The Morung Express by The Morung Express

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The Morung Express

A Daily Publication of Morung for Indigenous Affairs & JustPeace

Dimapur VOL. III ISSUE 318

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Sunday, November 16, 2008 12 pages Rs. 3

www.morungexpress.com

Toshinaro is NSACS Naga Idol 3.08

Our Correspondent

Mokokchung | November 15

TOSHINARO FROM Kohima was crowned Naga Idol at the NSACS Idol 3.08 grand finale held here tonight at town hall. With a total of 1,66,294 votes she took this years crown along with a cash prize of Rs. 100000 and a brand new car. Inatoli from Dimapur with a total of 1,41,017 votes finished runners up and also took away cash prize of Rs. 100000. The other four finalists were awarded cash prizes of Rs.25,000 each. Kenei from Kohima came in third with 1,36,929 votes, followed by Idol number 06 Shenieta with 1,31,470 votes, Idol number 16 Mhathung with 84,800 votes and Idol number 12 Leden with 42,767 votes. The curtains for the third edition of Naga Idol finally came down with the crowning of Toshinaro. The NSACS Idol 3.08 crown in a way was the perfect birthday gift in advance for the soonto-be-23 whose birthday falls on November 21. The audience saw an emotionally-charged Naro as she received the winner’s prize, perhaps remembering the hard work put in and the grueling few months of stiff competition. Nagaland's minister of Agriculture, Dr. Chumber Murry was the chief guest.

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” Nagas face uphill battle against AIDS

A fallen lighthouse is more dangerous than a reef

- Chinese Proverb

‘One out of every 100 persons in Nagaland is HIV positive’

Our Correspondent Kohima | November 15

YOUR NEW IDOL: NSACS Naga Idol 3.08 Toshinaro, from Kohima seen here with other ﬁnalists of the talent hunt, after the title ceremony in Mokokchung, November 15. Inatoli, Kenei, Shenieta, Mhathung and Lenden were the other list of ﬁnalists.

EXPRESSING CONCERN over the high prevalence rate of HIV and substance abuse in Nagaland, Development Authority of Nagaland (DAN) chairman and advisor to Chief Minister Vikho-o Yhoshu said “HIV has percolated down to the general population if we go by the sentinel surveillance report, 1 out of every 100 person in Nagaland has HIV”. Stating this to be an alarming situation, when there is still no cure for AIDS or vaccine for HIV, he said “The prevalence rate of HIV among Injecting Drug Users have dropped down from 39 % in 1994 to 2.45% in 2007 to which my understanding is, that new infections among IDUs have reduced,”. He was speaking at the first Nagaland Drug Users’ Conference here today at the State Academy hall. Yhoshu complimented the NGOs working in partnership with the government in combating HIV and said

the drop shows HIV/AIDS intervention programmes carried out for the drug users, are “effective”. “It is the responsibility of the government to provide for the people but the government cannot force an individual to avail services and I salute the social workers for facilitating the process,” he said. Yhoshu, however, said just because the prevalence rate amongst drug users has come down to 2.4 per cent, “We cannot be complacent.” And so the need to continue with the successful programme is felt. Yhoshu also urged the Nagaland Users Network to advocate and facilitate the process of bringing in more programmes for those in need of the services. He maintained that “together we can bring about positive changes not only in HIV/ AIDS programmes but also in the society; let us do our best.” Nobody is born a drug user and nobody ever wants to become an addict, the whole mess of their life started because, they are hoodwinked in drugs”, according to Ch. Anand, member

of the NE Drug Users Forum in his keynote address. He expressed dismay at the prevailing discrimination against the drug users’ community and also the lack of initiative on the deadly Hepatitis–C closely associated with drug use. Anand called upon drug users not to wait for others to come forward to advocate their issue but sit together and seriously ponder on working out steps. Earlier, Abou Mere, convener of the organizing committee pointed out that access to treatment for drug users remains very limited and pointed to the need for a comprehensive program for drug users ‘without which the chance of staying away from drugs is difficult’. In the afternoon session, resource person Dr.Jyoti Mehra, HIV/AIDS advisor with the UNODC addressed the conference on the topic ‘Rights & Responsibilities’. Neiketu Iralu discoursed on MRA International member on “Spirituality and Recovery”. The conference will be on till November 16.

‘Hasty’ water NSF revives superannuation stir 2 dead, “Ancestral project irks NPO 4 injured chair-holders” DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 15 (MExN): The Manipur government is pulled up by the Naga People’s Organization for what was stated to be a ‘hasty’ and tentative water project in Ikailongdi, Karong and Naga Taphou in Senapati. The NPO in a note today expressed resentment and unhappiness that Manipur’s PHED minister TN Haokip had today inaugurated the NLCPR drinking water project “in spite of the fact that many important works are still yet to be completed as per the norms of the said project”. “It may be noted that the NPO in the past has already requested the state government, concerned minister and department that the said project should be inaugurated only after necessary works are completed and therefore the drinking water project is ready to the distribution points in their respective locations” stated a note from the NPO through its publicity secretary K Kevin Kamba. The storage tank for distribution to different points has yet to be constructed while the plumbing is incomplete, the NPO added. Expressing dismay and surprise, the NPO said the minister and department in concern “fooled the general public” of Senapati “by pronouncing the inauguration of the project hastily even without unveiling the inaugural stone and in the absence of the general public”. The NPO has asked the minister and department in concern to ‘fully complete’ the said project “with the required norms and conditions”. The NPO has warned that failure to do so would attract any form of agitation against the state government.

DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 15 (MExN): With a clear warning to the state government to back off over the testy superannuation issue, the Naga Students’ Federation has decided to resume its agitation which was suspended in the month of January this year. The NSF will commence agitation by staging a protest rally and demonstration march from the NSF office to the New Secretariat on November 19 from 10:00AM. After serious consideration on the issue, the NSF said, it was unanimously decided to maintain the ‘original stance’ to strive for inclusion of length of service in the criteria to determine retirement from government services. The NSF has demanded that the state government do away with “all kind of manipulation and malpractices”. “Any action of the state government or group contrary to the demand of NSF shall be treated as anti-youth and antipeople” the NSF said today in a communiqué from its chief executives. In a very strong statement NSF minced no word as they attacked the “unscrupulous bunches of retarded elements” who are “still sticking to their old chairs as though they have inherited it from their forefathers”. The NSF had this to say to the government and its mechanisms: “With due apology to dedicated and commit-

criticized

ted government employees, today we have a large number of outdated and debilitated government employees in various departments fit tightly to their respective position making all efforts to manipulate at any given opportunities to retain their post shamelessly without any sense of accountability and morale conscience. Many of them have manipulated or tampered their birth certificate several times taking advantage of the most vulnerable statistical functionaries in the government. Many older brother and sisters of the retired government servant are still sticking to their old chairs as though they have inherited it from their forefathers. This unscrupulous bunches of retarded elements in the state have blocked the promises of progress and development in the state”. The NSF decried the ‘infamous decision’ of the state government to enhance the age of superannuation from 57 to 60 years of age without taking the organization into confidence. Mention may be made here that the

government entered into an “agreement” (MoU) with the NSF to maintain the age of superannuation of government employees to 57 of age or 33 years length of service whichever is earlier. “The action has deprived the educated and most talented youth who could usher dynamisms and dedication to drive the state to compete with others. Every sensible person is aware that the employment scenario in the present state has reached the saturated point” the NSF said. The NSF quoted a report that in 2007, that Nagaland registered educated unemployed youths as high as 55,000. “Unlike other states, Nagaland has very few alternatives job opportunities. We hardly have industries and commerce or private undertakings that can resourcefully engage for employment. The sorriest state of our state today is that government job is the only one avenue that can give job security. All the educated youth queue-up for government jobs” the NSF said reminding that any sensible government would have cared to look this vital component for growth and progress for the fragile society. The NSF has appealed to ‘all conscious citizens of Nagaland to extend full co-operation to salvage the future of younger generation.

DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 15, (MExN): Two persons died on the spot while three others were seriously injured when the victims met with a vehicular mishap today this evening at Khatkati under Bokajan sub-division, Karbianglong district in Assam. The vehicles along with dead bodies are in the custody of the Bokajan Police Station. Sources said the deceased were identified as one Sosammanen from Chuchuyimpang and a Limasen from Chungliyimsen, both in Mokokchung. The injured are Temjenyanger, Yenpose Sangtam and Razulie Mao. They are presently admitted in Civil Hospital in Dimapur. Sources said all the occupants are students of Patkai Christian College. This could not be confirmed. In a separate accident, the Traffic Police of Dimapur informed that a driver in a Maruti Alto was injured, following brakefailure, at Paglapani, New Chumukedima today this morning.

‘Dimapur Railway Station is very congested & unhygienic’

(L-R) R Sharma, secretary, Rakhal Das Gupta, general secretary and Ashish Biswas, joint secretary of the NF Railway MU at Dimapur Railway Station. (Morung Photo) Morung Express News Dimapur | November 15

DESPITE THE fact that the Indian Railways had decided to make Dimapur Railway Station (DRS) a “model” station in the country, basic amenities

still remain far from satisfactory for the passengers and Railway employees of the station. “Dimapur Railway Station is very congested and unhygienic,” Rakhal Das Gupta, general secretary of the NF Railway Mazdoor Union (MU), told The Mo-

rung Express. He along with his joint secretary, Ashish Biswas was on a day-visit to Dimapur, to discuss issues in regard to their organisation, on last Friday. “This station is a gateway of Nagaland and Manipur, and the passenger’s movement including military is very high. However, the platform number 1 is very small and platform number 2 does not even have shed for passengers,” lamented. “Passengers cannot even use the western side (Lumding end) footbridge to enter in the station since there is no provision to let in the passengers” he added. Also, informing that DRS earns good revenue for the Indian Railways, he said workload is very high although “There are roughly 10, 000 posts lying vacant in NF Railway”. He said recruitment to fill up the vacant posts will lessen the workload of the present employees and will further help in minimizing the unemployment problem in the region. continued on page 3

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LOCAL

Sunday 16 November 2008

Running the govt is a ‘serious business’

Our Correspondent Kohima | November 15

CHIEF MINISTER Neiphiu Rio today urged upon the Angami Gazetted officers to be dedicated and give extra effort in the service of the people. Speaking at the Silver Jubilee celebration of Angami Gazetted Officers’ Krotho (AGOK) here at Indira Gandhi Stadium, the chief minister asked the AGOK to use the silver jubilee celebration as a stepping stone for bringing unity, better understanding and creating congenial atmosphere to live in. Rio asserted that a time has come to know how to earn, save and invest so that children will enjoy the fruits. Saying that running the government is a “serious business”, he said that the sincere and dedicated service of the officers towards the public will bring about smooth functioning of the government. Touching on DAN’s government declaration of the “Year of youth empowerment,” “Year of farmers” and the latest being the “Year of Capacity Building”, Rio called for effectively implementation of the same to benefit the masses. About the setting up of “Quality Control Board”, he called upon the people to focus on quality control in any type of construction, reminding that the absence of quality control will invite liability instead of creating an asset for the state.

Social Welfare Dept Ofﬁcers’ Conference on November 27

K.V. Pusa, president, Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee in his speech stressed on the need to work collectively for the welfare and upliftment of the society. He said jubilee celebration is a time to retrospect both achievements and failures, thereby bridging the gap to move forward. Meanwhile, the new team of AGOK office bearers will be led by Neisietsolie Sanino as president, vice presidentEr. Thekruneilie, general secretary Er. Krosu Rhetso, treasurer - Neikiyielie Theunuo, joint secretary- Mhachuvinuo Catherine Rutsa, Nino Iralu, Dominic Jazokie, Menuokholie Kire and Kekhrielhoutuo. The advisors are Z. Makritsu and Daso Paphino. Earlier, Rev. Keviyiekielie Linyu, executive director, ABCC said invocation prayer while Viketol Sakhrie, commissioner and secretary Rural Development delivered welcome address. Daso Paphino, president AGOK delivered presidential address while Mhalezothie read out general secretary report. Zapuvisie Lhousa, ex-president APO also exhorted the gathering. The programme was chaired by Vipralhou Kesiezie, Director, SCERT while vote of thanks was tendered by N. Putsure, IAS, secretary, land resources and advisor AGOK.The celebration also witnessed release of souvenir by Chief Minister, cultural event, tug of war and jubilee feast.

PTP condemn OC Nungsang’s Neiphiu Rio graces AGOK silver jubilee behaviour

Chief minister Neiphiu Rio and others at the AGOK silver jubilee celebration on November 15 in Kohima. (Morung Photo/ Chizokho Vero)

351 liquor bottles destroyed in Tizit DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 15 (MExN): The Nagaland Excise & Prohibition Services field staffs personnel posted at Tizit sub-station under the command of L. Meren Aier, Inspector of Excise destroyed different brands of liquor total of 351 bottles in view of prohibition and banning sale of liquor in the state held in the Excise Malkhana on November 10, 2008 at 11:00 am in presence of destruction board members Chairman Addl. Deputy Commissioner, Tizit, NGOs and general public as per the directives of the commissioner of Excise Nagaland

DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 15 (MExN): The Phek Town Public vehemently condemned the officer-in-charge Nungsang Ao for his error behaving and irresponsibility on the night of November 13, 2008 at around 8 PM. O.C. Nungsang Ao in a drunken state through his rush driving injured Besulhu Lohe, Chairman of Yoruba Union Phek Town while he and his wife were fetching water. PTP in a condemnation note said that had luck not favoured the couple they might have been killed at the spot. The couple escaped from the hand of death with injury to the husband. “The irresponsibility O.C Nungsang Ao in a fully drunk state restlessly drive on the road and hit the couple and badly smashed the public urinal shed to the ground level,” the PTP also added. Further condemning the officer’s irresponsibility act, PTP said it is a shameful that a high ranked officer lost his control in drunken state and offended the law and order. The students’ union while condemning the O.C., appealed to the higher authorities to take proper action against O.C Nungsang Ao to give an exemplary discipline to other officers.

Korea-India Music Festival to be held in Kohima NPCC appeals for a day holiday

DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 15 (MExN): The Social Welfare Department Officers’ Conference will be held on November 27, 2008 at Hotel Japfu Kohima at 9:00 am with Chotisuh Sazo, Parliamentary Secretary Social Welfare & Women Development as the Chief Guest. T. Merangtsungba Aier, Joint Director in a release has requested all DWOs, CDPOs, Chief Instructor (AWTC), Supdt/Prohibition Officers of Observation-cum-Special Home to attend the conference without fail.

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Dr. Nicky Kire Abu Metha and Theja Meru during press conference on Korea-India Music festival at Dream Cafe Kohima on November 15 Our Correspondent Kohima | November 15

THE KOREA-INDIA Music Festival, a goodwill concert to celebrate friendship between Korea and

Nagaland, India will take place on December 2 here at Secretariat Plaza. Talking to media persons at Dream Café, MLA Dr. Nicky Kire, advisor, Music Task Force said that the festival will

open a big opportunity to the young boys and girls to expose their talents. Kire was optimistic that some of the talented singers will step into professionalism through this platform.

“This is a big occasion for us” said Abu Metha, producer Korea-India Music Fest adding that the event would not only generate experience for many and but will also build greater relationship with Korea. Metha said that similar event will take place in Korea next year. The event will witness 15 delegates from Arirang TV, Korea. The team will be led by Lee Sung Wan, vice president, Arirang TV, Korea. Celebrity singer and dancer VJ Isac (VJ of Pops in Seoul and renowned singer Ilac will perform at the music fest. Another interesting feature of the concert will be the solo competition where 10 Naga singers will compete for attractive prizes to be given by Arirang TV. The concert will also witness the participation of a Manipuri sword dance performance. Boomereng from Mizoram will also perform at the show. The concert will commence from 4:00 PM onwards. There will also be a special event for the clubbers and all music lovers with VJ Isac on December 3 at Kisama during Hornbill Festival.

in honour of Indian scientists

DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 15 (MExN): The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has conveyed hearty congratulation to the Indian scientists of ISRO for successful landing of Moon Impact Probe with the national tricolour painted on the lunar surface after being detached from unmanned spacecraft Chandrayaan-1 on November 14, the day which is also coincided with the birth anniversary of our first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, which is also observed as Children’s Day. “Indeed this is a biggest achievement for our country which is progress-

ing significantly in all spheres under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi,” K V Pusa MLA, President, NPCC said in a press release. The NPCC also added, “As Moon Impact Probe signaled India’s symbolic entry into the Moon when we were observing the birth anniversary of our farsighted and architect of modern India, Pandit Nerhu and Children’s Day.” Therefore, the NPCC has urged the Nagaland Government to declare a one day holiday for the school children in honour of great scientists and children.

DYC Mon resolves to check misuse of fund under NREGA DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 15 (MExN): One day training camp on AAm AMIKA Sapahi (AAKS) was held at Mon H/Q organized by District Youth Congress Mon under the leadership of Kanwang Konyak, President DYC Mon. The main topics were the utilization of the fund under the NREGA and RTI Act Special performance under the NREGA at Zunheboto District were highlighted by Joshua General Secretary DYC Zunheboto. There were interaction and discussion hour in the house and members resolved to check the misused of the fund under NREGA within Mon District and to work for the welfare of the general publics indifferences of the political parties. K. John Hoimei, Secretary, Press & Information, DYC, Mon in a release said that the DYC Mon will initiative in formulating the awareness programme in all the block level. The meeting was attended by all the Frontal Chief of 9 A/Cs and DCC Office bearers and leaders of Mon District. The main speakers were Dokiu Kecham V/P NPYC, Mhonchumo G/S NPYC and Rosy Thomson G/S NPYC.

Call for equality in all respects Miss Dimapur contestants visit orphanage home

KOHIMA, NOVEMBER 15 (DIPR): Little Flower Higher Secondary School Kohima observed Children’s Day Cum Prize distribution 2008 with the Additional Chief Secretary, Alemtemshi IAS as the chief guest, held at the school premises on November 14, 2008. Speaking on the special day for the children, Alemtemshi urged the students particularly the girls that as they enjoy equality in all respects with man they have to prepare themselves with a vision to compete globally. Referring to the present financial crisis in the US as the world is changing fast today, he said that if any country is effected than it effect oth-

ers, therefore, he reiterated the students who are placed in the world to use their opportunity for the betterment of the society. He encouraged the students to have an ambition and follow the footsteps of the past students who have become NCS Officers, Doctors, Engineers etc. He added that they should be willing to strive for the best in the socials and economic perspective for the future generation. And be equipped to generate women empowerment. Lauding the Institution for its contribution towards the students and society in the last 30 years, he said that this School is one best Institution in the state and also in the Northeast region Earlier, Chief Guest took

salute from the NC.C, Guides and students. He gave away the prizes to the students who secured positions in different field activities. Sister Superior, LFHSS who delivered the welcome address appreciated the chief guest who is a hardworking, diligent and industrious person for his concern towards the society. Parents of the students who attended on this auspicious day included KRIPA Chairman, Dr. P.P. Ngullie, Joint Director Agriculture Rongsenenla who is the President of the past students of this Institution. Other highlights of the programme included march past, gentle steps by class 2 and drill display by the students.

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Miss Dimapur 2008’ contestants with the children of Ebenezer Orphanage Home, Dimapur on November 15. (Morung photo)

DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 15 (MExN): Contestants of the upcoming Miss Dimapur beauty pageant paid a visit to Ebenezer Orphanage, Dimapur this evening. The ten aspiring beauty queens interacted and spent quality time with the children; while the children entertained them with their songs. Speaking to the Morung Express, reigning Miss Dimapur, Benazir Ali who accompanied the contestants said life has not changed much since winning the title last year although it has given her more inner confidence. Benazir, who is pursuing her bachelors’ degree at Pranabananda Women’s College, said she was more engaged in her studies and that her fun

days can wait for now. Reflecting on her most memorable moment, she said, would be the moment her name was announced as winner and added it was unexpected. Unlike many title holders desire for bigger titles, Benazir said she wants to pursue her studies and live a simple life; and added “too much popularity is hard to handle.” Meanwhile, the organizers of the beauty pageant have expressed confidence in this year’s contestants and promised a very glamorous event. This year’s batch is competitive and smart, they said. The organizers said the contestants were visiting charitable institutions to “make them see the other side of the world.”

Dream Unlimited taking Nagaland countrywide

DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 15 (MExN): The Dream Unlimited, A Theatre Society of Nagaland under the motto “Bringing a change” is set to represent Nagaland State in the national level, performing in Mumbai and Sikkim. The Team will be performing at Octave Festival, Mumbai on November 21, 2008 and at Poorvottar Natya Samaroh in Sikkim on November 27, 2008. They will be performing ‘Technicolor Dreams’ which is an evolved theatre play in Nagamese and is directed by Rabijita Gogoi. The play slated in 16 sequences, displays the contemporary Naga society with all its problem and current issues faced by the Nags in everyday lives. The Society in a release has expressed gratitude to Hekali Zhimomi, Director NEZCC, Dimapur for enabling them to participate in the said festi-

(Front Row 2nd from Left): Rabijita Gogoi, Director ‘Technicolor Dreams’ along with the team members of Dream Unlimited, A Theatre Society of Nagaland.

vals. They have also thanked National School of Drama, New Delhi for sponsoring

the Society. Dream Unlimited was formed as a result of the in-

tensive workshop which was organised by the National School of Drama, New Del-

hi, in collaboration with the North East Zone Cultural Centre (NEZCC) Dimapur.

LOCAL

The Morung Express

Sunday

16 November 2008

Jubilee -A time for This is our day forgiveness: Longon TUENSANG, NOVEMBER 15 (DIPR): Khiamniungan Union Tuensang Town Silver Jubilee celebration programme was held at Town Hall Tuensang on November 13 last. Minister for soil & water conservation and land resources P. Longon graced the celebrations as chief guest while parliamentary secretary for fishery, relief & rehabilitation and printing & stationary, S. Heno was the guest of honour. While delivering his address Longon said that Jubilee means a time of forgiveness and therefore the people should forget their past drawbacks, forgive one another and aim with higher vision to bring glory to the district and the tribe in particular. He also advised the youth to obtain quality education and

NMDA condoles

DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 15 (MExN): The Nagaland Medicine Dealers’ Association (NMDA) has condoled the demise of Late RM Das Gupta proprietor of M/s Medical Hall at New Market in Dimapur, on November 14 last, who passed away after prolonged illness at the age of 86. “He was in medical profession since 1969. His demise is a great loss for the

chemist fraternity of Dimapur and public as well,” stated A Ato Yepthomi, president and Ashok Kumar Singhal, general secretary of NMDA. The Association informed that all pharmacies in Dimapur remain closed until 1:00 pm today as a mark of respect. The Association also prayed for strength to the bereaved family and rest for the departed soul.

National Press Day in Kohima today KOHIMA, NOVEMBER 15 (MExN): The Kohima Press Club (KPC) and Directorate of Information & Public Relations will be observing National Press Day on November 16 at the KPC building (old Directorate of IPR), Kohima at 2:00 pm. Sentiyanger Imchen, commissioner and secretary, IPR will grace the occasion as the chief guest. Rosemary Dzuvichu, senior lecturer, department of English, Nagaland University will be the resource person and will talk on the theme of the day “Women and Media.” The programme will be chaired by KPC general secretary Narain B. Sagar while Menguseu Suokhrie will present special song. Vote of thanks will be delivered by Limawati, Deputy Director, IPR

DDGBA condoles demise of Late Puvotso Seyie DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 15 (MExN): The Dimapur District GB Association expressed condolence over the sudden demise of Late Puvotso Seyie, GB Eros Line Dimapur and executive member of Dimapur District GB Association who passed away on November 14, 2008. He was a resident of Tuophema Village. M.Y. Ngullie, President, Dimapur District G.B. Association, Dimapur in a condolence message stated that the Association further prays to Almighty God for the departed soul to rest in peace and also prayed for the bereaved family members. The Union while conveying condolence to the bereaved family members said that ‘the Union will ever remember him for the yeoman service rendered for the upliftment of the GB’s Union and the Naga society in general for the last eight years.’ Yeheto Zhimomi, general Secretary GB Union Dimapur in a message conveyed condolence to Late Puvotso’s wife and children and prayed for the departed soul to rest in peace.

Rainfall

TSUD meeting November 16

The Tenyimi Students’ Union Dimapur (TSUD) has informed that an executive meeting on November 16 will be held at 1:00 pm at the Union Ofﬁce. R. James, Publicity and Information Secretary requested all in concern to attend the meeting without fail and further informed to bring along two passport size photos each as well.

Alemtemshi emphasizes on equality in all respects reiterated the students who are placed in the world to use their opportunity for the betterment of the society. He encouraged the students to have an ambition and follow the footsteps of the past students who have become NCS Officers, Doctors, Engineers etc. He added that they should be willing to strive for the best in the socials and economic perspective for the future generation. And be equipped to generate women empowerment. Lauding the Institution for its contribution towards the students and society in the last 30 years, he said that this School is one best Institution in the state and also in the Northeast region Earlier, Chief Guest took

Temp

Cloud cover

CMCF Phek interview on Nov 20, 21 PHEK, NOVEMBER 15 (DIPR): The interview for selection of beneficiaries for CM Corpus Fund against Phek district for the year 2008-09 will be held on November 20 and 21 in the DPDB hall Phek at 10:00 am. All applicants are requested to attend the interview with required original documents. Interview for applicants in various sector except Vety. & AH will be conducted on November 20 and applicants under Vety. & AH sector will be conducted on November 21. All applicants are requested to come for the interview as scheduled. No separate calling letters will be issued in the regard.

Trg for Cong Youth on rights ‘Dimapur Railway Station is

DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 15 (MExN): The NPYC (Nagaland Pradesh Youth Congress) and State Level Co-ordinator of ‘Aam Admi Ka Sipahi’ (AKKS) imparted training on NREGA and RTI to youth Congress leader of Mon district on November 8, a press release from NPYC informed. Resource person Dokiu Kecham, state level coordinator of AAKS informed trainees that NREGA was brought forth after extensive consultations and inputs from social activists, NGOs, experienced administrators and from people living in rural areas. NREGA aims to provide at least one hundred days of wage employment. Kecham informed the trainees that every rightful job cardholder has guaranteed wage employment and added that no one has the right to deny a job card holder the guaranteed employment. He

also pointed out that NPYC and AAKAS may be compelled to “take further steps if the benefits of the people friendly policies and the programmes of the central government do not reach the common people.” Mhonchumo Ovung, general secretary, NPYC and resource person stressed on the importance of RTI. Through the act, he said, every citizen is empowered to get information on policies, programmes and projects that affect their day-to-day lives. He also pointed out that RTI is simple, cheap and time bound and on the sidelines mentioned that NGO’s, social action groups and society organizations can use the provision to help the weaker section of the society. After completion of the training, the resource persons had interactive session with delegates and dwelt on feedbacks received from the participants.

Weather forecasting for 8 Districts of Nagaland from 15th to19th Nov 2008 Districts

STARTING LINE-UP

cassion. Awarding of certificates to the former and present workers in KUTT, presentation of special number, folk dance by male & female troupes and presentation of souvenir to the invitees were some of the highlights of the programme. Earlier the house observed a minute silence in respect of those KUTT members who passed away in the last 25 years. President KUTT, P. Heno delivered the welcome address while Sangjai, convener of jubilee planning board proposed the vote of thanks. Jubilee Office Bearers under the Presidentship of P. Heno Members of Blue Vanda, Lions Club along with the children of Ebenezer Orphanage Home on November 14 marking the occasion of Childrens’ Day, wherein Blue Vanda members led the function. presented sweets, food items and other gifts to the 22 Children. (Morung Photo)

KOHIMA, NOVEMBER 15 (DIPR): Little Flower Higher Secondary School Kohima observed Childrens’ Day Cum Prize distribution 2008 with the Additional Chief Secretary, Alemtemshi IAS as the chief guest, here at the school premises on November 14, 2008. Speaking on the special day for the children, Alemtemshi urged the students particularly the girls, that as they enjoy equality in all respects with men they have to prepare themselves with vision to compete globally. Referring to the present financial crisis in the US and the fast changing world today, he said any phenomenon in a country affects the others as well, therefore, he

Relative humidity Wind speed km/hr Max% Min%

Mon

No Normal Mainly cloudy 86 45 rainfall sky on 15th &16th Nov Mokokchung -doNormal Mainly cloudy sky 90 43 on 15th &16th Nov Tuensang -doNormal Mainly cloudy sky 96 42 on 15th &16th Nov Zunheboto -doNormal Mainly cloudy sky 93 42 on 15th &16th Nov Phek -doNormal Mainly cloudy sky 95 42 on 15th &16th Nov Wokha -doNormal Mainly cloudy sky 92 42 on 15th &16th Nov Kohima -doNormal Mainly cloudy sky 96 40 on 15th & 16th and Partly cloudy sky on 17th & 18th Nov Dimapur -doNormal Partly cloudy sky 95 45 on 15th Nov Agro Advisories for the farmers  Continue irrigation and if irrigation is limited then provide irrigation at critical stages of the crop such as flowering, grain filling or pod filling etc.  Practice mulching with organics to extend the period of moisture availability.  Dry weather after sowing is favourable for maximum emergence of the mustard seed.  Apply a portion of FYM in the seed furrows at the time of sowing to conserve moisture and prevent seedling mortality..  The prevailing weather is favourable for the incidence of potato blight. This can also infect other members of the potato family, Solanaceae such as tomatoes. Ensure potatoes are well earthed up to protect tubers even if you get it in the foliage. Brown freckles on the leaves or sections of leaves with brown patches and a sort of yellowish border spreading from the brown patch can be seen. In a severe attack you may walk onto your patch to find all the potato foliage a rotting mass. If you notice a small number of affected leaves with patches, you can try removing those and disposing of them. Burn if possible. Imtisenla walling Agromet ﬁeld Unit ICAR,Medziphema

Wind direction

3-4

Southernly to South westernly

3-4

Southwesternly

1-2

Southwesternly to north westernly Southernly to South westernly Southernly to south westernly Southernly to southeasternly Easternly

3-4 3-4 3-4 3-4

very congested & unhygienic’

From page 1

“Passenger Reservation System (PRS), Unreserved Ticket System (UTS) and Enquiry Counter are very confusing and disorganized,” said Gupta, adding, “Railway employees cannot satisfy passengers due to such problems and this things also turns passengers to behave aggressively.” He pointed out that even the quarters of railway employees were not maintained properly. Rakhal Das Gupta said that due to security reason, the new PRS has not been opened and added that there was not enough Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel in Dimapur. He on behalf on the union also condemned the recent serial blasts that took place in Assam and also condoled the death of 3 workers at coal mine at Ledo in Assam. Meanwhile, the NF Railway Mazdoor Union, Dimapur Branch

submitted a representation to the Divisional Engineer (DE), Lumding on October 30 last. The representation signed by its secretary, appealed to the DE to provide “us a suitable road for holding conference/meetings/gatherings from time to time in the Mazdoor Union premises of Dimapur Branch.” “But it is surprising to note that the administration is trying to close down the present entrance to the MU premises without any prior discussion with the branch/Divisional Convenor instead of providing suitable roads along with street light for easy movements of its members and delegates from outside at the time of conference/meetings etc,” it stated. The representation further requested “not to close down the existing entrance until or unless a suitable arrangement of road is made to this union.”

BSNL Nagaland Telecom informs DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 15 (MExN): BSNL Nagaland Telecom informs all the esteemed customers to note the following change in the telephone numbers of the Telephone Exchange Wakching due to technical up-gradation of the equipment from November 14, 2008. Present Working Level 227xxx is changed to Level 274 xxx Old No New No Example: No: 227435 274435 227045 274045 In case of difficulty, contact the Nos: 03869-274201 and 0943663452.

KLOU GM November 17

The general meeting of the Kohima Lotha Ofﬁcers’ Union (KLOU) will be held on November 17 next at the conference hall of Hotel Japfü at 3:00 pm, with Minister for Agriculture Dr. Chumben Murry as the chief guest. C Mozhui, president of KLOU, has informed all members to attend the meeting positively. NPF CEC meeting November 17

The meeting of the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the NPF on the eve of the general convention will be held on November 17 next at 4:00 pm at its central ofﬁce, Kohima. The meeting will peruse and approve the report of the Election Board before submission to the general convention. All members are requested to attend the meeting without fail. RDU meeting November 18

The Dimapur Riphyim Union (RDU) has conveyed an emergency meeting on November 18 at 7:00 am at the residence of Dr Alex Kithan, Advisor of the Union, at Nepali Basti. As such, all the executive members are, therefore, requested to collect donations from the union members and submit the same in the evening. One may contact the secretary of the union at 9436424685.

Discipline is doing the right thing: Col. John Rao DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 15 (MExN): Bethesda Higher Secondary School, Walford, Dimapur celebrated Childrens’ Day with pomp and gaiety on November 14 where Col. John Rao of Rangapahar Cantonment, Dimapur was the Chief guest. Col. John Rao, while greeting the children on the occasion, compared children with Heaven where everybody is happy, innocent and beautiful. Children are the gifts of God to parents who cherish the special gifts. Quoting from the word of God - the fifth commandment, he highlighted the need of honoring parents and also asked the children to remember God in the days of their youth. “There is a time for everything and the children should stick to the timing while doing day to day activities and this will lead to inculcate good habits and be disciplined. Discipline is nothing but doing the right

thing without being told by others. The results are always good when one leads a disciplined life,” Rao added. Earlier in the programme, Waiposong, Pastor, Bethesda fellowship pronounced invocation followed by the welcome address by the Principal. While welcoming the children, he said that every child is a positive asset and a precious national resource which need to be developed, nurtured and cherished. The highlights of the day long programme included songs, dances, jokes, skit, prize distribution and presentation of gifts to the children. As children entertain others during Teachers Day and Parents’ Day, the tradition of Bethesda School is for teachers to entertain the students on Childrens’ Day. The colourful programme concluded with Thanks giving by Arenla followed by the prayer of blessing by Esther Murry, Administrator, BHSS.

INFORMATION Dimapur Press Club (DPC) is observing National Press Day on 16th November 2008 at 1 p.m. at Tourist Lodge Dimapur with Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner & APC, Alemtemshi Jamir IAS as Chief Guest. All working journalists, freelancer and Members of Dimapur Press Club are requested to attend the programme. President DPC

NIOS ADMISSION For Mar-Ap 2009 Exam

NIOS Admissions for Cl.10 & 12 for MarAp Examinations 2009 is extended upto 20th Nov.2008. Don’t miss this special and last chance. 10 Selection failed students under NBSE are eligible for this NIOS Admissions.

Coordinator, (NIOS) St. Peter’s School, Purana Bazar,

Dimapur-9862457979, 9436808044, (O) 227041

EASTERN THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE JORHAT, ASSAM

Presents

FULLY ALIVE An Evening of Gospel Music

3-4

Easternly

Your daily Meetings, Appointments, Information and Reminder column

Khiamniungan Union Tuensang Town completes 25 years maintain discipline in order to become successful and be good leaders in future. Going with the saying ‘no pain no gain’ he said that one should bear pain in order to bring glory to the people. Guest of honour S. Heno urged upon people of Khiamniungan community to have a sense of belongingness and oneness and also to maintain unity. DC Tuensang Y. L. Jami also addressed the gathering calling the people to be positive and constructive. Presidents of Chang Khulei Setshang, Khiamniungan Tribal Council, Yimchunger Union Tuensang Town and Sangtam Union Tuensang Town also spoke on the oc-

Dimapur

Also Featuring Local Favorites IMC Hall, Dimapur Time: 5:00 PM Date: 16th of Nov. 2008

Sharon Higher Secondary School Duncan: Dimapur (A School with a difference under the new management)

Admission Notice for 2009 Admission for the Nursery section starts from 20th Nov.2008 Admission to Class 1 to 7 from 2nd December 2008 Forms available in the office from 17th November 2008 Special features: * Value based education based on Christian principles • No Admission fees charged for K.G.1 & K.G.11 • 50% Admission fees reduction for class 1&2 • Spacious class rooms with modern amenities • Full fledged computer lab & science lab • Children’s Park • Limited seats for hostel accommodation for girls. Principal

CHRISTIAN HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOL: DIMAPUR 2009 ADMISSION NOTICE

Date of Issue of Admission Forms Last Date of Issue Last Date of Submission Entrance Exam/Interview Date N.B: 1. 2. 3.

: : : :

17th November 2008 25th November 2008 26th November 2008 6th December 2008

Seats available for Class A Limited seats available on basis of vacancy for the following classes B,1,3,5,6,&7 No vacancy for classes 2 & 4 G. Haralu Vice- Principal Christian Hr.Sec.School, Dimapur

C M Y K

Dimapur

Sunday

BUSINESS

16 November 2008

The Morung Express

World leaders pledge action plan to ﬁght crisis

WASHINGTON, NOVEMBER 15 (REUTERS): World leaders grappling with the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s pledged on Friday to deliver a concrete plan to ward off recession and prevent future meltdowns. But prospects for joint action on growth, let alone a major overhaul of the world financial system, looked slim with host President George W. Bush resisting bold moves before leaving office in two months and President-elect Barack Obama absent. French officials said the Group of 20 advanced and developing economies were close to agreement on a final declaration at the summit which wraps up on Saturday. European officials said the leaders pledged to finalize a first series of measures to reform financial regulations by March 31. "We share a determination to fix the problems that led to this turmoil," Bush said earlier at a White House dinner for the leaders. Emerging market countries warned time is running out to stem the

economic damage from credit market turmoil that began about 17 months ago. "If we don't take quick action we run the risk of falling into a depression," said Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega, adding both regulatory reform and concerted government spending were needed. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, a top Indian economic policy-maker, piled on the pressure for developed countries to inject large amounts of government money into their economies. "If we are facing the most serious crisis in the world economy since the Great Depression then we need to take a lot of possibly unorthodox and special steps," he said. The euro zone, the world's second largest economic block, tumbled into recession in the third quarter. The United States and Britain are fast headed there, which would risk pulling the world into its deepest slump in many decades. Asian economies heavily dependent on exports to the West are particularly vulnerable. China, South Ko-

rea and Japan said at the summit they were considering steps including currency swaps, which would strengthen their regional defenses against the global financial upheaval. A French official told reporters the G20 leaders agreed on the need for budgetary and monetary policies which supported growth, and that this was "implicitly an appeal for a cut in interest rates." The leaders agreed in principle to meet again in April, French officials said.

Role of Capitalism European leaders have said the deepening financial crisis shows why stricter market rules are needed to rein in free-wheeling capitalism. As she left Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said a clearer framework is needed to prevent future problems. Her finance minister, Peer Steinbrueck, said the window of opportunity for financial reform had never been so wide open. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown goes further, calling for redesigning

the 60-year-old world financial order, called Bretton Woods, to meet the demands of a global economy where capital moves at lightening speed across borders. But the United States and Canada only want moderate reforms, and have ruled out a major financial overhaul. Bush, trying to counter criticism that U.S-style capitalism is to blame for the crisis, said in a toast that "free market principles offer the surest path to lasting prosperity." He has urged leaders to work to fix the system, not dismantle it. Despite underlying tensions over the summit's objectives, Bush was all smiles as he welcomed arriving leaders, including Britain's Brown, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso. "I don't think the major economies of the world will ... consent to have external control over their regulatory systems,"

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper told reporters before arriving in Washington. Japan backed that view. "We think the fundamental principle should be that capital flows based on the free market should continue to serve as the foundation of the global system," Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kazuo Kodama said. The crisis began when falling values of U.S. mortgage-related debt triggered credit turmoil that has felled world-class banks and virtually shut down lending. The United States, however, is in a poor position to make commitments on reform with Bush's credibility in tatters and his days in office quickly dwindling. Obama, who moves into the White House on Jan. 20, opted to stay away and instead send representatives, including former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, to meet leaders on the sidelines. Obama has urged a further fiscal stimulus to lift the economy, but the current White House stands opposed. U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson admitted the administration's weak hand. He told

CNBC television the United States had "in many ways humiliated ourselves as a nation with some of the problems that have taken place here." Greater Emerging Market Role The summit unites leaders from 19 nations and the European Union under the umbrella of the Group of 20. It includes emerging markets like China, Brazil, India and South Africa and older industrial powers from the Group of Seven nations in what could be the power constellation of the future. The summit was billed as a chance to shift more policy-making power to emerging-market nations. But that may await negotiations, since it would require some rich countries to yield power, which is unlikely to come easily. However, there have been calls for countries like China and Saudi Arabia that are flush with foreign exchange reserves to play a larger role in throwing a safety net to other emerging nations by more fully funding institutions like the IMF.

Nokia launches E63 India’s rich lose 60 pct of their fortune MUMBAI, NOVEMBER 15 (AFP): The fortunes of India’s wealthiest have been slashed by more than 60 percent due to the global financial crisis which has sharply pulled down stock markets, according to a new rich list. Forbes magazine put Mukesh Ambani, chairman of India’s largest private sector firm Reliance Industries, as the country’s wealthiest man, with a net worth of 20.8 billion dollars after losing 28.2 billion dollars in the past year. He overtakes London-based steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal who topped the list for the past four years. His net worth was 20.5 billion dollars after dropping 30.5 billion dollars on plunging steel prices. The combined net worth of all 40 individuals on the list fell 60.3 percent to 139 billion dollars from

351 billion dollars, the magazine said. Mukesh’s younger brother Anil, who heads Reliance’s telecom, power utilities and financial services businesses, was third on the list with a total wealth of 12.5 billion dollars after losing 32.5 billion dollars. “These are painful times for India’s tycoons. The country’s once soaring stock markets fell 48 percent in the 12 months and the rupee depreciated 24 percent against the dollar,” Forbes Asia said. All of this conspired to knock 60 percent off the combined fortunes of the nation’s 40 wealthiest. Their total net worth fell 212 billion dollars, to 139 billion dollars, down from 351 billion dollars a year ago. The list includes two women. Savitri Jindal, who heads the industrial OP Jindal group was 12th with a net worth of

2.9 billion dollars, while Indu Jain, chairwoman of media group Bennett, Coleman & Co, was 17th with 1.8 billion dollars. Six of last year’s members had fallen out of the top 40 this year. They include United Breweries chief Vijay Mallya, who also owns premium airline Kingfisher. The magazine gave no figures on Mallya’s wealth. Others were nearly wiped out entirely, the magazine said. India’s windpower entrepreneur Tulsi Tanti and his brothers lost 91 percent of their fortune, amid reports about problems with Suzlon’s wind blades. Of the 34 who retained their position, only one increased his wealth. Malvinder Singh, the chairman of generic drug firm Ranbaxy, jumped from 28th to 13th after he sold his 34 percent stake in the business to Ja-

India could beneﬁt from global economic meltdown: Adam Segal

C M Y K

NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 15 (AGENCIES): Nokia has made another addition to its Eseries range with the addition of E63 smartphone, very similar to the company's flagship messaging device the E71. Nokia claims it to be a BlackBerry rival with its "mass market appeal" and smart pricing. Unlike the E71, the E63 has an improved keyboard and comes in two colours. However the E63 lacks GPS support and has 2 megapixel camera as opposed to E71’s 3.2 megapixels. Specs wise the Symbian S60-based smartphone measures 113 x 59 x 13 mm and comes with a 2 megapixel camera with LED flash, 36-inch QVGA display with 320 x 240 pixel and 16

million colours, a 3.5 mm stereo headset jack and a music and video player, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 and HTML, XHTML support. Other features include support for Microsoft Exchange, POP/IMAP e-mail accounts, basic personal information management tools and Nokia Ovi support. The E63 also has the ability to switch modes with a single key press. From design perspective, the E63 is similar to the E71, but slightly changed. Instead of a metal body, the E63 has a plastic one in two colours, ruby red or ultramarine blue. The E63 supports a full QWERTY keyboard and it is much thicker than the E71. The keyboard also features a smaller space bar and two additional keys

which are missing in the E71. On the flip side the E63 does not have a GPS and HSDPA support. Even the infrared port which is present in the E71 is missing here. It also has the same 1500 mAh battery that is in the E71, delivering up to 11 hours of talk time. The phone offers 110 MB internal memory, a microSD expansion slot which can accept up to 8GB cards, support for 16 GB microSDHC memory cards, and support for wireless stereo headphones. The E63 will start shipping in Europe within the next few weeks for 199 euros plus taxes. With each purchase, E63 users will get a remote PC access with Files on Ovi with 1GB online file storage space.

NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 15 (AGENCIES): Even though India is feeling the pinch of the financial crisis, a leading US expert has said India could benefit the most from this economic meltdown as this offers new opportunities to it. “There is a sense that the international institutions will be remade to reflect the current balance of power, and that India may be able to turn this crisis into a permanent place at a new high table,” said Adam Segal, Maurice R. Greenberg Senior Fellow for China Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, a New York-based think tank. Notably, for quite some time, India has been demanding its rightful place in international financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank by arguing that they no longer represent the realities of the world and the bal-

D S

CMQ Z J R L P F B Z RW P O J Y G V P OHYWE S O UMA TMEMA R C HN B HNW F X Y Y T E A O S V G Q O T M B B

SUDOKU

The Morung Express number game

Sudoku # 1137

CROSSWORD # 1154 1

8 9 10

XZ Y J WA N R J Y C X R ON S RMX D MB D L S A M O WW I Q J I U O I W Q L

11 13

DR S S Y A V P L R N Y R G F U L R K U

NLDV B I I E C E A RU I I P E Y G V 16

HNMM B A P R T K H A N J X B R Z M R

Y R P O P HQU E A C U Y AMO V I E P

S RANR S T RMB E R T E T OD B S M

MO W E E O K E G I M B C C WW O O D S

22 23

C R S H Z E LWO H V E P O S T C A R D WC E T S I T N E D C N E J N E H W U M DT J E Q E NU J A NU A R Y X C N E G G KW R E G N U O Y P T T C Q E Y O K H HK R T B N X S D O V R S U Q U C I N W P Z R V V O F D I E C Q I V NN P A U D T YO C O E Q C KOMZ X L O R R N V H

APRIL AUGUST BAKER BIRTHDAY CAMP DECEMBER DEER DENTIST DOCTOR FACTORY FEBRUARY FIRST FIX JANUARY JUNE

LONGER MARCH MAY MECHANIC MONEY MOVIE NOVEMBER OCTOBER POSTCARD REPORT SECOND TEETH UNIFORM WOODS YOUNGER

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.”

Yesterdays answer Sudoku #1136

WASHINGTON, NOVEMBER 15 (PTI): The World Bank has said it will give a loan of $100 billion this year to developing nations and India can draw an additional $three billion annually for three years. Disclosing this, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia told reporters in Washington that “some concrete response has come and we told them they need to go further”. The World Bank has already committed three billion dollar to India this year. Ahluwalia cited this as being the World Bank’s response in the context of increasing the flow of resources to help developing countries by the Brettonwoods institutions. The IMF, he said, has also offered extension of low-condition facility called the liquidity facility which can go up to five times. Should India decide to use the facility, it would be able to draw $300 million. “It is an element of confidence in India. The World Bank assistance in areas like infrastructure projects is good to be used as contracyclical measures,” Ahluwalia said. On the impact of global downturn on the Indian economy’s growth rate, he said it was quite clear that the economic crisis was having some impact. In fact, this year the growth rate is expected to be between 7 and 7.9% against the rate of 9% recorded in the last four years.

DIMAPUR

Civil Hospital: Metro Hospital: Faith Hospital: Shamrock Hospital Zion Hospital: Fire Service: Police Control Room Police Trafﬁc Control East Police Station West Police Station CIHSR (Referral Hospital)

STD CODE: 03862

232224; Emergency- 229529, 229474 227930, 231081 233044, 228846 228254 231864, 230889 232201 228400 232106 227607, 228400 232181 242555/ 242531

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

STD CODE: 0370 2244279 2244923 2242897 2222952 2222916 2243339 2224202

CHEVROLET CARS PRICE LIST NOVEMBER’ 2008

P BX Y B B T P E RHE A UR T C V G Q E I Q B I E Y C B TD F VMC C E X Z A

WB to give $100 bn loan to developing nations

to avoid the fallout of a US and European recession, Segal argued there are reasons for optimism about how quickly India could turn the corner. “Domestic demand could remain a strong driver of growth; farm income and rural employment are both up and consumers received large tax breaks in this year’s budget. India imports 80 percent of its oil, so it will benefit from prices hovering around $70 a barrel as well as from the declining prices of other commodities,” he said. As the G-20 Summit began in Washington Friday evening with a dinner at White House, Segal said India has two broad objectives from it -- ensuring that credit begins to flow again as quickly as possible and that the World Bank and IMF invest heavily in large infrastructure projects in developing countries.

DAILY CROSS WORD

LEISURE W

ance of power in these organizations is tilted more towards the developed countries. In a policy paper on the current economic crisis and its impact on India, Segal said: “India has been hurt by the global financial crisis, but it may be better positioned for a quick recovery and for future growth than many of the other developing economies.” Segal argued that the Indian financial sector is relatively insulated; the rupee is not fully convertible; and Indian banks did not have significant exposure to subprime loans in the United States. However, its stock market has been badly hit as foreign institutional investors have sold almost USD 10 billion of their investments in Indian companies to cover losses accrued in their home markets. Even as there are lot of issues of concern and the Indian economy will be unable

pan’s pharmaceutical house Daiichi Sankyo. Malvinder and his brother Shivinder added 550 million dollars to their combined wealth. Economists say some of these billionaires could continue to see tough business cycles in coming quarters. Auto, steel and finance companies have been among the hardest hit in the global financial turmoil. “Export-oriented firms, commodity-driven businesses and software firms with financial clients will face rough times,” said Siddhartha Sanyal, economist with brokerage Edelweiss Securities. R. Balakrishnan, executive director at Centrum Broking said “paper wealth for these billionaires will continue to move sharply up or down”, depending on what happens with the world economy.

ACROSS

DOWN

3. Apparatus (9) 8. Warmth (4) 9. Protect from 8 across! (8) 10. Read (6) 13. Fortunate (5) 14. Eight-sided figure (7) 15. Strike (3) 16. Anguish (7) 17. Subject-matter (5) 21. Struck with amazement (6) 22. Riding breeches (8) 23. Make hazy (4) 24. Allusion (9)

1. Small sausage (9) 2. Tropic of - - -henry Miller novel (9) 4. Silent (5) 5. Scrutinise (7) 6. Dairy product (4) 7. Western defence organisation (4) 11. Pleasant (9) 12. List of contents (9) 14. Lubricant (3) 15. Hairy (7) 18. Computer language (5) 19. Centre (4) 20. Footware (4)

Answers to CROSSWORD #1153 Across: 1. Prophesied, 8. Amnesia, 9. Noose, 10. Nick, 11. Yeti, 12:Yet, 14. Fleece, 15. Resign, 18. Cab, 20. Lurk, 21. Spit, 23. Nonet, 24. Orinoco, 25. Shire horse. Down: 1. Panache, 2 Oast, 3. Healey, 4. Sentine, 5. Epoxy, 6. Magniﬁcent, 7. Destination, 13. Sculptor, 16..Implore, 17. Brooch, 19. Bench, 22 Pier.

CAR MODEL

PRICE

SPARK 1.0 BASE

268,648

SPARK 1.0 PS

289,992

SPARK 1.0 LS

304,641

SPARK 1.0 LT

334,123

U-VA 1.2 BASE

401,753

U-VA 1.2 LS

444,299

U-VA 1.2 LT

484,090

SRV 1.6 OPT. PACK

790,100

AVEO 1.4 BASE

606,461

AVEO 1.4 LTD EDI

661,631

AVEO 1.4 LT OPT.PACK

754,930

TAVERA 2.5 LT 9S BS3

877,748

TAVERA 2.5 SSD1 7S (C) BS3

993,249

OPTRA ROYAL 1.6 LT (PETROL)

967,686

OPTRA MAGNUM 2.0 LT ACC (DIESEL)

1,074,547

CAPTIVA 2.0 LT VCDI

1,812,688

For details contact: Urban Station, Near NSC Petrol Pump, 6th Mile Dimapur. Ph No : 240994 CURRENCY EXCHANGE

CURRENCY NOTES US Dollars Sterling Pound Hong Kong Dollar Japanese Yen /1000 Malaysian Ringtt Singapore Dollar Thai Bhat / 100 U.A.E. Dirhams Euro

BUY(Rs) 46.85 69.40 5.80 475.00 12.15 30.30 133.35 12.55 58.85

SELL(Rs) 50.15 74.90 6.50 509.00 14.20 33.80 144.85 13.80 63.10

REGIONAL

The Morung Express

Sunday 16 November 2008

Dimapur

BJP rejects communal charge, to fence NE borders

NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 15 (AGENCIES): Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday strongly rejected the charge of being a communal force and asserted that this propaganda was being spread by opposition parties to gain political mileage. The party also said that if it comes to power in the Centre it will ensure foolproof fencing of the border in Northeast. Addressing a public rally in Mizoram on Saturday, BJP president Rajnath Singh, said that BJP’s ideology is deeply rooted in integral humanism and cannot ever be a divisive force. He further added that that the BJP has always believed in the principle of “Justice for All and Appeasement of None” and therefore never tries to treat any community as mere vote banks as other political parties like the Congress have always done. This can also be clearly seen

from the fact that the BJP is part of successful coalition governments in Christian majority states of Nagaland and Meghalaya. This proves that people there accept that the BJP has always accorded equal respect to all religions, without any bias. With regard to the overall security scenario across the entire region, Singh called for the formation of a North East Security Council to comprehensively deal with all security related issues of the entire Northeast region on a similar pattern as the National Security Council. The BJP president said that border management of the country under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had weakened considerably and today there is a high movement of contraband, narcotics and illegal arms especially from the border areas in the Northeast region. He said that one of the high priorities of the

National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government when it gets elected to power will be to ensure the fool proof fencing of all borders in the Northeast region and especially with Myanmar and Bangladesh on the lines of the Indo-Pak border in the western part of the country. Making a scathing attack on the Congress led UPA government at the centre, the BJP president said that it was unfortunate that as a result of the wrong polices and gross economic mismanagement by the central government, the country was today suffering from both high prices of all commodities of daily use as well as economic slowdown. He added saying that the party will accord high priority for the development of all people of Mizoram, including the Chakmas, Hmar and Reang communities to ensure that they become a part of the national mainstream.

‘Refugee issue to be solved if BJP comes to power’

AGARTALA, NOVEMBER 15 (AGENCIES): BJP Chief Rajnath Singh today said the Mizoram Bru (Reang tribal) refugees, lodgedinsixcampsinNorthTripuraformore than a decade, would be sent back home if the party comes to power at the Centre. Addressing a rally in the refugeedominated remote Gachirampara school along the Tripura-Mizoram border, 100 Km from here, Singh said, ''Once the BJPled National Democratic Alliance (NDA) comes to power after the parliamentary polls the Bru issue will get priority.'' Betting big on the party's prospect in the pollbound states, he said the BJP would open an account in Mizoram this time, while Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh would remain with the party. Criticising the UPA government, Singh stated that the Centre was ignoring the core issues of the northeastern

states, including the Bru repatriation from camps in Tripura, setting up of an Autonomous District Council for Reang tribes in Mizoram and other vital issues of the backward tribals. ''The BJP is committed to sorting out the major problems, including ethnic issues and insurgency in the northeast,'' Singh said. He alleged that the Congress, along with some other regional parties and the Left Front in the region, had failed to understand the crucial issues and solve it. Singh, along with a few senior party leaders, arrived in the refugee camps by a chartered helicopter and held a meeting with the Bru refugee leaders during his one hour visit. About 35,000 Reangs are living at Kanchanpur sub-division in North Tripura since 1997 following the ethnic clash in Mamit district of Western Mizoram.

Rajnath blames Centre for price hike

AGARTALA, NOVEMBER 15 (AGENCIES): BJP president Rajnath Singh today blamed the Manmohan Singh led UPA government for spiralling prices and soaring inflation in the country. Addressing a rally in the Mizoram Bru(Reang tribal) refugee dominated remote Gachirampara school along the Tripura-Mizoram border, Singh charged the Centre with lacking the political will to check price hike. He lambasted the Prime Minister and the UPA government for ''favouring'' crude oil and petroleum importing companies, ignoring the interest of the common man. ''Despite a slump in crude oil prices in the international market, the UPA government is yet to take any step to reduce fuel price in the domestic market. ''Anyone who understands oil economy will know that whenever oil prices rise in the international market, the government is expected to cut its share of profit and revenue earnings to reduce the burden on the common man. But this has not been done by the UPA dispensation,'' Singh underlined. He, however, stated that the government which came to power on the slogan of helping the `common man' was putting the entire burden on them and it appeared to be a conspiracy of the government against the people. The BJP, he said, had already made a commitment that as soon as it formed the ministry at the Centre, highest priority would be given to arresting price rise and other fundamental issues for the benefit of the common man.

UlfA cadres regains foothold in Bhutan

GUWAHATI, NOVEMBER 15 (THE TELEGRAPH): Investigations into the October 30 blasts in Assam have led to a startling disclosure: Ulfa has once again found its way into Bhutan. Police sources here said they have information about an Ulfa camp on Bhutanese territory near Barpathar village in Assam’s Chirang district. Two top leaders of Ulfa’s 709 battalion, self-styled second lieutenant Baba Rabha and sergeant major Kushal Das, are manning the camp that has around 150 cadres, most of them recruits, they added. Police suspect that the commandant of the 4th battalion of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB), Ritikhang, might be is hiding at the camp. The sparsely-populated southern part of Bhutan has lesser military presence. Taking advantage of this, local militant groups like the Bhutan Tiger Force, the Bhutan Maoists Party and the Communist Party of

Bhutan have set up base there. These groups are helping Ulfa regain its foothold in the Himalayan kingdom, a senior police officer based in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) area said. He said the camp mostly provided transit facilities and arms training. “We are trying to get more details about the camp and Ulfa’s activities in Bhutan,” he added. The Northeast-based militant groups had turned against the Bhutanese government after the Royal Bhutan Army launched a flushout drive, Operation All Clear, against them in 2003. The nexus between Northeast militant groups and forces inimical to the Bhutan government also came into light after Tenzing G. Zangpo, a senior leader of a faction of the Druk National Congress (DNC), formed by Bhutanese exiles in Nepal, was arrested by Assam police on November 12 in connection with the blasts. Zangpo, a former general secre-

Assam alerts Bengal of bomb threat to Delhi-bound trains KOLKATA, NOVEMBER 15 (PTI): Security on trains running through north Bengal areas has been stepped up following a bomb threat alert issued by the Assam Government. “Delhi-bound trains from Assam running through north Bengal were being searched, besides platforms, after the West Bengal government received an alert notice from Assam about a bomb threat to such trains,” IGP (Law and order) Raj Kanojia said today. Meanwhile, Kolkata police has strengthened security in the metropolis. “Though there is no specific alert, we have stepped up security since the Puja festival last month,” Special Commissioner of Police Subrata Narayan Sarkar told PTI here. PTI

DNC general secretary arrested for terrorism in Assam GUWAHATI, NOVEMBER 15 (AGENCIES): A special investigation team of the Assam police arrested two militants, including a 48-year old Bhutanese man, in connection with the serial blasts that killed 86 people in Assam on October 30. According to reports in the Indian press Tenzing Zangpo, general secretary of the Nepal-based Druk National Congress, was picked up along with the “home secretary” of the National Front for Bodoland, Sabin Boro, on November 12 from a NDFB camp in Baksa. The two militants were produced in court and placed on a 10-day police remand for interrogation. Indian police said that Zangpo had played a role in the blasts and they were investigating whether DNC was involved. Both DNC and NDFB have been denying involvement since the arrests. Also described as a refugee leader, Tenzing Zangpo is known to have absconded from Bhutan in 1991 after embezzling Nu 229,000 while he was working as a rural credit officer in Chukha dzongkhag. He became general secretary of DNC, the anti national faction, which claims to be a political organisation fighting for democracy and human rights in Bhutan. The Indian press reported that the DNC is known to have ties with the NDFB, ULFA, the Maoists, and other supporters in Nepal.

Nine killed in road mishap in Tripura AGARTALA, NOVEMBER 15 (AGENCIES): At least nine people died and 30 critically injured following a road traffic accident on the national high 44 on Saturday in Tripura. The incident occurred at around 12 p.m. when three vehicles had a head-on collided at a tri-junction near Gakulnagar, 17 kilometre south from here. The incident happened when two jeeps had a head-on collision and another speeding jeep coming from the back banged the two jeeps. Five person including two drivers died on the spot while the injured were first take to the Bishalghar hospital from where after first aid were referred to the Govinda Ballabh Panth Memorial Hospital in Agartala. Four of the injured including one woman was declared brought dead while more than 30 are under treatment. Most the injured were in critical condition and the doctors had to go for immediate surgery to save the patients. One of the victims, R. Chakraborty who was going toward Udaipur said that the accident occurred due to over speeding of the vehicles which were coming from opposite direction and another vehicle collided with them from the back.

tary of a DNC faction, was sentenced to life imprisonment by Bhutan’s Royal Court of Justice in 1997. He faced charges of working against the king and the Himalayan kingdom. Life imprisonment is the maximum penalty in Bhutan, which does not have any provision for awarding capital punishment. The Bhutanese government, however, could not execute the court order as Zangpo was absconding and had reportedly gone into hiding in Nepal. A home department official here said Bhutan, which is considered an ally of the Indian government, was likely to request New Delhi for Zangpo’s extradition after the investigations into the serial blasts were completed. The extradition should not be much of a problem as the two countries share friendly relations and the Bhutanese government has apprehended several leaders of Ulfa, NDFB, and Kamtapur Liberation Organisation and handed them over

to India, he added. “So it’s now time for India to reciprocate the good gesture shown by the Bhutanese government after Operation All Clear,” the official said. Sources said after Zangpo’s arrest, the DNC faction had conveyed to some Indian agencies (they refused to specify which) through unofficial channels that their organisation believed in peaceful and non-violent ways of demanding multi-party democracy with constitutional monarchy in Bhutan. “This DNC faction claimed that it had nothing to do with the Assam blasts and was not aware about Zangpo’s trip to Guwahati or his association with any militant group in Assam,” one of the sources said. “The DNC faction said Zangpo’s arrest was coincidental and he seemed to be innocent. It also said it had full faith in the independent and impartial judiciary of India and hoped that there A silent candle light protest was organized by Women for action and development along with NGOs, POs, CBOs of Imphal East at the Manipur Voluntary Health Association in Imwould be fair probe and justice,” the phal on Saturday to protest against recent bomb blasts. (UB Photos) source added.

Manipur blockade off for six days

IMPHAL, NOVEMBER 15 (THE TELEGRAPH): Manipur, facing an acute shortage of petrol, heaved a sigh of relief when the tankers stranded during an economic blockade started heading for Imphal this afternoon. Most of the 42 petrol pumps across the state were closed for the past three days after tanker services were stopped in support of the indefinite economic blockade imposed by the Senapati District Students’ Association. The students’ organisation imposed the blockade from November 2 to protest against the Okram Ibobi Singh government’s failure to repair the Imphal-Mao section of the Imphal-Dimapur national highway. While the supply of petrol was disrupted, security personnel escorted trucks carrying other essential items

twice during the blockade. More than 100 loaded trucks and tankers stranded at various points along National Highway 39 started heading for Imphal this afternoon after the students’ association suspended the blockade for six days from today.

The leaders of various transport associations were also present during the talks. A source said the association agreed to suspend the blockade temporarily after the works minister convinced them that repairs would start immediately and be completed by

Govt assures students that highway stretch will be repaired It agreed to lift the blockade temporarily after the state works minister K. Ranjit Singh held four-hour-long talks with leaders of the association and other Naga organisations at the district headquarters today. Three MLAs of the district, K. Raina, M. Thohrii and Doukhomang Haokip, assisted the works minister in the talks.

December. Ranjit’s appeal to extend the suspension beyond six days was, however, rejected by the student leaders. The association leaders said the blockade would be re-imposed if the progress of the work was not satisfactory. “We will first see how the work progresses. If the progress is satisfactory we will not re-impose the blockade. But

if the work is slow then the blockade will be back,” a student leader said. In another development, Manipur’s inter-state bus services resumed today after staying off the roads for one day yesterday, after a threat from the Kuki Liberation Organisation/Kuki Liberation Army. The director-general of police, Yumnam Joykumar Singh, today met a delegation of the bus operators and assured them adequate security for the buses. Bus association sources said some buses left Imphal today despite the threat and more would resume services tomorrow. The outfit set on fire a bus on October 23 night in Karbi Anglong for not paying annual tax and the group issued fresh threats to the buses forcing the transporters off the roads yesterday.

GJMM condemns death of Nepali boys in Assam ﬁring

DARJEELING, NOVEMBER 15 (AGENCIES): The Gorkha Jana Mukti Morcha president Mr Bimal Gurung has faxed a memorandum to Union home minister Mr Shivraj Patil and Assam chief minister Mr Tarun Gogoi condemning the killing of two Nepali boys in indiscriminate firing by an extremist group in Assam recently. Tanka Chettri and Dipak Chettri were victims of the random firing by a militant group Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel) on 10 November at a Nepalese settlement of Kamala Tea Estate in North Cachar hills. The firing seriously injured many others and left the villagers petrified. “With deep anguish we express our condemnation of the act. Gorkhas have been exemplary citizens in Assam but the incident has triggered

a feeling of insecurity among Gorkhas in the region,” said GJMM general-secretary Mr Roshan Giri. According to Mr Giri police from nearby Mahur area had warned the people just before the attacks but it was too late for security arrangements by then. “This means that the police knew of the attacks but did nothing for the villagers’ safety,” he said. Mr Giri added that this could prove adverse at a time when the Gorkha’s are leading a movement for a separate state and identity from West Bengal. “The Gorkhaland movement is at a decisive stage and this type of attacks on Gorkhas could flare up emotions. We demand that the Assam government and Centre intervene on the matter and arrest the culprits,” he said.

Chief secy-level talks for AssamMeghalaya boundary dispute

SHILLONG, NOVEMBER 14 (THE TELEGRAPH): The second chief secretarylevel meeting to solve the inter-state boundary disputes between Assam and Meghalaya, including the one over Langpih in West Khasi Hills district, will be held at Byrnihat on Thursday, Meghalaya chief secretary Ranjan Chatterjee said this today. The first chief secretary-level meeting to solve the border problem was held on July 31. Chatterjee told this correspondent today that the meeting would examine the points raised in the last official-level Locals of Borhat village under Borhat P.S of Charaideo subdivision at a road blockade in Charaid- discussions in Guwahati beeo on November 15 protesting against the arrest of a youth, Bitupon Changmai by personnel of tween the two chief secretaries and the minutes of the the Army last evening. (UB Photos)

meeting of chief ministers of the two states held on June 12. “We are committed to finding an amicable solution to the border dispute,” Chatterjee said. Assam laid the foundation stone of a health sub-centre and initiated other development packages at Langpih in the West Khasi Hills border on May 31. It was then that Meghalaya protested, saying Langpih belonged to it and Assam had forcefully occupied the place in 1979 and had since been encouraging Nepalis to come and settle there. In the just-concluded Assembly session in Meghalaya, deputy chief minister H.S. Lyngdoh, who is in charge of the home portfolio,

said Meghalaya would create a police outpost at Langpih as Assam had already set up a police outpost there. The Meghalaya government also maintained that the development work initiated by Assam on the Meghalaya border would be considered only as charity. The meeting between Meghalaya chief minister Donkupar Roy and his Assam counterpart Tarun Gogoi in Dispur on June 12 had entrusted the chief secretaries of the two states to hold further discussions. . In the first meeting of the chief secretaries, Assam sought a “written statement” from Meghalaya on its claim over Langpih (Lampi in Assam).

Development versus graft-free governance in Mizoram AR guns down two UNLF cadres

GUWAHATI, NOVEMBER 15 (AGENCIES): The ruling Mizo National Front has made “development” it main poll plank to counter the Congress campaign of “corruption during MNF rule” in the December 2 Assembly elections in Mizoram. “Our main poll plank is development and finishing the unfinished task that we initiated for development of Mizoram over the last 10 years,” Chief Minister and MNF president Zoramthanga told The Hindu. Among the development initiatives being showcased by the MNF, which

is seeking a third consecutive term, is the healthcare scheme. “No other State has such a unique healthcare scheme that covers the entire population,” said the former underground rebel leader-turned-politician. The former Chief Minister and Pradesh Congress Committee president, Lalthanhawla, however, alleged rampant corruption and misuse of government funds. “The people are fed up with MNF rule because of rampant corruption and looting of the public exchequer. So we have promised the people a corruption-free government.” The Congress has also said

it will undertake massive economic reform programmes for farmers and weaker sections. It has fielded 38 candidates and left two seats for its ally, Hmar People’s Conference (HPC). The MNF has fielded 37 candidates, leaving two seats to the Mizoram Congress Party (MCP) and one seat to another ally, Maraland Democratic Front (MDF). In the existing 40-member House, the MNF and the MDF together have a strength of 23, followed by the Congress with 11, the MPC 3 and the ZNP 2. There is one independent.

The State is likely to witness three-cornered contests in a number of constituencies among the MNF, the Congress and the newly-formed United Democratic Alliance (UDA) comprising the Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP), the Mizoram People’s Conference (MPC) and the Zoram Kuthnathawktu Pawl (ZKP), which is a platform of farmers. While both Mr. Zoramthanga and Mr. Lalthanhawla are in the fray in two constituencies each, the UDA’s chief ministerial candidate and 86-year-old Mizo politician, Brigadier T. Sailo, is contesting one seat.

DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 15 (MExN): Based on specific information about movement of UNLF cadres, troops of 31 Assam Rifles of 26 Sector under HQ IGAR (South) launched operation in general area Lampyele Lok. Multiple ambushes were laid in the area, at about 1:45 am AR troops observed two persons moving in a suspicious manner from direction of Kwatha towards Khudenthabi and one of them was spotted with a weapon. On being challenged to stop, the persons opened fire on

own troops and tried to escapes. Own troops responded immediately and brought down accurate and heavy fire on the terrorists. In the ensuing firefight the two UG cadres were eliminated. One AK-47 rifle with a magazine, a Chinese hand grenade, 10 live rounds of AK-47, 3 fired-cartridges and a radio set (made in Japan) were recovered from the slain UGs cadres. Dead body of the slain terrorists alongwith recovered items have been handed over to the Moreh Police Station.

SUNDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2008

EXPRESS

Review

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

Hunger Isn’t History

The world produces more food than ever. So why do nearly a billion people still not have enough to eat?

(Left): School children wait by the roadside while selling wild fruits in Murehwa about 120 kilometres north east of Harare,Wednesday, November 12..Jackals, baboons and goats also compete with villagers for roots and wild fruits according to witness accounts.The Uinited Nations has forecast a full scale hmanitarian crisis and estimates more than 5 milion people, about half the population will need food aid by the begining of next year.Zimbabwes inﬂation, the highest in the world pegged at over 213 million percent has spiraled out of control at a time when health and education services have collapsed. (Right): Woman carry non food items that they received from aid organizations, Thursday, November 13, in Kibati just north of Goma in eastern Congo. The city of Goma has been besieged by rebels loyal to renegade Gen. Laurent Nkunda since he reached the outskirts of the provincial capital, and the rebels have promised to ﬁght any African troops that aid the Congolese army. (AP Photo) Timothy C. Morgan & Isaac Phiri Source: Christianity Today

ON THE road toward fulfilling the Bono-endorsed slogan, "Make Poverty History," the world has hit an unexpected speed bump: prosperity. India's expanding auto industry puts 4,300 new cars a day on already-crowded streets. Oilwealthy Russia has doubled its meat consumption since 2000. Brazil's sizzling economy is growing its use of steel at a faster rate (over 20 percent this year alone) than nearly any other nation. China has increased its consumption of eggs by a factor of ten in recent years.Globalizing markets and economies have created new winners: Russia, China, Brazil, and India. The 2.9 billion people in these four nations are driving demand for consumer goods to levels the global economy has never seen before. In 2001, the financial press began using the acronym bric (Brazil, Russia, India, China) to denote the emerging $13.8 trillion powerhouse. The prosperity of these economically booming nations has pulled hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.But there are also new losers—nation-states living on the dark side of the new prosperity. It is worse than just grinding poverty. One expert whom Christianity Today spoke with estimates that worldwide, 25,000 people die each day of hunger-related illnesses. Most of these preventable deaths occur in regions with no oil, insufficient food, and unending conflict.

Chronic Hunger This new reality comes after 45 years of steady progress in global food production. Last year, for example, there was a record production of 2.3 billion tons of grain. But production has been unable to keep pace with demand. Grain stockpiles are at 30-year lows. Globally, 850 million people are chronically hungry. Experts cite the following reasons: • Failed harvests. Since 2006, multi-year drought, cyclones, and other natural disasters have dramatically cut harvests in some food-exporting nations. A sixyear drought in Australia's rice-growing region, for example, has caused its harvest to plummet. • Rising fuel prices. Demand for new oil and gas sources has triggered price spikes, thus increasing the cost of food production. Despite a recent decline from the $147-per-barrel peak this July, oil prices are still 60 percent higher than they were in 2005. • Increased demand for grain. About 100 million tons of grains and oilseeds are being diverted to produce biofuels every year. China and other developing nations are annually using millions of tons more of imported corn, wheat, and soybeans to feed cattle, pigs, and chickens. In the words of Tony Hall, Christian hunger activist, former congressman, and former U.S. ambassador to the UN World Food Program, these factors have combined to create a "perfect storm" for global hunger. "We have never had all these things come together at one time," he said. In the past 18 months, the price of basic foods has skyrocketed. Experts estimate nearly 100 million poor people have moved from a subsistence lifestyle on $2 a day to $1 a day to cope. In Afghanistan, this $1 gap is the difference between living on a diet of bread and tea, and living on tea alone. The past 12 months have been a roller coaster of gyrating prices, droughts, flooding, and food scarcity. In 2008, food riots and protests—in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, and Haiti—made global headlines. In Haiti, 78 percent of the population lives on $2 a day or less. The Caribbean nation imports more than 50 percent of its food, while many Haitians use 75 percent of their already-meager incomes to purchase food. After rice prices doubled this spring, riots erupted, killing five people. The government reduced prices by offering a 15 percent subsidy. But this fall, four tropical storms, including hurricanes Gustav, Hanna, and Ike, claimed the lives of another 330 people. Storm damage made food aid even more difficult to deliver, placing millions of Haitians at greater risk of malnutrition and starvation. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World, an advocacy organization to stem hunger, told CT, "Christian people need to know that the world has been making progress against hunger, poverty, and disease. I see this as God moving in our time. People need to understand that we are going through a very serious setback in that progress. We're seeing a sharp increase in hunger in our own country and in developing countries. If we are going to get back on track, we need to be activist citizens and get our government to do its part." "This situation is calling out for action, political and

spiritual," Hall told CT. "This thing is becoming so big that we need to bring God into this and we're not. We are attacking it piecemeal. We need to ask God's wisdom and his help. We need a major fast and prayer across this nation. That's job one."

Crisis on the horizon Twenty-one of the 35 nations hit most severely by food scarcity and high prices are in Africa, according to the UN. Of those 21 African nations, Ethiopia represents the worst of the worst. War, drought, famine, and starvation have been familiar to Ethiopians for generations. Right now, 14 million don't have enough food. Stunted by chronic malnutrition, 12-year-old boys have the height and weight of American seven-year-olds. In southern Ethiopia, a vast, Texas-sized rural area of subsistence farmers, grain prices have tripled in the past two years, while prices for coffee beans, their main export crop, have stalled. One of the biggest cash crops is khat. The poor and hungry chew its mildly addictive leaves as a stimulant and appetite suppressant. Food aid is often distributed with armed escorts to prevent robbers or mobs from overwhelming relief workers. Religious tensions also run high between Christians and Muslims. From the village of Wondo Genet, Pastor Philip, who helps distribute food aid locally and asked not to be named for security reasons, told CT, "We do not give priority according to religion. We give priority according to need. Maybe they are Muslim or Coptic or whatever they are. We give to the most affected." When the food aid trucks arrive, local leaders use information gleaned from household surveys to decide who gets fortified grain and other foodstuffs. CT interviewed Pastor Philip during his U.S. visit to raise additional aid funds. "We are focusing on the rural area. The women and children are most affected. The mothers give priority to children. Everything is finished before mothers get something. That is the saddest part." Eastern Africa's 19 nations have a total population of 300 million. On average, 80 percent live on no more than $2 per day, and most farmers live from harvest to harvest. In urban areas, millions of Africans cannot find food; when it is available, they cannot afford it. In Nairobi, Kenya, more than one million routinely go hungry. In Zimbabwe, it is projected that over five million of the country's 12 million will be starving next year. For Bishop Paul Mususu, head of the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia, which is active in helping drought and flood victims in rural southern and western Zambia, the region's crisis has "almost become a norm." One of the biggest, most haunting questions for church leaders, field researchers, and policymakers is this: How much of the current crisis is manmade? The UK-based charity Christian Aid supports food aid programs across Africa, and it disputes suggestions that the food crisis is primarily due to natural factors such as droughts, flooding, or cyclones. "This is a crisis of man's making—not nature," reads its food crisis report from July. There are many factors in play: • Sharp reductions in government subsidies, paired with an end to many price controls • Little investment in modernizing traditional agriculture • Food aid distribution tainted by partisan politics • Cash crops such as cut flowers, tobacco, or biofuel grains displacing domestic food production • Food insecurity due to violent conflicts. At the grassroots, food insecurity is a fact of life for millions of people. Frail and malnourished, Eunice Emanure lives in Gangura village, a cluster of huts along the Southern Sudan border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). She goes without food because the little she had was looted when a rowdy band of Lord's Resistance Army militia swept through her village. "They came into my house and took everything," she told CT. In lush northeastern DRC, the residents of Nyabondo go without food because there is not enough stability to grow crops or rear livestock. Villagers told CT how they survived in the jungle on anything and everything after a hostile rebel group raided their village. In Mogadishu, the war-ravaged capital of Somalia, aid workers cannot deliver food for fear of being caught in the crossfire between feuding factions. Aid workers die in these skirmishes, but even more Somalis die from lack of food. In Sudan's warring Darfur region, 100 UN trucks delivering food have been attacked this year. In Nairobi, Evangelical Fellowship of Kenya program coordinator Sophie Nyokabi is still shocked by her August grocery bill. "I spent twice as much as I spent in January,"

she told CT. But on the other side of Nairobi in Kibera, one of the world's largest slum communities, thousands starve annually because they cannot afford the food on display in the unlicensed kiosks along the dust-choked streets. Worse may yet come for Nyokabi, Kibera residents, and all Kenyans. Christian Aid says, "Food prices [in Kenya] are expected to remain high into 2009 as a result of reduced cultivation [due to the displacement of 500,000 people in the food-growing Rift Valley], low stocks, and high fuel prices." In Zambia, villagers in the southern province live on so-called famine foods (wild fruits, nuts, and roots). Their crop was swept away by floods. In Lusaka, the capital, one family of eight lives on the edge as food prices have increased by 50 percent since January. They alternate eating meals. Tokunboh Adeyemo, retired general secretary of the Association of Evangelicals in Africa, has traveled to nearly every African country and has rarely been so alarmed. Adeyemo believes that if the food situation is not addressed effectively, it may trigger new conflict. "We are sitting on a time bomb," he told CT from a book-crammed study in his Nairobi apartment. "When hunger becomes anger," he says, "people will fight."

Food Aid Myths Starting with an act of Congress in 1954, the United States has given more money and food to fight global hunger than any other nation. It translates into $1.2 billion a year in aid. But three years ago, Christopher Barrett, a Cornell University professor and development expert, coauthored the heavily researched Food Aid After Fifty Years: Recasting Its Role, which gave a devastating critique of food aid. It showed how attempts, especially by the United States and charitable groups, go awry all too frequently. "Food aid is a deeply flawed instrument," he writes. In Barrett's opinion, the following are the core problems with food aid: • Conflicts of interest. American food aid primarily benefits agribusiness, American shippers, and politicians—not hungry people. • Few reforms are ever implemented. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), including faith-based groups, are "reluctant to rock the boat" because they fear an overall decrease in resources for aid programs if they take on politically entrenched interests. (Even the Bush administration had a rough time pressing Congress for food aid reform in the recently approved Farm Bill.) • The food aid system is inefficient, untrustworthy, and costly. The aid does not reliably get to hungry people. It may arrive too late to do much good. It's extremely expensive, for example, to ship two million metric tons of grain from the American Midwest thousands of miles to hungry people in remote places. Only 35 cents per $1 of food aid goes for actual food. The rest goes to pay for transport. The most controversial practice in American food aid is called "monetization," the practice of American-flagged vessels shipping grain to foreign markets. With careful controls in place, this non-emergency food is sold. The money is then used to provide local assistance, which, in some cases, includes valuable programs to modernize local food production. Critics believe this practice drives down the price of local food, thus undermining local farmers. Last year, the U.S. charity care rocked the development world when it decided to turn down $45 million in food aid for monetization. care said monetization was working against its goals of reducing poverty and chronic hunger. Forgoing monetization, the UN World Food Program and many other nations typically purchase grain in regional markets and use that for aid efforts in nearby countries. Unlike years past, the U.S. government does not maintain warehouses stuffed with surplus food. Today, the government buys food in American markets. Barrett told CT, "We lose a great deal of value in taking cash to buy food to ship food to turn it back into cash. It's very wasteful of taxpayer dollars." (Barrett said that in short-term emergencies, it makes sense for food to be shipped in to save the starving.) Several large aid agencies continue to participate in monetization, including Catholic Relief Services and World Vision. Robert Zachritz, World Vision's director of advocacy and government relations, told CT, "We have supported monetization. Is it a perfect tool? No. It can be an effective tool that saves lives. "About 75 percent of the longer-term development programs are through monetization. World Vision's position is

more practical. If you remove that resource, it won't be replaced." He said monetization programs are subject to careful controls to prevent damage to local markets and they limit excessive profits for shippers. He said Europe transitioned from in-kind food donation to all-cash. But afterward, total aid declined 50 percent. Zachritz is keen on emphasizing that no one institution has "the total answer" to global hunger. "We need good governments. We need businesses. We need the church, the faith-based community. We need big NGOs. We need smaller NGOs. If you look at Bill Gates, he cannot solve this by himself. The church cannot solve this by itself. We need to work together. Where you get synergy, that's where you develop the answers." In some parts of East Africa at least, that kind of synergy is possible. There is a growing desire for political and church leaders to address chronic hunger using every resource they can throw into the fight. "All of our global resources have been mobilized to respond," says Stuart Katwikirize, emergency affairs adviser for Africa with World Vision, based in Nairobi. But coordination has proven difficult. Over the years, Katwikirize has observed this pattern: A drought hits and people lose all of their crops; then a flood follows and more losses are incurred. This is clearly the case in the Horn of Africa, where droughts are followed by floods, which are then followed by severe droughts. "The same people affected by the flood are now affected by the drought. I know—I have been there," says Katwikirize, who travels extensively in these areas. He cites Kenya as an example. "Northern Kenya is not a poor place. Local pastoralists know when there will be a drought." Instead of losing their animals, they destock by selling some of their herds so that they remain with fewer animals during the drought and also have cash to buy food and restock after the drought. "They are willing to sell at least half their stock," says Katwikirize. There is one big snag: The government has never invested in the development of infrastructure in the region. "Who will go to buy their animals if there is no road?" The end result: Thousands of cattle die and large clusters of human populations find themselves desperate for food aid. Many church leaders agree that governments must bear a large portion of the responsibility. Adeyemo posits that while droughts are inevitable, starvation is not. Africans must find ways to harvest extra water when it rains heavily and to harness solar energy in droughtprone but sunbathed areas. Adeyemo believes one main cause of the food crisis in Africa is poor management. Africans must learn to manage their resources effectively. He cites the biblical creation account. Humans were created after all resources for their survival were put in place. Africans have to maximize productive use of their God-given resources. But the problem that frustrates Adeyemo even more is "leadership ineptitude"—the failure of African leaders to bring about enduring solutions to African crises such as food availability and accessibility. "They keep blaming colonialism 50 years later," says Adeyemo. Instead of pointing fingers, he says, African leaders must devise and implement ways of combating the food crisis. Adeyemo has three ideas: • African governments must put more money into agriculture than into buying guns. "Right now most money goes into defense." • Leaders must decentralize development programs to reach rural areas where food is produced. "Our city facilities are overstretched." • New ways must be developed to make farming financially sustainable. "Our farmers are languishing. We have to scale up the status of food producers." Adeyemo's call for Western Christians is to not grow "weary" in developing new ways to respond, since food aid alone will never solve these problems. Adeyemo told CT there is a better way. "Give me the recipe. Do not just give me handouts." He believes that with the right kind of help, Africa can feed itself. Adeyemo moves aside the papers on his desk and leans forward to drive home a passionate plea: "Give us the right type of missionary to empower our people to produce their own food." Beyond his call for prayer and fasting, activist Tony Hall, author of Changing the Face of Hunger, has one small idea to fight the big problem of global hunger. He learned it from Mother Teresa during a visit to India. "When you are with the poor and helping them, God is there. That is a beautiful place to be. Mother Teresa taught me my first lesson. She said, 'Do the thing in front of you.' "What's going on in your church? Pay attention to what's in front."

SUNDAY

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

16 NOVEMBER 2008

PERSPECTIVE NEWS ANALYSIS, FEATURE AND DISCOURSE

Continent of Hope John Prendergast

Julie Polter

Why Africa is a land of endless possibilitiy -- and how that should guide U.S. relations with the continent

Being vessels of that perfect love that

orgive a typical American if she were to pay a visit to the West African nation of Sierra Leone and be confused by her surroundings. If she had ever heard of Sierra Leone before, it might have been while watching the movie Blood Diamond, which graphically depicted some of the worst depredations of the conflict there, such as the rebel group RUF’s amputation of limbs, the drug-crazed child soldiers, and the links between criminal diamond-dealing mafias and the war economy. If this visitor to Sierra Leone had been reading occasional international news missives over the years, she might have remembered something about a rebel group that hacked the limbs off civilians to punish them for voting, or perhaps might have remembered that al Qaeda laundered money in the Sierra Leone diamond market before and after 9/11 to hide its assets. Given that context, she certainly would have been quite astounded to have joined me on my visit to Tongo Fields in eastern Sierra Leone, the heart of the diamond-producing area and the site of some of the most intense fighting and horrific atrocities in the last century in Africa. What she would have seen in fact defied all expectations—the kind of low expectations that have come to mark international attitudes toward Africa in general. Tongo Fields is a place crawling with former child soldiers, heavily contested by three political parties in last year’s election, and placed at further risk by a winner-take-all electoral process that dictates access to diamond profits as a result of victory at the polls. Before Sierra Leone’s historic 2007 election, every conflict indicator was flashing a red alert. Africa “experts” around the world were predicting that Sierra Leone, only half a decade after the end of its brutal civil war, was perhaps heading back down an inevitable road toward a return to war. So in the context of all that Afro-pessimism—the legacy of war thick as the rainy season clouds lacing the Sierra Leonean skies—what happened? I’VE OBSERVED elections in a number of African countries over the past 25 years, and this election in Sierra Leone may have been the most efficient, transparent and peaceful procedure I have ever witnessed, run by some of the most conscientious and earnest polling officials I have ever met. The army stayed in the barracks and didn’t improperly intervene, while the police contributed to the security of elections throughout the country on election day. The runoff among the two highest vote-getters led to a victory by the opposition party, and the ruling party gracefully and peacefully turned over the reins of power. In a grand affirmation of their country’s future, the people of Sierra Leone are defying both historical legacies and pundits’ low expectations. An appropriately named former child soldier, Elijah, told me, “It’s a brand-new day for Sierra Leone.” Every one of the ex-combatants that I met in Tongo Fields and Freetown said in no uncertain terms that they would never again be lured back to a life of war in the bush. “We fought for nothing,” another former child soldier told me. “We are so tired of war. We don’t want to be used for fighting and end up with nothing.” A third former combatant, who divulged that he had committed “terrible atrocities” while he was in the bush, concluded, “This vote signals the end of jungle justice.” The similarities are striking to another African country that also was written off by Africa “experts”: Liberia. Much like Blood Diamond, movies such as Lord of War with Nicolas Cage leave a hopeless im-

pression of Liberia, referred to in the film as “that country which God seemed to have forsaken,” with Cage’s character describing the outskirts of Monrovia as “the edge of hell.” Yet in late 2005, Liberians marched to the polls and elected the first female head of state in Africa, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, and more than 100,000 soldiers have demobilized as the country works diligently to erase the legacies of war. President Johnson-Sirleaf ’s policies in a number of sectors have become models for other countries, and she is regularly invited to Europe and America to share her lessons learned and insights into how to heal societies and countries believed to have been “broken.” I was there for that election too. The stories of the former child soldiers in Liberia were hauntingly similar to those of Sierra Leone. A 14-year-old named David told me, “We were used, fooled, and forced” by their former warlords; now he wants to farm if he can be given a little land and some capital. Others want to go to school or get job training. The last thing they want is to be dragged back to a world where the rule of law is abandoned and the gun talks loudest of all. MOST AMERICANS view Africa as a place ripped apart by war, famine, anarchy, and HIV/ AIDS. They often view Africans as people who need to be helped and “saved.” The truth is that there are indeed a few countries that are trapped in cycles of conflict, such as Sudan, Somalia, and Congo. But they are the exceptions. Liberia and Sierra Leone tell a different story of Africa—that of a continent of hope, of transformation. The evidence goes far beyond those two West African nations. Everyone knows the story of South Africa, which up until the early 1990s was ruled by a system that codified racial discrimination against black Africans. Today, South Africa is preparing for its fourth democratic elections since the fall of that apartheid system. At the time Nelson Mandela was being elected South Africa’s first democratic president in 1994, Africa’s fastest genocide was occurring in Rwanda, where almost one million people were eliminated from the face of the earth in 100 days. Today, Rwandans are working hard to heal the wounds of the recent past, the country has a significant economic growth rate, and the likelihood of a return to conflict diminishes with each passing year. Neighboring Burundi and southern Sudan—themselves ripped apart by genocide and conflict, killing mil-

lions—have forged peace deals laying the groundwork for future peace and security. In all of these countries, there are political and security problems, but the grassroots demand for peace has resulted in fundamental transformations that, if they had occurred in Europe, would be hailed as nothing short of miraculous. What I have found in my travels in each of these success stories is an unparalleled assertion of rights and responsibilities by people from all walks of life throughout Africa, and especially by young people. There is a demand that their voices be heard, through the ballot box, through civil society organizations, through news media, through new and renewed political parties, and through burgeoning cultures of accountability. Part of what had fueled recruitment of young people during these various wars was disempowerment and victimization. Electoral processes, education, and development initiatives allow for a revaluation of the importance of the individual within the community, thus beginning a process of vesting citizens in the governance of their own countries. ALL THIS IS just intellectual fodder unless it provides lessons for what we can do now for the biggest crises on the African continent: Darfur and Congo (see sidebar). The difference between Darfur and other cases such as Sierra Leone is that this time Americans are not looking away, and are asserting that our government has an important role to play in ending the crisis. With the exception of the smaller but effective anti-apartheid movement for South Africa in the 1980s, the outpouring of American activism in support of a more robust U.S. response to Darfur has been unparalleled. It is the first time there has been a mass-based political movement created to confront genocide or civil war in Africa. We need to raise our voices even louder for Darfur and find room in our advocacy for the people of Congo as well. Failure in Darfur would likely mean that hundreds of thousands of Americans would once again turn away from the hard issues still confronting Africa as it tries to shake off its legacies of slavery, colonialism, and conflict to create a new future. Success in Darfur, however, will ensure that a whole generation of newly politically active Americans will redouble their efforts to ensure that a permanent constituency is created that will not stand idly by in the face of future war or genocide in Africa.

The Evangelist of Our Time Source: Christianity Today For Billy Graham, to live was to preach Christ History will remember Billy Graham as the world's greatest missionary-evangelist. No other person has preached the gospel face-to-face to so many—over 100 million. No other person has led so many to make explicit spiritual decisions, usually to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior—over two million. And no other person has traveled to so many countries to preach the gospel—more than 65. How could it ever have happened? How could a shy country boy from the foothills of North Carolina sway millions and stand before kings? Some have suggested that, at root, Billy Graham is a supreme opportunist. At a crucial point in Los Angeles in his early ministry, media tycoon William Randolph Hearst ordered his chain of newspapers to "Puff Graham." The media took over and created Billy Graham, his evangelistic career, and its worldwide success—or so the story goes. However, Billy Graham's own answer to this puzzle is "the hand of God." The Spirit of God fell on this unpromising material and called him to be an evangelist. And who can deny the evangelist is right? From the very first, Graham's unswerving purpose has been to carry the message of the gospel to all the world-to everyone everywhere by whatever means— so that some might be saved from the guilt and burden of their sins and others aroused and strengthened to live obedient and useful lives for the glory of God. From that goal, he has never deviated. In his early mission, no doubt the heavy hand of William Randolph Hearst was laid upon him and gave him welcome advertising in his attempts to reach a wider public hearing. But even a superficial reading of Graham's ministry before that Los Angeles crusade (1949) will show a rising young evangelist of exceptional promise. Without Hearst, nationwide and worldwide acceptance might have proved slower in coming, but God's special call upon Billy Graham became clearly evident from the earliest days of his public ministry. Critics answered Graham never lacked critics both of his message and his method. They came from Right and Left. Some charged him with the worst kind of opportunism: He warped the biblical gospel to whatever peo-

Re-Rooting Ourselves in God

ple wished to hear. He taught an "easy believism" so it was alleged: Make a decision for Christ and you will be saved. Others reversed the charge and accused him of legalism: Come forward, turn over a new leaf, and live a life separated from the world. More serious was a charge by liberals and some evangelicals that he neglected the social implications of the gospel. The fact is, from his earliest days he stressed holy living and the duty of the regenerate believer to serve humankind. The piece of truth in this charge is that Graham laid less stress on political action—to build a better society by passing laws— than he did on right social conduct. The responsibility of the Christian to change society by legal action was always there, but he insisted that we shall never introduce a perfect society by passing laws (however necessary they are). The most important thing is to change people so they will want to structure society rightly and live for the good of others. Particularly in the early days of his crusades, many fundamentalists and some evangelicals objected to the participation of liberal churches in his campaigns. Moreover, he did not challenge the distinctives of Roman Catholics; this his critics interpreted as ignoring the Reformation. It is true, Graham rarely confronted liberals with their liberalism or attacked Roman Catholic distinctives. It was not that these teachings were unimportant to him, but they were clearly secondary. His call was and continues to be to preach the gospel and the free grace of Christ, receivable on the condition of faith and faith alone. Graham believes that the good fruit born by this preaching is ample confirmation that his method of presenting the truth positively is right. Countless disillusioned and spiritually starved liberals have found life in the Savior through his crusades. And today Roman Catholics usually make up the largest single denominational group attending his citywide crusades. As to his methodology, most criticism has focused on the mass psychological appeal of his meetings, with their exuberant singing, intense testimonies by past converts, emotional appeal of the message, and the urgent pressure to come forward and "decide for Christ." Yet what strikes most people who actually attend his crusades and listen to his "invitations" is his lack of emotional tactics. Particularly in recent years, his voice is calm, the

words are simple, and the appeal reasonable. Most who object to what is done really believe there is no legitimate role for an appeal to the will based on emotions, and are thus forgetting the wholeness of the human person. Objections to the financial management of the crusades and the financial integrity of the crusade committee, especially of the Graham Team, are almost nonexistent. The Graham organization has kept meticulously accurate and detailed accounts that can be checked by all who make any contribution. Citywide committees are required to publish carefully audited accounts in local newspapers. And no one has ever seriously questioned the financial integrity of Graham or those who have worked with him. A serious question raised by some, including a number of evangelicals, is the wisdom of citywide campaigns and the use of TV and radio to communicate the gospel. Are not these modern media-dominated events so expensive and, at the same time, so impersonal that they represent a misuse of kingdom resources? However, in an increasingly secular society, some can be reached through mass evangelism who would never darken the door of a church. Who can measure how much the crusade "Schools for Evangelism" have built up the body of Christ? Or what spiritual blessings have come on the "Hour of Decision" through radio and television? The Christian works on the principle that everywhere and always, by all possible means, we seek to win the lost and strengthen the church. A successor? This month Billy Graham turned 70. Where will he go from here? With no crystal ball in which to gaze, we can safely say he will go on as he has in the past so long as physical and mental strength remain. Campaigns will be shorter and less frequent, but they will not cease until God lays him flat on his back or takes him home to glory. For Billy Graham, to live is to preach Christ. And who will be his successor? No one! Jonathan Edwards had no successor. Neither did Whitefield or Wesley or Finney or Spurgeon or Moody or Billy Sunday or Walter Maier or Charles E. Fuller. Billy Graham is an evangelist. In some ways he is "the evangelist." Certainly he is the evangelist of our time. God raised him up. And when he has gone, it will be up to God to raise up another evangelist for another day.

ith many more Americans struggling to pay for food and housing, the upcoming commercial holiday season may by necessity be a time for soul-searching and creative generosity. For the past few decades, the day after Thanksgiving has been promoted as Black Friday, a one-day ritual of shopping frenzy. Underlying the news stories of people lined up outside big box stores hours before opening was the suggestion that if enough of us believed and bought and made a flagrant offering of our credit cards, retailers’ account books would mystically turn from red to black. Our faithfulness would be rewarded with the implicit promise of stuff enough for all and forever. Since the 1990s, Adbusters magazine and others have waged a guerrilla campaign to change Black Friday into Buy Nothing Day. But after months of economic turmoil, buying nothing is a given for many people. Loading up a shopping cart with electronics isn’t an option, much less a temptation. When financial institutions crack at the foundation and temples to false gods crumble, the fleeting nature of materialism’s comfort that the Buy Nothing folks warn about is made manifest. Even if our own situation seems secure, how can we not feel some fear and despair for those who are suffering—especially the poorest of the world’s poor, who risk starvation and bury far too many of their children even when our times are good? While we’re told wealth will trickle down, scarcity seems much more responsive to gravity, as the financial crisis among the rich nations threatens promised aid to developing countries. Some estimates are that the ranks of the hungry may grow by as many as 100 million people due to continuing record food and energy prices. SO HOW DO WE re-root ourselves in God to be vessels of perfect love that casts out fear (1 John 4:18)? We could start with Thanksgiving, parting the thicket of harvest décor and gluttony and claiming the noble, even liturgical impulse at its core: Count your blessings and acknowledge from whom they flow. If this seems like just another forced Hallmark moment, don’t relinquish the basics: If you are reading this, at least two blessings are at hand—this breath and this moment. This isn’t a sentimental exercise in denial, but rather an investment in God’s currency of grace. Reacquaint yourself with what poet Marge Piercy calls the “discipline of blessings” and “taste each moment, the bitter, the sour, the sweet, and the salty, and be glad for what does not hurt.” If we let it, the momentum of gratitude might tumble us into generosity. If you have resources, look for ways to get gas cards and groceries to those who need them in your community. Or make an interest-free loan to someone who needs a leg up. To reach out to global neighbors, many aid and development organizations allow you to “buy,” through your donation, livestock, seed, mosquito nets, school and medical supplies, and much more for people in need. They will welcome your support as charitable giving tightens. If your own budget is strained, don’t discount the wealth that is your time, talent, and presence. Make a volunteer commitment (to continue after holiday volunteers fade away) to your local food bank or homeless ministry. Make time to listen to the worries of others and to pray with them—and to share your own worries and be prayed with. Negotiate shared babysitting, help with home repairs, tutoring, or regular meals and companionship with another stressed family in your neighborhood. If you have practical skills for hard times, such as budgeting, résumé-writing, or cooking well with lowcost staples, join with others to lead workshops in your church. Seek ways to make change—simplify your life; recommit to the way of Christ; find common cause with those working for food security, the rights of the poor, just trade policies, or increased aid to the world’s poorest countries. Take it one day at a time for, as Piercy writes, “there is no justice we don’t make daily/like bread and love.” And let Advent be an opportunity to reacquaint ourselves with all the promises that a 401(k) can’t deliver. Prepare the way for the one who came to make all things new.

My Law – “Tieme Tanapiri” - A Maori Poem

Dedicated to the Climate Change LEADers of Nagaland as they embark on the quest for a new beginning before the impending end. From your mentor, Raj Verma. The sun may be clouded, yet ever the sun Will sweep on its course 'till the Cycle is run. And when into chaos the system is hurled Again shall the Builder reshape a new world. Your path may be clouded, uncertain your goal: Move on - for your orbit is fixed to your soul. And though it may lead into darkness of night, The torch of the Builder shall give it new light. You were. You will be! Know this while you are: Your spirit has travelled both long and afar. It came from the Source, to the Source it returns The Spark which was lighted eternally burns. It slept in a jewel. It leapt in a wave. It roamed in the forest. It rose from the grave. It took on strange garbs for long aeons of years, And now in the soul of yourself It appears. From body to body your spirit speeds on, It seeks a new form when the old one has gone. And the form that it finds is the fabric you wrought On the loom of the Mind from the fibre of Thought. As dew is drawn upwards, in rain to descend, Your thoughts drift away and in Destiny blend. You cannot escape them, for petty or great, Or evil or noble, they fashion your Fate. Somewhere on some planet, sometime and somehow, Your life will reflect your thoughts of your Now. My Law in unerring, no blood can atone The structure you built you will live in - alone. From Cycle to Cycle, through time and through space, Your lives with your longings will ever keep pace, And all that you ask for, and all you desire, Must come at your bidding, as flame out of fire. Once list' to that Voice and all tumult is done Your life is the life of the Infinite One. In the hurrying race you are conscious of pause, With love for the purpose, and love for the Cause. You are your own Devil, you are your own God, You fashioned the paths your footsteps have trod. And no one can save you from Error or Sin Until you have hark'd to the Spirit within. Dearie Aathang Hangsing As you celebrate your 3rd Birthday today, we want you to know how wonderful and special you are to us. Your presence has added smiles to our life and we can’t be happier than we are now. So, for all that you are to us, may you receive all in manifold on this very day.

“Happy Birthday”

With love and prayers, Hepa, Heno, Hesi, Helua, Hething and Heneng.

DABA English Service today Welcome to United Praise Evening Service Time: 4:00 pm Message: Dr Jamedi Venue: Dimapur Ao Baptist Church Duncan

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.

C M Y K

Dimapur

NATIONAL

Sunday 16 November 2008

The Morung Express

India rejoices over moon probe landing

NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 15 (AFP): India rejoiced Saturday over the landing of a lunar probe on the moon’s surface that vaulted the country into the league of space-faring nations like the United States, Russia and Japan. The TV set-sized probe, painted in the green-white-and-orange colours of the Indian flag, made a “precise-to-the-second” landing on the lunar surface late Friday after being released from the unmanned moon-orbiting Chandrayaan-1 satellite, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said. Politicians across the spectrum buried their differences to hail the milestone in India’s space history in which the nation joins Russia, the US, Japan and the European Space Agency in successfully landing moon probes. “Today is a historic day for India,” said Sonia Gandhi, head of the ruling Congress party. Opposition Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party leader Lal Krishna Advani called it an event “to be recorded in golden letters”. Former Indian president and rocket scientist Abdul Kalam said the landing of the probe -- which coincided with the anniversary of the birth of India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru -- “will kindle a dream in children”. “In 15 years I want to see an Indian on the moon,” said Kalam, who conceived of the socalled moon impact probe, or MIP, and is popularly known in India as “missile man”. The media was simi-

Former Indian president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, center right, greets Indian Space Research Organization Chairman G. Madhavan Nair, center left, soon after India's Moon Impact Probe successfully landed on the lunar surface, in Bangalore, November 15. (AP Photo)

larly ebullient. “The tricolour has landed,” trumpeted the Hindustan Times daily in a banner headline, referring to India’s flag. The Indian Express newspaper said: “India touches the moon.” India’s first lunar mission be-

gan October 22 when a rocket transported Chandrayaan-1 into space. Chandrayaan -- the Sanskrit word for moon craft -- is on a two-year orbital mission to provide a detailed map of the mineral, chemical and topographical characteristics of

the moon’s surface. The landing of the probe is a step toward landing an unmanned moon rover by 2012. ISRO also plans to launch satellites to study Mars and Venus. Critics say India, which has hundreds of millions of people living in deep pov-

erty, should not be embarking on a space race with starstruck regional powers like China and Japan. But the country has been keen to display its scientific prowess and claim a bigger slice of the global satellite business. Not only has India “put our national flag on the lunar surface, we have also emerged as a low-cost travel agency to space,” ISRO chief Madhavan Nair said, referring to the space mission’s total 80-milliondollar price tag which is less than half spent on similar expeditions by other countries. ISRO says its moon mission would help it achieve international “brand recognition” for India as a serious player in space. The probe’s 25-minute descent to the moon was recorded “in its onboard memory for later readout. Finally, the probe had a hard landing on the lunar surface that terminated its functioning,” ISRO said in a statement. India began its space programme in 1963, developing its own satellites and launch vehicles to cut dependence on overseas agencies. It first staked its claim for a share of the global commercial launch market by sending an Italian satellite into orbit in 2007. In January, it launched an Israeli spy satellite. But India still has a long way to go to catch up with China which, together with the United States, Russia and the European Space Agency, is already well established in the commercial space sector.

Chandrayaan-I shows India means business in space

BANGALORE, NOVEMBER 15 (PTI): The successful landing of the Moon Impact Probe on the lunar surface has not only boosted the confidence of ISRO to undertake inter-planetary travel in future, but also conveyed a firm message to the world that India means business in the field of space, ISRO chief G Madhavan Nair said here today. "It (the landing of the Moon Impact Probe (MIP) and the Chandrayaan-I mission) has validated many of our assumptions and many of the principles involved in interplanetary travel. It's really a big boon (for ISRO). We can now take up travel to any other planet with confidence," a jubilant Nair told PTI in an interview, a day after the historic event. Last night, the Indian space programme achieved a unique feat with the placing of the Indian tricolour on the Moon's surface. The Indian flag was painted on the sides of MIP, one of 11 payloads of Chandrayaan-I spacecraft that successfully hit the lunar surface at 20:31 hrs. This is the first Indian built object to reach the surface of the Moon. "I am extremely happy that the nation has responded very positively to this event (MIP landing and Chandrayaan-I)", Nair, also the Secretary in the Department of Space, said. Nair said Chandrayaan-I was a coup of sorts in the branding stakes and ISRO's brand has skyrocketed with India's first unmanned Moon mission. "ISRO's name has been high all the time. This is another significant event. I am sure in the global community, we will have much more respect than what was (there) in the past", he said. The Chandrayaan-I mission has sent a clear signal internationally that India is really a space power and it means business. "That message has been given to everybody," Nair said.

NEWS FILE Delhi records highest number Eleven crude bombs found in Kannur KANNUR, NOVEMBER 15 (PTI): Eleven crude bombs were seized by police on Saturday from an abandoned house at Chittarithode, about 45 km from here, as part of their crackdown on stockpiling of deadly weapons in different parts of the district. The bombs, including four placed in plastic ice-cream ball cases, were found in a bucket close to the house, whose owner is employed outside Kerala, by a police team this morning. Police have intensified raids for explosive substances in sensitive parts of the district following recovery of 125 bombs, close on the heels of death of two RSS activists in an accidental bomb explosion at nearby Cheruvanchery. Home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had yesterday announced setting up of a special investigating team to carry out a detailed probe on those behind the stockpiling of deadly weapons in this politically sensitive district.

C M Y K

India releases 28 Pakistan prisoners WAGAH BORDER (PUNJAB), NOVEMBER 15 (ANI): India released 28 Pakistan nationals on Friday after they had completed their respective jail terms. The prisoners, released on the recommendations of Pakistan-India Judicial Committee on Prisoners, crossed over from the Wagah checkpost in Punjab. Recounting her plight Farzana, a released prisoner, said: “I am going to Pakistan after 18 months. Someone had put fake currency in my bag and I was caught. My case went on for seven months and that is over, so, I am going back.” “I am very happy and I want all the innocents on both sides of the border should be released,” said Qasim Mehmood, another released prisoner. The Pakistan-India Judicial Committee on Prisoners was formed in January 2007 to facilitate the release of prisoners languishing in jails in either country. On August 15, Pakistan released 34 Indian fishermen and a resident of Jammu, who had completed their jail terms in Pakistani jails, from Attari land border.

Security forces foil blast attempt ahead of J&K polls SRINAGAR, November 15 (PTI): Ahead of the first phase of assembly polls scheduled on November 17, a major tragedy was averted on Saturday when security forces detected an improvised explosive device(IED) on Srinagar-Muzaffarbad road in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said. A joint patrolling team of 52 Rashtriya Rifles, 53 Battalion CRPF and local police detected an IED planted by suspected militants near the roadside at Delina, 50 kms from here, the sources said. A bomb disposal squad was called in immediately to defuse the explosive, they said. Militants have stepped up attacks in the Valley following announcement of seven-phased elections in the state beginning November 17. Baramulla along with three other districts in the Valley is going to polls in the fourth phase of elections scheduled on December 7.

Woman held in a 2002 Gujarat riot case NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 15 (CNN-IBN): Gujarat Police have arrested a woman for the first time in a case related to the 2002 Gujarat riots. Gita Rathod has been arrested for her role in the infamous Naroda Patia riots of 2002. She was arrested by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Thursday and her police custody will end on Sunday. Metropolitan Magistrate KB Magnani had sent Gita to police custody till November 16. The SIT, which was specially constituted by the Supreme Court to re-investigate into some riot cases of 2002, will seek her further remand to ascertain where she procured the kerosene from. Gita has been charged with supplying kerosene used for burning down houses in the Ahmedabad suburb in which 89 people were killed.

of domestic violence cases NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 15 (AGENCIES): Two years after the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act was introduced, Delhi has earned the dubious distinction of having the maximum number of cases registered. About 3,534 cases have been registered under the Act in Delhi, closely followed by Kerala and Maharashtra. A disappointing factor is that only 13 states have so far allocated adequate budget for the implementation of the legislation. These assessments are part of `Staying Alive’, a monitoring and evaluation report on the Act by the Lawyers Collective and supported by UNIFEM South Asia office. Delhi recorded 3,534 cases between October 2006 to August 2008, while Kerala had 3,287 cases and Maharashtra 2,751. In

Andhra Pradesh, 1,625 cases were recorded between July 2007 and October 2008. While there is an increasing awareness of the legislation, there are several obstacles in its implementation. Inadequate budgetary allocation is a challenge with only 13 states including Assam, Delhi, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, having allocated specific budgets for the implementation of the law. Of these, Andhra Pradesh has allocated the highest amount of Rs 100 million, Indira Jaisingh, Lawyers Collective director, said. Girija Vyas of the National Commission of Women (NCW) said that delay in the judicial process also acted as a dampener to the spirit of the law. “Ideally, justice should be delivered to the victim within three

months but in many places, including the role model state Andhra Pradesh, cases drag on for more than six months,” Vyas said. Twenty-two judgments under the domestic violence Act have been delivered by High Courts in different states, indicating that there is a greater degree of familiarity of the law amongst women and judges now, the report said. Highlighting some of the challenges in the smooth implementation of the law, Jaisingh said that while protection officers, who are the link between the woman and the court, have been appointed at the district level in most of the states, only 10 states have appointed them at the sub-district level -- a necessary step required to ensure that maximum women can take help of the law.

Neeraja, 26, seated left, with his father Ramadoddi Kullayappa, 63, pose with the team of doctors from Narayana Hrudayalaya hospital in Bangalore, November 15. Kullayappa donated his one kidney and part of pancreas to his daughter Neeraja in a unique transplant procedure, which took the doctors about 10 hours to perform and is ﬁrst such case in India claimed the hospital. (AP Photo)

Centre to come out with organ transplant programme soon

NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 15 (AGENCIES): With a view to popularise and create awareness on the concept of organ donation, the Govt of India will soon come out with a National Organ Transplant Programme, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said in Chennai. Speaking at a function organised to felicitate the relatives of dead persons whose organs were donated by them, Ramadoss said on Saturday around Rs 1200-1400 crore would be spent on this programme. “It is expected to come into effect in another six months and we will be tabling a bill in this regard in the next Parliament session,” he said.

Accordingly, National, Regional and Zonal committees would be formed which would create awareness with the help of government funding to the tune of a maximum of Rs 25 crore, the Minister said. A national online register would be formed for this purpose, he said adding that this would make the donation and transplant more transparent. Compared to countries like Spain and Canada, organ transplantation rate as well as awareness were very low in India, he said. According to the planned initiative, hospitals would be required to notify a nodal authority about “braindead” persons being admitted to the ICU, which in turn

would “facilitate organ donation”. An autonomous structure, National Organ Procurement and Distribution Organisation, would be set up in ten regions across the country with a national head office. “Each state will also have one such office,” he added. To encourage the organ donation, the Centre was considering offering certain incentives such as lifetime second class railway passes for the nearest relatives of the deceased and other perks like health and life insurance to them. Overall, three to five lakh persons required organ transplant in India every year but the availability was very low, he said. He also lauded the rela-

tives of the deceased whose organs were donated by them. As many as 13 families were felicitated by Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala, who, while stressing the need for awareness on organ donation, called for “equipping ICU and Trauma units to retrieve organs from braindead persons”. He also said that religious heads should propagate the idea of organ donation since no religion forbid it, and ensure a “new lease of life” for “an unknown person”. Lauding Ramadoss for his Ministry’s proposed initiative, Barnala said the former had carried out many campaigns successfully including ban on smoking in public places.

Sensitisation of ofﬁcials must to curb human trafﬁcking

NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 15 (AGENCIES): The fight against Human trafficking crimes would require sensitisation of law enforcement officials and other stakeholders, the Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan said on Friday, pressing for an intensified action to curb the social menace. “We need sensitive police officers, prosecutors and magistracy,” he said, adding that it was the only way of improving

the quality of justice delivery in such crimes starting from registration of cases to investigation and to the delivery of justice in such cases. “We have a lot of talented people and we just need to increase the creed of fine prosecutors and judicial officers,” he said, inaugurating a colloquium on Justice Delivery in Human Trafficking Crimes in New Delhi. Linking the social problem with attempts to give

it a colour of religion in some states, the Chief Justice said, “It is not merely an economic problem but is also associated with superstition...people need to be made aware of the problem and we, through NALSA, are trying to sensitise people on their rights.” Trafficking is a complicated problem and it requires a coordinated and interdisciplinary response. “It touches on the domains of human rights

Canada, India negotiate nuclear deal

TORONTO, NOVEMBER 15 (PTI): Canada and India are negotiating a comprehensive nuclear deal that will allow the country to develop civilian nuclear power plants, a spokesperson of the foreign office said. Both sides had “informal” discussions last month and expect to schedule formal sessions soon, Lisa Monette, the spokesperson, said and added that Canada signalled its support for India’s re-engagement with the broader nuclear energy community when it backed the suppliers’ group decision. “India is a responsible democracy that shares with Canada the fundamental values of freedom, democracy, human rights and respect for the rule of law,” she remarked. “India has made substantial

non-proliferation and disarmament commitments to achieve the trust of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), which were reiterated in a political statement on September 5.” The negotiations come after Canada backed a decision by the NSG to provide an exemption for India that would allow it to develop civilian nuclear power even as it maintains its right to develop weapons without international scrutiny, Monette said. She said Canada and India have longstanding bilateral ties built upon shared values of democracy and pluralism and strong people-to-people links. In recent years, both countries have been working to enhance bilateral cooperation in a number of areas of mutual priority.

protection and gender justice while posing some difficult problems for law-enforcement officials,” the CJI said. Releasing a resource book on the Legal Framework for Anti-Human Trafficking measures, Chief Justice Balakrishnan said, “This book is meant for use by law enforcement officials and other stakeholders with the aim of sensitising them about effective role that they can play.”

Purohit says Army RDX was used in Samjhauta blast NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 15 (AGENCIES): Mumbai Anti-Terrorist Squad has claimed that Lt Col Shrikant Purohit, who was arrested in connection with the Malegaon blast, was also involved with the 2007 Samjhauta blast. Dayanand Pandey questioned in connection with Samjhauta Express blast Quoting from the Narco analysis test of Purohit, ATS said to the Nashik court that the accused had used RDX to carry out the blast in which 68 people were killed. Putting an end to all speculation, the anti-terror branch of Mumbai Police said that Army RDX was used and not sourced from across the border. Purohit was in possession of about 60 kg of RDX way back in 2006, when he was posted in Deolali camp of Indian army 16 kilometres from Nashik. Out of 60 kg, he had used a portion in the Samjhauta blast. But what is intriguing is that the investigation agency has no clue about the remaining RDX. This theory came in sharp contrast with the earlier investigation of Samjhauta blast, in which, it was concluded that not RDX, instead, IED and some liquid chemicals were used. Meanwhile, the Nashik court has extended the police custody of Purohit till November 18 from November 15.

Raj Thackeray arrested, released on bail MUMBAI, NOVEMBER 15 (AGENCIES): Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray was arrested on Saturday in connection with a non-bailable warrant issued against him, a Mumbai police official said. Earlier, Raj went to the Mazagaon court to surrender after which he was arrested. Later, the Mazagon sessions court released Raj Thackeray on personal bond of Rs 50,000. The court refused to grant transit remand to prosecution for Raj Thackeray to produce him in Jamshedpur court. The Jamshedpur police have moved an application seeking his remand in the case.

Exiled Tibetans wait to welcome their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama before his arrival in Dharmsala, November 15. A special meeting of Tibetan exiles that starts Monday has no set agenda, the Dalai Lama said Friday, though the gathering is widely expected to determine the direction of the movement that has struggled for decades to win autonomy from China. Buddhist ﬂags are seen in the background. (AP Photo)

INTERNATIONAL

The Morung Express

Sunday 16 November 2008

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UN says Congo crisis talks going well KINSHASA, NOVEMBER 15 (REUTERS): Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo said on Saturday his efforts to end fighting in Congo were going fairly well and that President Joseph Kabila had not given conditions for talks with the rebels. Kabila's army is battling dissident Tutsi general Laurent Nkunda's rebels and Obasanjo has been tasked by the United Nations with stopping the violence escalating into a re-run of the 1998-2003 conflict that sucked in six African nations. "(I) am trying to draw together the strands that we need... for us to be able to move forward. That has gone fairly well so far," Obasanjo told reporters in Kinshasa after meeting Kabila. He was due to fly to eastern Congo later on Saturday. Obasanjo, named last week by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as his special envoy, met Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos in Luanda before flying to Democratic Republic of Congo, and has already spoken to Nkunda by telephone. He also met Congolese members of parliament and foreign diplomats in the capital Kinshasa. Nkunda began his rebellion in 2004 saying he was fighting to defend fellow Tutsis in eastern Congo, particularly from attacks by Rwandan Hutu rebels operating there. But after seizing swathes of territory in battles last month, Nkunda threatened to take his rebellion all the way to the distant capital Kinshasa unless Kabila negotiated with him. Asked if Kabila was ready to

talk to Nkunda, Obasanjo said: "He did not give anything that I would call conditions but we are at the exploratory stage now." The United Nations says the fighting has triggered a humanitarian catastrophe. On Friday, aid workers began feeding tens of thousands of refugees in rebel-held areas. There are fears the violence could escalate into a repeat of a 1998-2003 war that killed some 5.4 million people, mostly through hunger and disease. Rights groups say rebels and rival pro-government militias killed dozens of civilians last week. Kabila accuses neighbouring Rwanda of supporting Nkunda, while southern African states led by Angola have said they are considering sending troops to back the Congolese army, or to bolster an over-stretched 17,000-strong U.N. force in Congo. The conflict's origins trace back to Rwanda's 1994 genocide of Tutsis by Hutus, which helped trigger the 1998-2003 war. Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of backing Nkunda, who says he is defending Congolese Tutsis from attacks by FDLR Rwandan Hutu rebels that he and Kigali say fight with the Congolese army. On Friday, Rwanda and Congo agreed to send Rwandan intelligence officers to the east to fight Hutu rebels, whom Rwanda sees as the root cause of the conflict. "We shall send our elite troops to flush out the FDLR," Congolese Foreign Minister Alexis Thambwe Mwamba was quoted as saying in the English-language New Times newspaper in Kigali.

A displaced child chew on an empty plate in a abandoned church on November 15 in Kibati just north of Goma in eastern Congo. The U.N. refugee agency plans to move 60,000 Congolese caught between the front lines in the east of the country to a new camp next week. (AP Photo)

Fidel sees little change under Obama Australians march HAVANA, NOVEMBER that the good intentions of of public communication

15 (REUTERS): Without naming U.S. President-elect Barack Obama, former Cuban leader Fidel Castro cast doubt on Friday on the possibility that a new president would bring much change in U.S. policy. In an obtusely worded column published on the Internet, Castro said “many dream that with the simple change of command in the leadership of the empire, it will be more tolerant and less bellicose.” “The most intimate thoughts of the citizen who will take the helm are not yet known,” he wrote. But, he went on, “It would highly naïve to believe

one intelligent person could change what centuries of interests and selfishness have created. Human history shows another thing.” Obama, who was elected Nov. 4 and takes office on Jan. 20 as the first black to lead the United States, has raised hopes of better U.S.Cuba relations by saying he would hold talks with the Cuban government and ease the 46-year-old U.S. trade embargo against the Communist-led island. Before the election, Castro praised Obama as intelligent and humanitarian in the columns that have become his primary form

since undergoing intestinal surgery for an undisclosed ailment in July 2006. Since Obama’s victory, neither he nor his brother, President Raul Castro, had commented on the new leader, who will replace President George W. Bush. Fidel Castro ruled Cuba for 49 years after taking power in a 1959 revolution, but his brother replaced the ailing 82year-old in February. Fidel Castro has not been seen in public since shortly before his surgery, but looked thin and tired in a recent photo of his meeting with a leader of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Myanmar jails more democracy activists

In this photo released by Bureau of the Royal Household, King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand lights the candles as he attends the religious rites for his elder sister, late Princess Galyani Vadhana, portrait at left, at the Dusit Throne Hall inside the Grand Palace Friday, November 14, in Bangkok, Thailand. A grand cremation ceremony for the princess will be held on Saturday, November 15 at the royal ground in the capital. The ceremony, attended by more than 100 Buddhist monks, is also promising a temporary halt to the country's long-running divisive political conﬂict. (AP Photo)

YANGON, NOVEMBER 15 (REUTERS): Courts in military-ruled Myanmar have sentenced 17 more democracy activists to between two and 16 years in jail, intensifying a campaign to crush political dissent before a 2010 election, legal sources said on Saturday. The latest sentences, handed down on Friday by secret courts in the former capital, Yangon, and the second city of Mandalay, bring the total number of activists jailed in the last two weeks to more than 60. Many of those jailed for up to 65 years were involved in last year’s mass protests against rising fuel and food prices in the former Burma, which has been under military rule since 1962. Many more rounded up

during and after the protests are expected to be sentenced soon, with courts being ordered to work overtime and at weekends to clear the high number of outstanding cases, said one court official, who asked not to be named. “Some courts seated inside the Insein Central Prison are working today. It’s unprecedented in the 20 years that I’ve been working in the service,” the official said. Insein is the notorious prison compound in northern Yangon where most political prisoners are tried behind closed doors before being confined to Myanmar’s gulag. “Many more activists are expected to be sentenced to various prison terms in the next few days as the courts have been instructed to ex-

pedite all pending cases,” the official added. Information about the sentences is becoming harder to obtain, as several defence lawyers working for the activists have also been jailed for contempt of court. Nyan Win, a spokesman for the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party led by detained Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, confirmed that at least a dozen of those convicted on Friday were NLD members. The United States, European Union and United Nations have all criticised the sentences and urged the junta to release the activists. By contrast, there has been little if any official reprimand from Myanmar’s neighbours.

against climate change SYDNEY, NOVEMBER 15 (REUTERS): Tens of thousands of Australians took part in mass protests around the country on Saturday to call for tough government action on climate change, organisers said. The demonstrations were held as Australia prepares to set national greenhouse gas emissions targets, expected around the end of this month. Environmentalists accuse industry of pushing for targets that are likely to compromise the environment. Australia is the world’s 16th biggest carbon polluter, producing about 1.5 percent of the world’s global emissions. It is the fourth largest emitter per person, with five times the pollution per person of China. The centre-left government will outline its preferred emissions following public consultations involving global miners such as BHP Billiton and power companies like AGL Energy. An interim framework in July led to business group accusations that steel, cement and papermaking firms would be forced out of business or to shift operations overseas to Asian bases where emissions costs were lower or non-existent. To ease concerns, Climate Change Minister Penny Wong and Treasurer Wayne Swan last month released Treasury modelling that found carbon trading would cut average per capita growth by 0.1 percent a year from introduction in 2010 to 2050, with only a small one-off inflation impact. The government has also promised proceeds from the auction of emissions permits will be used to compensate poor families and motorists for rises in the cost of fuel and electricity, which is mostly powered by burning coal. On Saturday, protesters took to the streets of Sydney, Melbourne and other cities, chanting calls for renewable energy and carrying banners with slogans such as “Renew our economy with strong targets” and “Turtles against climate change”. Cate Faehrmann, executive director of the Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales state, said the march came amid a background of pressure from the fossil fuels industry for the government to adopt relatively soft emissions targets. “When it comes to climate change you just cannot have half measures when it comes to targets,” Faehrmann said, adding scientists have urged targets that will limit global average temperature rises to two degrees Celsius. “There is not enough investment in renewable energy in this country. Job creation can occur there.” Australia was one of the longest holdouts against the Kyoto protocol, which Prime Minister Kevin Rudd finally committed the country to joining following his landslide election win last year, leaving the United States as the only major country not to have joined it.

Obama rumored to favor Clinton as top diplomat

WASHINGTON, NOVEMBER 15 (AFP): The US capital on Saturday was abuzz with speculation that US president-elect Barack Obama is weighing former Democratic primary rival Hillary Clinton to be a heavyhitting secretary of state. Sources close to Clinton and Obama did not deny reports that the New York senator and former first lady met Obama in Chicago on Thursday, and was in the frame to become the top US diplomat and fourth in line to the presidency. The reports came as Obama's team announced that the presidentelect, who will take office on January 20 during an intense economic crisis and with two foreign wars raging, would meet former Republican rival John McCain on Monday. The Clinton reports spurred talk that Obama would assemble a "team of rivals" uniting his former political foes, like that framed after the 1860 election by his hero Abraham Lincoln. Aides to Obama and Clinton refused all comment on the rampant speculation, but equally did not deny the reports. "I'm not going to speculate or address anything about the presidentelect's incoming administration. I'm going to respect his process," Clinton said in a speech to the New York Public Transit Association. Demo-

cratic strategist James Carville, who managed the successful 1992 run for the presidency by Hillary Clinton's husband Bill Clinton, told CNN he believed that talks with Obama were "pretty far advanced." "She knew she was not going there (to Chicago) to have tea with the president-elect," said Carville, who remains close to both Clintons. But the ABC network, quoting a source who knows about the transition process, described the talks between the two in Chicago on Thursday "as not a hard offer. Obama is more cautious than that." Obama told Clinton that he knew how much she "cared about health care but said there are other challenges" and he wanted to reach out to her about secretary of state, ABC said. Meanwhile, in their first post-election interview, the Obamas described to CBS "60 Minutes" the moment when they realized Barack Obama had won the election. "I remember, we were watching the returns and, on one of the stations, Barack's picture came up and it said, 'President-Elect Barack Obama,'" Michelle Obama said, in a excerpt released ahead of the full interview to be shown on Sunday. "And I looked at him and said, 'You are the 44th president of the United States

of America. Wow. What a country we live in.'" Obama spent much of Friday closeted in his transition headquarters in Chicago in meetings about his future administration, fleshing out priorities following his historic November 4 victory. With the Obama administration inheriting two wars and the pressing need to restore America's damaged global reputation, the post of secretary of state will be key. Clinton, 61, has extensive foreign policy experience, having travelled widely when her husband was president from 1993 to 2001, and from her time in the Senate, where she serves on the Armed Services Committee. After Obama narrowly beat Clinton in the bruising Democratic primaries this year, her legions of loyal supporters were disappointed when she was not approached to be his running mate. But Clinton campaigned feverishly for her former rival in the final days of the campaign, doing more than 50 rallies. Obama is also due to meet Monday in Chicago with McCain. "It's well known that they share an important belief that Americans want and deserve a more effective and efficient government, and will discuss ways to work together to make that a reality," a transition statement said Friday. An impressive

array of former Clinton-era diplomats and officials have already been appointed to oversee the transition teams that are burrowing into the sprawling US bureaucracy. According to the Washington Post, Clinton's name emerged because the Obama camp "is not overly happy with the usual suspects" mentioned for secretary of state. Those include Senator John Kerry, a former presidential candidate, former UN ambassador Richard Holbrooke, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and moderate Republican Senator Chuck Hagel. Speculation has also swirled around the post of defense secretary, with rumors Robert Gates might be asked to stay on. Meanwhile, Valerie Jarrett, a real estate lawyer who has worked for a long time for the Chicago city government, said in an interview that she had been hired by Obama for a senior White House adviser. Jarrett told The New York Times that she will be responsible for White House's relations with state and local officials and supervise the Office of Public Liaison. About 20 years ago, Jarrett, who at that time worked for the Chicago city government, hired Michelle Obama, Barack Obama's wife, for a job at Chicago's City Hall, The Times said.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., speaks at a New York Public Transit Association conference in Albany on Friday, November 14. Clinton said she would not comment on speculation that she may be selected to become President-elect Barack Obama's secretary of state. (AP Photo)

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SPORTS

Sunday 16 November 2008

The Morung Express

Chelsea boss pleads for Drogba

Easton wins Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix HONG KONG, NOVEMBER 15 (AP): Briton Stuart Easton won his first Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix on Saturday, denying compatriot Michael Rutter a recordbreaking seventh victory. Easton finished 2.72 seconds ahead of Rutter, with fellow Briton John McGuinness - who ran second last year - third on the 6.2-kilometer (3.8-mile) Guia street circuit. Easton finished in 37 minutes 9.404 seconds. Easton, riding a Doosan Honda, surged from a sixth-place start and held on the lead for half the 15-lap race, beating Rutter who for the third time missed out on a record-breaking seventh title. He shares the record of six wins with Ron Haslam. Portugese Luis Carreira also had his best performance at Macau to finish fourth.

Dravid can consider taking a short break: former players NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 15 (PTI): A woefully outof-form Rahul Dravid can consider taking a short break from the game to rediscover his touch, according to former India cricketers who insisted that the batting stalwart needs just one good knock to turn things around. The former players made it clear that Dravid should be given 'rest' only if he wants it and national selectors should not put undue pressure by axing him for the upcoming twoTest series against England. While Anshuman Gaekwad and Abbas Ali Baig were not averse to the idea of giving Dravid a break if required, former wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani felt such a step would be unfair for a batsman of his stature and class. "He is a great player and it is just a matter of one good innings. It does not take them long to come back. Since the Tests against England will start in December, he can play in domestic matches. If he still does not get runs, he can think of taking a break and come back fresh. But then, it should be his decision", Gaekwad told PTI.

Indians continue with winning ways in Chess Olympiad Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008 ﬁle photo shows Chelsea's Didier Drogba, right, throwing a coin back into the crowd after scoring against Burnley during their English League Cup soccer match at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge Stadium in London. Chelsea striker Didier Drogba was charged with violent conduct by the Football Association on Friday for throwing a coin back into the crowd during a League Cup game against Burnley. TV replays showed Drogba, who had just scored, pick up a coin which had apparently been thrown by a Burnley fan and hurl it back into the crowd during Wednesday's match. (AP Photo/File)

LONDON, NOVEMBER 15 (AFP): Luiz Felipe Scolari insists Didier Drogba shouldn't be subjected to a public witch-hunt after the controversial Chelsea striker was hit with an FA charge. Drogba faces a three-match ban for throwing a coin at Burnley supporters during Wednesday's League Cup defeat at Stamford Bridge. But Scolari believes Drogba, who is also being investigated by the Metropolitan Police, deserved to be given a chance to make amends for the incident because he was provoked by Burnley fans who bombarded him with missiles as he celebrated his first-half goal in

front of the away end. "Didier didn't go out on to the pitch to fight, but to play. He didn't put coins in his pocket. For people, for the police, for the FA, they have to think about this," Scolari said. "It wasn't Didier who started it. He was happy to score a goal. He apologised after the game. "But I want, now, the police to find out who was the man who threw that. Which fan threw it. After this, we'll look at what happens. "I'm not a judge. I'm not someone to say kill or not kill. I'm only the coach and I'll receive the information from the police, the club, the FA. Whatever

the FA or the police decide, that finishes it." Drogba has until Monday to respond to the charge but has little chance of escaping a ban when the case is heard on Tuesday as Liverpool's Jamie Carragher served a three-match suspension for an indentical incident at Arsenal in 2002. An FA statement confirmed: "Drogba is alleged to have thrown a missile into the away section of the crowd after scoring during the League Cup match at Stamford Bridge. "Referee Keith Stroud confirmed to The FA that he had booked Drogba for going towards the opposi-

tion supporters to celebrate but that he had not seen the missile incident." Scolari is only too aware that thugs could try to incite Drogba into similiar clashes at Premier League grounds around the country and he pleaded with opposing supporters to set an example to the rest of the world. "I saw things in Kuwait, in Saudi Arabia, in Germany, in Japan. There are problems all over the world. One crazy person goes to a game to fight," Scolari said. "I want to say to the fans, during the game they can support their different teams, but after the game it finishes. England

Vonn wins women's World Cup slalom LEVI, NOVEMBER 15 (AP): Lindsey Vonn survived a big mistake late in the second run and won the women's World Cup slalom opener on Saturday. The American, who led Nicole Hosp of Austria by 0.22 seconds after the first run, nearly skied out but regained her balance and beat runnerup Maria Pietilae-Holmner of Sweden by 0.40 seconds. Hosp finished fourth, 0.96 behind. Maria Riesch of Germany was third, 0.66 behind. Vonn had a two-run total of 1:47.98 down Levi's Black Course. "I made a mistake at the bottom, but I kept fighting," Vonn said. "It"s my first podium and my first win in slalom. It's crazy. I love Levi." Vonn's best career slalom re- Lindsey Vonn, of the United States, holds up her skis as she celebrates on the podium after winsults have come at Levi. ning an alpine ski World Cup Women's Slalom, in Levi, Finland on November 15. (AP Photo)

can give this example to the world." With Drogba likely to be sidelined for several weeks, Scolari is concerned that the absence of his talismanic forward could prove costly as Chelsea try to cement their place on top of the Premier League. Although Nicolas Anelka is the top-flight's leading scorer with 11 goals, Scolari is growing increasingly frustrated with the way his players produced costly misses in defeats against Liverpol, Roma and Burnley. "We're still making mistakes in front of goal. If we score one or two goals, we win every time but most clubs won't give us more

than three or four opportunities," Scolari said. "The players are wrong and, sometimes, I'm wrong because I chose the wrong players. This is normal in life. "The players need to improve and get better. That's what we try to do every day here. Maybe, in the future, we will see more chances and more goals. "It's not a month's project. I try, every day, for three hours with my staff to teach. "I say 'When you arrive in this position, you need to put your body here and shoot here'. But it's not a job for one day. It's for one year, two years, three years."

DRESDEN (GERMANY), NOV 15 (PTI): Grandmasters Krishnan Sasikiran and G N Gopal showed the way as Indian men cruised to an emphatic 3-1 victory over Sweden in the second round of the 38th Chess Olympiad here. With their second victory in as many rounds, the Indian men remained in joint lead on four points along with 19 other teams including top seeds Russia. The second round was devoid of upsets and most of the higher seeds sailed through defeating lower ranked teams. Russia, yet again, had to sweat hard to beat Poland and in the end it was again a marginal 2.5-1.5 victory for the most fancied team of the Olympiad. In the women's section too, the Indians came good for the second day running and defeated Latvia 3-1 to move ahead. The Indian ladies, like their men counterpart, have four points from two outings thanks to fine performances on the second and fourth board by Asian women's champion Tania Sachdev and Asian junior girls' champion Mary Ann Gomes. Fourteen teams share the lead with a perfect score in this section and Indian eves will next clash with top seeded Russian ladies. The second round witnessed Russian Vladimir Kramnik and Norwegian Magnus Carlsen in action but both the stalwarts failed to make a real impact and played out draws with Miton Kamil of Poland and Georg Meier of Germany '2'. Norway scored an easy victory over Germany '2' in the end with a 3-1 margin.

Kuyt, Gerrard give Liverpool 2-0 win over Bolton LONDON, NOVEMBER 15 (AP): Liverpool eased to a 2-0 victory over Bolton on Saturday, with Dirk Kuyt scoring his fifth goal in seven Premier League matches. The Netherlands forward had hit the crossbar before sending a looping header into the net in the 29th minute from Fabio Aurelio's cross. Captain Steven Gerrard headed Liverpool into a two-goal lead in the 73rd to maintain the club's bid for a first league title since 1990. "The league is the priority so staying at the top of the league it is important," manager Rafa Benitez said. Chelsea, which is Liverpool's closest title chal-

lenger, was at bottom-place West Bromwich Albion later Saturday. Also it was: ArsenalAston Villa; BlackburnSunderland; FulhamTottenham; Manchester United-Stoke; NewcastleWigan; and West HamPortsmouth. While Liverpool shook off Wednesday's League Cup loss at Tottenham, it was frustrated at failing to hit more goals against Bolton. After Kuyt had put Liverpool ahead, he sent an inviting cross into Robbie Keane, but the Ireland striker missed an open goal when he swung at the ball from two yards (meters). Bolton was denied an equalizer on the stroke of

half time when referee Rob Styles ruled that Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina had been fouled before Gary Cahill headed past the Spaniard. The Reds came under pressure after the break, and substitute Ricardo Gardner should have leveled in the 51st, but after bursting forward and rounding Reina, he lost his footing after shot wide. The visitors' nerves were soothed when substitute Fernando Torres flicked the ball to Gerrard, who sent a glancing header past Jussi Jaaskelainen. Torres, who returned from a hamstring injury, hit the post in the final minutes. "We should have scored

more today and perhaps a fairer scoreline would have been 3-1 or 4-1, but the most important thing is the three points," midfielder Xabi Alonso said. "We have to keep these performances up now."

Davydenko to meet Djokovic in Masters Cup ﬁnal

SHANGHAI, NOVEMBER 15 (AP): Nikolay Davydenko defeated a tired Andy Murray 7-5, 6-2 Saturday to advance to the Masters Cup final. The Russian will meet Novak Djokovic in the season-ending final on Sunday. Earlier, Djokovic rallied to oust France's Gilles Simon 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. Despite consistently being ranked in the top five, the 27-year-old Davydenko has never reached a Grand Slam final. His best performance in three previous appearances at the Masters Cup was a semifinal loss in 2005. He was steady and relentless against Murray, who looked exhausted from his 3-hour victory over second-ranked Roger Federer on Friday night. Davydenko was fresher, having not played since Thursday. They stayed on serve in the first set until Murray served at 5-5. He went up 40-15, but swung his racket in anger between points as Davydenko pulled to deuce. Nikolay Davydenko of Russia celebrates as he beat Britain's Murray thought he Andy Murray in their semi-ﬁnal match during the 2008 Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, China on November 15. (AP Photo) had an ace to save a break

point, but it was overruled on a Davydenko challenge. Murray wasn't convinced, walking toward the net for a closer look, then sent a backhand wide for the break. Davydenko held to finish off the set with an ace and a backhand winner down the line. He then ran off the last five games of the second set as Murray looked increasingly dispirited, trudging around the court between points. Djokovic struggled against Simon in the first set, committed 21 unforced errors. But the Serb pulled himself together, mixing up stinging groundstrokes with deft drop shots from behind the baseline. Djokovic, who lost all three matches in his Masters Cup debut last year, got down on his knees and kissed the court after winning in 2 hours, 51 minutes. "I didn't have such a great time here last year," Djokovic said. "Didn't win a single set. But I learned something. Took the best out of it and used it this year." Simon dropped only six

points in five service games in the first set. Djokovic made back-to-back mistakes to hand Simon the only break he needed. In the second set, Djokovic picked up his game and started clipping the lines. At the same time, Simon's level of play dropped. He had his first two doublefaults in the next game, the second on a break point. Djokovic held serve for the rest of the set to level. Simon, who was added to the field of the season-ending tournament when No. 1 Rafael Nadal withdrew with a knee injury, was twice unfortunate with net bounces to lose his serve in the third game of the third set. Djokovic served for the match at 5-4, but doublefaulted. "I was pretty exhausted, had to save some energy," he said. "I went for the shots. I wanted to make the points shorter. I risked, and the risk didn't pay off in that game. But it paid off afterwards." He broke right back and converted his second chance Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts after beating Gilles Simon of France during the 2008 Tennis to finish the match. Masters Cup in Shanghai, China on November 15. (AP Photo)

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Ent/Tabloid

The Morung Express

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE’S

NY restaurant sued by unpaid staff

Prince William’s accident help

op star Justin Timberlake's New York restaurant has cheated staff out of tips, proper pay and overtime, according to a lawsuit filed on Friday. A busboy who worked at the restaurant for a year from June 2007 filed the suit on behalf of 50 other employees. It accuses Timberlake, two of his business partners and managers of Southern Hospitality BBQ restaurant in Manhattan of stealing tips and not paying the minimum wage or overtime. It was the latest suit to be filed by workers over wages against New York restaurants and clubs, with businesses owned by actor Robert De Niro and hip hop star Jay Z also hit by legal action. The suit, filed in Manhattan federal court, seeks unspecified damages. It also names Timberlake's business partners Eytan Sugarman and Trace Ayala as fellow owners and as running the operations of the BBQ eatery. Among those named in other suits are celebrity haunt Pastis; three New York restaurants coowned by actor Robert De Niro in the global Nobu chain; Jean Georges -- which has three Michelin stars -- and other restaurants owned by French chef JeanGeorges Vongerichten; and Jay Z's 40/40 Club. Earlier this year, Vongerichten agreed to pay $1.75 million to eight waiters who filed suit on behalf of all staff at Jean Georges and four of his other New York restaurants. Southern Hospitality did not return a call seeking comment.

Will Smith: 'You Have to Remove Divorce as an Option'

ritain's Prince William came to the aid of badly injured car accident victims following a night out. The 27-year-old prince made his vehicle stop after a car and van collided head-on in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Although William - whose mother Princess Diana passed away in 1997 after a fatal car accident in Paris - was banned from leaving his limousine to help because of strict anti-kidnap rules, he ordered his protection team, who are all trained in first aid, to help the victims until an ambulance arrived. A source said: "William saw the crash and was anxious to help but his personal protection officers would not let him get out in case it was a trap. Instead, he ensured they used their first aid skills to help. The family in the car - the 23-year-old driver, her sister, 26, and 28-year-old brother - were treated in hospital for neck and knee injuries and cuts, but were stunned by the help they received in the aftermath of the crash "His mother died in a car crash and there was no way he would have let his people leave before making sure everyone was being treated." Another source added: "The victims said that when the accident happened they were immediately surrounded by about ten people from four vehicles. They couldn't believe the response."

Nia Vardalos Adopts a Little Girl

ver since Daniel ‘James Bond’ Craig met Shilpa Shetty, he is going around town saying that she is the perfect Bond girl for him. Though there were strong rumours that Shilpa is going to star as a Bond girl, Shilpa put those rumours to rest saying that nobody has approached her yet to star in a Bond movie. But now it seems that the call for being a Bond girl is not far away the way Daniel is completely smitten by Shilpa and her ‘killing figure’. Says Daniel in a recent interview, “I haven’t met any of the Indian film actors in person except Shilpa Shetty. She is beautiful and very talented too. I think she looks great and has a killing figure, just right for a Bond girl.”

Dimapur

06:00 - How I Met Your Mother; 06:30 - Friends; 09:00 - Koffee With Karan; 11:00 - Seinfeld; 13:00 Friends; 15:30 - Life With Bonnie; 16:00 - According To Jim; 16:30 - My Name Is Earl; 17:30 - Stacked; 18:00 - How I Met Your Mother; 19:00 - Ghost Whisperer; 20:00 - Ugly Betty; 21:00 – Boston Legal; 23:00 - Blood Ties; 01:00 - Ghost Whisperer; 02:00 - Ugly Betty; 03:00 - Boston Legal; 05:00 The Simpsons; 05:30 - Kenneth Copeland

06:00 - Crocodile Hunter; 07:00 - Teleshopping; 08:00 - Baby Planet; 09:00 - Incredible Journeys With Steve Leonard; 10:00 - Lords Of The Animals; 10:30 - All New Planet’s Funniest Animals; 11:00 - Groomer Has It; 12:00 - Eye Of The Hunter; 13:00 - Corwin’s Quest; 14:00 - Crocodile Hunter; 15:00 Planet Wild; 15:30 - Up Close And Dangerous; 16:00 - Wild Africa; 17:00 - Incredible Journeys With Steve Leonard; 18:00 - Baby Planet; 19:00 - Groomer Has It; 20:00 - Eye Of The Hunter; 21:00 Planet Wild; 21:30 - Up Close And Dangerous; 22:00 - Equator; 23:00 - Wild Africa; 00:00 - Baby Planet; 01:00 - Teleshopping; 02:00 - Petsburgh Usa; 03:00 - Monkey Business; 04:00 Petsburgh Usa ; 05:00 - Monkey Business 06:00 - Telebrands; 07:00 - Body Basics; 08:00 - Planet Earth; 09:00 - Discover India; 10:00 Jeremy Piven’s Journey Of A Lifetime; 11:00 - When We Left Earth: The Nasa Missions; 12:00 - Mega Builders 2; 13:00 - Wild Africa; 14:00 - Planet Food; 15:00 - Fight Quest; 16:00 - Planet Earth; 17:00 - Man Vs. Wild; 18:00 - Everything You Need To Know; 19:00 - Planet Earth; 20:00 - Night Safari; 21:00 Discovery’s Biggest Shows; 23:00 - Futureweapons; 00:00 Wild Discovery; 01:00 - Telebrands; 02:00 - FutureweApons; 03:00 - Man Vs. Wild; 04:00 - Into Alaska With Jeff Corwin; 05:00 - Futureweapons 06:00 - Seva Ganga; 06:30 Vignan Shashwat Sukh Ka; 07:00 - Sangam; 07:30 - Raja Ki Ayegi; 08:00 - Kyunki Saas Bhi; 08:30 Baa Bahoo Aur Baby; 09:00 Krishna Kathaiyen; 10:00 - Jai Maa Durga; 11:00 - Star Voice Of India; 14:00 - Aaja Mahi Ve; 16:00 - Plus Superhit; 19:30 - Ab Tak Ka Safar; 20:00 - Saibaba; 21:00 - Prithviraj Chauhan; 21:30 - Baa Bahoo Aur Baby; 22:00 - Plus Superhit; 00:00 - Kasturi; 00:30 - Kumkum; 01:00 - Bidaai; 01:30 - Kis Desh Mein Hai; 02:00 - Grihasti; 02:30 - Kayamath; 03:00 - HAmari Devrani; 03:30 - Kahaani Ghar; 04:00 - Kyunki Saas Bhi; 04:30 - Raja Ki Ayegi; 05:00 - Disney Time 05:15 - My Life So Far; 06:55 - My Baby’s Daddy; 08:45 - The Touch; 10:55 - Epic Movie; 12:40 Anchorman - The Legend Of Ron Burgundy; 14:40 - Marvin’s Room; 16:45 - Good Will Hunting; 19:05 - The Keeper: The Legend Of Omar Khayyam; 21:00 - Reign Of Fire; 23:05 - Kiss Of The Dragon; 01:00 - Epic Movie; 02:25 - Anchorman - The Legend Of Ron Burgundy; 04:00 - Teaching Mrs. Tingle; 05:35 Antonia And Jane 0:30 - Sportsnight; 1:00 - Wwe: Ecw; 2:00 - Wwe: Smackdown; 4:00 - Australian Golf-Western Australia Pga Champ Hls; 5:00 - Simply The Best; 5:30 - Fifa: Futbol Mundial; 6:00 - Atp Tennis; 6:30 - Inside The Pga Tour 2008; 7:00 - Australian Golf-Western Australia Pga Champ Hls; 8:00 - Winning Post; 8:30 - Uefa Champions League Magazine Show 08; 9:00 - Wwe: Ecw; 10:00 - Wwe: Smackdown; 12:00 - Pak V West Indies -2nd Odi - H/L’s; 14:00 - Winning Post; 14:30 - Rugby League World Cup Live: Semi Final 1; 16:30 - Fifa: Futbol Mundial; 17:00 - Wwe:vintage Collection; 18:00 - Sports News; 18:30 - Icl 20-20 - Preview: Final 2; 19:30 - Icl 20-20 : Final 2; 22:30 - Icl 20-20 - Review: Final 2; 23:00 - Wwe:vintage Collection

“I think Shilpa Shetty looks great and has a killing ﬁgure, just right for a Bond girl,” says Daniel Craig.

16 November 2008

03:30 - Hera Pheri; 06:05 - Haqeeqat; 09:35- Sagar Nandani Laxmi; 13:00 My Friend Ganesha; 16:00 - King Of Comedy; 16:15- Haseena Maan Jaayegi; 20:00 - The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen; 23:20- City Hunter; 00:00 - City Hunter; 02:00- Hu Tu Tu; 05:10 - Film Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd

ill Smith says the secret to a successful marriage is "removing divorce as an option". The actor has been married to wife Jada Pinkett Smith for 11-years, and the pair have three children together. And Will insists the couple constantly work at their relationship to make it work. He tells the December issue of Essence magazine, "The truth about life is that we're all alone. But when somebody loves you, that experience is shared. Love is the only real connective tissue that allows you to not live and die by yourself. The secret is removing divorce as an option. Anyone who gives themselves that option will get a divorce."

Shilpa is the perfect Bond girl: Craig

11 PRIME TIME Sunday

06:00 - The Adventures Of Brer Rabbit; 07:30 - How To Eat Fried Worms; 09:15 - Fortress 2: Re - Entry; 11:00 Superman Returns; 14:00 - Entourage; 15:30 - Mumbai Calling; 16:00 - Balls Of Fury; 17:45 - The Making Of Mr. Bean’s Holiday; 18:00 Gladiator; 21:00 - The Da Vinci Code; 23:30 - The Return; 01:15 - As You Like It; 03:45 - The Making Of Superman Returns; 04:00 - The Truman Show 06:00 - Telebrands; 07:00 - Body Basics; 08:00 - Planet Earth; 09:00 - Discover India; 10:00 - Jeremy Piven’s Journey Of A Lifetime; 11:00 - When We Left Earth: The Nasa Missions; 12:00 - Mega Builders 2; 13:00 - Wild Africa; 14:00 - Planet Food; 15:00 - Fight Quest; 16:00 - Planet Earth; 17:00 - Man Vs. Wild; 18:00 - Everything You Need To Know; 19:00 - Planet Earth; 20:00 - Night Safari; 21:00 - Discovery’s Biggest Shows; 23:00 - Futureweapons; 00:00 - Wild Discovery; 01:00 - Telebrands; 02:00 FutureweApons; 03:00 - Man Vs. Wild; 04:00 - Into Alaska With Jeff Corwin; 05:00 - Futureweapons

ia Vardalos, the breakout star of the 2002 hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding, has adopted a child. The little girl, whose name has not been released, is the first for the 46-year-old actress and her husband, Ian Gomez, E! Online reports. The couple adopted the toddler, who is less that 5 years old, several months ago. "They are going public now to bring attention to National Adoption Month and the 500,000 children in foster care," according to a statement from Vardalos's rep. "Of these children, 129,000 are 'legally free' for adoption and waiting for a family." The couple urge people interested in adoption to visit, AdoptUsKids.org.

‘Pregnant man’ is expecting AGAIN

man who was born a woman but gave birth after having a sexchange operation is expecting a second child. American Thomas Beatie had his breasts removed, lived outwardly as a man and legally changed his gender to male. Once known as Tracy Lagondino, the 34year-old said he retained his female sex organs because he intended to give birth one day. Beatie and wife Nancy, of Oregon, US, made worldwide headlines earlier this year when he announced his pregnancy in gay magazine The Advocate. The couple took the controversial step because Nancy had undergone a hysterectomy and they wanted a biological child. In June, Beatie gave birth to a daughter, Susan Juliette, having been inseminated at home by his wife Nancy, 46, with sperm from a donor. Veteran US broadcaster Barbara Walters exclusively interviewed Beatie and wife Nancy for a special show aired on Friday night on ABC. But Walters revealed that the couple are

06:00 - Mann Mein Hai Visshwas; 07:00 Telebrands; 07:30 - Jai Hanuman; 08:00 Teleshopping; 08:50 - Box Office Muzic Hitz; 09:00 - Boogie Woogie; 10:00 - Comedy Circus; 11:00 - Indian Idol 4; 15:00 - Mujhse Dosti Karoge; 19:00 - Cid; 20:00 - Rock On Concert; 00:00 - Telebrands; 00:30 Teleshopping; 01:00 - Comedy Circus; 02:00 - Cid; 03:00 - Aahat - 3; 04:00 - Boogie Woogie 04:40 - Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple; 06:10 - Jill Rips; 07:30 - Infomercial; 08:00 - Gone In 60 Seconds; 10:10 Turner And Hooch; 12:20 - Edward Scissor Hands; 14:50 - Big Business; 17:00 - Epk; 17:15 - Maurice; 20:25 Mighty Aphrodite; 22:30 - George Of The Jungle; 00:30 - Charlie Chaplin; 01:00 - Jill Rips; 02:30 Dont Move; 04:20 - The Whole Ten Yards; 05:50 - Shore Ditch 06:00 - A Matter Of Taste With Vir Sanghvi; 06:30 - Hairy Biker’s Ride Again; 07:00 - Highlife Unlimited; 08:00 - Around The World; 09:00 - Madhur Jaffrey’s Flavours Of India; 09:30 - Dream Hotels; 10:00 - Beautiﬁcation With Ruby And Millie; 10:30 - Cover Shot; 11:00 - While You Were Out 3; 12:00 - Overhaulin’ 5; 13:00 - Cooking It; 13:30 - Take Home Chef 2; 14:00 - Adventures Of The Ladies Tailor; 14:30 Feast India; 15:00 - Nigella Feasts; 15:30 - British Biker Build Off; 16:00 - Million Dollar Agents; 17:00 - Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations; 18:00 - La Ink; 19:00 - Finest Hotels In The World; 19:30 - Indian Rendezvous; 20:00 - Getaway 2006; 20:30 - Hotel By The Bay; 21:00 - Food Paradise; 22:00 - American Chopper; 23:00 - Ballroom Bootcamp; 00:00 - Vegas Vegas; 01:00 - Food Paradise; 02:00 - The Presidential Tour; 03:00 - Kylie Kwong: My China; 03:30 - I Do, Let’s Eat!; 04:00 - Cover Shot; 04:30 Beautiﬁcation With Ruby And Millie; 05:00 - Amazing Vacation Homes; 05:30 - Superhomes 2

expecting another child. She said: 'I asked him if he was taking testosterone again and he said no. Because he was pregnant again.' ABC confirmed that Beatie, 34, also told Walters: 'I feel good. Everything is right on track.' During the interview, Beatie revealed that he had a natural birth on June 29 this year and that his wife cut the baby’s umbilical cord. Nancy, 46, has been able to express milk and has been breastfeeding the baby. She already has two grown-up daughters from her first marriage. He became legally male after undergoing sex change surgery in 2002 and hormone treatment, but opted to keep his female reproductive organs.

06:00 - Global Tele Mall; 07:00 Body And Soul ; 07:30 - Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai; 08:00 - Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai; 08:30 - Instant Khichdi; 09:00 - Yatra (Travel) ; 09:30 Yatra; 10:00 - Jai Ganga Mai ; 11:00 - Ssshhhh Phir Koi Hai; 12:00 - Ssshhhh Phir Koi Hai; 13:00 - The Great Indian Laughter Challenge Iv; 14:00 - The Great Indian Laughter Challenge Iv; 15:00 - Movie; 18:30 Mile Jab Hum Tum; 19:00 - The Great Indian Laughter Challenge; 19:30 - The Great Indian Laughter Challenge; 20:00 - Movie; 23:30 - MIle Jab Hum Tum; 00:00 - Siddhanth; 01:00 - Tony B Show; 01:30 - Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se; 02:30 - Dill Mill Gayye; 03:00 - Mile Jab Hum Tum; 03:30 - The Great Indian Laughter Challenge Iv; 04:30 - Dill Mill Gayye; 05:00 - Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai; 05:30 - Mum Tum Aur Hum

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The

Morung

SPORTS

P 12

No ceiling to excellence, says Nyiewang Konyak One of the sky divers of the Akash Ganga Sky Diving Team of Indian Air Force displaying para jumping at the first annual sports’ meet of Sainik School, Punglwa under Peren district, on November 15. (Morung Photo)

First annual sports’ meet Sainik School, Punglwa Morung Express News Punglwa | November 15

dle

Minister for Education and SCERT, Nyiewang Konyak giving away the overall champion trophy to Japfu House at the ﬁrst annual sports’ meet of Sainik School, Punglwa, Peren, on Saturday. (Morung Photo)

MINISTER FOR Education and SCERT, Nyiewang Konyak while stating that the limits beyond which human beings can reach were unknown and there was no ceiling to excellence, said winning and getting the award was important and that was why people compete in sports and in life, but it was even more important that we give of our best. He was speaking as the chief guest at the first annual sports’ meet of Sainik School, Punglwa under Peren district on Saturday. He maintained that “It may not win us the prize but if we give of our best, we will have the feeling of accomplishment that the winner has won only because we gave our best. This is something you must apply not only in sports but in every aspect of life.” Stating that sports was natural to man because every sport has emanated from an activity familiar to man from primitive times, the Minister

said sport was natural to man but in competitive games, fair play was very important and this was ensured through the rules and regulations that govern every game. “Modern sports with laid down rules had its origins in the English public schools. It was felt by the management of these schools that physical activity should be a part of the school curriculum,” said Konyak, adding, “We understand today the importance of games and sports not just as a physical activity but also its potentials in providing a career as a sportsperson. Participation in such sports events therefore provides an opportunity of identifying talents.” Expounding on participation in sports, he said sports teach us discipline, learn to play with and along with others, tolerance, work hard to do well since nothing come free in life. Enunciating about Sainik School, Punglwa, Konyak said the school has infrastructure and facilities unequalled in any govern-

ment or private school in the State. He also wished the Principal and his team all success in their endeavour to make the institution a ‘role model.’ He assured that the State Government will continue to be a very ‘interested’ and ‘active partner’ with the Sainik School Society in ensuring quality of education provided in Sainik School, Punglwa. He further declared the first annual sports’ meet closed. GP Capt B Janardhanan, Principal of the School read out the welcome address. The highlights of the programme included, para jumping display by Akash Ganga Sky Diving Team of Indian Air Force, Dog show by Indian Army. The Akash Ganga Sky Diving Team of Indian Air Force consisted of 10 men and was led by Squadron Leader Rohit Dahiya. The divers jumped from MIG-17 aircraft, which was flying 6, 000 feet above the ground. The divers were falling at the speed of 200 feet per second.

of Doyang House 3rd- Jeremiah Yepthomi of Japfü House

Basketball TrophyDoyang House Volleyball TrophyJapfü House Football Trophy- Japfü House Academic Trophy of the Year- Tizü House Sportsperson of the YearAssumi K Nuhoka Best in AcademicsBintonlo, School Captain Best Ofﬁcer QualityJapfü Vizo of Japfü House Overall Best CadetJapfü Vizo of Japfü House Best in PT and March past- Doyang House Athletic Trophy 2008Japfü House Cock House Shield or Overall Champion 2008- Japfü House

2nd Hornbill Festival Motor Rally 2008

DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 15 (MExN): The 2nd Hornbill Festival Motor Rally 2008 will be flagged off from Kohima on December 4 next. The two days rally organized by the Nagaland Adventure and Motor Sports Association (NAMSA) will be on time, speed and distance format (DST) with a distance of approximately 160 kilometers on a route between Kohima and Dimapur from start to finish. A press note issued by Vikshe Shohe of NAMSA, stated that various teams from Nagaland and also well known motorists from across the country are expected to participate in the mega event. There are two categories for the adventure sportsman, car and bike (4 wheeler and two wheeler). Attractive prizes will be awarded to the winners, which include cash prize of more than Rs. 2 lakhs, besides attractive trophies fro the best decorated car and bike, best coup-de-dames (Ladies), 1st, 2nd and 3rd. The entry fee for car is Rs. 3, 000 (Driver and Navigator). An additional Rs. 500 will be charged for each passenger with maximum limit to two. For bike, the entry fee is Rs. 1, 000 (Driver and Navigator). An additional Rs. 100 will be charge for both categories for the entry forms on confirmation of participation. Special trophies will be awarded to the best family team, best department, institution and best sportsperson. Participants will be limited to 50 entries per category on first come first basis upto the closing entries on November 25 next at 12 non at NAMSA office, 116 Duncan, opposite the Morung Express, Dimapur. The entry forms are available at www.namsa.co.in, M/s Desmodromic, High School junction, Kohima (9856065060), M/s Screw Driver, opposite DDSC Stadium, Dimapur (9436004129). For further enquires contact, Vikshe Shohe (9862572374) and Lima Imsong (9436003727).

Marshall breaks 100m backstroke record in Berlin BERLIN, NOVEMBER 15 (AP): American swimmer Peter Marshall broke his own world record for the 100 meter backstroke on the first day of the short-course World Cup meet in Berlin on Saturday. Marshall won the Men's 100 meter backstroke in 49.64 seconds, 0.31 of a second faster than the record he set earlier in the week in Stockholm.

Results 100 Mt 1st- Assumi K Nuhoka of Japfü House 2nd- Ikato Awomi of Japfü House 3rd- Kelengoto James of Doyang House 50 MtX4 Relay 1st- Japfü House 2nd- Doyang House 3rd- Saramati House 200 Mt 1st- Ikato Awomi of Japfü House 2nd- Assumi K Nuhoka of Japfü House 3rd- Talisanen Ao of Tizü House

School Captain leading the march past at the ﬁrst annual sports’ meet of Sainik School, Punglwa, Peren, on Saturday. (Morung Photo)

50 MtX4 Medley 1st- Akshay Ligu of Doyang House 2nd- Thanthuilube Zeliang

400 Mt 1st- Kumar Rai of Tizü House 2nd- Sani Albert of Saramati House 3rd- Vimellie Chasie of Japfü House Quiz CompetitionSaramati House Creativity Trophy- Tizü House Talent Search TrophyDoyang House Best in-house upkeeping Trophy- Japfü House Cross Country WinnerJapfü House Badminton TrophyDoyang and Japfü Houses

Ronaldo leads Manchester United to convincing win

C M Y K

LONDON, NOVEMBER 15 (AGENCIES): Cristiano Ronaldo gave Manchester United 100 reasons for why they should love him on Saturday, and there were 70,000 fans ready to pour out their adoration for their number seven as he inspired a 5-0 victory over Stoke. Sir Alex Ferguson fought tooth and nail all summer to keep the man known as Ronaldo, Ronny, C-Ron, CR7 at United, and the Portuguese picked a landmark moment to once again prove he is one of the greatest match-winners in the world. Chasing his 100th goal in United colours, it took all of two minutes for the man Bobby Charlton likens to George Best to deliver – as

he so often does, unleashing a trademark free kick that ripped yet another giant hole in The Old Trafford net. Goals aren’t all Ronaldo deals in though, and he quickly followed that up by showing the other side of his game – setting up Michael Carrick for an emphatic second goal on the stroke of half time. Dimitar Berbatov added a third in typically classy style before Danny Wellbeck bagged the goal of the game, but this day was all about United’s Portuguese sensation – who applied the icing late on with his second goal of a very satisfactory afternoon. National treasure Phil Collins was among the spectators at Old Trafford on

Saturday, for what proved to be Another Day in Paradise for United’s number seven. Collins may not even have taken his seat by the time Ronaldo had grabbed Stoke’s gameplan and shaken it upside down inside the first two minutes. If there is one type of goal that defines the Portuguese’s first 99 in a Manchester United jersey, it would be THAT free kick against Portsmouth. How fitting then that he brought up goal 100 with a typically thunderous replica. In all honesty, the goal owed a lot to Thomas Sorensen, who seemed to panic at the sight of a swerving ball as he danced right and then left, before throwing up two desperate hands that didn’t even

begin to repel the ball. Ronaldo has endured a cool relationship with the United fans since he flirted with Real Madrid this summer, as Phil Collins will tell him – You Can’t Hurry Love.

But love was very evident on the face of every home supporter as their number seven wheeled away, and the bursting emotion on Ronaldo’s face confirmed the feeling is mutual.

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