CII’s president, Sumit Mazumder, said on Tuesday.

“It (the economy) should have done a lot better. It can do a lot better. A reform like the GST would give the whole industry such a psychological boost that you would see a rapid pack of pick-up in the economy,” the CII President told PTI in an interview. Asked whether there was a slowdown in the reforms over the last few months, Mazumder said: “There is a slowdown but the reforms are still going through. So, it is not as if the reforms have totally stopped”.

He said the “pace of reforms will pick up once Parliament knows how to function”.

On GST logjam, he said, “GST has been a huge disappointment because everybody

_

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

ber. When supply of funds dried up, leading to delayed payment of wages, there was less demand from the gram panchayats as well to take up works even in a drought year,” the officials admitted.

That has changed this year, with the proportion of delayed payments — i.e. beyond 15 days after the closure of muster rolls — falling to 53 per cent from 72 per cent in 2014-15.

Development economists pointed out that MGNREGA’s apparent turnaround in the last two quarters was a result of political and civil society pressure, forcing the government to release funds.

“The increased person-days employment numbers dispels the myth of low demand for work. The truth is that MGNREGA had increasingly become supply-driven, though it is in spirit and letter demand-driven.

This was even more so after this government took over, with everybody from Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje to Nitin Gadkari (the then Rural Development Minister) and Modi himself sending out signals of

Game Number # 3453

recognises the benefits of GST, on how the GDP will be impacted positively and ease of doing business will go up by quite a few notches.

“This logjam in Parliament has been a very big disappointment and sometimes you have got to draw a line between politics and what is good for the country.”

The proposed Goods and Services Tax law that will subsume all indirect taxes like excise duty, service tax and sales tax into one uniform rate, is stuck in the Rajya Sabha where the ruling NDA government lacks majority.

The opposition Congress is demanding three major changes in the Bill and stalled the passage of the Constitution Amendment Bill in the last two sessions, derailing government’s plan to roll out GST from April 1, 2016.

Sharing the wishlist for the Budget, Mazumder said a major

thrust is required by the government to stimulate rural demand and boost infrastructure development.

He also urged that the phased corporate tax reduction to 25 per cent from the prevailing 34 per cent be done in tandem with removal of allowances.

“We would like to see him (FM) take some initiatives where demand gets a stimulation because that is a major concern right now. We would request that reduction of corporate tax and removal of allowances be done in tandem.

“We would like to see continuation of investments that are being made by the government right now and by the PSUs. However, the fiscal deficit must be maintained, that should not be sacrificed and one of the ways to do it would be through disinvestment. We want to see a lot more impetus on infrastructure and construction,” Mazumder said

DAILY CROSS WORD

CROSSWORD # 3465

Answer Number # 3452

New Delhi, JaNuary 6 (ageNcies): With the Union Budget for 2016-17 set to be presented next month, finance minister Arun Jaitley said the government will continue to step up public investment to boost growth in the wake of continuing challenges in global economy. He said the government is making room for further private sector participation in the infrastructure space and the railways will soon invite bids for modernisation of 400 stations.

“The public investment has been stepped up in the last year and it will continue to remain stepped up and therefore when you fight a global slowdown public investment has to lead the way,” Jaitley said.

Speaking at the foundation day event of the India Infrastructure Finance Co Ltd, the finance minister said: “The railways has now come on to directionally the right track. We are inviting the private sector including foreign investment into the infrastructure… very shortly the railways is going to come with its proposed bids for development of 400 railway stations in the country.”

Having raised some funds from tax-free bonds, the railways intend to mobilise international investment, he said. “The LIC has made available long term capital to them (railways). And that’s an area which directionally I think is on the right track.

The movement needs to be a little expedited,” he added.

The government is also considering participation of private sector in mid and small airports to improve their managerial efficiency, he added.

“They probably need managerial efficiency and therefore, management participation of the private sector in the management of some of these airports is a proposal which they have been considering. I think the government is very clear with regard to the direction in which it wants to move,” he said.

Jaitley said enhanced public investment in infrastructure sector last year had now started showing results. Last year a lot of resources were put in the direction of national highways, rural roads and railways, he said.

“The result of this is visible now that the stalled projects among the highways have got moving. As a result of enhanced public investment, even private sector players who had got bogged down in their disputes have re-entered the field,” he said.

The years and months to come will be those where we will be seriously investing in infrastructure. We should be able to show much more positive result as far as Indian economy is concerned making it a stable force which we have become even in the midst of even in a crisis like situation across the world, the minister said.

Commenting on the recently set up National Infrastructure Investment Fund, the minister said the government is in touch with many global sovereign and pension funds to become partners.

He emphasised that global economy was passing through a phase of volatility but lower crude oil, commodity and mineral prices were an opportunity for India.

“World is passing through a phase of great volatility. There is no easy day. And therefore the trends that global economy pass going to throw up will be challenging,” he said, adding that the opportunity provided by the low oil prices has enabled the government to channelise a large part of our savings in central areas of infrastructure.

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 MeDievAl

ARROWLOOPS BAILEY BATTLEMENTS BUTTRESS DRAWBRIDGE MOAT PORTCULLIS RAMPART KNIGHT CABALLERO CAVALIERE CHEVALIER RITTER CHIVALRYCOATOFARMS PAGE SQUIRE BECDEFAUCON FALCHION GLAIVE GOEDENDAG LANCE MORNINGSTAR RAPIER BASTIDE DARK MELEE SCUTAGE

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I A V A C R P D R A V L P A J K Z J B O

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G W P R H H Q N E G A P S U I G N R R I

L U Z R I R D E N B L U T A O M O F A G

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P R G O V G V R W Y I S N X J I C I T K

Y V D W A V G A D N E D E O G R U A S R

R W B L L S U M N F R A M E V I A L G X

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Z N A O R I J P L A E R E P Z T F O N Q

I D S O Y L X A P J C K L Z Q T E Q I A

K Z T P C L F R O A N G T D S E D K N Y

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O C F J O R U Y E L I A B I R K J B Z S

G R C E F O O X S C U T A G E L K I U X

Police Control Room: North Police Station: South Police Station: Fire Brigade: Naga Hospital: Oking Hospital: Bethel Nursing Home: Northeast Shuttles

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V O K R A P I E R H G I E Y Q E O L A J

G O P D R A W B R I D G E E L E M H P T

J G N H M X Y K S O O V I J N Z J Q H F

L M P G S T G V K N I G H T B P N O A U

STD CODE: 0370 100/2244279 2222222 2222111 2222952 2222916 2243339 2224202 08974997923

ACROSS

1. . Superhero accessory 5. Practical 10. Tastes 14. Comply with 15. Jottings 16. Brother of Jacob 17. Solitariness 19. Seating sections 20. Excavate 21. List components 22. Curses 23. Drool 25. Run away to wed 27. Directed 28. Ennobled 31. An evil spirit 34. Bring together 35. Beam 36. Den 37. Concerning (archaic) 38. Half of ten 39. A large vase 40. Scrawny one 41. Cut into cubes 42. Attached 44. French for “Wine” 45. Motor hotel 46. The largest flatfish 50. Portents 52. Coral island

DOWN

1. Respiratory infections 2. Agitated 3. Former Hungarian monetary unit 4. Center of a storm 5. Together 6. Laser printer powder 7. Bit of gossip 8. Decreasing 9. S 10. Angel 11. Three-dimensional 12. Chess piece 13. Figure (out) 18. Slander 22. Motherless calf 24. Make unclear 26. Elevator (British) 28. Work dough 29. Overhang

30. Not the original color 31. Oversupply 32. Rabbit 33. Balms 34. Unconnected 37. Unit of land 38. French for Finished or Done 40. Collections 41. Certain aromatic herbs 43. Truthful 44. Overnight bag 46. Inn 47. Salt water 48. Full-length 49. Thigh armor 50. Egg-shaped 51. Rodents 53. Cab 56. South southeast 57. Make lace Ans to CrossWord 3464

DIMAPUR: 03862-232201/ 101 (O) 9856156876 (OC) CHUMUKEDIMA: 7085982102 (O) 8732810051 (OC)

MOKOKCHUNG: 0369-2226225/ 101 (O) 8415830232 (OC) PHEK: 8414853765 (O) 8413822476(OC) ZUNHEBOTO: 03867-280304/ 101 (O) 9436422730 (OC) TUENSANG: 8414853766 (O) 9856163601 (OC)

KIPHIRE: 8414853767 (O) 9436261577 (OC) PEREN: 7085189932 (O) 9856311205 (OC) LONGLENG: 7085924113 (O) 9862414264 (OC)

Toll free No. 1098 childline

WE4WOMEN HELPLINE 08822911011

MOKOKCHUNG:

KOHIMA NORTH: 7085924114 (O)

MON: 03869-251222/ 101 (O) 9862130954 (OC)

CHILD WELFARE COMMITTEE 54. Ribonucleic acid 55. A climbing plant 56. Applied mathematics 58. Does something 59. Genders 60. Rectum 61. “___ we forget” 62. Ancient Roman magistrate 63. French for “Head”

KOHIMA SOUTH: 0370-2222952/ 101 (O) 9402003086 (OC)

WOKHA: 03860242215/101 (O) 8974322879 (OC)

Chumukedima Fire 282777 Brigade Nikos Hospital and 232032, 231031 Research Centre

KOHIMA

FIRE STATIONS

STD CODE: 0369

Police Station 1:

2226241

Police Station 2 :

2226214

Civil Hospital: Woodland Nursing Home:

2226216 2226263

Hotel Metsüpen (Tourist Lodge):

2226373/2229343

TAHAMZAM (formerly Senapati) STD CODE: 03871 Police Station: Fire Brigade

CURRENCY NOTES

222246 222491

BUY(Rs)

SELL(Rs)

US Dollars Sterling Pound Hong Kong Dollar Australian Dollar Singapore Dollar Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen

65.12 95.43 8.13 46.6 45.63 46.63 54.48

68.06 100.06 9.06 48.91 47.87 48.92 57.55

Euro

70.03

73.43

Thai Baht Korean Won New Zealand Dollar Chinese Yuan

1.75

1.94

0.0531

0.0591

43.83

45.99

9.50

10.58

ThursdAY 07•01•2016

Governor, others condole Nokzenketba’s demise Dimapur, January 6 (mExn): The Governor of Nagaland, PB Acharya, Speaker of Nagaland Legislative Assembly and others today condoled the death of veteran politician Nokzenketba who died on Tuesday in Jorhat after a prolong illness. He was 67. He is survived by his wife and three daughters.

Nokzenketba was son of Late Longrinungba of Chungtia Village and was first elected a Member of Nagaland Legislative Assembly in 1984 from 28-Koridang Assembly Constituency as an Independent Candidate and joined the Indian National Congress after the poll. He was re-elected from the same constituency 1987 and 1989 and serve the state in various capacities afterwards. He contested his last assembly election in 2008 from 27- Mokokchung Town Assembly Constituency in a Nagaland People’s Front Ticket but lost the election.

Governor PB Acharya Meanwhile, in a statement received here, the Nagaland Governor PB Acharya has expressed his sadness to hear about the sudden demise of the former minister.

Late Nokzenketba worked tirelessly for the upliftment of the public in general and his constituency Koridang in particular…His contributions for the welfare of the people particularly for the downtrodden will be remembered by all”, the Governor said in his statement regretting the loss of “an honest public leader.”

“I convey my deepest condolences to the bereaved family members and pray to the Almighty to give strength and courage to overcome the loss” Acharya further condoled.

NLA Speaker The Nagaland Legislative Assembly has expressed its shock to learn about the demise of one of its former member Late Nokzenketba. His contribution as a Parliamentarian is kept in high esteem and His death has caused a great loss to the Nagas in general and Ao community in particular, NLA Speaker Chotisuh Sazo said in a condolence message.

“In this hour of gloom and grief, I on behalf of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly and on my own behalf convey our heartfelt condolences. May God grant solace and comfort to the bereaved family members,” the Speaker added. “May the departed soul rest in eternal peace.”

CL John: RD & REPA Minister, CL John also conveyed his shock to hear about the untimely and demise of Late Nokzenketba.

During his short span of life, he was proved, undoubtedly as one of the sincere, hardworking and bonafide citizen as well as one of a competent public leader in his own capacity with kind hearted, integrity and vast wisdom, the Minister stated in his condolence message.

“While I share my deepest sorrow and sympathy with the bereaved family in this hour of grief, it is our fervent prayer to our Almighty God to grant peace and solace to the departed soul” CL John extended.

NPF: Regretting the untimely demise of Late Nokzenzeketba, Naga People’s Front (NPF) today paid its rich tribute to him as “a dedicated leader who made valuable contributions, marking the tenure of his Legislature- ship under different capacities.”

He was also in the Council of Ministers when regionalist stalwart, Late Vamuzo was the Chief Minister in the 1980s, NPF Press Bureau said in a statement received here.

“At this grievous moment, the President, NPF Dr Shürhozelie Liezetsu and all rank & file of the NPF central Hqs. convey our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and pray that God almighty give them strength and solace. May the departed soul rest in eternal peace,” the Party condoled.

NAGALAND

cKM conference begins at Waromung Morung express news Waromung (Mokokchung) | January 6

The 51st Changkikong Students’ Conference (CKM) is currently underway at Waromung village, some sixty kilometers away from Mokokchung Town, which was formally inaugurated

by Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture and Chairman NSAMB, Dr Benjongliba Aier here this evening.

Altogether 350 delegates from the different villages under the Changkikong range are participating in the three day conference which is being held on the theme ‘pursuing self sustenance’.

The Guest of Honor, Parliamentary Secretary Dr Benjongliba Aier, while speaking at the inaugural programme, exhorted the students to work very hard and to contribute to the society. He maintained that simply getting a degree is not enough but how one serve the society is more important.

On the sidelines of the theme of the conference, ‘Pursuing Self Sustenance’,

Guest of honor, dr Benjongliba aier, Parliamentary secretary for agriculture & Chairman nsaMB, formally declaring the 51 General Conference of the Changkikong Kaketshir Mungdang at Waromung on Wednesday, January 6. (Morung Photo)

Dr Benjongliba Aier pointed out that there are more than 60,000 registered educated unemployed youths in the society. Saying that most of the educated youths aspire for a government job, Dr Benjongliba strongly discouraged the youths to seek government job only but to go for private jobs especially entrepreneurship. He said that if one is self-sustaining, then he/she would not be liability but become an asset in the society.

While paying rich tributes to the pioneers from Changkikong range, Dr Benjongliba maintained that there have been many pioneers who have contrib-

uted immensely in the field of education and Christianity, not only in the Ao areas but also in different parts of the Naga areas.

He pointed out that the pioneers had to undergo lot of hardships during those days; however, the parliamentary secretary said that it was very important for the youths to walk in the steps of the forefathers and continue to serve the society.

While speaking about the present ‘opposition-less’ government in the state, Dr Benjongliba termed it as a big miracle and added that the legislators from the different parties have joined with the DAN government

with the hope to bring peace and development in the state. In the same manner, the Parliamentary Secretary wished how great it would be for the NPGs to unite and come under one banner for a lasting peace in the society.

The main speaker at the programme, Dr Lanusangla Tzudir, publisher and Chief Editor of Heritage Publishing House – Dimapur, elaborating on the theme of the conference, said that a time has come for the Naga youths to act towards achieving self sustenance.

She maintained that while the Naga youths are

Yitachu graces Phoyisha cultural festival Dr. Benjongliba

inaugurates link road

Minister for school education & sCert yitachu on his arrival during Phoyisha cultural festival at hutsii village in Meluri sub division of Phek district on January 6. (Morung Photo) Our Correspondent to develop power, he called upon the Hutsii | January 6

A four day long 21st session of Phoyisha cultural festival kicked start here today with Minister for School Education & SCERT Yitachu as the chief guest.

Hutsii under Meluri sub division of Phek district lies 235 km away from state capital Kohima. “Our culture is our identity,” said Yitachu while addressing the gathering and asked the Pochury community to maintain it.

He also stressed on the need to hold cultural activities to promote and revive the rich cultural heritage.

Yitachu also stated that for any developmental activities to take place power is required.

Stating that there is potentialities

people to cooperate with government and allow power generation to take place “if we are to progress.”

Earlier, the function was chaired

by Phoyisha Cultural Organization (PCO) chairman S. Pfithu while welcome address was delivered by Hutsii village council chairman Tupin Vaching.

Altogether, 7 villages out of 10 villages under PCO are taking part in the festival. They will compete in dance, Te-telo-te-te and archery throughout four days.

Several dignitaries including Pochury Hoho president Penthu Pochury also graced the inaugural function. Home commissioner Neihu C. Thur wil grace the valedictory function on January 7.

Dimapur, January 6 (mExn): Parliamentary Secretary, Agriculture, Dr. Benjongliba Aier, today inaugurated a Link Road constructed by the Sangpang Zunga of Japu between Longnak Jn and Japu Village in the presence of officials led by Imtiwapang, ADC, Mangkolemba and Village Council Members of Japu and Longtho Villages.

According to a press release, the link road, which is about 7 kms in length, shortens the road between Longnak Jn and Mangkolemba Town by about 12 kms.

Dr. Aier thanked the villagers, especially Sangpang Zunga for their tireless effort in constructing the road for the benefit of the people of Alongtaki A/C in particulars and the Ao people in general.

Later in the day, Dr. Aier also inaugurated the Alongsungkum Club Volleyball Tournament at Japu. In his inaugural speech, Dr. Aier advised players to be well disciplined and to exhibit temperance. He recalled how young players from the range contributed to popularizing the game of volleyball in the past and produced a lot of volleyball players in spite of poor facilities. He advised the youngsters to emulate their example and footsteps with greater zeal.

waiting for a government job, others are hijacking the Naga economy with all the businesses being dominated by the non-locals.

In this regard, Dr Lanusangla called for a change in mindset and attitude, and added that it was time for the youths to start acting, take calculated risks to achieve a self-sustaining life.

For this, she said that there should be a ‘rethink’ the concept of education and a ‘reevaluation’ of the education system in the society. While saying that formal education is very important, Dr Lanusangla however said that skill de-

velopment and vocational education has become very important in this age so that the youths can be turned into skillful workers to work in different fields.

Moreover, Dr Lanusangla challenged the participating students to make a personal resolution that when they go back, they would find a means to act towards achieving a selfsustaining life as they go on with their life.

Meanwhile, the Waromung Shisashir Telongjem raised the curtains through a play, while the pastor of Waromung Baptist Church, Tsuktimeren invoked God’s blessings.

The Chairman of Waromung village council, Lanumeren welcomed the audience, while Changkikong Senso Mungdang president, Imtipokyim; Japukong Kaketshir Mungdang president Rongsenmongba and SDO PHED, Mkg, Tinu Longchar exhorted the audience through short speeches.

On Thursday, Minister for School Education & SCERT, Yitachu will grace the first programme was the chief guest.

Birthday GreetinGs

Dearest Ati,

M

any people have the ability to create a professional atmosphere in the office but very few have the ability to make an office feel like home while staying professional at the same time.

You make work a fun place.

Happy birthday  With lots of love, The Morung Express Family

Public SPace

I

New Goals, New Year

f there is anything that I feel at the dawn of a new year, it is gratefulness. Not everybody has made it. We are a privileged lot to have stepped into a new year, and to be given the choice to start anew, again.

A new year always rings in with opportunities and possibilities. There is always hope somewhere at the back of our minds. That hope to begin again where we have failed before. To pick ourselves up from the things that have perhaps let us down before.

To set newer goals, or maybe strive to keep pursuing the finer things we have already acquired. A new year means a lot of things. It’s not only the festivity of it all, but along with it comes a lot of soul searching- something that each of us need to do every once in a while.

At this time of the year, we look back and think of the days gone by. Of how time has quickly flown, and in the blink of an eye, another year is over.

We think of how we have lived our precious days in the past year. Have we accomplished our goals? Have we been happy? Have we been content?

Have we been the persons we wanted to be? Have we pur-

sued our goals? Have we lived our dreams? Have we found pleasure in the simple things of life? Have we made each day count?

Questions come flooding your mind at the brink of a new year and at the dawn of a new one, all of us hope to become better persons. It reflects our desire for change and what better time than now- a New Year- to start that process of change, that must really begin with you and me. If you had been disappointed with your performance at school, work, or business in the past year, here is another chance to do better and make it right.

As a matter of fact, we get a new chance everyday. To do it right, to live it better. But a new year is always filled with more promises. It’s like a new book, and that book is solely yours. It depends on you, on how you choose to write it and whatever you decide to do with the pages, will eventually show when you stand at the brink of a year’s end and somehow you are driven to think of a fast fading year.

The beginning of a new year gives a golden opportunity to change our ways or mend some of them. Consciously or unconsciously, we set goals

for ourselves at the start of a new year. As we begin a new chapter, may the goals we set for ourselves this year not only be confined to ourselves but that, in trying to reach them, we may also carry with us the joy of living and the spirit of forgiveness, without which, the value of life is incomplete.

May we become perfect ambassadors of love, peace and joy and willingly extend these gifts to someone who may need it! To exemplify the life we wish to see around us and be the leader of our times, a trendsetter of good deeds and of rich values. Not to be ashamed of taking the road less travelled, to pursue what is right and to guard it with your life.

May we be the living hope for our children and the kind of people whom they can really look up to. And more than we write our own chapters, may our names find spaces in the books of those we touch as we live from day to day.

May we also never fail in our human duties to shower kindness along the way as we set out to fulfill our dreams, our aspirations, our plans, our visions and all that we've hoped for this year to bring.

Vishü Rita Krocha

CHRISTMAS AND THE AFTERTHOUGHT

O

ver 2000 years ago the most important event in history took place that changed the course of human history forever. It is the birth of Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. Christ’ birth was not celebrated by the early church but from 4th A.D His birth was celebrated on 25th December and christened the day as Christmas.

Basing on John 1 Jewish scholars say Jesus was born during Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles which falls in winter. Either way the true meaning of Christmas is not about gifts, holly wreaths, mistletoe, Christmas trees, cards, etc but its all about Jesus Christ, the Word becoming flesh to take away the sins of the world. Its all about the greatest love story ever told! It is God loving man (John 3:16), the Lamb of God lowering Himself to our lowly state to dwell among us (Matthew 1:23).

When Jesus was born only three gifts were presented and it said it all. There was Gold (gift for a King), Frankincense (gift to a Priest), and Myrrh (gift for One who is to die). Simply put, He is the true King, the perfect High Priest and the supreme Savior of men.

Fast forward to the 21st century, in the West sales men and women are instructed by the owners to greet the custom-

ers ‘Happy Holiday’ instead of ‘Merry Christmas’ in order to remove the word ‘Christmas’.

Whether one likes it or not Jesus is the reason for the season.

When it comes to our “Christian” state we are no better. A brief synopsis on how we celebrated Christmas. In our intellectual arrogance many celebrated Christmas with alcohol, sexual escapades, parties and so on.

Still many celebrated with fireworks and crackers endangering domesticated animals let alone the emission of toxic chemicals affecting the ambient air causing serious health hazards. Very few celebrated Christmas in the true spirit with a thankful heart like the Biblical blind man ‘I was once blind but now I see’. Did you not know that when you burst a cracker you are in fact denying Jesus’ lowly birth. He didn’t come into the world with pomp and show as expected by Israel of old. Did you not know that when u toss a glass of liquor or indulge in sexual gratification you are in fact rejecting the very Christmas message of “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him shall perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

We are intentionally trying to incorporate (make it relevant) all these worldly influences as part

of the Christmas celebration.

God forgive us. Christ gift is not material but spiritual.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ commands us to walk out of Egypt. Egypt is the world system.

The world lives in the indulgence of the flesh, instant gratification of the eye and operates in extremely relative tolerance. JESUS ENJOYS SINCERE BELIEVERS EVEN UNDER WEAKNESS BUT IS AGRIEVED WITH THOSE WHO BLOCKED HIS FORGIVING LOVE! With due respect to those in authority, it is not enough to impose your authority only on paper. Under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules 2000 states: Fire crackers above 125 decibels are banned.

Bursting of crackers during night time i.e. 10 pm to 6 am is not permitted.

In commercial areas the Ambient Air Quality Standards in respect to noise is 65 decibels during day time and 55 during night time.

In residential areas the Ambient Air Quality Standards in respect to noise is 55 decibels during day time and 45 during night time.

The District Administration is the authority to implement the said rule.

If there is to be a firework; then permission may be taken from the administration, who will give wide publicity to the area and carry out the firework from the place and time specified for the purpose (away from hospitals, schools, residential areas and not beyond 10 pm).

This will ensure that panic (mistaking it for gunfire) is avoided and there is least disturbance to people.

If the district administration did control the bursting of crackers the concerned citizens of Dimapur would not have launched the “Say No to Crackers” Campaign. Majority of Dimapurians took the campaign a step towards transforming the city. People in authority, are you on board to fight the good fight?

A strong Leadership is what the public wants not Lip service.

Christmas has come and gone. A New Year has dawned.

What resolve not resolution weighs upon you this New Year?

To quote Benjamin Franklin: “Be always at War (resolve) with your vices, at Peace with your neighbor, and let each new year find You a Better Man and Woman”.

Another brand New Year to be a Better Man and Woman!

Media Cell, The Watchman

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.

thursDAY 07•01•2016

IN FOCUS

6

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

The Power of Truth

The Morung Express Xivolume issue 5 X issue 185 Thursday 9volume July 2015 By moa Jamir

C O M M E N T A R Y

Chris Agnos Uplift

Nobody is Born a Terrorist

Initiate the road to recovery without delay Forgive them, for they know not what they do – Jesus Christ

C

autiously optimistic, as one sojourns into the second week of 2016, can anyone remember a single deed the State Government undertook in 2015 that earned admiration and accolade from its citizens?

In doing so, one could stumble upon, possibly inadvertently, on (mis)deeds that rather earned reverse adulation.

The Game of Thrones at the beginning of the year culminating in a colossal anti-climax in the form of an opposition-less government - both within and outside the assembly; the alleged bunga bunga antics of some of its esteemed members; and the 30-minutes Assembly session tops the chart.

The Nagas are generously forgiving, perhaps haplessly so, drowning the whole year of complaints with 10 Days of cultural extravaganza in December followed by a prolonged festive season interspersed with weddings, jubilees and of course –the Christmas and the New Year.

For the common people, life trudges on. It is a nepotistic government, is a familiar refrain one could hear from the people of the State grunting but piteously unable to do anything about it. Tragically, they would do the same thing if they were on the other side. Abuse of discretion, favoritism, and cronyism are its dear cousins while its bedfellow’s bribery, embezzlement, theft and fraud, and extortion lurk ominously in the corner.

Systemic corruption is the biggest bane Nagas are unfortunately endowed with. According to U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre, endemic or systemic corruption occurs when Corruption becomes an “integrated and essential aspect of the economic, social and political system … the major institutions and processes of the state are routinely dominated and used by corrupt individuals and groups, and in which most people have no alternatives to dealing with corrupt officials.”

Sound familiar?

Consequently, it leads to a distinct situation referred to as ‘Political and Grand corruption’ where collective goods are illegitimately converted into private-regarding payoffs and influences policy formulation.

As the year starts this column earnestly suggests some measures to the people at the helm of affairs as well as the common citizens to take note and rouse themselves from the common ennui they are inflicted with.

At the outset, the road to recovery should start from, literally and figuratively, the road itself. It is potholes and running sludge in summer and dusty and bumpy at other times.

Spare the public from this unique experiment. Nagaland has enough water bodies and rivers to indulge the citizen in their leisure time.

The politician should spend less time in entertaining its citizen with their playful antics and bring back accountability and administration to the people. To put bluntly, bring back governance into government.

Streamline the educational system. Every year, thousands of students suffer on account mismanagement inflicting both the lower and higher education. The recurring bungling controversy of technical entrance exam is a case in point. Spare the coveted but humble salaries of the teachers and let the student’s have their deserving scholarship in time.

It is indeed a miracle to witness bureaucrats, administrators and political classes- of various avatars conjure up in quickest time such extravaganzas as palatial houses, farms and latest automobiles with meager salaries.

If it is only the limited remuneration, indeed their investment prowess can shame a Wall Street honcho or a management expert and give them a run for their money.

Perhaps, this year they could divulge their trade secrets to the growing army of unemployed youth in the State and teach them the quickest way to earn money and solve the unemployment problem once and all. Or perhaps the budget deficits.

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

lEfT wiNg |

Nury Vittachi

The insensitivity epidemic

M

y friend watched the dinosaur movie "Jurassic World" in front of her pet bird so that the creature could remember when his kind ruled the earth.

She was trying to be nice but I thought it was horribly insensitive.

The same friend once told me that she thought I was as "dumb as a box of rocks" while we were walking through an ornamental park. "Shh," I said, moving us away from the rockery. "They can hear you."

But, of course, there are no people on earth as insensitive as children. Child: "Can we have a bee hive on our balcony?"

Me: "No. Mum's allergic to bee stings." Child: "When she's dead can we have a bee hive on the balcony?" Me: "I guess."

Now a question: if someone is two hours late for dinner and then complains that "the food's a bit overcooked", is it justifiable to dice him into cubes and lightly flash-fry him with cilantro as an extra meat dish?

I knew you'd say yes. I do this sort of thing a lot these days (identify acts of thoughtlessness, not flash-fry friends).

Because it is clear that a massive epidemic of insensitivity is spreading around the world.

The most astonishing example came from a reader in China. A funeral company touting for business set up hundreds of fake gravestones bearing the names of (living) local residents in gold letters. Sales staff showed residents their names, saying: "Look! That could be you."

Locals were unimpressed to the point of apoplexy. The hard-sell morticians at the China Dragon Garden graveyard in the Beijing suburbs were eventually persuaded that their venture, though creative, scored 8.9 on the Richter insensitivity scale. Especially in a community where omens are taken as scientifically verified proof. Doctor: "You have three months to live." Patient: "My test results were that bad?" Doctor: "No, but you picked waiting ticket 44 and sat in the Unlucky Chair.

You're a-goner."

Most disputes are due to thoughtlessness. In the paper was a story about a bid by organizers of a British vegetable growing contest to attract more entries by allowing people to enter veggies bought at the local supermarket. They never thought about the vegetable growers, who were outraged. A cynical colleague reading over my shoulder (go away) said that everyone had probably been entering vegetables bought from supermarkets for years anyway.

He maintained that people today were over-considerate, and offered an example. Earlier this year, a university in the US state of Connecticut said it was promoting inclusiveness and invited applications from the "LBTTQQFAGPBDSM" communities. This apparently refers to every possible sexual preference, and caused much head-scratching. Please do not write in and tell me what each letter stands for. I treasure my innocence. Let children be children. And let the childish be children too.

I concede that it may be possible to be too politically correct, but I still think it's good to be thoughtful. On the afternoon before writing this, my bird-owning friend declined an offer of ice cream because she said her teeth "were extremely sensitive these days". I replied: "Shh. They can hear you."

I

f you’re reading this article, I’m impressed. It is quite taboo in Western culture to have any view other than complete and total contempt for those who commit heinous acts of terror. To entertain another possible view risks being the target of that scorn usually reserved for people whose actions we can comprehend the least. But if anyone is interested in living in a more peaceful world, then there is one question we should be asking that very few seem to be looking for answers to.

What experiences must a human being have, what level of pain and disconnection have they had to endure to be capable of going on a suicide mission to execute disabled people one by one in a concert hall?

From retaliation to prevention Is there something within you that does not want to entertain this question? Would offering empathy to those committing these acts in addition to the victims of them take something away from the victims? Let me say firstly that my goal by entertaining this question is not to promote some utopic vision of the world that denies the horrific experiences were felt by victims from both sides of these conflicts.

My goal is to find a solution to these atrocities. Whether they are committed in Paris or in Syria, it does not matter. All human life is worth the same.

I am interested in prevention and in order to prevent a situation from hap- The truth about terrorism We have this habit of creating lapening, one must fully understand the truth of what compels that situation to bels for human beings that commit acts of violence towards innocent life. occur.

We use these labels to distance ourselves from them. We want to believe There are no terrorist infants I think it is safe to assume that there that they couldn’t possibly be human are no infants associated with ISIS or beings just like us. And so we use these Al Qaeda or any religion for that mat- labels to refer to them: “barbarian,” ter. No baby is born into this world “savages”, “terrorists.”

The truth is that Omar is a human hating another race of people. Hate is something that is learned through being anatomically no different from you or me. There isn’t some separate their experience on the planet.

Omar Ismail Mostefai is the name race of being called “terrorists” that of one of the “terrorists” that commit- want to wipe out all the “non-terrorted the recent attacks in Paris. Some- ists.” And this also means recognizing time between the time that he was born that each of us might be capable of doand the time he died committing those ing the same thing as Omar. The quesviolent acts of terror, something hap- tion is what would it take?

For me, I imagine that it would pened to him to make him no longer care if he lives or dies so long as the he take a truly catastrophic experience could inflict as much pain as possible for me to want to commit an act of teron to the world. Isn’t anyone curious as ror. There must be no possibility for me to what those experiences were, not so to live a peaceful life. If my family was that we can justify what he did, but so murdered by a random bomb from the sky, if my government was infiltrated we can understand why he did it?

I don’t mean the superficial “why” with corrupt diplomats with ties to forof “because Allah told him to kill all eign corporate interests, if access from the infidels.” I mean the real deep the land was removed to grow food for “why”. What happened to Omar that people living abroad, I could see myself made him want to kill another human potentially being susceptible to a funbeing? What happened to make him damentalist message that promised to decide to join ISIS? Did he have other give me some power, some feeling of opportunities for a peaceful life that he control over the outcome of my life. But rejected? If we are interested in find- the truth is I don’t know what I would ing solutions, wouldn’t the answers to do. I don’t know what that feels like. But these questions be relevant?

I can’t say for sure that I wouldn’t do ex-

actly as Omar chose to do.

Getting real about solutions Look, we can continue to engage in the same responses that we have for centuries. We can go on more crusades, drop more bombs, create more chaos, more broken families, more desire for revenge. If we do, I think we should not be surprised when those feeling the brunt of such actions want to lash out and make other people feel what they feel. Isn’t this what we do when we get hurt and the one that hurt us does not care or show remorse for how they hurt us? Don’t you have a desire to make them feel what you feel?

We all know how to respond to terror attacks with fear and anger. How might we respond with love? I think we begin by asking some of these tough questions that get at the real root of the desire to commit harm towards another. Doing so won’t be easy. We will have to confront the systemic atrocities that occur as a result of global capitalist society. We will have to confront our own pain that comes from our forced contribution to this system. And we will need to work together to find more sustainable ways of living on this planet. All of this begins by asking the right questions and making the attempt to understand each other, even when what they did feels unforgivable. At the end of the day, it’s your choice to respond to all situations with either fear or love. I hope you choose love.

To save rare forest, farmers try a new crop: butterflies Kizito Makoye Thomson Reuters Foundation

T

he colourful butterflies fluttering through Zanzibar's Jozani forest are beautiful to look at, but for farmers and charcoal producers in the region, they mean something more: a paycheck.

In an effort to protect the island's threatened forest, local people are being trained to rear butterflies, under a scheme that tries to prevent deforestation by giving people a financial stake in keeping the forest intact.

Jozani forest, which lies between the mangrove-filled bays of Chwaka and Uzi on Unguja Island, is a large mature woodlands that is home to an array of endangered species, including the colourful Red colobus monkey.

But for all its beauty, the forest is under huge pressure from rapid deforestation due to charcoal production and unsustainable farming.

A community-run initiative, the Zanzibar Butterfly Centre, aims to change that by retraining charcoal producers in villages surrounding the forest as butterfly farmers.

"We cannot stop anyone from producing charcoal. However, we try to educate people about the damaging effects it has on the environment," Natalie Tempel-Merzougui, the project's facilitator, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

CASH FROM A 'FLYING HANDKERCHIEF' The programme offers training and equipment to butterfly farmers, the most successful of whom can earn as

much as $250 a month selling butterfly pupae to the centre's own tourist exhibit and to overseas buyers, she said.

Butterfly farmers operate by catching a few female butterflies and transferring them to mesh cages so they can lay eggs.

Farmers then collect the eggs and raise the caterpillars by feeding them on host plants until they turn to pupae.

It's at this stage that farmers start earning by selling the pupae to the butterfly centre, which sells them for export or keeps them until they hatch, to display for tourists.

Established in 2008, the centre, located near to Jozani Chawka Bay National Park, is one of Africa's largest butterfly exhibits, housing more than fifty species of native butterflies, including the hard-to-catch flying handkerchief, a black and white African swallowtail.

The centre, which works closely with Jozani Environmental Conservation Association, draws tourists interested in seeing and learning about butterfly species.

"The aim is to create awareness on the importance of protecting forests and also to give local residents additional income," Merzoughui said.

Rungu Hamisi, one of the butterfly farmers who used to earn a living making charcoal, said raising butterflies has improved his income remarkably.

"Butterfly rearing is much easier than charcoal making, which requires a lot of work. I get enough money to

support my family," he said.

He said one of the benefits of farming butterflies, rather than crops, is that they mature quickly.

"Once the eggs hatch and become caterpillars, it takes only a matter of weeks before they transform into butterflies ready for sale," he said.

According to butterfly centre officials, the project has also created opportunity for women since butterfly rearing can fit easily around domestic chores.

"I get enough money to feed my children without necessarily destroying forests," said Mwamvua Ali, 49, who said she likes raising the "flying handkerchief" as it lays lots of eggs.

wRiTE-wiNg

AN INCENTIVE TO CONSERVE While many types of agriculture require the clearing of forest, which can drive climate change and the loss of species, butterfly farming requires intact forest which provides an economic incentive to conserve them, Merzoughui said.

Alfred George, the assistant manager of the butterfly centre, said that through the project many farmers at Pete village have realised the importance of conserving forests and some are already reaping better returns from butterfly rearing.

"A lot of trees are being cut to provide firewood for local communities who rely on charcoal as their sole source of energy," George told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

But "most of the farmers we have trained to rear butterflies no longer cut

down trees", he said.

Safina Omar who began producing charcoal after she was banned from farming near the Jozani forest, said butterfly farming has given her a workable alternative.

"I knew charcoal trade is bad for environment but I was doing it because I couldn't immediately think of any other way to make money, yet I had many children to take care of," she said.

Although the initiative is not in itself a solution for deforestation, it has helped create awareness and a sense of ownership of the forest among the farmers, George said.

A similar project is run by 250 local farmers in Tanzania's East Usambara Mountains, a region known for its biodiversity but where forests are being cleared to produce charcoal and to open up farmland.

According to the Zanzibar Butterfly Centre, the amount each farmer earns varies depending on how many pupae they bring to the centre and of what species.

"We pay more for species that are rarer and harder to farm. We see some of our top farmers earn up to 500,000 Tanzanian shillings ($250) per month," Merzougui said.

Charcoal and firewood comprise about 90 percent of energy used for cooking in Tanzania, according to the World Bank.

The government estimates between 130,000 and 500,000 hectares of forests are destroyed each year as a result of charcoal production, poor farming and overgrazing.

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.

thursDAY 07•01•2016

PERSPECTIVE

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

7

Water, Water Everywhere but Too Much or Too Little What should our policy-makers do to improve the living standards of the least well-off?

I

Francesco Farnè Inter Press Service

W

ater is at the core of the Lima-Paris Action Agenda (LPAA), but it is true that for a long time water and oceans issues have been marginalized in climate conferences, considering that 90 per cent of natural catastrophes are linked to water and 40 per cent of global population will face water scarcity from now to 2050,” stated Marie-Ségolène Royal, French Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, during the press conference at the launch of the #ClimateIsWater initiative at COP21. “It is through water that it is possible to measure climate change impacts,” she said.

On 2 December, “Resilience Day,” the international water community gathered in Paris Le Bourget for the launch of the #ClimateIsWater initiative. A series of events and a press conference took place with the aim of increasing visibility and raising awareness on how water is key to addressing climate change. The initiative brought together several organizations representing civil society and stakeholders.

Sustainable water management is fundamental for addressing climate change. “Actors across all sectors should contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies integrating water into future climate architecture.” In order to meet this goal, financing is a crucial aspect, declared Torgny Holmgren, of the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), during the press conference.

Water is at the base of all forms of life on earth, and its existence on the planet created the preconditions for the origin of life and the billion years of evolution.

Through the history of humanity many civilizations flourished depending on a water source. Mesopotamia, (land between the rivers in ancient Greek), and known as the “cradle of civilization” depended on the Tigris and Euphrates.

Ancient Egypt developed on the Nile, the Chinese empire prospered along the Yellow and Yangzi basins and developed a complex administrative machine based on water management for agricultural irrigation.

It is possible to say that human devel-

opment is water-driven, and this crucial resource is vital to economic and social prosperity. Today in many countries water is a common good, underlining the importance of its universal access. On the other hand, especially in western countries, water is often taken for granted. But without being able to either control its abundance as in floods and bursting sea levels and extreme weather or its scarcity with drought and desertification, water can be catastrophic.

In 2015, the World Economic Forum ranked water as the highest risk affecting global society. According to World Water Council (WWC), one in eight people live without safe drinking water and two people in five do not have adequate sanitation globally. Moreover, nearly 3.5 million deaths from water related diseases are registered every year. Unfortunately, the most affected people live in the global south.

In addition to these shocking facts, directly linked to our so called “water crisis,” there are very strong connections between water and some of the core areas of sustainable development, such as agriculture and food security, demography and urbanization, as well as climate and the environment.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), agricultural irrigation accounts for 70 per cent of global water withdrawals, an impressive ratio considering demographers’ preoccupations for population growth projections. Indeed, food demand is expected to increase by 60 per cent and energy by 100 per cent by 2050.

Water is inextricably connected to energy. It is necessary not only for hydropower, but also for cooling power plants, for oil and gas hydraulic fracturing or fracking, and for biofuels. Some 1.3 billion people, mainly in Africa, have no access to electricity.

New urban development from 201030 is expected to equal what was built in all of human history. This will increase water withdrawals from municipalities, implying issues of access, infrastructure, sanitation and safety from extreme water hazards.

Surprisingly, in spite of all the above evidence, for a long time water has not been at the top of global agenda. It is

not highlighted in climate issues, even though “the effects of climate change will be felt mainly in the water cycle,” said Benedito Braga, President of WWC, during the press conference. Water management has a great potential for both Climate Change adaptation and mitigation, he said.

According to WWC estimates, there have already been 2.5 trillion dollar economic losses from disasters 70 per cent related to floods and droughts so far this century. And other key issues such as migration and infrastructure damage are connected to climate disasters related to water.

Even though water is not specifically mentioned in the final Paris Agreement, it is possible the international water community is gaining momentum. At the seventh World Water Council held in Daegu & Gyeongbuk last April, the Republic of Korea was a notable participant. This council also brought water into the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include a goal completely dedicated to water.

SDG 6 aims at ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. SDG 6 covers the entire water cycle, including the management of water, wastewater and ecosystem resources, and have strong linkages to all of the other SDGs. In fact, its realization would mean a huge step towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.

There is further evidence that civil society plays a crucial role in mainstreaming water in the Global Agenda. In fact, the LPAA that brought water at the centre of discussions in Paris, involves national governments, cities, regions and other sub national entities, international organizations, civil society, indigenous peoples, women, youth, academic institutions, as well as businesses. And over 300 organisations signed Paris pact on water and adaptation to climate change in river basins at COP21.

The Eighth Water Council will be held in Brasilia, Brazil in 2018. The fact that a developing country and one of the countries most affected by the water crisis will host the event puts once again the attention on the central role of emerging economies in addressing climate and water issues.

n his book A Theory of Justice, John Rawls, a Harvard philosopher, argues that there should be certain distribution of income and wealth because “luck” plays a large role in determining our abilities, preferences, motivations, and circumstances. He admits, however, that a rise in inequality is acceptable if it is somehow, or in some ways, improving the absolute living standards of the least well-off. Justice demands that there should be a floor for living standards in every society, below which no one should fall.

Is income a useful indicator of the standard of living? Certainly, income is comparatively easy to measure. Yet as an indicator of resources, income has some important drawbacks. It usually is measured over a single year. For instance, the income of some households in a given year may be less due to illness, temporary unemployment, or other reasons. In addition, income measures seldom take into account household assets---owned home, savings, food, clothing, medical care, transportation, and so on---that are needed for a minimally decent standard of living. But if a household lacks access to these sorts of things, the next most useful tool for measuring the material well-being of individuals and families is income.

So, what should our policy-makers do to enhance the living standards of the poor?

First, they must ensure the growth of the economy as a whole. Historically nothing has worked better than economic growth in enabling societies to improve their standards.

“Growth on average benefits the poor as much as anyone else in society,” concluded David Dollar and AartKraay who did a study for the World Bank in the early 2000s, so growth-enhancing policies should be at the center of any povertyreduction strategy. As the economy grows, poor households get more jobs, work more hours, and/or receive higher wages.

Indeed, employment can reduce poverty and inequality. But still, there are limits to what employment can achieve. Some households may be short of working-age adults. This could happen, for example, when a woman is widowed and left alone to look after her children. Then, there are those who have mental disabilities or physical conditions that limit their earning capacity. Others may be out of work due to structural or cyclical unemployment. For these reasons, it is probably unrealistic to expect employment to be the solution for many poor households. In other words, earning via employment is vital but not sufficient enough to ensure the income growth of poor households.

What should governments do when the employment problem persists or when the fruits of economic growth fail to trickle down to the poor? What role can public services play to alleviate the hardships of the poor households?

Isn’t it the duty of public servants to make sure that good social policies are developed and implemented to help the less fortunate in the society? These questions lead us to our next point.

Policy-makers must make some redistribution of incomes by transferring funds from the rich to the poor. Often a lack of capital shows poverty. And because the absence of capital is so immersive, the poor remain trapped in the cycle of poverty. That’s why capital ought to rapidly flow from the rich to the poor, so as to induce economic convergence and social equilibrium. Studies show that in countries where the

incomes of low-end households have risen, that has happened largely because policy-makers have passed on the fruits of economic growth in the form of more generous government transfer of funds.

To provide fund transfer and social services to help the poor, governments must first collect taxes in the forms of individual income tax, corporate income tax, payroll tax (e.g., pension contribution), and consumption tax. This is how all affluent countries operate to raise revenue and redistribute wealth among their citizens.

Generally speaking, those with higher incomes pay higher rate. As for the low-income individuals or households, they may not only receive deductions and exemptions on their taxes, but also get extra money.

How governments generate revenue through taxes may differ widely from country to country. In Denmark, for example, taxes on personal and corporate incomes account for 29 percent of its GDP, consumption taxes 13 percent, and payroll taxes just 1 percent. Whereas in Sweden, income taxes account for roughly 20 percent of its GDP, consumption taxes 13 percent, and payroll taxes 15 percent. Although these are two high-tax countries, they are also two societies with very low rates of inequality and income gap in Europe. The United States, on the other hand, takes care of its poor very differently: it distributes more benefits in the form of tax breaks rather than fund transfers.

For example, one tax benefit for low-income households is the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Another is the child tax credit. In the case of India, the government uses poverty alleviation programs, such as Swarnajayanthi Gram SwarozgarYojana, SampoornaGraminRozgarYojana, Pradhar: MantriGramodayYojana, Jai Prakash Rozgar Guarantee Yojana, Swaran Jayanti ShahriRozgarYojana, Prime Minister’s RozgarYojana, Minimum Needs Programme, Twenty Point Programme, Indira AwasYojana, National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Bharat Nirman, etc.

In India, the poverty alleviating programs are mostly universalistic, not selective or targeted toward those in greatest need. Backward quotas, for example, are universal programs: the benefits are indiscriminately offered to every member in a group just simply because they are part of that “backward tribe.” In my opinion, universal programs can be abused easily. If the really deserving poor are to be helped, targeted programs may be more effective. Countries like the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Denmark have some of the most target-heavy transfer profiles among the nations.

When it comes to our Naga people, some of us are already abandoning the egalitarian culture which our ancestors had passed down to us.

Instead of helping the poor to come out of their poverty, or rather than practicing our social responsibility of wealth redistribution, many of us seem intent to acquire whatever we can only for ourselves, thereby creating an economic divide in our society. This alien culture must be resisted and avoided. We must work toward restoring our egalitarian culture and, even as Christians, begin practicing our social responsibility of looking out for the welfare of the needy and the poor. This also means that our policy-makers must grow our economy and make provisions for redistribution of incomes through a targeted approach so that the least well-off among us will not be left alone struggling in poverty.

Imperial assertions in ‘Arunachal Pradesh’ The office of the governor is an example of an anti-people undemocratic relic from the British rule. Such an undemocratic system has no place in a representative federal democracy.

N

Garga Chatterjee

ot all is right in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in the Indian Union. Some old British-rule era habits die hard, or may be they never die for some imperial habits are essential for maintaining undemocratic dominance over democratically elected undesirables. Thus New Delhi struck again, this time through the office of the governor of Arunachal Pradesh. Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa, the Delhi School of Economics educated former Indian Administrative Service officer, was appointed as the governor of Arunachal Pradesh by the present BJP-led NDA government at New Delhi.

This New Delhi appointed unelected character toppled the democratically elected government of Arunachal Pradesh, led by Chief Minister Nabam Tuki of the Congress. This was accomplished by convening the assembly without consulting the speaker or the chief minister and using that 'assembly' to 'impeach' the speaker of the Arunachal Pradesh assembly Nabam Rebia. This governor-convened 'assembly' was not actually held inside the Arunachal Pradesh legislative assembly building but in a random community hall in Itanagar.

The Gauhati High Court has stayed these

actions by the governor for the time being.

Thus, this attempt at 'regime change' has been stalled. What does one call the toppling of an elected government by an unelected office-holder like the governor?

New Delhi appointed governor Rajkhowa chose to act as he did based on his reading of the constitution. It is amazing that there exists no method available beforehand to a state government and hence to the people of the state to stop a New Delhi deputed governor from doing what he did.

This is a disease common to all over-centralized multi-ethnic rashtras. Theses entities show who is sovereign by chosing which of its own made-up rules it can violate and when. Unfortunate are the people of the lands that are called Arunachal Pradesh.

Even the name of the state, 'Arunachal Pradesh' is an imposition for those two words mean nothing in any language native to the people's homelands that constitute the area. It is distant – not from people of the area, who should ideally matter, but from the real decision-makers of Arunachal Pradesh – folks who decide its fate sitting in or consulting with New Delhi, in short, the folks who really matter. Their plight may not even have made it to the so-called 'national' radar but for the fact that the ousted government was led by a 'national party' and that party now needs to score brownie points

against another 'national party' that is in power in New Delhi.

Let me state certain things, in a question and answer form. Who is the governor of a state? That character is New Delhi's agent in a state/province. This character even has discretionary powers – which do not flow from wishes of the state's people but typically from the wishes of New Delhi. What is the origin of this position? When British acquired one sovereign area of the subcontinent after another, after having amassed some serious amount of territory (which would go on to become the Indian Union and Pakistan in 1947), they appointed some loyal and trusted dalal of centralized imperial rule, to keep the acquired areas and provinces 'in check'. These positions had various names in various British acquired and controlled territories in the subcontinent. The 1935 Government of India Act had provincial governors with huge discretionary powers – natural for a colonial centre when dealing with limited but representative native provincial government. The post-partition position of the governor is, in a long range sense, the continuation of that office. What change did governorship undergo from Union Jack to Tricolour? How similar were the pre-partition dalals of British imperialism and post-partition agents of New Delhi?

Firstly, post-partition, they were non-white.

Also, they answered to New Delhi and not finally to London. But as before, they were almost never from the area which they were appointed to 'govern'. They also have often done what their pre-partition counterparts did – carry out central rule as per wishes of New Delhi, typically when democratically elected government's of states does things that New Delhi's sarkar bahadur doesn't like. Did Indian Union's founding fathers want to change or abolish this imperialisminspired position? Yes and No. If one follows the debates of the constituent assembly, one sees a pattern. The debates started before 1947, and ended much after that. The same Congressites who made many speeches in such debates in support of state rights made an about turn after partition. With their super-majority control of New Delhi, centralizing power was the way to check any opposition. This was reflected in the governor issue. There were the anti-imperialist calls for doing away with the position altogether.

There was a democratic sentiment of having a governor elected by the state's people.

After all, how can the constitutional head of the state government be so unrepresentative. True to their character, most of Indian Union's founding fathers sitting in New Delhi not only wanted the governor position to continue but also made in an unelected position, directly controlled by the Centre.

They also gave this position the power to recommend the dissolution of elected state governments, often elected many crores of people. There has been President's Rule in the states nearly a 100 times with the governor playing a shameful role most of the time. 22 of these instances saw the governor rule the states for a year or more. And president's rule is just one among the many other ways in which New Delhi parks its unwanted nose in state politics through its governor. Such an undemocratic system has no place in a representative federal democracy. It is only after the rise of ethno-national parties in the states that the governors have lost some teeth. But they have not become toothless, as the events of Itanagar show.

The office of the governor is an example of an anti-people undemocratic relic from the British rule. Must we remind ourselves so explicitly that what happened on 15th August 1947 was transfer of power, its repackaging as 'independence' notwithstanding? People of a state, Arunachal Pradesh included, are neither stupid or nor apprentice-citizens. They are adults with inalienable rights of democratic representation.

Swaraj is a process – not an event. Abolishing the post of governor will be a step in that direction. It’s not a 'bad apple' issue but a poison tree issue. Why should unelected governors exist at all?

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

8

ThursDAY 07•01•2016

INDIA

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Pathankot attack: Cong asks Modi to ''fix responsibility'' New Delhi, JaNuary 6 (Pti): Scaling up the offensive against the government over Pathankot terror attack, Congress today asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fix responsiblity for the "grave security lapse" and suggested that some heads must roll.

"They should realize that it has gone wrong and resignations should happen. If there is a lapse, resignations should happen," former Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde told reporters at the AICC briefing when repeatedly asked whether Congress is demanding resignation of Home Minister Rajnath Singh or Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar into the matter.

"This government has totally failed. It has no system in place to protect the nation," he added.

AICC Communication Department chairman Randeep Surjewala also said that the Prime Minister should fix the responsibility and take action against the Home and Defence Ministers.

"First responsibility is of the Prime Minister as he is the head of the government. Then Defence Minister and Home Minister are also responsible as they deal with the matter.

The Prime Minister should act decisively and not merely talk.

"The Prime Minister should fix responsibility for this negligence and he reaches to the same conclusion that the nation has arrived at that there has been a huge lapse in the nation's security, he should then

take action against the Defence Minister and the Home Minister," Surjewala said.

The party asked will the Prime Minister and the BJP government explain as to who is responsible for "grave security lapse" as terrorists managed to reach Pathankot Air Base despite advance intelligence alert and reporting of prior incident.

Accusing the government of having "totally failed" on the security front, the Congress leaders played out video clips of Modi favouring a tough approach to deal with Pakistan and slamming UPA government's handling of Pakistan affairs before the Lok Sabha polls.

Wondering why the NDA goverment is "soft on Pakistan" over the Pathankot attack, the Congress leaders asked why the BJP government led by Modi was "shying away" from calling the Pathankot Air Base attackers as "Pakistani terrorists", more so when they were loaded with fire arms, explosives, clothes, shoes and logistic support from Pakistan with "handlers located in Pakistan" as reflected by telephone transcripts.

Surjewala and Shinde also wondered why the Modi government has not lodged a formal protest till date with Pakistan government, summoned their High Commissioner and taken a decision to place the matter before international fora, so as to "expose and isolate Pakistan" as a state that is "abetting and permitting its soil to be used for anti-India terror activities".

Kerala announces financial aid to Pathankot martyr's family

sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik creates a sand art to pay tribute to the martyrs of Pathankot attack at Puri beach of Odisha. (PTI Photo)

thiruvaNaNthaPuram, JaNuary 6 (iaNS): The Kerala government on Wednesday announced a compensation of Rs.5 million to the family of NSG commando Lt.Col. E.K. Niranjan, who was killed in the counter-offensive against terrorists at the Pathankot air base on Sunday.

"A sum of Rs.5 million will be paid to the family. Besides we have decided to offer his wife a state government job and the state government will meet all the expenses of the education of their two-year-old daughter," Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told reporters here.

He said several ministers came up with proposals and it was decided to name a new stadium at the Palakkad Medical College after the martyr.

"A 10 km long road passing through the village of the martyr will be renovated. Also, on Tuesday, it was decided that a government ITI (trade education centre) at his home town will be named after him," added Chandy.

The Karnataka government has already announced a compensation of Rs. 3 million.

Combing operations continue in Pathankot; focus on NIA probe P a t h a N k o t/ G u r DaSPur (PuNJab), JaNuary 6 (iaNS): Combing operations continued on Wednesday to sanitise the Pathankot Air Force base in Punjab even as the NIA formed various teams to probe the terrorist attack on the high-security defence facility.

Sources in the Indian Air Force (IAF) said that every inch of the Air Force Station (AFS) was being thoroughly scanned.

The focus on Wednesday was on the investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the entire terrorist attack, including any lapses by the police and security agencies.

The combat operation ended on Tuesday with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar announcing that six terrorists were killed. Seven security personnel, including an officer of the National Security Guards (NSG), were killed in the attack.

Parrikar admitted to "gaps" which led to "security lapses" at the air base. The role of the Punjab Police Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh, who claimed he was abducted by the terrorists who attacked the Pathankot air base, was put under the scanner on Tuesday evening, as a team of NIA officials questioned him at his residence in Gurdaspur.

The SP will be questioned

by NIA and Punjab Police officials on Wednesday also, along with his cook Madan Gopal and businessman friend Rajesh Verma. All three alleged that they were abducted by the terrorists in his vehicle The police superintendent, who was transferred from here last week only, had earlier claimed that he, along with Verma and the cook, were stopped and abducted by 4-5 heavily armed terrorists near Kolia village, 25 km from Pathankot, on the night of December 31.

Under fire and suspicion about the entire incident, Salwinder Singh told the media on

Tuesday: "My information was 100 percent true. There is no doubt about it. I informed senior officers immediately. I don't know why the delay took place."

However, the investigators are looking at Salwinder's claims with suspicions due to inconsistencies in claims of the SP and his two companions who were abducted. The police officer has said his car was stopped around 11.30 p.m. on Thursday (December 31), while the attack began early on Saturday (January 2).

scare, a young man was cornered by security forces at a barricade near the Pathankot air base on Wednesday evening when he tried to jump over the barrier with a bag on his shoulder.

Armed security personnel, with their automatic weapons pointed towards the man, ordered him to lie down on the ground. His bag was placed on one side. NSG and Punjab Police commandos immediately arrived at the scene.

The bearded man, who was wearing a black jacket, initially Suspicious man cornered did not heed the orders of the near Pathankot air base security personnel not to cross In yet another security the barricade.

India's scheme to turn the deprived into entrepreneurs Congress expels Amit Jogi for six years New Delhi, JaNuary 6 (iaNS): Targeting some 250,000 women and scheduled castes and tribes people, the government on Wednesday approved the "Stand Up India" scheme to foster entrepreneurship among them with a corpus of Rs.10,000 crore, and extend loans of up to Rs.1 crore for new projects.

The scheme, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi

in his Independence Day 2015 address, was given the go ahead by a meeting of the union cabinet chaired by him here, with a mandate to the department of financial services to anchor it.

"The scheme is intended to facilitate at least two such projects per bank branch -- on an average one for each category of entrepreneur. It is expected to benefit atleast 2.5 lakh borrow-

ers," an official statement said.

The expected date of reaching the target of at least 2.5 lakh approvals is 36 months from the launch of the scheme, it added.

As per the scheme, a refinance window through Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) will be created with an initial amount of Rs. 10,000 crore, along with credit guarantee norms via the National Credit

Guarantee Trustee Company.

Borrowers will be provided handholding support both at the pre-loan stage and during operations. This would include increasing their familiarity with factoring services, registration with the online platforms and e-market places, along with sessions on best practices and problem-solving, the finance ministry said.

Penalty on black money worth Can odd-even formula be tried Rs.2,428.4 crore collected for a week only, asks High Court New Delhi, JaNuary 6 (iaNS): The central government on Wednesday announced that it has collected Rs.2,428.4 crore worth of taxes and penalties after 644 declarations were made about possessing black money.

According to the Ministry of Finance, the declarations were made under the compliance window provided in the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015.

The Act came into force from July 1, last year, and provided for a one-time compliance-window to black money holders to declare their assets held abroad and pay due taxes and penalty on the value of assets declared. The ministry elaborated that the declarants were liable to pay tax at the rate of 30 percent and a like amount of 30 percent by way of penalty on the value of assets declared by December 31 2015.

"The amount received by way of tax and penalty up to December 31, 2015 is Rs.2,428.4 crore," the statement said. "The shortfall is primarily on account of certain declarations, in respect of which there was prior information under the provisions of double taxation avoidance agreements/tax information exchange agreements or receipt of payment after December 31, 2015."

New Delhi, JaNuary 6 (iaNS): The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the Aam Aadmi Party government whether it can limit restrictions on the plying of even- and odd-numbered vehicles in the national capital on alternate days to "a week" instead of the planned 15 days. In response, the city government said that it would put all facts before the court on January 8 and said the rationale behind the 15-day curbs was to evaluate the impact of the scheme.

A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath asked the government to submit the data on air pollution it has collected in a week during implementation of the odd-even scheme in the national capital. "Is it really necessary to have it for two weeks (15 days)? Can't it be confined to 8 days? Can you end it on Friday? People are facing inconvenience. Take instructions," the

bench asked the government posting the matter for Friday.

"It was a pilot project. You must have data (air pollution) with you now. Show us how much the pollution has reduced. The people of Delhi supported you despite inconvenience. There is no adequate public transport," it added.

Talking to reporters later, Delhi Transport Minister Gopal Rai said the government decided to run the scheme for 15 days because it wanted "to have sufficient data and experience". He claimed that vehicular pollution has come down significantly since January 1 when the scheme was launched. The court, hearing 12 PILs challenging the Delhi government's decision to only allow even- and oddnumbered vehicles to ply in Delhi on alternate dates from January 1 to 15, also asked why diesel cabs were still plying on roads despite a ban.

raiPur/New Delhi, JaNuary 6 (iaNS): The Congress on Wednesday expelled its Chhattisgarh legislator Amit Jogi, son of former chief minister Ajit Jogi, for six years for indulging in anti-party activities. The junior Jogi later said he would challenge his expulsion as the party is not anybody's "Bapoti" (personal property).

The expulsion came in the wake of revelations about Amit Jogi's alleged role in fixing the Antagarh by-election in 2014.

The decision was taken during a meet of the Congress state unit in Raipur that also approved a proposal to suspend his father and senior Congress leader Ajit Jogi.

Chhattisgarh Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel said the party had acted, and it was now the Bharatiya Janata Party's turn to act against those involved in the "murder of democracy" in Antagarh.

"The proposal to expel Ajit Jogi was also passed. Since this right is beyond the domain of the state Congress, the proposal to expel him will be sent to All India Congress Committee (AICC)," he said.

Amit Jogi, a legislator from Marwahi, voiced disappointment.

"I am hurt. The decision to expel me without proving the allegations against me is biased and unfair," he said. "I

will exercise my right to appeal under Rule 8 of Article 9 of the party's constitution. I have full faith in the party's leadership."

Just after he was expelled, some sitting and former legislators came in the open, extending their support to the Jogis. A large number supporters of Amit Jogi's supporters gathered outside his bungalow.

After being expelled, Amit Jogi said: "Congress is not anyone's 'Bapoti' (personal property). " He said he would challenge the party's decision in All India Congress Committee (AICC) as he has three weeks for that.

He said he was hurt by the decision. "It is a success of people of the Samanti and Zamindari system and defeat of the Dalit and oppressed tribal. Without conducting

any probe, and evidence, this decision is flawed and unjustifiable. I will continue to raise voice for the poor."

"According to our constitution I have the right to appeal.

I have full faith in Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi.

I have full confidence that I would get justice," he added.

The Congress had earlier issued notice to Amit Jogi over purported conversations that suggested that financial inducement was offered to the party candidate to make him withdraw from the fray in the by-election to the Antagarh assembly seat in 2014.

It also demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Raman Singh and a probe into the issue by a Supreme Court judge.

Cheers! Here's how your liver breaks down alcohol New Delhi, JaNuary 6 (iaNS): The New Year party is over and so is binge drinking.

Hangover episodes are only worth mentioning on Facebook and your liver, after breaking down alcohol and eliminating it from your body, is back doing its routine stuff.

While you gulped down drink after drink at the New Year party, did you think about how much time and energy the liver spends while performing the mammoth task of removing traces of toxic alcohol from your system?

This dark reddish-brown organ - responsible for over 500 vital functions to get you going - is behind the elimination from the body of nearly 90 percent of ingested alcohol through metabolism. The remaining alcohol is eliminated through breath, urine, sweat and saliva.

Let's hear straight from health experts so that you do not need to Google this.

"Approximately one-two percent of alcohol is absorbed

directly through the mucosal lining of the mouth; two-four percent is broken down by our lungs via breath; two-six percent by our sweat glands; twofour percent by our kidneys and nearly 90 is broken down by our liver," explained Dr.Ravinder Pal Singh, director (Centre for Liver Transplant and Gastro Sciences) at the Saroj Super Specialty Hospital here.

"All the alcohol from one drink may well be absorbed within 30 minutes. However, if your stomach is relatively full, the alcohol will stay longer.

The absorption process will be slower and may take up to 90 minutes," Singh told IANS. How much time does the liver take to break down alcohol - say from one 30 ml peg of whisky, 350 ml of beer (five percent alcohol) or one glass of red wine?

According to Singh, a healthy person's liver can metabolise alcohol at a fairly consistent rate. "As a standard rule, a person can eliminate one av-

erage drink of 5 oz (15 ml) of alcohol per hour. However, there are several other factors that influence this rate," Singh added.

"Alcohol is generally cleared from the body at the rate of 15 ml per hour. So if a person consumes 30 ml (one small peg) of alcohol, it is cleared in around one-two hours. Beer (350 ml) will be cleared in two-three hours," noted Dr. Sanjay Singh Negi, director (HPB Surgery and Liver Transplant) at BLK Super Specialty Hospital.

According to Dr. Deepak Lahoti, head of the department (Medical and Interventional Gastroenterology) at Max Super Specialty Hospitals, the rate in the rise of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is influenced by how quickly alcohol is emptied from the stomach and the extent of metabolism during this first pass through the stomach and liver.

"BAC is influenced by environmental factors (such as the rate of alcohol drinking, the presence of food in the stomach

and the type of alcoholic beverage) and genetic factors," Lahotin told IANS. The alcohol elimination rate varies widely among individuals and is influenced by factors such as chronic alcohol consumption, diet, age, smoking and time of day.

Let us briefly understand the mouth-to-elimination process.

Once taken, alcohol is absorbed very quickly by our body and through blood, it spreads very easily to all the organs. Alcohol molecules are very tiny and they dissolve very easily in water and fat which are prime components of the human body.

The entire process of drinking can be broadly categorised into three stages.

In the first stage, alcohol is absorbed from all parts of the gastrointestinal tract largely by simple diffusion into the blood.

In a fasting individual, around 10-20 percent of alcohol is absorbed from the stomach (the

volume of alcohol affects the absorption) and 75-80 percent is absorbed from the small intestine.

"Because of this, peak blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) are achieved in fasting people within 30 minutes to two hours, while non-fasting people exhibit peak alcohol concentrations within one hour and, in extreme cases, up to as much as four hours," Singh explained.

In the second phase, called distribution, absorbed alcohol is rapidly carried throughout the body in the blood and once its absorption is complete, equilibrium occurs in such a way that blood across the body contains approximately the same concentration of alcohol.

In the third and crucial elimination stage, the liver comes into the picture.

"The liver contains an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase which converts alcohol to acetaldehyde. Another enzyme - aldehyde dehydrogenase (ADH) - converts acetal-

dehyde to acetic acid, which is further converted into CO2 and water which are then excreted from the body," Negi explained.

According to Dr Pallavi Garg, consultant (Gastroenterology and Hepatology) at Gurgaon's Columbia Asia Hospital, age, smoking and other factors like fatty liver does make a significant impact on the breaking down of alcohol in the body.

"People who smoke are diagnosed with fatty liver or suffering from Hepatitis C should be careful while consuming alcohol as their capacity to absorb it is affected compared to a healthy individual," Garg advised.

Women absorb and metabolise alcohol differently from men. According to experts, they have higher BACs after consuming the same amount of alcohol as men and are more susceptible to alcoholic liver disease, heart muscle damage and brain damage.

"The difference in BAC levels has been attributed to lower

amount of body water in women. An additional factor may be that women have lower activity of ADH in the stomach, causing a larger proportion of the ingested alcohol to reach the blood," Singh said.

People with diabetes must consume alcohol in a responsible way. "For people with diabetes, consumption of alcoholic beverages must be accompanied by food. Alcohol puts patients at higher risk for low blood glucose (hypoglycemia), so it is safest to consume alcohol with a meal that includes carbohydrate-rich food," Hisao Masuda, managing director of Omron Healthcare India, advised.

"Women should have two drinks per week and men should stick to three drinks a week. Avoid binge drinking and do not consume alcohol on an empty stomach as it will lead to higher absorption," Garg summed up.

Meanwhile, give your liver a healthy New Year break!

ThursdaY 07•01•2016

WORLD

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

9

N Korea claims successful H-bomb test

SEOUL, JanUary 6 (rEUtErS): North Korea said it successfully tested a miniaturised hydrogen nuclear device on Wednesday, claiming a significant advance in its strike capability and setting off alarm bells in Japan and South Korea.

The test, the fourth time the isolated state has exploded a nuclear device, was ordered by young leader Kim Jong Un and successfully conducted at 10:00 a.m. local time (0130 GMT), North Korea’s official KCNA news agency said.

“Let the world look up to the strong, self-reliant nuclear-armed state,” Kim wrote in what North Korean state TV displayed as a handwritten note.

The nuclear test drew condemnation abroad, with China, the North’s chief ally, expressing “resolute opposition” and saying it would lodge a protest with Pyongyang.

While a fourth nuclear test had been long expected, the claim that it was a hydrogen device, much more powerful than an atomic bomb, came as a surprise, as did the timing.

It ensures that North Korea will be a key topic during the U.S. presidential campaign.

North Korea has long coveted diplomatic recognition from Washington but sees its nuclear deterrent as crucial to ensuring the survival of its third-generation dictatorship.

“With Iran being off the table, the North Koreans

North Korea test a “wakeup call” for the world

A sales assistant watches TV sets broadcasting a news report on North Korea’s nuclear test, in Seoul on January 6. (REUTERS Photo)

have placed themselves at the top of the foreign policy agenda as far as nationstates who present a threat to the U.S.”, said Michael Madden, an expert on the country’s secretive leadership.

South Korean intelligence officials and several analysts however questioned whether Wednesday’s explosion was indeed a full-fledged test of a hydrogen device.

The device had a yield of about 6 kilotonnes, according to the office of a South Korean lawmaker on the parliamentary intelligence

committee - roughly the same size as the North’s last test, which was equivalent to 6-7 kilotonnes of TNT. “Given the scale, it is hard to believe this is a real hydrogen bomb,” said Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at the Korea Defence and Security Forum.

“They could have tested some middle stage kind (of device) between an Abomb and H-bomb, but unless they come up with any clear evidence, it is difficult to trust their claim.”

Joe Cirincione, a nuclear expert who is president of Ploughshares Fund, a

global security organisation, said North Korea may have mixed a hydrogen isotope in a normal atomic fission bomb.

“Because it is, in fact, hydrogen, they could claim it is a hydrogen bomb,” he said. “But it is not a true fusion bomb capable of the massive multi-megaton yields these bombs produce”.

The United States Geological Survey reported a 5.1 magnitude quake that South Korea said was 49 km (30 miles) from the Punggye-ri site where the North has conducted nu-

clear tests in the past.

North Korea’s last test of an atomic device, in 2013, also registered at 5.1 on the USGS scale.

The test nevertheless may mark an advance of North Korea’s nuclear technology. The claim of miniaturising, which would allow the device to be adapted as a weapon and placed on a missile, would also pose a new threat to the United States and its regional allies, Japan and South Korea.

The North’s previous miniaturisation claims have not been indepen-

SEOUL, JanUary 6 (rEUtErS): The head of an international body set up to monitor a planned ban on nuclear testing condemned North Korea’s fourth nuclear test on Wednesday and called it a “wake-up call” for the international community. North Korea said it had successfully conducted a test of a miniaturised hydrogen nuclear device, which would mark a significant advance in the isolated state’s technological capability.

“This act constitutes a breach of the universally accepted norm against nuclear testing,” Lassina Zerbo, head of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO). “It is also a grave threat to international peace and security.”

Wednesday’s detonation was North Korea’s fourth nuclear test, and second since young leader Kim Jong Un came into power in 2011. The isolated country last tested a nuclear device in 2013.

More than 160 countries have ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) since 1996. India and Pakistan have also conducted nuclear tests since then and are among eight countries including the United States and China preventing the treaty coming into force.

“I sincerely hope that this will serve as the final wake-up call to the international community to outlaw all nuclear testing by bringing the CTBT into force,” Zerbo said. dently verified. Many experts also doubt whether the North possesses missile technology capable of reliably delivering a warhead to the continental United States.

UN MEETING The White House said it could not confirm North Korea’s claims of miniaturisation and a hydrogen bomb test, but added the United States would respond appropriately to provocations and defend its allies.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan would make

a firm response to North Korea’s challenge against nuclear non-proliferation.

“North Korea’s nuclear test is a serious threat to our nation’s security and we absolutely cannot tolerate it,” Abe told reporters. “We strongly denounce it.”

South Korea said it would take all possible measures, including possible United Nations sanctions, to ensure Pyongyang paid the price after its fourth nuclear test.

“The government must now work closely with the international community to ensure that North Korea

pays the commensurate price for the latest nuclear test,” President Park Geunhye said in a statement.

“We must respond decisively through measures such as strong international sanctions.”

North Korea has been under U.N. Security Council sanctions since it first tested an atomic device in 2006 and could face additional measures. The Security Council will meet later on Wednesday to discuss what steps it could take, diplomats said.

While the Kim regime boasts of its military might to project strength globally, it also plays up the need to defend itself from external threats as a way to maintain control domestically.

The North’s state news agency said it will not give up its nuclear programme as long as the United States maintained what it called “its stance of aggression”.

The nuclear test came two days ahead of what is believed to be Kim’s birthday.

The North called the device the “H-bomb of justice” and said: “The U.S. is a gang of cruel robbers which has worked hard to bring even a nuclear disaster to the DPRK,” using the official acronym for North Korea.

However, the agency said Pyongyang will act as a responsible nuclear state and vowed not to use its nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty was infringed.

It said it will not transfer its nuclear capabilities to other parties.

B’desh court upholds death sentence for Islamist leader Obama’s plans to curb gun violence faces hurdles WaSHinGtOn, JanUary 6 (ianS): Citing the massacre of innocents in Newtown to gunning down of Sikh worshippers in Oak Creek, a tearful President Barack Obama vowed to curb gun violence with commonsense reforms sidestepping the US Congress. But analysts said his move to curb mass shootings through executive action is bound to face legal and political challenges in the face of a powerful gun lobby and a Republican controlled legislature.

“Second Amendment rights (to bear arms) are important, but there are other rights that we care about as well. And we have to be able to balance them,” said Obama in the White House East Room Tuesday, flanked by relatives of those struck down in mass shootings.

“Our right to worship freely and safely -- that right was denied to Christians in Charleston, South Carolina,” he said amid applause.

“And that was denied Jews in Kansas City. And that was denied Muslims in Chapel Hill, and Sikhs in Oak Creek. They had rights,

too,” added Obama.

“Every time I think about those kids it gets me mad,” he said wiping tears from his eyes. “So all of us need to demand a Congress brave enough to stand up to the gun lobby’s lies,” said Obama proposing expansion of background checks for buyers.

The measure clarifies that individuals “in the business of selling firearms” register as licensed gun dealers, effectively narrowing the so-called “gun show loophole,” which exempts most small sellers from keeping formal sales records.

Existing law exempts gun collectors and hobbyists from conducting a background check before selling a firearm.

His administration is also proposing a new $500 million investment to expand mental health treatment across the country.

Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, said the president had never respected the Second Amendment and that his speech and his actions “amount to a form of intimidation that undermines liberty.”

Several Republican

presidential candidates have already pledged to undo the executive actions if they are elected in 2016.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) dismissed Obama’s move on Tuesday and pledged to fight for gun owner rights, but did not immediately outline a planned legal challenge.

The New York Times said Obama’s plan “faces legal, political and logistical hurdles that are likely to blunt the effect of the plan he laid out.”

A number of the executive actions he plans are only suggested “guidance” for federal agencies, not binding regulations, the Times pointed out.

“And many of those measures rely on hefty funding increases that a Republican-led Congress is almost certain to reject,” it said.

“Proposals that would have the biggest effect have long been shelved by even the most ardent gun control advocates who now see an assault weapons ban or mandatory gun buyback programmes like ones in Australia in 1996 and 2003 as political fantasy,” the Times said.

DHaKa, JanUary 6 (rEUtErS): Bangladesh’s Supreme Court upheld the death penalty for a top Islamist party leader on Wednesday for atrocities committed during the country’s war of independence from Pakistan more than four decades ago, a government lawyer said.

Four opposition politicians, including three leaders of the Islamist party, the Jamaat-e-Islami, have been convicted by a war crimes

tribunal and executed since late 2013.

The executions have come amidst a rise in Islamist militant violence in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, with militant groups claiming the murder of two foreigners and four secular writers and a publisher last year.

The court rejected an appeal by Motiur Rahman Nizami, head of the Jamaate-Islami, who was sentenced to death in 2014 by

disagreed with him over foreign and defence policy - something that has hobbled the party’s ability to challenge the ruling Conservatives.

After days of hesitation, described by Prime Minister David Cameron as “the longest reshuffle in history”, Labour said on Wednesday that Emily Thornberry would replace Maria Eagle as defence spokeswoman.

Eagle was in favour of renewing Britain’s nucleararmed Trident submarine programme, putting her at odds with Corbyn who has argued that the more than 100 billion-pound price tag to replace the country’s deterrent could be better used. Thornberry has voted against renewing Trident.

Europe shadow secre-

tary Pat McFadden said he had been sacked in part because of comments he made in parliament seemingly at odds with statements Corbyn had made on the causes of terrorism.

Corbyn, he said, had taken them as a personal attack.

He will be replaced by Pat Glass, a pro-Europe former junior education spokeswoman.

Another member of the shadow cabinet, culture spokesman Michael Dugher, was also sacked.

Labour ’s finance spokesman, John McDonnell, said Corbyn had questioned some leading lawmakers’ loyalty.

“He came to the view that with both Michael and with Pat he didn’t feel he had confidence in them,”

opposition leader Khaleda Zia’s last term as prime minister, has been in jail since 2010 when he was charged with war crimes by the tribunal set up by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina that year.

Islamists have denounced the tribunal as part of a politically motivated campaign aimed at weakening the leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami, a key ally of the country’s main opposition party.

Nizami could be hanged within months unless the Supreme Court reviews his case again, or he is granted clemency by the president.

“My client will decide whether he will file a review petition,” chief defence prosecutor Khandker Mahbub Hossain told reporters.

The government has blamed the increase in Islamist violence on the Jamaat-e-Islami but the party denies any link to the militant attacks.

Iraq offers to mediate between Saudis and Iran BaGHDaD, JanUary 6 (rEUtErS): Iraq offered to mediate between Saudi Arabia and Iran to end their dispute triggered by Riyadh’s execution of a prominent Shi’ite cleric, saying on Wednesday it could spill over into the rest of the region.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, speaking in Tehran with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, said the row could have “wide-ranging repercussions”.

Analysts said Baghdad was particularly worried about anything that could disrupt its campaign against Islamic State militants.

“We have solid relations with the Islamic Republic (Iran) ... and also we have relations with our Arab brothers and therefore we

cannot stay silent in this crisis,” Jaafari told the join press conference.

Sunni Muslim power Saudi Arabia executed Sheikh Nimr alNimr on Saturday, prompting protesters to raid Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Iran.

Riyadh then cut off diplomatic relations with Iran, its main regional rival and the biggest Shi’ite power - an action followed by Bahrain and Sudan while the United Arab Emirates downgraded its representation in Tehran. There was no immediate reaction from Saudi Arabia to the Iraqi mediation offer.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who leads his divided country with a Shi’ite-dominated govenrment, has expressed “intense shock” at the execution of

Corbyn seeks Labour party control, sacks dissidents LOnDOn, JanUary 6 (rEUtErS): Britain’s opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has sacked his EU policy chief for disloyalty and moved his defence spokeswoman to another job in an attempt to tighten control over his rebellious parliamentary party.

Corbyn, a veteran leftwing activist, was overwhelmingly elected party leader last year after tapping into a desire for change among grass-roots party members, including many new, younger recruits.

But his four-month tenure has deepened divisions between him and several of Labour’s leading lawmakers.

Members of his “shadow cabinet”, who hold portfolios mirroring those in government, had openly

the tribunal for genocide, rape and orchestrating the massacre of top intellectuals during the 1971 war.

“The court upheld the death sentence. We are happy with the verdict,” state prosecutor Syed Haider Ali told Reuters.

Jamaat-e-Islami, which has said the charges against Nizami to be baseless, called for a nationwide strike on Thursday in protest.

Nizami, a former legislator and minister under

he told Sky News.

“There were issues where there has been undermining of his leadership and not accepting his mandate from the party members that he received in the election.”

SPLIT McDonnell said Corbyn was trying to “hold everyone together but be very clear about our direction of travel in terms of policy”.

In what was seen as a compromise with Labour’s more moderate members, the party’s shadow foreign minister Hilary Benn, who had been tipped to be ousted after openly opposing Corbyn last year over military action in Syria, kept his job.

McDonnell said, how-

ever, that Benn would now have to keep step with Corbyn’s views.

“Hilary Benn has ensured that he works more closely with Jeremy in the future and that he will be representing the views of the Labour Party,” he said.

While keeping Benn in his position eased some tensions, other lawmakers said the reshuffle was a clear sign that Corbyn’s pledge to create ‘a new more consensual politics’, where different opinions would be respected, had all but failed.

One Labour lawmaker said on Twitter the sacking of McFadden “smacked of insecurity and intolerance”.

“Where’s the broad church in all of this?” asked Angela Smith.

Nimr, condemning it as human rights violation.

But analysts say he has resisted pressure from Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias, politicians and protesters to close the newly reopened Saudi embassy in Baghdad.

The Iraqi government was trying to walk a middle line between Iran and the Arab countries in order to keep the momentum on the campaign against Islamic State, said Mona Alami, a Beirut-based analyst at the Atlantic Center thinktank.

“Abadi needs all the allies he can get,” she said by phone.

Abadi has declared 2016 the year of “final victory” against Islamic State, the ultra-hardline Sunni militant group that proclaimed a caliphate in 2014 over

large sections of Sunni-populated territory in Iraq and Syria.

“Abadi is caught between two fires: the Sunni hardliners and the Shi’ite hardliners,” said Mustafa Alani, the United Arab Emiratesbased director of security and defence studies at the Gulf Research Center, a Geneva-based think tank.

Iran’s foreign minister Zarif accused Saudi Arabia of rebuffing Iran’s offers to cooperate on “terrorism and extremism,” while Iranian President Hassan Rouhani accused Riyadh of fuelling regional tensions.

“Saudi Arabia is trying to cover up its defeats and domestic problems by creating tension in the region,” Rouhani said in a speech broadcast on Iranian state television on Wednesday.

Why people tend to overeat in winter LOnDOn, JanUary 6 (ianS): People have evolved to have subconscious urges to overeat and limited ability to avoid becoming obese especially in winter, a University of Exeter study has found.

This is because in our past, being overweight has not posed a significant threat to survival compared to the dangers of being underweight. The urge to maintain body fat is even stronger in winter when food in the natural world is scarce.

This explains why we enjoy eating so much at Christmas and our New Year’s resolutions to lose weight usually fail.

There is not yet an evolutionary mechanism to help us overcome the lure of sweet, fatty and unhealthy food and avoid becoming overweight for understandable and sensible reasons, according to researchers.

“You would expect evolution to have given us the ability to realise when we have eaten enough, but instead we show little control when faced with artificial food,” said lead author Andrew Higginson from University of Exeter in Britain. Because modern food today has so much sugar and

flavour the urge humans have to eat it is greater than any weak evolutionary mechanism which would tell us not to.

Researchers used computer modelling to predict how much fat animals should store, by assuming that natural selection gives animals, including humans, a perfect strategy to maintain the healthiest weight.

Their model predicts how the amount of fat an animal stores should respond to food availability and the risk of being killed by a predator when foraging.

“The model also predicts animals should gain weight when food is harder to find. All animals, including humans, should show seasonal effects on the urge to gain weight,” said Higginson.

Storing fat is an insurance against the risk of failing to find food, which for pre-industrial humans was most likely in winter. This suggests that New Year’s Day is the worst possible time to start a new diet. The evolutionary model also shows that there is no evidence to support the “drifty gene” hypothesis, which some researchers have previously suggested would explain why some people become overweight and others do not.

10

thursDAY 07•01•2016

sports

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

FIFA extends Valcke suspension by 45 days

Zurich, January 6 (aFP): FIFA ethics judges agreed Wednesday to extend secretary general Jerome Valcke's temporary suspension for 45 more days, after investigators urged them to take more time to weigh corruption allegations against the organisation's former second-in-command.

"The adjudicatory chamber of the Ethics Committee chaired by Mr Hans-Joachim Eckert has decided to extend the suspension of Mr Jerome Valcke by 45 days," it said in a statement. "The extension of the suspension starts from today," it added.

Valcke's initial suspension began in mid-September and officially expired at midnight.

The investigator y chamber of FIFA's ethics committee had called for the extension on Tuesday, requesting more time for evaluating the evidence against Valcke.

Ultimately, they said, they want to see the suspended secretary general banned from football for

FILE - Jerome Valcke was suspended after being accused of selling Brazil World Cup tickets on the black market. (AFP Photo)

nine years.

The investigators also called for the 55-year-old Frenchman to pay a fine of 100,000 Swiss francs ($99,000, 92,000 euros).

Valcke's suspension followed allegations of involvement in a ticketing scam, in which he was accused of selling Brazil World Cup tickets on the

black market at above their face value.

He had previously been accused of being party to a potential $10-million (9.25-million-euros) bribe paid to former head of the North and Central America football governing body CONCACAF, Jack Warner.

Even if the adjudicatory chamber had not extended

his suspension, he would not have been able to return to work as he has also been banned indefinitely

by FIFA's management, a penalty that is separate from the ethics committee suspension.

Valcke's lawyer on Tuesday blasted the FIFA investigators, insisting that his client "did absolutely

nothing wrong as any independent and fair review of the facts would establish."

"The Investigatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee has chosen to ignore Jerome Valcke's exemplary conduct and extraordinary contributions during his long tenure as Secretary General," Barry Berke added in a statement.

He insisted that the demand for a nine-year-ban was "nothing more than a self-serving public relations effort to wrongly attack Mr. Valcke in a desperate attempt to try to prove that FIFA can police itself."

Valcke's potential downfall is only the latest in world football, hit by an unprecedented series of scandals that have sparked demand for major reform across the globe.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter, 79, and UEFA chief Michel Platini, 60, who until recently had been expected to take the helm of FIFA, were last month banned from football for eight years, although they could still appeal the sanction.

Boy wonder Dhanawade gets MCA scholarship

MuMBai, January 6 (PTi): Mumbai schoolboy Pranav Dhanawade has secured a monthly scholarship for five years from the Mumbai Cricket Association a day after becoming the first batsman in the world to notch-up a fourfigure innings yesterday.

"President Sharad Pawar, on behalf of the Mumbai Cricket Association, has announced a scholarship of Rs 10,000 per month to Mr Pranav Dhanawade for scoring a World Record 1009 runs in a single innings," said MCA in a media release today.

"The said scholarship will be paid for a period of 5 years commencing from January 2016 to December 2021. The Association will monitor the cricketing and educational activities of Pranav Dhanawade for the said period," the release added.

The 15-year-old boy from the KC Gandhi Higher Secondary school in Kalyan batted for 395 minutes in the two-day game against Arya Gurukul in the Mumbai Cricket Association conducted Bhandari Cup inter school cricket tournament to remain unbeaten off 323

balls in which he struck a staggering 59 sixes and 129 fours.

The epic knock ended when his school declared at 1465 for 3, which is also a world record. His school went past Victoria's 1107 against New South Wales made way back in 1926.

Pranav now holds the record for the highest individual score in any form of cricket, bettering AEJ Collins' 628 not out for Clark's House against North Town in 1899 in the UK. Dhanawade was unbeaten at 652 at stumps on day one of the two-day game.

Azarenka moves into WTA Brisbane quarters

BrisBane, January 6 (aFP): Former world number one Victoria Azarenka moved into the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International when she downed little-known Belgian Ysaline Bonaventure 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday.

Bonaventure, who had lost in the final qualifying round, gained a main draw spot when top seed Simona Halep pulled out with a leg injury on Tuesday.

She pushed the twotime grand slam winner hard, particularly in the 56-minute first set when she blasted 18 clean winners.

But once Azarenka weathered the storm she was able to master the 21-year-old Belgian and was never really troubled thereafter.

"I think the beginning definitely was really tough," said 26-year-old Azarenka.

"She played very well.

You know, it's always a little bit of a moment of adaptation when you don't know who you play, so it's an adjustment.

"But I'm glad I could

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus hits a return against Ysaline Bonaventure of Belgium during their women's singles match on the fourth day of the Brisbane International tournament, on January 6. (AFP Photo)

stay strong in the beginning and turn it around, because it wasn't going my way at first for sure."

Azarenka spent 51 weeks as world number one in 2012 but suffered a severe foot injury in 2014, finishing the year at 32.

She was then hampered by a left thigh problem in 2015, which affected her

climb back to the top 10.

Azarenka started the year at number 22 and is unseeded this week.

She said she was pleased with how she had been able to take control of the match midway through the first set.

"I think just to feel the momentum shift in the match was important, you

know, in the beginning of the year," she said.

"Especially since I haven't played in a while.

So it's good to go through those moments." Azarenka will play 2015 US Open runner-up Roberta Vinci in the quarter-finals.

"She's been playing really well and showing some great results," Azarenka

said of the eighth-seeded Italian. "I think you can see improvement in her game.

I think she's just on the rise and she feels really good, confident."

Fourth-seeded German Angelique Kerber was impressive in her 6-3, 6-0 demolition of American Madison Brengle.

The world number 10 will now take on Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the quarter-finals.

Little-known American Samantha Crawford upset seventh-seeded Swiss Belinda Bencic 7-5, 7-5 in 90 minutes. The qualifier from Florida will now take on Germany's Andrea Petkovic, who ousted Russia's Ekaterina Makarova 7-5, 6-4.

Petkovic conceded she knew nothing of the 20-year-old Crawford.

"I don't know anything -- it's going to be classic YouTube stalking from my side," she said. "I don't know if I'm going to find a lot, but she must be playing tremendously well to beat Bencic and win three qualifying rounds."

PWA Ex-Chelsea doctor Eva 42nd Wrestling Carneiro attends tribunal Meet on Jan 9

Glimpses of the ongoing 62nd KVSA meet 2016.

I-League 2016-17 launched at a glittering ceremony

koLkaTa, January 6 (ians): A glittering launch ceremony was held at a south Kolkata hotel here on Wednesday to kick-start India's top-flight football competition, I-League.

The first game of the league will be played on January 9 between defending champions Mohun Bagan and newcomers Aizwal FC. Footballers from each of the nine teams, including the two new outfits Aizwal FC and DSK Shivajians, were present at the opening ceremony.

Mohun Bagan captain Shilton Paul came up to the podium holding aloft the trophy and then kept it on a pedestal, signifying that it is up for grabs again.

“For all of us last year, it was probably our greatest achievement. We hope to

retain the trophy,” Paul said.

Shillong Lajong FC midfielder Boithang Haokip said he was looking forward for the north-east derby against Aizwal FC. “We are very positive, looking forward to the north-east derby against Aizwal,” he said.

I-League chief executive officer (CEO) Sunando Dhar said that 65 percent of the matches this time will be telecast live and the percentage would go up in the next few years.

Dhar said he hoped the new marketing strategies in place for the I-League will draw fans to the stadiums in large numbers.

“This is probably the first time we are trying to promote the league. Last year, except Goa, there was 50 percent increase in number of spectators

and 13 percent in viewership. With two new teams I believe we will have good crowds coming in,” he said.

Asked about the promotions, Dhar said: ”We are trying to promote the league in regional channels. A bulk of the promotional budget is being spent on buying spots in regional media where the teams are based.”

All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary Kushal Das said the federation was trying to enhance the comfort of the spectators coming in.

“The packaging, presentation of the ISL (Indian Super League) is much better because of higher investments. But with the budget we have, we are trying to work for spectators comfort which is a necessity,” he said.

London, January 6 (aFP): Former Chelsea team doctor Eva Carneiro attended a tribunal hearing on Wednesday over her constructive dismissal case against the club.

Wearing a long, grey coat and holding hands with her husband, Carneiro made no comment to the media as she arrived for the preliminary hearing flanked by her legal team in Croydon, south London.

After the three-hour hearing, held in private at London South Employment Tribunal, Carneiro's lawyer Mary O'Rourke told reporters that a date had been set for the next hearing, but did not reveal when.

Carneiro, 42, left Chelsea in September after being removed from firstteam duties by manager Jose Mourinho, who was sacked by the Premier League champions last month.

Mourinho had rebuked her and physiotherapist Jon Fearn for running onto the pitch to treat Eden Hazard during his side's 2-2 draw with Swansea City on the season's opening day, which temporarily left Chelsea with nine men.

Mourinho called Car-

Former Chelsea team doctor Eva Carneiro (centre) leaves Croydon employment tribunal in London on January 6, 2016 (AFP Photo/Leon Neal)

neiro and Fearn "impulsive and naive", but the Premier League Doctors' Group said failure to treat Hazard would have been a breach of their care of duty.

Reports suggest a full hearing could take place in May or June, but the parties may agree to a settlement before the case is heard.

Carneiro is also believed to have tabled a sep-

arate legal claim against Mourinho for alleged victimisation and discrimination.

Mourinho was cleared by the Football Association of making discriminatory remarks to Carneiro.

But she complained that she had not been asked by the FA to make a statement about what had happened.

"I was surprised to learn

that the FA was allegedly investigating the incident of August 8 (the date of the Swansea game) via the press," Carneiro said. "I was at no stage requested by the FA to make a statement.

"I wonder whether this might be the only formal investigation in this country where the evidence of the individuals involved in the incident was not considered relevant."

Phek, January 5 (Mexn): The 42nd Wrestling Meet of the Phek Wrestling Association (PWA) is scheduled to held on January 9 next at Phek Village Local Ground with Kuzholuzo (Azo) Nienu MLA and Er. Abija Khing, Executive Engineer, PWD (R&B) Phek Division, as the chief guest and guest of honour respectively.

According to the official sources of the PWA, the best four wrestlers in Team ‘A’ shall be awarded with the following cash prizes along with citations: 1st Rs. 25,000 sponsored by Azo Nienu, 2nd - Rs. 15,000 sponsored by Chikhotso Nienu, 3rd - Rs. 10,000 sponsored by Chivohu Vero and 4th - Rs. 5,000 sponsored by Shekhota Chizo. The best four wrestlers in Team ‘B’ also shall be awarded with the following cash prizes along with citations: 1st Rs. 10,000 sponsored by Azo Nienu, 2nd - Rs. 7,000 sponsored by Vekhoneyi Venuh, 3rd - Rs. 5,000 sponsored by Nuvechi Nienu and 4th - Rs. 3,000 sponsored by Akie Venuh.

A sum of Rs. 1000 only shall be realized from each unit as entry fee, while a business hour shall be held on January 8 at the PSA rostrum by 3 PM onwards. All executives and unit representatives are compulsorily to attend the same.

Thursday 07•1•2016

EntErtainmEnt

Priyanka nervous about stint at People's Choice Awards

B

Hailey Baldwin calls for 'peace' after she's trolled by Beliebers

A

lthough Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin are clearly thrilled they can be open about their relationship, some of the singer's fans are clearly upset about the latest developments. After receiving a torrent of abuse on Instagram by some disappointed Beliebers, the defiant model posted a social media photo with a simple emoticon of the peace sign.

The 19-year-old model, who is currently holidaying in the Caribbean with Justin, showed off her tanned, slim figure in a black cropped top and what ap-

peared to be white pajama bottoms. As well as being trolled by fans of the Canadian pop star, Hailey also received criticism by supporters of his ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez. One Selena fan posted: 'Selena Gomez is only the perfect girl for Justin Bieber so get the s**t out of Justin's life.'

After a series of cosy Insta photos during their holiday, Justin finally confirmed he was dating Hailey after publishing a photo of them kissing on Monday.

Fans reacted with a mix of horror and joy on the image's comments section, with some followers dub-

bing the new couple 'Jailey'.

Although, as expected, plenty were upset and wrote a series of foulmouthed abuse, mainly directed at poor Hailey.

Rumours of a romance heated up last week when onlookers spotted Justin and Hailey kissing at a New Year's Eve party. 'Justin and Hailey were making out for everyone to see at a New Year's Eve party thrown

by Richie Akiva,' a source told TMZ. 'They were sucking face for everyone to see at the bar.' The longtime friends had previously denied relationship rumours back in early 2015.

ollywood actress and former Miss World Priyanka Chopra will attend the People's Choice Awards in Los Angeles, where she will not just present her debut international TV series "Quantico", but also has a nomination. She says she has the "nerves".

Priyanka, who is currently riding high on the success of her latest Bollywood release "Bajirao Mastani", is nominated in the Favourite Actress in a New TV series category. "LA LA land bound! @peopleschoice tomorrow! Strange that I have nerves! 1st nomination in another country I guess! Wish me luck!! @QuanticoTV," Priyanka tweeted on Tuesday night.

The 33-year-old actress will be competing with celebrities Emma Roberts, Jamie Lee Curtis, Lea Michele and Marcia Gay Harden. She also shared a tweet from the official page of "Quantico" which mentioned that she will be attending the awards gala on Wednesday.

In the ABC channel's show, Priyanka plays the role of an FBI agent named Alex Parish. Other celebrities expected to be seen at the award function include Mayim Bialik, Meghan Trainor, Dakota Johnson and Vin Diesel.

Akshay Kumar: We are just reel life heroes; these army personnel are the real life heroes

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hile in Lucknow, Akshay and Nimrat also took the opportunity to promote their upcoming film Airlift, which is based on a true story of the heroic evacuation of hundreds of Indians stuck in Kuwait during the Iraq-Kuwait war. And with both, Akshay and Nimrat's fathers having served in the army, the actors feel very strongly about the terrorist attack that took place in Pathankot on the intervening night of Saturday-Sunday, January 2-3, in which several army personnel, including an officer, lost their lives.

"It's a very sad thing that has happened," said Akshay, adding, "We lost so many jawaans there.

I'm sure the government is going to do something which is going to be a very strict action. They should! And I hope that they also do something about the families who've lost their loved ones. It's the most important thing. It was a quite an emotional moment for me when in the morning, in your newspaper only, I was reading one father's comment that 'I'm happy that my son did so much good service to this country'.

It needs a lot of courage to say so in such a situation where you've lost a young son. Main toh kehta hoon, we are just reel life heroes.

These army personnel are the real life heroes. They put their own lives at so much risk just to keep us all safe day and night, relentlessly, away from their families and loved ones for months. My father was also in the army so I can relate to them in that way. And that's why probably I feel so strongly about our armed force personnel."

For Nimrat, it was talking of her own personal experience as

Sarah Silverman: 'Being Funny Was My Way Of Surviving'

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arah Silverman used Comedy as a means of surviving the Depression which crippled her as a teenager. The 45-year-old is one of America's top stand-up comics, but behind the laughs, her personal life has been marred by depression. Sarah doesn't like feeling sorry for herself, though, and credits her mental illness with pushing her to pursue her dreams.

"I think people who are open books are boring, but I

am one," she admitted to The Hollywood Reporter. "For the first 16 years of my life, I was a bed wetter. I was the kid at camp who woke up soaking wet, then made my bed like everyone else as if nothing was happening. It was such a shame-filled secret and so humiliating that at 17 the thought of doing stand-up was not at all daunting compared to the idea of going to a sleepover party. I became very funny as a means of survival."

However, Sarah had to revisit her depression to get into character for acclaimed new movie I Smile Back, in which she plays an upper-middleclass wife and mother struggling with mental illness and addiction. The star had to bare all for some intense sex scenes, and Sarah admits it was a daunting prospect at first, because she had to face up to some of her own real-life insecurities.

"I was never naked in any-

thing until I turned 40, now I'm naked in everything!" she laughed. "The scariest thing is taking off your bathrobe, and then it's fine. It's literally like putting your sneakers on to work out. "But it's not like I'm totally (comfortable with my body). When Laney is looking in the mirror and lifting up her cheeks, that's me. I do that. I can feel my face falling off of my face. It's sliding slowly, like a really slow-moving horror movie."

Lady Gaga turns editor and pays tribute to late, great fashion friends

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inger, Golden Globenominated actress, model; Lady Gaga is many things, and now she's an editor too.

The 29-year-old has guest-edited the latest issue of artsy magazine V, and used the opportunity to celebrate the 15 fashion figures she most admires. The issue has a record-breaking 16 alternative covers.

The others belong fash-

ion legends both past and present - and here we can exclusively reveal those featuring Lee McQueen, better known as Alexander McQueen, and Isabella Blow, a well-respected fashion editor and stylist, in never-before-seen images captured by Steven Klein.

Before their respective deaths, both were hugely influential to Gaga.

“When I first started

doing photo shoots people would say, ‘My God, you look so much like Isabella Blow, it scares me.’ And McQueen used to say, ‘Oh, my God, your boobs!’ He actually grabbed both of them and said, ‘Even your boobs are like hers!'” she once said.

Her love for McQueen's work is well documented.

She regularly wears his designs, most notably in her

Bad Romance video, and last year spent £190,000 on three pairs of his iconic 'Armadillo' shoes.

Both McQueen and Blow, who were close friends, committed suicide.

McQueen in 2010 and Blow in 2007. Both had battled depression.

"All the people on my covers have healed me in some way," she says in her inaugural editor's letter,

adding: "My coverhumans [sic] share something profound in common that I have observed in myself since I was a young child.

It's an ability through our innate sadness as creatives to find a glimmer of fantasy and hope through our art."

Other figures featured in her 'fashion guard' include Daphne Guinness, Hedi Slimane and Karl Lagerfeld.

she had lost her father fighting the terrorists in Kashmir years ago. "It's a very difficult situation when you lose your loved ones to line of duty in the army and it's an eventuality that many families have to prepare themselves for," said she emotionally. "It's something that nothing like that prepares you for when it actually happens. My heart goes out to the families right now. And I really, really hope and pray these kind of incidents just reduce and eventually don't happen in the coming times."

Country singer Craig Strickland found dead

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ountry singer Craig Strickland was found dead near an Oklahoma lake one week after he and his friend went missing. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol confirmed that they found Strickland's body on the shoreline of Kaw Lake, where the Backroad Anthem singer's boat had capsized.

The Oklahoma Medical Examiner's office reported the cause of death as drowning and exposure to freezing temperatures, but the full autopsy is not expected for another four to eight weeks. Strickland, 29, and his friend Chase Morland were reported missing after they went duck hunting during a storm in the region north of Tulsa on December 27. Their boat capsized some time that day around 9 pm.

Deputies said the two men and a dog were on a boat too small for all of them. Morland's body was found on December 28, but Strickland's family held out hope that the singer might still be alive when his dog was found alive and rescue teams continued the search. His wife, Helen Wisner Strickland, tweeted a heartbreaking message after his body was found. "#CraigStrickland was found today. He is safe with his Father in Heaven. Thank you Lord for leading us to him today. I will praise you, Amen."

It’s confirmed! Deepika Padukone to begin Sanjay Dutt to be released from Jail on February 27 shooting for Vin Diesel’s XXX from Feb 2016!

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veryone has been speculating about Deepika Padukone’s Hollywood debut with the infamous XXX series, ever since she sent social media into a tizzy by posting a suspicious picture with the lead hero Vin Diesel! The picture had the XXX logo at the back, making it even more obvious that DP is a part of the next installment of XXX! However, neither Vin nor Deepika confirmed the story where Ms Padukone also went on records saying, “What do I say, as far as the film is concerned, only time will tell.” But the cat is finally out of the bag guys! Deepika’s biggest release of this year is going to be none other than XXX opposite Vin Diesel! Yes! XXX: The Return of Xander Cage director DJ Caruso just confirmed the news on Twitter! In a chat session with his fans, he casually spoke about DP’s role and said, “We start in January. She starts sometime in February.”

If you remember, our source had EXCLUSIVELY revealed to us that Deepika is very much a part of this Hollywood franchise earlier in December. He had even explained saying “The night after the success party of ‘Tamasha’, Deepika flew to America for a meeting with Hollywood star Vin Diesel. No wonder, Ranveer Singh is still promoting his next release alone! But who knew Deepika would surprise everybody with this photograph! It is a big achievement for her and she is finishing all formalities in America.”

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ctor Sanjay Dutt, jailed in an arms case related to the 1993 Mumbai blasts, will be released on February 27. The 56-year-old will be walking free from Yerwada jail in Pune a few days ahead of his official date of release. Sources say the reprieve has been granted on grounds of good behaviour.

Last year, a petition filed by former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju in 2013 seeking pardon for Sanjay Dutt was rejected. Sources had said that Governor Vidyasagar Rao rejected the petition on the recommendation of the Maharashtra home department, which said it would set a bad precedent as the actor's conviction was confirmed by the Supreme Court.

The actor's frequent breaks from jail have earlier been criticised as evidence

of VIP treatment. Between May 2013 and 2014, Mr Dutt spent over 118 days out of prison.

Sanjay Dutt was found guilty in 2007 of acquiring illegal weapons from those involved in the deadly 1993 attacks in Mumbai in which 257 people were killed, and hundreds injured. He was sentenced to six years in jail in 2007; he served 18 months but then was out on bail, fighting the conviction until a court in March 2013 ordered him back to jail in Pune.

In 2007, Mr Dutt was cleared of conspiracy charges in the attacks but found guilty of illegal possession of an AK-56 rifle and a pistol, which he claimed he required to protect himself and his family during the rioting that erupted in Mumbai after a series of bombs exploded at the city's landmarks.

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England survive late scare against South Africa as rain gods play spoilsport Amla quits as SA captain

NBA: Williams' buzzerbeater lifts Mavs in 2OT

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South Africa spinner Dane Piedt is congratulated by his teammates after dismissing England's James Taylor on day five of the second Test in Cape Town on January 6. (AFP Photo)

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CAPe town, JAnuAry 6 (AFP): England were given a scare before the second Test against South Africa ended in a draw on the fifth and final day at Newlands on Wednesday.

On what had been expected to be a low-key day after high scoring in the first innings, England lost six second innings wickets by mid-afternoon, when they held a precarious lead of 118. Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali negotiated the rest of the afternoon and England were on 159 for six when play was called off for bad light 15 minutes after tea and abandoned 45 minutes later.

England will take a one-lead into the third Test of the four-match series, starting in Johannesburg on January 14 but South Africa will take heart from a strong fightback with both bat and ball after taking a battering in England’s first innings.

Inspired by Ben Stokes’ 258, England made 629 for six declared but South Africa batted solidly to reply with 627 declared, led by captain Hashim Amla’s 201.The flurry of wickets on Wednesday was in complete contrast to the

first four days when both teams scored more than 600 runs in their first inning s and 1272 runs were scored for the loss of only 13 wickets.

After four days of unrelenting sunshine, the sky was partly overcast on Wednesday. The fast bowlers, led by Morne Morkel, gained some movement, while off-spinner Dane Piedt obtained some turn from a pitch which had previously offered no assistance to the bowlers.

Piedt was the most successful bowler, taking three for 38. Alastair Cook and Alex Hales fell within the first three overs of the day, both without adding to their overnight scores of eight and five respectively, while Joe Root was bowled just before the mid-morning drinks break. Nick Compton fell shortly before lunch.

Cook, who has scored only 42 runs in four innings during the series, was caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock off Kagiso Rabada and Hales fell to an outstanding catch by Chris Morris at third slip, diving low to his right, off Morne Morkel.

Root made 29 off 29

balls before he was bowled

by Morris’ first ball of the innings, a full delivery which swung late to take out his off stump. Root had an escape on 17 when he edged a catch to AB de Villiers at second slip off Morkel, only for a television review to show it was a no-ball.

Compton dug in and played a solid defensive innings in making 15 off 60 balls. It came as a surprise when he went on the drive against a full delivery from off-spinner Dane Piedt and hit a catch to Faf du Plessis at a short mid-on position. England seemed to be heading to safety after lunch as Taylor and Stokes added 30 for the fifth wicket, with Stokes following up his first innings of 258 with some more solidly-hit strokes.

But he went for a big hit against Piedt and was caught by Morkel on the midwicket boundary for 26.

Taylor followed in Piedt’s next over, gloving a catch to Temba Bavuma at short leg after making 27. At 116 for six, less than midway through the day, England were in trouble when Bairstow and Ali came together.

ashim Amla said on Wednesday he was stepping aside as South Africa’s cricket test captain with immediate effect, a day after a double century rescued his country from possible defeat in the second test against England.

The 32-year-old made the surprise announcement just minutes after the test at Newlands ended in a draw and after Amla had led a fight back to haul his team from a precarious position.

AB de Villiers will take over as captain for the last two tests against England.

"Naturally this decision is not an easy one but the more I think about it the more I believe I can be of greater value to the Proteas as a fully focused batsman and senior player at this time or rebuilding our team," he told reporters on Wednesday.

"I am deeply grateful and privileged to have been the test captain and I wish to thank Cricket South Africa for the honour of captaining my country. It was enjoyable and indeed a great learning experience.

"I kind of felt someone else could do a better job.

I made my decision two weeks before the first test against England," Amla added.

The Durban-born batsman, who made his debut against India in 2004, is a veteran of 90-tests and has scored over 7,000 runs in the longest format of the sport.

"We respect Hashim’s decision and the manner in which he thought about it and then communicated with me," Cricket South Africa chief executive officer Haroon Lorgat said.

"He still has a huge role to play in shaping the success of our team without the need for a leadership title. He is just that type of a person and we are very fortunate to have him in our stable."

(Reuters)

Dallas Mavericks guard Deron Williams drives past Sacramento Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins during the second overtime of a game January 5. (AP Photo)

DALLAS, JAnuAry 6 (AP): Deron Williams hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer in the second overtime, and the Dallas Mavericks beat Sacramento 117116 Tuesday night for their 22nd consecutive home victory over the Kings.

Williams took an inbounds pass from Devin Harris with 2.3 seconds left, pump faked to get Rudy Gay to fly by him in the left corner and the ball went in after the buzzer sounded.

Dirk Nowitzki hit an earlier 3 as the Mavericks scored the last eight points after falling behind 116-109 with 1:20 left in the second overtime.

DeMarcus Cousins scored 35 for his third straight 30-point game for the Kings, including a buzzer-beating layup for a 98-all tie at the end of regulation.

Former Dallas guard Rajon Rondo was out with back spasms in his first visit since an acrimonious split after an ill-fated half-season with the Mavericks.

The Kings haven't won a regularseason game in Dallas since Feb. 27, 2003. Sacramento did win a game in Dallas during a five-game playoff series victory over the Mavericks in 2004.

WARRIORS 109, LAKERS 88 Klay Thompson scored 22 of his 36 points in the first quarter and Ste-

phen Curry added 17 before sitting out the fourth to rest his ailing leg in Golden State's victory over Los Angeles.

Kobe Bryant sat out his third straight game with a sore right shoulder for the Lakers, whose three-game winning streak ended as the Warriors improved to 33-2.

Curry stayed in the game after taking a blow on his left leg in the third period, but briefly limped with obvious frustration on his face. The reigning MVP missed two games with a bruised lower left leg last week before returning for Golden State's last two games.

Curry went to the locker room before the fourth.

Draymond Green's streak of three straight triple-doubles ended with nine points, 12 rebounds and five assists, but the Warriors never trailed while beating the Lakers at Staples Center for only the fifth time in franchise history.

Jordan Clarkson scored 23 points for the Lakers (8-28). Rookie guard D'Angelo Russell sat out with a sore throat, missing a game for the first time in his career.

BULLS 117, BUCKS 106 Jimmy Butler had 32 points and a

season-high 10 assists to lead Chicago over Milwaukee for its season-best fifth straight win.

Pau Gasol scored 26 points with 11 rebounds, and Taj Gibson added 11 points and 14 boards as the Bulls led the entire way.

Derrick Rose returned to the Bulls after missing three straight games with a sore right hamstring. He showed no effects of the injury and finished with 16 points.

Khris Middleton scored 26 for Milwaukee, and Michael Carter-Williams had 20 points and 12 assists.

KNICKS 107, HAWKS 101 Arron Afflalo and Carmelo Anthony both scored 23 points, and New York almost lost a 16-point lead before holding off Atlanta to give the Knicks their second win over the Hawks in three days.

The Knicks led by 16 in the third quarter but saw the lead reduced to two points in the final minute before Jose Calderon scored on a drive with 18 seconds remaining.

Kristaps Porzingis had 17 points and 11 rebounds for New York. Anthony finished with 11 rebounds and seven assists.

Paul Millsap led Atlanta with 19 points.

Swiss say CONCACAF's Hawit MDCA tourney: Skylark, agrees U.S. extradition in FIFA case Brotherhood progress

Lodha Panel recommends restrictions on broadcast of advertisements

new DeLHI, JAnuAry 6 (AgenCIeS): One of the effective recommendations of the Lodha Panel which even cricketers will agree to is restricting the broadcast of advertisements except for intervals during lunch, tea and drinks.

This effectively would mean no ad at the end of the overs and the economic rate of TV Business and subscription rates of the TV set top box will eventually go up.

The Lodha report is fairly clear: “It is recommended that all existing contracts for international Test & One-Day matches be revised and new ones ensure that only breaks taken by both teams for drinks, lunch and tea will permit the broadcast to be interrupted with advertisements, as is the practice internationally. Also, the entire space of the screen during the broadcast will be dedicated to the display of the game, save for a small sponsor logo or sign.”

Taking note of how commerce has “overtaken” the enjoyment of cricket, the Lodha panel pointed to how “regardless of the wicket that has fallen, century having been hit or other momentous event, full liberty is granted to maximise the broadcaster’s income by cutting away to a commercial, thereby robbing sport of its most attractive attribute – emotion.”

The recommendation stems from the committee’s

belief that fans’ viewing experience is interrupted in international games. To offset the commercial impact of this recommendation, the committee exempted the IPL, from which the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) makes the bulk of its revenues. The recommendation would ensure the viewers would have uninterrupted views of the game, the changes, and the emotions even at change of ends.

One of India’s top sports broadcasting professionals, however, felt such recommendations would have a “cascading effect” on Indian cricket’s ecosystem. “There is a certain cost that a broadcaster pays, a certain rights fee,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “The rights fee has to be recovered either through a combination of advertising and subscription or only through subscription. The broadcaster does some recovery from advertising.”

According to him, a reduction in the quantum of advertisements would invariably result in a greater burden of subscription fee being passed on to the end consumer. He pointed to the scenario in the US where the subscription charges are significantly higher when compared to India. “Right now subscribers in India barely pay Rs 5-10 for a cricket channel like Star Sports or Sony Max,” the official said. ” If advertising revenue is

curbed] it will jump to the levels in the US.” He said advertisements wouldn’t get much play during the lunch or tea intervals as viewers tune out. This, in his opinion, would result in a fall in the number of advertisements and the value of advertisement inventory.

It is understood that Star Sports, who hold the broadcast rights for Indian cricket, wouldn’t stand to lose since its contract with the BCCI allows for renegotiation of terms should the recommendations come into effect.

The official, though, felt the larger problem was the financial implications it would have on the BCCI given the revenue earned from sale of broadcast rights was the board’s major cash cow. “What a broadcaster can pay for these rights will have to be revised downwards, and I mean really substantially.

The numbers will go down by half if not more.

“The BCCI is a healthy body and you have so much cricket infrastructure in this country because the BCCI gets all this money,” he said. “Let us say if the implications of all this would mean a billion-dollar contract becomes halfa-billion dollar contract then the BCCI’s capacity to invest in cricket will have to come down by half.”

He also said it would dissuade broadcasters from investing in Indian cricket given other viable

options. “If a broadcaster is looking at cricket then everybody should dump BCCI rights and start bidding for Australia and England and South Africa and rights of other countries where none of these encumbrances apply.

Tomorrow if I have to bid I will bid for those rights.”

The official also felt there were inconsistencies in the manner the committee had exempted T20 cricket, more specifically the Indian Premier League (IPL), from these regulations. “Cricket rights are already seriously overheated on per-match value,” the official said. “For the BCCI rights, Star Sports pays around Rs 43 crore, while in the IPL the permatch license fee is only about Rs 10-11 crore, they are fine for the ads to run. If Star is expected to cough up Rs 43 crore, it would need legitimate avenues to recover that money. A broadcaster wouldn’t mind broadcasts being made totally ad-free but then the value of the rights will have to be equally adjusted.”

While it is learned the committee studied broadcast models adopted in countries like Australia and the UK, there is no reference in its report to broadcasting corporations in India being interviewed.

“They didn’t speak to companies like Star or Sony,” the official said. “I don’t know what input they have used [to arrive at the recommendations].”

ZurICH, JAnuAry 6 (reuterS): Alfredo Hawit, the acting head of the governing body for soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean and a FIFA vice president, has agreed to be extradited to the United States to face criminal charges, Swiss authorities said on Wednesday.

"The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York accuses him of accepting bribes totaling mil-

lions of dollars in connection with the sale to various sports marketing firms of marketing rights to football tournaments in Latin America," the Federal Office of Justice said in a statement.

Hawit, a Honduran, was arrested in Zurich in December and was among 16 people charged with bribery schemes for marketing and broadcast rights, in a dismantling of a Latin American soccer network by U.S. prosecutors.

Liverpool sign Serbian teen Grujic from Red Star Belgrade

B e n g A Lu r u, JAnuAry 6 (reuterS): Liverpool completed a deal for Red Star Belgrade's 19-year-old Serbian midfielder Marko Grujic on Wednesday in Juergen Klopp's first signing since he took over as manager in October.

Grujic, who has played for Serbia at under-21 level and was a member of the under-20 squad that won the World Cup in 2015, will return to Red Star on loan to the end of the season.

The Premier League club did not disclose a transfer fee but British media reported it to be about 5.1 million pounds ($7.5 million) with the player said to be contracted to the club until 2020.

He has scored five goals in 21 league appearances for Red Star this

season.

"We're very pleased because Marko is a big talent and we've seen him a lot of times," Klopp told the club's website (www.liverpoolfc.com).

"When I came here, our scouts showed me some footage of a very skilled player from Red Star Belgrade.

"We watched it, we spoke to him, we met each other - he's a good boy, a young boy but plays an important role at the moment at Red Star, who are the best team in Serbia."

MokokCHung, JAnuAry 6 (Mexn): The second day of the ongoing MDCA tournament saw two rather one-sided games with Skylark CC and Brotherhood CC comprehensively humbling their opponents in their respective matches played here today.

In the first match, Skylark defeated Rolling Ball CC by a huge margin of 128 runs. Skylark batting first scored 177 runs with contribution from Talikaba (37 runs), Aloto (37 runs), Nihal (32 runs) and Nirben (30 runs). Meren and Wapang took 2 wickets each for the Rolling Ball CC. Chasing the huge target, Rolling Ball were bundled out for just 50 runs with only Meren reaching the double digit figure. Aosashi finished with a figure of 5/5 to help Skylark to a convincing win.

In the second match, Brotherhood defeated Züngamedem by 35 runs. Batting first Brotherhood set a target of 159 runs with Temsulemba contributing 22 runs and Raja, with 19 runs, playing a vital role in knitting vital partnerships in the middle order. Akum, Imkum and Yapang took 2 wickets each for Züngamedem. In the second innings, Züngamedem chasing the target got off to a very slow start and could not change the velocity of their run chase till the end.

Some respectable urgency shown by their batsmen towards the dying overs came too little too late. They were bowled out in the last ball of the 20th over. Rongsenyanger and Moalong were the major contributors with 29 runs and 19 runs respectively. Chubameren with 4 wickets and Chubaotang 3 wickets were the pick of the bowlers for Brotherhood.

Tomorrow promises to be a fest for the cricket lovers of Mokokchung when Team Bendangsunep takes on Sovran CC in the second match of the day. It won't be wrong to assume this match fit to be a ‘final before the final.’

MATCH DAY 3 FIXTURE: 8 AM - Titans CC vs DC IX 11 AM- Team Bendangsunep vs Sovran CC

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