November 7th 2014

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The Morung Express

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” CESS TESSS” UC E E C C M U ITYMEET S TUNITY TURN P“WPHEOREROPPO l. 1 Dimapur O E Issue 2 Vo R “WHE 14 20 7, -2

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neurs ls & Entrepre , Professiona ts en ud St r g Platform fo ation Sharin The Inform

Editorial

VOL. IX ISSUE 307

www.morungexpress.com

15th on Forbes power list; Putin tops [ PAGE 08]

‘Awareness seminar should be start of a thinking process’

Bryan wins top award, Lambert shines at CMAs

[ PAGE 2]

Despite defeat, foreign policy is not ‘game over’ for Obama

[ PAGE 11]

[ PAGE 09]

Moa Jamir

bigger picture despite the best effort of our ‘altruistic government’ owing to our A cheeky bumper sticker on ‘habitual moral tendency’ to a car sums up the deplor- critique them on every issue.

Following are some hyable condition of roads in Nagaland. It also highlights potheses put forward to dethe ‘hapless resignation of fend the Government’s (in) its hapless citizens’ to their action, explaining its ‘stoic wretched fate. However, silence’ on the road condithink twice before point- tion despite the chorus of ing fingers at our ‘faultless’ cries from every corner of government for utter neg- Nagaland State. Make your entre aland Job C Nagligence, for one can argue own judgment, but obvind in Nagala that Job Opening thest) government ‘knows ously, they have ‘the best (1 po what it is doing by intention.’ ok 1. Coexactly +2 10 post) rden (1nothing’ doing and is ex- Exhibit A – A booming au2. Hostel Wa te Or Gradua tremely logical in keeping tomobile market and anocal) n-L st) (no t po nis (1 3. Receptio od in accounts cillary industries. Simple the 12 pass goroads perpetually bad. e/ and Job Centr Mechanics. The road conOne ase call Nagalmight call this the ple l tai de For more r office dition ensures that vehicles political economy of road , Wake into ou nd dla nk Mi pp. ICICI Ba Dimapur-O hima-Old NST wear out faster, break down (mis)management or simKo ume res ur yo Please bring ply, the alternative eco- more frequently and connomic model.

The modus sume more fuel, thus creTORIAhoLol ating a booming automoPRIMinitiaEtiveTofUGris operandi eenwood Scsimple: conAn Admission ) bileAGAindustry.

According to struct the road ash Course vancehaphazardly LAND 14 Cr g 20 cin un Anno JEE (Main + Ad T OF N COMMERCE of India stadents NGovernment / E M N + passed stu For AIPMTregular to ensure works for R ing E ar V & pe ap S GO for Class XII and INDUSTRIE IMA the number of regisboth boys contractors, in turn l forwhich es: - Hoste H 14thFebuary 2014 TORATE OF tistics, C O E K : IR D Special featur D N A L ials ensuresGirls regular employ-NAG5/A20tered hima, the vehicles in Nagaland - Study mater ility 14 Dated Ko - Library fac ulty /ADV/3 shot Tup from 1,83,716 in ST /E fac e ND I . rat ment to workers and serves NO EMEN - First ck-Test ur) post of ADVERTIS fill up 4 (Fo - Weekly Mo Nagaland to tries & Commerce. abitants of2,91,438 periodically as awillbestrong pub- 2006 1st March inhto with in 2012 avIndus conducted ond above will al indigenous nt of the Directorate of recognized university loc ga t Na tes m y an me ce d fro lish from an ure 70% performan our for every hereby invite eraging der the estab y discipline 1 vehicle licity stunt• Afor dents who sec ‘beloved’ rs of age as yea plications are r Assistant (District) un be graduate from an 35 Ap n 2014 and stu fee discount. tha mpute % on shall d not more the state government rch 2014. be given 50 nces on 3rd Mawho LDA cum Co e minimum qualificati7 persons opposed to of n 21 years ansting policy(as political leaders work tha s les me .

Th be t ion 24 1. ld no plicat d by exi • Class com / 94350914 computer ap a candidate shoue limit will be governe by the head 8974425485 diploma in e minimum age of an duly signed average of 1 ver agall India tact:people. diligently forForinfthe Th of the uppe plicants. on” Certificate n cti 2. e tio ormation con j Ob axa o /tirel “N Sd 4.The t as no 89 to furnish ndicapped ap are requiredfor Governmen on 31.01.201 d physically Hahicle / 96129735its direct imevery yees However, of the state 31 persons). an sting policy employees ng Government emplo l seal. to the Dias pr the exi 3. Servi th name and officia ardAncillary d addressed bes shall be an Tri t industries like can wi t pli pact is miniscule in comckw ap of departmenservation of seats of ba signed by the paper duly ing documents:in ent.

4. Re Despare pla rtm in d pa AR follow shops, vehicular submitte parts P& parison to the indirect imthe be the y by d by ma d s nie fie e Application mmerce, and accompa th mark sheet. es & Co /P.U/Graduate wishops and car groompacts. Alas, the ‘pampered,rec5.torofThIndAdusmitritrepair LC Cards of HS thority.

• mpetent Au Certificate rtificsalons issued by Co benefit the most ungrateful’ citizens of the • BirSTthing s Ce ate ice of /Indigenou ficate. e. ng ha ed in the off ving • ent exc all be receiv h 2014 the recei mputer Certi rd of the employmbad roads. have State tend to miss out • Cofrom plications sh P.M. The last date for“I For batcon INCOME gistration Ca ected. The ap graphs.

2: ions should Dimapur | November 6

The Morung Express POLL QUESTIOn

Vote on www.morungexpress.com SMS your anSwer to 9862574165 Can the health care system in Nagaland handle diseases like Ebola?

Yes

no

Others

More extreme weather events in coming years NEw DElhI, NOVEMBER 6 (IANS): The number of extreme climate events will increase due to climate change, the Centre for Science and Environment said Thursday.

Figures presented by the CSE Deputy Director General Chandra Bhushan revealed that the number of extreme weather events recorded between 1900-09 were 2.5, which increased to 350.4 in 2000-09. “This increase is also because of improved observation, but the truth remains that such events have increased,” said Bhushan. “It is not yet established if frequent cyclones are related to climate change. But events of extreme weather are related to heavy rain,” he said. “In 2005, Mumbai received 994 mm of rain in 24 hours. In 2010, when there was a cloud burst in Leh, the rainfall was 15 to 220 mm in 30 minutes, its like a bomb being dropped”. In the Uttarakhand disaster, the rainfall in 24 hours was 340 mm, 850 percent more than average. In Jammu and Kashmir this year, the rainfall was 200 mm in 24 hours,” he added. “Such events are going to happen more frequently in coming years.” CSE Director General Sunita Narain said governments choosing to ignore the reality of climate change is a serious concern.

NNC clarifies

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DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 6 (MExN): The Naga National Council (NNC) today clarified that it is “not a government but a political institution for the Nagas.” A press note from the NNC Joint Secretary, Acuyi Vadeo informed that “some Naga self styled renegade groups are taking the name of President, NNC, Adinno Phizo and demanding money from different departments and offices in Nagaland.” It clarified that “all normal contributions are raised and received by the Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN) and not the NNC. “It is a known fact the there are many duplicate NNC in Nagaland.

Such groups…have been creating all sorts of trouble in Naga society by extorting and demanding money from the people of Nagaland in the name of the nation,” the NNC stated.

–Mary Wollstonecraft

Rayudu ton steers India to easy win [ PAGE 12]

the political economy of bad roads in nagaland ‘NOT DRUNK - Avoiding Potholes’

Before his life-sustaining systems shut down, join Modicare.

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February 21

e fo w, r cabin croetease my sister we haversthewhdifo refficusultespatos-sit “What we arbuetdoa minirrg toorthreflection oftowonhate fo it m li e boys wh one of the fa- senge d buckle up plus world is rselves and Sky is th an or just being ES andModi e doing to ou r.” fight- down lence. What am we arranked

reflections

Friday, november 7, 2014 12+4 pages Rs. 4

eW Quote of th the Surely something resides in this heart that is not perishable—and life is more than just a dream Ajung Jamir rests of

anothe hi mous G.I JO hts with my the turbu there is no typiGand saying is, al day for a ing sword fig ys.” rm ― Mahatma neighbour bo admits that cal or no w. In fact there She also ofession is cabin cre I can promise ng pr her current accident than is one thi two days are ever more of an “I've never you - no e. There is no 1 to thl. intentiona becoming a the sam and you’re never , marking a birstart dle can ng est, all fires a small burni planned on until I bumped 10 here, re how your day Whether it is wildfire consuming a forbe a blessing or a cabin crew, rtisement on- quite su out! In short this r ing day, or a rag spark. And it can eithe man-made. Either a into an adve ht, submitted will turn ssion that will from a little fire, big fire, it is still gligence. line one nig and then one is a profe allenge you and ne all as his Sm d . or ere t rse ch cu of man’s wi Mount Japfü, consid o susmy resume and always ur toes. on toe ati s est manif eryone' is thing led to the other Doha keep you on yo y is the fire at y, is als ev est tor ep for his t ke t en ll en ay in The rec y’s worst in rec elessness of trekas a wi . And one who edictabilit , she tod ha am Do e I in Th , re ntr eck l” d car w” unpr he one of the couve been caused by the ep themselves warm. Base w with the Qatar on ch taneous ought to love rking as a cabin cre soul of this job, I fee o the mpses int pected to ha ght have lit a fire to ke d much further, be- cabin cre Ajung Jamir has spon bit of it”, she says. wo e says. it, throws gli kers, who mi had eventually sprealunteers and commu- Airways, travelled the every scribing her two sh Before she got into life of a cabin crew. deat ely fire vo th De le off siv of s would tar all That litt trol of hundreds ir best to douse exten t has firmly reAjung Jamir a people rney with Qa further rec world, bu d to her years’ jou ite remark- she ssion to her was yond the con who were trying the herself as ers ming mained grounde extreme- Airways as qu on to share this profe t a pretty face, scribe n even as she elabosu nity memb con , ek a we or, it is abou perso e goes the fire. fire had raged on for . According to reports, roots. For he to know one’s able, sh had the privilege all g good, smiling to es by saying, “I love pe m, The forest of flora and fauna y of India that the ly important and she that, “I've me amazing lookin ngers and doing rat working with the so ,a lot sse ntity tor along with it, first time in the his other than the newly- roots and ide awn valu- of meeting m around the the pa demo before take- ple king with them, helpthe ry utility- has clearly dr m travel- people fro about life, a bit of that opinion has tal m- I just love being this is also rce helicopters, none Ngullie

By Sandemo the t rn pter, a milita Indian Air Fo ssian Mi-17 V5 helico used to combat the able lessons fro globe even globe, lea and growth, off. Bu changed a lot since ing und people. This being inducted Ru aerial machine are beingand. g across the that, “Trav- friendship ubt I would clearly ned, even as she aro d, of course, there are t d lin s ba gal joi my sai I do Na om and-c t tested in the raging fire containe re. as she share ght me about which had I been home she on to add, “who knew es when I require infirs o als , forest fire s good news to have does not end he elling has tau pect- it have had, gst people goes fessionally tim ace" (I’ll be While it’ the issue of forest fire we stand in terms humility and res pect and just amon le with.” about being prost aid, or se- "quiet sp ut it), and this is y, fir res tho ere tab on the 7th daould make us think wh ich, technically speak- taught me how to board I am comfor e also re- trained on rtificate and a sane wi e I read, write and Rather, it sh g our environment, wh y a cleaner onO of my To this end, sh of her pro- curing a ce e one is given the tim t equall of protectin . mbers one m college, license befor d to fly? This think.” en she is not flying, in the recen as I would the CE me ity ers v di life car Wh ck fro eing the green ing, is our aginable loss of bio le of this generation company.” ieve the baof brain y fessors ba ‘b The unim mething the peop best we can con- Working in a compan m who told them that, dis- job needs a lot Brain to she tries to ach as catch on r. so fro lp us such how forest fire is er upon and think of incidents from hap- of almost 7000 crew goes around people he tter and and will powe ember, the sics first, do her laundry, , e nd be rem ate es ep sh po , es d v sle tun l ld cad rld an s r de rse he shou rt such unfor k years and for her famou take in evall over the wo re with study first cover ou tribute to ave near future. What too area had been wildly on to say, “when the s is I couldn’t agree mo real- will power to thrown at cook and sit d aloo fry dine, dal an Once these pening in the ity conservation in the Imagine, how much estion a stranger ask it him because I now ved as erything that is ric . of biodivers just a matter of days. the loss, caused by a qu here are you from?", ize how I have evol ofes- you.” ner or lunch complished, ow , there are "w pr ac consumed in it take us to rebuild portant to kn ty, a person and this d me Apparently for a cabin goals are d about Doha, on is very im longer wouldof fire. normal days ht is un- she is out an movie spree, d to call up k one's roots and identi or sion has also helpe ha no t en nm ark ’ small sp that the state gover reflection of the lac remain grounded, hone my PR skills. s a crew. “Each flig n way, be it on a g a book she wa predictable in its ow ers. shopping, readin catchThe fact tain the fire is also ch calamity. That to will be just one of cabin Yet, when con ng ve we just working as save th su the Centre to mechanism to deal wi w prepared we are else es that serve them , nobody would ha r thanks to the passe pas- in her room or ends. ly They are d to kid ssion not on w to travel an go r to the be in he th her fri of our own us to the question of ho nment mechanisms the facen with rice.” ined her to cause, as It won’t matteu just had the ing up wi uld also abso- This profeenues of meeting cre ve enough money to ag s ver im ick reng go the ch g d bri an wo nk ttin -sa av yo Be home also the She e more open also the duty e would thi ers strike. Pu erse backs sengers if oes today. their own when disast ething else but it is y a part in saving the On flight attendant is sh says, “as a child, I wa biggest heart break of had lutely encourag join a people from div o help in back to d start up their d to t als just try an law firm, life of a th glamour she in place is somof every citizen to pla schievous an ga youths ry or you per- coun grounds bu e in one filled wi while that naughty, mi s. I don’t have centu riod because what- Na ssion like hers even ieving one's own the very own private r studies/ rol e v i sponsibility act highe y a pro I had nturou ss that ach le, and ave profe your pe environment. ople can especially pla tem, our biodiversity, and sty true to a certain adve mories of owning a er it may be, you "h s- while putting acro l and sonal dreams. with a finance for ion or open up a Young pe heritage, our ecosys ness, by first of may be ofession is any me a dress, I was out ev end to your pa s job pays to trave r privilege of flying micro- specializat pr att a thi aware our extent, the t without chal- Barbie or t exploring the fa- to" ers. Period. You will t only that, she furtheon lawyer from Cairo, n and clinic. ntd. on page 2 preserving way in creating more themselves. hra no d ou ng Co and lead the tious, careful and aware an entire forest. And certainly no hen I get ready and ab lak river near our se babies crying non- adds, “you get to spen and biologist from Te m South ve all, being cau ly a little spark to burn ection can certainly lenges. “W am clueless of mous Mi olony in Mokok- ha hyper active holiday yourself, help out here n also a Doctor fro a few).

It takes on step in the right dir for duty, I ct out of that ward/c th my brothers, stop, rs wanting a refill of re if required and the n- Africa (to name le litt the ke pe a wi , rso g ex ma tim pe first your therefore rld. what to The unpre- chun marbles, climbing and wines, get to save in save the wo day or flight.of this job is playing aling plum (fruit), beerstrying all the buttons bank account too. al dictability challenging trees, ste g school glasses, ers handset, and then d the fin kin on I ea le br at litt e. wh scare to the the same tim and Fun at ofession that giving a This is a pr

ark of fire That little sp

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Job vacancy N AGE QUALIFICATIO BELOW 26 VACANCY TH TO 10 YEARS 59 DUATE OR GRA ALE FEM MALE / EQUIVALENT

RS.5000/- TO 20500/- PER MONTH

• Re t password photo be summarily rej from 10:A.M to date. The applicat d.

• 2 recen plete applications shall erce, during office hours ved after the specified ll be summarily rejecte 6. Incom of Industries & Comm plications shall be recei t without which it wi can te o ap the Directora shall be 24-04-2014.N and Address of the appli e) s application ls of Contact Number krunietuoKir Sd/-(Er.The ustries & Commerce contain detai of Ind Directorate

BAD ROADs FuEL EMPLOyMENt?: A stretch of road in Mon Town in October 2014— not very different from most other roads in nagaland. Keeping roads in despicable conditions could be an intentional policy of the nagaland State Government to create employment, among other things, goes the new hypothesis. (Morung Photo)

to change my tyres twice in a span of two months, forget about the fuel consumption,” complained T Thonger, who regularly commutes in a private car to office. Additionally, servicing and car washing centres have sprung up exponentially in every corner of the State, exclaimed another motorist.

Conversely, employment also increases along with the shops, solving the critical unemployment crisis faced by the State. Con-

sidering many government employees are howling non-payment of salaries, it seems a better option.

Obviously, it’s a booming business.

Exhibit B- It rusticates our ailing health sector. A casual observation of the number of pharmacies and medical clinics between the City Tower Junction and the Flyover Junction in Dimapur shows that every third shop is either a Chemist or Health outlet. Visit any sleepy town in Nagaland, and you will

Senior Myanmar officials guilty of war crimes

NTACT FOR DETAILS CO HIMA KO L L I H S ’ OFFICER 9862667159 8/ 17 98 49 97 8 : o.

Phone N YANGON, NOVEMBER 6 (REUtERS): An independent investigation by the Harvard Law School has found that troops commanded by Myanmar’s powerful interior minister and two other senior officials tortured and killed civilians over six years ago while fighting an ethnic rebellion.

Researchers spent four years collecting information about Home Affairs Minister Major General Ko Ko, Brigadier General Khin Zaw Oo and Brigadier General Mang Maung Aye, said the report released on Thursday.

They commanded troops during an offensive against rebels in eastern Karen state between 2005 and 2008, when soldiers fired mortars at villages and executed civilians, among other crimes, it said.

The report did not accuse the officers of directly ordering troops to commit abuses, but said they took place because of long-standing poli-

cies that sanctioned “the direct targeting of civilians and were designed to effect large-scale displacement.”

“We’ve established that they had command and control over the forces that were committing these crimes,” said Matthew Bugher, one of the authors of the report by the International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School who handed over the report’s findings to the government on Wednesday.

Information Minister Ye Htut, the only spokesman for the government, did not reply to phone calls and an email from Reuters on the report. The military and defence ministry do not respond to reporters’ queries. Bugher said he had a “cordial but tense” meeting with Deputy Defence Minister Major General Kyaw Nyunt in the capital, Naypyitaw, to discuss his findings.

“The deputy minister of defence’s response was that our report was one-

sided and inaccurate,” said Bugher, but he added that the fact the meeting took place at all was “remarkable and very encouraging”. “We do think it’s problematic that there is a prolific human rights abuser in cabinet,” said Bugher. “That casts doubt on the government’s efforts to reform.”

In March 2011, after 49 years of military rule, Myanmar’s ruling generals ceded power to a semi-civilian government led by former general Thein Sein who initiated sweeping economic and political reforms.

However, the military retains considerable control over the Southeast Asian nation. The United States and others have voiced concern that reforms have stalled in some areas. On Wednesday, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said political reforms had been stalled for months and accused the United States of being overly optimistic about the chance of progress.

find at least a couple of thriving pharmacies albeit non-existent health centres or other basic amenities. Obviously, it’s a healthy business.

Bad roads also spawn an alternative cottage industry providing employment to many individuals without requiring any educational qualification, only ‘capable hands.’ The undocumented network of masseur and masseuses, or our loving, quintessential, in-house ‘Malishwalas or Koberas.’

Their work portfolio covers everything from head to toes.

“Though there are occasional leg or hand sprains due to sports and other activities, most of my clients complain of back pain,” informed a Koberas in Dimapur. Since Nagas are not particularly known to be a “workaholic lot,” does it suggest anything?

No proof yet, but obviously, it is a handful business.

Exhibit C – Bad roads save lives and unwanted accidents by ensuring that every Tom, Dick and Harry does not make the road a racing track, thus saving precious lives. Regrettably, it has not curbed our ‘bold and adventurous’ politicians and VVIPS from whizzing past the ‘lucky layman’ with no care in the world. “It seems Nagaland follows different motor vehicular rules as everyone including school kids drive vehicles, though, it is another thing that nobody follows basic driving etiquettes,” exclaimed Aben Aier, simultaneously shuddering at the thought of the situation if the roads were smooth and navigable. In 2012, Nagaland became the second most roads accident-prone State in India, after Jammu & Kashmir, stated the National Crime Reports Bureau. Obvious-

ly, the government is, if not a perfect one, a great lifesaver.

Exhibit D – “It keeps pristine natural beauty of the remote areas of Nagaland intact by restricting the unwanted influx of outsiders barring some bold souls,” stated Botovi Chishi. But it also ensures, he added, that government employees keep “proxies” thus creating additional employment for the ghostly proxy industry. Obviously, our misinterpreted government, then, is not only a staunch environmentalist but an affectionate patron of the unemployed.

So, next time, think twice before you complain about skinny-dipping or fishing in the potholes, taking bath in the puddle of sand or swirl of dust (depending on the weather), or getting a free body massage on a bumpy ride. Instead, say a little prayer for our State Government, which keeps the welfare of the people as top-most priority by cleverly keeping the road in “perpetually” bad condition and ensuring that the vicious cycle continues. Next time you curse the Government, bite your tongue, for, obviously, it is only guaranteeing the well-being of citizens.

December 1: PM to visit nagaland

NEw DElhI, NOVEMBER 6 (AGENCIES): Narendra Modi, on his first visit to the North East as Prime Minister, will visit Manipur on November 30 and Nagaland on December 1. He will also make a stopover in Guwahati for the annual conference of directors-general of police. The conference, earlier scheduled for November 2122, has been deferred by a week to November 29-30, apparently to adjust to the Prime Minister’s visit to the two other northeast-

ern states. The conference is being held for the first time outside New Delhi.

Nagaland CM TR Zeliang had called on Modi last week to invite him for the annual Hornbill festival to be held at Kisama from December 1-10. In the course of the meeting, Modi informed Zeliang of his overnight stay in Manipur on November 30 and promised to attend the festival the next day, Nagaland government sources said. December 1 is also Nagaland’s Statehood Day.

ENsF censure ‘discrimination’ faced by eastern districts

DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 6 (MExN): The Eastern Naga Students’ Federation (ENSF) today demanded that a Special Investigation Team or a High Powered Committee be constituted to unearth “discrimination and deprivation” faced by “backward” tribes in Nagaland state.

A press note from the ENSF lamented that the government’s Reservation Policy for the backward/ least representative tribes “had never been implemented in spirit since its inception” but has remained “only in paper as an act to please the poor.”

It informed that the state code, service rules, recruitment/appointment procedures adopted or notified by the government “was only made enforceable against the 6 backward tribes.”

However, ENSF lamented that these are being “manipulated at the bureaucratic level.” The “law of the land guaranteed under the constitution of India,” it

stated has “miserably failed to safeguard the interest of the least privileged people.”

Despite subsequent/ consecutive government notifications and policy on reservation, the ENSF stated that numerous “casual/ backdoor appointments in all the departments have deprived the “backward” tribes in acquiring its due shares.” In this, the federation asked the state government to nullify all appointments (all grades) made.

The ENSF further said that legislators in charge of the concerned departments, commissionersandsecretaries, and the directors should be answerable to such irregularities and anomalies. The politician and bureaucrats shall be held solely responsible for such discrepancies, it added. The federation demanded that all departments submit the report of appointments made and register of reservation so maintained for the “backward” tribes to the Department of Under Developed

Areas (DUDA) by November 30, 2014. It reminded the DUDA to arrange a monitoring cell to analyse the findings.

It then stated that 25% job reservation should be strictly adhered to in all grade/class ofappointment/recruitment and that the same yard stick be applied in the field of departmental promotion and recruitment.

All vacancy arising in any department, it demanded, should be advertised. Further, any vacancies arising at the district level (all grades) under any departments shall be filled by the local inhabitant tribe/tribes, it added.

While on the verge of retirement, the ENSF demanded that no employees from the four eastern districts of Nagaland should be transferred out. “If any department had done so, then it should be rectified,” it said.

In case of promotions and transfer from the four Eastern districts, the reliever should be filled by

the incumbent tribe/tribes of the respective districts, the ENSF further demanded. In addition, the ENSF urged that any employees (all grades) posted in the four eastern districts and are found absent for more than 6 months without valid reason should either be suspended or terminated.

The ENSF directed all its federating units to conduct investigation in all the departments within its respective jurisdiction. The respective Deputy Commissioners and HODs have been requested to extend their cooperation.

With regard to the special provision enlisted under government’s notification on the recruitment of grade IV, the federation empowered the Eastern Nagaland Students’ Union Kohima (ENSUK) to collect all the information.

For further deliberation, the ENSF informed that it would convene an emergency meeting on November 15.

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Festival of Healing and Deliverance

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Dimapur, November 6 (mexN): The Festival of Healing and Deliverance will be held from, November 7 to 9 at DDSC Stadium Dimapur with Pastor Paramjit Singh, former Hollywood actor from Mumbai as the main speaker. On November 7, the evening service will start at 4:00 pm with moderator Rev Dr Xashepu Wotsa, scripture reading by Hegui Pame, pastor ZBC Dimapur, invocation by Rev Zanao Mozhui, pastor LBC Dimapur. The Jumper School of Dance will perform welcome dance while Lokivi Sutsa Group will present special song.

Adhoc trained teachers informed

An incredible early morning sight of clouds surrounding the hill locks in Chuchuyimlang Village. Chuchuyimlang is located around 16.7 kilometers away from its district head quarter, Mokokchung. (Morung Photo)

‘Awareness seminar should be start of a thinking process’ Our Correspondent

Kohima | November 6

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Under the theme ‘Labor wins’, the Western Angami Students Union (WASU) organized a seminar on career guidance at Zonal Council Hall, Kohima with Kelhuseto Nakhro, Deputy Secretary, NPSC, Mohammed Ali Shihab, IAS, SDO, Sechü Zubza and Kekhrieselhou Kitshe, Forest Sikhs in Dimapur take out a procession on account of Guru Ranger, Kohima Division Nanak Jayanti on Thursday, November 6. (Morung Photo) as the main resource persons.

The seminar began with the President, Kedoroko Casavi addressing the participants and a prayer led by Mhasikhoto Zhünyü, Vice President, Angami Public Organisation. The recently selected candidate Er Kenisevi Meyase, Junior Engineer, PHED, shared brief experiences.

“Competitions are extremely high and governemtn jobs are very less,” Kelhuseto Nakhro said while pointing out the trends in NPSC where in 2014, 12, 631 people appeared for 71 posts, in 2013, 12, 900 attempted for 73 posts, and in 2012, 14, 371 for 110 posts.

Nakhro affirmed that the awareness seminar should be the starting of a DC Wokha A. Robin Lotha along with other officials at the thinking process for each WoKha, November 6 (mexN): Deputy Commissioner, Wokha A. Robin Lotha inaugurated GMS, Wokha Village School building on November 3, constructed under SSA, 2011-12.

Speaking on the occasion as chief guest, A. Robin Lotha exhorted the gathering to continue the good works for the welfare of the school. He also lauded the village Education Committee, Wokha Village Council, VDB Wokha Village for their untiring time, energy and support.

The Deputy Commissioner further urged upon the community to maintain the school with good result and also pointed out to keep the mentality of ‘our school’.

Earlier, the New School Building was blessed and dedicated by O. Thungben Kikon Pastor, Wokha Village Baptist Church and

welcome address was delivered by B. Logtsu Tungoe Chairman VEC, Wokha Village. He also gave the technical report on the construction of the school building.

Short speeches was also delivered by Yanasao Kikon Chairman Wokha Village Council, T. Chonpenthung Odyuo SDEO, Wokha , P. Zubenthung Humtsoe ADC (SSA) DMA Wokha, Mhonthung E/Rui VDB Secretary Wokha Village. The programme was chaired

by Tsenthungo Kikon Secretary VEC Wokha Village, opening song was presented by Class V Students GPS Wokha village and special song was presented by Class IV GMs, Wokha Village and Abeno Lotha recites the Bible verus. Vote of thanks was delivered by Y. Zubenthung Ovung Member VEC Wokha Village

CM greets on Tokhu Emong Kohima, November 6 (mexN): Chief Minister of Nagaland TR Zeliang extends warm greetings to the Lotha community on the joyful event of Tokhu Emong. The Media Cell Chief Minister’s Office, Nagaland in a message expressed Chief Minister hoped that the festival will spread the message of peace, love and goodwill among the people and wishes them a happy Tokhu Emong celebration.

District Unit of BJP Zbto welcomes

GMS Wokha Village ‘B’ school building inaugurated

inauguration of School building

Kohima, November 6 (mexN): All Nagaland Adhoc Trained Teachers who appeared written examination and viva from June 24 to 26 are requested to submit xerox copies of the documents for service regularisation listed below on or before November 8 2014 at Central Park, near Razhü Point, Kohima along with Rs. 1000/- as Adhoc Trained Teachers registration fee. The documents required are suitability test roll no., initial appointment order, latest extension order, present place of posting, profession/ training certificate. A press note issued by Neivotsonuo, General Secretary further informed that any claims after November will not be entertained. For further queries contact: 9774416963/ 9856849772

Kelhuseto Nakhro, Deputy Secretary, NPSC speaking during the Western Angami Students Union seminar on career guidance at Zonal Council Hall, Kohima. (Morung Photo)

of the participants. Giving a brief history on the struggle of the Nagas, Nakhro exhorted the participants carry the responsibility with hard labour just as their grandfathers had worked hard, struggled and the led the people. While pointing out the success stories of famous world leaders like Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Wilma Rudolf, Nakhro said, “Gandhi did not develop his philosophy overnight. It took years but he took a decision. And there will come a time in our lives when

we have to take a decision.

A decision on what we are supposed to do with our lives. If you take a concrete decision, only then will you be able to complete your work with success.”

Further saying that most of the successful candidates did not come from affluent backgrounds or study in expensive schools, the Deputy Secretary encouraged the participants to concentrate on their target settings, to program their mind for success and have confidence in them-

selves but not to be overconfident.

Mohammed Ali Shihab shared on the familiarisation of civil service exams where he covered mainly on the Union Public Service Commission. Shihab also emphasized on the need to hone writing skills and the continuity of learning process. Adding that failure is a discovery, Shihab encouraged the students not to lose passion.

Western Angami Public Organisation (WAPO) sponsored the seminar.

ZuNheboto, November 6 (mexN): The District Unit of BJP Zunheboto has welcome Shikuto Sema (retd) Joint Director who hails from 33 Suruhuto A/C for joining the party. The BJP Zunheboto Unit in a press release stated that his entry would strengthen the activities and functioning of the party in general and the district in particular.

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Legal service seminar at Peren

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lages. Swu said to present a “Clean Village Award” to the cleanness village in the sub-division every year starting from the year 2015 was resolved during Pughoboto Sub-divisional Planning & Development Board (PSPDB) meeting which was held during October 2014 resolved.

The awarded village will be given a cash award of 5, 00,000/- (five lakhs) along with a certificate which will be covered from the LADP fund of the concerned year.

He also pointed out

that, any village with 100% sanitation coverage in individual households and free from open defecation with clean environment through solid waste management and water conservation will be eligible to be nominated for the award.

The selection of the award will be done by a selection committee which has been set up for the purpose by the Pughoboto Sub-divisional Planning & Development Board.

The objectives of the clean village award are to

promote personal hygiene and hygienic behaviour through change in attitude and practices; to promote environmental sanitation in private households and all public places, he said.

To mobilized the community through the involvement of village councils and various other local agencies as well as government departments. To empower the community and village agencies like SHGs, Church and VDB in planning and implementation so that their managerial capacity and re-

Lakhuti Village celebrates Tokhu Emong

LaKhuti viLLage, November 6 (mexN): Reminiscent of the past era, Lakhuti village ground came alive with the sound of pounding of grains and folk tunes as villagers congregated Thursday to celebrate Tokhu Emong, the premier festival of the Lotha Nagas.

Parliamentary secretary for Women Resource Development and Border Affairs, Thomas Lotha, who also hails from Lakhuti village, is hosting the 2-day celebration. The main objective of hosting the festival is to give the younger generation a glimpse of the tradition and past practices of the forefathers.

Tokhu Emong, a thanksgiving festival for a bountiful harvest, is also a time for people from all walks of life to come together and share their hearts, a time to forgive and forget the past mistakes and to invoke the blessings of the Almighty as well as the forefathers.

Parliamentary secretary for Women Resource Development and Border Affairs, Thomas Lotha and his wife along with villagers during the 2-day Tokhu Emong celebration a Lakhuti village ground on Thursday.

The highlights of the first day celebration included traditional method of rice pounding competition among womenfolk of the various khels of the village, construction of traditional jhum huts, tug of war among the menfolk and lottery draws for three different categories.

For men and women, the lottery prizes include shawls and woolen shirts, which will also help them prepare for the coming winter and Christmas. On the festive occasion, the parliamentary secretary and his wife also distributed blankets to the GBs and elders of the village.

This is probably the first time in the history of Lakhuti village that Tokhu Emong is being organized on a large scale to create awareness of the past traditional practices and to foster unity and bondship among the eight khels of one of the biggest villages in Wokha district.

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pereN, November 6 (mexN): The Kuki Students’ Organisation, Nagaland and Peren District Legal Services Authority are jointly organizing a legal service seminar at Town hall, Athibung, Peren on November 15. This was informed in a press release issued by KSO (N) president Semin Dimngel.

NCYM meeting with tribal units Kohima, November 6 (mexN): The Nagaland Catholic Youth Movement (NCYM), the apex youth body of the Diocese of Kohima, Nagaland, is convening a presidential-level consultative and coordination meeting with Tribal Catholic Youth Associations/ Movements on November 8 at Catholic Centre, Kohima. The Meeting will be held during 2:00-5:00 pm.

NCYM Spokesperson, Clement Odyuo in a press release has requested all the tribal unit presidents with their colleagues to attend the meeting.

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24 villages participates in Clean Pughoboto Campaign

pughoboto, November 6 (mexN): In tune with the ‘Clean Pughoboto Campaign’ the social work was organised in all the 24 villages under Pughoboto subdivision on November 4 last.

Parliamentary secretary IFC & Election, Y. Vikheho Swu who initiated the idea to award “Clean Village Award,” said the social work has been organised in all the 24 villages of Pughoboto on the same day through the involvement of village council in their respective vil-

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sponsibility on all aspects of clean environment can be strengthened, he added.

The selection of the village for presenting the award will be done based on the following evaluation: beautification of the village, plantation and garden, maintenance of public property, sanitation and drainage, water supply and water sources, community initiative, care and management of livestock, Swu added.

The selected committee and other members nominated by the Pughoboto

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Sub-divisional Planning & Development Board will tour all the villages in the sub-division randomly and award points (out of 10 for each of the evaluated areas) and shortlist the villages for awarding the Clean Village Award Pughoboto.

The selection of the village based on the evaluation including photographic evidences will be done during the monthly meetings of the Pughoboto SDPDP the date for which shall be notified by the chairman, he added.

Phek farmer’s exposure tour to Sikkim concludes

pheK, November 6 (mexN): An exposure tour of Phek farmers to Sikkim was organized by KVK Phek, from October 27 to November 1, led by Hannah Krujia (SMS Agronomy) and assisted by Mezhusieno Beio (SRF NICRA).

A total of 21 farmers participated and visited ICARRC Tadong where Dr. Chandan (Scientist) assisted and explained the various techniques of hill cultivation. He also emphasized on effects of climate change on agriculture and educated the farmers on the various ways to mitigate and adopt climate-resilient techniques.

They visited the cardamom plantation (ICRI) where the scientist in charge explained the cultivation and management practices. Scientist from Animal Science Section also interacted and provided various information on poultry, piggery, dairy and goatery.

The farmers also visited

SAMETI, Department of Agriculture, Gangtok where Madam Asha Lama (Joint Director cum Project Director, ATMA, East Sikkim) interacted with them. Dr. R.C. Upadhya (Director in charge) and staff of NRC Orchid, Pakyong, facilitated their visit and the farmers were acquainted to the different species of Orchids found in North-East and imported hybrids. They learnt about the various propagation techniques, different medias used for cultivation and management practices.

The farmers gained more knowledge not only on different advanced technologies, but also learnt on the economic viability under sustainable agriculture. A press note on the tour said that the farmers conveyed their gratitude to the Director, NRCM ICAR, Dr. R.K. Singh Programme Coordinator, KVK Phek and all the concerned staff for arranging the exposure tour.

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REgional

The Morung Express

Friday

7 November 2014

Dimapur

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Death scored thirteen: Why Irom's fight against AFSPA is in 15th year Rahul Karmakar & Sobhapati Samom

at-sight anybody suspected of being involved in the insurgency in Manipur.

Amul — it was fashionable in Manipur then to name a healthy child after the Gujarat-based milk products brand — was never the same again. The incident erased his memory and his ability to study.

He works at a chicken shop where the money isn’t much. But, locals say, it is more honourable than the Rs. 2.5 lakh the family of each massacre victim and Rs. 1 lakh every injured received as compensation 25 years later.

“We fought for more but this is how the government values lives,” Ng Premkumar, who fought the case, says.

Kongkham Nipamacha, 68, secretary of an organisation that observes a memorial function at the massacre site, had taken voluntary retirement from the BSF before that fateful day.

“As a weapons training instructor, I knew the CRPF personnel used poison-tipped Yugoslav bullets. Justice will be done only if the lead actors in Manipur’s Jallianwala (Punjab, 1919) are punished,” he says.

For the moment, locals want the government to prevent the volleyball court from being turned into a community hall and restore Heirangoithong as the nervecentre of volleyball.

‘I believe PM Narendra Modi will repeal AFSPA’

langbam Amul slaughters chicken for a living. He attacks the fowl as if he has a score to settle. Maybe he sees his father’s killers in those broilers, his childhood friends say.

The past for Amul, 39, is a blank. But everyone else at Heirangoithong on the outskirts of Imphal remembers what happened to his father, Elangbam Laljit, on March 14, 1984.

That afternoon, CRPF personnel emptied their guns on some 3,000 civilians watching a match at a local volleyball ground.

The shooters were aware that members of other forces — Manipur Police and Border Security Force — were playing the final of a premier volleyball tournament.

The panic-stricken spectators were virtually trapped. The ground was flanked by an elevated road to the west, the river Nambul flowing along a gorge to the east, the local youth club building to the south and a bridge across the river to the north.

The CRPF, a probe panel said later, fired randomly at the locals to avenge the death of a colleague. A group of militants had earlier snatched the rifles of nine constables standing guard near the volleyball court and shot the tenth before melting away.

Laljit, a state secretariat employee, had son Amul on his lap as he sat on the roadside gallery that sloped down to the volleyball court. He caught a volley of bullets that brought the match to an abrupt end, but ensured his son was safe.

“Three bullets hit me on the legs and right hip.

Before passing out on two tiers of bodies, I saw Amul screaming two-three feet away, his face splattered with his father’s blood,” Kshetrimayum Ojit, a mason who was 17 then, says.

When he came to in the hospital that evening, Ojit discovered he was one of 31 wounded, some never to walk properly again.

Laljit was among 13 dead, including 10-year-old Soibam Dhanabati who shielded a younger boy to earn a bravery award posthumously.

“Heirangoithong is a classic case of how the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act of 1958 gives security forces the licence to kill and how, besides taking the lives of innocents, it shatters the survivors and traumatises scores like Amul,” Imphal-based human rights activist Babloo Loitongbam says.

Activist Irom Sharmila, known as the Iron Lady of Manipur, has been on hunger strike for the last 14 years to demand the repeal of the controversial law which gives security forces sweeping power to shoot-

Meghalaya aims to make Shillong a digital city

CPI-M to protest against NHPC for consensus before resumption Extortion busted MGNREGA fund cuts of stalled Lower Subansiri hydro project racket in Arunachal

ShilloNg, November 6 (PTi): Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said his government aims at making Shillong a 'digital city' besides being on the job to provide accessible Wi-Fi to all schools.

"Shillong will soon be privileged of getting access to internet through Wi-Fi making it a digital city. Wi-Fi will also be available in Tura and other tourist spots where people can have access to internet," Sangma said while distributing mobile tablets loaded with exam related contents to 25,000 secondary school students here. "We want to sign the agreement with a company to implement this project of digitalizingthecity,townsandschools within this month," the Chief Minister said. The Chief Minister was addressing at the distribution ceremony of the Student Digital Learning Aid Scheme (SDLAS) to a total of 25,000 students of Class-XII from across the state held at Polo Grounds here.

Stating that the scheme is designed to empower the students and encourage elearning, Sangma said, "The government is trying its best to mobilize more resources in order to be able to extend the scheme to the students studying in the secondary schools of the state." He also informed that the government has introduced a scholarship programme for teachers where Rs 5000 is being given to them for pursuing training programme. "We are also proposing to have teacher training centers in all the 39 blocks of the state to ensure that for all those who dream and aspire to take teaching as their profession, sky is the limit as there is no end to aspiration," he said.

Information and Technology Minister AL Hek said, "Meghalaya is the first state in the North East to distribute latest technology mobile tablets to all class XII students both state board and central boards in the state."

The class XI & XII syllabi are already available in the mobile tablets and last year the government had distributed the M-Tabs to nearly 24,000 students.

Pointing out that the scheme is part of the Digital India programme, he said, "The Digital India envisages Broadband connectivity for all citizens and in Meghalaya already about 250 km of National Optic Fibre Network (NOFN) has been laid by RAILTEL."

iTaNagar, November 6 (PTi): In a major breakthrough, the police busted an extortion racket operating in the state capital under the banner of National Liberation Council of Taniland (NLCT), the police said today. Four persons, including a woman, were arrested in this connection.

A special team of city police under the supervision of Itanagar SDPO Bomge Kamduk arrested three extortionists from Itanagar and Nahrlagun on October 30 last while the woman was arrested from Naharlagun on November 3 last, Capital SP Seiju P Kuruvilla said.

Though the gang members were not NLCT cadre they were using the name of the outfit and trying to extort money from the market area, the SP said.

The police recovered 60 NLCT letter pads, one kg ammonium nitrate, 8 electronic detonators, one timer device and one 0.315 Rifle with seven rounds of live ammunition, the SP added.

The police team also seized two cars used by the criminals for extorting money. The team also seized literature material of NSCN (National Socialist Council of Nagalim) and ULTA (United Liberation Tribal of Arunachal), the SP added.

Hindustan Times

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agarTala, November 6 (iaNS): The CPI-M will organise demonstrations across the country, including at parliament house in New Delhi Nov 26, to protest against the curtailment of MGNREGA rural job scheme by the central government, a party leader said here Thursday.

Tripura Chief Minister and CPIM politburo member Manik Sarkar said he will lead the protests in front of the parliament in New Delhi.

"The CPI-M members will organise mass demonstrations in front of the central government offices across the country to protest against the steps taken by the union government to curtail and dilute MGNREGA," CPI-M central committee member Bijan Dhar said. He said curtailing MGNREGA (Mahatma

imPhal, November 6 (The iNDiaN exPreSS): On the day she began the 15th year of her fast to protest AFSPA in Manipur, Irom Sharmila Chanu said she firmly believed Prime Minister Narendra Modi would repeal the controversial law from the state. “When I watched what happened in Godhra, I thought Modi is a very dangerous man. But in 2009, I dreamt that he was standing in front of me and smiling. And now, he has become PM. Since then, I have a firm conviction that this man will repeal AFSPA from Manipur, he is capable of doing it. That is my gut instinct, that is my conviction,” she said from a room in the special ward of Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences that has been her home for over a decade.

“Why can’t it be possible. He (Modi) is from the birthplace of Gandhiji whose principles I follow. He will respect his leader’s principles,” she said. “People see me as a separatist. But, I am struggling for India’s In this Monday November 3, 2014 photo, India's most famous prisoner of conscience Irom Sharmila, integrity. After the way the army has behaved, if the 42, waves goodbye to activists who visited her at the Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital where she is kept government does not repeal AFSPA, then Manipur in judicial custody in Imphal. This week the frail activist marks the 14th anniversary of her hunger will automatically get separated from India.” strike that landed her in prison for attempted suicide. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Students, civil bodies, rights activists express solidarity

imPhal, November 6 (PTi): Sit-in-protests, hunger strike and demonstrations joined by students, civil society organisations and human rights activists were held in Manipur to express solidarity with social activist Irom Chanu Sharmila whose fast demanding repeal of the AFSPA, 1958 from the state entered its 15th year.

Irom Sharmila has been on fast demanding the repeal of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSA) 1958 from Manipur since November 5, 2000, after ten civilians were killed in an 'encounter' by Assam Rifles personnel at Malom area near Imphal

Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) and its impact on the rural population is a "burning issue in the country now".

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently, Sarkar urged him to restore the funds cut under MGNREGA for Tripura. He said although MGNREGA was implemented most successfully in Tripura, with 87 days of work per household in the 2013-14 fiscal against the national average of 45 days, the state's allocation had been sharply reduced for the current fiscal (201415). "The unemployed and uneducated rural people, including tribals, minorities, scheduled caste, other backward communities and women, would be affected due to the reduction of funds under MGNREGA," Sarkar said in his letter.

airport on November 2, 2000.

Human rights activists from several parts of the country and abroad took part in Wednesday's programmes across Manipur, spokespersons of Just Peace Foundation (JPF), Human Rights Alert (HRA) and Apunba Manipur Matam Eshel Kanglup, a major social organisation in the state, said.

The protestors also demanded repeal of the AFSPA from the other north eastern states and Jammu and Kashmir. JPF, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Bangkok), May 18 Memorial Foundation (Korea) and HRA also organised a hunger strike from

gUwahaTi, November 6 (eT): Despite incurring substantial losses of working period and revenue, NHPC Limited is prepared to wait and work out consensus before resumption of stalled 2000 MW Lower Subansiri hydro power project along Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.

The project is stalled since 2011 following massive protest from the anti dam groups.

Chairman & Managing Director, NHPC Limited, R.S.T. Sai who was in Guwahati told ET, "Initially there was negativity regarding the project however now positive elements are growing. We need to increase the positive element further."

Sai added, "We do not want to do the project using state force

8 AM to 4pm on Wednesday.

Activists including Binayak Sen from People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and Public Health Physician (India), Lenin Raghuvanshi, secretary general and executive director of People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), Sushil Raj Pyakurel of Informal Sector Service Centre founder and chairperson (Nepal) and Wardah Hafidz, coordinator of Urban Poor Consortium (Indonesia) joined the hunger strike and held a press conference.

Expressing solidarity to her protest, Binayak Sen said they would continue to support her cause for the repeal of the AFSPA. The Act,

rather we want to evolve consensus. We have relocated certain set of people from the project site for the overall benefit of the project."

NHPC will spend close to Rs 150 Crore for embankment building in 30 km long stretch area near the project and will pump in another Rs 320 Crore in various livelihood development activities.

The CMD said that in December it will three years that the progress of the project is halted.

"Everyday we are losing close to Rs one Crore, the idling cost during the period will be around Rs 400 to 500 Crore. By this time the project would have commissioned and for this we are incurring lose of Rs 3000 Crore per year in the revenue front."

he said, destroys the very essence of democracy and obstructs the progress of justice and more than two generations of Manipuris have grown up without knowing the meaning of freedom. Sen also urged the Supreme Court to expedite the adjudication of the Santosh Hegde Commission, appointed by the apex court in 2013, to investigate encounter killings in Manipur.

Sushil Raj Pyakurel said credit should be given to the Human Rights defenders for supporting and promoting the movement of Sharmila. Lien from Gwangju (Korea) said people of the state should support Sharmila's movement.

Around 60 per cent of the work of the power project is almost completed. Sai said, "We are not worried, it is not to late for the project to lose its competitiveness."

Union power ministry is likely to soon convene crucial stakeholders meet on stalled project.

Construction at the project site started in 2005 and the project was slated to start operating 2014.

Union Power minister, Piyush Goyal earlier stated, "We have called meeting with different stakeholders including those groups opposing it on September 12 however owing to by election in Assam, the meeting is postponed. I am ceased by the problem of Subansari. We will discuss and find way forward."

Wet Meghalaya seeks water conservation tips from Chennai CheNNai, November 6 (TNN): Nature might have gifted Meghalaya with the wettest place on Earth but its quest to conserve water has brought it to Chennai, a region which receives a modicum of rain.

Seeking to replicate Tamil Nadu's 2002 high-octane campaign to harvest rainwater, a 10-member team from the Meghalaya government landed in the city to study conservation techniques.

On Wednesday, officials from the water resources department in Meghalaya jotted down notes and asked a volley of questions as Chennai's 'rain man', Sekhar Raghavan,

explained to them how the 2002 law enacted by the Tamil Nadu government, mandating rainwater harvesting structures in all the buildings, buttressed the city.

Although Meghalaya, on an average, records an annual rainfall of 2,400mm annually, officials say the state is water starved as a major portion of the water flows into Bangladesh or floods Assam downhill. The state also has the wettest places on Earth - Mawsynram and Cherrapunji. "Our grandmothers spoke to the clouds," said Junecy Lyngdoh, a sub-divisional officer associated with the water resources department of Meghala-

ya. "The clouds and the rain are an intricate part of our culture. They define us. Not at one point did we, in our childhood days, think that the drops we so joyfully cupped in our hands would be such a scant resource," she said.

Representatives, who are on a three-day visit to the city, said only 2% of the rain they received is being harvested as of now.

"Some parts of the state depend on traditional methods of harvesting like fixing a channel beneath sloping roofs, collecting water in tanks and using bamboo pipes to channelize water.

But this is insufficient to meet the

Insurgence to resurgence: NE Festival in Delhi from today New Delhi, November 6 (PTi): Delhites will get a chance to witness the diverse culture and rich heritage of the eight northeastern states as the second edition of the North East Festival is scheduled to kick-start here from November 7. The four-day festival themed 'Insurgence to Resurgence' aims to attract investment and tourism promotion in the region.

"This year, the theme is 'Insurgence to Resurgence' with focus on highlighting the positive stories of entrepreneurship and development. The objective is to present people of Delhi to understand North East India in one platform, to encourage tourism to NER," said Organiser-in-Chief, North East Festival, Shyamkanu Mahanta.

The event will be a power packed show which is expected to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will see the participation of a host of stalwarts including Rajnath Singh, VK Singh, Smriti Irani, Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, Kiren Rijiju, Sarbananda Sonowal and Jewel Oram. In the backdrop of racial attacks in the capital, two serious discussion sessions "Alienation feeling in the North East" and 'Implementation of Bezbaruah Committee Recommendation' will be held on the opening day.

A session "Integrating North East India through Education" will be held on November 9 where top officials of HRD ministry will be present. North East icons like MC Mary

Kom, Adil Hussain, Everester Anshu Jemsenpa are all expected to be present at the festival.

Around 30 bands from the different north-eastern states will perform day and night during the entire length of the fest.

Some of the artists and bands who are lined up include singer Zubeen Garg, Akhu- Imphal Talkies, Tetseo Sisters, Vinyl Record, Soulmate and The Local Train among host of other performers.

A potpourri of events including photography and painting exhibition, film festival, fashion show and exhibition of food, handloom and handicraft items will take place on different days from Nov 7 to Nov 10 at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts here.

needs of the people," said M L Lawai, another official.

Excessive deforestation and mining have drained locals of a resource the state is known for- water. For example, the mineral-rich Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya faces an acute drinking water crisis as major rivers there have been declared "unfit" for human use due to high level of acidity caused by unscientific mining. The rivers close to coal mining areas and cement plants have acquired a blue colour over the last five years— a phenomenon that baffles environmental scientists of the state.

With surface water reducing to a slimy trickle, Meghalaya is exploring the option of tapping rain water and its ground water sources.

The civic body in Meghalaya's capital Shillong supplies 68 litres per capita per day (lpcd). Experts say if rainwater is harvested, the public distribution can cross 2,000 lpcd.

"So long, Meghalaya has depended on natural springs and surface water, but now they have to look at groundwater extraction and harvesting rain as source of sustenance," said Raghavan of Rain Centre which is collaborating with the Meghalaya government.

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7 November 2014

On LPG Corruption Charge

W

ith reference to the statement on LPG made

by Adv. Kezhokhotuo Savi, Legal Advisor, ACAUT at the PUBLIC RALLY AGAINST CORRUPTION AND UNABATED TAXATION organized by ACAUT at Kohima on 31st Oct. 2014, whereby it was alleged that LPG refills are not made available to many customers at the authorized counters but made plenty for sale in the black market; we, the All Kohima Indane Distributors’ Association (AKIDA) would like to state and suggest as under for the interest of the public. As per our understanding, Adv. Savi perhaps referred to the

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public discoursE

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Dimapur

Nagaland Market, however, we write for and with the Kohima Market in focus.

At the outset, we are all aware that LPG cylinders are not manufactured by any private party or the distributors, over and above there is terrible LPG scarcity in the present situation as such, very often, the distributors of Kohima do not receive even 50% of their allotted quotas for various reasons including unauthorized heavy gate taxes . The LPG operation such as refill booking, delivery of refills, stock maintenance, movement of cylinders or issuing of new LPG connections are all being done online. Moreover, with the introduction

of the LPG quota of 12 Nos of subsidized cylinders per year per customer, it has become impossible to issue any refill without entering against the customer’s Blue Pass Book which is open book displayed in the Portal.

In spite of all these, if LPG refills are available in plenty at the Black Market, we believe it is the duty and responsibility of every citizen to report to the law enforcing agencies or initiate action against the illegal LPG cylinders and investigate the nature and source of supply, instead of indulging in the same crime or being mute spectators of such scene as reported. The availability as alleged by Adv. Savi may

be true, but in order to find a solution, we have to join our forces and see to it that we end up this hated nuisance and inconvenience by figuring out the exact root and cause of the problem. There is every possibility that some ghost customers by use of other’s photos & credentials, violating mandatory ordinance of one LPG connection per home are creating this kind of confused market and to which we are committed to solve and cope with. Measures such as the verification processes, deactivation and reactivation of the consumer id’s have been enforced with all the possible means for the last three years till date, all to solve this situa-

tion and address the said mal practices. Severe action will be taken by law enforcing agency and the IOC against whosoever sells their subsidized cylinders for profit. Cooperation of the public in this venture is hereby earnestly solicited.

With regards to the LPG scarcity, the public is requested to register its grievances to the Supply Dept, Indane Area Office, DC’s Office or KMC so as to vent out our hardships to the concerned higher authorities for favorable action.

Kevingulie Solo President AKIDA Tsibu Dzüvichü Secretary AKIDA

What are Naga austerity measures?

he PM Narendra Modi has already initiated measures for austerity. Maximum governance with minimum government is well coined. Accordingly, and with small ministry, the PM is trying to economise the expenditure on governance. Although I am critical about the secular credentials of BJP, such measures are to reckon with though it is nothing new.

What about Nagaland Govt.?

Our State is a beggar State. When the Union Govt., through austerity measures, is reducing 10% cut in Plan expenditure beside a number of others, what Nagaland is contemplating? I am questioning because nothing of such similar initiative of State Govt. is publicly heard so far. The other States like J&K sought for additional fund this year because of massive flood or for Andhra Pradesh due to destructive cyclone. Nagaland State has remained always safe from natural calamities by sheer mercies of God though we deserve the wrath of God, but is worst hit by man-made calamity for which we are begging Union Govt. to rescue us from Rs. 1234 crore over eaten.

Yet, may be the kind of governance system in our land is not viable for austerity measure. PM Modi has confidence in himself relating to probity and so he has gut to insist on others to be transparent too. Such measures cannot be initiated by one who has the philosophy of ‘I’ll eat, but you do not eat like me.’

One thing I understand: The GOI grants fund annually for one Govt. Subsequently, with one budget provision, another 6 govts have to be nurtured.

Nevertheless, if State Govt. feels lazy to adopt any austerity measure, why not other govts take such initiative?

The austerity measure must not be left to State Govt. alone. The Church has definite role to play. The Church is expected to introspect its activities and screen which are futile from spiritual and economic point of view

so as to prevent wasteful expenditures which affects each individual Church member. With due permission from those Churches or Councils who had streamlined the system of wedding already, let me share what many people do murmur about. I talk not that I hate wedding but for the sake of poorer lot.

Naga Christian weddings have immense impact on the economy and spiritual aspect of our society. When winter comes we used to receive a bundle of wedding cards plus verbal invitation through announcement on the pulpit. The writer is incapable of doling out anything that worth gift to any couple, and yet I have to sacrifice other engagements how important it may be for the sake of showing face to the inviter lest I will be marked with red ink. If not both, husband or wife alone is not considered as qualified invitee. In a winter, when maximum weddings take place, that winter is wasted on wedding attendance alone.

The worst is the competition. A marriage celebration tries to outdo the other in pre ceremony celebration such as distribution of meat, incurring lakhs of rupees for decoration and the most expensive feast. The degree of good wedding is assessed mostly on the turn out of the VIP presence, on the size of the crowd, the traffic jump caused by convoy and the number of vehicles at the venue. Ok, for those who are rich and particularly those public servants whose wealth is disproportionate to known legal earning can afford to bear.

But the children of the simple, the humble and the God fearing public servants who remained poor not because of inefficiency but of honesty are sandwiched. These majority children of the poor are the contemporaries of the children of the rich and the powerful. Those poor children are in marriageable age too, and yet unable to have grand wedding feast as his/her classmates and CYE friend that deterred him/her to get married

on time. Ultimately, in cases the compulsion is to elope followed by deletion of names from the active membership register of the Church/s. Such end result has impacted adversely on the spiritual life partly because of social pressure. Is not the Church responsible for the lost souls?

A true story: Out of casual chat, a Sumi friend told me that Sumis are supposed to discontinue the tradition of dowry, buying a wife in view of Christianity. Whereas, worst than traditional purchase of a wife is being practised today. The bride’s party used to out rightly demand huge amount of cash in advance from the groom. In certain cases, that advance payment received by the bride’s family will be used for renovation of their house to make it presentable at the time of wedding ceremony. Is this piece of disclosure a news to Church?

What about you? I feel pain to always observe that the Church is for the rich and the powerful people. Steal public money and give huge tithe and be generous to prayer groups and your house will be flooded by one group after another. If you are stingy, not because of selfishness but because of poverty, none bothers or knows whether you are alive or departed despite your desire for a prayer support.

I praise the Lord God for preserving limited number of true Christians who never visited a VIP or think thrice to visit the house of the rich on invitation but whose prayers have kept Nagaland from disasters. I wish the Church overcomes materialism and gains gut to stand for the truth. I am impatiently waiting when the Church will call a spade spade.

It will be better not to give so much liberty to wedding parties to have celebrations according to their convenience, but the date for the weddings be fixed by a Church in the Calendar for anyone to follow. Not two dates but a single day on which mass weddings can be had in a year. Such step is defi-

_

LEISURE

Simple Rules - There is just one simple rule: “Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.”

SUDOKU Game Number # 3048

nitely an austerity measure. This is indeed for the sake of the poor majority.

Is there any Church in Nagaland for the poor?

It is equally the responsibility of the tribal Hohos or of other organisations to wake up from slumber. It is for the tribal Hohos to realize how our fragile economy is being drained. Is there anyone or any organisation who is/which is serious about our economic dependency and about global climatic change. Do we think that UN, at its New York Hq., warning the world about the fast climatic change is too far a distant to affect Nagaland?

The king Pharaoh, an atheist, listened and obeyed the advice of a Christian Joseph who was the lone Christian in the whole of Egypt. Nagaland is filled with Josephs but no Pharaoh to obey.

It is time to streamline the piles of associations and organisations. The Naga organisations are found to be mostly parasitical. The Sports associations must do away with those items with which no participant can earn bread, the hierarchical sports meets be reduced, the students’ unions must avoid high profile conferences involving lakhs of rupees, the annual/decadal/silver/golden anniversary celebrations of all hue must be reviewed, etc.,etc. Have associations without taxing others. Of all, let us divorce Chief Guest Culture which is nothing but shameless begging.

I do not claim that I am the lone person serious about our unsustainable Naga economy read with impending danger of climatic change.

Yet, I call upon the Church, the NGOs, the Hohos, the Students bodies and conscientious leaders to sincerely respond to timely warning. A very risky trend is on as we observe the Nagas being crazy after festivities with the mentality of eat, drink and enjoy today for none knows what will come tomorrow.

The Morung Express

Appeal to the Senior Citizens Nagaland

T

acteristic before British came in India, all Naga were one. And one custom we are no difference in all.

In the motherland a senior citizen are our backbone. A senior citizen is equipped persons. Being a senior citizen they should think for the next younger generation. Every senior citizen is right leader in the Government/society. Today senior citizen awakening and to the motherland to bring unity among our Nagas/ our land. We should not sit silent. I appeal all the senior citizen to get together and give effort to Naga problems eg. Political problem, development problem, boundary problem, social problem to be taken up in the public forum. Forefathers say Nagas land was upto Brahmaputra River and we claimed Nagaland, upto Brahmaputra River.1212 A.D. Ahom Kingdom was installed lower Assam Guwahati. Before Ahom kingdom the Nagas customary was set up in 900-1000A.D Since 1000A.D Nagas claimed upto Brahmaputra belonged to Nagaland. Assam – Nagaland boundary issued begin while in 1844 British Government cultivated Tea garden at low land area at Naga soil with permission of village elders/ GBS. During those days 25’ Pillar so called planted by the British Tea garden pillar between tea garden to Nagas jhumland. The Assam government had claimed 25th pillar was boundary pillar. Before British Government cultivated the tea garden there was no land dispute between and Nagaland. I appeal the senior citizen to all sector we shall clarify and search old history for the next younger generation. I appeal to all the senior citizen be aware of this that our time to bring solution.

The senior citizen forum is essential to formation for the seeking all relevance. Stories and bring the negatives for the young generation it must for all section of the people in all respect.

oday in our Motherland back towards backward in Economic Development in every section of the Nagas living standard individual society groups in our land to upgrade the Naga Society groups difference organization had set up and for the motherland. Besides the naga people chosen mandate political party for the naga issue to bring up in the Naga society.

Looking back the state political party activities till today nothing has fulfilled for the betterment of the land. Whether the mandate political party government had no vision if not understand the need of the people in the state, I am serious the present motherland achievement let us compare with neighboring state Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, How developed and advanced road communications, educational institute, Panchayat municipals town an adequate in developing and benefited the general public to uplift the people in economy.

Educational institution, road communication, Panchayat municipal towns should be in adequate position. The centre government had equally treated the Nagaland state equivalent to the other Northeast and given allocation of funds towards the project. How long Nagas have suffered? What is the main effect? Time has come to check ourselves our weaknesses. We should not blame political parties or government only. Every right citizen responsible to think what is backdrop by blaming one of the other could not solve the motherland. For the next young generation the present Nagas character and living shall be motivated. The Nagas are original relationship since 600 A.D. we are one family member since our forefathers. Our forefathers were united and hardworking people truth Naga brothers were divided during British rules in India and democrat the boundary tribes geographically. We nagas living in the different places, locations accordingly we settle at present char-

Imli Longkumer Senior Citizen

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DAILY CROSS WORD

CROSSWORD # 3055

DIMAPUR Civil Hospital:

STD CODE: 03862

Metro Hospital: Faith Hospital: Shamrock Hospital Zion Hospital: Police Control Room Police Traffic Control East Police Station West Police Station CIHSR (Referral Hospital) Dimapur hospital Apollo Hospital Info Centre: Railway: Indian Airlines Chumukedima Fire Brigade Nikos Hospital and Research Centre Nagaland Multispecialty Health & Research Centre

Answer Number # 3047

KOHIMA

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

232224; Emergency229529, 229474 227930, 231081 228846 228254 231864, 224117, 227337 228400 232106 227607 232181 242555/ 242533 224041, 248011 230695/9402435652 131/228404 229366 282777 232032, 231031 248302, 09856006026

STD CODE: 0370

Northeast Shuttles

100/2244279 2222222 2222111 2222952 2222916 2243339 2224202

R

Queen Esther QUEEN

SCEPTER

ESTHER

PLOT

MORDECAI

INVITED

PALACE

GOD

SECRET JEW

PLACED OFFICIAL

DEATH

REFUSED

PRAY

HONOR

FAST

GALLOWS

PEOPLE

AHASUERUS

KING

REWARDED

HAMAN

ENEMIES

BOW

DEPENDING

CHOSEN

RELIED

BANQUET

WORSHIPED

D

Y W C R T F V W S I E A J N J G P Q Y Y

R N K K B Z R E T P E C S B K A H I Y L

S

Z D P F D L X N A G I G E K O B A S U L

I Z N A P M O R D E C A I G J Y Z X Y H

E

K I P C H O S E N O H L M I N N A J X F

T H P R Q U L L A A A L E S T H E R N R

K C N H D P K P S L U O N D W I S E P B

O R R W O O V U B U X W E W J L O T U H

A

G O L E O Y E O D S P S G O D H I F N Q

V O P R W R W E J G Z O P B R E G U F N

G G J G U A S O Y S F D A J F Q A B T K

R

J M S S T U R H F F A I L K I O K T Y Y

L F E D F E P D I D S Y A L A Q R W H L

C

E F C E V G U C E P T J C E O B X I X T

A V R I U Y I Q A D E P E N D I N G R L

A P E L H A M A N B D D E T I V N I O J

H

W Z T E L D D E C A L P O Z Q I Q R X R

U G E R O N O H J I B L Z P K Z A X P F

R D H V J N R F A V P J Q N K U Y I T I

V F G X X E N F P P H I Q Z N A E M O O

ACROSS 1. Dirty air 5. Killer whales 10. Church alcove 14. Cable 15. Barbecue fuel 16. Blend 17. Matchless 19. Boast 20. Pen part 21. Thigh armor 22. Stomach 23. Distinguished 25. Ganders 27. An uncle 28. Terrier 31. Chills and fever 34. Lawn cover 35. Foot digit 36. Egghead 37. Applied to a wall or canvas 38. Make (one’s way) 39. Children’s game 40. Good person 41. Lariat 42. Building 44. Former North African ruler 45. Requires 46. Brutish 50. Summary

52. Accumulate 54. Hasten 55. Nile bird 56. Spectator 58. No charge 59. Wards (off) 60. Small island 61. Throw 62. Believe in 63. Dregs

DOWN 1. Pig 2. Half note 3. Small African antelope 4. Precious stone 5. A hydrocarbon in petroleum 6. Cut of beef 7. Taxis 8. Loyal 9. South southeast 10. Waylay 11. Penetrates 12. Close violently 13. Jittery 18. List components 22. T T T T 24. Require 26. At one time (archaic) 28. Twist and compress 29. Charged particles

30. Start over 31. Initial wager 32. Equipment 33. Necessities 34. A person who denies 37. Gave money 38. Methods 40. Stair 41. Not the most 43. Stops 44. Abstain 46. Prostitutes (archaic) 47. Not those 48. Fine thread 49. Affirmatives 50. Break in friendly relations 51. River of Spain 53. List of options 56. Eastern newt 57. Zero

Ans to CrossWord 3054

CHUMUKEDIMA: 03862 282777/101 (O) 9856158740 (OC) WOKHA: 03860 242215/101 (O) 9862039399 (OC) MOKOKCHUNG: 0369 2226225/101 (O) 9436012949 (OC) PHEK: 8414853765 (O) 9862130954(OC) ZUNHEBOTO: 03867 280304/101 (O) 9856156876 (OC)

KIPHIRE: 8414853767 (O) 8974304572 (OC)

Toll free No. 1098 childline

O

DIMAPUR: 03862 232201/101 (O) 9436017479 (OC)

MON: 03869 251222/101 (O) 9436208480 (OC)

CHILD WELFARE COMMITTEE

W

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

TUENSANG: 8414853766 (O) 8414853519

08974997923

MOKOKCHUNG:

FIRE STATIONS

STD CODE: 0369

Police Station 1: Police Station 2 :

2226241 2226214

Civil Hospital: Woodland Nursing Home: Hotel Metsüpen (Tourist Lodge):

2226216 2226263 2226373/2229343

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

222246 222491

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7 November 2014

Mec distributes microloan to 14 entrepreneurs

held at Longkumer Kilem with Temsuwati, Additional Development Commissioner of Nagaland as the chief guest.

Speaking at the occasion, Temsuwati advised the entrepreneurs to utilise the loan with clear purpose and built trust and confidence by demonstrating timely repayment. Saying that the ‘age of easy money’ is a thing of the past, Temsuwati encouraged the entrepreneurs to work hard and earn livelihood with dignity. He lauded

the MEC for their noble endeavour and stated that such endeavours can bring about socio-economic transformation.

Chairman MEC, Tsukti Longkumer while delivering his key-note address declared that since the inception in 2011, the Consortium has benefitted 80 entrepreneurs, counting the 14 beneficiaries today. Invocation was said by Temnameren, Youth Evangelist, MTBA while the ceremony was conducted by Marshilu, MEC founding member.

Dimapur, November 6 (mexN): The online/mobile membership drive (2014-2020) of BJP Nagaland was launched today by its President Dr dling and were to target ma- M.Chuba Ao at the party jor population centers in As- head office at Dimapur. sam.” stated the press note.

According to a press The recovered items in- note from the State BJP cluded one Assault Rifle (K- general secretary & spokes10), a .303 Rifle, one Pistol, man, K James Vizo the large quantity of material for drive was launched under making Improvised Explo- the theme “Make Strong sive, two hand grenades, two BJP, Build Strong Nation”. bombs and over 300 rounds Speaking on the occaof assorted ammunition. sion, Dr. Chuba said that “The operation will be Nagaland State BJP will a huge setback to the plans go for enrollment drive of ULFA in the region and is using the new method of believed to have averted a using modern technolmajor terrorist attack" the- ogy w.e.f November 11 to press note added.

the suspected house and on being challenged, opened fire and fled to the nearby jungle. Thereafter, the AR troops pursued them and when they were closing in, the suspects open fire and an AR Jawan was injured.

The AR retaliated and the firing continued for nearly 10 minutes and in the process, a self-styled lieutenant of ULFA identified as Prakash Bora was killed.

Later, two ULFA cadres identified as Pvt. Bapon Deka of Udalguri district and Pvt. Pranjol Nath of Jelihua Goan of Golaghat district, Assam were arrested. The Assam Rifles also arrested Senti Longchar, a resident of Saring village, the owner of the house from which huge quantity of ammunition and explosive materials were recovered.

“The slain terrorist is believed to be a kingpin of ULFA and was responsible for subversive activities in Jorhat, Golaghat and Sibsagar areas… [and] was trained in explosive han-

Be self-reliant: Kikheto Dimapur, November 6 (mexN): Secretary to Government of Nagaland, Finance Department, Y Kikheto Sema IAS on Thursday called for a self-reliant society and urged people to uphold dignity of labour.

Speaking after inaugurating a Rostrum at Toluvi village local ground, Kikheto also strongly advocated inclusion of women in decision making bodies such as Village Development

Boards, Village Education Committees and others. Expressing concern over the rampant misuse of funds received under various flagship programmes of the central government, Kikheto urged leaders at various levels to be honest in their dealings. “To cover up one lie, many more lies have to be told again,” he added.

The Toluvi village council thanked Kikheto for constructing the Rostrum at the village local ground.

began on November 2 and is scheduled to culminate in Bhopal on December 4.

The representation, a copy of which was made available by the NCD General Secretary, Ntsemo Ngullie, calls for the establishment of a “fully free” state funded Common Education System from KG to PG “founded on equality and freedom from discrimination,” including a Common School System based on neighborhood schools up to class XII. This system, it stated, should be capable of building a “democratic, socialist, secular, egalitarian, just, enlightened and humane society”

in consonance with the values enshrined in the Constitution of India.

It also calls for a “stop, withdraw and reverse” of all policies of privatization and commercialization of education, including “all” forms of Public-Private Partnership and Foreign Direct Investment in education.

The representation then urges the PM to withdraw the “offer” made in the WTO-GATS to treat higher education as a tradable commodity in the global market. This it stated should be done before it becomes an irrevocable commitment, “thereby restoring

Aiming to ‘build the BJP & nation strong’, BJP launches membership drive in the state

A major attack from ULFA averted: AR KoHima, November 6 (mexN): The Assam Rifles today claimed that “major attack” planned by United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) was averted with the arrest to two and killing of one ULFA cadre at a brief operation near Saring village, under Mongkolemba sub-division, Mokokchung District.

A press note from PRO of Assam Rifles, Kohima stated that the troop launched the operation after receiving a numerous"complaints”from different sections of population regarding movement of ULFA cadres for “carrying out extortion, threatening local populace and infiltrating into Assam through Mokokchung and Mon districts”.Consequently, after a confirmed intelligence report regarding the presence of ULFA cadres in Saring Village, the 31 Assam Rifles (AR) launched an operation in the early hours of November 5.

According to the press note, while the AR troops cordoning were the area, the “insurgents” fled from

January 15, 2015 and its target will be 20,000 in the first phase drive.

According to the press note, one can register freely on mobile by dialing 1800 266 2020, followed by sending a SMS with personal name and address. A primary registration number will be sent to all the registered members and aforesaid number will be used for future references.

As notified earlier, the State BJP will be organizing a District workshop on November 10 and 12. 2014 at Mokokchung and Kohima respectively, the press note added, and requested all

the district president, general secretaries and BJYM, BJMM presidents & general secretaries along with district membership conveners and co-conveners to attend the said meeting positively.

He further requested all concerns members to contact the State Convener and Co-convener, Yanghose Sangtam and Er. Sengathung Jami for further queries One can also enroll online by visiting www.bjp.org/ membership .

“All BJP MLAs and ExCandidates are also requested to the attend the said Workshops positively”, the press note informed.

Agri-link road, local ground, rostrum inaugurated at Sakraba KoHima, November 6 (mexN): Nagaland's agriculture director, Lhiwepelo Mero today inaugurated agri-link road, local ground and rostrum at Sakraba village under Phek district. Stretching 3.5 km, this agri-link road is funded by NABARD under its RIDF- XIX project.

Speaking on the occasion, Mero urged upon the villagers to make the best use of the newly constructed agri- link road to augment agricultural activities.He also called upon the villagers to give special attention towards proper maintenance of this road.

The director called upon the villagers to identify most suitable crops for the areas- be it orange, banana, cardamom etc and go for large scale production to boost their economy. He declared that there is no dearth of marketing as long as there is production in large quantity. Mero also urged the villager to give

Dimapur

5

Campaign to change India’s education policy reaches Nagaland Dimapur, November 6 (mexN): An organization called the All India Forum for Right to Education (AIFRTE), which started a signature campaign demanding changes in India’s education policy, has reached Nagaland. Several schools from Dimapur district, including civil society organizations like the Naga Council Dimapur and the Naga Womens Hoho, Dimapur have signed on to a representation which is to be submitted to the Prime Minister of India.

The signature campaign is a part of the All India Shiksha Sangharsh Yatra which

beneficiaries with chief guest and MEC members

moKoKCHuNG, November 6 (mexN): As part of its continued entrepreneurial development activities in Mokokchung, a project supported by the government of Nagaland, the Mokokchung Entrepreneurs Consortium (MEC) today extended micro-loan to fourteen genuine local entrepreneurs of Mokokchung. Today’s was the 8th batch of entrepreneurs the MEC had promoted. The beneficiaries were handed cheques in a simple loan distribution ceremony

LOCAL education: a people’s right Friday

The Morung Express

India’s sovereignty in educational policy making.”

It further asserts that communalism should be uprooted from education and calls for the elimination of casteist, patriarchal, sectarian and anti-disability prejudices as well as “irrational and superstitious content” from education.

It then calls for the development of mother tongues in a multi lingual context as a medium of education in all private and government schools and colleges.

Finally, the representation urged for the establishment of India’s languages in all sectors, including the ex-

ecutive, legislative and judiciary, trade and business, science and technology and information technology.

The All India Shiksha Sangharsh Yatra, of which the signature campaign is a part, holds that education is not for producing a workforce for “the global market’s loot” but for meeting the socio-economic and cultural needs of the people. This, it states cannot be achieved without reversing the “neoliberal agenda of privatization, commercialization and communalization of education.” Education, the yatra asserts “is not for sale” but a “people’s right.”

MEx FILE NNC (N/A) welcome cadres Dimapur, November 6 (mexN): 19 personnel from both civil and army wings of NNC (PGN) have joined the NNC (N/A). A press statement from Ministry of Kilo Affairs, NNC (N/A) informed that they had left because after losing confidence on the leadership of NNC (PGN) and came in order to “strengthen the leadership of Kiumukam Yimchunger”.According the press note, the members who joined the NNC (N/A) from NNC (PGN) are as follows: Tatar Inato Achumi; Hekato Leacy; Major Iheto Aye; Capt. Nitoyi Aye; Capt. Shikato Awomi; Capt. Angukavi Achumi; Lt. Hezukiye Awomi; Lt. Huto Achumi; 2nd Lt. Wapang Ao, 2nd Lt. Mukshah Phom, Sgt. Major Kiyeho Achumi; Sgt. Major Pekato Yeptho; Sgt. Lau Kamie; Pvt. Ghileto Zhimo; Pvt. Puloka Chophy; Pvt. Abel Sumi; Pvt. Moa Temjen Ao; Pvt. Vinato Yeptho; and Pvt. Along Zeliang.

NSCN (K) Sumi Region acknowledges Dimapur, November 6 (mexN): The Sumi Regional Authority NSCN/GPRN has expressed its “profound gratitude” to President and colleagues, Sumi Kukami Hoho (Akuluto), STH (Akuluto) and ARSU for their “act of benevolence” in withdrawing non-cooperation resolution against NSCN/GPRN invoked in the wake “harassment” meted out to SBI branch Manager, Akuluto by some “errant cadres”. In press note from Chairman of Sumi Region,NSCN/ GPRN Hokishe Zhimomi also “acknowledged” the crucial role played by Hotovi Chishi, President GB’s Association, Akuluto in resolving the impasse. “The Sumi Regional Authority shall continue to strive forward to maintain peaceful co-existence within its jurisdiction.”,added the press note.

TBSUD 10th Bapu annual meeting Dimapur, November 6 (mexN): Tamlu Buhu Students' Union Dimapur (TBSUD) has convened its 10th Bapu annual meeting November 8, 10:00 am at the residence of its treasurer Phongshak ex-minister Purana Bazar. All concerned members, parents, alumni and well- wishers have been requested to attend the meeting. Further, the Union also asked its members to come with a piece of traditional attire and reach the venue on or before 9:30 am sharp.

Agriculture director Lhiwepelo Mero and others during the inauguration of agri link road at Sakraba on November 6. (Morung photo)

their best in whatever area they are good at, adding that there is always reward for those who struggle.

Phek DRDA Project Director, Razouvolie Dozo in his speech insisted on utilization of grant-in-aid funds in a judicious manner. Urging upon the VDBs and village authorities to use the provided fund designed for specific scheme/ project, he warned that diversion of fund will not be accepted in any forms. He also announced that good

performing VDBs will be rewarded handsomely.

Agriculture Joint Director, Imtitemjen said almost all the villages in the state have been connected with agri-link road.

Informing that Agri Expo will take place next year at Dimapur, he called upon the farmers to prepare well and join the mega event with bountiful harvest.

Phek BDO Kiihiichiyi, Vezoto (Jack) Dozo; PS to PWD (Roads & Bridges)

Minister, Kuveo; PS to Parliamentary Secretary, Deo Nukhu; Pfutsero SDAO Imtilepzuk ; Er.(Agri).

Dikhalo,; JE (Agri) Thomas; Phek District Sports Association president, Muramo Venuh; and several other dignitaries also present on the occasion.

Earlier, the function was chaired by Sabraba Village Council Chairman, Vekuyi while vote of thanks was proposed by Sakraba Youth Organization president, Kiihiisheyi.

CHUSD felicitation programme Dimapur, November 6 (mexN): Chhath Mahaparve Utsav Samiti (CHUSD), Dimapur will be organizing a felicitating rank holders/toppers etc belonging to Bhojpuri Samaj on November 16 at 2 p.m. at Durga Mandir Hall, Dimapur. Governor of Nagaland, P B Acharya will grace the occasion as Chief Guest. In this regard, a press note from CHUSD president, R C Gupta and secretary, Yogendra Gupta has informed that all the PG and Degree students with 60% marks or above and Higher Secondary & High School students with 75% marks or above belonging to Bhojpuri Samaj are eligible for the same. The CHUSD requested students and their parents/guardians to submit self-attested photocopies of their relevant certificates and marksheets positively by November 10 at Uma Xerox Centre, Circular Road, Dimapur; Patanjali Arogya Kendra, Naga Bazaar, Dimapur; Xoom Xerox, Shopper Point, near SP Office, and Gupta Fashion, near Durga Mandir, Dimapur.

Public SPace

‘LATE MANIK BHATTACHARJEE’ ON HIS 80TH BIRTHDAY

(1934-2008)

“You brought with you the deathless life, you have gifted it to us through your death”

E

very individual in this world has his own place. The world is a stage and we all are playing our respective role here. Many people, we come across everyday

but forget most of them.

It is only a few, who are imprinted in our memory forever, because they possess some unique qualities. Such a person was late Manik Bhattacharjee.

He was endowed with many rare qualities – a great social worker, a talented organizer, an educationist, a poet, a journalist and what not. His life speaks volume of his dedication towards the distressed humanity. He is enthroned in the hearts of the people of Nagaland.

Born in the family of freedom fighters of Assam province in undivided India, he was greatly influenced by his father late Rajendra Chandra Bhattacharjee, a renowned lawyer, who was a keen lover of his motherland.

From his very childhood, late Manik Bhattacharjee

developed a different outlook towards life. Rich tradition and strict discipline of his family made him set feet right on the footprints of the seniors in the family and thus, he could develop a rational mind to imbibe idealism and optimistic attitude towards life.

His father came to Dimapur in 1939 and later on, after the World War-II, his family was also shifted to Dimapur. Due to lack of appropriate educational institution in Dimapur in those days, he had to go to Lumding and pass his Matriculation from Lumding Railway High School.

During his school days, he was straight forward and had the guts to fight for noble causes.

His career started as a Teacher in S.D. Jain High School. As a teacher, he felt the necessity of a book

stall and opened Pramila Book Book Stall, the first of it’s kind in Dimapur along with a newspaper corner.

He may well be called the first Journalist in Nagaland.

He was the correspondent of Hindustan Standard, Assam Tribune and Ananda Bazar Patrika, a Bengali daily of Kolkata. He was the publisher and columnist of Ura Mail, a popular English weekly published form Dimapur. Late Chalie Kevichusa was the Editor.

Late Manik Bhattacharjee, basically a regionlist by heart, was a founder member of Democratic Party of Nagaland (DPN), the first political Party of Nagaland. He contested the Assembly election from Dimapur-I constituency in 1989 with U.D.F. ticket. He was the member (two tenure) and Vice-chairman, Dimapur Town Commit-

tee. He shouldered a series of assignments and performed them with due responsibility. He was the state committee member of petroleum product, the member of Telephone Advisory committee (three times) Founder and Trustee Board Member, Shri.

Ramakrishna Society, Dimapur Kalibari, Hindu Milan Mandir, ASHDA. He was also the founder vicechairman od Urban Cooperative Bank, Ex-Director, Nagaland Co-operative Bank and MARCOFED. Late Bhattacharjee was a keen lover of education in the truest sense of the term. He was associated with a number of educational institutions, He was the Member, later secretary of Dimapur Railway High School, Member and Advisory committee member of Dimapur Government

An Unforgettable Personality College, He himself set up a number of educational institutions. He was the Founder Secretary, Pranab Vidyapith Higher secondary School, Pranabananda Women’s College (first of it’s kind in Nagaland) Chief organizer and General Committee Member, Bharat Sevashram Sangha, Founder, Pranab Vidyapith High School, Bokajan, Karbi Anglong, Assam.

As a poet and writer of repute, he has several poems and write-ups in his accounts, which are appreciated by the elites in and out of Dimapur. He was the Life Member of Assam Sahitya Sabha and Red Cross Society of India, Member, Khadi Board etc.

He was out and out a cultural personality. He himself organized and was also associated with many cultural organizations.

In a recognition of his dedicated service to humanity, he was awarded commendation Certificate

by Governor of Nagaland for his Social Work and on the 15th August, 2005, he received very prestigious Certificate for Governor’s Gold Medal from Chief Minister, Nagaland at Kohima. He was also awarded ‘Karmayogi’ award by the Lions Club International Dist. 322 D during 2005.

In 2006 Bharat Sevashram Sangha recognized his immense services towards the cause of the downtrodden humanity and felicitated him with ‘Manav Ratna’ Award.

He breathed his last on the 13th February, 2008 at 9:00 pm at his Khermahal, Circular Road residence.

Till his last day, he remained dedicated to all the various Social Welfare activities,

day- to-day administrative works of Pranabananda Women’s College (last visit at 1:30 pm on 13/02/08 and Pranab Vidyapith Higher Secondary School and Bharat Sevashram (visited at around 2:10 pm on 13/02/08) Today, on his 80th Birthday, we pay our best homage to his departed soul. He is not in front of our eyes. He is in the middle of our eyes. Physically, he is no more with us. But his immortal spirit is a source of never-ending inspiration to all of us. He is the Pole Star, which is showing us the way in the darkness of ignorance and impiety.

May his cherished blessings be showered on all of us.

The Morung Express is introducing “Public Space” as part of our intention to provide deliberate space for the opinions of the people to be expressed and heard through this newspaper.

Nonetheless, The Morung Express points out that the opinions expressed in the contents published in the “Public Space” do not reflect the views and position of the newspaper or the editor.

Avijit Bhattacharjee & N. Dutta On behalf of MANIK BHATTACHARJEE FOUNDATION, Dimapur

6

IN-FOCUS

The Power of Truth

The Morung Express FrIDAy 7 NovEmbEr 2014 volumE IX IssuE 307

Along Longkumer Consulting Editor

A Pro-active Governor

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n the few weeks he has been here, the new Governor of Nagaland PB Acharya has taken keen interest in the affairs of the State and using his position as head of the State, he has highlighted some of the concerns facing us. With years of experience as a political and social activist and having worked closely with the masses in the Northeast region including Nagaland, the Governor is aware of the problems and challenges facing people here. Neither a former bureaucrat nor an ex-army general, as most Governors in Nagaland have been, Mr Acharya comes across as someone belonging to the class of ordinary citizens and familiar with their needs and aspirations. Hopefully the Governor will be a guardian of the people, to ensure for their welfare and that the government delivers the goods.

Corruption and unabated taxation are both concerns facing people of the State, which this column has been highlighting on a regular basis for many years now. While there are many ways in which we can approach the above problems, one suggestion is to put in place checks and balances in the system. Along with this we should try and help strengthen our existing institutions—most notably the three wings of the government: the executive, legislature and judiciary. Related to this, we need to perhaps take a closer look at the office of the Governor, which is part of the executive. Firstly, the role of Governors in the State should not be seen only as that of a nominal or figure head. While elected governments under the Chief Minister have the real powers and the Governor is expected to act according to the advice of the Council of Ministers, yet it is true that the constitution has conferred certain discretionary powers on the Governor.

Something has to be done about the present state of affairs in our State and the Governor can take up with the new political dispensation about the need to combat corruption and improve governance. Without having to overstep from his constitutional powers, what Nagaland require at this juncture, plagued as it is with empty coffers, corruption, disgruntled employees, and large scale public grievances, is a pro-active Governor. Public memory may be short but it was during the brief spell of President’s Rule in the run up to the 2008 Assembly Elections that we witnessed some welcome initiative by the then Governor, K. Sankaranarayanan. It may be recalled that several initiative taken included, among others, specific guidelines/interventions to improve delivery of services to citizens especially with regard to Public Distribution System.

This particular period witnessed other overhauling of familiar discrepancies within the government system.

The term SMART Governance, was coined by the then Governor during this period. To elucidate SMART stands for– Simple, Moral, Accountable, Responsive and Transparent. Of course at the moment we have a democratically elected government in place and it may not be possible for the Governor to act on his own like he would during Presidents Rule. But nevertheless, the present Governor will hopefully keep a close watch on the way public money meant for development is spend. And even though the Governor’s power may be limited, the elected government under him must put in place SMART governance and thereby help in meeting the expectations that citizens have from his Government. Taking on corruption and ensuring accountability and transparency in governance will be of great service to public welfare. The new Governor should continue to act as a watchdog over the affairs of the State.

(Feedback can be sent to consultingeditormex@gmail.com)

lEfT wiNg |

Andrew O. Selsky Associated Press

Denis Johnson explores the dark side in Africa

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enis Johnson, winner of the National Book Award for his Vietnam-era opus "Tree of Smoke," has jumped genres again in "The Laughing Monsters," a new thriller set in Africa.

Johnson has done chameleon-like genre switches before, producing the noirish "Nobody Move" that evokes Elmore Leonard's style and a Western of sorts, "Train Book Review of "The Dreams," that has a dash of Cormac McCarthy. Both Laughing Monsters" (Farrar, Straus & Giroux), books are solid works in their own right.

by Denis Johnson "The Laughing Monsters" plunges protagonist Roland Nair into Sierra Leone, years after the country's savage civil war ended and before the recent arrival of the dreaded Ebola virus. Nair steps off the plane into "the steam heat of West Africa" and into "the usual throng of fools" in the terminal who are looking to hustle innocent tourists. But Nair, who works for some NATO intelligence outfit, has been here before and is no easy picking. He is looking to hook up with Michael Adriko, a Ugandan friend and soldier-of-fortune type who has shared some adventures with Nair and who holds out the prospect of making money on some scheme.

This is territory sometimes plumbed by John le Carre, whose protagonists are often slightly flawed but who, in the end, often want to do good.

But Nair is not just slightly flawed; he seems to be pretty rotten. He is a committed boozer and uses prostitutes. He is also willing to sell access to a nation's secrets in the war against terror.

Nevertheless, Johnson does a neat trick in developing reader empathy for Nair as he gets together with Adriko and his girlfriend, the daughter of a U.S. special forces commander. Maybe the fact that Johnson wrote "The Laughing Monsters" in the first person has something to do with Nair's likability: He is not a man who is full of self-loathing, so how can the reader loathe him?

Many of Nair's observations and thoughts are relayed in emails he writes to a girlfriend, messages that he rarely is able to send because of Internet challenges in backwater hotels.

The trio heads across the continent to Uganda and then to Congo, the voyage described in vividly sketched scenes and with dialogue that jumps off the page. Their luck goes from bad to worse as they go deeper into the bush and leave the amenities of civilization behind. At one point they are in a village when one of the area's various armed groups attacks it.

"A woman burst onto the path ahead of us with eyes like headlights, running with her hands high in the air. Bullets tugged at the banana leaves around her," Johnson writes, using a few sharp details to describe a moment that is memorable and seems to come to life. Johnson visited Africa to get a feel for some of the places.

Consequently, realism abounds in his prose.

At the end of his journey, Nair might not find redemption, and he might not even desire it. But this is also a tale about friendship, and the extent to which it can endure a dangerous journey and possible betrayal. If Nair can be true to a friend, he might be redeemed to some extent after all, even if he remains a scoundrel.

"The Laughing Monsters" is a masterfully written tale that describes a descent into one of the darkest corners of Africa and into the dark corners of the mind of man.

THE EDIT PAGE

C O M M E N T A R Y

Nick Dearden

It’s time to radically reduce inequality The 66 richest people in the world have the same wealth as the 3.5 billion poorest

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ast night I was defending the proposition that wealth needs to be aggressively reduced, alongside Jeremy Corbyn MP and Adam Swift at Warwick University.

This is more or less what I said: In January, Oxfam found – looking at on 2013 figures – that the 85 richest people in the world, had the same wealth as 3.5 billion poorest. That’s half the world’s population. Just last week Oxfam released new research showing that the number of billionaires had doubled between 2009 and 2014, while most of the rest of the world was facing welfare cuts, recession and falling levels of real income.

In March Kasia Moreno from Forbes updated the figures and found the situation had changed.

Now it only took 67 of the richest people to match the wealth of the 3.5 billion ‘poorest’. By the time the article was published, it had changed again. It now took only 66 people. At an economic level, this is desperately unstable as many pro-capitalist thinkers recognise. Very early in the financial crisis the Financial Times published a special supplement called ‘Capitalism in Crisis’, with thoughtful articles concerned that capitalism is eating itself.

Last week Credit Suisse published a report saying that the richest 1%, globally own more than 48% of global wealth: “this is a worrying signal given that abnormally high wealth income ratios have always signaled recession in the past” They’re quite right. The last time the 1% controlled such a large part of the economy in the US was just before the Wall St Crash.

Both the scale of inequality and the speed at which it is rising, leaves most people stunned.

But if you need a clearer argument as to why you should worry, I would give four: that if you’re interested in eradicating poverty, in democracy, in the happiness of people or in fairness, we must do something radical about inequality.

You can’t separate poverty from inequality There has been a push over the last 30 years to claim that there is a huge difference between poverty and inequality. This has been part of an attempt to make efforts towards poverty eradication palatable to an increasingly dominant right-wing agenda, especially in the US. The beauty of separating poverty and inequality is that you can care about ‘the poor’ while not worrying about the need for any of the radical changes which might upset your lifestyle. You can both be “intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich”, as Peter Mandelson said, and also care about very poor people getting less poor. This was core to the Blair government’s concern with global poverty.

The problem is that you can’t separate these concepts. You are left with a very narrow, incomplete and technical idea of what poverty is.

I would contend that poverty isn’t simply about short-term purchasing power, but a lack of control over the resources needed for a decent life. Poverty is about lack of power. And that lack of power is a direct consequence of others having too much power – ultimately too much control over resources.

You can try to alleviate suffering at the very bottom. This is what depoliticised poverty goals are all about. For instance, you could give the poor money (or vouchers) to rent the resources they need.

That might lead to an improvement in their ‘human development indicators’, at least short-term.

But ultimately this secures the control of the very few and makes the power disparity even worse.

This is the history of far too much ‘development’ and ‘aid’ over the last 20 years.

Even head of World Bank now says: "Inequality is not just a problem in itself: countries with rising income inequality, the effect of growth on poverty has been dampened or even reversed."

We can see it in practice. In Africa, where we

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hina’s efforts to promote socialism in the late 1950s and early 1960s resulted in what is euphemistically known as the three years of natural disasters, during which more than 30 million people starved to death. One evening when I was a young boy, not long after the catastrophe, I followed my mother as she went to dump garbage outside the wall that surrounded our village, a poor and isolated town in central China.

Holding my hand, my mother pointed to the white clay and yellow earth of the wall, and said, “Son, you must always remember, when people are starving to death they may eat this white clay and elm tree bark, but if they try to eat that yellow earth or the bark of any other kind of tree they will die even faster.”

Mother went back inside our house to cook and left behind a long shadow.

I stood in front of the edible clay gazing out at the sunset, the village and the fields, and an enormous sheet of darkness gradually approached.

From that point on, I developed a keen appreciation for the somber side of our existence. I came to understand that darkness is not the mere absence of light, but rather it is life itself. Darkness is the Chinese people’s fate.

Today’s China is no longer the China of my childhood. It has become rich and powerful, and because it has solved the basic problem of providing 1.3 billion people with food, clothing and some spending money, it has

In this January 21, 2014 photo, Round Namar pushes a cart that she uses to transport goods for her makeshift restaurant close to a little apartment building on 41st Street in Yangon, Myanmar. Namar’s extended family, is among the building’s poorest, depending on what she and two daughters earn selling snacks on the street, and a son-in-law’s work as a mechanic. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

are told by the financial press that a miracle is taking place, growth rates are booming. But in many of these countries poverty is rising at the same time.

Look at Mozambique or Nigeria. Luanda, capital of Angola is the most expensive city in the world while half the country lives in poverty.

In other words, serious levels of inequality are being embedded in this economic model and, despite growth, people’s lives at the bottom are actually getting harder. Trickle down doesn’t work. You can’t have inequality and a contented ‘poor’.

You can’t separate inequality from democracy Wealth clearly confers power, and that power is exercised in a self-interested way. Elites exercise power in their own interests, though of course they can be more or less ‘enlightened’ about this. In very unequal countries, political candidates are not too different from paid-up mouthpieces for the elite. In the US what is effectively ‘buying candidates’ is not only accepted but getting worse.

Throughout Europe, political parties in no way represent the diversity of views in the general population, let alone the interests of the majority of people. People are more and more alienated. Democratic spaces are closed down. We’re unable to even debate issues which would have been considered quite mainstream in the past – like this one – in most of the media.

Of course there is resistance to this – the brilliant protests organised by Occupy London for instance.

But the political elite, which includes much of the media, is unable to even respond to this let alone answer the desperate lack of power people feel.

I haven’t even talked about other aspects of democracy here. Does anyone believe that wealth has no bearing on how people experience justice? Compare how we treat crimes of the poor (most notably displayed in the wildly disproportionate jail terms handed down after the 2011 riots) with crimes of the rich (the lack of justice meted out to those who caused the financial crisis).

Democracy, equal rights, access to justice are all impossible to square with anything like the levels of inequality we currently see.

ard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, the authors show a very strong link between inequality and… life expectancy, mental illness, teen birth rates, violence, the percentage of populations in prison, drug use, unmanageable debt. Inequality makes these things much worse. Not just a few percentage points worse, but many times worse.

And indeed inequality even changes the way we view each other – human beings. Inequality is related to how much we trust each other. It’s related to our willingness to recycle and to support aid budgets in more equal societies.

For these reasons it isn’t just the poor who are worse off, the very rich are worse off in some sense.

Bear in mind that, making a poor person a bit better off is likely to be far more meaningful to their lives than making a rich person a bit better off.

So from a utilitarian point of view, inequality makes no sense at all.

Inequality makes for an unfair society The elite - through their investments, their lobbying for various laws, their direct responsibility as CEOs of corporations or political appointees, are surely more responsible for the financial crisis than ordinary members of society. They are certainly much more so than those who have lost the most from that crisis – that’s to say the poorest.

Despite this, the top 1% of US society received 95% of all income gains made in the 5 years since the crash. And it just keeps on getting better.

Last year Bill Gates became the richest man in the world again. He increased his wealth by $15.8bn to nearly $80bn. Consistent with the logic of our times, Gates is known for his vast philanthropic ventures, but doesn’t think the US should raise its puny minimum wage.

Collectively all of the world’s millionaires got 11% richer last year – the richest most of all. On the back of one of the worst periods of austerity in modern history, the total wealth of the richest 1,000 individuals, couples or families in Britain jumped 15% last year. This isn’t the ‘1%’, it’s the 0.003%.

In an unequal world, the richest can cause epoch-changing problems and everyone else has to bear the consequences. If we want to tackle inequalInequality makes people unhappy ity, we must challenge the power of the 1%.

In fact inequality is more important than poverty We lost the debate. in predicting serious social problems. In the excelNick Dearden is director of the World Development Movement lent and well-known book the Spirit Level by Rich-

Finding light in China’s Darkness Yan Lianke NYT come to resemble a bright ray of light that illuminates the East. But beneath this light lies a long shadow.

When I look at contemporary China, I see a nation that is thriving yet distorted, developing yet mutated. I see corruption, absurdity, disorder and chaos. Every day, something occurs that lies outside ordinary reason and logic. A system of morality and a respect for humanity that was developed over several millenniums is unraveling.

Life is gloomy and depressing. Everyone is waiting for something dreadful to happen. This uneasy and fearful expectation has produced a collective sense of anxiety.

No one can tell us where the nation’s speeding locomotive of economic development will end up. No one can tell us what price should be paid for human feelings, human nature and human dignity, now that money and power have replaced socialism and capitalism. What is the price for abandoning the ideals of democracy, free-

dom, law and morality?

More than a decade ago, I went several times to visit an AIDS village in my home province of Henan. The village had close to 800 residents and more than 200 were infected with H.I.V. The majority were workers between the ages of 30 and 45 who had become infected because, in the pursuit of wealth and a better life, they had gone in groups to sell their blood and became infected in the process. Death was as frequent and inevitable as the setting sun. It became so dark it seemed as though the sun had disappeared permanently.

China may boast of having several thousand years of civilization, but when an old man collapses in the street, everyone refrains from helping him out for fear of being implicated, even as the old man bleeds warm, red blood. What kind of society do we live in when a pregnant woman dies on the delivery table and all of the medical technicians flee in order to avoid responsibility, leaving behind a tiny soul

wRiTE-wiNg

uttering a feeble cry?

It is a writer’s job to find life within this darkness.

I am reminded of Job, in the Old Testament, who after experiencing countless misfortunes said to his wife as she was urging him to curse God, “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” This simple response demonstrates that Job understood that his suffering was merely God’s way of testing him, and was evidence that darkness and light must exist together.

I don’t pretend that I have been uniquely selected by God, as Job was, to endure suffering, but I do know that I am somehow fated to perceive darkness. From these shadows I lift my pen to write. I search for love, goodness and a perpetually beating heart.

At a symposium last week, President Xi Jinping met with a group of artists, including the Nobel Laureate Mo Yan, and talked about the value of art in China. According to the official China Youth Online, he said, “For art workers to be successful, they must breathe together with the people, share their fate and feel their feelings, rejoice at their joy, grieve at their grief, and serve the people like a willing ox.”

But only the pursuit of true art, unencumbered by anyone, can help us find the delicate light, beauty, warmth and love that are hidden in the darkness.

Yan Lianke is a novelist whose most recently translated work is “Lenin’s Kisses.” This article was adapted from his acceptance speech for the 2014 Franz Kafka Prize. It was translated from the Chinese by Carlos Rojas.

Letters to the Editor should be sent to: The morung Express, House No. 4, Duncan Bosti, Dimapur - 797112, Or –email: morung@gmail.com All letters (including those via email) should have the full name and Postal address of the sender.

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

7

Friday

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

7 November 2014

PERSPECTIVE NEWS ANALYSIS, FEATURE AND DISCOURSE

Palestinian anger boils in A boon for the Women of ecuador the heart of East Jerusalem ruxandra Guidi

Noah Browning and Luke Baker

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reuters

or months, the streets of mainly Arab East Jerusalem, in the shadow of the Old City but where tourists seldom venture, have been ablaze, with daily clashes between armed Israeli police and Palestinians throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails.

The roots of the unrest are many: from the killing in July of a Palestinian teenager by Jewish extremists -- apparently in revenge for the killing of three Israeli teenagers by Palestinians -- to increased settlement building in East Jerusalem, the war in Gaza and a push by ultra-nationalist Jews to be allowed to pray at one of Islam's holiest sites.

The seething anger was brought to the fore again on Wednesday, when a Palestinian man rammed his vehicle into pedestrians and Israeli border police on a road straddling East and West Jerusalem, killing one person and wounding a dozen. The attacker was shot dead by police.

The result is the greatest period of unrest the city has experienced since the second Palestinian uprising, or Intifada, began in 2000, a fiveyear period of conflict that left around 3,000 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis dead.

While the upheaval has largely been confined to half a dozen neighbourhoods in the hills and valleys to the south and east of the Old City, Palestinians say anger in their community now probably exceeds that of 14 years ago. And there are clear signs of the unrest spreading.

Last week, an Israeli-American activist who has led a campaign for Jews to be allowed to pray at the city's holiest site -- known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount -- was shot and wounded as he left a conference in the predominantly Jewish western side of Jerusalem.

The suspect in the attack, Palestinian Moataz Hijazi, was shot dead by Israeli police within hours, following an exchange of gunfire in Abu Tor, a Palestinian district just a few hundred yards from where the activist, Yehuda Glick, had spoken.

The week before, a Palestinian from Silwan, a district abutting the Old City where Jewish settlers have been growing in numbers, rammed his car into a crowd waiting at a light-railway stop, killing a three-month-old Israeli-American child and a woman from Ecuador.

The streets of Abu Tor, which locals call alThuri, were quickly aflame after Hijazi's killing, with young men and boys throwing rocks at Israeli police, lighting fires, blocking the roads and promising revenge. Israeli forces responded with stun grenades and tear gas, while helicopters hovered overhead. Clashes went on into the night.

"Let them arrest us, let them shoot us, it doesn't matter," said Hamada Abu Omar, 21, one of those involved in the fighting, a black-and-white chequered scarf, the type made famous by former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, around his neck.

"At least we can frustrate them, slow them down and show them we will never give up," he said.

For Sayid Samer, 54, who was born in the Old City, runs his grandfather's souvenir shop there and has watched the ebb and flow of tension over decades, Jerusalem is dangerously on edge.

"It's more terrible now than it was in 2000, much worse," he says, pursing his lips in concern as a group of Israeli police passed his store in the Muslim Quarter. "It's like a war now."

Religious Tensions If there is a low-level war underway, its driving force has become the ancient marble-andstone compound that houses the Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third-holiest site, and the 7th century Dome of the Rock, the gold-plated shrine from

T

ering since the early 2000s, making it extremely difficult for a mass uprising to emerge.

In Abu Tor, older Palestinian men who remember the earlier Intifadas are doubtful about prospects for another one focused on Jerusalem.

Ibrahim Hijazi, the father of the man suspected of having shot Glick, expressed anger at Israel's occupation and the fight over al-Aqsa as visitors came to mourn his son's death, but also a sense of resignation.

"We live in madness. This is supposed to be a holy city, but every year under occupation we lose more land, we're humiliated and now with al-Aqsa we're on the brink of a religious war," he said, his eyes red and his face unshaven.

While no one underestimates the frustration felt by Palestinians in East Jerusalem, few believe at this stage that an uprising to equal those that have gone before is possible.

"What's happening in Jerusalem is less of an uprising than a protest movement by the youth.

Without the support of leaders, it seems unsustainable -- while the Israeli police crackdown used against it is very sustainable," Samir Awad, a Palestinian analyst at Birzeit University in the West Bank, told Reuters.

he political and constitutional crisis in Burkina Faso erupted with speed and still has some way to run. Its immediate cause was a scheduled vote to amend the constitution, which would have paved the way for the incumbent president, Blaise Compaoré - who came to power in 1987 - to prolong his stay. But on Thursday 30 October, protesters took to the streets in the west African country's main cities, Ouagadougou and Bobo Diolaasu, burned down parliament and ensured the vote's postponement.

The protests led the army to impose a state of emergency. Compaoré, who had briefly disappeared from the scene, returned to announce the establishment of a twelve-month transitional administration which he insisted on heading. By noon on Friday 31 October, however, fresh protests forced the president to resign. The scene has now shifted to the army, amid concerns that military leaders are seeking to use the opportunity to take power and deny the people the fruits of their victory.

The questions raised by these developments go to the heart of constitutional democracy. They include why term limits have become such a sensitive issue in contemporary Africa, and why and how citizens are taking steps to protect them from abuse.

In Burkina Faso's case, Article 37 of the 1991 constitution (which was revised in 2000, 2003 and 2012) imposes a two-term limit for the president. The planned vote was the second time Compaoré had sought to manipulate the rule; the first was in 1997, when he repealed the term-limit provision set in 1991, before civil and political strife forced him to reintroduce it in 2000.

Most sub-Saharan countries introduced term-limit provisions as part of a package of reforms in the early and mid-1990s to democratise politics and end the growing phenomenon of "life presidencies" in postcolonial Africa. The events in Burkina Faso provide a fresh reminder of a disturbing trend: presidents introducing constitutional

A Palestinian uses a sling shot during clashes with Israeli border police in east Jerusalem on Wednesday, November 5, 2014. Clashes broke out after a Palestinian driver rammed a minivan into a crowded train station. He then backed out and proceeded to drive away, hitting several cars along the way, then got out of the car and attacked Changing City At the same time, Israel knows sentiment is a group of civilians and police officers on the side of the road with a metal bar, killing one and wounding 13, be- shifting. The mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat, has fore he was shot and killed. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) demanded that Netanyahu bolster security in and

where the Prophet Mohammad is said to have ascended to heaven.

Since Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordan during the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in a move not recognised internationally, Jews have been allowed to visit the site that they revere as Temple Mount, but are forbidden to pray there.

That is a source of frustration to many since the site is the holiest place in Judaism, where two ancient Jewish temples once stood, the second destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. In recent months, a campaign for the prayer ban to be overturned, led by Yehuda Glick and other settler activists, has gathered momentum, raising alarm among Palestinians and Muslims further afield who fear that the Islamic oversight of the compound that has existed since the crusades is threatened.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists the status quo will not change, but his reassurances have done little to calm nerves or religious sensitivities. In a sign of frustration at what it called "unprecedented Israeli escalation" in Jerusalem, Jordan on Wednesday recalled its ambassador to Tel Aviv, days after the two countries marked 20 years of an historic peace accord.

"Dramatic developments on the Temple Mount have the potential to be a game-changer," Udi Dekel of the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv wrote in a paper titled "Tension in Jerusalem: Preventing the Eruption of the Volcano".

"The religious sensitivity regarding the site may result in an effect that impacts wide circles of people who identify with the site. Throughout the Arab and Muslim world, it may even arouse waves of support for violence."

Hard To Rise Up While the anger on the streets may be akin to the last Intifada or even the first, which began in 1987 and lasted until the Oslo peace accords in 1993, the ability of Palestinians to strike at Israel has become far harder.

From aerial surveillance balloons to the high concrete wall that separates the Israeli-occupied West Bank from East Jerusalem, Israel has invested heavily in security measures and intelligence gath-

around East Jerusalem, with up to a 1,000 more police on the streets.

The Israeli cabinet this week approved draft legislation that would make throwing stones at vehicles a crime punishable by up to 20 years in jail, a decision seen as an effort to quell unrest in East Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank.

Condemned by the United States and European Union, Netanyahu has pushed ahead with settlement building in East Jerusalem, which opponents say heightens tensions, is illegal under international law and makes it even harder to negotiate a two-state solution to the conflict.

Palestinians see their neighbourhoods changing as a result of the settlement drive. Silwan, where around 40,000 Palestinians live, now has around 500 Jewish settlers in it, with nine new buildings bought by wealthy pro-settler groups in the past two months with the aim of making the area more Jewish.

Locals see the move as a provocation, made more acute by the fact that their neighbourhoods receive fewer services than Jewish districts in West Jerusalem, even though Palestinians pay an equal share of municipal taxes.

"There's a mapped out strategy to create new facts on the ground which targets all Jerusalem and al-Aqsa at its heart," Yasser Abed Rabbo, the deputy head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, told Reuters. "This battle has been opened and it can't end until this plan has been foiled."

Netanyahu's response is defiance. Jerusalem, he says, is the "eternal and undivided" capital of Israel, effectively dismissing Palestinians' goal of an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza with its capital in East Jerusalem.

On the ground in Silwan, Abu Tor and other neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem, that is fuelling anger and hatred that Palestinians are struggling to contain.

A new uprising may not look like the last ones, but the prospect of extended violence is increasing by the day.

"There are no leaders and no weapons," said Ammar, a young Palestinian watching street clashes with two friends.

"God willing, we'll take this oppression and send it crashing on their own heads."

F

NYT

or the 60,000 residents of this rural county of green hills and small villages, migration is something of a rite of passage. The share of Cañar’s people leaving the country is greater than that of any other district in Ecuador. More than 70 percent of its households receive remittances every month, and rely on them to cover basic necessities.

The costs can be great, especially on children, who are left behind by their parents or also embark on the perilous treks, sometimes alone.

And the economic effects are sometimes perverse: In Cañar, big houses built with money from abroad stand unfinished or abandoned as more residents leave.

But beyond the cautionary tales, Cañar also stands for one of the great overlooked benefits of migration: unprecedented access to education and jobs, freedom of movement and financial independence for women, especially indigenous women, whether they left and returned, or never left.

Emigration from Cañar started in the 1960s, after a drop in the export price of locally produced straw hats pushed local men to move to Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city.

Falling oil prices gave way to debt and inflation in the 1980s, and by the 1990s, many peasants had lost both their meager savings and their livelihoods. Over the next 15 years, about half of Cañar’s population, mostly men, went abroad, especially to the United States and Spain, looking for jobs.

I met Barbarita Pichasaca, an indigenous Cañari woman and mother of four in her early forties, in August. Soon after her husband left for Brooklyn in 2001, he asked her to join him. Ms. Pichasaca borrowed money from a local loan shark and embarked on a dangerous journey from the highlands to Ecuador’s coast, north to Central America by boat, and then through Mexico by train, bus and on foot. After less than a year of doing cleaning jobs in New York, Ms. Pichasaca could afford to send money home for her children’s food and clothing. “But they suffered too much,” she said. “So I told my husband: ‘You’re a big boy, but my kids are not; they need me."’ She came back to Cañar in 2006.

Ms. Pichasaca’s choice would spell the end of her marriage. But it would also mark the beginning of her freedom and personal success. Within a couple of years of her return, she became the first woman to open up a bank specifically for and by migrants.

Taking advantage of a 2002 Ecuadorean law meant to alleviate migrant debt and generate local investment, Ms. Pichasaca’s Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito Del Migrante gives out low-interest loans between just a few hundred dollars and up to $5,000, mostly to women who want to start small businesses, but also to others who want to be smuggled out of Ecuador. Ms. Pichasaca has also purchased land and built homes

Don’t touch my constitution! Burkina Faso's lesson

term-limits only to scrap them (or attempt yuhniwo Ngenge to do so) when they are no longer politically convenient. This has happened in two sidered a rare positive story of francophone Africa’s democratic progress in recent dewaves - with a third one now underway. cades, has also proposed reforms to the 1990 constitution which many local actors The political context The first wave came just before and after see as a strategic ploy designed eventually the turn of the millennium. If Blaise Com- to extend his stay in power.

These nineteen countries, twelve of them paoré in 1997 was the pioneer, he was followed by Sam Nujoma of Namibia (1999), francophone and six anglophone (along with Omar Bongo of Gabon (2003), Lansane Cameroon which is both) are a sad reminder Conté of Guinea (2003), Gnassingbé Eyadé- of the challenges of entrenching democratic ma of Togo (2002), and Zine el Abidine Ben alternation of power and constitutional governance on the continent. In this context, Ali of Tunisia in (2002).

The second wave picked up from the events in Burkina Faso reinforce a glimmer mid-2000s through the turn of the decade of hope, resonant of the early days of Arabwith Idriss Déby of Chad (2005), Yoweri Mu- spring revolts, that the populace can rise up seveni of Uganda (2005), Paul Biya of Cam- to demand political change. They reveal that eroon (2008), Abdelazziz Bouteflika of Al- Africans, long held back by the chains of a geria (2008). There were also several failed victim mentality or tribal or patronage-based attempts to abolish term-limits, including loyalties, are becoming more politically conin Zambia (2001), Malawi (2003), by Oluse- scious and engaged. Younger Africans in gun Obasanjo of Nigeria (2006), Mamadou particular are highly distrustful of politicians Tandja of Niger in 2009, and Abdoulaye and becoming more resilient against repressive leadership. In addition they are also beWade of Senegal (2011).

Today, a third wave is appearing, even as coming more aware of their rights and more the crisis in Burkina Faso unfolds. Incum- willing to fight to protect the constitutions in bents in at least three other African coun- which these rights are enshrined.

The attitude of "touche pas a ma constitries are currently seeking officially to scrap term-limit provisions to pave the way for tution" has inspired a French human-rights their re-election, while others may discreet- project with this name and provoked African citizens to widespread protests. In Senly be preparing the ground for it.

The first group comprises Joseph-Dé- egal, the phrase was a rallying-cry for prosiré Kabila in the Democratic Republic of testers as they fought Abdoulaye Wade's Congo (DRC), Pierre Nkurunziza of Bu- efforts in 2011 to run for a third term. The rundi, and Denis Sassou Nguesso of Congo- same was the case in Cameroon in 2008 and Brazzaville. In a familiar tone, characteris- more recently in the DRC. Although the protic of how changes have been engineered tests have not all been successful, they are across the continent, allies of Rwanda’s Paul significant for two reasons.

First, they demonstrate that citizens no Kagame have been urging him to stay and are now seeking a vote to allow him a third longer see constitutions as a matter for politerm, even as the president himself remains ticians alone, but as determining their own suspiciously ambiguous on the subject. The relationship with these politicians. In other incumbent Yayi Boni In Benin, often con- words, they are beginning to recognise not

only what a constitution is but also why it matters for them.

Second, they are a signal to authoritarian leaders across the continent that citizens are no longer prepared to remain passive observers while politicians make and break rules and tamper with their constitutions for selfish political interests.

It is not hard to see why this is becoming the case. Multiparty politics, introduced during the democratic reforms of the early and mid-1990s, has failed to take genuine root across most of Africa. A single party dominated by one individual has consistently dominated the political space, due in part to questionable, yet barely challenged, electoral victories. The well-known examples include Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), Paul Biya’s Cameroon Peoples’ Democratic Movement (CPDM), Sassou Ngessou’s Congolese Party of Labour (CPL), Joseph Kabila’s Peoples’ Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD), and Kagame’s Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF).

Opposition political parties are either too weak to be effective due to an uneven playing-field, persecuted and intimidated into silence, or become victims of different forms of cooptation by the ruling regime.

In consequence, such parties split apart or lose public credibility, to the advantage of the ruling party. The examples of manipulation include Cameroon’s Social Democratic Front (SDF) and Zimbabwe’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

Moreover, the dominance of one political party has created extremely weak political institutions. Legislatures are dominated by the same party that holds the executive power; judiciaries are packed with sympathetic judges; the military is co-opted with high salaries and other benefits. Thus, parliaments and judiciaries become mere

for family members, and is raising cattle to make artisanal cheese.

Ms. Pichasaca was a traditional housewife, observant of both indigenous Cañari customs and Christian faith, and for some her evolution amounted to a form of treachery.

She told me she had faced scorn for leaving her kids behind, and then condemnation after coming back without her husband. But her stint abroad gave her a taste, she said, for the American spirit of “working hard to fix your own situation.”

Today, women account for over 53 percent of the population of Cañar and surroundings, the largest such share in the country. Between 31 percent and 48 percent of households are run by women.

Women often do the work traditionally handled by men — plowing land, weeding, gathering wood for charcoal — and they often manage and invest remittances from abroad: some $197 million in 2013 alone. Increasingly, too, they pool their resources into small business groups and associations.

Within just a generation or two migration has irrevocably transformed this remote place and its people through economic development, especially the emancipation of women. The social scientists Luis Guarnizo and Michael Smith have called this process “transnationalism from below.”

The effects extend even to women who never leave Cañar. Rosa Quizpe lives a few miles down the road from Ms. Pichasaca’s home.

Her parents migrated to New York when she was 18 and left her with relatives. Today, she’s the single mother of a 12-year-old girl. I met Ms. Quizpe at the Unidad Educativa del Juncal, a school built by migrant families who want to keep their kids from having to travel far to get a basic education. Wearing a traditional pollera skirt, a round-brimmed hat made from sheep’s wool, and with a perfect braid that went down her back, Ms. Quizpe, 32, looked youthful enough to belong in this elementary and high school crowd.

“I used to complain to my parents because they didn’t support me in my education early enough, when I was little and before they went abroad,” Ms. Quizpe told me, bursting into tears. Before her parents moved to New York, she worked as a seamstress to help support her family. Now her parents pay for all of her and her daughter’s living expenses, making it possible for both of them to focus solely on their education. Next year, Ms. Quizpe will graduate from high school and go on to a university a few hours away to study medicine, she said. She will be the first in her family to attend college.

Ms. Quizpe never seriously considered leaving Cañar to join her parents: Why put her daughter through what she endured? But her daughter, Nancy, is thinking about emigrating. And Nancy’s grandparents have already promised, when the time comes, to send the first payment for her smuggler.

Ruxandra Guidi is a freelance journalist based in Quito, Ecuador. Reporting for this story was made possible by a grant from the International Reporting Project.

agents of the executive, completely incapable of upholding the principle of separation of powers and providing effective checks on the executive. Unsurprisingly, African heads of state have become increasingly powerful and unaccountable, setting up patronage systems in which friends and sympathisers are rewarded and troublemakers punished.

All this has generated greater citizen distrust with the broader political establishment across the continent, often reflected in high voter abstention. Opposition parties as well as the ruling party are increasingly seen as two sides of the same coin, having the capture and retention of political power as their only objective and seeing political office only as a means for self-enrichment.

The torching of Burkina Faso’s parliament and the homes of members of parliament from both regime and opposition sides is a clear sign of this broader dissatisfaction.

The lesson So how can the widely observed political apathy in Africa be reconciled with the scenes in Burkina Faso, where citizens risked (and in thirty cases lost) their lives in order to prevent a parliamentary vote? The timing is instructive. That the government was overthrown at the moment it sought to entrench its power in the constitution indicates a growing understanding of the separation of the state (as something owned by the peopleas-sovereign) from the government (as transitory managers of the state on behalf of the people). The constitution provides the rules which cannot be broken if this core concept of democratic constitutionalism is to hold.

Blaise Compaoré - once regarded by some as Africa’s venerated peacemaker - is now gone in disgrace. Will others contemplating a longer stint in power take heed?

Perhaps. But one lesson they must learn from Burkina Faso is that sub-Saharan Africa’s citizens and youth are waking up and guarding their constitutions closely. It’s no longer business as usual.

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

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Dimapur

NATIONAL

Friday 7 November 2014

The Morung Express

‘Al Qaeda grooming Indian militants for big attacks’ New Delhi, November 6 (reuterS): Decrypted communications between Indian Mujahideen (IM) and al Qaeda and testimony from suspects have triggered alarm among intelligence officials in New Delhi: the groups appear to be working together to launch major attacks in the region.

The officials told Reuters that plots they had uncovered included the kidnapping of foreigners and turning India into a “Syria and Iraq where violence is continuously happening”.

Allegiances between Islamist militant groups can be murky and fleeting, and providing concrete proof of operational ties is notoriously difficult.

But Indian security agencies said evidence they had gathered pointed to growing ties between al Qaeda and IM, a home-grown movement hitherto known for low-level attacks on local targets using relatively crude weapons like pressure cooker bombs.

Weeks after al Qaeda announced the formation of a

South Asia wing to strike across the subcontinent, agencies said they had discovered IM members were training with al Qaeda and other groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan for major attacks.

That increases the risk of a more dangerous form of militancy in the world’s biggest democracy, which has been largely spared the kind of violence that regularly rocks its neighbour Pakistan and, beyond it, Afghanistan.

Security officials cite last Sunday’s deadly suicide bombing on the Pakistani side of a border crossing with India, and a terror alert on Tuesday at two eastern ports that forced the Indian navy to withdraw two ships, as evidence that militant coordination and activity are on the rise.

“The thing we are looking for is how al Qaeda/ISIS tie up with local groups, especially as the drawdown takes place in Afghanistan,” said Sharad Kumar, head of the NIA (National Investigation Agency),

The worry is that more the country’s main counterterrorism arm. battle hardened fighters could now turn their sights on their homeland.

Hardened Fighters Head Home?

Others have enlisted with ISIS, also known as Islamic al Qaeda to try to carry out kidState, has carved out swathes nappings of Jews in India and of territory in Iraq and Syria, Nepal to secure the release but its influence over militant of Pakistani Aafia Siddiqui, groups in South Asia is be- a neuroscientist jailed for 86 lieved to be limited so far. years in the United States for Al Qaeda is deeply en- attempting to kill U.S. soldiers trenched, however, with lead- in Afghanistan. Siddiqui is a

meetings between militants in is fully within ISI control. They India, Pakistan and Afghani- are all itching for independent action, some want to have a go stan. at us immediately,” said an Indian security official.

“Itching For Action” Pakistani officials deny The Internet chats, which the United States helped In- they have links with the milidian investigators to decipher, tants.

“This is an outdated story. reveal tensions between IM and Pakistan’s powerful Inter- It does not serve any purpose Services Intelligence agency, for Pakistan to support such which India says has nurtured groups,” said a senior intelthe group with finance and ligence official in Islamabad, requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media about the issue. equipment.

“These terrorists are openly In one conversation, Riaz attacking us, the army, innoBhatkal, one of the founders of cent civilians, everyone here is IM now based in the Pakistani a target,” he told Reuters. “Why city of Karachi, tells his men would they do so if we were that it was important to build helping them in any way?” direct ties with al Qaeda, cutOn Sunday, at least 57 Pakiting out Pakistan agents whom stanis were killed in a suicide he described as “dogs”. bombing at Wagah, near the He talks about visiting al Indian border, which the TehQaeda leaders in the tribal belt reek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaat on the Afghan-Pakistan border, Ahrar group, whose leader has despite ISI orders not to do so. ties to al Qaeda, said was also “It has been clear for some aimed at India. time that there is no group that A spokesman issued a

Al-Qaeda coordinating with Indian Mujahideen on major attack in India, decrypted communications reveal er Ayman al-Zawahri believed to be hiding near the AfghanPakistan border and its militants fighting NATO forces in Afghanistan. Foreign combat troops are due to withdraw at the end of the year.

Some members of IM are already fighting alongside al Qaeda in Afghanistan, according to an Indian government chargesheet against 11 suspected members of the group alleged to have plotted attacks in India.

cause-celebre among global militant groups, including Islamic State, which proposed swapping her for American journalist James Foley before executing him when its demands were not met.

IM has also been urged by al Qaeda to open a base in Myanmar to avenge attacks on Rohingya Muslims, said the chargesheet prepared by the NIA, which has gathered hundreds of pieces of evidence of Internet conversations and

direct warning to nationalist prime minister, Narendra Modi, saying his group would avenge the killings of Muslims in the disputed region of Kashmir and Gujarat, which Modi governed from 2001 to 2014.

Two Indian naval warships were abruptly ordered back to sea on Tuesday, a day after they docked at Kolkata port after intelligence agencies issued a terror alert.

On Wednesday the warning was widened to the neighbouring Haldia port, the site of a huge petrochemicals complex.

Kolkata Port Trust deputy chairman Manish Jain, who is also in charge of the Haldia port complex, said security had been enhanced several times over in both the ports.

He did not have more details, but a police officer in Kolkata said they had been warned of an attack by Pakistan-based militants.

“It is the Afghan drawdown, there is a competition to do something spectacular. Wagah was the first,” the officer said.

Modi likely to expand cabinet on Sunday

In this Wednesday, November 5, photo, former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, left, accompanied by his wife, Gursharan Kaur, walks in the compound of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo after receiving the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers awarded by Japanese emperor. (AP Photo)

New Delhi/PaNaji, November 6 (iaNS): The first expansion of the Narendra Modi government is likely to take place Sunday with Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar among the new faces expected to be inducted in the council of ministers.

Informed sources said the expansion may also see greater representation among some allies and more balance in representation from states.

Parrikar on Thursday virtually confirmed his moving to the union cabinet. The Bharatiya Janata Party legislators in Goa are expected to meet Friday to discuss about his successor.

Parrikar is being tipped for the key defence ministry portfolio, one of the two held

by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The 58-year-old Parrikar said he was instructed by BJP president Amit Shah to accept any responsibility entrusted

by Prime Minister Modi. He, however, told the media that the portfolio he was to get has not been revealed to him yet.

“Amit Shah told me to accept any assignment given to me by the prime minister. The second part is the prerogative of the prime minister,” Parrikar

Modi ranked 15 on Forbes power list; Putin tops th

waShiNgtoN, November 6 (iaNS): Indian Prime Narendra Modi Wednesday joined the world’s most powerful people ranking 15th on the Forbes list with Russian President Vladimir Putin once again beating US President Barack Obama to the top spot.

“India’s newest rock star doesn’t hail from Bollywood. He is the newly elected prime minister who sailed into office in May with a landslide victory, ushering the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) into power after decades of control by the Gandhi dynasty,” said the US business magazine of Modi.

Describing Modi as a “Hindu nationalist”, Forbes referred to the 2002 Gujarat riots when he was the state’s chief minister noting he “is credited with massive reconstruction projects in his home state of Gujarat”.

“His administration promises to bring economic rejuvenation to other beleaguered parts of India. The world is as impressed as the citizens of India: So far he’s toured the US and China and met with his Southeast Asian neighbours,” the magazine said.

Other Indians on the list of 72 most powerful people in the world included Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani at 36th, said, ending speculation on his appointment as a cabinet minister. Parrikar, along with state party president Vinay Tendulkar and organising sec-

ArcelorMittal Chairman and CEO Lakshmi Mittal at 57th and Microsoft’s Indian-born CEO Satya Nadella at 64th spot.

Besides Modi, the 12 newcomers to this year’s list include Nadella, Wal-Mart CEO Doug McMillon (No. 29), Alibaba CEO Jack Ma (No. 30) and Egyptian President Abdel elSisi.

Six of the Most Powerful are from China, three from India, two from Hong Kong, and one is from Taiwan.

Nine of the 72 are women, which is the same number as last year German Chancellor Angela Merkel ranked fifth.

The top five positions are unchanged from last year, with Obama (No. 2) remaining in second place ahead of Communist Party of China’s General Secretary and country’s President Xi Jinping (No. 3), Pope Francis (No.4) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (No.5).

Rounding out the Top 10 are Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen (No. 6), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Co-chair Bill Gates (No. 7), European Central Bank President Mario Draghi (No. 8), Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin (No. 9), and British Prime Minister David Cameron (No. 10).

retary Satish Dhond, met Shah Wednesday in New Delhi, fuelling speculation about his inclusion in the union cabinet.

He said the BJP’s parlia-

mentary board, the highest decision-making body in the party, would take a final call on issues related to the cabinet expansion Saturday morn-

ing. “On the morning of Nov 8, many issues will be clear to you,” Parrikar said, adding that he was forced to address the media Thursday to steer clear of speculation.

Other names doing the rounds for likely induction in the council of ministers include BJP vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and party’s youth wing chief Anurag Thakur. Thakur is a Lok Sabha member from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh which does not have a representative in the council of ministers. Sources said a few more leaders from the Telugu Desam Party and the Shiv Sena could also find a place in the union council of ministers.

BJP parliamentarians Giriraj Singh and Jayant Sinha may also be inducted, sources said.

Besides Jaitley, many ministers in the Modi government, including Nitin Gadkari, Prakash Javadekar, Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal, have charge of multiple ministries. Sunday was mentioned as the likely day for expansion as Modi is scheduled to leave on a foreign tour Nov 11. The winter session of parliament is scheduled to begin Nov 24.

Pakistan reacts sharply to Jaitley’s remark, says India, Nepal finalise draft Blackmoney: Almost will not accept ‘any conditionality’ in dialogue to develop 900 MW project 289 accounts of HSBC KathmaNDu, November 6 ment committees that will be affectiSlamabaD, November for their right to self-determina- break India,” he had said. list have no money Asked about India’s request (iaNS): The Investment Board Ne- ed by the project will receive 20 units 6 (Pti): Pakistan on Thrusday tion that has been recognised by reacted sharply to Defence Minister Arun Jaitley’s remarks that it should decide whether to talk to India or to separatist Kashmiri leaders, saying it does not accept “any conditionality” in the dialogue process.

“As we have been stating the dialogue between Pakistan and India is not a favour that one country does to the other. Dialogue between Pakistan and India is a necessity for peace in this region so that South Asia also focuses on economic development and welfare of the people,” Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said, reacting to Jaitley’s remarks at the India Economic Summit in New Delhi.

“We do not accept any conditionality. Kashmiris are not Indian separatists they are people in occupied territory struggling

the United Nations resolutions.

Pakistan is a party to the dispute.

So this contention is not acceptable,” she said. Asking Pakistan to make a “conscious” choice, Jaitley had said it should draw a red line whether it wants to talk to government of India or those who want to break India.

“We create the environment, we fix up a dialogue at the level of Foreign Secretaries, our Foreign Secretary is to visit Pakistan (and) literally a few hours before that they invite the separatists for a dialogue to their High Commission (in New Delhi).

“So I think a new red line has to be drawn in Pakistan to reconsider this question that who they want to speak to? Do they want to speak to the Government of India or they want to speak to those who want to

for a land route for exporting wheat to Afghanistan, Aslam said Pakistan does not want to create hurdles in trade between India and Afghanistan through its territory. “As you know that Afghanistan is a land locked country and we have provided Afghanistan access. We do not stop trade. Karachi port is available to India,” she said.

Asked about Indian leadership’s condemnation of the Wagah border attack, she said, “We have seen a statement attributed to the Indian Prime Minister, condemning the terrorist attack.” “Our authorities are investigating this incident and are in a better position to decide whether we need outside assistance or not,” she said apparently referring to the US’ offer of assistance in the probe.

pal (IBN) and India’s Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd. (SJVN) have concluded negotiations for the project development agreement (PDA) on the 900 MW Arun III hydroelectric project.

IBN, the Nepal government’s unit that looks after execution of mega projects, and SJVN, a joint venture of India’s power ministry and the Himachal Pradeshgovernment,signedtheagreement late Wednesday. IBN CEO Radhesh Pant and SJVN executive director R.K. Agrawal negotiated the PDA. Earlier, IBN and India’s GMR reached a PDA for the 900 MW Upper Karnali hydroelectric project. Officials involved in negotiations told IANS that IBN will prepare the PDA draft in a week and will dispatch it to SJVN for its consideration. SJVN will forward its comments and further negotiation will take place before the document is signed.

As per the understanding, each household in six village develop-

of energy a month for free. As well as rural electrification in the affected areas, the Indian company will construct schools and a hospital for the villages. Nepal will receive 21.9 percent free energy -- equivalent to 197 MW -- from the project.

The Indian side will study within six months of the signing of the PDA whether the project would affect any development projects upstream and downstream. The two parties have agreed on prioritising raw materials manufactured in Nepal for constructing the project.

The project will be handed over to Nepal after 25 years of operation. The Nepal government and SJVN signed a memorandum of understanding in March 2008. The two sides are making arrangements for signing the PDA during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the sidelines of the 18th SAARC summit in Kathmandu, officials said.

New Delhi, November 6 (Pti): The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on blackmoney has found that less than half of the HSBC bank list of over 600 accounts did not have any money while more than hundred names were duplicate entires, hampering the possibility of any action against them. The Income Tax department is now mulling prosecution against 300 entities figuring in the list of 628 entries in the HSBC Geneva list given to the S C recently, official sources said.

The SIT found and reported that there was no amount shown in almost 289 HSBC Geneva entries, while 122 of them were repeated twice in the same list. “The SIT found that the biggest impediment in taking action against the people listed in this particular lot was that there were no details about the operations of these accounts. It was not reflected in the list as to when these accounts were opened and what was their transaction history,” the sources said. The report of the SIT, headed by retired Supreme Court Judge M B Shah with Justice (retd) Arijit Pasayat as its Vice-Chairman, said the I-T department had undertaken 150 search or survey operations against those named in the list but prosecution proceedings were yet not final against them.

‘Hope to make India power surplus by 2019’

New Delhi, November 6 (iaNS): The government is working towards making India a power surplus country by 2019, Minister of State for Power, Coal and Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal said Thursday.

He said that ensuring the availability of power on a 24x7 basis was one of the most pressing challenges the Narendra Modi government faced.

The minister was addressing a session at the India Economic Summit being organized by the World Economic Forum and the Confederation of Indian Industry here.

He pointed out that 53

million homes in the country were not yet electrified.

There were still many offices and factories operating on diesel gensets.

The government had made it a priority to find ways of ensuring that power reaches these consumers. He expected that the demand for power in the country would double in the next five years.

Goyal said the government was pursuing a two-pronged strategy to improve the utilization of existing assets by improving plant load factor and freeing up stranded assets and improving access to fuel supplies.

The government was also improving the electricity mix with greater focus on renewable energy sources.

The minister highlighted that the government was sorting out the coal issue by passing an ordinance taking into account the judgement passed by the Supreme Court and he was hopeful that private sector participation in the coal sector would once again pick up.

In addition, measures were being taken to double the output of Coal India over the next five years. This would help enhance the utilization of existing thermal power plants.

Goyal said renewable sources of energy were one of the thrust areas of the government.

The government was taking measures to ensure that solar power generation would touch 100 GW by 2019. Efforts were on to improve the bankability of projects in the power sector.

The minister said the government was planning to invest $250 billion in the power sector over the next five years.

Addressing the summit, T.P. Chopra, president and chief executive officer of Bharat Light and Power, said IndiaÂ’s demand for

power was growing along with its population.

This was being further fuelled by urbanisation and the growth of mega-cities.

Accessibility, affordability and availability of power, were therefore the key issues facing the country, Chopra said.

He highlighted the need to effectively utilize technology to improve the efficiency of the power generating system in India.

He felt that the cost of generating renewable energy such as solar power was declining and that would make it a viable alternative source of energy.

Volunteers distribute free food as Sikh devotees gather outside a Sikh temple on the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the founder of the religion in New Delhi on Thursday, November 6. Guru Nanak, who preached monotheism and equality, founded the religion in 1469 in reaction to the Hindu caste system. The Sikh faith has roughly 27 million followers worldwide, and the vast majority live in India.(AP Photo

InternatIonal

the Morung express

Friday 7 November 2014

Dimapur

9

Despite defeat, foreign policy is not ‘game over’ WASHINGTON, NOvember 6 (reuTerS): From marauding jihadists in Iraq to pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine and beheadings of Americans in Syria, a world in crisis has fanned perceptions of an overwhelmed U.S. president and contributed to a Republican sweep of U.S. midterm elections.

But the slide of public confidence in President Barack Obama and the takeover of U.S. Congress by resurgent Republicans will complicate, though not seriously undermine, U.S. foreign policy that is grappling with wars in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, and a more aggressive China in Asia.

Republicans rode to victory with a boost from the widespread view of an Obama White House beset by perpetual crisis. Broadcasts of black-clad Islamic State militants advancing in Syria or medical teams in white hazmat suits grappling with the Ebola epidemic played endlessly on TV news broadcasts, badly damaging Democrats at Tuesday’s mid-term elections.

Obama’s opponents will now wield greater power on Capitol Hill in the final two years of his tenure.

But the president will still possess broad constitutional powers to conduct foreign policy and could decide to focus more of his attention abroad, taking his cue from the second terms of past presidents, if Congress stymies his domestic ambitions.

Whether he wants to make more of a mark internationally or not, Obama will have a long list of formidable challenges.

“The world sees a lameduck with his authority undermined,” said Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East adviser to both Republican and Democratic administrations. “It will be the perception of a diminished president who will have a difficult time sailing the already difficult waters of Washington.”

FOREIGN POLICY INTRUDES ON MIDTERMS Republicans have long accused Obama of weakening America’s global leadership by failing to act more forcefully in the world’s crises. Obama and his aides have pushed back against critics they say are promoting reckless military action.

Having taken over the Senate and increased their majority in the House of Representatives, Republicans will be in a stronger position to push for a harder line in talks between world powers and Iran aimed at curbing its nuclear program and preventing it from developing an atomic bomb, which Tehran denies seeking.

With a Nov. 24 deadline looming for a comprehensive deal, Republicans fear that Obama will make too many concessions for easing sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy. He could suspend some sanctions on his own but would eventually need a congressional vote to lift the measures permanently.

An accord with Iran after decades of estrangement with the United States would be a big boost to Obama’s international legacy, which so far has lacked a signature major success.

Obama strikes upbeat tone

President Barack Obama takes notes during a reporter’s multi-part question during a news conference in the East Room of the White House on Wednesday, November 5, in Washington. Obama is holding an afternoon news conference Wednesday to share his take on the midterm election results after his party lost control of the Senate, and lost more turf in the GOP-controlled House while putting a series of Democratic-leaning states under control of new Republican governors. (AP Photo)

New York Republican Rep. Peter King said that with his party’s control of the Senate, Republicans would be able to retaliate with new legislation if Obama tries to bypass them on Iran.

“If he tries to be cute and sneak something through, there may be a backlash,” King told Reuters.

Another source of continuing friction will be Obama’s handling of the battle against Islamic State, which is also known as ISIL and has seized large swathes of Syria and Iraq.

Leading Republicans insist that Obama’s objective to “degrade and ultimately destroy” Islamic State will fail unless he goes beyond the current bomb-

ing campaign and limited assistance to moderate Syrian rebels.

On the heels of the mid-term outcome, some are demanding a reversal of Obama’s refusal to send more U.S. forces to Iraq, a reflection of his reluctance for large-scale use of U.S. military power, especially in the volatile Middle East.

“That seems to me to be physically impossible to stop ISIL without boots on the ground,” said Republican Utah Senator Mike Lee, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

for a stronger stand against Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow’s role in Ukraine, which has sent U.S.-Russian relations to a post-Cold War low. Obama has mobilized European cooperation on sanctions, but many Republicans want tougher measures.

Another issue likely to create friction could be the fate of the internationally condemned prison for foreign terrorism suspects at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

Obama inherited the prison from his predecessor, George W. Bush, and has AT ODDS OVER UKRAINE repeatedly vowed, and AND GUANTANAMO failed, to close it.

Obama will also likely Most Republicans veface Republican pressure hemently oppose empty-

ing the jail. The Republican takeover of the Senate would seem to cast even further doubt on Obama’s ability to shutter it.

A Republican Congress, however, may take a more favorable view of a landmark trans-Pacific trade deal that Washington is negotiating. It will be high on the agenda when Obama attends an AsiaPacific summit in Beijing next week.

If Obama is seeking another legacy achievement, he may look to ease the Cold War-era embargo on communist Cuba after loosening some restrictions in his first term. But Republicans would be expected to oppose such a move.

WASHINGTON, NOvember 6 (AP): For anyone expecting postelection contrition at the White House or vows to change course after disastrous mid-term elections for Democrats, President Barack Obama had one message: Think again.

A day after Democrats lost control of the Senate and suffered big losses in House and governors’ races across the country, Obama struck a defiant tone. He defended his policies, stood by his staff and showed few signs of changing an approach to dealing with congressional Republicans that has generated little more than gridlock in recent years.

Rather than accept the election results as a repudiation of his own administration, the president said voters were disenchanted with Washington as a whole.

And rather than offering dour assessments of his party’s electoral thrashing, as he did after the 2010 midterms, the president insisted repeatedly that he was optimistic about the country’s future.

“It doesn’t make me mopey,” he said of the election during a news conference in the East Room of the White House. “It energizes me because it means that this democracy’s working.” The president’s sunny outlook stood in sharp contrast to the gloomy electorate. Most voters leaving polling places said they didn’t have much trust in government and felt the nation was on the wrong track. Those feeling pessimistic were more likely to vote for Republican congressional candidates, according to exit polls.

To some Republicans, the gulf between the public’s mood and the president’s outlook suggested a White House that’s out of touch and refusing to recalibrate after getting a clear message from voters. Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, wondered whether Obama was “detached or in denial.” “In word and tone, he refused to take responsibility or even express humility,” Priebus said. “He seemed to suggest the only ideas he’s willing to listen to are his own, old, failed ones.”

Obama’s postelection positioning was part of a calculated strategy from a White House eager to avoid a repeat of 2010, when the president declared that Democrats had suffered a “shellacking” — a blunt assessment that came to define that election. This time around, Obama repeatedly refused to publicly analyze the outcome of the election, saying he didn’t want to “read the tea leaves on election results.”

Privately, Obama’s advisers acknowledge that Tuesday’s outcome was far worse than what they expected.

They say Obama’s upbeat approach reflects a president who has spent the past several weeks growing more comfortable with the prospect of Republicans controlling Congress in his final two years in office and is intrigued by the possible opportunities that could open up as a result.

The president’s outreach to Capitol Hill will get underway Friday, when Obama meets with congressional leaders at the White House.

Amnesty: Israel committed war crimes in Gaza war Diabetes, heart disease may share deep roots

In this July 26, 2014 photo, a Palestinian woman reacts after seeing her destroyed house during a 12-hour cease-fire in Gaza City’s Shijaiyah neighborhood. A leading human rights group has accused Israel of committing war crimes during this summer’s war in Gaza. (AP File Photo)

JeruSALem, NOvember 6 (AP): Amnesty International accused Israel of committing war crimes during the war in the Gaza Strip this summer, saying it displayed “callous indifference” in attacks on family homes in the densely populated coastal area.

The Gaza war left more than 2,100 Palestinians dead, including many civilians according to Palestinian and U.N. officials. Israel says the number of militants killed was much higher and accuses Hamas of using civilians as human shields.

On the Israeli side, 66 soldiers and

Election unfair without Suu Kyi

WASHINGTON, NOvember 6 (AP): A group of U.S. lawmakers is telling President Barack Obama to pressure Myanmar’s government to allow opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to run for president.

About two dozen House members have signed a letter to Obama saying Myanmar’s elections next year will not be free and fair unless Suu Kyi is allowed to run. A draft of the letter was obtained by The Associated Press Wednesday.

Obama will visit Myanmar next week — his second visit in two years, breaking decades of diplomatic isolation of the country also known as Burma. His administration sees the democratic reforms in Myanmar and shift from brutal military rule there as a U.S. foreign policy success.

But the lawmakers, from both parties, say reforms have stalled. The military has refused to loosen its grip on parliament or make amendments to the junta-era constitution that bars Suu Kyi from becoming president because her sons have British citizenship. “This has created a situation in which the election cannot by definition be fully free, fair or credible because the Burmese people can’t elect a leader of their own choosing,” says the letter, provided by a congressional aide. The aide requested anonymity because the letter had not been sent yet.

In their letter, the lawmakers say the number of political prisoners is rising; new press freedoms are being eroded; and the government is provoking anti-Muslim violence. They urge Obama to make clear that U.S. relations with Myanmar will not be normalized without addressing these concerns and allowing “genuine change.”

six civilians were killed.

Amnesty said in a report released Wednesday that “Israeli forces killed scores of Palestinian civilians in attacks targeting houses full of families, which in some cases have amounted to war crimes.”

Israel’s foreign ministry rejected the report’s findings, saying the London-based rights group “ignores documented war crimes perpetrated by Hamas.” “The report does not mention the word terror in relation to Hamas or other armed Palestinian groups, nor mentions tunnels built by Hamas to infiltrate Israel and perpetrate terror attacks,” the ministry said.

Israel launched the Gaza operation in early July in response to stepped-up rocket attacks on Israeli cities by the coastal area’s militant Palestinian Hamas rulers. The operation followed a crackdown by Israeli forces in the West Bank, where troops arrested scores of Hamas members, in response to the kidnapping and killings of three teenage Israelis in June by Hamas operatives.

Several weeks later, Jewish extremists kidnapped and burned to death a Palestinian teenager in east Jerusalem

in an apparent revenge attack. But the summer war was the fiercest conflict between the 2 sides in years.

“Israeli forces have brazenly flouted the laws of war by carrying out a series of attacks on civilian homes, displaying callous indifference to the carnage caused,” said Philip Luther, Director of Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa program.

During the 50 days of fighting, Hamas fired thousands of rockets and mortars at Israeli towns and cities, including Tel Aviv, and used a sophisticated tunnel network to carry out attacks on Israeli military encampments in southern Israel, close to the Gaza border. Some of the tunnels also had exits abutting Israeli civilian communities, giving Hamas the ability to attack them as well.

For its part, Israeli forces carried out sustained aerial, artillery and infantry attacks in Gaza, many of which the Amnesty report found to be indiscriminate. Israel says the military was as careful as possible to avoid civilian casualties citing its system of providing warning to civilians that strikes on their buildings were coming when possible.

WASHINGTON, NOvember 6 (IANS): Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease often occur together and scientists have now discovered that the two diseases may be related at the level of genes, proteins and fundamental physiology. The study could lead to the common treatment for both diseases. The two diseases share eight molecular pathways and several “key driver” genes appear to orchestrate the gene networks in which these pathways connect and interact, the findings showed.

“These (key driver) genes represent central network genes which, when perturbed, can potentially affect a large number of genes involved in the CVD (cardio-vascular) and T2D (Type 2 diabetes) pathways and thus exert stronger impact on diseases,” said cosenior author Xia Yang of the University of California, Los Angeles in the US. “We were able to derive novel mechanistic insights and identify potential therapeutic targets,” the researchers added.

The researchers gathered genetic

and health information from more than 15,000 women. The scientists started by looking for individual genetic differences in women of three different ethnicities, who had either or both of the conditions compared to similar but healthy women - a technique called Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS). But the team members did not stop there. They also analysed the women’s genetic differences in the context of the complex pathways, where genes and their protein products interact to affect physiology and health.

In comparing women with cardiovascular diseases and and Type 2 diabetes to healthy women, team found key differences in eight pathways regulating cell adhesion (how cells stick within tissues), calcium signalling (how cells communicate), axon guidance (how neurons find their paths to connect with target sites), extra-cellular matrix (structural support within tissue), and various forms of cardiomyopathy (heart muscle problems).

The study appeared in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics.

Sri Landslide Tragedy: Early warning failures

COLOmbO, NOvember 6 (THOmSON reuTerS FOuNdATION): Four days before the village of Meeriyabedda was swept by a landslide that killed at least 10 people, district officials received early warning that the area was in danger – but those warnings were not effectively relayed to villagers, officials said this week.

Closing such gaps in early warning systems is becoming increasingly crucial as Sri Lanka is hit by a growing number of disasters caused by extreme weather linked to climate change, experts say.

During the third week of October, after heavy rainfall, the National Building Resources Organisation (NBRO) issued warnings that the region around Meeriyabedda was in danger of landslides, including a specific warning for the village the night before the disaster, said NBRO officials.

The message was conveyed to local administrators at the Haldumulla Divisional Secretariat, the administrative unit the village falls

under, the officials said.

However no formal warning or evacuation alert was disseminated among the villagers, they said. On Oct. 29, a landslide swept the hilly village in Badulla District, about 220 km southeast of the capital, Colombo.

A week after the landslide, 10 bodies have been recovered and 28 have been listed as missing, according to the Disaster Management Center, the government authority overseeing the relief operation.

Indu Abeyratne, the head of early warning systems at the Sri Lanka Red Cross, said there was no formal and tested procedure in Meeriyabedda on how to receive warnings, distribute them among villagers and coordinate follow-up action.

“There was no such plan in place, so the warning proved useless,” Abeyratne said.

‘We need to be much more efficient’ The disaster in Meeriyabedda is the third incident in less than two years where dozens of lives have been lost for the want of better early warning dis-

semination, experts said.

“We need to be much more efficient in getting our warnings to the people in danger,” said Disaster Management Centre spokesperson Sarath Lal Kumara.

In the 2011 and 2013 disasters, there was some confusion as to whether warnings were issued. But at Meeriyabedda, there was no ambiguity, experts say.

Four days before the landslide, the National Building Resources Organisation issued a general landslide warning that was disseminated by the Sri Lanka Red Cross. N.K.R. Seneviratne, an NBRO district geologist for Badulla District said the night before the landslide a warning about Meeriyabedda specifically was passed to the Haldumulla Divisional Secretariat.

“There were warnings, and it was a well known fact that the village was in a high risk area,” Seneviratne said. However, officials at the Haldumulla Divisional Secretariat said that although there were warnings, they never received an evacuation alert.

A Sri Lankan army soldier used a sniffer dog for a rescue operation at the site of a mudslide in at the Koslanda tea plantation in Badulla district, about 220 kilometers east of Colombo, Sri Lanka, on October 31. (AP File Photo)

According to officials from the disaster centre, the Red Cross and the National Building Resources Organisation, there was no mechanism at village level to receive warnings or to distribute them among villagers.

Failed Training This gap existed despite a 2009 awareness programme conducted by the three organisations at the village, to

educate local people on how to spot red warning flags and organise community groups to coordinate evacuation.

The awareness training included a simulated evacuation, officials said.

However, there was no follow-up after the programme, officials admitted, and no local government body was tasked with monitoring early warning efforts.

“The biggest lapse was that

there was no government body that was in place to take over any evacuations or coordinate them,” Kumara said.

Abeyratne, of the Red Cross, agreed. “There should have been a technical agency in place to interpret the warnings and initiate what action should be taken. Villagers themselves cannot be expected to take such action,” he said.

10

Dimapur

SPORTS

Friday 7 November 2014

NBA: Jazz beat Cavaliers on Hayward's jumper at buzzer

Utah Jazz's Gordon Hayward (20) celebrates with guard Trey Burke (3) after scoring against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the end of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, November 5, in Salt Lake City. Utah won 102-100. (AP Photo)

SALT LAKe CITY, NoveMber 6 (AP): Gordon Hayward made a step-back jump shot at the buzzer, one-upping LeBron James and boosting the Utah Jazz to a 102-100 victory over the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.

Hayward, who had 21 points, broke free of James to catch an inbounds pass, faked a move to the basket and then stepped back on the right wing and swished a 21-foot jump shot as the horn sounded. The forward was mobbed by his

Jazz teammates in a scene reminiscent of a college tournament game.

San Antonio's Tim Duncan had 17 points and 13 rebounds as the Spurs held on for their 17th straight win 94-92 at home over the Atlanta Hawks.

The Spurs had a seasonhigh 25 assists for a balanced scoring effort that they needed to fend off the Hawks' furious rally in the final quarter. Tony Parker scored 17 points and Manu Ginobili added 12, including a pair of free throws

with 3.8 seconds remaining.

DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap each had 17 points for Atlanta (1-2). Al Horford added 10.

At Milwaukee, Derrick Rose returned from his latest injury to help the Chicago Bulls to a 95-86 victory over the Bucks.

Taj Gibson scored 23 points, Pau Gasol added 22 and Rose had 13 points and seven assists in 32 minutes for the Bulls, who have beaten the Bucks nine straight times in Milwaukee.

Gia n n i s A nte to kounmpo had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Bucks. The Memphis Grizzlies downed the Phoenix Suns 102-91 after Mike Conley had 24 points and 11 assists, while Greg Monroe had 23 points and 18 rebounds in the Detroit Pistons' 98-95 win over the New York Knicks.

In other games, Kyle Lowry scored 35 points and had a key steal in the closing minute to lead the Toronto Raptors over the Boston Celtics 110-107, the Charlotte Hornets beat the Miami Heat 96-89, the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Brooklyn Nets 98-91 and the Washington Wizards claimed a 96-95 overtime win over the Indiana Pacers.

The Orlando Magic edged the Philadelphia 76ers 91-89, the Golden State Warriors trounced the Los Angeles Clippers 121-104 and the Sacramento Kings were 131109 winners over the Denver Nuggets.

The Morung Express

Bayern gets the better of Roma

Bayern's Mario Goetze, left, looks to Roma goalkeeper Lukas Skorupski after scoring during the Champions League group E soccer match between Bayern Munich and Roma in Munich, Germany, on Wednesday, November 5. (AP Photo)

MUNICH, NoveMber 6 (AP): Bayern Munich cruised past Roma 2-0 on Wednesday to make sure of advancing to the knockout stage of the Champions League. Goals by Franck Ribery and Mario Goetze on either side of halftime also secured first place in Group E for the fivetime champion, with two matches to spare.

Bayern won in Rome 7-1 two weeks ago and dominated again, but this time Roma defended better, without much ambition in attack. "The 7-1 was

an accident, a result once in a lifetime," Bayern coach pep Guardiola said. "They are pros, they don't want to lose and they played good defense. We stepped up our game in the second half."

Roma began the match with Francesco Totti, Gervinho and Miralem Pjanic on the bench, while Bayern rested Thomas Mueller.

Bayern winger Arjen Robben missed the match with a stomach problem. Bayern now has 12 points from four wins in four matches. Roma and CSKA Moscow have four points each. Moscow

won 2-1 at Manchester City, which has two.

Bayern went ahead in the 38th, when Ribery sent David Alaba racing down the left flank. The Austria international played the ball back to Ribery and the winger slotted home, with the ball bouncing off the inside of the post into the net.

Goetze secured Bayern's victory in the 64th after a cross from Robert Lewandowski. Goetze displayed outstanding control to lift the ball softly past Roma goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski. "We knew

it wouldn't be that easy as in Rome," Bayern captain Philipp Lahm said. "They defended well, often with six men, and it wasn't easy to create chances."

Ribery, starting only his second match after a knee injury, said Roma defended well in the first half, when Bayern had few chances apart from the goal. "But we played better in the second half and it's been a nice week for us," Ribery said. Lahm narrowly missed the target and a chance to make it a threegoal lead and Alaba's free

kick sailed wide.

Gervinho came on late in the game and created Roma's only decent opportunity, setting up Radja Nainggolan, but Manuel Neuer produced an outstanding save to deny Roma. Bayern was never forced to switch into a higher gear and Roma rarely managed to hold the ball long enough to threaten the German champion.

Guardiola's team became the first German side to make sure of winning a Champions League group with two matches to spare.

Chelsea draws with Maribor Japanese swimmer Tomita denies stealing camera

MArIbor, NoveMber 6 (AP): Eden Hazard had a late penalty saved as Chelsea missed a chance to advance from Group G in the Champions League on Wednesday, drawing 1-1 with Maribor.

Unrecognizable from the side that was crushed 6-0 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge two weeks ago, Maribor took a deserved lead in the 50th minute when Agim Ibraimi's superb curling shot beat Petr Cech in the Chelsea goal.

Chelsea, which leads the group with eight points, equalized in the 73rd minute through Nemanja Matic who latched onto a John Terry header to score from close range.

Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho felt his side had become complacent in what many expected would be another straightforward victory over the Slovenians.

"Many times surprises happen when people are not fully focused, when they believe the game can't be a difficult one," Mourinho said. "Only when Maribor scored did the players realize the game was in danger.

After that, a fantastic reaction. We deserved to win, clearly." Mourinho reacted

NAGoYA, NoveMber 6 (AP): A Japanese swimmer suspended for stealing a camera at the Asian Games has denied the allegations, claiming someone placed the camera in his gym bag. Naoya Tomita initially admitted to stealing a camera left poolside by a South Korean reporter on Sept. 25 at the games in Incheon, South Korea. But on Thursday, over six weeks after the event, Tomita said an "unknown man" put the camera in his bag and that he didn't realize what it was until he got back to the athletes' village. "The truth is I didn't

do it," the 25-year-old Tomita said at a press conference where he was accompanied by his lawyer.

Asked why he admitted to stealing the camera to South Korean police, Tomita said he was told "If I admitted it, the punishment would be light and it wouldn't become a serious matter."

Tomita said because the camera did not have a lens, he thought it might be broken and intended to leave it in the athletes' village when he returned to Japan. The Japan Swimming Federation has suspended Tomita until March 31, 2016.

Naoya Tomita (AP Photo)

BCCI not backing down on compensation claims Chelsea's Eden Hazard, right, in action with Maribor's Petar Stojanovic during the Champions League group G soccer match between Chelsea FC and Maribor, in Maribor, Slovenia, Wednesday, November 5.(AP Photo)

to a poor first-half showing by his side at the Stadion Ljudski vrt by making a double substitution at halftime, introducing striker Diego Costa and Oscar.

Luka Zahovic missed a fine chance to double the advantage and enhance Maribor's claims of inflicting Chelsea's first defeat of the season, before Matic's effort 17 minutes from time saved the Blues' blushes.

Maribor goalkeeper

Jasmin Handanovic saved well from Hazard and Costa, who had the ball in the net after 79 minutes, only for the strike to be ruled out for offside.

The decision by Italian referee Daniele Orsato was criticized by the Chelsea coach. "We scored two goals, two very good goals.

The second goal, the referee decided to disallow but it's a clear goal," Mourinho said.

"We didn't reach the num-

ber of goals that we should have in the second half, but the team played well... And the referee's team did not have a good night."

Hazard was fouled for the 85th-minute spot-kick, but the Belgian's effort was too central and Handanovic saved. Maribor remains rooted to the bottom of the group with three points. Schalke is second on five points, one more than Sporting in third.

LoNdoN, NoveMber 6 (IANS): The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said Thursday it is determined to follow through with its move to seek compensation from the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for the aborted One-Day International (ODI) and three-match Test series last month.

The BCCI has demanded $41.97 million for damages and secretary Sanjay Patel said that once the board was through sorting the remaining losses, it would make a fresh claim, reports CMC. “We have sent a demand letter to the WICB claiming damages to the tune of Rs.258 crore

($41.97). And we are in the process of ascertaining other damages incurred by our hosting centres, after which we will present a final claim amount. It is a matter of consideration for the WICB to decide as to how they will cover our damages,” Patel said.

"Abandoning the tour is a unilateral decision of the WICB and they are solely responsible for this entire episode. There has been a direct and disastrous impact. Other than the financial losses, the collateral damage that has been caused to the BCCI and its stakeholders is irreparable."

Patel’s comments come as a huge blow to Carib-

bean cricket officials who were hoping the Indians would back down from demands that are likely to cripple Caribbean cricket.

West Indies players walked off the tour abruptly after failing to resolve a row with their board, the West Indies Players Association (WIPA), over the terms and conditions of their new contracts.

As a result, the fifth ODI and the one-off Twenty20 International (T20I) had to be abandoned along with the three-match Test series.

Since then, there have been frantic talks between the main Caribbean stakeholders in the crisis, in an attempt to resolve the dispute.

And even though the International Cricket Council (ICC) has shown an interest in having the situation resolved amicably, Patel says the matter remained one between the two boards.

“This is a bilateral issue between BCCI and WICB. We will approach the ICC as and when the situation so demands.”

In its initial letter last Friday outlining the demand for compensation, the BCCI told the WICB it had 15 days to indicate how it intended to settle the debt.

Failing this, the BCCI said it would initiate legal proceedings against the Caribbean board.

Cricket: Doumbia double gives CSKA win at Manchester City U-16 Arunachal beats

MANCHeSTer, No veMber 6 (AP): Two goals from Seydou Doumbia either side of a Yaya Toure free kick gave CSKA Moscow a 2-1 victory over nine-man Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday, leaving the English champion bottom of Group E with two games remaining.

Manuel Pellegrini's side trailed at halftime, and as it chased a muchneeded victory in the second half of the match in an attempt to move closer to the knockout stages, it lost its discipline. Fernandinho, a halftime substitute, was sent off in the 70th minute for two bookable offences before Toure was dismissed 11 minutes later for pushing over Roman Eremenko in frustration at losing possession.

Pellegrini could not explain the underwhelming performance by his side.

"It's very difficult to understand why we played so badly," Pellegrini said.

"From the beginning we were so nervous and we gave them the two goals.

Really, we didn't play. The first half especially, we didn't see the team we normally see. We didn't shoot once at their goal, we just had Yaya's free-kick, and we gave away two easy goals."

City's night began in the worst possible manner. Gael Clichy was penalized for blocking a cross with his hand, and Doumbia escaped the marking of Toure to head the resultant free kick from Bebras Natcho past Joe Hart to put CSKA ahead in the second minute. Toure made amends for his defensive lapse six minutes later, curling a sublime free kick into the top corner from 25 yards out to quickly haul City

CSKA's Seydou Doumbia scores the opening goal, during the Champions League group E soccer match between Manchester City and CSKA Moscow, at the Etihad Stadium, in Manchester, England, Wednesday, November 5. (AP Photo)

level. But CSKA continued to take the game to City, not allowing the host to build any momentum despite quickly levelling.

Doumbia missed an opportunity to put the Russian side back into the lead in the 18th, shooting wide with only Hart left to

beat.

Eventually, it reclaimed the advantage in the 34th minute when a lazy clearance from Clichy found

Natcho, who threaded the ball into Doumbia and the striker made no mistake with his next chance, beating Hart from just inside

the penalty area. Fernandinho was a halftime substitute alongside Samir Nasri, but the Brazil midfielder's evening lasted only 25 minutes. He received his first yellow for a foul on Alan Dzagoev in the 62nd, and eight minutes later had his second for obstructing Ahmed Musa.

But seven minutes later, CSKA should have been down to 10 men when Pontus Wernbloom, booked in the first half for fouling Toure, should have been carded again when he pulled Sergio Aguero's shirt. But referee Tasos Sidiropoulos mistakenly booked Sergei Ignashevich instead, much to the dismay of the City players. The players repeatedly remonstrated with Sidiropoulos but to no avail.Their anguish only increased when Toure was red carded for needlessly shoving Eremenko five minutes later.

Nagaland (B)

dIMAPUr, NoveMber 6 (MexN): The Arunachal Pradesh (U-16) team beat Nagaland (B) team by 19 runs to win the second match of the ongoing one day series earlier A.P team won the toss and elected to bat and scored a reasonable score of 199 in 50 overs losing 8 wickets. For Arunachal, Faruk scored 48 and Kago scored 51 runs. Mhademo took 3 wickets for 29 runs for Nagaland. Nagaland started well with a opening partnership of 71 runs between Hiketo – (19 runs) and Rahul (22 runs), but could not keep the momentum and lost wickets at regular intervals towards the end and missed the target by 19 runs, including a penalty of 10 runs awarded for running in the pitch by the Nagaland batsman.

11 Entertainment Bryan wins top award, AC/DC drummer accused Lambert shines at CMAs of trying to arrange deaths M T Friday

The Morung Express C M Y K

he drummer for rock band AC/DC on Thursday was accused of trying to arrange two killings. Phil Rudd made a brief appearance at the Tauranga District Court in his adopted home of New Zealand and was charged with attempting to procure murder, which carries a maximum prison term of 10 years.

He was released on bail. One of the conditions is that he must not have any contact with anyone involved in the alleged plot.

The Bay of Plenty Times newspaper reported that Rudd was accused of trying to hire a

7 November 2014

hitman to carry out two killings.

Rudd's lawyer Paul Mabey said he was still getting up to speed on the case and had no comment. Rudd's publicist could not be immediately reached for comment.

The 60-year-old has also been charged with threatening to kill and possession of methamphetamine and marijuana.

Court staff said Rudd was due to make a second appearance Nov. 27, although that date could change. He has yet to enter a plea. Rudd and the other members of AC/ DC were inducted into the Rock and Roll

Lupita Nyong'o named AmitAbh Women of the Year bAChChAn Sued Over

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C M Y K

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scar-w inning actress Lupita Nyong'o has been named Women of the Year

by Glamour magazine. The '12 Years a Slave' actress, who will appear on the cover of the fashion magazine's annual issue, said fame has affected her personal life in a major way.

I've had somebody say, 'I want you at my wedding, but I don't want you to pull focus, so wear jeans!'

B

1984 Sikh

tween Hindus and Sikhs on 31 October, 1984, after Gandhi was declared dead, and played a key role in the genocide which followed.

Legal papers, obtained

by EntLawDigest.com, allege Bachchan "raised the slogans... 'Sikhs have killed Indira...' 'Kill these b**tards, they are traitors'... 'the blood stains should reach the households of Sikhs' and 'blood for blood'".

Sikhs for Justice officials claim, "(The) Defendant's words and anti-Sikh propaganda were like venom being spit out of a cobra, poisoning the minds and hearts of all they touched", leading to four days of attacks on

Sikhs living in India, allegedly resulting in the death of 30,000 people.

Bachchan has yet to respond to the lawsuit, although he denied the allegations back in 2011, when he personally visited the home of Sikh leader Akal Takht Giani Gurbachan Singh and pleaded his innocence, according to The Times of India.

Two of Gandhi's Sikh bodyguards, Satwant Singh and Beant Singh, were arrested for shooting the politician at the prime minister's residence in New Delhi. They were convicted on conspiracy charges and were sentenced to death by hanging.

with breakthrough singer Meghan Trainor, where Shelton looked up and bopped his head.

Lambert won her fifth consecutive female vocalist of the year, and Shelton repeated the record for male vocalist of the year.

"Let me just say that before I say, I really thought Luke was going to win this," he said. "This means so much to me ... this is a big night for my family."

The night featured a number of collaborative performances: Shelton sang with Ashley Monroe; the Doobie Brothers performed with Lady Anteb e l l u m' s Hillary Scott, Jennifer Nettles and Hunter Hayes; George Strait and Eric Church performed "Cowboys Like Us"; and pop diva Ariana Grande sported a mini top and skirt as she sang the hit "Bang Bang" alongside L i tt l e Big Town, who won vocal group of the year.

Bu t t h e night's best collaboration was Carrie Underwood and

Brad Paisley. The white-hot duo, hosting the CMAs for a seventh time, earned laugh after laugh for jokes that ranged from Ebola to Taylor Swift to Underwood's baby bump. Swift's switch to pop from country was referred to as "Postpartum Taylor Swift Disorder," or PPTSD. "President Barack Obama doesn't care about PPTSD!" Paisley yelled. Underwood chimed in with: "I'm pretty sure it's why the democrats lost the senate."

Underwood and Paisley sang a version of Dolly Parton's "Jolene," calling it "Quarantine." Paisley also earned roaring laughter when he noted that the ABC series "Black-ish," which airs Wednesdays, would not be on because of the CMAs. "If you were expecting to see the show 'Black-ish,' this ain't it ...

I hope you're enjoying 'White-ish,'" he said.

The song of the year went to Musgraves, who won for "Follow Your Arrow," which she co-wrote with Brandy Clark, who is openly gay and was among the contenders for new artist of the year. "Oh my goodness! Do you guys realize what this means for country music?" Musgraves said, as Clark and songwriter Shane McAnally stood behind her. "Our genre was built on simple good songs about real life and that's what this was."

Vince Gill earned the Irving Waugh Award of Excellence, while Dierks Bentley's "Drunk On a Plane" won music video of the year, Florida Georgia Line won vocal duo of the year for a second time and Brett Eldredge was named new artist of the year.

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It's just the start! sIdhartha Mallya

ratty and arrogant are the words one usually associates with Sidhartha Mallya, but what one usually doesn't see coming is his quirky brand of humour. Sid (as he now prefers being called) feels he's been seriously misunderstood for his harmless one-liners and jokes that he often cracks at his own expense.

He even produced a series of six webisodes titled #SidSessions where he takes on his critics and answers questions like 'Do you have dick?'. He didn't just stop there in the first episode, where he took a light-hearted jab at a media house for putting out a video that focussed on his former girlfriend Deepika Padukone's cleavage.

Given the fact that Sid was linked to her in the past we decided to ask him if she connected with him after watching this episode...

Read to know more...

We caught up with Sid and grilled him. Read on...

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Losing my anonymity is something that's proving to be very challenging. It's good for your soul to walk around unnoticed; there's so much you can't do when everybody knows who you are. And so I miss those little things, she said. And when asked about the pressure to fit in with society's beauty ideals, the 31-year-old said, European standards of beauty are something that plague the entire world.

ollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan is facing legal action from human rights campaigners over longheld accusations suggesting he incited violence against thousands of Sikhs following the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi 30 years ago.

Activists representing the Sikhs for Justice group filed a federal class action suit against Bachchan in Los Angeles on Monday (03Nov14), citing crimes against humanity, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and wrongfuldeath, among a slew of other counts.

The plaintiffs claim the actor stirred tensions be-

Hall of Fame in 2003 in Cleveland. It calls them one of the best-loved and hardest-rocking bands in the world.

"Featuring guitarist Angus Young as their visual symbol and musical firebrand, they grew from humble origins in Australia to become an arena-filling phenomenon with worldwide popularity. They did so without gimmickry, except for Angus's schoolboy uniform, which became mandatory stage attire," said the Hall of Fame's biography.

According to the biography, Rudd first joined AC/DC in 1974, the year after it was started. He left in the 1980s, but rejoined again in the 1990s. The band's albums include "Highway to Hell," ''Back in Black," and "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap." In recent years, AC/DC became known as one of the few acts that refused to allow its music to be released digitally on iTunes. It finally relented in late 2012. This year, the band announced that founding member Malcolm Young, brother of Angus, was leaving due to unspecified health reasons.

The Bay of Plenty Times reported that Australian-born Rudd first moved to New Zealand in 1983, when he left the band, and in 2011 bought a Tauranga restaurant he named Phil's Place. The restaurant's website says it represents Rudd's long-held vision to "offer you fresh local food at affordable prices delivered by warm and friendly staff."

iranda Lambert was the reigning queen of Wednesday's Country Music Association Awards, but Luke Bryan marked a longearned breakthrough by winning entertainer of the year. The win was Bryan's first CMA, despite his multiple hits, top-selling albums and top-grossing tours.

"Well, first of all, I never met Garth. Hey Garth," Bryan said, hugging the legend, who presented the top award. "I hope I can have enough time to say everything that's on my mind," an emotional Bryan said, thanking God, his fans, and his teary-eyed wife in the audience at the Bridgestone Arena. "I have some angels in heaven, my brother and sister are making this night possible for me."

Wednes day night marked a breakthrough for Bryan, who was also snubbed at the recent Grammy Awards. Still, Lambert, who was nominated in nine categories, was the night's big winner: The fiery singer took home four trophies, including album of the year for "Platinum" and single of the year for "Automatic." She stole the night with fashion choices that were winners, too, and performances. She sang twice onstage, including a countrytinged version of "All About That Bass"

Dimapur

a group of my friends after one of them asked me how I dealt with all the criticism I get on Twitter. We then realised that it was actually quite funny so I decided to make six episodes for the public.

What will we see next on #SidSessions ?

More of the same!! A lot of people ask me why I don't also feature the positive comments and compliments that I get. The reason is because you then become a self promoter.

There are already far to many of those in India, and I was not prepared to become yet another sheep in an already overpopulated flock.

Are you scripting the web series yourself?

Yes, although there isn't really a script! I just respond off the top of my head to the comments made‌

Do you fear that the popularity of your web series will compartmentalise What brought about the you as a YouTuber and not idea for the web series? an actor?

I initially only intended No, because I don't into make a one-off video for tend to do much more un-

scripted stuff in the future.

This is all a bit of fun, but my next project will definitely be in the scripted variety.

etc. A lot of people think I have changed my name, but all I have done is take the abbreviated form of 'Sidhartha', the same was Apart from what we see in that 'Will' is short for 'Wilthe first episode of #Sid- liam', 'Brad' is short for Sessions, how do you deal Bradley, etc. with nasty criticism in life?

Why haven't you tried Ignore it, laugh at it, and your luck at Bollywood give it back!! yet?

I don't think I fully unDo you think some people derstand the space, neion Twitter are obsessed ther do I feel like I can do with your crotch? You it complete justice. And to took on three questions be honest, I don't think the pertaining to that area!

Indian audiences would That's just the start‌. relate to me as their onwait till the next few epi- screen representasodes! tive that easily either given both the accent Does the way people and language barrier. perceive you (as a rich spoiled brat) bother you? What's your reacNope. That unfortu- tion to being comnately is a perception cre- pared to Russell ated by the media. Those Brand? who really know me will Love it. He is antell you that I am exactly the other person who opposite. isn't afraid to speak his mind, even if it Why did you register doesn't sit too well yourself as 'Sid' Mallya in with people. the Screen Actors Guild?

Because I have grown We liked the bit up my whole life in Eng- towards the end land being called Sid by of the first epifriends, family, teachers, s o de where

you slammed The Times of India for the "cleavage controversy."

Of course you did, you're DNA (Laughs)! No, but seriously, it was all meant in jest.

Not many know that you are an ordained priest.

Just two questions, why and how?

(Laughs) I saw Joey did it in an episode of Friends. I looked up how to do it, went through the process online and it happened!

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Messi equals record as Barca beats Ajax Rayudu ton steers India to easy win

Ambati Rayudu’s unbeaten 121 powers India to a 6 wicket win over Sri Lanka in second ODI

Ambati Rayudu celebrates his maiden ODI ton, India v Sri Lanka, 2nd ODI, Ahmedabad, November 6.

AHMEDAbAD, NovEMbER 6 (AGENCIES): Ambati Rayudu’s ton took India to a six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second One-Day International (ODI) match at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday. This win took India to a 2-0 lead in the five-match ODI series.

Rayudu’s knock of 121 runs included 10 boundaries and four huge sixes.

Chasing a target of 275 runs, India got off to yet another cautious start, where neither of the openers shikhar Dhawan or Ajinkya Rahane looked to play risky shots. They were happy to see the new ball through. However, they lost the wicket of Rahane early with the score on 18 when Rayudu walked out to join Dhawan in the middle. After promoting Suresh Raina at number 3 in the order in the last match, Kohli decided to play Rayudu at one drop this time around.

Even as Rayudu looked scratchy in the middle early on, Dhawan went along scoring freely. Angelo Mathews too erred in the tactic of spreading out the field and offering the batsmen easy singles. Dhawan launched his attack after reaching his 10th ODI half-century. The left-hander struck an 80-ball 79, including seven boundaries and a huge six. He took Thisara Perara and Seekkuge Prasanna for some special treatment. However, in his attempt to dominate the leg-spinner, proved to be his undoing as he holed out a catch to the fielder

at deep square leg. Dhawan added 122 runs for the second wicket with Rayudu.

Earlier in the day, skipper Mathews won the toss and elected to bat on a pitch that looked to be a good batting wicket. Sri Lanka and India both made one change each to the sides that played at Cuttack in the first ODI. While the hosts brought in all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for the injured Varun Aaron, Kusal Perera came in for Upal Tharanga in the Sri Lankan lineup. The conditions were good for batting with very little on offer for the bowlers.

Indians struck early as Umesh Yadav dismissed opener Kusal Perera for a duck.

Tillakaratne Dilshan, in company of Kumar Sangakkara looked to resurrect the innings.

The opener looked dangerous at times, being especially sever to Ravichandran Ashwin. He smashed the off-spinner for four consecutive boundaries off his first over and the last over of the Powerplay.

A couple of quick wickets had reduced the visitors of 64 for three in less than 14 overs.

However, at that point Mathews walked out to bat and stitched together a valuable partnership of 90 runs for the fourth wicket to provide an ideal platform for the lower middle order to fire in the death overs. In the process of the partnership, Sangakkara brought up his 89th half-century. The 86-ball knock of 61 included just four boundaries. Easy singles and rare hits to the fence were a feature of the partnership.

AMSTERDAM, No vEMbER 6 (AP): Lionel Messi's brace gave Barcelona a 2-0 victory Wednesday over 10-man Ajax and moved him level with Raul Gonzalez's all-time Champions League scoring record of 71 goals.

Messi scored his 70th Champions League goal in the 36th minute with a soft header after Ajax failed to clear a free kick and linked with substitute Pedro Rodriguez for his second on the night in the 76th.

The win assured Barcelona of qualification for the knockout stage of Europe's top club competition as Paris Saint-Germain beat APOEL Nicosia 1-0 to stay top of Group F. Ajax played the last 20 minutes with 10 men after defender Joel Veltman was sent off for his second yellow card. Veltman also was red carded last year when Ajax beat Barcelona 2-1 in Amsterdam.

"The record wasn't the goal for today, that was the three points that qualified us for the next round and that's why we are leaving feeling happy," Messi told Canal Plus television. "We played against a team that plays football well and, if you let them, move you from one side of the pitch to the other. It was difficult for us to pressure them because of their mobility, but we took advantage of the chances we got. Later, they went down to 10, but in general the match was even."

Messi notched his record-leveling goals in his 90th match in Europe's top club competition.

Former Real Madrid and Schalke striker Raul took 142 matches to reach his tally. "Messi is absolutely the best player I have ever seen as player or coach," said Barcelona coach Luis Enrique.

His strikes came a night after Cristiano Ronaldo,

Barcelona's Lionel Messi is tackled by Ajax's Niklas Moisander during the Group F Champions League match between AFC Ajax and FC Barcelona at ArenA stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Wednesday, November 5. (AP Photo)

who has scored 70 Champions League goals, failed to find the net in Real Madrid's 1-0 victory over Liverpool. Ajax had the best of the early exchanges and Lucas Andersen shot just wide in the 18th minute after a surging run by 19-year-old winger Anwar El Ghazi.

Andersen, Lasse Schone and El Ghazi all stretched the Barcelona defense as Ajax piled on the pressure, but Frank de

Boer's team could not convert its possession into a goal and Barcelona made them pay. "We made a game of it in the first half," De Boer said. "It's a shame we weren't rewarded for our good play."

Jasper Cillessen did well to save a 35th-minute Messi free kick but Ajax failed to clear and center back Marc Bartra hooked the ball back into the area for Messi to score with a soft header that Ricardo van Rhijn just

failed to clear off the line.

Neymar almost doubled Barcelona's lead five minutes after the break when he shrugged off two defenders but his shot struck the outside of the post.

Messi showed he is more than just a goal scorer when his perfectly weighted through ball put Luis Suarez one-on-one against Cillessen but the former Ajax striker shot straight at the goalkeeper and Messi's rebound shot curled into

the side netting. Suarez was playing his first Champions League match for his new club since serving out his long suspension for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup. But this night was all about Messi. After Veltman was sent off, the Argentina star ruthlessly exposed the space in Ajax's back four as he played a one-two with Pedro and slid to poke the ball past Cillessen for his record-equalling goal.

Kerala Blasters beat Goa FC 1-0

KoCHI, NovEMbER 6 (AGENCIES): Two substitutes, Milagres Gonsalves and Andrew Barisic combined brilliantly to give Kerala a win in their maiden home game in the Indian Super League as Kerala Blasters beta FC Goa by a solitary goal at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi, courtesy a goal from Milagres Gonsalves in the 63rd minute.

Kerala Blasters missed Iain Hume due to injury and made a total of four changes with Avinabo Bag, Raphael Romey, David James and Saumik Dey drafted in from the defeat against Mumbai City FC. It was only a solitary change for FC Goa as Robert Pires returned from suspension to take his place in the starting lineup with Andre Santos missing out with a knock.

Both teams had half chances to get ahead within the first ten minutes.

First it was the home side with Ishfaq Ahmed being played on, down the right by a brilliant Stephen Pearson through ball but he failed to find CS Sabeeth in the box with his cross straight to Jan Seda in goal.

Then on the eighth minute, it was Zico's boys who missed with Gregory Arnolin putting his header just high after Bruno Pinheiro swung in a freekick from the left.

Just two minutes later, Arnolin was again in the mix as he flicked a header to the far post from a corner kick only to see Romeo Ferandes heading it inches wide. Blasters then pushed forward and got two chances both of which involved Sabeeth. First it was Stephen Pearson who had a

give and go with Sabeeth outside the box before he surged in but smashed his shot wide off the post. Narayan Das doing just enough to put him off. Then in the 18th minute, Sabeeth took advantage of a drop in concentration from Das, getting on the end of his clearance. Das however made amends and put in a last ditch tackle to dispossess the striker who just had the goalkeeper to beat.

In the 73rd minute, just before he was taken off, Pires almost played the perfect ball to put Miroslav Slepicka through but it was an excellent covering challenge by Sandesh Jhingan to avert the danger.

Sachin Tendulkar's side had a chance to double the lead in the 83rd minute after Gregory Arnolin lost the ball infront of his goal. Penn immediately swept it wide

Milagres Gonsalves of Kerala Blasters FC celebrates a goal during match 23 of the Hero Indian Super League between Kerala Blasters FC and FC Goa held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi, India on the 6th November.

to find Avinabo Bag on the right who sent in a lovely teasing ball across the face of the goal with three yellow shirts in the box. It was

Arnolin whose diving interception almost flew into his own net but thankfully for the French defender went wide.

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