May 23rd, 2017

C M Y K

www.morungexpress.com

TuesDAY • MAY 23 • 2017

DIMAPUR • Vol. XII • Issue 139• 12 PAGes • 5

T H e

ESTD. 2005

We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided

o F

T R u T H

— J.K. Rowling

Ronaldo fires Real to “Our Pencil is first title since 2012 with the Hammer” win at Malaga

‘Nearly 2.8 million people internally displaced in India’ PAGE 08

PAGE 02

PAGe 12

Sustainable development in Nagaland: Mountain ecology & Moral grounding

Admission to UG courses in DU begins Morung Express News Dimapur | May 22

The registration process for highly sought undergraduate seats in the Delhi University kick started on Monday with the activation of its online admission portal for various courses offered in all its affiliated Colleges. The Merit Based Undergraduate Admissions (2017-18) Web Portal, https://ug.du. ac.in/app/ became operational from 6:00 PM, May 22 onwards. All together around 54,000 seats are up for grabs in 62 affiliated colleges and the registration process will continue till June 12. However, registration for Undergraduate Entrance Based Programmes, Post Graduate and M.Phil/PhD. Programmes will commence online only from May 31 onwards.

P o W e R

Morung Express News Dimapur | May 22

Nagaland State has developed at a rapid pace since its formation in 1963—but development activities were accelerated in the past two decades due to politically favourable conditions as well as a slew of central policies facilitating economic growth.

To make a development process inclusive, as well as save Nagaland’s environment in its wake, needs two essential attitudes induced into the process: strategies to sustain the mountain ecology and moral grounding.

These were extrapolated at a discussion on ‘Sustainable Development— the future we want to see’ organized by the North East Network, Nagaland, at Kerünyü Ki in Sechu, Zubza on Saturday, May 20.

Sustaining mountain ecology & people What does sustainability in a mountain region mean?

Nalini Nayak raised this question by way of ‘observations and response to Nagaland’s concerns’ which were brought by sustainable development practitioners from various districts of Nagaland State.

Nalini is a feminist activist who has done extensive work organizing coastal fish workers and communities, and founded the Kerala chapter of the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA).

If all development is based on using up (buying/ selling) natural resources, it is not possible for the process to be sustainable over generations. “How can we regenerate what has been destroyed?” is the mantra to be applied when using resources, explained Nalini.

She acknowledged that Naga elders already have the knowledge required to preserve and replenish natural resources. But “they have no voice” which, she observed, has created a gap in designing a contextual development process.

Citing the example of bamboo, she said, “In Kerala, we pay to buy bamboo where many structures are made with bamboo and mud. Why does the Nagaland State Government not build its offices with bamboo? It is easily available in Nagaland and grows back quickly. Why not make church buildings with bamboo instead of concrete?”

Nalini felt that many central policies that have resulted in destroying natural

Prof. Gabriele Dietrich raises concerns on Nagaland State’s development model during a discussion on the same at Kerünyü Ki in Sechu, Zubza, on Saturday, May 20. (Morung Photo)

resources elsewhere in the Union are now being applied to Nagaland. Rubber, for instance, was planted large scale in Kerala once upon a time which resulted in drying up water resources in the region. In Nagaland State, or even the North East region, rubber, teak or gamari are promoted. Their long term effects on the environment are neither studied nor publicized.

“We need norms to preserve and maintain natural resources,” said the rights’ activist who has been visiting Nagaland for two decades now. This requires Nagaland State’s homegrown policies such

as ‘communitisation’ to be strengthened—institutional norms need to be created that highlight what can or cannot be done, how resources can be used or not, or what actions to take when something goes wrong. This will guide communities through the process as well as create an accountability mechanism. It will further strengthen local civil society.

Nagaland’s Vision 2030, she noted, must be based on “conserving mountain ecology.”

To develop the State’s human resources, Nalini reminded that we must look beyond hotels and

spas for young Naga people to work in. “Naga people are good at sports. You can train sports coaches who can coach all over the Indian Union. Nursing, geriatric care, paramedical services are also fields in which young people can be skilled to get gainful employment,” she suggested.

To complement this, Prof. Gabriele Dietrich wondered who it is that international linking of states really serves. She was referring to the Nagaland’s development process depending heavily on the centre’s Act East Policy.

Wide international highways steal access from lo-

cals, like cultivators who sell small produce on highways. Huge transnational highways also lead to increase in sex trafficking along highways and proliferation of HIV/AIDS. Prof. Gabriele teaches at the Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary in Madurai and has allied with several peoples’ movements across the Indian Union, most prominently the National Alliance of People’s Movements.

She highlighted how state policies today are being designed more to suit the centre’s desires to “Make in India”. Inadvertently the development model creates economic disparity giving rise to a host of socio-political problems. Such policies “do not stand to uplift local populace,” she asserted.

Moral Grounding Niketu Iralu, Naga elder and Trustee, Initiatives of Change, was hosting the discussion.

“The health of a tree determines the quality of its fruit,” said Iralu while exposing the theme. He was referring to a process of moral grounding—to keep the process clean and outcome will be alright.

He narrated two stories.

One highlighted how slave trade across the Atlantic flourished due to the “British rejection of moral values” but finally embracing a moral value system led to the abolition of slavery in Britain in the early 19th century. The other story took the example of how Niger’s desertification was reversed through an initiative that used the country’s internal roots system to grow 200 million trees in 500 hectares of land in 10 years.

“Can this be applied to Intangki?” wondered Iralu. Perhaps. But to do this, Nagas need to identify and resolve the most “destructive sin” by acknowledging everyone’s role in it. “If all Nagas say that I will reduce my selfishness by 10% this year, it can dramatically change the Naga reality,” the elder emphasized.

He also called for bridging the theological gap— what is, where is, when is the Kingdom of God? Is it here on earth or an unseen life in heaven? “A shallow defective theology has become our Christianity. We need to know ourselves better in order to do the right thing,” he observed, concluding his remarks with Philip Stanhope’s “Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well.”

Young blood and decentralisation, the Call for sustainable tourism on new mantra for Congress in Nagaland Int’l Biological Diversity Day Morung Express News Kohima | May 22

With an aim to re-invigorate the Party, inflicted among others with defections and waning influences, the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has decided to undertake a unique decentralisation process as well as concentrating on young candidates in the upcoming State Assembly election.

The decentralisation, both in the governance and in the party, will be launched with the objective of enabling grassroots participation in the process of political election, stated NPCC President K Therie and General Secretary Medokul Sophie addressing a press conference here at Congress Bhavan, Kohima on May 22.

Under the new unique process, the All India Congress Committee (AICC), Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) will frame the Party policies, programs, ideologies, principles and also impart trainings while the Assembly Constituency Committees (ACC) will be empowered to nominate

respective candidates, they informed. The ACCs are ready in 59 Constituencies.

An optimistic Therie further predictedthatduetodrasticchanges in the movement of the Naga society, there will be a sizeable shift of power from the present government (which is in alliance with the BJP) to secular forces.

“Congress is the only secular party available in Nagaland,” he asserted adding that the other parties are “either in the RSS and BJP wing, or supporting the BJP.” Furthr stating that “Now the ruling vote will be divided atleast into three,” Therie anticipated a shift of votes from the ruling party.

“Atleast seven to ten percent votes will be shifted due to antiBJP sentiments while a three to five percent vote will be shifted on account of anti–incumbency,” he added projecting anywhere between 10 to 15 percent vote shift in favor of the Party.

“If that really happens, then Congress would have absolute majority in the next election.”

Some erstwhile Congress voters may have parted with the Par-

ty due to “some shortcomings” on its parts, the NPCC President admitted but stressed on reconciling with them.

“The main point,the State needs a secular party and we want to reconcile with all those voters so that we fight back BJP and RSS here in Nagaland,” he said asserting that the Congress is the only secular party which can “guarantee freedom of religion and also defend and protect the identity of the Nagaland”

Focus on young candidates Further, believing that the State in Nagaland is desperately in need of change, the NPCC will be concentrating on young candidates in the coming general elections.

“Why we feel we should have the youth is because with the old ones, if you elect them again they will be jackals,” Therie pointed out.

“We cannot expect clean governance in the existing 60 MLAs because nobody is clean,” he further alleged adding that they “do not represent their people and therefore Nagas do not deserve

such kind of leaders.”

“Our people do not have any expectation from the government.

They don’t even want to complain, because there is no response from the government. We feel sorry for our people,” added Therie.

Pinning its hopes on younger generation, Therie cited the example of 39 year old Emmanuel Macron, the newly elected French President to buttress his point.

“Many of our youths are capable to become some of the best legislators in the State. Therefore we expect it as an opportunity for the youth to participate in the next elections” The Party, Therie claimed, has been contemplating on the youth candidates for quite some time.

“We want to focus on the youthful and youth candidates in the coming election. There is big vacuum in the leadership in Congress as the old ones have defected. We want to give an opportunity for the youth to participate and change in the State,” he added.

“The young generation should now seriously take over,” affirmed Therie affirmed.

Only 10% regularized employees in Agri dept appointed through NPSC: NLC says

C M Y K

DIMAPUR, MAY 22 (MExN): In continuation of what it called “hitherto unexplored facts and figures on backdoor appointment in the state,” the Nagaland Congress (NLC) today claimed that as of October 13, 2016, only 10% of total regularized employees in the Agri-Department Nagaland were appointed through NPSC. Another 0.4% was appointed through Combine Recruitment Exam and 1% on compassionate ground & on deputation.

“The rest 90% Regularized Employees were appointed either directly or

through questionable departmentalprocess,”alleged the NLC in a press note issuedbyitsMedia Cell.

The data, NLC stated, were revealed by a Right to Information (RTI) reply furnished by Office of Directorate of Agriculture, Nagaland.

It further maintained that most of the contractual appointments in Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) and Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) were done through “questionable appointment process.”

The “so-called” departmental appointments

has no rationality and are highly manipulative, NLC further said adding that it ranges from as high 80% in Longleng or 74% in Zunheboto to a low of 31% in the Directorate or 40% in Dimapur.

“Few major departments will be revealed in coming days,” NLC informed challenging “all serious-minded people to join hands with the party on the task to bring desired change.”

In case appointment of 206 ATMA and 64 KVKs employees, in the breakup in different districts were as follows:

Appointment Questionable ATMA/KVKs through appointment NPSC (%) process (%) Kiphire 3 97 Peren 4 96 Longleng 4 96 Wokha 4 95 Mokokchung 11 89 Tuensang 11 89 Mon 12 88 Zunheboto 12 88 Dimapur 12 88 Phek 13 87 Kohima 11 86 Directorate 10 85 In addition, 0.8% in appointments on ComMokokchung and 1% in passionate ground and Directorate were appoint- Deputation were 3% and ed through combined de- 4% respectively in Kohima partmental exams, while and Directorate.

Chizokho Vero Kohima | May 22

Nagaland is host to biologically diverse and unique species like Tragopan, Mithun, Naga hottest chilli, tallest rhododendron, tallest paddy rice, rare and threatened orchidRed panda, Bulbophyllum, wild rose, wild pepper etc.

“Even though Nagaland has very small land mass, the diversity of plants and animals is enormous because it can find tropical wet evergreen forests to temperate forest- Alpine, grassland, jhum regrowth and bamboo forests,” said I. Panger Jamir (IFS), PCCF & HoFF, Forest, Environment & Climate Change, during the International Day for Biological Diversity (May 22) here under theme ‘Biodiversity and sustainable tourism.’

It was held under the aegis of Nagaland State Biodiversity Board (NSBB).

Nagaland is a part of the Indo-Burma biodiversity hot spot because of its rich biological resources.

The State has recorded floral diversity of about 2400 species of angiosperms, 9 species of gymnosperms, 340 species of orchids, 22 species of bamboo. The faunal recorded diversity includes more than 100 species of mammals, 400 species of birds and a good number of reptiles and amphibians.

Jamir said our responsibility is to preserve and protect biodiversity, and reduce pressure on the biodiversity by protecting endangered species.

“Unless we act now it may be too late for next generation to survive,” he said, challenging young minds to focus on conservation of the fragile ecosystem that hosts biodiversity on planet earth.

He said the role of forests is not only to provide resources for human survival but are vital for social, cultural, historical, economic and industrial development and to

A view of Shilloi lake under Meluri sub division of Phek district.

maintain ecological balance.

Jamir informed although India has only 2.4% of the world’s land area, its share of the global species diversity is 8.1%. Nearly 45,000 plants species and twice as many as animal species have been recorded from the Union.

He added that the most biological diversity in India is found in the North East and Western Ghats.

It is estimated that tropical deforestation may result in the loss of upto 15% species by 2020.

He said community biodiversity conservation efforts in the State have started, citing examples like Sendenyu, Kanglatu, Dikhu green zone and Khonoma nature conservation.

NSBB chairman T. Lotha, IFS (Rtd) said the existence of humanity depends on biodiversity.

The theme ‘Biodiversity and sustainable tourism’ was chosen to coincide with the UN General Assembly’s observance of 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.

Celebration of International Day of Biological Diversity provides an opportunity to raise awareness and action towards the contribution of sustainable tourism to economic growth, conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

He said when we talk about diversity, we are talking about livelihood, economy, environment and social and cultural aspects. He also stated that globally, more than 1.30 billion people depend on the ecosystem.

Species and ecosystem biodiversity play an important role for eco-tourism.

Lotha suggested that the areas/habitats where Asian elephant, Mithun, Tragopan are found in Nagaland should be developed for ecotourism.

He said for sustainable tourism, one has to ensure the optimum use of natural resources, viability of economy and viability of stakeholders like host community.

“We have to preserve our forest so that we can sustain our life,” said H. Singson, Joint Secretary, Forest, Environment and Climate Change, Government of Nagaland.

NSBB member Prof. Sapu Changkija maintained that North East India is one of 25 biodiversity hotpots in the world, adding that it possesses the richest medicinal plants, orchids, birds, snakes and the highest variety of ornamental fishes.

Prof. Changkija encouraged students to be aware of the rich biodiversity in the State and become “nature lovers”.

Prospects of developing ecotourism on Page 5

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tuesday 23•05•2017

NAGALAND

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

New Maruti Suzuki Dzire launched in Dimapur “Our Pencil is the Hammer” Morung Express News

Vishü Rita Krocha

Dimapur | May 22

Progressive Motors on Monday launched the new version of the Maruti Suzuki ‘Dzire’ compact sedan at its showroom at 2 ½ mile, Dimapur. The company has dropped the prefix 'Swift' and from now on will be branded as Dzire in order to give a fresh identity.

The ribbon cutting of the new Dzire was done by Imenuklo Longchar, president, Business Association of Darogapathar village, who was the chief guest of the occasion.

BuiltonSuzuki'sfifthgeneration 'Heartect' platform, which helps in weight reduction and improve frame rigidity, the new Dzire continues to be powered by the same 1.2-litre petrol engine which delivers 82 bhp and 113 Nm of torque and the 1.3-litre diesel engine that churns out 74 bhp and 190 Nm of torque.

The claimed fuel efficiency for the petrol engine is 22 km/l and 28.4 km/l for to the diesel engine.

The new Dzire will be available in both petrol and diesel fuel types and in both manual and auto gear

Kohima | May 22

Chief guest Imenuklo Longchar, president, Business Association of Darogapathar village (far right), TK Angami, proprietor of Progressive Motors and other officials of Maruti Suzuki at the launching of the Maruti Suzuki Dzire in Dimapur on Monday.

shift transmission. It also meets frontal, side and pedestrian safety norms that will start kicking in from October this year.

In terms of design, the new Dzire gets a redesigned front fascia with bold chrome finished grille and projector headlamps.

The side profile looks similar to the previous model thanks to the sloping A-pillar design which has been

distinctive for the Dzire range of models. The Dzire also gets new 15-inch diamond cut alloy wheels.

From the back, the taillights are now LED units and come in a new design.

The interiors have been tweaked too, with the addition of a rear AC vent, touch screen infotainment system and a flat bottom steering wheel with faux wooden accents.

As per Ex-showroom price (Delhi), the petrol variant begins at Rs 5.45 lakh and goes up to Rs 8.41 lakh. Diesel variant begins at Rs 6.45 lakh and goes up to Rs 9.41 lakh. However in Nagaland, the price will be a tad higher in all variants.

The new Dzire competes with the likes if the Tata Tigor, Ford Aspire, Hyundai Xcent, Honda Amaze and the Volkswagen Ameo.

Kutholuyi would not have imagined that a mere sum of Rs. 700 would change his entire course of life. But this was exactly what it took to lead him to a career, which, he has grown to love over the last ten years. “I came to Kohima with this small amount, just enough to cover my fare from my village”, he begins, while recalling his life changing journey from Sakraba to the state capital. “The money wasn’t even mine but a borrowed one”, he confesses. But this one decision has clearly impacted his life in more ways than one.

Looking back on that phase in 2009, he says, “having given up on my studies, I also felt more responsible for my life and initially stayed at my brother’s place for a period of 6 months.” This was the period where he learnt the dynamics of construction.

Soon enough, he was able to support himself and moved to a rented house.

With time and experience, he has realized more and more that working in this sector is his only ambition.

Further talking about

work, he expresses, “with practice you get better… first observe and then learn.” He also enlightens that, “it is important to know the shapes and sizes of the stones in a profession like mine” even as his expressions show his passion, and the contentment he derives from the job.

The 27-year old is also into carpentry and tiling apart from masonry. He married in 2012 and has two daughters.

His construction partner is Mutsive, who acquainted himself with both wood and stonework early in life having been introduced to it at the tender age of thirteen. Mutsive hails from Porba village under Phek district and recalls learning the traits from his elder brother. He may be only 24 years of age, but already has years of experience doing stonework. “This is our only means of livelihood and if we don’t go and earn something out of it, we can’t survive”, he states.

But that is not to say he does not enjoy it. “I studied only up to Class 2 and I can’t read or write, but in my line of work, our pencil is the hammer”, he puts across.

Stonework, he says is ‘very

Kutholuyi & Mutsive

tiring’ but impresses upon that he would still pick this over any other occupation.

Not only is he skilled in masonry but also does tiling, painting and carpentry from time to time.

Mutsive is a father to two daughters and affirms that he will continue to work in the construction sector so long as health permits him.

Kutholuyi and Mutsive started working together soon after they met in the later part of 2009.

Ever since, they have built homes together, worked on numerous projects and continue to impact lives through the skills they have acquired through many years of experience. *Year of Construction Workers (YOCW) is a joint program of the Government of Nagaland in partnership with YouthNet, Zynorique and the Department of Labour & Employment, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

ECI special training for election officers of Nagaland

kohIMa, May 22 (DIPR): A three day programme on experiential learning residential training for election officers of Nagaland was inaugurated at ATI today with theme ‘Team Leadership & Motivation (TLM) a psychological impetus.’ The programme was organised

by Election Commission of India (India International Institute of Democracy & Election Management).

Dr M Parivallal, Director of the Training People, speaking at the inaugural function said that this training is the first ever special training held by the Election Commission of India in Nagaland for selective district officials.

He said that this training programme is the brain child of the Director General of Election Commission, Sudip Jain IAS. He added that earlier the trainings conducted by Election Commission was focusing only in the system, procedures and conducting the elec-

tion in the free and fair means but after 2015 focus has been shifted on people behind the systems. He said that the training lined up will be unlike those training held previously but will be fun filled and with lots of interesting activities.

He said that election is a celebration and therefore in days to come election will be called festival of democracy. He said in order to make election happy and interesting the theme of the ongoing training was coined as ‘Team Leadership & Motivation’ by the Election Commission of India across the country. This is a nonstop 72 hours of residential training he said but in Nagaland it will be just 12 hours of nonstop different level of training.

He further added that this training will be more of physiological training with relaxed and more fun filled activities. He said that the concept of the training is to talk less on election system and

procedures but focus more on the trainees to become a better person then they were before. He said that the training will be registered online and all the training process will be monitored online and the training will be evaluated with the level of participated, learning and understanding at the end of three day training program. He urged all to participate actively at all levels and he assured the trainees that it will be a life changing experience.

Additional Director, ATI, K. Kevin Zehol delivering a short speech said that he was disappointed to see very less participation from most of the districts as this kind of training will be beneficial for the upcoming 2018 election. Talking on the concept of clean election which is the need of the hour in Nagaland, he said that if corruption can be done away with then much development can come about in our state. He said that as administrative officers due

to the day to day affairs of work are sometimes bogged down and fails to exercise their creativity. He stated that in the coming election officers will be playing great leadership roles and the team spirit will play a big part in the election process. He hopes that the training will help the officials participating in the training to realise the effectiveness of team work synergy and help bring out bolder officers and administrators for the coming elections.

Earlier inaugurating the training program candle was lighted by Dr M Parivallal, Director the Training People. Short speech was delivered by N Moa Aier, Chief Electoral Officer (officiating) and vote of thanks was proposed by Vekho Vero, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer. Administrative officers and election officers from the across districts participated in the ongoing program. The program was chaired by Khekugha Sema.

K. Kire, Rtd DGP, Nagaland today officially inaugurated Sony showroom here at High School Junction above Canon Showroom. The showroom will offer electronic products such as TV’s, digital imaging products, home theater system, play stations and different accessories. Abhishek Sengupta, area manager, Sony India Pvt Ltd said that it is one of the first company-owned brand shops in Nagaland. Sony India is also planning to open a sub-service center in Dimapur.

Construction workers training at Mkg Training on Community First Responder at Zunheboto ZunhEboto, May 22 (DIPR): A six days intensive training on Community First Responder (CFR) got underway at Zunheboto Government College (ZGC) on May 22.

The training is being organised by Nagaland State Disaster Management Au-

thority (NSDMA) in collaboration with District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Home Guard, Civil Defense, and SDRF, Zunheboto.

Speaking at the inaugural session, SDO (C), Zunheboto, Vekuto Vero stressed on the need to be

prepared for any eventuality with the change of global climate. Calling on the participants to be more sincere and equipped, he stressed on the need to help the people in need and provide immediate support to the community in times of any eventuality and unforeseen

disaster.

State Relief and Rehabilitation Officer, NSDMA, Jonjibemo Odyuo in his keynote address spoke on the role of CFR in creating awareness among its localities where they will be giving practical tips on emergency search and res-

cue, Fire exhaustion drill, first aid and preparedness for calamities like landslides, fireand real time demonstrations covering different aspects of natural and man-made disasters, methods on lifting injured person, rope stretched, knots and knotting etc.

MDLSA conduct essay competition on climate change

Mon, May 22 (MExn): were awarded with cash prize of Rs. 3000, Rs. 2000 Authority (MDLSA) con- and Rs. 1000 respectively, ducted an essay competi- while certificates were givtion on the topic “Climate en to all the participants.

Panel of judges for the Change is a Threat” at Government Higher Secondary competition were N. Mannon, Panel Lawyer MDLSA, Mon ‘A’ on May 22.

Altogether 43 students Dominic Kaiba, Panel Lawparticipated in the compe- yer MDLSA and M. Moba, tition. The first position was Panel Lawyer MDLSA. Earlier, keynote address bagged by C. Ateih Konyak, second position by Jewang was delivered by N. ManKonyak and third position non and the programme Mon District Legal Services Authority team with the participants of essay competition held on May 22.

by Lemya. The winners was chaired by M. Moba.

Participants attending the training programme at Industrial Training Institute Mokokchung Mon District Legal Services under the initiative of Zynorique team. (DIPR Photo)

Mokokchung, May 22 (DIPR): In commemoration of the Year of Construction Workers (2017), a week-long training programme get started today at Industrial Training Institute (ITI) Mokokchung under the initiative of Zynorique team.

Additonal Deputy Commissioner, Mokokc-

hung Sachin Jaiswal, while delivering a short speech, asked the trainees to take the opportunity to re-skill and up-skill themselves.

He said one should have bride in the work he does saying that every work is as important as the other.

He also urged the trainees that after completion of the training, one should try to

take small steps with dedication to achieve their goal.

Exhortation was delivered by chairman, Marepkong ward while pastor Marepkong ward said the invocation. The programme was chaired by principal ITI, Mokokchung Er. T. Imlisunep Ao. Around 40 trainees are attending the training programme.

Sümi Baptist Church Kohima joins Clean Election Campaign

kohIMa, May 22 (MExn): The Sümi Baptist Church Kohima (SBCK) observed ‘Clean Election Sunday’ on May 21 with the All Sumi Students Union (SKK) ‘Doing Right’ (Achipiu Mlanni) Mission Clean Election Campaign team as the resource persons.

A special presentation on the theme ‘Doing Right Mission’ was performed

by Alobo Naga. In his message on Clean Election Campaign, Alobo highlighted the recently completed constituency-wise 1st Phase public rally of the SKK Clean Election Campaign. He said that due to poor implementation of works, the district has not experienced much development, particularly in the areas of road connectivity and infrastructure.

He said that since ev-

eryone is equally responsible for the “ugly scenario of our State, the blame game among the public and politicians need to stop.” He appealed to the politicians, bureaucrats and stakeholders to stop corruption and live with a vision upholding true Christian principles and build the society for the present and upcoming generations.

Ninoto Awomi, President, SKK highlighted the main objectives of Mission Doing Right and the vision for tackling four major issues and peruse further in Sumi Jurisdiction namely to ensure Clean Elections, to ensure quality education and check proxy teachers, to ensure every government servant is stationed at their own place of posting and perform their duties efficiently, and to ensure qual-

SKK Doing Right Clean Election Campaign team members with Dr. Hokheto Chophy, Pastor, SBCK, Kikheto Y Sema (IAS) Chairman SBCK, Assistant Pastor Nitoshe Zhimomi SBCK and others.

ity developmental works and check contract works.

He highlighted on the April 12, 2017 gathering where the Sümi apex bodies comprising of Sümi Hoho, Sümi Kükami Hoho, Sümi Totimi Hoho, SKK, NBCC, frontal organisation and civil societies ad-

opted 11 point resolution for strict adherence for the next election 2018.

He informed that Mission Doing Right-Clean Election team would soon be setting up sub-committee from village level to area/ block level in the 7 constituencies under Zunheboto

District wherein the core committee comprises of respective village/area students Union, Village Council, GBs, Church, STH, VDBs would be jointly formed to ensure clean and fair election and to check illegal practices as per the Model Code of Conduct and strict

action would be initiated within its jurisdiction.

SKK, President has also informed that proxy teachers being the major bottleneck in the qualitative functioning of school, SKK has empower all the Units to check school within its jurisdiction having proxy teach-

ers and coordinate with all the village students unions, VECs, Villages Councils and school authorities to initiate action against the erring teachers as per the existing bond with the department.

It is also further issue directives that all the units shall apprise SKK Office of the action taken against the erring teachers keeping proxy with promptitude in written report.

Hekani Jakhalu, Founder and Chairperson, YouthNet Nagaland disclosed that as per YouthNet Nagaland assessment, election expenditure in the year 2008 general election in Nagaland an approximate amount of Rs. 530 crore was spend by the 60 constituencies and Rs. 960 crore during the 2013 general election respectively; whereas under 7 constituencies of

Zunheboto district during 2008 and 2013 elections was Rs. 89 crores and Rs. 166 crores respectively.

“Source of such huge amounts is questionable and can only be coming from funds meant for developmental works and infrastructure,” Hekani said while adding, “this is because public fail to ensure clean and free election indulging in corruption by the means of selling their birth right and demanding money from the candidates.”

Nishili S Aye, Assistant Pastor fellowship invoked God's blessings and Kito Shohe Assistant Pastor Fellowship chaired the service while the sermon was delivered by Dr. Hokheto Chophy, Pastor, Sumi Baptist Church Kohima (SBCK).

tuesday 23•05•2017

NORTH-EAST 3

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

SC notice on plea against Mnp Police's 'arbitrary' acts New Delhi, May 22 (iaNS): The Supreme Court on Monday sought the Central and Manipur governments' response on a petition by parents of Irom Rojer who was killed in 2011 in a road rage case

by Ajay Meetai - the son of present Chief Minister N. Biren Singh - seeking protection from the illegal and arbitrary acts of the state police.

Biren Singh in 2011 was Sports Minister in the government of the then Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh.

Following the death of Rojer on March 20, 2011, Meetai was tried by the sessions court, convicted for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10 lakh.

Besides Rojer's parents Irom Chitra Devi and

Irom Lokendra Singh, other petitioners Binalakshmi Nepram and Chandigarh-based advocate Utsav Singh Bains too have sought protection from the state machinery which was acting in an "arbitrary and illegal manner" allegedly at the behest of the present Chief Minister, who also holds the Home portfolio.

A vacation bench of Justice L. Nageswara Rao and Justice Navin Sinha, while issuing notice to both governments, said that in case of Manipur it would be served on its standing counsel and its resident commissioner in Delhi.

The notice is returnable on May 29.

Seeking directions for the security for Rojer's parents, the petition has sought probe by an independent investigating agency into the alleged threats by the banned Peo-

ple Liberation Army (PLA) and other outfits.

The petitioners have also sought the release of Birjit - a close friend of Rojer's parents - who is in an alleged illegal detention of state police. The petition has alleged that Birjit was being pressurised to ask Rojer's mother to meet Biren Singh for some settlement of the case.

The parents are presently camping in Delhi to escape harassment.

Recounting the instances of alleged harassment of Nepram and Bains

by Manipur Police, the petitioners have alleged links of Biren Singh with the PLA and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah.

They alleged that Bains have received threat purportedly from the PLA through a WhatsApp message.

Senapati gets Rs. 202 crore package Newmai News Network Senapati | May 22

Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh has announced an economic package of Rs. 202 crore for Senapati district to take up different developmental works in the district, according to the Chief Minister's Secretariat.

Speaking as the chief guest at the reception cum inaugural function of Barak Spring Festival, 2017 at Senapati district headquarters today, the Chief Minister said that mending of potholes on Mao-Imphal section of NH-2 had been included in the 100 days programme of the new State Government of Manipur.

Much to the delight of the mammoth crowd gathered at the function venue, Biren also announced that the State Government would join hand with the local organising committee in celebrating the Barak Spring Festival at the State

ADMISSION NOTICE

DIMAPUR TYRANNUS HALL

Mountain View Christian College, Kohima

Near DC Court, Hill View Colony

AFFILIATED TO NAGALAND UNIVERSITY Near BSF Camp. Below ATI Office: Kohima ARTS AND COMMERCE Contact No: 0370-2280071/8256923734 Classes Admission Install (quarterly) 11&12 5500 3000 B.A (Gen) 6500 3100 B.A (Hons) 6800 3200 Hostel Monthly fee - 3500

‘LIMITED SEATS ONLY’

Contact: 8730057550/7085746837 Run by dedicated Asst. Prof. Immanuel College Daily Fellowship & Weekly Bible Study

level in line with Manipur Sangai Festival and Shirui Lily Festival from next year.

Stating that the State Government would bear all the expenses of the festival from next year, the Chief Minister also announced that the Government would provide Rs 50 lakh to the organising committee for this year’s celebration.

He further said that the State Government is also willing to organise similar State level tourism festivals in other districts as well.

The Chief Minister conveyed that the National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) had been entrusted to revamp

the Mao-Imphal section of NH-2 at an estimated cost of Rs 301 crore.

Likewise, the Government had earmarked Rs 64 crore to develop Tadubi-Tolloi road, which connects Senapati and Ukhrul districts, he added.

N. Biren Singh further announced that apart from taking up a mega project to provide tap water to all the households of the district, necessary tourism infrastructure would be developed at Dzuko.

Stating that a women’s market would be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 10 crore in Senapati as well like in other hill district headquarters

soon, the Chief Minister urged the people of the district and different organisations to identify a suitable place for the project so that construction works can be started as soon as possible.

In recognition of the immense talent of Super Fight League champion Kario Isaac, the Chief Minister announced to give a job of Sub-Inspector to the mix martial arts player of the district in the Manipur Police Department.

In his speech, the Chief Minister also lauded the people of Senapati especially Naga People’s Organisation (NPO) for taking the onus of protecting Barak river by educating the masses through Barak Spring Festival.

While expressing his deepest condolences to the death of Neli Chakho and Dikho Loshou in an unfortunate incident that occurred on May 6, 2010, the Chief Minister urged the people of the State to “forget and forgive” the past mistakes and live together harmoniously.

In his speech, the Chief Minister also mentioned about projects like establishment of IIIT at Mayangkhang, electrification of interior villages, installation of high mast lights at Senapati district headquarters, construction of a hall for an art and culture association of Maram tribe and construction of IBs at different areas etc.

Speaking at the occasion, Deputy Chief Minister of Manipur, Y. Joykumar

shared his memories of his past association with Senapti when he was the SP of the district.

PHED and Printing and Stationery Minister L. Dikho, who was the chief celebrant of the function, while speaking at the function said that the Barak river originates from the district, as such it is the responsibility of the people of the district to initiate necessary steps to sustain the natural state of the river.

He also requested the Chief Minister to take up mega water supply and sewerage projects in the district.

Tribal Affairs and Hills and Fishery Minister N. Kayisii, who attended the function as the chief host, in his speech said that Barak river passes through different villages of the five Naga tribes of the district viz. Poumai, Mao, Maram, Zeliangrong and Thangal before it flows down to the valley and hill areas of other districts of the State.

As such, the Naga People’s Organisation, a conglomerate body of these Naga tribes had taken the initiative to launch a campaign to protect the river through Barak Spring Festival, he added.

Earlier, on their arrival at the district headquarters, the Chief Minister and his entourage were accorded a warm welcome by a large number of people led by ADC Chairman and members, frontal organisations and tribe Hoho leaders and District Level Officers.

IN THE COURT OF PRINCIPAL DISTRICT & SESSIONS JUDGE DIMAPUR, NAGALAND

NOTICE

S/C.No.85/17 Whereas application under Succession Act 1925 for grant of Succession Certificate for the estate of Late Kughato Kinimi has been filed by Shri. Tokato Kinimi R/O H/No. 283, Naharbari, Purana Bazar, Dimapur S/o Late Kughato Kinimi for possession of: 1. Service Benefits 2. SBI Bank A/C, Chumukedima A/C 2007650912 3. LIC Policy having number 442659448 who expired on 17/04/2017.

Notice is hereby given that any person having interest in the administration estate of the said deceased may if she/ he so desire appear in this court on before the said day of 23rd June 2017 Given under the hand and seal of the court on this 22nd May 2017 Principal District & Sessions Judge Dimapur: Nagaland

OFFICE OF THE PHUSACHODUMI WOMEN WELFARE ORGANISATION (PWWO) PHEK DIST: NAGALAND

FELICITATION

The Phusachodumi Women Welfare Organisation with great honour and pride extends its heartiest congratulations to Miss Nuhuvolu Chuzho daughter of Mr. Vemucho Chuzho for securing top 3 in recent declared HSSLS result 2017 from Minister’s Hill Higher Secondary School, Kohima.

The organisation also congratulates all its successful candidates on their academic achievements in the HSLC and HSSLC Examination 2017.

The organisation further wishes them a prosperous endeavour ahead.

Sd/- Vikhotuonuo Chuzho, President PWWO

STOLEN NOTICE Bike: Super Splendor with Regd. No. NL07M 5642, Colour: Black Was stolen on 17th May 2017 at around 7:30 P.M. Finders may please contact: 9436019050

KOHIMA BIBLE COLLEGE Associate Member of ATA, Affiliated to NATA & Approved by The Govt. of Nagaland P.O. Box – 482 Kohima: Nagaland

Born Again, certain of your call to the ministry, and have the commitment to serve the Lord; you are welcome to Kohima Bible College -The first established Bible College in Nagaland and God’s own ordained place in training men and women for the Global mission.

The College: Is Bible-centered, Christ-centered and gives special emphasis on the deliverance ministry and to walk in the Anointing work of the Holy Spirit.

Is committed for Spiritual quality with Academic excellence.

ADMISSION OPEN FOR THE FOLLOWING COURSES: Courses offered

Master of Divinity (Regular & Extension) Bachelor of Theology Pre- Theology Course • •

Eligibility

Duration

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

2 years

HS (+2) / PUC

3 years

HSLC

4 years

Under Matriculate

1 years

New Admission for the Academic Sesion 2017-2018 is going on.

Admission forms can be obtained from the College at the office hours (10:00 am to 3:00 pm).

For more information contact: (M)- 9436011961/8575733192

Sd/- Viravonuo, Gen. Secy. PWWO

GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND

OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER ZUNBEBOTO NO.JUD.21/2016-17/ 49

Dtd. Zbto, the 19/05/2017

Notice calling objection for the issue of Succession Certificate

Smt. KHETOLI of NALTOQA, ZUNHEBOTO has applied for the issue of Succession Certificate declaring that her husband Late Vikhuyi has expired on 14-02-2017 It is hereby notified that if no objection to issue this certificate is received from anyone within a period of 30 (thirty) days w.e.f the date of publication in press, the Certificate shall be issued, and no further complaint will be entertained for issue of the same.

Sd/- Deputy Commissioner Zunheboto: Nagaland

4

TuesdAY 23•05•2017

business

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Ford fires CEO Mark Fields, Hackett takes reins Scarier ransomware 'EternalRocks' found New York, MaY 22 (reuters): Ford Motor Co Chief Executive Mark Fields is set to leave the carmaker as part of a shake-up that includes other top executive changes as the company's shares hover near a 52-week low, several media reported on Monday.

Forbes and the New York Times reported James Hackett, head of the Ford unit that works on autonomous vehicles, would take the reins. An announcement could come as early as Monday.

Ford shares are down nearly 40 percent since Fields, 56, took over three years ago at the peak of the U.S. auto industry's recovery. Now, U.S. auto sales are slipping, and Ford's profit margins are trailing those of larger rival General Motors Co. Ford's board of directors and chairman Bill

Ford Motor Company Ceo Mark Fields speaks at the 2017 new York International Auto show in new York City. (Reuters File Photo) Ford Jr. had been unhappy Details of further exec- top lieutenants. with the company's perfor- utive moves were not clear "We are staying focused mance, and sought more on Monday. The Wall Street on our plan for creating valreassurance that invest- Journal reported on Sun- ue and profitable growth," ments in self-driving cars, day that the company was a Ford spokesman in Euelectric vehicles and ride considering new assign- rope said in response to services would pay off. ments for some of Fields' the reports. He declined to

comment "on speculation or rumors".

The turbulence at Ford comes as all three Detroit automakers are under pressure to prove they can avoid losses as the U.S.auto market, source of the bulk of their profits, is slowing down after last year's record sales.

GM Chief Executive Mary Barra is fending off attacks from hedge fund Greenlight Capital and its leader, David Einhorn, who wants to install three new directors on the automaker's board, and split GM's stock into two classes.

FiatChrysler Automobiles NV is fighting accusations by U.S.and California regulators that it used software to cheat on diesel emissions tests, and Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne has so far been unsuccessful in his effort to find a merger partner for the company.

saN FraNcisco, MaY 22 (iaNs): After a host of different ransomware attacks that hit enterprises across the globe, security researchers have now identified a new strain of malware "EternalRocks" that is more dangerous than WannaCry and is potentially tougher to fight.

According to the researchers, "EternalRocks" exploits the same vulnerability in Windows that helped WannaCry spread to computers. It also uses a NSA tool known as "EternalBlue" for proliferation, Fortune reported on Sunday. "...it also uses six other NSA tools, with names like EternalChampion, EternalRomance, and DoublePulsar (which is also part of WannaCry)," the report said.

In its current form, "EternalRocks" does not have any malicious ele-

ments -- it does not lock or corrupt files, or use compromised machines to build a botnet -- but leaves infected computers vulnerable to remote commands that could 'weaponise' the infection at any time.

"EternalRocks" is stronger that WannaCry because it does not have any weaknesses, including the kill switch that a researcher used to help contain the ransomware.

EternalBlue also uses a 24-hour activation delay to try to frustrate efforts to study it, the report noted.

The last 10 days have seen a wave of cyber attacks that have rendered companies helpless around the globe.

First it was WannaCrypt or WannaCry that spread by taking advantage of a Windows vulnerability that Microsoft released a security patch for in March. It

encrypted files on infected machines and demanded payment for unlocking them.

WannaCry had some loopholes that made it easier to slow and circumvent.

After facing a massive "WannaCrypt" ransomware attack, another type of malware quietly started generating digital cash from machines it infected.

Tens of thousands of computers were affected globally by the "Adylkuzz attack" that targeted machines, let them operate and only slowed them down to generate digital cash or "Monero" cryptocurrency in the background.

"Monero" -- being popularised by North Korea-linked hackers -- is an open-source cryptocurrency created in April 2014 that focuses on privacy, decentralisation and scalability.

Pakistan investigating social media Samsung to showcase world's first 'stretchable' display users for anti-army posts - official LaHore, PakistaN/isLaMaBaD, MaY 22 (reuters): Pakistan has begun a crackdown on online criticism of its powerful military, with up to 200 social media accounts under investigation, a security official said on Monday.

The crackdown is being carried out by the civilian Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) after Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan directed it to take action against social media users posting anti-military material.

"We have received a huge list of suspects, active against national institutions, but we have identified 18 out of over 200 social media activists," a senior FIA official told Reuters.

"They are accused of spreading negative material against the army and other institutions," added the official, who declined to be identified as he is not authorised to speak to the media.

At least two people have been interrogated and released, he said.

Pakistan's military has staged numerous coups and

ruled the country for about half is history since its creation in 1947.

The military remains a powerful political force even under civilian governments, and relations between the generals and civilian leaders can be sensitive.

The crackdown on online dissent comes after a lengthy inquiry into a newspaper report that gave details leaked from a high-level security meeting.

Uproar over the report threatened to reopen a rift between the army and civilian government.

Interior Minister Nisar, in ordering the crackdown, said the security forces had to be protected.

"Unwarranted criticism of security forces and other institutions responsible for the defence of the realm is not allowed," Nisar said in a statement last week.

The opposition Pakistani Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), some of whose members have been investigated under a tough new cyber crime law, denounced the investigations.

"It is a violation of fundamental rights,” said PTI spokesman Naeem-ul-Haque.

In January, five activists critical of the military went missing. Four later reappeared but left the country after being accused of sharing blasphemous content online.

One of the activists later said intelligence agents were responsible for his abduction but he declined to say which agency he thought they came from.

One person apparently caught up in the investigation is journalist Taha Siddiqi who said that last week, an FIA officer told him to appear for questioning.

He did not keep the appointment and instead filed a court petition claiming harassment.

"I felt threatened and I'm filing this petition as a preventative measure," Siddiqi, who works for France24 and other media, told Reuters.

FIA officer Noman Bodla confirmed he had spoken to Siddiqi but declined to elaborate. Bodla did, however, confirm the wider investigation.

leisure

CROSSWORD # 3951

SUDOKU

Answer Number # 3947

news agency reported.

Industry watchers said the stretchable display calls for more complicated technology than any other displays in the market and can be considered the ultimate product in flexible technology.

The company said its display can stretch as much as 12 mm when pressed and yet still maintains a high degree of resolution.

Samsung Display plans to showcased 9.1-inch versions of the stretchable OLED display.

The product is expected to be widely used on devices that adopt the Internet of Things (IoT) or Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies.

SID is an international event for the electronic display industry, which will run from May 23 to 25 in Los Angeles.

‘Highest-ever food grain production this year’ New DeLHi, MaY 22 (iaNs): Good monsoon for consecutive two years, coupled with farmer-friendly policies and decisions of the Modi government, is going to result into highest-ever production of foodgrain in the country this year, said Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Monday.

Total foodgrain production was estimated to be 273.38 million tonnes this year, which is 8.67 per cent higher than 2015-16, he said.

"Our government has taken several initiatives and implemented schemes for the welfare of farmers since we came to power in 2014. Last year,

actual rainfall was close to the prediction of the meteorological department. This year as well, the department has forecast normal monsoon," Singh said in a media briefing about achievements of his ministry in last three years.

Expressing hope of a normal monsoon this year, Singh said: "The (Southwest) monsoon has already arrived in Andaman and Nicobar islands and it is expected to come 3-4 days early in Kerala."

He also noted the growth rate in agriculture and allied sector was about 4.4 per cent.

The production of pulses during 2016-17 was expected to be 22.40 million tonnes,

ACROSS 1. Delete 6. Pitcher 10. Skin irritation 14. Brackish 15. Hindu princess 16. Roman emperor 17. Subsequently 19. Snare 20. Paradise 21. Caviar 22. Being 23. Aromatic solvent 25. Iron 26. Exhausts 30. Hesitant 32. Disquiet 35. A person who disputes 39. Fire 40. Inveigle 41. A flavorful addition 43. Irrigated 44. Witloof 46. An amount of medicine 47. Catapulted 50. Chain of hills 53. Paw 54. Armed conflict 55. If not 60. Ammunition 61. Apparent 63. Place 64. Boor 65. A directional stroke on a violin 66. Makes lace 67. Parasitic insect 68. S S S S DOWN 1. Brother of Jacob 2. Flat float 3. Countertenor 4. Stair 5. Lofty nest 6. Historic period 7. A colony of rabbits 8. Approve of

9. Ascend 10. Fascinated 11. Brusque 12. Boorish 13. Aspirations 18. A Buddhist temple 24. Center 25. Publish 26. Petty quarrel 27. Relating to aircraft 28. Brace 29. Prodigious 31. Urine component 33. Utilizing 34. Cleave 36. Novice 37. Frosts 38. Formally surrender 42. Fire opal 43. Married 45. Any admirable quality 47. Second person singular of shall 48. Female demon 49. Not fulfilled 51. Pistol 52. Follow as a result 54. Canis lupus 56. What we kiss with 57. Wanes 58. Blackthorn 59. Stitches 62. Estimated time of arrival

Answer to Crossword 3950

O

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Gross IGnore LAYer LIes LIstLess MoUrn nIGHt nonCHALAnt PIoUs rUndLe sHeet sLAM snAre snoot soAr sore sUGAr tHIeF tIMId trAIL

D

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ture Ministry was Rs 30,224 crore in 2013-14 during the UPA regime, he said that the NDA government allocated Rs 45,035 crore, which was later increased to Rs 57,503 crores in the revised budget.

"Total budget during the UPA government's four years 2010 to 2014 - was Rs 1,04,337 crore while our NDA government has allocated Rs 1,64,415 crore for four years, from 201418," Singh said.

Comparing the UPA's last three years with the three years of NDA government, he said milk production increased by 16.9 per cent, egg production by 17.92 per cent, and fish production by 20.1 per cent.

std code: 03871

(formerly senapati)

Civil Hospital

232224

emergency

229529 229474

MH Hospital

227930 231081

Fire Brigade

2222952

Faith Hospital

228846

naga Hospital

2222916

shamrock Hospital

228254

oking Hospital

2243339

Zion Hospital

231864 224117 227337

Bethel nursing Home

2224202

northeast shuttles

08974997923

Police Control room

228400

Police Traffic Control

232106

east Police station

227607

west Police station

232181

CIHsr (referral Hospital)

242555 242533

dimapur Hospital

Police station Fire Brigade

222246 222491

KOHiMa

8575045501

Officer-in-Charge 8575045510 south Ps

8575045502

Officer-in-Charge 8575045520 Zubza Ps

224041 248011

8575045508

Officer-in-Charge 8575045518

Apollo Hospital Info Centre 230695/ 9402435652 railway

131/228404

Airport Indian Airlines

229366 242441 225212

Chiephobozou Ps 8575045506 Officer-in-Charge 8575045516 tseminyu Ps

8575045507

Officer-in-Charge 8575045517 Khuzama Ps

8575045505

Officer-in-Charge 8575045515

nikos Hospital and research Centre

232032, 231031

Kezocha Ps

nagaland Multispecialty Health & research Centre

248302, 09856006026

women Cell

eden Medical Centre

248722 /248288, 9615945510

Control room

S

E

A

R

C

std code: 0370

KoHIMA Ps/oCs Contact numbers north Ps

Chumukedima Fire Brigade 282777

W ArdUoUs AwFUL BAndIt BrAId CAsUAL CoArse ConCIse CrUde CUte deFICIenCY does eAsYGoInG enAMeL FAsts FeMALe FIrMs FLoss FLUnK GALe GeAr GrIeVe

which is 37 per cent higher than that in 2015-16, he said.

Citing the achievements of his ministry, Singh said about 2.25 crore farmers were given soil health cards, which help them in deciding the amount of fertiliser to be used and manage crop cultivation effectively.

"In next three months, all farmers will be given soil health cards," he said.

Singh added that the government was working on a plan to develop mini labs in villages and provide handheld devices to farmers to check soil health.

Noting that the budgetary allocation for the Agricul-

std code: 03862

DiMaPUR

Simple Rules - Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.

Game Number # 3948

seouL, MaY 22 (iaNs): Samsung on Monday said it will showcase the world's first "stretchable" panel during the SID 2017 hosted by the Society for Information Display US tech fair.

The South Korean company said the stretchable OLED display is unique since it can bend in both directions, while previous flexible panels could only bend in one direction, Yonhap

H

8575045549

Officer-in-Charge 8575045538 8575045509

Officer-in-Charge 8575045519 8575045500 (Emergency No. – 100)

FiRE STaTiONS

KoHIMA soUtH: 0370-2222952/ 101 (O) 9402003086 (OC) KoHIMA nortH: 7085924114 (O) dIMAPUr: 03862-232201/ 101 (O) 9856156876 (OC) CHUMUKedIMA: 7085982102 (O) 8732810051 (OC) woKHA: 03860-242215/101 (O) 8974322879 (OC) MoKoKCHUnG: 0369-2226225/ 101 (O) 8415830232 (OC) PHeK: 8414853765 (O) 8413822476(OC) ZUnHeBoto: 03867-280304/ 101 (O) 9436422730 (OC) tUensAnG: 8414853766 (O) 9856163601 (OC) Mon: 03869-251222/ 101 (O) 9862130954 (OC) Kiphire: 8414853767 (O) 9436261577 (OC) Peren: 7085189932 (O) 9856311205 (OC) LonGLenG: 7085924113 (O) 9862414264 (OC) we4 woMen HeLPLIne 08822911011 WOMEN HeLPLIne 181 CHiLD weLFAre CoMMIttee Toll free No. 1098 childline

MOKOKCHUNG

std code: 0369

Police station 1 Police station 2 Police station Kobulong Police station tuli Police station Changtongya Police station Mangkolemba Civil Hospital

9485232688 9485232689 9485232690 9485232693 9485232694 9485232695 2226216

woodland nursing Home

2226263

Hotel Metsüpen (tourist Lodge) 2226373/ 2229343

CURRENCY NOTES BUY (rs) seLL (rs)

Us dollars sterling Pound Hong Kong dollar Australian dollar singapore dollar Canadian dollar Japanese Yen euro thai Baht Korean won UAe dirham (Aed) Chinese Yuan

62.66 80.71 7.79 46.29 44.75 45.83 54.86 69.18 1.76 0.0542 16.51 8.8

65.48 84.62 8.67 48.57 46.93 48.07 57.94 72.53 1.96 0.0604 18.39 9.81

Tuesday 23•05•2017

NAGALAND

Postal Department clarifies Some prospects of sustainable Kohima, may 22 (mExN): A fortnight after an individual wrote an “Open Letter” to the Postal Department seekSl. No.

1

2

3

4

ing clarification on the existing PIN codes in Dimapur, the Office of the Director of Postal Services has informed that the De-

Name of Post Office ARTC SO Aoyimti BO Eralibill BO Dipuphar BO Darogapathar BO Sugar Mill Project BO Showba Old BO Ikisheye BO Shokhuvi BO Chumukedima SO Khoponaula BO Mhaikam BO Nihekhu BO PC College BO Pimla BO Tenyiphe BO Circular Road SO PWD Colony BO Zeliangrong BO Dimapur MDG Doyapur BO Henningkunglwa BO Jalukiekam BO Khermahal BO Kuda BO Nuiland BO Phaipijang BO Ralan BO Seloupe BO Singrijan BO Yampha BO

PIN Code 5

797115

797103

6

797117 7

797112

8

partment has allocated 8 different PIN codes for various areas under Dimapur district for efficient delivery of mails.

Dimapur Bazaar SO Khehokhu BO Kuhuboto BO 797116 Kushiabill BO Padampukhuri BO Vihokhu BO Medziphema SO Agri College BO Jharnapani BO Khaibung BO Maova BO 797106 Molvom BO Pherima BO Piphema BO Punglwa BO Razaphema BO Sirhima BO New Nepaligaon SO D.C Complex BO Duncan Basti BO 797113 Industrial Estate BO Lengrijan BO Signal Village SO Rangapahar BO Thehekhu BO

SO BO

797118

Abbreviations: Sub Post Office Branch Post Office

MGMHSS holds orientation for Class 11 Sc Dimapur, may 22 (mExN): MGM Higher Secondary School organized an orientation class for the newly admitted Class 11 Science students on May 22.

Er. Renji Thomas (B.Tech) was the resource person and covered topics like scientific aptitude, importance of science in the post modern age, why science education is important, how to study science systematically etc., a press release informed.

In the first session Principal Fr. P.S. Varghese briefed

the students on the history of the institution. MGOS Church started the school in 1982 in a humble way and 35 years later, the school has grown to higher secondary level offering Arts, Science & Commerce, he said.

The Principal also informed that St. Thomas Mission Society, under which the school is registered, has been taking keen interest in quality education by providing different scholarships, for e.g., if 3 children studying are from the same family, one will

get half fee concession, economically weaker students will be given concession, free education for toppers, Bishop Mar Theodosius Meritorious scholarship for rank holders and toppers from Nursery to Higher secondary, K.V. Ponnan Meritorious scholarship for term exam toppers etc.

Meanwhile, orientation for the students of Class 11 Arts will be held on May 23, 10:00 am. Sandeep Jain, Principal, Euro Kids International will be the resource person.

Aitepyong village gets handicraft centre

WoKha, may 22 (mExN): 28 Assam Rifles dedicated a Handicraft Centre to Aitepyong Village in Wokha District.

According to an AR release, the Handicraft Centre will be utilized for imparting training to the local populace in skills

such as Wool kitting, Tailoring, Embroidery and carpentering etc.

The centre will generate opportunities of employment for the local populace and help them to raise living standards, it added.

Meetings & AppointMents

Tenyidie Kephrünuoko Krotho

eco-tourism in Nagaland

Khonoma Khonoma known as “The Green Village” is rich in various species of flora and fauna and is famous for its forest and unique form of agricultural practices. The state bird “Tragopan blythii”, is reportedly found here.

The Khonoma Nature Conservation & Tragopan Sanctuary, conserves a large variety of rare species of plants and animals within its 25 sq.km.

distance migratory birds as they travel upto a staggering 22,000 km a year.

These birds migrate from Mongolia, Siberia, Northern China and Japan to Doyang Hydro Project in October- November.

Mount Saramati Mount Saramati, the highest mountain range of Nagaland is in the extreme east of state bordering Myanmar. It stands at 3862m above sea level and is listed in top 6th highest mountain peaks Doyang Hydro Project, of India, renowned as Wokha & the Amur Fal- “The Jewels of India” concon conservation sidering it as the pride of Doyang Hydro Proj- India. ect with a capacity of 75 MW is built on the river Japfu peak Doyang. It is a home of Japfu peak, with a varieties of fishes which height of 3048m above sea are preserved. There exist level, is the second highnumerous mini and small est peak of Nagaland. The islands. Over the years, world’s biggest and tallest these places have be- Rhododendron tree discome the roosting place covered in 1993 featured of migratory bird- Amur in the Guinness Book of Falcon, known to be one World Records, measures of the world’s longest- upto 108 feet and can be

found at the base of Japfii peak.

Dzükou valley Dzükou valley is popularly known as “Valley of flowers of the North East.” The valley is famous for Dzükou lily, and is one of the most beautiful and mesmerizing trekking and hiking spot in the north eastern states of India.

Shilloi lake Shilloi Lake is the largest natural lake in Nagaland, covering an area of 250-300 sq.m. This lake resembles the shape of a human footprint.

Puliebadze Wildlife Sanctuary Puliebadze Wildlife Sanctuary is a place of thrill for those looking for an adventurous wildlife journey, surrounded by beautiful hills and streams. The high hill of the sanctuary is home to rare bird species such as Tragopan blythii.

DB Tech inaugurates 21st batch of skill-trained youths

Trainees with others during the inaugural of the 21st batch of skill training for unemployed youth at don Bosco Tech aIda centre on May 20.

Dimapur, may 22 (mExN): The 21st batch of skill training for unemployed youth was inaugurated at Don Bosco Tech AIDA centre on May 20.

Khekiye Sema IAS (Retired) was the chief guest and he spoke on ‘believing in oneself and using the brain in a constructive way’. He exhorted the students not to believe that they are lesser than anybody else. He insisted on having a big dream in one’s life and challenged the trainees to fulfill their dreams. He said that it was possible, provided they have self-confidence.

“Now the world is changing very fast,” he said, “and the world is economybased - with graduation or without graduation, the professional is the hand, compactor and genius.”

Nrimal, finance ad-

Assam Rifles observe Anti-Terrorism Day

ministrator, stated that, though today Don Bosco Tech of Dimapur region is not funded by the government, the skilling mission of Don Bosco Tech is carried out in collaboration with corporate houses such as Axis Bank Foundation, HANS Foundation, Accenture India, Godrej, Schneider Electrical, Tata Trust and others.

Further he said that, “Don Bosco Tech is committed to the skilling of youth. Taking advantage of the opportunity currently available, we want to contribute to the demographic dividend the whole world is talking about. We want to make sure that, as India is going to be the skill capital of the world soon, our youth, particularly from Northeast do not miss the bus. They are second to none and Don Bosco Tech

wants them to compete and excel with their counterparts in mainland India.

We at Don Bosco Tech are committed to this.”

A trainee Lowang Konyak shared his life testimony. The audiences were enthralled by Sumi folk dance and Arunachali and Angami folk songs performed by the trainees.

Regina Pamma Karai, Coordinator, Don Bosco Tech AIDA Centre in a press release said that Batch 21 of the skill training for unemployed youth of Nagaland informally started on April 23 with 88 trainees from 18 different tribes of Northeast. Training is imparted in domains such as food and beverage service, hairdressing and beauty and wellness. Don Bosco Tech AIDA centre has trained 1477 and placed 1392 in the last 6 years.

Dimapur, may 22 release stated that the objec(mExN): The martyrdom tive behind observance of of former Prime Minister of anti-terrorism day is to wean India Rajiv Gandhi (August away the youth from terror20, 1944 –May 21, 1991) is re- ism and the cult of violence membered with the death by highlighting the sufferanniversary being observed ing of common people and as Anti-Terrorism Day across showing as to how it is prejuIndia. Assam Rifles under the dicial to national interest.

RSU Emergency Presidential Meeting aegisofHQIGAR(North)ob- On the occasion, the Assam servedAnti-Terrorismdayon Rifles also organised various The Rengma Students' Union (RSU) has convened an May 20 at Kohima, Chieswe- events including lectures, emergency presidential meeting on May 24, 1:00 pm at ma,Kiphire,JessamiandMo- pledge ceremonies and moDUDA Guest House, Kohima. All the office bearers, Unit kokchung. A defence press tivational talks in colleges. and Sub-ordinate presidents and advisors have been Kiphire district legal services authority members with the youth of Kiphire Town after the legal seminar held at asked to attend the meeting without fail. For more inforthe sangtam Baptist Church Kiphire on May 21. mation, contact 9077261614 / 8787328173 / 9856684975.

CondolenCe Messages

All the members of Tening sub-division unit of PWD (R&B and Housing) Work Charged (PWDWC) Union, Peren district have been informed that there will be a general meeting of the union on May 26, 12:00 noon at Tening Town to discuss various important issues. Therefore, all the members under Tening sub-division have been requested to attend the meeting without fail. A press release from Kunam Hegui, President, PWDWC Union Peren district further requested all Executive Engineers and SDOs concerned to grant necessary leave to all the work charged employees/labours under their respective jurisdiction to enable them to attend the meeting.

PDVCCU meeting on June 6 The Phek District VCC Union (PDVCCU) has convened a meeting on June 6 at Phek town. Razouvolie, Project Director, DRDA Phek will address the meeting, a press release informed. There will be election of office bearers on the same day.

KPC The Kohima Press Club has expressed sadness to learn of the demise of Aikon Devi, mother-in-law of KPC vice president Atul Sarma, who passed away Monday morning in Guwahati. She was 72. “The members of KPC convey their heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and offer prayers to the Almighty God to grant them solace at this time of grief, and also pray for the departed soul to rest in peace,” a message from the Press Club read.

R. Tohanba Parliamentary Secretary Municipal Affairs R. Tohanba has mourned the demise of Pannalal Sethi.

Late Pannalal Sethi was one of the most distinguished citizen and well known figures in Nagaland, a condolence message from the Tohanba stated adding, “He was always accessible to all sections and communities irrespective of their religion and backgrounds.”

“With a heavy heart, we pray for the eternal repose of one who was a man of distinguished humanity,” the message read and conveyed deepest condolences to the bereaved family.

NSCN (R) Chaplee Kilonser informs Dimapur, may 22 (mExN): The Chaplee Kilonser of the NSCN/GPRN (R) Newell has informed all the business community in Dimapur, with regard to tax, not to entertain any person without proper assignment order from the authority. For further queries and clarification, contact the Chaplee Kilonser at 9089207737 or 8132086800.

LTSA annual session underway Dimapur, may 22 (mExN): The two-day annual session of the Liangmai Theological Students Association Nagaland under Liangmai Baptist Association (LBA) got underway on Monday at Life Spring Corner Dimapur. LTA members who could not attend on the first day have been requested to join the rest of the sessions. President LTA, Wichampau also welcomed all rightful members to attend the sessions.

OADT NSCN (IM) recovers vehicle Dimapur, may 22 (mExN): The Operation Acceleration Dimapur Town (OADT) of the NSCN (IM) has informed of the recovery of an unregistered vehicle on May 20 bearing Chassis Number MD6M12PK4D4K10187 and Engine Number ok2KD1010272. A press release in this regard has asked the rightful owner to claim the vehicle within 5 days by producing authentic documents. Contact – 9402437539 or 7085833728.

AR claims arrest of NSCN (K) OGW moKoKchuNg, may 22 (mExN): The 44 Assam Rifles has claimed the arrest of an alleged NSCN (K) Over Ground Worker (OGW) from Mokochung Town. According to a press release, troops of 44 Assam Rifles conducted an operation in Mokokchung Town on May 20 and apprehended one Over Ground Worker of the NSCN (K) identified as one L Tali Jamir Talinungsang,

57 years. The apprehended individual was involved in collection of illegal taxes and extortion money from the public in Mokokchung Town, the AR release claimed. Extortion slips signed by Finance Secretary of NSCN (K) amounting to Rs. 5 lakhs was seized from his possession, it added. He was later handed over to Mokokchung Police Station along with the seized items.

New Horticulture Office inaugurated in Peren

pErEN, may 22 (Dipr): A new building of District Horticulture Office was inaugurated on May 20 at New District Hq. Peren

by Parliamentary Secretary, Horticulture, Kejong Chang as the Chief Guest.

Addressing the gathering after the inauguration, the Chief Guest lauded the officers and staff of the department for initiating the construction of the building.

A brief technical re-

port on the construction of building was presented by Er. Vizodel Khatso, and the keynote address was delivered by Director, N. Amos Ao. Deputy Commissioner, Peren, Zarenthung Ezung, Village Council Chairman, New Peren and Kejanglwa also spoke on the occasion.

District Horticulture Officer, Talimongba proposed the vote of thanks. The programme was chaired

by Secretary, Horticulture Alan Gonmei, IAS.

KDLSA holds legal seminar for youth

The Tenyidie Kephrünuoko Krotho (TKK) has informed its members to attend the Ura Academy Tenyidie Pederüchü va- 47 to be held from May 23 to 25 at Ura Academy Hall, Kohima. The Union further informed the members (i.e., Tenyidie students of both Honours, Elective and Master degree) to attend the program on May 25 without fail. Registration will be done from 9:00 am onwards.

PWDWC Union, Peren district meeting

Mex FIle

KiphirE, may 22 (mExN): Kiphire District Legal Services Authority (KDLSA) organized a legal seminar with the youth of Kiphire Town at the Sangtam Baptist Church Kiphire on May 21.

Speaking on child marriage, cyber crime and domestic violence, L. Likhase Sangtam, Retainer Lawyer KDLSA apprised that some of the common cyber crimes which can attract prosecution as per the penalties and offences prescribed in IT Act, 2000 are harassment via fake public profile on social networking site, online hate community, email account hacking, credit card fraud, web defacement, introduc-

ing viruses, worms, backdoors, root kits, Trojans, bugs, cyber terrorism, cyber pornography, phishing and email scams.

He added that theft of confidential information, source code theft, tax evasion and money laundering, online share trading fraud are also some of the cyber crimes.

On domestic violence, Likhase informed that the parliament enacted the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 which aims to prevent harassment of women. He said that domestic violence means any act, omission or conduct which harms or injures or endangers the health, safety, life, limb or

well being of a woman.

Likhase highlighted that an aggrieved woman can get relief from domestic violence, by directly approaching the court of judicial magistrate seeking redressal. He said that on the aggrieved woman’s behalf, any protection officer or any other person can also file petition before the magistrate seeking relief, while she or any other person having knowledge of such domestic violence can give information to the protection officer. Likhase further apprised that the aggrieved woman can also approach the legal service authority for redressal of her grievances.

On child marriage, he said that The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 restrains the solemnization of child marriages by laying down the minimum age for both boys and girls. Likhase pointed out that according to Section 2(a) of the act, a “child” means a person who, if male, has completed 21 years of age and if female has completed 18 years of age.

Speaking on free legal aid, right to information and consumer rights, Hotingkyu Sangtam, Panel Lawyer KDLSA said that the Legal Service Authority

Act 1987 was enacted making provisions for providing free legal aid and legal awareness amongst all. He said that under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 any consumer dispute can approach the consumer court or forum located in all district and seek redressal free of cost. Hotingkyu informed that a simple complaint is enough with no court fee or lawyer necessary, while the aggrieved can also represent the case by himself.

He further highlighted that The Right to Information Act, 2005 provide for setting out the practical regime of right to information for citizens to secure access to information under the control of public authorities, in order to promote transparency and accountability in the working of every public authority, the constitution of a central information commission and state information commissions for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

This was followed by an interaction session. The seminar was attended by more than 600 participants.

The leaders of the youth also thanked the KDLSA for imparting legal knowledge to the youths of Kiphire.

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tuesday 23•05•2017

IN FOCUS

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

The Power of Truth

The Morung Express volume Xii issue 139

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Roads!

here are no easy roads to travel in Nagaland roads.

In fact, upgrading the entire transportation system, beginning with the roads is an absolute necessity.

The deteriorated and unpredictable road conditions with deep potholes and some partially swept away puts at risk people’s safety on a daily basis, as well as directly interrupting mobility, trade and commerce. The cost of the poor road conditions impede human and economic development, and increase the cost of vehicle maintenance and repairs, and generally have a negative impact on the overall cost of living.

In Nagaland state, the road conditions have been sadly neglected for years along with other basic infrastructure components (for example, water and electricity). Historically, successive governments, irrespective of political party, have failed in upgrading the roads’ engineering, construction and quality. Year after year, the need for immediate interventions and responses has been raised consistently to the government.

Sadly, the government’s response or lack thereof, remains inadequate. The measures which have been taken thus far are mere ‘band-aid’ responses that are cosmetic, superficially pleasing and aimed at temporarily pacifying the public. Overall, these inadequate responses demonstrate the government’s lack of respect to the people’s need for freedom of movement that will improve their quality of life and well being.

The public needs to question why and find the root causes for why Nagaland’s roads are is such deplorable condition.

This is crucial because a well planned people-friendly road network is one of the keys to unlocking the jigsaw towards sustainable development.

And therefore, what do bad roads in Nagaland really mean? Who benefits from bad roads? Is the present technology for road engineering, design and construction faulty?

Are the contractors responsible for the quality of roads we have? Is the government allocating sufficient resources required for the type of roads that are needed, and if so, where are those new and improved roads and highways? While these questions remain unanswered, the impact affects the quality of lift, drains the economy and adversely affects all productivity, communication and commerce.

The road systems are one of the primary examples of Nagaland’s sad state of affairs and poor governance. They are crucial to the people’s well being and make it possible to be mobile, transact business through the exchange of goods and services, as well as, and to connect and inter-relate.

Durable roads require a strong commitment with engineering and construction techniques and materials that are appropriate for the geography and terrain. Building a road with a structurally adequate foundation would reduce maintenance costs over the long term. From this point of view, the solution seems quite simple: build a road with a solid foundation. Obviously some are benefitting financially from the shoddy road construction, and ordinary people are on the receiving end of its poor results.

lEfT WING |

IANS

Researchers propel forward quantum computing research

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tanford University electrical engineering Professor Jelena Vuckovic and colleagues at her laboratory are working on new materials that could become the basis for quantum computing.

While silicon transistors in traditional computers push electricity through devices to create digital ones and zeros, quantum computers work by isolating spinning electrons inside a new type of semiconductor material.

When a laser strikes the electron, it reveals which way it is spinning by emitting one or more quanta, or particles, of light.

Those spin states replace the ones and zeros of traditional computing.

In her studies of nearly 20 years, Vuckovic has focused on one aspect of the challenge: creating new types of quantum computer chips that would become the building blocks of future systems, Xinhua reported.

The challenge is developing materials that can trap a single, isolated electron.

To address the problem, the Stanford researchers have recently tested three different approaches, one of which can operate at room temperature, in contrast to what some of the world's leading technology companies are trying with materials super-cooled to near absolute zero, the theoretical temperature at which atoms would cease to move.

In all three cases, the researchers started with semiconductor crystals, namely materials with a regular atomic lattice like the girders of a skyscraper.

By slightly altering this lattice, they sought to create a structure in which the atomic forces exerted by the material could confine a spinning electron.

One way to create the laser-electron interaction chamber is through a structure known as a quantum dot, or a small amount of indium arsenide inside a crystal of gallium arsenide.

The atomic properties of the two materials are known to trap a spinning electron.

In a paper published in Nature Physics, Kevin Fischer, a graduate student in the Vuckovic lab, describes how the laserelectron processes can be exploited within such a quantum dot to control the input and output of light.

By sending more laser power to the quantum dot, the researchers could force it to emit exactly two photons rather than one. It has advantages over other leading quantum computing platforms but still requires cryogenic cooling.

So, the result may not be useful for general-purpose computing, but quantum dot could have applications in creating tamper-proof communications networks.

Another way to electron capture, as Vuckovic and her colleagues have investigated in two other cases, is to modify a single crystal to trap light in what is called a colour centre.

In a paper published in NanoLetters, Jingyuan Linda Zhang, a graduate student in Vuckovic's lab, described how a 16-member research team replaced some of the carbon atoms in the crystalline lattice of a diamond with silicon atoms.

The alteration created colour centres that effectively trapped spinning electrons in the diamond lattice.

Like the quantum dot, however, most diamond colour centre experiments require cryogenic cooling.

But the field is still in its early days, and the researchers aren't sure which method or methods will win out.

C O M M E N T A R Y

Baher Kamal Inter Press Service

The Unstoppable Destruction of Forests

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he world’s forests are being degraded and lost at a staggering rate of 3.3 million hectares per year. While their steady destruction in many Asian countries continues apace, deforestation of the world’s largest tropical forest – the Amazon – increased 29 per cent from last year’s numbers. And some of the most precious ecosystems in Africa are threatened by oil, gas and mineral exploration and exploitation.

These are some of the facts that have been repeatedly heralded by the scientific community and the world’s most authoritative voices, who remind us that globally, 1.3 billion people are estimated to be “forest peoples”, who depend almost entirely on them for their livelihoods.

Asia Patrick Durst, the senior Forestry officer at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, on May 15 added to this figure that 28 per cent of the total income of households living in or near forests come from forest and environmental income.

According to FAO’s Global Forest Resource Assessment in 2015, forests continue to be lost in many countries of the Asia-Pacific region, including Sri Lanka. Moreover, the degradation of forest quality further decreases the forests’ capacity to provide goods and services necessary for human survival. These losses will be more acutely felt as the demand for forest products steadily rises in the future.

While most countries in the AsiaPacific region continue to struggle to respond to forest loss, some are taking positive action, says the assessment, adding that through reforestation programmes, China and Viet Nam are actually increasing the amount of forested land. And the government of Sri Lanka has announced plans to increase the country’s forest cover by as much as 35 per cent.

Latin America Meanwhile, “the world’s ancient forests are in crisis–a staggering 80 per cent have already been destroyed or degraded and much of what remains is under threat from illegal and destructive logging.”

Believe it or not, these estimates are anything but new or even recent—they were advanced around 9 years ago by a major independent global campaigning organisation that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace.

In fact, Greenpeace had already on 30 January 2008 reported that illegal logging was having a devastating impact on the world’s forests.

Its effects include deforestation, the loss of biodiversity and fuelling climate change, the group noted, adding that this creates “social conflict with indigenous and local populations and leads to violence, crime and human rights abuses.”

According to Greenpeace, it is estimated that some 1.6 billion people worldwide depend on forests for their livelihood and 60 million indigenous peoples depend on forests for their subsistence.

Amazon Deforestation Now Barely six months ago, the very same global campaigning organisation reported that Amazon deforestation had increased 29 per cent from the numbers released for last year, according to data released by the Brazilian government on 31 November 2016.

“Brazil is losing control over the destruction of its forests because of poor policy decisions and may now have difficulty reaching its climate agreement targets, “ Greenpeace said on Dec. 1, 2016.

Data from the Deforestation Monitoring Program for the Legal Amazon indicated that 7989 km² of forest in the Amazon was destroyed between August 2015 and July 2016, the conservationist organisation reported.

“This is the second consecutive year deforestation in the world’s largest tropical forest has increased, a direct result of the government’s lack of ambition in dealing with the challenge of curbing forest loss. It is the first time in 12 years there have been increases in deforestation two years in a row.”

Cristiane Mazzetti, Greenpeace Amazon Campaigner, warned that the increase in deforestation rates can be linked to signals from Brazil’s government that it will tolerate the destruc-

tion of the Amazon.

“In recent years, public environmental protection policies in Brazil have weakened. For example, very few protected areas and Indigenous Lands have been created, and a new Forest Code was approved in 2012 that gives amnesty to those who committed illegal deforestation.”

According to Greenpeace, deforestation is responsible for approximately 40 per cent of Brazil’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

“With forest loss on the rise again, the country could find it difficult to fulfil its commitments under the Paris Agreement, recently signed and ratified by Brazil… It is estimated that the deforestation of 7989km² has released the equivalent of 586 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere—the same amount as eight years of emissions from all of the cars in Brazil.”

The illegal harvesting of timber, expansion of agribusiness and the conversion of forests into pasture are a few of the major drivers of deforestation, Mazzetti explained, adding that building large infrastructure projects, like hydroelectric plants, also stimulates land grabbing and speculation, leading to even more deforestation.

food, shelter and livelihoods.

“Each day more forests are cleared, driven by multiple activities, from agriculture to infrastructure development, to the growing demand for wood and forest products, often made worse by illegal logging,” he said.

In his keynote address at the ‘Forests for the Future – New Forests for Africa’ conference in Accra, Ghana on 16 March, Kofi Annan said, “some of the world’s most precious ecosystems, such as the Virunga National Park in the Congo Basin, are threatened by oil, gas and mineral exploration and exploitation”.

Forests offer incredible impetus to the fight against climate change.

“Forest restoration and reforestation in Africa can contribute to the global effort to tackle climate change and accelerate progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Annan, adding that “forest restoration of 350 million hectares could generate 170 billion dollars per year in net benefits from watershed protection, improved crop yields and forest products”.

In its 2014 report, Grain, Fish, Money: Financing Africa’s Green and Blue Revolutions, the Africa Progress Panel argued that effective protection, manAfrica agement and mobilisation of Africa’s For his part, Kofi Annan, former vast forest resources are needed to UN secretary general and current chair support transformative growth. of the Africa Progress Panel (APP), recently warned against the destruction The Panel estimated that Africa lost of forests, which provide clean air and 12.4 billion Euros (17 billion dollars) water, and local communities with to illegal exports of timber in 2011.

Forests Help Quench Urban Thirst René Castro salazar

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Inter Press Service

he next time you turn on the tap to fill the kettle, you might want to spare a thought for the forest that made it possible. It may be a hundred kilometres away or more from where you are sitting, but the chances are that you owe your cup of tea, in part at least, to the trees that helped to capture the water, and to filter it on its long journey to you the consumer.

The importance of forests to the water cycle cannot be overstated.

They slow down the flow of water, percolating it gently through the soil, ensuring stable year-round supplies even during drier seasons. At the same time, forests filter the water that enters our rivers, lakes, streams and groundwater, increasing the quality of this life-giving resource. Research in Burkina Faso has shown how a single tree can help with groundwater recharge, protecting water from evaporating from the soil, its root system allowing rainwater to filter more deeply into the ground, providing clean, safe drinking water.

The intertwined and essential relationship between forests and water was the theme of this year’s International Day of Forests (March 21). At the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), we

are taking the opportunity to highlight the crucial role that forests play in providing good quality water for the world’s growing population. As well as safeguarding quality water supplies, forest management reduces poverty by creating jobs, preventing forest fires, protecting watersheds and providing other services, such as removing carbon dioxide from the air we breathe.

Worldwide, forested watersheds and wetlands provide a massive 75 percent of our freshwater resources. That may not come as much of a surprise for rural areas. But think of big cities, such as Mumbai, Tokyo, Bogotá and Mexico, and ask yourself where their water comes from. The truth is that one-third of the world’s largest cities obtain a significant proportion of their drinking water from protected forests – and this figure will continue to rise as urban centres increase in size and population. Take the case of New York, one of the most densely populated cities on the planet. There, two forest systems — spread over 2,000 square miles (5,180 square kilometres) and located far upstream from the city itself — supply water for 9 million people, delivering 1.3 billion 4.9 billion litres every day.

Like any living organism, trees

transpire, and in so doing they increase humidity levels in the air, ultimately leading to rain or snowfall.

On average, 40 percent of rainfall over land originates from evapotranspiration – the name given to this process – from plants, including trees. In some areas, that figure is even higher.

For example, more than 70 percent of rainfall in the Rio de la Plata river basin originates from evapotranspiration from the Amazon forest.

When managed sustainably, forests also make a significant contribution to reducing soil erosion and the risk of landslides and avalanches – natural disasters which in turn can disr upt s ources and supplies of freshwater. Forests can reduce the effects of flooding and prevent and reduce dryland salinity and desertification. By storing water, trees and forests bolster resilience to drought events, one of climate change’s most damaging symptoms.

The evidence is clear: investing in forest-water policies aimed at sustainable management makes sound economic sense. Faced with a choice between putting in place a forest resource protection strategy or installing a facility to treat water for consumers, New York City planners quickly realised there was no contest. The artificial system would have cost US$6-8

WRITE-WING

billion, plus an annual $300-500 million in operating costs. The total price tag for sustainably managing the two forests upstream on either side of the Hudson River was far lower, at less than $1.5 billion.

One telling example of the economic value of forests as providers of freshwater comes from China. Its forests have a water storage function worth an estimated $1 trillion— three times the value of the wood they contain.

The value of forests can be measured in human lives too – the most important metric. In Africa, there is strong evidence that the extensive deforestation currently taking place in the tropical central belt is having an impact on water supplies in other parts of the continent, such as Ethiopia in the east. Some people have been forced to migrate from their homeland as a result. It is a sobering thought that forest management decisions – or lack of them –can have such a devastating effect on communities situated thousands of miles (kilometres) away.

Clearly, the links between forests, water, and human well-being are many – and cannot be ignored.

René Castro Salazar was minister of environment, energy and foreign affairs of Costa Rica and is currently Assistant Director General of FAO, Forestry Department.

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.

TUESDAY 23•05•2017

PERSPECTIVE

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

7

Reimagining India in Britain

The Great India Show covers even science in India. It has been blessed by the two governments. Britain is out on a mission to rediscover India L K Sharma

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cial patronage given to the separatists agitating against India.

With the end of the cold war and India’s emergence as an emerging economic power, relations improved. After 9/11 and the terror attacks in Britain, India’s concerns made more sense to British parliamentarians. Even those British MPs whose lofty pronouncements used to be inspired by the Pakistani migrants in their constituencies, toned down their criticism of India’s human rights record.

The British Foreign Office took a cue from America which had started seeing India not as an enemy of its friend Pakistan but as a useful counter-weight to its enemy named China! British political leaders, pushed by the financial services sector, began courting India. Realising that India invested more in Britain than the European Union, they were happy to walk in Delhi in the mid-day sun.

The profile of the Indian community in Britain changed over the years. Once Indians were seen sweeping Heathrow Airport or selling exotic Indian items from door to door. That was now a distant past. The newspaper headlines began to scream about the British billionaires of Indian origin! Indian business leaders came to the UK to lecture their British counterparts on using information technology.

Little Indias had sprung up with shops blaring the Bollywood songs.

The pavements got coloured by women in saris.

financial services was closed. Following economic liberalisation, the large Indian market gripped the imagination of the British corporate world. The time was thus ripe for heralding the UK-India Year of Culture in 2017 and for strengthening the multifaceted partnership underpinned by historical ties.

Since the fare during the year will cover all areas of culture, a debate on the British Empire will get prominence. When Niall Ferguson went around publicising the benefits of the British Empire, no Indian academic pointed out the factual inaccuracy in his telling of the economic history of pre-British India.

The challenge was belatedly taken up by a writer who joined politics after a successful career as an international civil servant.

Shashi Tharoor launched a scathing attack on the British Empire, first in an Oxford union debate and then in his book An Era of Darkness – The British Empire in India.

Tharoor’s eloquence won him millions of social media fans. He will be in the UK to list the misdeeds of the British Empire. It goes to the credit of Britain that no gang has threatened to paint his face black or to ask the publisher to shred his books.

Tharoor’s work largely covers the economic rape and destruction of the Indian handicrafts and industry. This is a field in which a lot of work was done even before independence. An investigation of the ‘evils’ of the British Empire requires a multi-disciplinary endeavour.

Pissing into Britain This was not a sudden development. India, as Salman Rushdie would say, has been pissing into Britain for a couple of centuries. The Indian cuisine had entered Britain even before 1773 when a London café started serving it. Indian cooks were taken to Britain by those returning from a career in India where they got accustomed to a different kind of food. Indian curry powder started selling in 1780.

From the 1870’s the Indian dishes served by Indian waiters became a regular feature on Queen Victoria’s dining table. Her personal life featuring an Indian functionary highlighted multiculturalism and solidarity with India!

Cultural exchanges were officially promoted periodically but cultural fusion took place in the normal course. The popularisation of the Bhangra beats needed no governmental effort. Britain could sell English language and literature even when the Indian market for its

Empire and political correctness Fresh material keeps coming to light. One comes across a reference to the adverse impact on the status of women as a result of the Indian male being oppressed and humiliated by the British. So he came home and took it out on his wife. Have the psychological scars been transmitted from generation to generation?

Only last month, an activist pointed out that the policing of the performances during the British Raj banished the snake-charmers and street magicians. A significant cultural loss. Many rules and procedures set down by the British Raj continue and are often blamed for the ills afflicting today’s India.

The historians may hit the jackpot if they discover some of the official files related to India that were presumed to have been burnt. A lot remains to be known about the British officials winning over some Indian princes by spying on their personal lives. So Tharoor’s work will perhaps be followed up.

Reimagine!

The British Empire is not a fresh issue. Reimagine, the topic picked by the Arts Council England is a theme with great potential for a vigorous debate. In fact, the entire British project for reimagining India has already been dated since India is changing at the speed of light! Britain is belatedly trying to catch up with the modern India when India is being pulled back towards the medieval times!

India is undergoing a transformation that is more radical than what has hit Britain. Culture’s vital L K Sharma has followed no role in international relations is acprofession other than journalism knowledged. But culture has got so for more than four decades, entwined with politics in India that a covering criminals and prime large section of Indians fears the end ministers. Was the European of the very idea of India envisioned Correspondent of The Times of by the nation’s founding fathers.

India based in London for a The governments of different decade. Reported for five years from hues came and went but this is the Washington as the Foreign Editor first time in 70 years that Indians are of the Deccan Herald. Edited three dreading the promised transformavolumes on innovations in India. tion that has caught the imagination He has completed a work of creative of the Prime Minister Modi’s follownonfiction on V. S. Naipaul.

openDemocracy

hose wanting to take a condensed course in India’s heritage and contemporary culture would do well to spend this year in Britain.

They will benefit from a massive exposition of a wide range of performing and visual arts, literature, films and rich collections from the national archives. The Great India Show covers even science in India. It has been blessed by the two governments. Britain is out on a mission to rediscover India.

The UK-India Year of Culture coincides with the seventieth year of Indian independence. Even after seven decades, Britain lingers on in Indian public memory, though as the most-preferred destination for Indian students, it has been superseded by America. But in public discourse Britain figures more prominently. It gets blamed as well as admired more often. V. S. Naipaul noticed this at a meeting of writers in India and asked them with unsuppressed irritation to move on.

In 1851, the Great Exhibition held in London during Queen Victoria’s reign sought to reassure the people about Britain’s industrial and cultural leadership of the world.

In 2017 the Great India Show seeks to assure a shaken Britain that beyond Europe lies the Golden Hind!

The jewel in the crown of the British Empire was given a disproportionately large space in the Great Exhibition. Of course, no indigenous industry or technology was displayed. The exhibits focused on the opulent trappings of empire.

The Great Exhibition was actively patronised by Queen Victoria. This year the UK-India cultural exchange was given a grand start by Queen Elizabeth who hosted a reception in Buckingham Palace.

The Great Exhibition of 1851 was seen as a pivotal moment when Britain sought to find a definition for itself or redefine itself. There was an undercurrent of anxiety about industrialisation and modernisation.

While conscious of its power and reach, the country was “witnessing class inequality, a fear of foreigners, and a contempt for internationalism”.

The Great India Show comes in the wake of Britain’s decision to leave Europe. Britons feel this island nation has changed. Britain is not what it was, they lament and are gripped by a feeling of uncertainty.

The Great India Show promotes multi-culturalism, thus countering the appeal of the UK Independence Party. The British politicians feasting night after night on the Chicken Tikka Masala at Tandoori Nights tend to dislike jingoism. Those exposed to Tagore’s works see the dangers of nationalism. Cultural exchanges moderate identity politics that is vitiating the atmosphere in many countries.

The Great India Show involving several prestigious British institutions and cities will go on for a year. The celebration plan was announced in 2015 by the then British Prime Minister David Cameron and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. Prime Minister Theresa May reiterated the commitment during her India visit in November 2016.

are not counting pounds. Culture has a commercial dimension for Britain which boasts of a unique institution called the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce! The Department of Trade and Industry has a strategy for the performing arts.

Britain has lost its primacy in politics and manufacturing and sports but is still among the world leaders in terms of culture. It knows that cultural diplomacy is about tourist pounds also.

Indian High Commission and the Ministry of Culture are supplementing the British effort with India@UK2017. When it comes to cultural diplomacy, New Delhi does not think big. India is far behind China in the number of cultural centres abroad. China gets 200 works translated into foreign languages just to participate in the Frankfurt Book Fair. India mainly depends on Bollywood.

The Jaipur Literature Festival, a private initiative, has done more than any official agency to promote India’s brand image. This time it teamed up with the British Library to spread the message that good writing is done in India also. The Science Museum will show that India is not poor in innovative skills and scientific talent. It is an unusual gesture because while China’s scientific prowess was highlighted through Joseph Needham’s monumental work, scientific India got ignored.

Britain showed little interest in modern India while providing an audience for classical music and dances. India, for its part, was happy to see Ravi Shankar playing the sitar in London and Raj Kapoor being feted in Moscow. It failed to project its space programme.

The British TV documentarymakers focused on the semi-naked Sadhus rolling up the hills and the raped girls of India. An eminent British writer and a noted film-maker focused on the carnival of publicdefecation in India.

This British way of seeing India was a legacy of the colonial era. The empire could be justified by portraying the subject races as inferior beings with no traditions of art, literature, thought or philosophy. Even the scholarly journals described Indian art as a monstrosity. Such people were, of course, incapable of governing themselves!

Indo-British political relations Cultural diplomacy during the cold war discouraged Cultural diplomacy does not Britain from seeing India in a new come cheap but the British Govern- light. The irritants included the difment and the cultural institutions ferences over Kashmir and the offi-

ers and the vigilante gangs violently enforcing their code of conduct in the states ruled by his party.

The earlier imagined India of the rolling saints was an imperfect reflection of the reality. Now when Britain seeks to correct its perception through a literature festival and the science museum, it can’t keep pace with the changing reality.

Britain is trying to project a modern throbbing self-confident nation that innovates, that generates wealth as well as world-class art, fashion goods, and literature and that has inherited civilizational values.

However, it will be an incomplete image of India if the scenographers and designers skip some features of the contemporary scene.

These are a polarised society, cow vigilantes, anti-Romeo and antilove jihad squads, honour-killings, religious reconversion campaigns, sectarian strife, a tide of intolerance, an outbreak of contrived nationalism and religiosity, populism in politics, degraded public discourse, a frightened cringing media serving fake news, manufactured consent and manufactured dissent.

The British Empire figures regularly at the yearly Jaipur Literature Festival. Its co-director William Dalrymple is no admirer of the British Empire but that does not discourage the British Council from participating in the festival! That dispassionate approach will be unthinkable for the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.

Of course, the view that the British Empire was rapacious will be challenged. The first blow was struck this year by the art critic of The Telegraph in his review of the V&A’s “brave” exhibition, Lockwood Kipling: Arts and Crafts in the Punjab and London. Rudyard Kipling’s father was “a polymath whose career as an artist, designer, teacher, journalist, and colonial servant flourished during the British Raj”.

Alastair Sooke laments that not long ago “empire” wasn’t a dirty word but a source of pride, but not today. He says “British imperialism has become associated with jingoism, racism and exploitation of indigenous people for profit that lots of us find shameful.” He wonders whether this tendency has gone too far and the British Empire has been poisoned by political correctness!

The Telegraph review ascribes this “bellyaching and guilt in part to Britain’s current diminished stature and lack of self-confidence on the international stage”. Some in Britain support this art critic but many more are likely to agree with Tharoor’s criticism of the British Empire.

But Tharoor would fail to convince an Indian immigrant, a technologist-tycoon Kartar Lalvani whose health food supplement advertisements cannot be missed in Britain. During his 50 years in Britain Lalvani was pained to see that Indians failed to acknowledge their cultural, political and economic debt to Britain. He wrote a book, The Making of India, to set the record straight. This volume by the native informer got extensive coverage in the British newspapers.

Lalvani has spoken when some newly empowered Indian thinkers seem to justify Churchill’s grim forecast about the Indian leaders ruining their independent nation.

These thinkers hold Nehru and others responsible for all the ills of the nation. They claim that India’s wasted years ended only when Narendra Modi took over as the Prime Minister of India!

This minefield All this is a rich material for an artist, a cartoonist, a film-maker and a writer who are ready to risk their limbs and are not afraid of mob violence. But this minefield is a no-go area for two friendly governments wanting to boost bilateral trade and investments. Cultural exchanges have a limit. Would India commission a British documentary on the Red Light District of Mumbai? Would the British Council sponsor an India tour by the tattooed pink-faced football hooligans pissing from the upper stands while watching a match in a Delhi stadium? Never.

Friendly relations between nations demand caring for each other’s sensitivities, ignoring principles.

The British High Commissioner must have sent a secret cable to London cautioning against playing Nehru’s historic midnight speech in Parliament during the seventieth year of Indian independence. The diplomat might have also suggested that no reference be made to Akbar the Great in any presentation on India’s heritage. The new rulers in New Delhi are not favourably inclined towards Nehru and Akbar.

Her Majesty’s Government is alert just in case someone demands the expulsion of Beefeaters from the Tower of London as their presence hurts the Hindu psyche! A religious group may seek permission to install a giant marble replica of the sacred Indian cow at the Trafalgar Square arguing that it would promote multiculturalism and attract tourists.

With the spotlight only on sugar and spice and all things nice, at the end of the year of culture, India shall remain what it has always been, an Imagined India.

Gurkhas’ history of service to Hong Kong is being forgotten

The Brigade of Gurkhas had a crucial role in safeguarding the city's borders and way of life during some tumultuous times from 1948-1997 Tim I Gurung

D

Asia Times

espite having served as the main defense force of Hong Kong from 1948 to its return to Chinese rule in 1997, the Gurkhas seem to have been largely forgotten by the people of the Asian financial hub.

In an effort to remedy this unfortunate state of affairs, I have compiled a potted history of the Gurkhas in Hong Kong. Here it is: After India’s independence in 1947, four Gurkha regiments were transferred to the British Army and were eventually stationed in the Federation of Malaya – today’s Malaysia.

The 26th Gurkha Brigade was the first batch of these soldiers to arrive in Hong Kong, and were stationed from 1948 at Whitfield barracks (now Kowloon Park, which was handed over to the government in 1967).

They were replaced by the 51st

of Scots and Gurkhas that saw action in Brunei and Borneo with the elite SAS. By 1962, it had returned to the UK where it became 51st Gurkha Brigade.

The 48th Gurkha Infantry Brigade came to Hong Kong in 1957.

It was renamed Gurkha Field Force in 1976, but returned to its old name

handover of Hong Kong to China.

Although Gurkha battalions took turns stationed in Hong Kong from 1948, elements remained based in other countries until 1971, when the Brigade of Gurkhas – the term to describe all the different Nepalese units in the British Army – were headquartered in

The first time the Gurkhas were called into action in Hong Kong was said to be during the Star Ferry riots from April 4-8, 1966. An increase in the fares was used as a pretext to demonstrate against British colonial rule. Gurkha soldiers armed with rifles and fitted bayonets patrolled areas around the Star Ferry piers and enforcing curfews.

(Gurkhas may well have been involved in the Double Ten riots during October 1956, although I haven’t been able to confirm this.)

The Gurkhas were also called in to end a deadly skirmish during the 1967 riots known as the Sha Tau Kok incident, in which several hundred demonstrators backed by China’s People’s Militia crossed over the border, seizing a police station – killing five officers and wounding 11 others. Five-hundred soldiers from the 10th Gurkha Rifles, led by Major General Ronald McAlister VC, ended the siege after about 10 hours and without having to fire a shot.

role in protecting Hong Kong’s border with China during the tumult of the 1966-1976 Cultural Revolution, helping to prevent it spilling over into the territory.

Faced with an unprecedented flood of illegal immigrants from China, as well as Vietnamese boat people from the early 1980s, the government introduced two new battalions. Gurkhas manned all of Hong Kong’s border points – both sea and land – as well as helping to build and guard Vietnamese refugees camps.

By this point, there were six infantry battalions (1/2 GR, 2/2 GR, 6 TH GR, 1/7 GR, 2/7 GR and 10 TH GR), one transport regiment, one signal regiment, one regiment of engineers and one training depot in Shek Kong. Altogether, there were four battalions stationed in Hong Kong at a time when one battalion was in the UK and another in Brunei.

Aside from the barracks in Gun Club Hill in Kowloon and the Tamar

in places like Fan Ling, San Tin, Shek Kong, and Tuen Mun. The total strength of the Gurkhas by then was said to be around 10,000, excluding family members. The numbers were reduced to 3,600 before the 1997 handover.

All of a/m infantry battalions were disbanded and only two battalions (1st GR & 2nd GR) were formed.

Gurkha Transport, Signal and Engineer somehow retained their respective names, albeit in reduced numbers, and are currently stationed in the UK. As we all know, most of the Gurkha soldiers were made redundant and returned home before the handover. But many have returned to Hong Kong or found jobs here.

After the Gurkhas won the right of abode in the UK in 2009, many settled down there.

Still, a vibrant and substantial Nepalese community now lives here, an important connection to the city’s past and a reminder of their ancestors many years of ser-

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in 'human shield' incident gets 'Nearly 2.8 million people Major Army chief's commendation card internally displaced in India' UNITED NATIONS, MAY 22 (PTI): Nearly 2.8 million people in India have been internally displaced last year due to disasters and conflicts linked to identity and ethnicity, a new report by a monitoring centre said.

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) released a new report which ranked India third among countries most affected by displacement related to disasters followed by China and the Philippines.

There have been 448,000 new displacements due to conflict and violence in India. Nearly 2,400,000 people were displaced due to disasters, the report said.

"Together with China and the Philippines, the country regularly sees the largest numbers of displacements. In recent years, displacement has mainly been associated with flood and storm events, although approximately 68 per cent of India is prone to drought, 60 per

NRC report says that AFSPA in the North East states conferring impunity for excessive and disproportionate force has led to human rights violations cent is vulnerable to earthquakes and 75 per cent of the country's coastline is prone to cyclones and tsunamis," the report said.

Combined with the country's high population density, with a third of the population living in multidimensional poverty and substandard housing with less resources to cope, particularly in disaster-prone areas, as well as poorly planned urbanisation, environmental degradation, climate change and geological hazards, India's overall exposure to hazards makes it the country most at risk of damage and displacement related to disasters in South Asia, the report added.

"Conflict is largely linked to identity and ethnicity, and it has taken the form of violent secessionist and identity-based movements as well as localised violence, including conflicts based on religion and

caste," the report said.

India's significant economic growth and recent attempts to improve its social protection system have failed to resolve the persistent problem of inequality between social groups and between people living in urban and rural areas.

Rapid population growth and the inability of the poorest segments of the population to benefit from the country's economic growth have exacerbated inter-ethnic and inter- religious tensions over access to land and resources.

"The Armed Forces Special Powers Act remains in force in Jammu and Kashmir and in the North-Eastern states, conferring an impunity for excessive and disproportionate force that has led to human rights violations," the report said.

Displacement caused by violent secessionist movements has primarily

been associated with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland and the Assam movement, as well as the ongoing conflict between militants and the state in Kashmir, the report said.

"Identity-based autonomy movements have also caused displacement in many parts of India, including the states of Telangana and Assam. Localised inter-communal violence between Hindus and Muslims, for example in Gujarat, has resulted in smallerscale displacement, as have caste disputes in states such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh," the report added.

Development projects implemented as part of India's rapid development and industrialisation since independence have been made possible by the large-scale acquisition of land and the eviction and displacement of tens of millions of people over

the past decades, not only for the purpose of building dams, mines and industrial plants, but also for other objectives such as urban renewal and environmental conservation. One of the most controversial cases is the Sardar Sarovar dam.

Approved in 1984, the project had displaced an estimated 350,000 people in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra by 2015.

There is a strong link between development projects and conflict. Most of India's land conflicts arise from state takeovers, often on behalf of private investors.

The adverse social and environmental impacts of development projects implemented through largescale land acquisitions with minimal (if any) consultation and compensation have fuelled tensions, violence and conflict over land access and use.

As a result, non-state armed groups have gained support from some marginalised communities affected by development projects, the report added.

NEw DElhI, MAY 22 (IANS): An Indian Army Major who was involved in tying up a Kashmiri man to the front of a jeep to ward off stone pelters in Kashmir Valley has been awarded the Army Chief's Commendation Card, Army sources said on Monday.

The commendation card for Major Leetul Gogoi of 53 Rashtriya Rifles was given for "sustained efforts" in counter insurgency operations, Army officials said. Army officials did not say if the human shield incident had anything to do with the award.

A video, shot on April 9 during the Srinagar bypolls held amid violent incidents, showed a man, later identified as Farooq Ahmad Dar, being tied to the bonnet of an army jeep with a placard in Badgam of Jammu and Kashmir.

The video went viral on social media and created uproar. An FIR was registered by the Jammu and Kashmir police against the security forces.

On April 15, the Army constituted a court of inquiry in the incident, and a report is pending.

Defence Minister Arun Jaitley, referring to the inci-

dent on Friday, had backed the officer, saying it should not be forgotten that the officer had responsibility to save the lives of those involved in the election process as well as the crowd that had gathered.

"Let us not forget the army is a responsible institution and the army was also interested in saving lives of various people who were involved in the election process and also the large crowd of people who had gathered there to protest," Jaitley said.

Gogoi also got support from both serving and former Army officers.

Former Army Chief General V.P. Malik (retired) had told IANS after the incident that he would keep the "exceptional circumstances" in which the step

Jaitley files fresh defamation suit of Rs 10 cr against Kejriwal

NEw DElhI, MAY 22 (IANS): Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday filed a second civil defamation suit of Rs 10 crore in the Delhi High Court against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the word "crook" used by his lawyer.

Jaitley sought Rs 10 crore as damages after Ram Jethmalani used objectionable words against the Union Minister in an open court. This is a separate case from the ongoing DDCA defamation suit against the Chief Minister and

five other Aam Aadmi Party leaders that Jaitley filed in 2015.

On May 17, Jaitley and senior advocate Ram Jethmalani clashed in the court with the Minister taking strong objection to the word "crook" used during cross examination in the earlier defamation case. "I intend to show that this man (Jaitley) is a crook," Jethmalani had said, prompting strong objection from the Minister.

Jaitley, who was being crossexamined, furiously asked Jethma-

lani whether the word "crook" used by him was in his personal capacity or as per the instruction of Kejriwal.

To which, Jethmalani had said that it was used by him on instructions from his client (Kejriwal).

Jaitley then threatened to seek higher damages.

"I will aggravate the charges against the defendants (Kejriwal)...

There is a limit to personal malice," he had said after Jethmalani said he wanted to prove his point that the Union Minister was a "crook".

Jaitley's counsel had objected to Jethmalani referring to the Minister as being "guilty of crime and crookery".

Jaitley was being cross-examined by Jethmalani in connection with the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) defamation case filed by the Minister.

In December 2015, Jaitley filed a civil defamation suit against Kejriwal and AAP leaders Kumar Vishwas, Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha and Deepak Ba-

jpayee, claiming that they made "false and defamatory" statements in the case involving the DDCA, thereby harming his reputation.

Jaitley had sought Rs 10 crore in damages from Kejriwal and other AAP leaders in the DDCA case as well.

He had claimed that the AAP leaders attacked him over alleged irregularities and financial bungling in Delhi's cricket association, of which he was the President for about 13 years.

Modern ports must for growth of India's world trade: Modi High-speed Mumbai-Goa

AhMEDABAD, MAY 22 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said developing modern ports was important for India to cement its position in the global trade sector.

He said Kandla Port in Kutch district of Gujarat, which he described as one of the major ports in Asia, will soon be connected with Chabahar port in Iran to boost India's international trade.

"The way competition is rising, if India has to progress and cement its place in global trade, it is very important to have ports with modern facilities... in a very short span of time, Kandla has emerged as one of the most prominent ports in Asia," said Modi.

Modi said the Kandla Port had received investment proposals of nearly Rs 1,000 crore and added that the Centre was taking more initiatives to further modernise it and enhance

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressing the Public Meeting after inauguration of pumping station for releasing Narmada waters into Tappar Dam, in Bhachau, Gujarat on May 22. (PIB Photo)

its capacity.

On a two-day visit to his home state, Modi laid the foundation stone of various projects at the Kandla port.

"Soon the Kandla port will be linked to Chabahar port. The linking will mean Kandla will cement its feet like Angad did," the Prime Minister said while referring to Ramayana's charac-

ter who put his feet down at King Ravana's court and none could move it.

Pointing to India's vast coastline, Modi stressed the importance of trade through sea route.

"India has a long history of sea trade. With 7,700-km coastline, what is the need to move cargo by railways or roads? Sea route is far

more cost effective and we are moving towards that direction when more and more cargo will be ferried through the sea route," he said.

Besides developing port facilities, Modi said, the government was also working on further developing multi-modal transport system.

"Its no use modernising your ports if there are bottlenecks in cargo movement away from ports.

That is why we are working on developing all-round transport infrastructure in the country," he said.

The Prime Minister also hailed the people of Kutch for rebuilding the region that was devastated in the 2001 earthquake.

"Kandla Port is not just the focal point of trade for Gujarat but can play a major role in boosting India's economy as well. We are working in that regard," added Modi.

Tejas Express flagged off

MUMBAI, MAY 22 (IANS): The country's first high-speed Tejas Express between Mumbai and Karmali in Goa, boasting of Wi-Fi, LCD screens, and automatic doors, was flagged off on Monday by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu here.

The train -- with a speed of 130 km per hour -- is capable of clocking a maximum of 200 kmph.

The train will undertake its eight-and-half-hour journey five days a week between Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station in Mumbai and Karmali in Goa, a distance of 530 km. It was flagged off by Prabhu through videoconferencing from Dadar station in Mumbai.

The train's frequency will be three days a week during monsoon.

The 20-coach train also offers Executive and Chair class travel with tea/coffee vending machines, magazines, and snacks tables, besides closedcircuit television for security.

The coaches, manufactured at Indian Coach Factory in Chennai, include features like sensor-controlled water taps, water level indicators and hand dryers. All coaches have biovacuum toilets.

A one-way trip will cost Rs 2,740 with food, and Rs 2,585 without food. The fare for chair car is Rs 1,310 with food, and Rs 1,185 without food.

The train will depart from the Mumbai terminus at 5 a.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May 24 and reach Karmali at 1.30 p.m. the same day.

On return journey, it will leave Karmali at 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May 23 and arrive at Mumbai at 11 p.m. the same day.

During monsoon, the train will depart from Mumbai every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday and begin its return journey at 7.30 a.m. every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

was taken in mind while judging the case, though he agreed that the officer did violate the Army code on human rights.

On similar lines, Former Army Chief General Bikram Singh (retired) had called the incident an "aberration".

According to the Indian Army's website, a Commendation Card is awarded for "individual acts of gallantry or distinguished service or devotion to duty performed either in operation or non-operational areas which are not of a sufficiently high order to qualify for a higher gallantry award or for which the higher award is inappropriate. The award will be for a specific act of bravery or distinguished service or special service".

China to block India's NSG bid again BEIjINg, MAY 22 (IANS) :China on Monday said it has not changed its position on India's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), indicating it will again block New Delhi's plea at the plenary session in Bern next month.

"China's position on the non-NPT members' participation in the NSG has not changed," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Monday.

"We support the NSG group following the mandate of the 2016 plenary session and following building consensus as well as the intergovernmental process that is open and transparent to deal with the relevant issues in a two-step approach," she added.

At the NSG's plenary session in Seoul in June 2016, China opposed India's application.

It again scuttled India's bid in the November consultative group meeting.

The plenary meet of the 48-member elite grouping, which regulates global nuclear trade, is likely to take place at Bern in Switzerland in June. India has been backed by the US and other members in the group, but China opposes its entry, citing its non-signatory status to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Beijing argues that if India can be let in why not Pakistan, which is also not an NPT member.

India finds the NPT discriminatory in nature. The US, Switzerland, Mexico, Italy, Russia and Britain have backed New Delhi's NSG bid.

In January this year, China had said that admission of non-NPT signatories in NSG cannot be a "farewell gift" for countries to give to each other -- after the outgoing Obama administration remarked that Beijing was an "outlier" in the efforts to make India a member of the elite nuclear club. China's opposition is likely to increase tensions with India, which recently boycotted Beijing's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative in opposition to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

CPEC passes through Pakistan-administered Kashmir, which is claimed by India as its own. The issue of the Dalai Lama visiting Arunachal Pradesh has added to the cold vibes between the two. Beijing accuses the Dalai Lama of fomenting secessionist activities in Tibet and claims Arunachal Pradesh as its own.

Childbearing expenses push 47% of women into poverty Devanik Saha IndiaSpend and IANS

C

atastrophic maternal healthcare expenses push 46.6 per cent mothers in India into poverty -- with the illiterate being especially susceptible -- according to a December 2016 study by researchers from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (IIT-R). The expenses include childbirth, antenatal care and postnatal care expenses.

Catastrophic expenditure is greater than or equal to 40 per cent of a household's non-subsistence income, i.e. income available after basic needs have been met, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The threshold of 40 per cent can differ according to countries, said the WHO; the 2016 study has analysed the data at two thresholds: 10 and 40 per cent.

As many as 63 per cent households nationwide had a catastrophic maternal health expenditure of 40 per cent, the study -- which analysed data from the National Sample Survey Office -- found. Among states and Union territories (UTs), 65.7 per cent

households (among those where a woman had delivered) in Telangana were pushed into poverty -- more than any other state/UT -- due to childbearing expenses, followed by Chhattisgarh (53.7 per cent) and Puducherry (53.4 per cent).

In the 10 years to 2014, out-of-pocket (OOP) health spending has pushed 50.6 million people back into poverty.

Households where the mothers were illiterate were the most affected, with 61 per cent of them being pushed into poverty --despite having the lowest maternal health OOP expenditure at Rs 3,600 -- compared to 36.7 per cent of households where women were graduates and above, who had an OOP expenditure of Rs 19,250.

More illiterate women prefer public hospitals for delivery in both rural (79.2 per cent) and urban areas (67.7 per cent), which possibly explains their low OOP. Among women of different social groups, women belonging to scheduled tribes (STs) had the least maternal OOP expenditure at Rs 2,962, but 71.5 per cent of them were pushed into poverty. As many as 85 per cent ST women in rural areas delivered

in public hospitals -- more than any other social group.

The study holds relevance in the context of the central government announcement on May 18, 2017, that it is revising the Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (Maternity

Benefit Programme), announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 31, 2016, by restricting the scheme to firstborns instead of "first two live births" as applicable earlier.

The programme aims to give Rs 6,000 to pregnant women for child-

bearing expenses. The scheme saw an increase of 226 per cent in allocation in the 2017-18 budget from Rs 634 crore to Rs 2,700 crore. However, the government had estimated that the annual requirement for the maternity benefit scheme would be Rs 14,512 crore, according to a report in The Indian Express.

The 2016 study revealed that, on average, a woman incurred an OOP expenditure of Rs 8,543 on childbearing. There were huge variations among states -- from Rs 2,801 in Uttarakhand to Rs 15,433 in Telangana.

"The most vulnerable women who are trying to reach out for the government aid won't be able to get it," Tania Sheshadri, an independent community health researcher who works with rural women in Karnataka, was recently quoted as saying in news reports.

"In most parts of the country, there is a two-child norm and a scheme like this will not benefit most women. The government should concentrate on quality care for pregnant women and make available the benefits to every woman who reaches a government health care centre."

A limitation of the 2016 study

is that it does not consider the benefits of Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY, motherhood protection scheme), a 12-year-old government programme focused specially on 10 states with low rates of institutional delivery -Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Rajasthan, Odisha, and Jammu and Kashmir -- termed as low-performing states (LPS).

Under the programme, pregnant women in rural areas who live below the poverty line are to be given cash assistance -- Rs 700 in high performing states and Rs 1,400 in LPS -- irrespective of the mother's age and number of children so that they opt for birth in a government or accredited private health facility.

The scheme has failed to cover the poorest women, according to a 2014 analysis of JSY data by researchers from Georgetown University. As many as 60 per cent women in Uttar Pradesh said they had to pay for certain public maternal health services, according to an assessment of JSY conducted by United Nations Population Fund in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh in 2012.

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Trump, in Israel, says he has North Korea says missile meets all new reasons to hope for peace specifications, ready for mass-production

TEL AVIV, MAy 22 (REuTERs): U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Israel on Monday on the second leg of his first overseas trip since entering office and said he had new reasons to hope for peace and stability to the Middle East after his visit to Saudi Arabia. In a stopover lasting 28 hours, Trump is to meet separately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Later on Monday, he will pray at Judaism’s Western Wall and visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, and on Tuesday he will travel to Bethlehem.

Netanyahu and his wife Sara, as well as President Reuven Rivlin and members of the Israeli cabinet, were at Tel Aviv’s BenGurion airport to greet Trump and first lady Melania in a red carpet ceremony after what is believed to have been the first direct flight from Riyadh to Israel.

“During my travels in recent days, I have found new reasons for hope,” Trump said in a brief speech on arrival.

“We have before us a rare opportunity to bring security and stability and peace to this region and its people, defeating terrorism and creating a future of harmony, prosperity and peace, but we can only get there working together. There is no other way,” he said.

Trump’s tour comes in the shadow of difficulties at home, where he is struggling to contain a scandal after firing James Comey as FBI director nearly two weeks ago. The trip ends on Saturday after visits to the Vatican, Brussels and Sicily.

“ULTIMATE DEAL” Netanyahu said Israel shared Trump’s commitment to peace - but he also repeated his right-wing government’s political and security demands of the Palestinians, including recognition of Israel as a Jewish state.

“May your first trip to our region prove to be a historic milestone on the path towards reconciliation and peace,” Netanyahu said.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters en route to Tel Aviv that any threeway meeting between Trump, Netanyahu and Abbas was for “a later date”.

Trump has vowed to do whatever is necessary to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians -- something he has called “the ultimate deal” -- but has given little indication of how he could revive negotiations that collapsed in 2014.

When he met Abbas this month in

Washington, he stopped shortly of explicitly recommitting his administration to a two-state solution to the decades-old conflict, a long-standing foundation of U.S. policy. He has since spoken in support of Palestinian “self-determination”.

Trump has also opted against an immediate move of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a longtime demand of Israel.

A senior administration official told Reuters last week that Trump remained committed to his campaign pledge to ultimately relocate the embassy, but would not announce such a move during this trip: “We’re having very good discussions with all parties and, as long as we see that happening, then we don’t intend to do anything that we think could upset those discussions.”

ARAB WELCOME Netanyahu has come under pressure from right-wing members of his own coalition who say he is not pushing hard enough to get Trump to carry out his promise.

Over the weekend, Trump received a warm welcome from Arab leaders, who focused on his desire to restrain Iran’s influence in the region, a commitment they found wanting in the Republican president’s Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama.

On Sunday, Israel authorised some economic concessions to the Palestinians that it said would improve civilian life in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority and were intended to respond to Trump’s request for “confidence-building steps”.

The United States welcomed the move but the Palestinians said they had heard such promises before.

Trump used his visit to Riyadh to bolster U.S. ties with Arab and Islamic nations, announce $110 billion in U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia, and send Iran a tough message.

In a speech on Sunday to dozens of Arab and Islamic leaders, he toned down the harsh anti-Muslim rhetoric he had employed during his presidential campaign in favour of trying to build cooperation against Islamist militants. “A better future is only possible if your nations drive out the terrorists and drive out the extremists. Drive them out,” Trump said.

Trump will have visited significant centres of Islam, Judaism and Christianity by the end of his trip, a point that his aides say bolsters his argument that the fight against Islamist militancy is a battle between “good and evil”.

Bangkok hospital bomb wounds 24, junta blames its opponents BANGKOK, MAy 22 (REuTERs): A bomb at a hospital in the Thai capital wounded 24 people on Monday, the third anniversary of a 2014 military coup, the government said, with the army chief blaming groups opposed to the junta. There was no claim of responsibility for the blast at the Phramongkutklao Hospital in Bangkok, which is popular with soldiers and their families and retired military officers.

“We found the pieces that were used to make the bomb,” Kamthorn Aucharoen, commander of the police’s explosive ordnance team, told Reuters, adding it was not clear who was responsible. “Right now, authorities are checking out closed circuit cameras.”

Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said 24 people were wounded. Mostd were hit by flying glass, the military’s national security unit said.

Suspicion is likely to focus either on political dissidents opposed to military rule or Muslim separatists based in the south of the predominately Buddhist country. Army chief Chalermchai Sittisart blamed groups opposed to the junta.

“It doesn’t have to be the junta anniversary. People who don’t like the junta, given the chance, will do this,” Chalermchai said in a televised interview, adding that troops in uniform and plainclothes security officers would be deployed to increase security.

Deputy national police chief General Srivara Rangsibrahmanakul said the bomb had been hidden in a container near the entrance of a pharmacy.

The May 22, 2014, military coup toppled a democratically elected government and ended months of unrest, including sometimes deadly street demonstrations. The junta said it needed to take power to restore order and usher in political reforms.

Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, whose government was ejected in the 2014 coup, called for a swift return to democracy in a Facebook post on Monday, adding that the economy had been hit hard.

Thailand’s export-dependent economy is showing signs of recovery following a shaky three years that saw weak consumer spending and a slump in trade.

Since the coup, the junta, known as the National Council for Peace and Order, has clamped down on dissent and ramped up prosecutions under sedition and royal defamation laws.

The military has always played a prominent role in Thai life but since the coup it has become embedded in society.

The military government has acknowledged it wants to weaken political parties and maintain permanent influence over elected governments, partly through a new constitution approved by the king last month.

An election is due by the end of next year.

The blast comes weeks after a car bomb at a shopping centre in the province of Pattani, near Thailand’s border with Malaysia, which wounded 61 people and which authorities blamed on the Muslim insurgents.

The far south of Thailand, which includes the Muslim-majority provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, is home to a long-running separatist insurgency. A bomb exploded in Yala earlier on Monday, wounding military officers.

Attacks by the Muslim rebels have largely, though not always, been confined to their southern heartland.

On May 15, a small bomb went off near the National Theatre in Bangkok’s old quarter, wounding two people.

It was not clear who was behind the bomb.

sEOuL, MAy 22 (REuTERs): North Korea said on Monday it had successfully tested an intermediate-range ballistic missile which met all technical requirements and could now be mass-produced, indicating advances in its ambitions to be able to hit the United States.

The North fired the missile into waters off its east coast on Sunday, its second missile test in a week, which South Korea said dashed the hopes of the South’s new liberal government under President Moon Jae-in for peace between the neighbours.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised the test of the Pukguksong-2, which confirmed reliable late-stage guidance of the warhead and the functioning of a solidfuel engine, the KCNA state news agency said.

It quoted Kim as saying the Pukguksong-2 met all the required technical specifications so should now be mass-produced and deployed to the Korean People’s Army strategic battle unit.

Pyongyang has defied all calls to rein in its nuclear and missile programmes, even from China, its lone major ally, saying the weapons are needed for defence against U.S. aggression.

The U.N. Security Council is due to meet on Tuesday behind closed doors to discuss the latest test, which defies Security Council resolutions and sanctions, at the request of the United States, Japan and South Korea, diplomats said on Sunday.

The test could also alter the dynamics of Moon’s

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waves to North Korean scientists and technicians, who developed missile “Hwasong-12” in this undated photo released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) May 20. (REUTERS)

plan to review a controversial deployment of the THAAD U.S. anti-missile system in the South that is angrily opposed by China, which sees its powerful radar as a threat to its security.

“Saying with pride that the missile’s rate of hits is very accurate and Pukguksong-2 is a successful strategic weapon, he approved the deployment of this weapon system for action,” KCNA said, quoting Kim. “EARTH IS BEAUTIFUL” The launch verified the reliability and accuracy of the solid-fuel engine’s operation and stage separation and the late-stage guidance of the nuclear warhead which was recorded by a device mounted on the warhead, KCNA said.

“Viewing the images of the Earth being sent real-time from the camera mounted on the ballistic missile, Supreme leader Kim Jong Un said it feels grand to look at the Earth from the rocket we launched and the entire

world looks so beautiful,” KCNA said.

The use of solid fuel presents advantages for weapons because the fuel is more stable and can be transported easily in the missile’s tank allowing for a launch at very short notice.

The Pukguksong-2 flew about 500 km (310 miles), reachinganaltitudeof560km, South Korea’s military said.

The South’s military said the test provided more “meaningful data” for the North’s missile programme but whether the North mastered the re-entry technology for the warhead needs additional analysis.

The reclusive state has been working to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of striking the U.S. mainland and on Saturday said it had developed the capability, although Western missile experts say the claim is exaggerated. Some experts believe it will be 2030 or later for the North to develop the technology.

But KCNA said last week’s missile test put Hawaii and

Alaska within range.

North Korea regularly threatens to destroy the United States which it accuses of preparing for invasion. South Korea hosts 28,500 U.S. troops to counter the threat from the North, a legacy of the 195053 Korean War. JAPAN “CANNOT TOLERATE LAUNCH” Experts say solid fuel engines and mobile launchers make it more difficult to detect signs of launch preparations.

“For military purposes, solid-fuelled missiles have the advantage that they have the fuel loaded in them and can be launched quickly after they are moved to a launch site,” David Wright, co-director of the Global Security Program at the U.S.-based Union of Concerned Scientists, said in a blog post.

“Building large solid missiles is difficult,” he said, adding it took decades for major superpowers such as France and China to go

from a medium-range missile to an intercontinental ballistic missile.

U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that a “major, major conflict” with North Korea is possible, and in a show of force, sent the Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group to Korean waters to conduct drills with South Korea and Japan.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said economic and diplomatic pressure would continue.

“We cannot absolutely tolerate the missile launch on May 21 and repeated provocative remarks and actions by North Korea,” Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Monday.

“It is important to lower North Korea’s foreign currency earnings and prevent nuclear missile related shipment and technological transfer in order to prevent North Korea’s nuclear missile development. We will fully implement our own sanctions against North Korea.”

China repeated its call for all parties to exercise restraint to not let tension mount further.

On Monday, the South’s Unification Ministry spokesman Lee Dukhaeng said while Seoul will respond firmly to any provocations by the North, “it would not be desirable to have ties between the South and the North severed.”

Moon took office on May 10 after winning an election on a platform of a more moderate approach to the North, with which the South is still technically at war since no peace treaty was signed at the end of their 1950-1953 conflict.

NASA plans emergency spacewalk on International Space Station CAPE CANAVERAL, MAy 22 (REuTERs): A pair of astronauts will venture outside the International Space Station on Tuesday for an emergency spacewalk to replace a failed computer, one of two that control major U.S. systems aboard the orbiting outpost, NASA said on Sunday.

The primary device failed on Saturday, leaving the $100 billion orbiting laboratory to depend on a backup system to route commands to its solar power system, radiators, cooling loops and other equipment.

The station’s current five-member crew from the United States, Russia and France were never in any danger, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said in a statement. Station commander Peggy Whitson and flight engineer Jack Fischer, both with NASA, will partner for the spacewalk, which is expected to last

two hours, the U.S. space agency said.

Earlier on Sunday, Whitson assembled and tested a spare electronics box to replace the failed device, which had been installed during a spacewalk on March 30, said NASA spokesman Dan Huot. NASA’s last emergency spacewalk took place in December 2015 when two U.S. astronauts left the station to release the brakes on a robot arm’s mobile transporter. The ISS, which is staffed by rotating crews of astronauts and cosmonauts, serves as a research laboratory for biology, life science, materials science and physics experiments, as well as astronomical observations and Earth remote sensing. The station, owned and operated by 15 nations, flies about 250 miles (400 km) above Earth and orbits the planet about every 90 minutes. It has been continuously staffed since 2000.

NAGALAND POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

NPCB/Plastic-2/8210

Dated: 11.05.2017

PUBLIC NOTICE ON PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT RULES, 2016

All Manufacturers, Importers, Stockiest, Distributers, Sellers and Users of plastic and compostable carrybags are hereby informed that the compliance with following provisions of the Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules, 2016, be ensured forthwith; i. Thickness of petro-based plastic carrybags/films shall not be <50µm (fifty micron), except compostable carrybags; ii. Sachets/Pouches used for packing of pan masala, tobacco & gutkha shall not be made of plastic material including VMCH (Vinyl Acetate-Maleic Acid- Vinyl Chloride); iii. Retailers and the street vendors shall not sell or provide commodities to consumers in plastic carrybags or plastic sheets or multilayered packaging, which are not manufactured and labeled or marked, as prescribed under the Rule. iv. The shopkeepers and street vendors willing to provide plastic carrybags for dispensing any commodity shall register with Local Body. The Local Body by notification or on order under their appropriate State statue or byelaws shall make provisions for such registration on payment of plastic waste management fee of minimum rupees forty-eight thousand (` 48,000/-) @ rupees four thousand (` 4,000/-) per month. The concerned Local Body may prescribe higher plastic waste management fee, depending upon sale capacity. The registered shopkeepers shall display at prominent place that plastic carry bags are given on payment; v. Compostable (bio-based) carrybags can be the alternate to petro-based plastic carrybags. The compostable carrybags conforming Indian Standard: IS/ISO: 17088 are permitted, however the provision of thickness criteria is not applicable on them.

The manufacturers and sellers of compostable carrybags/films shall obtain certificate from CPCB before marketing and selling of such carrybags/films. For this purpose, application shall be made to CPCB as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), as amended time to time. The SOP is available on CPCB’s Website: cpcb.nic.in/ Plastic_waste.php vi. All the unlicensed and unregistered plastic carrybags/films manufacturing units running in residential areas (unapproved area) shall be closed down by the concerned District Magistrate/Deputy Commissioners/Municipal Authority/ SPCB/ PCCs under its jurisdiction. vii. Local Bodies and Gram Panchayat/Village Councils shall ensure that open burning of plastic waste does not take place.

Any person found violating the provisions of the PWM Rules, 2016 shall be liable to be penalized under Section 15 of the Environment (Protection) Act (EPA), 1986 (i.e. imprisonment with term to 5 years with fine which may extend to Rs. 1 lakh or with both, and incase of failure or contravention continues, with additional fine, which may extend to Rs. 5,000/- every day) (Rusovil John), Member Secretary

10

TuesDAY 23•05•2017

sports

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Five things we learned from ipl-10 Bengaluru FC beat Mohun - Match fixing ghost returns Just when the matchfixing spectre seemed to have disappeared from the world's most lucrative cricket league, a betting ring was busted after a Gujarat Lions-Dehli Daredevils game. Three suspected bookies were arrested at the hotel used by the teams in Kanpur.

While the Indian board boasted of their anticorruption team working overtime to keep the league clean, the presence of fixers in the hotel raised eyebrows. A spot-fixing scandal in 2013 led to the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals being suspended in 2015 for two seasons.

Mumbai Indians celebrate their triumph, Mumbai Indians v Rising Pune Supergiant, IPL final, Hyderabad, May 21, 2017. (BCCI Photo)

Hyderab ad, May 22 (aFP): Five things we learned from the 10th Indian Premier Premier league after Mumbai Indians beat Rising Pune Supergiant in Sunday's final: - Big buy Stokes a 'perfect fit' Ben Stokes finally repaid the $2.16 million worth of faith Rising Pune Supergiant placed in him.

The Englishman was the most expensive foreigner ever signed for the IPL and the best paid player this season. He was key in Pune's impressive campaign to reach the knockout phase. After some poor early performances the Stokes' deal was ques-

tioned, but the 25-year-old eventually hit 316 runs in 12 matches, with a high of 103 not out. He also took 12 wickets to bust the big buy, big waste tag. Pune skipper Steve Smith heaped praise on Stokes, terming him a "perfect fit" for the team.

- Foreign interest on the rise Big guns like Chris Gayle and David Warner have always raised the IPL entertainment quotient but the influx of England players this year made it even more cosmopolitan. IPL teams welcomed them with open arms at the February auctions and the eight-strong English contingent was double the number last

season. Stokes, Eoin Morgan (Kings XI Punjab), Chris Woakes (Kolkata Knight Riders) and Jos Buttler (Mumbai Indians) were important performers for their teams. The season also saw the first Afghan players signed up, with Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi going to Sunrisers Hyderabad. "The participation of players from around the world makes it the biggest draw," said IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla.

- IPL picks up the pace Fast bowlers are back.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Sunrisers Hyderabad), Jaydev Unadkat (Rising Pune Supergiant) and Mitchell McClenaghan (Mumbai

Indians) made up the top three in the IPL bowlers rankings and the impact of seamers was evident this season. While Kumar took 26 scalps to get the purple cap for highest wicket taker in season 10, Unadkat (24 wickets) was instrumental in Pune's success. Mumbai also rode on McClenaghan's incisive bowling in the first six overs and fellow pacemen Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell Johnson's ability to choke the opposition in the dying overs. "It's a huge achievement for fast bowlers to have made an impact in T20 cricket which is not an easy format for the quicks," former India paceman Chetan Sharma told AFP.

- IPL rain rules cause a cloud Debate erupted over the IPL's rain rules after an eliminator between holders Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders ended at 1.27 am.

Rain stopped play after the Sunrisers managed a modest 128-7 in 20 overs and Kolkata were then given a revised target of 48 in six overs. Many believe the current DuckworthLewis method should not be used in the 20 over format as it gives an undue advantage to the team batting second -- Kolkata won by seven wickets. But the bone of contention remained the IPL ruling of not having a reserve day for play-offs except the final and thus allowing the match to stretch to get a result. Kolkata paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile said: "You can't be playing cricket at 2 am".

Bagan to lift Federation Cup

CuttaCk, May 22 (IaNS): A brace from C.K. Vineeth in the second period of extra time saw Bengaluru FC beat Mohun Bagan 2-0 to be crowned the Federation Cup champions at the Barabati Stadium here on Sunday.

After both sides played out a 0-0 draw in regulation time, it took two strikes from substitute Vineeth to settle the tie. His first, came after the striker took two touches in the box before firing it low and with the help of a deflection, past Debjit Majumder in the Mohun Bagan goal in the 107th minute.

The second, on the counter, saw the striker feint twice before a shot that had too much on it for Debjit to handle as it was parried into the net in the 118th minute.

The win was a salvation for Bengaluru, who finished an underwhelming fourth in the I-League. The loss meant that Bagan ended the season without a trophy. Having finished second to Aizawl in the ILeague, Bagan were playing their record 20th final in the Fed Cup. Bengaluru thought they had their lead in the 19th minute when Udanta Singh volleyed home Eugueneson Lyngdoh's take in stunning fashion only for the assistant referee to disallow the goal after Len Doungel, who got a start, in an off-side position, seemed to have got a bit of leg on the ball on its way in.

There was a second big chance only two minutes later when Udanta tried to cheekily flick in Lenny's low cross but De-

bjit Majumder got enough of a hand to push it out for a corner.

Sandesh Jhingan made a goalline clearance from a Yusa Katsumi shot in the 31st minute in what would be Mohun Bagan's only real chance in the first period.

While Bengaluru had nothing to complain about Udanta's disallowed goal in the first half, they were justified in feeling robbed when Juanan Gonzalez's legitimate prod from close in the 49th minute was wrongly flagged off side.

John Johnson headed a free kick from Udanta across the face of the goal and the Blues' Spanish defender was well on side as he put the ball at the back of the net only for Bengaluru celebrations to be cut short by a flag that should have stayed down.

Things soon got frenetic at both ends.

Amrinder Singh pulled off a blinder of a save, getting his fingertips on a goalbound rasping strike from Balwant Singh.

Bengaluru soon answered with a counter. Set up by Harmanjot Khabra, Udanta spotted Majumder charging off his line and lobbed to 'keeper only to see the ball bounce wide.

But the young winger, who was having a fantastic night, ended up pulling a muscle in the bargain, forcing Roca to bring on Vineeth.

Bagan then had a flurry of corners in added time of the second half but the Bengaluru defence did enough to see the danger away and take the game to extra time.

public discourse

Reflections on the crisis of Village Council Elections in Nagaland: The Case of Mekokla Village under Wokha District Dr. Zuchamo Yanthan

Faculty, School of Social Sciences, IGNOU, New Delhi

V

illage council is a very important component of the modern government system, which occupies a very significant position in Naga society. The village council is having the overall authority for the administration of justice within the village territory. Under the Nagaland Village and Area Act, 1978, every recognised village in the state will have a village council. This Act provides important powers and functions of village council such as, to formulate village development schemes and to supervise proper maintenance of water supply, roads, forest, education and other welfare activities, to help various Government agencies in carrying out development works in the village, to take development works on its own initiative or on request by the Government, to constitute a village development board, to empower certain Acts in the event of epidemic. In fact, the village council has the full power to deal with the internal administration of the village, maintenance of law and order, enforce orders passed by competent authority. The Act clearly states that ‘the village council members will choose the chairman’. It is on this issue of election of the chairman of the village council of Mekokla that the present crisis is centred.

social problems in Mekokla?

• Is the delay because of the negligence from the concerned department?

• Is the MLA of this constituency aware about the prevalent situation?

• What possible suggestions can emerge out of the present study for providing future directions?

The origin of the problem The origin of the crisis came up on the election of ‘Village Council Member’ (VCM).

On investigating the issue, it was revealed that a handful of people from Mekokla had submitted a complaint letter to Mr.Robin Kikon, the then deputy commissioner of Wokha in April 2016. The complainants demanded that all the village council members (VCM) must be a ‘permanent resident’ of Mekokla village.

On receiving the complaint, the then DC of Wokha immediately directed the EAC of Aitpyong to investigate the issue and report the matter.

Government’s Investigation of the problem On direction of the then DC of Wokha, Mr.Imliakhum Ao, EAC of Aitpyong visited Mekokla to investigate the matter. The investigation revealed that all the names nominated for VCM (Village Council Member) are a permanent resident of Mekokla village having every right to be nominated as VCM and also be elected as village council chairman.

The EAC of Aitpyong had clarified to the gathMekokla Village- Where is it situated? ering the meaning of the term ‘Permanent The present paper is focused on Mekokla Resident’, which was earlier misunderstood village, which is situated in Wokha District by the people who had raised the issue. falling under 40 Bhandari constituency. The constituency is without any doubt one of the The social unrest that had followed after largest constituencies in Nagaland having government’s intervention more than 70 villages and covering above 50 Inspite of Government’s best intervenkms. For many people in Nagaland, the dis- tion in making the people of Mekokla uncovery of this reality may come as a big sur- derstand the government’s guidelines, the prise. The constituency is so large that any social unrest continued where physical asMLA representing the constituency bears a saults, pelting of stones at some buildings, huge challenge in meeting and fulfilling the verbal assaults and several intimidations expectations of the people. Mekokla being were witnessed and experienced by many situated at the extreme part of Wokha District people in the village. The situation went out and constituency has as a huge disadvantage of control when people started experiencregarding many developmental activities in ing a ‘fear psychosis’ in Mekokla. On visit to the state.

Mekokla in June 2016 and December 2016, the author had interviewed few people who Questions: were a victim of social disorder in Mekokla.

Presently, Nagaland state has 1530 recog- The findings indicate that Mekokla is expenised villages. Out of which, except few, all riencing a severe social crisis. had elected their village council chairman.

Basically, there seems to be a fall out of The present study will try to investigate to pro- several anti-social elements together and vide answers to the following questions: complicating the situation. Secondly, there • Why Mekokla village along with few is high drop out rates of students from varivillages were left out when rest had ous institutions in Mekokla and frustrations conducted the election of the village seem to be articulating in the present unrest. council chairman?

It seems that a disgruntled faction of citizens • What are the possible reasons behind who are rendered not eligible to contest in the delay? this election due to their track record also • Is the delay because of the prevalent played a role in fermenting the unrest.

The outcome of Mekokla citizens’ meeting held on 10th May, 2016: Ultimately, the social turmoil atmosphere in Mekokla compelled Mekoklains settled across Nagaland to gather in the village on 10th May, 2016, to resolve the issue amicably over a peaceful dialogue and understanding.

This is one of the most beautiful things the Mekoklains settled across Nagaland had contributed towards the welfare of their village.

The meeting was conducted where all citizens present in the meeting unanimously resolved to pass strict regulations for eligibility criteria to be nominated as VCM. The idea of passing a strict resolution came into being for safety, upholding of integrity and maintaining sanctity of the village council. The unanimous resolution was then drafted and took the approval of the general public and submitted to the then DC of Wokha district along with a fresh list of the nominated members of VCM. The approved list of VCM was submitted in May, 2016.

The Mystery behind the delay in the arrival of the approved list of VCM The larger question now is how the approval of VCM of Mekokla village took complete one year? Since there were many villages in Nagaland under similar circumstances, how Mekokla was one of the villages that were singled out in delaying the process? Was the delay possibly because of the delay in submitting the nominated names of VCM or could it be because of overlooking the issue by the concerned department? Did the constituency representative ever intervene to speed up the process or did anyone intimate the situation to the representative?

Finally, after much waiting (May 2016May 2017), the home department of Nagaland sent the approved list of names of VCM and further given direction to deputy commissioner’s office of Wokha to go ahead with the election of village council chairman. On receiving the approved list and the notification, April, 2017, the present DC of Wokha, Mr.Wezope Kenye immediately processed the formalities and gave direction to EAC of Aitpyong to issue the order, which was efficiently executed without wasting time.

The event that followed after the notification As soon as the election date was announced, the fear atmosphere in Mekokla slowly appeared again. The village atmosphere worsened when a certain section of people in Mekokla filed complaint letter demanding for general election for village council Chairman, which was unconstitutional. Since the village council had enough experience of negative social atmosphere in the village, perhaps they were not able to withstand the pressure from few sections of

people who were demanding something that was completely unconstitutional. Therefore, under such circumstances, general election was signalled to go ahead. Since the election was conducted against the decision of the village council, none of the approved members of VCM had participated.

The larger question now is, who had initiated the complaint and under whose initiative the pressure group was formed to force the village council to take a decision that went completely against the guidelines of the government? Do government guidelines permit them to conduct general body election for the village chairman? Further, will the government undertake proper investigations to bring justice to those who had taken the law in their hands? These are the questions to government which need to be asked.

How the government of Nagaland will deliver justice to the people of Mekokla?

After investigating and analysing the entire sequence on the issue, there arise many questions unanswered. Here, one has to turn to the government authority to provide answers to their problems. Who is responsible for violating the government’s regulations? What kind of authority they hold to go against government’s guidelines? Why people had to pressurise when they are already aware of the government guidelines? What were their motives behind this?

Whose brain child is it? Who is responsible for spreading fear psychosis in Mekokla village? Who is responsible for misusing the spirit of democracy by unnecessarily filing complaints after complaints questioning the guidelines passed by the government of Nagaland? What will be government’s response to people who had experienced humiliation in the hands of those people who had taken the law in their hands? What made the people of Mekokla remain silent without giving any reports of their shame and sufferings? Is the silence maintained by the people of Mekokla a manifestation of mistrust on the governmental systems for delivery of justice for their shame and sufferings? How long will the people of Mekokla witness the loss of their dreams, hopes and aspirations because of living under the shadow of ‘Culture of Fear and Shame’?

Findings of the study Major findings of the present study are as follows: 1.There is certainly leadership crisis in Mekokla 2.There is urgency of establishing strong, efficient and cohesive village council in Mekokla 3.There are high drop out rate of students in Mekokla who may contribute to the vio-

lent activities in the village if measures are not taken to counsel them 4.There is a lack of respect towards the village council 5.There is high presence of antisocial elements in Mekokla which requires immediate intervention from the government authority 6.The past records of the village council elections in Mekokla also indicate that these elections were conducted with great hardship.

7.There is a lack of developmental activities in Mekokla which may be turning people towards frustration.

The way forward After investigating and analysing the village scenario in Mekokla, there are several findings which are alarming for healthy existence and administration in Mekokla. Therefore, the author puts forward the following points: • There is an urgent need on the part of government of Nagaland to intervene in the election process in Mekokla village for providing new leadership for addressing the prevalent issues and challenges.

• Once the government of Nagaland notifies for conduct of elections of village council chairman, a survey must be conducted to study the village environment whether it is conducive to conduct the election.

• For villages where social crisis are prevalent, government must intervene effectively. If necessary, must provide security measures for conducting fair and peaceful elections.

• There are high possibilities that villages having high drop out rates of students may tend to live in frustration, which may contribute to the village social environment. In this regard, government must support schools for providing good orientation and personal counselling to students who are likely to have such tendencies.

• There must be strict legal action against those who take the village council law in their hands. Such strict legal actions against these may control and eliminate breeding point of anti-social elements in the village.

• There is an urgent need to address the concerns of development in Mekokla.

Only developmental efforts can prevent people from becoming frustrated.

In conclusion, the crises of the village council elections indicate a deeper malaise.

This concerns the very prospects of development of the village and its social, educational and economic growth.

(The author is a social science researcher based in New Delhi and President of Naga Scholars’ Association)

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.

Tuesday 23•05•2017

EntErtainmEnt

DRAKE Breaks Adele’s Billboard Awards Record D

Sonam charms Cannes red carpet with her distinct, elegant look

rake has surpassed Adele’s record at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, picking up 13 awards. Adele set a record at the show in 2012 with 12 wins. The rapper, who walked into the show Sunday with 22 nominations, won top artist, top male artist and top Billboard 200 album (“Views”), among others, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “I got my whole family up here,” said Drake, who stood onstage with nearly two dozen people, including his father, Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj.

Drake was presented the top artist award by Prince Jackson, the late Michael Jackson’s eldest son. Drake beat out Beyonce, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Adele, Ariana Grande, the Weeknd, twenty one pilots, Shawn Mendes and the Chainsmokers for the top prize. Of those nominees, only Drake and the Chainsmokers attended the Billboard Awards.

P

bassador, posed with actresses Andie MacDowell and Araya A Hargate at the event.

The actress also took to Instagram to share her red carpet look from the festival.

"I know who I am. I am not perfect. I'm not the most beautiful woman in the world. But I'm one of them.

Mary J. Blige #sonamatcannes #sonamatcannes #kalyanjewellery," she wrote alongside one of the photos.

She decided to take a little piece of India at the festival for her first appearance at the gala as she stepped out in a sari earlier in the day.

Her unicorn coloured sari was designed by NorBlack NorWhite, a label created by Canadian-born designers Mriga Kapadiya and Amrit Kumar.

riyanka Chopra’s debut Hollywood film Baywatch was cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) with an ‘A’ rating on Friday. The action-comedy co-starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron has been recommended five cuts - one visual and four verbal, according to a report.

The series, made famous across TV screens in the ‘90’s for its shots of women running on beaches in slowmotion, will retain similar images in the film, says Subhash K Jha, reporting for DNA. Speaking to the tabloid, CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani says: “There was no rationale to cut the bikini images.

For one, the series ran on satellite television in India for years and contained lengthy shots of women in bikinis. But those expecting the film to arrive untouched will be disappointed. Several instances of swearing have been asked to be removed, adds Nihalani.

“Baywatch is crammed with cuss words and filthy language. We deleted portions where we thought the smutty language was unnecessary. But we’ve allowed the bad language in several dialogues because we felt cutting them took away from the flavour and intention of the words. I’d like to stress that we’ve given an ‘A’ certificate, not just for the bikinis, but for the strong language as well.”

Priyanka Chopra plays the villain Victoria Leeds in the film, who challenges the team of lifeguard led by Dwayne Johnson. Baywatch is scheduled for a June 2 release. The film is directed by Seth Gordon and also stars Alexandra Daddario, Kelly Rohrbach, Ilfenesh Hadera and Jon Bass, with cameos by original TV show actors Pamela Anderson and David Hasselhoff.

Source: PTI

Source: Hindustan Times

Source: AP

Jessica Chastain to play Ingrid Bergman for Yash Raj Films S

I

n a huge leap, Yash Raj Films is all set to feature Hollywood star Jessica Chastain in their next project, Seducing Ingrid Bergman. A press statement from the production house claimed YRF has joined hands with Jessica and her company - Freckle Films to produce the film. The film is based on Chris Greenhalgh’s book by the same name.

Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actor who won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, a BAFTA Award, and the Tony Award for Best Actress. Seducing Ingrid Bergman tells the story of the torrid romance between the famed Casablanca actress and celebrated war photographer Robert Capa that began in Paris immediately following World C M Y K

onam Kapoor showed off her another iconic look from Cannes fashion diaries as the actress slayed the gala's red carpet in a striking Elie Saab ensemble.

This is 31-year-old actress' seventh year at the French Riveria and she made sure that her outfit stood out from the rest.

The diva appeared coruscating in the exquisite pink gown with a long train and bell sleeves. Teaming it with custom made rose gold jewellery from Kalyan Jewelers and hair tied in a loose bun, Sonam carried the look with a lot of panache.

She accentuated her eyes with La Palette Nude eyeshadow in gold and True Match Lumi Power in rose, finishing it with superliner black lacquer and dollops of superstar mascara.

Sonam, who walked the red carpet as L'Oreal Paris India brand am-

War II, and culminates with Capa following her back to Hollywood at the time of the McCarthy Communist witch hunts.

“We are thrilled to be working with YRF and Arash Amel on Seducing Ingrid Bergman. This is a captivating story about a deeply moving romance between two remarkable people,” said Freckle Films’ president Kelly Carmichael.

“Jessica Chastain is the perfect actress to star in Seducing Ingrid Bergman. Jessica is no stranger to portraying strong, intelligent women and this role deserves an actress of her immeasurable talent. We also feel that she will bring a unique perspective as a producer,” YRF CEO Uday Chopra said.

Source: Hindustan Times

Cher Receives Icon Award At 2017

T

here’s no need to turn back time because the one and only Cher was honored for her incredible career with the 2017 Icon Award at the BBMAs on May 21. The showbiz queen had the trophy presented to her by another amazing female powerhouse, Gwen Stefani, 47. She gushed about the superstar’s artistry and willing to take on creative changes in her introduction, before Cher made her grand entrance, where she performed her timeless love anthem “Believe” and had the entire singing along.

Gwen handed the troaudience in Las Vegas’ TMobile on their feed and phy to the 71-year-old na-

tional treasure, who gave the mother of all acceptance speeches. “I’ve wanted to do what I do since I was four-year-old and I’ve been doing it for 53 years.” she said as the audience went wild. “Not an applause thing, I’m 71 yesterday and I can do a five minute plank,” she joked.

“I want to thank my mom,” who she said told her she would never be the most talented or most beautiful, but “you’re going to be special. And when I met Sonny he said the same thing. I’ve had the greatest people to work with.” She refreshingly added, “I think luck has so much to do with my

success, with a little bit of something else thrown in.”

The singer has a number one song on the Billboard charts every decade from the 1960’s to the 2010’s and has sold 100 million albums worldwide.

Talk about staying power!

The night was so incredibly special, because in addition to receiving the Icon Award, she performed live on a televised awards show for the first time in 15 years!

She even performed “If I Could Turn Back Time,” wearing her giant curly wig and peek-a-boo costume that she wore in the iconic 1989 music video.

Source: Hollywood life

gets CFBC rating, five cuts

12

Tuesday 23•05•2017

SPORTS

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Ronaldo fires Real to first title since 2012 with win at Malaga

Real Madrid celebrate after winning La Liga. (Reuters)

C M Y K

BARCELONA, MAy 22 (REutERs): Real Madrid ended a five-year wait to win La Liga on Sunday as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema secured a 2-0 win at Malaga which clinched a 33rd league triumph.

Barcelona fought back from two goals down to beat Eibar 4-2 but the result could not stop Real from lifting the trophy.

Real finished the campaign on 93 points, three clear of last year's champions Barca.

Zinedine Zidane's men only needed a draw to wrap up the title in their final game of the season and raced into the lead when

Ronaldo latched onto a through ball from Isco to round Carlos Kameni. That goal ensured Real scored in every league game this season.

Malaga had nothing to play for but made a fist of the game and it took a fine save from Keylor Navas to prevent former Barca player Sandro Ramirez levelling from a freekick later in the first half and the striker also came close from a header.

Real also wasted chances to stretch their lead before Benzema bundled the ball in on the rebound in the 55th minute after Kameni had saved from Sergio Ramos following a corner.

"Just as throughout the season we did it in the end with hard work and by fighting," Zidane told reporters.

"With the type of squad we have we only have to think about working, it's been a very hard fought league win, difficult at some moments, but after 38 games there's no better feeling than being at the top."

There was a brief moment of concern when Ronaldo needed treatment after falling awkwardly from a challenge but the Portuguese, who scored for the fifth time in three league games, was able to finish the game, easing Ma-

drid's anxieties before the Champions League final against Juventus on June 3.

The result secured Real a sixth straight league win since going down 3-2 to Barca in April.

Barca fell two goals behind in their final game of the season against Eibar as Japanese forward Takashi Inui scored either side of the break with two thumping finishes in off the crossbar although the Catalans fought back to win 4-2 with the help of a double from the league's top scorer Lionel Messi.

"The game was a demonstration of what the team has been like in the last few years. We never give up, al-

though we couldn't finish the year how we wanted to," said Barca coach Luis Enrique.

"We weren't consistent enough throughout the season, especially in home games, and in the end we've paid for that."

The Catalans had missed a slew of chances before then and had a goal ruled out but they got a lucky break when Eibar defender David Junca inadvertently sent a loose ball into his own net after Neymar had hit the post.

Luis Suarez knocked in the equaliser in the 73rd minute after Messi had missed a penalty although the Argentine compensated by converting a second spotkick in the 75th and then rounded off the scoring in injury time.

Messi finished the season as top scorer in the league with 37 strikes, ahead of Suarez on 29 and Ronaldo on 25.

Also on Sunday Atletico Madrid said farewell to their beloved Vicente Calderon stadium in the most fitting manner with a 3-1 win over Athletic Bilbao thanks to a double by homegrown hero Fernando Torres on Sunday before they move to a new ground.

Atletico finished third with 78 points while Athletic missed out on sixth and a qualifying round spot in next season's Europa League to Basque rivals Real Sociedad, who snatched a 2-2 draw at Celta Vigo with an added time leveller from striker Juanmi.

Athletic are seventh but can still earn a place in the Europa League if Barcelona win the King's Cup.

Make Football Happen: Free Peren District Open grassroots camp underway Badminton Tournament P E R E N, M Ay 2 2 (MExN): The Peren District Badminton Association would be conducting Selection-cum-Open Badminton Tournament of Peren district for the forthcoming Inter District Badminton

Participants of free football grassroots camp with coaches in Kohima on May 22. (Morung Photo) Our Correspondent Kohima| May 22

A five day long free football grassroots camp under the aegis of Nagaland Football Coaches Association (NFCA) got underway here today at the Kohima Local Ground under the theme “Make Football Happen.”

Several children in the age group of 6 to 12 years are taking part in this camp, which will conclude on May 26.

Talking to media persons, NFCA president Roko Angami said this coaching camp has been initiated to promote football at the grassroots,

which is of utmost necessity to take football forward at the higher level.

He said the Association is planning to cover all the districts of the state. Conduct of grassroots tournament is also on the card.

Meanwhile, the time for this camp has been rescheduled to 3:30 pm daily.

Arsenal owner Kroenke says his shares in club not for sale LONdON, MAy 22 (REutERs): Arsenal majority owner Stan Kroenke's KSE (Kroenke Sports & Entertainment) UK Inc said on Monday its shares in the Premier League club were not for sale after media reports that the club's second-largest investor had made an offer to buy out Kroenke.

"KSE is a committed, long-term investor in Arsenal and will remain so," KSE UK said in a statement, adding that its shares in the club have never been for sale.

Alisher Usmanov, a Russian billionaire who owns 30 percent of Arsenal, made the $1.3 billion offer in a letter to American billionaire Kroenke, who controls 67 percent of the club, the Financial Times reported on Friday.

Kroenke's business and

Los Angeles Rams and Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke before the match. (Reuters)

sports empire also includes the U.S. Denver Nuggets basketball team and the Rams American Football team.

Arsenal fans have been disappointed by the team's performances this season and manager Arsene Wenger said last week that a decision on his future will be made at a board meeting

following the FA Cup final against Chelsea on Saturday.

Arsenal failed to clinch a top-four place in the Premier League, which will have a significant financial impact as they have not qualified for the lucrative European Champions League for the first time in 20 seasons.

Medical XI edge Morung United in Morning Premier League KOhiMA, MAy 22 (MExN): The ongoing Morning Premier League witnessed a thriller as Medical XI edged Morung United at the Kohima Local Ground on Monday.

The match saw seven goals being scored – four of the goals coming in the first 10 minutes of play – as Medical XI beat Morung 4-3.

Neiphre opened the scoring in the 5th minute before teammate Longai made it 2-0 for Medical XI in the 8th minute. However, two quick goals in as many minutes from Zabhi (9th and 10 minutes) pulled Morung United level.

Kekhrie put the Medical side into the lead seven minutes later but Morung levelled again in the 35th minute after being awarded a penalty – Lithung stepped up and slotted the ball home. Three minutes later, Kekhri added his second and his team’s fourth as Medical XI held on for precious three points.

With the win, Medical XI with 25 points leapfrogged Power Comm (24 points) into second place while Morung United remain 6th with 17 points.

Tournament under various categories from June 7 to 9 at Indoor Stadium, Jalukie Town. A press release from the PDBA has requested interested players to submit entry forms to the association latest by June 5.

Japan's Shiro Ken, right, lands a right on the face of Mexican champion Ganigan Lopez in the third round of their WBC light flyweight boxing world title match in Tokyo, Saturday, May 20, 2017. Ken won the title by a 2-0 decision. (AP Photo)

Mokokchung's Dazzlers fight odds to compete in Basketball tourney

Players of the Highland Dazzlers during a practice session at QMHSS basketball court.

(Morung Photo) Morung Express News Mokokchung | May 22

Mokokchung’s most prominent basketball club, the Highland Dazzlers, will be participating at the Sun City Basketball Tournament at Kohima for which a twelvemember squad along with three management staff will be leaving for the state capital tomorrow.

This is the first time that the club, or any team from Mokokchung, will be competing in a basketball tournament outside of Mokokchung since the Highland Dazzlers’ last exploits in 2008-09.

The team comprises of young boys whom the

management claimed could possibly be the “youngest team” at the ensuing tournament. The boys playing for Highland Dazzlers were picked by the management with the objective of promoting basketball in Mokokchung who underwent practice sessions under their supervision at the Queen Mary Higher Secondary School basketball court.

The Highland Dazzlers, a basketball club formed in the year 2001, rued at the lack of a basketball court in Mokokchung and expressed gratitude to the QMHSS authority for permitting them to practice in the school’s court.

Basketball enthusiasts in Mokokchung, it was claimed, were left with no avenue to play the game or organize tournaments despite strong fan following of the sport owing to the non-existence of a basketball court in town. The only basketball court at Imkongmeren Sports Complex was subsumed by the on-progress construction of P. Shilu Ao Park.

Meanwhile, the Highland Dazzlers have expressed gratitude to all the groups, individuals and well-wishers who have come forward to contribute and support them in “representing Mokokchung at Kohima.”

Celtics rally to beat Cavaliers in NBA East Finals

Avery Bradley (R) of the Boston Celtics passes against Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Three of the 2017 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 21. (AFP Photo)

LOs ANgELEs, MAy 22 (AFP): Avery Bradley rattled in a game-winning three pointer at the buzzer as the Boston Celtics clawed their way back into the Eastern Conference final with a 111-108 win over Cleveland on Sunday.

Boston cut the Cavaliers series lead to 2-1 as their improbable victory came despite the absence of star guard Isaiah Thomas, who is out for the remainder of the NBA season with a hip injury.

"Everybody had to step up their game, especially

with one of our brothers down," Thomas' replacement Marcus Smart said.

"We haven't really had a great shooting performance this series, but tonight was one of those nights. We fought and came out with the victory."

Game four of the Eastern Conference finals is Tuesday.

Cleveland not only surrendered a 21-point lead in game three but blew chances to set a playoff record for consecutive wins (14) dating to game five of last year's finals, and to become

the fourth team in history to start the playoffs 11-0.

"I didn't have it tonight," James said. "We have been playing so well, but when another team is playing that well then you know that the team that gets the last shot is going to win."

Smart scored a careerhigh 27 points and Bradley added 20.

"The key for us was to chip away," said Bradley of the Celtics, who made 18 three-pointers for the game.

"We needed to get stops and make plays on the offensive end."

Al Horford added 16 points and Kelly Olynyk contributed 15 off the bench for the Celtics, who were beaten by an average of 28.5 points in the first two games.

The Celtics also kept Cavaliers superstar LeBron James in check Sunday.

James finished with just 11 points on four-of-13 shooting and was held scoreless in the fourth quarter. He also had five turnovers.

Kyrie Irving paced the Cleveland offense with 29 points and Kevin Love added 28 points and 10 rebounds. Tristan Thompson scored 18 points.

The Cavaliers shot just two-of-17 from three-point range in the second half but still led by as many as 21 points in the third.

Cleveland dominated the Celtics so thoroughly in the first two games that not many gave Boston a chance on Sunday, especially without their top player Thomas in the lineup.

But Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue expected Boston to battle to the end.

"They have a scrappy team," he said.

Coming into Sunday's contest, the Cavaliers had lost just one game at home to an Eastern team in the playoffs dating to 2015.

"You have to have some type of adversity to be successful," James said. "So I am happy it happened now.

We have to regroup and get back to playing desperate basketball."

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