September 10th 2014

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Dimapur VOL. IX ISSUE 249

reflections

By Sandemo Ngullie

The Morung Express

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We have to talk about liberating minds as well as liberating society

‘Modi visit to expand, deepen USIndia strategic partnership’

Sonam Kapoor: People have forgotten I am an actress

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As Scots eye independence, UK gets nervous

Imkong Walling Dimapur | September 9

Tattooing is not a “pagan” or “heathen” activity? no. I tattooed my whole body to please my boyfriend.

The Morung Express POLL QUESTIOn

Vote on www.morungexpress.com SMS your anSwer to 9862574165 Is the Nagaland government doing all that it can to support and facilitate the growth of sports in Nagaland?

Yes

no

Others

SETAN extends ultimatum for release of pending salary dImApUr, September 9 (mexn): The Special Education Teachers’ Association of Nagaland (SETAN) has called off the ‘Black Day’ which was scheduled to be observed on September 11 in protest against the non release of pending salaries. SETAN had earlier issued an ultimatum demanding that the pending salaries be released on or before September 10. A press note from SETAN informed that the decision to call off the ‘Black Day’ was taken after recommendation by its parent body ANSTA to provide more time to the concerned department “as the procedure involves some amount of time.” It informed that the ultimatum has now been extended till September 26, “in default of which, they will observe a black day at the Directorate the next day.” SETAN President, Vikato I Chishi reminded that Special Education teachers in the state have been deprived of salary since September, 2013.

“In case the Department fall short to deliver the demand within the timeline, SETAN will in no way be responsible for any imbroglio or situations arising out of it,” he cautioned.

Smoking fathers put babies at asthma risk

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London, September 9 (IAnS): A baby has a greater risk of contracting asthma if his or her father smoked prior to conception, finds a new study. “It is important to know how a father’s smoking habit pre-conception can affect the respiratory health of his children,” said Dr. Cecile Svanes from the University of Bergen, Norway. Analysing the smoking habits of over 13,000 men and women via a questionnaire, researchers found that non-allergic asthma was significantly more common in children with a father who smoked prior to conception.

This risk of asthma increased if a father smoked before the age of 15 and this risk grew proportionately with decrease in the age of initiation. However, researchers observed no link between the mother’s smoking prior to conception and a child’s asthma.

Khwethsüluo and Thuthsoluo, two survivors of the Matikhrü incident of September 6, 1960. (Morung Photo)

around 60 years old. Old age has made Khwethsüluo look frail but her memory is sharp, as she lucidly recounts the event.

Khwethsüluo’s husband, Kekhwezü was one of the nine victims of the incident. She says her husband was the one, who managed to escape from being executed. One of his fingers was shot off while escaping from the house where soldiers had herded the

–Angela Davis

Marin Cilic lifts US Open title

“The thought of forgiving the perpetrators comes... but the act was just too harsh ...”

The turmoil and violence in the erstwhile Naga Hills during the 1950’s and 1960’s continue to have far reaching consequences. Heart rending stories of sufferings endured by civilians abound; some documented, while many continue to remain undocumented; yet part of the oral history.

The Matikhrü incident of September 6, 1960 was one, which has been documented and defines the excesses of the military which brings to fore the ugly spectre of armed conflict.

It occurred over half a century ago but the brutality of that fateful September day still evokes resentment. To people who witnessed the incident, the appalling military aggression continues to haunt their consciousness, while the slightest mention of it makes them nervous and tearful.

Khwethsüluo and Thuthsoluo welled up in tears as they recounted the event on the eve of the incident’s 54th anniversary in Matikhrü. They are among the ten witnesses – 6 women and 4 men - surviving today. They survived because they were either women or children at that time.

Khwethsüluo is in her 80s while Thuthsoluo is

Wednesday, September 10, 2014 12 pages Rs. 4

SURVIVAL NAGALAND campaign launched

Matikhrü: through the eyes of survivors

nine men, she recalls. He succumbed to the wound weeks later. His account and that of the witnesses have helped document what is today known as the Matikhrü incident.

Khwethsüluo was pregnant with her second child at the time, while her first born was around 3-4 years.

She later gave birth to a baby girl while in hiding.

Describing the ordeal of surviving in the forests, she

recalls that they starved for three days before finding help. The surviving villagers, mostly women and children, eventually converged at a Naga National Council hideout, somewhere along the Indo-Myanmar border, and stayed there for three years.

Even today, she is still overcome by fear when she sees military personnel in the village. “I still shudder at the sight of military men

to the point of loathing. But what can we do, we’re weak and helpless,” she adds.

Thuthsoluo was a child at the time but she can clearly recollect the events of the day and like Khwethsüluo, still finds it hard to forget. “As a Christian, the thought of forgiving the perpetrators comes over me but the act was just too harsh… killing our men without any reason...,” she says.

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Ukhrul SP’s convoy ambushed, one dead Morung Express news ports of a civilian being picked up by Manipur Ukhrul | September 9 Commandos. Sources A day after Sec. 144 CrPC informed that the civilwas lifted from Ukh- ian, identified as Soso rul, convoys of Mani- Kaping – a labourer pur commandos and at Jawahar Navodaya IRB personnel were Vidyalaya, in Ramva, ambushed at two sepa- about 30 kms from Ukhrate places on Tuesday rul headquarters – was around 10:00am. One on foot a few kilometres Manipur commando, from the place of amidentified as Thotyo Kas- bush. The UNC’s bandh hung (29) from Riha Vil- meant there were no velage in Ukhrul District, hicles plying and he had succumbed to injuries to make the 30-odd kms on the way to hospital walk to get back to his while two others were place of work.

Prohibitory orders injured.

Sources said that the imposed under Section commandos were leav- 144 CrPC in Ukhrul were ing Ukhrul for Imphal in lifted on September 8 folexchange with comman- lowing an advisory from dos from Imphal. The the Manipur State Home convoy of commandos Department. Accordleaving Ukhrul was led by ing to the State Principal the district Superinten- Secretary (Home), Dr. J. dent of Police S. Selvan, Suresh Baby, the State while the convoy head- Government had reing to Ukhrul was led by viewed the law and order DIG Range 1. Both the situation in Ukhrul town SP and the DIG escaped and found it “significantunhurt. The SP’s convoy ly improved.” However, was ambushed at Ce- no fresh promulgation ment Factory in Hund- orders of the same have ung while the convoy been received by the heading to Ukhrul was Ukhrul district adminisambushed at Namthi- tration yet. The Manipur lok, between Shangkai state government has and Mahadev Junction. not yet set up a judicial There were also reports enquiry, as demanded of shots being fired in by several organizations, New Heaven, however, into the killing of two sources indicated that youth in Ukhrul town on August 30 by state secuthe shots were blanks.

There were also re- rity forces.

East by-polls: I-T Dimapur school hostel Court defers judgment on North to check on black money wardens stage ‘walkout’ MLA disqualification order Morung Express news Dimapur | September 9

Fifteen hostel wardens employed at St. John Higher Secondary Residential School, Dimapur recently “walked out” of the institution in protest against what they alleged was the “indifferent attitude” of the administration in taking stern action over unethical practices by students inside the school premises.

The wardens left the school on August 28 after the school administration allegedly failed to interfere or initiate action as per the laid down rules and regulations against the continual misbehaviour of students. This was revealed in a statement made available to the media by the wardens.

The “continuing misbehaviour” of the students, according to the allegations, involved being “challenged” by students and consuming liquor inside the institution. The disgruntled wardens, when contacted, disclosed that there have been numerous instances of student hostellers verbally harrying and physically challenging them.

They also revealed that students were caught drinking alcohol inside the institution. However, the only consequence enforced against erring students by the administration was suspending them for 2-3 days from the school.

They added that the alleged inaction by the school administration has left a bad precedence among other students, as disrespect to the institution and aggressive behaviour against the guardians was bound to be emulated by other students.

The wardens asserted that “unless corrective measures and needful interventions are given, the plights of the students and parents would be left in a pitiful state...”

In light of the above circumstances, the concerned wardens said they resorted to register protest against the “ineffective rules

and irresponsible manner” of the authority towards the matter by walking out. “We are morally obliged with deep concern for the career and lives of the students and have responded to the misbehaviour of the students,” they asserted.

School administration denies allegation Meanwhile, Director of St. John Higher Secondary Residential School, Temsurenla Ao, when queried about the allegation, denied the charges and said the allegations levelled against the administration were lies.

“No students have harassed any of the wardens. Students are hardly 18 years of age while the wardens are in their late twenties or more. There is not a chance that a student can intimidate the wardens,” she said.

The director explained that the issue arose from a football seized from a class XII student who had taken it out from the warden’s locker. The ball belonged to the student but was seized by the warden a month back after he was caught playing inside the hostel, which was against the rules.

The wardens then handed a letter to one of the supervisors demanding that if the student in question was not expelled they would walk out. Thereafter, the wardens, all theologians, failed to turn up for a meeting called to discuss the issue and walked out of the campus without even meeting the administration, the director informed.

On the issue of students drinking alcohol inside the campus, the director said there had been some isolated cases which were sternly dealt with by the administration by means of a first warning to those guilty and expelling them if the same act was repeated again.

St. John Higher Secondary Residential School employs around 19 wardens to look after around 800 students.

KoHImA, September 9 (nepS): The Kohima Bench of the Gauhati High Court today deferred its judgment on the disqualification of three Nagaland MLAs, as the counsels for the respondents sought permission of few days to reply to the points submitted by the advocate of the plaintiffs. The next hearing has been fixed on September 11, 2014.

Senior Supreme Court lawyer and exMP, Satya Pal Jain, who represented the three MLAs today termed the Nagaland Assembly Speaker’s decision as “unconstitutional” and challenged the disqualification order issued by the NLA Speaker Chotisuh Sazo against Imtilemba Sangtam, Dr. TM Lotha, and Mmhonlumo Kikon on August 25 last.

“The Constitution of India says that two-thirds of the elected members of a political party can merge with another political party and the decision of the three NCP MLAs of Nagaland to merge with BJP in Nagaland was within the permissible provisions of the Constitution of India,” Jain told

NEPS after coming out of the Court. “Therefore, the Nagaland Assembly Speaker’s disqualification order issued on August 25 on the three MLAs was unconstitutional.”

The three MLAs, out of the total 4 NCP MLAs in Nagaland, had formally merged with the BJP in Nagaland on June 16, 2014 and had claimed to have fulfilled all the laid down provisions under the Tenth Schedule of the Anti-Defection Law of the Constitution of India.

However, the NLA Speaker in his disqualification order said prior to giving his decision, he had examined all the provisions under Anti-Defection Law then only issued the order for disqualification of the three MLAs. Asked whether the judgment would come in favor of his clients, Jain expressed confidence that the Court would uphold the Constitution of India and quash the disqualification order.

A host of BJP leaders including National general secretary Tapir Gao were among others who were present in today’s Court hearing.

AgArtALA, September 9 (IAnS): The Income Tax (I-T) department will deploy teams in Assam, Tripura and Sikkim to keep a tab on the use of black money during the Sep 13 assembly by-polls, an official release said here Tuesday. The I-T department of the northeastern region said this step was being taken to curb the use of black money during the by-polls in assembly constituencies in the region.

By-polls for three assembly seats in Assam (Silchar, Lakhipur and Jamunamukh), and one each in Tripura (in Manu) and Sikkim (in Rangang-Yangang) will be held Sep 13. The statement said that in compliance with the direction of the Election Commission, the I-T department was gathering intelligence in the region.

“The I-T department would keep a vigil at some sensitive places too. Two teams would be deployed in Assam and one in Tripura. Separately, air intelligence teams would be deployed at Guwahati, Jorhat, Silchar, Dibrugarh, Tezpur and Agartala airports and a 24-hour dutybound control room would be set up at the Aayakar Bhavan in Guwahati,” the release added.

“With the surveillance system coming into force immediately, the Guwahati-based control room would receive and record voice complaints from the public too,” the release added.

An optimistic cM returns from Delhi Morung Express news Dimapur | September 9

An optimistic Nagaland state Chief Minister, TR Zeliang accompanied by Secretary Finance, Y Kikheto Sema (IAS) landed at Dimapur Airport on Tuesday after meeting various central leaders in Delhi. The CM was received by Temjen Toy, Principal Secretary Home and Principal Secretary to Chief Minister at Dimapur Airport.

The Nagaland CM informed that he had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to wipe off the state’s deficit amounting to Rs 1234 Crore.

“We did not bargain but only requested to wipe off state’s debt,” he added. Stating that this visit

was aimed to remind the centre to rescue the state on financial matters, the Nagaland CM expressed optimism that the Centre would release funds for the state very soon.

Zeliang, who also met

The Chief Minister assured that the government will focus on road development and completion of ongoing projects. He further stated that construction of large government infrastructures would be dis-

‘We did not bargain but only requested to wipe off state’s debt’ members of the 14th Finance Commission, expressed hope that the Commission would not submit any adverse report on the state, unlike the 13th Finance Commission whose report he termed “unrealistic” and described it as the “darkest period.”

couraged from now on.

Zeliang informed that he had also conducted “fruitful discussions” on the Naga political issue with Prime Minister Modi, and National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval separately.

On the issue of the Nagaland Special Development

Zone, Zeliang said it was only a vision document so far and informed that the government will hold a public consultation meet on September 26 on the issue. Asked about the issue of Rongmei Tribe recognition, the Chief Minister said that the case was still pending in the court.

Drawing his attention to the Supreme Court’s advice to the PM and CMs of all states not to induct any person in the council of ministers against whom charges have been framed by a court, Zeliang was asked whether he believed that any such person was included in his ministry. To this, the Chief Minister replied that “no complaints have been received so far” against anybody.

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Dimapur

Wednesday

LocaL

10 September 2014

Dimapur, September 9 (mexN): Taking cue from the ‘Survival Mokokchung’ campaign spearheaded by AKM to flush out illegal immigrants from Mokokchung district, some concerned individuals after months of exchanging ideas on various platforms finally came together on Sunday last at Mishikito village, Dimapur and resolved to launch a state-wide campaign to thwart the unabated influx of illegal immigrants into the state.

The campaign dubbed ‘Survival Nagaland’ was launched under the motto ‘for our Land and our Generation’ by a group of about fifty concerned citizens, mostly young people from an array of professions. The members present appointed a Core Committee to take up the mantle of

the campaign and appointed an Economic Cell, a Public Relations Cell, a Media Cell and a Legal Cell. The campaign aims to spread its tentacles to all parts of the state in a phase manner.

The members discussed various issues pertaining to the problem of illegal immigration into the state and viable measures to counter the same. Effective implementation of ILP, bringing Dimapur under the purview of the ILP regulation, to undertake awareness and sensitization camps on the issue and to collaborate with the government and apex organizations were some of the major topics discussed.

Giving a significant impetus to the campaign against illegal immigrants, the GBs of Viola Colony and Mishikito village declared that they would make their jurisdictions “IBI free” and that no household shall employ, harbour or assist the suspected illegal migrants.

The unabated influx of ille-

gal immigrants, mostly of Bangladeshi origin, is observed by many to be solely responsible for the abnormal shift in the demographic composition of the state. Many fear that the swarming in of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants (IBIs) into Nagaland, particularly Dimapur, if left unchecked would render the indigenous Nagas reduced to a minority in Nagaland within a matter of few decades as has happened to Tripura and parts of Assam.

It may be recalled that the Ao Kaketshir Mungdang (AKM), the apex students’ body of the Ao community had in 2007 launched the Survival Mokokchung campaign. The campaign was successfully conducted as almost all the suspected illegal immigrants of Bangladeshi origin were driven out of Mokokchung district. However, the campaign is still in effect as the illegal continue to exploit the loopholes in order to infiltrate into Mokokchung.

The DCCI President, Hokivi Chishi whikle informing this in a press release added, “Traders are to run business and make profit out of their business and not poke their poke their nose in all the affairs of the people.” The DCCI further directs the traders to stay from interference in social and political affairs of the Naga people.

The DCCI further informed that the shoppers/public with complain against any shop or trader may take up the matter to the concerned committee or association of the particular area or even to the DCCI – who would ensure justice.

Shoppers/public may approach the following organizations for grievances and complains – Hongkong & Hazi Park Welfare Committee (phone no.

9774003305), Old Market Area Welfare Committee (phone no. 9436004044), G.S. Road & M.P. Road Welfare Committee (phone no. 8794731738), New Market Business Owners Association (phone no. 9612166496) and DCCI Grievances Cell convener (phone no. 9436002945).

It once again urges the citizens and public to co-operate with the DCCI to ensure smooth functioning of the town

DCCI directs not to employ any illegal immigrants

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SURVIVAL NAGALAND Naga civil societies, churches condemn threat campaign launched Movement to stop influx of illegal immigrants

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The Morung Express

Dimapur, September 9 (mexN): The Dimapur Chamber of Commerce and Industry is deeply concerned over the misunderstandings and disputes arising between the traders and consumers (shoppers) in the recent past due to usage of undemocratic form of verbal communication. While directing all business establishments and shops not to employ any illegal immigrants as salesperson or whatsoever in their business setup or shop, the DCCI stated that it would not bear any responsibility for any problem arising out of employing illegal immigrants.

Dimapur, September 9 (mexN): The Central Nagaland Tribal Council (CNTC) takes serious note of the threat made by Abdul Basit to Pastor James Ngullie and his wife of Dunamis Life Church, Burma September 2.

While condemning the threat made to a fellow Naga brother by Illegal Bangladeshi Immigrants (IBI), the CNTC also appeals to the Government of Nagaland to check the influx of illegal immigrants and to take steps to deport the illegal immigrants failing which the Naga civil societies will be compelled to take its own course of action.

There has been an instance of rampant criminal activity carried out by (IBI) and recently there has been incidence where a fellow Naga brother has been threatened/warned and two others have been murdered by IBI, stated a condemnation note issued by CNTC President Hokiye Yeptho Secretary Imtinochet. In the past years, there have been instances of commission of offence rape, robbery, dacoity etc where many Nagas have fallen victim, in the hands of IBI. CNTC sternly warns Illegal Bangladeshi Immigrant (IBI) that it will not remain silent spectators. At this outset, the CNTC would also urge upon the New Market Business Association to inquire into the matter and take necessary remedial measures, further appeals to the allotment holder/owner of the shop to terminate the tenancy of Abdul Basit and also to DMC to cancel the trade licence of Abduk Basit.

The Watchman Meanwhile, the Watchman is extremely disturbed about the incident that took place on September 2 where a shopkeeper in New Market threatened Pastor D. James Ngullie and his wife. The shopkeeper identified as Abdul Basit, an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant threatened “with no regard to a pastor who is respected in our Naga tradition.” On behalf of Watchman Team Rev Ademo, Rev Akho Punyu, Rev Robert Kikon, Rev Dr Chishi and Pastor David in a condemnation note stated, “We don't beat, we kill” is a very shocking statement, which is a direct threat to the people of Nagaland.

The Watchman also said that the recent cases which took place in Naga-

land particularly killings, rapes, stealing, threats and all kinds of crimes committed by this ‘Illegal group of people’ is creating an unhealthy environment which is dangerous to our society.

The Watchman urges all concerned citizens, Naga bodies, political bodies, State Administration and business community to condemn such activities to promote a safe, secure and crime free society. They also appeal all to give topmost priority for the safety and security of Naga citizens.

Western Sümi Baptist Akükühou Küqhakulu The Western Sümi Baptist Akükühou Küqhakulu (WSBAK) along with other churches and organizations condemns Abdul Basit, from New Market for threatening Pastor James Ngullie and his wife on September 2. Such treatment by an illegal immigrant is an insult as well as threat to all the Nagas who actually should be showing respect toward us and make an effort to live in peace with the fellow Nagas.

The WSBAK further said that, if there is no security for Nagas in our own Land where is the future of the Nagas? “There is a chance that Nagas may soon become a slave to the immigrants in our own land who now fill their stomach from the bowls that we eat. If we don’t take steps and actions on such act we are actually encouraging them to continue such act.

And when such act becomes rampant there will be chaos and social unrest. So let us all be critical on such act and let us not remain silent. The voice that you give today is going to save the future of the Nagas. The move that you make today is going to save us from the clutch of the immigrants. Let us all be wise in this matter and see the peril ahead of us least we control it now. Let us all work together and put an effort to save our Land,” WSBAK Executive Secretary Rev. S. Vitoshe Swu stated in a condemnation note.

Dimapur Okotso Youth Union “An abusive and threatening statement, “we don’t beat people, we kill them” made by one Illegal Bangladeshi Immigrant to a peace loving citizen Pastor James Ngullie and his wife at New Market, Dimapur on September 2 is not

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only condemnable but consider it as a challenge against the Nagas,” the Dimapur Okotso Youth Union (DOYU) observed in a press statement.

DOYU President, Mhonthung Ngullie on behalf of the Union appeals to the law enforcing authorities to arrest the culprit who is a shopkeeper identified as Abdul Basit and give him a befitting and exemplary punishment as per the law so that no such advantage is taken again. The union also expressed its concern about the alarming number of IBI presence in Nagaland who are not only taking control of states economy but committing all sort of crimes which and are a threat to the Naga society and appeals to all to remain vigilant and refrain from employing, or keeping them as tenants so as to socially isolate them.

The Union also extends it full support and cooperation to “Survival Nagaland” movement, a pressure group formed to check the influx of IBIs and appeals to all youths, Colonies, GBs, NGOs to proactively involve themselves in cleansing our society while we still can.

Shena Old Union Dimapur Area The Shena Old Union Dimapur Area (SOUDA) has strongly condemned the threat on Pastor James Ngullie, pastor Dunamis Church and president of the Watchmen Team by one Abdul Basit, a shoe seller of New Market, and an Illegal Bangladeshi Immigrant.

SOUDA chairman Hetovi Achumi and general secretary Ghokheto Yeptho in a condemnation note said, “The very word Illegal itself is enough to chase them off away from our land. The Bangladeshis make residential proof, birth certificates and other documents with the help of some of our gullible and ignorant GBs/ Chairmen by bringing some documents from neighbouring states after which they acquire Indian citizenship.”

The Union suggested that the district administration should also be very careful while issuing ILPs as these Illegal Immigrants once they acquire it they stay in our land for good and commit every unimaginable crime against the local people. The Union also appealed to concerned authorities to take proper action against the culprit, cancel his trade permit and deport him.

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Best AI worker award announced NTC urges to review resolution on NSDZ Reiterates total revocation of Rongmei Tribe recognition

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Participants and others during the valedictory function of “Basic Artificial Insemination Training” course at its headquarter, Dairy Farm Complex, Lerie, Kohima on September 9.

Kohima, September 9 (mexN): In order to encourage the Artificial Insemination workers in Nagaland state, LH Thangi Mannen, Commissioner and Secretary to the Government of Nagaland, Department of Veterinary an AH and Chairperson of the Nagaland Livestock Development Board announced to award three best Artificial Insemination workers annually.

The Commissioner and Secretary announced this during the valedic-

tory function of the Nagaland Livestock Development Board (NLDB) three months “Basic Artificial Insemination Training” course at its headquarter, Dairy Farm Complex, Lerie, Kohima on September 9.

LH Thangi Mannen, graced the valedictory function and gave away the certificates and artificial insemination kits and equipments worth more than Rs. 20,000 free of cost per trainee. With the free training received, she exhorted the trainees to

SCERT organizes National Role Play competition

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Kohima, September 9 (Dipr): National Role Play competition, organised by Population Education Cell, SCERT in collaboration with National Population Education Project NCERT, New Delhi was held at Ruzhukhrie GHSS Multipurpose Hall on September 9.

Giving an introductory speech, Associate Professor SCERT, Zavise Rume explained that role-play is an activity presenting a small spontaneous play, which describes possible real life situations. He explained that role play has been adopted as an academic strategy to promote life skills based on the philosophy that children are egocentric and therefore, life skills can be acquired when children themselves act out the characters desirable or undesirable, instead of elders, teachers and parents teaching them what and what not to do. Adolescents admire an independent thinking about their own life and therefore through role-play they should be given opportunities to exhibit values of life, which they want to live with, so as train them to be self-trained on a life role model, he explained. He also said that role play allow students to enact situation before they meet them in real life which in turn gives them an opportunity to practice in the application of life skills that are important for them.

This year’s role-play was held under the themes healthy relationship among adolescents, charms and challenges of adolescents, HIV/AIDS: ‘Stigmatization’ and vulnerability of adolescents and Causes and impacts of drug abuse with a target group of Class IX students studying in Government School. New Market Government High School won the first prize of the Role Play competition while Ruzhukhrie GHSS and PWD Government High School won second and third prizes respectively. Menuo Zatsu chaired the programme. Students of RGHSS also presented a special song. The judges of the competition were N.C. Kikon Senior Academic Officer, SCERT; Moalong Imty Associate Professor SCERT and Peter Phewhuo Assistant Professor SCERT.

be dedicated and show good result in the field to fulfill the breeding guidelines of the Government of India.

According to a press note received here, the training is imparted to the educated unemployed youths and Para-Vets with an objective of providing employment opportunities and reaching quality Artificial Insemination services to the farmer’s doorstep with superior germplasm of Dairy Cattle for higher milk production.

ZuNheboto, September 9 (mexN): The Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) today organized a public rally in Zunheboto town to express concern against certain moves made by the Nagaland state government with regard to the Nagaland Special Development Zones (NSDZs) and the Rongmei tribe recognition issue.

A press note from the NTC informed that the public rally, which was attended by people from “all walks of life,” started at 10:00 am and wind up at 11:30 am. The NTC stated that speakers from different districts addressed participants of the rally and “expressed their shock on how the state government can sell-out our land in the guise of development when development

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A large mass of gathering attends the public rally in Zunheboto town organised by Nagaland Tribes Council on September 9.

can very well take place without affecting the protective laws of the state and the special law under Article 371(A) by which our land and its resources are protected.” Terming the concept of the NSDZ, in its present form, as “utterly detrimental

to the interest of the people of Nagaland,” the rally urged the government to “thoroughly review the Nagaland Legislative Assembly resolution on the NSDZ.” It further censured the “rigidity of the Nagaland state government on the

Health awareness campaign underway at Kohima village

Vipralhou Kesiezie inaugurating health awareness campaign at Kohima village on September 9. (Morung Photo) Our Correspondent Kohima | September 9

A three day long health awareness campaign under the aegis of the Directorate of Advertising & Visual Publicity, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India got underway here today at Kohima village council hall.

Speaking on the occasion as the chief guest, SCERT director Vipralhou Kesiezie stressed on the need to give importance on the health of mothers and girl child. To raise good people and good nation, he said, the health of the mother is very important. He said that healthy mother determine the peaceful environment of

the whole family. To ensure good health, he said, proper shelter, enough food, potable drinking water and mental and physical security is needed. He also stated that the public should be made full aware of the various health services available.

The director said there are 21 Community Health Centres, 126

Primary Health Centres and 396 sub centre in the state of Nagaland. Taking into consideration of the size of the population of the state, he said that if adequate manpower and proper service is provided the number of the health centres is sufficient as of now. On the other hand, he also stressed on the need to have proper health care delivery system in the state. Further, Kesiezie called for treating everyone as equal citizen, adding that superior or inferior should not be there in the society.

Earlier, brief introduction of the campaign was given by Manikant Thakur, assistant director DAVP while Sudipta Kar Field Exhibition Officer, Kohima, DAVP briefed the display of placards at the exhibition. The function was chaired by Kethoneizo Rutsa while Kohima Village Council (KVC) acting chairman Neivor Rutsa delivered welcome address. The campaign will continue till September 11.

Rongmei Tribe recognition” and stated that the “sons of the soil cannot rest until the state government revokes the recognition of tribe from outside Nagaland.”

The rally resolved to reiterate the earlier NTC rally resolutions at Dimapur on

May 13, 2014 as submitted to the government for “total revocation of Rongmei Tribe recognition in the state of Nagaland.” The rally further agreed to authorize the NTC to pursue the matters till their above demands are met.

ANPSA Dimapur Unit informs Dimapur, September 9 (mexN): All Nagaland Private School Associations’ Dimapur Unit is organizing the 1st ANPSA volley ball and basket ball tournament both for boys and girls under the theme ‘Unity through sports’ on September 12 and 13 at Don Bosco Hr Sec School complex, Dimapur at 8:00 am.

CLCD fresher’s cum parting social Dimapur, September 9 (mexN): The City Law College Dimapur (CLCD) fresher’s cum parting social 2014 will be held with the theme ‘role of law in advancing rights protection’ on September 13 at 11:00 am at Lotha Hoho Ki, DC Court Junction Dimapur. Basu Damani, general secretary (finance) NPF will be the chief guest.

District Level Science Seminar at Peren pereN, September 9 (mexN): The District Level Science Seminar on the topic ‘Innovation in Agriculture for Sustainable Future Prospect & Challenges’ was held at EBRC Hall Peren on August 28 with Limainla Pongen, DEO Peren as guest. Total 10 students participated from five schools GHSS and GHS. GHSS Peren bagged first prize, GHS Heningkunglwa second and GHS Dungki third. Both first and second will represent the District in the State Level Science Seminar which is scheduled to conduct on September 10. Prize along with certificates were distributed by DEO.

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Gov to hold press conference

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Kohima, September 9 (Dipr): The honourable Governor of Nagaland, P.B. Acharya shall meet the media fraternity in a press conference on September 11 at Raj Bhavan at 11:30 a.m. All the journalists accredited with the Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Government of Nagaland are cordially invited.

K

Y

3 NWU holds sit-in-protest Nagas have right to live under one administrative roof: TKS

REgional

The Morung Express

Dimapur, September 9 (mexN): The Naga Women Union on Tuesday held a sit-in-protest in the four Naga Districts viz., Chandel, Senapati, Tamenglong and Ukhrul.

A press release received here stating that it is the ‘duty’ of every woman to keep the momentum of the Naga people going informed that the protest was organised by the Naga women to register strong protest against the “unabated assault” on the rights of the Naga People and tribals by the Government of Manipur. “At stake is our rights, dignity and life,” the NWU stated.

The sit-in-protest today demanded immediate intervention from the Prime Minister of India. It demanded cessation of militarization of Naga areas, expediting the Indo-Naga peace process, taking forward the tripartite talk process for alternative arrangement, and ensuring that the Government of Manipur does not subvert the constitutional rights and protections of the tribals and Nagas in all spheres – educational, employment, ownership of land and natural resources etc.

On the August 30 rally in Ukhrul where two died, many sustained injuries and several vehicles destroyed, the NWU statement claimed that Manipur security forces pulled down occupants of vehicles and beat them up and snatched away mobile phones and money.

The NWU commenting on Manipur Government’s decision on Monday to withdraw 144 CrPC “after consistent demands” stated, “We take this as a green signal to be followed by the fulfilment of our other demands.”

Commenting on the Indo-Naga ceasefire, the NWU lamented Manipur Chief Minister Ibobi and Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam saying there was no ceasefire in Manipur and Ceasefire Monitoring Group (CFMG) Chairman, Gen. N.K. Singh, saying that the words “without territorial limits” were “non-existent”. It quoted former Prime Minister of India,

JCILPS calls for 24 hour strike imphal, September 9 (NNN): In protest against the alleged inappropriate behaviour of Additional Superintendent of Police (SP) Yengkhom Victoria by arresting 14 members of the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) yesterday and also demanding the suspension of the police officer, a 24 hours general strike has been called from midnight today by the Committee.

Placing certain demands before the state government including the suspension of SP Victoria from her post and unconditional release of its arrested members, the JCILPS reaffirmed its stand that it would not hold any kind of talks regarding Inner Line Permit (ILP) issues with the government till their demands are met. A formal talk regarding ILP was supposed to be held between the government and the JCILPS today at 2 pm.

FAIR LOOK GOLD It’s not only about face, it’s all about body. If you are not happy with your look start using Fair Look Gold from today to get your complexion fair and beauty.

Dimapur- 08253830150/ 07670005697

A.B. Vajpayee who stated, “wherever there is fighting, there is ceasefire.”

NWU further slammed Ibobi for his alleged anti-Naga and anti-tribal stance. It slammed Ibobi’s statements saying there are “no Nagas in Manipur.”

“Instead of listening to the voice of the people and addressing the grievances and concern of the people, the state government con-

tinues with its militarization policy of the Naga areas,” the NWU lamented.

It appealed for voices to be raised against the “despicable acts” aimed at keeping the Naga people and the tribals “under deprivation and subjugation.”

“This belligerent attitude of the Government of Manipur, with Government of India as a bystander, is condemnable,” NWU stated.

GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER PEREN: NAGALAND NO. GEN/RECRUIT-1/10-11/

Dated Peren the 9 Sep’2014 th

ADVERTISEMENT Applications are invited from Indigenous inhabitants of Peren District, Nagaland for 3 vacant posts of Dobashi Grade II under the establishment of Deputy Commissioner Peren. 50% of the vacant posts are reserved for inservice candidates as per Govt. OM NO. CNE-1/8/2011/ DMR(DLRB), Dated Kohima the 4th Nov’2013.

The applications should be submitted to the DC Office, Peren during Office hours on or before the 9th of Oct’2014.

PETER LICHAMO Deputy Commissioner Peren, Nagaland.

GOVT. PRIMARY SCHOOL SANGTAMTILLA DIMAPUR: NAGALAND

ukhrul, September 9 (mexN): The Tangkhul Katamnao Saklong (TKS) or the Tangkhul Students’ Union has launched a scathing attack on Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh and his Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam.

A press note from TKS expressing sadness to witness that the Ibobi-led government has the least respect for human lives, human rights and humanity, stated that the world has seen what Ibobi and his deputy, Gaikhangam have done to the Nagas at large, and to the people of Ukhrul in particular. “They have shown and thrown their military might in the name of peace,” TKS added.

On the August 30 killings, TKS alleged that Ukhrul Superintendent of Police S. Selvan had ordered firing of live rounds into the peaceful protestors with approval from Ibobi and Gaikhangam.

“We proudly declare them Martyrs,” TKS stated.

Further questioning the purpose of Manipur Gov-

ernment officials rushing to New Delhi, it stated that the visit was not to deliberate and solve the issue pertaining to the Nagas, “but instead to ask for security to transport goods.” “For them, the people of the Hills (tribals) are not an important constituent but just simply a vote bank come election time,” TKS stated. It further called upon people to rise above personal differences and fight united against “forces that have unbalanced what God had made.”

“Nagas’ tolerance for his

Wednesday

10 September 2014

communal ways has been exhausted since long instead.

It is our every right to push back, and we will,” the Tangkhul student body stated and challenged Ibobi and Gaikhangam to “do one ounce of good that people can speak of.” Calling upon elected representatives to resign and join the fight, TKS stated, “We are all yet to see you prove yourselves accountable to the people who elected you in their right minds-not the ones that were bought for with various incentives.”

On the lifting of Section

144CrPC from Ukhrul after almost two months, TKS remarked that the price for lifting the prohibitory orders were “two precious lives.” “It was promulgated when there was peace and revoked when violence occurred,” TKS added.

On today’s ambush on security convoys, TKS saying that “another Naga life is lost” stated, “The government will now use this as a pretext to blame Nagas and victimize the Naga public and point fingers at a smokescreen they cannot even see

Dimapur

through for themselves.”

TKS further stated that it will always continue to question whatever integrity is left of the state Government and the Government of India, as to whether they are really sincere to solving the issue of the Nagas or still play their game of hide and seek, and delay until forever.

“Nagas have every right to live under one administrative roof, free from communal oppression, and as free people,” TKS stated and asked, “Will you let us?”

INVITATION St.Xavier Seminary, Jalukie organizes Alumni cum Parents Meet on 27th Sept.

2014.All the past staff and students of the Institution and parents of the present students are cordially invited to the meet.

Kindly confirm your participation to either of the given contacts latest by 15th September 2014: 9436402641, 9862107536 or e-mail: rectorjalukie@gmail.com

FELICITATION

The 16 Pfütsero A/C NPF congratulates Mr. K.G.Kenye on being appointed Political Advisor to the Chief Minister of Nagaland, Mr. T. R. Zeliang.

It is the culmination of a long political sacrifices rendered by Mr. K.G.Kenye towards the welfare of the regional party and thus very deserving .We hope and pray that this milestone will be a stepping stone for his further future stewardship to our people.

At the same time, we thank the Chief Minister, Mr.T.R.Zeliang, for appointing Mr. K.G.Kenye to the said posts with Cabinet status who is one of the most dynamic and energetic political leaders form Phek District in particular and the Nagas in general.

(P.DAVID MARHU) General Secretary 16 Pfütsero A/C NPF

(VEMESU TETSEO) Press Secretary 16 Pfütsero A/C NPF

FELICITATION The Mongchentsűr Telongjem, Kohima express our heartiest congratulations to the following persons for the achievements in their respective profession.

1. Dr. Nandira Changkija, on being promoted to Director, Health Services Kohima, Nagaland.

2. Mrs. Telaknaro, Senior Technical Officer, Department of Science &Technology, Kohima Nagaland for being awarded the Governor’s Commendation Certificate on 15th August 2014.

3. Dr. Imlienla Imchen, for being awarded the Doctor of Philosophy degree in the Department of Linguistics, NEHU, Shillong.

The Tetsűr Telongjem further wishes them the very best in all their future endeavors.

President Moarenla

Secretary Temjenkala

STATE COUNCIL OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH AND TRAINING, NAGALAND, KOHIMA

Notification on INSPIRE Science Exhibition

Students of Government Primary School, Sangtamtilla, Dimapur, Nagaland eating their Mid-Day Meal on August 11, 2014.

NAGA PEOPLE’S FRONT

10th Northern Angami (I) Assembly Constituency Kohima: Nagaland We the party members of 10th NorthernAngami (I)A/C extend our heartiest congratulation to Shri. K.G. Kenye, Secretary General of Naga People's Front on his appointment as political advisor to the Chief Minister of Nagaland with Cabinet Status. It may be noted that, this is the first of its kind in the history of the regional party where a senior leader has been appointed as an advisor to the Chief Minister.

Shri. K.G.Kenye is one of the senior most party leaders and a former minister who has shouldered many responsibilities for the party through good as well as hardtimes. He has given his utmost for tit welfare of the party at all times and as of such, is a deserving candidate to be honoured with such a post We also express our heartfelt gratitude to Shri. T.R. Zeliang, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Nagaland for appointing such a deserving leader to the esteemed post. We pray that the almighty God bless both of them with rich and full lives and also wish them success in all their future endeavours.

(KEDUOLHOUTUO RUTSA) General Secretary

3rd Joint Consultative Meet of Western Angami Students’ Union (WASU), Western Angami Sports Association (WASA) & Western Angami Youth Organization (WAYO) Date : 13th September 2014 Venue : WAPO Building, Sechü Zubza

RESOURCE PERSONS: 1. Mr. Mhiesizokho Zinyü Former President, Angami Public Organization (APO) 2. Mr. Nibu Nagi First Class Contractor & Entrepreneur 3. Dr. Kethoser Aniu Kevichüsa Ministry Associate, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) Information: 1. It is mandatory for all the concern unit office bearers of Students, Youth, Sports Organization to attend the programme.

2. All the delegates are requested to reach the venue by 9:30 am.

3. Senior leaders, Elders and well wishers are cordially invited to the programme.

Host: Western Angami Students’ Union.

This is to inform all the school Authorities and children highlighted below that the State level Science Exhibition will be organized on the 18th September 2014 at Rϋzϋkhrie GHSS Kohima at 9:00 AM. On account of the warrants reaching us only on the 4th Sept. 2014 and the National Level Competition which is due on the 6,7 & 8 Oct.2014 it is informed that the participants will be awarded cash money of Rs.5000/- each drawn from the warrants of the children mentioned below by the bank officials. Free accommodation is arranged for those children and Teacher guides coming from remote areas at DUDA Guest House. All the children mentioned below are to report positively at Rϋzϋkhrie GHSS Kohima at 9:00 AM on the 18th Sept. 2014 for the mentioned science exhibition. For necessary query contact Nodal Officer Mob No: 09436000597.

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Name of District 2 DIMAPUR DIMAPUR DIMAPUR DIMAPUR DIMAPUR DIMAPUR DIMAPUR DIMAPUR DIMAPUR DIMAPUR DIMAPUR DIMAPUR KIPHERI KIPHERI KIPHERI KIPHERI KOHIMA KOHIMA KOHIMA KOHIMA KOHIMA KOHIMA KOHIMA KOHIMA KOHIMA KOHIMA MOKOKCHUNG MON PEREN PEREN JALUKIE PEREN PEREN PEREN PEREN PEREN PEREN PHEK PHEK CHOZUBA PHEK PHEK PHEK TUENSANG WOKHA WOKHA WOKHA WOKHA WOKHA WOKHA WOKHA WOKHA WOKHA WOKHA WOKHA ZUNHEBOTO ZUNHEBOTO

Name of School 3 BRIGHTER ACADEMY, CHUMUKEDIMA NORTH TOWN HR.SEC.SCHOOL, HUMUKEDIMA CORNERSTONE HR.SEC SCHOOL, DIMAPUR HERBERT SPENCER SCHOOL, WALFORD, DIMAPUR LITTLE STAR HR.SEC. SCHOOL, DIMAPUR NAGALAND ADVENTIST SCHOOL, DIMAPUR NEW HORIZON SCHOOL, DIMAPUR SEEDS OF HOPE SCHOOL, DIMAPUR ST.THOMAS MONTESSORY SCHOOL, IMAPUR WOODSTOOK SCHOOL, DIMAPUR ZAKIESATO MEMORIAL HR.SEC.SCHOOL, DIMAPUR TRINITY SCHOOL THAHEKHU, DIMAPUR SARAMATI VIEW MODERN SCHOOL, KIPHERI EL BETH SCHOOL, KIPHERI GOOD SHEPHERED HIGH SCHOOL, KIPHERI TRINITY SCHOO, KIPHERE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL, BOTSA JIREH SCHOO,TSEMINYU ST.ANDREWS HIGH SCHOOL,JOTSOMA OKING CHRISTIAN SCHOOL KITSUBOZOU, KOHIMA HOLY FAMILY SCHOOL, KOHIMA LITTLE FLOWER HR.SEC.SCHOOL, KOHIMA MODERN ACADEMY KOHIMA NORTHFIELD, KOHIMA VISWEMA BAPTIST SCHOOL AG SCHOOL TSEMINYU CANAAN CHRISTIAN HR.SEC. SCHOOL MOKOKCHUNG GOVT. MIDDLE SCHOOL, MON GOVT. HIGH SCHOOL BONGKHOLONG GOVT. HIGH SCHOOL, DUNKI IBOUNG THOU MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL GOVT. HR.SEC.SCHOOL JALUKIE, NAGALAND GOVT. HIGH SCHOOL, PEREN GOVT. MIDDLE SCHOOL, D.C. COLONY, PEREN CHRISTIAN SCHOOL, JALUKIE CHWANG SCHOOL, SAMZIURAM, PEREN BAPTIST HIGH SCHOOL, TENING CHAKESANG MISSION HIGH SCHOOL, PFUTSERO UNION CHRISTIAN SCHOOL, PFUTSERO. ALPHA SCHOOL CHAZUBA, PHEK BAPTIST MISSION SCHOOL, PHUSACHODU GOVT. HIGH SCHOOL, PORBA GOVT. HIGH SCHOOL, SAKRABA GOVT. HIGH SCHOOL, SANGSANGYU GOVT. HIGH SCHOOL, AKUK GOVT. HIGH SCHOOL, BAGHTY DON BOSCO HR. SEC. SCHOOL, BHANDARI GOVT. HR. SEC. BHANDARI GOVT. HIGH SCHOOL, CHUKITONG GOVT. HIGH SCHOOL, SUNGRO GILGAL HIGH SCHOOL, WOKHA GOVT. HR. SEC. SCHOOL, WOKHA MOUNT SENAI SCHOOL, WOKHA REGIMENTAL SCHOOL, DEF WOKHA GOVT. HIGH SCHOOL, WOZHURO CORNERSTONE HIGH SCHOOL, ZUNHEBOTO OLYMPIC HR.SEC. SCHOOL, ZUNHEBOTO

Name of the selected student 4 MASENWANGPOU K NEWMAI P.SHANGTE KONYAK MOANUNGLA WEKUKHRO LOSOU AMAM KUMAR ROY PRITHVIRAJ BHATTCHAR FARHANA BEGUM M.ONGLEM PHOM KUNGSILIU ECHUNGTHUNG N.KITHAN MD. BADSHAH GIHUKA MD.NURUL HASSAN ANSARI JAMES SETSIPA BLESSY KHADHA RüGUO-O KENSE THANWALE MAGH MENUOKHOZA KEVELE LASUH MUSHEM MERYLI NGULLIE RAJIV POKHREL EMTILI VIVONU PUCHO CATHERINE KHING LIMATOSHI NYULIH KONYAK NENGNEICHIN HANSING KEYIEULUNGBE JEREMIAH DAIME HEIKIEBUILE HAIDWAYILE HAIZURANGBE CHUNKALUNGBO LUNGAMBO PEWANSI TSOLO-U MERO WEWO-ü MERO NUTSUYI SHEVELü CUMU SWüYIEVOZO DZüDO RAZUNU MD.SOHAIL A. T LOBENO L OKHYOPVUI MHABENI MURRY ALLEN YANTHAN ZUCHANBEMO N KIKON BILAMO C KIKON LONGSHIBEMO JAMI LONGSHIBENI K PATTON NGUNGBENI TUNGOE THUNGBEMO P.YANTHAN HAITI TEP RENGMA EYILOBENI KIKA CHISHI LIUKA JUVITITY JAKHA

Class 5

6 9 9 9 10 8 8 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 6 6 9 7 10 8 8 9 9 9 9 6 7 7 8 9 9 7 8 7 8 8 9 9 9 7 6 10 7 9 9 8 8 6 6 9 6 7 10 10 7 7 7

Sex 6 M M F M M M M M F M M M M M M F M F M F F F M F F F M F F M M F F M M M M F F M F M M M F F M M M M F F M M F M F

(VIPRALHOU KESIEZIE) Director, SCERT, Nagaland, Kohima.

4

Dimapur

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public discoursE

Wednesday 10 September 2014

In Response to “Seniority Matters Pertaining to School Education”

he write up, “Seniority Matters Pertaining to School Education” has thrown light on the practices taking place in the SE department in its attempt to please certain groups or individuals giving total disregard to Office Memorandums time and again and thus messing up the department. The endless agitations ranging from bogus teachers issue to the latest non-payment of Special Teachers’ salary and ANGTA - SSA teachers seniority conflict have no wonder, made people to consider School Education department as the most muddled department in Nagaland. The latest imbroglio being faced by the School Education department, in which ANSTA had called for a state wide three-day mass C/L which witnessed a total closure of secondary section for at least two days, was no doubt, just an indication of many agitations and protests in store for the department as the various associations and groups within the department are gearing up to follow suit under the prevailing circumstances.

There are very clear standing Orders/Memorandums such as: (i) P&AR Office Memorandum No. AR-5/ASSO/98(pt) dated Kohima the 9th July 2004 which states, “the seniority of contract or ad-hoc employees will be counted from the date of regularization or absorption of such employees…”

O

ne of the most common complaints of educated parents is that of their children coming home with the wrong pronunciations or spellings, and even when corrected, the children insisting that it’s correct, just because their teachers taught them that way.

One cannot begin to emphasize the role and impact that teachers have on our children. For them, teachers are all knowing and far more knowledgeable than any other person they come in contact with. Any kind of teaching that comes forth from the teacher, is therefore, of prime importance. Every word taught, and every lesson explained, goes right into the mind of a child, with the kind of seriousness that no other individual, with all the expertise that he or she has, cannot begin to strike a chord with the child.

Children look upon their teachers as role models, as somebody they can emulate, and as the ultimate giver

(ii) P&AR Office Memorandum No. AR-7/8/86 dated Kohima the 21st July 2004 (10) states, “the seniority of a person so absorbed in the deputation post shall be counted from the date of such absorption only (i.e. from the date of Cabinet approval). (iii) School Education Department’s own Memorandum No. EDS/HSS61/94 dated Kohima the 18th January 2012 (3) says, “Henceforth regularization of contract services will be effective from the date of Cabinet approval and not from the date of joining or the cut-off date.”

There are some Orders and Notifications that have been passed by the department totally overlooking such aforementioned Memorandums leading to one litigation after the other. One of such latest Notifications is the very controversial absorption of certain PGTs on deputation from the post of GT by SE Department vide Notification No.EDS/HSS/4-6/2010 dated Kohima the 29th October 2013 wherein, seniority was given to two certain individuals from the date of regularization as GT and the other case was, seniority given to six persons from the date of joining as PGT and not from the date of absorption. One may take this Notification as a classic example of another deliberate attempt to please certain individuals by showing total disregard to its own Office Orders and Memorandums including that of P&AR department’s and to keep

the department messed up in perpetuity. Any vague rules or laws are amended or replaced with better ones so as to give more justifiable meaning according to the needs of time. It was expected that the department would stick to its latest standing office Memorandums instead of invoking the rather obsolete and vague School Education Act 2002 apparently to please certain individuals.

Such acts would only give an impression to the public to concur that there is truth in what the writer of ‘Seniority Matters Pertaining to School Education’ had to say: “While there is no conflict as per the standing rules pertaining to seniority issues, it is being openly speculated that the corrupt bureaucrats and officers dealing with such matters tend to mislead the decision makers citing wrong precedence in the past.”

As a matter of fact, not to undermine any sincere government teacher whose nature of appointment is other than through NPSC, recruitment of PGTs through NPSC has raised the image and reputation of Govt. Higher Secondary Schools in the otherwise not so impressive image of Govt. High Schools in our state till the recent recruitment of SSA teachers through departmental exams. Any further move to please certain individual(s) or groups by overlooking the aforesaid Office Memorandums in future will render recruitment of teachers both departmental and NPSC competitive exams

undermined and irrelevant and under such circumstances, the objectives of popular movements likes ACAUT, NSF and such govt. agencies/NGOs will also be undermined.

Nonetheless, with our new, young and energetic Hon’ble Parliamentary Secy. for SE, Yitachu having vast knowledge and experience in legal matters and his enthusiasm to overhaul the department here to stay to steer the department along with the Commissioner & Secy. SE and team, it is hoped that they start cleaning if not their own mess, then that of their predecessors’ and most importantly cease from further overlooking such important office memorandums. Today bureaucrats and policy makers may overlook or bend certain rules of the department(s) either for their own convenience or to please certain groups or individuals and get transferred to other departments tomorrow but their acts will set precedence for future references. As a matter of fact, we are very uncomfortable with the infamous tag, “dirtiest department” and hope to contribute to the positive development and progress towards making SED a model department in our state.

Teachers lead the way!

of knowledge. And it is in this very essence that teachers begin to mould and shape the future of our children. Which is also why, teachers play a much bigger role than others. Their influence on children cannot be emphasized enough.

And then at the core of it, we all have ‘quality education’ in mind. We talk about the system of education in our state. Is it in place? Are we going the right direction? Is the money we invest in our children’s education worth it? Is the time and effort we sacrifice for the sake of their education, worth it?

In today’s time and age, where most parents are working professionals, it has become increasingly difficult to make time for their children.

Here, “time” involves a whole lot of things. It covers personal time with the child, looking after the child’s needs and the whole process of upbringing.

So much so, that for adults, time has become increasingly precious as years roll by.

Today, we also have

schools which are seemingly cut above the rest, both in terms of fees and facilities.

Several schools are now a hub of activities. They indulge children not only in bookish knowledge but expand their horizons beyond textbooks.

Many schools, I believe, also encourage children to engross themselves in learning, even while at home. Which, of course is a good thing.

School projects are now an “in” thing. Many children come home with projects they are excited to work on. But most times, these projects are also beyond their capacity. In the end, it’s the children’s parents who end up doing the projects. In such a case, I doubt if the prime objective of such projects are fulfilled. It’s like parents become students all over again. Which, really is fine, except that, the children and not the parents, are supposed to be at the heart of the projects.

Then, we have the government schools, where the picture is always different! Govern-

ment schools that claim to have the most qualified teachers. But how many of these qualified teachers are physically present in the schools they are posted, and doing their bit as teachers?

The answer is uncertain. But as is the story in any other profession, I know for sure, that there is a dedicated lot of well qualified teachers, who are committed to their profession and making a difference wherever they are placed.

Sadly, many government schools do not have this privilege. They only have qualified teachers by name, who might be pursuing higher goals elsewhere. While in their places of posting, each one of them are represented by a lesser qualified teacher. Such has been the trend. It is still the trend. And ultimately it is the children of the less fortunate who suffer.

Because, the children of the higher section of the society are barely, or never enrolled in a government school.

Whether we like it or not, consciously or unconsciously,

_

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 # 2991

Action Committee, Affected NPSC-Recruited PGTs of 2008, 2011, 2013 Batches.

Thongsenlo Magh, Convenor Rukuzo Hoshi, Co-Convenor

the divide between the rich and the poor is always there.

It affects our children. Our future. So, how do we bridge this gap? What role does education play in this? How do schools, teachers and the very system of education strike a balance in this regard?

There is so much of knowledge and wisdom that children can garner in school, even if earning an educational certificate alone, may be the primary motive.

One could say, education has become accessible to everyone, today. But it’s not so much the availability that is going to change our lives, but it is what education does, that is going to determine our future, and the future of our children.

And at the heart of education, teachers still remain the inspiration. For which, the greater responsibility lies with teachers, and it is left at their prerogative to remain committed to this most noble profession.

Vishü Rita Krocha

The Morung Express

Vehicle Thief the serious thread

A

churches or concentration be given to our vehicles parked outside of the churches and whether we shall attend the patients in hospitals or keep guarding the vehicles parked outside the hospitals, if you chose the former after attending it you will not see your vehicle anymore. It is also to be noted that a place like kohima where for some even one family have three, four vehicles and the population and vehicles ratio comes to a comparable trend, however there is no secured parking places for the vehicles due to its topography, hence the owner of the vehicles are forced to keep their vehicles on the roadside after their work and spent the night with tension without sound sleep thinking of their vehicles and alas! many of the vehicles are found missing in the morning. Imagine how painful and shocking it is. I hope the readers may agree with me.

In this trend no one is exempted from the hands of those miscreants/criminals, be it church leaders, High ranking officials, Doctors, Lawyers, Judges, Police officials and Common man. Is it not a serious thread for the entire citizens of the state? Why not the churches, civil societies voice against this menace? I think some mechanism can be work out with the participation of every section of the people to curb this menace, as it is impracticable for the state police to keep guarding each and every vehicles for 24 hours, hence I may placed certain suggestions for its experiment.

1) Permanent police check gates be erected in strategic points solely for the purpose of checking the transportation of stolen vehicles, in which government vehicles should not be exempted since the record shows that majority of the stolen vehicles belongs to the government officials. For which government officials should bear the in convenience and cooperate with the police while checking the vehicles.

2) Since the car lifters have their organised gang with interstate sophisticated networking, the public should also have its networking by organising inter colony volunteers/committees with proper networking and coordination among the colony as well as with all police stations.

3) Sensitise the public against this menace etc,etc.

ll criminal activities are bad and unacceptable to the humanities. Every morning we come across in the local papers the word of condemnation from churches, civil societies etc against the crime like murder, rape etc. Those crimes are heinous which deserves highest degrees of condemnation and punishment but besides those, it appears the people of the state is forgetting or compromising another serious thread which does not spare rich or poor, high or low (i.e vehicle thief cases).In my career as prosecutor, I have come across several numbers of car lifting cases particularly in Dimapur and Kohima in which almost all the cases are ended up with the thieves unknown and the stolen vehicle untraceable. It is really painful for the vehicle owners which is very hard to accept but no option, however we should also not forget the commendable job done by the state police in apprehending several numbers of car lifters and recovering the stolen vehicles.

Of late, I am so delighted to read an article titled “vehicle thievery menace” by Ri Therie (Rilo) of forest colony kohima in Nagaland Post dated 7th sept 2014, which signalled that people are awakening from their slumber against this serious menace, it is also worth mentioning that once some leaders of the A.G. colony kohima had interaction with me after they had successfully assisted the police in napping a gang of car lifters from Zunheboto which leads to the recovery of two stolen vehicles. Their contribution are commendable.

A rough statistic shows that out of the total registered criminal cases in kohima in a year, it may be around 15% of vehicles thief cases, out of which approximately 80% ended up the investigation by filing final report as the accused could not be apprehended and the lost vehicle are untraced. This rough trend indicate how successful in the profession of car lifting earning easy money at the cost of the innocent citizens. It may be made known that there is inter-state organised gang comprised of the state of Assam, Nagaland and Manipur, with expert car thieves with easy passage for the disposal of the stolen vehicles. It is observed that those miscreants mostly targets the soft areas like churches and hospitals. Now the question arose whether we the believers shall listen to the sermon in the

DAILY CROSS WORD

CROSSWORD # 2998

DIMAPUR Civil Hospital:

Imtiakum Public Prosecutor Kohima

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 # 2990

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

KNOCK STROKE INTAKE POWER COMPRESSION EXHAUST RADIATOR VISCOSITY LUBRICATION OIL COOLANT FILTER PISTON CRANKSHAFT VALVE INJECTORPUMP INJECTOR DEISELFUEL GASOLINE HYDROMETER QUICKCOUPLING DRIVEBELT BEARING GREASEFITTING BATTERY

R

V K N O D J H Q Y N Y R D C Q B J A U Y

I O D O F E R D G L F O O D N A N B A E

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C G Z G C H G V Y P A M B T B T W I P Q

E G F I L T E R N R Y D V A K E R H A S

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L A C N I E X U X T S E N I L O S A G B

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Y W R L P L A R K F V T A J D T O Z G I

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Z V D S P U Q U I C K C O U P L I N G X

I R I P M F T Z P O A U K W K J Q A G I

MOKOKCHUNG:

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K E A P T F A H S K N A R C E K K L R M

D V T Z N A B L R A P S X J O R N O X Y

E K O R T S D U N A I G P Z L N G O Q Y

T W R G L R P O W B G S Z Q E O K C A U

ACROSS 1. Anger 5. Razz 9. Dwarf buffalo 13. Norse god 14. Law and _____ 16. A region of SE Pakistan 17. Accomplishes 18. A very short time 19. Frozen 20. Catapulted 22. Corpulence 24. Container weight 26. Raw fish wrapped in seaweed 27. Median 30. Goober 33. A farm of grapevines 35. Adult male singing voice 37. Actress Lupino 38. Anagram of “Diary” 41. African antelope 42. Dings 45. Carefully thought out in advance 48. Indolent 51. Explosive device 52. An Italian woman of rank 54. Tidy 55. Proposed 59. Sugary

62. Distinctive flair 63. Small goat antelope 65. Hairdo 66. Annex 67. Strike 68. Wreckage 69. Playthings 70. Tiny sphere 71. If not

DOWN 1. Fishing poles 2. False god 3. Officer 4. Trap 5. Scribble 6. Makes a mistake 7. Makes changes to 8. Get back 9. Laughable 10. Agreeable 11. 1 1 1 1 12. Contributes 15. Utilize again 21. A neutral color 23. Not this 25. Quaint outburst 27. Keen 28. Television 29. Historic period 31. Thankless 32. In shape

34. Not brilliant 36. Boorish 39. Regulation (abbrev.)

40. Tale 43. News 44. Any day now 46. Views 47. Oblivious 49. Hitches 50. Bury 53. Eagle’s nest 55. Colorful salamander 56. Hodgepodge 57. Numerous 58. Information 60. Anagram of “Sire” 61. Anagram of “Note” 64. Directed Ans to CrossWord 2997

DIMAPUR: 03862 232201/101 (O) 9436017479 (OC) CHUMUKEDIMA: 03862 282777/101 (O) 9856158740 (OC) WOKHA: 03860 242215/101 (O) 9862039399 (OC) MOKOKCHUNG: 0369 2226225/101 (O) 9436012949 (OC) PHEK: 8414853765 (O) 9862130954(OC) ZUNHEBOTO: 03867 280304/101 (O) 9856156876 (OC)

MON: 03869 251222/101 (O) 9436208480 (OC) KIPHIRE: 8414853767 (O) 8974304572 (OC)

Toll free No. 1098 childline

O

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

TUENSANG: 8414853766 (O) 8414853519

CHILD WELFARE COMMITTEE

W

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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60.26 96.72 7.76 55.53 47.63 54.64 56.49

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LOCAL

The Morung Express

AG Office informs Kohima, September 9 (mexN): The Office of the Account General (A&E) today informed all the retired government officials of the state that the “Pension and GPF cases” settled up to the month of August, 2014 are uploaded and available on the AG Nagaland website. A press release from the Account Officer, Information System Cell further stated that, a pensioner may visit the AG Office website: www.agnagaland.gov.in and click on a link written “Felicitation” where it will direct them to “Pension or GPF Felicitation”. Further, the pensioner can also directly access the information by directly clicking on a Stick Note written “Click here to view list of settled PENSION /GPF final payment cases” at the same website.

The AG Office further informed that, an “Online Grievance Redressal System” is functioning in its office and any person having a grievance with any Entitlement functions such as Pension, GPF, Payslips & Loans discharge by the Office of AG (A&E) can lodge their grievances online. The text of their grievances along with other relevant documents can be uploaded in the website and the AG Office will acknowledge the same through SMS or e-mail and status update of the complaint will be sent via SMS. The complainants can also write directly to Deputy Accountant General (A&E), Shri. Kahoto J Yepthomi or e-mail him kahoto_j@yahoo.co.in or agaenagaland@cag. gov.in for immediate redressal of their grievances, it added.

Wednesday 10 September 2014

TTASU alleges anomaly & corruption in work execution

tueNSaNG, September 9 (mexN): Tuensang Town All Sector Union (TTASU) today alleged anomaly in the execution of work under “13th Finance Commission (TFC) Award” in Tuensang Town and expressed displeasure at the same.

A press statement from TTASU president, TY Sangtam recounted that on February 6, 2014, Sushil Kumar Patel (IAS), former ADC (Additional Deputy Commissioner) Tuensang had summoned Ward Chairmen and leaders and demanded one proposal from each ward, “that amount to Rs. 50,000/- to Rs. 1,00,000/-.” All the ward leaders submitted their proposal respectively, the president said, “but appallingly the ADC himself executed work at ten dif-

ferent locations without the knowledge of the concerned ward leaders and drew the whole TFC Award of Rs. 28,00000/- into his account which was meant for Tuensang Town.”

TTASU, according to the statement, “on witnessing improper work executed in the town” submitted a complaint letter to the Deputy Commissioner, Tuensang on May 8, 2014 seeking clarification within five days of receiving the letter. However, TTASU stated, it failed to receive response for more than three months, therefore, the union submitted ultimatum on August 5, 2014.

The Deputy Commissioner ultimately responded with a copy of “Finding Report-No. RTI 2005/PIO/ TSG/2014-15 Dated 11th August 2014.” The report,

the release said, indicated: “Total amount sanctioned by the Govt. - Rs. 27, 46,215/-. Total work executed amount - Rs. 23, 37,400/. Amount deducted at source - Rs. 2, 80,000/-. Total amount deemed available for taking up improvement work - Rs. 1, 28,815/-.”

The statement further alleged that the work showed excess expenditure amount in all the work locations. “The Union (TTASU) on seeing unreliable report of the Finding Committee, reached out to all the work location and found that, drainage repairing work and some dustbin construction had been worked out, which is estimated to have cost Rs. 7,31,145/- only for overall work.”

The “worst part in this corruption”, the Union stated was that, the former ADC

had allotted a drainage repairing work to Themjen at High School Sector, Tuensang Town for Rs. 95,000/-.

“At the behest of the ADC, Themjen collected materials from Vinod Enterprise Hardware Shop Tuensang Town for Rs. 70,000/- only and on completing the work Themjen was paid a cash amount of Rs. 25,000/only as labour charge,” the union alleged. “But, despite all the facts and figures, the finding committee in their report indicates the total expenditure on that particular work is Rs. 6, 54,475/- only whereas, the actual expenditure is only Rs. 95,000/-.”

TTASU further condemned “such activity” and asserted it “will not compromise to any corrupt practices on developmental activities in Tuensang Town.”

NPMHR calls for ‘community level dialogue’ Arms and ammunitions seized at Kiphire Cautions against spread of disinformation Kohima, September 9 (mexN): The Naga Peoples’ Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR) today stated that Nagas are facing various challenges which will have “far-reaching impact for future generations in the form of policies and statutory decisions.” NPMHR expounded on these “challenges” while holding its General Assembly on September 8 and observing its Founding Day on September 9 in Kohima.

A press note from the NPMHR informed that that the General Assembly discussed the present unrest in the Assam-Nagaland border areas and the “militarisation and its unfolding consequences in Ukhrul.”

NPMHR expressed its serious concern on these de-

velopments and stressed on the need for more community-level dialogue and “strengthening of old ties.”

It further called for “more systematic interventions.”

While urging the public to be vigilant, the NPMHR stated that “events that are very much outside the control of our society has every possibility to further disintegrate our fragile coexistence.” It asserted that there is a “need to control and regulate the spread of disinformation, which are purportedly circulated with ulterior motives.”

It further stressed the need to review policies on natural resources and extractive minerals like oil and natural gas, chromite, coal, etc. NPMHR stated that a “grassroots perspec-

tive, evolved through collective consultation, is essential while also looking at present justifications for developmental needs.”

It then resolved to initiate public debate and audit for a preliminary position on these issues.

NPMHR also evaluated the proposed Nagaland Special Development Zone (NSDZ) and other similar initiatives, which it stated “results in eroding the rights and interest of the people, particularly their control over their lands and territories.”

Meanwhile, it was informed that with the change of guard adopted by the General Assembly, the NPMHR is now headed

by Neingulo Krome as the Secretary General.

Kiphire, September 9 (mexN): Acting on a tip-off, the 46 Assam Rifles post led by its Commander raided the residence of Yanglicho of Kip-

hire Village early morning today and caught huge arms and ammunitions including country made arms and ammunitions from his possession. The

accused has been arrested and in the custody of the Kiphire police station. A case has been registered for the same and an investigation is progress.

Expand NSBSG to interior areas: Guv Kohima, September 9 (Dipr): The Governor of Nagaland, P B Acharya was paid a courtesy call by the State Chief Commissioner, Khyomo Lotha and the Officiating State Secretary-cum-State Organising Commissioner (S), John Tochimong of Nagaland State Bharat Scouts and

Guides (NSBSG) on September 9 at the Raj Bhavan.

The NSBSG finalized the date with the Governor for the Induction and Award Ceremony of NSBSG for September 29.

The Governor also announced that the Awardees of Rajya Puraskar Scout/ Guide (Governor’s Award-

ees) would be given books on success stories of leaders/personalities in addition to the Certificates. He also urged the NSBSG to exert extra effort in expanding the Scouts & Guides movement in the districts and particularly in the Government schools of the interior areas of the State.

Dimapur

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MEx FILE KKGK emergency meeting on Sept 13 Dimapur, September 9 (mexN): The Kulolawu khukishe Ghami Kuqhakulu (KKGK) Dimapur has convened an emergency meeting on September 13 at the office banker at Naharbari Dimapur. All the office bearers and respective area executive members are directed to attend the meeting.

Nagaland police state level debate competition on human rights Kohima, September 9 (mexN): The 10th Nagaland Police State Level Debate Competition on Human Rights organized by Nagaland Police under the aegis of National Human Rights Commission, New Delhi will take place on September 12 at 10:00 AM at Rhododendron Hall, Police Complex Chumukedima. The topic for this debate competition is “Human Rights & Social Justice is devalued in Naga society.” Keynote address will be delivered by Besesayo Kezo, IPS, Director General of Police, Nagaland. The event will be chaired by Limasunep Jamir, IPS, SP Wokha. Panel of jury includes; Dr. Stephen Lotha, Associate Professor, Kohima Science College, Jotsoma, Mayanglima Ao, registrar Guwahati High Court, Kohima Bench and Vekhosa Chakhesang, NPS, commandant 4th NAP Battalion, Thizama. Vote of thanks will be proposed by K. Elias Lotha, IPS, DIGP (HR &SJ)

New Accountant General (Audit) Dimapur, September 9 (mexN): A. Pitoho Chophy, IAAS has been posted and taken over as the new Accountant General (Audit), Nagaland on September 8 (F/N). A. P. Chophy had earlier worked as Accountant General, Meghalaya, Shillong, Pr. Director of Audit in Bangalore, Karnataka before this assignment.

Patkai Christian College annual social Dimapur, September 9 (mexN): Patkai Christian College will be conducting its 40th annual social on September 12, 9:30 am at Bundrock Chapel Auditorium with the theme ‘quest zenith.’ Thungjamo Khuvung, joint director, DRDA Kohima will be the chief guest. The Students’ Union, Patkai Christian College in a press release informed that various programmes are conducted every year to encourage the students to make the best use of their time and to cultivate the value of education. The students’ union further request all the students to cooperate and contribute their valuable service for the success of the programme.

Nagaland should restructure financial management: BJP Kohima, September 9 (NepS): National BJP general secretary, Tapir Gao, who is currently at the state capital Kohima, said he knew about the pathetic financial condition of the state of Nagaland. Talking to NEPS here today, the National BJP leader who is in-charge of Nagaland and Manipur asserted that the state government had to take certain measures so that the Government of India would be convinced to assist them. “The state government should restructure the financial management, so that the Center will be able to help them,” he stated.

Longleng DPDB NVCO highlights consumers’ plight Kiphire DPDB meeting report while 19 cases registerd the agendas of MO at LikhimSeptember only Rs 7. While the compli- context, NVCO wonders meeting conducted Kohima, Kiphire police station in ro PHC, upgradation of OPD 9 (mexN): The Nagaland ant might seems irrelevant how such incident is posOur Correspondent

LoNGLeNG, September 9 (Dipr): The monthly meeting of Longleng District Planning & Development Board for the month of September was held at DC’s conference hall Longleng under the chairmanship of the new Deputy Commissioner & Vice Chairman DPDB Longleng, Nekhashi Sema.

At the outset, the Deputy Commissioner & Vice Chairman welcomed the Board members. Delivering his introductory speech, the DC sought cooperation and support from every members for the smooth functioning of the District.

The meeting reviewed the last meeting minutes and the following points were also discussed and approved for recommendation: Upgradation of GPS Yachem ‘B’ to GMS; Construction of District cultural hall at Longleng; Survey of circular Road from Agri Ward to Shamkang Ward and Nyengching Ward; Shifting of vegetable sale at Road site and various un-completed Government Officer Quarter Construction at Longleng. The Board also discussed not to send any representative by the Heads of Offices to the DPDB meeting and further discussed on the formation of officer club at Longleng.

condemnation ZWOK T h e Z e l i a n g ro n g Women Organisation, Kohima Unit (ZWOK) expresses their deepest “anguish” and vehemently condemns the manner in which one of its members was “stripped, dragged and physically assaulted” most “brutally” by her husband on September 4. In a press note, Akule Elunglung, President ZWOK and Isy Chuilo, General Secretary, ZWOK termed the assault as “barbaric, inhuman and unthinkable in civilized society” and demanded “strongest and most exemplary punishment” against the perpetrator so that no woman should suffer “same treatment” in future.

The ZWOK appealed all the right thinking citizens and organisations to join hands and fight for the justice of the victim and requested NGOs and government agencies to assist her in her rehabilitation. “We offers their utmost solidarity with the victim and prays for her speedy recovery” it added.

LWS The Liangmai Welfare Society (LWS), Kohima today strongly condemned the “barbaric act” and “attempted murder” of a 35 year old woman by her husband on September 4. In a press note receive here, Kairenbibo, President and Rutmakbo, General Secretary, LWS Kohima stated that, the Liangmai community in general are in “deep shock” over the extreme cruelty meted out by the husband to his wife. The victim is still ICU in Naga Hospital Kohima after incurring heavy assault including a deep wound in her abdomen and private parts as well as suffering from extreme emotional “trauma”, it added.

While lauding the Kohima police swiftly arresting the accuse, it also urged the law enforcing authority to take strong action against the culprit and reject his bail application whatever the reason might be.

Voluntary Consumes’ Organisation (NVCO) today voice out against the suffering of consumers at the hand of retailer or service providers. In a press note, Kezhokhoto Savi, President NVCO, stated that, the consumers are harassed under many instances including selling of price of goods above MRP (Maximum Retail Price) black-marketing and ill-treatment to the consumers in LPG cooking gas, shortage of weightments (solid as well as liquid) in meat/butcher shops and gas-station/petrolpump, price-rise and so on.

According to press note, several verbal complaints have been reported to the NVCO office in past few days saying that several shops in the state capital refuse to honour the rights the consumers despite their strong insistence on buying the goods at the given MRP. In one such case, a shop in NH 29 AOC Area charged RS 10 for a pack of “TOPAZ”- whereas the MRP was

to many, NACO stresses that, it is important to take note of such complaint as “prices and exploitation of Consumer Rights begins in this simple manner”. In another case, it added, a pair of ladies sandal/shoe was bought by a young parent for Rs 750 shopkeeper though the given MRP was only 150. Likewise, there are several complaints against the charges of motor parts where the trader usually remove the original MRP and charges a higher rate to the consumers. And in this regard, the President of NVCO strongly warned the shopkeepers to immediately stop this kind of illegal and unfair trade practices.

Further, it added that, a young mother made complaint to NVCO last week that, after standing more than 3 hours in the queue, her share of LPG was denied by the counter saying that it was already taken by somebody else without giving her an opportunity to verify or justified her stand. In this

sible when the gas card is in the possession of the rightful owner and link it to the existence of rampant blackmarketing of LPG. NVCO, thus, appealed the District Administration to ensure the rights of the consumer and check the practices of black-marketing and also disallow the hotels, restaurant, hostels, etc to use domestic connection.

According to NVCO, the most common complaints are against the lack of “weightment” measurement either in kind or liquid with the butchers, fishsellers, and even in grocery shops. Certain cases of petrol pumps giving lesser fuel due to faulty metering were also reported. The NVCO sincerely request “The concerned department to check and verify the weight and measurement instrument used by various businessmen/traders such as butcher/meat seller, grocery shops, petrol pumps etc to protect the rights and safety of the consumers” it added.

Kiphire | September 9

The District Planning and Development Board (DPDB), Kiphire meeting was held at Likhimro Hydro project Guest House complex today. Welcoming the DPDB Members, T Torechu, Chairman DPDB and Parliamentary Secretary for Excise and Housing said that, while the posting of the officer in the area is beneficial for the public, they might face lots of impediment while executing their duties but appeal them to bear such circumstances. The new Deputy Commissioner Kiphire, A Chumremo Odyuo, attending the DPDB meeting first time, made his introduction to the board member. Appreciating the place, he said that he is happy to work for the interest of the public and seeks cooperation and support from the DPDB members for the upliftment of the district. Requesting their regular attendance, he also asked them to contribute ideas and agenda to take up in the DPDB for development in the district.

Superintendent of Police, Kiphire declared that,

2014, he was happy that no untoward incident had occurred within the year. The SP also shares the grievance of the department such as inadequate staff quarter,lack of proper water supplies and shortage of manpower in the district.

Dominating the Medical Department agendas were the demand for Medical Officer (MO) at Likhimro PHC, Up-gradation of OPD complex and Indoor wards at CHC Pungro, Upgradation of Kisetong Subcentre to PHC, installation of Blood storage refrigerator and power back-up system for laboratory at District Hospital Kiphire and demand of Zonal Taxi Permit put up by the Risethsi village Council.

Arguing the case for the department, Pensokiu,CMO, Kiphire said that, the posting of MO at Likhimro was gravely needed for the workers of Likhimro Hydro Project and its surrounding area. All the department's demand were genuine and urgent, he asserted. The meeting ended with the decision to forward

complex and Indoor wards at CHC Pungro, upgradation of Kisetong Sub-centre to PHC to the government.

Regarding the installation of blood storage refrigerator and power backup system for laboratory at District Hospital Kiphire,T Torechu gave his assurance to provide Rs.2 lakh from the LADP common pool.

On the agenda put up by Risethsi Village Council on for Zonal Taxi permit, the house agreed to forward the same to the concern department. As per the minutes of the previous meeting on declaring Kiphire as “Drought Hit” and its subsequent resolution, the District Agriculture Officer (DAO), Renpemo Ngulie submitted the verification report on the status of crops in Kiphire district and said that 80 % of the crops are believed to be in a normal condition. T Torechu also released the 2nd edition of district magazine “Moving Forward”, a compilation of achievement of department activities in Kiphire district.

Technology Transfer Conclave at Jharnapani Farmer’s friendly technologies developed by NRCM transferred as commercial venture JharNapaNi, September 9 (mexN): A Technology Transfer Conclave was organised at Jharnapani campus of National Research Centre on Mithun (NCRM) on September 9. The programme was inaugurated by Parliamentary Secretary, Veterinary & Animal Husbandry, Er. Vikho-O-Yhoshu and Dr Timothy Lotha, Director, Veterinary and Animal Husbandry, was the guest of honour. Besides Dr.

Keba, Managing Director, NLDB, and other senior official from Department of Veterinary& AH, Nagaland, Dr. Mhasizokho, CEO, DIMUL, along with other staff have graced the occasion. The programme was organised for transfer of farmer’s friendly technologies developed by NRCM and its scope as commercial venture.

Welcoming the dignitaries, farmers and entrepreneurs, Dr. K K Baruah, Principal Scientist, NRCM narrated the achievements of NRCM over last 25 years in areas of research, extension and training. He thanked all the past and present scientists of the institute to bring

the glory by development of farm worthy technologies.

The various technologies developed by the institute were showcased

by Dr. N.Haque, Principal Scientist NRCM and their economics was explained to farmers and young entrepreneurs. He explained the usefulness and feasibility of these technologies for economic upliftment of livestock farmers of this region. He also highlighted the beneficial ways of using the by-product of beverage industry and green fodder available in plenty during lush season for preparation of economic and nutritious feed blocks for feeding during dry season.

Dr. Timothy Lotha, Director, Veterinary and Animal Husbandry, Govt of Nagaland expressed satisfaction over technology demonstration and was delighted by the participation of young entrepreneurs from various regions of state. He expressed his willingness to work hand in hand with NRCM for development of more farmers’ oriented technologies in near future.

Er. Vikho-O-Yhoshu during his address has congratulated the NRCM for development of economical and effective technologies. He further highlighted the importance of technologies ready for com-

mercialization such as Area Specific Mineral Mixture, Composite feed block and Mineral blocks and urged the farmers and entrepreneurs to take-up the venture for commercial production and their disseminated to all the farmers of the region. He also stressed on close cooperation between NRCM and state Veterinary& Animal Husbandry department and expressed his satisfaction on various research activities while visiting the different laboratories. He praised the Director NRCM and scientist for creating state of art laboratory facilities at the institute with financial support from Department of Biotechnologi,

Government of India.

Dr. Anupama Mukherjee, Senior Scientist and Dr. Jayanta Kumar Chamuah, Scientist explained to the farmers about the farm worthy techniques for management of health and production during Technical session. Farmers and young entrepreneurs enquired about the economic feasibility of technologies and were satisfied with the programme.

Dr. A. Kumar extended vote of thanks on behalf of all the staff of NRCM to all the dignitaries and participants, press, media and supporting staff for the successful organization of this programme.

6

IN-FOCUS

The Power of Truth

The Morung Express WEDnEsDAy 10 sEPTEmbEr 2014 volumE IX IssuE 248

E

Voilà

very cultural community seeks to write and assert its historical journey through their own perspective while clearly emphasizing its unique evolution into a political entity. The Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 for the European cultural community remains a historical landmark in the invention of the modern Westphalian State. Whereas, for non-European cultural communities, it was a watershed since it signaled the beginning of negating non-Westphalian forms of State formation. Through conquest, colonization and imperialism, the European cultural community implanted its ideology and value system across the globe by arbitrarily converting diverse cultural Peoples into a static mono-cultural Westphalian World Order.

Even as Peoples were turned into States, the historical experience of the 1789 French Revolution provided a unique paradox in the history of the State and Peoplehood. Professor Maivân Clech Lâm, a scholar of Vietnamese and French parentage who has been associated with indigenous peoples struggles, notes that, the ‘State became a People’ through the French Revolution. She points this out because on the historic occasion when France was created, a ‘French people’ did not yet exist. At that time France consisted of diverse groups of people such as Bretons, Basques, Gascons, Auvergnats and so on. In this case, the formation of France, as a State preceded the existence of the French, as a People. Voilà!

This condition was one of the critical factors of the French Revolution that contributed to shaping the doctrine of popular sovereignty which proclaimed that government should be based on the will of the people, not on that of the monarch. Furthermore, those people who were not content with the government of the country to which they belonged should be able to secede and organize themselves as they wish. Francisco Rigo Sureda explains this implication by saying that, “This means that the territorial element in a political unit lost its feudal predominance in favor of the personal element: people were not to be any more a mere appurtenance of the land.” Clearly, this asserts that it is for the people to determine the destiny of the territory and not the reverse.

The development of the modern State has occurred largely within the context of the Westphalian World Order. The need for people to regain and exercise their rights is hence central to realigning power relationships, as well as, strengthening and generating new approaches and new visions for human interaction in which all of humanity can respectfully co-exist. If only States, international law and international organizations have the will to imagine and look beyond the realms of the Westphalian World Order, many of today’s pressing crisis and challenges can be transformed by invoking the principles, values and the humanistic nature of the right to self-determination. After all, satisfying peoples’ desire for freedom involves political imagination.

lEfT WING |

L

Nury Vittachi IANS

The science of superheroes

ast week, my wife told me I "still had a lot of growing up to do". I was so angry I refused to let her share this giant cardboard box I'd found.

It had once contained some sort of giant TV, so was big enough for me, a pillow, the newspaper, and some kids.

But I leapt out in excitement after I read an article in the paper which said radioactive wild boars, contaminated by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, had been discovered in European forests. The report infuriatingly failed to answer the obvious question: What super powers would you get if such a beast bit you?

D on't s coff.

Going back to superheroes There are loads of and radioactivity, has anyone books out now on considered what would actually "the science of suhappen to Schrödinger's cat, perheroes", showin the famous experiment in ing that much of what we read or which a cat is put into a box with a radioactive substance? If see at the movies Stan Lee, creator of Spider Man has a scientific basis. These books and The Hulk is correct, the cat rigorous, wellwill get superpowers and break are written and highly out of the box, right? persuasive, according to their authors.

And they would know, right? The fact that they chose to publish them as e-books doesn't automatically make them rubbish. Or perhaps it does, I don't know.

Anyway, these days, lawyers won't let people publish stuff that's totally untrue, with the exceptions of Perez Hilton, the National Inquirer, Fox News, the entire Internet, all the newspapers, everything on Facebook et al.

The subject of journalism and the law has been on my mind. Reporter friends recently toasted the fourth anniversary of the London Daily Telegraph's famous libel case win against tennis player Robert Dee. The media dubbed Dee "the world's worst tennis pro" so he hired lawyers to sue them.

Some 30 scared media outlets printed apologies, but the Daily Telegraph did not. After the judge heard that Dee had lost 54 consecutive matches in straight sets, he dismissed the case.

The following day, the Daily Telegraph printed a gloating report: "World's Worst Tennis Player Loses Again."

That was in the West. In Asia, most people don't expect justice. Although I have heard that the economy is so bad these days that many corporations are dropping judges from their payrolls. Can't be bad.

Going back to superheroes and radioactivity, has anyone considered what would actually happen to Schrödinger's cat, in the famous experiment in which a cat is put into a box with a radioactive substance? If Stan Lee, creator of Spider Man and The Hulk is correct, the cat will get superpowers and break out of the box, right? Hopefully, the cat will be able to talk, too. "You thought you could get away with locking me away for ever, Erwin. But now, revenge is mine! Mwah ha ha ha ha." Exit one quantum scientist. I can totally see the whole movie now.

Whatever. Anyway, I am delighted that scientists are at last taking the beliefs of superhero fans seriously. Perhaps they can solve one thing that has always puzzled me. Every time John Banner turns into The Hulk, all his clothes get ripped and fall off except his pants. His pants survive every time!

What are they made of? Having reached the age where I am a couple of kilos heavier every year, I need a pair of those. Especially when playing games which involve climbing in and out of giant cardboard boxes.

THE EDIT PAGE

C O M M E N T A R Y

Alberto Arce and Marcos Aleman Associated Press

Success of Salvador gang truce: Stronger gangs

M

arvin Gonzalez waves to shopkeepers as he enjoys a morning walk through the sunny, working-class resort of Ilopango. His cellphone rings nonstop with residents seeking his support for anything from dealing with a drunk who won't pay his bar bill to reporting an attempted rape.

Gonzalez is not a police chief, nor a politician. The 31-year-old plug of a man is the local leader of the Mara Salvatrucha, a gang formed by Central American immigrants in California and now designated by the U.S. as a transnational criminal organization.

But in Ilopango and communities across El Salvador, the Mara Salvatrucha and their arch rivals, the 18th Street Gang, are de facto rulers. A truce declared two years ago briefly tapered their bloody gang war, but the cease-fire had an unintended consequence: It gave the gangs breathing room to grow even stronger. Now, violence is on the rise again.

The murder rate has climbed since the truce unraveled in late 2013. Last month, the average was up to 10 a day compared to six during the truce.

This wasn't what was expected when gang leaders reached a truce in March 2012. Observers hailed the agreement as the start of a new era of peace for El Salvador, a model to be followed by other countries, and one that had taken cues from the peace process that, two decades earlier, ended El Salvador's 12-year civil war.

"They stopped the civil war with dialogue, so why shouldn't we talk?" said Gonzalez, speaking with a quiet sophistication. "Nobody is going to cease to belong to the gang. But this way, we can begin to rebuild the social fabric."

Former adversaries in El Salvador's civil war joined together to help broker the peace between the gangs. In 2011, then-Security Minister Gen. David Munguia asked Raul Mijango, a former guerrilla fighter who'd served in congress, to go into prisons to talk to gang leaders and negotiate an end to the bloodshed. Violence had reached a peak that year of nearly 70 killings per 100,000 people, one of the highest homicide rates in the world. After the truce was reached, an order went out to stop the killings, and by mid-March 2012, the government proclaimed that the homicide rate dropped from 14 a day to six.

The government said it facilitated talks but promised the gangs nothing. Nevertheless, imprisoned leaders were given better quarters and expanded privileges. Prosecutors are investigating possible arms trafficking related to the truce. Last month, a Spanish priest who supported the truce was arrested for allegedly delivering contraband to the prisoners, including cellphones with internet connections.

Gonzalez had been in prison for killing a rival gang member when the truce was signed. He gained his freedom months later, determined, he said, to keep his children from following his criminal path.

"That's not the future we seek," he said, speaking to a reporter on an August day while having lunch by Ilopango's lakeshore, which is spotted with ramshackle restaurants serving tilapia caught by local fishermen.

Lying east of San Salvador, scenic Ilopango has special status among the gangs. Last year, the two bands agreed to make it one of the country's first "violencefree zones." Gonzalez, in backward baseball cap and shirt tails, appeared publicly alongside Gen. Munguia

T

hey say there is a war on and its target is the deadly human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

This war runs worldwide but its main battleground is sub-Saharan Africa, where seven out of 10 HIV positive persons in the world live – 24.7 million in 2013. The region suffered up to 1.3 million AIDS-related deaths in the same year, according to the United Nations.

A ragtag army is fighting the war on AIDS. Sometimes it is comprised of well-dressed aid officials sitting in conference rooms allocating funds. At other times, it deploys shabby foot soldiers – community healthcare workers and AIDS activists – into desolate rural areas with no running water, let alone antiretroviral therapy.

With many competing health problems, funding for AIDS is a growing concern. Yet a look at the defence of budgets of several countries plagued

by HIV portrays a startling picture of governments’ priorities, with huge military expenditures belying the argument that the key obstacle to winning the war against AIDS is money.

And, as the 2015 deadline for the United Nations Millennium Development Goals looms large – with donor countries tightening their purse strings – health experts worry about financing for HIV prevention and AIDS treatment after 2015.

New funding for AIDS in low- and middle-incoming countries fell three percent from 2012 to 8.1 billion dollars in 2013, says a joint report by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) released in June.

Five of the 14 major donor governments – the U.S., Canada, Italy, Japan and the Netherlands – decreased AIDS spending last year. And yet, while governments claim to be too cash-strapped to fight the AIDS war, funding for other wars seems much more forthcoming.

Spending on arms and on AIDS Africa will need to do more with less to manage AIDS, concludes a 2013 UNAIDS report entitled Smart Investments. In Kenya, a funding shortfall is

In this August 22, 2014 photo, a masked National Police officer patrols as residents step back into their homes in the Mejicanos neighborhood as police search for weapons in San Salvador, El Salvador. A truce declared two years ago by the gangs Mara Salvatrucha and the 18th Street Gang briefly tapered their bloody gang war, but the cease-fire had an unintended consequence: It gave the gangs breathing room to grow even stronger. Now, violence is on the rise again. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

to announce the accord for the suburb, a popular weekend getaway spot for the capital's residents.

But free of violence does not mean free of gangs.

The entrance to Ilopango is still controlled by the Mara Salvatrucha, while a northern stretch of the suburb is controlled by 18th Street. Nothing about the agreement has impeded Gonzalez or any of his gang from walking around freely and exerting full control. In fact, it's only strengthened their power.

Mass graves still are dug up in Ilopango, filled with young people who were killed even during the truce. Restaurants and other businesses pay extortions. Residents who cross enemy gang territory risk getting killed. Weekend beachgoers are watched by clusters of teenage lookouts on street corners, their guns stored nearby.

Gonzalez insists the truce is paying off. He touts new programs, such as one that employs 40 of Ilopango's 700 active gang members on a chicken farm, and a greenhouse project funded by the European Union. Soon, he said, he'll declare the town extortion-free and has already begun with businesses catering to tourists.

"Last Christmas," he said, "the owners of the lakefront restaurants made lunch for 200 (gang members) to thank them for stopping the extortions."

Under Gonzalez's watchful eye, one restaurant owner told the AP that, indeed, he had never been extorted.

People in other parts of greater San Salvador spoke more freely, but without giving their names. "When you don't pay, the gangs kill you. And if you leave an empty space, they take it over for their activities," said one police officer in Mejicanos, another suburb, who would only give his badge number. "In almost every

neighborhood, you encounter the same thing."

The officer said at one apartment building under his watch, gang threats led 14 families to flee their homes rather than make extortion payments.

Spreading fear and ruling with near impunity, the gangs are one of the top reasons behind the record exodus of unaccompanied minors who have overwhelmed U.S. Border Patrol agents since last October. A recent United Nations report estimated about 61 percent of children who reached the U.S. border last year were fleeing problems caused by gangs.

Nearly 80 percent of small businesses, which make up 90 percent of El Salvador's economy, are victims of extortion, according to Ernesto Vilanova, president of the National Council of Small Business.

Some 84 percent of victims never report it, he said.

"If they wouldn't do it before, the citizens sure aren't going to report the gangs that extort them now that they've seen them side-by-side with the political authorities," said Rodrigo Avila, former head of the National Police and an opposition presidential candidate in 2009. "They're an authority parallel to the state in many towns."

For many, the truce was a good idea that turned bad. Mauricio Arriaza, San Salvador's municipal police chief, said he doubts that even the highly touted reduction in violence was real.

"We're sure, without a doubt, that the gangs continued assassinating and burying their victims in unmarked graves," he said.

Israel Ticas, a forensic investigator who excavates mass graves, said the true results of the truce are still being uncovered. "Only in five or 10 years will we know what really happened," Ticas said. "When we've found all the graves."

What’s More Important: the War on AIDS or Just War? Kanya D'Almeida and mercedes sayagues Inter Press Service expected soon, since the World Bank’s 115 million-dollar ‘Total War on HIV/ AIDS’ project expired last month.

Meanwhile, the country’s defence budget is expected to grow from 4.3 billion dollars in 2012-2014 to 5.5 billion dollars by 2018, as the country stocks up on helicopters, drones and border surveillance equipment, according to the news portal DefenceWeb. True, Kenya is under attack from Al-Shabaab terrorists. Still, five out of 10 pregnant Kenyan women living with HIV do not get ARVs to protect their babies.

Mozambique’s fighter jets In Mozambique, a dearth of funding puts the country’s recent military expenditures into a harsh light.

Daniel Kertesz, the World Health Organization representative in Mozambique, told IPS the country’s six-year health program has a 200 million dollar finance gap per year. Mozambique being very poor, it is difficult to see how the country – with 1.6 million infected people, the world’s eighth burden – will meet its domestic commitments.

“Today, Mozambique spends between 30 and 35 dollars per person per year on health. WHO recommends a minimum of 55-60 per person per year,” Kertesz said. The same week, the government announced it had fixed eight military fighter jets, which it had discarded 15 years ago, in Romania, and is receiving three Embraer Tucano military aircraft from Brazil for free, with the understanding that purchase of three fighter jets will follow.

According to a 2014 report by the Economic Intelligence Unit, Mozambique’s spending on state security is

expected to rise sharply, partly owing to the acquisition, by the ministry of defence, of 24 fishing trawlers and six patrol and interceptor ships at the cost of 300 million dollars – equal to half the 2014 national health budget of 635.8 million dollars.

The same week the refurbished fighter jets landed at Maputo airport, the press reported that the main hospital in Mozambique’s north-western and coal-rich Tete province went for five days without water.

Indeed, the country’s public health system is in such dire straits that the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) meets 90 percent of the health ministry’s annual AIDS budget.

“The state budget for social programmes is not increasing at the same level as military, defence and security spending,” Jorge Matine, a researcher at Mozambique’s Centre for Public Integrity (CIP), told IPS. “We have been pushing for accountability around the acquisition of commercial and military ships for millions of dollars,” he said.

A coalition of NGOs has requested the government to explain “its decision to spend that money without authorisation from Parliament when the country is experiencing severe shortages of personnel and supplies in the health sector,” Matine explained.

The coalition argues that, if defence spending remained as it was in 2011, the country would save 70 million dollars, which could buy 1,400 ambulances (11 per district, when many districts have only one or two) or import 21 percent more medicines.

WRITE-WING

A similar pattern unfolds across the continent where, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), military spending reached an estimated 44.4 billion dollars in 2013, an 8.3 percent increase from the previous year. In Angola and Algeria, high oil revenues fuel the buying spree.

The South Africa-based Ceasefire Campaign reported recently that arms deals with private companies are also on the rise in Africa, with governments expected to sign deals with global defence companies totalling roughly 20 billion dollars over the next decade.

Failing Abuja At the same time, the 2001 Abuja Declaration, whose signatories committed to allocating at least 15 percent of gross domestic product to health, has “barely become a reality”, Vuyiseka Dubula, general-secretary of the South Africa-based Treatment Action Campaign, told IPS. “Regardless of our calls, very few countries have even come close to 12 percent, including some of the richer African countries such as South Africa and Nigeria,” Dubula said. Between 2000-2005, she added, “almost 400,000 people died from AIDS in South Africa; during that same period we spent so much money on arms we don’t need, and one wonders whether that was a responsible [use] of public resources.”

Mozambique is a sad example of Abuja failure. Back in 2001, Mozambique’s health budget represented 14 percent of the total state budget, tailing the Abuja target. It declined to a low of seven percent in 2011 and clawed to eight percent since.

“Financing mirrors the priorities of the government,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Ethiopia’s minister of foreign affairs and former minister of health, told IPS. “We have seen that in countries that had the political will to turn around their health sectors, they upscale finance and really invest in the health sector.”

If this is true, the budgets of many African countries reflect greater interest in arms deals than in managing the deadly HIV epidemic.

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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.

PERSPECTIVE

7 Divorce, European Style WEDNEsDAy

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

10 SepteMber 2014

NEWS ANALYSIS, FEATURE AND DISCOURSE

As Scotland considers an amicable split from the UK, messy divorce proceedings in Ukraine are convincing another unhappy family—NATO—to stick together John Feffer

“A

Foreign policy in Focus

ll happy families are alike,” Leo Tolstoy wrote at the beginning of Anna Karenina. “Each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

Imagine, as Lenin liked to do, that a country is a marriage of different nationalities. Lenin believed, and he enshrined this principle in the Soviet constitution, that if the federal family was unhappy and one of the partners in the polyamorous union wanted out, it could initiate divorce proceedings. The Soviets were big on secession—at least in theory.

In practice, Moscow was more a believer in traditional family values. It tried to hold on to the wayward Baltic republics—even as Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia were claiming the transnational equivalent of spousal abuse in their case for dissolution—all the way up to the point when the mother of all divorces took place in 1991 and the Soviet family broke into its constituent parts.

Today, one of the offspring of that unhappy union, modern-day Ukraine, is facing its own family problem. Russian-speaking separatists in the eastern part of the country have been fighting for a divorce for the last six months. The government in Kiev argues that it’s just a minor spat that outsiders—namely, Russia—are fueling for their own advantage.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, echoing Lenin, recently gave a thumb’s up to secession by raising the possibility of statehood for eastern Ukraine. Or perhaps, as his spokesman later backtracked, he was just talking about initiating talks between rebels and the Ukrainian government. It’s hard to tell with Putin. He has also said that Russia is not providing assistance to the separatists and has not introduced its own forces across the border, two assertions that fly in the face of the evidence.

Divorce has been on Putin’s mind recently, ever since announcing his own split from Lyudmila Putina, his wife of 30 years. She declared the separation a “civilized divorce.” But rumors of affairs and even illegitimate children continue to swirl. Putin wasn’t exactly the most public of family men. He never referred to his daughters by name, only mentioning them as “they.” And he stopped appearing publicly with his wife long ago, suggesting that the estrangement was not of recent vintage.

Commentators speculate that Putin intends to bolster his image of virility by marrying a gymnast half his age.

But perhaps the real reason for the divorce is geopolitical. Putin simply wanted to send a signal to Ukraine that it should not be so emphatic about maintaining what Russia believes is an unhappy family. “Divorce is in the air,” the Russian president could be heard singing. “Everywhere I look around, divorce is in the air, every sight and every sound.”

Europe is full of unhappy families, and they are all different. The divorce proceedings taking place in Ukraine today are violent. But elsewhere, the respective partners are considering more amicable partings of the ways. Scotland, for instance, offers an entirely different version of divorce, European-style.

Later this month, Scots will go to the polls to vote on a referendum on whether to stay in the United Kingdom or not. Over the summer, it looked as though voters would easily defeat the measure and Scotland would remain more-or-less happily married to England and Wales. At the beginning of August, public opinion polls indicated that the vote would be 61 percent against independence and 39 percent in favor. The most recent polling shows a considerable narrowing of the margin, with the “yes to divorce” vote rising to 47 percent and the “no” fac-

E

VERY September, the campuses of Peking and Tsinghua Universities, often called the Harvard and M.I.T. of China, brim with eager new students, the winners of China’s cutthroat education system. These young men and women possess the outlook of cosmopolitan youth worldwide: sporting designer clothes and wielding high-end smartphones, they share experiences of foreign travel and bond over common fondness for Western television shows like “The Big Bang Theory” and “Sherlock.”

They are destined for bright futures: In a few decades, they will fill highpowered positions in government and become executives in state banks and multinational companies. But their ever-expanding career possibilities belie the increasingly narrow slice of society they represent. The percentage of students at Peking University from rural origins, for example, has fallen to about 10 percent in the past decade, down from around 30 percent in the 1990s.

An admissions officer at Tsinghua University told a reporter last year that the typical undergraduate was “someone who grew up in cities, whose parents are civil servants and teachers, go on family trips at least once a year, and have studied abroad in high school.”

China’s state education system, which offers nine years of compulsory schooling and admits students to colleges strictly through exam scores, is often hailed abroad as a paradigm for educational equity. The impression is reinforced by Chinese students’ consistently stellar performance in international standardized tests. But this reputation is built on a myth.

While China has phenomenally expanded basic education for its people, quadrupling its output of college graduates in the past decade, it has also created a system that discriminates against its less wealthy and well-connected citizens, thwarting social mobility at every step with bureaucratic and financial barriers.

A huge gap in educational opportunities between students from rural areas and those from cities is one of the main culprits. Some 60 million students

Allan Smith plays his bagpipes for the passing tourists that stop at the Scotland-England border at Carter Bar, Scotland on Monday, September 8, 2014. The British government plans to offer Scotland more financial autonomy in the coming days as polls predict a very close vote in the September 18 referendum on Scottish independence. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)

tion dropping by the same percentage.

However amicable the divorce might be, if it goes through, the consequences will be messy, and I’m not just talking about scratching out the Scottish part of the Union Jack. For instance, London will have to figure out a new place to locate its Trident nuclear submarines, which currently hang out at the Scottish port of Gare Loch. Apparently, it would take nearly a decade for the UK to build another facility for the Tridents, and it would cost more money than it’s worth to maintain the deterrence. So, a vote for Scottish independence becomes a de facto vote for nuclear abolition, a happy consequence of the divorce proceedings.

Other concerns are less felicitous, such as the question of EU membership. If Scottish voters back independence, the new country would no longer be part of the European Union. After that, however, the situation gets murky. If the EU invokes Article 49 of the Treaties of the European Union, Scotland will have to apply just like Serbia or Turkey, and readmission might take years. Or the EU could opt for Article 48, which would initiate an “amendment” process that might get Scotland in through the back door in a matter of months.

But wait—it gets even murkier. It turns out, paradoxically, that Scotland is far more pro-EU than the rest of the UK. So, if Scotland goes independent, rump UK might very well take the opportunity to do what the right-wing UK Independence Party has been urging all along: give Brussels the middle finger.

And then there are the economic implications of Scottish independence. Scotland is considerably more left-wing than the rest of the UK. If it leaves, what remains will be little more than Thatcherism warmed over. As The Guardian has lamented, the independence debate reveals that “it’s become impossible to express opposition to free market economics via the main Westminster parties.” Note to the British Left: step up your game or your Scottish comrades will abandon you to the wolves.

Whichever way the vote goes, however, it has been a model of democratic procedure—unlike the referendum in Crimea last March, which took place in an atmosphere of intimidation and fear. Indeed, the Crimeans never really had an option of independence. Divorce wasn’t on the ballot—only a shotgun marriage to Russia. Park Geun-Hye, the unattached president of South Korea, likes to say that she is married to her nation. Perhaps that’s the real reason why Putin jettisoned Lyudmila—so he could take Crimea to the altar (cue the Percy Sledge wedding song:

When a Man Loves a Peninsula).

Scotland and Ukraine will be on minds of the heads of state of NATO countries when they meet in Wales this week. It’s already been called the most important NATO summit since the fall of the Berlin Wall. After all, up until recently, NATO was having its own family problems.

The mission in Afghanistan was a costly fiasco and introduced numerous divisions into the alliance. The intervention in Libya not only left that country in chaos but revealed the enormous gap in capabilities among members. And despite U.S. entreaties, alliance members are not even meeting their budgetary obligation of spending 2 percent of GDP on their militaries, which suggests considerable differences in threat perception.

Then the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out, and the 65-year-old NATO started to get frisky again. Indeed, NATO ministers should give an award to Vladimir Putin. After all, the Russian leader has given the alliance more collective purpose than it’s had in years. The conspiracy-minded might well believe that NATO expanded to the borders of Russia precisely to provoke the bear to lash out with its claws. NATO, after all, needs a raison d’être. No enemies, in the long run, means no NATO. Even with Putin providing the glue to stick NATO back together, this week’s family gathering in Wales will not be all sweetness and light. There will be disagreements over whether to place NATO troops in Eastern Europe as Poland has urged, whether to target Russian missiles with European missile defense batteries as the Baltic countries are proposing, and whether to fast-track membership for Georgia as John McCain has lobbied for. And not only European issues will generate controversy. There’s also Afghanistan, Iraq, global partnerships, and so on. But thanks to Vladimir Putin, these disagreements pale in comparison to the overall consensus on Russia, and NATO won’t join the ranks of unhappy families any time soon.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is leaning toward trading its non-aligned status for membership in NATO. It’s entirely understandable why a militarily weak country facing an incomparably stronger neighbor would want to have NATO on its side. But with the war bogging down in the east, Ukraine would be wise to use its current non-aligned status as a bargaining chip with Russia to negotiate an end to the conflict, greater autonomy for the eastern realms, and a return of all Russian soldiers and war materiel to their home country. At stake is not only the happiness of the Ukrainian family but the happiness of the common Europe home. We can still avoid an Anna Karenina ending. There’s still time to prevent the train wreck of a new Cold War.

China’s education Gap Helen Gao NYt in rural schools are “left-behind” children, cared for by their grandparents as their parents seek work in faraway cities.

While many of their urban peers attend schools equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and well-trained teachers, rural students often huddle in decrepit school buildings and struggle to grasp advanced subjects such as English and chemistry amid a dearth of qualified instructors.

“Rural students stand virtually no chance when competing academically with their urban counterparts,” Jiang Nengjie, a friend and independent filmmaker who made a documentary on the left-behind children, told me. As a result, he said, most young people from his hometown village in central China head directly to factories in Guangdong Province, on the southern coast, after finishing middle school, because “the return is larger than going to a third-rate college.”

For migrant children who follow their parents to cities, the opportunity for a decent education is similarly limited, as various government policies foil their attempts at full integration. The hukou system — a residency status that ties access to subsidized social services to one’s hometown — denies rural children the right to enter urban public schools. Many migrant children are relegated to private schools that charge higher tuition and offer subpar education.

Recent reforms in cities like Guangzhou and Shanghai have had only a tangential impact on leveling the playing field.

In Beijing, home to eight million migrant workers, preconditions for admission seem intended less to promote educational equity than to exacerbate the discrimination. Some parents have switched jobs, sued the government and even engineered divorces to get around onerous documentation requirements, which often vary from district to district. Many urban migrants ultimately have no choice but to send their children back to their rural home-

towns for inferior schooling.

China requires a vast majority of students to take the national college entrance examination in their home province, and elite universities allocate higher admission quotas to first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai. One researcher showed that an applicant from Beijing was 41 times more likely to be admitted to Peking University than a comparable student from the poor and largely rural province of Anhui.

Even an urban residency status doesn’t ensure educational equity among city dwellers. The quality of urban schools varies widely, and the competition to enter top schools has spawned rampant corruption. Parents fork out tens of thousands of dollars under the guise of “voluntary donations” to secure a slot for their children in elite schools. At top-ranked high schools, such as the one I attended in Beijing, these charges can reach $130,000.

Further advantage can be purchased by parents who can pay handsomely to hire teachers to offer extra tutoring to their children, a practice discouraged by the authorities but widespread in reality.

To curb the culture of graft, Beijing has implemented policies this year that require students to attend elementary schools in their home districts. But the new rules, instead of stopping parents from gaming the system, simply channeled the cash to another market. Property in well-regarded school districts became Beijing’s hottest commodity this spring. Families have been tripping over one another to trade spacious homes in posh compounds for dilapidated flats next to prestigious elementary schools. In a sought-after neighborhood in the Xicheng district, for example, a 107-square-foot flat was listed for $550,000.

CHINESE education, having always placed enormous emphasis on test scores, is now becoming a game of another set of numbers. When graduating high school

students walk into test centers to take the most important exam in their lives, their chances are determined not only by a decade of assiduous study, but also by the costs of their cramming lessons, the years their parents have toiled in cities in exchange for an urban residency permit, and the admission quotas universities allot to the provinces. For poor students, it’s harder than ever to overcome the odds.

My mother, who attended Peking University in the late 1970s, remembered being surrounded by classmates of all walks of life — from the heirs of party officials and the scions of intellectuals, to workers fresh out of factories and peasants hailing from far-flung provinces. In the decades that followed, the economic opening that has led to vast wealth, along with extreme income inequality, has all but obliterated such diversity in the top tier of Chinese education.

In China, which pioneered the use of merit-based examinations to fill official positions, an educational system that was once a great equalizer now reinforces inequality.

Chang Qing, a friend and mother of a 16-year-old girl, has been preparing her daughter, Xiaoshuang, for America since the girl was a toddler. She played her tapes of English lessons made from Disney movies, and later hosted a steady stream of exchange students from America to hone her child’s accent. Now, her daughter speaks impeccable English and attends a private academy in Beijing where annual tuition is around $24,000. Ms. Chang believes that nothing short of an Ivy League education will suffice.

On a trip to the countryside in Hunan Province (the home of Mao Zedong), I met Jiang Heng, a skinny 11-year-old whose parents work in a handbag factory in neighboring Guangdong. The boy attends a local elementary school that takes him an hour and half to walk to and, together with his younger brother, is looked after by his grandparents. I asked him what he wanted to do after high school.

He looked confused, as if the answer was too obvious. “I want to be a migrant worker,” he told me, without blinking.

Helen Gao is a master’s student in East Asian studies at Harvard.

The Newspaper with an Opinion The Morung Express

Religion plays a pivotal role transcending governance and also seeps into personal and societal life in Naga society.

Should religion and politics be separated or should the two be combined. We see the influence of religion in governance where certain countries follow Islamic principles, or some propagating following Hindu practices or using the Name of Christ to carry out activities. Religion and politics can be great instruments of social change but they can also be misused.

religion and politics Kinitoli K. Aye, Asst Professor, Dept. of History

W

hen debating about the existence of life, we often inflict ourselves to the beliefs and the carried-on traditions and historical facts. Religion and science have so far been age old discussions. I am no such scholar who will be giving ideas on how to resolve the ethical conundrum of the existence of life, but I would like us to take a look at the scenario in our land.

It is a common saying that “The root of all evil is money.”“The root of all the possible good cause is money.”

We are all consumed by the fear of becoming poor; it is in human nature to be affluent. Do we not have principles and morals which define us? Christians live by rules and precepts of Christianity. An atheist lives as a free thinker, sceptic and leery. We go to church every Sunday, showing respect and fear to our Creator. We are fed with the Gospel that teaches us to be a good person and to lead the right path. This is the Universal protocol of every Christian.

Religion is a way of life. There are more religions than the number of heads in a family: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Paganism, etc., to name a few. Every religion has different cultural systems and beliefs. Church associations, Pastors, Leaders, Reverends etc., are the foundation to mend our beliefs and attitude. But it is sad to know that they do not cherish their work, but take their theological study and knowledge as a profession to earn coins. We have celebrated 100 years of Christianity and have produced countless theologians but failed to define the real purpose of a Collective Christian Society. Why has our Church become so cold? Why is there always a blame game between politicians and church leaders? Are we not taught to love one another as Christians? Metaphorically, religion and politics are two sides of a coin, both fairly important to synchronise a society. Without changes in religious and political concern, it would only lead a society to nihilism.

Gandhi wrote, “Politics should be guided by religion.” In his early years, Gandhi, who was a deeply religious person, emphasized the close connection between religion and politics. This was because he believed that politics had to be based on morality and to him all religion was the source of morality. Religion was, in fact, he believed, itself morality in the Indian sense of Dharma. But later on when he saw that the communists were using religion as a sectarian belief system to divide the people, he overtly began to preach the separation of religion from politics. Thus he said in 1942: ‘Religion is a personal matter which should have no place in politics.’ And again in 1947: ‘Religion is a personal affair of each individual. It must not be mixed up with politics or national affairs.’

Every individual requires principles and moral values and that counts most to the leaders and to possess those principles and good moral values, religion acts as its fundamental development of virtues. Religion cannot be excluded from any area of human activity including politics. One’s religion must guide all of one’s activities. Religion being the most potent force in our society can be and must be utilised for the social change and the building of our society.

Fishes live under water, bird lives on trees. Shuffle their habitat and both will perish. Same implies for religion and politics. They cannot interchange their place though both are imperative for the existence of life. It is needless to say that human beings differ from one another. Religion and politics classify the mental reverberation of a communion, bringing people, group and society to an agreeable mindset, which is impeccably constructive for a society. This reflection on politics and religion mandates the moral and discipline of a society.

Our existence has been questioned over and over again in ancient, past and the present. We do not have a definitive answer and the society requires the basic element of religion and politics to provide a sustainable answer.

Many scholars have given their views on this particular topic. Many have expressed their thoughts trying to deliver answers to the questions unanswered. This issue of political and religious struggle may only reach a limit of satisfaction unless we have changes.

Religion and politics are a blessing to us. They help us to maintain a degree of humanity, though it has loose loops of functionality. It is up to us to favour the best and the right relation of existence. This article is merely an attempt to comprehend what adjudicates our silly and intricate feelings towards optimism and belief.

“Degree of Thought is a weekly community column initiated by Tetso College in partnership with The Morung Express. Degree of Thought will delve into the social, cultural, political and educational issues around us. The views expressed here do not reflect the opinion of the institution. Tetso College is a NAAC Accredited UGC recognised Commerce and Arts College.

For feedback or comments please email: admin@tetsocollege.org”.

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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Wednesday 10 September 2014

The Morung Express

China’s President Xi to make first visit to India

beiJiNg, September 9 (reuterS): China is not seeking to contain India by military or other means, a senior diplomat said on Tuesday, ahead of a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping next week to a country with which Beijing has a history of uneasy ties and mutual suspicion.

From economic parity in 1980, China’s growth has outstripped India’s fourfold and Beijing has sought to recycle some of its vast export surpluses into foreign investment in resources and infrastructure in South Asia to feed its industrial machine.

That rising economic presence in the Indian Ocean region has stoked concerns in New Delhi that China is creating a “string of pearls” that surrounds India and threatens its security, including Chinese investments in ports and other key projects in Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Xi will also be visiting Sri Lanka and the Maldives on his regional tour, which begins later this week with a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Tajikistan. A swing through Pakistan - China’s “all weather friend” in South Asia and traditional rival of India’s - was postponed due to ongoing unrest.

Assistant Chinese Foreign Minister Liu Jianchao said that the leaders of China and India had pledged to work together to manage and control their differences, adding that they shared

I and Modi can take Indo-China relations to new level: Xi Jinping

Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, listens to Indian National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon during a meeting at the Great Hall of the People Tuesday, September 9 in Beijing. (AP Photo)

common interests as large developing nations. “India is a country with which China has been friendly for thousands of years,” Liu told a news briefing. “China has never, and will not, use so-called military or other means to try and hem in India,” he added. “There is no strategic competition between China and India in our relationship and there is certainly no such word as ‘surround’.”

A festering border dispute dating back to the 1960s has also hung over relations, despite the close economic and historical links. The

two sides fought a brief border war in 1962. Liu did not signal that there would be a breakthrough on this tricky subject while Xi was in New Delhi, but said the two countries were committed to ensuring a peaceful border.

“Whether the governments or the militaries, both countries have the strong intention to maintain the peace and tranquillity on the border,” he said.

Asian great-power diplomacy has stirred to life since the rise to power of Indian nationalist Narendra Modi, who announced his intent to play an active role

on the world stage by inviting regional leaders to his inauguration in May. China and India have made a particular effort to reach out to each other since Modi’s election, and this will be Xi’s first trip to the country as head of state. Although Modi seeks pragmatic economic engagement with China, in Tokyo earlier this month he criticised countries with an “expansionist” mindset, a coded jibe against Beijing’s assertive behaviour in Southeast Asia.

Last week, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe began visits to Bangladesh

and Sri Lanka. Xi starts his trip in Tajikistan at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. China, Russia and four Central Asian nations - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan - formed the group in 2001 as a regional security bloc to fight threats posed by radical Islam and drug trafficking from neighbouring Afghanistan. After that, Xi will travel to the Maldives, Sri Lanka and India in that order, on a visit which ends on Sept. 19, Liu said, without giving exact dates for when he will be in each country.

beiJiNg, September 9 (pti): Top Indian and Chinese officials on Tuesday finalised President Xi Jinping’s maiden visit to India, including the programme and key issues to be discussed, amid indications that he may begin his tour in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat on September 16.

The final touches to next week’s highprofile visit, the schedule of which was kept under wraps, were given by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval who met Xi today and handed over a personal letter from Prime Minister Modi. Welcoming Doval, Xi said his visit to finalise the programme testifies the great importance placed by Modi and the Indian government to the overall relationship with China.

“It also sends a positive signal to the outside world and I appreciate that,” Xi also the general-secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) told Doval. Referring to his first meeting with Modi at Fortaleza in Brazil in July on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, Xi said, “I am happy about the great conversation I have had with Modi. During that meeting China and India leaders reached an important agreement,” he said.

“We both agreed that the China-India relationship is a relationship of important strategic implications and we believe that by upholding our shared interests and deepening our cooperation will not only promote our respective national development but also serve the benefits of our two countries and two peoples,” Xi said.

“In this way we will have important implications for the region and the world and also make important contributions to the region and whole world,” he said. Stating that he looked forward to his India visit, Xi said “I believe this visit will give me a better understanding of the development ac-

complishments of India and of the various cooperation between the two countries.

“I believe we will work together with Prime Minister Modi and Indian government to elevate our bilateral relations to a new level,” he said. Reciprocating the sentiments, Doval said he was “privileged” to meet Xi and handed over a special message from Modi.

“Right from the time you had the meeting in Fortaleza where it was decided you will be visiting India some time in September, Prime Minister Modi was extremely keen that you must visit his home state,” Doval said. “He has developed so much respect for you and personal regard for you that he must have mentioned his meeting with you many times to us. He mentioned to you also about the place the great Chinese philosopher Xuan Zang visited Vadhnagar, Prime Minister Modi’s own village,” he said.

Earlier, Doval had talks with State Councillor, Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister, Wang Yi. Both sides declined to divulge the details of Xi’s visit. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has announced that Xi’s visit to the subcontinent covering the Maldives, Sri Lanka and India would be held between September 14-19.

Before that Xi would attend attend the 14th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit at Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The Maldives has been added to his programme following the cancellation of his Pakistan visit due to the political turmoil there.

The date of Xi’s visit to India was expected to be announced jointly in India and Beijing at a mutually agreed date, Doval told the Indian media. Indications are that Xi will arrive directly in Ahmedabad on September 16, and later go to New Delhi before flying back home on September 19.

Self-attestation of documents planned for easier governance New Delhi, September 9 (iANS): Taking forward Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s motto of ‘minimum government, maximum governance’, the government Tuesday announced its move to go for self-certification of documents instead of affidavits and also involve retired service personnel in some kind of productive work.

Announcing the move to do away with the tedious process of getting documents attested by a notary or a government official, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh here said it is part of the government’s movetobe“open,friendlyandastransparentaspossible”.Healsosaidrulesarebeing amendedtowidendefinitionof sexualharassment at the workplace.

“Rules are being amended to widen the definition of ‘sexual harassment’ and ‘workplace’ in law, to make the work environment more conducive for women,” he said. Singh said the Modi government has decided to do away with the six-decade-old practice of attestations. The move to go in for self-attestations would be helpful to the youth in seeking employment, he said.

An official notification of this move would be issued soon, he said. However, he added that “in certain areas where the act requires attestation from certain authorities, the concerned department will be consulted and the practice retained where necessary”.

“But by and large, the practice of affidavits will be done away with,” he said, adding that it will help do away with the long queues and the unnecessary hassles that people have to undergo to get documents attested. “The promotion of self-certification is a significant step towards making life easier for the common man and placing trust in its citizens,” he said.

He said the ministry has accelerated the grievance redress mechanism with special focus on pensioners so that they don’t feel forgotten after their retirement. The ministry has also exempted the parents of differently abled children from mandatory transfers, he said.

Singh claimed said the ministry has shown “incredible speed” in setting up of the state administrative machinery in the newly created Telangana state.

The ministry is also moving towards

reducing the processing time and fasttracking decisions. One example of this is that newly passed out IAS candidates were being assigned their cadre in 12 days from the previous 148 days.

The government is also going in for e-governance in a major way to cater to specific requirements of personnel management and records. Singh said his ministry has also decided on a new approach to pensioners.

Noting that with people living longer, there were more pensioners than serving people, he said that his ministry was to launch a pre-retirement counselling to help make the lives of retirees easier, and also begin post-retirement engagement of pensioners to channelize their energies in a healthy way. The pensioners would be engaged in their areas of expertise with or without remuneration, he informed.

Another reform measure, he said, would be to have an Employee of the Month but without any monetary reward. The minister said the ministry was also beginning the process to have personal interactions with Indian Administrative Service personnel.

Indian village women sit after writing their names on a slate as they attend a free school for illiterate women, in Dhunkapada village in Ganjam district, Orissa state on Monday, September 8. The free school is an individual initiative of Arati Devi, a woman hailing from the same village. While India has a growing middle class, tens of millions of women still struggle with illiteracy, poverty and little social status. Monday marked International Literacy Day. (AP Photo)

Scarcity of potable water ‘Modi visit to expand, deepen US-India strategic partnership’ in Indian villages to end? wAShiNgtoN, September 9 (iANS): Researchers have found that a desalination technology called electrodialysis - powered by solar panels - could provide enough clean and palatable drinking water to meet the needs of water-deficient Indian villages. There is more salty groundwater than fresh, potable groundwater in India as 60 percent of the country has vast reservoirs of salty water underground.

After weeks of field research in India and reviews of various established technologies, the researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US found that electrodialysis, which is not what is commonly used in developing nations, could offer an effective solution to the problem of salty water.

“An economically viable and culturally acceptable system could supply enough water to meet the needs of a village of 2,000 to 5,000 people,” said researchers Natasha Wright and Amos Winter. They estimated that deployment of such systems would double the area of India in which groundwater - which is inherently safer, in terms of pathogen loads than surface water - could provide acceptable drinking water.

Viewing the salinity levels present in India’s groundwater, the researchers found that an electrodialysis system could provide fresh water using half the energy required by a reverse-osmosis system.

That means the solar panels and battery storage system can be half as big, more than offsetting the higher initial cost of the electrodialysis system itself. Electrodialysis works by passing a stream of water between two electrodes with opposite charges.

Because the salt dissolved in water consists of positive and negative ions, the electrodes pull the ions out of the water, leaving fresher water at the centre of the flow.

A series of membranes separate the freshwater stream from increasingly salty ones.

Both electrodialysis and reverse osmosis require the use of membranes, but those in an electrodialysis system are exposed to lower pressures and can be cleared of salt buildup simply by reversing the electrical polarity.

Electrodialysis systems recover a much higher percentage of the water - more than 90 percent - compared with about 40 to 60 percent from reverse-osmosis systems, a big advantage in areas where water is scarce.

Having carried out this analysis, Wright and Winter plan to put together a working prototype for field evaluations in India in January. The study appears in the journal Desalination.

wAShiNgtoN, September 9 (iANS): President Barack Obama looks forward to welcoming Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 29-30, the White House announced, saying their talks will “expand and deepen the US-India strategic partnership.”

“The two leaders will discuss a range of issues of mutual interest in order to expand and deepen the US-India strategic partnership,” White House Press Secretary said in a statement on Modi’s first visit to Washington since his landmark electoral victory in May.

“They will discuss ways to accelerate economic growth, bolster security cooperation, and collaborate in activities that bring long-term benefits to both countries and the world,” he said.

“They will also focus on regional issues, including current developments in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq, where India and the United States can work together with partners towards a positive outcome.”

“The President looks forward to working with the Prime Minister to fulfil the promise of the US-India strategic partnership for the benefit of both

our citizens and the world,” the White House statement.

The US had shunned Modi for nearly a decade with the previous Bush administration revoking his visa in 2005 for his alleged role or inaction during the 2002 Gujarat riots as the state’s chief minister.

The Obama administration was late in reaching out to Modi in the run up to India’s parliamentary elections, but Obama was among the first leaders to greet him after his historic win and invite him to the White House.

US secretary of state John Kerry and defence secretary

Chuck Hagel have already travelled to India to meet Modi and the two sides had their annual strategic dialogue in July in New Delhi although it was Washington’s turn to host it.

Modi, who begins his US visit on Sep 26 in New York, may also meet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session. Sharif will be in the US from Sep 22 to 27.

Prospects of a Modi-Sharif meeting in New York had dimmed after India cancelled the Aug 25 India-Pakistan Foreign Secretary level talks in Is-

lamabad over Pakistan high commissioner in India Abdul Basit meeting with Kashmiri separatist leaders.

However, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj Monday revived the possibility of a Modi-Sharif meeting saying there are no full stops in diplomacy and the government would respond as the situation emerged.

Modi will come to Washington Sep 29 after a mega community reception at the Madison Square Garden on Sep 28 organised by Indian American Community Foundation.

HC confirms death penalty for Pune driver Rules being amended to mumbAi, September 9 (iANS): The Bombay High Court Tuesday confirmed the death sentence on Pune rogue driver Santosh M. Mane, who hijacked a state transport bus and killed nine people, besides injuring 36 others, two years ago in Pune.

A division bench comprising Justice V.M. Kanade and Justice P.D. Kode termed it as “the rarest of rare cases” and upheld and confirmed the verdict of the Pune Additional Sessions Court giving the death penalty to the accused.

“This is an exceptional and rarest of rare cases where the crime is so cruel, diabolical and revolting so as to shock the collective conscience of the society. In rarest of rare cases where collective conscience of the community is so shocked, it expects the court to inflict death penalty irrespective of its personal opinion as regards de-

sirability or otherwise of retaining the death penalty,” Justice Ranade and Justice Kode observed in their landmark ruling Tuesday.

Judge Shevale had rejected a plea by the accused that he was of “unsound mind” and even passed strictures on defence witness - psychiatrist Dilip Burte - for giving false evidence in the court.

The case came up for confirmation before the Bombay High Court in September 2013 where Mane pleaded that he was not given a proper hearing by the Additional Sessions Court “on the point of sentencing”.

Setting aside the death sentence, the Bombay High Court referred the matter back to Pune trial court with orders to give Mane a proper hearing. The Pune trial court Dec 11, 2013 again pronounced him guilty and awarded the death sentence (given eight months before).

Manealsounderwentthree med-

ical check-ups at a Pune government mental hospital to verify his claims of being “mentally unsound” and all the reports came negative, proving he was mentally stable at the time of the incident and during the trial.

At one point, he even claimed that he was under the influence of “black magic”, but the court dismissed it saying the claim did not fall under “hallucination”. Upholding the trial court’s ruling, Justice Kanade and Justice Kode said that the magnitude of the crime cannot be brushed aside on the ground of (Mane’s) false plea of insanity.

The judges said: “If such (dastardly and inhuman) acts are condoned by commutation of death penalty, it definitely would send wrong signals to the society that individuals can take law into their own hands and get away with it on some misplaced and misconceived notions of sympathy....”

widen definition of ‘sexual harassment’: Centre

New Delhi, September 9 (pti): Rules are being amended to widen definition of sexual harassment and to make work place more conducive for women to work, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said today. “Rules are being amended to widen definition of ‘sexual harassment’ and ‘workplace’ to make working conditions even more conducive for women,” the Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions told reporters.

The new rules can bring in more clarity on various offences punishable under the law including implied or overt promise of preferential treatment in employment, implied or overt threat of detrimental treatment in employment and implied or overt threat about present or future employment status, official sources said. President Pranab Mukherjee had last year given his assent to the Protection of Women Against Sexual Harassment at Work Place Bill, 2010, aimed at providing protection against sexual harassment of women at workplace and for the prevention and redressal of complaints of sexual harassment. The new law has under its ambit even domestic workers and agriculture labour, both from organised and unorganised sectors.

InternatIonal

the Morung express

Wednesday 10 September 2014

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As Scots eye independence, UK gets nervous B E RW I C K- U p O N tWEED, SEptEmBER 9 (Ap): All Gavin Jones has to do is scan the shelves of his impossibly quaint shop on England’s border with Scotland to know he’ll have a big problem if the Scots declare independence next week.

There are teddy bears in Campbell clan tartans and shelves of shortbread from Scotland — just above the red jams made in England.

After independence, the Scottish goods would be subject to import duties, and customers would likely pay in two different currencies. Business in Berwickupon-Tweed, England’s northernmost town, could soon be crushed by bank transaction costs.

“If Scotland chooses independence, it changes our concept of local,” he said. “There are then barriers put in place.”

Berwickers like to think of themselves as neither English nor Scottish. Little wonder: this enclave has changed hands 13 times over the centuries. But there is no getting away from the fact that the locals in Berwick (pronounced BEAR-ick) could be dramatically affected by the Sept. 18 referendum.

In that way, they are like the rest of Britain. While the vote may alter the balance of power in British politics, increase the likelihood that the U.K. will leave the European Union and weaken the nation’s economy and currency, the people of England, Wales and Northern Ireland will have no say in the outcome. Only residents of Scotland are eligible to cast ballots.

Constitutional chaos: Britain’s left-leaning

Poll shows rival Scottish camps are neck-and-neck

Vote Yes, and No, supporters exchange views with each other at the Grassmarket in Edinburgh during a tour by a politician ahead of the Scottish Independence referendum, Monday Sept. 8, 2014. The Member of Parliament is visiting 100 streets in 100 days making his case for a No vote in the referendum which takes place on September 18. (AP Photo

Labour Party would be the biggest political victim of independence — it is often joked there are more pandas in Edinburgh’s zoo than there are Conservative Party lawmakers in Scotland.

Scottish voters elected 41 Labour members of Parliament in the 2010 election and only one Conservative.

If the next general election due in May were held today, eliminating Scottish votes would give Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservatives a 37-seat majority win.

That could drag Britain toward yet another highstakes vote — on whether the country as a whole should leave the EU. Cameron has promised a refer-

endum to appease voters concerned about immigration and meddling by bureaucrats in Brussels.

Scotland has been very pro-EU, so losing its votes would weaken the camp that wants Britain to stay.

Leaving the EU could have huge consequences for Britain. The EU guarantees freedom of movement for people, goods and money, a big advantage for companies that want to do business across the bloc, which with its 500 million people is the world’s largest combined economy.

If Britain were to leave the bloc, multinational companies that have their EU headquarters in London — from Starbucks to

many of the world’s biggest banks — may seek to relocate, taking money and jobs with them.

“These are very crucial times for the U.K.,” said Patrick Dunleavy, a professor of political science at the London School of Economics. “The U.K. has been united for 300 years and it’s been in the European Union since 1973. These two referenda, plus the general election all coming very close together, one way or another, we’re going to have five years of constitutional chaos.”

Financial unknowns: More immediately, the loss of Scotland could hurt Britain through the amount of financial uncertainty it

would generate over the next 18 months — the time it would take Scotland to sever its ties with Britain.

During that period, policymakers would have to agree on whether Scotland would continue to use the pound as its currency as well as how to split British public debt and North Sea oil revenue.

The currency question is the murkiest. While independence leaders say they will continue to use the pound, politicians in London have ruled out a currency union. “It would be a fairly long 18 months,” said Monique Ebell, an economist at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.

EDINBURGH, SEptEmBER 9 (REUtERS): The rival campaigns in Scotland’s fight over independence are running neck-and-neck nine days before the referendum, with a surge in support for those who wish to break away from the United Kingdom, a TNS poll showed on Tuesday.

The number of people saying they would vote “No” to independence had dropped to 39%, down from 45% a month ago. “Yes” support was slightly behind at 38% but had gained ground from 32% a month ago.

“This poll reveals a remarkable shift in voting intentions,” said Tom Costley, head of TNS Scotland. “It is too close to call and both sides will now be energised to make the most of the last few days of the campaign and try and persuade the undecided voters of the merits of their respective campaigns.”The late rally by the “Yes” campaign led by Alex Salmond’s Scottish National Party, the ruling party in Scotland, now makes the break–up of the United Kingdom - previously thought to be a pipedream - a distinct possibility after a 300-year-old union.

British financial markets tumbled on Monday after an opinion poll showed for the first time this year that Scots may vote for independence in the referendum Because the result of the talks would affect the value of the pound, foreign investors in Britain could delay big decisions — opening a factory, for example, or hiring new staff — until a time when they can better gauge the risks and costs.

Investment bank Goldman Sachs last week warned that while there was no reason an independent Scotland couldn’t prosper in the long-run, “in the short-to-mediumterm, the consequences of a surprise ‘Yes’ vote for the Scottish economy, and for the U.K. more broadly, could be severely negative.”

Kevin Daly, Goldman Sachs’ chief U.K. economist, said that uncertainty

next week. The YouGov poll for the Sunday Times put the “Yes” camp on 51% and “No” on 49%, excluding don’t knows. The referendum, in which more than 4 million Scots and residents of Scotland are eligible to vote, will take place on Sept. 18.

Impassioned Debate Women - previously seen as reticent about independence - showed a strong move towards a “Yes” vote. There was also an increased likelihood to vote “Yes” amongst those aged under 55.

The independence question has provoked months of impassioned debate in Scotland from business boardrooms to grassroots street campaigns. Proponents of independence say it is time for Scotland to run its own affairs and choose its own leaders rather than be ruled from London.

Advocates of staying in the union say the country is stronger as part of a bigger entity. Going it alone would put it in a precarious economic position, with questions over what currency it would use, its continuing membership of the European Union and NATO, and how much oil is actually left in the North Sea to fill the national coffers, they say.

about the pound’s future value could trigger a run on the currency. The Bank of England is working on contingency plans to manage the pound in the event of a Yes vote.

The potential for trouble was made clear on Monday, when the pound nosedived after a poll showed the No campaign had lost its lead. The pound shed two cents to trade at $1.6130, the lowest since November.

“Our base view is the proposal will be defeated,” said Bill O’Neill, the head of the U.K. investment office at UBS Wealth Management. “But clearly the market will be watching for the polls.”

The people of Berwick, meanwhile, are increasingly concerned. What would happen if there were suddenly a border between them and their Scottish neighbors? What happens if you suddenly need a passport to get across the few miles separating the town and Scotland? In his shop, surrounded by items inspired as much by “Braveheart” as English icons like London phone booths, Gavin Jones can’t help but worry.

“It adds complexity and cost, for no additional revenue” Jones said of separation. “We’re Berwickers.

We’re neither English, nor Scottish.” That is true for now at least.

‘China, US should avoid military incidents’ 12,000-page bio of Emperor Hirohito BEIJING, SEptEmBER 9 (Ap): China and the U.S. need to avoid incidents that complicate relations between their militaries, U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice said Tuesday following a recent close call

between air force planes from the two sides.

Rice made the comments on the second day of a two-day visit to pave the way for a trip to Beijing in November by President Barack Obama, which will

include a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Rice was to meet with Xi later Tuesday.

“Military-to-military ties between the United States and China have grown and strengthened.

U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice, second left, heads to a meeting with Fang Changlong, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission at Bayi Building in Beijing Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014. The U.S. national security adviser says China and the U.S. need to avoid any incidents that could complicate relations between their militaries.

(AP Photo)

And it is an area of cooperation that the United States values,” Rice said during a meeting Tuesday morning with China’s Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Fang Changlong.

Rice added that “we face challenges and we certainly need to avoid any incidents that could complicate the relationship.”

Washington has alleged that a Chinese pilot acted recklessly Aug. 19 during close passes of a US plane about 135 miles (220 kilometers) south of Hainan island, which is home to Chinese naval airfields and a submarine base. China denied any reckless flying and said it would continue responding to U.S. surveillance flights off its coast.

It was not immediately clear if Rice discussed the plane incident with Fang.

Despite tensions between their militaries, China and the U.S. have increased engagement in recent years.

China’s navy took part this year for the first time in multinational naval drills hosted by the U.S. off the coast of Hawaii.

Rice met later with For-

eign Minister Wang Yi and stressed the importance that Washington places on a “productive and mutually beneficial relationship with China.”

“We welcome the emergence of a strong and stable and peaceful and prosperous China that contributes and plays a responsible role in regional and global affairs,” Rice said ahead of the meeting with Wang.

Wang said China and the U.S. had a responsibility to work closely on important issues.

“We need to strengthen our strategic communication and maintain our coordination for the sake of international peace and stability,” Wang said.

Rice said after arriving in Beijing on Monday that her primary reason for coming was to arrange the agenda for the November meeting between Obama and Xi, which will coincide with an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. She said she looked forward to discussing concerns over North Korea, Afghanistan the Middle East and other issues.

In this May 19, 1988 file photo, Japanese Emperor Hirohito waves as Crown Prince Akihito, left, looks on during the imperial garden party at the Akasaka Imperial Gardens in Tokyo. Hirohito died on January 7, 1989. (AP File Photo)

tOKYO, SEptEmBER 9 (Ap): Japan’s Imperial Household Agency has compiled a 61-volume biography of former Emperor Hirohito that portrays him as being distressed that he could not stop his country from going to war, according to Japan’s Kyodo News agency.

The 12,000-page record says he complained in July 1939 to Army Minister Seishiro Itagaki about the military’s “predisposition” as it strengthened its rela-

tionship with Germany, Kyodo reported. He also warned against the navy’s call for war with the United States, predicting in July 1941 that it would be “nothing less than a self-destructive war.”

The record also cites U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who led America’s postwar occupation of Japan, as saying Hirohito had said he accepted full responsibility for the war. Hirohito’s role in World War II was never firmly estab-

lished, as he was shielded from indictment in the Tokyo war crimes trials by a U.S. occupation that wanted to use him as a symbol to rebuild Japan. He died in 1989 after 62 years on the throne.

An advance copy of the report was made available to some Japanese media, but the Imperial Household Agency turned down requests from The Associated Press for a copy. It is to be published in stages over five years beginning next March.

The project began in 1990 and cost 200 million yen ($1.9 million). Kyodo said it provides little new material and is unlikely to change current thinking about Hirohito. It does make public some letters and essays he wrote as a child.

The record confirms that Hirohito said in 1988 that he had stopped visiting the controversial Yasukuni Shrine because it had added Class A war criminals to those enshrined there, Kyodo said. His last visit to Yasukuni was in 1975. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the shrine last December, sparking official protests from China and South Korea.

US faces Arab reluctance in Islamic State fight

BEIRUt, SEptEmBER 9 (Ap): Stitching together a broad coalition to tackle the extremist Islamic State group hinges on overcoming the reluctance of U.S. allies in the Middle East who are deeply frustrated with a White House they believe has been naive and weak on Syria’s civil war.

Key Sunni Arab states, Saudi Arabia chief among them, have wanted the U.S. to do more to provide robust support to mainstream Syrian rebels in their war against President Bashar Assad. The result is hesitation to answer President Barack Obama’s call for a regional front against the Islamic State group, even though it is widely reviled.

The United States is mounting a major campaign to get allies on board.

Secretary of State John Kerry will visit the region and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was in Turkey on Monday to lobby the NATO ally.

But it is not always an easy sell.

“Trust is so low, especially in the Gulf region, for Obama’s leadership quality and the way he manages foreign policy. I don’t think any country is going to put its hand up or neck out by accepting an alliance with the U.S. that easily,” said Mustafa Alani, the director of the security and defense department at the Gulf Research Center in Geneva.

That is not to say that Sunni states in the region won’t ultimately join the U.S. in the campaign against the extremists who have seized large swaths of Iraq and Syria, or that they

don’t view the militants as a threat. But it suggests, analysts say, that the U.S. will have to do some convincing — and likely enticing — to get them into the fight.

“These countries can offer a lot, but I think any cooperation here is going to be conditional,” Alani said. “They are not going to jump in the pool for nothing.”

U.S. allies in the Middle East are among the most threatened by the Islamic State group, whose rampage across northern and western Iraq in June rattled officials in capitals across the region. Jordan and Saudi Arabia, both of whom suddenly found Islamic State fighters on their doorstep, have dispatched military reinforcements to their borders to boost security.

On Monday, the Arab League agreed to take immediate measures, either individually or collectively, to combat the Islamic State group and other extremists on the political, defense, security and legal levels.

But the member states did not explicitly back American military action.

The U.S. began conducting airstrikes last month against Islamic State fighters in Iraq in what amounts to the first American militarily action in the country since American troops left in 2011.

Obama also is weighing the prospect military action in Syria. While the U.S. is already carrying out surveillance flights over northern Syria, the president has stressed that airstrikes there are not imminent, and that if he ultimately au-

thorizes them they would have to come in conjunction with a broader regional strategy that would tackle the political turmoil in both Syria and Iraq.

It may well be Washington’s willingness to take on the long-term project of resolving Syria’s intractable civil war that will prove decisive in enlisting regional allies against the Islamic State group.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey have been among the most vociferous opponents of Assad and most active supporters of the armed opposition seeking to overthrow him. Over the past three years, the three countries have been frustrated, sometimes furious, with Obama and his Syria policy. They point to the president’s failure to enforce his own “red line” last

In this Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014, file photo, a fighter jet coming from Iraq lands on the flight deck of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, in the Persian Gulf. As the United States looks to stitch together a coalition to tackle the extremist Islamic State group, the Obama administration will have to overcome the reluctance of Mideast allies who are deeply frustrated with a White House that they believe has been naive, fickle and weak on Syria’s civil war. (AP File Photo)

year and bomb Syria after blaming Assad for a deadly chemical weapons attack on rebel-held areas outside Damascus. Washington’s refusal to supply the rebels with sophisticated weapons — or allow others to do so — has been another source of anger.

“There is serious room for consolidated coop-

eration because for a long time it was U.S. reluctance to do anything that kind of ruined these relationships,” said Paul Salem, vice president of the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C. “Turkey and the Gulf countries were saying ‘come on, let’s do something bigger and more substantial,’ while the U.S. was always

dragging its feet or obstructing or saying ‘yes’ and then saying ‘no.’”

With the U.S. previously unwilling to take the lead, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar often worked at cross purposes in supporting the fractured anti-Assad camp.

For these countries, the question now is whether the U.S. is serious this time.

10

Dimapur

SPORTS

Wednesday 10 September 2014

The Morung Express

Disappointment for Nishikori but Asian tennis on the rise

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Martyn Herman Reuters

okyo's morning rush-hour will probably have flowed a little smoother than usual on Tuesday as millions delayed their journeys to find a TV beaming a 24-yearold wielding a tennis racket on a patch of concrete in a suburb of New York.

A tennis player temporarily halting the daily frenzy of life in one of Asia's heaving cities would have seemed fanciful a decade ago before Li Na became an icon for millions of Chinese sports fans with her landmark win at the 2011 French Open.

Three years on and in the season Li added the Australian Open title to her collection, Kei Nishikori's run to the U.S. Open final has shown that the acceleration of Asia as a tennis force is not restricted to the women, even if the men are still playing catch-up.

Nishikori's hopes of winning a maiden grand slam title were ruthlessly crushed by Croatia's Marin Cilic in the final on Monday, but his dream of becoming the first man from an Asian country to win one remains very much alive.

The Japanese, at 24, is still a young pup in tennis terms. Six years ago he won an ATP tournament in Florida - the first by a Japanese player for 16 years - announcing himself to a nation obsessed with soccer, baseball and golf. Since then, the ebbs and flows of life as a tennis professional have caused some to question his progress despite ringing endorsements from the likes of Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Until this year, that is. With Michael Chang - an Asian hero for winning the 1989 French Open despite being American - guiding him, victories over the likes of 17-times grand slam champion Federer have propelled Nishikori into the world's top 10.

At the U.S. Open he truly came of age, becoming the first Japanese man, and the first from an Asian nation, to reach a grand slam singles final. He did it the hard way, too. Consecutive five-set wins against Canadian giant Milos Raonic and Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka were followed by a dismantling of world number one Djokovic in the semi-finals.

If it was not already, Nishikori's career, and status as an Asian superstar, is soaring into the stratosphere. Just as Li Na and the likes of this year's U.S. Open semi-finalist Peng Shuai have done for an increasingly affluent Chinese middle class, Nishikori is now doing the same for a generation of Japanese not exactly short of distractions.

In short, tennis has become a "cool" choice for youngsters dreaming of a career in professional sport. There is even a popular manga series in Japan featuring wannabe tennis champions. In Nishikori, the children have a new superhero.

"It's huge for Japan," Djokovic, who wears kit supplied by Japanese clothing label Uniqlo, further proof of the rise of tennis in Japan, said after his Flushing Meadows defeat. "It's a big country. Over a hundred million people. This can definitely be a great encouragement for tennis in that country." The development of Asian women's tennis, first with a plethora of Japanese players such as Kimiko Date-Krumm, still going strong at 43, and Ai Sugiyama, then the Chinese joining the party, has been more dramatic than the men's. Until Nishikori, Shuzo Matsuoka had been Japan's most successful male player in the professional era - reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 1995 and 46th in the world rankings - hence the "Project 45" tag given to Nishikori as he moved to the Nick Bolletieri academy in Florida as a teenager.

Tragic Events Before Matsuoka, the story of men's tennis in Japan was an unremarkable one - barring the tragic events of 1933 when world number three Jiro Sato, a five-times grand slam semi-finalist, jumped to his death off a boat in the Straight of Malacca on his way to a Davis Cup tie in Europe.

Elsewhere in Asia, powerful Thai Paradorn Srichaphan briefly made the top 10 in 2003 before disappearing while Taiwan's 37th ranked Lu Yen-Hsun has enjoyed a solid, if unspectacular, career. No Chinese men regularly compete on the ATP Tour, although it hosts the Shanghai Masters

Series tournament and another 500 series event at the 2008 Olympic venue in Beijing.

Indian players like Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes have enjoyed doubles success but the cricket-mad country has no one like Nishikori waiting to capture the imagination of its youth. The men's ATP is licking its lips at the thought of a player equipped to fire up markets ripe for a tennis explosion.

"As the head of a global sport organisation we are always looking for diversity in where players are coming from," ATP executive chairman Chris Kermode told Reuters. "Asia has always been a big focus. It's ripe now, it's a relatively young market and when you get a popular player like Kei coming through its very significant." "He's paving the way for future generations to follow." Nothing will be guaranteed though, with the bar being raised higher and higher.

Former Indian player Vijay Amritraj, famous for nearly beating Bjorn Borg at Wimbledon in 1979 and later appearing in a James Bond movie, says Nishikori has bucked the trend. "Nishikori has been knocking on the door for a while.

With Asian players they are often at a disadvantage with the physicality. Men's tennis is very physical and that obviously suits the plus six-footers," he said. "But I think Nishikori is perhaps the first Asian player, maybe Paradorn did too for a while, to be able to tackle the ball early and play a baseline power game. He knocked Djokovic backwards on Saturday so that shows how strong he is. "He's not a big guy but I think he has shown other Asians that with hard work it's possible to compete."

Japan opened a National Tennis Centre in 2008 and the sport will see further investment in the build-up to the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. The Japan Tennis Association is well aware that in Nishikori they have some gold dust - and need to maximise the opportunity to inspire more players.

Nao Kawatei, tournament director of the Japan Open and chairman of the country's Davis Cup and Fed Cup committee, says Nishikori's achievements in New York could be a watershed.

"The history of tennis in Japan is long but now is our time," he said in an interview with the ITF's magazine. Nishikori, whose already huge earning potential is about to go through the roof, said after reaching the Madrid Masters final earlier this year against Nadal that many back in Japan did not realise tennis was such a big deal. They do now.

Kei Nishikori, of Japan, answers questions during a news conference after losing to Marin Cilic, of Croatia, in the championship match of the 2014 U.S. Open tennis tournament, Monday, September 8, in New York. (AP Photo)

Pakistan off-spinner Volleyball tournament for a cause Ajmal suspended PFUTSERO, SEPTEMBER 9 (MExN): An Open Volleyball Tournament was organised by Nazareth School from September 4 to 6 at Pfutsero town in aid of musical instruments for the school. Altogether 10 teams participated in the tournament, a press note informed. USCC Porba ISLAMABAD, SEPTEM- Village emerged as chamBER 9 (REuTERS):- pions beating PWD Youth Banned Pakistani off-spinner organisation in the final.

Saeed Ajmal has vowed to correct his illegal bowling ac- Guest of Honour, Setso tion and return to cricket be- Puro and Rev. Fr. Jayraj SJ, fore next year's World Cup in referee along with USCC Australia and New Zealand. from Porba Village and PWD Organisation before The International Crick- Youth the final match. et Council (ICC) banned the 36-year-old earlier on Tuesday after biomechanic tests revealed all his deliveries breached the permissible limit for straightenSEPTEMing of the elbow joint. "The LONDON, BER 9 (AGENCIES): Jack ban is not a problem for Wilshere is enjoying his me right now. The ICC has new deep midfield role, stopped me from bowling and wants to improve by because my elbow is bend- watching videos of Andrea ing beyond the 15 degrees Pirlo and Javier Mascherallowed by the ICC and I ano. The Arsenal midfieldknow I can correct that," Aj- er occupied the position at mal told Reuters. "It is very the base of Roy Hodgson's disappointing to know the midfield diamond for the results of the tests but I am first time on Monday night, a fighter and I know what I and believes he can only have to do to get back into get better in his new Enginternational cricket before land role. the World Cup," he said.

Wilshere usually plays Ajmal, who turns 37 further forward, but in next month, said he was England's first competiopen to approaching for- tive game since the World mer players to help him Cup he was happy to fill the correct his action which position vacated by former was first reported in 2009. captain Steven Gerrard. ‘I "Playing in the World Cup and doing well for Pakistan is a dream for me and I am not going to give up on that," said Ajmal, who has been Pakistan's top spin- GOYANG, SEPTEMBER ner in all formats. Ajmal has 9 (AP): Jose Gimenez headabout five months to cor- ed in a second-half free kick rect his action and appeal for a reassessment in order Monday to give Uruguay a 1-0 win over South Korea in to play in the World Cup. Pakistan Cricket Board a friendly. Midway through (PCB) chairman Shaharyar the second half, Gimenez Khan conceded it was a big rose clear at the far post and jolt coming less than six scored the lone goal from months before next year's substitute Giorgian De Arrascaeta's free kick.

50-over marquee event.

"The Korean team "Obviously it is a big shock for us when we are played hard and it was a repreparing for the World ally tough game for us," said Cup. But we are waiting for Uruguay assistant coach the final report and we can Celso Otero, standing in for appeal in two weeks time Oscar Tabarez, who is reagainst the ICC decision." covering from back surgery.

He said the ban followed "We had prepared well for change in ICC protocol on this game which is why we testing bowlers with sus- were able to come away with pect actions. "Other bowl- a victory." It was Uruguay's ers from other countries are second straight win after dealso being reported but what is surprising is most of them feating Japan 2-0 on Friday.

South Korea, with careare off-spinners like Saeed," he said. "We have to see taker coach Shin Tae-young what is the best we can do in charge, had a chance to for Saeed and what is best equalize late in the game for Pakistan cricket." Khan but Ki Seung-yeung hit the felt someone like former crossbar with a header. Gerpace bowler Waqar You- man-based attacker Son nis, who is the head coach Heung-min also went close of the team, can help Ajmal but was denied by goalemerge from the episode. keeper Martin Silva.

Ajmal vows to return with clean action

I will study Pirlo and Mascherano: Wilshere

Saeed Ajmal (AP Photo)

ISLAMABAD, SEPTEMBER 9 (AP): The International Cricket Council suspended Pakistan offspinner Saeed Ajmal on Tuesday from bowling in international matches after his bowling action was found to be illegal.

The ICC said analysis of the bend and straightening of Ajmal's bowling arm revealed "all his deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the regulations."

The action was analyzed by an ICC-accredited team of Human Movement Specialists using the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane on Aug. 25.

Ajmal's suspension is a big blow to Pakistan's plans for next year's World Cup as the 36-year-old has taken 183 wickets in 111 ODIs and 178 wickets in 35 tests.

Ajmal was reported after the first test against Sri Lanka last month. He played in the second test but missed the first two ODIs to carry out the tests in Australia.

According to ICC regulations, the suspended bowler can continue to play in domestic cricket under the supervision and consent of the home board and can apply for a re-assessment any time after he modifies his bowling action. It was not for the first time that Ajmal had been reported in international matches. He was previously reported in 2009 during a one-day series against Australia in Dubai but cleared

all the tests. Ajmal has often troubled batsman with his "doosra" — a delivery that spins away from righthanded batsmen. But it was the same delivery that ran him into trouble in 2009 before he was cleared by University of Western Australia.

In May England's fast bowler Stuart Broad had also questioned Ajmal's bowling action and said that the off-spinner used different bowling actions on the field and during testing. Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif said Ajmal's suspension was a major setback for Pakistan as there's a lack of quality spin options in reserve.

"The sad part is that we haven't tried any other specialist off-spinner in international matches and now our World Cup plans are severely dented," Latif told The Associated Press. "(Pakistan) bowling is finished without Ajmal. I had doubts for the last few months ...because the way he bowls it's hard to get away with at in test matches." Latif doubts there will be enough time for Ajmal to moderate his actions, have new tests, and be cleared by the ICC before the start of the World Cup. Pakistan is scheduled to play against Australia and New Zealand in the United Arab Emirates over the next four months. Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah in the UAE have been rewarding venues for the off-spinner, claiming 67 wickets in 12 test matches.

site. 'It was my first time ever playing there, so over the next month or so I am going to look at a few videos of the game and of players who play in that position regularly - Pirlo, Mascherano and players like that and I'll get better.

'I felt it went well tonight but next time we meet up I feel it can only go better.'

While Wilshere was playing in an unfamiliar role, his new club teammate Danny Welbeck was given a chance back in his preferred position as a central striker, and the switch produced both of spoke with the manager wanted me to play that England's goals. 'He really and Gary Neville in the role and I quite enjoyed it,' enjoys playing up front,' said week and they told me they Wilshere told the FA's web- Wilshere. 'He hasn't had that

opportunity over the past few years and you could tell that tonight he really wanted to prove a point.

'When he gets in front of goal he's as good as they get.' 'It was a great result. I said in the week we expected to come here and get a result,' Wilshere added.

'We didn't surprise ourselves. I know a few people have been saying a few things but we're confident in ourselves and we showed that tonight. We knew the longer the second-half went on at 0-0, they weren't going to be happy, the fans weren't going to be happy and we used that.

Uruguay beats South Korea in friendly

Uruguay's Nicolas Lodeiro, second from right, fights for the ball against South Korea's Park Jong-woo and Lee Myoung-joo, right, during their friendly soccer match at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, South Korea on September 8. (AP Photo)

"Even though we lost, I am satisfied," Shin said.

"The players gave more than 100 percent and did all they could to win, playing right to the end when we almost

got the goal and hit the bar."

South Korea, which beat Venezuela 3-1 on Friday, is looking to rebuild after a disappointing World Cup and is starting preparations for the

2015 Asian Cup in January.

Incoming coach Uli Stielike watched from the sidelines and will take charge of his first game against Paraguay in October. "From the point

of view of the fans, this was a tough loss as Korea played very well, especially in the second half," the German said. "This is a young team with a bright future."

Wednesday

Entertainment

The Morung Express

10 September 2014

confirmed for ‘Magnificent Seven’ remake

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My voice

ollywood star Denzel Washington has been confirmed to star in a remake of ‘The Magnificent Seven’. The 59-year-old actor will again reunite on the project with ‘The Equalizer’ director Antoine Fuqua, who was first linked to a retelling of the 1960 Western earlier this year, reported Variety online.

Producer Jason Blumenthal described the film as wish fulfilment and

was controlled

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op sensation Lady Gaga believes autotuning has affected her vocal presence. The 28-year-old singer says people never got to hear her original voice, reported Contactmusic. “Since ‘The Fame’, ‘The Fame Monster’ and ‘Born This Way’, they’ve been auto-

tuning it more, or changing the timbre. They take the vibrato out so you sound like a robot. They really control you especially in the beginning.

“Although it was still my songs, and I still had a lot to say about the production, the vocal was something that they really, really

wanted to control. So my vocal presence has been kind of the smallest presence about me for a long time. So everything else becomes the focal point,” she said.

Gaga said although jazz genre and recording an album, ‘Cheek to Cheek’, with Tony Bennett

LiLy ALLen sued by tour manager

have allowed her to show off her voice more. “So when I say ‘at this point in my career’, he’s changed my life for me because he’s gonna make my art better from this moment on. Because he said: ‘Hey, you’re so much better than you’re even letting yourself be’,” she said.

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inger Lily Allen has been hit with legal papers by a former tour manager for allegedly breaking a contract. Bosses at Ec1 Music Agency have filed a lawsuit at London’s High Court claiming they were working with the 29-year-old ‘Smile’ hitmaker on a comeback tour which was due to kick off in 2013, reported Daily Mirror. The trek was delayed when Allen fell pregnant with her second child, but she allegedly told them to continue working on tour plans for 2014 to 2015.

However, shortly after venues were booked, Allen allegedly signed with US firm Creative Artists Agency (CAA) to run the trek. Ec1 Music officials are seeking compensation for at least 100,000 pounds from Allen for allegedly breaking their contract and to cover the costs of the work they had already done. The singer’s lawyers said they “will be defending the matter vigorously.”

wins best actor at TV Choice Awards

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enedict Cumberbatch has been named best actor for his starring role in Sherlock at the TV Choice Awards.

The actor, who was recently

tipped for an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Alan Turing in new film The Imitation Game, beat David Tennant, Allen Leech and Bradley Walsh to take

Shweta's arrest for prostitution leaves fellow actors in fear

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he recent arrest of National Awardwinning former child star Shweta Basu Prasad for prostitution has caused unease in the southern film industry as her interrogation is likely to reveal names of more heroines allegedly involved in a high-profile flesh trade racket.

"There are fears among some of the actresses of Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam movies regarding what Shweta could reveal. The information could damage their reputation," S.M. Swamy, a leading Chennaibased casting director, said.

Meanwhile, there has been an outrage over the fact that the influential clients of Shweta are reportedly being shielded in the case. The Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam film industries are collectively referred to as the southern film industry.

Former child star Shweta Prasad Basu has been staying at a rehabilitation home since her arrest last month for involvement in a prostitution racket.Incidentally, Shweta is not the first actress in the South to be caught by the police in a prostitution racket.

A Bangalore based actress Yamuna, who had worked with top actors in Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam movies, was also caught redhanded by the police at a hotel in Bangalore in 2011. In her heyday, the actress enjoyed superstar status and worked in more than 50 movies, some of them blockbusters.

In 2010, two Telugu film actresses, Saira Banu and Jyothi, were arrested for their role in a similar prostitution racket. They were later released on bail. Not much has been heard about the Telugu actresses since then.

Another Telugu actress, Sravani, was nabbed by the police last year in Madhapur for similar charges. In 2009, Tamil film actress Bhuvaneshwari was arrested in Chennai for allegedly running a prostitution racket. The status of the probe into these cases is not known.

On Monday, a lesser-known Kannada actress, Divya Sriw, was arrested for prostitution, and actor Pawan Kumar held for running a prostitution ring. Last month, Kannada filmmakers Omprakash Rao and Guru Deshpande, and producers Diwakar Babu and Rajashekar were purportedly caught on camera trying to earn sexual favours from young girls with the promise of roles in films.

home the award for the second year running.

Sherlock also won best drama series at the awards, following its success at last month’s Emmys. Cumber-

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said, “In a world where a lot of injustice gets all the attention, it’s nice to see a movie where someone is doing something about it.”

In a world where a lot of injustice gets all the attention, it's nice to see a movie where someone is doing something about it.

Sony Pictures is reportedly looking to develop the film into a franchise, although the producers are being cautious. Producer Todd Black said, “We just want to see this one work. The audience will tell us.”

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batch was not present at the awards, but his mother Wanda Ventham, who starred briefly in the show’s last series, and Sherlock star Amanda Abbington were present as the producers and cast accepted the award from Michelle Kegan.

BBC drama Happy Valley was also a double winner, picking up awards for best new drama and best actress, which was won by Sarah Lancashire for her performance as policewoman Catherine Cawood.

Elsewhere, Game of Thrones won best international show, Educating Yorkshire won best factual entertainment show and EastEnders won best soap, with the cast collecting their gong from Mary Berry.

Sonam Kapoor: People have forgotten i am an actress

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hoobsurat‘ actress Sonam Kapoor feels her fashionista image and off-screen personality sometimes overshadow her identity as an actor. “People have forgotten that I am an actress, they don’t take me seriously. First it was my dressing sense then my opinionated nature, both have overshadowed my identity of a performer. I can’t change both the things, they are part of me,” said Sonam Kapoor.

People have forgotten that I am an actress, they don't take me seriously.

First it was my dressing sense then my opinionated nature, both have overshadowed my identity of a performer.

The actress, known for grabbing headlines for her candid nature, says she is proud that unlike other actors, she does not shy away from making her opinions public. “I will always speak my mind, in fact, I feel many in our industry don’t say what they want to, which is sad. But I can’t be like them,” said the actress, who feels she is underrated in the industry.

“All the directors of mine say I am underrated in the industry. I don’t know what to do about it, I guess I have not restricted myself to a particular image on screen, I have always done different roles. A single image stays with people but I can’t do that,” she said.

Sonam Kapoor started her Bollywood career with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Saawariya’ (2008), where she played the role of a shy Muslim girl, then portrayed an aspiring singer in Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra’s ‘Delhi-6 (2009).

She got critical acclaim for her role in ‘Raanjhanaa’ and Indian athlete Milka Singh’s lover in his biopic ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag in 2013.

Sonam Kapoor is excited for her upcoming home production ‘Khoobsurat‘, a remake of Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s 1980 comedy of the same name, which starred Rekha in the lead.

“I love the original film and have watched it a lot of times but when we planned to make the film, I decided not to watch it so that I can keep the charac-

ter fresh. Our film is a classic romanticcomedy,” she said.

Sonam says her upcoming movie fills the gap between mass entertainers and art movies. “Nowadays, two extreme type of films are made. Either typical masala films, which don’t have great scripts or intellectual films, which become boring for fans.

“There is no category for films which tell a good story in simple way like ‘Chupke Chupke’ or ‘Guddi’. With ‘Khoobsurat’ we are trying to fill that gap,” Sonam said.

The actress, who plays role of a clumsy, quirky physician in the film, says the character was difficult to portray as it is closer to her real personality.

“My character of Mili is a simple, easy going and a bit messy person, she is closest to me. I feel it is most difficult to play yourself, so Mili was not easy at all,” she said, adding that her role should not be compared to many bubbly roles played by other actresses.

“I don’t like this word ‘bubbly’. Mili is not at all like that. She is very real and interesting,” Sonam said.

The actress co-stars with Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, who is making his Bollywood debut with ‘Khoobsurat’.

Fawad has made his way into the hearts of Indian audience, with his popular Pakisani television drama ‘Zindagi Gulzar Hai’, which concluded its run on Indian TV this July.

When asked if she feels overshadowed by his growing popularity, Sonam said she is a secure actor. “Fawad is a talented actor. I am really happy for him. I feel good that he is being loved here and his popularity is increasing. In fact, I feel relieved that I can share the burden of promotion with him.”

“If it was some other newcomer everything would have been on me but with Fawad the responsibility and limelight is shared. I want him to do well and to do more films with me. I keep telling Fawad that a lot of women will come to watch ‘Khoobsurat’ just for him,” she said.

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Jitu becomes 1st Indian shooter to qualify for 2016 Olympics NEW DELhI, SEptEmbER 9 (AgENCIES): Jitu Rai has become the first Indian shooter to qualify for the Rio De Janerio 2016 Summer Olympics after winning silver medal in the Men's 50m Pistol event at the 51st ISSF World Championship in Spain. The 25-year-old Rai narrowly lost out on gold to South Korean double Olympic champion and World Record holder Jin Jingoh in a closely contested final.

Jin shot a total of 192.3 over 20 shots in the final, while Jitu finished with a score of 191.1. Pang Wei of China, also an Olympic champion, finished third to

settle for the bronze, while Hoang Xuan Vinh came in fourth to bag the last Olympic quota on offer.

Jitu, currently fifth in the ISSF world rankings, is having a dream year after having won the Commonwealth Games gold medal at Glasgow in July-August.

This is his fifth consecutive international medal in 2014. "Its an extremely proud moment for us to see Jitu Rai become the first Indian athlete in all Olympic events to qualify for the Rio Olympics. We were all very confident about the way Jitu has been shooting and he has repaid our faith in an emphatic manner. We

hope that this is the beginning of many more such successes in the coming days," said Raninder Singh, the president of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI). Commonwealth Games Silver Medalist Gurpal Singh however shot 550/600 to finish 33rd while Om Prakash shot 548/600 to finish in 38th place in the 50m pistol event.

In other news of the Indian contingent, 2006 Trap World Champion Manavjit Sandhu continued his excellent start to the competition with two perfect rounds of 25 each. Manavjit has shot 100/100 in his four qualifying rounds.

Spain eases past Macedonia

Spain player's Sergio Ramos, heads the ball with Macedonia player's Stefan Ristovski during a Euro 2016 Group C qualifying round soccer match, at Ciutat de Valencia stadium, in Valencia, Spain, on Monday, September 8. (AP Photo)

VALENCIA, SEptEmbER 9 (Ap): Spain overcame a few nervous moments to ease past Macedonia 5-1 with five different goal scorers in its first qualifier for the 2016 European Championship on Monday. Although the defending European champions began well with early goals by Sergio Ramos and Paco Alcacer, Macedonia countered with a 28th-minute goal by Agim Ibraimi that unsettled Spain.

However, an assured performance by captain Iker Casillas in goal helped Spain recover its self-confident, rapid-passing game. Sergio Busquets, David Silva and Pedro Rodriguez added goals as Spain turned the game into a rout.

Ramos opened the scoring by converting a penalty in the 16th with a deft lob into the middle of the net after Silva was tumbled down by defender Stefan Ristovski. A minute later, Alcacer found himself alone in front of goal after Juan Francisco "Juanfran" Torres drew Macedonia's defenders to the right before making a precise pass that the Spain forward converted to get a goal on his debut.

But Juanfran then tripped Ibrahimi in the penalty area and the Macedonian converted in the 28th. Four minutes later Rodriguez had his accurate shot deflected by Pacovski. Midfielder Busquets then scored his first international goal — in his 69th appearance — in first half injury time with a low, powerful shot to goalkeeper Tomislav Pacovski's left.

Casillas prevented another comeback attempt when he acrobatically got a foot to Adis Jahovic's powerful shot in the 47th minute. Silva exchanged passes with defender Jordi Alba for his 20th international goal in the 50th, and Rodriguez added the fifth with a delicate lob over Pacovski in injury time.

Francisco "Isco" Alarcon came on for Alcacer, before Del Bosque gave 19-yearold Munir El Haddadi his first cap by substituting Jorge "Koke" Resurreccion with the Barcelona youngster. Del Bosque had included El Haddadi in the squad as a late replacement for the injured Diego Costa in a bid to breathe new life into Spain after its botched World Cup defense in Brazil.

Marin Cilic lifts US Open title

NEW YORK, SEptEmbER 9 (Ap): Marin Cilic was barred from last year's U.S. Open during a doping suspension he still says was unjust. Unable to compete, he watched the tournament on TV from his home in Croatia, while using the forced time away from the tour to improve under the tutelage of new coach Goran Ivanisevic.

Now, 12 months later, look at Cilic. "Seems completely unreal," he said, "to be called 'Grand Slam champion.'"

The 14th-seeded Cilic won his first major final Monday, beating 10thseeded Kei Nishikori of Japan 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 at the U.S. Open by using 17 aces and the rebuilt game and confidence instilled by Ivanisevic. "This is a second chance he got," Ivanisevic said, referring to Cilic's four-month ban in 2013, "and now he can just go forward and forward." Cilic earned a $3 million winner's check and will rise to No. 9 from his preU.S. Open ranking of No. 16, which made him the first man from outside the top 10 to win a Grand Slam title in a decade.

"This," Cilic said, "is (from) all the hard work in these last several years — and especially this last year." He prevented Nishikori from becoming the first man from Asia to win a major singles championship. "Tennis has not been our biggest sport in Japan," Nishikori said. "Hopefully I can win next time."

There hadn't been a matchup between players making their Grand Slam final debuts at the U.S. Open since 1997. Lopsided and lasting less than two hours, this hardly qualified as a classic. It had been 40 years since a U.S. Open men's runner-up failed to win at least four games in any set of the final. "Both of us were pretty nervous in the first set, especially," Cilic acknowledged.

Cilic won the last 10 sets he played in the tournament, including three against 17-time major champion Roger Federer in the semifinals, and three against 2010 Wimbledon runner-up Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals.

Nishikori stunned No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the

Marin Cilic, of Croatia, holds up the championship trophy after defeating Kei Nishikori, of Japan, in the championship match of the 2014 U.S. Open tennis tournament, Monday, September 8 in New York. (AP Photo)

semifinals, so this was the first Grand Slam final since the 2005 Australian Open without Djokovic, Federer or Rafael Nadal, who won the U.S. Open in 2013 but is sidelined now by a wrist injury. That trio had won 34 of the past 38 major titles, but this was the second of this season that eluded them.

Some, including Cilic, had seen Stan Wawrinka's victory at the Australian Open in January as an indication that the next tier — Cilic calls them "the guys from second line" — was about to get a crack at the hardware. Cilic tested positive for a stimulant at a tournament in Germany in May 2013. The International Tennis Federation initially

Welbeck leads England to Swiss victory

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England's forward Danny Welbeck, right, scores a second goal, as Switzerland's Valon Behrami, center, and Johan Djourou, left, look on, during their Euro 2016 qualifying match, at the St. Jakob-Park stadium, in Basel, Switzerland on September 8. (AP Photo)

bASEL, SEptEmbER 9 (Ap): Danny Welbeck scored twice to give England respite from criticism and a deserved 2-0 win at Switzerland in their European Championship qualifying opener on Monday.

Welbeck finished off Raheem Sterling's pass on a fast counter-attack in the 58th minute and slotted in a right-footed shot deep into stoppage time. England's lead was preserved in the 70th by defender Gary Ca-

hill sliding to block Josip Drmic's shot after the Swiss substitute dribbled around goalkeeper Joe Hart.

Widely criticized for failure to win a game at the World Cup, England responded by winning its most difficult fixture in Euro 2016 qualifying against the No. 9 team in FIFA's rankings. England is No. 20. "I've never really lost faith," England coach Roy Hodgson said.

"I thought that the way we

approached the game from the first minute was exactly what we wanted and we got our reward for once."

Switzerland was praised for reaching the last 16 in Brazil, but new coach Vladimir Petkovic begins his tenure with the team's first competitive home loss in four years. Then, England won 3-1 at the same St. Jakob-Park early in Euro 2012 qualifying. "They lacked a bit of calm in their game," Petkovic said of his players.

"The first goal is a gift but we reacted well after that".

Also in Group E on Monday, Lithuania won 2-0 at San Marino, and Estonia beat Slovenia 1-0. The top two in each group qualify for Euro 2016 in France.

The third-place team can qualify directly or advance to a playoff. Hodgson was rewarded for selecting youth in a starting lineup with an average age under 25. The 19-year-old Sterling took Rooney's weighted

sought a two-year punishment; Cilic wound up with a much shorter suspension on appeal. He said he ingested the substance unintentionally via a glucose tablet bought at a pharmacy and says the process that led to his penalty "wouldn't be fair to any tennis player."

But he looks on the bright side. "I just used the positive parts, which, you know, made me tougher," Cilic said. Plus, it was last September that he connected with the only other man from Croatia to win a major, 2001 Wimbledon champion Ivanisevic. "Any Croatian knows where he was at that time," said Cilic, who was 12 and at summer camp.

Ivanisevic insisted the

biggest change for Cilic is being more relaxed on court. "He didn't learn how to play tennis in this year," Ivanisevic said. "He always knew how to play tennis."

The 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Cilic, who is 25, and the 5-10 (1.78-meter) Nishikori, 24, each works with a guy with a major championship: Michael Chang is one of Nishikori's two coaches.

The Arthur Ashe Stadium artificial lights were on and the stands were mostly empty when the players walked out to the court at 5 p.m. — which was 6 a.m. in Japan, but did not prevent folks there from gathering to watch on TV. There wasn't much to cheer for.

Cilic won 19 of his last 20

service points in the opening set. The biggest problem for Nishikori, really, was there were not many extended groundstroke exchanges — and when there were, he tended to lose them. He was off, whether because of the wind, the accumulated fatigue from a pair of fourhour-plus victories over No. 3 Wawrinka and No. 5 Milos Raonic, or perhaps knowing what was at stake for him, his country and his continent.

Nishikori admitted feeling jitters early and getting "a little bit lazy." Cilic wound up with twice as many winners, 38-19. "I guess Kei didn't feel it today," said Dante Bottini, who helps Chang coach Nishikori.

pass in his speedy stride, advanced into the left side of the Swiss penalty area and slid the ball across goal for 23-year-old Welbeck to score.

Though it was Welbeck's shin connecting with the ball, Arsenal's new 16 million-pound ($25.8-million) signing from Manchester United was perfectly positioned to strike. Rooney's astute play launched the move when the captain seized on his Swiss counterpart Gokhan Inler's misplaced pass deep in England's half.

England merited its lead, though the flip side of the youthful verve which created several chances was a lack of composure in dangerous situations. "I think we created a number of chances which maybe we could have done better with the final pass," Welbeck said.

A three-on-one break was wasted in the 29th when Welbeck passed the ball beyond Sterling's reach in front of goal. Earlier, Sterling delivered a slow pass into the path of Rooney whose weak shot was easily gathered by goalkeeper Yann Sommer. Sommer excelled diving low to his left in the 43rd to push away a powerful header from Phil Jones at a corner.

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