16 june

Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com

Vol XXXI No. 190

DIMAPUR, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021 Pages 12 ` 5.00

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Govt report flags ‘lapses’ in Nagaland bat study NEW DELHI, JUN 15 (AGENCIES): More than a year after a probe into a filovirus study of bats in Nagaland by the Bangalorebased National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), the government has concluded that there had been “concerning lapses” in the conduct and protocols followed for the study, even as an inter-department row continues over where the bat samples should be stored.

The Hindu had first reported in February 2020 on the enquiry being initiated into whether adequate permissions had been sought for the study that had listed two scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology as “coauthors”, and was partially funded by the U.S. Department of Defence through its Defence Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA).

In 2020, a committee convened by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which consisted of officials from the Ministries of External Affairs, Defence, Home Affairs, Health, Environment, Law, Departments of Science & Technology, De-

CEOs urged to make sustained year-round efforts Spl. Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JUN 15 (NPN): Election Commission of India (ECI), which organized a virtual conference of the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of all the States and UTs on Tuesday, emphasized that CEOs should make sustained yearround efforts to engage with new voters for registration and other services like correction, change of address etc for existing voters.

While addressing the CEOs, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra stressed the importance of such periodic review meetings for revamping back-end systems so the voter centric services could be delivered swiftly and efficiently on priority.

Reiterating the importance of an updated and error-free electoral roll, CEC asked the CEOs to share the best practices of the various innovative steps taken by the poll-gone states for learning and customization for future elections. Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said that CEOs of the recently poll-gone states should suggest ways of scaling up/ integrating their successful best practices.

This is it!

“He says A is for Asymptomatic, B for Bats, C for Covid, D for Diabetes; E for Endemic, F for Flu..”

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velopment of North Eastern Region, and others met “to streamline processes and avoid such lapses in the future,” a report prepared by the Ministry of Health said.

Both the foreign-funding of the study, that cost an estimated Rs.1.9 crore, as well as concerns over the storage of the bat samples collected came up for scrutiny.

No Wuhan link: The findings of the report became significant given the debate over the origins of the Covid-19 worldwide, and handling of bat samples at the Wuhan Institute laboratory, given that both studies share one common co-author.

However, scientific experts and officials that The Hindu spoke to made it clear that the Nagaland bat study on filoviruses

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(Ebola and Marburg) was in no way related to the coronavirus (SARs) studies at Wuhan.

When contacted, NCBS director Satyajit Mayor said he had no knowledge of the Health Ministry’s report’s conclusions.

“We are not aware of lapses,” said Mayor, in written replies to The Hindu.

“The [bat] samples we have collected are invaluable to research and understanding zoonotic pathogens,” he added, directing all further enquiries on the clearances and bat samples to the Ministry of Health.

However, both the Ministry of Health report dated February 2021, as well as a series of communications between the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the Depart-

ment of Atomic Energy, which oversaw the NCBS study in October-November 2020, referred to the issues.

The Hindu has seen copies of these documents.

“The research publication raised serious concerns as the samples were collected from humans and bats with intent to test for viral pathogens and resulting antibodies of highly infectious pathogens (risk group 4 viruses). The study didn’t have the requisite approval of ICMR. Moreover, the facility at NCBS was not equipped in terms of biosafety and biosecurity to undertake such testing,” states the Health Ministry report.

“The inquiry committee (including Health Ministry and ICMR officials) visited NCBS, Bangalore as well as Nagaland to understand the work done, methodology followed, and places visited during the course of the study,” said the report, adding that they found “concerning lapses in the study protocols and procedures”. “All the lapses were discussed and appropriate actions were suggested,” it added.

Safe storage issues:

Meanwhile differences over the storage of the Nagaland bat samples between the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), and the Ministry of Health continue.

The Health Ministry wants the samples of nucleic acid extract stored at the Bio Safety Level -4 (BSL-4) standard facility at the National Institute of Virology laboratory in Pune, rather than NCBS’s Bengaluru facilities, that are rated BSL-3 at present.

While the DAE contends that the samples were “non-infectious” and had been checked for the presence of filoviruses (Ebola and Marburg), the Health Ministry contends that such samples must be handled in a laboratory equipped for “biosafety and biosecurity conditions” as otherwise they can pose a “significant public health hazard”.

“The issue of bio-security comes under Department of Biotechnology, and ICMR has no business raising any concerns on a study done by NCBS, which is an institution under the Department of Atomic Energy,” said noted virologist Gagandeep Kang.

international, Page 9

Risk of death following Covid-19 vaccination is negligible: Centre NEW DELHI, JUN 15 (PTI): The health ministry on Tuesday termed as “incomplete” and of “limited understanding” media reports which stated that 488 deaths between January 16 and June 7 following vaccination were linked to post-Covid complications, and highlighted that the vaccination coverage during this period was 23.5 crore.

The number of deaths reported following COVID19 vaccination in the country is only 0.0002 per cent of the 23.5 crore doses administered, and this is within

the expected death rates in a population, it said.

In a population, deaths occur at a certain rate. The crude death rate in 2017, according to sample registration system (SRS) data, was 6.3 per 1,000 persons annually, the ministry said.

It is also important and pertinent to note that the mortality rate for those testing positive for COVID-19 is more than one per cent and vaccination can prevent these deaths, it said.

“Therefore, the risk of dying following vaccination is negligible as compared to

the known risk of dying due to COVID-19,” the ministry stated. The ministry also referred to some media reports suggesting an increase in the cases of severe adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) that have also resulted in “succumbing of patients” post vaccination.

“It is clarified that these reports are based on incomplete and limited understanding of the matter at hand. It may be noted that the term ‘succumbed’ insinuates causality i.e. the deaths were caused due to vaccination,” the ministry said.

First death confirmed due to anaphylaxis: AEFI

A

government panel studying COVID19 vaccine side effects has confirmed the first death due to anaphylaxis following vaccination. The causality assessment of 31 reported serious AEFI cases following COVID-19 vaccination was carried out by the panel.

According to a report by the National AEFI Committee, a 68-year-old man died due to anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction) after (Cont’d on p-8) being vaccinated on March

8, 2021. “It is the first death linked to COVID-19 vaccination due to anaphylaxis.

It re-emphasises the need to wait for 30 minutes at the inoculation centre after receiving the jab. Most of the anaphylactic reactions occur during this period and prompt treatment prevents deaths,” Dr NK Arora, chairperson, National AEFI committee, told PTI. The Committee examined five such cases that took place on February 5, eight

cases on March 9 and 18 cases on March 31.

As per data in the first week of April, the reporting rate is 2.7 deaths per million vaccine doses administered and 4.8 hospitalisations per million vaccine doses administered, the report stated.

The panel said mere reporting of deaths and hospitalisations as serious adverse events does not automatically imply that the events were caused due to vaccines.

Novavax set for India Human behaviour crucial to break Covid chain: AIIMS chief launch; more efficacious than Covishield, Covaxin  Novavax has scored

90.4% in efficacy test conducted in US and Mexico

 Novavax, named Covovax

in India, is in advanced stages of phase 2/3 bridging trials with SII enrolling 1,600 participants across 15 centres

 As per India estimates, 20cr Novavax shots can be available during Sept-Dec. SII has also indicated and interest in conducting trails in children

NEW DELHI, JUN 15 (AGENCIES): The latest anti-Covid vaccine that will be available in India

by September-October this year will be Covovax.

According to a media report, it will be called Covovax in India and the Centre expects 200 million doses of the vaccine to be available for use in India by the end of 2021. US biotechnology firm Novavax announced that its Covid19 vaccine demonstrated over 93 per cent efficacy against the predominantly circulating virus variants of concern and variants of interest and offered 100 per cent protection against

moderate and severe disease.

The vaccine is likely to be priced at Rs 1,114 per dose in India. The vaccine will be a two-dose jab like the other vaccines The NVX-CoV2373, as the vaccine being made by the US-based biotechnology firm Novavax, Inc. is called, has shown 90.4 percent overall efficacy in Phase 3 clinical trials. That puts it in the same bracket as two of the frontline vaccines being used in the US and European countries, the ones produced

by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, which had efficacy rates of 91.3 percent and 90 percent in Phase 3 trials, respectively.

The Novavax jab’s efficacy rate is also substantially higher than the Covishield (76 percent in US trials) and the Covaxin (81 percent) vaccines that are driving India’s inoculation drive.

The third vaccine currently cleared for use in India, the Russian-made Sputnik V, has an almost similar efficacy rate of 91.6 percent.

NEW DELHI, JUN 15 (IANS): As the second wave of Covid seems to have been brought under control in the last few days with a sharp dip in new cases across the country and several states gradually lifting lockdowns, AIIMS director, Dr Randeep Guleria, on Tuesday stressed that human behaviour would be crucial to break spread of infection in any subsequent wave.

Guleria, who, along

with Health Ministry officials, was briefing the press on Covid-19 situation, said that the number of cases have declined because of strict lockdowns, but also noted that while the restrictions helped in lowering infections, it does not mean that Covid-19 has gone away.

“But, once the restrictions are lifted, people think Covid has ended now and their behaviour towards

Covid-19 will change all of sudden. People stop wearing masks, and maintain social distancing or other Covid appropriate behaviour, which pave the way for a subsequent wave. Hence, people’s behaviour is crucial to fight against Covid pandemic, otherwise it will invite another wave,” he added.

Explaining why one Covid wave is followed by a subsequent wave, he said Covid-19 is a respiratory

tions were surging across the country. It said the extended gap was recommended by the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI), based on reallife evidence mainly from the United Kingdom. Yet NTAGI scientists, classified by the government as three of the 14 “core members”, said the body did not have enough data to make such a recommendation.

M.D. Gupte, a former director of the state-run National Institute of Epidemiology, said NTAGI had

On whether the third possible Covid wave would be more serious for children, Guleria said: “As of now, there is no such evidence which can prove that the next wave will be more serious for children. If we see the second wave’s data, it emerged that up to 60-70 children were admitted in hospitals, their immunity was very low or they were suffering with some other infections also...”

State logs 101 fresh Covid cases, 3 deaths World’s smallest dinosaur is COVID-19 STATUS AS ON June 15, 2021 actually a prehistoric lizard District

Asymptom- Mild atic

Dimapur 1249 62 5 Kiphire 21 Kohima 563 14 Longleng 3 20 Mokokchung 435 16 Mon 55 0 Peren 5 0 Phek 33 0 Tuensang 157 11 Wokha 43 1 Zunheboto 73 6 Total 2736 135

ACTIVE CASES Symptomatic Severe Moderate ICU On On (without Oxy- Oxy- ventilagen gen tor) 21 9 16 1 0 1 11 9 0 3 1 0 1 3 0 4 0 2 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 2 0 0 50 23 19

DIMAPUR, JUN 15 (NPN): Nagaland on Tuesday registered 101 Covid-19 positive cases and three deaths.

Of the fresh cases, 31

RecovDeath ered

ICU (On ventilator 6 9905 295 0 114 5 3 6419 75 0 101 0 0 515 27 0 847 6 0 571 0 0 281 15 0 557 6 0 131 4 0 312 12 9 19753 445

Non Covid Deaths Miwith gratCovid 19 ed Positivity 10 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 14

Total Cases

487 12058 1 147 102 7196 10 140 36 1132 15 932 2 579 2 335 2 732 5 189 8 414 670 23854

were from Dimapur, Kohima-25, Mokokchung-12, Tuensang-10, seven from Longleng, six each in Mon and Zunheboto, two in Kiphire and one each in Peren

and Wokha, taking the total caseload to 23,854.

Meanwhile, three more persons succumbed to the infection-- two in Dimapur and one in Wokha, taking the death toll to 459 (including 14 non-Covid deaths but with Covid positivity).

PTI: India saw a single-day rise of 60,471 new Covid cases, the lowest after 75 days, taking the total tally to 2,95,70,881, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday.

The Covid-19 death toll climbed to 3,77,031 with 2,726 fresh deaths, the data updated at 8 am showed The active cases further declined to 9,13,378 comprising 3.09 per cent of the total infections.

We didn’t back doubling of vaccine dosing gap: Scientists NEW DELHI, JUN 15 (REUTERS): Government of India doubled the gap between the two doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine without the agreement of the scientific group that it said recommended the increase, three members of the advisory body told Reuters.

The Health ministry announced the decision to change the gap from 6-8 weeks to 12-16 weeks on May 13, at a time when supplies of the shot were falling short of demand and infec-

virus and comes in multiple waves.

“Coronavirus is a respiratory virus like influenza and it is well-known fact that when there is pandemic, respiratory virus comes in multiple waves until its transmission chain is completely broken. We have seen that during Spanish flu during 1918 and H1N1 in 2009 (Swine flu pandemic), multiple waves were seen.”

backed increasing the dosing interval to 8-12 weeks - the gap advised by the World Health Organization. But he added that the group had no data concerning the effects of a gap beyond 12 weeks.

“Eight to 12 weeks is something we all accepted, 12 to 16 weeks is something the government has come out with,” he added. “This may be alright, may not be.

We have no information on that.” This was echoed by his NTAGI colleague Mathew Varghese, who said the group’s recommendation

was only for 8-12 weeks. The ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

The ministry’s statement on May 13 said that it had accepted the 12-16 weeks recommendation from NTAGI’s Covid working group, as had a group of mainly government officials tasked with vaccine administration, known as NEGVAC. Government health officials told a news conference on May 15 the gap was not increased to address a vaccine shortage but was a “scientific decision”.

J.P. Muliyil, a member of the seven-strong Covid working group, said there had been discussions within the NTAGI on increasing the vaccine dosage interval but that the body had not recommended 12-16 weeks.

“That specific number was not quoted,” he said, without elaborating. N.K. Arora, head of the Covid working group, declined to comment on its recommendations but said all its decisions were taken collectively by the NTAGI at large.

(Cont’d on p-8)

Oculudentavis naga was named after Nagas from Myanmar and India AT L A N TA , J U N 1 5 (AGENCIES): A tiny skull entombed in 99-millionyear-old amber that became the subject of scientific debate last year was initially thought to belong to the world’s smallest dinosaur species.

However, the highprofile March 2020 scientific paper that unveiled the discovery of Oculudentavis khaungraae was retracted later that year.

New research published on Monday, based on another, better-preserved amber specimen, suggests that the skull was from a prehistoric lizard, reports CNN. “It’s a really weird animal. It’s unlike any other lizard we have today,” said co-author of the new study Juan Diego Daza, a herpetologist and assistant professor of biological sciences at Sam Houston State University in Texas, in a news release.

“We estimate that many lizards originated during this time, but they still hadn’t evolved their modern appearance,” he

Oculudentavis naga, as depicted in this artist’s reconstruction.

(Image: Stephanie Abramowicz/ Peretti Museum Foundation/ Current Biology)

said. “That’s why they can trick us. They may have characteristics of this group or that one, but in reality, they don’t match perfectly.”

The authors of the new paper published in the journal Current Biology named the creature Oculudentavis naga in honor of the Naga people of India and Myanmar, where the amber was found. They said it was from the same family or genus as Oculudentavis khaungraae, but likely a different species.

Oculudentavis means “eye tooth bird” in Latin, but Daza said taxonomic rules for naming and organizing animal species meant that they had to continue using it even though it wasn’t accurate. (Cont’d on p-8) K Y M C

2

DC Dimapur launches relief packages

DC Dimapur, Rajesh Soundararajan and others flagging off the relief materials. (NP)

Staff Reporter DIMAPUR, JUN 15 (NPN): Deputy commissioner (DC), Rajesh Soundararajan launched the distribution of relief packages for daily wage earners, here, at Holy Cross higher secondary school auditorium hall on Tuesday.

Addressing media persons, the DC informed that the distri-

bution of relief packages was initiated under the directives of the state government to assist daily wage earners affected by the lockdown. He also informed that various organisations and stakeholders in Dimapur would be assisting the district administration in distributing the relief packages at grassroots level.

It may be mentioned that a total of 7,000 households have

CRIME BEAT

Ten held for tax evasion

DIMAPUR: Security forces apprehended ten individuals on June 3 at Paramedical Colony, Kohima for illegally transporting 96 tons of veneer sheets without paying taxes.

According to PRO (Defence), during the operation, which was carried

been listed as beneficiaries in the district. The relief package includes rice, lentils (dal), kholar, mustard oil, sugar, salt, tea leaves, soaps, spices, onions, garlic and other spices.

Volunteers from Dimapur Ao Baptist Church (DABA), Muslim Council Dimapur (MCD) and Red Cross Society (RCS) assisted in packaging and distribution of the relief items.

state

Online training on research extension convergence DIMAPUR: State Agricultural Management and Extension Training Institute (SAMETI) organised a two-day online training programme on “research extension convergence” for ATMA functionaries at SAMETI, Medziphema on June 9 and 10.

A press release from SAMETI Medziphema informed that resource persons for the training programme were faculty, Dr. S. Borua and RA from Extension Education Institute (NE Region), government of India, ministry of agriculture & farmers welfare, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, M Dutta.

The resource person for the training programme covered topics such as participatory lectures on need for research extension converge, convergence between research and extension in agricultural sector, PRA methodologies and research extension linkages.

The release informed that the training programme was aimed at imparting technical knowledge on research extension convergence to the participants.

Altogether, 22 participants from various districts attended the training.

Meanwhile, the valedictory programme was chaired by DPD SAMETI, Janet Chishi. She encouraged participants to take practical knowledge gained during the training programme back to the farmers.

Nagaland Post, Dimapur WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021

Blood donation drives in Peren, Kohima

DBCK NCC cadet and others during the blood donation drive.

DIMAPUR: Jalukie battalion of Assam Rifles organised a medical camp and awareness campaign on the occasion at New Impai, Peren on June 14.

A total of 56 people were benefitted from the medical camp where basic medical check up and awareness on benefits and superstitions

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

on blood donation were imparted.

The battalion also organised a women empowerment and recruitment drive, alongside lecture on COVID-19 awareness for women of Tenning, Peren, on June 14.

NCC cadets of DBCK: NCC cadets of Don Bosco

College Kohima (DBCK) observed world blood donor day on June 15. NCC cadet Tsurila of 2nd semester donated at NHAK, Kohima blood bank.

A press release from DBCK informed that Tsurila was accompanied by NCC officer Rokovinuo and the college principal.

Gratitude

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out based on a specific input, four trucks along with Rs. 50,000 was also seized.

The apprehended individuals along with recovered items were handed over to Forest Department, Kohima district for further investigation, PRO informed.

Security forces nab NPGs members DIMAPUR: Security forces in a joint operation with police apprehended members of NSCN (U) and NSCN (N-NK) on separate occasions.

In a press release, PRO (Defence) informed that based on specific input, the joint team carried out an operation on June 11 at Burma Camp, Dimapur and nabbed one member of NSCN (U).

PRO informed that the team also recovered 10 boxes of brown sugar worth Rs. 35,000 (approx) from the accused. The apprehended individual along with recovered items was handed over to East Police Station, Dimapur for further investigation.

In a separate operation on June 13, the joint team based on a specific input apprehended one member of NSCN (N-NK) at Khehokhu, Dimapur and rescued the truck driver kidnapped from 6th Mile Petrol Pump, Dimapur. PRO informed that the apprehended individual has been handed over to Chümoukedima police station, Dimapur for further investigation.

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$IJFDIB #BTB #BQUJTU $IVSDI $IJFDIBNB 4UVEFOUT 6OJPO .JEMBOE #BQUJTU $IVSDI ,PIJNB *U JT PVS TJODFSF QSBZFS UIBU PVS )FBWFOMZ 'BUIFS XJMM CMFTT ZPV BMM BCVOEBOUMZ K-1051

CHILDLINE Dimapur organises online activities DIMAPUR: With an aim to provide a platform for children and parents to invest their time productively, CHILDLINE Dimapur conducted a series of online contest /activities for children based on the theme “plastic waste to life”.

The contest was categorised into different age groups and was conducted on various days between May 16 and June 5.

The event was coordinated by interns, Shalu Kumari and Shania Singhania Agarwal, students of Christ Deemed to be University, Bengaluru.

On the first day, a session on ways and techniques of reducing, reusing and recycling single use plastics by creatively turning used plastic bottles and containers into planters, pen-stands and boxes was held.

They were also taught how to decorate their models using acrylic paints, old clothes, wool and thread.

On the following days, children participated in free hands painting and the participants were asked to plant tree saplings.

An essay writing competition was held for the age group of 11-16 years on the theme ‘‘plastic waste management”. Prizes were awarded to the winners of each contest along with e-certificates to all the participants.

Altogether, 165 children participated in the series of online contest.

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-PWJOH 8JGF $IJMESFO BOE 3FMBUJWFT

03.09.1979 – 11.06.2021

The family members of Late Kumbotsung Imchen express our heartfelt gratitude to every individual, organisations and churches for the various loving gestures during our grief. We have been immensely blessed by your visits, calls, messages and financial supports. We regret our inability to thank everyone in person but it is our sincere prayer that the Almighty God bless you all abundantly.

DP-2797

Loving wife, daughter, sons and family members

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT “The Lord gave and the lord has taken away...” Job 1:21

Mrs. Mhonjoni Tungoe (Annie) 09/10/1980 - 27/05/2021

We, the bereaved family of Late Mrs. Mhonjoni Tungoe (Annie) express our heartfelt gratitude to our friends, relatives, neighbours, various churches & organizations and well wishers for the love, support and kindness shown to us during her illness till her sudden demise on 27th May 2021.

We want to sincerely ‘Thank You’ for providing us physical, spiritual, material, financial and emotional support during these difficult times. We are deeply touched beyond words for your gesture of kindness and empathy. Your contribution has made our loss more bearable.

As it is impossible for us to thank everyone individually, please accept this acknowledgement as an expression of our deepest gratitude. We pray that the Good Lord Almighty bless each and every one of you abundantly. We will remain forever grateful and indebted to you all.

‘She was a loving daughter, a caring sister, devoted wife & mother, a beautiful friend to many, a humble & generous soul and an innovative entrepreneur. We wish she could have lived more but God has better plan and purpose for her.

God loves you and now you are at home resting peacefully in his arm. We pray and put our trust in God for His blessings through you. You will always remain alive in our hearts forever.’’

Loving Husband, Daughter, Family Members and In-Laws.

DP-2796

DP-2786

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State/Northeast

Nagaland Post, Dimapur WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021

COVID-19: Meeting, directives and advisories

3

People waiting in queue for COVID vaccination at Midland Ward, Kohima AR Shamator battalion along with medical team from CHC Shamator conducting the Yanseo Sangtam, MLA, during his visit to COVID hospital, on Tuesday. vaccination drive at Lasikiur village. (DIPR) Kiphire on June 14. (DIPR)

DIMAPUR: In order to prevent and combat the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state, the state government and various agencies have been issuing guidelines for the safety of the public.

“DocOn” app launched in Mon: Mon District Task Force (DTF) for COVID-19 under the Chairmanship of DC Mon, Thavaseelan K launched a free video consultation facility for patients through an application called “DocOn” on June 14.

According to DIPR report, DocOn allows patients to book video consultation appointment with doctors enabling patients to consult with the doctor remotely from anywhere making it safe and convenient.

DC Phek on traffic restrictions Dimapur: Deputy commissioner, Phek, Razouvolie Dozo has informed that there would be total restriction of traffic movement between Porba & Sakraba village area (chainage 8+000) from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. from June 16 to June 30.

DC informed that the restriction is necessitated to facilitate speedy completion of 2-lane construction of Phek-Pfutsero road.

Public has been advised to avoid travelling in the aforementioned stretch during the stipulated time for safety.

nagalandpost.com Poll Q.: Will reaffirmation on Climate change by G7 make any impact?

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

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T. Yangseo Sangtam visits Pungro: DPDB Kiphire chairman, T. Yangseo Sangtam, MLA, visited Pungro and held a meeting with the administration, medical team, frontline workers, public leaders and NGOs at GA Rest House, Pungro on Tuesday.

Yangseo urged the citizens not to believe false information and encouraged them to avail the vaccine.

He also called upon the gathering to educate people and spread awareness on the importance of getting vaccinated.

He also inspected the ongoing road repairing in his initiative connecting from Pungro to Mimi, Likimro, Amikiuro, Mutenkhong, Mimi, Khongjiri, Longkhimvong,

Tsurevong, Khonsa, Salomi and Luthur.

DC Mon informs on additional directives: DC and chairman DTF, Mon, Thavaseelan K has issued an order that the existing lockdown measures and directives would continue to remain in force in till June 18 with additional directives such as: no mask, no movement and no maskno entry will be strictly enforced by all concerned; permitted shops and business establishment shall be allowed to open between 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Shops selling stationeries, mobile phones and computer accessories, hardware, garage for automobiles and shops selling vehicles spare parts would be open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday;

Participants along with and functionaries from KVK during the programme.

DIMAPUR: Indian Council of Agricultural ResearchKrishi Vig yan Kendra (ICAR-KVK) Peren, Jalukie in collaboration with ICAR research complex for North East Region (NER), Na-

galand centre, Jharnapani conducted seed distribution programme at Beisumpuikam village with selected farmers on June 14.

In a press release, principal scientist & head, KVK

Peren, Dr. K.L. Meena informed that during the programme, package of practices of lowland rice cultivation was discussed by ACTO, PBG KVK Peren, Dr. Patu K. Zeliang for

Arunachal Governor, CM pay homage to Galwan Valley martyrs

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B

C

40% 50% 10%

Next poll Q: W h i c h o f t h e t w o

competitions is more popular?  Euro 2020.  Copa America.  Both.

WEATHER FORECAST June 16

(Temperature in ºC)

Max Min

Agartala A thunderstorm in spots

30 25

Aizawl

Some rain and a thunderstorm 26 21

Guwahati A thunderstorm in spots Imphal

An afternoon thunderstorm

34 26 28 22

Itanagar A stray afternoon t-storm

31 24

Shillong A t-storm around in the p.m.

25 19

Kohima

A couple of thunderstorms

25 19

Dimapur A stray morning thunderstorm 32 24 Mkg

A heavy t-storm in the p.m.

Tuensang Mostly cloudy with a t-storm Wokha

A stray afternoon t-storm

Zunheboto Thunderstorm; heaviest later

K Y M C

27 20 21 16 27 22 24 18

labourers shall be allowed as per provision under the revised SOP for returnees and travelers and Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) including taxis would be allowed to ply on odd-even basis.

Drivers of taxis have been directed to get negative Covid test report for resumption of service while bus services, two-wheeler taxi services and pillion riding would remain suspended.

Meanwhile, the DC also issued an order in regard to the movement of LMVs on ODD-EVEN basis to be effective till June 18 within Mon district.

The DC has informed that vehicles with registration number ending with odd numbers would be allowed to ply on Mon-

seed production of lowland paddy RCM-9 to meet the demand for seeds.

Under oil seed promotion, cultivation practices of sesame were discussed for increasing production and productivity by scientist, PBG, ICAR Jharnapani, Dr. Harendra Verma and his team members SRFs Sakuonuo Theunuo and Imtijungla Jamir.

Under the programme, two quintals of lowland paddy RCM-9 and three high yielding varieties of sesame were distributed to the farmers to cover 10 hectares along with plant protection chemicals.

Towards the end of the programme, chairman Beisumpuikam village, Tadibe related how farm-

Galwan Valley incident. (File Image) ITANAGAR, JUN 15 (AGENCIES): Arunachal Pradesh Governor Brig (Retd) BD Mishra and Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Tuesday paid homage to the brave Indian soldiers martyred in the Galwan Valley clash against the Chinese forces last year, reports East Mojo.

Gover nor Mishra joined the people of Arunachal in paying gratitude to their martyrs and their family members. “I salute the soldiers for their bravery, courage, patriotism and supreme sacrifice in their service to the nation,” he said. Recalling the supreme sacrifice of the soldiers of the 16th Bihar Regiment, led by their Commanding Offi-

cer Col B Santosh Babu, the Governor said the sacrifices made by our soldiers have not gone in vain.

They fought gallantly and dropped many enemy soldiers’ dead. The nation is proud of them and their mission to ensure that every inch of Mother India, anywhere everywhere along the international boundary, is safe and secured, he said.

The Governor said India is a traditionally peaceloving country, but when its borders are threatened, we are always ready to make any sacrifices.

Reposing his faith in the capability of the Indian Armed Forces, Mishra said, India, under present bold and determined political

leadership is capable of defending itself against any threat.

There cannot be any compromise with the integrity and sovereignty of our country, the Governor added.

Chief Minister Khandu took to Twitter to pay his homage to the brave martyrs.

“My deepest gratitude and humble tribute to Maha Vir Chakara Col B Santosh Babu and all Veer Jawans of 16 Bihar Regiment who made supreme sacrifice defending our motherland from the enemy forces in the #GalwanValley on this day. Your bravery is an inspiration for entire nation,” Khandu said in his tweet.

Aizawl, Jun 15 (PTI): The Mizoram government has constituted a magisterial inquiry in connection with the collapse of a retaining wall which swept away a building resulting in the deaths of four children, an official said on Tuesday.

Four children were killed and two injured when an Assam-type building in which a sevenmember family lived, was swept away by the retaining wall that collapsed due to a landslip triggered by rains here on Friday.

The government order issued on Monday has appointed Aizawl district deputy commissioner or magistrate Lalhriatzuali Ralte to conduct the probe. The deputy commissioner was asked to submit a complete report of the findings within two weeks of her appointment, the official said.

The order, a copy of which is available with PTI, said that the government felt necessary to thoroughly investigate the incident, to determine its causes and nature, so that it can formulate policies to avert such disasters in future and place responsibility on the negligent party, if any.

The inquiry will establish whether there was any human negligence or other factors that led to the incident, the order said.

State disaster management and rehabilitation minister Lalchamliana said the government is apprehensive that it was not a natural but a man-made disaster.

“It appears that the incident resulted from negligence as it was believed to be caused by the accumulation of loose soil from a construction site situated above the collapsed building,” he said.

The minister also announced Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia for the kin of each of the victims, which will be paid from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).

day, Wednesday and Friday while vehicles with registration number ending with even numbers would be allowed to play on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Further, the DC informed that violation of the order would invite penalties U/S 177 and 179 of the MV Act 1988. All officers and staff in the exempted category have also been asked to carry identity cards issued by respective HoDs. House sealed in Pughoboto: In view of detection and confirmation of COVID-19 positive case and in the larger interest of public health and safety, ADC & chairman, SDTF Pughoboto, Thungchanbemo Tungoe has ordered the sealing of house no. 105 at

Vulaito colony, Pughoboto with immediate effect.

During the seal period, all movement of persons within the sealed area has been strictly prohibited.

House sealed at Tobu: In order to take effective measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, EAC Tobu, Tsidi has ordered the immediate sealing of house no.285, Shamyak Ward, Tobu town till further order.

The ADC and EAC have informed that any person violating the containment measures would be liable to be proceeded against as per the provision of sections 51 to 60 of Disaster Management Act 2005 besides legal action under IPC Section 188 and other legal provisions as applicable.

KCCI directs on waste dumping

ers in the village were cultivating rice only for grain purpose before, however due to low-income they had moved to mustard cultivation for higher income, then to sesame which was more profitable compared to mustard and Colocasia, which he found gave them the highest profit.

In this regard, he expressed his happiness with the improved and high yielding varieties of rice and sesame provided by the ICAR for increasing their incomes and giving all its efforts to uplift their livelihood.

Village council members along with paddy and oilseed cultivator representatives attended the programme.

Northeast Probe ordered into Mizoram wall collapse that killed 4 children

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Yes. No. Can’t Say.

Regular religious service and gathering shall continue to be suspended.

However, prayer meetings and fellowships may be allowed in religious places with not more than 20 persons.

Administrative offices of schools/colleges with a core group of officers/ staff would be permitted to attend urgent and essential matters; private business offices with a core group of officers/staff may be permitted to attend urgent and essential matters with the prior permission of the DTF. Common service Centres (CSCs) in the district would be permitted to open for IT support during COVID-19 vaccination; New construction works are permitted and fresh

Training programme for farmers at Peren

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Through the app, the patient can: book video consultation appointment; receive lifetime access to digital prescription (eprescription); maintain medical history & share reports with the doctor; get reminders about upcoming appointment and post consultation chat with the doctor.

The app is available on App Store for iOS and Google Play Store for Andriod. In response to the situation, the DTF initiated this service to enable the public to gain access to health care from the safety of one’s own home.

Currently, nine doctors from district hospital, Mon are available for consultation on DocOn App with more to follow shortly.

DIMAPUR: Kohima Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has directed its members, trading communities and the general public, especially those residing in close vicinity along the highway and designated waste collection points to strictly adhere to the order issued by the Kohima Municipal Council (KMC) on throwing of wastes in the capital city.

In a press release, KCCI president Medozhatuo Rutsa has informed that the timings fixed for disposal of waste in the morning before 6 a.m. and after 6 p.m. in the evening should be strictly followed and properly managed by all.

Further, KCCI warned that failure on compliance would impose penalties, regardless of traders and the general public.

Kohima Bible College informs Dimapur: Kohima Bible College (KBC) has informed students, staff, non-teaching staff, alumni and well-wishers that a three-day fasting and prayer at respective places from June 18 to 20 would be held under the theme, “Will you not revive us again, that we may rejoice in you” (Psalm 85:6), and “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. “For God did not give us a spirit of fear but of love, power and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1: 6 & 7).

Assam students move SC, seek cancellation of HSLC & HS exams GUWAHATI, JUN 15 (AGENCIES): Amid the pandemic and confusion among the students deciding their fate, a plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking direction to the Assam government and state examination boards for cancellation of Class X and XII exams.

The petitioners had written to the apex court that all state boards must follow the decision of CBSE and evaluate Class XII students with an alternative method. The petition also highlighted that there are more than 1.5 crore Class XII students across the nation including State Boards and conducting offline examinations of millions of students without vaccination could become “the reason of the third wave of Covid 19”.

According to reports, the Supreme Court will hear the plea filed by Anubha Shrivastava Sahai, President India Wide Parents Association Lawyer and Child Rights Activist and Advocate Mamta Sharma seeking the cancellation of state board exams 2021 on June 17.

Notably, 47 Students from 23 states (Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerela, Madhya Pradesh, Maharastra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil

Nadu, Telengana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, West Bengal), two UTs (Chandigarh, Delhi) seeks relief from the Supreme Court for not holding offline exam and to find a formula for assessment and declaration of the results.

Three intervention applications (One by parents from Kerala, one by students from Assam, and one by the students from other remaining states) have also been filed to support the PIL. Meanwhile, Anubha Shrivastava Sahai took to Twitter and wrote, “Update on state board matter in SC Our State board PIL listed on 17th June in SC before Justice Khanwilkar bench.”

Earlier, Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu said that HSLC and HS examinations under SEBA and AHSEC will be conducted, and under no circumstances the same will be cancelled.

Speaking to the media, Pegu said that the exams will be conducted as soon as the Covid situation across the state gets better and is hopeful that by June 15 the Covid situation will be stabilized.

The education minister also said that students will be informed about the date sheet at least 15 days prior to the examination and will be held in offline mode, however, the examination format may change this year.

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Nagaland Post, Dimapur WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021

extends restrictions Assam’s ‘vaccine man’ goes door to door ‘Over 9,000 Myanmar nationals tillAssam June 22; some curbs eased to create awareness on efficacy of jabs taking refuge in Mizoram’

Aizawl, Jun 15 (PTI): The chief minister of Myanmar’s Chin state, Salai Lian Luai, is among 9,247 people who have taken refuge in Mizoram following a military coup in the neighbouring country in February, a senior police officer said on Tuesday.

Chin, a state in Western Myanmar, shares its Western border with Mizoram.

“The Chin state chief minister crossed the international border and entered Champhai town on Monday night,” the officer told PTI on condition of anonymity.

He said that 24 lawmakers, including Luai, of Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), have taken shelter in different parts of Mizoram.

The Myanmarese nationals are provided with shelter and food by civil society organisations and student bodies, while many are sheltered by the locals, the senior police officer

7 arrested for rape and murder of 2 girls Kokrajhar, Jun 15 (PTI): Seven persons have been arrested so far in connection with the alleged rape and murder of two girls in Assam’s Kokrajhar district, police said on Tuesday.

The girls, aged 14 and 16, belonged to the Rabha community and were found hanging from a tree on Saturday.

Seven persons have been arrested so far in connection with the incident, police said.

Those arrested are being interrogated and further investigations are underway, they said.

A Special Investigative Team constituted by Special DGP LR Bishnoi is probing the case.

Salai Lian Luai said. A large section of those who have taken refuge in the state belong to the Chin, also known as the Zo, community. They share the same ancestry and culture as the Mizos of Mizoram.

The data of Mizoram police’s Crime Investigation Department (CID) showed on Tuesday that a total of 9,247 people of Myanmar are currently staying in at least 10 districts of the state with Champhai housing the largest number at 4,156.

Of the 9,247 Myanmarese nationals, details of 8,683 have been collected

marily comprises the Guwahati city, has been relaxed by one hour. It would start at 2 pm and continue till 5 am the next day.

South Salmara, Majuli, Bongaigaon, Chirang, Udalguri, West Karbi Anglong, Dima Hasao and Charaideo districts, where the positive cases are less than 400 cumulatively in the last 10 days, the lockdownlike restrictions have been relaxed and movement of individuals will be allowed from 5 am to 5 pm.

“Districts where the total number of cumulative cases and per day cases are still showing persistently high numbers, especially Cachar, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sonitpur and Nagaon, will be under close watch till 21st June, 2021. In case there is no improvement in the COVID status in these districts, stricter restrictions may follow,” the ASDMA said.

All the other districts will continue to be under the existing set of restrictions, such as curfew from 1 pm to 5 am and all shops as well as commercial establishments closing down at 12 pm.

Manipur Congress condemns CM’s remark

Correspondent

IMPHAL, Jun 15: Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh’s recent statement on hike in the prices of fuels by the Modi government attracted strong criticism from the opposition state Congress on Tuesday.

The opposition party demanded that the chief minister apologise to the people of the state for his distasteful remark while strongly condemning the statement.

Few days ago, chief minister N Biren Singh had related the ever increasing prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas with the offering of rice, medicines and vaccines free of cost by the Modi government at the Centre. Singh had said in Manipuri how the Prime

Jorhat girl apologizes for social media post: AKM

D I M A P UR , J UN 1 5 (NPN): Ao Students’ Conference (AKM) claimed that one Munmuni Payeng, who inappropriately wore Ao Naga traditional male shawl and posted its pictures on social media on May 30, has apologised to all Ao Nagas.

AKM information & publicity secretary Onenpong in a press release said AKM on seeing the photos of Munmuni Payeng, who hails from Assam’s Jorhat district, investigated the matter and intervened after which a notice was sent to her demanding an apology.

He claimed that Payeng, in her letter, clarified that she was not aware of the customs and traditions

while those of 564 people are yet to be recorded, the police officer said.

According to the data, 1,633 people have taken refuge in the state capital Aizawl, 1,297 in Lawngtlai district, 633 in Siaha district, 478 in Hnahthial district, 167 in Lunglei district, 143 in Serchhip district, 112 in Saitual district, 36 in Kolasib district and 28 in Khawzawl district.

Six Mizoram districts Champhai, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Serchhip, Hnahthial and Saitual - share a 510 km long international border with Myanmar.

Meanwhile, Assam Rifles sources said that attempts were being made by the Myanmarese nationals on several occasions to cross the international border.

While many of them were prevented from entering the Indian territory, others managed to sneak into it through other routes because of the porous border, the sources said.

Guwahati, Jun 15 (PTI): The Assam government on Tuesday extended the ongoing COVID-19 restriction till June 22, easing certain curbs in some districts.

The order issued by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) and signed by Chief Secretary Jishnu Barua listed a new set of guidelines, which will be in force from 5 am on June 16 till 5 am on June 22.

“The situation of COVID-19 in the State has been reviewed and observed that, though the number of COVID-19 patients and positivity rate is declining in some districts, the overall situation is still precarious,” it said. The ASDMA said adequate measures for both urban and rural areas are still necessary for the containment of COVID- 19 across the state.

The order divided the state into three categories depending upon the improvement in the pandemic situation.

Accordingly, the curfew duration in Kamrup Metropolitan, which pri-

associated with the shawl and that she had no intention of disrespecting the Ao Naga culture and values.

She regretted for posting the pictures on social media and tendered an apology to all Ao Nagas, he added.

As the culture and tradition of indigenous people around the world was slowing degrading, AKM emphasised that it was important for “us to uphold our culture and traditions and safeguard our identity”.

It was important to educate the people and make them aware of the values attached to it, the release stated.

The student body hoped that such cases would not arise in the future and people would respect each other’s culture and tradition.

Minister Narendra Modi would would give free rice, medicines and free vaccines if there were no returns and if the free items would fall from the sky. The chief minister must offer his unconditional public apology to the people of the state for his unforgivable and morally very dehumanising words to the poor and needy people of the state during Covid pandemic, MPCC president Govindas Konthoujam demanded, in a statement.

MPCC strongly condemned the recent remarks of the chief minister on free rice, free medicines and free vaccines being provided to the people.

The Congress party it was not surprised by his public statements as they overfly the thinking of BJP’s ideology and political principles

towards the poor and the downtrodden, he stated.

The party (Congress) knew that those who have no respect for Mahatma Gandhiji will also have no respect for the poor, he stated.

“Had the BJP respected Mahatma Gandhiji, the party chief minister would not have uttered such distasteful words,” he added.

The insensitivity of and humiliatingly public mockery by the BJP chief minister’s statements towards the poor people of Manipur showed that the BJP government in the state has no regards for the poor people in the state.

“His statement is indeed unbecoming of a chief minister of a state,” Konthoujam said, in the statement. To another re-

mark of the chief minister N Biren Singh alleging the previous Congress government for doing nothing for the state in its 15 years tenure, the MPCC president asked whether he was not a part of the cabinet under the then Congress chief minister O Ibobi Singh.

The incumbent chief minister was a cabinet minister in the first term of the Ibobi-led Congress government. He (chief minister N Biren Singh) served not only as cabinet minister but also as a Congress government spokesperson.

“Does he mean to say that the Congress government, in which he was the minister for a full term in 2007-12, did not do anything for the people of the state,” the MPCC president asked.

Navy in Meghalaya mine detects 2 suspicious objects: Official

S h i l lo n g, J u n 1 5 (PTI): A sophisticated machine deployed by the Indian Navy to explore the flooded shaft of a coal mine in Meghalayas East Jaintia Hills district where five miners remain trapped for over two weeks Tuesday detected two suspicious objects at the bottom of the 152-metre deep pit, an official said.

District deputy commissioner E Kharmalki told PTI, “We are analysing the footage taken by the ROV (remotely operated vehicle) to verify if the objects are indeed human bodies.”

Though the rescuers have not been able to pull out the objects, a quick analysis of the video footage taken by the ROV suggests

that it could be human bodies, he said.

“As of now the rescuers will be analysing the videos and by tomorrow when the visibility of the water at the bottom of the pit improves, the Navy will deploy the ROV again,” Kharmalki said. The water inside the shaft was murky on Tuesday hampering visibility.

Besides the Indian Navy, about 60 rescuers belonging to the NDRF, the SDRF and the Fire Service personnel are camping at the site for carrying out dewatering exercise, a magistrate at the site told PTI. Wa t e r c o u l d n o t pumped out on Tuesday as the Navy was exploring the flooded shaft using the ROV,

the magistrate said.

Because of rainfall on Monday night, the water level in the pit has risen by about 1 metre, he said.

The water level at the mine was recorded to be 33 metres deep on Monday and the rescuers had managed to dive up to a depth of 15 metres inside the flooded mine, the official had said.

By using an ROV, a team of the Indian Navy had been able to locate three bodies weeks after the shaft of another mine at Lumthari in the same district was filled with water from a river on December 13, 2018.

The ROV was sent down the flooded rat-hole coal mine to determine visibility inside it.

More waterway link to boost NE India, B’desh trade: Experts

Agartala, Jun 15 (IANS): Experts, lawmakers, academicians and traders have advocated for more waterway connectivity and development of related infrastructures to boost trade and economy between India’s northeastern states and the neighbouring Bangladesh.

There are more than 300 rivers in Bangladesh of which 57 are transboundary rivers. Out of the 57 transboundary rivers, 54 rivers, including Ganga, Brahmaputra and Teesta, are common with India and the remaining three with Myanmar.

Industr y and trade body FICCI has suggested developing the required infrastructure to facilitate

and enhance waterway connectivity between Bangladesh and the northeastern states, which share 1,880 km borders with Bangladesh, including riverine frontiers.

FICCI Director (northe a s t c h a p t e r ) B i swa j i t Chakraborty said: “Lives and livelihoods of the people dwelling across the Meghna basin could positively benefit from transportation and trade through waterways.

He, however, said that the rate of siltation has vastly increased due to deforestation in the upstream of Meghana.

The Meghna river basin is shared by Bangladesh and India and it includes 29 transboundary rivers originating from India and flowing into Bangladesh.

The transboundary tributaries of Meghna river basin include Feni, Khowai, Gumti, Manu and Muhuri rivers originating from Tripura; Myntdu (Shari) and Umgot (Piyan) originating from the Meghalaya plateau; and Barak-Surma rivers originating from Assam.

Participating in the discussion, BWCCI’s Sylhet division leader Reshma Sharmin Juthi said that promoting and handholding of small and medium women entrepreneurs in the fields of cosmetics and handloom could facilitate the involvement of more women, paving the way for their positive and fruitful engagement in the Meghna river basin region.

Senior Vice-President of Sylhet Chamber of Commerce, Chandan Saha, said that in the early 80s, coal and stone boulders were regularly exported from India to Bangladesh through the riverine routes connecting Sonamura (Tripura) with Daudkhandi (Bangladesh).

The President of Tripura Chamber of Commerce and Industries, M.L. Debnath, said that considering the navigability problems, smaller vessels can be operated as a viable alternative.

The virtual discussion was organised by CUTS International, a Jaipur-based think-tank and NGO, in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and a

number of other global institutions under the BRIDGE GBM project, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) through the Oxfam Transboundary Rivers of South Asia (TROSA) programme.

The initiative intends to bring together traders and business communities from both Bangladesh and India to discuss issues concerning cross-border trade via inland waterways.

India and Bangladesh share 2,979 km land borders and 1,116 km riverine boundaries. The five Indian states of West Bengal, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Assam and Tripura share the 4,096 km borders with Bangladesh.

Dhubri, Jun 15 (PTI): With the Centre and the state having stepped up the COVID-19 vaccination drive, a 36-year- old man in Assam’s Dhubri district has taken it upon himself to convince people, especially those from the underprivileged sections, about the efficacy of the jabs amid reports that many were hesitant to get themselves inoculated.

Stating that he has taken a pledge to free Dhubri of coronavirus, Dipankar Mazumder, a medical representative by profession, is moving from one door to another on his motorcycle trying to bust all myths surrounding the available COVID-19 vaccines.

Mazumder, popularly known as the ‘vaccine man’, told PTI that he has so far succeeded in persuading 80 people to visit nearby inoculation centres.

“There are some people who still do not own a smartphone and have no clue about the vaccination process. Many of them are scared of taking the

No vaccination, no reopening of shops SHILLONG, JUN 15: East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner, Isawanda Laloo has issued an order directing shops and establishments to get their staff vaccinated on or before June 24 so as to be eligible for reopening, reports Shillong Times.

The shop owners have been asked to display the vaccination status of their staff at a prominent place in their shop. Any establishment which has not completed vaccination of its staff will not be permitted to open from June 24 onwards, the order added.

As far as reopening of shops in Iewduh is concerned, the East Khasi Hills DC is set to hold a meeting with KHADC CEM Titosstarwell Chyne on Tuesday to finalise the arrangements.

Ensure doctors are not attacked: Gauhati HC

Guwahati, Jun 15 (PTI): The Gauhati High Court has asked the Assam government to submit a detailed report on steps taken to ensure that no attacks on doctors and medical staff take place in future.

A bench of Chief Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Manash Ranjan Pathak passed the order after filing a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) based on a letter by advocate Sneha Kalita about the recent attack on a doctor at a government hospital in Hojai district.

The court also asked the state government to file a report on the progress made in the case within two weeks.

“Meanwhile, a detail reply be filed by the Government within two weeks with regard to the measures taken by the Government or the measures it proposes to take to ensure that such incidents do not happen in future,” the bench said in its order on Monday.

The court also asked the authorities to display a “proper notice of warning” in every hospital and medical college about the consequences to be followed as per law if medicare service persons - doctors, nurses, medical students and others - are manhandled or attacked.

The bench directed that it should be ensured with immediate effect that no weapon or firearm is allowed to be taken inside a hospital in the state.

The high court fixed July 14 as the next date of hearing.

Dipankar Mazumdar has so far persuaded 80 people.

vaccine either due to lack of awareness or because of the misinformation doing the rounds,” he said.

Currently, Mazumder has directed his attention to daily wage earners, especially women and senior citizens, as “they are among the most vulnerable groups of people” that could get infected.

“Initially, it was a huge challenge counselling locals who were reluctant to take the dose as rumours were being spread over its after-effects. Now, how-

ever, they have understood the seriousness of the drive, and some are even coming forward on their own,” he explained.

Mazumder’s selfless service has earned him appreciation from townsfolk and district officials.

Lauding his efforts, Dhubri Additional Deputy Commissioner Dhrubajyoti Das insisted that the 36year-old should coordinate with the administration and collect relevant data to maximise the success of the initiative.

NE COVID-19 UPDATE Sikkim reports 209 COVID cases, 3 fatalities Gangtok, Jun 15 (PTI): At least 209 more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Sikkim, taking the tally in the state to 18,659, a health department bulletin said on Tuesday.

The death toll rose to 284 as three more fatalities due to the infection were reported in the last 24 hours, it said.

Of the fresh cases, 83 were reported from East Sikkim, 72 from South Sikkim, 51 from West Sikkim and three from North Sikkim.

The Himalayan state now has 3,239 active cases, and 14,887 people have recovered from the disease, the bulletin said. The recovery rate among coronavirus patients in the state currently stands at 79.7 per cent.

At least 249 COVID patients have migrated to other states.

The state has conducted 1,50,023 sample tests for COVID-19, including 1,643 in the last 24 hours, and the positivity ratio stands at 12.7 per cent.

Manipur logs 785 new COVID cases

IMPHAL, Jun 15: A single-day spike of 785 took Manipur’s COVID-19 infection tally to 61,096 on Tuesday, a day after the state surpassed a grim milestone of 60 thousand infections.

The fatality tally also neared to 1000 as eight more patients succumbed to the corona virus complications in the past 24 hours, taking the fatality tally to 998.

On Monday, the state’s COVID-19 infections surpassed 60,000 with 459 cases, the lowest single-day spike of the current month (June).

However, the infection tally jumped to 61,096 as 785 fresh cases were detected when the test results of 8,074 samples received in the last 24 hours, ended today (Tuesday) at 5pm. The positivity rate was 9.72% which is higher than the previous day’s 8.73%.

With the discharge of 476 patients upon recuperation, the recovery tally of the state also reached 51,354.

The number of active cases stood at 8,744 and the recovery rate was 84.05%. Of the eight persons who succumbed to the COVID-19 complications in the past 24 hours, four were from Imphal West and one each from Imphal East, Kakching, Kangpokpi and Chandel districts. (Correspondent)

M’laya logs 450 new COVID cases, 7 deaths

Shillong, Jun 15 (PTI): Meghalaya on Tuesday reported 450 new COVID-19 cases, which took the tally in the state to 42,759, a health department official said.

The death toll rose to 750 as seven more people succumbed to the infection, he said.

The state now has 4,430 active cases, Health Services Director Aman War said.

At least 542 people were cured of the disease during the day, taking the total number of recoveries in the northeastern state to 37,579, he said.

The state has so far conducted over 6.3 lakh sample tests for COVID-19.

Altogether, 5.16 lakh people were inoculated till Monday with 75,000 of them having received both doses of the vaccine, War said.

Assam to appoint higher education joint secretary

Guwahati, Jun 15 (PTI): Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma called on Governor Jagdish Mukhi on Thursday and apprised him of the several activities that the Assam government has undertaken for the welfare of the people of the state.

The governor and the chief minister discussed issues related to the qualitative improvement of higher education and improving the functioning of the universities and colleges of the state, besides the modalities to transform them into centres of excellence.

During the discussion, Sarma said that a Joint Secretary, in charge of higher education, to the Governor of Assam will be appointed for improving the functioning of higher educational institutions, an official statement said. The joint secretary shall have his office both at the secretariat and in Raj Bhavan.

Chirag Paswan isolated in LJP infighting

Paras-led faction removes him as party president

NEW DELHI, JUN 15 (PTI): The two LJP factions headed by Chirag Paswan and Pashupati Kumar Paras moved swiftly on Tuesday to take control of the party as a national executive meeting of the organisation expelled five MPs while the Paras-led group removed Paswan as its president.

In his first reaction after his paternal uncle Paras ousted him as the leader of the party in Lok Sabha with the support of the five MPs, Paswan likened the organisation to a mother who should not be “betrayed”.

He also shared on Twitter a letter he had written to him on March 29 that highlighted Paras’ alleged indifference to the party’s agenda and conduct against its interests, and had urged

Twitter appoints interim CCO for India NEW DELHI, JUN 15 (AGENCIES): Twitter on Tuesday said it has appointed an interim Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) and the details of the official will be shared with the IT Ministry directly soon.

The Centre had issued a notice to Twitter giving it one last chance to “immediately” comply with the new IT rules and warned that failure to adhere to the norms will lead to the platform losing exemption from liability under the IT Act. Following this, Twitter had assured the Indian government last week that it is in advanced stages of finalising the appointment of chief compliance officer as required under the new IT rules, and that it will submit additional details within a week.

A Twitter spokesperson on Tuesday said the company continues to make every effort to comply with the new guidelines, and is keeping the IT Ministry apprised of progress at every step of the process.

An interim Chief Compliance Officer has been retained and details will be shared with the Ministry directly soon, the spokesperson added.

The move by Twitter assumes significance as the microblogging platform has been facing heat over delay in complying with the IT rules that mandate large digital platforms to undertake greater due diligence, and make them more accountable and responsible for the content that is hosted.

him to fulfil his responsibilities to it and their family following the death of LJP founder Ram Vilas Paswan.

With the Paswan family and the party controlled by it now split down the middle only eight months after the death of Chirag Paswan’s father, the two warring groups are now rallying the members of its organisation to their cause as both factions claim to represent the Lok Janshakti Party.

While five of its six Lok Sabha MPs have sided with Paras, the group headed by Chirag Paswan called a virtual meeting of the party’s national executive in which 41 of 76 members were present, its Bihar unit working president Raju Tiwari said.

It was unanimously decided to expel the five MPs from the LJP for their “anti-party” activities, he told reporters.

It was a hur riedly called meeting, Tiwari said,

Chirag Paswan

claiming that many other members also extended their support to the decision and expressed faith in Chirag Paswan’s leadership.

The group led by his paternal uncle claimed that a decision to remove Chirag Paswan, MP from Jamui, as party president was taken in an emergency meeting of the national executive in line with the principal of “one man, one post”.

It was not shared as to how many members attended the meeting. A meeting of the party’s national council will be called in five days

Delta Plus variant of interest, not ‘variant of concern: Govt

NEW DELHI, JUN 15 (IANS): The new Delta Plus mutation of coronavirus is “a variant of interest”, not “a variant of concern”, the government said on Tuesday.

“Delta variant played a major role in the second wave. An additional mutation of this variant, known as Delta Plus, has been detected and submitted to the global data system. It has been seen in Europe since March and was brought into the public domain two days ago on June 13,” NITI Aayog’s Member Health, Dr V.K. Paul, said at a Health Ministry press meet.

“Delta Plus is a variant of interest, but not a variant of concern. It has not yet

been classified as a variant of concern, in which there is adverse consequence to humanity. As per data available in the public domain, this variant nullifies the use of monoclonal antibody.

We will scientifically study and learn more about this variant.

“The new variant was found outside India and we have to found out its presence, spread and way of spread in the country.

INSACOG (Indian SARSCoV-2 Genomic Consortia) will keep a constant watch on the new variant and find out its harmful effects,” he added. Paul emphasised that it is important to continue to follow Covid appropriate behaviour.

to elect a new president, the group said.

Chirag Paswan is expected to address a press conference on Wednesday, with the battle for the control of the party likely to reach the Election Commission soon. The Lok Sabha secretariat has recognised Paras’ election as the leader of the party in the House.

In a tweet, Chirag Paswan said he made efforts to keep the party founded by his father and his family together but failed.

People are supreme in a democracy, he said and thanked those who have kept faith in the party.

The letter he had written to Paras, the youngest brother of his father, highlighted his uncle’s unhappiness over a number of issues, including his elevation as the party president.

Chirag Paswan believes that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) has worked to engineer the split

ownership of the land may be cleared. About 9 individuals were involved in this deal from last 10 years, in these 9 persons 3 are Muslims…All the 9 persons were contacted, negotiated. On receiving their consent, they all came and sat together to decide their previous agreements,” the statement said, adding that the agreement with the final owners of the land was done in a “transparent manner”. The Trust further said that it has already purchased 3-4 plots including temples and ashrams, adding that for each purchased temple/ ashram/private property, “a piece of land of their own choice to be provided for rehabilitation and sufficient funds to be given for con-

Calls for better Centre-state coordination NEW DELHI, JUN 15 (AGENCIES): Residence minister Amit Shah on Tuesday reviewed the nation’s preparedness to cope with floods in wake of the monsoon and known as for higher synergy between the Central and state businesses to create a everlasting system for forecasting floods and monitoring the rise in water ranges in main catchment areas of the nation.

On the high-level assembly chaired by him to evaluation the long-term measures to be prescribed as a part of a complete coverage to mitigate the perennial

structing their buildings”.

Outlining the detailed history of agreements on the land deal, the Trust stated that on March 18, Ravi Mohan Tiwari and Sultan Ansari had bought the land registered with numbers 243, 244 and 246 by a sale deed for an amount of Rs 2 crore, with “valuation at circle rate Rs 5.80 crores and stamp for Rs 5.80 crores Valuation”.

The statement added that Tiwari and Ansari entered into an agreement on the same day to sell this land to the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust.

“Consideration amount agreed was Rs. 18.50 crores.

Payment of Rs. 17 crores was made as advance by online transaction,” it further stated.

SC closes murder case against 2 Italian Marines

NEW DELHI, JUN 15 (AGENCIES): More than nine years after two Italian Marines killed two fishermen off the coast in Kerala, the Supreme Court on Tuesday closed all proceedings in connection with murder case they faced in India.

A Bench of Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice MR Shah said the compensation of Rs 10 crore paid by the Italian government over and above payments already made was adequate.

The compensation amount of Rs 10 crore will be given to kin of two deceased fishermen -- Rs 4 cr each -- and the owner of the boat St Antony will get Rs 2 crore, it added.

Now Italy must immediately start criminal proceedings against the two marines Massimilano Latorre and Salvatore Gironde under its jurisdiction, it said.

The case details along with evidence will be provided by the Centre and the

Italy to prosecute the marines for killing Indian fishermen in February 2012.

Kerala governments to Italy, it said. The order follows the Centre’s decision to accept the award of an arbitration tribunal under UNCLOS which said Italy had the jurisdiction to prosecute the marines.

“We are satisfied with the compensation and the ex-gratia paid over and above earlier. This is a fit case to close all proceedings in India,” the top court said using its powers under Article 142.

The Marines were on board Italian-flagged commercial oil tanker MV Enrica Lexie when they allegedly fired at two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast on February 15, 2012 in India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

The Supreme Court had in 2014 stayed the criminal proceedings against the two Italian marines before a Special Court at Kollam in Kerala.

In 2015, it halted all

as it wants to finish him off politically following his strident campaign against the state’s ruling party in the 2020 assembly elections, sources close to him said.

By painting his uncle as “power hungry” whose conduct “hurt” his father when he was ailing, the young leader seeks to galavanise the LJP’s core support of the Paswan community around him.

In his letter, he also said that Prince Raj, a party MP and his cousin who has sided with Paras, was allegedly blackmailed by a woman over the allegations of “sexual exploitation”.

While Paras ignored it, he asked Raj to go the police.

There was no reaction from his cousin.

The BJP, the principal member of the NDA of which both the JD(U) and LJP are constituents, has officially maintained silence over the implosion within the party.

Government should take nation into confidence over Galwan incident: Sonia

NEW DELHI, JUN 15 (PTI): Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday asked the government to come clean on the Galwan Valley incident in which 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives a year ago and sought to know the progress made in restoring status quo ante at the border.

In a statement, she said no clarity is yet available on the Chinese transgressions at the border, which Prime minister Narendra Modi has denied.

Gandhi said the Congress has patiently waited for the government to come clean and inform the nation about the circumstances in which the unprecedented incident happened and reassure the people that the sacrifice of our brave jawans was not in vain.

“The Congress party reiterates its concern that no clarity is yet available and the prime minister’s

Sonia Gandhi

last word on the subject a year ago was that no transgression had occurred,” she said.

“We have repeatedly sought details of the episode in light of the PM’s statement, as well as details of what progress has been made towards restoring the status quo ante prior to April 2020,” she also said.

The Congress chief said that the disengagement ag reement with China “appears to have worked entirely to India’s

disadvantage so far”.

“The Congress party urges the government to take the nation into confidence and ensure that their performance is worthy of the commitment of our soldiers who are standing bravely and resolutely at the borders,” she said in her statement.

Gandhi also said “As we approach the first anniversary of the tragic loss of 20 brave soldiers of the Bihar Regiment, including their commanding officer, in the confrontation with PLA troops of China on the night of June 15-16, 2020, the Congress party joins a grateful nation in remembrance of their supreme sacrifice.”

The 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives in clashes with PLA troops at the IndiaChina border in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on the intervening night of June 15 and 16, 2020.

Home minister Amit Shah reviews flood preparedness

Ram temple Trust releases purchase details of Ayodhya land agreement

NEW DELHI, JUN 15 (AGENCIES): Amid allegations of corruption in the Ayodhya land deal, the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust on Tuesday issued a statement on the purchase deal and the details of the agreement.

In its statement, the Trust said that nine individuals were involved in the deal and negotiations were done with their consent to complete the agreement in a transparent manner. It added that the Trust had decided that all financial dealings will be conducted through banking channels and dealings are “on record”.

“Nyas was interested to purchase this land but first wanted to finalise all the previous agreements so that

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national

Nagaland Post, Dimapur WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021

proceedings before courts in India in view of an ITLOS (International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea) order calling upon India and Italy to suspend all criminal proceedings against the two duo.

The Hague-based tribunal on July 2 last year ruled that the two marines should be tried in Italy and asked the Indian authorities to close the criminal case against them.

The tribunal, however, had agreed with India’s contention that the Italian marines broke the freedom of navigation aspect of UNCLOS and, therefore, the killed fishermen’s kin were entitled to compensation.

A day after an International tribunal ruled that India didn’t have jurisdiction to try two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen in Kerala, the Centre had on July 3, 2020 moved the Supreme Court seeking disposal of the case pending before it.

flood drawback, Shah took a slew of choices to have a brand new system of coordination among the many Indian Meteorological Division (IMD), Jal Shakti Ministry, Central Water Fee (CWC) and NDRF. The assembly was attended by Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, MoS (residence) Nityanand Rai, Member Secretary NDMA, Director Generals of IMD and NDRF, CWC chairman, CWC and senior officers of the involved ministries.

Shah suggested the Jal Shakti ministry to work out a mechanism for desilting of huge dams, which is able to assist in rising dam storage capability and assist in flood management. IMD and CWC, he mentioned,

Amit Shah

might use state-of-the-art expertise and satellite tv for pc information for extra correct climate and flood predictions.

The house minister instructed that a typical working process be formulated to broadcast IMD warnings on lightning strikes to the general public on the earliest by way of TV, FM Radio, SMS and different mediums. He additionally sought

most publicity for varied cell apps associated to climate forecasting like ‘Umang’, ‘Rain Alarm’ and ‘Damini’, developed by the IMD, in order that the utmost members of the general public may benefit.

Damini app places out warnings about lightning strikes three hours upfront.

Shah suggested that research be performed by way of satellite tv for pc utility on the rising pressure on the nation’s river techniques.

He directed the CWC, IMD and NDRF to repeatedly monitor the water stage and flood scenario in rivers and ship common stories to the MHA. He additionally directed DG NDRF to right away maintain conferences with the heads of the SDRF in flood-prone states.

As directed by the house minister within the flood evaluation assembly held on July three final yr, the CWC has began to difficulty five-day advance influx forecast for all of the reservoirs within the nation.

Shah directed the Ministry of Jal Shakti and CWC to additional arrange an empowered group of consultants for offering sensible steering to dam authorities for taking well timed and advance motion for launch of water.

IMD and CWC chiefs made shows on the assembly, sharing particulars of the follow-up motion on choices taken eventually yr’s assembly. In addition they briefed on the advance in climate and flood forecasting strategies.

Patkai Christian College (Autonomous) Chumoukedima – Seithekema Dimapur : Nagaland – 797103 (Affiliated to Nagaland University) “A College with Potential for Excellence” UGC NAAC Accreditation: Grade A A Post Graduate College

ADMISSIONS: 2021-2022 Undergraduate Programmes: I. BA Honours in: Economics, Education, English, History, Political Science and Philosophy II. B.Com Honours in: Accountancy III. a) B. Sc Honours in: Botany, Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics, Physics and Zoology b) Integrated M.Sc program in the following are offered: Botany, Physics and Zoology IV. Bachelor of Music V. Bachelor of Computer Applications ( BCA) VI. B. Voc in: Mass Communication: Postgraduate Programmes:  M.Sc Botany  M.Sc Physics  M.Sc Environmental Science  M.Sc Geology  M.Sc Zoology  MA Political Science  MA English Certificate Courses:  Counselling  Applied Electronics and Computer Hardwares  Web Designing  Music Diploma (visit MSSM link in the college website For further details)  NCC (Add-on Course)  Photography and Visual Communication For details, visit the college website www.patkaicollege.edu.in Contact: Admission Director 6009975373 / 6009323605.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Facilities and Amenities Hostels for Men and Women Indoor Stadium for Badminton and TT Outdoor Sports Field: Basketball, Football, Volleyball 24 Hours ATM Spiritual Ministry UGC Resource Centre Free Coaching for Civil Services Examinations 24/7 Medical Assistance & Ambulance Service NSS, NCC, Young India Bus Services: To and from the surrounding areas.

Red Ribbon Club, Red Cross Social Security Scheme Career Counselling Enterprise Resource Planning

Email: admission@patkaicollege.edu.in Provisional Admission begins from 18th June 2021. Only online mode of admissions will be entertained. The undersigned will provide on-sight admission-related assistance in the Admission Office.

Principal

DC-492

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OPINiON/EDITORIAL

Nagaland Post Vol. XXxI NO. 190 Dimapur, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021

Heal thyself

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ith the current second wave of the pandemic showing clear indications of ebbing, it is however, still too early to declare that battle is over. According to health experts, even if the second wave may be over as indicated by significant decline of new covid cases; the virus is still around.

The current relaxations may suggest to many that everything’s back to normal. That’s when the lurking virus could strike again with devastating effect.

Therefore, it would be wise to not let our guard down.

The second wave of the covid pandemic brought the country to its knees. One of the factors was largely due to the mishandling by the government. In the very words of known Modi supporter and veteran filmactor Anupam Kher, it was time for the government to understand that there’s more to life than (perennial) image building. Be that as it may, the mutant variant, that triggered the second wave is far deadlier than the earlier virus in the first wave. Many lives were saved while some lost. The fact that the second wave of the pandemic again caught India by surprise demands recognition on those who fought back valiantly. It is an opportunity to put on record the selfless sacrifices rendered by all frontline workers. What has been witnessed during the worst period (month of May) especially in Dimapur, was the yeoman services performed by doctors, nurses and other staff on Covid-19 duty. Without prejudice to anyone, there were some among the medical teams who gave more than was expected of them. It would be unfair to specifically mention which sector those hospitals were from since it would appear as if the rest did not perform their duties. In general, it must be pointed out that the medical fraternity were more prepared this time than during the first wave but could only do to a limited extent. Covid is an entirely new virus which is highly infectious and having devastating effects on the body. In the second wave, the most affected organ was lung where patients experienced breathlessness. Most wrongly felt that this symptom will go but unfortunately many succumbed to pneumonia etc. Some hospitals did not have CT Scan which was very critical for knowing the status of the lungs. Even the government hospital did not have CT Scan and which is shocking given the fact that the department has been spending huge amount of money on purchases for years, especially since April 2020 in the name of emergency purchases for the pandemic. The government of Nagaland, particularly the department of health & family welfare needs to learn a lesson from other north eastern states when it comes to providing adequate or quality health care. Political interference should be severely limited to general administration- transfer or posting.

A core team of experienced, efficient medical professionals of proven integrity should guide and advise the department on managing crucial health issues.

Nagaland’s health system has been exposed during the pandemic. The department is the most vital organ of the government and the professionals in the department have to make a stand on what they should do to truly reflect the Hippocratic oath they have taken.

DailyDevotion Get Moving! (2) Also…add to your faith… —2 Peter 1:5 In the matter of drudgery. Peter said in this passage that we have become “partakers of the divine nature” and that we should now be “giving all diligence,” concentrating on forming godly habits (2 Peter 1:4-5). We are to “add” to our lives all that character means. No one is born either naturally or supernaturally with character; it must be developed.

Nor are we born with habits— we have to form godly habits on the basis of the new life God has placed within us. We are not meant to be seen as God’s perfect, bright-shining examples, but to be seen as the everyday essence of ordinary life exhibiting the miracle of His grace. Drudgery is the test of genuine character. The greatest hindrance in our spiritual life is that we will only look for big things to do. Yet, “Jesus…took a towel and…began to wash the disciples’ feet…” (John 13:3-5).

We all have those times when there are no flashes of light and no apparent thrill to life, where we experience nothing but the daily routine with its common everyday tasks. The routine of life is actually God’s way of saving us between our times of great inspiration which come from Him. Don’t always expect God to give you His thrilling moments, but learn to live in those common times of the drudgery of life by the power of God. It is difficult for us to do the “adding” that Peter mentioned here. We say we do not expect God to take us to heaven on flowery beds of ease, and yet we act as if we do! I must realize that my obedience even in the smallest detail of life has all of the omnipotent power of the grace of God behind it. If I will do my duty, not for duty’s sake but because I believe God is engineering my circumstances, then at the very point of my obedience all of the magnificent grace of God is mine through the glorious atonement by the Cross of Christ.

Quotes

Childhood is a short season. ~ Helen Hayes

Nagaland Post, Dimapur WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021

Post-mortem

Recovery and resilience through Principalities, Power and digital and financial inclusion Rulers: Views from the Bible 16th June is the International Day of Family Remittances

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here are many ways of sending and receiving money from one place to another or from one person to another. Apart from commercial activities there is some non commercial transfer of money from one part of the world to another part of the world. Many people migrate to other countries in search of better employment and they do send back money to their families and others. One of the terms which is associated in this regard is remittance.

Well, a remittance is a noncommercial transfer of money by a foreign worker, a member of a Diaspora community, or a citizen with familial ties abroad, for household income in their home country or homeland. India receives the maximum amount followed

by China, Mexico and other countries.

The matter of concern and worry is that estimates indicate that remittances will decrease by USD$109 billion as a result of the pandemic.

Different reports and data state that family remittances have a direct impact on the lives of 1 billion people – one out of seven individuals on earth. Added together, remittances are three times greater than Official Development Assistance and surpass Foreign Direct Investment. Less than 20 years ago, remittances were literally unaccounted for, and the contributions of migrant workers remained unrecognized – though not to their families.

Due to the pandemic there has been a direct impact and for the first time, both sides of remittance corridors have been impacted simultaneously, likely pushing millions of families below poverty lines resulting in food insecurity and other challenges in the small towns and villages of developing countries.

Remittances, or “cross-border person-to-person payments of relatively small value,” serve as a vital lifeline to the developing world. A May 2021 report by the World Bank

C

reveals a drop in remittances of only 1.6 per cent in 2020, to US$ 540 billion from US$ 548 in 2019.

The International Day of Family Remittances (IDFR) was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly and is observed on 16th June.

The IDFR recognizes more than 200 million migrant workers, women and men, who send money home to over 800 million family members. This day further highlights the great resilience of migrant workers in the face of economic insecurities, natural and climate related disasters and a global pandemic.

The IDFR and the United Nations commend the determination and resilience of the human spirit as evidenced by migrant workers. Further, the UN calls for governments, the private sector, development organizations and the civil society to promote digital and financial solutions for remittances that foster greater social and economic resilience and inclusion.

One of the greatest catalysts for formal remittances during 2020 was the accelerated adoption of digital technology by the migrant workers and their families.

Mobile remittances alone increased 65 per cent during 2020 to US$ 12.7 billion (GSMA, 2021). This change was hastened by lockdowns and social distancing rules that spurred the move away from informal channels and the use of cash for senders and recipients. There is no doubt that digitalization is less costly than cash transfers and has reinforced the acceptance of mobile money, thereby enhancing the financial inclusion of migrants and their families.

António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations in his message “looking forward, we must continue efforts to support and protect migrants, who — as the COVID-19 pandemic has made clear — play such an important role in keeping

essential services and the economy at large running in many parts of the world.

Ensuring that all migrants, regardless of legal immigration status, are included in COVID-19 vaccine distribution plans is critical for the health and safety of all.”

He also urged all stakeholders to continue efforts to reduce the costs of transferring remittances — a lifeline in the developing world — to as close to zero as possible in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to foster the financial inclusion of migrants and their families, especially in poor rural areas.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) address the major challenges facing the world today and migrant remittances can contribute to reaching the SDGs in a variety of ways which include at household level, at community level and also at national level. The crucial contribution of migrant workers, through remittances and investments, has also been recognized in the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, adopted in December 2018. The projected US$6.5 trillion in aggregate remittances to be received by families living in developing countries over the period of the 2030 Agenda represent a tremendous opportunity.

We are aware that remittances count especially in the small rural towns and villages of developing countries including India. As the theme suggests, focus should be more on digital and financial inclusion. There are policies and regulations and the government can make them easy for senders and receivers so that it works positively mostly in rural areas. Remittances shall certainly enhance sustainable development especially in developing or poor nations.

(With direct inputs from UN publication and feedback may be sent to bkranjan@ gmail.com) Ranjan K Baruah

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t this juncture, we are driven by a situation where the world is shaken, controlled and being govern by the earthly world bodies. Living in a Land and Country of its own hidden agenda, implementing its forced ideologies in every situation wholly unaware by the people. At such times, whether we like it or not, the people living within are forced to follow its inevitable powers and policies being thrown into it.

What Bible says about the roles of Powers, Principalities and its forces?

What are our responsibilities? What is our defence? Should we voice out for the right or wrong? How do we encourage our belief that the living God be our only Agenda?

Eph 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities against the cosmic power over this present darkness against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Cf. Eph 3:10; Col 1:16; Col 2:15; Eph 1:21 In Paul’s day, men strongly believe both in Demons and Angels. The titles of different grades of Angels that Paul uses are Principality, Power, Evil Forces and every name that is named. He further continued that not only in Israel nation but all nations of this age are being ruled by the evil principalities and power.

These other nations believed implicitly in evil spirits who filled the air and were determined to work for men harm, world rulers and all evil spirits.

We as God’s people should not wrestle against flesh and blood but rather stand against the devices of these devils, fight against the powers, authorities, policies, against the world rulers of this darkness and against malicious evil spirit forces. According to Paul, the whole universe was a battle ground for God’s people.

The Christians do not only had to contend with the attacks of men but also contend with the attacks of evil spiritual forces which were fighting against God. One may not take Paul actual language of fighting evil forces literally, but our experience will tell us that there is an active power of evil surrounding us.

Ancient world believed in all kinds of angels and all kinds of spirit elements, many of which were out to ruin men.

It was they, who were responsible for demon-possession and the like. They were hostile to men but Jesus conquered them forever.

Cf. Isa 14: 12-18; Ezekiel 28: 1318; 2 Peter 2:4; Gen 3:14 Fallen Angels always disturb God’s plan and make plans with who are in power and rulers. As one can tell from the description in Ephesians, a great many of these angelic powers are in rebellion against God and have become

evil. Fallen Angels includes a third of the angels who are with Satan have been cast out of heaven and are now fallen Angels. However they continue to exercise great influence on human events and believers are called to resist them and to spiritually defend themselves against these fallen beings.

Cf. Mat 17:24-27; Mat 22: 7-21; Roman 13:1-3; Mat 23:13 On the other hand, Jesus warns the rulers of Pharisees and Sadducees about their misrules and policies. Paul also warned Colossians, Ephesians, the devils, the evil spirits and their machineries which controlled its powers and thus destroyed the influences on God’s people and their policies.

Daniel 10:13 a “ But the princes of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me ...”

John 7:7 (Rev 13:8) “The world cannot hate you but it hates me because I testify against it that its works are evil.” The intimidation is clear that the Holy Angels are sent forth on behalf of the heirs of salvation so demons are concerned on behalf of the world systems of Satan.

Daniel 10:20-21 Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you?

And now I must return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece will come. But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth (no one upholds me against these, except Michael, your Prince).”

Daniel fought against the Prince of Persia, Prince of Greece likewise there are countries where evil policies, evil forces are being misruled and led by the Princes. In addition to these are all the rest of the spiritual forces of evil, armies of evil spiritual beings that are arrayed against God and his people.

We as Christians must fight against such forces and have faith like Paul and Daniel.

This deadly Pandemic and its rigorous news have been a rollercoaster ride and a challenging time for all believers. This time has been hard on all of us. While the horror of this pandemic conquered the whole world we cannot stay calm, we as leaders cannot be idle knowing the fact of all that’s written in the Holy Bible. Why did the Bible wrestle against the evil spirits, evil rulers and evil policies of this world? Should we live under the blanket of all these evil forces?

Should we remain silent of God’s battle against these harm policies? Or should we stand together and work for God’s Glory? Men should realize the greatness of the Saviour, God has given.

Rev. Ikuto Jimo, Rtd. WSBAK staff, Former Y/Secy

The potential economy of auto rickshaw in Nagaland

ovid-19 pandemic makes us to realise that there is an urgent need to establish better health infrastructures in the state and at the same time to have local food security to save life. Both are equally important to address if we are to avert loss of lives during epidemic/ pandemic in the future.

Thousands of our youths migrate to other states in search of job/employment.

Many ended up working in unorganised sectors. Far away from home, they live without any security facing racial, physical and sexual harassment. By God’s grace, Nagas, unlike many places in mainland India, are blessed with bountiful natural resources. It is time for us to think seriously on developing a self-reliant economy locally.

As one crosses over Khuzama Gate or Zhavame Village (Nagaland), to Manipur territory, you will see many auto rickshaws plying on the road. In almost every village in Senapati District (Manipur), you will see auto rickshaws are used to meet personal needs as well as for earning. In Manipur, my village alone has more than 30 auto drivers in Senapati town and they are able to manage their family well as well as provide education to their children. It helps farmers in many ways. Funds from MGNREGS and VDB have helped almost every village in Nagaland to construct all weather roads from village

to their paddy fields and jhuming fields. Unlike in the past, the condition of roads has been improved to a large extent. Introduction of auto rickshaw will encourage Naga youths to involve in farming and agricultural activities. So there is a good opportunity for the villagers to use auto rickshaws to enhance the economy.

With around 1450 recognised villages in the state, the economy of Nagaland will be developed only through developing village economy. In order to enhance village economy, one of the best ways is to allow auto rickshaws to ply in every nook and corner of Nagaland. I am not talking here about the earning of auto rickshaws in Dimapur.

I am talking about remote villages where farmers work and produce our food. Auto rickshaws are farmer friendly. Compared to the cost of other small cars, the price of an auto rickshaw is quite affordable to buy. It is easy to drive and also easy to repair. It needs only a small space for parking.

There are many benefits. Auto rickshaws have good ground clearance and also has greater pulling strength than many small cars. It can carry load even heavier than small cars like maruti 800. Farmers can use it to go to fields or working places. They can save lots of working time.

They can reach their fields within 30-40 minutes which they usually take two to

three hours to reach if they walk on foot. Many Naga farmers are facing the problem of transportation. It is very easy if auto rickshaw is used to transport farmer’s produce from field to home.

I have seen in many villages in Manipur where they use auto rickshaw to carry paddy rice from fields during harvest, carry potato and cabbage from farm, and even bringing lots of forest produce. It also helps in connecting villages with towns. There are times where farmers’ produce go to waste due to transportation problems. Sometimes tonnes of vegetables get rotten from the field due to lack of transportation.

Hence farmer’s income for the whole year is lost. Hiring trucks or Tata mobile is a big burden for farmers due to high cost. In this situation, auto rickshaw is the most convenient means of transportation. For instance, fruit and vegetable producing villages such as Tsupfume and Zhavame can easily transport their produce to Pfutsero town or Mao Gate through auto rickshaw. It will help farmers to save their perishable commodities and sell at good price.

Nagaland should not think of developing another big town like Kohima or Dimapur but plan for the improvement of the existing small towns like District Headquarters and Sub-Divisions where a population of around 30-50 thousand can be accommodated.

Small towns have many advantages. It is easy for the administration to run effectively.

It will help the villagers to sell their produce as well as get their needs in return. Auto rickshaws serve as the most convenient means of transport in the local economy. Look at Phek District, there is enormous opportunity to make use of auto rickshaw. For instance, Pfutsero is a small town surrounded by around 20 villages. Villagers always come to Pfutsero for buying daily needs. All these surrounding villages can use auto rickshaw for travelling and transporting purposes at any time and at lowest fare/expenditure. Unlike auto rickshaw, hiring local

taxi or Tata mobile to come to Pfutsero from village would double/triple their expenses. Common people are spending huge amount of money even to do a small work. For instance, just to go to DC office, or ADC office or hospital, one may need to spend anywhere between Rs 100- Rs.500 to hire a taxi. The same work can be done by paying Rs 20-50 if one uses auto rickshaw.

Covid-19 pandemic had opened our eyes to see the importance of building economy of all sections of people. It is time for the state government of Nagaland to think of alternative livelihood to help the villagers, especially young people. Introduction of

auto rickshaw will greatly benefit them all. It will give employment to thousands of unemployed youth as well as arrest the problem of migration. It will help farmers to increase their income. Small traders, vegetable growers and vendors, artisans and butchers need cheap means of transportation.

Honourable CM and the concerned Minister of Transport need to revisit the policy of Motor vehicles in Nagaland and allow the use of auto rickshaw in all the districts permitting only local people to drive. This will certainly boost the economy of villagers and hence the economy of the state.

Z. K. Pahrü Pou, Mission Colony, Pfutsero

Reader’s Post

Conduct online trivias and oral tests

Sir,

While the efforts of the teachers are very much appreciated, I would also like to suggest the teachers in charge of hosting online classes to conduct random trivias or oral tests for the students of both high school and college levels too.

So far, I have noticed that students remain silent most of the time and there is minimal to no interaction between the teachers and students.

As a concerned parent, I keep wondering if my son is even learning anything or not. Exams and written tests these days are very easy.

Students under the strict supervision of a teacher can get away with cheating even during offline exams so what online exams and tests become a piece of cake for them.

Therefore, I would like to encourage the teachers to conduct oral tests frequently to keep up with the educational progress of the students.

Mhayani, Dimapur

Reader’s note: Articles or letters published in any of the columns do not reflect the view of this newspaper nor that of the Editor in any manner.

Suspended BSP MLAs meet Akhilesh; may join SP LUCKNOW, JUN 15 (PTI): At least five MLAs suspended by the BSP last year met Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday, triggering speculation that they may join his party.

The deputy leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Uma Shankar Singh, described the MLAs as “garbage”.

“The meeting with Akhilesh Yadav, which lasted for 15-20 minutes, witnessed discussions on the upcoming UP Assembly elections,” MungraBadshahpur MLA Sushma Patel told PTI. When asked about the future course of action, Patel said, “Personally, I have made up my mind to join the Samajwadi Party.”

At present, there are 18 BSP MLAs in the 403member Uttar Pradesh

7

national

Nagaland Post, Dimapur WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021

Akhilesh Yadav Legislative Assembly.

When asked what prompted the suspended BSP MLAs to meet Yadav, Patel said, “We were suspended in October 2020 during the Rajya Sabha elections and were categorically told not to use the BSP flag and banner, and also not to attend any party meeting.”

“At the time of the Rajya Sabha elections,

neither the BSP issued any whip nor did we indulge in cross-voting. We were suspended without any basis.

We were suspended as we had gone to meet Akhilesh Yadav,” she added.

“Now, we have to look for alternatives. So, in this context, we had called upon Akhilesh Yadav,” she said, adding that now she has nothing to do with

the BSP. Others who met the SP chief were Mohd Aslam Raini, Hakimlal Bind, Mujtaba Siddiqui and Hargovind Bhargav.

An SP leader confirmed to PTI that the BSP MLAs met party chief Akhilesh Yadav.

I n O c to b e r 20 20, seven BSP MLAs were suspended by party president Mayawati. They had opposed the nomination of party’s official candidate Ramji Gautam for the elections to the Rajya Sabha.

Apart from the five, the two other suspended from the party were Chaudhary Aslam Ali and Vandana Singh. Earlier this month, Mayawati had expelled BSP’s legislative party leader Lalji Verma and Akbarpur MLA Ram AchalRajbhar.

Meanwhile, BSP leader Uma Shankar Singh said the rebel MLAs who met

Yadav hold the “stature of garbage”. Aslam Raini praised the BJP by reciting the Hanuman Chalisa in the UP Assembly and now he met the SP chief, who opposes the BJP, he told reporters in Ballia.

“Efforts are being made to induct them into the SP. This has exposed the dual face of Akhilesh Yadav,” he added.

When asked as to what action will be initiated against the rebel MLAs, Singh said, “the BSP had already suspended them.

The BSP does not tolerate indiscipline. The BSP does not want to waste its energy by initiating action against them.

The BSP is preparing to form the government in UP after the Assembly elections.”

Singh claimed people will teach a lesson to the rebel BSP MLAs.

PM, ministers meet twice in 4 days ahead of likely cabinet rejig

NEW DELHI, JUN 15 (IANS): Though there is no official word on Union Cabinet expansion or reshuffle so far from the Centre, there is speculation as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has held two continuous meetings with party’s top brass and two separate groups of Ministers in a span of four days.

Some in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), requesting anonymity, mentioned that PM’s meetings with his Cabinet colleagues are nothing more than routine affairs only to know what is going on in their ministries and the future growth plan amid the Covid-19 crisis.

The Prime Minister is learnt to have taken stock of the work done by the government in the last two years and discussed various other issues, said a source.

Both the brainstorm-

Narendra Modi ing sessions -- one on Friday last week and the second on Monday --were held at the Prime Minister’s 7, Lok Kalyan Marg residence.

The sources said that both interactions of Cabinet Ministers with the Prime Minister lasted for nearly five hours each. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, along with BJP President J.P. Nadda and General Secretary incharge of the saffron party

Protest is not terror activity; 3 students get bail Rs 150 per Covaxin dose to Centre not sonal bond of Rs 50,000 and two local sureties. And the conditions also include the three surrendering their passports and not indulging in activities, which could hamper the case.

Tanha is a student pursuing graduation at Jamia Millia Islamia. He was arrested in the Delhi riots case under UAPA in May 2020 and has been in continuous custody since then. Narwal and Kalita are PhD scholars at Jawaharlal Nehru University, who are associated with the Pinjra Tod Collective.

They have been in custody since May 2020.

The case pertains to Delhi police investigation into the “larger conspiracy”, which led to the riots in February 2020. According to police, the three accused along with other accused persons, conspired to cause disruption, which could lead to disturbance in law and order at an unprecedented scale.

sustainable in long run:Bharat Biotech

B.L. Santhosh met Modi in the latest session he has held to gather suggestions on improvements needed in the functioning of the government and how to achieve synergy between the government and the organisation.

Union Ministers Sadananda Gowda, V.K. Singh and V. Muraleedharan were among others who reportedly joined the deliberations.

The Friday meeting featured Home Minister Amit Shah, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Jitendra Singh, BJP chief Nadda and Santhosh.

Although the party has maintained that such meetings were a regular affair and had attracted attention now only because physical meetings were happening after a long gap, they have been seen as part of an exercise to seek views of top party leaders over crucial issues.

Galwan heroes remembered

NEW DELHI, JUN 15 (IANS): The Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted bail to Natasha Narwal, DevanganaKalita and Asif Iqbal Tanha, in a Delhi Riots case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. A bench comprising of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Anup J. Bhambhani held that prima facie, no offence under sections 15, 17 or 18 of the UAPA is made-out on the basis of the material on record in the present case against the three.

Granting bail to Narwal, the court said: “we can discern no specific or particularised allegation, much less any material to bear-out the allegation, that the appellant incited violence, what to talk of committing a terrorist act or a conspiracy or act preparatory to the commission of a terrorist act as understood in the UAPA.” The court noted that

Student activists DevanganaKalita, Natasha Narwal and Asif Iqbal Tanha.

Priyanka demands CBI enquiry into UP scribe’s death

Police use water cannons to Rs 10L reward for info on 2 Israel Embassy blast suspects stop SAD-BSP workers in Mohali NEW DELHI, JUN 15 (IANS): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh each for any information on the two suspects involved in the bomb blast outside the Embassy of Israel in the national capital on January 29.

The agency has also issued the email IDs and phone numbers of the two

suspects for the general public to share any information on them, along with the photographs and videos of the duo captured from outside the Embassy.

A low-intensity bomb blast had occurred on January 29 near the Israel Embassy on Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road, less than 2 km from the Vijay Chowk, where the Beating Retreat ceremony was on, sending

the security establishments into a tizzy.

The Beating Retreat ceremony was attended

by President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries.

The anti-terror probe

and alleged diversion of vaccine doses to private hospitals. A ‘Fateh kit’ contains a pulse oximeter, thermometer, face masks, a steamer, sanitiser, Vitamin-C and zinc tablets and some other medicines for Covid patients.

OFFICE OF THE

BANK COLONY COUNCIL DIMAPUR - 797112 : NAGALAND

Adou Zeliang Chairman Bank Colony Council

Sukhbir Badal detained CHANDIGARH, JUN 15 (IANS): Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal along with several legislators and leaders were detained by Punjab police on Tuesday when they were marching towards the residence of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh near here to lodge their protest.

The Akali Dal-BSP combine was demanding the dismissal of Health Minister Balbir Sidhu and a CBI probe into irregularities in sale of vaccines and medical kits for Covid patients. “There is a scam in Covid-19 vaccination, there is a scam in Fateh Kit, there is a scam in SC scholarship, there is a scam in SC scholarship.

Farmers’ land is being acquired,” Badal told the media. During the protest, the police detained several protesters before using water cannons against them when they were on the way to the Chief Minister’s farmhouse at Siswan, on the outskirts of Chandigarh, and sent them to the nearby police station.

The Akali workers were joined by BSP activists as the two parties have forged an alliance ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) state president Jasbir Singh Garhi was also detained from the protest site along with Akali legislators, including Bikram Singh Majithia.

A day earlier, the Aam Aadmi Party staged a protest in front of the residence of Amarinder Singh against the alleged scam in the post-matric scholarship scheme for Dalit students.

agency had taken over the case on February 2 this year.

The blast had shattered the windscreens of three parked cars, and had coincided with the 29th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Israel.

WORDS OF GRATITUDE The Bank Colony Council take this privilege to express our profound gratitude and happiness to Shri Tovihoto Ayemi, Honorable MLA & Advisor, Dept. of Power, for looking after the Bank Colony Council and its residents at all times of needs unceasingly. The Council appreciates the recent distribution of dry rations to the needy families by the MLA. May God bless his family abundantly.

SAD & BSP workers hit by a police water cannon during their protest near CM Amarinder Singh’s farmhouse in Mohali. (PTI)

tendent of Police Satinder Singh was also present at the spot.

Earlier, addressing the workers, SAD chief Badal slammed the state government over the issue of alleged irregularities in the purchase of Fateh kits

Central Governments. “In such a scenario the weighted average price of Covaxin for all supplies realized by Bharat Biotech is less than Rs 250/dose.Going forward, approximately 75 per cent of the capacity will be supplied to State and Central Governments with only 25 per cent going to private hospitals,” Bharat Biotech said. The firm has so far invested over Rs 500 crore at risk from its own resources for product development, clinical trials and setting up of manufacturing facilities for Covaxin, it said.

The pricing of vaccines and other pharmaceutical products heavily relies on a series of factors such as the cost of goods and raw materials, product failures, at risk product development outlays and product overages, besides other regular business expenditures, the city-based company said.

DC-491

DP-2784

OFFICE OF THE

OFFICE OF THE

DILONG WARD YIMDEN

SUMI COMMUNITY BAMUNPUKHURI-1 VILLAGE

MOKOKCHUNG : NAGALAND

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

PURANA BAZAR, EAST DIMAPUR

FELICITATION

The Dilong Ward Yimden, Mokokchung express our profound gratitude to Shri Sharingain Longkumer, Honourable Speaker, NLA for his generous support by donating the following much needed equipment during this Covid -19 Pandemic to our ward.

1. Face masks 500 Nos 2. Surgical gloves 200 Nos 3. Thermometer 1 no 4. Oximeter 2 Nos 5. Rapid Antigen 1 box 6. PPE 5 Suits May our God Almighty continue to bless you and your family in the service of our people.

C. Purnungsang Ao Chairman

Yanger Longkumer Secretary

We, the Sumi Community, Bamunpukhuri 1 Village, Dimapur is delighted to hear that Mr. K. HUKUTO KHULLU has been elected as the village Council Chairman. We are sure that under your great leadership, wisdom and guidance our village will strive to much greater heights and achievements.

Let us once again reiterate our sincere congratulations on your success, and also to your new formed team.

We also convey heartiest congratulations to Mr. Y. MUGHAHO ZHIMO, HM GHS Burma Camp and Mr. TOVIKHE JAKHA, HM GHS Aghunaqa for being promoted to the post of Headmaster at their respective posting places.

The Sumi Community Bamunpukhuri Village prays to Almighty God to grant them good health and wisdom and wishes them further success in their endeavour and career.

(ATOKHU CHISHI) SECRETARY

(PAUL ACHUMI) CHAIRMAN

DP-2787

New Delhi, Jun 15 (IANS): Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has written to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath demanding a CBI enquiry into the death of a TV journalist based in Uttar Pradesh who had been found dead under mysterious circumstances in Pratapgarh district.

She in the letter wrote, “The law and order has collapsed and liquor mafia from Aligarh to Pratapgarh have been found indulged in spurious liquor trade, hundreds have died, and those journalists who had been exposing them are attacked.” She also demanded financial assistance to the victim’s family.

Just a day before his death, Sulabh Srivastava, who worked for a TV channel, wrote to the Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday saying he felt threatened following his recent reportage of liquor mafias in the district. Seeking protection, Srivastava had said he had been informed by sources that the liquor mafia was angry with him after the publication of his report and wanted to harm him or his family.

The Pratapgarh police has said that the journalist died in a ‘motorcycle accident’.

MOHALI, JUN 15 (PTI): Police on Tuesday used water cannons to disperse Shiromani Akali Dal and BSP leaders and workers when they were forcing their way to ‘gherao’ the residence of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh here.

Protesters led by SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal were shouting slogans against the Congressled government over several issues, including irregularities in the purchase of Fateh kits and alleged diversion of Covid vaccine doses to private hospitals.

It was the first joint protest of the SAD and BSP, days after both the parties had stitched an alliance for the 2022 Punjab Assembly polls.

BSP state president Jasbir Singh Garhi was also present at the protest.

Several Akali leaders, including Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia, were detained by police.

Police personnel were deployed in strength and multi-layered barricades were put up on the road leading to the Chief Minister’s residence.

The SAD and BSP had planned to ‘gherao’ the CM’s residence at Siswan in Mohali.

Initially, scores of Akali and BSP protesters forced their way through the first layer of barricades.

Police used water cannons when protesters tried to cross the second layer of barricades.

In the melee, turbans of several protesters were tossed aside as police resorted to water cannons.

Mohali Senior Superin-

and serious penal provisions engrafted in sections 15, 17 and 18 of the UAPA frivolously upon people, would undermine the intent and purpose of the Parliament in enacting a law that is meant to address threats to the very existence of our Nation.

Wanton use of serious penal provisions would only trivialise them.”

The court said bail to three was subject to per-

at Rs 150 per dose to the Centre, Rs 400 to the state government and Rs 1,200 to private hospitals.

“The supply price of Covaxin to the government of India at Rs 150/dose, is a non-competitive price and clearly not sustainable in the long run.Hence a higher price in private markets is required to offset part of the costs,” it said in a statement.

As directed by the Centre, less than 10 per cent of the total production of Covaxin to date has been supplied to private hospitals, while most of the remaining quantity was supplied to State and

MKC-163

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra

it is constrained to express, that it seems, that in its anxiety to suppress dissent, in the mind of the state, the line between the constitutionally guaranteed right to protest and terrorist activity seems to be getting somewhat blurred. “If this mindset gains traction, it would be a sad day for democracy”, said the court.

While granting bail to Tanha, the court said: “Foisting extremely grave

HYDERABAD, JUN 15 (PTI): The supply price of Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin to the Central government at Rs 150 per dose is not sustainable in the long run, the vaccine maker said on Tuesday.

Hence a higher price in private markets is required to offset part of the costs, it said in a statement.

The Centre’s supplying price is pushing the pricing structure for the private sector upward, the firm said.

Fundamental business reasons ranging from low procurement volumes, high distribution costs and retail margins, among few others, contribute to higher pricing of Covaxin to the private sector, Bharat Biotech said,justifying the higher price when compared to other COVID-19 vaccines available for the private players. Bharat Biotech is currently supplying Covaxin

S R I NAG A R , J U N 1 5 (IANS): The Indian Army on Tuesday paid glowing tributes to its fallen soldiers at Galwan Valley on the first anniversary of their martyrdom while fighting the Chinese at the Line of Actual Control on June 15, 2020.

Army’s Fire and Fury Corps paid homage to the martyrs of Galwan. In the face of unprecedented Chinese aggression, the 20 Indian soldiers laid down their lives defending Indian land and inflicted heavy casualties on the PLA. In a solemn ceremony, Major General Akash Kaushik, COS, Fire and Fury Corps, laid a wreath at the iconic War Memorial in Leh on the occasion. “The nation will remain eternally grateful to these gallant soldiers who fought in the most difficult high altitude terrain and made the supreme sacrifice in service of the nation,” army said.

business/state

Amazon, Flipkart brace for sharper India scrutiny

year until a court last week allowed it to resume, having dismissed arguments that the CCI lacked evidence.

Though Amazon and Flipkart are likely to appeal, the CCI plans to demand information from them related to the allegations “as quickly as possible”, said one of the people, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.

The investigation “will be expedited”, the person said. Such investigations in India typically take months to complete.

Amazon declined to comment. Flipkart and the CCI did not respond to requests for comment.

India’s May trade deficit widens to $6.28 billon

New Delhi, Jun 15 (PTI): India’s exports rose by 69.35 per cent to USD 32.27 billion in May, driven by healthy growth in sectors such as engineering, petroleum products and gems and jewellery, even as trade deficit widened to USD 6.28 billion, according to government data released on Tuesday.

Exports in May last year stood at USD 19 billion, and in May 2019 it was at USD 29.85 billion, the data showed.

Imports too grew in May 2021 by 73.64 per cent to USD 38.55 billion -- leaving a trade deficit for the month being reviewed at USD 6.28 billion.

India’s imports in May 2020 were at USD 22.2 billion. In May 2019, imports stood at USD 46.68 billion.

Trade deficit in May 2020 stood at USD 3.15 billion.

Exports during April-

May this year jumped to USD 62.89 billion, as against USD 29.41 billion in the same period last year.

Imports during AprilMay 2021 were recorded at USD 84.27 billion, an increase from USD 39.32 billion in the same two months of 2020. The trade deficit during the said period came in at USD 21.38 billion as against USD 9.91 billion in April-May 2020.

Oil imports during May 2021 rose to USD 9.45 billion, as compared to USD 3.49 billion in the same month of 2020.

Gold imports increased to USD 679 million during the month under review from USD 76.31 million in May 2020.

Exports of engineering, petroleum products and gems and jewellery in May stood at USD 8.64 billion, USD 5.33 billion and USD 2.96 billion, respectively.

Crossword

Su doku

KAKURO

The CCI is speeding up all cases involving big technology firms, including by deploying additional officers for some cases and working to more stringent internal deadlines, said the two people, who are familiar with the watchdog’s thinking.

“Cases involving digital firms are getting a priority at CCI as they can have significant impact on the economy and Indian startups,” said one of the people.

Last year, the CCI began reviewing https:// www.reuters.com/article/ us-india-google-antitrust-exclusive-idUKKBN26S1M1 allegations of Google abus-

World’s smallest dinosaur is actually a prehistoric lizard (From p-1) “Since Oculudentavis is the name originally used to describe this taxon, it has priority and we have to maintain it,” Daxa said.

“The taxonomy can be sometimes deceiving.”

The better-preserved amber, which was found in the same amber-mining region in Myanmar as the first described Oculudentavis specimen, held part of the lizard’s skeleton, including its skull, with visible scales and soft tissue. Both pieces of amber were 99 million years old.

The authors said the creature was difficult to categorize, but by using CT scans to separate, analyze and compare each bone from the two species, they detected characteristics that identified the animals as lizards.

ing the position of its Android operating system in the smart TV market, and is likely to soon order a comprehensive antitrust investigation, the people said.

Google declined to comment.

Such a probe would be the third against Google, with the Alphabet Inc unit already battling cases relating to Android as well as its payment app.

The CCI is also investigating practices at MakeMyTrip Ltd and privacy policy changes at Facebook’s WhatsApp. The probe into Amazon and Flipkart is restarting at a time when both are battling accusations from offline retailers that their complex business structures allow them to circumvent foreign investment rules for e-commerce.

In February, a Reuters investigation http://reut. rs/2OCOT2W based on Amazon documents showed the e-tailer for years gave preferential treatment to a

small group of sellers on its Indian platform. While arguing to restart the probe, the CCI told a court in Karnataka state that the Reuters report corroborated evidence https://www.reuters.com/ article/us-amazon-comindia-idUSKBN2BB1UF. Amazon, which has said it “does not give preferential treatment to any seller”, told the court https://www.reuters.com/ world/india/amazon-tellsindian-court-reuters-storyis-no-reason-resume-antitrust-probe-2021-04-15 it disagreed with the Reuters report. The antitrust body will examine the Reuters report and could use it as part of its investigation, one of the people said.

“The CCI’s plan to move faster on such cases is in line with other antitrust regulators globally that are investigating digital markets like e-commerce and online search, which are dynamic and evolving fast,” said an Indian antitrust lawyer who represents tech firms.

FinMin notifies concessional GST rate on COVID-related items, services New Delhi, Jun 15 (PTI): The Finance Ministry has notified the concessional rate of GST that will be applicable on COVID relief materials till September 30, 2021.

Also, a lower Goods and Services Tax (GST) of 5 per cent will be applicable for work contracts for construction, repair or maintenance of electric furnaces meant for funeral, burial or cremation of the deceased.

The earlier tax rate of this service was 12 per cent.

The GST Council, chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and comprising state ministers, on June 12, had slashed tax rate on COVID drugs such as Remdesivir and Tocilizumab as well as on medical oxygen, oxygen concentrators and other COVID essentials.

The Finance Ministry’s Revenue Department

on June 14, notified the lower rates for 18 COVIDrelated supplies, like hand sanitiser, pulse oximeters, BiPAP machine, testing kits, ambulances and temperature check equipment.

These concessional rates would be applicable till September 30, 2021, it added.

The Council in its June 12 meeting had decided to reduce GST on COVID-19 drug Tocilizumab and black fungus medicine Amphotericin B to ‘nil’, from 5 per cent.

The rate on Remdesivir and Anticoagulants like

Heparin is lowered from 12 per cent to 5 per cent.

The Council also decided to cut the GST rate on ambulances to 12 per cent from 28 per cent.

Tax on medical-grade oxygen, oxygen concentrators (including personal imports), ventilators, BiPAP machines and high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) devices has been reduced to 5 per cent from 12 per cent.

Also, tax on COVID testing kits, pulse oximeters (including personal imports) has been brought down to 5 per cent from 12 per cent.

Jio kicks off 5G field trials with own equipment NEW DELHI, Jun 15 (Agencies): Reliance Jio, the Mukesh Ambani-led telco has also switched on its 5G field trial network using its own indigenously developed 5G equipment and technology in Mumbai. It is engaging with other vendors like Samsung, Ericsson and Nokia to start 5G trials in other cities in coming days, sources familiar with the matter told ET. “The network went live quickly after receiving a trial spectrum from the DoT. We are using both mid and mmwave bands with standalone architecture for 5G trials in Mumbai,” a senior executive said on the condition of anonymity.

The person said that the 5G equipment was manufactured in India with the help of local partners.

“As opposed to rivals, our 5G trial is much bigger in terms of sites deployed in Mumbai. We will soon kick

off trials in other cities and areas,” the person added.

Jio had applied for trials in Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat and Hyderabad.

A query sent to Jio didn’t elicit a response.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had recently allocated 5G trial spectrum in the 700 MHz, 3.5 GHz and 26 GHz bands to Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea (Vi) to develop India-relevant use

No. 9948 Yesterday’s solution No. 9947

No. 4568 Yesterday’s solution No. 4567

No. 3592 Yesterday’s solution No. 3591

Across 3. Lawn material (5) 8. Loses colour (5) 10. Hidden store (5) 11. Drawn match (3) 12. Group of witches (5) 13. Learn (4,3) 15. Assistants (5) 18. Craze (3) 19. Secret, mysterious (6) 21. Kills brutally (7) 22. Man’s name (4) 23. Diesel oil (4) 24. Apart from (7) 26. Subsides (6) 29. Facial twitch (3) 31. Measuring stick (5) 32. Down payment (7) 34. Lowest point (5) 35. Rend (3) 36. Warehouse (5) 37. Young dog (5) 38. Kingdom (5) Down 1. Ancient language (5) 2. Necessary (7) 4. Tumult (4) 5. Cuts wool from (6) 6. Of sound (5) 7. Verdant (5) 9. Racket (3) 12. Hugs (7) 14. Rowing blade (3) 16. Challenges (5) 17. Wait on (5) 19. Referee (7) 20. Javelin (5) 21. Wall painting (5) 23. Propriety (7) 24. Scold harshly (6) 25. Slope downwards (3) 27. Purchaser (5) 28. Male voice (5) 30. Quick (5) 32. Watch face (4) 33. Drink delicately (3)

cases on the next-gen fast wireless broadband technology.

Jio’s rival Bharti Airtel also switched on its 5G trial network in Gurgaon’s Cyber Hub in the Millennium city in partnership with Swedish gear maker Ericsson.

Airtel’s site is operating in the 3500 MHz band and is delivering throughput of over 1 Gbps. Airtel has been allotted 5G trial spectrum in Delhi/NCR, Mumbai,

Kolkata and Bengaluru.

Allotment of 5G trial spectrum is particularly crucial for Jio and Airtel, who already have 5G-ready networks and have recently bulked up on crucial airwaves in the recent auction to cater to the surge in data usage amid Covid and also future-proof themselves ahead of 5G rollouts.

Jio has already developed an end-to-end 5G stack, including 5G radio and core network solutions.

RIL revealed that the telco has already completed testing of its 5G radio and core solution, which will now enable a self-sufficient and cost-effective rollout.

Jio Platforms is also working with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) on standardising 5G device configurations.

Reliance Jio’s parent, Jio Platforms, recently said that it has joined hand with US-based chipmaker Qual-

comm technologies for local manufacturing of “critical equipment” to catalyze the 5G ecosystem in India.

Both companies previously partnered to develop “open and interoperable” interface compliant architecture based 5G solutions with a virtualized RAN and had last year achieved over a 1 Gbps milestone on the Jio 5GNR solution using the chipmaker’s 5G RAN Platforms.

The telecom department had recently asked Indian telcos to conduct trials in rural, semi-urban settings and urban settings so that the benefit of 5G technology proliferates across the country and is not confined only to urban areas.

With 5G trials, the DoT said that it aims to test various use cases such as telemedicine, tele-education, augmented/ virtual reality, and drone-based agricultural monitoring.

Govt report flags ‘lapses’...

(From p-1) When asked, however, an official said that a 1987 Health Ministry order had designated ICMR Director General and the Health Secretary as the Chairpersons on the committee clearing all research involving foreign funding and foreign collaboration.

According to the citation in the study, named “Filovirus-reactive antibodies in humans and bats in Northeast India imply zoonotic spillover”, that was published in 2019, the research was funded by U.S. Dept of Defense, U.S. Naval Biological Defense Research Directorate, and Indian Department of Atomic Energy, and credits researchers at Duke-NUS Singapore, U.S. Uniformed Services University Speaking to ThePrint on the condition of anonymity, a senior health ministry official said “this is an old study”.

“It was over two years ago. We had asked them to develop a system where the safety parameters are obeyed and for future research there are no such safety concerns,” the health ministry official said.

Asked if the NCBS is allowed to continue with the study, he said: “The study was over long back.”

On being shown an email from Ramakrishnan that says the study is still on, the official said: “I do not know about this. My impression is that the study is over. I have to check.”

On 26 May, in reply to an emailed questionnaire from ThePrint, Dr Ramakrishnan had said: “The study is ongoing, but we do not have any definitive findings to share at this time. Further work is necessary.”

For the study, the NCBS is partnering DukeNUS Medical School in Sin-

We didn’t back doubling of ...

(From p-1) A NEGVAC representative said it “respects the decisions of the NTAGI and use them for our work”, declining to elaborate.

The AstraZeneca vaccine accounts for nearly 90% of the 257.5 million vaccine doses administered in India.

The dispute over doses comes amid criticism from some scientists that the government had been slow to respond to a new virus variant that led to a spike in infections in April and May. The government has denied being slow to react, saying state-run laboratories had studied variants in real

time and shared data with local authorities to allow them to take the necessary action.

Shahid Jameel, a top Indian virologist who recently quit a government panel on virus variants after criticising New Delhi over its response to the pandemic, said the authorities should clarify their position on the reasons for the decision to double the gap between doses.

“In a situation where we have a variant of concern spreading, we should really be vaccinating people at scale and making sure that they are protected,” he added.

gapore and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), an institution funded by the US Department of Defense (DoD) and located in Bethesda, Maryland. The study itself is funded by the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), also an agency of the US DoD. The 2019 paper on the study, published in the scientific journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, had among the co-authors Shi Zhengli of the controversial Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), who now famous around the world as ‘China’s Bat Lady’. The WIV is the focus of discussions about Covid being the result of a potential lab leak. the paper.

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NEW DELHI, Jun 15 (Reuters): India’s antitrust watchdog plans to expedite a restarted probe into allegations of anticompetitive behaviour at Amazon.com Inc and Walmart Inc’s Flipkart, as it intensifies scrutiny of bigtech firms, two people close to the matter said.

The comments come as major U.S. technology firms including Twitter Inc and Facebook Inc are at loggerheads with the government over issues such as data privacy bills and policies some industry executives have called protectionist.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) initiated a probe in January last year on the basis of a complaint alleging Amazon and Flipkart promoted select sellers on their e-commerce platforms and that deep discounts stifled competition.

The companies have denied wrongdoing.

Near-immediate legal challenges from the pair stalled the probe for over a

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8

Suu Kyi confronted with sedition charge

BANGKOK, JUN 15 (AP): The trial of Myanmar’s deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi entered its second day Tuesday, with the prosecution presenting arguments that she incited public disorder and flouted coronavirus restrictions, part of a package of charges the ruling junta is seen as using to discredit her and consolidate its control.

Suu Kyi and other members of her government and party were arrested by the military after the February 1 coup, with criminal charges brought against some of the top figures on litany of charges that both their supporters and independent observers say are bogus. The coup reversed years democratic reforms in Myanmar after decades of military rule and sparked widespread protests and international condemnation.

Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy party had been due to start a second five-year term of office after winning a landslide victory in a general election last November. Suu Kyi has not been seen in

Saudi Arabia executes man for violent rebellion

Dubai, Jun 15 (AP): Saudi Arabia executed a young man on Tuesday who was convicted on charges stemming from his participation in an anti-government rebellion by minority Shiites.

A leading rights group said his trial, however, was “deeply flawed.” It was unclear whether Mustafa bin Hashim bin Isa al-Darwish, 26, was executed for crimes committed as a minor, according to Amnesty International.

The rights group said he was detained in 2015 for alleged participation in riots between 2011 and 2012.

The official charge sheet does not specify the dates his alleged crimes took place, meaning he could have been 17 at the time, or just turned 18. The government maintains he was convicted and executed for crimes committed above the age of 19, though no specific dates for his alleged crimes have been given.

EU court leaves FB exposed to privacy challenges London, Jun 15 (AP): Facebook is subject to EU privacy challenges from watchdogs in any of the bloc’s member states, not just its lead regulator in Ireland, the bloc’s top court ruled Tuesday, in a ruling that has implications for other big tech companies.

Under the EU’s stringent privacy rules, known as the General Data Protection Regulation, only one country’s national data protection authority has the power to handle legal cases involving cross-border data complaints in a system known as “one-stop shop.”

9

international

Nagaland Post, Dimapur WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021

Aung Suu Kyi during a hearing. (Twitter: @UN)

public since her arrest and her lawyers say they don’t know exactly where she is currently being held. She has also had only limited time to consult with her legal team.

Tuesday’s session was to cover a sedition charge brought against Suu Kyi, along with a second count of violating COVID-19 restrictions. The sedition charge, which is sometimes

described as incitement, calls for up to two years’ imprisonment for anyone found guilty of causing fear or alarm that could cause an offense against the state or public tranquility.

The offense has been law since Myanmar was a British colony, and has been criticised as a catch-all stature that infringes on freedom of speech and is used for political repression.

The trial, which is closed to the public and media, opened Monday in the capital Nayptitaw, with police outlining several of the cases against her.

They covered charges she had illegally imported walkie-talkies that were for her bodyguards’ use; unlicensed use of those radios; and violating the Natural Disaster Management Law by allegedly breaking pan-

demic restrictions during last year’s election campaign, her lawyers said.

The court also heard a case against ousted President Win Myint, for violating the pandemic restrictions.

Suu Kyi also faces more charges that have yet to go to trial, among them accepting bribes. Some of the charges carry potential penalties as high as 15 years in prison.

But a conviction on virtually any could result in Suu Kyi’s being banned from running in any future election, which many believe is the military’s goal. One of the military’s justifications for the coup was that last year’s election was marred by fraud, an assertion rejected by independent poll watchers. Suu Kyi’s trial has renewed calls for her release and return to civilian rule.

UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq, responding to a question on SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres’ reaction to the trial, said Monday the UN position is clear: “We want her and all of the senior members of her administration to be freed.”

Afghan forces retake 2 districts amid intense fighting Kabul, Jun 15 (IANS): Amid an increase in the ongoing intense fighting, Afghan forces have retaken two districts in the north of the country which were overrun by the Taliban, a media report said. According to security sources, Khan Abad district in Kunduz was retaken on Monday, while Chah Ab district in Takhar was seized last week, TOLO News reported.

“Over 50 militants were killed in face-to-face fighting and by airstrikes in Khan Abad. Some commanders are also among them,” said Kunduz Police Chief Farid Mashal. However, other districts continue to fall to the Taliban. On Monday, security forces evacuated the centre of Sayyad district in the northern province of Sare-Pul and Oba district in the western province of Herat.

Data collected by TOLO News reveal that centres of at least 30 districts have fallen to the Taliban since the beginning of the official withdrawal of the US and other NATO troops on May

Security forces evacuated the centre of Sayyad district and Oba district.

1. “The root causes of why districts started to fall suddenly should be determined.

Some districts were handed over to the Taliban in the west without resistance and their equipment was left for militants,” the news outlet quoted Sadiq Qaderi, an MP from Herat, as saying.

First Vice President Amrullah Saleh said that the recent advancements by the Taliban are narrow and this “will soon be changed into a graveyard” for the group.

“Their sequence has no depth or width. Those who are familiar with the fight know that this narrow line

will turn into a mass grave for this group of horror and ignorance,” Saleh said in a Facebook post. Meanwhile, Defence Ministry spokesman Rohullah Ahmadzai said there were “areas in districts where we made retreats. New forces were sent, they were equipped and the enemy will soon be removed from there”.

At least 40 security force members have been either killed or wounded in clashes over the past 24 hours, but the Defence Ministry said Taliban casualties are higher than those of the government forces.

NZ holds first anti-terror meeting China sends record 28 fighter jets toward Taiwan

Jacinda Ardern

Wellington, Jun 15 (IANS): New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday opened the country’s first meeting on countering terrorism and violent extremism, which is being held in Christchurch over the next two days.

The meeting of “a country at peace” will look

at “how we can all contribute to making our country more inclusive and safe”, Ardern was quoted as saying by the Xinhua news agency.

The meeting will be held annually, promoting public conversation, understanding and research on radicalisation.

It will look at ways to

challenge hate-motivated extremist ideologies and discuss priorities to address issues of terrorism and violent extremism, she said.

“This inaugural hui (meeting) brings together community, civil society, academia, the private sector and government to listen, share and learn - both knowledge and experiences,” the Prime Minister added.

New Zealand witnessed one of its worst terrorist attacks on March 15, 2019, when a gunman killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch.

The attacker, Australian self-declared white supremacist Brenton Tarrant, has been sentenced to life in prison without parole, the first person in New Zealand’s history to receive the sentence.

Taipei, Jun 15 (AP): China flew a record 28 fighter jets toward the selfruled island of Taiwan on Tuesday, the island’s defense ministry said, the largest such display of force since Beijing began sending planes on a near daily basis last year.

Taiwan’s air force deployed its combat air patrol forces in response and monitored the situation in the southwestern part of the island’s air defense identification zone with its air defense systems, the Ministry of National Defense said.

The planes included various types of fighter jets including 14 J-16 and six J-11 planes, as well as bombers, the ministry said.

China’s show of force comes after leaders of the Group of Seven indus-

The planes included various types of fighter jets including 14 J-16 and six J-11 planes.

trialized nations issued a statement Sunday calling for a peaceful resolution of cross-Taiwan Strait issues and underscored the importance of peace and stability.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Tuesday said the G-7 was deliberately “inter-

fering in China’s internal affairs.”

“China’s determination to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests is unwavering,” he said.

Taiwan and China split during a civil war in 1949, but China continues to claim Taiwan as part of

its territory. Taiwan has been self-ruled since then.

Since the election of President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016, China has increased diplomatic and military pressure on the government over her refusal to agree to China’s insistence that the island be considered part of Chinese territory.

The vast majority of Taiwanese reject the prospect of political union with China under the “one country, two systems” framework used for Hong Kong. Since last year, China has been flying fighter jets toward the island almost daily in what it calls a demonstration of its seriousness in defending its national sovereignty.

Previously, the largest such maneuver was in March, when China sent 25 fighter planes toward Taiwan.

Israeli flag march in Jerusalem to renew tension: Hamas Biden administration pushes plan to combat domestic terror

Gaza, Jun 15 (IANS): The Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement said that organising an Israeli flag march in East Jerusalem on Tuesday will ignite a new round of tension.

Hamas spokesman in Gaza Abdulatif alQanou’a said in a statement that organising “the so-called flag march is just a detonator for the breaking out of a new battle in Palestine”, reports Xinhua news agency.

“The so-called flag march that is intended to be organised by the settlers on the streets of Jerusalem will lead to a new battle to defend the holy city and alAqsa Mosque,” he said.

Ahmad al-Mudalal, a senior Islamic Jihad leader in Gaza, said that if the settlers’ flag march enters the Islamic neighbourhood in Jerusalem on Tuesday, “it will lead to a state of rage

Right wing Israelis wave national flags during a Jerusalem Day parade, in Jerusalem (File: Ariel Schalit/AP)

and uprising in the entire Palestinian territories”.

According to the organisers, the march will begin on Tuesday at HaNevi’im St. and head toward Damascus Gate, The Times of Israel reported.

The participants will not enter through that Old

City entrance, but instead will head toward the Jaffa Gate, the organisers said in a statement.

Participants will then march from Jaffa Gate toward the Western Wall through the Old City, they added.

The annual event

brings together thousands of Jews march through Muslim-majority parts of Jerusalem toward the Western Wall, in a show of sovereignty to mark the Hebrew anniversary of the city’s east side being captured by Israel during the Six Day War of 1967.

WASHINGTON, JUN 15 (AP): The Biden administration says it will enhance its analysis of threats from domestic terrorists, including the sharing of intelligence within law enforcement agencies, and will work with tech companies to eliminate terrorist content online as part of a nationwide strategy to combat domestic terrorism.

The National Security Council on Tuesday released the strategy plan, which comes more than six months after a mob of insurgents loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol as Congress was voting to certify Joe Biden’s presidential win.

A report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence found that domestic violent extremists posed an increased

Joe Biden

threat in 2021, with white supremacist groups and anti-government militias posing the highest risk, officials said.

The new strategy includes enhancing the government’s analysis of domestic terrorism and improving the information that is shared between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Administration officials said the Justice Department had also implemented a new system

to “methodically track” domestic terrorism cases nationwide within the FBI. The Justice Department was also evaluating whether the administration should recommend Congress pass a specific domestic terrorism law, which does not currently exist. In the absence of domestic terrorism laws, the Justice Department relies on other statutes to prosecute ideologically motivated violence by people with no international ties.

But that has made it harder to track how often extremists driven by religious, racial or anti-government bias commit violence in the US and complicates efforts to develop a universally accepted domestic terror definition. Opponents of domestic terrorism laws say prosecutors already have enough tools.

2 vaccine doses ‘effective’ in reducing Retired Chinese military official moots ‘buffer zones’ along LAC Delta variant hospitalisation: Analysis

London, Jun 15 (PTI): New analysis by Britain’s health experts concludes for the first time this week that two doses of COVID19 vaccines are “highly effective” against hospitalisation from the Delta variant – the B1.617.2 extremely transmissible variant first identified in India.

Public Health England (PHE), which has been conducting regular analysis of COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC), said on Monday that the latest analysis shows that

the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is 96 per cent effective against hospitalisation after two doses and the Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccine is 92 per cent effective against hospitalisation after two doses. These figures are comparable with vaccine effectiveness against hospitalisation from the Alpha variant, which was first identified in the Kent region of England and was previously the dominant VOC in the UK. “This evidence of the effectiveness of two doses against variants shows just how crucial

it is to get your second jab,” said UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock. “Our UK vaccination programme continues at pace and has already saved thousands of lives. It is our way out of this pandemic,” he said, urging eligible age groups of over-25s to book their free jabs.

The latest PHE analysis included 14,019 cases of the Delta variant – 166 of whom were hospitalised – between 12 April and June 4, looking at emergency hospital admissions in England.

Beijing, Jun 15 (PTI): A retired senior Chinese military official has proposed that China and India should implement the existing confidence building measures and follow up by taking the “boldest step” of establishing “buffer zones” in the “most dangerous areas” along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to prevent the border dispute spilling over into a conflict.

In an article titled “China and India should look back to move forward on border impasse” in the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post newspaper on Tuesday to mark the first anniversary of the

Galwan Valley border clash between Indian and Chinese troops, Senior Colonel (Retd) Zhou Bo of the People’s Liberation Army said, “the deadly incident was dreadful in that it came closest to breaking a decades-old tacit agreement between the two countries not to use force”.

In the first deadly clash in the border area in nearly five decades, 20 Indian soldiers were killed on June 15 last year in the Galwan Valley in fierce hand-to-hand combat with Chinese troops, triggering a large deployment of troops and heavy weaponry by both armies at the friction

Senior Colonel (Retd) Zhou Bo

points in eastern Ladakh.

In February, China officially acknowledged that five Chinese military officers and soldiers were killed in the clashes with the Indian Army though it is widely believed that the death toll was higher.

Significantly Bo, who is a senior fellow at the Centre for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University here, chose to publish the article containing his proposals to defuse the tensions in the Hong Kong media instead of China’s official media.

“A year after the shock of a fatal border clash, tensions remain high with no consensus on how to resolve the issues over an unverified LAC,” he noted.

The aftermath is still being felt today. Beijing was given the cold shoulder when it offered to help pandemicdevastated India. Such resentment speaks volumes

of the frosty relationship, he pointed out. “To prevent conflict, both sides should dust off previously agreed confidence-building measures and enforce the less-contentious ones,” he suggested.

It has been more than a year since the military standoff between China and India erupted in eastern Ladakh on May 5, 2020 during which there were fatalities on both sides.

The two sides have made limited progress in achieving disengagement at the Pangong Lake area while negotiations for similar steps at other friction points remained deadlocked.

Infotainment

10

Nagaland Post, Dimapur WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021

Southern Ocean: Earth’s fifth ocean confirmed T

hose familiar with the Southern Ocean, the body of water encircling Antarctica, know it’s unlike any other.

“Anyone who has been there will struggle to explain what’s so mesmerizing about it, but they’ll all agree that the glaciers are bluer, the air colder, the mountains more intimidating, and the landscapes more captivating than anywhere else you can go,” says Seth Sykora-Bodie, a marine scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and a National Geographic Explorer.

Since National Geographic began making maps in 1915, it has recognized four oceans: the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic Oceans. Starting on June 8, World Oceans Day, it will recognize the Southern Ocean as the world’s fifth ocean.

“The Southern Ocean has long been recognized by scientists, but because there was never agreement internationally, we never

This iceberg-filled passage, Lemaire Channel, lies in the Southern Ocean. (Image credit: Posnov via Getty Images)

officially recognized it,” says National Geographic Society Geographer Alex Tait.

Geographers debated whether the waters around Antarctica had enough unique characteristics to deserve their own name, or whether they were simply cold, southern extensions of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.

“It’s sort of geographic nerdiness in some ways,” Tait says. He and the National Geographic Society’s map policy committee had been considering the change for years, watching

as scientists and the press increasingly used the term Southern Ocean.

The change, he adds, aligns with the Society’s initiative to conserve the world’s oceans, focusing public awareness onto a region in particular need of a conservation spotlight.

“We’ve always labeled it, but we labeled it slightly differently [than other oceans],” Tait says. “This change was taking the last step and saying we want to recognize it because of its ecological separation.”

While the other oceans are defined by the conti-

nents that fence them in, the Southern Ocean is defined by a current.

Scientists estimate that the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) was established roughly 34 million years ago, when Antarctica separated from South America. That allowed for the unimpeded flow of water around the bottom of the Earth.

The ACC flows from west to east around Antarctica, in a broad fluctuating band roughly centered around a latitude of 60 degrees south—the line that is now defined as the northern boundary of the Southern Ocean. Inside the ACC, the waters are colder and slightly less salty than ocean waters to the north.

Scientists are currently studying how human-driven climate change is altering the Southern Ocean. Ocean water moving through the ACC is warming, scientists have learned, but it’s unclear how much this is impacting Antarctica. Some of the most rapid melting of the

continents ice sheets and shelves have been where the ACC is closest to land.

W h a t ’s m o r e, t h e Southern Ocean has ecological effects elsewhere as well. Humpback whales, for example, feed on krill off Antarctica and migrate far north to winter in very different ecosystems off South and Central America.

Some seabirds migrate in and out too.

By drawing attention to the Southern Ocean, the National Geographic Society hopes to promote its conservation. Tait says National Geographic’s new policy will have an impact on how children using maps in school learn to see the world.

“I think one of the biggest impacts is through education,” he says. “Students learn information about the ocean world through what oceans you’re studying. If you don’t include the Southern Ocean then you don’t learn the specifics of it and how important it is.”

(National Geographic)

Covid-19 can cause severe inflammation in brain

R

esearchers have found that coronavirus disease can cause severe inflammation in the central nervous system.

The study, led by a team of researchers from the University of Freiburg in Germany, showed that a severe inflammatory response can develop in the central nervous system of Covid-19 patients involving different immune cells around the vascular system and in the brain tissue.

“Even though there was already evidence of central nervous system involvement in Covid-19, the extent of inflammation in the brain surprised us,” said lead author Henrike Salie, Faculty of

‘Bell Bottom’ to release in theatres on July 27

Medicine at the University’s Medical Center.

“In particular the many microglial nodules we detected cannot usually be found in the healthy brain,” added Marius Schwabenland, Faculty of Medicine, at the

varsity.

For the study, published in the journal Immunity, the team used a novel measurement method, imaging mass cytometry, and were able to determine different cell types as well as virus-infected cells and their spatial interaction in previously unseen detail.

In particular, the essential defense cells of the brain, known as microglial cells, are particularly strongly activated, and we also observed migration of T-killer cells and development of a pronounced neuroinflammation in the brain stem.

The immune changes are particularly detectable near small

brain vessels. In these areas, the viral receptor ACE2 is expressed, onto which the coronavirus can dock, and the virus is also directly detectable there, the researchers said.

“It seems plausible that the immune cells recognise infected cells there and that inflammation then spreads to the nerve tissue, causing symptoms It is possible that early immunomodulatory or immunosuppressive treatment could reduce inflammation,” said Professor Bertram Bengsch, Section Head of Translational Systems Immunology in Hepatogastroenterology at varsity.

(IANS)

Lin Laishram on Priyanka Chopra playing Mary Kom ‘A girl from Northeast could have been cast to represent us’

M

odel-actor Lin Laishram, who hails from Manipur, has spoken about discrimination during casting in the 2014 film Mary Kom. Lin said that though Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who played the protagonist, worked hard for the film, a girl from the Northeast or Manipur ‘could have been surely cast to represent us’.

Lin Laishram essayed the role of Bembem in the 2014 national awardwinning film. Directed by Omung Kumar, the film is loosely fictionalised on India’s most famous female boxer Mary Kom. It tells the journey of Mary, a rice farmer’s daughter in Manipur, from becoming a boxer to a five-time world champion.

Speaking to Free Press Journal, Lin said, “I admire Priyanka for her hard work, she really put in a lot of hours in order to look like Mary Kom but I always felt that casting is an important step in film. I believe in authenticity and inclusivity, so

Lin Laishram and Priyanka Chopra Jonas worked together in 2014 film Mary Kom.

a girl from Manipur or the North East could have been surely cast to represent us...

When it comes to playing an achiever from the Northeast a non-North Eastern person is chosen as seen in Mary Kom. On the other hand, why not cast people from Northeast also as normal Indians in all walks of life which we are.”

On inclusivity in the industry, Lin said, “The latest example of great inclusivity is The Family Man 2. In the show, people are cast from Tamil Nadu and speak Tamil, representing their local culture and ethnicity, and it has been so widely accepted and appreciated.

So, if south Indian culture can be accepted then why not North Eastern?”

In 2020, speaking with Hindustan Times, she had opened up about racism. “It happened in my building in Mumbai. I was in the compound and a middle-aged man walked passed me and called me coronavirus and kept chanting it till I left.

I found it very strange because it was around February and by then we weren’t so aware of the situation.

I went home, read up and saw what was happening in China Town in the US and it was then that it hit me. It was so unfortunate,” she had said.

(Hindustan Times)

GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND

OFFICE OF THE MANAGING DIRECTOR, NAGA HOSPITAL AUTHORITY KOHIMA : NAGALAND

NO.MD/NHAK-10/32/COVID/2019-20/1267

Dated: Kohima, the 15th Jun, 2021

APPRECIATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” 2 TIMOTHY 4:7 The family of Lt. Padmashree M. Piyongtemjen Jamir would like to offer our sincere gratitude to the people who showed their great kindness and support during his illness and in the time since he left us on 12-06-2021. It has been a comforting blessing for us.

We cannot thank each and every one of you individually but we pray that the Almighty God bless you abundantly.

Special thanks to : 1. Shri R.N Ravi, Governor of Nagaland.

2. Shri Metsubo Jamir, Minister RD. 3. District administration Dimapur.

4. Ao Baptist Arogo Padampukhuri.

5. Ongpangkong Senso Telongjem Dimapur.

6. Ao Senso Telongjem Padampukhuri.

7. Jan Jati Shiksha Samiti Dimapur.

8. Longsa Senso Telongjem Dimapur.

T

The Naga Hospital Authority, Kohima expresses our deep appreciation to Kohima Ao Baptist Arogo (KABA) for allowing NHAK to use KABA Jubilee Memorial Centre at Lerie, Kohima as quarantine facility for the Health Care Workers under this establishment after their active COVID19 duty. We thank you for your continued support and prompt response to our needs as well as sharing of your resources for a better and effective management towards the fight against the COVID pandemic.

“United We Stand, Together We Fight” # COVID-19

K-1055

(DR VIBEITUONUO MEPFUO) Managing Director Naga Hospital Authority, Kohima

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

DP-2794

he Akshay Kumarstarrer spy thriller “Bell Bottom” has now been scheduled for a theatrical release on July 27. Akshay posted a video on Instagram on Tuesday to announce the news.

The film was earlier scheduled for an April 2021 release but was pushed due to the second wave of Covid19 in the country. “I know you have patiently waited for the release of #Bellbottom. Couldn’t be happier to finally announce the release of our film. Arriving on the big screens worldwide #BellBottomOn27July,” Akshay captioned the video.

Directed by Ranjit M. Tewari, “Bell Bottom” stars Akshay alongside Vaani Kapoor, Huma Qureshi and Lara Dutta.

(IANS)

With sincere appreciation, Wife, Children, Grandchildren & In-laws

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

1ST DEATH ANNIVERSARY OF OUR BELOVED

LT. KESOLENUO SUOKHRIE

MR. NEIBULIE KIEWHUO

LT. KÜNÜ RHAKHO

LT. LILY MURRY RHAKHO

Born on : 21/01/2013 – Died on : 10/06/2021

Born on : 19/07/1971 – Died on : 11/06/2021

We are truely touched and blessed by the generous outpouring of love, care and support showered to us during the brief illness and demise of our dearest Lt. KÜNÜ RHAKHO and Lt. LILY MURRY RHAKHO. Our gratitude and thanks are due to every organisations and individual for the immense 'Love in action' we received from you.

In brief, a special mention is made to the following organisations and communities.

1. Rilan Village Council and Youth, Dimapur 5. Kütsapo Baptist Church, Kutsapo Village 2. Okotso Village, Dimapur 6. Kütsapo Mother's Group, Dimapur 3. Tizu Area Welfare Union, Dimapur 7. Driving School Union, Dimapur 4. Kütsapo Union, Dimapur 8. Scores of individuals Our inability to make an individual mention is deeply regretted, may the Almighty and omniscient God bless each and everyone of you.

Loving Husband, Daughter, In-laws, Families & Relatives DP-2785 K Y M C

16th June 2020 – 16th June 2021 A year ago on this day, our hearts grieved deeply because you went to be with the Lord so soon. But we are comforted for we know that you are in the presence of God. Though you are gone, the trail of love, joy and testimony that you have left behind keeps us going everyday. You are loved beyond words and missed beyond measures.

“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, Says the spirit, They will rest from their labor for their deeds will follow them” Revelation 14:13.

Loving parents, siblings and relatives K-1054

19th Jan 1957 – 21st May 2021 We, the family of Lt. Mr. Neibulie Kiewhuo, wishes to express our deepest appreciation to all who stood by us as we mourn and grieve the loss of our beloved father.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Kezha Angami and his medical team at Bethel Medical Centre, Immanuel Baptist Church, Association of Kohima Municipal Wards Panchayat (AKMWP), PWD Panchayat, Phezha Village Council, Nerhema Village Council, KMC and Chairman, DTF, Honorable Chief Minister of Nagaland, Mr. Neiphiu Rio, CMO, neighbours, families, friends and well-wishers.

Words cannot express how grateful we are for the kindness shown to us. We thank you for the many messages of condolence, floral tribute, charitable donation, and your presence at the funeral. We thank you for your words of kindness, for uplifting us in our sorrows, and for your unceasing prayers for our family. All these compassionate gestures have given us strength to endure this difficult season in our lives. We hold on to Jesus Christ who sees us through moment by moment, day by day.

We regret our inability to thank you all individually but pray that God bless you abundantly.

Wife and children

K-1053

K Y M C

Tokyo organizers roll out COVID rule books

Tokyo, un 15 (AP): IOC Vice President John Coates arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday, the same day that organizers and the International Olympic Committee were set to roll out the third and final edition of their so-called Playbooks.

Coates is the International Olympic Committee’s official in charge of overseeing the Tokyo Games. He has been a controversial figure in Japan, saying the postponed Olympics would go ahead even if the country were under a state of emergency.

Organizers confirmed Coates’ arrival from Australia. Officials last week said he would be quarantined for three days, followed by 11 days of restricted activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coates arrives with Tokyo and other parts of Japan under a state of emergency until June 20, but with reported new cases falling and a slow vaccine

Top seed Medvedev knocked out by Struff in Halle Halle, Jun 15 (Reuters): World number two Daniil Medvedev’s Wimbledon preparations suffered a setback on Tuesday when he was bundled out by Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6(3), 6-3 in the opening round of the ATP 500 tournament in Halle. In his first match of the grasscourt season, top seed Medvedev made a bright start to open up a commanding 5-2 lead in the opening set before Struff roared back into the contest. World number 45 Struff saved a set point to draw level and force a tiebreak where he grabbed an early lead to take the opening set.

The match was oneway traffic in the second set as Struff broke his Russian opponent twice to secure the biggest victory of his career. Struff has now won 10 of his last 15 matches, which includes an impressive run to a maiden ATP Tour final in Munich followed by his first Grand Slam last-16 appearance at the French Open last week.

Medvedev, who suffered a quarter-final exit at the French Open, will hope he rediscovers his touch on grass before he resumes his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title at Wimbledon starting June 28.

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sports

Nagaland Post, Dimapur WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021

small details for everyone from athletes to media, broadcasters, and tens of thousands of support staff.

The April version specified : All partici-

Plans for some 50 training camps in have been scrapped, the majority due to concerns over the pandemic.

rollout finally speeding up.

Less than 5% of Japanese have been fully vaccinated.

The IOC says more that 80% of those staying in the Olympic Village will be fully vaccinated, although it did not provide details how it reached that conclusion.

The Japanese medical community has largely opposed holding these Olympics in Tokyo, arguing the risks are too great. The government’s main medical adviser Dr. Shigeru Omi has said it’s abnormal to

hold the Olympics during a pandemic.

The Playbooks are COVID-19 rule books for athletes and all others entering Japan to participate in the Olympics.

The second version, published in April, was criticized last month in an editorial by The New England Journal of Medicine that said, among other things, that the Playbooks are not built on scientifically rigorous risk assessment.”

The final version is not expected to deliver major changes, but likely more

pants will have to pass two COVID-19 tests before leaving their home country. And they will be tested upon arrival in Japan.

Athletes will be tested daily, as will those in close proximity to athletes.

Other games participants will be tested daily for the first three days, and then as required.

All games participants must use dedicated vehicles and avoid public transportation for the first 14 days.

Games participants will avoid a 14-day quarantine rule for entering Japan, but to do so they must fill out a schedule listing their plans for that period, and also download a tracking app. Since the second edition was published, organizers have said participants’ movement

will be monitored by GPS, and that they must sign a pledge to follow the rules.

In addition, athletes must sign a waiver in regard to any harm suffered by COVID-19.

Fans from abroad have been banned, and organizers say a decision on having any local fans at Olympic venues will be announced by the end of the month.

The IOC is pushing ahead, partly because it gets almost 75% of its revenue from selling broadcast rights. That income flow has been stalled during the postponement of the Tokyo Games.

In addition, Japan has officially spent $15.4 billion or organize the Olympics, although government audits say the figure is much larger.

Organizers say, including 15,400 Olympic and Paralympic athletes, the total number of people expected to enter Tokyo for the Olympics is about 93,000.

Joshua has doubts over Fury fight: Hearn

Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.

L O N D O N , J U N 1 5 hopeful and I think it will continuing, with their fight (AGENCIES): Anthony happen.” WBC champion expected to take place on Joshua “probably thinks” a Fury, 32, will now fight 35- either September 18 or 25 fight against British heavy- year-old Wilder for a third at the Tottenham Hotspur weight rival Tyson Fury time when they meet on Stadium. Ukraine’s Usyk, “will never happen”, ac- July 24. Joshua, meanwhile, 34, is a former undisputed cording to his promoter, holds the IBF, WBA and world cruiserweight chamEddie Hearn.

WBO titles and has been pion and has 18 wins from Joshua called Fury “a ordered to defend the latter 18 bouts. fraud” after their proposed of those against mandatory “AJ knows how good bout on August 14 in Saudi challenger Oleksandr Usyk. Usyk is but he wants to do a Arabia was called off.

“If AJ knocks out Usyk job on him because he also It fell through after an and Fury knocks out Wilder knows people are unsure arbitration hearing ruled then in four months we are about him winning the fight Fury must first face Ameri- talking about an even bigger and I think he likes that,” can Deontay Wilder. fight,” added Hearn. said Hearn. “He has done “AJ never felt they “One could lose or four weeks of southpaw wanted the fight, he never look bad but I do get the sparring up in Sheffield and felt like Fury wanted it,” feeling if they both win then he is gearing himself up for said Hearn. “I think AJ, in the fight is huge. I am hop- a big fight. We just hope that team is currently placed his head, probably thinks ing it works out for the best.” everywhere is open because third in the ICC standings the fight will never happen. Talks between the Joshua, we want to do 60-70,000 at behind leaders Australia I would like to be more 31, and Usyk camps are Spurs.” and England. The 2022 CWG will feature competitions across 19 sports and will see more medal events for women compared their “To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.” male counterparts.

2022 CWG women’s T20 to be held from Jul 29 to Aug 7 New Delhi, Jun 15 (PTI): The Commonwealth Games’ women’s T20 competition, which will make its debut at the quadrennial showpiece next year, will be held from July 29 to August 7 at the Edgbaston Stadium, the organisers announced on Tuesday.

The group stage matches of the eight-team competition are slated to be held till August 4 and the semifinals are scheduled for August 6.

The bronze medal

match will be played on August 7 followed by the summit clash on the same day. “With 11 days of swimming and diving, 8 days of cricket, 8 days of gymnastics and 7 days of athletics, including the marathon, the summer of 2022 is set for a spectacular home Games,” the official website stated.

It will only be the second time that cricket will feature in the event after a men’s 50 over competition was part of the Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998.

Six highest-placed teams in the ICC rankings as on April 1 along with hosts England will get direct qualification into the competition, the cricket global governing body had announced in November.

The Indian women’s

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Thomas Campbell

NOTE OF GRATITUDE "The Lord gave and the Lord had taken away".

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

LT. KENEIZELIE KHRIEKUO MEPFHÜ-O (23/05/1972 – 02/06/2021) 12/03/1953 – 17/05/2021

Late John Lotha (01/03/1956 – 07/05/2021) If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord.

So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

-Romans 14:8 We, the family of Lt. John Lotha would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who sympathized and stood by us and supported us spiritually, morally, physically and financially at the time of our bereavement.

We sincerely pray that the Almighty God shower His blessings upon you all.

Loving Wife, Children & Relatives DP-2788

We, the bereaved family of Late Nikiye Ayemi, Vekuho Old, through this column, would like to acknowledge the profundity of gratitude and sympathy received at the brief illness and loss of our beloved father. We regret our inability to thank each of you individually, but it is our earnest prayer that Almighty God bless you all abundantly.

DP-2792

Loving Wife, Children and Family Members

With profound gratitude, we the family members would like to thank everyone who stood by us physically, financially and through unceasing prayers during the brief illness and demise of our beloved son, husband, father and brother Lt. Keneizelie Mepfhü-o on 2nd June, 2021. Words and deeds are inadequate to express our gratefulness to everyone but it is our sincere prayer that our Almighty God bless you all immeasurably.

Loving Wife, Children, Parents, Brother & Sisters

K-1052

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Lt. Mrs. Tiainla Imchen

Lt. Mrs. Moasungla Imchen

Died on 21/05/2021 The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.

Isaiah 57:1-2 We, the family members of Lt. Mrs. Tiainla Imchen and Lt. Mrs. Moasungla Imchen would like to express our sincere gratitude to friends, neighbours, churches, councils, unions, departments and well wishers who has offered such unceasing prayers, support, kindness and comfort in our bereavement. It is deeply appreciated and will always be remembered by our family.

Their bond was just so special that could never have been replaced by another. Though they were sisters by blood, they were each other's best friend.

"A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life" Isadora James Loving Parents, Husbands, Sister, Brothers, Children & Relatives

DP-2790

K Y M C

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

DP-2795

Born : 20.06.1995 – Died : 05.06.2021 We, the family members of Late W. RENCHUMI OVUNG (Koro) extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone in Ludhiana, Punjab and Delhi who spent sleepless nights and great hardships during her illness and till the transportation of her dead body by Ambulance from Ludhiana and by Air from Delhi to Dimapur and those who supported us through prayers, physically, financially and emotionally in times of our sad moment.

We are truly indebted but deeply regretted as we are unable to thank each and everyone individually. However, it is our sincere and earnest prayer that the Almighty God bless each and everyone of you abundantly.

Our special thanks also goes to:1. Shri. David Lalrinsanga, IPS, Spl. CP Delhi Police.

2. Naga Students' Union, Punjab.

3. Delhi Lotha Baptist Church.

4. Delhi Lotha Welfare Forum.

5. North East Group Delhi.

6. Friends and well-wishers Delhi/Ludhiana.

7. Shri. Amos Humtsoe, President, Delhi Lotha Students' Union.

8. DDTF Dimapur.

9. Lotha Baptist Church Dimapur.

10. Shri. A.Y Ovung, Kyong Colony.

11. Shri. N.M. Ovung, PWD. 12. Dimapur Koroe Khümshüm.

13. Relatives and in-laws Dimapur/Ekhoyan.

14. Koro Yanchu Kyon Ekhung.

15. Koro Village/Koro New/Baptist Church Tchujanphen.

Loving Parents, Sisters & Relatives DP-2791 K Y M C

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Nagaland Post, Dimapur WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021

Ronaldo scores twice as Portugal beat Hungary 3-0 1

2

Spain held to goalless draw by Sweden

Spain dominated for 90 minutes in their Euro 2020 opener against Sweden but were unable to turn possession and chances into goals as their match ended in a goalless draw on Monday night. The Spanish controlled with over 80 percent of possession and had 17 shots on the goal, but were unable to get the ball past a solid Robin Olsen as their forwards misfired.

The Spanish dominated the first half, pinning the Swedes back in their own half. Dani Olmo’s header

after 16 minutes was denied by Olsen. Koke fired wide, failing to hit the target in the 24th minute. The ball dropped for him in the Swedish area but he failed to keep his shot down. The best chance came Morata’s way in the 38th minute after Marcus Danielson’s defensive howler left him clean with a through-on goal. The striker curled the ball past Olsen, but also put it wide of the post.

Two minutes later, Alexander Isak, who had (1) Cristiano Ronaldo scores their second goal from the penalty spot. (2) Ronaldo scores their third goal. barely got into sniffing distance of the ball all game Budapest/ Seville, the match even with Mi- rus pandemic.

List of all-time leading goalscorers at Euros Jun 15 (Agencies/ chel Platini at nine goals.

The 67,215-capacity Player Team Goals scored Matches played almost made the Spanish pay for their profligacy as he IANS): Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal defender Ra- Puskas Arena went wild Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal 11 22 took advantage of defensive set the record for most goals phael Guerreiro scored the with celebration after 80 Michel Platini France 9 5 a lapse to beat Unai Simon at the European Champi- opening goal three minutes minutes when substitute Alan Shearer England 7 9 only for Marcos Llorente to onship with two of them before Ronaldo’s first with Szabolcs Schon cut inside Antoine Griezmann France 6 7 make a vital block and deTuesday in Portugal’s 3-0 a shot that deflected off a from the right and planted Ruud van Nistelrooy Netherlands 6 8 flect the ball onto the post. victory over Hungary at a defender and wrong-footed a low shot into the corner Patrick Kluivert Netherlands 6 9 The second half saw packed Puskas Arena. goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi. of the net.

Wayne Rooney England 6 10 Spain continue their domiRonaldo scored his Ronaldo had missed But the goal was ruled Thierry Henry nance, but at a lower pace.

France 6 11 10th goal at the tourna- an easy chance near the out because Schon was Zlatan Ibrahimović Sweden Consequently, it was harder 6 13 ment from the penalty spot end of the first half when offside when he ran onto Nuno Gomes for them to create chances.

Portugal 6 14 in the 87th minute and then he hit a shot over the cross- the pass.

Once again Isak carved out added a second in injury bar from close range.

Ronaldo is now only the best chance after beattime.

It was the first match three behind former Iran ing three defenders only for Finland Vs Russia: 6:30 pm Marcus Berg to put the ball He has now scored 11 of the tournament to be striker Ali Daei’s men’s Turkey Vs Wales: 9:30 pm over when it looked easier goals over five continental played in front of a full record of 109 international Italy Vs Switzerland: 12:30 am (Thursday) to score. tournaments. He entered crowd amid the coronavi- goals.

WEDNESDAY’S MATCHES

Murray makes wining return at Queen’s L o n d o n, J u n 1 5 (Agencies): Britain’s Andy Murray made a winning return in his first singles match on grass for three years as he beat Benoit Paire in the first round at Queen’s.

The Scot, 34, won 6-3 6-2 against the Frenchman in his first singles match since March following a groin injury.

Last year’s grass season was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic and he played doubles the previous year while on the comeback from hip surgery.

Murray will play top seed Matteo Berrettini in the second round.

Earlier, British number one Dan Evans advanced with a 6-4 6-4 win over Australia’s Alexei Popyrin.

Trae Young (left) tied his career-high of 18 assists, to go with a game-high 25 points for the Hawks.

Lo n d o n, J u n 1 5 (Agencies): Trae Young scored 25 points as the Atlanta Hawks held on to win 103-100 at home to the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the NBA play-offs.

Monday’s win levelled their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-final series at

2-2. The Western Conference semi-final between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Utah Jazz is also level at 2-2. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George both scored 31 points as the Clippers beat the top seeds 118-104.

The Clippers’ Marcus Morris scored 22 of his 24

points during a first half in which the LA side, who lost the first two games in the series, led by as many as 29 points at one stage. Utah trailed 68-44 at half-time but Joe Ingles drained a threepointer to pull them within 112-102 with just over two minutes left in Los Angeles.

But the hosts scored six of the next seven points en route to closing it out, with Donovan Mitchell’s game-high 37 points coming in vain for Utah despite him tying a franchise playoff record of six straight 30-point outings held by Hall of Famer Karl Malone (1995-96). Leonard left the contest with 4:35 remaining, less than a minute after grabbing his right knee following a collision with Ingles.

Atlanta overcame an 18-point deficit in the second quarter against Philadelphia, the top seeds in the Eastern Conference. Kevin Durant is the only member of the Nets’ ‘big three’ fit for game five after Kyrie Irving injured his ankle on Sunday The other Eastern Conference semi-final is also tied 2-2, but Kyrie Irving will join James Harden on the Brooklyn Nets’ sidelines for game five after suffering a sprained right ankle on Sunday.

Lo n d o n, J u n 1 5 (Agencies): Christian Eriksen says he is “fine under the circumstances” and posted a picture from his hospital bed with a thumbsup as he made his first comments since suffering a cardiac arrest. The Denmark midfielder, 29, collapsed in Saturday’s game with Finland and had to be resuscitated on the pitch.

Eriksen has thanked fans from around the world for their support.

“Now, I will cheer on the boys on the Denmark team in the next matches,” he wrote. “Play for all of Denmark.” The Inter Milan playmaker is now in a stable

condition in a Copenhagen hospital. “Big thanks for your sweet and amazing greetings and messages from all around the world,” he added. “It means a lot to me and my family.

“I’m fine - under the circumstances. I still have to go through some examinations at the hospital, but I feel OK.” Eriksen had to be resuscitated on the pitch after collapsing shortly before half-time in Saturday’s match in Copenhagen. Denmark’s team doctor Morten Boese said: “How close were we to losing him? I don’t know, but we got him back after one defib [defibrillation] so that’s quite fast.”

the United World Wrestling (UWW) after a specified banned substance — 5-methylhexan-2amine (1,4 dimethylpentylamine) — was found in his sample.

Malik had secured the 125kg category quota for the Tokyo Olympic during the Olympic Qualifiers, held in Sofia, Bulgaria, last month but was handed suspension for failing his dope test during the same tournament.

“There was severe pain

Sumit Malik in my knee and I had taken painkillers Mobizox and Voveran. I had informed the UWW officials about it.

I have taken the same pain-

killers before also, I don’t know how I tested positive,” Malik told PTI. “UWW people have also informed me that the quantity of the substance is less than one per cent. It’s merely 0.5 per cent. They have told me that a clear picture will be given to me in 3-4 days,” he added.

While Malik asserted that he has taken only these twopain killers, AIIMS senior resident doctor Uditi

Gupta said that none of them contains any stimulant. “Neither Mobizox nor Voveran contains any stimulant. It might be there in some other protein supplements he was taking.

“Voveran is a single drug that contains only diclofenac, which is a painkiller while Mobizox is a combination drug which is a painkiller and a muscle relaxant but there is no stimulant in it,” Gupta said.

Lionel Messi scores against Chile during their Copa America match at the Nilton Santos stadium in Rio de Janeiro. (AP)

Rio de Janeiro, Jun 15 (Agencies): Lionel Messi was left frustrated despite scoring an early goal after the Argentina side were held to a draw

by Chile in their opening match of this year’s Copa America. Argentina’s bid for the title started splendidly after star player Messi put them in front in the first half with a brilliant free-kick.

However, the Argentines failed to capitalize after Chile equalised thanks to a brilliant strike by Eduardo Vargas. The Argentines would feel that they were lucky as a penalty by Arturo Vidal was stopped by their goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. The scoreline remained the same despite

WC qualifiers: India play out 1-1 draw against Afghanistan Doha, Jun 15 (PTI): India scored from an own goal by Afghanistan goalie as they ended their World Cup Qualifiers campaign with a 1-1 draw to book a berth in the next qualifying round of the Asian Cup here on Tuesday.

A howler by Afghanistan goalie Ovays Azizi handed India a 1-0 lead in the 75th minute but Hossein Zamani equalised in the 81st minute in a match marred by poor refereeing.

Both sides were almost equal in ball possession and India had 10 shots on target as against seven from Afghanistan. But the Afghans committed 16 fouls as against nine by the Indians. Three Afghan players were shown yellow cards as against one of India.

With seven points from eight matches, India finished third in Group

Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest and his heart had to be restarted by a defibrillator on the pitch.

NBA play-offs: Hawks,Clippers both win to level series Copa America: Argentina fails to impress despite Messi show; Paraguay beat Bolivia

I did not take any stimulant but was on painkillers: Malik

New Delhi, Jun 15 (PTI): Suspended Indian wrestler Sumit Malik on Tuesday said he has no idea how a banned stimulant entered his body but admitted that he was on painkillers during the recent Olympic Qualifiers and had informed the world body about that before taking the mat. The 2018 Commonwealth Games goldmedallist was handed a provisional suspension by

Eriksen ‘fine under circumstances’ after cardiac arrest at Euro 2020

Players of India and Afghanistan fight for the ball in their World Cup Qualifiers campaign.

E behind toppers Qatar matches). and Oman, and ahead of India under Igor StiAfghanistan (4th in group mac ended the World Cup with six points from eight qualifying campaign with

one win, four draws and three losses. Besides the win against Bangladesh in their previous match, the

first leg 0-0 draw against Asian champions Qatar here in 2019 was the highlight of the campaign.

India dominated the early period with captain Sunil Chhetri having a go at the opposition goal in the 10th minute off a pass from Glan Martins but his left-footed shot from a difficult angle was collected by the Afghan goalie.

The Afghans grew in confidence and were the better side in the later part of the first half and they had a few shots on target but none gave any difficulties to Indian custodian Gurpreet Singh.

Five minutes before the breather, Ashique Kuruniyan was on the clear on the top left edge of the box but his low cross failed to reach Chhetri with an Afghan defender clearing it.

Chhetri, who had

scored twice against Bangladesh, could not repeat that performance and he was substituted in the 69th minute. Midfield livewire Brandon Fernandes was also replaced in the 62nd minute.

The Afghans looked better early in the second session but India took the lead in the 75th minute.

Kuruniyan sent a high cross from the left which Suresh Wangjam tried to reach for. Afghan goalie Azizi rose for what should have been an easy collection but the ball dropped down his hands and slipped in between his legs into the empty goal.

But, the joy of the Indians was shortlived as Zamani curled past Gurpreet after the Afghan striker won the ball from two Indian defenders who could have done better.

the Argentines dominating the match only to be denied the elusive second goal and failing to grab chances in the final third of the pitch.

A disappointed Messi later said that the team was lacking tranquillity, ball control and swiftness leading to the disappointing result. Messi, who turns 34 this month, might have one of his final chances of winning a title with Argentina at the Copa America.

A r g e n t i n a ’s n e x t match is against Uruguay on Friday while Chile will face Bolivia on the same day.

In another match of the same group, Paraguay beat Bolivia 3-1 at the Olimpico stadium in Goiania. Earlier, Bolivia who

had not beaten Paraguay in a Copa America clash since 1963 took the lead after only 10 minutes when they took the lead from the penalty spot. Erwin Saavedra scored for the Bolivians who were without five players who tested positive for COVID-19, including striker Marcelo Martins.

But their hopes were soon dashed after Paraguay changed its fortunes in the second half with goals by Alejandro Romero and a brace by Ángel Romero.

The result leaves Paraguay top of Group A, ahead of Argentina and Chile, who drew 1-1 earlier on Monday. Uruguay, who are fourth, open their account against Argentina on Friday.

Umesh pips Shardul as India announce squad for WTC final

Southampton, Jun 15 (PTI): Veteran speedster Umesh Yadav pipped Brisbane Test hero Shardul Thakur as the 15th member of the Indian squad that will take on New Zealand in the World Test Championship final starting here on June 18.

Umesh, along with Mohammed Shami, and Hanuma Vihari all of whom got injured during the Australia tour, were back in the 15 that needed to be announced as per ICC squad protocol.

Apart from Shardul, the notable names to miss out were Mayank Agarwal, and Washington Sundar, who were in the playing XI for the Test match against Australia.

England series hero Axar Patel also missed out. The other big player to have missed out in the final

Umesh Yadav

squad is senior batsman KL Rahul, who was in fact Virat Kohli’s opposition captain in the team’s intrasquad practice game.

India: Virat Kohli (captain) Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Md Shami Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Umesh Yadav, Hanuma Vihari.

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