July 13th, 2015 by The Morung Express

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The Morung Express

Dimapur Vol. X issuE 190

www.morungexpress.com

Monday, July 13, 2015 12 Pages Rs. 4

Think about the way God rules. He doesn’t do it by sending in the tanks. He does it by calling servants

After She-Taxi success, Kerala now plans all-women ‘She-Bus’ [ PAGE 8]

rEFlEcTioNs

By Sandemo Ngullie

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—N.T. Wright

‘Treasuries and accounts Conor McGregor department is the main stops Chad Mendes organ of state government’ [ PAGE 2]

[ PAGE 12]

Where fantasy becomes reality Anime and Manga: A fascinating new sub culture is making its presence felt in Nagaland imlisanen Jamir Tales of THE FATMAN Kohima | July 12

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Your departments new motto eh?

The Morung Express Poll QuEsTion

Vote on www.morungexpress.com SMS your anSwer to 9862574165 Do you agree with the Union Home Ministry that conditions in Nagaland State are disturbed and dangerous? Yes

others

Do you think that the Nagaland State Government listens and acts only when the public agitate? Yes

09% 61%

no others

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30%

Details on page 7

Earth could well turn into a waterworld? loNDoN, July 12 (iaNS): The continental crust we live on is getting thinner and could disappear entirely, scientists warn. It means that the future of the Earth could well be the same as depicted in the science fiction film “Waterworld”. However, there is some solace. It is not going to happen for at least another two billion years, the study said. The study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, aims to examine how the continental crust formed and changed during the Earth’s history. According to the scientists, the continental crust reached its thickest around one billion years ago when it was on an average 40 km thick but it has been eroding ever since. “If it continues for the next two billion years, then the crust will again reach that state where the continents are submerged beneath the ocean,” said Bruno Dhuime from University of Bristol.

“You only have your thoughts and dreams ahead of you. You are someone. You mean something,” said the caped crusader in issue #78 of Detective Comic’s vintage classic ‘Batman Begins,’ while consoling a young boy who had been rejected and ridiculed by almost everyone around him. Flip through 14 more panels and the writers reveal that the same boy, after 30 years, still carries that moment with him. This is one of several instances in the golden age of Comic Books (1938-1950) that Superheroes endeared themselves to kids - resulting in the emergence of fan cultures across America and Europe. The birth of these fan cultures, while evolving along with changes in the world of popular culture, art and modern literature, spread across the world, and more recently, Nagaland arrived to the scene as well. Contrary to how kids related with the colorful Superheroes in the west, a large section of young Nagas were instead drawn to Asian and particularly Japanese form of animation and Manga. With a distinct artwork and stylistic displays of expressions, this form of Japanese art has for nearly a decade captured the imaginations of many young Nagas - giving rise

NWU calls for goodwill

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Cosplayers at the nAJ Cosfest 2015 in Kohima on July 12. Photos by Alem Jamir

to a fascinating fan culture in the state. While this sub culture remained unseen for many years, over the past three years, the Nagaland Anime Junkies (NAJ) has played an important role towards providing a platform for members of this fandom to come together. The globalization of mass media, particularly the internet, and Naga students studying outside the state, played a significant role in giving rise to this social phenomenon during its early stages. At present however, Anime and Manga art is readily available to young Nagas through the internet. A visit to the NAJ social media forum on Facebook provides

Guwahati, July 12 (Pti): A day after the Union Home Minister talked about a possible scaling down in central forces’ deployment in the North East, Amnesty International today said it must lead to a rethink on the use of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in NE states. “On July 11, Union Minister of Home Affairs Rajnath Singh discussed a possible reduction in deployment of central forces in a meeting with Chief Ministers of Northeastern states...

DimaPur, July 12 (mExN): In connection to the 12 hour Assam bandh called by KPLT with effect from 5am to 5pm on June 13, Dimapur Police has issued travel advisory to travellers from Nagaland. PRO, Dimapur Police has advised against movement of vehicles across the district of Karbi Anglong.

a fascinating look at how immersed members of this sub culture are in their shared passions. A question remains though. Why has this particular art form been so effective in drawing in young Nagas? While speaking to The Morung Express, many Naga fans of Anime and Manga cited varying reasons. Kilen Aier, who has been following Japanese animation for several years, says that the extreme emotions, which form a vital role in most Anime, drew him in. Anger, he says, is an emotion that he found more starkingly portrayed in Japanese Anime and Manga than other art forms he was exposed to.

midst a sea of innumerable anime and Manga characters at the NAJ cosfest 2015, came swooping in ‘THE FATMAN.’ Probably the worst prepared Cosplayer at the event, The Fatman however turned out to be a popular one. With a diet coke in one hand, and a bouquet of flowers in the other, the Fatman spent nearly an hour searching for the Batgirl (a young girl with a bat signal on her t-shirt). He finally found her, presenting her with the bouquet of flowers, to cheers from all around. From there he went on to the Spartan Challenge where The Fatman attempted to beat guys in Spartan warrior costumes at push ups. He failed to complete even a single push up, but managed to win cheers. From there, he proceeded to conduct interviews with visitors and cosplayers asking anime related questions. If they managed to get the right answer, the Fatman would present them with posters of Bolly-

Meanwhile, Koli Mongzar, another fan of this artform and an artist herself, points to the vast array of characters available for fans to relate to and their complex personalities. She further cites the distinct art style in Manga, which is ascribed to by several other anime fans as well. The distinct sketching style in Anime and Manga is particular to this genre, and forms a key element of this art form. While some consider this phenomenon to be a fad, people who are immersed in this subculture differ. For them, this art form speaks to them at a deeper level, going beyond its physical characteristics. Aier affirms that it is per-

sonal to him and that he relates to themes ranging from depression to anger to revolution combined with light hearted. Theja Meru, who played a leading role, during the Korean wave which took hold of Naga youngsters in the mid 2000s says that while “fads may come and go,” the important thing is to imbibe positive values from different cultures and use it to enhance oneself. “I believe that the Korean wave, though it did not last long, created a positive space for people and cross cultural dialogue,” he adds. While expressing his appreciation for the work that the NAJ has been doing to provide positive

wood stars from the 1980s. Nearly three hours into his routine, The Fatman did not seem to lose steam as he visited stalls, interacted with visitors and drew smiles and laughter. His energy epitomised the spirit of the festival, a celebration of fun, happiness and shared interests. In a society The Fatman at the nAJ filled with vio- Cosfest 2015 in Kohilence, divisions ma. Photo by Alem Jamir and cynicism, the NAJ Cosfest, its participants and The Fatman showed that given the right positive space, young Nagas can excel in the spirit of creativity.

spaces for young Nagas, he affirms that the ultimate goal should be to use the creative faculties to bring about a product that is in consonance with the Naga identity. The Nagaland Anime Junkies affirm that creating a Naga Anime and Manga is one of the organisation’s main objectives. They point to the ability of Japanese society to combine modern art forms with their own culture. Culture, they say is continually evolving, and Naga culture in particular can interact with other art forms, giving rise to an inspiring and distinctly Naga medium. Beibe Natso, one of the main persons behind NAJ and the cosfest, informed

that they have already started helping Naga writers and artists incorporating Japanese anime style into their own works. The ultimate aim, she says is to create works that are inherently Naga and a tribute to cross cultural interactions. Towards this end, the NAJ cosfest, which concluded on Sunday, held a cultural crossover event, with cosplayers combining themes from Japanese Anime and Manga with Naga cultural themes. The result was a colourful spectacle, a bonding of cultures, which was inspiring and other worldly. For the second day in a row, The Heritage in Kohima turned into a land of fantastic artistic expressions.

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Amnesty advocates for repeal of AFSPA ‘Allow us to live as free citizens’

Assam bandh travel advisory

From the NAJ 2015 in Kohima

DimaPur, July 12 (mExN): Expressing serious concern over the ongoing tension between the Mao Council (MC) and the Southern Angami Public Organisation (SAPO) on Dziiko and Koziiri/Kezol land issue, the Naga Women’s Union (NWU) made an ardent appeal on Sunday to both the parties to come to negotiating table for settlement of the dispute and reconciliation in the larger interest of the Nagas. “We earnestly urge the parties to cease from resorting to any form of violence or to insist on any pre-condition so that goodwill is created for resolution,” publicity wing, NWU said in a press statement. Strongly advocating for an amicable settlement through Naga customary laws and practices which will establish a sense of secured and shared brotherhood, the NWU further urged the parties to proactively embrace the offered service of the Tenyimia People’s Organization (TPO) for internal settlement of the issue as both the SAPO and Mao Council are integral part of Naga family and constituents of TPO. The NWU also appreciated TPO’s initiatives for taking up the negotiation process on the issue and the Mao Council for their willingness to come together.

(and) that the security situation has improved in the region,” Amnesty International India Media Officer Himanshi Matta said in a press statement. “Worryingly, there was no discussion on the AFSA, 1958, which is in force in several north-eastern states,” the statement claimed. The Amnesty International India stated “The Justice Verma Committee set up to review laws against sexual assault had said the AFSPA legitimises impunity for sexual

violence.” “The Justice Santosh Hegde Commission set up by the Supreme Court to investigate cases of fake encounters in Manipur described the law as ‘a symbol of oppression...” it said. “Several international bodies and experts, including the UN Special Rapporteurs on violence against women, extra-judicial executions and human rights defenders, have also called for the repeal of the law,” the statement added.

ACAUT questions ‘legitimacy to tax’

Tells NSCN (IM) that insensitivity to the plights of the people will alienate the masses from the Naga political movement

DimaPur, July 12 (mExN): Against Corruption and Unabated Taxation (ACAUT Nagaland) on Sunday termed the press statement issued by the NSCN (IM) on taxation as unbecoming of a matured organization which claims to be working for the Naga people. In a reaction, ACAUT reminded the NSCN (IM) that for any political movement to succeed it must win the hearts and support of the people and therefore termed it as regrettable and unfortunate that an organization like NSCN (IM) should “resort to threats and intimidation for tax citing their legitimate right to do so.” Asking the NSCN (IM) to see that there are other 7-8 factions claiming the same thing and in such a scenario, ACAUT questioned, “How NSCN (IM) can

claim their legitimacy to tax.” ACAUT said this raises the question to all other Naga political groups (NPG’s) that the claim by NSCN-IM questions their legitimacy too, because, as far as the public is concerned, “none of the NPG’s have the legitimacy to collect tax till the time there’s factionalism as this is the cause for multiple taxations.” In this connection, ACAUT has cautioned that such insensitivity to the plights of the people will only alienate the masses from the Naga political movement and the NPG’s because it not only affects the business community but whole of Nagas and, “Consequently NPG’s will have no one to blame but themselves.” Further, it pointed out that the united consensus of apex NGO’s on this issue is a message to NPG’s to come under one umbrella and ignoring this echo would be the biggest blunder in the history of Naga Political Movement. “It is about time for all the NPGs to realize to the obvious fact that Naga people yearn for unity and to have a say in their course of destiny,” it stated. Full text on Page 10

Morung Express news Dimapur | July 12

Different civil and students organization on Sunday condemned the declaration of entire Nagaland as a Disturbed Area on July 8 by the Government of India by exercising the power conferred upon under Section 3 of the Arm Forces (Special Powers) Act of 1958. Out rightly condemning the declaration of Disturbed Area in entire Nagaland and terming AFSPA as “tool of state abuse, oppression and discrimination, the Eastern Naga Students’ Federation (ENSF) on Sunday appealed the Government of India (GoI) to immediately abstain from unleashing the infliction caused during its pre colonialera upon the Nagas today. The ENSF recalled that the British government, during colonial-era, had imposed the Armed Forces special powers act/ordinances in the year 1942 during the Quit India Movement upon its non permanent citizen (i.e. Indians) and hence; such draconian ordinance is only imposed upon its non permanent citizens or upon its conquest citizen or subjects. The ENSF, therefore, questioned the imposition of such ordinances concerning internal security, which it alleged is no doubt a “direct tagged upon the Nagas as the second class citizen within an Indian Union.” The Federation said it also failed to understand the GoI’s logic behind such ordinances even after a decade old peace talks with the Naga Political Groups. Its sincerity is highly questionable and condemnable. Questioning the validity of the

“Indian democracy” whereby the fundamental rights guaranteed to its citizen under the constitution of Indian is being muted off by such draconian act (AFSPA), the Federation pointed out that the act stands in total contradiction to liberty, equality, fraternity and justice for its citizen. The first imposition of AFSPA upon the Nagas was aftermath the plebiscite of 1951 and the subsequent boycott of 1952 general election but however, it had failed to curb the spirit of the

will have on its people, women and children,” it pointed out. The mothers’ association also asserted that the situation in the state does not merit the extension of the Act. It therefore voiced strong objections against the decision and demanded the lifting of the ‘Disturbed Area Act’ to “allow us to live as free citizens of democracy.” The NMA also reiterated their demand for the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the interest of peace and the Naga people. “The impunity of AFSPA for decades in Nagaland and other states where it is enforced, has blotted and blackened the pages of Indian democracy,” it said. The NMA also sought immediate withdrawal of Naga IRBs from all parts of the country, be it Kashmir, West Bengal, Delhi and other cities, and their deployment back in the state to maintain peace and security. “We believe our border and internal security can be best dealt with our own police forces and therefore demand the withdrawal of all Indian armed forces and paramilitary forces, in the interest of building confidence and peace,” it stated. Youth Association of Nagaland (YAN) said the determination of India to enforce AFSPA upon Nagas carries a clear message to the world that “Naga people are not Indian.” Terming the declaration of Disturb Area as contradictory and illogical when ceasefire between the Government of India and the Naga Political Groups is still in force, the youth association has urged the State government to play all means of positive role to ensure revocation of this Act.

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Naga organizations demand repeal of Disturb Area Act in Nagaland movement till today. “Isn’t it a serious blunder? the Federation questioned. In this regard, the Federation appealed the GoI to revoke the declaration of the entire Nagaland as “disturbed” so as to facilitate India as the emerging super power in the world by delivering peace. The Naga Mothers’ Association (NMA) expressed serious concern over the sudden decision of the Central government to extend the Disturbed Area over the whole state of Nagaland. NMA, in a representation to the Governor, termed it as ‘shocking and questionable’ that in the midst of so much effort for maintaining peace by Naga mass based organizations, and the hope of a peaceful solution to the long drawn Naga political issue, the unilateral decision to extend this Act has been taken by the Centre. “This sends a strong signal to us that the Government of India is unable to understand the gravity and impact such a decision

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Dimapur

Monday

LocaL

13 July 2015

Dimapur to get Mukhya Dak Ghar

Kohima | July 12

Morung Express News Dimapur | July 12

Union minister for Communications & IT, Ravi Shankar Prasad, on Sunday unveiled the foundation stone of the Dimapur ‘Mukhya Dak Ghar’ (post office) through video conferencing from Agartala. In Dimapur, employees of postal services and officials from BSNL and NIC were present during the symbolic unveiling ceremony officiated by director of postal services, Nagaland Division, Som Kamei, at the proposed ‘Mukhya Dak Ghar’ (MDG) site adjacent to East Police Station. The director, Postal Services, Nagaland Division, in his welcome address said the establishment of

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ASU to begin education tour July 14

Kohima, July 12 (mExN): Acting on its resolution on education tour in its entire jurisdiction, the Angami Students' Union will begin the first phase of the tour from July 14 in the Western Angami area. A press note issued by Tsiu Seyie, Secretary Education (ASU) has requested all the units to cooperate in the education tour. The main purpose of the tour is to visit all the government schools in the grassroots level and keep a check on the performance of the schools and teachers for the upliftment of the students, the release said.

a MDG in Dimapur was a long felt need, as being a commercial hub Dimapur Post Office is the busiest PO in Nagaland. Kamei said the MDG would provide various facilities and services including speed post, core banking, treasury and guest house. He expressed confidence that the building would be completed within two years time. He also informed that from July onwards, three post offices in Dimapur would offer core banking system solution (CBS) to provide faster and efficient services to the customers. The director further informed that the postal services has tied up with Indigo Airline to minimize delays in delivery of parcels and speed post com-

ing from metros like Delhi and Kolkata. It may be mentioned that MDG is a new category of post office other than HOs, which will function in a self-contained manner in respect of all its own counter services. According to Kamei, Nagaland has one head post office in Kohima, 42 sub-post offices and 287 branch offices spread in all 11 districts. Meanwhile, Kamei said an employee of Postal Services, Nagaland Division, system administrator John Angami was recently awarded the ‘Meghdoot Award’ by the Ministry of Communications & IT. “John is the first postal employee from Nagaland to bag such a prestigious award and we are proud of him,” the director said.

‘Treasuries and accounts department is the main organ of state government’ Our Correspondent

Director of postal services, Nagaland Division, Som Kamei (second right) and others at the unveiling ceremony of the foundation stone of Dimapur Mukhya Dak Ghar, Sunday.

The Morung Express

Nagaland Finance & Accounts Service Association (NFASA) president Daso Paphino has urged the government to improve the working structure and delivery system in the department of treasuries and accounts. He asked to provide all the basic facilities such as infrastructure, conveyance and financial management training by sending employees to financial institutes within and outside the country “in order for us to take up the gigantic challenges ahead of us with professional skills and confidence.” Paphino highlighted this at the just concluded 14th general conference of NFASA here. “We are fully committed to ensuring excellent financial administration and enforcing financial rules and regularity and of course, proper and transparent maintenance of accounting records and accounts delivery system in the state,” Paphino said in his presidential address. He said the members of NFASA strive to give their professional best in the significant role “we play in supporting and ensur-

ing effective and smooth financial management in all departments of the state government.” “Our responsibility is not only critical but it is vital for the well being and growth of our government in particular and our people in general,” he said, adding that the members are there to embrace collective responsibility and strengthen their commitment to do better. He said department of treasuries and account is the main organ of the state government that administers and enforces the financial rules and regulations in discipline through accounts officers posted to the directorate and treasury offices in all treasuries as well as Division Accounts Officers in works divisions. The department also carries out internal audit of all the departments of the state government, local bodies, corporations as well as private institutions that receive government grants. The Accounts Officers serve as financial advisers and guide to the Head of Departments (HoDs) and the Drawing & Disbursing Officers (DDOs). They also help the depart-

ments maintain correct service records and accounts and submit them to the concerned authorities. Through the department’s officers posted at various levels in the department, the budget and expenditure of the department are regulated and controlled. Paphino also stated that the department of treasuries and accounts is also vested with the responsibility of streamlining the accounting system and maintaining records of accounts of the state and keeps a watch on the accounting system to ensure that it works effectively. The directorate looks after the overall administration of the department, cadre control of all non-gazetted staff, monitoring of expenditure of all departments, monitoring and regulation of expenditure on GPF, maintenance of national pension scheme of all state employees with effect from Ist January 2010. “As of now we have 11, 276 subscribers (PRAN Nos) from 983 DDOs, authentication of drawal authorities/drawing limits, overall supervision of the working of treasuries and sub treasuries and all service matters of both gazetted and non-gazetted staff

MUNA St. Joseph’s College organizes second green zone campaign JaKhama, July 12 (mExN): The Model United Nations Association (MUNA) of St. Joseph’s College, Jakhama organized cleanliness cum second green zone campaign on July 11. The drive involved planting of saplings at the college campus. The administrator of the college Fr. Sabu Chenackal exhorted the students referring to the Bible. Stating that God created nature for humanity, he said, we have the responsibility to love nature. He further mentioned that realizing the importance of nature, the governments, NGOs and the United Nations are earnestly taking initiatives for protecting it. “Nature is a gift from God, so we are to take care of it,” he concluded. Meanwhile, MUNA president K. Chumseli Anar challenged the members stating “Don’t expect someone to do good things for the world but contribute to the good work.” He said another generation awaits the same mother earth for peaceful existence.

of the founding members who had initiated the establishment of present Kiphire Town,” stated a condolence note issued by Asungba. The note further acknowledged that Yangkimong was one of the most prominent leaders and social workers during his life time. Stating that his death is a great loss to the Sangtam people in particular and Kiphire district in general, the former MP and his family extended solidarity to the family of the deceased. USLP: Terming Yangkimong Sangtam as a pioneer among the Sangtam community, the United Sangtam Likhum Pumji (USLP) stated Yangkimong was legendary who lived and travelled from head hunting practices to present generation. “He had sacrificed in bringing the Sangtams of Kiphire district and Sangtams of Longkhim/Chare block under the umbrella of United Sangtam Likhum Pumji (USLP),” said USLP president Yonghopi Sangtam. “He lived his life with dedication to ensure peace and harmony prevails within the Sang-

tam region.” USLP further prayed for the bereaved family. ENSSS: Meanwhile, the Eastern Nagaland Social Service Society (ENSSS) Kiphire also expressed deep grief at the demise of Yangkimong Sangtam on July 11 at his residence in Kiphire Town. A note from executive director of ENSSS Litsaba TY Sangtam conveyed condolences to the bereaved family and prayed for the departed soul to rest in peace. TL Angami: The founder and first president of GB Federation of Nagaland, TL Angami has also expressed shock over the demise of ‘Baba’ Yangkimong Sangtam. “Baba Yangkimong Sangtam was a great warrior among the village chiefs, who stood at various levels of issues and amicable settlement,” TL Angami said. “He is one of the strong pillars of GB Federation Nagaland (GBFN). He is also one of my strongest supporters in the field of GBFN.” Angami further conveyed condolences to the bereaved family members and prayed for the departed soul to rest in peace.

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Nagaland Finance & Accounts Service Association (NFASA) president Daso Paphino addressing the 14th general conference of NFASA in Kohima recently. (Morung Photo)

of the department.” It also carry out preaudit of all arrear bills, M.R Bills and leave encashment bills of all departments and issues pay slips in cases where AG is not issuing the same. It also looks after training of account personnel of the department. The department is also constantly accessing and compiling the revenue realization under all revenue heads of accounts of the state. Paphino also said that the department is bestowed with the responsibilities of computerization of treasuries transactions for timely submission of monthly accounts to the

Accountant General and finance department. “Computerisation of treasuries transactions will also affect transparency of the government and will remove manipulation of accounts an effective means to check the excess expenditure over budgetary provisions of the DDOs,” he said, adding presently there are 1001 DDOs in the state government. “With the introduction of the treasuries computerization, the department urgently requires computer lab in the directorate and computer expert to man the machine and also to impart computer training to the officers and staff,” he added.

Death of Sangtam pioneer mourned

Dimapur, July 12 (mExN): MLA T Torechu has expressed deep grief at the demise of Yangkimong Sangtam on July 11 in Kiphire Town after prolonged illness. Late Yangkimong Sangtam was one of the oldest and longest serving Gaonburas in Kiphire district and also pioneer of Kiphire Town, said Torechu in a condolence note. “During his lifetime as a gaonbura and a social leader, he was instrumental in restoring peace and unity in Kiphire, and also brought about many social changes in Kiphire district.” Acknowledging that his death is a great loss for the people of Kiphire district and the Nagas as well, the MLA extended sympathy to the bereaved family and prayed that God grant eternal rest and peace to the departed. Former MP: K. Asungba Sangtam, former MP (Lok Sabha), along with his family members has expressed profound grief and sorrow at the demise of Yangkimong Sangtam of Singrep Village in Kiphire district. “Late Yangkimong Sangtam was one

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Light Junction Worship Centre of Sinai Ministry held a youth camp from July 8-11 at Land Resource Recreation Centre, New Chumukedima. The youth camp, which was held with the theme 'Extreme: The Joshua Generation Camp', had Alemsunep Jamir and Pastor Robert Kikon as the speakers. It was a time of inner healing and restoration for the around 130 campers. Seen in the picture are the campers participating in group activities.

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Ghonivi village, Withee Bible CNC National Prayer College celebrate Tuluni Week from July 12-18

Dimapur, July 12 (mExN): Ghonivi village celebrated Tuluni, the premier festival of the Sümi tribe, with traditional fervour and feasting on July 8. Pukhavi Yepthomi, former DMC councilor was the chief guest. In his address, Pukhavi gave a brief account of Tuluni and stressed on celebrating the festival through forgiveness and sharing and to strengthen relations among the people. He also appealed to the villagers to uphold traditional values and preserve their culture and foster a spirit of brotherhood with other Naga tribes. Women of the village presented folk song and dance, a troupe presented traditional

matrimonial, ethnic fusion show, while others participated in the spear kick competition. It may be mentioned that this was the first time Tuluni was celebrated by the Women Department of Ghonivi village. Meanwhile, Withee Bible College celebrated Tuluni at the College campus on July 8 with Nagahoni Awomi, Junior Education Officer, Zunehoboto as chief guest. The chief guest spoke on the importance of culture. Stating that culture is identity, she called for preserving it no matter where one is or what height one reaches. Further maintaining that Nagaland has a rich diverse culture, she said Nagas should not be rigid in

adhering to their culture alone, but accept other wonderful cultures and learn from them. She mentioned Psalm 139 and challenged the way of living. Many Nagas are living in greed, power, money, corruption, she said, adding life today in Nagaland is measured by the spending power one possesses. She encouraged all to think and address the issue seriously. Organised by the students’ body of Withee Bible College, the Tuluni Festival witnessed traditional attire show, war dance, spinning song, Tuluni play and folk dance. Tuluni sports like spear kick, puxa kuxu, ami kukula and top spinning were also performed.

Dimapur, July 12 (mExN): The Council of Nagalim Churches of the NSCN (IM) has announced July 12 to 18 as ‘National Prayer Week’ for the ‘nation’ and collective leadership. General Secretary, Council of Nagalim Churches (CNC), Rev. Seksim Kasar in a press release issued through MIP, NSCN (IM) has informed all national workers to take time to pray wherever they are. The CNC also requested every nation loving family to have a daily family prayer fellowship at home and every Army unit and regional churches to keep the church door open 24 hours for prayer. It also appealed to every citizen of Nagalim to take up prayer earnestly “if you feel it to be your bounden duty towards God and the Nation.”

The Council also declared July 18 (Saturday) as “National Fasting and Prayer Day” and directed all the unit and regional churches to conduct the program with all earnestness. “Like a man, who on his home journey was endangered by the heat and the cold, by the thugs and the robbers, so also is our Nation from the forces inimical to the Nagas when NSCN is almost giving birth Nagalim to a full nationhood,” CNC said giving reason for announcing the prayer week. “Sensing and feeling the threat and jeopardy from all corners, and from within and without, we are giving out the signal warning to watch out and pray… We cannot permit our enemies to gloat over our adversity. We have to take our ground and resist them by prayer.”

Fishery farm school ‘Festival of joy & thanksgiving’ concludes opened in Baghty

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WoKha, July 12 (mExN): A fishery farm school was opened at the fishery pond of Montford School, Baghty under Wokha district by ATMA Wokha on July 11. A press release from ATMA Wokha project director Dr. Mhonchan Shitiri said that the farm was opened considering the immense scope of culturing varieties of fish species at Baghty valley. Montford school being centrally located and having enough fishery ponds was selected under public private partnership mode for technology dissemination to the fish farmers. Dr. Mhonchan Shitiri, A portion of the pedestrian footbridge at Old MLA Hostel Junction, while sharing the concept of Kohima has rusted and created a hole as seen in the foreground of the picture (circled). The concerned authority needs to pay attention before farm school, which is learning by doing and seeing and it causes casualty to pedestrians. (Morung Photo)

harvesting is believing, encouraged the farmers to culture fish as a reliable source of income using the advantage of the farm school. Mhomo Murry, Inspector & BTT convenor gave technical knowhow and demonstrated on the use of Ph paper, liming and feeding. During an interaction, farmers suggested the need for a breeding nursery as fish seeds coming from Assam are low in quality and costly. They also decided to tie up with fishery department and KVK Wokha to further the farm school. Brother Gabriel, who opened the farm school, was made the teacher with 11 farmers enrolled as students. The programme was chaired by Mhonroni, ATM.

Participants of the ‘Festival of joy & thanksgiving’ organised by Soul Harvest for Christ ministry.

Kohima, July 12 (mExN): The three-day long “Festival of joy & thanksgiving” organized by Soul Harvest for Christ ministry with the theme “Give thanks to the lord, for he is good: his love endures forever” concluded on Sunday at Soul Harvest Church of the Living God, Daklane, Kohima. The speakers of the festival

included Rev. Dr. DL Sanchu, executive secretary, ACRCC Synod, Nagaland, Petekuolie, Vice Principle, Kohima Bible College and Rev. Kevisede Kire, Pastor, Soul Harvest Church of the Living God. During Sunday morning service, Petekuolie, Vice Principle, Kohima Bible College shared that Thanksgiving Day is a time to

reflect and be thankful for all that God has given us. He encouraged the gathering to have full faith in Christ who is the protector, healer, peacemaker and giver of everything. The service was led by Kezevituo Pucho. Special songs were presented by festival choir, Dziesekhrienuo Keretsü and women’s department.

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REgional

The Morung Express

Police, agitators clash in curfew-bound Greater Imphal

Monday

13 July 2015

Dimapur

'AFSPA is nothing more than the surrender of democracy'

DImapur, July 12 regions, without asking voice to repeal AFSPA. “Even elected MPs from (mExN): The recent exten- for any accountability, the sion of Armed Forces (Spe- SSSC stated while remind- North East and local ascial Powers) Act (AFSPA) ing that, “these unstopped sembly representatives are Imphal, July 12 (pTI): for one year in Nagaland use of powers by security not coming forward with Clashes erupted between shows the failure of the forces have been used in full courage and strength to agitators and police in government at the centre serious situations of viola- voice for repeal of AFSPA,” Greater Imphal area today "Yes we have withdrawn the ear- being part of protests, but agrees he Imphal, July 12 (NDTV): The of lacking in courage to re- tions of human rights. By it further mentioned. as supporters of introduclier bill... Also, I believe there should doesn't totally understand the gravity Manipur government has withFurther, the SSSC depeal the act in respect of the this act, security forces start tion of Inner Line Permit in drawn a bill introduced in the state be a uniform law across the country. of the issue. "Maybe some of us so it people, Ravi Nitesh, conve- behaving like criminals cried Kiren Rijiju, a minister Manipur continued their Assembly this March, that was sup- Now if Nagaland has an Inner Line for the thrill of it, but a young boy died ner of Save Sharmila Soli- who have unchecked pow- in the Central government defiance of the curfew, posed to regulate the entry of outsid- Permit System, so either get them to and I have a right to protest," he said. and a citizen from North darity Campaign (SSSC) ers and accountability.” which stepped into the fifth At the home of Sapam Robiners into the state, but was rejected by withdraw it or the union Home MinWith such kind of im- East, for not voicing out said on Sunday. day, and took to the streets istry should implement it for Mani- hood, who was killed, there is grief protestors saying it had no teeth. SSSC, which has been position, the SSSC pointed against the order of Minisin large numbers. The government had passed a pur too," said Manipur's chief minis- and anger, and an odd voice of disadvocating for repeal of out that it is the “military try of Home Affairs (MHA) Police said the forces ter Okram Ibobi Singh. sent too. "I think it is not right to use bill in March, called the Manipur AFSPA from all areas while that is ruling the democra- which only proved himself burst teargas shells to conIt's been more than four days such young children for political Regulation of Tenants Act, but prokeeping its faith upon non cy in these regions” (states as “an opportunist polititrol the agitators, who in testers say it has no teeth and that since Manipur's capital Imphal is purposes," says a man, not willing to violence struggle of Irom where AFSPA is in force) cian rather than being a true turn used slingshots and rather than regulating visitors it was under curfew. Some of the protest- be named. Sharmila, stated that the and state democracy has representative of people.” catapults on them. ers, including school children, have In the last few years, Manipur protecting visitors. Also referring to media extension of AFSPA in Na- failed itself by adopting Both sides sustained The Manipur government's move defied the curfew and set tyres on has seen large scale protests related galand is not only unfortu- such repressive paths of reports that Rijiju was byminor injuries, police said, may cool down tensions in Imphal, as fire and littered the road with stones. to the Inner Line Permit issue. The nate and condemnable, but handing over powers in passed in this decision, the adding that the clashes the withdrawal of the bills was one of Kanishk, a Class 9 students who stud- protests have been more intense in it also shows how much in- military hand. “It is noth- SSSC maintained that if this took places after the end of the main demands of the protestors. ies at a boarding school in Assam Imphal, where unlike other areas of capable the government is. ing more than a surren- was true, Rijiju must clarify the curfew relaxation hours Curfew has been relaxed in Imphal and is here for vacations, says there the state, outsiders can also buy land and should come in front to Everyone knows that der,” it said. at 12 noon. is nothing wrong in school students and settle down. for nine hours on Monday. The SSSC also criti- advocate what is right for AFSPA is discriminatory, Protest rallies defyunconstitutional and a cised Nagaland govern- Nagaland. SSSC pledged ing the curfew were organised during the day Imphal East district, po- nite curfew, which was weapons, the order issued Congress has demanded harsh act that provides ex- ment for their failure in that it will continue its efclamped on July 8 evening during the day said. that the Okram Ibobi Singh traordinary powers to se- handling of the situation forts to advocate for Repeal across Imphal West dis- lice said. Sit-in protests were held after a student lost his life Opposition parties in government convene a curity forces in disturbed and in advocating the of AFSPA. trict including at Iroisemba, Kwakeithel, Sagol- in about 40 villages across during protests, would be the state have lent their special session of the house band, Heirangoi Thong, the state as the movement relaxed for nine hours to- support to ILP demand to discuss it. The last session ended Langjing Achouba and demanding the introduc- morrow beginning at 5 and have demanded the at Khundrakpam, Sek- tion of the regulation along am, according to orders by resignation of the O Ibobi on July 10 and Joint Council ta, Keibi, Taret Khul, Sa- the lines of Nagaland, the district magistrates of Singh-led Congress gov- on Inner Line Permit, which ernment for its failure to is spearheading the agitawombung, Chingarel, Arunachal Pradesh and Imphal East and West. There would, however, implement the system in tion, had been demanding Lamlai, Khurai, Soibam Mizoram is now spreading that a bill for the implemenLeikai, Nongmeibung, to Thoubal and Bishnupur be restriction on gather- Manipur effectively. ing of more than five peoOpposition MLA I Ibo- tation of ILP in the state be agarTala, July 12 (TNN): The Tri- ernment doctors are demanding an addiChanam Sandrok, Lang- districts, police said. pura government on Saturday issued a ban tional 25% of their gross salary with the baMeanwhile, the indefi- ple and carrying of lethal halbi Singh of Trinamool passed during it. dum, Kongba Uchekon in on private practice of doctors holding ad- sic as NPA following central government ministrative posts in the state health service. norms," Dev Barman added. It has been alleged that doctors of govHowever, it excludes general practitioners ernment hospitals were devoting too much and teaching faculties of medical colleges. Tripura health service director J K Dev time at private chambers flouting the rules. Barman said 70 doctors holding various But the doctors argued Rs 1,000 as NPA isn't guWahaTI, July 12 (TNN): northeastern states at present, the fenced porous border with Myan- tively, it is absolutely essential that administrative posts at sub-division lev- enough compensation for a doctor. Manipur chief minister Okram Manipur chief minister said the mar. Okran said the porous border the border is fenced and a network els would no longer be allowed to do priDev Barman said the decision was Ibobi Singh on Saturday urged MHA should find a solution to the was still a serious concern for inter- of roads developed on a priority vate practice. taken after the high court proposed some Union home minister Rajnath problem of Indian sim cards being nal security in terms of smuggling basis," Okram said. Instead, the government has an- restrictions on private practice of governHe said at present, fencing Singh for joint India-Myanmar op- functional in Myanmar and used of arms and ammunition and connounced to compensate the doctors by ment doctors in the state last month. erations to tackle camps of militant by insurgent groups in extortion traband narcotics substances and work is going on only a 10-km paying them an additional 10% on their "The court had raised some reasonand threats to people residing in infiltration of militant groups. stretch along the border between outfits located in Myanmar. gross salary and Rs 1,000 to other doctors able questions while hearing a suo moto "Prominent insurgent groups BP-79 and BP-81 and the state govHe also endorsed the ministry Manipur. as non-practising allowance (NPA), Dev PIL based on a media report about negliHe also asked for procurement have been taking shelter in Myan- ernment has urged the MHA to exof home affairs' (MHA) proposal Barman said. "However, we have not yet gent doctors at a government hospital. The of deploying BSF as a dedicated and installment of vehicle scanners mar, as their cadres can hardly tend the work for at least another decided the modalities and rules of private court also asked the state government to guarding force on the border but on the national highway towards afford to being stationed for a 50 km. "Besides, the state govern- practice of doctors engaged in state-run reply to some of its queries before the next wanted the Centre's immediate in- Moreh to prevent smuggling of prolonged period in Manipur. ment also fully endorsed the As- hospitals and medical colleges. The gov- hearing on August 17," he said. tervention in demarcating the dis- weapons and explosives and setting However, due to the porous border sam Rifles DG's proposal to the up a digitized operation room with they manage to continue their acts MHA for selective border fencing puted border for erecting fences. Presenting his strategy on state-of-the-art equipment and soft- of extortion and intimidation. To for approximately 86 km between enable any border guarding force BP-54 and BP-78 in the Manipur counter-insurgency operations in ware in all the northeastern states. Manipur shares a 352-km un- from discharging its duties effec- sector as top priority," he added. the state, the worst-hit among the

Manipur Govt's climbdown after protests

Tripura docs holding admin posts can’t do private practice

Ibobi bats for joint ops with Myanmar to fight insurgents

Post offices to provide banking services soon Leakage in Kharsang Oil Field controlled

agarTala, July 12 (IaNS): The central government is committed to provide banking services in rural areas through modern post offices where facilities like ATM, pension account and core banking will be made available, union Communication and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said here on Sunday. He said by next month post offices across the country would likely start payment transactions like banks. "With the approval of Reserve Bank of India, the payment transactions would be initiated by the post offices from August," he said after inaugurating the core banking services (CBS) in the Agartala head post offices. Prasad said the government was committed to provide banking services through modern post offices in rural areas. The department of posts has a network of around 155,000 post offices in India, out of which, 120,000 are in rural areas. "In the last one year, 2,590 post offices across the country have been migrated to CBS platform to transmit the money anywhere in India in less than a minute," Prasad said. "During this period, 115 ATMs (Automated Teller Machines) under the postal department have been set up in different parts of the country and several hundred ATMs would be established in the coming months." The minister said: "To boost the e-

commerce, the post offices have taken steps to increase the quick delivery of various goods booked by people electronically using various online retailers." "During the last one year, the delivery of post offices across the country has been increased by 37 percent, earning revenue of Rs.500 crore." He said to make the digital India programme of the government successful, over 60,000 villages would be linked with the Apollo Hospitals through Optical Fibre Network to provide medical advises to the people of these villages. Prasad said: "At present, India with a population of 125 crore has 98 crore mobile phone subscribers and 30 crore internet connections." "The number of mobile phone users would go to 100 crore within this year and we would increase the internet connections to 50 crore in two years." Chief Post Master General (Northeast circle) Smita Kumari said India Post was aiming to transform the department of post into a technology enabled and selfreliant market leader. "Of the total of 155,000 post offices in the country, the northeast region has 2,920. India Post would also soon launch eight ATMs in the region...," she said. Tripura Information Technology Minister Tapan Chakraborty said post offices must be strengthened in the northeast by filling up vacant posts and setting up more post offices in the rural areas.

Tips to curb conflict with wild elephants guWahaTI, July 12 (TNN): Arjun Chetry, a schoolteacher at Numaligarh in Golaghat district, no longer associates elephants with misery. Having witnessed decades of human-elephant conflict, many, like Arjun, had begun to perceive elephants as harbingers of death and destruction. Exhaustive training under conflict-mitigation experts and conservationists, however, has made a huge difference to Arjun and others like him. The awareness training session, 'Haati Goes to School', recently conducted in Golaghat district by biodiversity conservation organization Aaranyak, has helped schoolteachers change their perspec-

tive on human-elephant conflict. At the training session, the teachers were exposed to a wealth of material on elephants, in historical writing, art, culture, religion and ecology. "I never realized that the elephant is such a magnificent and important animal. We revere it as a god and yet we punish the animal. I understood that a positive outlook would go a long way in improving humanelephant co-existence. Humans have always lived with elephants," said Arjun, who teaches at the Rongbong Srimanta Sankardev Middle English School in Numaligarh. Arjun and the other participants at the workshop have now been

tasked with imparting knowledge on human-elephant conflict to school students and other community members. "Our basic objective is to change people's mindset. We want to highlight peaceful co-existence with elephants, not conflict. So, we targeted teachers as they can carry forward the concept and influence students and communities," Dilip Chetry of Aaranyak said. Chetry said such training camps have been held in Jorhat and Golaghat districts since May and around 160 teachers have participated. The next series of training sessions will be held at Majuli island, in Jorhat district, in October this year.

ITaNagar, July 12 (pTI): Experts from the ONGC today controlled blow out of gas from well no. 60 of the Kharsang Oil Field in Changlang district, officials said. "The engineers and experts from ONGC in Assam's Sivsagar district ultimately managed to stop the gas leakage at around 12 PM on Sunday," DGP S Nithianandam said. The blow out of gas in the well occurred on June 30 last creating a fear psychosis among the local residents. The local administration evacuated around 2,000 people living in five villages in the vicinity of the oil field, while in a few villages residents were debarred from cooking for days out of fear of sparking fire and explosion. A state level monitoring and vigilance committee under geology and mining department chairman Toko Anil, who visited the site on July 5 last, reported that the incident was manmade and due to utter negligence and incompetency of the company.

Imphal Hospital performs ‘Nonsurgical’ removal of abnormal tissue

Imphal, July 12 (mExN): SKY Hospital in RIMS Road, Imphal created history by successfully performing a highly specialised non-surgical removal of abnormal tissue of the heart called “Accessory Pathway” for the first time in Manipur using “Radio Frequency Ablation” (also known as RF Ablation) for treatment of severe palpitation (cardiac arrhythmia). According to a press release from the hospital, the

procedure was conducted on 3 patients – 2 with accessory pathways and the third without accessory pathways – on July 11 by a team of doctors led by Dr. L. Shyamkishore, Chief Cardiologist, SKY Hospitals. Such abnormal tissue present from birth in either of the upper chambers of the heart (left or right atrium) is the source of a class of palpitation called Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia (PSVT). The

accessory pathway is a small extra tissue the size of which is up to 3 mm in breath and up to 10 mm in length. There are three options of treatment – firstly, Drug treatment, secondly, Open heart surgical removal of the extra tissue and thirdly, Destruction of the tissue non-surgically by RF Ablation. The third option has become the treatment of choice although such facility and expertise is not widely available.

COngrAtulAtIOnS The Song Song Youth and Students' Organisation congratulate Mr. Thohrii Kayio Kayina, son of Mr. M. Thohrii (Former Minister) of Song Song Village for successfully clearing UPSC, 2015 (Rank 1016). Your achievement is a matter of great pride and an inspiration to the students, villagers and Mao community as a whole. We sincerely hope and pray that you will earnestly work for the betterment of our society. Sd/ Song Song Youth & Students organisation (SSYSO)

KOHIMA SÜMI HOHO SHIKIMITHI TSA Ni Sümi tiqhetini tsala ikhilu keulo no eno assa no kutupo tsü eno nono küakini shonu shimono kuphutsü keu vechewono shilu kene. Tighenguno ni Kohima Sümi Hoho no akiqheu lono oshikimithi tsü ani. Ningu ye khilehimu kümsümave keu shimoni. Alhou ye paküta keu lono ni shiayeh kümghave tsüe. Kümtsüno Alhou shikimithi ani nolo. Hipaqo shikimithi tsü ani: 1. Sümi Legislators 2. Sümi Bureaucrats 3. Assa assa lo Chairman eno assa miqo 4. Sülimi Totimi Hoho, Kohima 5. Sümi Officers Union, Nagaland 6. Kohima Sümi Students Union 7. Kohima Sümi Officers Union 8. Tuluni Organizing Committee 9. Kohima Village Council and all frontal organizations of Kohima Village Edward K. Zhimomi President Kohima Sümi Hoho

Dimapur

businEss

Monday

13 July 2015

The Morung Express

FM Jaitley says 8-10 percent growth achievable, tax revenues growing mumbai, July 12 (PTi): Confident of an accelerated growth trajectory, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said tax revenues are expected to be higher this year while improving macroeconomic fundamentals and ongoing reforms make 8-10 per cent growth “eminently achievable”. He also said monsoons are progressing well and there are expectations that “rain gods will be kinder” this year, which would result in higher production of pulses and other items. Monsoon was above normal in June with 25 per

Care and Support Society in coordination with NABARD District Office, Mokokchung conducted a one day Financial Literacy Awareness Programme (FLAP) at Chungtia Village on July 11. Supported under FIF managed by NABARD, it aimed at promoting financial literacy among the populace. Altogether 79 participants attended the programme. During the seminar, Imsunaro, APM NABARD highlighted the importance of banking, savings, financial planning, credit linked subsidy schemes etc while K N.Bharali, LDM SBI deliberated on the benefits under PMJDY, various GOI pension & insurance schemes and loan products. Nungsang, Senior Manager, NSCB also shared on banking products available for the masses.

Financial Literacy Programme at Thizama Kohima, July 12 (mExN): A Financial Literacy Awareness Programme was conducted in the Panchayat Hall of Thizama village, Kohima district on July 10. The programme was organised by Financial Literacy Centre (FLC) attached to Nagaland State Cooperative Bank Limited, Main branch, Kohima with support from Financial Inclusion Fund (FIF), managed by NABARD. The programme sensitised the participants, comprising members of the village council, VDB, GBs, women society, students, pensioners, farmers and SHG, to take informed financial decisions and avail financial products from banks. The FLC was set up with grant assistance from NNABARD during the year 2014-15 with an objective to provide financial counselling services in a non-intimi-

neurs from Englan range attended the awareness camp (AC), informed a press note from WDEA vice president, Thunglamo Odyuo. The Extra Assistant Commissioner of Englan, Kupa Tsutsowe who was the special guest during the camp urged the gathering to be active and identify the potentialities i.e. on need basis and diversification. “One should create things, innovative and utility for this” he said further wishing the association a long run. Presentation on the concept & target of the awareness camp was presented by Thunglamo Odyuo, vice president

NEW DElhi, July 12 (iaNS): InFocus, the US-based smartphone brand, is planning a manufacturing hub for devices as part of the government’s Digital India and Make in India initiatives and proposes to launch new smartphones on Wednesday in an exclusive tie-up with Amazon, a senior official has said. Sachin Thapar, country head of InFocus Mobiles, did not disclose where the company intends to set up its manufacturing shop, but said they were keen to join two of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet projects. “By providing internet-enabled devices at various price points, we are playing a pivotal role in the PM’s vision of mobile-governance,” Thapar told IANS. A manufacturing plant in India, he said, was part of that plan. He said India was an important market and it will continue to invest in this rapidly-emerging economy by introducing more products and expanding human resource pool as and when needed.

Game Number # 3284

O Star Wars Luke

DarthVaDer empire Stromtrooper rebeLLion rebeLtrooper Leia hanSoLo SkywaLker DeathStar Jabba bobaFett yoDa enDor tatooine hoth beSpin CLouDCity LanDo ChewbaCCa ewok SCouttrooper SpeeDer tieFighter Xwing DarthSiDiouS

C V I F N R N O I L L E B E R J Q A D T

V G H V L G V G R S O D P Z E K K P E F

D D A R T H V A D E R D Z S L J G A T B

NEW DElhi, July 12 (PTi): Food Safety regulator FSSAI has finalised 12,000 standards for food additives and ingredients in line with global safety standards Codex, in order to do away with lengthy process of product approval. The move is expected to benefit food companies as they would not require to seek product approval from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) if they comply with these standards. At present, there are 375 FSSAI safety standards for food items but none for food additives and ingredients. “FSSAI has approved 12,000 standards for food additives and ingredients.

“For investments to pick up it is necessary for public spending to take off. There is a need for the earnings’ growth to catch up with the high expectations,” Devendra Nevgi, chief executive of ZyFin Advisors, told IANS. According to Dipen Shah, head of private client group research with Kotak Securities, the developments relating to Greece and China will have an immediate impact on the markets. He pointed out that the investor sentiments will be determined by the outcome of a crucial meeting between Greece and its creditors during the weekend. The performance of the Chinese markets will also be closely monitored here. The recent down-

I L N Z E I J D W A N A C C A B W E H C

G E S H H D E N N A U O D Q W N A Z S W

L A O G T K A F L B U I H N Y W B S T I

P A L D U O X R I T S V A B K J I O A R

Y W O L G X H E T G G P D K S R L I R X

A U C F L T F R Y H H E I G E R H G Q I

R D R K R E O T L Y S T Y B L F Q R A M

Z T O C K O I V P F T I E M P I R E Y Y

I W T Y P C J A B B A L D R E E N D O R

E R O E D B Z X O A T G N I W X O E E Y

K V R U F D L S T R O M T R O O P E R U

T W O K F A U K O J O I J I Z U Q P Q Y

of a macroeconomic stability,” he said. The Finance Minister further said India is better placed than most other economies. “On the surface, with various parameters and how the global economy is doing, when we compare ourselves, we may have some opportunity to cheer. Because even in challenging times, we are being looked upon as a brighter spot.” On the global economy, he said the world is passing through troubled times and the IMF has lowered the global growth rate to 3.3 per cent for 2015.

The Law Ministry is vetting the standards and a notification will be issued soon,” a senior Health Ministry official told PTI. The new FSSAI standards are in harmony with the global food standards of Codex Alimentarius Commission, established by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation and World Health Organisation, the official said. FSSAI, under the aegis of Health Ministry, has fixed maximum limit for use of food additives in various food groups to ensure that the intake of additives does not exceed the acceptable daily intake. Similarly, it has set norms for use of ingredients in preparation of processed food items.

DAILY CROSS WORD

CROSSWORD # 3295

C N G N R Q P O F P N I P S E B B K S N

O D M P H E O V B I E U I J N A Z R X N

DIMAPUR Civil Hospital:

G Z F P R D Y P F G S X J K Z O U X J F

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

1. Monotonous sounds 5. Winglike 9. Among 13. District 14. Showers with love 16. Fabricated 17. Absorb written material 18. Expenditure 19. Urgent request 20. Chinese “bear” 22. Insular 24. Ailments 26. Backward-looking 27. Memory loss 30. Craving 33. Political favors 35. Tubs 37. Alien Life Form 38. Opaque gems 41. Genus of macaws 42. Chopin composition 45. Prescribes 48. Slob 51. Handcuffs 52. Yields 54. Roman emperor 55. 14 days 59. Windlass 62. Chocolate cookie

63. Fortuneteller’s card 65. Have the nerve 66. Back 67. Grave marker 68. Got bigger 69. Vipers 70. Biblical garden 71. Visual organs

DOWN

1. Stringed instrument 2. Component of urine 3. Having purpose 4. Anagram of “Ladders” 5. Big fuss 6. French for “Wolf” 7. Fragrant oil 8. Sorrow 9. An ancient jar 10. French Sudan 11. Notion 12. Trade 15. Truth (archaic) 21. As well 23. Baby’s bed 25. Storage cylinder 27. Wings 28. Sheds 29. European peak 31. Unmoving 32. Half of six

34. Unhappy 36. Back talk 39. Cover 40. Glance over 43. Physicians 44. Not odd 46. An old spelling of “True” 47. Shorten 49. Makes changes to 50. Cancel 53. Rip up 55. Ancient marketplaces 56. Mining finds 57. Harvest 58. Lacquered metalware 60. Algonquian Indian 61. Chops 64. Buff Ans to CrossWord 3294

KOHIMA: 0370 2222952/ 101 (O) 9402003086 (OC) DIMAPUR: 03862 232201/ 101 (O) 9436017479 (OC)

CHUMUKEDIMA: 03862 282777/101 (O) 9856158740 (OC) WOKHA: 03860 242215/101 (O) 9862039399 (OC)

MOKOKCHUNG: 0369 2226225/ 101 (O) 9436012949 (OC)

Nagaland Multispe- 248302, cialty Health & 09856006026 Research Centre

PHEK: 8414853765 (O) 9862130954(OC)

KOHIMA

ZUNHEBOTO: 03867 280304/ 101 (O) 9856156876 (OC)

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

TUENSANG: 8414853766 (O) 8414853519 MON: 03869 251222/ 101 (O) 9436208480 (OC)

CHILD WELFARE COMMITTEE

ACROSS

FIRE STATIONS

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

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

K L O P A P B O O A I A J D P I S S I X

the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) showed that retarded growth in manufacturing output slowed India’s overall industrial production expansion to 2.7% for May against 4.1% in April. The main trigger for the coming week will be the Q1 results and the upcoming monsoon session of parliament which will determine the passage of important bills - those on goods and services tax and land acquisition”, Gaurav Jain, director with Hem Securities, told IANS. The barometer of the Indian equity markets, the 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the S&P Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), lost 431.39 points or 1.53% during the weekly trade ended July 10.

turn eroded nearly 40% of the stock value. Though there has been some bounce-back in the Chinese indices, the initial inability of the Chinese government, fund houses and brokerage firms to arrest the fall is a worrying factor. Dinesh Thakkar, chairman and managing director of Angel Broking, told IANS that the Indian markets will now focus on domestic factors going forward. Anand James, co-head, technical research desk, Geojit BNP Paribas, foresaw slight volatility as a reaction to lower-than-expected factory output data and the upcoming Consumer Price Index (CPI) data on Monday. On Friday, after market hours,

Answer Number # 3283

E J H P J V U Y N A L B O Q K O N H A U

mumbai, July 12 (iaNS): Slight volatility on account of subdued factory output data and upcoming inflation numbers might impact the bourses in the coming week, even as the Indian markets recover after slipping on the Greek and Chinese crises. Apart from the upcoming macro numbers, investors will focus on domestic issues like the first quarter results, the monsoon’s progress and the upcoming parliamentary sessions. Market observers predict reluctance on the part of investors to place fresh bets. However, strong economic fundamentals, healthy Q1 results, bullish corporate guidance and supportive macro data might lure them back.

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

If the additional revenue measures are taken into account, the total indirect tax revenue mopup has been up 37.5 per cent, Jaitley said, while adding that the nominal GDP growth will be much higher. Jaitley, however also cautioned the economy also has its owns challenges, while there are “reasons for us to smile” with a growth figure of 7.3 per cent for last year and the projected growth rate of 8 per cent for this year in the backdrop of a slowdown in global economy. “... there are some indices which give us an image

Markets to be volatile ahead of key macro data

WDEA while entrepreneurs prospect (session-I) and business benefits (session-II) were presented by M James Tungoe proprietor M/s. Hotel Hornbill Restaurant and Lichio Murry proprietor M/s. Steel fabrication respectively. Short speeches were delivered by Mhonlumo Odyuo, vice chairman Lotha Hoho; Thungchamo Humtsoe, ERSU President; and Thungrhomo Odyuo Headmaster GHS Englan. Other highlights of the programme include presentation of song by GHS students Englan and Guitar recital by Chenithung Khuvung proprietor of Vonjen’s School of Music, Wokha.

LEISURE

our aspiration to cross that 8 per cent level and get on to the 8-10 per cent growth target is not something which is completely out of sight, but is something which may be imminently achievable,” he said. The Minister said there are “some sporadic data” which indicate a significant recovery and referred to the indirect tax collection during the first quarter of the fiscal. The data indicates that Customs Duty, Excise Duty and Service Tax, even without additional revenue measures, were up 14.5 per cent over the past fiscal, Jaitley said.

InFocus planning smartphone FSSAI sets 12,000 standards manufacturing hub in India for food additives, ingredient

dating environment using local language. M. Kath, Sr. Branch Manager, LIC; Khrielie Pienyu, Branch Manager, UCO Bank; Nikato Sema, AVP and Branch Head, Axis Bank; Vizo Kere, Branch Manager, NStCB; and Bendang Aier, AGM, NABARD were the resource persons. Discussion on the importance of financial planning and presentations on Dairy Entrepreneurship Development Scheme (DEDS) and Social Security Schemes like Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and Atal Pension Yojana (APY) were the major highlights of the programme. This was followed by an interactive session with the participants, a press release from NABARD stated.

WDEA inculcates entrepreneurial strategy WoKha, July 12 (mExN): Espousing its objective of encouraging young entrepreneur for setting up their own projector unit either through individual investment or government funding instead of hunting for white collar job alone, the Entrepreneurship Development Cell (EDC) under the aegis of the Wokha District Entrepreneurs’ Association (WDEA), organized block level (range level) - 1 day entrepreneurship awareness camp (EAC) on July 11 at GHS Campus, Englan. Altogether 60 participants consisting of educated un-employed youth, business units, students and aspiring entrepre-

cent excess rainfall despite a late arrival and a droughtlike prediction and the rest of the monsoon may also be good, he said. Speaking at the Nabard Foundation Day function here, Jaitley said the “silver lining” is that revenue collection situation is expected to be more comfortable than last year. He said with the ongoing reform process, proposed GST, increased infrastructure investment and emphasis on smart cities, India can very much achieve 8-10 per cent GDP growth. “When all these initiatives get onto the field, then

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LOCAL

The Morung Express

Monday 13 July 2015

Kiphire bid adieu to Yangkimong Sangtam Morung Express News

Biography of Late Yangkimong Sangtam

Kiphire | July 12

Centenarian Yangkimong Sangtam who breathed his last in the dawn of July 11, was laid to rest at his private residence at Kiphire Town today. Thousands of well wishers from all walks of life bearing the scorching sun attended the funeral service that was held at Deluxe Point Kiphire town. Late Yangkimong who hails from Singrep Village of Kiphire district left his 10 children and 144 grand children. Various organization leaders from Kiphire district and tribal Hohos delivered a condolence messages. A Chumremo Odyuo Deputy Commissioner Kiphire

◉ Tatar during NNC period in mid 1950s ◉ Post Commander of VG Singrep 1962 ◉ GB Singrep Village ◉ Dobashi in 1973. ◉ Head GB Kiphire town in early 1980s ◉ ACM (1984 to 1989 ◉ Advisor to USLP 1988 to 1991. ◉ President , Kiphire District GBs Association (2004 to 2013) ◉ President, Kiphire District GBs and DBs Joint Forum (2007 to 2013) ◉ Head GB Kiphire Town till his last breath.

Public of Kiphire proceeding towards the house of Late Yangkimong Sangtam for the funeral service.

and TC Sangtam IAS (Retd) were among those who pay tributes to the departed Centenarian at the funeral.

Tribal Hoho from USLP, Tikhir Community Kiphire Yimchungru Community Town also delivered a conKiphire Town, Sumi Com- dolence messages. munity Kiphire Town and Paying their last hom-

age to the departed soul, the inhabitants of Kiphire took the coffin and held a public motorcade in the town before the funeral service. After the funeral service, the VG Piper’s Band escorted the coffin

Don’t entertain unauthorised Gorkha community observe Bhanu Jayanti collectors: NNC (NA Kiumakum) Dimapur, July 12 (mExN): Informing the public and business establishment that some individual or groups are collecting donation/tax in and around Dimapur using its name, the NNC (NA Kiumakum) today informed everyone concerned not entertain such “unauthorised collectors.” The Chairman of Naga National Council (Non Accordist), Kiumakum

UT-I Dimapur, Kihovi Aye in a press note further warned that it will “come down strongly” on any person – whether national workers or others – who indulges in unauthorised taxation or collection by taking the name of the organisation. The general public or business establishment can contact chairman at 9863075985 for any kind of information, the press note added.

NCD informs Councillors Dimapur, July 12 (mExN): The office of the Office of Naga Council, Dimapur has informed all its Councillors to collect their Identity Cards from the office from July 13 to 15 during office hours.

Gorkha youth of Purana Bazaar a cultural song during the programme at the Town Hall on July 12.

Dimapur, July 11 (mExN): The Gorkha Youth Club Dimapur organised a cultural programme at the Town Hall, Dimapur on July 12. The cultural programme coincided with the Bhanu

Jayanti celebration, which is observed to honour the contribution of legendary Gorkha literary figure Bhanu Bhakta Acharya. The programme had in attendance Kumar Subba, chairman of the Dimapur

Peace Channel’s holds capacity building program Kohima, July 12 (mExN): Under the theme, “Youth as a transformative leader,” a one day capacity building program was organized by Peace channel, Kohima on July 11 at St. Joseph’s Hr. Sec. School, Viswema. Altogether, 60 students participated in the program. Speaking on the theme as the resource person, Victor Kevilhouthie Yhome, Convener, People’s Forum for Peace(PFP) Kohima said that "Leaders are many but leaders with a differ-

ence is few" and rued that the present generation of youth see no role model in their leaders. He stated that youth is the best stage of one’s life to usher in any form of change and development and pointed out that, individual transformation is the only gateway for any changes especially social change. “When individuals are transformed, he or she started to transform others and situations, thus creating further channels of peace,” he maintained

citing the exemplary lives of Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi. He also strongly asserted that, family is the smallest unit of society and so if there is something wrong in the society, there is something wrong in the family. In the second session on “Personality Development”, he urged the students to be choosy and be mindful of their companions as one’s type of personality or character can be understood by the companionship he

Gorkha Union as the chief guest. Bishnu Bhattacharjee, president of the NPF (Central) Minority Wing and Gayatri Devi, general secretary of the Gorkha Mothers Association were the guests of honour. Several leading organizations of the community alongwith the Gorkhas of Dimapur attended the celebration.

with a music “Blest be the tie that binds” and then proceeded towards his private residence for cremation. The public of Kiphire was led by District Administration, Police, AR and GBs and DBs of Kiphire.

Dimapur, July 12 (mExN): The Dimapur Police today has once again reminded the general public to be aware about the changes in vehicular traffic rules which will come into effect from Monday, July 13. The Addl. Dy. Commissioner of Police/PRO, Dimapur in a press reminder stated that the GS Road, Dimapur will be made two-ways for vehicular traffic from July 13 and the following changes will come into effects for strict observance by the commuters. • Commuters proceeding from Flyover towards Army Supply Road/Dhobinalla junction and adjoining roads are advised to proceed via GS Road by taking the Y-junction turn at the Flyover. • Parking of four wheelers and two wheelers along the GS Road will be allowed only at designated spaces allotted. • No carts/thellas/rickshaws will be allowed to ply at GS Road from 0900 hrs to 1800 hrs. • No dual parking will be allowed. All vehicles should be parked at designated spaces. • Two wheelers are requested to be parked using centre stand. Defaulters will be penalized/vehicles towed away, the press note added.

right thinking citizens. Lauding the Police for their “timely intervention”, it appealed to the authority concerned to award befitting punishment to the culprits. PTU: The Pfutsero Traders Union has strongly condemned the July 1 assault on Sanyi Dukru. A press note from the union has further appealed to the law enforcing agency to identify the perpetrators and enforce fair justice.

MSTD condemns Kohima firing incident The Mopungchuket Senso Telongjem, Dimapur today strongly condemned the firing by unidentified miscreant (s) at the residence of Parliamentary Secretary, Geology & Mining, of Dr. Imtiwapang Aier on July 9. “Such cowardly act in a civilised society is unacceptable and should be condemned by all,” the

New traffic rules in Dimapur from today

CoNDemNatioNS CRPO : The Chizami Range Public Organization, Kohima has expressed its outrage and vehemently condemned the brutal assualt on Sanyi Dukru on July 1 at Murgipatti, Dimapur. Terming the assault ' intolerable,' the CRPOK President Liengute Doulo and Gen. Secy Khrope Tsuhah in a press note said, "Such an arrogant attitude of the non- local traders towards the local entrepreneur is totally uncalled for and should be viewed seriously by all the

Dimapur

MSTD stated in a press note issued by its president, Imkongliba Lemtur and general secretary, Sentitemsu Aier. It further appealed the concerned authority to apprehend the perpetrator(s) and take necessary action to maintain peace and tranquillity in the society.

Pfutsero College farewell program pfutsEro, July 12 (mExN): A farewell program for the outgoing principal, Dr. Watijungshi Jamir was held on July 9 at Pfutsero Government College. Students, staff and well wishers from different government and public organizations gathered at the college Auditorium to honour the Principal. In his speech, the outgoing Principal expressed mixed feelings of both happiness and sadness on his leave. Yet, he challenged the students and staff to work diligently in this competitively changing world. And encouraged the students to work hard and bring laurels to the college and the community. He raised his expectations that students excel in competitive exams and wished to see students from this college as IAS officers in future. He exhorted the teaching staff to work for the welfare of the college and help the community and also to invest in ‘capacity building’ to bring change and development.

or she keeps. He recalled the saying that “birds of the same feather flock together” and so are people of the same character go together and opined that, as peace volunteers, positive personality is important and inevitable which can act as an instrument itself to influence people to desire for positive change and transformation. Practical activities on personality development tests and educative recreational games were featured in the sessions, a Yimchung Berii Cultural Club, Kohima a performs cultural song during the silver jubilee celebration of Yimchunger press note informed. Students’ Union Kohima on July 11 at State Academy Hall, Kohima on July 11.

Public SPace

Should Nagaland be really under “Disturbed area” status?

Oken Jeet Sandham

he “Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA)” and the “Disturbed Area Act (DAA)” are synonymous with the people of the Northeast India. The rest of the people of India might feel otherwise on hearing such Act imposed on the Northeastern States. But to the Northeastern people, it is not new thing as they have been living with these Acts for decades. What is AFSPA or DAA? Once any area of any State or Union Territory or the whole of any State or Union Territory of the country is declared as “Disturbed” as per the Section 3 of AFSPA, the members of the armed forces are empowered with certain special powers to act in those areas declared as “Disturbed.” And currently, most of the Northeastern States of India are under the purview of the DAA and thereby empowering the Indian armed forces to act under the most controversial and draconian AFSPA. Under this Act, any commissioned officer, warrant officer, noncommissioned officer or any other person of equivalent rank in the armed forces may, in a disturbed area:(a) if he is of opinion that it is necessary so to do for the maintenance of public order, after giving such due warning as he may consider necessary, fire upon or otherwise use force; even to the causing of death, against

any person who is acting in contravention of any law or order for the time being in force in the disturbed area prohibiting the assembly of five or more persons or the carrying of weapons or of things capable of being used as weapons or of fire-arms, ammunition or explosive substances; (b) if he is of opinion that it is necessary so to do, destroy any arms dump, prepared or fortified position or shelter from which armed attacks are made or are likely to be made or are attempted to be made or any structure used as a training camp for armed volunteers or utilized as a hideout by armed gangs or absconders wanted for any offence; (c) arrest without warrant, any person who has committed a cognizable offence or against whom a reasonable suspicion exists that he has committed or is about to commit a cognizable offence and may use such force as may be necessary to effect the arrest; (d) enter and search without warrant any premises to make any such arrest as aforesaid or to recover any person believed to be wrongfully restrained and confined or any property reasonably suspected to be stolen property or any arms, ammunition or explosive substances believed to be unlawfully kept in such premises, and may for that purpose use such force as may be necessary. So the Act simply gives carte blanche to the Indian armed forces

in the areas declared as “Disturbed” in the name of assisting the Civil Administration. In all these, they are immune as no prosecution, suit or other legal proceeding shall be instituted, except with the previous sanction of the Central Government, against any person in respect of anything done or purported to be done in exercise of the powers conferred by this Act. This Act is draconian and simply an anti-democracy. This Act is nothing but a license to kill indiscriminately. This Act also fundamentally conflicts the Fundamental Rights enshrined in the Constitution of India. This Act must go and it should no more be used in this modern and civilized world. But sadly, this Act is still in force in many Northeastern States. One must remember that to give such draconian power to the security forces fighting against the Naga underground people, Delhi, for the first time, brought out the “Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act” Bill in 1958. The Bill was passed by both the Houses of Parliament and it received the assent of the President on 11th September, 1958. Yet, this Act has become one of the most controversial Acts today in the country – drawing flaks from around the world. Nagaland was like a laboratory theatre for the Indian army to experiment the new “Act.” Imagine, the hell bent in the 50s, 60s, 70s when so-called a few educated Nagas had hardly realized the nature of the Act. Only after decades, people

started raising the specter of it. Now the relative peace is prevalent at least in Nagaland because of the ceasefires with various Naga underground groups. At the same time, the Government of India has been holding political negotiations with the leaders of the NSCN (IM) for nearly two decades for finding permanent solution to the Naga political issue. Of late, there have been attacks on Indian security forces by NSCN (K) and unfortunately, they started such attacks on them (security forces) after unilaterally abrogating their 14-year truce with Delhi in March this year. However, the civil societies, state government and many stakeholders have been requesting the Government of India as well as the leaders of the NSCN (K) for resumption of their ceasefire as it is also the desire of the people of the state. While doing so, the Centre declared entire Nagaland as a "disturbed area" stating that a "dangerous condition" prevails in the state and armed forces should assist the civil administration in maintaining law and order. This again gives the sweeping power to the Security forces under the draconian Act --- AFSPA. In a gazette notification, the home ministry said that it was of the opinion that the whole state of Nagaland is in such a disturbed or dangerous condition that the use of armed forces in aid of civil power is necessary.

"Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 1958, the central government hereby declares that whole of the said state to be a disturbed area for a period of one year with effect from June 30, 2015 for the purpose of the act," the notification said. Chief Minister TR Zeliang and several civil societies in Nagaland expressed their discontentment and anguish over the Center’s declaring the entire State as a “Disturbed area.” They have demanded for immediate revocation of the AFSPA from Nagaland. In fact, for the last many years, when NSCN (K) was in truce with Delhi for 14 years, there was relative peace in Nagaland. Even leaders of various Naga underground factions had developed good rapport among them after the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) put unprecedented efforts for reconciliation among them. So, relative peace has been prevalent in the state. Soon after Neiphiu Rio became the Chief Minister of Nagaland in 2003, his Government had been opposing tooth and nail to Delhi’s attempts to extend “disturbed area” status in the state citing various reasons of the relative peace in the state. In spite of such requests from the State Government, Delhi turned a deaf ear and announced extension of “Disturbed area status” as if the situa-

tion in Nagaland was like 80s or early 90s. They had no compunction to the honest recommendations of the State Government. As such, the Center’s recent extension of “Disturbed area” for another one year in Nagaland is not unexpected. Whether there is peace or violence in Nagaland, Delhi has the same mind and cannot see the changes taking place in the State even after their prolonged political negotiations with the Naga underground leaders and truces with them. They cannot even trust their comrade Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of State for Home, in-charge of Northeast, as could be seen from his startling revelation that he was not aware of the Center’s recent decision to declare entire Nagaland as “Disturbed area” under the AFSPA. We should also be ashamed of what the UN and Amnesty International questioning the AFSPA some years back and they even already asked India to revoke it from the Northeastern States of India saying it had no place in Indian democracy, besides it clearly violates International Law. It now appears that DAA may continue to be in force in Nagaland even if the Naga political issue is resolved. The leadership of the country has not realized till now that the AFSPA is anti-democratic and against the very Fundamental Rights enshrined in the Constitution of India.

The Morung Express states 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.

IN-FOCUS

The Power of Truth

The Morung Express monAy 13 9July THursDAy July2015 2015volumE volumEXXIssuE IssuE190 185 By Along Longkumer

Biodiversity Ruin

ven as India’s ambitious ‘National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm’ (NMOOP) covers new ground, expanding its reach into Northeast India including Nagaland, a word of caution here. Due to ignorance of the public many of us may not be aware, yet there is a whole lot of concern when it comes to oil palm—one of the fastest growing agricultural crops in the world. Oil palm is regarded as a highly productive crop, and according to studies, “palm oil is not only cheap but also extremely versatile, and is put to diverse uses as biofuel, lubricant, cooking oil, and as an additive in the food and cosmetic industries”. The cultivation of this so called amazing crop, however, comes at an immense ecological cost, which perhaps the government departments promoting such cultivation programmes will not tell you. It is common knowledge that oil palm cultivation like any other commercial plantations leads to immense loss of forests and the life that it sustains. This has been especially true of Indonesia and Malaysia, which collectively are the largest global producers of palm oil. In Indonesia for instance, the forest habitat of the Orangutan (Pongo abelii) has been severely depleted because of replacement with oil palm plantation. So why should we in Nagaland or other NE States be worried? Well to start with, India is reportedly the world’s largest consumer and importer of palm oil. And to pay for this is becoming way too expensive. And therefore the rationale is for the north eastern states to take up palm oil cultivation in a big way to reduce India's dependence on edible oil imports, which according to figures a few years back was around Rs 63,000 crore. This is precisely what the Union Agriculture Minister in the previous UPA-II government told a conference of agriculture and horticulture ministers of north eastern states in Gangtok a few years back, urging them to take up the cultivation of the commodity in a bigger way. Ever since then, the NMOOP has been rolling out its programme in the region, to meet its target (to augment domestic palm oil production) without giving any proper information or awareness on such cultivation and its adverse effect on the environment. Nagaland is listed along with Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram for oil palm cultivation under the NMOOP with funding (subsidies and other incentives) probably underway but without real knowledge about the pros and cons of such projects. Studies have shown that Mizoram, which is already at the forefront of oil palm cultivation, has lost close to “17,500 hectares of community-managed forest”. Against this backdrop, the government of Nagaland should undertake a proper environment impact assessment of such kind of development project—oil palm cultivation in this case and only then take an informed decision whether to go ahead with such programmes. Policy makers should for a moment step back and reflect on the experience of countries like Indonesia and Malaysia, where plantations, spread across millions of hectares in these two countries, has been held responsible for a third of their combined loss of forest in the past decade. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) estimated that the expansion of oil palm plantations is likely to cause 4 million hectares of forest loss in biodiversity-rich areas — such as Sumatra, Borneo, Papua New Guinea and the Congo basin — by 2020. The promise of economic security that such development projects may claim should not however blind us to the tragedy that can come about—environmental damage, biodiversity loss, social turmoil and climate change. Interestingly, the European Parliament on April 28, 2015 has agreed on new EU laws to limit the use of crop-based biofuels. The EU law makers ruled that biofuels can compete with food production, contribute to climate change, and put pressure on land use. Also the latest plantation buzz in Nagaland is reportedly coffee where big plans are afoot to tap into this cash crop potential. Environment Impact Assessment is a must before going ahead with any commercial plans. The Nagaland government should do a rethink on development projects that will do more harm than good for people, the environment and the climate. People and the community at large should also speak out on such issues before it is too late. (The writer is a former Editor of the Morung Express and presently serving as a board member. Feedback may be sent to alongnews@yahoo.com)

lEfT WING |

Philip Pullella

Pope Francis criticises capitalism

ope Francis on July 9 urged the downtrodden to change the world economic order, denouncing a “new colonialism” by agencies that impose austerity programs and calling for the poor to have the “sacred rights” of labour, lodging and land. In one of the longest, most passionate and sweeping speeches of his pontificate, the Argentine-born pope also asked forgiveness for the sins committed by the Roman Catholic Church in its treatment of native Americans during what he called the “so-called conquest of America.” Quoting a fourth century bishop, he called the unfettered pursuit of money “the dung of the devil,” and said poor countries should not be reduced to being providers of raw material and cheap labour for developed countries. Repeating some of the themes of his landmark encyclical “Laudato Si” on the environment last month, Francis said time was running out to save the planet from perhaps irreversible harm to the ecosystem. Francis made the address to participants of the second world meeting of popular movements, an international body that brings together organisations of people on the margins of society, including the poor, the unemployed and peasants who have lost their land. The Vatican hosted the first meeting last year. He said he supported their efforts to obtain “so elementary and undeniably necessary a right as that of the three “L’s”: land, lodging and labour.” His speech was preceded by lengthy remarks from leftist Bolivian President Evo Morales, who wore a jacket adorned with the face of Argentine revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara. “Let us not be afraid to say it: we want change, real change, structural change,” the pope said, decrying a system that “has imposed the mentality of profit at any price, with no concern for social exclusion or the destruction of nature.” ‘INTOLERABLE’ SYSTEM “This system is by now intolerable: farm workers find it intolerable, labourers find it intolerable, communities find it intolerable, peoples find it intolerable … The earth itself – our sister, Mother Earth, as Saint Francis would say – also finds it intolerable,” he said in an hour-long speech that was interrupted by applause and cheering dozens of times. Since his election in 2013, the first pope from Latin America has often spoken out in defence of the poor and against unbridled capitalism but the speech in this Bolivian city was the most comprehensive to date on the issues he has championed. “No actual or established power has the right to deprive peoples of the full exercise of their sovereignty. Whenever they do so, we see the rise of new forms of colonialism which seriously prejudice the possibility of peace and justice,” he said. “The new colonialism takes on different faces. At times it appears as the anonymous influence of mammon: corporations, loan agencies, certain ‘free trade’ treaties, and the imposition of measures of ‘austerity’ which always tighten the belt of workers and the poor,” he said.

THE EDIT PAGE

C O M M E N T A R Y

Tia Goldenberg Associated Press

Boycott drive against Israel gains strength, raises alarm

en years ago, a small group of Palestinian activists had a novel idea: Inspired by the anti-apartheid movement, they called for a global boycott movement against Israel as a nonviolent method to promote the Palestinian struggle for independence. Long confined to the sidelines, the so-called BDS movement appears to be gaining momentum — so much so that Israel has identified it as a strategic threat on a par with Palestinian militant groups and the Iranian nuclear program. While Israel says the movement is rooted in anti-Semitism, its decentralized organization and language calling for universal human rights have proven difficult to counter, resulting in a string of recent victories that have alarmed Israeli leaders. "We are now beginning to harvest the fruits of 10 years of strategic, morally consistent and undeniably effective BDS campaigning," said Omar Barghouti, one of the group's co-founders. "BDS is winning the battles for hearts and minds across the world, despite Israel's still hegemonic influence among governments in the U.S. and Europe." The BDS movement — named for its call for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel — began as an idea by 170 Palestinian civil society groups worldwide in 2005. It has grown into a global network of thousands of volunteers lobbying corporations, artists and academic institutions to sever ties with Israel. Its members include campus activists, church groups and even liberal American Jews disillusioned by Israeli policies. Most worrying for Israel, some of the group's core positions toward products made in West Bank settlements are starting to be embraced by European governments. Although the EU says it opposes boycotts of Israel, it is exploring guidelines for labeling settlement products, which many in Israel fear could be a precursor to a full-fledged ban. Settlement products, which make up a tiny percentage of Israeli exports, include wines, dates and cosmetics. At a time when peace efforts are frozen and show no sign of getting back on track under a new hard-line government, Israelis fear such sentiment will increase. "The concern is that there will be a spillover to a much wider phenomenon that will become mainstream and erode support for Israel," said Emmanuel Nahshon of Israel's Foreign Ministry. The BDS movement has three goals: to end Israel's occupation of territories captured in the 1967 Mideast war, to end discrimination suffered by Arab citizens of Israel, and to promote the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to family properties lost in the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948. For Israel, this last position is nothing less than a call for its destruction. Israel opposes the Palestinian "right of return," saying a massive influx of refugees would mean the end of the country as a Jewish state. The international community favors a "two-state solution" creating a Palestinian state alongside Israel, and even Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has indicated willingness to compromise on the refugee issue under a final peace deal. Barghouti, a U.S.-educated engineer who also holds a graduate degree at Israel's Tel Aviv University, said the BDS movement is "completely neutral" on the political solution to the conflict. But he said he represents the Palestinian "consensus," and any deal that "undermines our basic rights under international law and perpetuates the colonial oppression" is unacceptable. As for his attendance at a university he asks others to boycott, he said Palestinians "cannot possibly observe the same boycott guidelines as asked of internationals," adding that the "indigenous population" is entitled to all services they can get from the system. Israeli leaders consider the movement to be the latest in a history of antagonists out to destroy the Jewish people. "We are in the midst of a great struggle being waged against the state of Israel, an international

FILE - In this Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2015 file photo, a poster calling people to boycott Israeli products is seen on a shop door in the West Bank city of Ramallah. A boycott movement called BDS, which was started by Palestinian activists 10 years ago, has three goals: to end Israel's occupation of territories captured in the 1967 Mideast war, to end discrimination suffered by Arab citizens of Israel, and to promote the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to family properties lost in the war surrounding Israel’s creation in 1948. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed, File)

campaign to blacken its name," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said recently. "It is not connected to our actions. It is connected to our very existence." The BDS movement is led by a West Bank-based national committee with representatives from around the world, which sets guidelines but allows local branches to decide their own strategy. It focuses on battles with a reasonable chance of success. So some of the biggest companies active in Israel, such as Microsoft and Intel, have not been targeted. Battles have taken place in U.S. food co-ops and city councils. The movement has helped organize several boycotts by U.S. and British academic unions and has made inroads on American campuses. Roughly a dozen student governments have approved divestment proposals. Entertainers, including Roger Waters, Elvis Costello and Lauryn Hill have refused to perform in Israel. The BDS movement also claims responsibility for pressuring some large companies to stop or alter operations in Israel, including carbonated drink maker SodaStream, French construction company Veolia and international security firm G4S. Last month, Britain's national student union joined the movement. Last week, the top legislative body of the United Church of Christ voted to divest from companies with business in the Israelioccupied territories, following a similar move by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) last year. The Episcopal Church and Mennonite Church USA also considered divestment proposals recently, with the Episcopalians rejecting it and the Mennonites deferring action for two years. Perhaps the biggest blow was last month's announcement by the chief executive of French mobile phone giant Orange that he wanted to end his partnership with Israeli carrier Partner Communications. He cited his desire to improve business in the Arab world. Although CEO Stephane Richard later traveled to Israel to apologize, Orange and Partner announced plans to unwind their deal. The idea of boycotts is extremely sensitive in Israel. Netanyahu has referred to the Nazis' boycott of Jewish businesses and artists in 1930s Germany before the Holocaust — though that campaign took place when the Nazi party held power and was accompanied by acts of violence and virulent anti-Semitic slogans. "The attacks on the Jews were always preceded by the slander of the Jews," Netanyahu recently said. In the 1970s and 1980s, Arab countries pressured companies doing business with them to shun Israel.

Currently, Israel is fending off attempts by the boycotters to compare Israeli policies in the West Bank to South African apartheid. BDS activists deny being fueled by anti-Semitism, saying their battle is against Israel, not Jews. They point to a small but growing number of Jewish supporters, including the U.S.-based "Jewish Voice for Peace," whose 9,000 dues-paying members support a boycott of Israel. Naomi Dann, JVP's media coordinator, said the stance stems from frustration over failed U.S.-backed peace efforts. She said that while the group recognizes the Jewish attachment to Israel, it can't come at the expense of Palestinians. "It's not about destroying Israel," she said. "But full equal rights and a democratic society are more important than preserving the Jewish character of the state." It remains difficult to quantify the BDS movement's actual achievements. Leading global companies, including Microsoft, Google, Apple and Intel, maintain operations in Israel. Major entertainers, including Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga, Madonna and Rihanna, have performed in Israel in recent years. A February report by Israel's Finance Ministry concluded the BDS movement has had a negligible economic impact. But it outlined some worst-case scenarios, including EU government-led boycotts or cancellation of free-trade agreements. Likewise, a recent study by the Rand Corp. said that while the BDS movement "has not yet had a significant negative effect" on Israel, it is growing and Israeli leaders fear it could have "substantial detrimental effects" on the economy. Last month, Jewish billionaires Sheldon Adelson and Haim Saban led a Las Vegas fundraiser to fight the BDS movement at U.S. universities. Israel's justice minister, Ayeled Shaked, instructed her ministry to prepare "legal steps" against the movement. This week, Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton said she opposed the BDS movement. David Makovsky, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and former member of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's peace team, said Israel must show it is serious about the creation of a Palestinian state to slow the momentum. "You can reduce its scope, its impact by making clear when the prime minister ... says he supports two states for two people that he is not then going to say Israel will settle in what will be a future Palestinian state," he said.

Thai farmers ask spirits for rain to end drought Thanyarat Doksone

Associated Press

nder the scorching sun, dozens of Thai villagers, dressed in flowery shirts and traditional costumes, parade a white cat caged in a bamboo-woven basket door-to-door and let neighbors splash water on the unlucky feline, while chanting an ancient tune: "Rain, rain, come pouring down. We barely had any this year. Without rain, our rice will die." It's a desperate plea to the god of rain, in the belief it will hear the cat's cry and answer the farmers' prayers. Thailand's rainy season officially began in the last week of May, but it rained only once in the Ban Lueam district in northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima province. It is one of more than 250 districts — or nearly 20 percent of the country — that have been declared emergency disaster zones as the prolonged drought becomes the worst in decades, its impact felt most acutely by farmers growing Thailand's most important agricultural export: rice. At the beginning of July, the amount of usable water in major dams across the country — except in the west — dropped to below 10 percent, according to the Irrigation Department. The water level at Bhumibol Dam has dropped to its lowest point in 51 years. In the capital, Bangkok, the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority has been slowing down tap water produc-

tion since May. The head of the authority, Gov. Thanasak Watanathana, told The Associated Press that without rains, the current water supply for daily consumption in Bangkok and its nearby provinces will last only 30 days. However, he said forecasters are expecting rains next month. For rice farmers, it may already be too late. The drought and the critical water shortage in dams have prompted the Agriculture Ministry to ask farmers to hold off on planting their crops. The Office of Agricultural Economics estimated that the delay could cost farmers in Thailand's central plains alone 60 billion baht ($1.8 billion) in potential losses. "Every year in the past, in June and July, in every part of the country — the north, the central or the northeast — farmers would have started planting their rice," said Sompong Inthong, the permanent secretary at the Agriculture Ministry. "The real damage will be with those who have already planted but there's not enough water. We have to look at how we can help them." The Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation Department have sent a fleet of propeller aircrafts on more than 3,000 flights since March to increase precipitation by cloud seeding, an artificial rainmaking technique spearheaded by King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Despite the high rate of success, it did little to fill the dams. Together with Vietnam, Thailand is one of the world's top rice exporters. But because of the drought, the Office of Agricultural Economics estimates this year's main crop will decrease by 11 percent, or about 24 million tons from the average of 27 million tons per year. The Thai Rice Exporters Association says at least 3 million tons of offseason rice has disappeared from the stock since the beginning of the year due to the drought. The main concern, however, is the main farming cycle, which begins in May and is harvested as early as October. "If the main crop's produce is damaged, even 10 or 20 percent, it means the amount of rice will drop drastically," said Chookiat Ophaswongse, the association's honorary president. "If there's still little rain from now, I'm afraid it will make quite an impact on next year's export figures." He said that Thailand's competitiveness against rival exporters, such as Vietnam, "which have less impact from the drought than Thailand, will be affected." Meteorologists from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA say 2014 was the hottest year on record since 1880, when Earth's average surface temperature has warmed by about 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degrees Celsius) — a

WRITE-WING

trend that is largely driven by the increase in carbon dioxide and other human emissions into the planet's atmosphere. The majority of that warming has occurred in the past three decades. The reason involves El Nino, a warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean that affects weather worldwide. This year, NOAA says, El Nino has an 85 percent chance of lasting through winter 2015-2016. In Ban Lueam, a drought-plagued rural district 340 kilometers (211 miles) northeast of Bangkok, several hundred farmers did not have any choices but to start growing their rice and hope for the rain. Last week, Boonchan Thasunthorn, 58, finished plowing nearly 16 acres (6 1/2 hectares) of his rice farms by using a crumbling 16-year-old manual tractor. He said he would rather take risk by sowing the crops in the absence of rain than holding off until it was too late. Boonchan's village is outside the irrigation zone and the only access to natural water is the Chi River, which has nearly dried up. "I'm just waiting for it to rain. ... If the drought continues, it's going to be tough for me. But I can't just sit here and do nothing, or else I'll starve," he said, adding that he still owed 100,000 baht ($2,950) to the Bank of Agriculture for the equipment and maintenance costs for his farms. "This drought has hit me the hardest, but I don't know what else to do. Once you're a farmer, it's hard to be something else."

Letters to the Editor should be sent to: The morung Express, House No. 4, Duncan Bosti, Dimapur - 797112, Or –email: morung@gmail.com All letters (including those via email) should have the full name and Postal address of the sender. Readers may please note that the contents of the articles, letters and opinions published do not reflect the outlook of this paper nor of the Editor in any form.

Monday

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

13 July 2015

NEWS ANALYSIS, FEATURE AND DISCOURSE

The Morung Express pOll rESulTS

Do you think that the Nagaland State Government listens and acts only when the public agitate? 61%

30%

09%

YES

7 PERSPECTIVE A FiSh CAlleD ObAmblA

OTHER

Some of those who voted YES had this to say: • Yes. Most governments are like that.... anticipation is very rare • Yes this seems to be the trend. The government does not necessarily solve the problem, but it reacts only when people start agitating. This is becoming into a bad habit and this is not good. • Yes to some extent. That is why we have so many agitations and deadlines by different organizations. • Yes, but the problem is the organizations end up compromising and this gives the state government the opportunity to escape. Everytime there is a agitation, after few days you will read in the paper that the agitation has been suspended. The public ends up becomes like fools. Those organizations who go on agitation should walk the talk and take the protest to its logical conclusion. They should not compromise but see to it that the government fulfills their demands in toto. Some of those who voted no had this to say: • Not at all. No amount of protests and agitation has made the government to listen to the people. It is as if there is no government in the first place. • Hell NO! "In Mexico an air conditioner is called a politician because it makes a lot of noise but doesn't work very well." • NO, They listen and wait for the public to act. • Its time to step out and protest..we rarely agitate..i dont think we even agitate..the pic does not only say about independence..we want free corruption.. we want good roads.etc etc.. • No. When has the Nagaland government ever listened to the people unless the public have taken to the streets. • No, they are drunk with power and are deaf to the problems of the state. • Even if the public protests, the government does not listen or act on the problems. • In our state the voice of the people is taken for granted. The Government turns to the public only during the election year, but for the remainder of the 4 years, they don’t care at all. • No, the state government has no empathy for the public at all. They only care for themselves and no one else. Some of those who voted OTHERS had this to say: • I don't know if they exist or not! • They don't react at all • They listen but no action • Too busy doing their own thing • Government hi nai around ki listen • Which Government /whose Government ?????? What Government are we talking about when democracy is murdered here by the One man Government . We cannot call GON Government !!!!!! Had there been a Government then today Nagaland will be amongst the developed towns/cities/ District /States !!!!! • Nagas are living their lives as if there is no government • There are many governments in Nagaland but no governance. Every government exists like leech to suck the public dry of all developments. The public too is responsible for failure to remove corrupt leaders through democratic means and mechanisms. • They neither "yes or no" just sit at their chair become a 'acting chairman'

ast week, I told you the story of my grandfather’s theory of conflict titled OKCRT. Just to remind you, OK-CRT is short for Odera K’Ogwande Conflict Resolution Theory. Today, I will tell you of a real conflict resolution encounter that I witnessed where I saw and heard OK-CRT at work. I have titled this story “A Fish Called Obambla” since the conflict revolves around a fish...or not. First, let us talk about this fish called obambla. Let us unpack it, as the NGO people would say. My people, the Luo people, are predominantly fish eaters. That is partly why most of my ancestors have always followed the river Nile, from Sudan through Uganda to our current home in Gem, not too far from Lake Sango (after stealing our country, the British later called it Lake Victoria). In fact, the name of our people, Luo, literally means “to follow.” So, in our migration history, we have always been near a river or a fresh water lake from where we obtain fresh fish. One favorite species of fish amongst the Luois called Obambla. The beauty of the Obambla fish is that after fishing it (English is difficult) it can be split open into almost two equal halves, dried, smoked and stored for a long period. That is why Obambla is always available even during the season when the elders, or nowadays the government, decree that there should be no fishing to allow a replenishing of stock. So, what is special about Obambla when it is cooked? One, since the fish is usually split into two but not broken into two pieces; it usually cooked with the inside of the fish facing up. That way, it makes it easier for the person eating to simply peel off the flesh from the bones and do justice to meal. Usually such a meal would be accompanied with our favorite kuon, made from maize meal, and some vegetables on the side. So, you might ask, what has a fish – it’s shape, when and how it is eaten – have to do with conflict and the grand OKCRT theory? One day, right after dinner, Kwara Odera K’Ogwande, called the family gathering to order. The dinner had brought together almost every member of the homestead. It is possible word had gone round amongst the adults that this meeting would happen. The silence was loud as Kwara cleared his throat and prepared to speak. As usual, he began with the history of our people and focused on the defining conflict that happened decades ago at a place

Mirembe! by Babu Ayindo called in Karachuonyo. It is this conflict, my grandfather reminded us that led to split in our clan and the eventual migration of our people towards Maseno and onward to our current home in Gem district. Grandpa then narrowed the focus of his narrative and spoke of the feats of our ancestors in Gem area. He even spoke about one of our chiefs, Odera Kang’o, who used his whip any parent who did not take their child to school. For chief Odera Kang’o, education was liberation and nothing was more criminal than a parent failing to take a child to school. After clearing the cobwebs of history, Kwara raised the main agenda of the day. He said he had received several reports of “tungni” in his homestead. In Dho’Luo, tungni is a situation of imbalance. A little tungni is acceptable but when that tungni is persistent then it can affect many relationships including our relationships with our ancestors, the land, the rivers and our Creator. That is why he had decided to call the meeting, he told us solemnly, in order to restore the equilibrium. He then called upon one of this sons and his wife to rise. For purposes of this story, let us call the man X and woman Y (I cannot reveal the names as my cousins are either good lawyers or can hire good lawyers or even buy good judges). Kwara then asked both of them, whom I presumed were the drivers of the tungni, to decide who would speak first. A few moments passed as both parties mumbled to the friends close to them as well as to each other. Finally, the parties agreed that Y would speak first. I will try and recall what she said in Dho’Luo and attempt a rough translationinto English: “My people! I was raised properly. Before I came to this homestead I can assure you I was raised well in the traditions of our people. So, I know how to prepare our favorite fish obambla. For the first year that I have lived in his homestead,

I have prepared obambla well. And, my husband has always been eating. But a few months ago, he began coming late for dinner and however well I prepared obambla, he would either eat very little or not eat at all. Sometimes, he would he would not even touch the obambla that I had prepared! When I asked him what was happening he kept quiet. So, I also got tired of preparing obambla. Because even when he came late, I kept the kuon and obambla warm by the fire side. I kept the food warm for long hours until he arrived. It only once that I did not wake up with boy eyes to warm his food. That is my only mistake. But even then I remember that day he returned at dawn, and he never touched his food that I had covered very nicely near the fire place – yes the food was near the fire place and the fire had not died completely. But he never, not even made an attempt to touch the kuon and the fish. So, my people, I got tired of preparing obambla every day. I thought perhaps he is eating obambla elsewhere. So I stopped cooking the fish and nowadays he never talks to me and when he does, it is as if he looking for a fight.” Again, this was followed by some loud silence. My grandfather who was chairing the meeting simply looked at the grass thatched roof of his house and kept nodding slowly. He then turned to my X and asked him a simple question: “do you understand the pain your wife is expressing? Can you tell us how you understand it?” My uncle responded in heavy metaphors that explored the issues of anger, frustrations and lack of respect that he believed his wife was accusing him of. Then it was the turn of X to give his own version of the obambla fish. Said he in this rough translation from Dho’Luo: “My people! I too was brought up well. I know how to make otonje (a mound of kuon) and I know when and how to

eat obambla. Yes, my wife used to prepare obambla very well in the first year she came to this homestead. But a few months ago, she began serving the fish upside down! You all know how obambla is supposed to be served. How could she serve the fish with the juiciest parts facing down? Is that acceptable? Yes, it is true, I once came home late but I found she had left the food by the fire side. The food was warm but when I opened the lid of the bowl containing the fish, I saw that the fish was facing down. When I touched the soup with my finger it was cold, very cold. When I tried to wake her up to warm the soup and the fish, she refused. And, she too was sleeping facing down, just like the obambla! How could I eat a cold obambla that is facing down?” This was followed by another loud silence. Then Kwara asked the standard question: “My daughter-in-law, do you understand the pain your husband is expressing?” Y nodded. She the explained in metaphors and explored issues of hunger, frustration and respect. My grandfather then asked that the elderly women in the gathering should go sit with Y for a while while the men would sit with X. Both groups were asked to caucus and bring back their decision before the first cock crow (before 2:00am). Meanwhile Kwara asked all young and unmarried people in the gathering to leave. I too had to leave. The following day, I asked my mother why my beloved grandfather would waste everyone’s time just to discuss how a fish should be eaten. My teenafe mind could not understand why a conflict should arise from how a fish is served or eaten. “Does it matter how obambla is eaten?” I asked my mother? My mother looked at me and simply smiled my query away. It took me years to understand why this fish obambla had become an issue that night. Let those who have ears hear!

Celebrity talk and the problem of inequality Heather Mendick and Akile Ahmet

n 1992, social psychologist Michael Billig wrote a book on how ‘ordinary’ people talk about the British Royal family. He argued that through their conversations, people compared their situations with those of royalty in ways that made their own lives come out better—helping them to ignore gross inequalities of wealth and power in the process. This makes action on inequality much less likely. Could the same be true today for the ways in which young people think about celebrity more broadly, and how celebrity is intertwined with inequality and austerity? To explore these questions, Laura Harvey, Kim Allen and Heather Mendick from Brunel University in the UK revisited Billig’s work and published their findings in 2015. Their research focused on one apparently simple question: how do young people in England talk about contemporary celebrities, and what difference does this make? Inequalities between rich and poor in the UK are much greater now than when Billig published his book. Five years of austerity policies have meant that young people face cuts in education, health and youth services; increased levels of unemployment; and greater costs if they choose to attend university because of huge rises in tuition fees. In this context, differences in wealth, status and opportunity between celebrities and the rest of the population both illustrate and accentuate the problems of inequality, and provide a space to explore how young people feel about and respond to these increasing disparities. The Brunel team’s research examines how 148 young people who were interviewed at different locations in England respond to austerity in talking about celebrities. Like Billig, the researchers see talk as a space of social action, a way that people get things done. This doesn’t mean that young people deliberately set out to justify or legitimize inequalities— simply that particular patterns in their conversations end up doing so because they strengthen certain meanings that solidify as ‘common sense.’ By becoming more aware of these patterns it should be possible to call inequality into question, and open it up to a more energetic challenge. Five of

these patterns emerged as especially thought she was cool.” important. 3. Celebrities cannot do 1. Celebrities do extraordinary things ordinary things in ordinary ways When young people talk about the exOther participants in the study spoke of traordinary things that celebrities do, they the fact that celebrities are subject to conposition them as ‘better’ than ordinary stant media scrutiny, and face press intrupeople. Bill Gates was the most popular ex- sion that they must ‘suffer.’ Echoing Billig’s ample of this kind of talk, often featuring findings about people who were talking in discussions about the ‘ideal celebrity.’ In about the royal family, some of the responone case an interviewee asserted that “he dents talked about Prince Harry living in the was like helping eradicate polio from the media spotlight. One said that he thought world,” and this silenced any criticisms of Harry was “just trying to be a normal bloke, him and his work. Gates’ extreme wealth he wants to go out and have a good laugh… is also part of his extraordinariness as a ce- He just wants to be normal”—to which anlebrity, and is legitimized by being accom- other responded that she thought Harry panied by talk of his philanthropic work. shouldn’t have to “live a life of misery.” So for example, when one respondent said “he’s like a beast, he’s got loads of money,” 4. Celebrities are disgusting and inauthentic By contrast, another pattern from the reanother countered by saying that “he gives search described celebrities as ‘fake’ and ‘arit away for free.”

Do attitudes towards the rich and famous help to legitimize gross disparities in wealth and power? Extreme wealth was also a feature of how young people talked about the footballer David Beckham. Here, as for Gates, Beckham’s philanthropy and hard work served to justify his wealth. As one interviewee put it, he trained “tirelessly, day in day out, in order to progress from £10 a week to £100k a week.” 2. Celebrities are ordinary within extraordinary circumstances Young people want someone who they can relate to, and are drawn to those celebrities who they feel are ‘ordinary’ and do ‘everyday’ things. But what makes them ‘better’ than other people is that they manage to maintain their ordinariness in the extraordinary circumstances of fame and media scrutiny in which they find themselves. Foremost among such celebrities was Hollywood actress Jennifer Lawrence. The respondents referred to her very public fall at the 2013 Oscars, the way in which she laughed at herself, and how she stated that she loved fast food and would never diet. As one interviewee said, “She’s just normal. Like she was on the red carpet, and she was ordering McDonald’s, and I

rogant’, even ‘disgusting’ and ‘inauthentic.’ When talking about extreme surgery for example, respondents focussed on the likes of Nicki Minaj and Katie Price, speaking of them as ‘too fake’ and saying that “it’s the plastic surgery and stuff that makes me dislike her.” In relation to Minaj, one participant asked “How are you going to know if she is good person? She’s hiding behind an image that makes her look like a good person, then she must be a bad person.” In contrast to the first pattern where ‘ideal’ celebrities were usually identified as white men, these examples were predominantly working-class and ethnic minority women: racism and sexism occur in the everyday processes of analysing which celebrities people feel are ‘real’ and ‘just like us,’ and which are not. 5. Celebrity lifestyles are risky and vulnerable In contrast to views of celebrities who have had plastic surgery, young people discussed the risky and vulnerable lifestyles of famous people who become addicted to drugs and alcohol with empathy and sympathy—like Amy Winehouse. As one respondent said, “They grow up like they’re already pressured from when they’re kids

because they’re famous and then as they grow up they just give up caring anymore.” Stories of ‘car-crash’ celebrities like Whitney Houston and Lindsay Lohan circulate as cautionary tales of what might happen if you become famous. Their overdosing on drugs and alcohol, and their risky lifestyles which are constantly reported in the press, make them appear as warnings. Some interviewees felt that celebrities had a greater level of vulnerability to these ‘risky’ lifestyles because of the pressures they faced. In so doing, they presented their own lives as safer and more desirable. So what have we learned? Young people discuss celebrity lives critically in relation to success, money, hard work, philanthropy and authenticity. This is a long way from the media stereotype of teenagers who idolise celebrities and want to become just as famous. In fact, their ‘celebrity talk’ is much the same as that of people who are older. Both groups focus more on the downsides of celebrity than the upsides of fame. While this may initially be reassuring, the patterns found in the Brunel research constitute a problem for anyone who wants to challenge social inequalities. Why is that? In talking about celebrities, young people are also talking about themselves. The claims, criticisms and justifications they make about celebrities operate as evaluations of themselves and the world in which they are growing up. These evaluations matter. Talk of ‘extraordinary’ celebrities who ‘triumph over adversity’ makes it seem as though such people deserve what they have. Talk of ‘vulnerable’ celebrities makes it appear safer to stay within the realms of anonymity. In these ways, talking about celebrities may serve to legitimize the massive inequalities that young people see between their own lives and those of the rich and famous, at least indirectly. In addition, by talking about ‘ideal’ celebrities like Bill Gates and David Beckham who are male, white and middle class, and labelling others as ‘disgusting’ like Nicki Minaj who is female, black and working class, inequalities based on gender, class and race are reinforced. It is especially important to explore the power of such cultural stories in the current context of deepening austerity in the UK and elsewhere. By breaking apart and analysing these stories we can begin to create new narratives to support the transformation of society.

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.

Dimapur

NATIONAL

Monday 13 July 2015

The Morung Express

Kyrgyzstan key part of India's Central Asia vision: PM Modi Signed four agreements including bolstering defence cooperation and joint annual military exercises

Bishkek (kyrgyzstan), July 12 (ians): India and Kyrgyzstan on Sunday inked four agreements, including in defence cooperation and between their election commissions, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with President Almazbek Atambayev. Visiting Bishkek, the penultimate stop of his tour of Central Asian countries, Modi in his media statement said his visit to all five countries in the region "demonstrates the importance that we attach to a new level of relationship with Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is a key part of that vision". Modi said resource-rich Central Asia has an important place in India's future and both sides seek a peaceful and secure neighbourhood and have a shared interest in combating extremism and terrorism. The agreement on defence cooperation was in matters relating to defence, security, military education and training, conduct of joint military exercises, exchange of experience and information, exchange of military instructors and observers.

Modi said their defence ties were strong and the agreement would help broaden their defence cooperation. The Special Forces of the armed forces of the two countries held joint exercise "Khanjar 2015" in Kyrgyzstan in March, "which reflected continuity in exercises held in India in 2011. It was decided to hold joint exercises on an annual basis", said the joint statement. The Kyrgyz side expressed its appreciation to India for "training Kyrgyz military officers for conducting various UN Peacekeeping Courses, including by the Centre for UN Peacekeeping in New Delhi", the statement said. Modi said the IT Centre in the Kyrgyz Military Academy "is an example of innovative cooperation that is important to both countries" and the new agreement would provide a framework to broaden engagement. Modi expressed happiness at the cooperation agreement between the election commissions and said he looked forward to the visit of a Kyrgyz parliamentary delegation to India.

The other two agreements were an MoU between Kyrgyzstan's economy ministry and the Bureau of Indian Standards on cooperation in the field of standards, and an agreement on cooperation in culture. Modi said both sides discussed at length about boosting trade, investment, tourism, culture and human resource development and added that the connectivity initiative between India and Central Asia will further boost economic ties. Modi also thanked Kyrgyzstan for its support to India's candidature for a permanent United Nations Security Council seat. In the joint statement, India reaffirmed support of the candidacy of the Kyrgyz Republic for the UN Human Rights Council for 2016-2018. Both sides expressed "grave concern at the rising trend of extremism, radicalism and terrorism in the region and whole world" and India "highly appreciated the steps taken by the Kyrgyz government in counteracting terrorism and in retaining the secular character of Kyrgyz society".

The two sides agreed to expeditiously consider signing an agreement on "combating international terrorism and other crimes", the statement said. They also agreed to boost economic, trade and investment linkages which were below potential. Modi also congratulated Atambaev on Kyrgyzstan's joining the Russia-led Eurasia Economic Union and both Sides agreed to work together for early conclusion of a Free Trade Agreement between the Eurasia Economic Union and India, said the joint statement. Modi said both sides would hold a roundtable in Bishkek in the field of agriculture to explore possible avenues for cooperation and identify concrete projects. India has offered to share its experience in agro-processing, greenhouse technology, water conservation, and agricultural research with Kyrgyzstan. The joint statement also expressed satisfaction over "growing links in the health sector, including regular visits by doctors from super-specialty hospitals in India to Kyrgyzstan, visits of pa-

tients from Kyrgyzstan to India for medical treatment and complex surgery at affordable cost and international standards, and the gifting of a computed tomography machine to the National Center for Cardiology and Internal Medicine (NCCIM) by the government of India in September 2014". It also welcomed the launch of a project to establish telemedicine links between highly specialised hospitals of India and six medical establishments of Kyrgyzstan. At the lunch banquet, Atambayev said "India has a calling to become a great economic power like the US and China". Modi later met Kyrgyz parliament Speaker Asylbek Jeenbekov and also held talks with Prime Minister Temir Sariyev. During his meeting with Sariyev, Modi gifted medical equipment to Kyrgyzstan's Level II Field Hospital. He also visited the Kyrgyz-India Mountain Biomedical Research Centre. Modi gifted the president a hand-knotted carpet of very fine grade wool blended with silk.

In this May 10, 2015 photo, an Asiatic lion rests at its enclosure at the Kamala Nehru Zoological Garden in Ahmadabad. (AP Photo)

India floods kill 10 endangered lions neW Delhi, July 12 (aP): Monsoon flooding that killed dozens of people in western India last month also hurt the world's last population of wild Asiatic lions, forest officials said in a report. The rains killed at least 10 of the country's 523 lions — the last members of the subspecies left anywhere in the wild — as well as prey animals, including more than 80 spotted deer and 1,670 Asian antelope called blue bulls, according to a report submitted over the weekend to the federal environment ministry in New Delhi. The animal deaths underline conservationists' concerns about keeping all of the lions in a single location. The conservationists argued successfully in India's Supreme Court in 2013 for some to be relocated to a second sanctuary far away, to prevent the population from being hit all at once by natural disaster or disease. But Gujarat has resisted moving any of the lions. The lions died in two badly flooded areas near their sanctuary in Gir National Forest in southern Gujarat. Hundreds of park workers, animal activists and villagers launched a search for the lions, and found about 80 "roaming safely in their territory, killing wild animals and blue bulls from the surrounding areas," the report said.

Opposition to strategise on Parliament session at Sonia’s Iftar today neW Delhi, July 12 (Pti): With the Modi Government battling propriety issues over the Lalit Modi row and the furore on Vyapam scam, leaders of “like-minded” parties will meet for Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s Iftar dinner tomorrow where they are likely to deliberate on the strategy for Parliament session beginning July 21. With the ‘who’s who’ of antiBJP politics expected to be present, considerable significance is being attached to the get-together ahead of the Monsoon Session, which is likely to be the most turbulent for the Narendra Modi government since it took office in May last year. Among the leaders invited are Mulayam Singh Yadav (SP), MayResidents gather to watch as Indian stuntmen display their skills before media in Ahmad- awati (BSP), Sharad Pawar (NCP), abad on Sunday, July 12. The stuntmen are practicing to perform during the annual chariot Sitaram Yechury (CPI—M), H D procession of Hindu Lord Jagannath scheduled to be held on on July 18. (AP Photo) Deve Gowda (JD—S), E Ahamed

(IUML), Kanimozhi (DMK), D Raja (CPI), Farooq Abdullah of the National Conference and Sudip Bandhopadhyay (TMC). Though RJD chief Lalu Prasad has been invited, he has expressed inability to attend due to prior commitments. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and JD(U) president Sharad Yadav are among the invitees. The All India Majlis—e—Ittehadul—Muslimeen (AIMIM), which was part of the Congress-led UPA until two years back, and AIUDF, which has a tie-up with the Congress in Assam, are also invited. The regional parties which are not part of the BJP-led NDA, but have still been kept away, include the AIADMK, BJD and TRS, which rule Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Telangana respectively. Congress’ ties with these parties within and outside Par-

liament are at best lukewarm. In Bihar, the JD(U), RJD, Congress and NCP have resolved to fight unitedly under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, while the Left will go to the hustings as a separate bloc. Congress is utilising the opportunity to send a message of larger opposition unity at a time when BJP and the Modi government are on the backfoot following a series of controversies after revelations of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje extending help to “fugitive” former IPL boss Lalit Modi. It is also facing heat for the Vyapam scam in which the Supreme Court has ordered a CBI probe. The get-together comes at a time when government managers have decided to brazen it out both

outside and within Parliament, reflected in the decision of not shortening the Monsoon session. With the Modi government and BJP rejecting demands for resignation of Swaraj, Raje and MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, fireworks are expected during the session. Congress has also been demanding the resignation HRD Minister Smriti Irani for misrepresenting facts about her educational qualifications, and Maharashtra minister Pankaja Munde for alleged involvement in a “scam” by clearing purchases worth Rs. 206 crore on a single day without inviting tenders in violation of norms. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh too is in the line of Congress fire over a “rice scam” wherein Rs. 36,000 cr was alleged to have been misappropriated.

Make public RTI replies to Rapes in Tihar Jail: Modi to meet CMs to discuss land bill stop repeated queries: Centre Silence is the key neW Delhi, July 12 (ians): It seems being forced to keep mum despite being sexually assaulted has turned into a bitter reality for many inmates in Tihar Jail. Authorities at Tihar, the largest prison complex in South Asia, have been reluctant to lodge cases of same-sex rapes by jail inmates. In fact, Tihar authorities are often unwilling to even share details of such incidents, said sources at west Delhi's Hari Nagar police station under whose jurisdiction the Central prison falls. As per police data accessed by IANS, one case of rape with a male inmate was filed at the police station on May 10, 2015 while seven cases were registered last year. Surprisingly, in 2013, 2011 and in 2010, no case of same sex rape was lodged. In 2012, police registered just one such case. Sexual abuse is a real nightmare in the prison, according to Tihar jail sources. "In spite of several prison reform sessions organised for inmates by Tihar jail authorities, the prison is a cruel place, especially for those who cannot defend themselves against bullies and predators," said a former Tihar inmate, who was raped by other inmates during his jail term in a case of robbery. Mukesh Prasad, the deputy inspector general of police (DIG), prisons, told IANS, "Cases of sodomy do occur in Tihar but the number is very low unlike the assumption in the outside world that it's a rampant practice." The DIG said the overcrowded prison did not have space for such abuse. A murder accused, who is out on bail, claimed that organised gangs were operating in Tihar jail who rape inmates at will. "Rival gang members do not lose a single occasion to take revenge on other gang members. Inmates have to stay in groups while stepping out of cells to avoid getting caught by rival gangs or by an aggressive inmate," he told IANS. Former Tihar jail director general (DG) Kiran Bedi, known for her prison reforms, blames the authorities for the rape cases inside jail premises. "Incidents of coercive sex and sodomy do take place in Tihar. CCTV cameras installed inside the jails ensure that all inmate movements are recorded. If rapes still happen, it means that the CCTV footage is not being monitored properly," Bedi told IANS. She said prisoners from a prosperous background manage to pay their way through and stay safe. But it is a different story for the poor and the physically weak. She said the authorities should also interview each prisoner so that such criminal acts can be stopped. Apart from the money and muscle power of gangs, the culture of hyper-masculinity in prisons makes a sodomy victim the target of derision among fellow prisoners. The source said prisoners are tortured in a variety of ways apart from sodomy."Some dreaded and habitual offenders (inmates) always search for new victims. Other inmates cheer while watching the rapes," the source said. For some unfortunate ones, the torture never stops. A National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) report, based on data collected from Indian prisons between 2007 and 2011, revealed that a majority of suicides in the jails were because of same-sex rapes by fellow prisoners.

neW Delhi, July 12 (reuters): Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to meet chief ministers next week to discuss a controversial land bill in the latest attempt to break the deadlock over the policy, government officials said. As part of its pro-industry agenda, Modi's government has been determined to push through a land bill that seeks to exempt land purchases for certain industrial, housing and infrastructure projects from requiring the consent of 80 percent of landowners. Opposition parties have staunchly resisted the bill, calling it 'anti-farmer'. Law-

makers in Rajya Sabha, led by the opposition Congress party, have repeatedly blocked the legislation. To build consensus, the government has introduced several amendments to the bill and formed a parliamentary committee to examine compensation clauses and resettlement of farmers. Modi has asked the panel to submit its report at the beginning of the upcoming session, but the committee has appealed for more time. Modi has called the second meeting of the governing council of the National Institution for Transforming

India (NITI) Aayog, a government think tank, for July 15, about a week before the monsoon session of parliament is set to begin. The meeting will have "many items on the agenda," economist and NITI Aayog member Bibek Debroy told Reuters. But the focus of the meeting will be the land bill, according to two senior sources with knowledge of the arrangements. The monsoon session is expected to be a tumultuous one, with contentious land, labour and GST bills on the table, and simmering political scandals threatening to disrupt proceedings.

neW Delhi, July 12 (Pti): To check wasteful duplication of effort while responding to RTI queries, the Centre has asked all departments to do an analysis of information sought often by applicants and suo-motu make such details public. The move comes following a recommendation by a Parliamentary Standing Committee in this regard. "The Committee feels that all ministries, departments or organisations themselves must encourage suo-motu disclosure of relevant information. The Committee suggests the publishing of RTI requests and their replies on the websites of the departments so that duplicity of requests is avoided. "All departments must make an analysis of information which is sought most often from

applicants and provide it on their website as suo-motu disclosure," Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice had said in its report. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Thursday wrote to all ministries seeking "strict compliance" of the Committee's recommendations. The DoPT has been asking all central government departments to suo-motu make public governance-related information being held by them. The DoPT had earlier this month asked all departments to put information related to employees' transfer and posting in public domain promptly to reduce the number of RTI applications. The RTI Act guarantees time-bound response to citizens' queries on matters of governance.

After She-Taxi success, Kerala now plans all-women ‘She-Bus’ thiruVananthaPuraM, July 12 (Pti): After the success of its allwomen cab network ‘SheTaxi’, the Gender Park in Kerala, a state-owned autonomous institution, is now getting ready to launch ‘She-Bus’, driven and managed exclusively by women for women. The immense success of She-Taxi, touted as the country’s first 24x7 women taxi network, had led the Park, under the state Social Justice Department, to work out a new mode of womenfriendly transport system for ordinary women. The World Bank, which recently hailed the She-Taxi project as a good model of sustainable entrepreneurship, has offered support to the proposed all-womenbus project also. Like She-Taxi, ‘She-Bus’ is also part of the government’s plans to ensure safe journey for women amidst concerns over increasing atrocities against them, State Minister for Social Justice, M K Muneer, told PTI.

(Reuters File Photo)

“We have launched SheTaxi as a safe travel option for one or a group of women. Its success and wide acceptance has given us confidence to think about another project which may appeal to more women in the society,” he said. Gender Park CEO Dr PTM Sunish said the project is planned to be implemented in metro cities in the initial phase. “We are

planning to launch SheBus in capital city Thiruvananthapuram for the first time. It will be rolled out in Kochi and Kozhikode in the next stages. The SheTaxi was also launched in a similar manner,” he said. Under the plan, a set of air-conditioned low-floor buses, with women-friendly features, would be rolled out for service between selected points in the city.

Besides women, children can also travel in the vehicle which will have a series of high-end features including wheelchair lifts. “We are planning to explore the possibilities of pooling system for the operation of She-Bus which will ferry travellers between selected points in the city. The locations for service would be decided after examining the density of women pas-

sengers in various areas here,” he said. Sunish said the fares are also planned to be people friendly as the buses would charge only reasonable amount from passengers as ordinary women are the target group. “Ticket rates will be minimum and reasonable. The commuters can travel several times in a day on the same ticket. Monthly ticket options are also under consideration,” he said. Skilled women would be recruited and given training to be moulded as drivers and conductors in the all-women buses. He said though Kerala is a state having plenty of travel options, those which make women comfortable are very few. “She-Taxi has made a difference in this situation for the first time. Women consider She-Taxis as their own vehicles. Many passengers said they felt like home while travelling in the safe cabs, driven by women. We want to create such a ‘wefeel’ among women through She-bus also,” he said.

Besides as a safe travel option for women, the Gender Park envisages the She-bus project as a sustainable entrepreneurship model for women. It could also play a role in reducing traffic congestion and air pollution to some extent. Sunish, who was invited to a World Bank conference in Vienna recently to showcase She-Taxi model, said the wide acceptance received by all-women taxi cabs in the country and abroad had given them confidence to go ahead with the proposal of She-bus. The technology-enabled ‘She Taxi’, which is now operated in Kochi and Kozhikode, besides Thiruvananthapuram, has advanced safety and security features that will facilitate immediate aid in case of any emergency situation. Women, who work as cabbies in She-Taxies, earn an average of Rs. 15,00025,000 as monthly income. It has safely ferried over 50,000 travellers since its launch last year.

InternatIonal

the Morung express

Monday 13 July 2015

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Negotiators to declare historic nuke deal today

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, 2nd right, waves as he leaves his hotel on the way to mass at the St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria, Sunday July 12, 2015. Nuclear negotiations with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, appeared back on track Sunday, with Kerry dropping warnings they could go either way but expressing hope that nearly a decade of international efforts could soon result in a historic deal. (AP Photo)

VIENNA, JuLy 12 (AP): Negotiators at the Iran nuclear talks plan to announce on Monday that they have reached agreement on a historic deal capping nearly a decade of diplomacy that would curb the country’s atomic program in return for sanctions relief, diplomats told The Associated Press on Sunday. The two diplomats said that a provisional agreement may be reached even earlier — by late Sunday. But they cautioned that final details of the pact were still being worked out and a formal agreement still awaits a review from the capitals of the seven nations at the talks. And senior U.S. and Iranian officials suggested that not enough time was left to reach a provisional deal by Sunday. All of the officials, who are at the talks, demanded anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the negotiations publicly. “We are working hard, but a deal tonight is simply logistically impossible,” the Iranian official said, noting that the agreement will run roughly 100 pages.

The senior U.S. official declined to speculate as to the timing of any agreement or announcement and noted that “major issues remain to be resolved in these talks.” Movement toward a deal has been marked by years of tough negotiations. The current round in Vienna has run more than two weeks and blown through three deadlines. Even before the envoys spoke to the AP, the nuclear negotiations appeared on the way to an agreement. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who on Thursday had threatened to walk away from the negotiations, noted Sunday that “a few tough things” remain in the way but added “we’re getting to some real decisions.” En route to Mass at Vienna’s gothic St. Stephens Cathedral, Kerry said twice he was “hopeful” after a “very good meeting” Saturday with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who had Muslim services Friday. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius also was cautiously optimistic, telling reporters Sunday: “I

hope that we are finally entering the last phase of this negotiation.” The pact is meant to impose long-term, verifiable limits on nuclear programs that Tehran could modify to produce weapons. Iran, in return, would get tens of billions of dollars in sanctions relief. The current round of nuclear talks is now in its 16th day and has been extended three times since the first deadline of March 31 was missed. The mood among negotiators had turned more somber each time a new target date was set. As the weekend approached, Kerry declared the talks couldn’t go on indefinitely and warned that the U.S. could walk away from the negotiations. But in another sign that a deal could soon be sealed, Russian news agencies reported that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov planned to arrive in Vienna on Sunday evening. Most other foreign ministers of the six nations negotiating with Iran already are in the Austrian capital and in position to join

Kerry and Zarif for any announcement of an agreement. Diplomats familiar with the talks said most of the nuts and bolts of implementing the deal have been agreed upon. But over the past week, issues that were previously on the back burner have led to new disputes. Among them is Iran’s demand for a lifting of a U.N. arms embargo and its insistence that any U.N. Security Council resolution approving the deal be written in a way that stops describing its nuclear activities as illegal. A diplomat familiar with the negotiations said disagreements also persist on how long some of the restrictions on imports of nuclear technology and other embargos outlined in any new Security Council resolution will last. The diplomat, who demanded anonymity because the diplomat wasn’t allowed to discuss the confidential talks, said restrictions will last for years, not months. Despite Kerry’s relatively upbeat take, comments by Iran’s supreme leader suggested that Tehran’s mistrust of Washing-

ton would persist no matter what the outcome of the talks. Iran’s state-run Press TV cited Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday as calling the U.S. an “excellent example of arrogance.” It said Khamenei told university students in Tehran to be “prepared to continue the struggle against arrogant powers.” Even if Khamenei isn’t signaling that the talks have failed, his comments appeared to be a blow to U.S. hopes that an agreement will lead to improved bilateral relations that could translate into increased cooperation in a common cause— the fight against Islamic State radicals. Zarif had hinted at just that last week, suggesting a deal acceptable to his country will open the door to joint efforts on that front. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a fierce opponent of what he considers a deal that is too lenient on Tehran, said Khamenei’s comments showed that Western powers are “caving” in to Iran even as the Islamic republic keeps railing against them.

Chinese discovered America 2,800 yrs before Columbus? Top drug lord Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman escapes LONDON, JuLy 12 (IANs): It was Christopher Columbus who discovered America but new evidence suggests the Chinese were exploring the Americas at least a thousand years before Christ. Recently discovered ancient scripts suggest Chinese explorers may have discovered America long before the Europeans arrived there, Daily Mail reported. John Ruskamp, a retired chemist and amateur epigraph researcher from Illinois, US, discovered the unusual markings while walking in the Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He claimed the markings indicated that the ancient people from Asia were present in the Americas around 1,300 BC - nearly 2,800 years before

Columbus arrived at the New World in 1492.“As such the findings of this scientific study confirm that ancient Chinese people were exploring and positively interacting with the native people over 2,500 years ago,” he added. The pictograms Ruskamp discovered on the rocks of Albuquerque appear to be an ancient script that was used by the Chinese after the end of Shang Dynsasty. Known as oracle bone pictograms, the markings, Ruskamp claimed, record a ritual sacrificial offering perhaps made to the third Shang Dynasty king Da Jia and also a divination of an ‘auspicious’ 10day sacred period. “Notably, the written order of these symbols conforms with the syntax used for documenting ancient

Chinese rituals during the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and dog sacrifices were very popular in the second part of the second millennium B.C. in China,” he added. Ruskamp also claimed to have found a Chinese pictogram of an elephant dating to 500 B.C. in the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona, suggesting the Asian explorers had spread across much of the US.Another pictogram found in Grapevine Canyon in Nevada appears to be an oracle-bone era symbol for teeth dating to 1,300 B.C. However, his views have been met with scepticism by many experts who point to the lack of archaeological evidence for any ancient Chinese presence in the Americas.

Vitamin A key to fight body infections NEW yORK, JuLy 12 (IANs): Vitamin A directs a key set of immune cells that protect the body from infection to the intestines, says a study.These set of immune cells will otherwise be lost without directions in case of vitamin A deficiency, the researchers reported in a paper published in the journal Im-

munity. It is known that vitamin A deficiencies lead to increased susceptibility to disease and low concentrations of immune cells in the intestines. “We wanted to find the specific role the vitamin plays in the immune system and how it influences the cells and biological processes,” said Chang

Kim, section head of microbiology and immunology in Purdue University’s college of veterinary medicine. The team found that retinoic acid, a metabolite that comes from digested vitamin A, is necessary for two of the three types of “innate” immune cells that reside in the intestine to find their proper place. Myanmar factory workers shout slogans during a march against proposed minimum wage at Hlaingtharyar industrial zone, suburb of Yangon on Sunday, July 12. Several workers in Myanmar staged a peaceful demonstration Sunday to demand that a new daily minimum wage be set higher than proposed. (AP Photo)

Within our immune system, there are two categories of cells that work together to rid the body of infection. These are innate immune cells and leukocytes that are fast acting and immediately present to eliminate infection.Then there are adaptive immune cells (T-cells and B-cells) that arrive later but are more effective at neutralising the infection. In earlier work, Kim found that vitamin A also regulates the migration of T-cells. “It is interesting that both innate and adaptive immune cells share a vitamin A-regulated pathway for migration,” he added. This is not the only vitamin known to regulate the migration of immune cells. “Vitamin D has been shown to work in a similar way to guide immune cells to the skin,” Kim said.

MEXICO CIty, JuLy 12 (AP): Top drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman escaped through a 1.5-kilometer tunnel that opened into the shower area of his cell, Mexico’s top security official announced Sunday.With the elaborate escape hatch built allegedly without the detection of authorities, Guzman has done what Mexican authorities promised would not happen after his recapture last year — slipped out of a maximum security prison for the second time. 18 employees from various part of the Altiplano prison 90 kilometers west of Mexico City have been taken in for questioning, Security Commissioner Monte Alejandro Rubido said in a news conference Sunday. A manhunt began immediately late Saturday for the head of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel, which has an international reach and is believed to control most of the major crossing points for drugs at the U.S. border with Mexico. Associated Press journalists near the Altiplano said the roads were being heavily patrolled by Federal Police, who had also set up checkpoints. Flights were also suspended at Toluca airport near the penitentiary in the state of Mexico. Guzman was last seen about 9 p.m. Saturday in the shower area of the Altiplano prison, according to a statement from the National Security Commission issued early Sunday. After a time, he was lost by the prison’s security camera surveillance network. Upon checking his cell, au-

In this Feb. 22, 2014 photo, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, head of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, is escorted to a helicopter in Mexico City, following his capture overnight in the beach resort town of Mazatlan. (AP File Photo)

thorities found it empty. Guzman’s escape is an embarrassment to the administration of President Enrique Pena Nieto, which has received plaudits for its aggressive approach to top drug lords. Since the government took office in late 2012, Mexican authorities have nabbed or killed six of them, including Guzman. Guzman was caught by authorities for the first time in Guatemala in 1993, extradited and sentenced to 20 years in prison on drugtrafficking related charges. He escaped from Puente Grande, another Mexican maximum-security prison in western Jalisco state, in 2001 with the help of prison guards. He was recaptured in February 2014 after eluding authorities for days across his home state of Sinaloa, for which

the cartel is named. He was listed as 56 years old last year, though there are discrepancies in his birth date. Guzman faces multiple federal drug trafficking indictments in the U.S. as well as Mexico, and was on the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s mostwanted list. Former Mexican Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam told The AP earlier this year that sending Guzman to the United States would save Mexico a lot of money, but said Mexico would prosecute him at home as a matter of national sovereignty. He dismissed concerns that Guzman could escape a second time. During his first stint as a fugitive, Guzman transformed himself from a middling Mexican capo into arguably the most powerful drug trafficker in

the world. His fortune grew to be estimated at more than $1 billion, according to Forbes magazine, which listed him among the “World’s Most Powerful People.” He has long been known for his ability to pay off local residents and even authorities, who would tip him off to security operations launched for his capture. He finally was tracked down to a modest beachside high-rise in the Pacific Coast resort city of Mazatlan on Feb. 22, 2014, where he had been hiding with his wife and twin daughters. Altiplano, which is considered the main and most secure of Mexico’s federal prisons, also houses Zetas drug cartel leader Miguel Angel Trevino, and Edgar Valdes Villarreal, known as “La Barbie,” of the Beltran Leyva cartel.

Cocaine smugglers turn to South Asia for new routes and markets DHAKA/NEW DELHI, JuLy 12 (REutERs): Police who seized Asia’s largest known shipment of liquid cocaine at a Bangladeshi port late last month say it was headed for India, the latest sign that drug cartels are increasingly plying their trade in South Asia. It isn’t clear whether India was the final destination for the cocaine, worth as much as $14 million, or whether it was a transit point for other markets in Asia and Europe. “They wanted to redirect it to India when it got stuck at Chittagong,” Bangladeshi police official Mohammad Kamruzzaman said. Kamruzzaman said they found correspondence that said the shipment was headed for “any port in India”. One thing is clear - big drug busts in the region are becoming more common.

Over the past three months, Indian and foreign police sources said larger than usual amounts of high-purity cocaine carried mainly by South American and African drug mules have been seized in India. Multi-kilo hauls have also turned up in Kathmandu. The seizures point to South Asia’s role as a possible transhipment hub, as highly organised gangs, possibly from Latin America, look to hide their tracks to U.S. and European markets by taking advantage of soft security at the region’s ports. Like other global businesses, groups such as Mexico’s Sinaloa or Pacific Cartel also see Asia as a growth market, and have turned up in Australia, Hong Kong and the Philippines in recent years. The United Nations believes more cocaine is mov-

ing through South Asia undetected. “This is a huge wake-up call,” said Cristina Albertin, the South Asia representative for the United Nation’s Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), referring to the Bangladesh bust. Up until now, much of counter-narcotics agencies’ work in the region was focused on the smuggling of heroin and synthetic drugs and especially on Afghanistan, which produces some 90 percent of the world’s illicit opiates. The recent hauls of cocaine have taken them by surprise. The UNODC has been training port officials in Chittagong on how to better follow paper trails that help spot suspicious cargos and gave officials drug testing kits. But the kits were adapted to the region and so

didn’t have the test for cocaine. “Now we will also have to give them that,” Albertin said. GROWING MARKET Cocaine use, while still low compared to Europe and North America, is on the rise among newly wealthy party-goers in the top cities of Asia’s fast growing economies. “Latin American drug trafficking organizations, those who are well structured, are now looking for new markets, particularly for their cocaine and methamphetamine production,” said Antonio Mazzitelli, the UNODC representative in Mexico. “Asia is that market nowadays,” he said. In India, drug seizures almost tripled between 2009 and 2013, data from India’s Narcotic Bureau shows. They dipped last year, but have been in-

ligence, Bangladeshi customs agents seized 107 blue plastic barrels of sunflower oil from a container in the country’s busiest port. Officials estimate that between 60 and 100 kilos of cocaine were mixed into the oil. The cocaine likely hails from land-locked Bolivia, listed as the source country for the sunflower oil and a leading cocaine producer. It was shipped from Uruguay to Singapore on March 30 in a container that Bangladeshi police say was owned by a company called South Freight Logistics. The container was then A member of the Bolivian anti-drugs force stands guard next to confiscated packets of transferred to a smaller cocaine in Oruro, April 21, 2015. (REUTERS File Photo) ship that sailed to Chittagong. A number listed creasing in recent months. ited India four times. to police reports. for South Freight Logistics One Peruvian man, for The drugs appear to did not appear to be workexample, caught in June be for local use in cities CIRCUITOUS ROUTE ing and the company did with a kilo hidden in his such as Bengalaru, Delhi Early in May, acting on not respond to requests for suitcase had previously vis- and Mumbai, according a tip off from British intel- comment for this article.

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SPORTS

Monday 13 July 2015

The Morung Express

Hingis & Mirza win Wimbledon doubles title 'C'est fini', says tearful

LONDON, JuLy 12 (AP): Martina Hingis is a Wimbledon champion once again, 17 years — exactly half her life — after the last time. Already a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame on the merits of her "first" career in the sport, Hingis teamed with Sania Mirza to win the women's doubles final at the All England Club by beating Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina 5-7, 7-6 (4), 7-5 on Saturday night. The 34-year-old Hingis added to her collection of Wimbledon trophies that includes the singles title from 1997, plus the women's doubles titles from 1996 and 1998. The latter was her last appearance in a final at Wimbledon. "It feels like it was in another life," Hingis said. "Usually, you're lucky to win it once or happy to be out here and play on the Wimbledon grounds," Hingis said. "It's above my expectations." She'll get a chance to earn yet another trophy Sunday, when she and Leander Paes face Timea Babos and Alexander Peya in the mixed dou-

Martina Hingis of Switzerland, left, and Sania Mirza of India hold their trophies after winning the women's doubles final against Ekaterina Makarova of Russia and Elena Vesnina of Russia at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon on July 11. (AP Photo)

bles final. And to think: A few years ago, Hingis was taking part in the "Legends" tournament for former players. "I wouldn't have thought (then) that I'll be back, playing the finals here," she said. The No. 1-seeded Hingis and Mirza trailed 5-2 in the final set before taking the last five games against the

second-seeded Makarova and Vesnina, who won last year's U.S. Open. "It takes guts and courage being 5-2 down in the third set," said Hingis, who held serve to win the match, then began leaping up and down on court. "Couldn't have asked for more drama." Play was halted at 5-5 because it was getting too dark; after a break, action

resumed with the Centre Court roof closed and artificial lights on. "When we came out at 5-all, we had goosebumps. The energy on the court — we were getting a standing ovation — it was unbelievable," said Mirza, the first woman from India to be ranked No. 1 in singles or doubles. "We both came out, and I said, 'This is what we play for.

This is what we work for.'" Hingis, who reached No. 1 in the rankings and won five Grand Slam singles titles in the 1990s, initially quit tennis in 2002 because of foot and leg injuries, then rejoined the circuit full-time in 2006. She announced her retirement again in 2007, when she was given a twoyear suspension for testing positive for cocaine at Wimbledon. At the time, she denied taking the drug but did not appeal the ruling. The Swiss star returned to tennis in recent years as a coach and now is back playing, perhaps with an eye to competing at next year's Rio Olympics. Late Saturday evening, Hingis was asked whether during her time away from the game she ever thought this sort of success could again be possible. "I always believed in it. Without that, you can't come out here and play and compete at this level," Hingis said. "I always felt like I had one of the best volleys in the world, one of the best backhands in the world, so you got to believe in something if you want to win."

casillas as he quits real

MADRID, JuLy 12 (REuTERS): "C'est fini". With those few words in French a tearful Iker Casillas brought to an end his farewell statement on Sunday to the Real Madrid fans he has served as first-team goalkeeper and captain for 16 seasons. Dressed in a dark blue shirt and sitting alone in front of the assembled media at the Bernabeu stadium press room, the 34-year-old, who is leaving for Portuguese side Porto, choked up several times as he thanked Real for "giving me everything". "This club also moulded me as a person and helped me to grow," said Casillas, who joined the Real academy at the age of nine and debuted for the first team at 18. "Beyond remembering me as a good goalkeeper or a bad goalkeeper I just hope that people remember me for being a good person," he added. Casillas was speaking after Spanish daily newspaper El Mundo published an interview with his parents on Sunday in which they said their son had been forced out of the club by president Florentino Perez. Casillas had been the victim of an orchestrated campaign of "vilification" in recent years which eventually prompted his decision to quit, they added. Real did not immediately respond to a request for comment and Casillas did not take questions after making his statement, in which he did not mention Perez by name. The impression remains that the Spain captain is leaving under a cloud after he was whistled by some fans at the Bernabeu

Real Madrid's Iker Casillas reacts during press conference at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Sunday, July 12. (AP Photo)

last season, when the club failed to win major silverware. It was telling that no Real officials appeared with him on Sunday, in huge contrast to his close friend and former Spain team mate Xavi Hernandez. Xavi, 35, left Barcelona for Qatari side Al Sadd at the end of last season and was given a series of rousing send-offs by fans, officials and team mates at the Nou Camp. Casillas said he was excited about joining Porto, who are coached by Spanish ex-keeper Julen Lopetegui, and that he would fight hard to win as many trophies as possible.

public discourse

AcAuT takes serious note of NscN (iM) statement

gainst Corruption and Unabated Taxation (ACAUT Nagaland) has noted seriously the press statement by the NSCN (IM). ACAUT Nagaland feels that the press statement is unbecoming of a matured organization which claims to be working for the Naga people. If one chooses to look back in time one can see that for any political movement to succeed it must win the hearts and support of the people. It is extremely regrettable and unfortunate that an organization like NSCN (IM) should resort to threats and intimidation for tax citing their legitimate right to do so. However, NSCN (IM) must also see that there are other 7-8 factions claiming the same thing and in such a scenario how can NSCN (IM) claim their legitimacy

to tax, it also raises the question to the all other Naga political groups (NPG’s) that this claim by NSCN-IM questions their legitimacy too, as far as the public is concerned none of the NPG’s have the legitimacy to collect tax till the time there’s factionalism as this is the cause for multiple taxations. Such insensitivity to the plights of the people will only alienate the masses from the Naga political movement and the NPG’s because it not only affects the business community but whole of Nagas, as even public ferrying wood or vegetables from their farms are taxed, consequently NPG’s will have no one to blame but themselves. It is about time for all the NPGs to realize to the obvious fact that Naga people yearn for unity and to have a say in their course of destiny.

It is therefore extremely important for all the NPGs to see the implications and urgency in taking the goodwill and support of the people for the cause of Naga Political Movement and desist from making attempts to threaten organizations that are merely echoing the moods of the general public on the pretext of sabotaging the Naga political movement whilst ignoring the real problem that is within. United consensus of apex NGO’s on this issue is a message to NPG’s to come under one umbrella and ignoring this echo would be the biggest blunder in the history of Naga Political Movement. This is not the sole opinion of the ACAUT but responsible and matured Naga organizations represented in Naga Hoho, ENPO, NCD and NMA representing every Naga

have made the same stand. The Naga public had awaited with bated breath when the Naga Concordant and Lenten agreement was signed under initiative of FNR in both times it marked the new chapter for Naga reconciliation: a journey of common hope was ignited in the hearts of the common people and dreams were build only to be dashed twice. however ACAUT Nagaland is of the firm conviction that all hope is not lost, that unity is possible within the life time of leaders who were there since the inception of Naga Political Struggle, it believes that there is still noble remnants of past ideals still embedded deep within the leaders of NPG’s and it is, to these higher moral ideals and wisdom of the leaders in NPG’s that ACAUT Nagaland appeals

to focus their attention with all sincerity and in true Christian spirit to rekindle the unfinished initiatives of the FNR from where it was left inclusive of all NPG’s and may GOD help us to find unity and a peaceful solution to the vexed Naga political issue once and for all and this is the prayer of every Naga soul. ACAUT Nagaland is also of opinion that Naga people deserves to know the reasons for the failure of Naga Concordant and Lenten agreement and that FNR should come out in the open publicly as it is important to maintain transparency on matters of such that concerns all of Nagas (real stake holders). ACAUT Nagaland lastly appreciates the public for adhering to the October 31st 2013 resolution. Media cell, ACAUT Nagaland

Wonders of introspection Unnoticed Achievements in Nagaland

uman mind is powerful. It can create. It can destroy. It’s enigmatic. The evolution of human civilization from the nude and the nomadic stage till the stage of technical civilization in the present age has been hatched in the minds of humans. On the contrary, the catastrophes of the world wars of the past were also engineered in the minds of biped humans. The violences and atrocities sporadically mutilating the beautiful earth in the present days are also brooded up in the minds of humans. How wonderful a human mind is! The creator has endowed the human mind with all creative and destructive emotions and has also gifted the same with a shrewd judge called “conscience”. Conscience decides ethical aspects of all human activities making a bridge between the good and the evil. It quickly recognizes them and

warns the minds against doing the evil. Oh, poor conscience! How can you sometimes be enslaved by the satanic forces? How can your shrewdness be dimmed by the evil shadows? It’s introspection which can strengthen human conscience when it fails to act at the pressure of evil. It revitalizes conscience and reinforces it to outshine the satanic forces. Introspection enables self-searching, self-recognition, self-discovery, self-realization, self-assessment, self-evaluation, self-enumeration and self-intuition and enables one to visualize the inner mind. It generates the process of atonement in the evildoers and enables self-cleansing and emotional resurrection. In the celebrated poem “Keeping Quiet”, Pablo Neruda, the legendary poet, makes a clarion call and appeals mankind to do introspection when he finds human

being fighting green wars, wars with gas and wars with fire. He is shocked and perturbed to behold the precious inhabitants of the earth in blood-stained garbs, their hurt hands and the beautiful earth groaning in torments. One moment of introspection will make a difference, the poet asserts. It will enable man realize his evil and inspire him to restart his life with a purposeful vision. O’ upcoming youth, you introspect if you think you’re doing wrong. At any time, your life may have a purposeful twist. You only introspect. Wrong is not wrong, if you know it, if you realize its evil and avoid it. You are powerful. You may not know it. You have worth. You might not have discovered it. Your mind has a good side. Find it. So, you introspect. You will win, you will shine. Gopal Talukdar PGT-English, JNV, Kohima

Child Rights and Death of Young Mind in ILPS (Inner Line Permit System) Agitation of Manipur

he tragic incident of 8th July 2015 is very disturbing, indigestible and unacceptable, a 16 year old boy Sapam Robinson of Ananda Singh Higher Secondary School of Imphal East was killed hit by a tear gas shell and many school going children (minor) were injured by the state force. According to Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapon (OPWC), tear gas is a chemical agent banned in warfare by the International Geneva Convention. But it is frequently used against to control local protestors which continue to remain controversial. The pillars of the nation are being fired tear gas mercilessly, chased and beaten against their peaceful protest demanding withdrawal of the Manipur Regulation of Visitors, Tenants and Migrant Worker Bill, 2015. Such recurring incident every alternate week, month, or year need to critically retrospect their well being in the state. Where do our young mind children fit in the democratic country? Ideally the state is supposed to provide better futures, and better world; in these battles parents have fought hard days and nights to give their children the best education, protection and care. The continu-

ous conflicts and bloodshed in the state has taken tolls on the well being of the children. The United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1992 and The Juvenile Justice Act (JJA) 2000 defines child/minor as a person under 18 years of age. Their basics rights are Survival rights, Development rights, Protections rights and Participation rights. Technically and practically Manipur have failed them in many contexts. In the preview of maintaining law and order, the state has imposed indefinite curfew and ordered closure of educational institutions till further notice. In such situation are we protecting or destroying the interest of the young minds. On the other hand, we also need to retrospect frequent dragging of the young minds, particularly school going children for the protest by the committee of JCIPLS and civil society organisations. Are these organisations doing at the best interest of the children? Certainly, Dr. Ambedkar advised that we must “educate, agitate and organise” for justice and freedom, however, I believe that we must stop dragging our young mind (minor) into such conflicting situation ever again. Let them study,

let us not deprived them from their rights. Even the law of the land requires taking consent of guardian for the minor in any matter for their wellbeing. The parents have whole authority and rights to see that their child is safe in the school. Under whose consent and permission were these young minds (minor) taken from school to participate or volunteer in the agitation? How confident do the parents feel to send their child to the school? Who will be accountable for the death and loss of the many young minds in such agitations? Is the State, civil society organisation, school authority or parents who sent their child to schools? The organising committees and school authority must also be held accountable not just the state. The pictures in the news clearly depict that school children were leading the agitation and left alone to themselves when the situation became hostile; this is very unethical on the part of organisers. Stop using school children as mechanism to pressurise the state machinery. Let us take primary roles together to protect and nurture our children. John Gaingamlung Gangmei Senior Research Scholar, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai

adithui Rangkau Zeliang, Man in the Moment, sets record by creating an opposition-less government, coming as he does, from the smallest district in Nagaland, with just two MLAs, and from a really backward tribe. Will he yet set the stamp of his legacy by having the Naga Political Issue settled during his term, something which has defied solution all these years? It does not look likely but the future will, no doubt, tell! Some amazing things have been happening in Nagaland and milestones are being set. However, our people’s mindset has become so fixated on traditional ways of thinking which is largely on the negative side that we have not noticed them at all. Or, at least, there has not been any significant commentary on them when they ought to be making national headlines! Greatly due to the prolonged conflict situation people usually become used to expect the worst – and often get the worst! This is one of the impacts of prolonged conflict and which, in turn, makes more difficult finding solutions to problems whether it is about the Naga Political Issue or the Tribalism issue in our situation. They are all connected. There are two main obsessions with the Nagas – Politics, particularly of the Naga Nationalism kind and religion and its offshoots. Sadly, neither has been giving much hope to the people in recent times. On the other hand, they have often been cause for controversy and division among the people. What can be expected of them when they themselves are not cohesive within their own groups? These two institutions are very important for Naga identity and faith. It should not surprise anyone, therefore, if the Naga people, by and large, are drifting today and drifting apart almost all of the time! But we need to come back to our topic. History has been made and is still being made. When I say this, my radar is focussed more on the Overground Politics, despite their share of “sins” in Naga Society. At this moment, for instance, the financial position of the State is very bad and many may not like the timing of this piece (article) but we also need to see the positive and head towards those, by encouraging ourselves and fortifying each other so that we make continuous progress instead of sliding backwards all the time! Many will recall that about two decades ago, or a little more, Meghalaya made such a splash in the media when a coalition of political parties successfully shared their 5-year term with each party having a chief minister for two and half years. Earlier such arrangement had been successful only in Israel. Look at Nagaland. Today, it has a government without an opposition political party and the Government has parties with opposite ideologies! Has this ever happened anywhere? Not that

one can recall. This is a first in the world and in any democracy! Who is talking about it or appreciating it? Is this good? Is this bad? The future will tell but for now this can be a golden opportunity to project the image of the State in a positive way. But who is doing anything about it? No one; not even the State departments! The general atmosphere of gloom and doom in Naga society pervades everything and everyone. We usually see the worst and expect the worst. This tragedy keeps repeating itself in our society. The trail to setting records and coalitions could be said to have been started by former chief minister Neiphiu Rio when he, with another colleague, Mr Kewekhape Therie, now Congress chief, jumped fence from the Congress and virtually took over the regional party, which metamorphosed into the Naga People’s Front (NPF), and became its chief minister after winning the elections. There was no record earlier when just two MLAs took over a whole party! (That the two friends broke up and Mr Therieh went back to the Congress is another story yet unfolding). The basic idea was extended in two ways : (i) welcoming MLAs from other parties (except Congress) even though the NPF had enough MLAs to rule (the Joint Legislators Forum could be said to be an extended arm of this basic idea although the cement began to prove a little watery later) and (ii) by setting up NPF units in neighbouring Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. The latter extension was not very welcome to the neighbouring communities but they were helpless because of considerable Naga population and because this was a democratic right guaranteed by Indian Constitution. Now, Mr T R Zeliang, a cabinet minister under Neiphiu Rio, seems to have done one better than his former friend and mentor. First, it must be remembered that he comes from the smallest district in Nagaland, with just two MLA constituencies, and that too from the backward Zeliang tribe. Through adept political jugglery, particularly while traversing the difficult ropeway between the Congress and the BJP, he has managed to form an opposition-less government in Nagaland for the first time. That his MLA colleague from Peren (Tening constituency) later went against him is another story but only adds to TR’s own political acumen and achievement as a political survivor through cultivation of friends from all tribes. Even darts thrown at him by political rivals have fallen by the wayside for now. What next? What will happen during and after the next general elections is a matter of conjecture. But, for now, TR Zeliang’s star seems to be on the ascendant. The Congress Party in Nagaland has been in the opposition for far too long and are unlikely to ditch him at this stage – even threat of pe-

nal measures against the MLAs from the Congress high command seems to have little effect at this time. And so long as the Congress party is with him, the other parties are unlikely to part ways or create too many difficulties in terms of change of leadership. So, his seat, for now, seems secure. What the public worries is the state of financial security for the State with so many MLAs/Ministers thinking how to make money for the next elections?! But on the political side, with his seat more or less secure, TR Zeliang faces another great opportunity to make history. At this time, the abrogation of Ceasefire by the NSCN (K) and its fallouts present a difficult and complex situation. This is not helped by other groups, including NSCN-IM, trying to assert their authority through taxation, for one, does not make things easy. The reconciliation workers and the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) have achieved much and they deserve our gratitude. But has enough happened? Indications, sadly, do not so suggest. However, if these issues could be overcome and a political settlement could be arrived at, this would not only be another great feather in TR’s cap but something that would make all Nagas very happy. Of course, the situation is not rosy by any stretch of the imagination. These are not helped by several things on both Government of India’s side but more on the Naga side in the immediate term. It is imperative that for any solution to the Naga Political Issue the Naga Political Groups (NPGs) should come together and find some kind of understanding. All the leaders must understand that they are not immortal and they must very seriously consider what will happen when they pass on! Many people, including the media, keep talking about the Talks not being made “public”. Personally, I am not too worried about this so long as all the major stakeholder groups are included – this means all NPGs plus the State Government. There are always things that may need to be handled sensitively before they become really public! People without a proper understanding of issues could sometimes create further problems and this is not wanted. But settlement must come and leaders must first come to an understanding for the sake of the people even if they still may have personal and group issues so that their own sacrifices are not rendered useless in the eyes of the people. This goes for the Overground political groups and their leaders as well although in their case the scenario looks brighter. And for TR Zeliang in particular as the man in the moment! Opportunities like this are not given to many people and those who are very fortunate get it once to leave behind them “footprints on the sands of time”! Charles Chasie

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.

Entertainment

The Morung Express

Vin Diesel

015 has already been another hugely successful year for Vin Diesel... but he is set to take a little break from the Fast & Furious franchise to star in The Last Witch Hunter. The Last Witch Hunter is yet to hit the big screen but Diesel has already announced that talks about a sequel have already taken place. However, we are going to have to wait until the autumn until we see this first film released. Now, Diesel is not going to be at ComicCon to promote the new film but these two great new posters have been released - showing two very different characters for Diesel:

fantastic and we are looking forward to working with the Duke,’ said Mr Mauger a 47-year-old consultant anaesthetist at West Suffolk hospital, who has worked with the EAAA for 13 years. ‘They fly in very challenging conditions and land in tight spaces, such as a sports field or busy dual carriageway.’ The Duke will be on a six-strong team on a roster of day and night shifts,

CAlvin HArris feels 'inspired' by Taylor Swift

The Last Witch Hunter marks the return of Breck Eisner to the director's chair for the first time since The Crazies as he and Diesel are also teaming up for the first time. Diesel is set to take on the central role of Kaulder and is joined on the cast list by Rose Leslie, Elijah Wood, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Julie Engelbrecht, and Michael Caine. Kaulder (Diesel) is the Last Witch Hunter, the only one who stands between humanity and the combined forces of the most terrifying witches in history. The Last Witch Hunter is released 30th October.

Calvin Harris has revealed his girlfriend Taylor Swift ''inspires'' him.

Amitabh Bachchan Warns Fans Against Fake KBC 9 Registrations

M C M Y K

egastar Amitabh Bachchan has warned his fans about fake registrations for the ninth season his popular gaming show Kaun Banega Crorepati, saying that nothing has been finalised on the upcoming season. The 72-year-old actor took to his blog to caution eager fans, who want to participate on the show. "And yes on another front, KBC ! I Get messages that seek registrations for KBC season 9 and so on, this is a scam, a fake," Mr Bachchan posted on his blog. "An effort to fool innocent people, caution all. Sony has not given out any such direction," the Piku star added. Except for the show's third season, Big B has hosted Kaun Banega Crorepati since its debut.

he Scottish DJ is smitten with the 'Blank Space' hitmaker but also admires her hard work and career achievements. A source said: ''She's the only female on the planet he feels inspired by, because of what she's achieved.'' Despite their superstar status, Taylor and Calvin - who previously dated Rita Ora - shun a party lifestyle but still have a lot of ''fun'' together. The source said: ''They're both pretty clean-living on the whole. ''Taylor is certainly less of a party girl than Rita, but

Patricia Arquette doesn't feel old

atricia Arquette still feels like she's 23. The 'Boyhood' star has confessed she has as much energy as she did in her early twenties and only realises she is in fact ''middle-aged'' when she looks in the mirror. The 47-year-old star said: ''I still feel 23 energetically and I also feel like my whole life's ahead of me. But when I look at myself, I see, 'Oh! You're actually middle-aged. Wow'.'' And while Patricia tries to keep her look natural, she insists she ''reserves the right'' to do anything to she

wants with her face and believes she shouldn't be judged on doing so. She told Britain's Vogue magazine: “I don't want to do anything with my face but I also reserve the right to do that if I chose to, you know? And without apologies to a million strangers, because even having a conversation about, 'You don't look natural, you did something weird to your face,' we are making it about the way women look. It's none of our f**king business what they look like.”

Channing TaTum:

marketing was

hanning Tatum thinks the marketing for 'Magic Mike' was ''genius''. The 35-year-old actor - who

‘Genius' produced and acted in the film about male stripping and its sequel 'Magic Mike XXL' - has admitted the 2012 film and the adverts

- which made the serious drama look like the perfect film for a girl's night out - had a ''disconnect''. Channing said: ''You can't

13 July 2015

Dimapur

Prince starts news job with air ambulance team t's hazardous, it involves night shifts, staff might have to work Christmas Day and they take a packed lunch because there’s no canteen. It hardly sounds like a career fit for a prince, yet at 7am tomorrow the Duke of Cambridge reports for duty at Cambridge International Airport, to start his new job as a pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA). The former RAF search-and-rescue pilot will now carry out risky missions ferrying to hospital critically ill members of the public that other emergency services cannot reach. One of William’s new colleagues, Jeremy Mauger, a doctor on the EC145 helicopter the Duke will be co-piloting, said it is a very rewarding job. ‘Our crew, particularly the pilots, are

Comic Con Posters

Monday

blame them; it was a genius move. But there is a disconnect there. They sell what will work, not what the truth of the movie is. I actually think the second movie is more like what people though the first movie was. ''I mean, look, male stripping is lame. It's still cop routines and fireman routines. And it hasn't changed since it began.'' However, the '22 Jump Street' star - who based the film on his own life, having been a stripper in his youth - also admitted that 'Magic Mike' has had an unintended effect on his life when it comes to female fans. Speaking to GQ magazine, Channing said: ''Women will come up to me and say, you know, no offence, but I would love to do you. You know: I would do whatever you wanted me to do. And I'm like, that is offensive! You do mean offence! I'm not an amusement park!''

they have fun and Calvin loves the people she brings to his gigs and when their friends meet up.'' Calvin already gets on well with Taylor's family and was seen enjoying one of his girlfriend's recent gigs in Dublin with her mother Andrea, father Scott and brother Austin. Onlooker Suzie Dickinson told heat magazine: ''Calvin was so relaxed with her brother, they were having a great time. ''Andrea and Calvin started dancing at one point and he was singing along to all her songs, even the unknown ones.''

which last nine and a half hours and could fall on Christmas Day. He will have no contact with the Duchess when he is on call-outs as mobile phones must be switched off during rescue flights. This will be testing for Kate, who has spent the summer with her husband at their Norfolk home since the birth of Princess Char-

lotte. She has admitted to fearing for her husband’s safety every time he goes up in a helicopter. However Royal aides have stressed the Duke ‘doesn’t want any special treatment’ and say he is there ‘to do a job’. Although he will continue with official engagements, Prince William considers the new role a

full-time job, said an aide. The Duke will take packed lunches because the base is ‘small and cosy’ with just a microwave and a kettle in the makeshift kitchen. It’s not known whether the Duchess will be preparing William’s lunch tomorrow but her father-in-law’s organic food line Duchy Originals does cold meats, cheeses and biscuits – and she could probably borrow some Tupperware from William’s grandmother.

Djokovic shatters Federer dream to win third Wimbledon

C M Y K

London, JuLy 12 (aFP): Defending champion Novak Djokovic won a third Wimbledon title and a ninth Grand Slam crown on Sunday, ruthlessly shattering Roger Federer's bid for a record eighth All England Club triumph. World number one Djokovic won 7-6 (7/1), 6-7 (10/12), 6-4, 6-3 to add the Wimbledon title to the Australian Open he captured in January. It was a cathartic moment for Djokovic just a month after his heartbreaking French Open final defeat against Stan Wawrinka -- a loss that denied him the only major title he has yet to win. For 33-year-old Federer, it was a bitterly disappointing end to his bid to become the oldest Wimbledon champion of the Open Era. The 17-time major winner has now gone three years since his last Grand Slam triumph. But he had his chances. In a rollercoaster rematch of last year's final, he was 4-2 up in the first set and had two set points. Federer then had to save seven set points in the second set before bravely levelling the contest. However, Djokovic, five years Federer's junior,

Novak Djokovic of Serbia, left, holds the trophy after winning the men's singles final against Roger Federer of Switzerland at Wimbledon, London, Sunday July 12. (AP Photo)

stepped on the gas and raced away to the title. Sunday's final was the pair's 40th career meeting and 12th in the Grand Slams. Djokovic was playing in his 17th major final compared to Federer's 26th. But despite Federer's majestic triumph over Andy Murray in the semi-finals, which suggested he was not ready for the retirement home just yet, Sunday's reality check looks certain to

leave the Swiss thwarted in his quest to add to his record 17 Grand Slam title collection. In front of a Royal Box crammed with tennis and Hollywood A-listers, including Bjorn Borg, Rod Laver, Benedict Cumberbatch, Hugh Grant and Bradley Cooper, Federer was in the early ascendancy. He broke for a 4-2 lead but Djokovic hit straight back condemning the Swiss to just his second lost ser-

vice game in 94 served up at the tournament. Federer then saw two set points disappear in the 12th game, both saved courtesy of backto-back 120mph serves. Djokovic capitalised on his escape, racing through the tiebreaker with six consecutive points to claim the opener when Federer served up a double fault. The Serb committed just three unforced errors in the first set, a key statistic

in what would always be a tight encounter. By contrast, Federer hit 11, the same as he suffered throughout his semi-final win over Murray. Federer wasted two break points in the fifth and 11th games of the second set having saved a first set point in the 10th. That paved the way for a titanic tiebreak where the 33-year-old saved six more set points before levelling the final on his second set point. At 12/10, it was the longest tiebreak in a Wimbledon final since 2000 when Pat Rafter faced Pete Sampras with the set taking 65 gripping minutes to complete. To his credit, Djokovic swiftly recovered, breaking for a 2-1 lead in the third set which became 3-2 when rain forced them off for 20 minutes. The world number one confidently wrapped up the set 6-4 with just two unforced errors even if the brief stoppage had dampened the fireworks of the second set. The title was his on the stroke of the third hour with a sweeping forehand into an open court. As has become the Serb's tradition, he celebrated by pulling out a piece of Centre Court grass and eating it.

Conor McGregor stops Chad Mendes

Irishman becomes new UFC interim champion C M Y K

Las Vegas, JuLy 12 (agencies): From the moment Sinead O'Connor began singing "The Foggy Dew", the crowd in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas turned into a sea of orange, white and green as the Irish faithful cheered and chanted for Conor McGregor as he walked to the Octagon for his main event title fight against Chad Mendes. Less than 10 minutes later, Ireland crowned its first UFC champion as McGregor stopped Mendes with a TKO late in the second round. It was just a few weeks ago that McGregor was set to face featherweight champion Jose Aldo in what was expected to be one of the biggest fights in UFC history. A rib injury derailed the champion, so Mendes took the opportunity to face McGregor on two weeks' notice with an interim title up for

Conor McGregor lands a left to Chad Mendes to end their interim featherweight title mixed martial arts bout at UFC 189 on Saturday, July 11, 2015, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo)

grabs instead. As a former NCAA AllAmerican wrestler, Mendes was the exact style that was supposed to test McGregor after the Irishman tore through a group of strikers who just couldn't hang with him on the feet. Mendes wasted no time proving that his grappling was superior as he

planted McGregor on the mat in the opening round. The American contender pushed the action with more wrestling and even opened up a deep cut over McGregor's right eye that likely won him the round when the horn sounded. However, McGregor managed to land some body shots that appeared to

leave Mendes a little winded — exactly the flaw McGregor, who had the advantage of a full training camp, knew was in his favor. Round two started the same with Mendes putting McGregor on the deck with a blast double-leg takedown, and as he started blasting away with hard elbows on the ground it ap-

peared like the most hyped superstar on the UFC roster was watching his championship dreams expire before he ever got to live them. Finally after a tough four minutes on the mat, McGregor got back to his feet. When Mendes tried to advance position once the fight standing, momentum changed direction in a hurry. McGregor went after Mendes immediately, backing the fighter up against the cage as he looked to land his combinations with a spring in his step and power in his punches. Finally, McGregor unloaded a huge left hand that tore through Mendes' chin and sent him crumbling to the mat. McGregor followed up with a few more shots as Mendes could only cover up on the ground. Referee Herb Dean wasted no time calling a stop to the action with three seconds left in the second round, and Conor McGregor suddenly was standing tall as the new UFC featherweight champion.

India claim series with 62run victory over Zimbabwe

Indian batsman Stewart Binny plays a shot during the second day One Day International cricket match against Zimbabwe in Harare, Zimbabwe, Sunday, July,12. (AP Photo)

HaRaRe, JuLy 12 (ReuTeRs): India’s Ajinkya Rahane and Murali Vijay put on a century opening stand to lay the platform for a 62-run victory over Zimbabwe and a series win in the second one-day international at Harare Sports Club on Sunday. After the tourists were sent in to bat, the pair put on 112 for the first wicket as India posted 271 for eight in their 50 overs. Zimbabwe found quick scoring difficult from the start of their reply and were eventually bowled out for 209 with an over remaining in their innings. Captain Rahane took 83 balls for his score of 63, while Vijay managed just three boundaries, two of them sixes, as he top-scored for India with 72 from 95 balls. They were the only two half-centuries of the innings and after they departed India lost wickets at regular intervals on the slow pitch.

Zimbabwe seamer Neville Madziva posted career best figures in all List A matches of four for 49 in his 10 overs. The home side stumbled in their reply and when their century hero from Friday’s narrow four-run loss, skipper Elton Chigumbura, was dismissed for nine they had slumped to 43 for three in the 11th over. Opener Chamu Chibhabha provided lone resistance with a neatly compiled 72 from 100 balls before he was run out by a direct hit from

Rahane. Experienced spinner Harbhajan Singh, who has returned to 50-over international cricket after an absence of four years for this tour, bowled tidily to register one for 29 in his 10 overs. But the pick of the Indian bowlers was medium pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar with four for 33 from his allotted overs. The final match of the series will be staged at the same venue on Tuesday, before the teams play two Twenty20 games starting on Friday.

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TRANSFER TALK Immobile joins Sevilla on loan Italy forward Ciro Immobile is joining Spanish side Sevilla on loan from Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund says the transfer is agreed "in principle" and the 25-year-old will join Sevilla upon completion of a medical "initially on loan" through June 2016. Immobile joined Dortmund from Torino for 18.5 million euros (then $25 million) in June 2014 but struggled to compensate for Robert Lewandowski's departure to Bayern Munich. He managed just three goals in 24 Bundesliga games, having finished the season before as Serie A's top-scorer with 22 goals. (The Associated Press)

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Man City agree Sterling fee

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Liverpool have reached an agreement with Manchester City over the transfer of Raheem Sterling. It is understood that the fee for the England international is £49m, and subject to certain add-ons. The forward must now agree personal terms and undergo a medical at the City of Manchester Stadium. (Source – SkySports)

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