20 Jan 2022

Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com

Vol XXXII No. 44

DIMAPUR, THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2022 Pages 12 ` 5.00

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INTERNATIONAL, PAGE 9

Cab approves creation of Shamator district

Yimkhiung and Tikhir leaders with Neiphiu Rio and Y. Patton at CM's residence on Wednesday. (NP)

Tikhir recognized as separate Naga tribe Correspondent

KOHIMA/KIPHIRE, JAN 19 (NPN): In a significant development, the State cabinet on Wednesday approved the creation of Shamator district and also granted recognition of Tikhir as a separate Naga Tribe.

With this, Shamator has become the 16th district of the State and with Tikhirs being recognised as a separate tribe, the State will now have 17 officially recognized tribes.

The cabinet’s decision was preceded by a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between representatives of Yimkhiung and Tikhir tribes in the presence of principal secretary to chief minister KD Vizo, principal secretary (home) Abhijit Sinha and commissioner Nagaland Rovilatuo Mor. YTC president Throngso Yimkhiung, YGB president K Lakiumong and YAA president Achung Jangleh signed the MoU on behalf of Yimkhiung tribe, while TTC president Topan K Tikhir, TTC general secretary W Tothong Philip and

TTC adviser Kiusumong Tikhir signed the MoU on behalf of the Tikhir tribe.

The MoU mentions that no coercive measure whatsoever will be adopted by any of the two tribes to ensure retention or reversion of any member of Tikhir community to Yimkhiung community or any member of Yimkhiung community to Tikhir community.

It is also very specific that every member of Tikhir or Yimkhiung community shall have the freedom to choose the community to which he or she belongs, wherever he or she may be.

The MoU further states that in case of any dispute among members of the two tribes, it will be localised and resolved through customary laws and practices and status quo will be maintained.

According to Home Commissioner Abhijit Sinha, after the signing of the MoU and on the invitation of the cabinet, the presidents of YTC and TTC along with other tribal representatives met the cabinet and shared about the agreement reached between them.

The cabinet also took note of the resolutions adopted in the joint consultative meeting held between the YTC and TTC on January 13 wherein both sides

had unanimously agreed to support the upgradation of Shamator sub-division to a full-fledged district and YTC agreeing to Tikhirs being recognized as a separate Naga tribe, Sinha said.

Meanwhile, speaking to Nagaland Post, TTC adviser Joseph Kius Tikhir, who attended the Wednesday’s meeting, said at the initiative of the State government, both YTC and TTC came to an amicable understanding to maintain and respect one another in future. He also said that both the tribes agreed to live and co-exist together peacefully and to help one another.

The adviser remarked that Tikhirs’ struggle for being recognised as a separate tribe spanned 40 years. He also appreciated the state government led by chief minister Neiphiu Rio and deputy chief minister Y Patton for resolving the long-pending issue.

It may be recalled that on December 18 last year, the State cabinet had agreed in principle to grant the status of district to Shamator. However, it was learnt that creation of a separate district (Shamator) would be possible only if different tribes inhabiting the sub-division agreed on the matter.

No foreign head of state as chief guest at R-Day NEW DELHI, JAN 19 (PTI): This year there will be no foreign head of state or government as the chief guest for the Republic Day event, sources said on Wednesday.

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic continuing and the cases rising, this would be the second year in a row when there would be no foreign leader as the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations.

“This year there will not be a foreign head of state or head of government as the chief guest for our Republic Day event,” a source said.

There would be no foreign leader as the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations, but a day later Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host the first India-Central Asia Summit in a virtual format on January 27.

The summit will be held with the participation of the Presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

NEW DELHI, JAN 19 (AGENCIES): Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up state governments for failing to disburse compensation to the families of Covid-19 victims in a timely manner. The court asked states to intensify their efforts in reaching out to and compensating the families.

The court was hearing a batch of pleas by advocate GK Bansal and intervenors represented by advocate Sumeer Sodhi seeking ex-gratia assistance to family members of Covid-19 victims.

Justice Khanna noted (Cont’d on p-8) that the gap between the

This is it!

“They think that construction of buildings will achieve all their visions in this state.”

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week, make huge seizures

DIMAPUR, JAN 19 (NPN): Nagaland Police has started a major crackdown against drugs and Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) across the State.

Launched on January 11, the operation is aimed at combating the menace of widespread availability and usage of synthetic drugs, psychotropic substance and IMFL and its effect on the youth.

As part of the operation, intensive checking at all check posts, especially inter-district check posts, raids and checking of hotels, restaurants, etc, have been launched to prevent any such activities.

week, while seizing 964 IMFL bottles, 192 Spasmo Proxivon and other tablets, 72 gram of brown sugar and 650 gram of heroin and registering seven cases.

The police have further appealed to the general public to provide information regarding sale/ distribution of any form of narcotics, drugs, IMFL etc, to the nearest police station or narcotics police station.

Mentioning that CUG (closed user group) phone numbers of various police officers and police stations were available in “Call Your Cop” mobile app, the police assured that the identity of the informant would be kept confidential.

not against COVID-19 vaccine, the federation has, however, said that forcing the same upon the students was not the right. NSF has, therefore, appealed to the responsible authorities to “refrain from such dictatorial practices”, which it said has been a cause of “great mental and emotional stress to the young students.”

The federation also appealed to the student community to exercise prudence and ensure that all COVID-19 SOPs was followed.

It also stated that vac-

SPORTS, PAGE 12

End acute phase of Covid or prolong it: WHO chief warns world leaders G E N E VA , J A N 1 9 (AGENCIES): In 2022, we can end the acute phase of the Covid-19 pandemic or prolong it, World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday, adding, “world leaders have a choice”.

This comes after the WHO, in its weekly report, said that the number of new coronavirus cases globally rose by 20% last week to more than 18 million, marking a slowdown in the surge caused by the omicron variant’s spread.

The UN health agency said the number of new infections increased in every world region except for Africa, where cases fell by nearly a third. The number of deaths globally remained similar to the previous week, at about 45,000.

Confirmed Covid-19 cases jumped by about 50% the week before last, and earlier this month, WHO reported the biggest singleweek increase in cases of the pandemic. WHO said in

Covid deaths recorded and the number of applications received, is a matter of serious concern. The bench noted that the number of applications seeking Covid compensation claims is less than registered death cases in many states, yet governments failed to take proactive steps.

During the hearing, Justice Shah, expressing discontent at the delay in Covid compensation by various states, said: “States believe people are at their mercy...”

Last year, the top court had said that the ex-gratia amount of Rs 50,000 must be disbursed to families

Tedros Ghebreyesus

its weekly report issued late Tuesday said that Southeast Asia had the biggest rise in cases last week, with the number of newly infected people spiking by 145%.

It also warned that increased and rapid spread of the Omicron variant, combined with greater social mixing around the end of year holiday period and challenges with adherence to public health and social measures are expected to lead to a spike in cases, hospitalisations and deaths in the coming weeks.

It noted that a global decline has been seen for COVID-19 mortality since a peak in August 2021.

“Nonetheless, a combination of the increased and rapid spread of the Omicron

variant, increased population movements and social mixing during and after the end of year holiday period and challenges with ongoing adherence to public health and social measures (PHSM) are expected to lead to increased number of cases, hospitalisations and deaths in the coming weeks,” it said.

It added that countries that experienced a rapid rise in Omicron cases in November and December 2021 are beginning to see declines in cases.

The update added that the Omicron variant has a substantial growth advantage compared to the Delta variant. This may be attributed to immune evasion, increased intrinsic transmissibility, efficient replication in the upper respiratory tract or a combination of these factors, resulting in a large proportion of the population becoming infected or reinfected, even in countries with high levels of population immunity from previous infection and/or vaccination.

Hailstorm lashes M’laya; rainfall likely in NE region DIMAPUR, JAN 19 (NPN): Even as the India Meteorological Department predicted isolated rainfall over North East, heavy rainfall coupled with hailstorm lashed several parts of Meghalaya on Wednesday.

According to reports, hailstorm left a blanket of pebble-sized hailstones covering parts of Shillong. It was reported that ward’s lake also turned white following hailstorm, which halted traffic in several parts of the city. On December 22 last, Shillong was covered beautifully under a thick blanket of hailstone or possible snowflakes after rainfall accompanied by hailstorm hit several parts of the region. Photos shared on social media showed large areas of Shillong and its suburbs covered with thick blanket of hailstone.

IMD in its weather bulletin predicted scattered to fairly widespread light/moderate rainfall over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam & Meghalaya and Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura during January 20-22.

cine hesitancy needed to be done away. NSF said that vaccine has been approved after having thoroughly studied the health implications based on scientific facts. It urged people not to just rely on “hearsay or fake social media updates.”

DNSU: Dimapur Naga Students’ Union (DNSU) has expressed serious concern over the complaints received from the students and parents/guardians that some educational institutions denied entry to unvaccinated students.

DNSU through its me-

who lost members to the pandemic within 30 days of the district administration receiving an application for the same. The matter has now been posted for hearing on February 4, before which the states are expected to file fresh affidavits and provide an update on the situation.

The bench of Justices MR Shah and Sanjiv Khanna asked state legal service authorities to reach out to families who lost their near and dear ones to Covid-19 to facilitate registration and disbursal of claims as it was done post the 2001 Gujarat earthquake.

DIMAPUR, JAN 19 (NPN): Nagaland on Wednesday witnessed another spike of 114 fresh Covid-19 positive cases, while one more patient succumbed to the infection.

Of the fresh cases, 82 were from Dimapur, 19 in Kohima, four each in Mokokchung and Peren, two each in Mon and Phek and one in Kiphire, pushing the total caseload to 33167.

Further, one more patient succumbed to the infection in Dimapur, taking the death toll to 704 (including 16 non-Covid deaths but with positivity).

India: Over 2.82L cases, highest in 232 days

PTI: With 2,82,970 new Covid cases being reported in a day, India's tally rose to 3,79,01,241, which includes 8,961 cases of the Omicron variant, Health ministry said.

The death toll further climbed to 4,87,202 with 441 fresh fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.

The active cases comprise 4.83 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has decreased to 93.88 per cent, the ministry said.

Major airlines cancel, change flights to US over 5G dispute DUBAI, JAN 19 (AP): Major international airlines cancelled flights heading to the US or changed the planes they’re using Wednesday, the latest complication in a dispute over concerns that 5G mobile phone service could interfere with aircraft technology.

Some airlines said they were warned that the Boeing 777, a plane used by carriers worldwide, was particularly affected by the new highspeed wireless service.

It was not clear how disruptive the cancellations would be. Several airlines said they would try to mere-

NSF, DNSU slam vaccine mandate for students DIMAPUR, JAN 19 (NPN): Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has described as “unbecoming” the reports of education institutions making COVID-19 vaccination compulsory for the students to attend classes/appear in examinations.

In a press note, NSF president Kegwayhun Tep secretary education Medovi Rhi stated that “vaccination should be taken with the free will and clear conscience of the receiver” and not forced upon.

Affirming that it was

South Africa go 1-0 against India in first ODI

Supreme Court raps states over delay State records 114 fresh in disbursal of Covid-19 death claims Covid cases, 1 death

Governor, CM, Dy CM Police crackdown against drugs, IMFL greet Khiamniungans 10 apprehended in past one Meanwhile, the police have arrested 10 persons in the past one

DIMAPUR, JAN 19 (NPN): Nagaland governor Prof. Jagdish Mukhi, chief minister Neiphiu Rio and deputy chief minister Y Patton have extended greetings to the Khiamniungan community members on the occasion of Khaozaosie-Hok-Ah. Prof. Mukhi said the festival, which advocates peaceful co-existence, friendship and reconciliation, also provides a platform for the youngsters to learn the rich and unique cultural values of the Khiamniungans.

Taking to twitter, Rio prayed that the festival foster peace, reconciliation and strengthen bonds and for abundant blessings in the year ahead.

Patton said the festival was time for making and renewing friendships. He also wished the community members joy, peace and tranquillity.

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dia cell appealed to the authorities of the responsible institutions to exercise wisdom, be logical and resolve the issue with the concerned authority and not risk the career of students.

In line with the directives of the Supreme Court, DNSU maintained that any individual including the students should not be forced to take vaccine. It said that “forceful imposition” to take the vaccine in schools and colleges was totally against the freedom of choice of every individual.

5G signals could interfere with key safety equipment ly use different planes to maintain their service.

The cancellations and changes came a day after mobile phone carriers AT&T and Verizon said they would postpone new wireless service near some US airports planned for this week. US Federal Aviation Adminis-

tration has cleared a number of aircraft to fly into airports with 5G signals, but the Boeing 777 is not on the list.

5G service uses a segment of the radio spectrum that is close to that used by radio altimeters, which are devices that measure the height of aircraft above the

ground and help pilots land in low visibility.

Air India cancels 8 US flights: Air India cancelled eight flights on India-US routes from Wednesday onwards due to deployment of 5G internet in North America which could interfere with aircraft’s navigation systems.

Meanwhile, DGCA chief Arun Kumar told PTI that the Indian aviation regulator was working “in close coordination with our carriers to overcome the situation” that has arisen due to 5G internet’s deployment in the US.

USSC serves ultimatum on DoSE

DIMAPUR, JAN 19 (NPN): Alleging that the several teachers have been transferred along with post from Kiphire district without reliever, the United Sangtam Students' Conference (USSC) has served a 15-day ultimatum on the department of school education (DoSE) to immediately cancel the transferred order within the stipulated period.

In an ultimatum submitted to the principal director school education through senior SDEO Kiphire, the USSC vice presi(Cont’d on p-8) dent Setrongba Y Sangtam

and general secretary Lumpili Sangtam cautioned that that in the event of department’s failure to fulfil its demands, the conference would take up democratic agitation and the concerned officer in-charge of the department would be answerable and accountable if any unwanted situation arose.

USSC pointed out that as department notification "No post shall be transferred out of district along with the incumbent". USSC said that random transferring of teachers has caused “deficiency of teachers” in most

of the government schools under its jurisdiction hindering smooth functioning of classes.

USSC said that more than 20 teachers had been transferred out from its jurisdiction within a year under retionalization/redeployment exercise.

In this regard, USSC has sought clarification from the responsible authority on what grounds employees were transferred along with post from the district without reliever by violating its own department notification.

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STATE

Sitimi bodies inspect road construction

Representatives of the three organizations during the inspection.

DIMAPUR: Three organisation of Sitimi area under Kiphire district namely Sitimi Area GB’s Union (SAGBU) Sitimi Area Sangtam Students’ Union (SASSU) and Sumi Students’ Union Sitimi Town (SSUST) undertook join inspection on road construction works under its jurisdiction on January 17.

In a press release, the organizations stated that they inspected the ongoing

road construction works from L-022 to Shishimi Village under PMGSY scheme and Border Roads Organisation (BRO) correction work between Sitimi to Seyochung.

During the inspection, the team expressed serious concern on the poor quality workmanship and urged the contractors to execute the work as per the Detailed Project Work (DPR) and ensured that

quality workmanship be maintained.

The organisations further reiterated that it would not compromise on quality workmanship and would leave no stone unturned if found lapses on any road construction work under its jurisdiction.

While assuring its fullest cooperation, the organisations have urged the contractors to work as per the specifications, failing

which they will initiate its own course of action.

The three organisations have also reaffirmed Sitimi Area GB’s Union resolution of November 27, 2021, that no individuals or groups (factions) will be allowed to collect any form of taxation under any road construction schemes within Sitimi area, which will hamper the development of road construction.

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2022

Phek DPDB meeting held DIMAPUR: Phek District Planning & Development Board (DPDB) meeting was held on January 18, at its conference hall with Phek Deputy Commissioner and vice chairman, Razouvolie Dozo, as the chairman.

According to DIPR report, new members were introduced, whereby the DC urged them to give their best service for welfare of the people.

SDEO (Education) Chozuba later presented grievances in education and members deliberated on the issues.

In regards to celebration of Republic Day, various departments were assigned with works and informed on Covid-19 SOPs to be maintained.

The board further decided to conduct tug of war and penalty shoot-out during the celebration.

Tourism department and Land Record & Survey department were also entrusted to present their departmental activities in the next meeting.

SSU celebrates golden jubilee DIMAPUR: Sukomi Students’ Union (SSU) celebrated its 50th years of existence from January 17 to 19 under the theme “vision towards magnificent”.

Er. Picto Shohe MLA graced the occasion as chief guest and unveiled the jubilee stone. The jubilee witnessed a variety of cultural activities. Speaking during the event as the theme speaker, Motor Vehicle Officer Mon district, D. Jambo Aye encouraged the students to strive for excellence which he said will help them in their future endeavour. The jubilee celebration winded up with Er. Picto Shohe and others at the celebration. a mass jubilee feast.

NSCN welcomes upgradation of Shamator DIMAPUR: NSCN/GPRN (Akato Chophi) has welcomed the decision of the State government to upgrade Shamator sub-division to a full-fledged district.

MIP of NSCN/ GPRN in a press release said that the demand of the Yimkhiung was “long felt need and a well deserved quest”.

It stated that the demand which was consented and addressed upon by the Government of Nagaland needed appreciation and accolades as Yimkhiung

community, one of a bonafide recognised Naga tribe, had been pioneers and frontrunners in every fields and has also played very important and vital roles in the “Naga National Movement”.

While extending solidarity to the Yimkhiung community, NSCN/GPRN expressed optimistic and positive that they will continue to be the “epitome of success and to lead as upfront torch bearers in the days to come, keeping in mind the Naga brotherhood as a priority”.

CRPF undertakes CAP at Kigwema Farmers trained on ‘Post Harvest Management’

DIMAPUR: 78 Battalion Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) organised a Civic Action Programme (CAP) Wednesday at Kigwema Village, Kohima.

A press release by 78 Bn CRPF stated that the programme was organised with an aim to bridge the gap between the public and security forces, CRPF.

As per the request of the village to tackle electricity problem, CRPF said it provided solar lamps to students under Civic Action Programme.

he shared guidelines of the programme and the various subsidies available within the MOVCD-NER scheme.

He emphasized the farmers to cultivate high value crops with marketing strategies.

Dr. James further informed the farmers that FPC can avail 75 percent subsidy for integrated processing unit, integrated pack house, cold room, refrigerated van and 50% subsidy for purchase of transportation vehicles.

Chairman of The Green Caravan, service provider for MOVCDNER, Richard Belho also gave his insights on the importance of organic

report, drivers of two wheeler taxi’s should wear yellow helmet and yellow half vest with the inscription “TAXI”, at the back of the helmet and the vest.

It further added that pillion rider shall wear a uniform color code of yellow helmet.

Following are the names of districts and to-

tal numbers of two wheelers taxi allotted by the state government. Kohima (150); Mokokchung (75); Tuensang (50); Mon (50); Wokha (50); Zunheboto (50); Dimapur (100) and Phek (50).

Booking for choice vehicle registration number: Meanwhile, the state government, in the inter-

est of public service, has notified that the Motor Vehicles Department under Transport department has introduced system of “Booking for Choice Vehicle Registration Number” through payment of booking fee of Rs. 2000 valid for a period of six months, at the registering offices across the state.

am positively. DC further requested all departments to mobilize all available resources such as machineries and tools at their disposal and also arrange necessary refreshments for respective department.

Further, the DC has entrusted EAC, Kevethito Rose to collect attendance from all de par tments, whereby adding that nonparticipation of any department would be viewed seriously and action will be

initiated accordingly.

Wokha: Deputy Commissioner, Wokha, has informed that the social work will be conducted from 6 am onwards on January 24. According to a DIPR report, all wards, colony functionaries, government offices and private institutions have been requested to mobilize citizens/staff of their respective wards, colonies, offices institutions to participate in the social work.

NSCN (Niki) greets: NSCN/GPRN (Niki) has extended greetings to the Khiamniungan community on the occasion of Khaozaosie-Hok-Ah festival. Stating that festival marks the end of all agricultural activities for the year, a time to rest and give thanks to God and to prepare for the onset of a new season, the NSCN wished fruitful and bountiful activities and also for peace and prosperity among the brethren.

Pughoboto SDPDB meeting: ADC & Vice-Chairmam, Sub-Divisional Planning and Development Board, Pughoboto, Thungchanbemo Tungoe, has informed all SDPDB members of Pughoboto that SDPDB meeting has been scheduled on January 25, 11 am, at office of the ADC Pughoboto. All SDPDB members have been requested to attend the meeting positively.

CAN holds ‘leaders conclave’

:Lay leaders and others at the conclave.

KOHIMA: Chakhesang Catholic Association (CAN) held “Lay-Leaders Conclave” at St Andrew’s Catholic Church, Thenyizumi on January 19, under the theme “Let the wise listen and add to their learning and let the discerning get guidance” (Prov.1:5).

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221 Lay leaders from 23 units covering five parishes under Phek district attended the conclave.

In the first session, Fr. Rozu Anthony Dukru, Parish Priest St. Joseph Parish Chumukedima, stated on the need to be a good Christian leader at the present

and how one should learn from oneself to be a leader first in order to lead, speak, guide, teach and advise others. He also deliberated on the relevance of church finance that money was not everything but supporting each other, working together as one community/fam-

ily was more important. In the second session, Rev. Fr. Vemedo Joseph Kezo spoke on “the Church and the Laity” Lay/laity: church leader/missionaries other than clergy. He challenged the delegates to move a yard closer in living with the catholic faith.

Earlier, the conclave was graced by Rev. Charles Phom as the main celebrant and Fr. Rozu Anthony Dukru and Rev Fr. Vemedo Joseph Kezo as the speakers.

Meanwhile, CAN has elected a new team of office bearers for the tenure 202224 to be led by Nuvesayi Edward Hoshi as president, Mhetshelo Maxim T. Kapfo as vice president along with eight executive members.

namely Dimapur Organic Producer Company Limited and Kana Organic Producer Company Limited.

Such booked choices shall be extended for another period of six months, only subject to payment of Rs. 2000 for that period of extension, the notification added.

It added that no further extension whatsoever could be made for booked number after expiry of the extended period.

Mass social work in Peren, Wokha NEWS IN BRIEF DIMAPUR: In view of ensuing Republic Day celebration on January 26, Deputy Commissioners of Peren and Wokha have informed that mass social work will be conducted on January 24.

In this connection, DC Peren, Sentiwapang Aier, has directed all Heads of Offices (HoOs) under Peren district to ensure strict compliance and attendance of all staff and to assemble at assigned locations by 9

farming and lessening de- comes to a halt. pendence on machines beU n d e r M OVC D cause once the machines NER, two FPCs under Distop working, production mapur have been formed

Two arrested with drugs

Transport department issues guidelines

DIMAPUR: In continuation of Transport Department’s notification and in exercise of powers conferred under Section 95 of the Motor Vehicles Act. 1988, the state government has notified ceiling limit for issue of two wheeler taxi permit in each district.

According to a DIPR

The training programme in progress at Hotel Saramati.

The two arrested persons with the seized opium.

DIMAPUR: Kohima police personnel arrested two persons and seized 15 kilograms of opium from their possession on Tuesday.

According to PRO of Kohima police, a team of Kohima police while conducting routine checking of vehicles at Khuzama, intercepted a Maruti Vitara Breeza (GJ08BN3810) and detected 15 packets of suspected opium weighing one kilograms each which was concealed in an empty space below the door of the

vehicle.

In this connection, t wo p e r s o n s n a m e ly Suresh Kumar and Raju Ram have been arrested and the contraband along

with the vehicle have been seized, PRO said. Accordingly, a case under NDPS Act 1985 has been registered for further investigation.

Obituary

1st DEAtH ANNIVERsARY OF OUR LOVING MOM LT. P. MYANBENI KITHAN

LT. AONOCHET TZÜDIR 17.03.1937 – 21.12.2021

“In God’s care you rest above, in our hearts you rest with love.”

God in His mercy gave us the best Mom and we are grateful for the time we had you. A year has passed by since you left us Mom. Our hearts are filled with love whenever we think of you; we felt the world crumble when you left us.

Nothing can compare the love and affection that you have bestowed upon us. Things will never be the same again, but we will continue to walk and move forward as we cherish the love and strength you showed us. Your memories will always be engraved in our hearts. You are fondly remembered and missed dear Mom. Loving children and family members wc-10/22

dp-279/22

CRPF personnel and the beneficiaries at the programme.

DIMAPUR: Mission Organic Value Chain Development- North East Region phase-III under the supervision of the Department of Agriculture, Nagaland and the service provider, Green Caravan held a “training of farmers on Post Harvest Management and Managerial Training of FPCs, BoDs and CEOs, Book keeping and Accounting” at Hotel Saramati, Dimapur on Wednesday.

The training session and workshop was chaired

by Manen Ozukum, project coordinator of TGC. Deputy director (Organic), Dr. James Chawang was the resource person for the training where

We, the family members of LT. AONOCHET TZÜDIR would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported us through their prayers, financially and physically during his brief illness and in the times of his demise and mourning.

Words are not enough to say thank you but let our almighty God bless each and everyone.

Loving Wife, Children, Grandchildren, Great Grandchildren & Family Members K Y M C

nagalandpost.com Poll Q . : Is the advice for aggressive random testing for covid needed?

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Q: Is the govt of India

ignoring the brutal reprisals against civilians in Myanmar?  Yes.  No.  Can’t Say.

WEATHER FORECAST JANUARY 20

(Temperature in ºC)

Max Min

Agartala Hazy sunshine

25 11

Aizawl

Partial sunshine

Guwahati Showers in the afternoon Imphal

A passing afternoon shower

Itanagar Mostly cloudy

20 8 23 13 21 7 20 10

Shillong

A afternoon shower in spots

15 5

Kohima

Clouds and sun with a shower

16 6

Dimapur Nice with clouds and sun Mkg

22 10

An a.m. shower; rather cloudy 19 7

Tuensang A couple of afternoon showers 11 2 Wokha

‘Every Assam home to get tap water supply by 2024’

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

A

Mainly cloudy and cooler

Zunheboto Mostly cloudy, a shower; cool

17 10 15 5

GUWAHATI, JAN 19 (AGENCIES): Assam is on course to become a ‘Har Ghar Jal’ state by the year 2024.

According to an official statement, Vini Mahajan, secretary, department of drinking water and sanitation (DDWS), appreciated the progress made by the state in providing tap water supply to rural homes, an official statement said.

“Assam is well on track to achieve the target of providing clean tap water supply to every home by 2024 and the Centre is providing full assistance to the state to achieve the goal,” Mahajan said during a review of the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat

No new Covid restrictions yet: Assam CM Himanta HAFLONG (ASSAM), JAN 19 (PTI): Even as Assam logged record number of new COVID-19 cases over the last two days, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said that no new restrictions related to the pandemic will be imposed as long as the hospitalisation rate of infected patients remains under control.

He said the state government is targeting to complete full vaccination of the entire eligible population before February 15.

The chief minister said though the number of new cases is high, hospitalisation rate is at 12 per cent currently.

“As long as we don’t have pressure on hospital beds, there will be no new restrictions or standard operating procedures,” Sarma said after a meeting of the council of ministers here.

Assam had reported the highest single day spike in new COVID-19 on Tuesday when 8,072 infections were detected, breaking a day-old record.

The overall caseload in the state is at 6,61,789, while the toll has reached 6,233, as per latest official data on Tuesday. The previous highest number of new cases on a single day was reported on Monday when 6,982 infections were reported.

“The cabinet discussed the COVID situation in the state in details,” Sarma told reporters. The chief minister said the state government is looking to complete full inoculation of all eligible population with both doses of COVID-19 vaccine by February 15.

He said, “We want to ensure at least more than 90 per cent coverage by February 15.”

Sarma said the Cabinet has approved a period of seven days as leave for state government employees who test positive for the disease in line with the current SOP. “Earlier, there was no definite leave period given for employees who are COVID positive. Now, they will have to join duty on the eighth day of testing positive unless they are hospitalised.”

Mission on Wednesday.

According to The Shillong Times, Assam chief secretary Jishnu Barua and state finance secretary Samir Sinha were present during the online review meeting which was also attended by DDWS officials.

“Jal Jeevan Mission is a decentralised, demanddriven, community-managed water supply scheme which aims to improve the lives of rural people by providing clean tap water supply to every home. She appreciated the work carried out by the state in the past six months,” Mahajan said.

During the announcement of Jal Jeevan Mission on August 15, 2019, only 1.11 lakh (1.76 percent)

households out of 63.35 lakh households in the state had access to tap water supply.

In about 28 months, 17.46 lakh households in Assam have been provided with clean tap water.

In the last six months alone, clean tap water supply has been provided to more than 8.5 lakh households. The Assam chief secretary, while presenting the state’s performance said, “Considering the point from where we started with just one percent tap water coverage, we have made good progress. As the state started on a low base it took time to streamline the procedure for implementation of the programme. Now the remaining work will be carried out expeditiously.”

Speaking on the implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission, Mahajan said, “While the districts have self-declared themselves Open Defecation Free, but this is not a onetime effort. Efforts under the programme are being made to bring about social and behaviour change for sustainability of the ODF status of villages at all times.”

Human trafficking: Dhubri girl rescued from Maharashtra

GUWAHATI, JAN 19 (AGENCIES): In a successful operation by a team of Dhubri Police, a minor girl was rescued from Maharashtra’s Palghar.

Reportedly, the minor girl from Dhubri fell into a ‘love trap’ following which she was lured outside the State. Later she was kidnapped by a person belonging to Maharashtra.

A team of the Dhubri Police led by SI Kapil Das swung into action and with the help of the Maharashtra Police managed to rescue the minor Meanwhile, in a tweet, the Dhubri Police issued a caveat against such ‘love trap’ and instructed the guardians to remain cautious.

“Beware of the strangers masquerading as cupids with a trap! Keep vigilant watch on your children! Don’t let your child’s innocence suffer silently in trafficker’s den!

In a successful ops, a minor girl is rescued from Palghar, Maharashtra by a police team led by SI Kapil Das.” The tweet further mentioned that this is the fifth successful rescue operation of Dhubri Police conducted outside the State in last three months.

GUWAHATI, JAN 19 ( AG E N C I E S ) : I n d i a n Institute of TechnologyGuwahati is organising a research and industrial conclave – ‘Integration 2022’ – on the premises of the institute here from January 20 in a bid to boost start-ups and encourage industrial interactions.

According to The Shillong Times report, the

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A female swamp deer in Kaziranga National Park. ( Dr Rathin Barman/WTI)

GUWAHATI, JAN 19 (AGENCIES): With the rise in floods, the wildlife population suffers extreme challenges to sustain. Often considered as a major obstacle witnessed in the Kaziranga National Park, each year a set of these habitats are stranded out of their residences, not knowing where to put themselves up.

According to the ‘Eastern Swamp Deer Estimation 2022’, population of vulnerable eastern swamp deer in the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) has decreased to 868, which was 907 in 2018,

reported Northeast Today.

The estimation which was carried out on January 10 and 11 marked the presence of 173 males, 557 females and 138 yearlings.

“There is a slight decrease in population in comparison to 907 counted in 2018.

This is mainly due to two high floods.” – informed an official statement issued on Tuesday.

It is worthy to note that this is for the first time, estimation of the eastern swamp deer was carried out in the entire Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.

As per ‘Wetland Bird Estimation 2021-2022’ conducted in the entire Kaziranga Tiger Reserve counted 66,776 birds of 126 species using the point count method. Out of this, 42,205 birds were counted in the Kaziranga National Park area while 24,571 birds were counted in Laokhowa and Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuaries.

However, the number of bar-headed geese topped the list with 16,552 birds followed by Northern Pintail (9,493), Common Teal (5,631). It also found 2,236 Ferruginous Duck.

four-day conclave will facilitate amalgamation of academia, industry and start-ups to boost industrial interactions and start-up activities.

For the first time, industrial interaction and entrepreneurial events have been included in the annual research conclave.

The Technology Incubation Centre, IIT Guwa-

hati allows virtual incubation and permits student start-ups. Besides, new grants and incubation are being provided by IIT-G Technology Innovation and Development Foundation (TIDF).

“Earlier only graduates were allowed to have their start-ups incubated at the IIT Guwahati Technology Incubation Centre (IIT

Guwahati TIC). But from now onwards, the institute has also allowed incubation of IIT Guwahati students’ start-ups at the IIT Guwahati Technology Incubation Centre, also allowing virtual incubation,” a statement by IIT-G here on Tuesday said.

The institute has already signed MoUs with iDEX (Defence Innovation Organisation) and central

PSUs such as OIL and NRL to fund the start-ups.

Moreover, IIT-G has tie-ups with nationalised and private banks for providing loans to the incubated start-ups. It also runs a special scheme for women entrepreneurs.

IIT-G has recently incorporated a section-8 company, IIT Guwahati Technology Innovation and

Development Foundation (IITG TIDF). The company has two divisions.

“Through its TIH division, the IITG TIDF provides a grant of up to Rs 10 lakh for start-ups working on underwater exploration and incubating them in the IIT-G TIC. Through its BioNest division, it directly incubates bio-related incubators.

Centre giving priority for developing MDA government patronising border areas: Arunachal Governor illegal coal trade, claims AITC MLA

ITANAGAR, JAN 19 (AGENCIES): Arunachal Pradesh Governor Brig (Retd) Dr BD Mishra and Chief Minister Pema Khandu had a meeting with the top brass of security agencies and senior state government officials at Raj Bhavan here on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing infrastructure projects in the border areas of the State.

“The Central Government under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi is giving high priority for developing the border areas,”

Mahbubul Hoque addressing a press conference at KNB Women’s College Badarpur on Wednesday. (The Shillong Times)

the North East in UPSC examinations, the Vision 50 Academy, which is powered by ERD Foundation Guwahati and supported

by USTM, will conduct a Talent Search Examination-2022 on 6th February inwhich school students from class 8 to class 12 can appear, The Shillong Times reported.

In the same test, NEET and JEE aspirants from class 10 and 12 will also be selected and the first 100 topers in the examination can avail 100 per cent scholarship for mentorship and preparation.

Addressing a press

Eastern Swamp Deer population declining in Kaziranga due to floods

Conclave at IIT-G to promote start-ups, industrial interactions

the Governor said during the meeting while emphasizing on timely implementation and quality assurance of the projects in the border areas.

According to Assam Tribune report, Mishra said that the villages in the border areas must be economically ‘vibrant’ and should have good roads, schools, medical facilities and reliable communication networks. He further said that the roads, bridges, tunnels and tracks taken up in the border areas must

be of the highest standard to sustain the economic development of the local people and the security of the borders. Earlier, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 4 Corps, Lt Gen Ravin Khosla briefed the Governor and the Chief Minister about the developmental projects undertaken by the Indian Army. He assured them of the best security of the Indian territory on the borders and the work excellence in all the Defence projects in Arunachal Pradesh.

SHILLONG, JAN 19 (AGENCIES): All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) MLA, Marthon Sangma on Tuesday accused the state government of “hijacking” various departments to help some people get rich through the illegal coal trade. He also asked the government to scrap the departments of Transport, and Mining and Geology, over their inefficacy to check the rampant illegalities.

His statement comes a day after AITC leader and former chief minister, Mukul M. Sangma’s claim that illegal coal continues to be mined and transported on a massive scale with the state will undergo a system- government in no mood to atic mentorial programme stop the illegalities, The where weekend offline Shillong Times reported. and online sessions will be conducted by experienced mentors until the students reach their UG Course preferably for Bachelor of Administration and Governance (BAAG) Course.

BAAG is a unique UG course especially designed at USTM for UPSC aspirants to prepare for the Examination simultaneously while pursuing their graduation so that without any loss of time they can crack the Civil Services Examinations easily.

In addition to regular mentorial sessions, necessary counselling and guidance shall also be provided to the students on a regular basis so that they can access quality magazines, online materials and Newspapers etc. from their homes.

In the test for NEET and JEE on the same day and venue, the top 100 ranked candidates in the talent hunt exam will avail 100 per cent scholarship, 101 to 200 rankers will avail 50 per cent scholarship and 201 to 300 rankers will avail 30 per cent scholarship.

North East Rural Talent Hunt for UPSC examinations

GUWAHATI, JAN 19 (AGENCIES): In a landmark initiative with a vision to support aspiring students from the rural areas of the Northeastern region to clear the Indian civil service examinations conducted by the UPSC, the Vision 50 Academy has recently developed various innovative study modules from the secondary level onwards so that students can be groomed right from the early age for the toughest competitive examination of the country.

To achieve this goal of producing more successful candidates from

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NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2022

conference at KNB Women’s College Badarpur today, Mahbubul Hoque, the Chancellor of USTM and Chairman of ERD Foundation said, “ERDF is committed to serve the society by providing the best possible support to the aspirants for cracking the prestigious national level competitive examinations. It will also take necessary measures for creating awareness among the school children particularly from the remote areas of the region. ERDF will also provide financial support for the preparation of such examinations so

that brilliant students can avail the facilities and clear these examinations in large numbers who will in turn contribute in the nation building process”.

Hoque stated that in order to give a shape to this flagship initiative, the Vision 50 Academy has planned to conduct a North East level Talent Hunt Examination-2022 for the rural children under three categories to identify the talented students who will be able to prepare for UPSC Examinations simultaneously along with their studies in their respective schools. In the 1st category students from Class VII / IX will go for Module-1, in the 2nd category Class X students will go for Module –II and in the 3rd category class XII students will go for Module-III. The students can apply for the Talent Hunt Examination and get the detailed information by visiting the website www. vision50.org.

The examination will be conducted in pen and paper mode. The last date of submission of online application is 30th January 2022.

The selected students

Casting aspersions on the NPP-led government, Marthon said, “The DMR and Transport Department in both Dainadubi in North Garo Hills and Gasuapara in South Garo Hills have been made completely redundant in their greed to make money through the illegal transport of coal.

Both these departments have been forbidden from checking vehicles in both ports for documentation or overloading. This is being facilitated through the various district administrations in both the districts.”

He also questioned the lack of scrutiny despite complaints against coal mining and transportation pouring in from various quarters, including MDCs, NGOs and locals.

Govt cannot be blamed on illegal coal trade : Dy CM Responding to statements forwarded by the opposition party – All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) criticizing the state government on concerned illegal activities, the Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong asserted that state government cannot be blamed blatantly for any instance of such activities, especially when an Act is in place and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) is monitoring those. “Are you trying to say the government is making the criminal activities happen?”

– asked the Deputy Chief Minister, The Northeast Today reported.

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Pre-poll violence: Youth escapes blast in Mnp

Correspondent IMPHAL, JAN 19 (NPN): A 23-year-old youth on Wednesday had a miraculous escape after a grenade blast rocked his bedroom as sporadic incidents of violence continued unabated in poll-bound Manipur.

The hand grenade lobbed by miscreants went off in the bedroom of K Kanchal Singh (23), son of K Loken Singh, at Arapti under Irilbung police station in Imphal East district around 2.30 am on Wednesday.

Recalling the horrifying moment, Kanchal revealed that he woke up when something like a stone fell in his room. “As soon as I saw a hand grenade lying in the room, I immediately covered myself with blankets. The grenade blast almost instantly,” he added.

He escaped unhurt but the impact of the blast damaged belongings in the room.

Top officials of the State, including director general of police (DGP) P Doungel, conducted a spot inquiry. They recovered remnants of the hand grenade.

Alleging that it was a

State police officials inspecting the room of a house where miscreants triggered a bomb on Wednesday. life attempt on their son, parents of the youth linked the blast to ensuing Assembly polls, while recalling a series of recent attacks on them for allegedly refusing to hoist a BJP flag at their house.

Meanwhile, womenfolk of the area staged a sitin protest at the gate of the house that was attacked.

The women carried placards that read “We denounce bomb explosion inside house”, “Stop gun culture,” “We want peace,” “Don’t terrorize innocent civilians”, etc.

Talking to reporters at the protest site, Lata Devi, mother of the youth,

alleged that it was a life attempt on their son and linked the incident to the ensuing poll in Keirao Assembly constituency (AC).

She alleged that a few days ago a group of people suspected to be workers and supporters of sitting BJP MLA had attacked their house with stones after they refused to hoist a BJP flag.

She said the family was denied rice at subsidised rate distributed under National Food Security Act (NFSA) and free rice distributed during the Covidinduced lockdown on the same ground of refusing to hoist a BJP flag.

“Before this, we used

Correspondent

SHILLONG, JAN 19 : A session court on Wednesday sentenced Nidamon Chullet a senior leader of the ruling National People’s Party (NPP) in Meghalaya to life imprisonment in connection with a murder case in February 2008.

Chullet and another co-accused identified as Coming alias Koming Rabon had murdered Ewanmi Lhuid, a nephew of a retired IAS officer Magan Sing Lhuid in Jowai, the district headquarters of West Jaintia Hills following a brawl.

The court sentenced Rabon for seven years of imprisonment. Meanwhile, reliable sources said that

SHILLONG, JAN 19: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma will leave for New Delhi on Thursday to meet with Union home minister Amit Shah to present their respective positions on the inter-state boundary conflict in order to arrive at a lasting solution to the vexed issue between the two neighbouring states.

A resolution to six areas of difference out of the 12 along the Assam-Meghalaya boundary is expected to be arrived at by January 21 when Meghalaya would celebrate its 50th year of statehood.

“We will proceed to Delhi tomorrow (Thursday).

Assam Chief Minister and

Chullet, who is the working president of NPP in East Jaintia Hills district and president of Jaintia Hills Truck Owners Association, will file an appeal in the High Court of Meghalaya challenging the sessions court judgment.

Chullet is also a prime accused in the assault case involving two women rights activists Agnes Kharshiing and Amita Sangma in November 8, 2018 at Tuber Sohshrieh area in East Jaintia Hills district.

Kharshiing and Sangma were brutally assaulted after they photographed coal-laden trucks. The activists have been fighting against illegal mining and transportation of coal in the state.

350 fresh COVID-19 cases in Arunachal

ITANAGAR, JAN 19 (PTI): Arunachal Pradesh’s COVID-19 tally rose to 57,387 as 350 more people tested positive for the infection on Wednesday, 54 less than the previous day, a senior health official said here.

The northeastern state on Tuesday had reported 404 new COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day spike this month.

Of the 350 fresh cases, 115 were registered in the Capital Complex Region, 40 from West Kameng, Namsai (37), Papumpare (30), Changlang (27), East Siang and Lohit with 18 cases each and Lower Dibang Valley reported 17 cases, the official said.

Two army men, one person each from NDRF and CRPF were among the fresh cases, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr

Lobsang Jampa said.

The death toll in the northeastern state remained at 282 as no fresh infections were reported in the past 24 hours, the official said, adding that 129 more people recuperated from the disease on Tuesday, taking the total recoveries in the northeastern state to 55,408.

Among the new cases, 318 were detected through rapid antigen test, 21 through RT-PCR process and 11 through TrueNAT methods, Jampa said, adding that 163 of them have developed Covid symptoms. The northeastern state has been witnessing a spurt in coronavirus infections since January 4 with 2,035 new cases reported so far. Arunachal Pradesh now has 1,697 active COVID-19 cases, while the coronavirus recovery rate now is 96.55

per cent, Jampa said.

The Capital Complex Region, comprising Itanagar, Naharlagun, Nirjuli and Banderdewa areas, has the highest number of active cases at 634, followed

by West Kameng (209), Changlang (158), Namsai (112), Lower Dibang Valley (108) and Lohit (97) cases.

A total of 12,19,664 samples have been tested for COVID-19 in the state, including 1,448 on Tuesday, the official said, adding that the positivity ratio stood at 24.17 per cent.

State Immunisation Officer Dr Dimong Padung said that a total of 15,45,665 people have been inoculated so far in the state. At least 42,079 beneficiaries in the age group of 15-18 years have been vaccinated with the first dose and 9,187 senior citizens have received the booster jab.

Sikkim logs 427 new COVID-19 cases

GANGTOK, JAN 19 (PTI): Sikkim on Wednesday reported 427 new COVID-19 infections, which pushed the caseload to 35,730, the health department said in its bulletin.

On Tuesday, the state had reported 374 cases.

No fresh fatality was recorded in the past 24 hours with the toll remaining unchanged at 415. East Sikkim logged 272

new cases, followed by South Sikkim at 75, West at 71 and North Sikkim at nine.

Currently, the Himalayan state has 2,398 active cases. At least 483 COVIDpositive people have As many as 2,96,541 samples have been tested in the state thus far, including 1,463 in the past 24 hours.

The positivity rate stood at 29.2 per cent and the recovery rate at 92 per cent.

Assam, M’laya CMs to meet Shah on inter-state boundary today

Ruling NPP leader in M’laya gets life term in murder case

Correspondent

to get the benefits,” she claimed.

She clarified that her family refused to hoist flag of not only BJP, but of other political parties too as they wanted to stay neutral and stayed away from all election-related activities.

With the announcement of schedule for elections to 60-member Manipur Legislative Assembly, violence has surged in the State, particularly in valley areas.

Apart from instances of physical assaults and attacks on the houses of political workers and supporters, at least three persons lost their lives in poll-

related violence in valley areas.

Before the announcement of the poll schedule, younger brother of a Congress worker was killed by masked gunmen who intruded into their house in Heirok AC in Thoubal district. The Congress worker’s father is currently battling for life after he was also shot at by the masked gunmen.

Police have arrested seven persons, including a younger brother of sitting BJP MLA of the constituency, in connection with the incident.

Two persons – an active worker of BJP and his cousin, who is an IRB personnel – were also gunned down by miscreants in Samurou area in Wangoi AC under Imphal West district.

Chief minister N Biren Singh, who visited the houses of deceased individuals, had claimed that it was an attack on BJP workers and assured bringing the culprits to justice.

However, no arrest has been made so far in connection with the incident.

The 60-member Manipur Assembly will go to poll in two phases – on February 27 and March 3.

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2022

myself, and we will submit the report to the Union Home Minister. And after that, since both the states have more or less agreed, I should say 100 per cent agreed on the report, we will be submitting more or less a common report and then I think the Government of India has to move according to the laws and the bill to be put up,” Sangma told journalists after the cabinet approved the draft resolution in resolving the disputes in 36 villages along the Assam-Meghalaya border on Wednesday. “The cabinet has approved the proposal or the recommendations given by the three regional committees. These recommendations will now be forwarded along with recommendations of Assam to the Ministry of Home

Affairs for further actions,” Sangma said. “While that happens, administratively, the two states will further discuss the nitty gritties of the demarcation. So we can agree on villages, but demarcating a border, these are aspects which are within the provisions of the parliament. The Survey of India will have to come in and joint inspections may have to be done and the bill has to be there,” he said.

The Chief Minister said that both Meghalaya and Assam governments are trying to bring in peace and development in 36 disputed villages in the inter-state border by keeping “sentiments and willingness of the people”. “Apart from historical facts, it is very important to keep the people’s sentiments in mind and therefore the

willingness of the people in specific areas has been one of the main driving forces or the principles on which we have reached the conclusion,” Sangma said.

In these 36 villages, the demography is diverse and several tribes and communities that includes Garos, Khasis, Rabhas, Nepali and Assamese communities reside there. “After receiving the feedback from these communities of where they would prefer to live (Meghalaya or Assam), other factors were looked into like contiguity or administration ease and also historical data,” Sangma said. He said both the state governments felt strongly that reclaiming the areas against the wishes of the people residing there would not be fruitful. “Any state government may try

to claim some areas but the people living in those areas if they don’t wish to be in that particular state, one cannot force people to forcefully come into a particular state,” Sangma said. “This has been the basic driving principle for us and that is why we have gone down to the grassroots level and the committees have meticulously gone and visited every single of the 36 villages which were under dispute or differences in the six areas that were there,” he informed. Moreover, both the state governments have stayed away from the concept of gaining area under its administration, but looked at the issues to resolve it more than anything else, Sangma said. “It is not about who gains more or who gains less.

I think it is always important to not stick to our positions.

I have been very clear in my discussions that when we stick to our position, we can never find a way forward,” he added. The CM said that having an approach to resolve the boundary dispute while also thinking of gaining the maximum land was the bane of earlier efforts.

“We will not leave an inch…that is not the way to look at ways to resolve a problem. We need to resolve a problem by looking at whether our interest is being served or not,” Sangma said.

Asked whether there would be a need to amend the NE Reorganization Act, Sangma maintained, “We can have administrative units and administrative control over certain areas but the actual demarcation of boundary will have to be done by the parliament.”

Tripura rechristens 2 hill ranges with Kokborok names Meghalaya raises upper age limit for government jobs AGARTALA, JAN 19 (AGENCIES): After renaming Baramura hills two years ago, the BJPled government in Tripura Wednesday officially rechristened two more locations with Kokborok names while observing the 44th Kokborok Day. Kokborok is lingua franca of a majority of Tripura’s 19 tribal communities.

Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, who earlier delivered speeches in the tribal dialect on Kokborok Day in 2020, on Wednesday spoke a part of his address in the tribal language and then moved on to Bengali to say, “… like we changed the name of Baramura to Hatai Kotor earlier, we are now announcing to rechristen the name of Gandacherra to Ganda Twisa, where the picturesque Dumbur lake is there. We are also renaming Atharomura range to Hachuk Berem in Kokborok language.”

Since the BJP-IPFT combine came to power in Tripura in 2018, the state government has been pushing for pro-tribal name changes and announcements. Four months after his government was sworn in, CM Deb renamed Agartala airport after the last reigning king of the state’s Manikya dynasty – Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya. Though Tripura monarchs ruled both tribal and non­-tribal subjects, the royal dynasty was of tribal origins. Descendants of the Manikya dynasty still enjoy tremendous popularity among tribals of the state,

Kokborok is lingua franca of a majority of Tripura’s 19 tribal communities. so much so that a regional party floated by the current royal head swept the state’s tribal ADC polls last year within a few months of the party’s formation.

In November, 2018, the state government announced a two-day holiday on Garia Puja, a Tripuri harvest festival celebrated on the 7th day of April. In 2020, the state government renamed Baramura hill range in the state to Hatai Kotor, literally translating to big hill in Kokborok.

Kokborok is now being taught in nearly 300 schools including senior basic, Madhyamik and higher secondary schools, as against in 166 schools during the erstwhile Left era. Interestingly, Deb’s pro-Kokborok policy and renaming spree to empower local languages also comes with his party’s push for Hindi.

Whilst strongly advocating for popularity and empowerment of local languages and dialects, Deb wrongly claimed that Hindi is the national language of India. Hindi is one of the official languages of India.

“We have different

mother languages in India.

But our national language is Hindi. Experts have said Sanskrit is the root of scripts of different languages – be it smaller or larger languages, oral or written.

Bengali, Hindi all have come from Sanskrit”, he said while speaking about scope of local languages in the New Education Policy.

He said indigenous languages have found official recognition in institutionalised education through the New Education Policy. Deb reasoned that the rechristened Kokborok names of Atharomura and Gandacherra would attract tourists, businessmen in future.

“Both Hachuk Berem and Hatai Kotor (Atharomura and Baramura) lie alongside the National Highway, which is the most frequently used roadway….

Dumbur lake is among the most popular tourist spots of the state and I hope the new name will reach people through tourists in future”, he said. Stating that his government is working on developing tribal culture and languages, CM Deb said eight books and two

magazines were recently published in Kokborok in the state and that handbooks on Kokborok language were published for students till the tenth standard in schools.

In an oblique reference to the erstwhile Left Front governments, Deb said the ‘parivartan’ or change his government brought by politically replacing the mindset of projecting the self as ‘crippled’, has given rise to self-reliant mindset among people.

Deb also said other minority languages like Mog, Chakma, Mizo and other dialects are also spoken in the state and said his government is working to develop languages of different smaller sub-tribes as well.

On his plans to develop tribal languages, CM Deb said it’s time to develop different oral languages with written scripts.

The CM also appealed people from Bengali and other communities to learn Kokborok to show proper respect to the tribal dialect.

One third people from Tripura’s 37 lakh population are from 18 tribal communities. Most of them live in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), which is spread across 7,132.56 square km and covers nearly 68% of the state’s geographical area. As per gover nment estimates, 8,14,375 people from different tribal communities like Tripura, Reang, Jamatia, Noatia, Kalai, Rupini, Murasing and Uchoi speak Kokborok.

Correspondent SHILLONG, JAN 19: The Meghalaya Cabinet has approved to raise the upper age limit for taking up government services from the age of 27 to 32, besides an increase of another five years for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates up to 37 years, which, however, would not include the home (police) department, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma announced on Wednesday.

“A n y r e c r u i t m e n t done by home police will be exempted from this decision. Other departments which will be exempted from this decision include forest guards, home guards and civil defense and certain posts in the prisons department,” he told journalists after a cabinet meeting.

“The point is that uniform posts that are there

which require a slightly more physical work will have same age limit as before and there will be no change in that,” the Chief Minister explained.

“But for all other government services, the age relaxation has been increased from 27 to 32 and for ST another five years will be added and that is 37,” Sangma said.

The cabinet also passed the adoption of the NH Act for Land Acquisition and Construction of National Highways.

“There is a land acquisition act and now the NH Act will be applicable only for national highway projects and for other acquisition, the normal land acquisition act will be applicable. This is being done throughout the country by most state governments and the central government has urged government of Meghalaya to approve

Loco pilot electrocuted to death at Guwahati railway station

GUWAHATI, JAN 19 ( AGECNCIES): In an unfortunate incident, a loco pilot died after getting electrocuted at Guwahati railway station on Tuesday night, officials said.

The incident took place at platform number 7 of Guwahati railway station at around 7.40 pm, reports India Today.

The deceased person was identified as Siva Saikia, a resident of Assam’s Golaghat district and was an employee under the Rangia

Division of NF Railway.

According to the reports, when the loco pilot of the Guwahati-Murkongselek passenger train was filling water in the engine of the train, he came in contact with a high voltage live wire and got electrocuted.

The railway employees immediately rushed him to a hospital where he was declared dead.

NF Railway CPRO, Guneet Kaur, said that the incident happened during the loco check.

this,”he said.

“With the approval of the land acquisition to be done under the NH Act, we will be reducing the time for land acquisition from three years down to onethird may be maximum of one year,” he said, adding that it would be a huge advantage and obviously will ensure the projects are completed much faster.

Further, the cabinet has also approved the policy for Village Health Councils (VHCs) of Meghalaya.

He said the objective of the VHCs is to focus on the health sector at the village level.

“The VHCs will be created along with coordination and cooperation of the headmen, rangbah shnongs, nokmas and the VHCs will focus mainly on important health issues that are there in the village level and it will be a first point contact at least for basic health services and other health related issues,” he said.

AffidAvit I, Mrs. Sanglenshi, daughter of Shenlithong, resident of Pungro town do hereby solemnly affirm an oath and state as follows.

1. That I am a bonafide citizen of India, belong to the Yimchunger Naga tribe.

2. That my actual name is Sanglenshi, however, in my educational certificates that my name has been Recorded/entered as Sanglenshi Theresa Makory hence the above stated name represents the same person having single identity i.e. myself and actual name is Sanglenshi.

3. That hence forth, I herewith rectified and corrected the same and my name will be : Sanglenshi.

4. That the above statements made are true the best of my knowledge before the competent Authority on……………….

Deponent SANgleNShI Solemnly sworn before me by the deponent above mentioned named on this day 16th March’ 2020.

Registered No : 405/2020 1st ClAss MAgistrAte Pungro : nAgAlAnd DP-283/22

AffidAvit

Regd. No : 2855 Date : 7/1/2022 I, Shri. S. Tejangkhim Tikhir, S/o late Shulimong, age about 71 years resident of Post Office ‘B’ Tuensang Town, District Tuensang, Nagaland do hereby solemnly declared as under:1. That I am bonafide citizen of India by birth Tikhir (Naga) 2. That my name was used as follow S. Akhumba in my account pass book when I was staying in Chungliyimti as a citizen of that mentioned village and other Account book name is S. Tejingkhim Tikhir.

3. That my actual tribe is Tikhir (Naga) 4. That the name S. Tejangkhim Tikhir and S. Akhumba are one and same person i.e. my name.

5. That my name, S. Tejangkhim Tikhir shall be used in all my official documents and other purposes.

That the above declaration from para 1 to 5 are true to the best of my knowledge and belief and nothing has been concealed pertaining to my above declaration.

Deponent Solemnly swear and affirmed by the above deponent appear before me on this day, the 7th January’ 2022.

PubliC notAry DP-281/22

UP polls: Mamata to campaign for SP

File photo of Mamata Banerjee with Akhilesh Yadav.

10 to March 7. Counting of votes will be held on March 10.

“A k h i l e s h Ya d a v wants Mamata Banerjee to campaign for us because she is the face of the antiBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) force at the national level,” Nanda said.

“The SP will surely form the government. The BJP has realised that its defeat is inevitable. People h ave b e e n c o m i n g i n

large numbers whenever Akhilesh Yadav is visiting any place. In contrast, few are attending BJP meetings.

The SP wants anti-BJP votes to consolidate. That’s why we did not contest any seat in Bengal last year.

Likewise, Banerjee, too, does not want to contest any seat in Uttar Pradesh,” he added.

D u r i n g t h e We s t Bengal assembly polls last year, Yadav had sent Nanda

Mulayam Singh’s daughter-inlaw Aparna Yadav joins BJP NEW DELHI, JAN 1 9 ( I A N S ) : M u l aya m Singh Yadav’s daughterin-law Aparna Yadav on Wednesday joined the BJP just three weeks ahead of the first phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh.

She joined the BJP in presence of Uttar Pradesh state unit president Swatantra Dev Singh, deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, BJP media department head Anil Baluni, at party headquarters here.

Welcoming Aparna in the party, Singh said that Mulayam Singh Yadav’s ‘Bahu’ (daughter-in-law) is joining BJP and she will work to strengthen the party.

Deputy chief minister Maur ya said, “Despite being Mulayam Singh Yadav’s daughter-in-law, she always spoke in favour of BJP’s work. Taking a dig at Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Maurya said, “Akhilesh was not successful in managing family, as chief minister and also as a Member of Parliament. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and my name were announced in

Aparna Yadav joins BJP in the presence of UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya (L) and state chief Swatantra Dev Singh (R).

the first list of BJP. Akhilesh, who always tried to take credit for BJP government’s work have no courage to contest assembly polls from anywhere in the Uttar Pradesh.”

Aparna thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Adityanath for giving an opportunity to join the BJP. “I am always influenced by the Prime Minister and spoke about Swachh Bharat Mission or works done to empower women. For me nation is priority and now started a journey on the path of nation building,” Aparna said. It is learnt that she is seeking a ticket from Lucknow Cantt assembly seat, however, the BJP

leadership has clarified that there is no pre-condition for joining.

Aparna, wife of Mulayam Singh Yadav’s son Pratik Yadav, had unsuccessfully contested the 2017 polls against BJP Rita Bahuguna Joshi f r o m L u c k n ow C a n t t .

BJP Lok Sabha member from Allahabad Joshi, meanwhile, offered to resign from parliament if the party is ready to give ticket to her son Mayank Joshi in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

The UP assembly polls will be held in seven phases in February-March starting from February 10. Counting of votes will be held on March 10.

Call for Expressions of Interest: for Biological sample transport for HIV1VIRAL LOAD TESTING under Nagaland State AIDS Control Society.

Ref:NSACS/LS/VIRAL-LOAD/2017-18 dated 19/01/2022

The Nagaland State AIdS control Society is a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 which receives fund from Govt. of India under domestic Budgetary Support for implementation of National AIdS control Programs (NAcP) in the State of Nagaland.

Expression of Interest are invited from eligible service providers for sample transport for HIV-1 Viral load testing under the National AIdS control Program (NAcP) in the state of Nagaland. The service provider services related to biological specimen packaging and transportation from the designated ART center (sample collection site) and their delivery to the testing laboratories as per the client approved linkage plan and timelines.

Objective: To purchase services for sample transportation of biological samples across the country.

This document defines the technical and operational requirements of packaging and transportation of biological samples i.e. plasma and dried Blood Spot (dBS) for HIV-1 viral load test under the national program Eligibility & Assessment Criteria: • The service provider’s capacity of having provisions for temperature and humiditycontrolled logistics for plasma and dBS samples.

• The capability of the service provider in terms of supply chain management of materials (consumables and equipment) required for biological specimen packaging and transportation, provision of temperature and humidity-controlled transportation and deployment of competent personnel for carrying out the work.

• The capacity in terms of adequate physical infrastructure, robust processes, air & land connectivity network, appropriate tools to capture and share information on sample movement and a qualified/trained team that is experienced in handling large projects involving vast geographies and scale.

• Years of experience and prior work experience of providing similar services.

Requirements: The EOI should be sent along with a capability statement including the profile of the organization relevant technical and geographical coverage along with the financial turnover for the last 3 financial years.

A format is shared below for providing the capability statement. Any EOI with inadequate information, those which do not meet the above criteria, or those received after the closing date will not be short listed.

EOI should be as concise and focused as possible to give evidence of the above requirements including the capability statement and organization profiles.

The complete file / documents should be send through email at nagalandsacs@gmail.com / labservicesnagaland@gmail.com addressing to “The Project director, Nagaland State AIdS control Society”.

Note: The email should contain the subject line “Expression of Interest on viral load sample transportation-LSd”. All documents submitted should be in PdF. All response to this EOI must be received to the Project director, Nagaland State AIdS control Society to arrive not later than 12 p.m. on date 30th Jan 2022.

For Further Information For further information, interested bidders are requested to visit the SAcS website: https://nsacs.nagaland.gov.in/Or contact the e-mail id: nagalandsacs@gmail.com / labservicesnagaland@gmail.com Tele – 8787514383 / 7005081364 dc-48/22

Adityanath takes jibe at Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav over Noida ‘jinx’

and Rajya Sabha member Jaya Bachchan to campaign for the TMC. Reacting to the SP’s announcement, state BJP chief spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said: “We wish Baner jee a happy journey. She claims to be a religious person. We are sure she will enjoy the Ganga aarti at Varanasi.”

Ta k i n g a sw i p e at Yadav’s remarks that Banerjee is the face of the anti-BJP force,West Bengal state Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said: “Banerjee is not the only face against the BJP. Nanda said that to please her. Leaders like Akhilesh Yadav and Arvind Kejriwal are also anti-BJP faces. Banerjee has at least shown some good sense by not trying to purchase BJP leaders who are abandoning their party in Uttar Pradesh to join Akhilesh. In Meghalaya and

Goa, she used these tactics to weaken the Congress.”

Chowdhury’s remarks came amid a growing rift between the Cong ress and TMC, after the latter poached several lawmakers and senior leaders from the former.

On January 18, HT r e p o r t e d t h a t T M C ’s offer for a poll pact in the Goa assembly elections found little favour with the Congress, whose high command is miffed with the TMC brass for its behaviour.

M e a n w h i l e, T M C general secretary Abhishek Banerjee reached Goa on Monday evening to finalise the list of candidates for the February 14 elections.

The TMC has tied up with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, Goa’s oldest regional outfit, for elections to the 40-member assembly.

as chief minister from 2012 to 2017.

However, Adityanath, who became the chief minister in 2017 with a strong mandate, has frequently visited the state’s financial capital over the years and used the opportunities to hit out at his predecessors over the superstitious belief.

On Wednesday, the BJP leader said he was in Gautam Buddh Nagar to review the preparations

for the third wave of the C OV I D - 1 9 p a n d e m i c, considering the proximity of the district to Delhi and the frequent movement of people to and fro the national capital.

“But coming to Gautam Buddh Nagar also becomes important for me as the chief ministers who preceded me always hesitated visiting the district,” he told a press conference at the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) in Greater Noida.

“They were afraid.

Their own lives and political power were the only things important for them. They had no agenda for economic prosperity, health and wellbeing of the people of the state and hence, they were hesitant about visiting Gautam Buddh Nagar.

Mulayam tried to convince Aparna not to join BJP

Late CDS Bipin Rawat’s brother joins BJP, may contest U’khand polls

SP-RLD candidate, 59 others booked for violation of MCC

LU C K N OW, JA N 1 9 (PTI): Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav tried hard to convince his daughter-inlaw Aparna Yadav to not join the BJP, party chief Akhilesh Yadav said on Wednesday and expressed his happiness that the SP’s socialist ideology is expanding its reach.

Akhilesh Yadav, who sent his sister-in-law best wishes for her move to the BJP, also addressed speculation on whether he would contest the assembly elections and said he would consult the people of his parliamentary constituency Azamgarh.

“If I contest the assembly election, it will be after taking permission from the people of A z a m g a r h w h o h ave elected me as MP,” he told reporters when asked if he would enter into the electoral fray for the coming elections.

In his first response to Aparna Yadav joining the BJP, Akhilesh Yadav said he would like to congratulate her and extend her his best wishes.

at working for the party and lavished praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he has a unique vision and mindset.

He thinks out of the box and all his efforts are directed towards the country’s betterment, Rawat said.Welcoming Rawat into the party, Dhami said the late CDS wanted to work for the state after retirement and his younger brother will advance his vision.

The BJP is inspired by nationalist ideology and has always worked for security personnel’s welfare, he said.

Noting that Rawat’s family has been joining the army for three generations, he said his decision to join the BJP will boost its strength.

M U Z A F FA R N A G A R (UP), JAN 19 (PTI): An Uttar Pradesh assembly poll candidate and 59 others were booked for alleged breaches of the Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct and coronavirus nor ms on Wednesday, police said.

S a m a j wa d i Pa r t y Rashtriya Lok Dal alliance candidate from Shamli, Prasann Choudhary, held a public meeting in Kuwana village in the district without taking permission, they said.

A case was registered against 60 people, including Choudhary, under sections 188, 269 and 270 of the IPC and the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 at Kandhla Police Station, they said.

NOIDA, JAN 19 (PTI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited Gautam Buddh Nagar on Wednesday and hit out at BSP supremo Mayawati and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, saying his predecessors hesitated coming here as they did not have any agenda for the growth and well-being of people.

Visiting Noida, adjoining Delhi, in western Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Buddh Nagar district was considered a “jinx” among the leaders of political parties in the past, who believed that visiting the area was a bad omen for a chief minister.

M a y aw a t i v i s i t e d Gautam Buddh Nagar and his party lost the 2012 polls, while Yadav paid no visit to the district during his tenure

Late Bipin Rawat’s brother Colonel Vijay Rawat (retired) met Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami in Delhi.

NEW DELHI, JAN 19 (PTI): Vijay Rawat, brother of India’s first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat who recently died in a helicopter crash, joined the BJP on Wednesday.

The BJP may field him as its candidate in pollbound Uttarakhand, sources said.

Vi j ay R awa t , w h o retired as a colonel from the army, joined the BJP in the presence of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni.

Noting that his father, also a former army officer, was associated with the BJP, Rawat expressed happiness

dP-249/22

LU C K N OW, JA N 1 9 ( A G E N C I E S ) : We s t Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee will campaign for the Samajwadi Party (SP) in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, SP national vicepresident Kiranmay Nanda said on Tuesday, reports Hindustan Times.

While Banerjee will virtually campaign for the SP in Lucknow on February 8, she may also campaign digitally in Varanasi , Nanda told reporters following his 30-minute meeting with the TMC chief at her residence in south Kolkata.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav will take part in these, and the heads of the two parties will also hold a joint press conference on February 8, he added.

Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases from February

5

NATIONAL

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2022

Yogi Adityanath

List of participants Selected for one Day Workshop/Seminar on " Awareness on the schemes of DC (H), GI Act, GeM portal , use of E-Commerce platform and other Marketing supports for the Development of Handicrafts of North Eastern Region."

Sl /No Name District Aadhar/Artisan Id 1 Imlitoshi Aier Dimapur 6196 1610 4894 2 Angelina Kikon Dimapur 6103 2007 8005 3 Kitoka K. Aye Dimapur 8827 3150 7474 4 Merenmongla Chumukedima 3152 8209 6660 5 Imtilong Kichu Dimapur 5146 3118 7532 6 Thungbemo Humtsoe Dimapur 2949 6643 4137 7 Supongtor Ozukum Chumukedima 3021 8349 5657 8 Toito Sumi Zunheboto 2929 0644 8543 9 Toka V.Yepthomi Zunheboto 4185 1844 9636 10 Toshiba Mokokchung 7269 0281 5804 11 Atoshe Awomi Niuland 6837 3800 3402 12 Hekato Swu Niuland 2736 7290 1555 13 Khoweno Rengma Dimapur 4490 5917 7066 14 Hotokito Zunheboto 2572 1033 5668 15 Keto Zunheboto 5685 8513 9841 16 Arlongba Pongen Chumukedima 5312 1213 2918 17 Viloto Zhimomi Niuland 5881 1676 4407 18 Akato Zhimomi Niuland 3206 1084 2334 19 Vikugha Aye Niuland 2764 7801 2760 20 Palei Konyak Mon 7675 0719 7531 21 Vihuto Kiba Dimapur 5611 7374 7758 22 Kughato Aye Dimapur 5976 4711 3905 23 Vetokhu Yeptho Dimapur 4248 8270 4299 24 Tohuto V. Yeptho Dimapur 5547 3313 0167 25 Rongsenkaba Mokokchung 6836 1152 2280 26 Ashibo Dimapur 8735 0497 3389 27 Jevikali Wotsa Zunheboto 2442 4146 4884 28 Vikupu S. Chishi Dimapur 3972 8812 3339 29 Toino S. Zhimo Zunheboto 9252 5699 5017 30 Hotovi Kiba Zunheboto 9457 2130 1182 31 Khekugha Zunheboto 6521 8823 6166 32 Tozhekhu Sumi Niuland 3024 2682 3634 33 Hukheto Zhimo Dimapur 4369 3936 5945 34 Daikho Lokho Dimapur 3113 4785 6423 35 Kuholi Sumi Wokha 8625 9549 7108 36 Viliho Zhimo Zunheboto 8050 6669 0287 37 Vitoho Chishi Zunheboto 4271 4356 8811 38 Nitoka Kiba Dimapur 2772 2023 9668 39 Khekato Dimapur 7307 1351 5061 40 Tokaho Aye Zunheboto 3388 7424 0013 41 Nikito Awomi Zunheboto 6174 1392 5993 42 Shikaho Aye Mokokchung 4368 1598 5326 43 Shevuto Yeptho Mokokchung 2089 1053 8385 44 Tinato Muru Dimapur 5572 3715 8259 45 Zhokuto Keyho Phek 7422 4386 4909 46 Thritsala Dimapur 2617 5151 7728 47 Aremelong Dimapur 9564 8487 0410 48 Nuvelu Nienu Chumukedima 3760 9032 6916 49 Khrutolu Lohe Chumukedima 3622 2829 6701 50 Nukuzo Lohe Chumukedima 3040 9376 0079 1: All Participants are to reach the Venue i.e. Urban Haat, by 9:30 AM on 22nd January 2022.

2: Participant must produce their Covid Vaccinated ID or recently taken Negative Covid Test Report.

3: Covid SOPs laid down by the Govt. of Nagaland will be strictly followed.

SD/(Zakabo V Rotokha) NCS Managing Director, NHHDC Ltd. dc-46/22

6

OPINION/EDITORIAL

Nagaland Post VOL. XXXII NO. 44 DIMAPUR, THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2021

Skipper’s mantle

W

ithout mentioning cricket, Indian sports would be incomplete. It is not just a sport in India, but a part of the national culture and tradition. The craze for cricket is negative. Although football is more widespread in India; yet it has not received the kind of financial support which cricket’s IPL has been receiving. The IPL has rocketed Indian cricket beyond the financial realms of other nations and turned them into mercenaries of money and making them feel like gods of cricket.

Cricket mania has reached hysterical levels and marketers and advertisers have seized the opportunity to roll out attractive promotions as advertising models for their products. Whenever the victorious Indian Cricket team members arrive, they are greeted like heroes and treated no less than Bollywood celebrities. Their performances are however, marked by inconsistencies, regularly swinging from highs to lows. The glory boys of Indian cricket were shocked by South Africa 2-1 in the recent test series and that has practically made them bite the dust. The South Africans are by no means the best. India is ranked higher than South Africa at third place in ICC test ranking. On the other hand, South Africa is ranked fifth. Even in the ICC ODI as well as T20, India is ranked higher than South Africa. However, at home the South African team is a different ball game especially when it comes to test cricket. In the 2017-18 series South Africa beat India 2-1 the same margin that was repeated after the current series. In ODI during the 2017-18 series India beat South Africa 5-1 and also won the T20 series 2-1. The Indian team not only suffered a defeat in the series but also an implosion after its star cricketer captain Virat Kohli stepped down.

His decision was not totally unexpected since his rate of success as captain has long passed and the team needed someone with fresh ideas. Kohli was ultra aggressive on field and led by example-be it with batting or his displeasure at umpires or rival team players. Had Kohli scored some big runs in the recently concluded test series and yet India lost, the story would have been different. Perhaps Kohli’s offer to resign wouldn’t have been accepted.

Anyway, now that Kohli is out of the captaincy, the BCCI under Sourav Ganguly now has to choose the next Indian cricket captain. The obvious choice will be Rohit Sharma, the vice captain who has an outstanding record of runs and also captained the team in the absence of Kohli. Rohit also captains the Mumbai Indians the top IPL T20 team. He had also ended 2021 as the leading run-getter in Tests for India and has emerged as one of the mainstay batters at the top of the line-up, following his impressive return as an opening batter in Australia and England. The other contender is K.L.Rahul who was named as vice captain in the absence of Rohit Sharma. However Rahul is inexperienced as a leader and also lacking the right aggressive approach to his batting skills. The other contender is Ravichandran Ashwin India’s top spinner and who has led an IPL team for one season. Betwen Rahul and Ashwin there is no doubt that the latter is the better and more experienced test cricketer in all formats. The best to take over from Kohli is certainly Rohit Sharma and rightly so considering his records and experience.

DailyDevotion Vision and Darkness

When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. —Genesis 15:12 Whenever God gives a vision to a Christian, it is as if He puts him in “the shadow of His hand” (Isaiah 49:2). The saint’s duty is to be still and listen. There is a “darkness” that comes from too much light— that is the time to listen. The story of Abram and Hagar in Genesis 16 is an excellent example of listening to so-called good advice during a time of darkness, rather than waiting for God to send the light. When God gives you a vision and darkness follows, wait.

God will bring the vision He has given you to reality in your life if you will wait on His timing. Never try to help God fulfill His word. Abram went through thirteen years of silence, but in those years all of his self-sufficiency was destroyed. He grew past the point of relying on his own common sense. Those years of silence were a time of discipline, not a period of God’s displeasure. There is never any need to pretend that your life is filled with joy and confidence; just wait upon God and be grounded in Him (see Isaiah 50:10-11).

Do I trust at all in the flesh? Or have I learned to go beyond all confidence in myself and other people of God? Do I trust in books and prayers or other joys in my life? Or have I placed my confidence in God Himself, not in His blessings? “I am Almighty God…”— El-Shaddai, the All-Powerful God (Genesis 17:1). The reason we are all being disciplined is that we will know God is real. As soon as God becomes real to us, people pale by comparison, becoming shadows of reality. Nothing that other saints do or say can ever upset the one who is built on God.

Quotes

Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn. ~ Benjamin Franklin

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2021

Post-mortem

Tek Fog shrouds an escalating political war F or much of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nearly eight years in power, the relationship between social media platforms, journalists and India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has been nasty and vitriolic, and almost always murky. Now we can start to understand why.

A browser-based application was reportedly used by the BJP to infiltrate social media platforms in order to spread misinformation, target female reporters and home in on anyone it deems an opponent. A report published last week by The Wire, an independent Indian news publication, documented the mechanics and strategy behind the computer program, which is known as Tek Fog, according to a whistleblower claiming to be a disgruntled employee of the ruling party’s information technology cell. It’s unclear when the system came into being, but The Wire has been investigating the claims made by the unidentified source for two years.

Opposition parties have denounced the app as a national security threat, and asked Parliament to probe it, while Modi has remained silent on the revelations. His party didn’t respond to an email seeking comment. The Wire article named Devang Dave, a former head of social media at the BJP’s youth wing, as a supervisor of the Tek

Fog operatives. Following the expose, Dave released an email to The Wire in which he denied that the party had ever used — or known about — a secret app to manipulate public opinion.

The BJP, the most well-funded of all Indian political parties, has been an early adopter of information technology. It has harnessed the power of databases and its wellequipped IT cell to target voters. But a misogynistic and abusive app meant to instill fear among journalists and critics goes beyond the pale of acceptable political marketing. Indeed, it would be a “travesty of all democratic norms, and in violation of law,” as the Editors Guild of India said in a statement.

For some of the reporters who have been subject to attack, the revelations are a vindication — even a relief. “I’m happy to know that it isn’t actually a human being lighting up my phone with disgusting, sexually colored abuse on a daily basis, but bots,” says Swati Chaturvedi, a New Delhi-based investigative journalist. “Still, what message does it send about our democracy when private citizens are systematically attacked by a call center of hate?” Chaturvedi has been a target for harassment since publishing her 2016 book, “I Am A Troll: Inside the Secret World of the BJP’s Digital Army.”

The use of bots to distort public opinion is reminiscent of what Russian operatives did on Facebook in advance of the U.S. presidential election.

Tek Fog is much more powerful. From a technical perspective, the reach and effectiveness of this new software is both impressive and deeply worrying.

According to the report, users of the platform could tap into and manipulate the trending features on Twitter and Facebook — by automatically sharing or retweeting posts, and targeting existing hashtags — to commandeer the narrative on India’s most widely used social media services. This simple tactic could then amplify propaganda, in order to make a particular idea or opinion appear more popular than it really was, or to shout down opposing views.

More alarming is Tek Fog’s ability to access the contact lists of inactive accounts on Meta Platforms Inc.’s WhatsApp service to disseminate messages and steal personal information.

This allowed operatives to be much more precise in their messaging, while also building a database of future targets. The result was brutal. Perceived opponents, including female journalists, were subsequently harassed and trolled across a variety of social media platforms in an attempt to scare them into silence.

That such a merciless campaign could be conducted so efficiently can be partially explained by the social media firms’ strategic decision to make their products accessible through external connections known as application programming interfaces, or APIs. This functionality is ostensibly designed for convenience — you can easily tweet a chosen article directly from a media outlet’s website without going to twitter.com.

Internet companies love it. This convenient access ensures more users, greater engagement and a rising trove of data that they can then tap to sell more targeted ads. But there is a flip side to APIs. As The Wire outlined, Tek Fog allowed users to easily create temporary email addresses and bypass authentication systems — operatives could in effect hack into WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram.

And hack they did.

In a follow-up article, The Wire outlined how Tek Fog exploited vulnerabilities in these APIs to get unprecedented levels of access to social-media platforms.

What’s more, online operators deployed well-known and sophisticated hacking techniques to create fake news that looked like genuine articles written by the original legitimate authors, complete with realistic URLs.

With such functionality at their fingertips, the technical prowess of the world’s most powerful internet companies — from consumer-friendly apps to efficient data-crunching algorithms — could be brought to bear on anyone standing in the way of misinformation campaigns that demonize minorities, discredit political opposition and brand anyone opposing gover nment policies as anti-national.

Conscientious journalists, clear-minded citizens and millions of voters don’t stand a chance.

Some groups are particularly at risk. Police in India recently arrested four suspects, all college students, for scraping the social-media profiles of Muslim women — activists, journalists, actors and politicians — and listing them for sale via an app on GitHub, the Microsoftowned open software development platform.

By contrast, Tek Fog is a military-grade PSYOP — psychological operations — weapon. A capability like this has so far been available only to state actors for use against enemy populations, said Anand Venkatnarayanan, an Indian internet security researcher and co-author of a 2021 book on information warfare. “Putting such a weapon in the hands of non-state actors affiliated to a political party contesting for mind space of

citizens in a democracy has never been done before.”

It’s an effective tool to drown out questioning voices. Rohini Singh, another New Delhi-based journalist who faces online harassment routinely, worries about the future of independent reporting in India, particularly as a woman. “When you wake up to 10,000 abuses in your social-media mentions, it does affect you,” Singh said. “Earlier, we had to worry about getting a story right. Now we have to worry about rape threats, invasion of our privacy and non-stop slander. None of us signed up for this.

Journalism is not a crime.”

Governments might be able to combat misinformation that infiltrates the internet, if they tried.

But it’s increasingly clear that they can’t be relied upon to do so. That’s why social-media platforms need to take the lead, and the first step will be to crack down on external access via APIs. From there, tech firms need to implement better auditing systems so that they have greater clarity on who is using their platforms, and how.

With the internet now such an important tool of modern society, it’s incumbent on the companies that operate it to retake control of the technologies they built. Democracy depends on it.

Tim Culpan and Andy Mukherjee- Bloomberg

How to look after your mental health 6 in 10 Indian workers suffering from pandemic-led imposter syndrome if you’re at home with COVID-19

F

or many of us, catching COVID and isolating at home can be a lonely, scary and distressing experience. For those with a pre-existing mental illness, it can be even more difficult.

The following strategies are designed to help you look after your mental health if you get COVID and are isolating at home.

Remember the basics When living in a time of great uncertainty and threat, it can be difficult to remember and practice simple strategies to maximise wellness.

If you’re isolating at home with COVID, it’s important to: -- manage fever and other symptoms like aches, pains and sore throat with paracetamol or ibuprofen.

-- maintain a healthy diet -- keep your fluid intake up, particularly if you have a fever -- stop exercise for at least 10 days, and depending on the severity of your symptoms, return to exercise slowly (if you have any questions about returning to exercise, ask your GP) -- deep breathing, which can help lung function and help you stay calm during isolation and recovery, but this should be done in consultation with your doctor -- practise mindfulness to help cope with the inevitable anxiety around illness and isolation -- find distractions like reading, watching movies or doing a

C

creative activity, which can help keep your brain from fixating on worry (this is particularly important for children) -- and stay connected with friends and family, online or over the phone.

It’s important to monitor your COVID symptoms. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has a useful symptom diary to assist with this.

Or use the Healthdirect symptom checker to decide whether you need medical help.

If you live alone, you should arrange for someone to contact you regularly to make sure you are managing.

Some coping strategies to avoid During times of anxiety and uncertainty, such as isolating at home with COVID, it’s understandable people may turn to drugs and alcohol, unhealthy eating, gambling, or other addictions to manage psychological discomfort.

These strategies may temporarily alleviate stress. But they can cause more mental health issues in the longer term.

It’s also important to avoid “doom scrolling”, which is the tendency to continue to scroll through bad news on your mobile phone, even though the news is saddening, disheartening or depressing.

You might want to disengage from mainstream or social media if it has become harmful to your mental health.

It’s been extra hard for those with mental illnesses The pandemic has made living with mental illness even more difficult.

The last few years have been challenging and exhausting for many. People with mental illnesses, and other chronic conditions, have had to adapt their normal management strategies to cope, shifting care and some forms of therapy online.

Recovery from, and management of, mental illness often involves activities like exercise, positive social engagement and therapy – all of which may be limited due to COVID restrictions, financial constraints and staff shortages.

Acute services, including hospitals and general practice, are struggling to meet demand.

Isolation can be particularly difficult for people who don’t have a safe and secure home.

People experiencing domestic violence have more difficulty accessing care as they may not be safe interacting with health professionals in their homes.

Children are at increased risk of harm if they live with domestic violence.

They may have no safe places to go when schools or childcare facilities are closed, so family, friends and services like Kids Helpline play an important role in supporting children.

Louise Stone, Australian National University (The Conversation)

A

fter going through two stressful years of the Covid-19 pandemic, more than 7 in 10 (71 per cent) of professionals questioned their abilities at work more now than before the pandemic while 63 per cent said they suffer from ‘imposter syndrome’, a new LinkedIn report showed on Tuesday.

The ‘impostor syndrome’ is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts his/her skills, talents or accomplishments.

According to the report, the self-doubt seems to be a byproduct of working in isolation for nearly two years as 33 per cent of professionals say the pandemic has negatively impacted their confidence at work.

The findings showed that lack of face-to-face support from supervisors and peers (40 per cent), having to take on new responsibilities (34 per cent), and having to use more technology (31 per cent) are the top three work stressors for professionals in India.

Amid the stress, more than 8 in 10 Indian professionals are considering a job change this year and flexible working arrangements are their top-most priority.

The report said that the job reshuffle in India is being led by freshers with up to one year of work experience (94 per cent) and Gen Z professionals (87 per cent), who are more likely to consider changing jobs in 2022.

The professionals are leaving their current jobs due to poor work-life balance (30 per cent), not enough money (28 per cent),

or greater career ambitions (23 per cent).

The report said that professionals in India are confident about their job roles (45 per cent), careers (45 per cent) and overall job availability (38 per cent) getting better in 2022.

“In fact, 86 per cent of professionals in India say they are confident about the strength of their professional networks as they enter into the new year looking for new job opportunities,” the findings showed.

The top reasons that can convince professionals in India to stay with their current employer in 2022 include better salary (42 per cent), more appreciation (36 per cent), and improved work-life balance (34 per cent).

“The findings also indicate a glaring disparity in the perception of men and women towards how they are being compensated by their current employers today,” the report mentioned.

Working women (37 per cent) are 1.3 times more likely to quit their current job due to poor worklife balance, when compared to working men (28 per cent).

They are also more likely (49 per cent) to say they will remain with their current employer if they get better pay, when compared to working men (39 per cent).

“This may be a wake up call for employers to revisit their compensation benefits and ensure more inclusivity through their offerings,a the LinkedIn report said.

IANS feature

Cured of Covid? Wait for 1-3 months to buy life policy

ured of Covid-19 cases have been this number cautious while accepting life insurance cover will be and wanting to buy has automatically moved up lives for insurance under three months if he/she was a life insurance pol- now because many have/ their term policies. hospitalised and one month icy? Then wait for a period family members have turned So, what is the waiting in case of home quarantine, ranging from one to three positive in the recent days,” period? Normally in insur- said an agent of HDFC Life months, say life insurers.

Sajja Praveen Chowdary- ance, the term waiting period Insurance Company Ltd. “This has been the Head Term Life Insurance, means a specified period for The waiting period will practice of some life insur- Policybazaar Insurance Bro- which certain risk covers are be counted from the date ers during the first wave of kers Ltd told IANS. not provided and the cover on which the prospective Covid-19 and now practiced As a result, the pro- kicks in after that period policy buyer is certified as by others as well,” a senior posal for term insurance gets after the premium is paid. Covid-19 negative. insurance industry official into the zone of scrutiny For instance, in the According to industold IANS. where additional medical case of Corona Rakshak try officials, the life insur“Pre-Covid, the num- tests are asked for or the is- policy, the waiting period ers are trying to safeguard ber of people who had any suance might get postponed is 15 days from the date of themselves against death medical condition with for three months, he added. commencement of the first claims due post Covid-19 themselves or family memWith the reinsurers policy. complications. bers in the past six months forcing the primary life inHowever, in the case of “On what basis the would have been small. surers to put their skin in the Covid-19 cured persons, the waiting period has been But, given the way Omicron game, the latter have turned waiting period for buying a arrived at is not known.

Reader’s note: Articles or letters published in any of the columns do not reflect the view of this

With the pressure to show performance, growth in topline, there may be some life insurers who accept the premium upfront from Covid-19 cured persons and provide the risk cover after the waiting period,” an industry official told IANS. In other words, charging a premium for a full year and providing cover for nine or 11 months as the case may be.

Altering the period of cover during the first year is a major change in the policy condition and life insurers should inform the IRDAI upfront in the case of ‘file newspaper nor that of the

and use’ products.

According to the official, this issue will be known only to the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) when it carries out inspection of the life insurers books.

Despite several attempts by IANS, K.Ganesh, Member (Life) and Pramod Kumar Arora, Member (Actuary) at the IRDAI were not available to comment on the issue. The IRDAI’s mission is to protect the interests of policyholders.

IANS feature Editor in any manner.

mation. In addition to the successful completion of phase 2/3 clinical study in India, till now, more than 100 crore doses of Covishield vaccine have been administered to the people in this country and worldwide, Singh is learnt to have stated in the response. “Such a large-scale vaccination with Covishield and containment of COVID-19 infection is in itself a testimony of the safety and efficacy of the vaccine,” he had said.

In an application sent to the DCGI a couple of weeks ago, V Krishna Mohan, whole-time director at the Hyderabad-based company, submitted complete information regarding chemistry, manufacturing and controls, along with the pre-clinical and clinical data while seeking regular market authorisation for Covaxin.

Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) took up the challenge to develop, produce and clinically evaluate a vaccine (Covaxin), from the SARS-

Maha: MVA trumps over BJP in Nagar Panchayat polls MUMBAI, JAN 19 (IANS): The ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies trumped the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by unitedly bagging a majority of the 1,649 seats in the crucial Nagar Panchayat held in 32 of the state’s 36 districts, officials said here on Wednesday.

The BJP emerged as the single largest party bagging 384 seats against the MVA tally of 944 comprising Nationalist Congress Party’s 344, Congress’ 316 and Shiv Sena’s 284 seats.

The counting for 163 seats in 9 Nagar Panchayats of Gadchiroli district, which went to the polls, shall be conducted on Thursday. Besides the four major parties, the CPI-M bagged 11 seats, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Bahujan Samaj Party got 4 each, other parties secured 85 seats and a chunk of 206 seats were won by independents.

The election results evoked sharp reactions from both the MVA and the BJP

as they could have ramifications in the upcoming local bodies and major civic corporations. The NCP termed the outcome as the BJP’s “rejection” by the people of the state, Congress expressed immense “satisfaction” while the Sena also made “inroads” into newer territories.

NCP National Spokesperson and Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik said that the “people of the state have rejected the BJP” and the MVA allies who fought separately, jointly or unitedly in different areas have been accepted by the masses. Congress state President Nana Patole said the party was extremely satisfied especially as it has bounced back massively in the Vidarbha region of eastern Maharashtra. Shiv Sena Transport Minister Anil Parab said the results prove that the party has made inroads all over the state and has performed well even in its traditional bastions like coastal Konkan region.

CoV-2 strains isolated from COVID-19 patients in India, Mohan had said in the application. Covaxin and Covishield were granted Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) on January 3.

“The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) on COVID-19 of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) which reviewed SII and Bharat Biotech’s application for the second time on Wednesday has recommended granting regular market approval to Covishield and Covaxin subject to certain conditions,” an official source said.

The recommendations will be sent to DCGI for final approval. Later in a tweet, CDSCO said, “SEC of CDSCO has recommended for upgrade of covishield and covaxin status from restricted use in emergency situations to grant of new drug permission with conditions in adult population, DCGI will evaluate the recommendations and give its decision.”

NEW DELHI, JAN 19 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host the first India-Central Asia Summit in a virtual format on January 27, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Wednesday.

The summit will be held with the participation of the presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, the MEA said in a statement.

This will be the first engagement of its kind between India and the Central Asian countries at the level of leaders, it said.

The first India-Central Asia Summit is a reflection of India’s growing engagement with the Central Asian countries, which are a part of India’s “extended neighbourhood”, the MEA said.

Prime Minister Modi paid a historic visit to all Central Asian countries in 2015. Subsequently, there have been exchanges at highlevels at bilateral and multilateral forums.

The inception of the India-Central Asia Dialogue

Narendra Modi

at Foreign Ministers’ level, the third meeting of which was held in New Delhi from December 18-20, 2021, has provided an impetus to India-Central Asia relations, the MEA said.

The participation of the secretaries of National Security Councils of Central Asian countries in the Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan held in New Delhi on November 10, 2021 outlined a common regional approach on Afghanistan.

During the first IndiaCentral Asia Summit, the leaders are expected to discuss steps to take forward India-Central Asia relations to newer heights, the MEA said.

DGCA orders probe into Jan 7 near miss involving Indigo aircrafts in Bengaluru BENGALAURU, JAN 19 (AGENCIES): Two IndiGo flights that took off from the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on January 7 had come close to colliding with each other mid-air while taking off, revealed chief of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Arun Kumar, reports The New Indian Express.

Kumar said the flights involved in the incident were 6E 455 departing for Kolkata and 6E 246 for Bhubaneswar. Luckily, all the passengers and the crew were safe as the radar controller spotted the error and alerted the pilots in both the flight decks immediately.

Kumar has ordered a probe and said strict action will be taken against those responsible for the error.

Another senior officer of DGCA said, “The north runway was being used for departures and the south runway for arrival of flights.

NAGALAND MULtISPECIALItY HEALtH & RESEARCH CENtRE MIDLAND : DIMAPUR Ph: 8416097640/ 03862-248302/ 248295/9856006026

Dr. Lakshya Jyoti basumatary MD DM (Neurology)– 21st Jan 2022

DP-229/22

DOCtORS FROM ExCEL CARE HOSPItAL GUwAHAtI AVAILAbLE FOR CONSULtAtION

RECRUITMENT No Teaching Post Minimum qualification Graduate Preferred Qualifications 1

English

English (Major)

M.A (Literature) & B.Ed

2

Math

PCM Stream

M.Sc & B Ed

3

Science

PCB Stream

M.Sc & B Ed

4

Hindi

Graduate in Hindi

B.Ed or Dl Ed K to 10 (NBSE)

Location

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Last date of application

27th January 2022

Email CV to

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tion were about to collide with each other. A radar controller saw and alerted the aircraft immediately.”

According to officials, the incident was not recorded in any logbook and the Airports Authority of India too didn’t report the matter.

Meanwhile, IndiGo didn’t respond to queries asked by indianexpress.com till the time of filing this report.

P U D U C H E R RY, JA N 19 (PTI): The Puducherry Print and TV Journalists Association on Wednesday condemned what it called as coercive the take-over of the Kashmir Press Club by a group of journalists with the alleged assistance of the police and the administration on January 15.

R K Raja, the president of association, said in a press release that the reregistration of the Club by the group of journalists with the support of the administration is a conscious effort to crush the democratic course of holding elections to the club.

Raja said what was stunning was the alleged audacity of the police to enter the premises of the Club without a warrant and in utter disregard of the law helping and abetting selfassertive group to take over

NEW DELHI, JAN 19 (PTI): The suspension of scheduled international passenger flights in the country has been extended till February 28, aviation regulator DGCA said on Wednesday.

Scheduled international passenger flights have been suspended in India since March 23, 2020. However, special passenger flights have been operating between India and approximately 40 countries since July 2020 under air bubble arrangements formed with them.

In a circular on Wednesday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated: “The competent authority has decided to extend the suspension of scheduled international commercial passenger services to/from India till 2359 hrs IST of February 28, 2022.”

This restriction shall not apply to international allcargo operations and flight specifically approved by the DGCA, it mentioned.

Gram:Agricomplex medziphema

phone:247241/247250 Fax :03862 -247241

ICAR RESEARCH COMPLEx FOR NEH REGION (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) Nagaland Centre, Medziphema, Nagaland- 797106

NOTICE INVITING E- TENDERING (NIT)

IcAR Nagaland centre, medziphema invites e-tendering (two bid-system) for the following item as cited below.

1. Supply of Animal/poultry Feed.

2. Supply Veterinary medicine.

3. Supply & Installation Green House.

4. Supply of Hammer mill.

5. Supply of mini Oil Expeller.

6. Supply of mini Rice mill.

7. Supply of tractor operated paddy thresher cum winnower.

Tender Documents can be downloaded from Central Public Procurement Portal (CPPP) or http:// www.icarnagaland.nic.in/ e-mail at icarnagaland@gmail.com / rcn.storesection@gmail.com Sd/Asstt. Admin. Officer.

Dc-45/22

NAGALAND :: KOHIMA

/ Dated, Kohima the

th

Jan’ 2022.

NOTIFICATION

C O R E VA L U E S

k-48/22

Personal and professional growth, Trainings and International webinars, Skill development, Purposeful and lively environment, Progressive and interactive teaching. mkc-21/22

the press club.

The association appealed to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah to issue instructions to the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha to investigate and restoration of the norms. The democratic process of elections to the Club should be ensured and the administration should ensure a tranquil atmosphere for the fairly chosen body to function, Raja said.

On Tuesday, political parties asked the Jammu

and Kashmir administration to restore the Kashmir Press Club premises to the journalists’ body, and provide an enabling atmosphere for holding free and fair elections to the Club.

On Monday, the J&K administration said the Club has ceased to exist, and took back the premises allotted to the largest journalists’ body in the Valley following alleged dissensions between two factions, one of which had tacit support from the government.

(PTI): The Supreme Court Wednesday agreed to consider listing a PIL challenging the Constitutional validity of a provision of the Representation of People Act which had led to the introduction of electronic voting machines (EVMs) instead of ballot papers for polls in the country.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) N V Ramana heard the submissions of lawyer M L

in his personal capacity, that the petition required hearing in view of upcoming assembly polls in five states -- Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Punjab, Manipur and Uttarakhand.

“We will see it... I may list it before some other bench as well,” the CJI said.

Sharma said Section 61A of the Representation of People Act, which permitted the use of EVMs, was not passed by Parliament and hence cannot be imposed.

MOUNT MARY COLLEGE CHÜMOUKEDIMA, DIMAPUR NAGALAND

VACANCY Interested and eligible applicants may either mail their detailed CV with scanned colour academic documents at hr.mountmarycollege@gmail.com or submit in person on or before 30th January 2022. Interview date will be notified via contact no. and email provided by the candidates.

PG Subject Education, History, English, EVS M. P.ED., MFA Che, Phy, Zoo/Bot, Psychology MCA with exp. in website devp.

DB-38/22

Prof. Deg. B. Ed. NA B. Ed. NA

Min. Criteria NET or Ph. D. NET For Hr. Sec. NA Principal

Teachers WanTed

St. PEtER’S SCHOOL toulazouma, Dimapur

1. B.Sc/M.Sc with B.Ed 2. B.Com/M.Com with B.Ed Contact : 6009696793 8415932620 ADMISSION ASIAN MISSION INSTITUTE Naharbari Junction, East Dimapur

DIRECTORATE OF HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE NO.DHFW-5/TRG/STIPEND MISC/2019/

File photo of Kashmir Press Club

India extends SC to consider hearing PIL suspension of challenging use of EVMs Intl flights NEW DELHI, JAN 19 Sharma, who filed the plea

GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND

Additional requirements: Fluency in speaking, Mastery in subject matter.

School

But later, the shift in-charge decided to close the south runway but did not inform the air traffic controller of the south tower.”

He added, “Because of this, the two flights were given permission for takeoff at the same time from the converging runways.

This incident resulted in a situation where the aircraft moving in the same direc-

Media association flays take-over of Kashmir Press Club, says it’s coercive

Dp-282/22

NEW DELHI, JAN 19 (PTI): An expert panel of India’s central drug authority on Wednesday recommended granting regular market approval to Covid vaccines Covishield and Covaxin for use in adult population subject to certain conditions, official sources said. Pharma companies Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech had submitted applications to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) seeking regular market authorisation for their respective COVID-19 vaccines Covishield and Covaxin, which are currently only authorised for emergency use in the country.

Prakash Kumar Singh, director (government and regulatory affairs) at SII, had submitted an application to the DCGI on October 25 on this matter. On that DCGI had sought more data and documents from the Punebased company following which Singh recently had submitted a response along with more data and infor-

PM Modi to host first IndiaCentral Asia Summit on Jan 27

SUB:- SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME FOR MEDICAL, NURSING & PARAMEDICAL STUDENTS UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE. It is hereby informed to all the students undergoing medical, nursing and paramedical courses that, the Common Scholarship Portal for scholarship schemes under the Department of Health & Family Welfare will go live (active) w.e.f.

21st January 2022 till 20th February 2022.

The following points may be noted in this connection:1. Applicants can access the said portal through the URL:: https://scholarship. nagaland.gov.in 2. The Department will accept application through the above cited Portal (online) only. Application submitted in Hardcopy to the Directorate will not be entertained and shall be considered as not applied.

3. Students & Institutions are instructed to go through the guidelines given in the portal before proceeding to fill up the online form.

4. Students selected through NEET/NSEE/State Departmental Examination only and undergoing the above mentioned courses shall be eligible to apply.

5. Students failing to complete their curriculum within the specified duration of the course (repeaters) shall not be entitled to additional stipend.

6. The portal shall be closed from 21st February 2022 and late application will not be entertained.

7. Students & Institutions are hereby advised to fill their online application well ahead of last date to avoid any last minute inconveniences.

(Dr. NEIKHRIELIE KHIMIAO) Principal Director Dte. of Health & Family Welfare Nagaland, Kohima.

Issued by DIPR Dc-47/22

1. Certificate Course in Community Health : (10 passed and above) 2. Nursing Assistant/General Duty Assistant : (8 passed and above) For details/ hostel seats, contact : 8258953719/ 9366151812/ 8119963102

Dp-29/22

Covaxin, Covishield cleared for full market approval

7

NATIONAL

RASHTRA BHASHA HINDI SHIKSHA KENDRA

Regd. No.–H/Rs–4907/2008 Study Centre :- Ram Janaki Higher Secondary School, G. S. Road, Dimapur : Nagaland.

ADMISSION NOTICE Admission and Re-Admission started for New Academic Session : 2022 - 2023 for various classes of HINDI (PRATHMIK – 7, PRARAMBHIK – 8, PRAVESH – 9, PARICHAY – 10, KOVID – P.U. and RATNA – B.A.). This Institution is Govt. Registered, Highly qualified and experienced teachers are available.

For details, Contact Office: # 9774913750, 8794566358, 8709393459.

Office Hours: 7:00 a.m to 1:00 p.m N.B.:HSLC & HSSLC drop out students are also eligible for admission.

Hostel Facilities Available (Girls Only)

Dp-285/22

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2022

Su doku

KAKURO

No. 10157 Yesterday’s solution No. 10156

No. 4779 Yesterday’s solution No. 4778

No. 3803 Yesterday’s solution No. 3802

ACROSS 4 Unfasten (6) 7 366 days (4,4) 8 Load (6) 10 In abeyance (2,3) 13 Beach material (4) 14 Clean (4) 15 Curved (4) 16 Egg cells (3) 17 Boy’s name (4) 19 Uncommon (4) 21 Strength of mind (9) 23 Travel permit (4) 24 Require (4) 26 Polish (3) 27 Scheme (4) 29 Style (4) 32 Beloved (4) 33 Storage container (5) 34 Secret (6) 35 Vision (8) 36 Fitting (6) DOWN 1 Joint (5) 2 Foundation (5) 3 Wheel surround (4) 4 Of a town (5) 5 Nobleman (4) 6 Split (6) 9 False (6) 11 Arrest (3) 12 Disorder (5) 13 Colloquium (7) 15 Club (3) 16 Mineral (3) 18 Dealer in cloth (6) 20 Viper (5) 21 Repair (3) 22 Number (3) 23 Courage (6) 25 Chubby (3) 28 Afterwards (5) 30 Big (5) 31 Amphibians (5) 32 Profound (4) 33 Price (4)

liMiTed adMission

MLCU

Applications are invited for Assistant Professor Position in the Department of Psychology.

Qualifications:- PhD and MSc in Counselling Psychology, Interested candidates may visit www.mlcuniv.in and view vacancy page for detailed information regarding specialization requirements and apply accordingly. Last date for applying will be on January 29, 2022.

For Sale bolero – 2018

White Colour regd. – NL-07 Price – 7 Lakhs running – 51000 KM Contact no : 9862387389

For Sale

blessed boys Hostel

east Police Colony, dimapur

For students preparing for various exams

Contact : 7005478110 7005726092

bolero Pickup

“Job VACANCy” DimAPur 1) Auto Carrier (Driver) 2) Tempo Carrier (Driver) rs. 7000 plus Incentives Contact No : 7085464260 DP-261/22

WANTED! WANTED! CArmEl Girl’s P.G.

Male Fastfood Cook For a Hotel at Kohima Salary : ` 7000 per month Fooding & Lodging Free Contact : 9366569701 k-120/22 7005759696

land For sale

at old showuba near Four Lane Area – 49980 sq. ft. # rs. 180/- per sq. ft.

Contact no : 9383015595 7005795188 DP-247/22

eMergenCy sale

land WiTH rCC building 5 rooms and 1 kitchen is for immediate sale.

Perfect location at Burma Camp Colony, Dimapur.

Contact : 9774379663

Upper Chandmari, kohima.

Near Bethel Hospital Ph.No. 8415804852 Free admission, Limited Seats

Land For UrGent SaLe

Total Area : 8160 sq. ft.

No filling required Location : Lane 9, B Khel, Kacharigaon (Phevima) village.

Next to St. Clare Hr. Sec. School. Seven minutes drive from eden Hospital. rate : rs. 270 per square feet No Broker Please only for genuine buyer Contact : 8787851832 9862864641 DP-290/22

land For sale Prime Land For SaLe

Model No. 2018, NL, Price rs. 7.50 (Negotiable)

at, a. PaduMPukHuri 1. 50 x 60 = rs. 990000 2. 100 x 100 = rs. 3200000 b. seiTHekeMa a Around 6 Bighas, [slope and plain]=rs. 65 sq. ft.

Contact : 8794848301

Mini TaTa 709

Model No. 2016, NL, Price rs. 7.50 (Negotiable) Contact no : 7005475182 9612632572 DP-292/22

For sale BoLero BS-VI 2021 (NL) BoLero PoWr + 2018 (NL) BoLero SLX 2014, 2015 (NL) BoLero SLX 2012, 2013 (NL) TerrANo 2016 (NL) DUSTer 2015, 2018 (NL) BreeZA VDI 2017 (NL) BreeZA ZDI + 2016 (NL) BALeNo 2017 (NL) eTIoS 2019 (NL) reNAULT KWID rXT 2015, 2019 (NL) DATSUN reDI Go 2017 (NL) eeCo 7str A/C 2017 (NL) VAN e-IV 2018 (NL) VAN e-III 2007, 2011 (NL) ALTo 800 LXI 2014, 2016 (NL) ALTo 800 STD. 2016 (NL) SWIFT 2016 (NL) BoLero PIC UP 2018 (NL) TATA MoBILe 2011 (NL) ForTUNer 2011 (NL) INNoVA 2019 (NL) GYPSY Auction e-II - e-III # 9774699215 / 8974247694

1. 25 x 40 = rs. 850000 2. 40 x 40 = rs. 1360000 3. 2 Bighas Location : Dimapur Town Contact : 9362619411

DP-273/22

Crossword

and instead shared by both.

The meeting also recommended recognising Tikhirs as an official tribe of Nagaland.

The consultative meeting was attended by Shamator-Chessore legislator S Keoshu, principal secretary to chief minister KD Vizo, principal secretary (home) Abhijit Sinha, convener of 14 Tribes of Nagaland KT Vilie and 10 representatives each from Yimkhiung Tribal Council and Tikhir Tribal Council.

Job Job Job

We need people with good writing skills for content writing projects.

WorK FroM HoMe Salary: 15000 – 35000 email your resume at admin@tribalpearlmedia.com

international market, gold was trading marginally up at USD 1,814.94 per ounce and silver was flat at USD 23.64 per ounce. “Gold prices have been steady around USD 1,800 lacking fresh triggers for directional trend,” he added.

sale land For sale land For at at Toluvi near

Sumi Baptist Church 160 x 70 sq. ft Price : rs. 190 per sq. ft.

Contact : 9862299504, 6909369365 DP-246/22

Thilixu village, block-vi Near Zoological Park Area measuring (3 Bighas) @ rs. 280/- per sq. ft.

(No Broker, Negotiable)

Contact no : 6009779403 9774278720 DP-253/22

Showroom & Godown For rent

 Independent Building with Parking Space  excellent location on Highway Location : 6th Mile (Highway), House available Chumukedima for rent For further information, Four Room Contact : 9054373620 Lower Forest Colony, Kohima Contact: 7005148684 9383312970

DP-284/22

(From p-1) Subsequently, the State cabinet on January 7 decided to constitute a “third party committee” to deliberate/consult on the issue of creation of Shamator district.

As reported in this newspaper, during the consultative meeting convened by commissioner, Nagaland on January 13, both the tribes– Yimkhungs and Tikhirs – agreed not to claim Shamator as an exclusive Yimkhiung or Tikhir district,

has approved sanction of remaining Rs 973.74 crore to SBI towards payment of these dues. On March 27, 2020, RBI announced a loan moratorium on payment of instalments of term loans falling due between March 1 and May 31, 2020, due to the pandemic. Later, the same was extended to August 31.

Financial and non-banking financial institutions were asked to credit the difference between compound and simple interest collected on loans of up to Rs 2 crore during the moratorium scheme by November 30, 2020.

The Ministry of Finance has said that after crediting this amount, lending institutions would claim reimbursement from the central government. SBI was made a nodal agency for reimbursement of claims.

within the Grant.

“In cases where reappropriation can be made without the requirement of Supplementary as per the extant provisions, no Supplementary proposal, including for a token amount, should be proposed.

“Such requirement may be met by re-appropriation of savings after obtaining approval of competent authority,” it said.

The cases that will be eligible to be incorporated under such demands include those where advances from the Contingency Fund of India have been granted.

Besides, payments against court decree will be included as well in cases where the finance ministry has specifically advised moving of supplementary demand in the budget session, it said.

The two-phase Budget session begins on January 31 and continues till April 8.

CommerCial SpaCe For rent

k-121/22

losT noTiCe

I, Chingmei L Konyak am applying for duplicate copy of NU registration Card of B.A. 1st Semester as I have lost it.

Name : Chingmei L Konyak F/Name : Langpai Konyak DoB : 01.04.2002 regd. No : 21160040 of 2021 College : eastern Christian College, Dimapur Contact : 9615283022

suitable for office, bank etc.

Area : 2800 sq. ft. Approx Location :

Tuesday Market, Firing range,

Main Junction, Lengrijan Contact : 7005542282, 7005047484

DP-291/22

Cab approves creation of Shamator district

NEW DELHI, JAN 19 (PTI): The government on Wednesday approved sanction of Rs 973.74 crore to State Bank of India (SBI) as reimbursement related to loan moratorium that was implemented in 2020 amid the pandemic.

Briefing media on the Cabinet decision, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur said the Budget had made provision of Rs 5,500 crore for the scheme of ex-gratia payment of difference between compound interest and simple interest for six months to borrowers in specified loan accounts.

Of this, Rs 4,626 crore payment was made in 202021, he said, adding, an additional claim of Rs 1,846 crore is pending. To clear this, he said, the Union Cabinet

DP-287/22

to produce a negative RT-PCR report, DNSU said it appeared that a vaccinated certificate holds no value for entry in the state.

Meanwhile, DNSU has asked that any students facing coercion imposed by the educational institutions to contact 9077416856 and 9862531781.

gram. “Gold prices traded slightly higher following a weak rupee,” according to Dilip Parmar, Research Analyst, HDFC securities.

Silver jumped Rs 1,603 to Rs 63,435 per kg from Rs 61,832 per kg in the previous trade. The rupee declined by 12 paise to 74.70 against the US dollar in opening trade on Wednesday. In the

DP-277/22

In this regard, DNSU has appealed to the government to come up with “a better strategy to cope with the situation as this directive only forces the student’s career to be affected.”

Also, reacting to latest SOP issued by the government asking all inbound travellers (whether vaccinated or not)

NEW DELHI, JAN 19 (PTI): Silver prices spurted

by Rs 1,603 per kg while gold was marginally up in the local market here on Wednesday amid a weaker rupee, according to HDFC Securities. Gold prices inched up

by Rs 16 to Rs 47,878 per 10 grams. In the previous trade, the precious metal had settled at Rs 47,862 per 10

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(From p-1) The union said it was “shocked” by the “non-sensible” directive of the state government to allow only vaccinated students in the institutions.

DNSU said it was confused as to why the vaccination certificate was so necessary for the students.

SBI to get Rs 973 cr for ex-gratia payment

tuality of surrender after obtaining supplementary grant is avoided,” it said.

The proposal for Supplementary Demands for Grants may be projected after a thorough and objective assessment of additional requirements of funds, it said.

“All the ministries and departments have been requested to contain the expenditure within the approved Revised Estimate ceilings,” it said.

The government estimates a fiscal deficit of 6.8 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in the current financial year ending on March 31.

Fiscal deficit is an indication of the government’s borrowing to meet the shortfall between expenditure and receipts from taxes and other sources.

The memorandum further said the demand proposal should be made after a thorough review of savings

Silver jumps Rs 1,603, gold marginally up

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NSF, DNSU slam vaccine mandate for...

NEW DELHI, JAN 19 (PTI): In a bid to maintain fiscal deficit within the targeted limit, the finance ministry has asked ministries and departments to restrict their expenses with the revised estimates.

The communication comes ahead of the Union Budget 2022-23, likely to be unveiled on February 1.

In an office memorandum seeking proposals for the third and final batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants, the economic affairs department under the finance ministry asked the ministries and departments to submit their proposals by February 10.

“While processing proposals for supplementary grants, the grant-controlling authority must invariably identify savings available within the grant so that the infructuous or inflated supplementary demands are weeded out and the even-

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YoY expansion of 9.3 per cent relative to our projected level for FY2022. The estimated growth in gross tax revenues for FY2023 is similar to our real GDP growth forecast of 9 per cent for that fiscal, given the impact of the recent duty relief on indirect tax collections.”

In the April-November 2021-22 period, gross tax revenues displayed a robust growth of 50.3 per cent.

“We estimate that higher tax and non-tax revenue collections this fiscal are expected to more than offset the shortfall in disinvestment revenue, leading to the fiscal deficit coming in at 6.6

MUMBAI, JAN 19 (IANS): There has been a significant growth in adoption as well as deepening of digital payments across the country, showed the Reserve Bank of India - Digital Payments Index (RBI-DPI) on Wednesday.

Accordingly, the index reading for September 2021 rose to 304.06 (index value) from 270.59 in March 2021.

“The RBI-DPI Index continues to demonstrate significant growth in adoption and deepening of digital payments across the country,” the RBI said in a statement.

Starting from March 2018, the index stood at 153.47 in March 2019, 173.49 in September 2019.

T h i s i m p r ove d t o 207.84 in March 2020, 217.74 in September 2020 and further increased to 270.59 in March 2021.

Earlier, the RBI had announced construction of the composite index with March 2018 as a base to capture the extent of digitisation of payments across the country.

FinMin asks ministries to restrict expenses within prescribed limit

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Recent data furnished by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) showed that the fiscal deficit -- the difference between revenue and expenditure -- for the April-November 2021-22 period stood at Rs 695,614 crore, or 46.2 per cent of the Budget estimates (BE).

“The GoI’s FY23 fiscal deficit is expected to moderate to Rs 15.2 trillion or 5.8 per cent of the GDP from Rs 16.6 trillion or 7.1 per cent of the GDP in FY2022,” said Aditi Nayar, Chief Economist, ICRA. “ We e s t i m a t e t h e GoI’s gross tax revenues in FY2023 at Rs 27 trillion, a

per cent of GDP in FY22, 20 BP lower than budgeted,” said India Ratings and Research’s Principal Economist, Sunil Kumar Sinha.

Besides, another factor aiding the FY23 fiscal consolidation is a reasonable likelihood that the process of the IPO for LIC will get completed in the next fiscal year, substantially augmenting the disinvestment receipts.

“As regards the fiscal projections for FY23, we believe that the focus will remain on growth stimulation and include higher revenue and capital expenditure outlay. Therefore, we don’t foresee any major reduction in the budgeted fiscal deficit for next year,” said Suman Chowdhury, Chief Analytical Officer, Acuite Ratings & Research.

“The key for meeting the fiscal deficit targets in not only FY22 but over the next few years will depend on the ability of the government to generate non tax revenues particularly from disinvestment and asset monetisation.”

Digital payments adoption accelerating: RBI-DPI

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Centre may lower deficit target for FY23

NEW DELHI, JAN 19 (IANS): Robust direct and indirect tax collections are expected to give enough headroom to the Centre to lower the fiscal deficit target for FY23.

Accordingly, industry watchers have estimated the FY23 fiscal deficit target to range from 5.8-6.4 per cent.

The FY22 deficit has been pegged at Rs 15.06 lakh crore.

“The Budget this year will be watched out for the pace of fiscal consolidation. The balancing factor for higher spending would be next year’s divestment target, which could still be kept robust even as BPCL (and possibly even mega LIC IPO) may get pushed to next fiscal,” said Madhavi Arora, Lead Economist, Emkay Global.

“The revenue expenditure pressure may continue in FY23 with the year being a heavy election calendar in key states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Gujarat, and early signs of easing consumption momentum, led by the rural areas.”

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2022

BUSINESS/STATE

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INTERNATIONAL

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2022

US boosts military aid to Ukraine amid tensions UK’s Johnson faces demands to resign KYIV (UKRAINE), JAN 19 (AP): As US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Ukraine, the Biden administration said Wednesday it’s providing an additional USD 200 million in defensive military aid to the country amid soaring fears of a Russian invasion.

A senior US State Department official said the assistance was approved in late December as part of American efforts to help Ukraine protect itself. Until Wednesday, however, the administration had refused to comment on it.

The official wasn’t authorised to discuss the matter publicly before Blinken’s meetings in Kyiv and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“We are committed to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and will continue to provide Ukraine the support it needs,” the official said. The official did not detail the contents of the aid package.

The announcement came as Blinken opened a hastily arranged visit to Kyiv as he and other administration officials step up warnings about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Antony Blinken speaks as he greets embassy staff at the U.S. embassy, in Kyiv, Ukraine, January 19.

The White House said Tuesday that Russia could at any point launch an attack in Ukraine. In comments to US Embassy staff in Kyiv, Blinken went further by saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin has plans to significantly enhance Moscow’s military presence near Ukraine’s border, which now numbers roughly 100,000 troops.

“We know that there are plans in place to increase that force even more on very short notice and that gives President Putin the capacity, also on very short notice, to take further aggressive action against Ukraine,” Blinken said.

After his meetings with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other senior Ukrainian officials and a short trip to Berlin for talks with German and other European allies on Thursday, Blinken will see his Russian counterpart in Geneva on Friday.

That meeting is aimed at testing Russia’s willingness to resolve the crisis diplomatically, officials said.

“We’re now at a stage where Russia could at any point launch an attack in Ukraine,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday. “And what Secretary Blinken is going to go do is highlight very

clearly there is a diplomatic path forward.”

The administration and its European allies have accused Putin of creating the crisis by massing troops along Ukraine’s borders and it is up to him and the Russians to decide whether to invade and suffer severe economic consequences.

The US has not concluded whether Putin plans to invade or whether the show of force is intended to squeeze security concessions without an actual conflict. Russia has brushed off calls to withdraw its troops by saying it has a right to deploy its forces wherever it likes on its own territory.

Blinken’s meetings follow inconclusive diplomatic talks between Moscow and the West in Europe last week that failed to resolve stark disagreements over Ukraine and other security matters.

Instead, those meetings appear to have increased fears of a Russian invasion, and the Biden administration has accused Russia of preparing a “false flag operation” to use as a pretext for intervention.

Russia has angrily denied the charge.

From Kyiv, Blinken will travel to Berlin, where he will meet with his German, British and French counterparts to discuss a possible response to any Russian military action.

In Geneva on Friday, Blinken will be testing Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Russia’s interest in a “diplomatic off-ramp” for the crisis, the State Department said.

“The trip follows extensive diplomacy with our European Allies and partners about a united approach to address the threat Russia poses to Ukraine and our joint efforts to encourage it to choose diplomacy and de-escalation in the interests of security and stability,” the department said.

CIA Director William Burns visited Kyiv last Wednesday to consult with his Ukrainian counterparts and discuss current assessments of the risk to Ukraine, a US official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss Burns’ schedule, which is classified.

While there, he also discussed the current situation with Zelenskyy and efforts to de-escalate tensions.

LO N D O N, JA N 1 9 (AGENCIES): British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday rebuffed calls to resign from opponents and some of his own lawmakers, fighting to save his premiership amid a deepening revolt inside his party over a series of lockdown parties in Downing Street.

Propelled into the top job to “get Brexit done”, Johnson in 2019 won his party’s biggest majority in more than 30 years. But he now faces calls for his resignation after a series of revelations about parties in Downing Street - the prime minister’s home and office during COVID lockdowns.

Johnson has repeatedly apologised for the parties and said he was unaware of many of them. However, he attended what he said he thought was a work event on May 20, 2020 which revellers had been told to “bring their own booze”.

“I have spent weeks and months defending the prime minister against often angry constituents,” Brexit-supporting Conservative lawmaker David Davis told parliament.

“But I expect my leaders to shoulder the respon-

Boris Johnson

sibility for the actions they take.” Davis cited a quote from a Conservative lawmaker, Leo Amery, to then Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain over his handling of war in 1940: “You have sat there too long for the good you have done. In the name of God, go.”

Asked directly by another lawmaker if he would resign, Johnson said: “No”.

Toppling Johnson would leave the United Kingdom in limbo for months just as the West deals with the Ukraine crisis and the world’s fifth largest economy grapples with the inflationary wave triggered by the COVID pandemic, with UK infla-

tion rising to the highest level in nearly 30 years. read more. To trigger a leadership challenge, 54 of the 360 Conservative MPs in parliament must write letters of no confidence to the chairman of the party’s 1922 Committee.

As many as 20 Conservative lawmakers who won their seats at the last national election in 2019 plan to submit letters of no confidence in Johnson, the Telegraph reported. A handful of others have already said they had written such letters.

An analysis by The Times newspaper showed that 58 Conservative lawmakers had openly criticised the prime minister.

WHO counts 18 million virus Pak to compensate 36 Chinese victims of hydro project terror attack cases last week as omicron slows GENEVA, JAN 19 (AP): The number of new coronavirus cases globally rose by 20 per cent last week to more than 18 million, marking a slowdown in the surge caused by the omicron variant’s spread, according to the World Health Organisation.

In its weekly report on the pandemic, the UN health agency said the number of new COVID-19 infections increased in every world region except for Africa, where cases fell by nearly a third. The number of deaths globally remained similar to the previous week, at about 45,000.

C o n f i r m e d C OVID-19 cases jumped by about 50 per cent the week before last, and earlier this

month, WHO reported the biggest single-week increase in cases of the pandemic.

WHO said in its report issued late Tuesday that Southeast Asia had the biggest rise in coronavirus cases last week, with the number of newly infected people spiking by 145 per cent. The Middle East saw a 68 per cent weekly rise.

The smallest increases were noted in the Americas and Europe, at 17 per cent and 10 per cent respec-

tively. Scientists said last week there were early signs in the US and Britain that omicron-driven outbreaks may have peaked in those countries and that cases could soon fall off sharply.

WHO DirectorGeneral Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Tuesday that that the highly infectious variant “continues to sweep the world.” He said it was ”misleading” to consider it as causing mild disease, although studies have shown omicron is less likely to result in severe illness or hospitalisation than its predecessors.

“We are concerned about the impact omicron is having on already exhausted health workers and overburdened health systems,” Tedros said.

ISLAMABAD, JAN 19 (PTI): The Pakistan government will compensate the 36 Chinese nationals working on a major hydropower project who either died or were injured in a terrorist attack in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province last year, a move aimed at placating its allweather ally, a media report said on Wednesday.

On July 13 last year, 10 Chinese nationals, mostly engineers, were killed and 26 others were seriously injured after a suicide attack on a bus that was ferrying them to the work site of the Dasu Hydropower Project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

Pakistan’s Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), headed by Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin, will decide on the quantum of compensation to be paid

to these Chinese victims, with figures starting at USD 4.6 million and spanning up to USD 20.3 million, the Express Tribune newspaper reported.

The Dasu Hydropower Project is funded by the World Bank and does not fall under the ambit of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The compensation payment is aimed at removing a major irritant

in bilateral relations, the report said.

Cash-strapped Pakistan has decided to make the payment despite there was no legal or contractual obligation on the government, it said.

China reportedly retaliated and cancelled a scheduled meeting of the Joint Cooperation Committee of the CPEC, the report said.

Following the terror

attack, the Chinese contractors had also stopped work on the project and demanded a compensation to the tune of USD 37 million, which was a whopping 500 per cent more than what the Chinese government would have provided if the attack had occurred in China, the report said.

The Pakistan government had initially tried to downplay the terror attack, by terming the incident as gas leakage. But later Islamabad acknowledged that it was a terrorist attack. China had also sent a group of experts to probe the attack.

Incidentally, four Pakistani nationals were also killed in the attack, but the Imran Khan government has not provided details whether they would be eligible for compensation,

the report said.

The move to compensate Chinese nationals comes barely two days after the ruling Pakistani-Tehreek Insaf (PTI) government had transferred funds and the first salary to the widow of the Sri Lankan citizen Priyantha Kumara, who was brutally lynched to death by an irate mob in December last year in Sialkot over allegations of blasphemy, Geo TV reported.

“Funds of USD 100000 and the first salary of USD 1667 committed

by Rajco Industries for the next 10 years announced

by Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI have been transferred to the account of the widow of the deceased Sri Lankan manager Mr Priyantha Kumara in Sri Lanka,” the PTI had said in a tweet.

Pak EC orders declassification of key documents in Imran’s party Al-Qaida’s links with Pak-based terror

Afghan aircraft parked abroad unlikely to be returned NEW DELHI, JAN 19 (IANS): The Pentagon has said that no final decision has been made about the Afghan aircraft parked in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, but it is likely that these aircraft will not be returned to Afghanistan, Tolo News reported.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby, in response to a question on the fate of the aircraft, said “it is safe to assume” that the aircraft will not be sent back to Afghanistan.

“I don’t have any update on it for you or any decision about how they will be handled. But it is safe to

assume that they will not be sent into Afghanistan to be used by the Taliban,” he said, as per the report.

He said the US is still working towards a decision about the aircraft.

Kirby’s remarks follow comments by acting Afghan Defense Minister Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob, who on January 11 at a ceremony in Kabul called on Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to return Afghan aircraft. “Our aircraft that are in Tajikistan or Uzbekistan should be returned. We will not allow these aircraft to remain abroad or to be used by those countries,” he said.

released along with the report, the Dawn newspaper said.

T h e s e d o c u m e n t s, which will be made public, will include all the papers sought by the ECP through the state of Pakistan, in its letter dated July 3, 2018, the newspaper report said.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander

said meaningful scrutiny was not possible unless critical pieces of evidence were made public, in line with an earlier order of the commission.

The CEC directed PTI counsel Anwar Mansoor to file a written reply by the next date of hearing and adjourned the hearing till February 1, the report said.

Talking to reporters after the hearing, Minister of State for Information Farrukh Habib said that PTI was the only political party that attaches any importance to transparency in the fund-collection process.

He alleged that Babar was on the payroll of opposition PML-N and had been exposed by the findings of the scrutiny committee.

groups continue to strengthen: India at UN

NEW YORK, JAN 19 (PTI): Al-Qaida’s linkages with UNSC proscribed Pa k i s t a n - b a s e d t e r r o r groups like LeT and JeM has continued to strengthen, India’s envoy to the UN has said, underlining that the recent developments in Afghanistan have only served to re-energise the terrorist group.

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti told the International Counter-Terrorism Conference 2022 organised by the Global Counter-Terrorism Council on Tuesday that the Islamic State (ISIS) has changed its modus operan-

SL shuts down power station as fuel runs out

NEW DELHI, JAN 19 (IANS): Sri Lanka on Wednesday faced a severe crisis after it had to shut down the Kelanitissa Power Plant during the night due to the lack of diesel. The power plant generates 300 megawatts of electricity on a daily basis.

With a severe foreign exchange shortage that the country has been facing for the past many months, Sri Lanka has not been able to import oil. The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) could not supply diesel to the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), due to which the entire country is facing a power cut of 1.5 hours, reports the Daily Mirror.

While the Kelanitissa Power Plant was shut down

today, one of the generators of the Sapugaskanda Power Plant was shut down on Tuesday due to the lack of heavy furnace oil. Currently, only half of the plant is functioning after it received 900 metric tonnes of emergency furnace oil.

Media reports indicate that more turbines are likely to be shut down by Wednes-

day afternoon due to the fuel shortage. The power shortage can go up to 2.5 hours.

The government is also looking at prioritising diesel allocation between power plants and vehicles. Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila told reporters on Wednesday morning that priority would be given to diesel vehicles otherwise

these will come to a complete standstill.

In November, the Sapugaskanda oil refinery had come to a halt for 50 days after Sri Lanka could not procure crude oil.

With the power crisis engulfing the entire country, Gammanpila said the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation will provide diesel for eight days from a ship anchored off Sri Lankan shores with 37,500 metric tonnes of fuel, reports the Economy Next website.

To stave off part of the crisis, the CEB is using stored water to generate electricity from hydropower plants, which can reduce water supplies for irrigation-thus raising the spectre of a food crisis as well.

di with its core focus is now on regaining ground in Syria and Iraq, and its regional affiliates are strengthening their expansion, especially in Africa and in Asia.

“Similarly, al-Qaida remains a major threat and recent developments in Afghanistan have only served to re-energise them. AlQaida’s linkages with Security Council proscribed terrorist entities like Lashkar e-Taiba and Jaish-eMohammed has continued to strengthen. Its regional affiliates in Africa continue to expand,” he said.

Tirumurti, who is also the Chair of the UNSC Counter-terrorism Com-

mittee for 2022, said that in the global counter-terrorism domain, the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 had proved to be a “turning point in our approach towards terrorism.”

The September 11 attacks highlighted that the threat of terrorism is grave and universal and can only be defeated by the collective efforts of all UN member states, he said.

Tirumurti also said that terrorism in one place can directly impact peace and security in another.

“Consequently, the era of classifying terrorists as “your terrorist” and “my terrorist” was over.

AwotsAkilimi students’ union FelicitAtion

With immense pride and joy the Awotsakilimi Students’ Union would like to extend or heartiest congratulations to Dr. Otoli K. Achumi , D/o Mr. Khutovi Achumi and Mrs. Akiholi Achumi for completing her Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) form Government Dental College and Hospital, Mumbai.

The Union further wishes her more success and happiness in all her future endeavours.

(Abigail shikhu) President

(Bepto Achumi) Gen. Secy.

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of Rs PKR 312 million over a four-year period, between FY 2009-10 and FY 2012-13, the report said.

The year-wise details reveal that an amount in excess of PKR 145 million was underreported in FY 2012-13 alone, it said.

These documents were part of this Scrutiny Committee report, but were not

Sultan Raja passed the order on Tuesday, when the counsel for the petitioner said that certain critical portions of the report had been kept secret and his client was being denied access to them.

The CEC directed that no part of the report should be kept confidential and the whole report should be provided to the petitioner, the report said.

The ECP had kept the documents away from the public domain after PTI had objected to sharing the documents with Akbar S. Babar, the ruling party’s founding member and the petitioner in this case, it added.

Describing the Scrutiny Committee’s report as ‘dishonest’, Babar’s counsel Syed Ahmad Hassan Shah

OFFICE OF THE

NATIONALIST DEMOCRATIC PROGRESSIVE PARTY (NDPP) 27th MOKOKCHUNG TOWN ASSEMBLY CONSTITUENCY "Facta Non Verba" Regd. No. 56/222/2017-17/PPS-1

APPRECIATION

All the ranks and files of NDPP 27th Mkg Town Assembly constituency would like to express our profound heartfelt gratitude to our Hon'ble Minister Rural Development, Govt. of Nagaland Shri Metsubo Jamir for providing financial assistance for conducting the party constituency tour with the Theme "PARTY STRENGTHENING"on 18th of Jan. 2022.

We pray that our Almighty God continue to give our Hon'ble leader good health and wisdom in all his future endeavours.

Sd. Sashi Imchen C. Tia Longkumer Gen. Secretary President (Administration )

mkc-20/22

ISLAMABAD, JAN 19 (PTI): Pakistan’s election commission has ordered the declassification of key documents linked to the foreign funding case against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf, a move that could potentially spell more trouble for Prime Minister Imran Khan, a media report said on Wednesday.

According to a damning report released earlier this month by the Election Commission of Pakistan’s Scrutiny Committee, Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) had grossly under-reported funds received from foreign nationals, firms and also concealed bank accounts.

The ruling party had under-reported an amount

INFOTAINMENT

10

NASA’s Curiosity Rover finds carbon signature on Mars S of the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) chemistry lab aboard Curiosity until retiring from NASA in December 2021, in the statement.

“So we’re looking at what else could have caused the carbon signature we’re seeing, if not life,” he added.

As the carbon signals they detected are unusual, scientists in a report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences jour nal war n that the two planets are so different they can’t make

Actor Gaspard Ulliel dies aged 37 after skiing accident

F

rench actor Gaspard Ullilel has died at the age of 37 after a skiing accident.

Ullilel, who starred in Saint Laurent and will soon feature in Disney+ series The Moon Knight, was rushed to hospital after an accident in the Alps on Tuesday (January 18).

The actor collided with another skiier at a crossing point and suffered head trauma as a result, according to The Guardian.

He was hospitalised in Grenoble but did not survive his injuries.

Gaspard Ullilel starred in 2001’s Brotherhood of the Wolf alongside Vincent Cassel and Monica Bellucci.

He won a prestigious Cesar award for most promising actor for his role in A Very Long Engagement opposite Audrey Tautou.

He also won a Cesar award for playing the main role in Xavier Dolan’s 2017 film It’s Only The End of the World.

I

T h e a c t o r p l ay e d a number of iconic characters and real-life people, including young Hannibal Lecter in prequel project Hannibal Rising and fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent in biopic Saint Laurent.

French prime minister Je a n C a s t ex p a i d h i s respects on Twitter, writing: “Gaspard Ullilel grew up with cinema and cinema grew up with him. They loved each other madly.

“It is with a heavy heart that we will now see his most beautiful performances and cross this certain look.”

In Moon Knight, Gaspard Ullilel will appear as Midnight Man, alongside Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke in the forthcoming new Marvel series project.

The actor is survived by his longterm girlfriend Gaëlle Piétri and their son.

An investigation into the circumstances of Ullilel’s death has been opened.

(NME)

definitive conclusions based on Earth examples.

The biological explanation Curiosity scientists present in their paper is inspired by Earth life. It involves ancient bacteria in the surface that would have produced a unique carbon signature as they released methane into the atmosphere where ultraviolet light would have converted that gas into larger, more complex molecules.

These new molecules would have rained down to the surface and now could be preserved with their

distinct carbon signature in Martian rocks.

Two other hypotheses offer non-biological explanations. One suggests the carbon signature could have resulted from the interaction of ultraviolet light with carbon dioxide gas in the Martian atmosphere, producing new carbon-containing molecules that would have settled to the surface.

And the other speculates that the carbon could have been left behind from a rare event hundreds of millions of years ago when the solar system passed through a giant molecular cloud rich in the type of carbon detected.

“A l l t h r e e explanations fit the data,” said Christopher House, a Curiosity scientist based at Penn State who led the carbon study. “ We s i m p ly n e e d more data to rule them in or out.”

(IANS)

Grammy Awards evening to be held for the first time in Vegas

S

i n g i n g l e ge n d L a t a Mangeshkar, who was admitted in the ICU of a city hospital here, is stable, her spokesperson said on Wednesday. The 92-year-old singer tested positive for coronavirus with mild symptoms and was admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital in south Mumbai on January 9.

“Lata Di is stable.

Will come home after the doctors give the nod,” Anusha Srinivsan Iyer, the spokesperson for Mangeshkar, said in a statement. Two days ago, Mangeshkar’s condition was repor tedly said to be deteriorating and the spokesperson had then dubbed the news as false.

“It is disturbing to see false news being circulated.

Please note that Lata didi is stable. Continues to be in ICU under treatment of able doctors”. (PTI)

T

he 64th Grammy Awards, which were earlier scheduled to be held here on January 31, have been moved to a later date owing to the surge in the Omicron variant in downtown Los Angeles.

The ceremony will now be held on April 3 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, for which Trevor Noah, longrunning host of ‘The Daily Show’ and of the 2021 Grammys, will return as master of ceremonies, reports ‘Variety’.

Additional details

K Y M C

work, a McGill Universityled team has created a massive new dataset of close to 7,000 examples of changing traits in various populations around the world, from house sparrows and gray wolves to freshwater snails and Canadian goldenrod.

The dataset is 80 per cent larger than any that existed in the past and documents trait changes that are a mixture of evolution and immediate (plastic) responses to the environment.

Human disturbances affect evolution.

“We have come a long

live on April 3 night on CBS. Jon Batiste is leading the 2022 Grammy nominee list with 11 nods, followed

by Justin Bieber, Doja Cat and H.E.R. with eight noms each. Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo have seven nominations apiece.

Jesse Collins, Raj Kapoor and Ben Winston will serve as executive producers, with Kapoor, an Indian American entertainment executive, taking over the reins f r o m Wi n s t o n a s t h e showrunner.

(IANS)

‘Lord of the Rings’ OTT series title revealed in dramatic promo Britney alleges her father

T

he makers of ‘Lord of the Rings’ series, which will be streaming on Amazon Prime Video, revealed its full title in a new video on Wednesday, reports ‘Variety’.

The video, made using practical effects, shows molten metal filling up the grooves in a piece of wood even as a woman’s voice narrates: “Three rings for the Elven kings under the sky. Seven for the dwarf lords in their halls of stone. Nine for mortal men, doomed to die. One for the dark lord on his dark throne in the land of Mordor where the shadows lie.”

The narration leads to the full title reveal: ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’. It was earlier confirmed, according to ‘Variety’,

that the show would take place during the so-called Second Age, when the Rings of Power were forged

by Sauron. The title now indicates that the rings will be a major part of the show.

The highly anticipated epic fantasy series will make its debut on Prime Video on September 2, 2022, post which new episodes will drop weekly.

Showr unners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay told ‘Variety’: “This is a title that we imagine could live on the spine of a book next to J.R.R. Tolkien’s other classics. ‘The Rings of Power’ unites all the major stories of Middle Earth’s Second Age: the forging of the rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the epic tale of Númenor, and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.” (IANS)

YouTube likely to stop making most original shows

V

ideo streaming giant YouTube is likely to scale back a significant portion of YouTube Originals, which produced original content including scripted series, educational videos and music and celebrity programming.

Going forward, the company will only fund originals in the YouTube Kids Fund and the Black Voices Fund, a programme created in 2020 that committed $100 million to “amplify” Black creators on the platform, reports The Verge.

“With rapid growth comes new opportunities and now our investments

can make a greater impact on even more creators when applied towards other initiatives, like our Creator Shorts Fund, Black Voices Fund, and Live Shopping programming to name a few,” Robert Kyncl, Chief business officer for YouTube shard a statement on Twitter.

YouTube Originals has changed approaches throughout the years.

Created in 2016 and led by Susanne Daniels, it began with scripted shows and movies focused on creators, like the comedy-thriller series Scare PewDiePie. In 2017, YouTube said the

subscriber-only first season of originals racked up 250 million views.

The company began pivoting toward ad-supported content featuring celebrities like Katy Perry and Kevin Hart, free for users to access without a subscription. (IANS)

Evolution a rapid process all the time, say researchers

s evolution a rapid process, happening “all around us all the time”?

Evolutionists point to an example of the horn size of Alberta bighorn sheep that has decreased due to trophy hunting.

They say wild populations must continuously adapt to environmental changes or risk extinction.

For more than 50 ye a r s, s c i e n t i s t s h ave described instances of “rapid evolution” in specific populations as their traits (phenotypes) change in response to var ying stressors.

For example, Spanish clover has developed a tolerance for copper from the mine tailings in which it grows.

But until now it hasn’t been possible to reach any overarching conclusions about how different factors (such as harvesting, climate change, invasive species, or pollution) shape this rapid (now called “contemporary”) evolution.

Building on earlier

about the dates and locations of other official Grammy Week events, including the Premiere Ceremony, the MusiCares Person of the Year benefit concert (which will honour Joni Mitchell), and the Clive Davis PreGrammy Gala (honouring Sony Music chief Rob Stringer) are still awaited, according to ‘Variety’.

This is the first time in the history of the prestigious award ceremony that it will be held in Las Vegas.

The move has bumped the CMT Awards, which were originally scheduled to air

way from the old view of evolution as a slow process to the point where we are now realising that everything is evolving all around us all the time,” says Andrew Hendry, a Professor of Biology at the Redpath Museum of McGill and the co-senior a u t h o r o n t h e p a p e r, “The Pace of Moder n Life, Revisited”, recently published in Molecular Ecology.

The researchers were especially interested in how various types of human disturbance influence changes in traits. “We found a small but real

difference in rates of change between human disturbed and natural populations,” explains Kiyoko Gotanda, the co-senior author, and an Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at Brock University where the data is housed.

“Moreover, the very highest rates of change are nearly always those associated with intensive human disturbance,” adds Hendry.

The researchers say pollution has a significant impact on evolution.

Analyses of the expanded dataset also confirms that harvesting

by humans results in larger rates of change than nonhuman disturbances, and that introduced populations have increased rates of change.

I n t e r e s t i n g ly, t h e researchers found that pollution was responsible for the most rapid rate of phenotypic change -- with zinc tolerance in tufted hair grass increasing by 80 per cent over 26 years, for example.

They also suggest that it is now difficult to judge what is a “natural habitat” since climate change is probably affecting most populations.

“The critical next q u e s t i o n i s h ow t h i s c o n t e m p o r a r y c h a n ge matters for populations, communities, and ecosystems, as well nature’s contribution to people,” adds first author Sarah Sanderson, a PhD candidate in Biology at McGill. “ W e k n o w, f o r instance, that salmon have been getting smaller over the last century. This reduction in body size of

such an important fish has huge impacts -- birds, bears, and fish now have less to eat, indigenous people have to catch more fish per meal, and the payoff is lower for commercial fishers.”

“Similar effects must surely attend many of the other trait changes observed in countless organisms across the globe,” adds Hendry. (IANS)

pitched cooking reality show

T

he legal fight between the pop icon Britney Spears and her father Jamie seems to be turning ugly as new documents filed by the singer’s a t t o r n e y, M a t h ew Rosengart, state that her father and his lawyers squeezed more than $36 million from her estate throughout the course of the c o n s e r va t o r s h i p, reports ‘Variety’.

Jamie Spears also tried to pitch a cooking reality show in 2015 to n e t wo r k s. T h e show would have been titled ‘Cookin’ Cruzin’ and ‘Chaos with Jamie Spears’, using his earnings in his role as conservator, to advance his catering business.

T h e d o c u m e n t s, accessed by ‘Variety’, were filed in response to the father’s request to the court to have his daughter continue paying his legal fees, despite being suspended from her conservatorship. “ M r. S p e a r s a l s o ex p l o i t e d h i s r o l e a s Conservator to prevail upon Ms Spears’s tour staff to help him turn his catering business into a Hollywood career,” the documents read. They went on to state that Jamie Spears earned

$6,314,307.99 throughout the conservatorship, with the most recent payment being $192,000 in 2020.

The papers, quoted by ‘Variety’, described Jamie Spears as “an ignominiously suspended conservator -of a conservatorship that has been terminated”, and noted that he now sought “to syphon even more money from his daughter”.

They added: “Mr Spears should be required to pay his legal fees ... if he has already dissipated those funds, he should consider hiring other, less expensive counsel whom he can afford.” (IANS)

REN’S CREAMY CREATIONS Learn to be a Self Dependant

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9.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon

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cientists at NASA’s Curiosity rover have found a type of carbon that on Earth is associated with biological processes from several powdered rock samples collected from the surface of Mars.

While the finding is intriguing, it doesn’t necessarily point to ancient life on Mars, scientists said they have not yet found conclusive suppor ting evidence of ancient or current biology there, such as sedimentary rock formations produced by ancient bacteria, or a diversity of complex organic molecules formed by life, according to a NASA statement. “ We ’ r e f i n d i n g things on Mars that are tantalisingly interesting, but we would really need more evidence to say we’ve identified life,” said Paul Mahaffy, who served as the principal investigator

Lata Mangeshkar is stable: Spokesperson

NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2022

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NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2022

T Khel leads with 18 medals on day-3 of Nuzosa is Chozuba range wrestling champion Kohima Village Sports Association meet

Winners flanked by other position holders with Razouvolie Dozo and CRWA officials on Wednesday at Chozuba. (NP) Correspondent

C H O Z U BA , JA N 1 9 (NPN): Nuzosa Nyekha emerged as the champion of 29th Wrestling meet of Chozuba Range Wrestling Association (CRWA) held at Chozuba Town under Phek district on Wednesday.

Nyekha weighing 87 Kg, hails from Chozuba

village walked away with cash prize of Rs 90,000.

Kübere Nyekha from Suthozu Nagwu village was placed in the second position and he bagged a cash prize of Rs 70,000.

Vetazo Veswuh came in the third position while Mulusu Veswuh was placed in the fourth place, they both hailed from Suthozu Nagwu village and they

receive Rs 50,000 and Rs 30,000 respectively.

In junior category, 16-year-old Suthito Rhakho, weighing 79 kg, from Suthozu Nagwu village emerged as the champion and walked away with a cash prize of Rs 20,000 while Mudeyi Ringa from Chozuba Town came in the second position and pocketed Rs 15,000.

In the third position came Mudozo Tetseo from Thuvopisu village and Ruku Khusoh from Khusomi village stood fourth and they received Rs 9000 and Rs 6000 respectively.

Earlier, Phek deputy commissioner (DC), Razouvolie Dozo, graced the meet as the chief guest.

In his speech he urged the wrestlers to maintain disci-

pline to excel in the field of games and sports.

Dozo viewed that wrestling itself had become a festival and suggested to the organisers to enhance the prize money and other incentives to encourage and draw more attention to the wrestlers.

He called upon the people to follow all Covid appropriate behaviors, get vaccinated and stay safe from the pandemic.

President’s address was delivered by CRWA president Dr. Chekhwuveyi Khusoh, while Sekruzu BDO, Chitsoru Vasa, dedicated the wrestling meet.

The programme was chaired by CRWA vice president Kupopra Rhakho while CRWA general secretary Sevonyi Keyho administered oath to the wrestlers.

Altogether, 56 wrestlers took part in the senior category and 34 in the junior category.

Later, the closing function was chaired by CRWA press secretary Vesekho while vote of thanks was proposed by CRWA finance secretary Ruyovo Keyho.

One of the participants jumps during the senior men’s long jump of KVSA meet on Wednesday in Kohima. (NP) Correspondent

D I M A P U R , JA N 1 9 (NPN): Tsütuonuomia khel is leading with 18 medals altogether on the third day of the ongoing Kohima Village Sports Association (KVSA) meet on Wednesday in Kohima.

In the 4x100 relay race (women), L khel bagged top position with a time

58.34 seconds followed

by T khel 59.06 sec. while in men’s category, T khel bagged first place then followed by P khel.

I n d i s c u s s t h r ow, Khrietseizo Khezhie (Dkhel) secured first position followed by Vizakietuo Suohu (T-khel) and third by Vizosietuo Pienyü (P khel) while in shotput Khriesiesanuo Whuorie of

T-khel bagged the top position, while Kelhousenuo Khruomo of L-khel and Neilavonuo Kire of D khel secured second and third respectively.

I n Jave l i n t h r o w (women), Dzüvichünuo Rutsa of P khel secured first position followed by Kevimesanuo Sote (P khel) and third by Neikevinuo Emilia Vizo of L khel.

Cup: Young 4th Aphuyemi Cup 2022 enters day-2 Raku Rhakho is LWA wrestling champ Unity Star, Big Shots register wins

Winners, participants and officials after the LWA wrestling meet.

DIMAPUR, JAN 19 (NPN): Raku Rhakho emerged as the champion (senior) of the Lozaphuhu Wrestling Association (LWA) 54th senior and second under 16 wrestling meets on January 18 at Lozaphuhu village.

The event was graced by executive engineer, PWD (NH), 6th Division Phek, Er. T. Nungsangtemjen as the special guest.

In senior categor y, Husato Tsutso, Huvo Vese and Vesheto Vese bagged the 2nd, 3rd and 4th positions respectively.

In the under 16 years category, Sahiku Rhakhoemerged as the champion while Vemunu Rhakho, Ru-

vevo Rhakho and Mhaneto Vese bagged the 2nd, 3rd and 4th positions respectively. Altogether, 6 wrestlers will participate in the Area Wrestling Meet for senior category and 2 wrestlers in the under 16 years category.

The special guest in his speech, emphasized on the importance of indigenous games and that it should be preserved due to its uniqueness passed on by our predecessors. Apart from wrestling, he opined that one should promote and showcase indigenous games as there are numerous games waning due to various external factors.

Nungsangtemjen also challenged the wrestlers to be

determined and move forward to a larger audience and bring laurels to the society.

Meanwhile, the programme was chaired by Niekhoyi Rhakho, pastor, Lozaphuhu Baptist Church, Rev. Kevengoi Sakha, opened the day with prayer and Zashepa Khamo delivered the presidential address. Indigenous tune was presented by Tavezo Tetseo and Sovezo Sakha while Zhokhochi Vese administered the oath. Vote of thanks was pronounced by Nuvetso Vese and the program culminated with benediction by Catechist, Lozaphuhu Catholic Church, Sukhuveyi Tetseo.

D I M A P U R , JA N 1 9 (NPN): Young Star CC and Big Shots CC have won their respective matches on January 19 at the ongoing 7th Unity Cup Cricket tournament organized by Nepali Baptist Church Chümoukedima Youth Sports Ministry at local ground Chümoukedima.

In the first match, Young Star CC won the match by 9 wickets against XI Star CC. XI Star CC batted first and scored 149 runs in 20 overs.

Chasing the target, Young Star openers Grayson and Vijay played half century knock 70 and 64 giving 100 runs partnership and chased the target in 12.4 balls. Grayson was adjudged man of the match for his 70 runs knock.

In the second match, Big Shots won the match by 4 wickets against Catch Droppers CC. Catch droppers CC batted first and could manage to a team total of 66 runs falling all the wickets in the 16th over.

Chasing the target, Big Shots chased down the target in the 9th over losing six wickets. Wasim was the top scorer with 27 runs.

Wasim was adjudged the man of the match for his knock and for clinching 3 wickets.

St Pauli knocks Dortmund out of DFB Cup

FC St Pauli players applaud fans after winning the match against Borussia Dortmund.

H A M B U RG, JA N 1 9 (AGENCIES): Holders Borussia Dortmund suffered a shock exit from the German Cup at the hands of second-tier leaders St Pauli on Tuesday, going down 2-1 in the third round.

Etienne Amenyido gave St Pauli a fourth-minute lead from close range and Axel Witsel’s own goal in the 40th minute doubled the hosts’ advantage.

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Erling Haaland’s penalty just before the hour mark reduced the arrears but St Pauli hung on to reach the last eight and secure a first win over Dortmund for 33 years.

“We caused ourselves several problems in the opening 15 minutes and also conceded a goal straightaway. That’s when it gets difficult,” head coach Marco Rose said.

“The way we went about trying to score the equaliser in the first half was a little rash. After going 2-0 down, we adjusted a few things. But the key issue is how we, as the holders, started this cup battle. We didn’t get that right.”

Bayern Munich were knocked out 5-0 by Borussia Moenchengladbach in round two meaning that for the first time since 2011 at

least one of Bayern or Dortmund will not be in the final.

Bundesliga side FC Cologne also went out to second-tier opposition as they lost on penalties to Hamburg SV after the tie ended 1-1. Bochum beat Mainz 3-1 in an all-Bundesliga clash.

In the night’s other tie second-tier Karlsruher beat 1860 Munich 1-0 thanks to a Marvin Wanitzek penalty.

D I M A P U R , JA N 1 9 (NPN): The 4th Aphuyemi Cup 2022 under the aegis of Aphuyemi Football Club (AFC) entered its second day on Wednesday at Pughoboto Town local ground.

In the first match, Natsumi FC beat Secret FC 2-1. Tokishe and Pekiye scored for Natsumi FC while for team Secret, Hnantilo was the lone goal scorer.

In second match, Chisholimi FC hold 1-1 draw against Heboluto FC. Eshong Chisholimi FC scored in the fourth minutes which was the opening goal. While Bovika Chishi for team Heboluto FC scored in the 48 minutes.

In the third match, Spireites FC defeated

Strive Chisholimi FC (black) and Centre Club Mukali FC (yellow) in action on the second day of the 4th Aphuyemi Cup in Pughoboto.

Mishili Phuye FC 4-1 where Xukuto scored in the 4th minutes, Botoho in the 14th, 16th minutes for team Spireites FC while

for team Mishili Phuye FC, Bovito scored in the 18th minutes. Akavi scored the fourth goal for Spireites FC in the 42 minutes.

The last match between Centre Club Mukali and Chisholimi United FC was played out a goalless draw.

Dembele must sign new deal or leave Barca: Xavi BARCELONA, JAN 19 (IANS): Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez has urged Ousmane Dembele to make a final decision on whether he is willing to renew his contract, which is set to expire next summer or the club will look for an exit for him.

“I don’t want to disrespect anyone. The message is clear. Either he renews or we search for an exit solution,” said Xavi at a press conference on Wednesday.

“We are in a complicated situation and we have been very clear with Ousmane. He wants to stay but it has not been agreed so we have to

46th edition of RSA tournament finals today D I M A P U R , JA N 1 9 (NPN): The 46th edition of Rengma Sports Association (RSA) that began on January 10 entered its 8th day with the semi-finals concluded on January 19.

The final match of the tournament will be played January 20 at RSA ground Tseminyu Old Town between Kandi Sports Association the defending champion of the 45th edition United Brothers Tesophenyu.

The event of the final match will be graced by Deputy Commissioner Tseminyu, Dr. Zasekuolie Chusi, IAS as the guest of honour. While the women’s volleyball final will be played between Tseminyu village youth organisation and Sendenyu Chipwen Sports Association. The event will conclude with RSA extravaganza night featuring Cotton Country live on the stage at RSA ground.

make a decision as a club and that is either to renew or find an exit. It’s a shame. He has played every possible minute since I have been coach,” the coach said.

It had been reported that Barcelona were yet to decide on a firm plan in the case Dembele does not renew. But it seems the decision has been made, at least on Barca’s side, with Dembele’s camp yet to provide a definitive answer.

Barcelona are desperate to avoid Dembele leaving on a free transfer when his contract expires in the summer and would at least pocket a fee

for the 24-year-old if he is sold in the current transfer window.

Dembele has suffered numerous injuries since joining Barca from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth 140 million euros (158.9 million dollars), in 2017.

Yet after losing several key players to reduce the club’s debts, Barcelona have been keen to keep the Frenchman, who remains one of the team’s most talented players. Xavi would not confirm whether Dembele will be involved on Thursday when Barcelona play away at Athletic Bilbao in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey.

7th edition SASA kicks off

Picto Shohe, MLA speaking at the inaugural programme of SASA meet.

D I M A P U R , JA N 1 9 (NPN): The 7th edition of Saptiqa Area Sports Association (SASA) under the moto “Encouraging Youngsters” kicked started on January 19 at Usütomi village with Picto Shohe, MLA as the chief guest.

The event will culminate on January 22 with president Dimapur District Motor Parts Dealer Asso-

ciation, Amrito Achiki as the guest of honour.

Chief guest Er. Picto Shohe, MLA while expressing his gratitude to SASA for inviting him to the tournament, highlighted the life testimony of Dr. T. Ao and encouraged all the players to be well disciplined physically and spiritually like Dr. T Ao. The president of

SASA Ayito P. Shohe further encouraged all the players to be disciplined and show a true sportsmanship spirit to all.

The programme was chaired by assistant general secretary of SASA, Aboka Awomi while the welcome address was delivered by Kashiho Shohe the village chairman of Usütomi.

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NAGALAND POST, DIMAPUR THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2022

South Africa go 1-0 against India in first ODI E. Bengal register ISL season’s first win PAARL, JAN 19 (PTI): India’s inexplicable middle-order collapse ensured that fine half-centuries from Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli did not count for much as the team was handed a 31-run defeat by a resolute South Africa in the opening ODI here on Wednesday.

Chasing a challenging 297, India were cruising at 138 for one before wickets fell in a heap dashing the hopes of the visitors who trail 0-1 in the three-match series. India’s innings ended at 265 for eight.

South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma (110 off 143) and Rassie van der Dussen (129 not out off 96) had scored contrasting hundreds en route to their 204-run stand to take South Africa to 296 for four after opting to bat.

India were comfortably placed to get home when Kohli (51 off 63) and Dhawan (79 off 84) were in the middle but it all came crashing down with the end of their 92-run stand.

India have been guilty of relying too much on their top three in the past and once again, the middleorder could not capitalise on the platform provided

South African captain Temba Bavuma plays a shot while Rishabh Pant and Viratb Kohli look on during the first ODI match between South Africa and India in Paarl. (AP/PTI)

by Kohli and Dhawan after they lost skipper K L Rahul (12) cheaply.

Chase master Kohli, playing his first game since his captaincy tenure ended across formats last weel, hardly broke a sweat in reaching his half-century before a sweep shot off Tabraiz Shami, a stroke he doesn’t play regularly, led to his downfall leaving him in disbelief.

Dhawan looked in sublime touch during his stay and played the Test series’

rising star Marco Jansen rather comfortably, collecting five of his 10 fours off the tall left-arm pacer.

The stage was set for the likes of Rishabh Pant (16), Shreyas Iyer (17) and debutant Venkatesh Iyer (2) to get the job done but they fell in quick succession, leaving India at 188 for six from a strong 138 for one.

While Pant was stumped by a lightening quick Quinton de Kock, the shot selection of Shreyas and Venkatesh could have

been better. Shardul Thakur (50 not out off 43) tried his best towards the end but the damage had already been done. Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah (2/48) was the stand out bowler for India in an otherwise ordinary bowling effort. After a sluggish start, van der Dussen and Bavuma shared the second highest partnership ever against India in ODIs to ensure a competitive total for the home team. South Africa opted to bat on a slow surface at the Boland Park. The white ball

did a bit early on with both Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar getting to move it off the pitch as well as in the air.

After an inaccurate first over, the usually accurate Bumrah got his act together and had opener Janneman Malan (6) caught behind with an outswinger. Expecting an incoming ball, Malan was caught on the crease with his loose push taking the outside edge. South Africa struggled to 39 for one in 10 overs with Indian bowlers restricting the flow of runs.

De Kock (27 off 41), playing his first game since announcing his Test retirement, and Bavuma found the going tough with the ball not coming on to the bat.

De Kock perished while trying to break the shackles. Ashwin, featuring in his first ODI since June 2017, found de Kock’s stumps with a slider as the opener went for a cut shot.

Brief scores: South Africa 296-4 in 50 overs (Rassie van der Dussen 129, Temba Bavuma 110; Jasprit Bumrah 2/48, R Ashwin 1/53) beat India 265-8 in 50 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 79, Virat Kohli 51; Andile Phehlukwayo (2/26), Tabraiz Shamsi (2/52) by 31 runs

BAMBOLIM, JAN 19 (AGENCIES): It took SC East Bengal 347 days to end their winless run in the Hero Indian Super League as the Red and Gold brigade inflicted a blow to FC Goa’s semi-final hopes with a 2-1 win at the Athletic Stadium in Bambolim, today. The first win of the season helps SCEB rise from the bottom while the Gaurs remain stuck on ninth place in the table.

Mahesh Naorem Singh (9’) scored early for SCEB against the run of play until Alberto Noguera (37’) levelled the score. Naorem Singh (42’) completed his brace after a gift from the opposition defender which remained the difference between the teams.

Despite dominating the possession, FC Goa were dealt a shock in the early stages after an unforced error from Edu Bedia caught Anwar Ali off-guard. Mahesh Naorem Singh took advantage of the situation, pounced on the ball, and put it past the advancing goalkeeper from a one-on-one situation to score the opener.

Before the half-hour mark, the skipper of the Gaurs fed Alexander Jesuraj with a penetrating through ball but he wasted the opportunity to equalise by airing the shot

East Bengal players celebrate during the ISL match. (PTI)

above the crossbar.

Darren Sidoel then took a shot from distance post the drinks break but his attempt went wide off the mark. FCG finally scored the equaliser after Jorge Ortiz delivered a defencesplitting pass for Alberto Noguera who found space inside the box and beat Arindam Bhattacharja with his left foot from a narrow angle. Three minutes before halftime, Naorem Singh gave SCEB the lead yet again after Anwar Ali gifted the ball to him inside his own box. Although the striker’s attempt struck the bar and came out, the as-

sistant referee awarded the goal as the ball had crossed the goal line.

The second half saw FCG intensely searching for another equaliser. However, there were not many clear scoring chances for the Gaurs. The Red & Gold Brigade were defending in numbers, denying any sort of space to the opposition attackers.

The fourth official added seven minutes of added time after the regulation period. Mario Rivera’s men held on to their lead with a collective effort to record the first elusive win of the season.

Klay Thompson stars as Golden Osaka, Barty advance toward Australian Open showdown State Warriors beat Detroit Pistons

Klay Thompson (left) played 22 minutes as he edges his way back to fitness.

D E T R O I T, J A N 1 9 (AGENCIES): Klay Thompson had his best game since returning from a 31-month injury absence as the Golden State Warriors saw off the Detroit Pistons 102-86.

Thompson hit a gamehigh 21 points in just his fifth appearance since returning from anterior cruciate ligament and Achilles tendon injuries.

Andrew Wiggins scored 19 points and Steph

Curry, back after a onegame absence, added 18.

Rodney McGruder scored a season-high 19 points off the bench for the Pistons. “I had a great time tonight, wish I made a couple more shots, but I just had a great time, it was fun,” said Thompson.

“I don’t care if I miss 100 shots in a row, I’m never going to stop shooting the ball. I love it too much and I work too hard not to.”

Elsewhere, Karl-An-

thony Towns converted a go-ahead three-point play with 29 seconds left as the Minnesota Timberwolves edged out the New York Knicks 112-110.

Anthony Edwards scored 21 points and Towns added 20 for the Wolves, who won for the sixth time in eight games.

Alec Burks missed a three-pointer that would have won it for the Knicks with just one second remaining.

MELBOURNE, JAN 19 (AP): For the first set, Naomi Osaka’s rediscovered love of the game meant it was anything but fun for Madison Brengle in the third round of the Australian Open.

The defending champion conceded only four points in the first four games Wednesday and rifled forehand winners seemingly at will as she breezed to 6-0 in a mere 20 minutes.

The second set started with Brengle celebrating a service hold like she’d finished a long-distance race, but gradually the No. 54-ranked American ground down Osaka to a stage in the seventh game where she finally converted a break-point opportunity — after missing her first nine chances.

That triggered a change in the former No. 1-ranked Osaka, who responded by breaking back immediately and winning the last nine points to complete a 6-0, 6-4 victory.

She will next face Amanda Anisimova, a 20-year-old American who beat Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic 6-2, 7-5. The winner of that is likely to

face top-ranked Ash Barty in the fourth round.

Osaka won the Australian Open last year, her fourth Grand Slam title, but then withdrew from the French Open and skipped Wimbledon as she took a break for her mental health.

She then was ousted early at the U.S. Open. After a long off-season to reset, she’s unbeaten in five matches in Australia this year.

Rafael Nadal didn’t get it all his own way in the subsequent match on Rod Laver Arena, needing five match points before beating 126th-ranked German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann 6-2, 6-3, 6-4.

The sixth-seeded Nadal, aiming for a men’s record 21st Grand Slam singles title, had two match points on Hanfmann’s serve and two more on his own in the next game before finally clinching a spot in the third round when his rival sent a forehand long.

Nadal converted only four of his 16 break-point chances, including one of eight in the third set, but only faced two break points on his own serve and fended them both off.

For the 35-year-old

Ash Barty Nadal, after fatigue and injuries curtailed his 2021 season following the French Open, time on court is more important than anything else.

Miomir Kecmanovic, who was originally drawn to meet Djokovic on the opening night, advanced to the third round with a 7-6 (7), 7-5, 7-6 (8) win over Tommy Paul of the United States.

Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini and No. 23 Reilly Opelka advanced in straight sets, while No. 19 Pablo Carreno Busta beat

Naomi Osaka Tallon Griekspoor 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-4.

In two marathon five-setters, No. 14 Denis Shapovalov held off Kwon Soon-woo 7-6 (6), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-2 in 4 hours, 25 minutes on Margaret Court Arena, and Sebastian Korda edged Corentin Moutet 3-6, 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5, 7-6 (6) in 4:47.

In the women’s draw, French Open champion and fourth-seeded Barbora Krejcikova beat Wang Xiyu 6-2, 6-3 to move into a thirdround match against No. 26

Jelena Ostapenko.

Eighth-seeded Paula Badosa advanced in straight sets and two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka moved into a third-round match against 15th-seeded Elina Svitolina, who was leading 6-3, 5-7, 5-1 when Harmony Tan retired from their secondround match.

Svitolina waited on court at Margaret Court Arena until Tan, who had received treatment on her lower left leg, was removed in a wheelchair.

Chelsea drop more points in draw at Brighton No Indian players in ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year as Babar Azam named captain

BRIGHTON, JAN 19 (AGENCIES): Chelsea’s winless run in the Premier League stretched to four matches on Tuesday, as a 1-1 draw away to Brighton and Hove Albion saw their slender titles hopes suffer yet more damage.

Hakim Ziyech’s opportunist strike gave Thomas Tuchel’s side the lead against the run of play in the 28th minute but they lacked spark and could have no complaints.

An easy-on-the-eye Brighton were rewarded for their endeavour when Adam Webster thundered a header past Kepa Arrizabalaga on the hour after some intense home pressure.

Chelsea began to dominate late on but could not force a winner as Brighton dug deep to preserve their point.

Having been serious title contenders a few weeks ago, Chelsea have managed only three points from the last 12 available and remain in third place with 44 points, 12 behind leaders Manchester City having played a game more.

They are also one

Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger is shown a yellow card by referee Kevin Friend during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion v Chelsea. point behind Liverpool having played two games more and unless they start to get back on the victory trail soon, they could find their top-four place under threat.

Ninth-placed Brighton have now drawn 11 games this season and Webster said they were disappointed not to get all three points

against the European champions.

“I think for the whole game we were the better team. They had a spell at the end but other than that we were the dominant team and on another day hopefully get three points,” he said. For all Brighton’s bright approach play early

on they struggled to land a telling blow and were stunned when Ziyech took aim from 25 yards and rifled a low shot that keeper Robert Sanchez could have done better with.

Brighton began the second half on the front foot and Danny Welbeck was played in by Pascal

Gross but the striker got his angles wrong and blazed wide. Just before the hour mark Alexis Mac Allister was picked out by the lively Marc Cucurella but his deflected shot was clawed away by Arrizabalaga.

From the resulting corner Webster thundered a header into the net after finding space in the area.

Romelu Lukaku, criticised at the weekend by Tuchel after a 1-0 defeat

by Manchester City, had a chance to restore Chelsea’s lead from a clever lobbed pass by Antonio Rudiger but could not beat Sanchez and the Belgian was substituted soon after.

Tuchel sent on Kai Havertz and Timo Werner off the bench to try and shake up his forward line and Brighton were hanging on at the end but a Chelsea victory would have been undeserved after another frustrating display.

“We looked tired,” Tuchel, whose side have played 15 matches since the start of December, said.

“We tried everything but you could see we are mentally and physically tired.”

DUBAI, JAN 19 (IANS): There are no Indian players in the ICC Men’s T20I team of the year for 2021 with Pakistan skipper Babar Azam named as the captain of the team announced on Wednesday. The team of the year announcements by the International Cricket Council (ICC) acknowledges the best players in men’s cricket who entertained one and all with their performances in a calendar year, either with the bat, ball or both.

Azam was at his classy best in the shortest format in 2021, bringing out his best version at the Men’s T20 World Cup where he ended the tournament as the leading run-scorer with 303 runs in six innings at an average of 60.60. Overall, Babar played 29 matches and aggregated 939 runs at an average of 37.56 with one century and nine halfcenturies. His captaincy was also praised as he led his team to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in UAE and Oman as the only unbeaten side in Group 2.

Babar Azam His opening partner, Mohammad Rizwan, named as the wicketkeeper in the eleven, ruled the roost in 2021 when it came to the shortest format of the game. Aggregating a staggering 1326 runs in only 29 matches, Rizwan struck at an average of 73.66 and a strike-rate of 134.89. Apart from his exploits with the bat, he was as solid as ever behind the stumps, playing

a key role in Pakistan’s run to the semis during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, where he ended up as the third-highest run-scorer.

Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, who’s unbeaten 77 spearheaded a winning chase for his team in the final of the Men’s T20 World Cup in Dubai, found a spot in the eleven. Throughout the calendar year, Marsh was Australia’s best batter in the shortest format, improving his game by leaps and bounds at number three, especially against spin and when it came to rotating the strike. He scored 627 runs in 21 matches at 36.88 and also chipped in with 8 wickets.

The eleven announced by the ICC includes Pakistan left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi, England opener Jos Buttler, South Africa leftarm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, batters Aiden Markram and David Miller, Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood, Sri Lanka leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga and Bangladesh left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman.

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