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SunDAY • november 27• 2016
DIMAPUR • Vol. XI • Issue 326 • 12 PAGes • 5
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The best work is not what is most difficult for you; it is what you do best Sünepmenla is Miss Mokokchung 2016 PAGE 11
8 more test positive for Dengue in Dimapur Morung Express News Dimapur | November 26
The number of Dengue cases has risen 124. These were out of 699 suspected blood samples tested so far at the Sentinel Surveillance Site Lab, District Hospital, Dimapur. As per tests conducted on November 25, 8 positive cases were detected on November 25 out of 42 suspected samples in Dimapur. Meanwhile, 2 officials from the Central Health & Family Welfare Department visited Nagaland to hold a review meeting at Kohima on November 25. While it was stated to be a routine affair held at regular intervals, the current Dengue outbreak in Dimapur was reported to have featured in the discussions of the meeting. Dr. Kevichusa Medikhru, State Programme Officer, National Vector Borne Diseases Control Programme (NVBDCP), described the November 25 meeting as routine ‘State Review Meeting’ held quarterly to assess the vector-borne disease control programme in the state. Malaria was the central feature of the discussions with the Central officials also updated on the Dengue outbreak in Dimapur, Dr. Kevichusa informed. According to Dr. Kevichusa, the incidence of Dengue is showing a declining trend. Asked on the measures being planned and adopted to thwart a similar outbreak next year, he said that the department is looking into it and would also seek to rope in the municipal council and the departments of Urban Development and the PHE for preventive measures.
LBCA voice concern over UCC
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DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 26 (MExN): The Lotha Baptist Churches Association (LBCA) today expressed concern at the introduction of Uniform Civil Code by the Government of India. “As many writers, organizations, groups and associations had shared their opinion on the demerits if the bill is finally introduced, the LBES had also carefully considered the provisions of the proposed bill and had come to the conclusion that the introduction of the bill is likely to infringe the social, cultural and religious rights of the minorities in India which will ultimately destroy the very secular fabric of the Constitution of India,” a press statement from the LBCA said. It therefore supported the stand taken by the Nagaland Baptist Church Council, and resolved to oppose the introduction of Uniform Civil Code. It further appealed to the Chairman, Law Commission of India to “sincerely represent the ‘voice of the people’ to the Government of India.” Meanwhile, it asked all right thinking citizens of India, especially the minority communities in India to come forward and voice opposition to the introduction of the bill.
NEN campaign addresses violence against women
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— Jean-Paul Sartre
Bairstow helps England rally after top order fail
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‘El Comandante’ Fidel Castro is no more
HAVANA, NOVEMBER 26 (REUTERs): Fidel Castro, the Cuban revolutionary leader who built a communist state on the doorstep of the United States and for five decades defied U.S. efforts to topple him, died on Friday. He was 90. A towering figure of the second half of the 20th Century, Castro stuck to his ideology beyond the collapse of Soviet communism and remained widely respected in parts of the world that had struggled against colonial rule. He had been in poor health since an intestinal ailment nearly killed him in 2006. He formally ceded power to his younger brother Raul Castro two years later. Wearing a green military uniform, a somber Raul Castro, 85, appeared on state television on Friday night to announce his brother’s death. “At 10.29 at night, the chief commander of the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz, died,” he said, without giving a cause of death. “Ever onward, to victory,” he said, using the slogan of the Cuban revolution. Although Raul Castro always glorified his older brother, he has changed Cuba since taking over by introducing market-style economic reforms and agreeing
with the United States in December 2014 to re-establish diplomatic ties and end decades of hostility. The news of Castro’s death spread slowly among Friday night revelers on the streets of Havana. One famous club that was still open when word came in quickly closed. Some residents reacted with sadness to the news. “I’m very upset. Whatever you want to say, he is a public figure that the whole world respected and loved,” said Havana student Sariel Valdespino. But in Miami, where many exiles from Castro’s Communist government live, a large crowd waving Cuban flags cheered, danced and banged on pots and pans. Castro’s body will be cremated, according to his wishes. Cuba declared nine days of mourning, during which time the ashes will be taken to different parts of the country. A burial ceremony will be held on Dec. 4. The bearded Fidel Castro took power in a 1959 revolution and ruled Cuba for 49 years with a mix of charisma and iron will, creating a one-party state and becoming a central figure in the Cold War. He was demonized by the United States and its allies but admired by many leftists around the world, especially socialist revolu-
author of a book on U.S.Cuba relations. In his final years, Fidel Castro no longer held leadership posts. He wrote newspaper commentaries on world affairs and occasionally met with foreign leaders but he lived in semi-seclusion. Still, the passing of the man known to most Cubans as “El Comandante” the commander - or simply “Fidel” leaves a huge void in the country he dominated for so long. It also underlines the generational change in Cuba’s communist leadership.
Cuban President Fidel Castro listens to a speaker during the May Day parade in Havana’s Revolution Square in this May 1, 2005 file photo. (REUTERS/File)
tionaries in Latin America and Africa. In April, in a rare public appearance at the Communist Party conference, Fidel Castro shocked party apparatchiks by referring to his own imminent mortality. “Soon I will be like all the rest. Our turn comes to all of us, but the ideas of the Cuban communists will remain,” he said. Transforming Cuba from a playground for rich Americans into a symbol of resistance to Washington, Castro crossed swords with 10 U.S. presidents while in
power, and outlasted nine of them. He fended off a CIAbacked invasion at the Bay of Pigs in 1961 as well as countless assassination attempts. His alliance with Moscow helped trigger the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, a 13-day showdown with the United States that brought the world the closest it has been to nuclear war. Wearing green military fatigues and chomping on cigars for many of his years in power, Castro was famous for long, fist-pounding speeches filled with
blistering rhetoric, often aimed at the United States. At home, he swept away capitalism and won support for bringing schools and hospitals to the poor. But he also created legions of enemies and critics, concentrated among the exiles in Miami who fled his rule and saw him as a ruthless tyrant. “With Castro’s passing, some of the heat may go out of the antagonism between Cuba and the United States, and between Cuba and Miami, which would be good for everyone,” said William M. LeoGrande, co-
REVOLUTIONARY ICON A Jesuit-educated lawyer, Fidel Castro led the revolution that ousted U.S.backed dictator Fulgencio Batista on Jan 1, 1959. Aged 32, he quickly took control of Cuba and sought to transform it into an egalitarian society. His government improved the living conditions of the very poor, achieved health and literacy levels on a par with rich countries and rid Cuba of a powerful Mafia presence. But he also tolerated little dissent, jailed opponents, seized private businesses and monopolized the media. Castro’s opponents labeled him a dictator and hundreds of thousands fled
the island. “The dictator Fidel Castro has died, the cause of many deaths in Cuba, Latin American and Africa,” Jose Daniel Ferrer, leader of the island’slargestdissidentgroup, the Patriotic Union of Cuba, said on Twitter. But they could never dislodge him. Castro claimed he survived or evaded hundreds of assassination attempts, including some conjured up by the CIA. ‘HISTORY WILL ABSOLVE ME’ Born on August 13, 1926, in Biran in eastern Cuba, Castro was the son of a Spanish immigrant who became a wealthy landowner. Angry at social conditions and Batista’s dictatorship, Castro launched his revolution on July 26, 1953, with a failed assault on the Moncada barracks in the eastern city of Santiago. “History will absolve me,” he declared during his trial for the attack. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison but was released in 1955 after a pardon that would come back to haunt Batista. Castro went into exile in Mexico and prepared a small rebel army to fight Batista. It included Argentine revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara, who became his comrade-in-arms. For most Cubans, Castro has been the ubiquitous figure of their entire life.
Prayer Walk in Kohima on Dec 1 ‘People are hungry for change’
KOHIMA, NOVEMBER 26 (MExN): Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) General Secretary, Rev Dr Zelhou Keyho has called upon all Christians in Kohima regardless of church affiliations and denominations to participate in a prayer walk organized jointly by NBCC and Kohima Baptist Pastors Fellowship on December 1 from 4:30-6:00am at different locations in the city. A press statement from the NBCC General Secretary said: “We are reminded of the story of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Those who rebuilt that city rebuilt their own neighborhoods first, and were willing when the
trumpet sounded to help others.” He added that “in such a time as this we need to claim our city back to God. We need to pray for our families, young people, government, leaders, business establishments, for unity and peace in our land and many more. We need healing and God’s intervention. We must rise and unite in a common prayer effort that everyone can doto claim God’s power over our land and city. We are seeking those who are willing to be part of praying as they walk the colony they live in and converge to the nearest designated prayers points.” Keyho further urged let this be a time for Kohima dwellers to “con-
Human cells with ‘built-in circuit’ can kill cancer cells
LONDON, NOVEMBER 26 (IANs): Researchers have engineered cells with a “built-in genetic circuit” that produces a molecule that impairs the ability of cancer cells to survive and grow in their low oxygen environment. The genetic circuit produces the machinery necessary for the production of a compound that inhibits a protein which has a significant and critical role in the growth and survival of tumours. This results in the cancer cells being unable to survive in the low oxygen, low nutrient tumour microenvironment. “In a wider sense, we have given these engineered cells the ability to fight back -- to stop a key protein from functioning in cancer cells,” said lead researcher Ali Tavassoli, Professor at the University of Southampton. “This opens up the possibility for the production and use of sentinel circuits, which produce other bioactive compounds in response to environmental or cellular changes, to target a range of diseases including cancer,” Tavassoli said. As tumours develop and grow, they rapidly outstrip the supply of oxygen delivered by existing blood vessels. This results in cancer cells needing to adapt to a low oxygen environment. To en-
able them to survive, adapt and grow in the low oxygen or ‘hypoxic’ environment, tumours contain increased levels of a protein called Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF1). “In an effort to better understand the role of HIF-1 in cancer, and to demonstrate the potential for inhibiting this protein in cancer therapy, we engineered a human cell line with an additional genetic circuit that produces the HIF-1 inhibiting molecule when placed in a hypoxic environment,” Tavassoli explained. “We’ve been able to show that the engineered cells produce the HIF-1 inhibitor, and this molecule goes on to inhibit HIF-1 function in cells, limiting the ability of these cells to survive and grow in a nutrientlimited environment as expected,” Tavassoli noted. The genetic circuit was incorporated onto the chromosome of a human cell line, which encodes the protein machinery required for the production of their cyclic peptide HIF-1 inhibitor. The research, published in the journal ACS Synthetic Biology, demonstrates the possibility of adding new machinery to human cells to enable them to make therapeutic agents in response to disease signals.
fess and repent to claim God’s power over our lives, individually and corporately. Let us make assigned hours on this day to cry to God for revival and healing.” He informed that letter with prayer points have been served to churches from the office already. The designated prayer points are Lerie Junction, PR Hill, Phulbari, Raju Point, Tin Pati, High School Junction and New Secretariat Junction. Pastors will be assigned with prayer coordinators to lead in prayer as believers congregate. All participants have been requested to bring the hymn ‘Onward Christian Soldiers Marching as to War’ in their own dialect.
5 soldiers injured in Chandel, UNLFW claims responsibility IMPHAL/GUwAHATI, NOVEMBER 26 (IANs): At least five soldiers from a patrol party on the Myanmar border were seriously injured in a militant ambush in Manipur’s Chandel district on Saturday morning, officials said. The United National Liberation Front of Western South East Asia (UNLFW), an umbrella grouping of the anti-talk factions of Assam’s United Liberation Front of Asom and the National Democratic Front of Boroland, the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang, the Kamatapur Liberation Organisation and Coordination Committee of several militant outfits of Manipur, has claimed responsibility for the attack. Sources told IANS that the soldiers were patrolling near Sajik Tampak when a remote controlled bomb detonated near them, while the militants opened fire with automatic rifles. As the soldiers retaliated, the militants are believed to have escaped across the border. Reinforcements have been rushed for launching combing operations in the area. The wounded soldiers were airlifted to the military hospital at Leimakhong army headquarters near Imphal. A statement issued by the ULFA’s anti-talk faction claimed responsibility. “A group of Peoples’ Liberation Army (PLA) attacked the 21 Para Regiment of Indian Army between Aisi and Khunmulen near Sajik Tampak in Chandel District on Saturday morning. Five or more Indian soldiers are seriously injured,” it said.
Participants of the one-day seminar on ‘Clean Election’ held at Aoyimti Baptist Church on Saturday.
Morung Express News Dimapur | November 26
Recognizing that people in Nagaland are hungry for change, the Aoyimti Baptist Church in collaboration with Aoyimti Village Council organized a one-day seminar on ‘Clean Election’ at Aoyimti Baptist Church on Saturday. The event was initiated by the Youth Ministry of the Aoyimti Baptist Church in response to the NBCC’s call for ‘Clean Election’, Editor of Tir Yimyim, K Temjen Jamir and Associate Professor at the Oriental Theological Seminary, Dr. Pangernungba, were the speakers at the seminar. The day-long seminar also adopted several resolutions which included formation of the Aoyimti Clean Election Action Committee (ACEAC) with members from Aoyimti Village Council, Aoyimti Watsu Telongjem, Aoyimti Ao Lanur Telonjem, Aoyimti Students’ Union, Aoyimti Baptist Church and ABA Youth Ministry, comprising of 11 members. It was affirmed that the ACEAC will be endorsed with full authority to execute the following resolutions; and it would provide a common platform to all the intending candidates to deliver the political campaign speech. The seminar resolved that all intending candidates will be provided a pledge form to sign for a clean and fair election during the common platform speech; setting up of political parties’ base camps within Aoyimti Village jurisdiction will be prohibited; use of intoxicants and anti-social activities will be totally prohibited during the election; and distribution of gifts and money by political parties will be stringently prohibited. It was further resolved that denizens of Aoyimti will not sell their vote for cash or kind to any intending candidates or their associates; that one person one vote will be strictly maintained; and every effort would be made to restrain from engaging in any form of election malpractices outside of Aoyimti village. While asserting that the practice of proxy voting will be sternly prohibited, it was agreed upon that on polling day, refreshment will be
arranged by the ACEAC for the polling officers, presiding officers, polling agents and ushers. No other political parties will be allowed to serve/arrange refreshment/feast, and a whole year sensitization programme will be conducted by the Church. K Temjen Jamir, Editor of Tir Yimyim, stressed on the need to elect the right person, so that good governance in Nagaland becomes a reality. He defined the right candidate as one who is God fearing, educated, with patriotism, integrity, selflessness and one who can express her/his opinion in the assembly. Jamir advised against electing someone who defies customary and moral laws; who contests elections to only make money; someone who is arrogant, dishonest and violent, and cannot express their views in the assembly. He stated that in a democratic election, irrespective of socio-economic status everyone has equal rights to elect their leaders, with the freedom of choice according to their own conscience. He asked people to know their candidates before voting so that their vote can bring about a desired change in leadership. Jamir meanwhile cautioned against the evils of the election process, pointing to fictitious, under age and multiple entries in electoral rolls, proxy voting, buying of votes, interference to voting rights etc. Dr Pangernungba, Assistant Professor, Oriental Theological Seminary (OTS) meanwhile lamented that there is no shared vision and common goal amongst the Nagas. He pointed to division, confusion, enmity, jealousy, mistrust and insecurity as “social cancers” which has led Naga society into uncertainty. Urging for a culture of dialogue instead of a culture of monologue, Dr Pangernungba said there are too many versions of Nagaland that lacks shared space and common platform for Nagas. Stating that people are hungry for change and that the youth have become restless, he suggested forming a working team on clean elections which would be empowered to lead the movement.