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The Morung Express
Dimapur VOL. X ISSUE 69
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www.morungexpress.com
Friday, March 13, 2015 12 pages Rs. 4
I apologise if ‘PK’ has hurt sentiments: Aamir Khan
reflections
By Sandemo Ngullie
Morung Express News Dimapur | March 12
Nagaland among states that misused drinking water and sanitation funds NEW DELHI, MARCH 12 (PTI): Nagaland is one of six states that have either diverted or misused funds allocated by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, informed the Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation, Birender Singh. Instances of states misusing or diverting funds allocated by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has come to the notice of the government, Lok Sabha was informed today. In his written reply, Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Birender Singh said that instances of misuse/diversion of funds allocated to the States have come to the notice of the ministry as per the reports received from Accountant General/Chartered Accounts empanelled by Comptroller and Auditor General during the audit of the accounts of the states. As per the data released by the minister, six states such as Andhra P ra d e s h, Hi ma c ha l Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka,Uttar Pradesh and Nagaland have either diverted or misused the funds allocated by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. The financial years during which misuse or diversion was reported ranges from 2005-06 to 2013-14, the data released by the ministry revealed.
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Mom and dad: Strangers to millions of Chinese kids [ PAGE 9]
–Marcus Aurelius
Villiers ensures South Africa make last eight [ PAGE 12]
March 5 violence: india’s H1n1 virus deadlier than ever MIT swine flu report two more arrested to be studied: • Total number of arrests reach 50 • Block on SMS lifted • Mobile data service to resume from March 13, 6:00 pm
Some parts of this interview are bound to be misquoted by the national media. I deny them in advance.
Special Women’s Health Camp at Peren concludes
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Two more persons were arrested today in connection with the March 5 violence in Dimapur, taking the total to 50. IG (Range), Wabang Jamir, while stating that the police are putting in all effort to track down all those identified to have taken part in the violence, admitted that most of the indentified individuals have gone into hiding. The persons, who have been arrested so far, will be lodged in different jails across the State. “Their (arrested) statements have been recorded,” Jamir said, adding that as per the statements, social media played a major role in the March 5 incident. Among the arrested, most of whom are students, include professionals and a teacher. Queried on the role of the civil society, Jamir said that investigators are analysing the speeches of the persons who spoke at the rally at the Clock Tower on March 5. The number of persons on the “lookout list” of the police is increasing, as according to Jamir, interrogation of the persons under arrest has revealed more names of people, who took part in the violence but were not captured on camera.
It was informed that the police have also registered FIRs in connection with the March 4 incidents of vandalism, rioting and arson at New Market. The FIRs were registered on March 7 and the police are yet to make any arrest in this connection. The police further sought the cooperation of the public in the investigation. Anyone with information on persons, who participated in the violence are requested to contact the police at phone number – 873095050 or through sitdp2015@gmail.com. Jamir said that the confidentiality of the informant will be strictly maintained. Cr.PC to be revoked from 6:00 am, March 13 The Deputy Commissioner, Dimapur through an order has informed that prohibitory orders promulgated under Cr.PC section 144 will be revoked with effect from 6:00 am, March 13. Improving law and order situation and “no immediate apprehension of a situation likely to disturb public peace or damage to public property” was attributed as the reason behind the revocation. Dimapur Police issue Look Out Notice (Details on Page 5)
WAsHINgToN, MARCH 12 (IANs): Swine flu - influenza A (H1N1) pandemic 2009 virus - that has killed over 1,500 people and left more than 27,000 people infected in India has acquired mutations that make it more dangerous than previously circulating strains of H1N1 influenza, a team of Indian-origin scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has discovered. The findings, reported in the scientific journal Cell Host & Microbe, contradict previous reports from the Indian health officials that the strain has not changed from the version of H1N1 that emerged in 2009 and has been circulating around the world ever since. The flu virus in India seems to have acquired mutations that could spread more readily and, therefore, requires deeper studies, they warn. “We are really caught between a rock and a hard place, with little information and a lot of misinformation,” said Ram Sasisekharan, the Alfred H Caspary professor of biological engineering at the MIT and the paper’s senior author. “When you do realtime surveillance, get organised and deposit these sequences, then you can come up with a better strategy to respond to the virus,” he added. To reach this conclusion, Sasisekharan and MIT research scientist Kannan Tharakaraman compared the genetic sequences of those two
Indian experts
Indian passengers wear a protective mask as they sit in a train compartment in Ahmadabad. (AP Photo)
strains to the strain of H1N1 that emerged in 2009 and killed more than 18,000 people worldwide between 2009 and 2012. The researchers found that the recent Indian strains carry new mutations in the hemagglutinin protein that are known to make the virus more virulent. Hemagglutinin binds to glycan receptors found on the surface of respiratory cells and the strength of that binding determines how effectively the virus can infect those cells. One of the new mutations is in an amino acid position called D225 which has been linked with increased disease severity. Another mutation, in the T200A position, allows hemagglutinin to bind more strongly to glycan receptors, making the virus more infectious. With very little scien-
tific data available about the new strain, the MIT researchers stress the need for better surveillance to track the outbreak and to help scientists to determine how to respond to this influenza variant. “There is a real need for aggressive surveillance to ensure that the anxiety and hysteria are brought down and people are able to focus on what they really need to worry about,” Sasisekharan emphasised. “We need to understand the pathology and the severity, rather than simply relying on anecdotal information,” he pointed out. With very little scientific data available about the new strain, the MIT researchers stress the need for better surveillance to track the outbreak and to help scientists to determine how to respond to
this influenza variant. In the past two years, genetic sequence information of the flu-virus protein hemagglutinin from only two influenza strains from India has been deposited into publicly available influenza databases, making it difficult to determine exactly which strain is causing the new outbreak, and how it differs from previous strains. “However, those two strains yielded enough information to warrant concern,” said Sasisekharan, also a member of MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. Learning more about the new strains could help public health officials to determine which drugs might be effective and to design new vaccines for the next flu season, which will likely include strains that are now circulating, the authors concluded.
NEW DELHI, MARCH 12 (IANs): A Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) report claiming that the swine flu virus in India may have mutated and become severely infectious needs to be studied thoroughly before being accepted, Indian health experts said on Thursday. “This is a new study. We need to go through it and research properly. It is important to know how they reached the conclusion. It will take at least one-to-two days’ time to go through the study, only then I can comment on it,” S.K. Sharma, director, Directorate of Health Services (DHS) told IANS. The findings contradict previous reports from Indian health officials that the strain has not changed from the version of H1N1 that emerged in 2009 and has been circulating around the world ever since. NK Mehra, former dean, research, at All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) said it was important to study the MIT report before coming to any conclusion. “It will be too early to comment now without going through the report properly,” he said. A senior official of the health ministry also said that the issue will be discussed with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) before coming to any conclusion.
DALT calls for professionalism from law enforcing agencies Major forest fire
DIMAPUR, MARCH 12 (MExN): The Dimapur Ao Lanur Telongjem (DALT) has urged law enforcing agencies to work with “professionalism” in dealing with the violent incidents of March 4. A press note from the DALT President, K Longri Imchen and General Secretary, Chitenlemba Imsong expressed “deep resent-
ment” against the “random exercise undertaken by the police in identifying the culprits involved in March 5 incident, as a result innocents are being harassed and made to suffer mental and emotional trauma.” The DALT, while condemning the March 5 violence, said that it is “uncalled for to summon someone to the police
station on the basis of assumption despite availability of the video and photographic evidences with the concerned investigative agencies.” It urged the police to handle the matter efficiently and also restore the image and credibility of the security force in the state. Lamenting that the March 5 incident has
“brought disgrace to our society,” the DALT said that the incident “indicates absence of good governance and spiritual leadership in our state.” It called upon the Naga people and political leaders in particular to introspect “as to why our daughters become so insecure in our own land and our children become restless and apprehensive. We
must collectively find solution to this problem before social disorder and lawlessness overtake us again and again.” It further urged Naga civil society to “come together once again and work for the future of peaceful and just Naga society.” The DALT also assured co-operation and support to all concerned authorities.
Gender equality: What’s in it for men? NPCC demand CBI probe
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Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth India, Mauritius will work to avoid tax treaty abuse: Modi
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UNITED N AT I o N s , MARCH 12 (THoMsoN REUTERs FoUNDATIoN): Convincing men that they are as likely as women to benefit from gender equality is the strongest argument to get them involved in reaching that goal, experts said at the United Nations on Wednesday. Accepting equality and rejecting gender stereotypes would help end discrimination against men seeking jobs typically done by women, increase their participation in family life, and ease the economic burden of supporting their families as more women enter the workforce, they said. “It has become clear that if we continue to live in a society where gender inequality exists, we all lose,” Martina Vuk, Slovenia’s minister for social affairs and equal opportunities, said on day three of the U.N. 59th Commission on the Status of Women. Gender segregation in the labour market remains a problem for both men and women, said panellists from several countries. Iceland, for example, has
Europe’s highest percentage of women in the workforce, at 71 percent according to the World Bank, yet also one of the most segregated labour markets, said Eyglo Hardardottir, the country’s minister for social affairs. “It remains harder for a man to be accepted as a kindergarten teacher than a woman to be accepted as an engineer,” she said. In Austria, less than 2 percent of kindergarten teachers are men, said Alexander Wrabetz, director general of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF). In programming around International Women’s Day earlier this month, ORF spotlighted professions with unequal gender representation, Wrabetz said. In addition to male kindergarten teachers, they included a woman believed to be the country’s sole female metalworker, as well as female music conductors, who make up only 17 percent of all Austrian conductors. Panellists noted that laws and policies encouraging men to take paternity leave have increased their participation in
family life. Yet gender stereotypes rob men of openly enjoying domestic tasks traditionally done by women, said Bafana Khumalo, co-founder of South Africa’s Sonke Gender Justice, an NGO working with men and boys to promote equality and fight domestic and sexual violence. He recalled a workshop where men were reluctant to admit they liked cooking, and said they were so ashamed they drew the kitchen curtains when they made meals. When asked to consider what men and women in their households did over a 24-hour period, the men in the workshop realised that while they enjoyed leisure time after work and school, the women and girls returned home only to cook and clean. The discussion prompted some men to re-allocate chores at home, Khumalo said, noting that some reported back that their sex lives had improved because their partners were less tired. “Gender equality is not just about policies,” he said. “It’s about the quality of life.”
into Dimapur violence KoHIMA, MARCH 12 (MExN): The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has demanded CBI probe into alleged rape case of a college girl and the subsequent violence in Dimapur on March 5. A resolution regarding the same was taken at a joint meeting of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC), Executive Committee and CLP members on March 9. In press note issued by its Media Cell, the NPCC expressed apprehension that the one-man enquiry set up by the state government headed by a former District & Sessions Judge, “may not be able to bring out the factual report on the entire episode considering the gravity of the situation prevalent in the state.” “An impartial enquiry by a central agency like the CBI will be able to put the records straight in unearthing the circumstances that led to the violent incident,” it stated. The investigation from all angles should be probed, it argued, including rape charges, failure of administrative machinery to prevent jailbreak and lynching of rape accused, killing and injuring
of public in police firing, injury to law enforcing personnel, damage to properties, conspiracies if any and the role of the people who spearheaded the protest rally against rape that went beyond its mandate. The NPCC stated that the utter lawlessness witnessed in Dimapur can never be “justified by any civilized society.” “The shocking pictures and videos that went viral on the media have caused irreparable damage to the image of the people of Nagaland across the world,” it maintained. The NPCC further appealed to the people of Nagaland to maintain peace and harmony at this crucial juncture as the “negative actions” have attracted enough media attention across the country and the world. It also urged all political parties, NGOs and civil societies of the state to desist from indulging in blame game against one another. “Attempting to take mileage out of this shameful incident that has exposed our failures on all fronts will only yield resentment and hatred on our people,” the NPCC said.
at Dzukuo valley • More than 15 kilometres already engulfed • Choppers from Eastern Air Command Shillong to reach today • Public cautioned not to venture out to the valley
DIMAPUR MARCH 12 (MExN): In yet another forest fire disaster at the picturesque valley Dzukuo, more than an estimated area of 10-15 kilometres have been engulfed by a raging inferno. The fire which reportedly flared up on Wednesday, its cause still unknown, is yet to be completely doused. A spot verification was conducted by the Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA), Home Department in co-ordination with the District Disaster Management Authority (Kohima), the Forest Department, the HG&CD and local volunteers today. Since the devastation is huge and beyond the coping and control mechanism of the personnel pressed to duty, the NSDMA, Home Department has requisitioned support from the Ministry of Home Affairs, DM Division and Ministry of Defence for deployment of choppers to douse the huge fire, a press statement issued by the Nagaland Home Commissioner Neihu C Thur has informed. In response, the Eastern Air Command-in-
Chief, Shillong has already dispatched choppers from Bagdogra for the initial ariel survey, the release further informed. The Indian Air Force (IAF) chopper deployed by the Eastern Air Command will reach Rangapahar in the early hours of Friday morning. Maintaining that it is taking all necessary steps to ensure safety of the public, the State government has cautioned the public not to venture to Dzukou valley until the fire is doused out completely. Villages in the Western and Southern Angami areas are also informed not to panic. Dzukou, which is some 30km from Kohima, is also a sanctuary for endangered tragopans and other species of birds and animals. Due to human carelessness, the valley has on numerous occasions been reduced to ashes by forest fire. Of the most recent, in February 2014, more than a hundred acres of Dzuku was devoured by fire. In 2010, at least 10 sq kilometres of Dzuku was devoured after some youths accidently set it on fire. Similar fire incidents also occurred in 2009 and 2006.
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Special Women’s Health Camp at Peren concludes pErEN, march 12 (mExN): With the initiative to promote and provide maternal health care so also keeping in line with the celebration of International Women’s Day, the Department of Health & Family Welfare, National Health Mission, Chief Medical Office Peren organized three day ‘Special Women’s Health Camp’ from March 9 to 11 at District Hospital Peren. CMO Peren District Media Officer Pezanguno Celine Secii in a press release stated that the camp focuses on providing free services to women targeting at least 100 pregnant women –Ante Natal Care services including urine, hemoglobin, blood pressure etc, Post Natal Care services, Identification of high risk women, Availability of Referral transport, Availability of drugs, consumables & MCP cards to all beneficiaries, Promotion of Family Planning services, Promotion of JSY & JSSK entitlements and Counseling services. Publicity was made through miking in the Dis-
Inter personnel communication on Family planning session being conducted during the Special Health Camp held at DH Peren.
trict headquarters and banner was placed in District Hospital to create awareness. To create intensive awareness the staff’s of District Hospital along with District Program Management Unit were involved in conducting IPC session to pregnant women as well women in general in and around the town. Block Program Managers and ASHA Co-coordinators and ASHA’s in the villages were involved to carry out
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Dimapur, march 12 (mExN): The Naga United Village Students' Union body has decided to visit all the schools and colleges under Naga united Village on March 13. Therefore, all the Students' Union Official members are requested to gather at 8:00 am at Great Commission Higher Secondary School Dorm Admin Office. Timing to visit the schools and Colleges under Naga United Village will be as follows: Great Commission Higher Secondary-8:00 am, Highland Hall school- 9:00 am, Government primary and High school-10:00 am, C-Edge college- 11:00 am, Hope Academy-12:00 noon.
Philatelic Exchange KOHIOMAPEX-2015 Kohima, march 12 (mExN): The Postal Department, Nagaland Division will be organizing a Philatelic Exchange KOHIOMAPEX-2015 at Little Flower Higher Secondary School, Kohima from March 13 to 14. The exhibition will also include letter writing/ stamp designing competition in various age categories. Athiko Chalai, (IA&AS) Accountant General, Nagaland, Kohima will inaugurate the event as the chief guest on March 13 while Sister Anna Molly, Principal of the school will be the guest of honor on March 1.
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Kohima, march 12 (Dipr): The Governor of Nagaland, P.B Acharya will have a press conference with all the reporters/media persons of the print, visual & electronic media on March 16 at 1500 hrs in Raj Bhavan, Kohima. This was informed by the Deputy Secretary to Governor of Nagaland, George Abraham.
Kros College Collegiate Gospel Beat contest Kohima, march 12 (mExN): The Kros College, Leirie Colony, Kohima will be organising its Inter Collegiate Gospel Beat contest under the theme "Celebration in Sync" from March 13 to 14. Dr. Neikiesalie Kire, Minister Forst, Environment and Ecology will grace the opening as the Chief Guest while Khriehu Liezietsu, Parliamentary Secretary, Youth Resources & Sports, New & Renewable Energy and Advisor, Music Task Force will grace the closing as the Guest of Honor on March 14.
NBCC informs Kohima, march 12 (mExN): The Youth Department of Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) will be organizing a Live worship under the theme “The Sound of The New Generation” featuring Hillsong London from March 27 to 29 at Kohima Local ground.
CONDOLENCE MESSAGE
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LocaL
13 March 2015
The officials and members of Nagaland Taekwondo Association (NTA) and Kohima District Taekwondo Association (KDTA) are shocked and pained at the sudden and untimely demise of our beloved member Late MISS KENEI KIRE on the 8th of March 2015. Late Miss Kenei Kire was an avid taekwondo practitioner and had participated in various championships both at the State and National level. She had brought laurels and many glorified moments to the Associations in particular and the State in general. In this time of grief, the Associations salute and admire the hard-work, discipline and dedication that she had exemplified for our younger players to emulate. In her death, a big vacuum has been created which will be difficult to fill for many years to come. Last but not the least, the Association expresses our heartfelt condolences to her bereaved family members and pray that the Almighty God bestow peace upon her soul. Meanwhile, the Family Members of Late Kenei Kire extends profound gratitude to all the well-wishers for standing besides us during our sorrow and grief.
the IPC session at the Block level/ villages. Dr. Renponthung Kiki, Obs & Gynae, SMO and nurses District Hospital Peren conducted the laparoscopic ligation and IUCD. Altogether 56 patients were enrolled in the camp. A total of 15 pregnant women were registered, a total of 6 laparoscopic ligation and 11 IUCD were performed. IEC materials on Benefits of Breastfeeding, Care during
Pregnancy, Choices of Family Planning, Essential New born care, Safe Motherhood and Some facts about iodine deficiency disorders were also distributed. A felicitation program for ASHA’s commemorating the International Women’s Day on March 11 was also held at IDSP Conference Hall, Chief Medical Office, Peren. Dr. Diana, EAC Peren graced the occasion as the chief guest with other dignitaries from the Medical Department, Zeliang Mothers organization, Peren town Women Welfare, Peren town youth organization, ASHA’s and District and Block Program Management Unit Staff’s under Chief Medical Office Peren. Four ASHA’s from the four blocks under Peren District were felicitated with cash award and certificate. Testimonials were by given by the ASHA’s from Jalukie Block, Lhingnie of Saijang Village, Namtogong of Nkialwa Village, Tening Block, Namheidaile of Benreu Village, Peren Block and Themching of Athibung ‘D’ Village, Athibung Block.
The Morung Express C
Eight receives first ASHA award in Mkg
moKoKchuNg, march 12 (mExN): A programme for felicitation of ASHAs was held on March 11 at IDSP hall, IMDH Mokokchung on International Women’s Day under the directive of MOHFW, GOI. Eight ASHA selected from eight blocks under Mokokchung district were awarded with certificates and cash incentive.
Dr. SS Akaba Longchar CMO, Mokokchung, said the welcome speech. Dr. Kibangkumba, Dy CMO highlighted the criteria on where the ASHA has been selected. He also said that a cash prize of Rs. 5000/- will be awarded to one ASHA Co-ordinator who gets the maximum beneficiaries for sterilization and copper T insertion in the coming year starting from April 1.
Bendanglila, ADC gave away the certificates and cash incentive to eight ASHAs. She congratulated them for receiving the First ASHA award in the district and urged them to target for bigger award in the future and encourage them to make their calling and selection sure. She also urged to motivate more and work for their programme in
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the days to come. ASHA of Ongpangkong, Changtongya and Mangkolemba block shared their testimony. ADC, CMO, Dy.CMO, DPO (UIP& RCH), Nursing tutors, Block Asha Coordinator, BPMs, DPMU staffs and public, attended the programme. Watisenla Jamir District Community Mobilizer Mokokchung chaired the programme.
Six best ASHAs awarded in Kohima
Kohima, march 12 (mExN): Office of the Chief Medical Officer, Kohima along with District Health Society, Department of Health & Family Welfare, NHM held felicitation of ASHAs on the occasion of International Women’s Day in collaboration with District Review Meeting at Chief Medical Officer’s Office conference hall on March 10. Dy.CMO Dr. Kechongol Sophie chaired the programme while Dr. Khrievilhou Nahkro, MO Khonoma PHC projecting on his PHC performance for the financial year 20142015, did the technical
presentation. A press note stated that the observance of International Women’s Day from March 9 to 11 as per the directives from the Government of India, felicitation programme for best ASHAs from block was held. Addressing the felicitation programme, Dy. CMO, Dr. Kechongol Sophie underlined the crucial role of the ASHAs whose assigned task was to care and save the life of both pregnant mothers and the babies. Inculcating to the subject, he also informed the congregation, as ASHAs are the link
workers who have big responsibility as they face big mission. Considering the significant role of the ASHAs, he encourage the awardees for more active participation of hard work and rendering health needs to the community. Sharing of experiences was delivered by six awardees ASHAs. Taking up the platform, Dy. CMO, Dr. Kechongol gave appreciation on containment of Swine Flu by the Department of Health & Family Welfare. He stressed that virus has mutation property so similar outbreak which cannot be ruled
out, but at the same time Non Communicable Disease (NCD) is also a concern. He highlighted that out of 58 million deaths, 38 millions death was due to NCD cases. South East Asia alone is 5.8 millions death out of which 4.2 millions were premature death on NCD. He also urged the Medical Officers to fight against NCD by educating public and strengthening our Survelliance Mechanism. All Program Officers, SMOs, MOs, DPM, BPMs, DAM, BAMs, DCM, BACs NUHM Consultant and Media officer attended the programme.
Prog on disaster response and school safety held
Kohima, march 12 (mExN): A daylong programme comprising of four sessions on disaster response and school safety, exhibition of tools, Equipment & Accessories (TEA) used during search & rescue operation and painting competition for students of classes 9 and 10 was held at St. Mary Higher Secondary School, Lerie on March 7. A press release stated that the event was organized by Kohima district establishment of Civil Defence & Home Guards Department under the Plan Scheme of Mainstreaming Civil Defence in Disaster Risk Reduction, Ministry of
Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India. Temjenwati, Company Commander, Civil Defence & Home Guards chaired the inaugural programme, short speech by Fr. John, Principal of St. Mary Higher Secondary School and power point presentation on mock drill was delivered by Mulai Lamniah, Dy. Controller, Civil Defence & District Commandant, Home Guards, Kohima. During the second session, pre-announced mock drill (evacuation) exercise was carried out, in case of Earthquake incident, involving the school teachers and students from Class 1
to 10. Third session began with a power point presentation on Disaster Awareness, Preparedness, Response and School Safety tips by Mulai Lamniah, Dy. Controller, Civil Defence & District Commandant, Home Guards, Kohima. This was followed by painting competition on the theme “Natural disaster like Earthquake, Fire, Cyclone, Landslide etc. and my preparedness from such impacts on the school.” S.I Vinguto and a team of demonstrator led the last session. Demonstrationcum-hands on practical
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Students of St. Mary Higher Secondary School participates in the demonstration session during the event on disaster response and school safety programme held on March 7.
exercise on First aid, Emergency method of Rescue, Bandaging and handling of different kinds of fire extin-
guishers were imparted to the students of class 9 and 10 and the daylong programme concluded with
Exhibition of Tools, Equipment & Accessories (TEA) used during Search & Rescue operation.
Finance department informs on DA/DL PHED to launch nationwide
Kohima, march 12 (Dipr): The Government of Nagaland, Finance Department in an Office Memorandum No. BUD/41/2008-09 dated 10th March 2015, has requested all the departments to ensure that proposals for issue of DA/DL are submitted to the Finance Department on or before 21st
March 2015 (Saturday); except for those proposals under SPA, CSS, NLCPR,. etc, which are sanctioned and credited to the State account only at the fag end of the financial year. Departments may also ensure that all requisite details for issue of DA/DL are furnished along with their proposals for facilitating Finance De-
partment to examine and dispose the matters without delay. All departments should ensure that the DA/DL issued by Finance Department are presented to and passed by the Treasuries on or before March 27 (Friday). It is to be categorically mentioned that no claim for cash payment will be
entertained in the Treasuries after March 27, except on the strength of DA/DL issued by the Finance Department under exceptional unavoidable proposals. The following nontransactions days are declared as transaction days: March 18 (Wednesday), March 21 (Saturday) and March 25 (Wednesday).
Biggest ex-serviceman rally on March 17
Kohima, march 12 (mExN): The Red Shield Division in an endeavor to reaching out to the veteran of seven districts of Nagaland State (Peren, Dimapur, Kohima, Wokha, Phek, Zunheboto and Kiphire) with the slogan ‘hamara haath aap ke saath’ is organizing the biggest ex-serviceman rally at Zakhama. PRO (Defence) Kohima Lt Col AK
Sharma in a press release said that the rally planned on March 17 is mainly focusing on preparation of ECHS card, Adhar Card alongwith resolving Pension anomalies. AllESM/widows are requested to get residential certificate, blood group certificate, demand draft for each person rs 135 for echs, residential proof certificate for adhar card, xerox of PPO, Xerox of first page
and from January 1, 2008 to till date of pass book, contact number, other documents if any for pension anomalies. Buses for the rally will be placed in each district on March 16 at 6:00 am at DC Office Zunheboto, DC Office Peren and DC Office Phek and on March 17 at 5:00 am at DC Office Kohima, Dimapur Rly stn and DC Office Wokha.
awareness week- Mar 16-22
Kohima, march 12 (mExN): The Ministry of drinking water and sanitation, Government of India is launching a ‘national rural drinking water and sanitation awareness week’ from March 16 to 22 to accelerate awareness in villages across India on issues pertaining to Rural Drinking water and sanitation. Celebrating along with the rest of the country, the Public Health Engineering Department, Nagaland will also be formally launching the week long awareness campaign across the state with Anenla S Longchari, IAS, Secretary PHED as the chief
guest on March 16 at PHED Conference Hall Kohima, said a press note issued by K Ghushito Sumi. The launching of the nationwide awareness week will be held in Haryana State on March 16 and the closing ceremony will be held in Nagaland on March 22 at Kohima where Birender Singh, Union Minister, Ministry for Drinking |Water and Sanitation, Government of India will grace the ceremony as the Chief Guest. Ram Kripal Yadav, Union Minister of state (MDWS), the secretary and the Joint Secretaries of the Ministry of drinking water and Sanitation, GOI will also attend the function.
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Café Lil’ Star – A touch of modernity and traditions
Morung Express Feature Mokokchung | March 12
It may be one of its kind lounges at Mokokchung town, ‘Café Lil’ Star’,as catchy as the name provides a cool environment to hang out, and offers some tasty food. The setting of the café is modern in all sense with a touch of tradition, with bamboo benches on the verandah and modern chairs inside. The café which occupies two spacious rooms at Kichuchar Complex (opposite MMC Shopping Complex) has a capacity of about 20-25 people; it has a LCD TV, a karaoke sound system, a small stage and a photo gallery. It is a café not to be missed, not only for its amiable setting but also for its food, which is served on fresh plantain leaves. The proprietor, Temsu Onnen (29), disclosed that he opened the café to promote local delicacies and encourage local talents by giving them a
(LEFT) Views of Café Lil’ Star, Kichuchar Complex (opp MMC shopping Complex), Mokokchung. (RIGHT) Proprietor, Temsu Onnen. (Photo Courtesy: Sashi Jamir)
space to hangout and share thoughts and ideas among themselves. Temsu Onnen is a wellknown photographer and a videographer in Mokokchung town. He has a small firm called ‘Destiny Wedding Films’ that caters to shooting videos and photos during weddings and im-
portant gatherings and programmes. He has undergone training in filmmaking and has already directed and produced a short film called ‘September Journey,’ which was released last year at Mokokchung. The Café Lil’ Star is just one of his many ventures, and through this he wants to
promote other activities and cater to the visitors to the town who wishes to relish on tasty Naga cuisines. He employs three local youths and so far serves Chinese cuisines and Naga delicacies such as sticky rice, pork and other Naga dishes. The space and services of the café is also let out to
interested groups and individuals at a nominal rate, and given its nice location the café attracts a lot of interested people who wants to hire it for an evening. With the coming to this latest Café, Mokokchung has added another wonderful business establishment and it is expected that
the café and the proprietor, with his vast experience in photography and videography, would promote not only the cuisines but also the art of photography in the society. Those interested persons can contact the proprietor, Temsu Onnen at mobile number 8729876223.
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Assam: Over 1,000 killed in ethnic Assam ready with Women vendors protest clashes, draft bill against bomb blasts in past 15 years witch-hunting against Imphal blast Our Correspondent Imphal | March 12
A mass sit-in was staged at Kwairamband Bazaar here today by thousands of women vendors to register protest against Wednesday’s bomb blast which left three dead and 22 people including nine women injured. They have been treating at Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal West. Hospital sources informed that the condition of some of the injured is critical. The powerful explosion occurred around 5:50 PM at the crowded Khwairamband temporary market shed. Three persons, including one non-local hailing from Bihar were killed at the spot in the blast. Most of the victims of the blast
triggered by unidentified assailants were daily wage earners and shoppers. Police believed the explosion was caused by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). A tea stall owned by a non-local was completely destroyed in the deadly blast in which one scooter was also damaged. All shops in the three women markets including Thangal bazaar and Paona bazaar downed shutters for the day in protest against the incident for which no group has so far claimed responsibility. The women demonstrators demanded all groups not to repeat such bomb blasts in public places. They demanded the Manipur Government to pay ex-gratia to all the victims. Meanwhile, a pro-
test rally was held against Wednesday’s blast at Porompat in Imphal East around 10:30 AM on Thursday. The rally participated by nearly 800 people, mostly from Khetri Bengoon, was heading towards the Imphal East Deputy Commissioner office complex. However, a large number of police blocked their way foiling their attempt to storm the Deputy Commissioner office. A minor scuffle ensued between the protestors and police. Two of the victims, who were killed in the Khwairamband blast, hailed from Muslim-dominated Khetri Bengoon. “Targeting daily wage earners is a shameful act. Killing labourers was a very unfortunate incident,” said Deputy Chief Minister Gai-
khangam who visited RIMS to meet the victims yesterday. “The blast shows that we need to stand together against all such assailants,” he added. Police have registered a case and have started investigations. The State Government has been warning that it might be forced to re-impose the Disturbed Area Act in the seven assembly segments of Imphal if violent incidents like bomb blast and killing of civilians continue. In the past one week, security forces in Manipur nabbed nine militants belonging to Revolutionary People’s Front, Kanglei Yaon Kanna Lup, People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak, Kuki Liberation Army, United National Liberation Front and one over ground worker of NSCN (IM).
Guwahati, March 12 (thE hiNDu): Assam witnessed eight ethnic clashes in nearly 15 years between 2001 and February 24, 2015, which claimed 535 lives. During this period, 810 bomb blasts also occurred in the State in which 471 persons (395 civilians and 76 security personnel) were killed. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rockybul Hussain tabled these statistics on the floor of the Assam Assembly on Monday while replying on behalf of the Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, to a question raised by BJP member Monoranjan Das. The eight clashes included the Hmar-Dimasa clashes (between February 26, 2003 and July 12, 2003) which claimed 57 lives in Dima Hasao district, the KarbiKuki clashes (between October 30, 2003 and April 12, 2004) which claimed 98 lives
in Karbi Anglong district, the Karbi-Dimasa clashes (between September 26, 2005 and December 28, 2005) which claimed 106 lives in Karbi Anglong district, the Bodo-Muslim clashes (between August 14, 2008 and August 20, 2008 and October 3, 2008 and October 17, 2008) which claimed 64 lives in Udalguri and Darrang district, the Zeme Naga-Dimasa clashes (between March 19, 2009 and September 9, 2009) which claimed 73 lives in Dima Hasao, the GaroRabha clashes (between January 1, 2011 and January 13, 2011) which claimed 12 lives in Goalpara district, the Karbi-Rengma Naga clashes (between February 27, 2013 and January 7, 2014) which claimed 16 lives in Karbi Anglong and the Bodo-Muslim clashes (between July 19, 2012 and November 17, 2012) which claimed 109 lives in Kokrajhar, Chirang,
Udalguri, Baksa and Dhubri. The minister also informed that currently eight militant outfits were active in Assam. These include United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent), National Democratic Front of Boroland (Songbijit), Karbi People’s Liberation Tiger, Kamatapur Liberation Organisation, Harkat-ul-Muzahideen, Muslim United Liberation Tiger of Assam, Jamaat’ul Mujahideen of Bangladesh and Communist Party of India (Maoist). Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in his budget speech, presented in the House on Tuesday stated that efforts by his government for maintenance of law and order resulted in signing of record 21 agreements by his government and the Centre for suspension of operations or Memorandum of Settlements with 21 militant outfits.
Guwahati, March 12 (Pti): Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said the state Home department has prepared a draft bill to prevent witch-hunting and protect persons subjected to atrocities and physical and mental harassment under it. The new law would give more teeth to the law enforcing agencies compared to the existing penal provisions to deal with the menace, he said while chairing a law and order meeting held here. As per the new law, terming, accusing and causing physical and mental harassment to anybody in the name of being a witch would be treated as a cognisable offence and punishment for the offence would amount to minimum three years of sentence or even to life imprisonment.
Police field units on alert to thwart hate attacks GurGaON, March 12 (tNN): Following an advisory by the ministry of home affairs (MHA) that there could be attacks on people from the northeast in cities like Bangalore, Maharashtra and Gurgaon, the city police have instructed its field units to be on high alert. The MHA advisory was sent after frenetic social media activity was detected in Bangalore by intelligence agencies that incited violence against people from the northeast. "We've issued necessary instructions to field units to maintain high alert, to prevent any adverse inci-
dents and respond quickly to any such incident if it takes place," police commissioner Navdeep Virk told TOI. Of 5,000 people from the northeast who live and work in Gurgaon, a majority is based in Sikandarpur, Chakkarpur and Kapashera areas. They claim things have changed for them since the helpline was set up, following the attack on two northeasterners in October 2014. "There have been a lot of changes since then. Locals have become more sensitive and things are changing for us here. The
amenities for us have also improved, as we feel we are being accepted," said a resident of Nathupur who hails from Tripura. "Discrimination has declined in the recent past, because local communities appear to be reforming," said T Hangshing, a Manipuri who lives in Sikanderpur and hails from Imphal. The social media buzz was noted after a Bengalispeaking Assamese migrant, Syed Sarif Khan, was dragged out of jail in the Nagaland capital Dimapur and lynched by a mob that accused him of raping a local girl.
‘ULFA assisted GNLA in Meghalaya ambush’
ShiLLONG, March 12 (tNN): A day after four policemen were killed by suspected Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) militants in South Garo Hills, police on Wednesday said ULFA cadres had 'assisted' the rebels in the ambush. Meghalaya DGP Rajiv Mehta said ULFA 'could have been' involved in the ambush, adding that the aim of the militants was to loot arms from the security forces. Meanwhile, police sources said Sohan D Shira, self-styled 'commander-inchief' of GNLA, had formed a special action commando team to carry out the ambush. "The state police is working in tandem with the Intelligence Bureau to nab the culprits, some of whom have been identified," a source said. "Wanted criminals of GNLA, including self-styled area commander of East Garo Hills Jimmy Sangma and area commander of West Khasi Hills Hebel, who is
also an escapee from Tura jail, were involved in the ambush," the source added. The state government on Wednesday reiterated its commitment to root
out militancy from the state. Making a suo motu statement in the assembly, home minister Roshan Warjri expressed "deep anguish at the unfortunate incident".
Racist attacks on northeast people has been on the rise across India in recent years. In August 2012, thousands of northeastern people fled their place of work and study in Benga-
luru, Hyderabad, Pune and other cities, after rumours went viral on social media, of possible attacks on them in the wake of clashes between Bodos and Muslims in Assam earlier that year.
APOLOGY I, Mr.Imlikokba S/o Shri.Limayanger hereby tender my unconditional apology to my respected teacher against whom I posted an objectionable article on my Facebook account which has caused a great deal of harm on her mind and even brought unnecessary character distortion without any fault of her. I sincerely apologized for my deeds and assure that I won’t repeat such thing in future to her or even to anyone. Sd/Shri. Imlikokba
National Electoral Rolls Purification and Authentication Programme (NERPAP) VOLUNTARY DISCLOSURE OF MULTIPLE ENTRIES BY VOTERS "Enrollment at more than one place on the basis of false declaration is punishable offence under the provision of Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950." Electors with multiple registrations in the electoral rolls are hereby called to come forward and fill Form 7 for deletion of their names from the places except the place where he /she ordinarily resides. The Electors may submit Form 7 through the National Voters Service Portal by accessing the ECI website www.eci.nic.in or http://nvsp.in OR at EROs/ Voter Facilitation Centres OR through BLOs of your respective Polling Station/ area. Though it is a criminal offence to have multiple registrations, an opportunity is being given to electors to voluntarily come forward and get their names deleted from the places other than the place where he /she ordinarily resides. Further, Appreciation Certificate shall be issued to all those electors who voluntarily disclose their multiple entries and get their names deleted from the unwanted places. Sd/(SANJAY KUMAR) IAS, Chief Electoral Officer, Nagaland, Kohima.
Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Nagaland, Kohima Email : ceo_nagaland@eci.gov.in
Contact Toll free : 1950
National Electoral Rolls Purification and Authentication Programme (NERPAP) The Election Commission of India, with the objective of bringing a totally error free and authenticated electoral roll has launched the National Electoral Rolls Purification and Authentication Programme (NERPAP). Linking and authentication of EPIC data of electors with AADHAR data of UIDAI is one of the major objectives of the programme. Electors are required to submit their AADHAR number and EPIC number for linking and authentication of EPIC data either: a) Online by accessing the National Voters Service Portal through ECI website www.eci.nic.in or http:// nvsp.in OR b) Offline through the Booth Level Officer of your respective Polling Station/ area or through the EROs/ Voter Facilitation Centres. Sd/(SANJAY KUMAR) IAS, Chief Electoral Officer, Nagaland, Kohima.
Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Nagaland, Kohima Email : ceo_nagaland@eci.gov.in
Contact Toll free : 1950
4
Dimapur
businEss
Friday 13 March 2015
The Morung Express
‘No reason why India cannot resume 8-9% growth’
WASHINGTON, MArcH 12 (PTI): Calling for a whole set of structural reforms, the International Monetary Fund has said there is no reason why India could not resume an eight or nine per cent or even higher growth rate in the coming years. The IMF has at least at this stage pegged a kind of mediumterm growth for India at around “7 3/4 per cent if, a lot of the structural reforms can be introduced.” “There’s certainly no reason why India could not resume 8, 9, even higher growth path going forward, but it will take some time to introduce these measures,” Assistant Director and Mission Chief for India in the IMF’s Asian and Pacific Department, Paul Cashin told reporters on Wednesday. Joining the conference
call from India, Fund’s Senior Resident Representative, Tom Richardson, said, “We have for a couple of years and continue to urge a whole set of structural reforms that are going to be business-friendly, going to be growth enhancing. Including, particularly in the power sector.” “In addition, land acquisition, land rights going to be very important to clarify that and to move forward in a way that allows projects to kind of be initiated clearly and implemented. “We see a number of agricultural sector reforms to improve the efficiency of the farm sector more generally. Observing India still has a fairly heavily state-dominated food system and the whole public distribution for food is unusual by international standards, Richardson said IMF wants to
see ways of moving toward more market-based agricultural outcomes. Direct benefit transfer, using cash transfers to provide the subsidies and the food security act are going to be a way to move in that direction, he added. “Finally, from an infrastructure standpoint, a lot of the infrastructure will have to be public infrastructure,” he said. Cashin also said, “We certainly see India’s nearterm growth has improved, and the balance of risks is now more favourable in the economy. Helped by increased political certainty, some good policy actions, and better business confidence.” “In terms of risks we see the main external risk to India being from a resumption of global financial market volatility. But we also recognise
Cairn files notice against India in $1.6 bln tax dispute lONDON/MuMBAI, MArcH 12 (reuTerS): Oil explorer Cairn Energy Plc has filed a dispute notice against the Indian income tax department over a $1.6 billion tax claim for the fiscal year ended March 2007, in the latest case of a tax row involving a foreign company. The dispute notice was filed under the terms of a UK-India Investment Treaty, meaning the Indian government and Cairn will start negotiations to find a resolution to the dispute, Cairn said. If no agreement is reached, an international arbitration panel will rule, it said in a statement on Tuesday. Cairn shares were seen opening down 25 per cent on Wednesday due to the dispute, traders in London said. Cairn joins a slew of multinational firms, including Vodafone Group Plc, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, IBM Corp and Microsoft Corp, that have fallen foul of India’s tax collectors in recent years. The latest dispute comes as the Indian government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has sought to reduce tax-related litigation and move towards a taxfriendly regime to boost foreign investors’ sentiment. A few foreign companies including Vodafone and Shell have won favourable rulings in Indian courts on some tax claims, but many cases are still being litigated.
that India is much better positioned to deal with such volatility than it was in the middle of 2013. The current account deficit is much smaller now, and India has bulked up on reserves which they can certainly use to smooth consumption in the presence of such shocks,” Cashin said. “On the domestic side, we still see weaknesses in the public sector banks in terms of NPLs and so on. Also, corporate balance sheets, given the amount of external borrowing, could also pose risks to the economy,” he said. “On the upside, if oil prices continue at their low level, and even maintain longer than current projections indicate that would be an upside risk for India, and would definitely help contain inflation and both
cHeNNAI, MArcH 12 (IANS): More than a decade after production started at Ford India’s plant near here, workers have finally got a union recognised by the management, said union officials. “Nearly fifteen years after production started at our plant, we finally got a union recognised by the management. The collective bargaining rights of the workers have been finally recognised by the management,” K. Selvaraj, president of Chennai Ford Employees Union, told IANS on Thursday. “The union elections were held recently to elect the office bearers. The management wanted a worker’s union that does not have
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.”
Game Number # 3163
NeW DelHI, MArcH 12 (reuTerS): Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Inc said on Thursday it will open 100 stores in India this year to help consumers in the world’s third-largest smartphone market “experience” the company’s devices, but will not sell them at these stores. Xiaomi, whose low-priced but feature-rich smartphones have made it the biggest smartphone vendor in China, entered India in July and sells its phones primarily through flash sales on online retailer Flipkart. com. The ‘service and experience stores’ would be set up over 500 to 1,000 square feet and will launch in cities including Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore in the first week of April, Manu Jain, Xiaomi’s India head, told reporters in New Delhi at the launch of the company’s latest budget smartphone. Though the company started selling its Redmi Note 4G handsets through outlets of the country’s top carrier Bharti Airtel Ltd (BRTI.NS) in January, it is not in “active discussions with any other offline partner”, Jain said.
Mars International plans Rs 1,000 crore plant in Pune MuMBAI/PuNe, MArcH 12 (TNN): In a big boost to manufacturing in Maharashtra, Mars International India, a wholly owned subsidiary of leading global chocolate maker Mars Inc, is investing Rs 1,005 crore in a greenfield project to make chocolates at Khed, near Pune. This is one of its largest projects for a local market anywhere in the world. It also makes Mars’ investment in the state the second largest since the new state government took charge in October. General Electric recently announced an additional investment of Rs 2,000 crore in the state, while the third major investment comes from Cognizant (Rs 1,000 crore). Cognizant has already been given land in Pune for creating 20,000 jobs through IT services, while General Electric recently inaugurated a multi-modal facility near Pune. The latest investment by Mars International India, for which the company signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the state government on Wednesday, will give Maharashtra its third chocolate factory after Cadbury and Ferrero Rocher. “With Ferrero Rocher and Cadbury already present, Pune is fast emerging as a ‘chocolate manufacturing hub’. Yet another step towards @makeinindia...,” an elated chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis tweeted. The Mars project is expected to generate direct employment opportunities for over 200 people and indirect employment opportunities to over 1,000 people, Mars International India said in a statement.
grEETings
Ford India recognises workers union
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SUDOKU
monetary policy transmission in the financial system,” Cashin said. The IMF also justified its decision to project a lower growth rate for India as compared by the projections done by the Indian government. “The actual projections, just to make clear, is for this fiscal year, 14-15, we’re projecting around 7 1/4 percent growth. It’s next fiscal year we’re projecting 7 1/2, 15-16,” he said when asked about the growth rate projection 8.1 to 8.5 per cent in the economic survey. “So, what accounts for those differences? I guess there’s several reasons. We note that the CSO itself had a projection of about 7.4 per cent. We’ve come in at 7 1/4. Our previous projection under the old series was about 5 1/2, so it’s quite an increase,” he said.
Cambodian garment workers shop at a market during their lunch break in Phnom Penh, Cambodia Thursday, March 12. Leading clothing retailers such as Gap and H&M need to help alleviate labor abuses at factories in Cambodia that manufacture their products, a human rights organization said. (AP Photo)
Cairn said the investigation related to transactions carried out to reorganise the company’s structure to prepare for Cairn India Limited’s stock market flotation in 2007. In 2011, Vedanta Resources Plc acquired controlling shareholding in Cairn Energy’s India unit. The British company’s stake in Cairn India was reduced to about 10 percent after the transaction. The tax department’s investigation, which started in January 2014, has meant that Cairn has not been able to proceed with the sale of its 10 per cent stake in Cairn India, valued at about $700 million, Cairn said. Cairn said it would seek “restitution of losses” resulting from the attachment of its stake in Cairn India since 2014. The oil company, however, did not intend to make any accounting provision relating to the draft tax assessment it has received. “Against a backdrop of regular engagement with the government of India since January 2014 it is very disappointing to have received a draft assessment order at this time,” said Cairn Chief Executive Simon Thomson in a statement. Tax lawyers said the tax office was able to make a demand now on a transaction that happened in the fiscal year 2006/07 due to a 2012 law, which sought to raise tax claims on such past deals.
LEISURE
external and fiscal imbalances,” he added. Noting that credit growth in India has been rather “tepid” in recent years, he said IMF would certainly hope that with the new monetary policy framework bringing down inflation. “Focusing on that then we would see real interest rates rising, proper remuneration for savers,” he said. “But nonetheless, we would also hope as the fiscal deficit comes down the SLR (Statutory Liquidity Ratio) requirements would continue to be reduced and we and you certainly not the governor and the RBI have been reducing the SLR numbers certainly over the last year or two. “So we would support that continuing as the fiscal deficit comes down. Hopefully that would improve
China’s Xiaomi to set up 100 ‘experience’ stores in India
any political links,” A. Satish Kumar, general secretary, told IANS. According to Selvaraj, the union will represent the interests of workers at the company’s Maraimalai Nagar plant, about 50 km from here. Selvaraj said the plant has around 3,050 permanent workers and around 1,800 trainees. He said the company management has given the letter of recognition to the union. Selvaraj said the company’s second plant is coming up in Gujarat and it may take some time for the workers to settle down there. Feeling happy at the recognition of collective bargaining rights of workers, Selvaraj said the next task for the union is to settle down
and prepare the charter of demands. “The current wage agreement is set to end soon and we have to start negotiating,” he said. Ford India is the second foreign owned automotive plant here to have finally recognised a worker’s union with a condition that all the members and the leaders should be from within the company and have no outsider links. Some years ago Hyundai Motor India Ltd. resolved its long pending union recognition issue in a similar manner. The other foreign owned automotive plants in Tamil Nadu are Renault Nissan Automotive India Pvt. Ltd., BMW India and Daimler India Commercial Vehicles.
DAILY CROSS WORD
CROSSWORD # 3173
Answer Number # 3162
Remembering and yearning of this Big Day of yours...All the fun and good times we had on your last birthday! This year i had to celebrate with silent tears recalling the memories. Happy Birthday beloved Avotso!
DIMAPUR Civil Hospital:
Forever Your love STD CODE: 03862 232224; Emergency229529, 229474
Metro Hospital:
227930, 231081
Faith Hospital:
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
CHUMUKEDIMA: 03862 282777/101 (O) 9856158740 (OC) WOKHA: 03860 242215/101 (O) 9862039399 (OC)
MOKOKCHUNG: 0369 2226225/ 101 (O) 9436012949 (OC) PHEK: 8414853765 (O) 9862130954(OC)
Nagaland Multispe- 248302, cialty Health & 09856006026 Research Centre
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G T M N X D Y N S G I D G K G Q R X I Y
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ACROSS
1. Keen 5. Bog hemp 10. Not legs 14. Gentlewoman 15. Go-between 16. Jump 17. Loyalty 19. Twosome 20. Prompt 21. Comment to the audience 22. Father 23. Protein in hair and nails 25. Impertinent 27. Barbie’s beau 28. Earthquake waves 31. Cabs 34. Express gratitude to 35. Genus of macaws 36. Baking appliance 37. Publish 38. Norse god 39. A very long period 40. Allow 41. Not those 42. Fainting 44. Flee 45. Strollers 46. Error 50. “Hogwash!” 52. Tailless stout-bodied
amphibians 54. Historic period 55. Sweeping story 56. Meteorologist 58. Quiet time 59. Grain disease 60. Church alcove 61. Tall woody plant 62. Russian emperors 63. Troubles
DOWN
1. Exclamation expressive of regret 2. Worth 3. Lazybones 4. Coloring agent 5. Dried grape 6. Another time 7. Fix 8. Ceaseless 9. French for “Summer” 10. Lama pacos 11. Commercially produced 12. A female domestic 13. Agile 18. Fence “doors” 22. Immerse briefly into a liquid 24. Analogous 26. Parental sister 28. An object
29. Colored part of an eye 30. Rational 31. Foot digits 32. Affirm 33. A lover of foreign culture 34. Exchanges 37. Dainty 38. Units of resistance 40. Chew 41. Thigh armor 43. Seer 44. Lamps 46. Engine 47. Musical time 48. Delete 49. Windows 50. Fur 51. Prod 53. Indian music 56. Damp 57. Uncooked Ans to CrossWord 3172
Police Control Room: North Police Station: South Police Station: Fire Brigade: Naga Hospital: Oking Hospital: Bethel Nursing Home: Northeast Shuttles
STD CODE: 0370 100/2244279 2222222 2222111 2222952 2222916 2243339 2224202 08974997923
MON: 03869 251222/ 101 (O) 9436208480 (OC) KipHire: 8414853767 (O) 8974304572 (OC)
Toll free No. 1098 childline
Police Station 1:
ZUNHEBOTO: 03867 280304/ 101 (O) 9856156876 (OC) TUENSANG: 8414853766 (O) 8414853519
CHILD WELFARE COMMITTEE
MOKOKCHUNG:
KOHIMA: 0370 2222952/ 101 (O) 9402003086 (OC) DIMAPUR: 03862 232201/ 101 (O) 9436017479 (OC)
Chumukedima Fire 282777 Brigade Nikos Hospital and 232032, 231031 Research Centre
KOHIMA
FIRE STATIONS
STD CODE: 0369
2226241
Police Station 2 :
2226214
Civil Hospital: Woodland Nursing Home:
2226216 2226263
Hotel Metsüpen (Tourist Lodge):
2226373/2229343
TAHAMZAM (formerly Senapati) STD CODE: 03871 Police Station: Fire Brigade
CURRENCY EXCHANGE CURRENCY NOTES
222246 222491
BUY(Rs)
SELL(Rs)
US Dollars Sterling Pound Hong Kong Dollar Australian Dollar Singapore Dollar Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen
61.1 0 91.52 7.62 46.79 44.19 48.09 50.12
63.89 96.01 8.49 49.14 46.41 50.47 53.40
Euro
64.81
68.32
Thai Baht Korean Won New Zealand Dollar Chinese Yuan
1.8
2.00
0.0522
0.0582
44.46
46.67
9.41
10.50
LOCAL
The Morung Express
'Government is the master and the owner of its three organs' Dimapur, march 12 (mExN): The NPF Central Youth Wing (Noke) maintained that given the present political and law & order scenario, there is complete breakdown of democracy in Nagaland and appealed its peace loving citizens to “collectively changed the leadership” to restore back the “beauty of democracy.” It also extended its “full stop congratulation” to the NPF (minority) for honestly admitting the same. In a press note issued by its media cell, the Naga
People’s Front (NPF) Central Youth Wing, however, stated that such untenable “democratic loopholes” was created due to the inability of the minority government to fulfill the constitutional norms and democratic principles, and most importantly, weak and inefficient leadership. Admitting their failure to maintain the guiding principles of democracy and law and order situation, NPF (minority) is narrating “fable stories and figment of imaginations” to convince and retrieve back the
“already lost trust” from the people, it further argued. Questioning the “constant random arrest of innocent civilians” by the minority government after the unfortunate March 5 incident, the Youth wing flayed the manner in which the “minority CM” feigned haplessness over the issue saying it was decided by the court or judiciary alone. “What is judiciary according to definition? Precisely, judiciary is just one organ of the government and ….Government is the master and the owner of its
three organs (legislature, executive & judiciary) and above government it is the constitution of India which is the supreme of our land,” the NPF Central Youth Wing argued. Consequently, it maintained if the minority CM failed to address the issue to the people at the earliest and tries to run away like a Rabbit, an alternative arrangement should be made immediately to change the leadership before it is too late and restore back democracy in Nagaland.
Friday 13 March 2015
Dimapur
5
GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE DIMAPUR: NAGALAND. No: DEF/ DMR/ ESSTT-63/2015/
Dated, Dimapur, March 2015
LOOK OUT NOTICE
Longon: Happy with fast returning normalcy in Tsg KOhima, march 12 (NEpS): Minister for Health and Family Welfare, P Longon said a team of ENLU members had recently toured to Tuensang and Samator areas as a “goodwill mission” and met leaders of Chang Khulie Setshang (CKS) at Tuensang on March 7 and on the same day, had another fruitful meeting with the leaders of the Yimchunger Tribal Council (YTC) at Samator. Expressing his happiness on the fast returning normalcy in the district, the Minister appreciated the roles played by various civil societies, student bodies, district administration, law enforcement agencies, Church leaders and individuals towards bringing normalization in the district. Calling as “productive” their meetings with the leaders of CKS at Tuensang and YTC at Samator, the
Minister said leaders from women organization, student bodies, Ad-hoc Town Council members and GBs also attended the meetings. He also disclosed that their team had also met the affected people who are staying in the temporary makeshift camps and provided them with some financial aids. While appreciating the concerted efforts played by the CKS to bring normalcy in the aftermath of the recent unfortunate clashes between the Chang and Yimchunger tribes in the Tuensang district, Longon stated that the visiting ENLU team had further appealed to the leaders of the CKS to continue to play as they had been doing all along. “We appealed the leaders of CKS to show magnanimity by restraining their people from further violence as
MEx FILE
New Commissioner and Secretary to Governor
KOhima, march 12 (mExN): The Governor’s Secretariat, Kohima has informed that Sanjay Kumar, IAS has taken over the charge of the Commissioner & Secretary to Governor of Nagaland on March 11. All correspondences relating to Commissioner & Secretary to Governor of Nagaland may be addressed to him at Governor’s Secretariat, Kohima, Nagaland –797001. Phone No. 0370-2242917(O), Fax: 03702242898, e-mail: secy.rajbhavannagaland@gmail.com.
Thahekhu Village foundation day
they (Changs) are our big brothers in the district,” the Minister said. “At the same time, we also made an appeal to the Yimchunger brothers to come back and resettle in their places as family as ever.” Longon also said he was happy that the leaders of CKS & YTC had exhibited their mature approaches to the issues. “They have shown us that we are members of the same family and that is an inspiration to all of us today,” he said. The ENLU members who toured to Tuensang and Samator as a “Goodwill Mission” are P Longon, Minister for Health & Family Welfare; Kipili Sangtam, Minister for Power; Eshak, MLA; N Thongwang, Advisor, DUDA; L Khumo Khiamniungan, Parliamentary Secretary, LR, VGs, DBs & GBs Affairs.
One held for extortion Dimapur, march 12 (mExN): One NSCN (K) cadre was arrested on for extortion at Walo Ward, Mon Town on March 10. According to an AR press note, the arrest was made after the information about two motorcyclists extorting money at gunpoint from driver of a civil truck carrying vegetables were relayed to the troops on March 9. Thereafter, the troops of 33 Assam Rifles, following a tipoff, acted promptly and arrested one person identified as Tingthok Konyak,
from Walo Ward, Mon Town along with the motorcycle used in the crime. He was also identified by the truck driver. On further investigation, he was found to be a civil wing cadre of NSCN (K), actively involved in extortion activities in Mon Town, the press note informed. A number of extortion related documents including demand notes and notices were also recovered from his house. He was later handed over to Mon Police Station.
Dimapur, march 12 (mExN): The 64th foundation day of the Thahekhu Village will be celebrated at the village ground from 7.30AM on March 15. The village council is organising the function. In this regard, the Chairman of the village, Khekuto Yeputho on behalf of the council invites all the Thahekhu’s residents including government service holder posted outside to make time and compulsorily attend WOKha, march 12 (mExN): The Kyong the Kyothe function. ng Students’ Union (KSU), the apex students’ body of the Lotha tribe has made a representation to the DepuWOKha, march 12 (mExN): The NST colony ty Commissioner of Wokha Wokha town yearly general meeting will be held on Town seeking “immediate March 14 at community hall from 9:00 am. The chair- and necessary action” on isman of the colony, Peter Jami and general secretary, Li- sue of illegal migrants; ranpamo Kithan in a press note informed all the concern dom issue of driving licenses colony members are requested to attend the said meet- and absence of HODs in the ing positively. District. A copy of the representation issued by the KSU president, Amos Odyuo and GenDimapur, march 12 (mExN): The proposed Na- eral Secretary, T Phyobemo galand Tribes Consultative Meeting on border issue be- Kikon stated that the Union tween Assam and Nagaland which was schedule on 20 requested the DC to control March had been postponed to March 27. It is postpone influx of illegal Immigrants in consideration of the conveniences of all the con- and devise a pro-active and cerned tribes and organisations. According to a press pragmatic policy with renote from UNTABA vice chairman, Imsumongba Pon- gard to ILP. gen and joint secretary, Yanger Sangtam, the meeting will dwell upon bringing about a broad consensus on the issue irrespective of tribes, associations and affiliations or of different areas or ranges. All the concerned are informed to take note of the changes and prepare Morung Express News accordingly. Mokokchung | March 12
Based on concrete and credible evidences which is in the possession of Dimapur Police, the individuals featured in the following photographs have been identified as being directly involved in the March 5, 2015 incident at Dimapur. More sets of photographs will be published in subsequent days on the basis of available evidence against each person. The following course of action is advised to the concerned stakeholders mentioned below. 1) The individuals featured in these photographs are advised to present themselves at their respective police stations under whose jurisdiction their localities fall under. 2) If the individuals do not voluntarily turn themselves in, the parents or wards of these individuals are to produce them in the respective police stations. 3) If the above two courses of action are not fulfilled, the student unions/ GBs/ Colony Chairmen under whose jurisdiction these persons live, or under which student body these students are affiliated to, are to produce them in the police stations. In case the above course of action is not acted upon, Dimapur Police will continue to look out for the featured individuals and detain them as per the law as and when they are tracked down. In case of such an eventuality, the stakeholders mentioned above should not intervene and make any representations/petitions to the Police on behalf of the featured individuals. Failure to surrender may lead to the attachment of the dependent parents’ property and may also call for the declaration of reward against the featured persons and subsequently placing them under the “WANTED” list under the relevant provisions of law. Sd/Addl. Superintendent of Police/PRO, Dimapur, Nagaland
KSU representation to DC Wokha CNTC, CNSA & DCCF on March 5 incident
NST Colony Wokha general meet
Border Meeting postpone
“The influx of illegal immigrants in Wokha district is adding to the myriad problems already affecting society in all spheres of human conduct” said the representation, and strongly demanded that the issue be addressed “immediately and comprehensively” on a war footing. The KSU also demanded a proactive and pragmatic policy is evolved in regard to issuance and renewal of Inner Line Permits (ILP) to deserving immigrants and maintaining a database of the same. In the issue of driving license, the KSU demanded immediate “halt” of random issuance from the district to all individuals without proper verification of proofs
of residence, identity and citizenship. Meanwhile, expressing its concerns over the absence of HODs in the district affecting the proper and smooth functioning of government departments in the district, the KSU demanded that all HODs of government departments within the district be stationed within the district. “KSU is strongly of the view that the government departments within the district should be working for the task for which they are assigned for - welfare of the people of the district - and not for the individual purposes of the officers and staff posted therein,” the representation further maintained.
Dimapur, march 12 (mExN): The CNTC, CNSA & DCCF had appealed for “peace and calm" and call upon all the sensible citizens and organizations to own moral responsibility and make collective effort to ease the situation and find a peaceful solution and communal harmony instead of blaming game and shying away. A joint meeting of the Central Nagaland Tribes Council (CNTC), Dimapur District Citizens forum (DDCF) and Central Nagaland Students association (CNSA) at CNTC office on March 11 the discuss the aftermath of the “unfortunate incident” of 5th March, jointly and strongly condemned the “unrully mob” for taking the law in their hand without “any remorse” and deeply regretted the immediate consequences. “All the people of Nagaland State and the citizens of Dimapur in particular have been put under an embar-
rassing situation” stated a press note joint press release issued by CNTC president, Hokiye Yeptho, CNSA president, and DDCF President, N Joseph Lumtur. The meeting also “sincerely viewed” that the viral dissemination of the “fabricated news reporting through media houses and social media networking sites” has un-proportionately damage the image and aggravated the tense situation aftermath the incident. While acknowledging the state government for owning “moral responsibilities” for the state machinery failure and immediately setting up of Judicial enquiry commission to probe the incident, the three organisations jointly appealed all section of people and State political parties not to politicize or shift responsibility and take undue advantage of the present political situation.
National Seminar on Migration & Development at NU DMC Ward-2 appeals peace and harmony
Robbery at Kiphire School KiphirE, march 12 (mExN): Miscreant broke inside the principal’s office of El Beth High School Kiphire on March 11 and stole school properties including the volleyball rolling trophy seal of the Kiphire District Private School Society. A case has been registered in this regard at Kiphire police station. Meanwhile, the Kiphire District Private Schools Society has condemned the act and appealed the law enforcing agencies to take necessary action to catch the culprit.
NTHSS’ ‘musical nite’ on March 14 Dimapur, march 12 (mExN): North Town Higher Secondary School (NTHSS) Chumukedima, Alumni will be organizing a free open air ‘musical nite’ on March 14 from 5 PM at the local ground. Kevekha Kevin Zehol, joint secretary and ex-officio Director ,IT and Communication ,Govt of Nagaland will grace the occasion as the as the chief guest. The Musical nite, supported by management of NTHSS, is organised to mark the beginning of the yearlong celebration of the 25 years of school existence.
A two-day national seminar titled, ‘Migration and Development in India: Implications and challenges’ was organized by the Department of Geography, Nagaland University started today at the Department of geography, NU, Lumami. It is sponsored by the Indian Council of Social Science Research. At the inaugural session today, Prof. Sangyu Yaden,Head, department of Geography, welcomed the guest and stressed that the theme of the seminar was important for all academic discipline and especially for the North East region (NER). He also expressed his hope that the seminar would do the needful to throw focus at the aspects of migration and that the
Prof.Bolin Kumar Konwar (second from right), Vice Chancellor, NU after the unveiling of the seminar souvenir at the Department of Geography, NU, Lumami.
resource persons from diverse fields will be able to highlight various dimensions and implications of migrations and regional development in India and NER. Keynote speaker of the seminar, Dr. Anurag Priyadarshee, Chief Operating Officer, International Development Enterprises India, New Delhi while giving the key note address said that it was necessary to identify and amplify the positive and negative as-
pects of migration and address the issue and undergo academic research for the betterment of the society. Chief Guest, Prof. Bolin Kumar Konwar, Vice Chancellor, NU spoke about the reasons for migration and encouraged researches to address the problem of migration and questioned on whether seminars were organized with true sense of research. Dr.Wangshimenla Jamir, Convener of the seminar delivered a vote of thanks.
The seminar is organized to discuss various dimensions of internal and international migrations in India and their positivenegative socio- economic – political and security implications along with ensuing ways of safe migrations to save the youth from exploitation and maintaining national and social harmony. The seminar has 4 technical sessions in two days and presentations from different scholars from different parts of the country.
Dimapur, march 12 (mExN): Terming it as an act “beyond comprehensions and deserves no justification in any civilized society,” the Ward Council of DMC Ward no-2 condemned has vehemently condemned the jail break and subsequent lynching the alleged rape accused on March 5. In a press note, the chairman of the council, Kevi Zakiesato while reiterating that the area under its jurisdiction has been peaceful even in the “most difficult of times”, appealed all the all residents of the town to maintain peace and harmony and ask people to avoid “rumor mongering” as it disturbs the tranquility in the society. It further informed that the mosque in its jurisdiction near the DDSC ground has not been vandalized as propagated by some vested interests people and the Council takes full “responsibility for its protection.” The unfortunate incident had nothing to do with any religions community and the same should not be exploited to create any ugly situation, it maintained stressing that the world is a like “big family” and dependent on each other. The Council also lamented that all the efforts of the state to impress the rest of the world through its culture and heritage has been diluted by “one act of barbarism” and will stigmatize the society for a long time. However, now that enough damage has been done, the council appealed everyone to refrain from politicizing the issue to “score brawny points” and put their heads together to bring some sanity in the society.
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IN-FOCUS
The Power of Truth
The Morung Express FrIDAy 13 MArcH 2015 voluME X IssuE 69
Guest editorial
Dr. sao Tunyi
Who will pay for health care?
THE EDIT PAGE
C O M M E N T A R Y
Ambika Kandasamy
2015 is proving to be another deadly year for ‘Free speech’
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bout 78% of all health care expenditures in India are paid from the patients’ pocket. It is estimated that about 2% of households fall into poverty every year because of paying medical bills. Government spends only about 1.2 % of its GDP on Health which is among the lowest in the world (less than Afghanistan and Sierra Leon). Union Budget for 2015-16 shows that there isn’t going to be any change in the coming year too, much to the disappointment of many health activists. On the other hand, there has been constant talk about Health for All, MDGs, accessible and affordable health care, comprehensive primary health care, and so on. But anyone who has visited any health institution for consultation knows that medical care is not cheap. So, how do we make sense of all this high sounding words and phrases when contrasted with ground reality? In the midst of discussion about fund leakage and mismanagement, it is true without a doubt that health care is grossly underfunded in India. There is simply not enough money for delivering decent health care to the people. A lot of packaging and repackaging are being done but the central government in the recent years have not committed to increasing investment in health care. The justification for increasing only 2% on health in the union budget this year is that the Centre wants the States to bear more responsibility for health care. This may spell more misery for a State like Nagaland. For all the centrally sponsored programs which now form the main bulk of the medical department, the State is supposed to give 10% of the year’s approved budget. But the State has failed to do its part every year. Health is not a priority according to the government of Nagaland. The allocation to Health has been decreasing with each passing year. This was not because of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM, now NHM). When the NRHM decreased its budget, the same year, State government continued to decrease its allocation to health. Also the move to empower the State backfired last year when Centre decided to route the NHM fund through the State treasuries. The money got stuck in the Finance Department and the Health service delivery has been severely affected. There is no sign of commitment either from the Centre or the State to increase investment in health care. So, who will pay for health care? Where will the people turn to? It is an alarming and depressing situation we are in. With increase in the cost of health care, catastrophic health expenditures are bound to increase. Health care cost of a household exceeding 10% of its total monthly consumption expenditures or 40% of its non-food consumption expenditure is called catastrophic health expenditures. To prevent families falling into this catastrophe, it is imperative that the State government prioritize Health in its budget allocation during the upcoming State budget session. For the poor, there is little or no alternative to public funded health care. Despite all the shortcomings, government health institutions and programs remain the backbone of health care in most of the villages and districts in Nagaland. Private medical care and Health Insurance are neither affordable nor accessible for the majority of the people who lives in rural areas. Charitable health institutions/initiatives are too few. The church is fond of setting up educational institutions, but few venture into health care. I hope our churches understand this precarious health care scenario and take the plunge. ‘Health and happiness is not only a driver of economic growth, it is its very purpose’. - National Health Policy 2015 (Draft)
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Mazie Nakhro, Ph.D
The Call to Reformation Thought-Provoking Question: Are Nagas living in a “Dark Era” because of the lack of strong prophetic voices? What does God say? Read Zephaniah 3:1-4; 2:1-3 The prophet Zephaniah attacked the spiritual evils that were brought by Manasseh, one of Judah’s worst kings. Manasseh turned Israel from God to paganism such as the worship of the starry hosts and of Molech, an Ammonite god, who sometimes required child sacrifice. He also “shed so much innocent blood that filled Jerusalem from end to end” (2 Kings 21:16). In short, he plunged the people of God into the “dark age” of its history. Amon, son of Manasseh, continued to support his father’s wicked policies, so he was assassinated after two years of ruling. Next came his son Josiah, who took the throne at the age of eight. The proper upbringing of this young king could be attributed to his mother Jedidah and other godly leaders who guided him with the Word of God. One of those godly influencers in Josiah’s life was Zephaniah who was also related to the king. Despite his royal blood, Zephaniah was blunt and uncompromising in his approach. He attacked the religious practices of the people as detestable. He singled out another sin that was just as damaging: complacency. In one breath he condemned the entire leadership of the nation: politicians and judges, priests and prophets, whom he likened to “roaring lions” and “evening wolves,” devouring everything in sight. Zephaniah said ‘no’. Zephaniah’s devastating message pierced the complacent atmosphere of Jerusalem like a trumpet blast. He spoke with a sense of urgency as if the clock was nearing midnight before God’s judgment would fall on the nation. Therefore, he summoned the people to decision and repentance while they still had a chance. The impact of Zephaniah’s ministry was partly responsible for Josiah’s reforms. His message helped tip the nation’s future toward renewal of faith in God again. Okay, so now what? Among the Nagas there is a strong belief that good Christians should always be nice and tolerant. We think that good believers should not even say anything critical of bad leaders. We accept complacency and see tolerance of evil as a Christian virtue. This is why our society is morally bankrupt, politically weak, and economically devouring each other. Is God calling you to be a “Zephaniah” for the Naga society today? Prayer: Lord, there are corrupt rulers amongst us today. Help me not to partake in their sins. And yes, there are unscrupulous pastors and preachers in our midst, too. Protect me from their deceptive influences and hypocritical ways. Lord, revive our people today. Amen. Taken from the book “Breakfast with the King: The 100-Day Devotional” by Mazie Nakhro
Student protesters cry as their colleagues struggle to break a police human-chain during a protest ahead of a crackdown in Letpadan,140 kilometers (90 miles) north of the country's main city Yangon, Myanmar, Tuesday March 10, 2015. Hundreds of riot police charged at students protesting Myanmar's new education law on Tuesday, pummeling them with batons and then dragging them into trucks, bringing a quick, harsh end to a weeklong standoff. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
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here's no question that free speech has been under attack across the globe in 2015. The year started off with the mass killing of editorial staff at the Paris headquarters of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. Most recently, Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was shot dead near the Kremlin in Moscow. Globally, at least 17 journalists have been killed in 2015, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The trend appears to be continuing from previous years. "The total number of deaths in 2014 demonstrates the sustained level of risk to journalists over the past decade," CPJ's news director Shazdeh Omari wrote of last year's numbers. "The past three years are the most deadly period CPJ has recorded." From social media censorship to crackdowns on political dissent, governments and militant groups alike continue to target voices they disagree with. Writers, cartoonists, photographers, filmmakers, bloggers, protesters and opposition figures can all become targets. Here are the main incidents that have already made headlines in the first months of 2015. France On Jan. 7, 12 people, most of them editorial staff, were gunned down at and near the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for the shootings, which were carried out by brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi. A third gunman and friend of the Kouachis, Amedy Coulibaly, killed four hostages at a kosher market two days later in what appeared to be a related attack. Video later emerged that showed Coulibaly declaring allegiance to the Islamic State. The string of killings amounted to the worst terror attack on French soil in 50 years. The assault on Charlie Hebdo was widely seen as targeting free speech; the weekly paper is known for running offensive and provocative content, including depictions of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad. The solidarity phrase "Je suis Charlie" — "I am Charlie" — became ubiquitous worldwide in the days that followed the deadly assault. French comedian Dieudonne, ever controversial, responded with a phrase of his own: "Je me sens Charlie Coulibaly," he wrote in a Facebook post — "I feel like Charlie Coulibaly." For that, he was arrested, charged with inciting terrorism.
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t First Glance, fashion and oceanography don’t have much in common. But I’ve realised that, as a way of explaining what we wear, there are some instructive parallels. The phrase “current fashion” is what alerted me: two words so conjoined that they have almost become one. It’s fitting that the relentlessly shifting business of fashion should be permanently hitched to an adjective meaning “running, flowing”—from the old French corant, and before that from the Latin currere. It reminds us that fashion runs and flows: it is only “now” because it is passing. Like any moving body of water, fashion contains many smaller currents. Patterns are easy examples to track: camouflage and leopard are having a moment now; last summer it was florals and checks. Motifs and emblems are part of another, slightly slower-moving tide. The once-edgy skull is now ubiquitous—it’s even on clothing in Gap Kids. Recent years have also seen birds float by, usually swallows or swifts, as well as the five-point star and various insects. Now keys seem to be bobbing up everywhere—the ornate, old-fashioned kind, not your everyday Chubb—buoyed by Dolce & Gabbana’s AW14 collection. Fashion’s broader themes—military, nautical, neo-classical, futuristic and so on—behave like the Gulf Stream, surfacing for a while then going under, only to loop back and reap-
From Paris to Cairo, controversial and opposition voices continue to be targeted and silenced around the world
about free speech. The motive for the killings isn't clear. "Investigators said the gunman may have been inspired by a terror spree in Paris in January," Karl Ritter of the Associated Press reported.
China In mid-February, popular Chinese comedian Zhao Benshan's fame was floundering. The reason may have had more to do with his politics than his comedy, GlobalPost contributor Robert Foyle Hunwick noted. "It's an apparent reference to "Je suis CharZhao's "fortunes are plummeting. Many of his lie," the message of solidarity that many people 'friends' are in jail," Hunwick wrote. shared after the attack on the magazine that was targeted by Islamist extremists for its cartoons Bangladesh depicting the Prophet Muhammad," NPR's KrishOn Feb. 26, American blogger Avijit Roy was nadev Calamur wrote. hacked to death at a book fair in Dhaka. "The atheist blogger had angered fundamentalist groups through Saudi Arabia his blogs and books, including Biswasher Virus (ViOn Jan. 9, political blogger Raif Badawi, who rus of Faith), about science and religion," The Guardfounded the "Free Saudi Liberals" website, was ian's Saad Hammadi and Mark Twain wrote. flogged in Jeddah for reportedly insulting Islam. Badawi's sentence included 1,000 lashes and a 10- Russia year jail term. On Feb. 27, Russian opposition leader and forOn Jan. 29, activist Shaima al-Sabbagh was shot mer deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov was killed and killed in central Cairo. on a Moscow street. "Human rights advocates say the cold brutal"For years, Russia's embattled counted just a ity of her killing shows how far the military-backed few dozen souls. They would come out to the same government is willing to go to enforce a return to square in Moscow on the last day of every month the old authoritarian order," The New York Times' (they called it 'Strategy 31') and demand their conDavid Kirkpatrick wrote. stitutional right to assembly. ... Nemtsov was among their leaders," Buzzfeed's Miriam Elder wrote. Azerbaijan Russian authorities have arrested five people in On Jan. 29, journalist Seymur Hazi who worked connection with Nemstov's murder, and some offifor opposition newspaper Azadig was sentenced to cials are speculating that Nemtsov may have been five years in jail, as per Reuters. targeted for his reported anti-Islam remarks followSyria ing the Charlie Hebdo shooting. The slain politiIn late January, the Islamic State released a video cian's allies say that sounds like a convenient theory. that purportedly showed militants affiliated with the Russian blogger and opposition politician Alexei Nagroup beheading Japanese journalist Kenji Goto in valny, meanwhile, recently spent 15 days in jail for an unknown location in Syria. disseminating flyers about an upcoming protest. "I'm outraged by the despicable terrorist act, and Myanmar I will never forgive the terrorists," Japanese Prime On March 10, reports emerged that police in Minister Shinzo Abe was quoted as saying. Myanmar beat students who were protesting an Denmark education bill. The delegation of the European On Feb. 14, a gunman killed two people, includ- Union released a statement saying that it "deeply ing filmmaker Finn Norgaard, at the Krudttonden regrets the use of force against peaceful demoncultural center in Copenhagen during an event strators," Reuters reported.
Fashion meets Oceanography rebecca Willis
pear a few years later. Colour is another revolving current: waves of blood-red or purple, electric-blue or mustard hit the shops all at once, as if trying to batter us into buying with sheer surfpower. Even neutral colours change, though on a slower cycle. Domestic interiors are a barometer of this: during the past decade walls have shifted from a cream-based palette towards a silvery-grey one. Gradual ebb and flow reflects how our wardrobes function, too: new items of clothing have to work with existing ones, and our eye takes a while to adjust. The wholesale wardrobe clearout is only for oligarchs’ wives or the tirelessly fashion-forward. But there are El Niño years, when a step-change occurs, the effects of which linger for years—bobbed hair in the 1920s, or body-con dressing in the 1980s. And very occasionally there is the fashion equivalent of a tsunami, which like its natural counterpart is the result of a build-up of pressure: the extravagance of the New Look after the frugal war years, or grunge as a reaction to the slick, shiny materialism of the 1980s.
The slowest of all the fashion tides, perhaps because it is the most expensive for us to buy into, is overall proportion, a shift in silhouette. That’s why a recent headline rang alarm bells, even for those who are not slaves to every passing trend. “Say hello to your waistline,” it trumpeted, “fashion changes shape.” After years in hiding under tunics and long T-shirts worn over skinny jeans and leggings, the waist is reappearing. I’ve noticed teenagers wearing crop tops for a while now. And I remember with horror where that ended up last time: the bare midriffs and pierced navels of the late 1990s, with shops full of tops that didn’t stay tucked in and a cold, draughty area around the tummy. As the tide of proportion has risen and fallen on the body, the waist has come and gone. It featured above the wide pannier skirts of Marie Antoinette’s era, but disappeared when the under-the-bust Empire line came along in Regency times. Then it reappeared with the crinolines and, later, the bustles of the Victorians—the extreme “wasp waist” was a kind of spring
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tide. By the 1920s it had vanished again beneath straight up-and-down flapper dresses which focused on the hips. The reaction to that, the tailored waist of the 1940s and 1950s, was in turn supplanted by the waist-less tunics and kaftans of the 1960s and 1970s. And so it will probably go on, as long as there’s water in the sea. As a self-conscious teenager in the 1970s, I tried to persuade my father to abandon his drainpipe jeans and wear flares instead. He said no, he would keep on wearing his drainpipes, as one day they’d be back in fashion. It’s the only sartorial wisdom he has ever imparted to me, and back then I couldn’t see the truth of it—because I’d seen the tide go only one way. But before the 1970s were out, punk had brought drainpipes back. An unadvertised benefit of getting older, for those who love clothes, is that you can take a long view of fashion. What people have worn throughout history is as interesting as what you are going to wear tomorrow, albeit less practical. And if you think of fashion as an ocean, flowing in currents and moving in tides, while our bodies are the terra firma around which it swirls, it reminds you that—although you can be a fashion victim and get carried out to sea—you can equally stay on dry land and, when you feel like it, just dip a toe in the water. Rebecca Willis is an associate editor of Intelligent Life and a former travel editor of Vogue.
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.
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Friday
THE MORUNG EXPRESS
13 March 2015
PERSPECTIVE NEWS ANALYSIS, FEATURE AND DISCOURSE
When mentally ill students feel alone A recent suicide at Yale has ignited O urgent calls for reform to elite colleges’ n January 25, 2015, Luchang Wang swiped into her residential college at Yale for the last time. It was a Sunday—a day that many Yale students spend in the library, stressed as they prepare for the week ahead. At some point in the next two days, Wang, a sophomore math major, left New Haven and boarded a plane for San Francisco, using a one-way ticket she had ordered online. She would not be coming back. At 1:26 p.m. on Tuesday, January 27, Wang posted a worrying status on Facebook that sent students and administrators frantically searching for her whereabouts. It read, in part: Dear Yale: I loved being here. I only wish I could’ve had some time. I needed time to work things out and to wait for new medication to kick in, but I couldn’t do it in school, and I couldn’t bear the thought of having to leave for a full year, or of leaving and never being readmitted. Love, Luchang. About five hours later, Jonathan Holloway, the dean of Yale College, informed the school via email that Wang had died in "an apparent suicide." A subsequent report by the Yale Daily News stated that a "despondent female" had jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco Bay. Although a backpack left on the bridge appeared to belong to Wang, the California Coast Guard couldn’t recover a body and thus couldn’t confirm that she had jumped. Remembered for her compassion, she was 20 years old. In the weeks following Wang’s death, Yale students have expressed grief and frustration—the latter because of the school’s withdrawal and readmission policies. These policies, some say, make it especially difficult for students with mental-health issues to feel comfortable leaving campus, even when taking time off from school may improve their wellbeing. According to several Yale undergraduates, some of whom asked for anonymity, there is a significant fear on campus that the administration will force mentally ill students to leave; there’s also a related fear that sick students will not be allowed to return. As a result, students suffering from anxiety, depression, and other disorders may not be getting the treatment they need. And for many of those who are, the question soon becomes: "How much should I open up?" "The fact that [Wang’s] suicide note specifically mentioned the role of withdrawal and readmission policies was pretty inflammatory among undergraduates," said Caroline Posner, a sophomore at Yale who has advocated for mental-health reform on campus. "There are a number of people who are not seeking out help because of the threat that they will be withdrawn or hospitalized for their conditions. There’s no clear standard established that says exactly what students will get involuntarily hospitalized or withdrawn for. So people will lie to their therapists." (Wang had already withdrawn from and been readmitted to Yale once; the school’s policies state that a second readmission will only be considered "under unusual circumstances, ordinarily of a medical nature.") To be sure, the complexities of college mentalhealth policies are not unique to Yale, which serves roughly 5,500 undergraduates. Ivy League schools like Brown, Princeton, and the University of Pennsylvania, as well as other elite schools like Duke and the University of California, have, at times, come under fire for how their bylaws affect mentally ill students. (UPenn, for example, has seen a spate of student suicides in the past two years.) Indeed, the mental health of college students is a perennial concern— and one that only seems to be getting worse. But for various reasons, including Wang’s death and the media attention it received, the shortcomings of such policies are becoming increasingly visible at Yale. Last week, dozens of students at the Ivy League university confronted school officials at a town hall on mental health, framing their complaints in terms of fundamental fairness and transparency. Ultimately, what’s brewing at Yale illustrates that while individual experiences differ, school policies risk exacerbating students’ existing mental-health battles. At best, that can mean deepened uncertainty; at worst, it can mean being cut off from one’s college community. Yale’s current policies state that undergraduates in good academic standing have until the 10th day of the semester to petition for a one- or two-term leave of absence. For students who wish to spend that time traveling or completing an internship, this provides an easy option to transition on and off campus: There’s no need
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ometimes the people you teach and the events that change their lives can take you to places you weren’t expecting. In 2012, my students had a Hoods Up For Trayvon Martin day in protest against the failure to arrest former neighbourhood watchman George Zimmerman for killing the Florida teenager. They came to class with their hoods up, many carrying bottles of Arizona – an iced tea beloved by US teenagers. They also had bags of Skittles – the only items Trayvon was carrying when he was shot. That day I abandoned the lesson plan, got my badge maker out and we spent the day making protest art. We made badges from Arizona labels, Skittles wrappers and pictures of Trayvon. I decided to write a series of lessons around protest art because the urge in my students to address injustice was so powerful. Any parent or teacher of a teenager will tell you how misunderstood and unfairly treated they can feel, but sometimes they have an important point to make. Many injustices featured in my students’ work, such as the stop and frisk laws in New York that are disproportionately applied to black kids. Other ideas explored in their artwork included the high arrest rate and imprisonment of young black men in America and the chilling outcomes of poverty. I dread the future events I might be referencing the next time I have to teach protest art In 2013, we returned to school after a summer break during which Zimmerman was found not guilty of Trayvon’s murder. I began the year with protest art again, which I hadn’t planned. I hoped it would help my students process their anger and despair
withdrawal and readmission policies andrew Giambrone The Atlantic
to apply for readmission. But if a student has to leave Yale after that deadline, they must formally withdraw. (It doesn’t make a difference if they’re leaving for medical or personal reasons; it can be a diagnosis of cancer, a family emergency, or an onset of major depression.) Furthermore, if a student eventually wants to come back to Yale—a decision he or she may not be ready to make at the time—that person must satisfy several requirements after withdrawal. For at least a decade, these requirements have caused a good deal of consternation among many Yale students. The bylaws use vague language demanding that students be "constructively occupied" and maintain "a satisfactory standard of conduct" while away from campus—but fail to explicitly define what that means. Typically, though, this translates to undertaking a job or completing college courses. On top of that, students who withdraw for mental-health reasons may be required to seek counseling. Any undergraduate who applies for readmission must return to campus for interviews, which "are normally conducted just prior to the beginning of the term" that the student has reapplied for. Although these students are evaluated by a separate readmissions committee, their chances of getting back in may be affected by the general-applicant pool: Yale’s regulations state that the school can cap the number of students it readmits to control total undergraduate enrollment. (The readmissions-committee chairwoman, Pamela George, couldn’t be reached for comment.) A Yale spokesman, Tom Conroy, declined to specify the percentage of withdrawn students who are readmitted each year. But the school is more than happy to share how few students are accepted in the first place. Last year, Yale’s admissions rate for the class of 2018 was 6.26 percent—fewer than 2,000 high-schoolers were admitted from a pool of more than 30,000 applicants. This rate was in line with those at other elite schools: Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford accepted an average of 6.1 percent of applicants. Conroy indicated that the acceptance rate for readmission is much higher than that of regular applicants: "The way the policies play out is that the vast majority of students who withdraw are readmitted," he wrote in an email. "The purpose of the readmission process is to determine that the issue or issues that led to a withdrawal have been resolved and that the student will return and be successful and have a rewarding experience." Still, students who have gone through Yale’s readmission process claim that it is mired in financial and logistical uncertainties. Outside courses cost money, and many schools will offer little or no financial aid to withdrawn students because they are typically only enrolled part-time. Moreover, students with mental illnesses may be required to seek specialized treatment, which can cost thousands of dollars, to prove they are healthy enough to return. As Alexa Little, a junior at Yale who left in 2013 and came back this past fall, recently told Bloomberg, "Students who get sick later in the term, or whose chronic health issues flare up unexpectedly, are treated as if they chose to fall ill and punished severely with financial burdens and this complicated process." On paper, Yale’s readmission requirements seem reasonable, if a little vague. And the bylaws may be vague for a reason: They allow for individual circumstances to be taken into account. Meanwhile, studies show that students who leave school for mental-health reasons should generally seek treatment to get better. And the school has a valid interest in admitting people who can handle their coursework and graduate in a timely manner: Many high-schoolers compete in and outside of the classroom to get in. Yet, a more cynical interpretation voiced by some
students is that Yale effectively treats those with serious mental-health conditions as liabilities rather than as members of the community. A junior studying psychology at Yale who asked to remain anonymous said that the way Yale deals with mental health "creates a culture of shame and silencing and self-silencing," which makes it hard to "feel that you can speak openly and be heard as a student about mental-health issues." She added that Yale’s withdrawal and readmission policies make undergraduates unwilling to be open, above all in regards to suicidal thoughts, self-destructive behavior, and debilitating depression. Discussing these conditions, the student said, may lead officials to question whether a student should be at—or is fit for—Yale. "It is almost taken as a given that no matter how distressing the thoughts [of self-harm] are, or how productive it might be to talk about them in a therapeutic session, bringing them up will most often result in hospitalization, unless you’re very delicate with your words," she said. "I know students who have been hospitalized involuntarily, or asked to take medical leave. When it happens involuntarily, the assumption is that you’re not capable of protecting yourself, or handling yourself, or even evaluating the state of affairs [you find yourself in] reasonably." Yale’s policies state that the school can force students to withdraw for medical reasons when they pose "a danger to self or others," or refuse to cooperate with the administration’s efforts to make such a determination. This is standard across colleges and universities around the country. Yale refuses to comment on specific cases for confidentiality reasons, but student accounts of compulsory withdrawals in op-eds and online forums describe harrowing nights spent at Yale-New Haven Hospital, where undergraduates are taken in emergencies, as well as the various administrative and psychological challenges they faced when trying to return to campus. Last year, Rachel Williams—then a readmitted freshman at Yale—published an essay in the student newspaper recounting her experience of being hospitalized under school’s orders after cutting herself. She was eventually told she would have to withdraw from Yale and go home, with no guarantee of readmission. "Upon release from the hospital … my Yale ID was confiscated, as was my room key," Williams wrote. "I was given one evening to pack up my entire life." She returned to school in January 2014. Although Williams's case may be extreme, such an outcome is what many students likely fear when meeting to discuss mental-health issues with school officials, such as a Yale clinician or academic dean. Tammy Pham, a senior who was friends with Luchang Wang, said many students at elite schools are so driven to succeed that taking a leave of absence does not feel like an option, even if doing so could be beneficial. As at similar schools, there is pressure at Yale to always appear happy or "okay." Pham added that she hopes Yale will remove obstacles to withdrawal and readmission for students, such as the requirement to take courses while away from Yale and the need to declare a leave of absence within the first 10 days of any given semester. "Basically, the only difference between a leave of absence and withdrawal is foresight, and yet it has massive repercussions," she said. "Ten days seems arbitrary and restrictive." For its part, Yale in December formed a six-person committee to start reviewing its withdrawal and readmission policies. And in late January, just days after Wang’s death, the university sent a letter to recently readmitted students asking for their "feedback and advice" about the entire withdrawal and readmission process. (It’s unclear whether the letter was sent in direct response to Wang’s death; it was leaked by a readmitted student on Facebook in early February, and
the committee’s chairman deferred comment to Conroy, Yale’s spokesman.) Among the questions included in the letter: "Was your decision to withdraw from Yale College affected by your concern for readmission?" and "Did you understand the conditions, if any, of readmission, such as the holding of a job, enrollment in college courses, or therapeutic or medical treatment?" Conroy could not say how long the review will take. Students have called for changes to Yale’s mentalhealth policies, resources, and environment for some time now. But undergraduates like senior Geoffrey Smith have recently amplified those calls, supporting a boycott of the annual senior-class fundraising campaign until Yale makes its procedures for withdrawal and readmission less stringent; the campaign has seen an 18.6 percent drop in fundraiser participation this year as compared to 2014. In an email, Smith pointed to recommendations made by student leaders last March as "a precise set of serious and reasonable reforms" for how Yale could ease the burden of taking time off. These include allowing students to take a voluntary leave of absence at least until midterm; for comparison, Harvard College allows students to do so until the seventh Monday of the term. Other reforms include determining requirements for return "tailored to the students’ needs," considering students’ financial means on a case-by-case basis, and informing students of whether they’ve been readmitted to Yale at least one month before their return. If students who withdraw could return to campus more easily, Smith wrote, the fear of involuntary withdrawal would be less "existential," and would not "throw students into [a] terrifying mess." The debate at Yale comes at a time when mental-health issues are on the rise at schools nationwide. A recent UCLA survey of more than 150,000 college freshmen nationwide found that nearly 10 percent of respondents had "frequently" felt depressed in the past year, up from 6.1 percent in 2010; additionally, respondents rated their emotional health at an average of 50 percent, the lowest level in the survey’s five-decade-old history. Likewise, in 2012, the Association for University and College Counseling Directors revealed that 70 percent of officials who completed its annual member survey said that the number of students on their campus with "severe psychological problems" had increased since the year before. It’s worth noting that at Yale, nearly 40 percent of undergraduates use the school’s mental-health resources before graduating—a demand that, some students claim, has caused long wait-times for appointments and is believed to take a toll on the quality of care. Victor Schwartz is a psychiatrist who has been studying the mental health of young adults for years. As medical director of the Jed Foundation—a nonprofit devoted to preventing suicide among students enrolled in higher-ed institutions—Schwartz knows of many schools that provide excellent mental-health resources but aren’t doing enough to market and promote them. The popular perception of withdrawal and readmission policies, he added, is as important as the policies themselves: If students believe that they’re punitive or rigid, fewer people will come forward with their problems. "The school has an obligation to offset that negative information," Schwartz said. "Schools are at a disadvantage here for confidentiality reasons; they can’t go out there and say that a particular student’s situation is completely inaccurate in what’s been reported in the school newspaper. But if you’ve accepted a student, you’ve made a certain type of commitment to make sure the student gets to the finish line." Pham, the Yale senior who knew Wang, says students shouldn’t focus on assigning blame to the school; instead, they should work toward fostering a more positive environment on campus for their peers’ emotional wellbeing. This solution would certainly require updating Yale’s withdrawal and readmission policies, she said. But she believes that students’ concerns can be addressed—at least in part—by improving peer-support systems and promoting education about mental health: a mental-health fellows program, increased communication from the school’s health officials, and workshops during freshmen orientation, for example. "Yale has the opportunity to lead the way universities treat mental health," Pham said. "It has a lot of power, a lot of visibility. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a death for people to come together and realize there’s a problem. But now, we need to focus on those who are still living."
My students fight injustice with protest art A teacher describes how the death Trayvon Martin made her scrap her lesson plan and work on something more relevant with students
prep times. at being reminded all summer about how worthless a young black man’s life is held to When I planned my portrait of Trayvon be in modern America. I remembered the Arizona and Skittles my I would like never to have to teach prostudents had brought in during the Hoods test art again, but sadly that doesn’t seem Up day. I began to create his face using likely. After Michael Brown was shot in red Skittles wrappers for the dark areas Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner was and cream and turquoise Arizona labels choked to death on a street in Staten Island, for the light. The students saw what I was it looks as if it will be part of my curriculum making and began saving labels and wrapfor a long time to come. In September of pers. Some changed the variety of Arizona this year, I once again introduced a series they drank to fit the portrait. Word spread of lessons about protest art. I dread the fuas the face emerged from the collage. It The Guardian ture events I might took a long time – I be referencing the did it as the matenext time I have to rials came in. Stuteach it. dents I didn’t know It’s not always would knock on possible, but I like my door to give me to work alongside labels and wrapmy students on pers; sometimes the challenge I set if I wasn’t in they them – they get to stuck them to my see my art developdoor for me. It was ing with theirs. moving to see just I kept my 4 ft sq how much they work-in-progress wanted to see the – an image of Trayfinished art. von – rolled up at When it was fithe top of my white nally done, I put it board. If time alon my classroom lowed I would wall. Now new work on it for a few students like it as minutes while my much as the ones students did indewho saw it taking pendent work. I shape. “Miss, you got most of it done Brit in the Bronx teacher created her portrait of Trayvon Martin using red Skittles wrappers and did that? That’s during my lunch or cream and turquoise Arizona drinks labels. dope,” they say. I
really like having it in my room because it helps offset the impression that I’m just another picky white person going on about rules and regulations. When you are a white person trying to enforce norms that you think are important to a group of black kids, you tend to sound as if you’re bringing back Jim Crow. I hope that the sight of my 4ft Trayvon sends the message that I’m on their side. President Obama told America that if he’d had a son he would look like Trayvon. Many of my students look like him too. Trayvon was just an ordinary kid on the way home, hood up against the rain, carrying Skittles for his little brother “Miss, you really should sell that picture,” one of them told me, “You should put ‘Trayvon’ in a gallery, you could be famous.” When a friend sent me news of an art show looking for pieces about the current civil rights outrages in the US I sent them a photo of my portrait and it was accepted. So he did go in a gallery, I took my students to see him. They told me they were proud of me, which was one of the best things I’ve ever heard. “Miss, what will you do if someone wants to buy him?” they ask me, concerned. I tell them I would never sell him, that he belongs to all of us, because we worked together to make him. Trayvon was just an ordinary kid on the way home from the store, hood up against the rain, carrying Arizona and some Skittles for his little brother. Once he belonged to his mother and his father, and his little brother and his friends. Now he’s another dead black kid, one in a line that’s far too long, in the newspapers, on TV, on a gallery wall. Trayvon, and the shameful way in which he died, belongs to all of us.
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.
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Friday 13 March 2015
India, Mauritius will work to avoid tax treaty abuse: Modi
Port louIS, March 12 (IaNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday assured that India would work with Mauritius to avoid the "abuse" of the double taxation avoidance agreement and added that the destinies of both nations are "linked by the currents of the Indian Ocean". Addressing the National Parliament of Mauritius, Modi said that he had told Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth that India understands the importance of offshore banking sector for the Mauritian economy. "We are conscious of its dependence on India. We will work together for our shared objective to avoid the abuse of our double taxation avoidance convention. I thank you for your support," he said. "But, I also assure you that we will do nothing to harm this vibrant sector of one of our closest strategic partners," Modi said to the applause of the members. Negotiations to amend the Indo-Mauritius tax treaty have been hanging for a long time amid India's apprehensions that it is being misused to route unaccounted money and evade taxes. Round-tripping is usually referred to routing of domestic investments through Mauritius to take advantage of the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) between the two countries. Mauritius is one of the top sources of foreign direct investments
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center, empties a container of holy water into the crater lake of Grand Bassin (also known as Ganga Talao) as part of a Hindu religious ceremony during the second day of his visit to the Republic of Mauritius Thursday, March 12, 2015. According to the Indian Prime Minister's website Modi is leading a delegation on a three nation tour of Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka to strengthen ties between the countries. (AP Photo
(FDI) into India. Both sides have been discussing the treaty revision for quite some time. Mauritius has always maintained that there has been no concrete evidence of any such misuse and that it has strict checks and balances in place. Uncertainties over the tax treaty have adversely affected investment flows between the two nations.
Insurance bill passed by RS New DelhI, March 12 (IaNS): Despite opposition protests, the Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed the insurance sector amendment bill, which seeks to hike the foreign equity cap on domestic companies from 26 percent to 49 percent. Formally called the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, the measure seeks to replace an ordinance that was promulgated during the intersession period. The bill has already been passed in the Lok Sabha on March 4.
CBI busts CA racket selling confidential documents New DelhI, March 12 (PtI): Busting a major ring of a well known Chartered Accountant and government servants, CBI has registered a case of alleged sale of confidential documents related to foreign investment policies which were passed on to major corporate groups of the country. CBI sources said a major coordinated search operation at various locations — including six here and two in Mumbai– was carried out today. Several offices of Finance Ministry and Commerce Ministry, residences of its officials and a well known Mumbai-based Chartered Accountant were covered. The sources said a trove of confidential documents and Rs 60 lakh cash was allegedly recovered from the residence of the Chartered Accountant besides large number of electronic documents have been found on the laptop, tablets and hard disks recovered from the residence of officials and CA. The sources said Chartered Accountant Khemchand Gandhi, Under Secretary in Department of Disinvestment and Grievances Ashok Kumar Singh and Section Officer in the Department of Economic Affairs Lala Ram Sharma have been detained by the agency. The sources said big names in banking, pharmaceuticals and realty business are under the scanner of the agency. All these groups under scanner have applied for foreign investments. The sources said agency has registered a case of criminal conspiracy, theft under IPC and misuse of official position against the trio.
Modi also said India and Mauritius are partners in economic progress. "We shoulder our shared responsibility to advance security in the Indian Ocean... I see Mauritius as a leader in the Indian Ocean Community and as a bridge to Africa," said Modi. He is the fifth Indian prime minister to address the Mauritian National
ties each featuring in the list. As far as countries were concerned, the US confirmed its supremacy, taking 8 of the top 10 positions and 43 of the top 100 places followed by Britain, which has 12 such universities. While most of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) nations made their mark, Indian universities failed to make it to the rankings, the study said. "It is really a matter of concern that a country of India's great intellectual history and its huge and growing economic power does not have a single university that is regarded by academics globally as being among the world's most prestigious," said Phil Baty, editor of Times Higher Education Rankings. "Brazil, Russia and Chi-
Congress pledges 'unstinting' support to Manmohan Singh New DelhI, March 12 (IaNS): In a show of support, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday led a march expressing solidarity with former prime minister Manmohan Singh, and said he was a man of "integrity" and had the "unstinting support" of the party. The BJP on the other hand said not just an individual but the entire Congress party should take responsibility for the coal block allocation case in which Manmohan Singh has been summoned by a special court here. Sonia Gandhi led members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and members of the Congress Working Committee in the march from the Congress party headquarters to Singh's house. "We are outraged at the news of summons being served to former prime minister Manmohan Singh... He is known for his integrity and probity not only in the country but across the world. We are here to offer our unstinting support to Manmohan ji," she told reporters here. A special court conducting the coal block allocation case here on Wednesday summoned Singh, industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla and former coal secretary P.C. Parakh, terming the case a "criminal conspiracy" with the objective to "do an illegal act". Senior party leader and former minister in the UPAII government, Anand Shar-
Congress party President Sonia Gandhi returns after marching to the residence of former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh to express her solidarity after Singh was accused of criminal conspiracy and breach of trust for his alleged role in a multibillion dollar scandal over the sale of coal fields, in New Delhi on Thursday, March 12. Singh as prime minister of the former Congress-led government had direct charge of the coal ministry when some of the coal field allocations to private companies were made. (AP Photo)
ma said that nobody could question the transparency and honesty of Singh and the truth shall prevail. "The Congress party is with Manmohan Singh ji and the party is not going to bow to any situation... We have full faith that in this case too the truth will prevail," Sharma said. Another party leader and former defence minister, A.K. Antony, who was part of the march, said they were sure that Singh will come out clean. Jyotiraditya Scindia, a sitting Congress MP from Madhya Pradesh, said: "We express our solidarity with the ex-prime minister. We are very confident that he will emerge clean, something that he remained during his public life." Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Ven-
kaiah Naidu said: "It is not the question of questioning the integrity of Manmohan Singh ji. It is the question of responsibility and failure of not taking action". "Manmohan Singh... will give his version but at the same time the Congress needs to explain to the country how these things have happened. It should take the responsibility (of the coal block allocation case) and not just an individual alone," he said. Development of North Eastern Region Minister Jitendra Singh said: "I would simply say...all of us should have the courage to accept the verdict in course of law. The world knows that India has one of the best constitutions and anything contradicting to it would amount to disrespect to the legal system."
Kashmir advised to challenge Masrat Alam's bail JaMMu, March 12 (IaNS): The union home ministry on Thursday advised the Jammu and Kashmir government to challenge all bail orders granted by different courts to recently released separatist leader Masrat Alam. An advisory issued by the ministry to the state government read: "All 27 criminal cases registered against Masrat Alam Bhat will be pursued vigorously and steps also taken as per law to challenge the orders pertaining to grant of bail to him in such cases. "A close surveillance must be
ensured on such of the activities of Masrat Alam Bhat and his associates and followers, which are detrimental to public order or the unity and integrity of the country in general and the state of Jammu and Kashmir in particular." The advisory also said that "anything coming to adverse notice must be promptly reviewed in the light of the Public Safety Act (PSA) and appropriate action taken immediately". The state government should ensure that the surveillance and monitoring of activities of the leader, his associates and follow-
ers is done "in close tandem with the central government security and intelligence agencies in the larger interest of maintaining peace and public order and normalcy", it said. Masrat Alam was released on March 7 by the state government triggering a huge controversy between the ruling alliance partners, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Peoples Democratic Party, in the state. Although the state home department clarified that Masrat Alam's release had been processed during the governor's
rule and that no further separatists would be released unless in compliance to court directions, the controversy still continues to make tense the relationship between the coalition partners Jammu bar association suspends work The Jammu bar association on Thursday suspended work over the release of separatist leader Masrat Alam. In a statement issued here on Thursday, the J&K High Court Bar Association Jammu said all its members stayed away from
the high court and sub-ordinate courts to protest the decision taken by the state government to release Alam. A spokesman of the association said the decision to register protest against the decision had been taken at a meeting of the association on Thursday morning. "The office bearers and senior members of the J&K High Court Bar Association strongly condemned the release of Masrat Alam and the seditious statement made by him after his release by the BJP-PDP government in the state," he said.
Diseases, not Maoists, kill most CRPF men in Red zone Pak journo to be questioned What's worrying is that there is an in- rectly as strains such as falciparum maNew DelhI, March 12 (tNN): in Sunanda murder case For the largest security force fighting creasing gap in number of deaths due to laria do not always come with high fever. Naxalites in dense jungles of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar, the biggest enemy is not a gun-toting rebel, but various diseases. Latest government data shows that more CRPF men have died due to malaria and heart attack than have fallen to Maoist attacks in the 106 Naxal-affected districts in the country. According to data released by the home ministry, in 2014, while 50 CRPF men died in Maoist attacks, 95 died due to various diseases. Of these 27 fell to malaria, while 35 died due to heart attack. In 2015 too, nine CRPF men have lost the battle to various diseases as against two to Maoists. The data exposes the poor working conditions for jawans in Naxal areas and lack of medical care.
No Indian varsity listed in top world university ranking New DelhI, March 12 (IaNS): Harvard University of the US has remained number one in a global ranking of 100 most prestigious education institutions, followed by Britain's Cambridge and Oxford universities. No Indian university featured in the list. According to the Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings 2015, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology of the US was pushed to the fourth spot by the University of Oxford, and Stanford University was pushed to the fifth spot by the University of Cambridge. Japan's University of Tokyo led Asia's charge at the 12th spot. London and Paris were the two cities with the maximum number of the top universities, with five universi-
Assembly but the first to address the National Assembly on the day of its National Day, which coincides with the day Mahatma Gandhi began his Dandi March in 1930. He said the democratic changes in both countries last year have brought stable governments in both nations, which would help speed up economic devel-
opment. Modi said that "as Mauritius assumes greater responsibility for securing this part of the Indian Ocean, we know that our region will be a safer place. But, we share a broader vision for lasting stability and prosperity in the region". "We seek a comprehensive partnership of closer security, economic, cultural, scientific and people-topeople ties in our region," Modi said and thanked Mauritius for the strong support for the UN Resolution declaring June 21 as the International Day of Yoga. "We are blessed to have your friendship. And, I always say that if there is one country that has full claims on us, it is Mauritius. It a relationship of our hearts and sentiments. And, it will never be limited by boundaries. We in India will do everything to nurture it." Modi also said that besides a stable government, both India and Mauritius have another factor in common: that he has to say "Madam Speaker" in parliament, in reference to the woman speakers in both countries - Sumitra Mahajan in India and Santi Bai Maya Hanoomanjee of the Mauritius. There was enthusiastic thumping of desks to this remark. Earlier, Hanoomanjee said that Modi's presence epitomizes India's deep friendship and goodwill to Mauritius which "we happily reciprocate".
The Morung Express
na, the other "BRIC" nations, all have at least one top-100 university in this prestigious list. It is time India gave more support to its leading universities to ensure that they can compete on a world stage," added Baty. China too has gained ground as its top institution, Tsinghua University, rose 10 places to 26th, while Peking University too moved up nine places to reach the 32nd spot. The 2015 World Reputation Rankings are based on 10,507 responses from 142 countries conducted between December 2014 and January 2015. In all, 21 countries are represented in the list. The poll attracted almost 70,000 responses from more than 150 countries in 5 annual rounds since the first survey in 2010.
malaria and heart attacks and that due to Maoist attacks over the years. While in 2012, 36 CRPF men died of mosquito bites and heart attacks as against 37 in Maoist violence, in 2013 as many as 22 CRPF men fell to the two diseases as against 20 to Maoists. Home ministry has claimed that it has been providing medicines, organizing health campaign programmes, setting up infrastructure facilities and educating security personnel on good health practices. CRPF sources, however, say that lack of medicines is not a problem but early diagnosis and work pressure is. "At camps in the jungles, there are just a few constables trained in first aide and armed with malaria detection kit. Several times they fail to diagnose cor-
By the time the personnel falls seriously sick, it is too late as evacuation from the camp alone takes about two days," said a CRPF officer who recently served in Sukma, Chhattisgarh. Since there are less number of personnel and huge areas to patrol, jawans are under pressure not to seek leave or rest day for minor reasons. "Thus a mild fever or body ache--early symptoms of malaria--are not even reported," said the officer. As for heart attacks, tough working conditions naturally add to stress which leads to hypertension and heart attacks. Calls for yoga generally fall on deaf ears as after gruelling patrolling in jungles, a jawan is hardly in the mood to perform a structured exercise.
New DelhI, March 12 (IaNS): Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar is likely to be questioned in connection with the murder of Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, police said on Thursday. "Tarar is a relevant person in the case... If necessary, she will be examined," said Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi. Tarar's friendship with Tharoor had reportedly led to a row between Tharoor and Pushkar. Delhi Police constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) after registering a murder case against unknown people on January 1. Pushkar was found dead in a luxury hotel room on January 17, 2014 under mysterious circumstances. The SIT probing the case has so far questioned at least 15 people, including Tharoor, his staff members, close friends of the couple and the staff of Leela Palace hotel where Pushkar was found dead.
'Sunderbans hardly prepared for climate change, migration' KolKata, March 12 (IaNS): The fragile Sunderbans - the largest mangrove forests and delta region spread over both Bangladesh and India - is "hardly prepared" for climate change-related issues, experts said here on Thursday. Policy makers, academicians, civil society organisations and community development experts said gaps in preparedness in the face of submergence of islands in Sunderbans and the consequent mass migration needs to be addressed "immediately" and at a global level. "Bay of Bengal harbouring all coastal countries - Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Indonesia have the highest record of disasters historically and the frequency of disasters
is six times more in this region than that in any part of the world," said climate change expert Saroj Dash. He was speaking at the third sub-regional workshop on community resilience to climate change in Bay of Bengal organised by World Vision India. The previous editions of the workshop were held in Odisha (2012) and Dhaka,
Bangladesh (2013). "Sunderbans flanked by India and Bangladesh in the Bay of Bengal is one of the most vulnerable regions of the world and one of the most densely populated region on earth. It is hardly prepared for even partial submergence and consequent mass migration," said Dash, regional technical coordinator, climate change,
Concern Worldwide, an international humanitarian organisation. Observations such as these will be part of a charter that will feed into two forthcoming key global events - the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan, the 21st Conference of Parties in Paris, and finally targeting the Sustainable Development Goals 2015. Aiming to build resilience to climate change in the region, the charter will focus on women and children. "Women and children are the most vulnerable because of food security, health and migratory issues. "Their identities and empowerment have a lot to do with their homes and if
that is washed away due to floods and other disasters, then they suffer," said Ardhendu Sekhar Chatterjee, a leading figure in sustainable agriculture and agroforestry. In addition to highlighting adaptation, biodiversity, climate change impact monitoring and assessment, experts also called for building up more active networks of parliamentarians of countries in the Bay of Bengal. "The need of the hour is to build up more and more active networks of MPs to combat climate change. Capacity development of parliamentarians could also have a positive impact on international climate negotiations," said Mukul Sharma, regional directorSouth Asia, Climate Parliament.
InternatIonal
the Morung express
Friday 13 March 2015
Dimapur
9
Two police officers shot in Ferguson
Police take cover after two officers were shot while standing guard in front of the Ferguson Police Station on Thursday, March 12. (AP Photo)
FERGUSON, MARCH 12 (REUTERS): Two police officers were shot during a protest outside Ferguson, Missouri, police headquar-
ters early on Thursday, police said, just hours after the city’s police chief quit following a damning U.S. Justice Department report
into his force. The shooting of the officers, who were in serious condition at a hospital, was the latest incident in months
of turmoil in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, which has been at the center of an intense national debate over police use of force, par-
ticularly against black men, since a white officer killed an unarmed black teenager there in August. St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar told reporters early on Thursday that a 41-year-old officer from his department was struck in the shoulder and a 32-yearold officer from the nearby Webster Groves Police Department was hit in the face about midnight as the crowd was starting to break up. “These police officers were standing there and they were shot, just because they were police officers,” Belmar said. “I have said all along that we cannot sustain this forever without problems.” He said the officers, whom he did not identify, were both conscious and hospitalized. The department planned to release more information at 9 a.m. CDT (1200 GMT). The shooting of 18-yearold Michael Brown by officer Darren Wilson, along with other police slayings of unarmed people in cities including New York and decisions by grand juries not to charge the involved officers, last year sparked
months of protests around the United States. Benjamin Crump, an attorney representing Brown’s parents, said on Thursday the family condemned the shooting and noted the violence seen during Ferguson protests had been the work of a small number of people in the crowd. “Violence is never the solution,” Crump told CNN. “There may be a few people who are misguided or confused but in large part the majority of the protesters and the majority of Americans want justice.” The violence grew out of a Wednesday night demonstration in which several dozen protesters gathered in front of the Ferguson police department, just hours after Police Chief Thomas Jackson resigned. The night started peacefully but about two dozen officers clad in riot gear later faced off with the protesters. At least two people were taken into custody. Gunshots rang out about midnight turning a scene of relative quiet into pandemonium. Many of the remaining few dozen
demonstrators fled, some screaming. The line of police scrambled, with many taking defensive positions drawing their weapons and some huddling behind riot shields, according to a video published online. Belmar said the shooter was among the demonstrators standing across from the officers. “I don’t know who did the shooting, to be honest with you right now, but somehow they were embedded in that group of folks,” he said. Protesters at the scene, however, said on social media that the shots did not come from where they were standing. “The shooter was not with the protesters. The shooter was atop the hill,” activist DeRay McKesson said on Twitter. “I was here. I saw the officer fall. The shot came from at least 500 feet away from the officers,” he said. The fatal shooting of two New York City officers on Dec. 20 by a troubled man who said he was seeking to avenge high-profile police killings in the city
and Ferguson have put law enforcement around the country on edge. Protesters in Ferguson had called for Jackson’s removal since the fatal shooting of Brown. Neither a grand jury nor the federal investigation led to charges against Wilson. McKesson said protesters were not satisfied by Jackson’s removal and also wanted to see the city’s mayor, James Knowles, step down. Jackson was the latest in a string of Ferguson officials to resign in the week since a scathing Justice Department report found widespread racially biased abuses in the city’s policing and municipal court. The investigation found that the city used police as a collection agency, citing traffic citations to black residents to boost city coffers through fines, creating a “toxic environment.” U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said last Friday that the Department would use its full authority to demand police reforms in Ferguson, including possibly dismantling the department.
Clinton emails breathe new life into Benghazi panel Some detained Myanmar students WASHINGTON, MARCH 12 (AP): The recent disclosure that Hillary Rodham Clinton relied on personal emails to conduct government business as secretary of state has breathed new life into a congressional panel investigating the Obama administration’s handling of the 2012 attacks on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya. Benghazi has been a persistent Republican line of attack against President Barack Obama and Clinton, who is the favorite for the Democratic nomination in the 2016 presidential campaign. But the congressional investigation had threatened to stall amid accusations of partisanship on both sides.
The situation has changed since revelations about Clinton’s email practices raises questions about whether she was complying with regulations requiring government officials to preserve written communications involving official business. Clinton exclusively used a private email account for government business during her time as secretary of state, and did so via a private server kept at her home. Republicans on the Benghazi committee have become fixated on a photo that became an Internet meme — Clinton, wearing sunglasses, staring at her BlackBerry. Chairman Trey Gowdy wants to know why the panel has no
emails from Oct. 18, 2011, the day the photo was taken as Clinton, then the secretary of state, was en route to Tripoli. In fact, the committee says it has no emails at all from Clinton’s trip to Libya, which occurred just days before longtime Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi was killed. Eleven months later, in September 2012, terrorist attacks on the U.S. mission in Benghazi killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. The latest congressional inquiry comes even though several other Republican-led House investigations debunked various conspiracy theories about the attacks. A 2014 report by the House Intelligence Committee
freed but others face charges
determined there was no intelligence failure, no delay in sending a CIA rescue team, no missed opportunity for a military rescue and no evidence the CIA was covertly shipping arms from Libya to Syria. Gowdy said in an interview that it “strains credulity” to believe that while on a trip to Libya to discuss Libyan policy “there’s not a single document that has been turned over to Congress.” Gowdy has issued a subpoena for Clinton’s emails and called for an independent review of Clinton’s private email server. Republican House Speaker John Boehner, meanwhile, has not ruled out a vote in the full House to force ClinStudent protester Thant Lwin Wai Chit, left, speaks on a mobile phone as his sister, ton to turn over her server.
Humans began dominating Earth in year 1610 LONdON, MARCH 12 (IANS): With an unusual drop in atmospheric carbon dioxide and the irreversible exchange of species between the New and Old Worlds, the humandominated geological epoch known as the Anthropocene probably began around in 1610, a research shows. “The Anthropocene probably began when species jumped continents, starting when the Old World met the New. We humans are now a geological power in our own right - as Earth -changing as a mete-
orite strike,” explained lead author Simon Lewis from the University College London (UCL). The study authors systematically compared the major environmental impacts of human activity over the past 50,000 years. Just two dates met the criteria: 1610 when the collision of the New and Old Worlds a century earlier was first felt globally, and 1964, associated with the fallout from nuclear weapons tests. The researchers conclude that 1610 is the stronger candidate. “The 1492 arrival of
Time stands still for the depressed: Study LONdON, MARCH 12 (IANS): Time seems to pass extremely slowly or even stands still for those who suffer from depression, indicates a study. The findings suggest that depressed individuals assess the flow of time differently from healthy individuals. Time perception is highly subjective and usually depends on the relevant situation so that, for instance, your sense of how fast or slow time is passing can be influenced by whether you are waiting for something or if a deadline is approaching. “Psychiatrists and psychologists in hospitals and private practices repeatedly report that depressed patients feel that time only creeps forward slowly or is passing in slow motion,” said Daniel Oberfeld-Twistel from the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) in Germany. “The results of our analysis confirm that this is indeed the case,” Oberfeld-Twistel added. The researchers collated relevant studies on the subject to analyse them in a so-called meta-study. What they found was that, in comparison with healthy individuals, depressed individuals actually do have a subjective feeling that time is passing more slowly. However, when asked to judge the duration of a specific time interval, such as two seconds or two minutes, their estimates are just as accurate as those of healthy individuals. The researchers looked at the results from 16 individual studies in which 433 depressed subjects and 485 non-depressed control subjects participated. “We found strong indicators that in depressed individuals the subjective feeling of the passage of time differs from the ability to assess the actual duration of external events,” Oberfeld-Twistel concluded. The findings appeared in the Journal of Affective Disorders.
Europeans in the Americas, and subsequent global trade, moved species to new continents and oceans, resulting in a global re-ordering of life on Earth. This rapid cross-ocean exchange of species is without precedent in Earth’s history,” researchers from the University College London and University of Leeds explained. The first fossil pollen of maize, a Latin American species, appears in marine sediment in Europe in 1600, becoming common over subsequent centuries. This irreversible exchange
of species satisfies the first criteria for dating an epoch - long-term changes to Earth. The researchers also found a pronounced dip in atmospheric carbon dioxide centred on the year 1610 and captured in Antarctic ice-core records. The drop occurred as a direct result of the arrival of Europeans in the Americas. Till date, the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century has most commonly been suggested as the start of the Anthropocene. However, the researchers did not find this a right candi-
date because most effects were local, while the global exponential rise in carbon dioxide was too smooth an increase to form a precisely dated marker. “A more wide-spread recognition that human actions are driving farreaching changes to the life-supporting infrastructure of Earth will have implications for our philosophical, social, economic and political views of our environment,” added study co-author professor Mark Maslin from the UCL. The paper appeared in the journal Nature.
center, and father stand by outside the court house after his release in Tharyarwaddy, north of Yangon on Thursday, March 12. Authorities freed several students detained after a bloody protest crack-down, but others involved in the stand-off over a new education law will face charges which carries up to two-year prison term. (AP Photo)
YANGON, MARCH 12 (AP): Myanmar authorities have freed several students detained after a bloody protest, but others involved in the stand-off over a new education law will face charges including disrupting stability, which carries a twoyear prison term. Yee Mon, a Yangon university student who was released Thursday, said that 12 students have been freed and about 15 more were expected “We didn’t break the law but we were peacefully protesting for academic policy change,” said the 19-year-old. The government announced Wednesday that students who are currently in university will be freed on humanitarian grounds, while 10 Buddhist monks detained after a police crackdown on the protest in Letpadan, about 140 kilometers (90 miles) north of Yan-
gon, had also been released. Several student leaders and other protesters were brought to court under tight security Wednesday and were charged with five different counts ranging from disrupting public tranquility, which can result in a prison term of up to two years, to joining an unlawful assembly, which carries a six-month prison sentence or a fine. Nearly 130 people, including about 60 students, were detained Tuesday after hundreds of riot police charged their protest, pummeling them with batons and then dragging them into trucks, bringing a harsh end to a weeklong standoff. The students say that the new law puts all decisions about education policy and curriculum in the hands of a group largely made up of government ministers, which critics say undermines the autonomy of universities.
Mom and dad: Strangers to millions of Chinese kids
David McKenzie CNN
Six-year-old Lu Yiming is a handful. One minute, he’s on the concrete roof of his two-story house, the next he’s fiddling with fireworks. Now, he’s skating down an alley. “Come back here!” yells his grandmother. “I have such a headache raising this child,” 72-year-old old Tang Xinying confides. Lu’s mother abandoned him after he was born and his father works as a carpenter in Shandong province hundreds of miles further north. He comes back perhaps once a year.
In China, Lu is what’s called a “left-behind child.” Conservatively, there are at least 61 million such children in China -- that’s a staggering one in five. They struggle at school, have higher rates of mental health issues, and suffer from more behavioral problems than their contemporaries. “I tell him ‘your father is working and your mother doesn’t want you,’” says an exasperated Tang. In Chao Hu, a village in the inland province of Anhui, a dead-end track passes by half-finished housing projects and abandoned fields. A yellow haze hangs in the air leaving a metallic taste in the mouth. China’s industrial pollution made it
out here, but the jobs haven’t. Everyone of working age in Chao Hu has gone to the cities to find work, leaving the old and very young behind. Lu holds my hand as we walk through the tiny village. A group of old women sit on threelegged wooden stools listening to Chinese opera on a small radio. Another walks by knitting. Some old men make bootleg liquor in an oil drum. “We don’t have fields that we can farm, if you don’t go out to work, then how do you earn an income?” says Tang. “Their parents have to work outside of town and they cannot bring their children with them.” The All China Women’s Federation, a state- backed organization, paints a bleak picture for left behind children. A steady stream of state media reports highlights the abuse suffered by left behind children. And crimes are often blamed on them. “It has a huge impact on society and the generation of people who grow up without parents,” says Ines Kaempfer, of the Center for Child-Rights and Corporate Social Responsibility. “There is a generation of Chinese society that lacks security and trust. It could have a potentially disastrous effect.” Unintended consequences of mass urbanization and migration are not unique to China. But draconian rules have made the problem worse. China’s much-hated hukou system registers families as either rural or urban. Most migrants can’t change their house-
hold registration when they move. They struggle to access healthcare and other social services in urban areas. Their children can’t go to public schools -- even if they are born in the cities. Critics say the hukou system has created a vast underclass of cheap labor to help drive China’s manufacturing revolution. Recognizing some of its failures, the Chinese Communist Party has proposed reforms of the hukou system including doing away with temporary residence permits. The topic is under discussion this week at the annual meeting of China’s National People’s Congress, the country’s rubberstamp parliament. “Though it is better than before, the hukou system is a huge problem,” says Professor Fan Bin, of the Huadong Technology Institute. “Migrants can’t afford to keep their children in big cities, the rent is high and the wages are low, and they can’t pay the tuition for private schools.” In Chao Hu village, Tang is cooking a meal of rice and spinach for her grandson. She swirls peanut oil on her simple stove top. “I can’t teach my grandson well. This boy should be educated by his father and mother,” she says, “I cannot catch him when he runs away from me. I cannot discipline him when he misbehaves.” Tang is convinced she can’t give her grandson the support he needs. “We don’t have a choice, even if the situation isn’t good. If I don’t take care of him who will,” she says.
10
Dimapur
SPORTS
Friday 13 March 2015
The Morung Express
'preserve good culture to minimise social evils' Our Correspondent Kohima | March 12
Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) speaker Chotisuh Sazo today stated that due to lack of good culture, Naga culture is being mixed up with alien culture thereby breeding violence and anti-social elements in Naga society. Calling for preserving the good culture in Naga society, Sazo maintained, “Traditionally we have plenty of good culture among the Naga society…if we preserve our good culture, social evils will be minimized.” Sazo was addressing the 9th Open Naga Wrestling Championship 2015 here in Kohima this morning. In a major boost to Naga style wrestling, Nagaland’s Governor PB Acharya also witnessed the match. Sazo stressed on the need to understand more of one’s culture in line with wrestling and added “If you don’t know your culture, you don’t have your identity.” Wrestling, he said, have been played amongst Tenyimia community since time immemorial and derived out of our cultural traditions. In the past, it was played for different occasions, to settle feuds and disputes. Besides, he said, it is a played as a friendship match or for that matter it was played between
Governor PB Acharya, NLA speaker Chotisuh Sazo and others during 9th Open Naga Wrestling Championship 2015 in Kohima on March 12. (Morung Photo)
communities. Lamenting that despite having a lot of talented youth many are unable to accomplish their dreams for want of appropriate training facilities, he said many youth are unable to take advantage of sports during the prime. He also regretted that till date the State have not produced any international player especially in the field of wrestling although some have excelled in other discipline. Sazo also urged upon the players to be committed and dedicated in wrestling in order to be professionals in their field. “To become
a professional, irrespective of discipline, one has to be disciplined, sincere, dedicated and committed…constant practice makes a man perfect,” he exhorted. Sazo lauded NWA for keeping the traditional game of wrestling alive and also congratulated the participants from other states especially from Assam and Manipur. Gracing the closing function as the guest of honour, Khriehu Liezietsu, Parliamentary Secretary for Youth Resources & Sports, NRE & MTF also sung praises about the standard of Naga style wrestling and urged upon Nagaland Wrestling As-
sociation (NWA) to encourage other tribes by conducting training and coaching camps across the state. He also stressed on the need to adopt modern approach and create avenue for sports persons to take professionally and also enable wrestlers around the world to take part. He was optimistic that Naga style wrestling would also figure as one of the disciplines in Olympic one day. NWA president Neikhrolo Khalo said besides the main tournament, the NWA organizes Open Naga Wrestling tournament, Hornbill Open Naga Wrestling Champion-
ship and another- King of the Ring (Wrestle Mania) under the aegis of 3E under the approval of NWA. He said these three mega tournaments are open to all professional wrestlers from any part of the world. Till now the Hornbill championship has witnessed a number of renowned professional wrestlers from USA, South Korea, Japan and other neighbouring states in India. “We are hoping that the NWA can organize this Open Naga Wrestling Championship as a national and international event as we are now prepared ourselves with the required facilities,” Khalo said. He said that one can visit NWA website www.nagalandwrestlingassociation.org to know more about Naga style wrestling. Referring to free style National Championship for cadet & junior wrestling for 2015, the NWA is likely to conduct a free coaching camp by the first week of April. In this, NWA invited all the interested free-style wrestlers regardless of affiliation unit or tribes to keep in touch with respective units or NWA officials and accordingly the NWA will sponsor the state team to participate in the coming cadet & junior National Championship, to be held from April 23-26 at Ranchi, Jharkhand.
Bayern cruise into Champions League quarterfinals
Bayern's Robert Lewandowski, center, scores 6-0 before Shakhtar's Serhiy Kryvtsov, left and teammate Shakhtar's Darijo Srna can block during the Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Bayern Munich and Shakhtar Donetsk Wednesday, March 11, in Munich, southern Germany. (AP Photo)
MUNICH, MarCH 12 (aP): Bayern Munich cruised into the quarterfinals of the Champions League after a 7-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk with the visitors losing a defender to the fastest red card in the
competition's history. Thomas Mueller notched two goals, while Jerome Boateng, Franck Ribery, Holger Badstuber, Robert Lewandowski and Mario Goetze added one apiece as the
German champions matched its biggest home win. Olexandr Kucher was sent off in the third minute for tripping Goetze, who was racing toward goal. "The red card was decisive but we
played a very good match as well," Bayern midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger said. Mueller converted from the penalty spot in the fourth minute to get Bayern going with the opening goal of the tie after a goalless first leg in Ukraine. Boateng added the second in the 34th as Shakhtar struggled in all departments. Ribery and Mueller scored early in the second half with Lewandowski and Goetze getting on the scoresheet late on. Bayern, a five-time champion, also beat Basel 7-0 in the same Round of 16 stage in 2012. Shakhtar failed to make a shot on target in the entire match. "I feel sad that we lost with such a result," Shakhtar's coach Mircea Lucescu said. "After the third goal the match was over." Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said it was the first time he started "such an important match" with five forwards and was pleased with the outcome. "We controlled the flanks very well, perfectly. With one man up, it was a little simpler," Guardiola said. Arjen Robben went off in the 19th with an injury and Ribery also hobbled off in the 60th. Guardiola said the injuries did not appear serious. Boateng scored after Lewandowski's attempt was blocked and
the defender was alone at the far post to drill the ball into the roof of the net. Ribery was felled by Douglas Costa away from the ball but got away with only a yellow card. Ribery made it 3-0 in the 49th, taking a pass from Boateng, cutting in from the left and firing into the far corner. Mueller got his second in the 52nd, following Ribery's delivery from the line. With Bayern cruising, it only became a matter of how many goals the German champion would score. Badstuber headed home with an unchallenged header in the 63rd and Lewandowski raised the score in the 75th after picking up a long through pass from Schweinsteiger. "The red card and the penalty really played into our hands and then we controlled the match until the end," said Badstuber, who played his first Champions League match in two years following a knee injury. Goetze completed the scoring in the 87th after good work by Boateng. Victory sees Bayern advance to its fourth consecutive quarterfinal. It is also the first club to make it to 14 quarterfinals overall. In the other match, 10-man Paris SaintGermain advanced on away goals after earning a 2-2 draw at Chelsea to draw 3-3 on aggregate.
Azedon High School celebrates Spring Festival KoHIMa, MarCH 12 (MExN): The Spring Festival celebration of Azedon High School, Kohima, got underway at the school premises on March 11. The celebration will conclude on March 13, a press release from the Headmistress Nokehienu Noeline informed. As part of the celebration, the 1st Arm Wrestling and 12th Naga Style Wrestling was inaugurated on Wednesday at the school playground by Sahovi John Phinyo, President, Amateur Naga Wrestling Club, as Chief Guest. He exhorted and encouraged students and participants to adopt one game in their life. He appreciated the school authority for organizing the Naga Style Wrestling as an annual event which is going on successfully for 12 years and introducing the first Arm Wrestling competition. Altogether 20 students participated in the12th Naga Style Wrestling Senior and Junior category. 12 Boys & 8 Girls participated in the 1st Arm Wrestling Senior & Junior category. The Naga Style Wrestling was conducted by Zevisa as Referee while the Arm Wrestling event was judged by Meyiesa. During the day, kindergarten children presented a special item.
MGM school sports begins DIMaPUr, MarCH 12 (MExN): The 30th Annual Sports meet of MGM Higher Secondary School got underway here today. The day started with a solemn opening ceremony where the students of the four houses – namely, Red, Blue, Yellow and Green – gave a splendid performance of the March Past and a colorful drill display. Rev. Fr. P.S. Varghese, the Principal, exhorted the students to play sports with dedication and commitment as it has now become a major source of employment for those who are talented in this field. Students participated with enthusiasm in a variety of events like athletics, Kabadi, Badminton, Volleyball etc. held in the school premises. The meet will conclude on Saturday, March 14 at SEWAK Ground where Chief Engineer of SEWAK will be the Chief Guest.
St Mary’s School sports meet underway alICHEN, MarCH 12 (MExN): The annual sports meet of St Mary’s Residential School, Alichen got underway on March 11 with administrator of the school, Anu Tomy, inaugurating the meet. The administrator also flagged off a marathon race on the theme: “Stop drinking, smoking and taking drugs. Instead educate children.” The marathon comprised of both students and teachers and was led by Aswathy Jijesh, Assistant Headmistress; Stanislaus, Head of Sports Department; Alemtola; Lanukumba and Ongermenla, school captains. The meet will conclude on March 14.
public discourse
The Media is a Man The Futility of Throwing Stones
N
agaland’s dusty Dimapur made it to national notoriety on the 5th of March for all the wrong reasons. Young men could be seen gleefully clicking selfies in the mob, ostensibly with the purpose of glorifying their exploits of this savage event on social media. Unfortunately, these unappetising images were flashed all over the news channels and in the print media, re-imposing the popular stereotype of the Naga forever as a remorseless, unthinking, smiling brute. It was no small event, for Dimapur had finally arrived in the crime annals of contemporary India. It is difficult not to cringe in the face of such thoughtless folly, as we live in an age where a private image goes viral globally in seconds. It was the Lord of the Flies all over as the lines between humanity and bestiality became horribly blurred. The hashtag #nagaland lynching# was the most trended topic on social media, to the eternal red-faced shaming of many Nagas who want to be perceived as liberal. We can make ourselves hoarse spending countless hours debating on the morality of that event, we might even wash our hands off the whole incident and distance ourselves from the shame. However, as a woman who feels her safety threatened every day from dangers real or perceived, the most distressing outcome was the deflection of the general public debate from one of rape to that of communalism. It became an issue of a majority people persecuting and murdering a lone minority outsider. The debate shifted so effortlessly and successfully that the positions of victim and perpetrator became reversed sadly. As the more ‘masculine’ issue of communalism took over, any potential debate on ensuring safety for women became a non-issue. The event was a lost opportunity for righting past wrongs, for preventing future deeds. Woefully, our civil society Naga ambassadors on Television were no match for the smart, aggressive, cleverly phrased semantics of the outspoken news anchors. Was the rape of a Naga woman such a trivial incident that it could be passed over for the ‘bigger’ issue of communalism according to the whims of the media? How then could we even attempt to present our mandate for a rape-free Nagaland or even India? We failed to make any legitimate appeal to demand a better rapeproof legislation. The bright lights of the media and the rhetorical accusations thickened our tongues and blurred our speech; we could not justify ourselves or alas use the event to our advantage. It is very worrying that one of the most pressing social ills we face today, namely the lack of women’s safety, could be so effectively erased from the imagination of the Naga public. Today, the main trigger for the mob action remains a distant and often unspeakable memory. However as usual, the event has mutated into a full-scale political event with the suspension of officials, the issuing of statements by political groups/individuals with vested interests, and the predictable blame game between governments. It is very unfortunate that the general population of Nagaland seem to be focusing on and questioning the victim’s moral character, or lack of it. We have no business to speculate about her morality, for a rape is a rape by any other definition. Talking about anything else victimises the victim even more than the actual crime. One of the perpetrators of the 16th December 2012 Delhi gang rape incident questioned the morality of the victim, stating that a good girl had no business going out at night. That if she was the victim, she had asked for it. If so, then we are no better, no more civilized than the men who raped Nirbhaya. Tiainla Medem, Asst. Prof in English Maitreyi College, University of Delhi
T
he saying goes you can either do things the hard way, or the easy way. The easy way implies a process of simplicity and effortlessness, the most convenient means to get from point A to B. The hard way, on the other hand, is time-consuming, involving seemingly difficult action. In the case of the Nagas, maybe we’ve been subjected to the hard way for so long—never arriving from A to B without complications or tremendous effort—that we’ve slowly acquired a taste for the easy way. The mob lynching of accused rapist, Syed Sharif Khan, in Dimapur on March 5, 2015, was an ugly manifestation of what taking the easy way looks like. Within hours, social and news media all over the world were displaying graphic images of the incident. One picture, taken from a building looking down at the street below, showed Khan enclosed by a horde of citizens, many dangling from the clock tower in the city center, their phone screens flashing in the darkness that surrounded
the city. It was hard not to be shaken by this photograph: this is what it is like to come face-to-face with frenzy. Mob justice, it turns out, is a flawed justice: chauvinistic, self-righteous impulses that, on March 5 in Dimapur, were somehow distortedly perceived as dutiful, necessary action. And maybe there are many, then and now, who see some justification in the crowd’s actions that day: the justice system would not have meted out adequate punishment; what happened to Khan was a result of his own moral transgressions. But these beliefs, far from providing stability or creating any long-term solutions, in fact point to the root cause of the incident: our society’s frustrations have been simmering and have gone unchecked, unaddressed, and unarticulated for too long. We have not paid enough attention to ourselves, or to our institutions; we have undervalued the concept of holding ourselves accountable for our deeds. Without going into the particular
actions (and inaction) that led to the incident on March 5, it is clear how various institutions witnessed a complete collapse of function and leadership that day. These institutions—governmental and civil—were inadequate in preventing the very kind of mass impulse that they are meant to regulate. Essentially, that day, the public took the easy way and was virtually unstoppable. But the easy way has consequences. The speed of Facebook and Twitter and the unending coverage on 24-hour news channels makes us realize firsthand that we live in a world beyond ourselves, where we can too easily find ourselves under the scrutiny of the rest of the world. Our actions do, in fact, reverberate beyond our borders. Taking the hard way seems rare to us these days. The hard way that seeks to sculpt strong institutions such as the rule of law and a functioning judicial system. The hard way that molds leaders capable of making prudent decisions and demanding the same of their
followers. But, we so often we find this way to be an impenetrable rock, not worth chipping away at. The incident at Dimapur has shown that aggression is easy. That anger and frustration will manifest itself in ways we mourn and regret only after it’s too late. Dimapur has shown us that it is much easier to throw stones than to give them shape. Much has been said about the incident and much will continue to be said. Rumors and opinions will circulate. Findings will be filed, reports will be generated, individuals will be persecuted, and the incident will be politicized to no end. The subsequent hush that has seemed to have taken over Nagaland during the past week could be a sign of a foreboding aftermath. It could, however, also be indicative of some soul searching that is taking place among the Nagas. We can only hope that we eventually realize the easy way is not the only way Justin Aier
A word of anxiety on the March 5, 2015 incident at Dimapur
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n my understanding of the Bible, Lawlessness is connected to Godlessness. When there is Godlessness in our hearts, it leads to lawlessness in our lives and society. The recent case in Dimapur on March 5, 2015 was an epic example of lawlessness in our lands. And I have been pondering on this question that Godlessness in our lives must have led to this lawlessness in our lands. I have also been wondering whether that lawless act had long been conceived in our Godless heart and that we had for long been pregnant with that lawless child until it showed its ugly head on March 5, 2015. After all, have we not for a long time in our history, been worshiping the god called Mammon (money and wealth)? And have we not been break-
ing all of God’s laws in pursuit of worshiping Mammon? Some 50 or so years ago, Nagas were known for their integrity, honesty and hard work. But ever since “easy money” began to pour into our lands from the 1960’s, most of us seem to have abandoned all our Biblical as well as cultural laws of honestly earning money and wealth. And in that mad rush to accumulate as much money as possible, we became one of the most corrupted countries in the world. Corruptions upon corruptions began to eat up all our economic structures, our educational structures, our medical structures and even our civil administrative and legal structures. As a result, corruption today seems to be covering the whole of Nagaland like a thick cloud.
Now God’s word is emphatically clear that one cannot serve two masters. It was clearly spelt out by Jesus when he declared: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon. (Matt. 6:24) Coming back to the incident on March 5, God in his mercy has set up governments to run law and order in a fallen world. This is clearly stated in Romans 13:1 in the following words: “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God…he is the servant of God to execute his wrath on the wrong doer”. (13, verse 4) Above this
institution of Law is God the law giver who says: “Vengeance is mine, I will repay”. (Rom.12:19). On March 5, 2015, those who took the law into their own hands have committed a great sin by executing justice without the authority and sanction by God. But the question that is haunting me is this: Have we by our Godless pursuit of money produced a lawless society that has shocked every person who had seen or heard about the March 5, incident at Dimapur? May God have mercy on all of us including the victim and victims of the lawless violence on that day. And may the spirit of God move in all our hearts so that we will all repent and turn to him for mercy and forgiveness. Kaka D. Iralu
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.
11 Entertainment Arbaaz, Malaika back equality in marriage Salma backtracks on feminist comments Friday
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13 March 2015
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elebrity couple Arbaaz Khan and Malaika Arora Khan, who doled out some clothes washing tips at an event here on Wednesday, stressed on the importance of sharing household chores to ensure “quality time” for a married couple. The duo has been married for over 15 years, and they looked very much in love as they took to the stage at the launch of detergent brand Ariel’s new ‘His & Her’ pack, which is a part of the brand’s ‘Share the Load’ movement. The movement emphasises on married couples sharing the household chores among each other. “I’ve always been a firm believer that equality within the household is important for a happy marriage. Despite our work commitments, Malaika and I ensure we split the work at home. From raising the
kids to doing the laundry, it’s a partnership,” Arbaaz said at a press conference here. The 47-year-old actorfilmmaker also believes that it’s important to give personal space to your partner after marriage. “It’s very important to give each other some space. If you smother anyone, somewhere or the other, it pressurises the person. If you love somebody, set them free,” he added. Malaika agreed and said: “When it comes to managing the household, equal responsibilities are key. Arbaaz and I, owing to our hectic schedules, have always ensured we take turns with all the chores. I’ve always said that a happy household is one where the man shares the load. “We spend so much time away from each other on work that sharing these responsibilities really gives us quality time together.”
Lee Min Ho is the perfect guy-next-door
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n March 3, the Korean clothing company Today ‘N Going On Tomorrow (TNGT) released additional footage starring Lee Min Ho for its campaign, The Tomorrow Man. TNGT updated their blog with the first series of videos that depict the “Gangnam 1970” star in daily life scenes. The company published footage of the Hallyu star on Naver and YouTube. The videos feature the actor engaging in everyday activities like packing for a trip or checking his cell phone. As a model for the business and casual clothier, he exudes a clean-cut, masculine image. The videos serve as a follow-up to the picto-
rial which was released by TNGT on February 12. He continues to appear for endorsement activities during his current break from Korean drama but has repeatedly stated that he would rather take on a television role over another film. Lee recently starred in the action-packed film noir “Gangnam 1970.” The film focused on the political corruption surrounding the 1970s development boom which led to the explosive evolution of present-day Gangnam. “Gangnam 1970” presented Lee with the opportunity to star in his first major film role, which was wellreceived by audiences and critics. The actor has admitted that the filming process
Still Alice writer-director Richard Glatzer dies at 63
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ichard Glatzer, the co-director and co-writer of Still Alice, for which actress Julianne Moore won the Best Actress Oscar last month, died on March 11 aged 63 of ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Wash Westmoreland, the film’s co-director and his husband, said on Twitter: I am devastated. Richard was my soulmate, my collaborator, my life. A true artist and a brilliant man. @stillalicepic.twitter.com/hSRriYMjhe— Wash Westmoreland (@ Washmoreland) March 12, 2015 Julianne, 54, who stars as a linguistics professor with early-onset Alzheimer’s in Still Alice won her latest Academy Award on February 22, another high point in her career spanning a quarter-century. ALS is a progressive degenerative nervous system disease that weakens muscles and physical functioning.
Slipknot guitarist Mick Thomson stabbed in head
was challenging, particularly during action sequences which were filmed in muddy conditions. The bulk of his previous acting roles have been within the genres of romantic comedies and melodrama. In 2011, he starred as Lee Yoon Sung in the cinematic drama, “City Hunter.” He followed “City Hunter” with the supernatural period drama, “Faith.” “Faith” also incorporated sequences of stage combat but not to the same degree of intensity as “City Hunter” or Gangnam 1970.” “Gangnam 1970” is in the midst of its Chinese release, with the film receiving additional scenes which were cut from the Korean edition of the film.
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ctress Salma Hayek has reversed her views on feminism and is now proudly using the term to describe herself as she is “ready to fight for women’s rights”. Just before the “Frida” star was honoured for her ardent support for gender equality in November, Hayek said she did not consider herself a feminist, reported the Huffington Post. “I am not a feminist. If men were going through the things women are going through today, I would be fighting for them with just as much passion. I believe in equality. “It should not be just because I am a woman. It should be a reflex, if someone else is being hurt, to help. It shouldn’t have to be because you are being a victim too. I work a lot for domestic violence, and people often ask me if I have experienced it. And I say, no, on the contrary – my father is a great man, my husband is a great man. But we are all human beings, no?,” she told reporters. A few days before closing off the Women of the World Festival, Hayek, 48, had expressed her updated views on feminism and how it applies to her life. “I am a feminist because I love women and I am ready to fight for women. I am a feminist because I am proud to be a woman, and I am passionate about making the world a better place for women. I am a feminist because a lot of amazing women have made me the woman I am today. I am inspired by women every day, as friends and as colleagues,” she had said.
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head of Red Nose Day this Friday (March 13th, date fans) actual One Direction have announced the full line-up of Comic Relief’s No Direction parody band. The lads are obviously huge supporters of Comic Relief - chucking One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks) down our lugholes and visiting those benefiting from the charity in Ghana back in 2013; and since they’re busy on the On the Road Again tour they’ve roped in some slightly more...mature fellas to step into their shoes this time round. Yup - Vic Reeves, Johnny Vegas, Nick Helm, jack Dee
and Patrick Kielty are, for one night only, No Direction. Sort of like that dodgy 1D tribute band your mum booked you to see in Blackpool that Christmas. Taking to the stage this Friday night the comedian chappies will no doubt be performing a 1D fave and consequently making us question the true meaning of life/our choices as a fandom. The One Direction boys themselves are bloody loving it, too; chucking a video announcement thingy on the interweb featuring a) some amazing impressions and b)potentially Zayn Malik’s best facial expression ever.
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Damon to lead ‘The Great Wall’ cast I apologise if ‘PK’ has hurt sentiments: Aamir Khan
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ctors Matt Damon, Pedro Pascal and Willem Dafoe have been announced as part of upcoming action film “The Great Wall”. Legendary Pictures confirmed the news Wednesday, reports variety.com. They have joined the previously announced cast which among others includes Chinese actors Andy Lau, Jing Tian, Zhang Hanyu, Eddie Peng, Luhan, Lin Gengxin, Zheng Kai, Chen Xue Dong, Huang Xuan, and Wang Junkai. Newcomers Yu Xintian and Liu Qiong will play supporting roles in the film that’s
set in 15th century China and revolves around an elite force of soldiers making a last stand for humanity against mythical creatures on the world’s most iconic structure. “The Great Wall” is set in 15th century China and revolves around an elite force of soldiers making a last stand for humanity against mythical creatures on the world’s most iconic structure. Being touted as the biggest production to ever shoot entirely in China, “The Great Wall” -- which will be directed by Zhang Yimou -- is planned to go on the floors later this month.
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One Direction announce comic relief’s no direction parody band
Shraddha to train in rock music
lipknot guitarist Mick Thomson has been hospitalised after sustaining serious injuries in a knife fight with his brother Andrew on Wednesday. Mick’s injuries included a stab wound to the back of the head. The fight took place at Mick’s home in Iowa, according to Billboard, and both siblings appeared to be under the influence of alcohol when police officers arrived. The brothers were reportedly driven to hospital in separate ambulances. Both siblings were hurt in the fight, but none of their injuries were deemed life-threatening by police. Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor took to Twitter on Wednesday evening to confirm that Mick was not in critical condition. Slipknot released album .5: The Gray Chapter in October 2014, and are expected to head out on a North American tour in April 2015 before flying to Europe for a selection of summer festival dates. According to a statement given by Slipknot’s tour manager to local news channel KCCI, the altercation will not affect the band’s planned live dates.
Dimapur
ollywood actress Shraddha Kapoor, who has been busy with the shooting of her dance film ‘ABCD 2‘ with Varun Dhawan, likes to get into the detailing and nuances of her roles. And the ‘Haider’ actress has already started prepping up for her role in forthcoming film Rock On 2. Shraddha will soon undergo training in rock music to learn more about the genre and she also plans to do a rock music appreciation course to understand the context of the music. Shraddha Kapoor will be seen playing the lead girl in the sequel of the hit cult classic Rock On. Shraddha, who has won accolades for her singin debut in ‘Ek Villain’, is fond of
rock music and has grown up listening to The Beatles. But the actress feels that this course will help her comprehend and appreciate the subtle difference
between bands, evolution of rock music over decades and more. And that this course will help her understand the role of a rocker in a much better way.
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amir Khan has apologised to those who may have been offended by his last film ‘PK‘ saying there was no intention by the makers to hurt religious sentiments of anyone. The film, which received rave reviews and set the box office on fire, earned the ire of several groups, who claimed ‘PK’ hurt the sentiments of the people. The film took a dig at godmen and religious practices. Aamir Khan, 49, who has since kept mum on the issue said neither he nor the makers had any intention to hurt religious sentiments. “The film has been loved by the majority. Personally I want to say I feel bad if I hurt a single person… that was not my intention at all. What we wanted to tell we told that because it was an
important point. But I want to apologise if I hurt people,” Aamir said at the DVD launch of ‘PK’. After its release on December 19 last year, ‘PK‘ ended up becoming the biggest grosser in Bollywood and Aamir said the film’s success is unbelievable. “Yes, we never expected this business. When we make a film with such effort and hard work and when people connect to the film emotionally you feel so good and fulfilled,” he said. “Roughly the net collection in India is around Rs 340 crore and overseas is Rs 170 crore. So the net business is over Rs 500 crore and the gross may be Rs 600-650 crore,” Aamir added. The film’s producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra and director Rajkumar Hirani also attended the event. Chopra
said it was a very emotional moment for him to see the film do so well. “We are actually pushing our limits, with every film we do we try to make new grounds. We almost spent almost five years to make this film and another six-seven months in the editing room perfecting every scene. This DVD is very precious,” Chopra said. Hirani said that the DVD is a treat for fans as several scenes which were initially removed from the final film have been included now. “This is the first time that I had deleted scenes in a film. Now when we watch them (deleted scenes) we realised those scenes were funny but because of the length we could not include it,” Hirani said. ‘PK’ also starred Anushka Sharma, Sushant Singh Rajput, Sanjay Dutt and Boman Irani.
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Tomorrow maTch
Sat, 14 mar —06:30 am IST Sat, 14 mar — 08:50 am IST
IND vs ZIM AUS vs SCO
Eden Park, auckland Bellerive oval, hobart
Venuzo is Open Naga Wrestling Champion 2015 Our Correspondent Kohima | March 12
18-year old Venuzo Dawhuo today emerged as the champion of the coveted 9th Open Naga Wrestling Championship 2015 held here today at the Kohima Local Ground. Dawhuo defeated strong opponent Nlumrai Hegwang in an exciting final amidst thunderous cheers from the crowded audience. Son of Nezohii Dawhuo from Thenyizu village of Phek district and standing 5’10 and weight 75, he walked away with a cash prize of Rs. 1, 50,000 sponsored by Isaac Kronu, 1st class contractor & supplier. Dawhuo entered semi finals after defeating Niekhozo Tetseo in quarter finals. In pre-quarter finals, he defeated Vechita Khesoh. He entered the final after defeating Rokuosielie Khawakhrie in the semifinal. Dawhuo had earlier overpowered Zasivikho Meyatsu and Mhiesiletuo Kuotsu in the first
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and second round respectively. The runner up Nlumrai Hegwang pocketed a cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh sponsored by Vevo Sapuh, Director Art & Culture. Son of Akieng Hegwang from Mpai village of Peren district, the 23 year old stands 5’10 and weighs 74 kilos. Hegwang defeated the defending Open Naga Wrestling Champion Pfusato Tetseo in the other semifinal and created history to become the first Zeliang wrestler to enter the final of the NWA wrestling tournament. Hegwang had earlier overpowered Thepukhoyi Swuro and Vetazo Vewsiih in quarter and pre-quarter finals respectively while defeating Rangkolong and Nukuta Medeo in the first and second round respectively. 35-year old Rokuosielie Khawakhrie – standing 5’5 and weight 65 kgs – bagged third position after defeating Pfusato Tetseo. Son of Phelo-u Khawakhrie of Mezoma village of The winners of the 9th Open Naga Wrestling Championship 2015 with guest of honour Khriehu Liezietsu Kohima district, he pocketed and others. (Morung Photo)
a cash prize of Rs 70,000 sponsored by Zaveyi Nyekha, Director School Education. Khawakhrie entered semi finals after defeating Zasituo Tsiikrii in quarter final. In pre-quarter final, he overpowered Keduovilie Zumu. He defeated Nukhosa Dozo and Dojolhii Shijoh in the first and second round respectively. The fourth prize winner Pfusato Tetseo pocketed a cash prize of Rs. 50,000 sponsored by MK Mero, Commissioner & Secretary, Industries. Son of Revuse Tetseo of Khulazu Bawe of Phek district, the 21-year old stands at 6 feet and weighs 82. Tetseo downed Vezhopo Chiizho in quarter finals and Dziivichiito in pre quarter. He defeated Visietso Krose and Kikruvilie Zumu in first and second round respectively. The four losing quarter finalist Thepukhoyi Swuro, Niekhozo Tetseo, Zasituo Tsiikrii and Vezhopo Chiizho received Rs. 8000 each spon-
sored by Dr. Neisatuo Mero. The eight pre-quarter finalists Dziivichiito, Vechita Khesoh, Vetazo Veswuh, Kelhusalie Pier, Vitsoto Vitsu, Thekrusevi Meru, Keduovilie Zumu and Visevo Zashiimo pocketed Rs. 4000 each sponsored by Atei-u Keditsu. Earlier, Temsumongba Aier from Mokokchung district and Nitul Baruah from Assam made debut to this 9th edition of Open Naga Wrestling Championship. However, they both lost their first round matches against Kolierie Kuotsu and Rukuzo Medeo respectively. Altogether, 77 wrestlers belonging to Angami, Chakhesang, Zeliang, Poumai, Mao, Ao and one from neighbouring state Assam vied for the coveted champion title. The tournament was organised by Nagaland Wrestling Association with Chakhesang Wrestling Association as host and managed by Chakhesang Baptist Church, Ministers’ Hill Kohima.
Villiers ensures South India beat Nepal in FIFA WCup Qualifiers Africa make last eight Wellington, March 12 (reuters): South Africa's bowlers backed up a solid batting performance led by captain AB de Villiers' 99 to ensure they qualified for the knockout phase of the World Cup with a 146run victory over United Arab Emirates at Wellington Regional Stadium on Thursday. De Villiers had been the lynchpin of South Africa's 341 for six that was boosted by Farhaan Behardien's 64 from 31 balls to close out the innings, while UAE, who had won the toss and opted to field, never looked like threatening the target. They slumped to 45-3 and then gave up any pretence of chasing the total, just like they had against Pakistan last week in Napier, preferring instead to avoid being embarrassed. Swapnil Patil topscored with 57 not out and combined in a 63-run partnership with Shaiman
Anwar (39) as UAE were dismissed for 195 in the 48th over with Fahad Alhashmi unable to bat after injuring his ankle while bowling. South Africa finished Pool B on eight points and have virtually guaranteed second place on net run rate behind unbeaten India and are likely to meet Sri Lanka in the first quarter-final in Sydney next Wednesday. Pakistan and Ireland are both on six points before their final match showdown in Adelaide on Sunday. West Indies are on four points and could sneak into fourth place, and a quarter-final showdown with New Zealand, with a big victory over UAE in Napier on Sunday, knocking out the loser of the Pakistan-Ireland match. De Villiers had looked like he might score his second century of the tournament as he dominated two partnerships but fell
one run short of his 21st century when he speared the ball straight to short third man. The 31-year-old's dismissal with more than seven overs remaining stalled his side's momentum when they looked like they might be able to pass 400 for the third time this tournament. They had lost both Hashim Amla (12) and Quinton de Kock (26) relatively cheaply, but their middle order kicked into gear against a tidy, but non-threatening UAE attack. Rilee Rossouw (43) and David Miller (49), who shared in a 108-run partnership with De Villiers, both contributed before JP Duminy played the junior partner in a 53-run stand with his captain and 35 with Behardien. Behardien guided South Africa past 300 and bludgeoned 23 of the 25 runs from the final over by Amjad Javed to record his third half century and highest score.
guWahati, March 12 (Pti): Star striker Sunil Chhetri struck twice in the second half as India notched up a 2-0 win over Nepal in a dominating display in the first leg of their 2018 FIFA World Cup football qualifying round one here on Thursday. The win at the Indira Gandhi Athletics Stadium at Sajusarai here gave newly appointed India head coach Stephen Constantine a winning start in his second stint at the helm of affairs. Chhetri scored in the 53rd and 69th minutes though he failed to complete a hat-trick as he muffed a spot-kick in the 80th minute. A 3-0 verdict would have put India in an even better position when they play the second leg in Kathmandu on March 17 for a second round berth in the qualification. The visitors did not get a clear scoring chance in the entire match though they had a couple of half chances. Hours before the start of the match, the Indian team slumped to yet an-
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Indian vice captain, Sunil Chhetri, center in blue, advances with the ball during their 2018 World Cup qualifying match against Nepal in Gauhati, India, Thursday, March 12. (AP Photo/ Anupam Nath)
other historical low of side who also dropped to 173rd in the latest FIFA 180th. rankings but they dictatHad it not been for ed terms on the Nepalese an acrobatic Limbu sav-
ing Chhetri’s shot off the spot after Cavin Lobo was brought down in the box by Sandip Rai, and Jack-
ichand Singh's goal disallowed for off-side, it could have been much worse for Nepal.
PSG ousts Chelsea from Champions League Rob Harris
AP Sports Writer
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Even after the dismissal of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Chelsea couldn't contain Paris Saint-Germain and never seized the initiative at Stamford Bridge. And if anything, the French champions were even more tenacious with ten men from the 31st minute on Wednesday. Chelsea was humbled and PSG was rewarded with a place in the Champions League quarterfinals. "In years to come this game will really be seen as a turning point, a reference point with regards to this club's recent history," said PSG coach Laurent Blanc, who is trying to deliver the club's first European Cup. After a 1-1 draw in Paris last month, the fiery and ill-disciplined second leg was settled in extra time, with PSG advancing on the away-goals rule with its 2-2 draw in London. "It is an amazing performance because we were playing with one less," said Ibrahimovic, who was harshly dismissed for a challenge on Oscar. David Luiz — a Champions League winner with Chelsea in 2012 — sent the game into extra time with an 86th-minute header canceling out Gary Cahill's Chelsea opener. Eden Hazard restored Chelsea's lead from a penalty, but Thiago Silva's looping header in the 114th minute allowed PSG to avenge last season's loss to Chelsea in the
Chelsea's goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is beaten by a header from PSG's Thiago Silva for PSG's second goal during the Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Chelsea and Paris Saint Germain at Stamford Bridge stadium in London, Wednesday, March 11. (AP Photo)
quarterfinals. "Our performance was not good enough," Chelsea manager Mourinho said. "They were stronger than us. They coped better than us with the pressure." Mourinho had used his pre-match media conference to decry the "aggression" of PSG in the first leg. And referee Bjorn Kuipers's instant reaction to Ibrahimovic's lunging challenge into Oscar was to send off the Sweden forward. Replays suggested it was less reckless than it appeared in real time when both players were sliding in for the ball. "The worst is when I saw ... all the Chelsea players come around," Ibrahimovic said. "It felt like
they had 11 babies around." Luiz was fortunate to escape punishment after swinging his right elbow at Costa. And the Premier League leaders felt further aggrieved when Costa was tripped by Edison Cavani in the penalty area but no spotkick was awarded. The second half was no less tempestuous but it was PSG still looking more confident going forward. Cavani wasted a chance to put PSG in front at the start of the second half, rounding goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois but hitting the near post from a tight angle. The Chelsea defense was coming under sustained pressure, and Costa was booked for a sliding
tackle on Silva. Luiz was also shown a yellow card for trying to suggest he had been headbutted by the Chelsea striker. Then the action switched from the hostilities between the players to the goalmouth, with two goals in five minutes. PSG failed to clear a corner and after Costa missed a shot, Cahill was primed to strike into the net in the 81st minute. It was advantage Chelsea, but PSG's requirements hadn't changed — the visitors always had to score. That was achieved when Luiz powered a header into the top of the net from Ezequiel Lavezzi's corner. And a game already
defined by the clashes saw Costa, who had already been booked, avoid a red card for pushing Marquinho over before the end of regular time. In extra time, with Chelsea's strike force bolstered by Didier Drogba replacing Ramires, the hosts took just five minutes to go in front. Silva used his raised arm to prevent Kurt Zouma from meeting a cross with a header, and Hazard buried the resulting penalty kick in the net. Courtois protected Chelsea's lead by tipping over a dipping free kick from Luiz and then then denying Silva. But from the resulting corner, Silva's powerful follow-up header flew into the top corner.
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