Eastern Nagaland People's Union, Fellowship Wokha Town

An average of about 400,000 people are infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (SARSr-CoVs) annually in South and Southeast Asia, according to a new study.

The study by researchers at Singapore’s DukeNUS Medical School and US-based non-profit EcoHealth Alliance showed that emerging diseases caused by coronaviruses of likely bat origin (for example SARS, Middle East respiratory syndrome, swine acute diarrhoea syndrome coronavirus and Covid-19) have disrupted global health and economies for two decades.

New evidence, published on preprint server Medrxiv, meaning it has not been peer reviewed yet, suggests that acesome bat SARSr-CoVs could infect people directly, and that their spillover is more frequent than previously recognised”.

“Each zoonotic spillover of a novel virus represents an opportunity for evolutionary adaptation and further spread; therefore, quantifying the extent of this ‘hidden’ spillover may help target prevention programmes,” the researchers said.

For the study, the team derived biologically realistic range distributions for known bat SARSr-CoV hosts and quantified their overlap with human populations.

Using probabilistic risk assessment and data on human-bat contact, human SARSr-CoV seroprevalence, and antibody duration they estimated that about 400,000 people (median: about 50,000) are infected with SARSrCoVs annually in South and Southeast Asia.

“These data on the geography and scale of spillover can be used to target surveillance and prevention programs for potential future bat-CoV emergence,” the researchers said.

While the exact origins of the SARS-CoV-2, virus that caused Covid-19, remains unclear even after nearly 18 months, the disease likely emerged when a virus that infects horseshoe bats was able to jump to humans -- either directly through wildlife-to-human contact, or indirectly by first infecting an intermediate animal host, such as the pangolin.

Horseshoe bats have been known to carry a variety of coronaviruses, including strains that are genetically similar to ones that cause Covid-19 and SARS.

A study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE in June showed that bats in Switzerland harbour viruses from 39 different viral families, and some have the potential to jump to other animals, including humans, and cause disease.

Another study, published in the journal Nature Food showed that China, Japan, the Philippines, and Thailand may transition into “hotspots” favourable for bats that carry coronaviruses and where conditions are ripe for the diseases to jump from bats to humans.

This is because of the global land-use changes including forest fragmentation, agricultural expansion and concentrated livestock production.

(IANS)

I-T department raids 6 places linked to actor Sonu Sood: Sources

Actor Sonu Sood’s premises in Mumbai and a company in Lucknow linked to him were raided by the Income Tax department today, sources said.

“A recent deal between Sonu Sood’s company and a Lucknow-based real estate firm is under the scanner. The survey operation has been initiated on allegations of tax evasion on this deal,” sources in the Income Tax department said.

The tax raids come days after the actor’s highprofile meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who declared him the brand ambassador for his government’s mentorship programme for school students in the capital. After the meeting, Sonu Sood denied any plans for a political debut with Mr Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Sonu Sood’s humanitarian efforts endeared him to a legion of fans across the country in the past year. The 48-year-old actor won wide praise for his charity work during the pandemic. He organised special flights and buses home for migrants stranded by last year’s lockdown and in April-May, at the peak of the second wave, he organised oxygen for Covid patients.

Though he has never shown any inclination towards politics, speculation ran wild after his meeting with the AAP chief and rumours suggested the actor may contest next year’s Punjab election.

The tax searches were linked by many to the meeting.

“There is no relation to that. Any personality can meet anyone. It is just a search, not a raid. It’s on a tipoff. It’s not necessary that the person who heads the charity has done anything wrong... It must be something at the lower level. Income Tax is an independent department, which has its own protocol. It is doing its job,” Asif Bhamla, BJP spokesman, said.

But the BJP’s critics expressed outrage at the raids.

AAP leader Raghav Chaddha said: “An IT raid on a man as upright as Sonu Sood, somebody who has been called a messiah by lakhs of people, somebody who helped the downtrodden. If a man like him can be politically targeted in a well thought out witch-hunt shows that the current regime is insensitive and politically insecure.”

The BJP’s former ally Shiv Sena was also critical of the tax searches.

“I am shocked. The way Sonu Sood has helped lakhs of people, for tax people to search his properties... I don’t think he can do anything illegal,” said Anand Dubey, Shiv Sena leader. (NDTV)

HAPPY 65th BIRTHDAY

"Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save."

Isaiah 46:4

Happy Birthday in faith and blessings be upon you! On your birthday, remember that you were wonderfully made by God and rejoice in his love. You are so blessed to be you and to share the amazing love of Jesus on your birthday!

May the light of the Lord shine upon you and grant you happiness on this birthday and for many years to come.

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Benevolently Wife and Children Er. K. Howoto Chishi

16.09.1956 – 16.09.2021

BBeauty and Aesthetic Society of Nagaland (BASN) is all set to organise the 29th edition of Miss Nagaland 2021 and the auditions would be held online on October 9 and 10.

Informing this at a press conference held in Kohima Wednesday af¬ternoon, BASN president Mele Pucho said that this year’s Miss Nagaland 2021 will also mark the 30th anniversary of the existence of BASN.

Disclosing that BASN has already released the Ads for Miss Nagaland, Pucho added that the online registration had already begun since Septem¬ber 11 and will go on till October 7.

Owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, he said BASN could not organize Miss Nagaland in 2020. He however said that BASN has decided to host the Miss Nagaland 2021 online on its YouTube chan¬nel and other social media platforms.

He said the participants will be trained and groomed in Kohima for a period of seven to eight days.

Pucho also informed that since the majority of the districts were unable to hold the district pageant this year 2021, except Peren and Phek, the selection of participants will be done through open online audition, where 14 to 16 contestants will be selected from the online audition.

Winner of Miss Nagaland 2021 will receive cash reward of Rs. 1 lakh with gift hampers and as state icon, the winner will get direct entry for Miss Northeast 2022. The first runner up will receive a cash reward of Rs. 70,000, gift hampers and as district icon, will also get direct entry for Miss Northeast 2022 while the second runner up will receive a cash reward of Rs. 50,000 with gift hampers.

Eligibility criteria for the Miss Nagaland beauty pageant will be- the contestant should be a bona-fide citizen of Nagaland, age- 18-25 years, should be unmarried/not engaged and height should be minimum 5’4 and above (without heels).

For district representation, the contestants should also mention personal information about their birth, present address and employment status as well.

Meanwhile it was also informed that BASN will be hosting the first edition of ‘Northeast Beauty Pageant 2022’. BASN also informed that an organization under the platform of ‘North East Beauty Pageant Organisation’ was formed comprising members from all the eight North East states with Mele Pucho as the president of the organisation.

(Correspondent)

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SpaceX’s all-civilian mission ready for launch today

SpaceX, run by tech billionaire Elon Muskrun, is all set to launch into orbit its first all-civilian mission ‘Inspiration4’ on Thursday morning.

SpaceX’s charity-driven mission, which will be commanded by tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman and three others, aims to launch at 8:02 p.m. EDT Wednesday (5.30 a.m. India time Thursday), the company stated on its website.

SpaceX is targeting a five-hour launch window aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The crew will orbit the planet aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule every 90 minutes along a customised flight path. Upon conclusion of the three-day journey, Dragon and the Inspiration4 crew will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere for a soft water landing off the coast of Florida.

Inspiration4 is commanded by 37-year-old Isaacman, who is founder and CEO of integrated payment processing company Shift4 Payments and a trained pilot.

He is joined by Medical Officer Haley Arceneaux, a physician assistant at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and paediatric cancer survivor, Mission Specialist Chris Sembroski, an Air Force veteran and aerospace data engineer, and Mission Pilot Dr. Sian Proctor, a geoscientist, entrepreneur, and trained pilot.

(IANS)

OFFICE OF THE KHULAZU BAWE YOUTH KOHIMA

Kohima, NagalaNd

FELICITATION

The Khulazu Bawe Youth Kohima would like to congratulate Shri. Etsonyoi Medeo son of Shri. Hupoi Medeo of Khulazu Bawe Village on the promotion to the post of Deputy Director . Directorate of School Education Kohima, Nagaland, and for bringing honor to our village.

The Khulazu Bawe Youth Kohima wishes and prays that Almighty God will continue to grant him and his family good health and long life and grand success in his future endeavor.

(VETHITA TETSEO) (VEVOTSO MEDEO)

General Secretary, KBYK President, KBYK

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