9 MAY 2023

Nagaland Post

Vol XXXIII No. 151

IPL: KKR beat PBKS by 5 wkts in last ball thriller SPORTS, PAGE 12

60 dead, 231 injured, 1,700 houses burnt: Manipur CM

SAYS HIGH-LEVEL INQUIRY TO FIX RESPONSIBILITY FOR VIOLENCE

IMPHAL, MAY 8: After Manipur was plunged into nearly four days of anarchy, arson and ethnic killings, the state’s BJP chief minister N Biren Singh on May 9, announced a high-level enquiry to be conducted at the earliest in order to fix responsibility on those who instigated violence including government servants who abdicated responsibility.

Biren said this while addressing the media at CM’s secretariat Monday evening where he also appealed to public not to believe or spread baseless rumours. He also said the state machinery including all ministers, MLAs and authorities were “working round the clock to resolve the crisis”. He

N Biren Singh (NP)

also informed that around 60 innocent people have lost their lives, 231 people suffered injuries and around 1700 houses burnt down in incidents since May 3. Singh said the government has approved providing ex-gratia of Rs five lakh each for the dead in the violent.

He also announced Rs 2 lakhs for the grievously injured, Rs 25,000 for the nongrievous injuries and upto Rs

2 lakhs as relief for families whose houses have been burnt down, after proper assessment by the authorities.

He said till date, 35,655 persons have been moved to safe locations. He also informed that around 20,000 people who had been sheltering in camps, have moved to their houses and villages.

He said all who were stranded at different locations are being provided best possible care and support in safe locations and shelter camps. Biren also expressed appreciation of Central leaders including Union home minister Amit Shah for immediately responding to the situation by despatching security forces and appointing security advisor among others to contain the violence.

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Second batch of evacuees to arrive Nagaland today

Correspondent

KOHIMA, MAY 8 (NPN):

The State government assisted by Assam Rifles will be evacuating the second batch of stranded Nagas from violence-hit Manipur. According to official sources, the evacuation process codenamed-- “Operation Kohima Calling” will bring back around 650 people who were still stranded in Manipur.

On Sunday, the team brough back 676 civilians including women and children in 22 buses. Deputy chief minister Y. Patton on Sunday informed that another batch of 650 people were to be evacuated by Monday.

Sources informed Nagaland post that over 20 vehicles including 15 NST buses, small vehicles and security escorts provided by Assam Rifles and Nagaland police left for Imphal on Monday morning.

Coronation celebrations conclude with ‘Big Help Out’ volunteering drive INTERNATIONAL, PAGE 9

Protect, stabilise, evacuate: SC to Centre, Manipur on violence

The evacuees including students and families are expected to arrive Kohima on May 9, sources added.

The team is headed by commandant 1st Assam Rifles Col Umesh Sati.

Meanwhile, Assam Rifles personnel on Monday brought 19 Nagas who were stranded at Moirang under Bishnupur district.

One of the evacuees, Bro. Peter Hesuh from St Xavier School informed Nagaland Post that they had contacted the AR personnel and requested them to evacuate as they were residing in a highly sensitive area and unable to move out.

The AR team reached St Xavier school and evacuated 26 of them and reached Jakhama on Monday afternoon, he said.

Hesuh lamented that they had tried calling the state government helpline but nothing much could be done.

KIN flays atrocities against Kukis in Manipur DBPF appeals for peace in Manipur

DIMAPUR, MAY 8

(NPN): Kuki Inpi Nagaland (KIN) has expressed extreme pain at the atrocities committed upon Kuki people in Manipur and appealed to every civilized person to condemn such brutality in the strongest terms.

In a press note, KIN president L Singsit and secretary media cell Lallenmang

Singson stated that vandalism, kidnapping, torture, killings, burning down of villages, destroying and burning of Churches in the capital city Imphal, uprooting of thousands of citizens from their homes and herding them like animals were “too painful and ugly for human

Manipur violence: Army rejects rumours; flags fake video

DIMAPUR, MAY 8 (NPN):

Security forces have denied allegation of taking sides in their bid to control the current situation in Manipur. Reacting to fake video being circulated in social media and reportedly showing Assam Rifles helping armed persons of one community, defence PRO said that the video had been prepared not only to disturb peace and harmony, but also to malign the reputation of the force whose impartiality and fair conduct was beyond reproach. PRO said Assam Rifles strongly condemned the baseless allegations by anti-national elements for releasing the fake video.

beings to commit on other human beings.” KIN stated that desecration of churches and burning and razing them to the ground was totally against the Constitution of India and unacceptable by any civilized society.

“We find it very shocking and painful beyond words.” KIN stated, adding that “this is not the way to settle differences in the civilized world however justified one may feel.”

KIN stated that majority populace, Meiteis and the tribals had been living together in peace and harmony, as neighbours and one citizen since time immemorial and would continue to stay and

live together in the future too. Therefore, KIN said targeting and victimizing a particular group of people would not solve anything. It further appealed to all rightthinking people to abandon violence and sit down together to sort out whatever differences there may be.

It also appealed to the authorities to bring the situation to normalcy as early as possible and ensure that no more precious lives were lost in the state.

Further, KIN appeal to hardliners of both groups to shun violence and “stop this ugly mayhem quickly” so that no undesirable situation occurred outside Manipur.

DIMAPUR, MAY 8

(NPN): Dimapur Baptist Pastors’ Fellowship (DBPF) has expressed deep grief and displeasure over the loss of innocent human lives and properties, demolishing and burning of churches and rendering many homeless in Manipur. In a statement, the DBPF stated that “this gory incident” displays how much the world has retreated to primitive age despite ushering into a 5G era.

Stating that the recent event had turned out to be so inhumane, DBPF said that the love that “binds us all in a relationship was inevident” as such hatred and anger reigned supreme. “We have

16-Point Agreement not mundane MoU: Jamir

DIMAPUR, MAY 8 (NPN): Sole surviving signatory to the 16-Point Agreement of 1960 between the government of India and Naga People’s Convention (NPC), veteran Naga leader and founding father of Nagaland, Dr SC Jamir made it clear that Article 371A clause 7 was incorporated in the 16Point Agreement of 1960 in recognising the unique political history of Nagaland.

He pointed out that, while signing the 16 Point Agreement , there was no controversy whatsoever over Clause 7 of the agreement, as all points, including land and re -

sources, were thoroughly discussed and deliberated by members of both the parties(government of India and NPC).

He said the phrase “all resources” includes all minerals and mineral resources including petroleum and its bye-products” as per clause 7 of Article 371A was also clearly interpreted by noted constitutional expert Durga Das .

He said even from the first day when the 16 Point Agreement was signed in 1960 , the phrase, “ land and its resources” had one meaning only and that was , “ it covers all minerals and mineral resources, in-

cluding petroleum and its bye-products.”

Dr Jamir reiterated that exploration and extraction of oil and natural gas, and in the context of Art. 371A, the situation is different( to views that since the state assembly cannot enact law on Clause 7 of Article 371A, the latter is rendered redundant).

He said Parliament has promulgated certain laws relating to mines and minerals, petroleum and related products and other such matters by virtue of the provisions of List-I of Schedule-VII to the Constitution of India.

(Full text on page 6)

forgotten that every human on this earth is a Child of God!” DBPF stated. DBPF expressed sympathy with the families that have lost their dear ones and everyone affected with untold miseries.

DBPF also appealed to the responsible authorities to promptly respond to the situation and remain unbiased and prepared to restore peace and harmony.

Further, DBPF appealed media/content creators and end users to be cautious to prevent the issue from escalating. DBPF prayed that the people accept one another as one family on this earth beyond humanmade differences.

Nagaland logs 4 fresh Covid cases

DIMAPUR, MAY 8 (NPN): Nagaland on Monday recorded four fresh Covid-19 positive cases pushing the total caseload to 36007.

According to the Health bulletin, all four cases were reported from Kohima. With two more recoveries, the state currently has four active cases. The death toll remained unchanged at 782 (including 5 non-Covid deaths but with positivity).

NEW DELHI, MAY 8 (AGENCIES): Supreme Court directed the Centre to ensure all remedial steps are taken in violence-hit Manipur and stressed the need to arrange for food and medicines at relief camps housing the displaced people and protect places of worship in the state.

“All remedial steps will be taken care of by the solicitor general. We emphasize the need for arrangements to be made in relief camps - foods and medicine, necessary precaution for the rehabilitation of displaced people, and protecting places of worship. Authorities will make necessary arrangements for the medical needs at the Army hospital or any other hospital,” the Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, said.

“We are not going into this forum as asked by the Solicitor General. This is a public forum like others. We have made our concerns clear - protection, stabilisation and evacuation. This is a humanitarian issue and we have no reason to doubt that the Solicitor General is not doing anything,” he said.

The court was hearing a bunch of pleas on the Manipur situation, including one filed by a BJP MLA, challenging the high court order on Scheduled Tribe status to the Meitei community and a public interest litigation by a tribal outfit

for an Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the violence in the state.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and Manipur government, said that helicopters and drones are being used to monitor the situation and relief camps set up to house people and provide food. He also urged the Supreme Court to hear the issue of reservation at a later time.

Supreme Court noted Mehta’s statements that to restore the normalcy in the state, 52 companies for the CAPF and 114 of the army have been deployed, flag marches are being conducted, a former senior police officer have been appointed as the security advisor and another senior officer has been made the chief secretary of Manipur. No violence has been reported over the last two days and the situation is returning to normalcy, he said.

Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for tribal outfit, told the Supreme Court that there may

be attacks on the tribals. The court noted that the Solicitor General has assured that concerns flagged by the petitioners will be addressed and remedial measures will be taken on a proactive basis. “The court wants stabilisation of the situation,” the CJI said. The Supreme Court asked the Centre and the Manipur government to file a status report within the next ten days and posted the matter for hearing on May 17.

AHCdoesnothave powertodirect changesinSTlist:CJI

As Manipur and Central governments claimed the State is returning to normalcy, Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud on Monday wondered aloud why a 23-year-old Constitution Bench judgment which clearly held that no court or State has power to “add, subtract or modify” with the Scheduled Tribes List was not “shown” to the Manipur High Court in the first place, reports The Hindu. Chief Justice Chandrachud orally said a High Court does not have the power to direct changes in the Scheduled Tribes List. “It is a Presidential power to designate a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe,” the Chief Justice observed.

HCordertograntSTstatuswillbediscussed:AmitShah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said that the Manipur High Court’s order to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the majority Meitei community in Manipur will be discussed with all stakeholders, and there was no need for anyone to be scared.

“The court has passed an order. This will be discussed with all concerned stakeholders and the Manipur Government will take an appropriate decision after consultations. There is no need for any person or group to be scared,” Shah said in an interview to India Today TV. The State government has not challenged the order in the court yet.

Proposed meet on oil

‘futile exercise’: UNTABA

DIMAPUR, MAY 8 (NPN):

United Naga Tribes Association on Border Areas has described as “a futile exercise” the proposed consultative meeting called by the state government to deliberate on matters pertaining to oil & gas exploration and production, saying “nothing productive step can be expected to come out in this meet.

UNTABA chairman Hukavi T Yeputhomi and general secretary Imsumongba Pongen said that until and unless the boundary issue between Assam and Nagaland was settled once and for all, no exploration

Panel proposes ban on diesel vehicles by 2027

and drilling for petroleum resources can be undertaken. Besides, UNTABA said the boundary issue was sub judice since the Civil Suit No.2 of 1988 filed by Assam government in the Supreme Court was still pending for more than 35 years now.

As both the state governments have agreed to resolve the issue outside the court, UNTABA, therefore, urged Nagaland government to persuade Assam government to consider withdrawal of the civil suit and pursue the issue based on the practical realities “instead of going around the bush.”

NEW DELHI, MAY 8 (AGENCIES): India should ban the use of diesel-powered four-wheeler vehicles by 2027 and switch to electric and gas-fuelled vehicles in cities with more than a million people and polluted towns in order to cut emissions, an oil ministry panel is recommending, reports Reuters. India, one of the biggest emitters of green house gases, wants to produce 40% of its electricity from renewables to achieve its 2070 net zero goal.

Nagaland celebrates World Red Cross Day Food cart vendors want return to same area

Correspondent

KOHIMA, MAY 8 (NPN): Nagaland joined the rest of the world in observing the World Red Cross Day on the theme, “Everything we do comes #fromtheheart” at Dr. Imkongliba Ao Hall, Raj Bhavan, here on Monday.

“Even after pork ban has been lifted in Dimapur, customers from Dimpur still buy from us.”

Addressing the gathering, governor La Ganesan, who is also the president of Indian Red Cross Society, Nagaland state branch, reminded the gathering that the day was celebrated with jubilation and cheers in remembrance of the founder and philanthropist Jean Henry Dunant. He out that this year’s theme embod -

Governor with students during the celebration at Raj Bhavan. (NP)

ied the spirit of the Red Cross, which was built on the seven principles including Impartiality, Neutrality, Humanity, Independence, Voluntary Service, Unity and University. Governor said Red Cross had been at the fore-

front of humanitarian service for more than 160 years and had been providing assistance to victims of wars, natural disasters and other emergencies and had also helped in building more resilient and sustainable communities. Having impacted the

lives of millions of people globally, he said the works of the Red Cross continue to play a critical role in addressing some of the most pressing globe challenges of the present times.

Ganesan said the movement recognised the uninhibited voluntary service of the youth and Red Cross members. “We must remember that everything we do, from our personal interactions with others to our work in our communities and beyond, comes from the heart. It is through acts of kindness and generosity that we can make a positive difference in the world,” governor asserted.

Staff Reporter

DIMAPUR, MAY 8

(NPN): Food cart vendors from Clock Tower, Khermahal and Notun Basti areas Monday and submitted a memorandum to the DC Dimapuur requesting that they be allowed to reopen their stalls at the same location from where they were prevented from operating.

Speaking with Nagaland Post, one of the vendors , appealed to the authority concerned to allocate them the same spot , as many local youth were facing financial constraints after their only source of

income was closed.

Asked about the response from the district administration, the vendor said the additional DC had assured that they would be apprised of the decision after holding consultation with higher authorities and other organisations.

He claimed that the district administration, during a meeting with Commissioner of Police, Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) and Business Association of Nagaland (BAN), had planned to relocate them to Super Market.

(Cont’d on p-8)

(Cont’d on p-8)

CJI DY Chandrachud

This

DIMAPUR: Along with the rest of the country, Nagaland also observed the World Red Cross Day on May 8. World Red Cross Day is observed annually on May 8. It is a day to commemorate the birthday of Henry Dunant, the founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the recipient of the first Nobel Peace Prize.

DIMAPUR: Red Cross Dimpaur branch observed the day at Livingstone Foundation International’s (LFI) auditorium with DC Dimapur, Sachin Jaiswal as chief guest, and chairman LFI Andrew Ahoto and Chairman Red Cross, Dimapur district branch Chandu Agarwal as guests

Nagaland observes World Red Cross Day

of honour.

On the occasion, DC Dimapur commended the members of Dimapur Red Cross managing committee and its members, volunteers and well-wishers for their yeoman’s service towards the humanity.

Appreciating the members for their active role in the blood donations for the needy patients, he called upon all the communities and tribes to come forward to donate blood irrespective of religion, caste or creed to mitigate the shortfall of blood. Short speeches were delivered by Andrew Ahoto and Chandu Agarwal. Blood Bank incharge at Civil Hospital, Dr. Temsu Lemtur enlightened the attendees about the need

of a blood center to be operationalised by Dimapur Red Cross, citing the gap of blood donors.

Vice-chairman Ajay Sethi spoke about the prominent relief activities of Dimapur District Branch and managing committee member Ahidur Rahman chaired the programme while treasurer, Ashok Agarwal offered vote of thanks.

The programme began with an invocation by Medizhanuo Tepa and ended with special number by Gideon Sangma and team.

ZUNHEBOTO: In -

dian Red Cross Society (IRCS) Zunheboto district branch celebrated the day under the theme, “Every-

NMSA thanks govt for safe evacuation

DIMAPUR: Naga Medical Students’ Association (NMSA) has expressed gratitude and appreciation on the efforts of the state government, the support and coordination extended by the civil society organizations and individuals for the save evacuation of students from Manipur.

In a press release, NMSA president, Hungruilak and general secretary, Beka Achumi on behalf of the medial students studying in Imphal, lauded the dedication and commitment of the State government, all rank and file of Nagaland police and Assam Rifles for providing security and assistance at the time of evacuation.

NMSA also thanked the Angami Public Organization, Naga Students’

Federation, Southern Angami Students Union and all civil bodies and youth organizations for their support. It also thanked Nagaland State Transport and all the drivers for risking their lives and bringing them back home safely.

Meanwhile, the association has appealed to the government and concerned authority to take swift action to bring back the people who were still stranded in different parts of Manipur. The association has also expressed anguish and concern on the prevailing issue in Manipur, and appealed to the State government and the conflicting communities of Manipur to resolve the issue amicably at the earliest.

Manipur violence: Mon sets up control room

DIMAPUR: In view of the prevailing situation in Manipur, DC Mon has constituted a control room at the office of DC Mon and members has been constituted for coordinating and facilitating the evacuation measures of the Government.

In this connection, all stranded citizens of Mon district requiring assistance

Poll

Q.: Should there be Supreme Court monitored inquiry on recent violence in Manipur?

can contact any of the given numbers.

Overall Incharge: Rongsenmenla, SDO (C), Mon; Bendang Longkumer, EAC & Officer Incharge DDMA (8974796425); Pujat, LDA DC office, Mon (9862074044); Shejeang, District Project Associate, DDMA, Mon (8974086492); Theanglih

Yanlem, LDA DC Office, Mon (9612014688); Ilam Lungalang, Additional SP, Mon (8415836319); Lokshem, UBSI (9612007556); Lynee Wangshu, UBSI (9862992177); Yeihtai Konyak, Assembly Affairs Secretary KSU (8974918767); Nyemnyei, Auditor General KSU (7005857902).

thing we do comes from the heart’’ at DC’s conference hall, Zunheboto. Speaking at the event, Deputy Commissioner and chairman of IRCS Zunheboto district branch, Rahul Bhanudas Mali said one should always help the neighbours irrespective of caste or creed and that it should come from the heart. He further added that for making society a better place the administration and IRCS alone cannot do and requested everyone to cooperate and help one another.

Secretary IRCS Zunheboto Dr. G Hokishe Sema chaired the meeting and delivered the keynote address. In his keynote address, he explained that

SKK inducts new president

DIMAP UR: All Sümi Students Union (ASSU), Sümi Kiphimi Kuqhakulu (SKK), at its 8th union assembly meeting unanimously inducted former education and statistical secretary, SKK Ngukato L Aye as the new president of SKK, after the union formally accepted the resignation tendered by Katho P Awomi.

A press release by Union Assembly speaker, Sümi Kiphimi Kuqhakulu Ninoto H Chophi, informed that the appointment of Ngukato L Aye as president, was taken after thorough deliberation and was endorsed by Sumi frontal organizations and Sumi Hoho.

It further informed that the executive members of Sümi Kiphimi Kuqhakulu would now continue to work under the leadership of Ngukato L Aye.

Red Cross Day is celebrated every year to honor the birthday of Henry Dunant who was born on May 8, 1828, the founder of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and a peace laureate. Earlier invocation was offered by Dr. Hutton Sumi, pastor SBCZ, while Tuden Ozukum, pastor Zunheboto Ao Baptist Arogo pronounced the benediction.

WOKHA: In Wokha, the day was observed with ADC Wokha, Furhesie Nyuwi as the special guest.

In his speech, Nyuwi said the day was celebrated for the remarkable humanitarian efforts of the Red Cross movement and to acknowledge and honor the tireless work of the Red

Cross volunteers and staff who wholeheartedly dedicate themselves to promote humanity across the globe.

He said everything they do comes from the heart and it was through the power of compassion, empathy, and selflessness that the movement continues to make a difference in the lives of millions. He urged everybody to pledge support to the mission of alleviating suffering and promoting humanity.

Principal Bailey Baptist College, Wokha, T. Penthungo Lotha, who spoke on the theme “Everything We Do Comes from the Heart,” said everyone should remember the values of compassion and goodwill in society by making a small

effort to assist someone in need.

At the programme, secretary of Red Cross Society Wokha Unit, Dr. K.Z.Ovung handed over relief materials to nine beneficiaries. The function was chaired by Dr. Medongunuo Ngone.

LONGLENG: Indian Red Cross Society, Longleng district branch observed the day at DPDB hall, Longleng with SP Longleng, Dr. Pritpal Kaur as special guest. In her speech, the SP acknowledged the Red Cross Society, Longleng branch for the work since 2004. She also said the Red Cross Societies in every state have a different scenario and for which

everyone should know the significance. Dr. Kaur appealed to the students to always be ready to make themselves available to the needy which was the main objective of the organization. On the occasion, the special guest also inducted students from five schools as Jr. Red Cross Society Longleng. Secretary IRCS Longleng, Y. P Angam Phom delivered the welcome and introductory speech while vote of thanks was delivered by SDO (C) Longleng, Trongdipa Tongpi Sangtam. T. Moile Phom, JRC, Yingli College presented a special song. The programme was chaired by EAC Longleng, Dr. Samuel Akho P. Konyak.

Workshop on Lotha language development

DIMAPUR: Lotha academy literature committee in partnership with Mt. Tiyi College Wokha on May 6 organised the second edition of workshop on “Lotha language development” especially for the Lotha/ MIL subject teachers.

In a press release, secretary, media & publicity, Lotha Academy, Aremo Ngullie informed that the aim of the programme was to equip and enable the subject teachers to cope with the changes, challenges and complexities of the ever changing modern world in the field of education.

The topic of the workshop was presented by Fr. Abraham Lotha, Ph.d, who is also the president of the Lotha Academy.

A thorough research and analysis with scientific approach to the Lotha alphabets, phonetics, spelling patterns, alternative spelling patterns, vowels,

NEXT POLL

Q: Is there some conspiracy in the recent burning of churches in Manipur?

DIMAPUR: Longleng district Enforcement squad team, under National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) COPTA Act 2003 and Child Right Protection, conducted surprise raid on sales of tobacco products within Longleng town on May 8.

According to DPRO Longleng, the district enforcement squad team was led by EAC Longleng, Dr. Samuel Konyak, District Nodel Officer NTCP, Longleng, Dr. Bongau Phom and SDPO Longleng, Bunglang Chang. The release added that seized

Members of Lotha Academy and others at the workshop in Wokha. consonants, its usage applicability’s etc. were highlighted through visual and documents approach. Programme executive,

All India Radio (AIR), Benri Ezung along with Chopathung Humtsoe presented an item on the topic ‘Folksong Tutelage” with excellent reading of

sonnets, lyrical ballets and poetry in blank verse.

More than 50 Lotha MIL teachers from both private and government schools including language experts, individual Lotha language researchers under Nagaland University and some prominent members of the Lotha community

attended the workshop. The programme started with invocation by Rev. Dr. L.L. Kikon and welcome speech was delivered by principal Mt. Tiyi College, Sentimenla Jamir and Thungjamo Tsanglao, chairman, Lotha Literature Committee delivered the vote of thanks.

Longleng NTCP conducts surprise raid VFA exposed to modern technologies

tobacco products were burnt at DC office premises in presence of District Administration, Medical Department and DEF Longleng.

A total of 25 shops were penalized and were imposed a fine during the raid.

NU organizes symposium on ‘Pathways to Peace’

Globalisation and the politics of movement” was chaired by Dr. Suraj Beri, Assistant professor, Nagaland University.

Resource person Dr. Chad Haines gave the introductory note and explained that many people don’t lived in conflict ridden society but lived in repressive society, where there was socio-economic inequality. Resource person of the third session on “the cultural resonances of partition: revisiting the partition and it’s memories” was Dr. Srikanth Yamsani.

Resource persons and Veterinary Field Assistant students.

DIMAPUR: Department of Sociology Nagaland University, organized a one-day International symposium under the theme “Pathways to Peace” on May 8. PRO of NU in a press release informed that the event was held at the Conference Hall, department of Geography with Vice Chancellor of Nagaland University, professor J K

Patnaik as chief guest. Resource persons for the symposium were Prof. Yasmin Saikia Chair Professor Peace Studies, Arizona State University, USA, Dr. Chad Haines Associate Professor, Religious Studies, Arizona State University and Dr. Madhumita Sengupta, IIT Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The inaugural session was chaired by Dr. Naz -

imuddin Siddique, assistant professor department of Sociology, Nagaland University. In his inaugural speech Professor Patnaik called for a collaborative peace studies of Nagaland University with the Arizona State University by signing up a Memorandum of Understanding (Mou). The second session held on the theme, “Avenues of Peace: Roads,

In all the three sessions, the speakers thoroughly engaged the attendees from different perspectives and contexts theoretically as well through their experiences and research studies.

Prof. Toshimenla Jamir gave the closing remarks for the symposium and highlighted the significance of sharing ideas and experiences on transforming through the study of peace.

DIMAPUR: ICAR Nagaland Centre, Medziphema, in collaboration with Veterinary Field Assistant Training Institute Medziphema, organized five-day training programme for Veterinary Field Assistant (VFA) students. A press release by ICAR Nagaland Centre, Medziphema informed that speaking on the valedictory day, principal, VFATI, Medziphema, Dr H Inato Jimomi, said that it was the first time that VFA students were exposed to modern livestock technolo-

gies developed by ICAR Nagaland Centre. He urged the students to take pig and poultry as business opportunities after completion of their diploma.

Joint director, ICAR Nagaland Centre, Dr H Kalita, encouraged the students to come up with new solutions in field of animal husbandry and said that Nagaland would be selfsufficient in animal source food when all stakeholders jointly work together.

Meanwhile, students were given hands on expo-

sure to scientific management of pig and poultry, with theoretical lectures as well as practical demonstration on pig and poultry. Artificial insemination technology in pig was also shown to the students and were also exposed to biosecurity maintenance at animal farm. The training was coordinated by Scientist, Dr Mahak Singh and ACTO KVK Dimapur, Dr Ebibeni Nguillie. All together 70 VFA students attended the training programme in two batches.

DC Dimapur, Sachin Jaiswal and members of Red Cross Dimapur. Red Cross Day celebration at Longleng. (DIPR)

DC Zunheboto, Rahul Bhanudas Mali and others.

Resource persons and faculty at the international symposium.

Manipur scribes call for balanced reporting

abroad to do just in your reporting by balancing your stories. Please remember the role of certain media in Rawanda that sparked an unwanted genocide decades ago,” the joint statement asserted. “If there is any way, we as a media organization can help you achieve that goal, our doors are open and we will try to assist you in any way,” the EGM, AMWJU and MHJU stated in the joint statement.

Correspondent

IMPHAL, MAY 8: Manipur-based journalist bodies-- Editors Guild Manipur (EGM), All Manipur Working Journalist Union (AMWJU) and Manipur Hill Journalists Union (MHJU) on Monday expressed concern over the unbalanced reporting by section of the media in connection with the ongoing law and order situation in the state.

While asserting that they had received numer -

128 Sikkim students return home from violence-hit Mnp

Stranded Sikkimese students brought back to Sikkim from violence-hit Manipur.

GANGTOK MAY 8 (PTI): One hundred and twentyeight students of Sikkim on Monday returned home from violence-hit Manipur, officials said.

Special flights help meet demand as people scramble to leave Manipur

KOLKATA/GUWAHA-

TI, MAY 8 (PTI): Several airlines were operating special flights from Imphal to help people stranded in violence-hit Manipur return home, officials said on Monday, maintaining that this resulted in airfares on the route not rocketing out of control despite the massive jump in demand.

“Flybig operates under the UDAN scheme, and our average fare from Imphal to Guwahati is Rs 3,500. There is no question of charging more from distressed passengers,” he said.

to keep the airfares affordable amid the crisis in the Northeastern state.

ous feedbacks from citizens on unbalanced reporting particularly national and international media, the organizations, in a joint statement, appealed to all journalists including those local media to be a “peacemaker rather than trouble maker”.

“While we have no means of verifying every complaint, as responsible media organizations, we feel it our duty to appeal to our fraternal media practitioners from mainland India and

“We agree there are forces within both the parties in conflict who are trying to bring about a fracture between the two communities for political mileage, personal vendetta and many other factors including the drug trade and turf control…,” it said. The Manipur government also appealed to the media to refrain from carrying news items based on unverified information.

A statement issued through the DIPR, the state government also appealed to all sections of society against spreading rumors and misinformation.

GUWAHATI, MAY 8

(PTI): Over 5,400 candidates were on Monday declared selected for various posts in different Assam government departments, including police, by the State Level Police Recruitment Board (SLPRB), it’s chairperson and Director General of Police GP Singh said.

He said the recruitment was carried out on behalf of Assam Police, Director General of Civil Defence and Commandant General of Home Guards, Assam Police Radio Organisation (APRO), Fire and Emergency Services (F&ES), Prison, Excise and Forest departments.

“The SLPRB was given responsibility by different departments to conduct recruitment for 5,730 posts. A total of 5,421 candidates were found suitable for these posts,” he said as the results were declared online.

The posts were of four categories – constable-related posts in APRO and F&ES, graduate-level, HS and HSLC level and grade IV.

Singh said the appointment letters for selected candidates will be available for download online in a few days and they will be joining duty from June one.

“Some of the selected candidates will be handed their appointment letters ceremonially at a programme here by the Union Home Minister,” he added.

He said that about 300 posts for which the Board had conducted the drive could not be filled up due to a lack of deserving candidates.

On 309 posts remaining vacant for which the recruitment drive was undertaken, he said candidates failed to meet physical standards in most of these cases.

“I urge the aspiring candidates to focus on physical fitness also so that they can qualify in all parameters,” the top cop added.

Results of recruitment drives conducted by different departments are being announced in the last few days as the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government is closing in on touching one lakh government job figures ahead of its second-anniversary celebration on May 11.

About 50,000 appointment letters will be distributed at the programme here to mark the occasion, which will be attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, which will ensure almost one lakh jobs as promised by Sarma ahead of the 2021 state Assembly election.

GUWAHATI, MAY 8

(PTI): The proposed visit of Amit Shah to Assam on May 11 was on Monday postponed to May 26 as the Union Home Minister is busy dealing with the prevailing law and order situation in strife-torn Manipur, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The senior BJP leader was scheduled to visit Assam on May 11 to mark the completion of two years of the Himanta Biswa Sarma government in the largest northeastern state by population. Sarma, while addressing a press conference here, said Shah called him up on Monday morning to inform him about the postponement. “Accordingly, the scheduled programme of distribution of appointment letters to 45,000 selected candidates for regular government jobs will also be postponed to May 26,” he said.

The students who were stranded in Manipur were brought home by the state government under ‘Operation Guraas’, they said.

The Sikkimese students were evacuated first to Kolkata by flights on Sunday from where they were brought to Siliguri by the buses late last evening.

They spent a night in the North Bengal town at the facilities arranged by the state government before boarding SNT buses on their way to the Himalayan state this morning. The Sikkimese students reached the border town of Rango in the

afternoon and were taken to their respective destinations in vehicles arranged by the state government. The returning Sikkimese students were studying in various professional institutions in Manipur. Upon arriving in Sikkim, the students and their guardians expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang and all officials involved in the operation.

Ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on Wednesday after tribals organised a demonstration in the ten hill districts of the state to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The clashes displaced around 23,000 people and resulted in the deaths of at least 54 people.

Regional carrier Flybig said it operates a Guhahati to Imphal flight via Tezu six days a week.

But, since Saturday it has operated three additional flights between Imphal and Guwahati, on which people from Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Maharashtra returned from Imphal.

“A total of 150 passengers were brought back from Imphal to Guwahati over the three days.

On Saturday, people from Arunachal Pradesh were brought back, while people of Meghalaya came on Sunday, and a group from Maharashtra were brought to Guwahati on Monday,” Flybig’s director of corporate affairs Ajay Jasra told PTI.

AIX Connect, formerly AirAsia, will also operate a relief flight from Imphal to Guwahati on Tuesday, besides the two regular flights it operates on the route. The special flight will arrive at 11.15 am in Guwahati, an official said.

Alliance Air operated two special flights on the Imphal-Guwahati route on Monday.

The country’s largest airline IndiGo said it has operated two special flights from Imphal to Kolkata on Saturday.

Air India said it operated two special flights on the Imphal-Delhi route on Saturday and Sunday.

Air India and IndiGo have waived fees for rescheduling and cancellation for all their flights to and from Imphal from May 4 to 7.

An IndiGo spokesperson said it was working

According to travel websites on Monday evening, fares of direct flights from Imphal to Guwahati on Tuesday were around Rs 11,000, while on the Imphal-Kolkata route, it was around Rs 8,000.

Most of the state governments were bearing the cost of air tickets of their people they were bringing back, officials said.

An Airports Authority of India (AAI) official said various measures were being taken to help people at the Imphal airport, which has seen a huge rush of passengers trying to flee the state amid the ethnic violence that began on May 3.

The AAI has set up a helpdesk at the airport for the stranded passengers.

The Imphal airport served 10,531 passengers between May 4 and May 6, and handled a total of 108 flights, officials said.

The airport, which usually handles 14 flights a day, operated 40 flights on Monday, they said.

600 Manipur tribals flee to Mizoram seeking refuge

AIZAWL, MAY 8

(AGENCIES): Mizoram is turning into a safe haven for refugees, with the number of people seeking shelter in the state from violence-hit Manipur reaching nearl y 600 on Sunday, according to official sources. Refugees from neighbouring countries of Myanmar and Bangladesh are already posing a burden to Mizoram. Till Sunday evening, 151 people belonging to the Chin-KukiMizo community have entered Aizawl district, 228 in Kolasib district near Assam border and 217 others in Saitual district bordering Manipur, official sources said, reports the Sentinal. According to Aizawl deputy commissioner Lalhriatzuali Ralte, proper

arrangements have been made by the district administration to provide shelter and food to displaced people fleeing ethnic violence in the neighbouring state. Disaster Management Committees at the village and local councils level have also been reactivated, she said.

Following a military coup in February 2021, the Myanmar nationals have taken refuge in Mizoram, while the Kuki-Chin people from Bangladesh Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) had fled their villages due to the ongoing crackdown on an ethnic insurgent outfits by the Bangladesh Army in February last year. Meanwhile, it has been informed that 131 out of 196 Mizos, who submitted their

lengmawia further stated that 37 more people would be evacuated to Guwahati by f lights on Monday and another 28 on Tuesday.

NEW DELHI, MAY 8 (AGENCIES): The air ticket on the Imphal-Kolkata route has spiralled to almost 5-6 times the normal price to Rs. 20,000 per ticket. Debjit Dutta, chairman, Indian Association of Tour Operators, West Bengal Chapter, said, “As the situation in Manipur remains tense and people are rushing to leave Imphal to go to Kolkata and as well as their hometown.

In this tense situation, they are facing a big problem of Air ticket which is almost high with nominal fare.”, reports ANI.

The chairman said this

was because of the situation in Manipur which is likely to remain the same in the coming few days.

“If we talked about flights from Imphal to Kolkata, Air India operated daily one flight in the morning. IndiGo operated four flights from Imphal to Kolkata including connected and direct flight. All flights were packed to capacity for the next two days,” Mr Dutta said.

Dutta said Air India’s fare from Imphal to Kolkata is approximately Rs. 17,000 for business class on Tuesday and Rs. 14,000 for May

11 on economy class. He also mentioned that Air Asia has one flight from May 15 whose fare is Rs. 4,000.

“IndiGo’s direct flight on May 10 from Imphal to Kolkata is Rs. 11,000 and connected flight have charged Rs. 20,000 per head,” the chairman said.

AirAsia, Flybig, and Alliance Air on Monday scheduled eight relief flights for the stranded people during the prevailing situation in Manipur. These operating relief flights are part of a central government initiative to ensure the evacuation

GUWAHATI, MAY 8

(IANS): The 2,000 odd Manipuris, who sought refuge in Assam’s Cachar district in the wake of large-scale violence in their state, will return to their home within the next two days, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday.

Addressing a press meet here, he said: “The situation is improving in Manipur. I have talked with

FlightticketsfromMnptoWBskyrockettoRs.20K

of stranded people from the trouble-torn spots of the Northeast state at the earliest. AirAsia, on Monday, operated one additional commercial relief flight to Imphal from Guwahati, according to Guwahati Airport Authority.

Flybig scheduled two relief flights on Monday, according to Guwahati Airport Authority. One operated in the morning and the second one is scheduled to fly out of Imphal at 18.40 hours in the evening.

According to Guwahati Airport Authority, Flybig flight brought 70 students to Guwahati airport on the morning flight. It also said Alliance Air has operated a total of five relief flights as of today.

Air India on Monday said it started operating special flights to and from Imphal on Saturday and Sunday, to facilitate people stranded amid the ongoing violence and ethnic strife in Manipur.

Violence gripped the entire state for several days, prompting the Central government to deploy paramilitary forces to bring the situation under control.

Campaign ends for Sohiong bypoll in Meghalaya

SHILLONG, MAY 8

(PTI): The campaign for the by-election for the Sohiong assembly seat, which saw bitter political attacks between two constituents of the National People’s Party (NPP)-led ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance, ended on Monday.

There are six candidates in the by-poll with the National People’s Party and the United Democratic Party (UDP), coalition partners of the MDA, seeking to win the seat.

The two parties could not reach an understanding for the by-election.

Polling to the Sohiong assembly seat will be held on May 10 while votes will be counted on May 13.

“The campaign for the assembly elections ended at 4 pm on Monday without any major law and order issue. The poll machinery is geared up to conduct free, fair and peaceful elections,” Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) FR Kharkongor told PTI. During the campaign, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma.

Army personnel rescue people from a violence-hit area of Manipur, Saturday. (PTI) names to the state government, have been evacuated to Guwahati and Kolkata on Sunday, according to Mizoram home commis-

sioner and secretary H. Lalengmawia. Also ReadMizoram police seize drugs worth Rs 12.5 crore, one held in Aizawl district La-

It was confirmed by official sources that 45 students have been safely returned to the state on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Manipur violence has claimed the lives of 54 people, according to officials. Violence between majority Meiteis and the tribal people of hill areas started when miscreants allegedly torched the AngloKuki War memorial gate in Churachandpur district following a ‘tribal solidarity’ march organised by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) on Wednesday, which turned violent.

Manipur people sheltering in Assam will return to their home: Sarma

the district administration in Cachar. People who have taken shelters in camps there will return to their homes in the next couple of days.” After the violence broke out in many parts of Manipur, many people came to the Cachar district. The administration arranged their shelters at a few government schools in the Lakhipur sub-division area. Food and other nec-

essary commodities were provided to them by the district administration. According to the Cachar administration, at least 2,000 people traversed the border and took shelter there.

Meanwhile, Assam

DGP Gyanendra Pratap Singh said: “We have sent a police team comprising of four officers headed by an IGP-level officer three days

ago to bring back people of Assam stranded in Manipur. But most of the people residing there are not willing to come back. However, we have arranged transportation for those willing to return.”

He also said that Assam Chief Minister earlier directed the police to provide necessary assistance to people who were stuck in the violence-hit state.

Last batch of stranded Tripura students return home; total 239 airlifted from Mnp

AGARTALA, MAY 8

(PTI): The last batch of Tripura students stranded in strife-torn Manipur returned home on Monday, an official said. Sixteen students landed at Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport here along with the Tripura government team sent for evacuating the stranded residents of the state.

With this, a total of 239 students from Tripura have been evacuated from Manipur in five batches, he said.

Meanwhile, air fares to all routes connecting Agartala have skyrocketed due to the ethnic flareup in Manipur. An office-bearer of a private agency said air fares between Imphal and Agartala, which hovered at Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,500, has increased to Rs 9,000-Rs 10,000.

Air fares from Agartala to Guwahati and Kolkata have also increased from around Rs 2,700-Rs 3,500 to over Rs 10,000.

Moreover, there is no

ticket available on the Kolkata-Agartala route for the next two days, he said. The reason behind the exorbitant increase in rates is due to people leaving Manipur in panic, he added.

Ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on Wednesday after tribals organised a demonstration in the ten hill districts of the state to protest the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The clashes displaced around 23,000 people and resulted in the deaths of at least 54 people.

Rapid Action Force personnel conduct a flag march amid ongoing violence in Manipur, in Imphal, Sunday night. (PTI)

Tripura students stranded in Manipur returned home.

A group of people watch as vehicle is burned down in Churchandpur.

5,421 make the cut in SLPRBconducted recruitment drive

Amit Shah’s visit to Assam postponed due to Mnp violence

Amit Shah

Himanta Biswa Sarma

Another explosion

near Golden Temple

CHANDIGARH, MAY

8 (IANS): Another blast occurred at Heritage Street close to the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Monday, triggering panic among local residents and tourists. However, no one was injured in the blast. Senior police officials rushed to the spot.

Senior citizen killed by caretaker

MUMBAI, MAY 8 (PTI):

An 85-year-old man was allegedly strangled to death by his caretaker at his house in suburban Santacruz here on Monday, police said. The victim Muralidhar Purushottam Naik lived with his wife and newly-employed caretaker Krishna Manbahadur Periyar in Santacruz (west) locality, an official said. As per preliminary information, the accused allegedly tied the victim’s hands and feet and strangled him in the morning while the latter’s wife was in another room in the house, he said.

7 illegal Rohingyas arrested in UP

LUCKNOW, MAY 8

(PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) has arrested seven Rohingyas, including four women, from Kanpur for allegedly illegally entering India from Bangladesh. An Indian “broker” who allegedly facilitated their illegal entry has also been nabbed, an official statement issued here on Monday said.

4 killed in Jaipur road mishap

JAIPUR, MAY 8 (PTI):

Four persons were killed and nine others were injured when a vehicle in which they were travelling rammed into a stationary truck in Abu Road area of Rajasthan’s Sirohi district on Monday. Station House Officer (SHO) of Abu Road RIICO police station Suresh Chaudhary said 13 people were in the SUV at the time of the accident. The car was headed towards Mawal village in the district from Pali to attend a condolence ceremony.

3.1-magnitude

quake jolts Kashmir

SRINAGAR, MAY 8 (PTI): An earthquake of 3.1 magnitude jolted the Kashmir valley on Monday as panicked residents rushed out of their homes and work places for safety.

The tremor, measured 3.1 on Richter scale, had its epicentre in Baramulla district of north Kashmir at a depth of 10 kilometres, the National Center for Seismology said. The earthquake occurred at 14:28 hours of Indian Standard Time, it said.

Gangster shot dead in Punjab

LUDHIANA, MAY 8

(PTI): Gangster Sukha

Barewalia was shot dead by an assailant in the Joginder Nagar Colony in Punjab’s Ludhiana, police said on Monday. The assailant’s bullet hit Barewalia in the temple and he died on the spot, Assistant Commissioner of Police (West) Mandeep Singh said. While the killer managed to escape after the murder, he has been identified by the police as an old colleague of Barewalia.

Man kills minor sister

on suspicion of affair

THANE, MAY 8 (PTI):

A man allegedly tortured and killed his 12-year-old sister suspecting her of having an affair in Maharashtra’s Thane district, police said on Monday. As per preliminary investigations, the victim lived with her brother and sister-inlaw, as she had lost her mother and her father lived in their hometown, he said.

IAF has stood like strong wall for country’s security: Rajnath

CHANDIGARH, MAY 8 (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday recalled the contribution and role of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in different wars since Independence and said it has stood like a “strong wall” in protection of the nation.

Addressing a gathering after inaugurating development projects for Chandigarh, he also said India has always stood for truth, justice and humanity. At a separate event, the defence minister inaugurated the IAF heritage centre.

Singh also paid tributes Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch, the late, Parkash Singh Badal.

Remembering the valour of air warriors in ensuring victories in different wars, Singh said the IAF has played a very important role in protecting the sovereignty of the country and the nation will always remain indebted to its sacrifices.

“The IAF has played a very important role in protecting the sovereignty of our country. Our country, after getting independence, faced many crises, in which

Pawar resignation ‘nautanki’ ended, foiled BJP plans to break NCP: Saamana

MUMBAI, MAY 8 (IANS):

something in the name of governance, it was ‘martial law’ and sometimes it was ‘emergency rule’,” Singh said.

When the general elections were held for the first time in 1970 in Pakistan, instead of giving an opportunity to the winning outfit, they were sent to jail, he said. “Not only sent them to jail, but also common and innocent citizens who were demanding human rights were massacred on a large scale during this period,” Singh said.

Rajnath Singh with Punjab Gov Purohit, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari in Chandigarh, Monday. (PTI) our air force stood like a strong wall in the security of the country,” he said.

Singh lauded the IAF for its strength and professionalism shown in the 1948 Indo-Pak war, 1961 Goa Liberation War, the 1962 Sino-India was and the 1965 Indo-Pak war.

Regarding the IndiaPakistan 1971 war, Singh said the jointmanship, integration and commitment showcased by the three services was unprecedented and extraordinary. The 1971 war was not

fought for land or power.

The main objective behind this war was to protect the dignity of humanity and democracy, the defence minister said.

“It proved that India believes in ‘injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere’ and it is our duty to stand against any kind of injustice,” he said.

“You are aware that Pakistan, even long after independence, could not proceed through the democratic process towards general elections. If there was

Manipur violence: States evacuate citizens

In such a situation, to liberate people there from such a cruel regime was “our country’s ‘raj dharam’, ‘rashtra dharam’ and ‘sainya dharam’”, he said.

Winning the war on the strength of strategies and not imposing any kind of political control there symbolised India’s strengths as well as its values and cultural generosity, Singh said.

Singh said India, which considers the whole earth as its family, will always be proud of the fact that it has always stood on the side of truth, justice and humanity whenever the need arose.

The four-day-long ‘resignation’ drama of Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar ended, but ruined the Bharatiya Janata Party’s plans to break his 24-year-old party, which is an ally of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the Shiv Sena (UBT) observed here on Monday.In an editorial in the party’s newspapers, ‘Saamana’ and ‘Dopahar Ka Saamana’, the party said that Pawar’s decision to step down as NCP supremo sparked not only panic but created a national political upheaval.“Pawar is like the mythical banyan tree in politics. He broke away from the Congress, formed, ran and built up the NCP independently. However, he has not prepared the leadership which can take it forward after him and failed to produce a successor,” rued the edit. It recounted the fourdays of political palpitations witnessed all over the country, how all NCP workers were trembling and shaken to the core, worried over its future and strongly opposed the move. Bowing to allround sentiments, the towering national political leader finally relented and Pawar will continue as the NCP

Sharad Pawar

president. The Shiv Sena (UBT) slammed the BJP which criticised the NCP imbroglio as a ‘nautanki’, and sarcastically advised that “before accusing others, first they should look at their own Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is known as the world’s biggest gimmick”.

“The BJP has come up by breaking other parties or homes. They had a plan to break the NCP, just like the Shiv Sena (in 2022). People were ready with their (money) bags and even the ‘lodging-boarding’ arrangements for the newcomers were completed,” claimed the Saamana Group. However, owing to Pawar’s game, the BJP’s plan was dumped into the dustbin and its tummy-ache has increased, it noted. The Saamana Group pointed out how one section in NCP wanted Pawar to take the party into the BJP camp and free his associ -

ates from the harassment of the ED, CBI, Income Tax shenanigans, but he put his foot down. Referring to Pawar’s move to appoint a mini-bus committee to nominate his successor, the Saamana Group said it comprised many who were apparently planning to join the BJP. “The pressures and sentiments of the workers were so strong that the committee had to inform him that thereafter, its only you’ (as President), and rejected Pawar’s resignation. The curtain fell on the drama. His return brought consciousness back to the NCP, and state and national opposition parties also heave a sigh of relief,” said the edits.

The Saamana Group said though Pawar had no choice but to retract, the resignation drama provided him with an idea of where exactly the NCP stands and where are the hearts of those around him, while declaring that “those who want to leave the NCP are free to go, I will not stop them”. Suspecting that the bookings in the BJP’s lodging-boarding have not been cancelled, the Saamana Group cautioned that those who go there “will be finished by the people, no matter how big they are”.

AI urination case: SC issues notices to Centre, DGCA, airliners

NEW DELHI, MAY 8

NEW DELHI, MAY 8 (PTI):

Himachal Pradesh

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu shelled out Rs 60,000 from his own pocket for the evacuation of five local students stuck in violence-hit Manipur, an official spokesperson of the government said on Monday.

The Chief Minister immediately responded to an urgent text message by a stuck student and came up with Rs 60,000 for the students’ evacuation back home, said the spokesperson. He also instructed the state government officers to take necessary action to bring back the five students — Simran, Sujal Kaundal and Ashwani Kumar from Mandi, Nawang Chhering from Kullu, and Keshav Singh from Hamirpur.

Haryana government Monday said it has made arrangements to evacuate 16 students of the state

People being rescued by Army from a violence-hit area of Manipur, Saturday. (PTI) stranded in the violence-hit Manipur.

Following instructions from Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, officials have commenced efforts to bring back the students to Haryana at the earliest, an official statement said.

The statement quoted the Chief Secretary of Manipur as saying that all the students from Haryana are safe. According to information received so far, five

students of Haryana are pursuing education at NIT-Manipur, eight at IIIT-Manipur, and three at NSU-Manipur, the government said, adding, it is considering flying these students to Delhi via Kolkata.

Ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on Wednesday after tribals organised a demonstration in the ten hill districts of the state to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

(PTI): The Supreme Court Monday agreed to examine the plea of a 72-year-old woman, on whom a male co-passenger allegedly urinated on board an Air India flight in November last year, seeking a direction to the Centre, aviation regulator DGCA and all airlines to frame an SOP to deal with such incidents.

A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala took note of the plea of the woman and issued notices to the Centre, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and all airlines, including Air India.

The top court also sought the assistance of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was present, in the case for formulating the standard operating procedure (SOP), and fixed the plea for hearing after the summer vacation in July.

Baghel refutes allegations of liquor scam in C’garh

RAIPUR, MAY 8 (PTI): Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday called the Enforcement Directorate an “agent” of the Bharatiya Janata Party and dubbed the ED’s claim of unearthing an alleged liquor scam in the state as false and baseless.

As the Assembly polls were nearing in the state, the “disappointed” BJP was trying to defame the Congress government using the ED, he claimed.

The state polls are due this year-end. The ED on Saturday arrested liquor businessman Anwar Dhebar, the brother of Con -

gress leader and Raipur Mayor Aijaz Dhebar, in connection with an alleged liquor scam.

In its remand application filed in a special court here seeking remand of Anwar, the ED claimed there was a “massive scam” in liquor trade in Chhattisgarh by a syndicate, comprising high-level

state government officials, private persons and political executives, that generated corruption money of more than Rs 2,000 crore between 2019-22.

The ED said Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Anil Tuteja was the “kingpin” of the syndicate along with Anwar and the corruption money was also used for electioneering. Tuteja, a 2003 batch IAS officer, is posted as joint secretary in state’s industry and commerce department.

Talking to reporters at a helipad in Raipur, Baghel said, “The allegation of Rs 2,000 crore liquor

scam in the state has been levelled by the ED just to save its reputation after it failed to unearth anything during its raids and investigation. The allegation is completely false, baseless and condemnable.” Baghel claimed the ED and other central agencies have been acting as “agent” of the BJP. Their only work is to ensure the BJP benefits in elections, he said. But, no matter how many conspiracies the central agency hatches, the BJP will not succeed. The Congress government will expose every conspiracy of BJP leaders and the ED, the CM said.

ED director SK Mishra’s tenure extended due to FATF review: Centre to Supreme Court

NEW DELHI, MAY 8

(PTI): The Centre on Monday defended in the Supreme Court the third extension of service granted to Enforcement Directorate chief Sanjay Kumar Mishra, asserting it was due to a peer review being conducted by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) this year and said he will retire this November.

A bench of Justices BR Gavai, Vikram Nath and Sanjay Karol reserved its verdict on a batch of pleas challenging the third extension given to Mishra and the amendment carried out in law extending the maximum tenure of ED director to five

Sanjay Kumar Mishra

years. “Arguments heard. Order reserved,” the bench said, as it directed the parties to file their written submissions by Friday.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre said, “This officer is not some DGP of any state but an officer representing the country in a United Nation like body and is in the

midst of something. This court must not interfere with his tenure and from November onwards, he will not be there.” He said Mishra was given extension as FATF peer review is taking place in the country and there are some guidelines which need to be followed. FATF is a global anti-money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog. It sets international standards that aim to prevent these illegal activities and the harm they cause to society. “He has been overseeing some important investigations related to money laundering and

“This is that 72 year old woman who had suffered an incident in a flight.... Mr Solicitor general, she wants guidelines to be formulated so that such cases do not arise,” the CJI said while issuing notices to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and others.

Besides the Centre and DGCA, the top court also issued notices to Air India, Vistara, Indigo, Go Airlines (India) Ltd, Akasa Air and Spicejet Ltd on the plea of the woman.

The woman had filed a PIL in March saying she was constrained to approach the top court because Air India and the DGCA failed to treat her with care and responsibility after the incident.

The woman, represented by senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, referred to seven instances of passenger misconduct on board from 2014 to 2023 alleging that they were not

dealt with properly by the airline concerned.

The PIL sought a direction to the Centre and the DGCA to ensure that Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) norms adhere to the highest standards laid down internationally.

“In addition, the wideranging national press reportage full of conjecture and surmises has severely undermined the petitioner’s rights as a victim under Article 21 (right to personal liberty) of the Constitution, and in fairness has also affected the rights of the accused as well.

“Their rights to a free and fair trial have also been substantially affected due to a selective leaking of the ‘AIR SEWA’ complaint of the petitioner, the FIR and selective witness statements being released to the media to match specific narratives,” the woman said in her plea.

The petition said an absence of clear guidelines for media outlets on what requires reporting, whether they ought to make conjectures where matters are sub-judice, and the impact of media coverage based on unverified statements end up impacting the victim as well as the accused.

The petitioner said her intentions were inspired and motivated in the interest of the general public and are a sincere attempt to set up a framework within the airline industry so that such incidents are prevented, and if they do occur, they are dealt with in a manner that does not cause additional trauma to the passengers.

The woman sought directions to the DGCA and the airline companies to comply with the legal requirements of the SOPs, operation manuals and reporting protocols to be followed by airline crew and staff.

Shettar lashes out at BJP, says caste was criteria for Union Cabinet berth

his continuity was required in the interest of the nation. He is not indispensable. This man will not continue after November, 2023. Peer review was earlier scheduled to be held in 2019 but was postponed due to COVID pandemic and is happening in 2023.

“Complete evaluations of activities of the country in taking steps to curb money laundering, terror financing etc takes place for a period of 18 months. Every member country has to go through this process and India is being assessed in the fourth round of mutual evaluation,” Mehta said.

HUBBALI (KARNATAKA),

MAY 8 (IANS):

Karntaka’s former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, who quit the BJP and joined Congress ahead of the May 10 Assembly elections, on Monday lashed out at the BJP national leadership, accusing it of a casteist mindset.

Addressing a press conference here, he noted that people of Karnataka elected 25 MPs for the BJP but only one Cabinet minister post was provided - and that the person who was given a cabinet minister berth was

Jagadish Shettar,

from a special caste (in a reference to Union Coal Minister Prahlad Joshi who is a Brahmin). He said that the Minister of States Shobha Karandlaje was from Vokkaliga community, A. Narayanaswamy was a Dalit and Bhagwanth Khuba was

a Lingayat. He also said that a section of the BJP was making matters worse for the party. Asked whether he would join the BJP again just like B.S. Yedyurappa and B. Sriramalu, Shettar said that till his last breath, he would be with the Congress. He also said that the Congress was inclusive of all people and that there was no hatred against anyone. He also came out against Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and added that he had tried to join Congress sometime earlier.

NAGALAND PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION KOHIMA

NO.NPSC/ADVT-1/04(VOL-1)

Dated Kohima, the 6th May, 2023 NOTIFICATION

With reference to the Commissions’s Advertisement No.NPSC-1/CTSE (Engg. Services)-2023 dated 30th January 2023, Addendum dated 20th February, 2023 & dated 2nd May 2023, this is to notify to all the candidates that:

1. The written examination for Combined Technical Services Examination (Engg. Services)-2023 will be held from 27th May 2023 onwards.

2. Eligible candidates can download the admission certificate (containing details of routine & instruction etc) at https://npsc.nagaland.gov.in from 20th May 2023 12:00 Noon onwards.

3. Candidates requiring assistance can call up NPSC helpdesk number +91 9402988506 on working days from 20th May 2023 onwards, between 10:00 a.m to 03:00 p.m.

(NUNGSANGMENLA IMCHEN)

Secretary Nagaland Public Service Commission Kohima

Bhupesh Baghel

Fast modern ailments

There is a world of fast-food around which has also resulted in mushrooming of numerous junk food joints across the country. Junk foods such as fast food items do not contain any nutrients beneficial to the human body. In most cases, they are identified as a major cause of heart diseases including myocardial infraction, cardiac arrest and atherosclerosis. The taste may not be natural since most modern food items are laced with artificial colours and flavours. It would be worth noting that taste and affordability should not be the main criteria but hygiene as well as medium for cooking. There is urgent need for food inspectors to ensure that those selling fast food items strictly adhere to hygiene. There are rules governing those involved with food preparation as well as the items used. Some chemicals used for colouring and flavouring may not be in the best interest of the health of customers. Even the medium for cooking such as oils are also in need of inspection. Studies have linked consumption of trans fats to heart disease, inflammation, higher “bad” LDL cholesterol and lower “good” HDL cholesterol levels. When eating on the go, it must be borne in mind that trans fats may lurk in certain takeout options. Restaurants and takeaway chains often fry foods in vegetable oil, which can contain trans fats that soak into the food. On the other hand, many eateries cook under high temperatures during frying. This can cause the trans fat content of the oil to increase slightly. The trans fat content increases each time the same oil is reused for frying. Reusing oil too many times can increase exposure to free radicals, which increases the cholesterol, creates peroxides acid, causes cancer, attacks organ cells and can infect the white blood cells. Reheating or reusing cooking oil can be the reason some are getting more acidity or why their cholesterol levels are rising.

In March 2019, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) imposed a new rule on restaurants and food business operators whose consumption of edible oil for frying is more than 50 litres per day. The circular said that they are liable to maintain the records and dispose of used cooking oil to agencies authorized by FSSAI from time to time. The step was taken only after it came into light that restaurants reuse oil for deep frying and even greasing without realising that they create free radicals which are carcinogenic and can cause cancer. This practice is followed to reduce the production cost of the dish at a large scale. In restaurants, vegetables are first deep-fried and then added to the curry or gravy. This is the easiest method of making a large amount of food in less time. It is surprising to learn that such dishes are three-times dangerous for the human body.

A 2014 study at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that people who ate fried foods between four and six times per week saw their risk for Type 2 diabetes rise 39%, and the risk for coronary heart disease increase by 23%. It is time that state health authorities dealing with food items need to review achievements.

DailyDevotion The Faith to Persevere

Because you have kept My command to persevere… —Revelation 3:10

Perseverance means more than endurance— more than simply holding on until the end. A saint’s life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, but our Lord continues to stretch and strain, and every once in a while the saint says, “I can’t take any more.” Yet God pays no attention; He goes on stretching until His purpose is in sight, and then He lets the arrow fly. Entrust yourself to God’s hands. Is there something in your life for which you need perseverance right now? Maintain your intimate relationship with Jesus Christ through the perseverance of faith. Proclaim as Job did, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15).

Faith is not some weak and pitiful emotion, but is strong and vigorous confidence built on the fact that God is holy love. And even though you cannot see Him right now and cannot understand what He is doing, you know Him. Disaster occurs in your life when you lack the mental composure that comes from establishing yourself on the eternal truth that God is holy love. Faith is the supreme effort of your life— throwing yourself with abandon and total confidence upon God.

God ventured His all in Jesus Christ to save us, and now He wants us to venture our all with total abandoned confidence in Him. There are areas in our lives where that faith has not worked in us as yet— places still untouched by the life of God. There were none of those places in Jesus Christ’s life, and there are to be none in ours. Jesus prayed, “This is eternal life, that they may know You…” (John 17:3). The real meaning of eternal life is a life that can face anything it has to face without wavering. If we will take this view, life will become one great romance— a glorious opportunity of seeing wonderful things all the time. God is disciplining us to get us into this central place of power.

By Oswald Chambers

Quotes

The great aim of education is not knowledge but action.

Herbert Spencer

SANCTITY OF ARTICLE 371A, SUB-CLAUSE (IV) LAND AND ITS RESOURCES

Hopes and aspiration flew thick and fast for the Nagas when it was evident that the British were preparing to leave Indian shores and hand over the rein of governance to the Indians. The Nagas were fiercely fighting for their freedom along with India’s dedicated struggle for independence. History is witness to the fact that the Nagastruggle had already gained momentum much before India became free from the British yoke. The Naga National Council ( NNC) FORMED AT Wokha in 1946, became the sole voice of the Nagas. The struggle continued well after 1947, because the Nagas being simple, free spirited and valiant people, valued their freedom more than anything else. Now, as the British were no longer there ,the major players were the NNC and the Government of India. The whose issue became a fiercely political one and though both the sides generally wanted to resolve it, no one actually knew in whose court the ball was !

SOUL OF ARTICLE

371A in the Constitutio n of India has its own history through series of political maneuvering and development; first in 1947 and then in 1960.

Travelling to the memory lane through a series of events and non-event, the following pictures emerges; a picture that seemed a “ picture-perfect” , which at the time both sides agreed to obey in letter and spirit. So the first attempt was the Nine Point Agreement of 1947 between the NNC and Shri Akbar Hydari, the Governor of Assam, who was acting on behalf of the Government of India. As the name suggests, the Agreement stipulated 9-points in the Agreement, the mandatory provision being- “The Governor of Assam, as the agent of the Union of India, will have a special responsibility for a period of ten years to ensure the due observance of the this Agreement; at the end of this period the Naga National Council will be asked whether they require the above agreement to be extended for a further period or a new agreement regarding the future of the Naga people arrived at.”

This Agreement , popularly known as the Akbar Hydari Agreement, seemed to be like a toothless tiger as it could not be implemented because of the difference in interpretation of Clause-9. Each side had his own way of interpreting things which the other side utterly disliked or so it seemed. However, one of the most important points in this Agreement which among all others except Clause-9 was agreed upon by the Governor of Assam as the Representative of the Government of

India was :-“ …that land with all its resources in the Naga hills should be alienated to a non-Naga without the consent of the Naga National Council “ This was later incorporated in the 16=Point Agreement of 1960 at Clause-7.The phrase “ all resources” includes all minerals and mineral resources including petroleum and its bye-products.

Perhaps, I am the lone surviving signatory to the 16-Point Agreement of 1960, between the Government of India and the representatives of the Naga Peoples Convention and as Joint Secretary of the NPC, I strongly feel that I have to speak out and clarify the content and spirit of this provision. This formal agreement between the Government of India and the representatives of the Naga Peoples Convention is a Political agreement duly signed by both the parties. It should not be construed as a mundane memorandum of understanding. Secondly, while signing this agreement, there was no controversy whatsoever about Clause 7 of the 16th Point Agreement. All points including land and its resources were thoroughly discussed and deliberated by members of both the parties. The Agreement is selfevident that the signatories to the agreement form both sides, had fully recognized and clearly understood that land and its resources covers all minerals including petroleum and its bye-products.

Another special feature of the state of Nagaland is that recognizing the uniqueness of Naga political history, regardless of the smallness of the area and population, a separate state had to be created on the basis of the 16th Point memorandum. To give effect to this agreement, the State of Nagaland Act 1962 for the formation of a new state was passed by both the Houses of Parliament in 1962. Durga Das Basu, one of the luminaries of Constitutional expert commented on Article 371A. “ All matters are peculiar to the proposed State of Nagaland, provisions with respect thereto has to be made itself. A separate Act , viz the state of Nagaland Act 1962 for formation of the new state relatable to Act 3 was also simultaneously passed in the Constitution.”

Secondly, let me once and for all clear the clouds of doubt from the doubting Thomas that while signing this Agreement, there was “absolutely”- and I repeat “absolutely”- no controversy or difference of opinion regarding Clause-7 of the 16th Point Agreement. I am as certain today over this as I was in 1960 as a proud signatory and witness to the historic moment. Every one present that day in 1960 was certain that the Phrase, “ land and its resources” had

one meaning only and that was , “ it covers all minerals and mineral resources, including petroleum and its bye-products.”

Thirdly, purely for the sake of information as well as history, this political agreement became safe and sound edifice on which the separate state of Nagaland was created. It became the 16th state of the Union of India. Fourthly, and most importantly, all the points agree upon by both the parties were duly incorporated in the Constitution of India.

BURSTING THE BUBBLE OF MISCONCEPTIONS.

As the events that unfolded after the formation of the Naga National Council in 1946 have shown us, the Naga political issue cannot be equated with other issues in the country because of the following special features pertaining to Nagaland.

(A) Nagaland was created through a political Agreement, whereas, the other states of the country were constituted on linguistic basis as recommended by the State Organization Committee. The Naga people had been demanding independent Nagaland, and therefore as the minimum demand, the Naga Peoples Convention prepared the 16-Points Memorandum to be the basis of negotiation for creation of a full-fledged state within the Indian Union.

(B) It should be noted that Article 371 (A) is the soul of the 16-Point Agreement, in which it is stated without any ambiguity that “land and its resources” means all minerals including petroleum and its byeproducts. While drafting the Sixteen Point Memorandum, the Drafting Committee had also carefully examined the letter and spirit of Clause -4 of the Nine Point Agreement of 1947.

(C) It should be noted that the 16-Point Agreement is a bilateral agreement between the Naga Peoples Convention and the Government of India. All the points which had been mutually agreed at the time of the agreement should not be raised and misinterpreted after the passage of 63 years. As far as the people of Nagaland is concerned and also the letter and the spirit of the 16-Point Agreement, is concerned Article 371 (A) covers land and all its resources. Nothing less and nothing more. concerned Article 371(A) sub-clause Constitutional Position.

ARTICLE 371-A OF THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA; EFFECT AND IMPLICATIONS THEREOF:

1. Article 371A was inserted into the Constitution of India ( Thirteenth Amendment) Act, 1962 with effect from 01.12.1963 on account of certain historical necessities and was based on

an agreement reached by the Government of India withy the Naga Peoples Convention. Article 371A is also expressly stated to be “Special provision with respect to the state of Nagaland.”

2. Article 371A(1) begins with a “non-obstante” provision to the effect “notwithstanding anything in this Constitution” Art.371A(1) (A) further stipulates and mandates that no Act of Parliament in respect of:(iv) ownership and transfer of land and its resources, shall apply to the state of Nagaland unless the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland by a resolution so decides.”

3. As a consequence of such a supervening nonobstante provision, as an integral part of Art.371A ITSELF, NO Act of Parliament in respect unless the state of ownership and transfer of land and its resources shall apply to the state of Nagaland unless the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland by a resolution so decides.

4. The consequence of such a provision as an integral part of the Constitution of India would inevitably be that any Act of Parliament in respect of ownership and transfer of land and its resources shall apply to the state of Nagaland only when the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland by a resolution so decides. It may be noticed that the provision expressly “notwithstanding anything in the Constitution” and would, therefore, inter alia prevail over law-making power entrusted to the Parliament relating to inherent/ imbedded in land.”

5. Art.371A (1)(IV) expressly relates to “ownership and transfer of land and its resources”. It further mandates that any Act of the Parliament in respect of the above would be applicable to the state of Nagaland only when the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland by a resolution so decides. The expression “its” qualifying the word “resources” could be ascribed a wider meaning all “resources” of the state of Nagaland. In view of the fact that Art.371A is a “Special” provision and is a deviation from and is a restriction and fetter on the fields of legislation under the Entries in List 1 or List III of the Schedule VII to the Constitution of India, it may be prudent and reasonable to ascribe the meaning of the expression “resources” to those linked with, emanating from the inherent/ imbedded in “land “. On the above reasoning, the matters enumerated in Art.371A(1)(iv) would at least mean anything in respect of “ownership of land”, “transfer of land”, “ownership of the resources linked with, emanating from and inherent/imbedded

in land:” and “transfer of such resources of the land.”: These would squarely fall within the ambit and scope of this exclusive domain requiring a resolution of the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland to make any laws in respect of any of the above made by the Parliament to be “applicable” to the State of Nagaland.

6. The present analysis is limited to the ownership of the resources of land and the transfer of the resources of the land. Needless to say that “land” as such stands covered by the first part of this provision. The expression “resources” would mean resources relatable to land, emanating from land and inherent / imbedded in land. In this context, it may be noticed that the legislative field of Parliament are enumerated in the Entries in List I of Schedule VII of the Constitution of India. Some Entries in List I of Schedule VII to the Constitution of India empower the Parliament to legislate for certain purposes on some of the matters covered by some of the Entries in List II of Schedule VII to the Constitution of India assigned to the State Legislatures. For example, the Parliament has promulgated certain laws relating to mines and minerals, petroleum and related products and other such matters by virtue of the provisions of List-I of Schedule-VII to the Constitution of India. Some of these Acts eclipse the power of the State Legislature by “occupying” that field of legislation (available to the State Legislature) because some of the Entries in List II of Schedule VII to the Constitution of India like that relating to mines and minerals are subject to the extent of any law made in Entry 54 List I of Schedule VII to the Constitution of India. In such cases the State Legislature is denuded of its power by virtue of the provisions of the Constitution of India itself. For example Entry 24 of List II Schedule VII to the Constitution of India is subjected to Entry 54 of List I of Schedule VII of the Constitution of India.

List III of Schedule VII to the Constitution of India confers concurrent fields of legislation on the Union Parliament and State Legislatures.

7. However, in the context of Art. 371A, the situation is different. Notwithstanding anything in the Constitution of India, “any Act of Parliament” in respect of ownership and transfer of land and its resources would not ipso facto and per se apply to the State of Nagaland unless the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland by a resolution so decides. This is expressly a special provision (as the heading of the Article itself indicates) to safeguard and protect the interest of the

State / people of Nagaland. The historical origin and foundation of this is clause 7 of the Agreement reached by Government of India with Naga Peoples Convention. The Constitution of India was amended to effectuate the same. While amending the Constitution of India, and inserting Art.371A, it was expressly provided in this specific and special provision that “notwithstanding anything in this Constitution”, and Act of Parliament in respect of ownership and transfer of land and its resources to be operative in applicable to the State of Nagaland would require a resolution to that effect by the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland.

8. In this context, it may be noticed that a mineral, as judicially defined, would mean an inorganic substance found either on or in the earth which may be garnered and exploited for profit. (See V.P. Pithupitchai Vs. Special Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu (2003) 9 SCC 534). Mineral resources means all non-living, nonrenewable resources, including fossils, fuels, metallic and non-metallic metals (See Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resources Activities (1998) : Art. 1(6). Thus resources of land would include all forms of resources standing on, emanating from and inherent/ imbedded in the concerned land.

It is also to be noticed that Nagaland was created through a political agreement unlike the other States which were a political agreement unlike the other States which were constituted on linguistic basis on the recommendation of the State Organization committee. The Naga people had been demanding independent Nagaland, and therefore as the minimum demand, the Naga Peoples Convention prepared the 16 Point Memorandum to be the basis of negotiation for creation of a full-fledged State of Nagaland within Indian Union. Article 371A(1)(iv) is to be read with Clause 4, Nine Point Agreement of 1947 with Akbar Hydari, Governor of Assam who represented Government of India. The interpretation of the provisions of the provision of Article 371A has to be made in the context of the stipulations in the Agreement, the specific and categorical language used in Art. 371A and its contents are to be purposive and effective.

To reiterate, it is apparent that with this object in view, Art.371(A) begins with the expression “Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution” and the same has to have its meaningful and purposive effect.

Dr S.C.Jamir, Former CM & Governor

My land, My environment and our responsibilities

The north east India is a rich hub of natural resources and near idyllic climatic conditions. Over the decades, the felling of the trees for firewood has been contributing to the deforestation in the region. And this contributed towards worsening air pollution in our Nagaland state and also neighbouring states. But firewood is required. Nagas or other inhabitants also depended a lot on forest economy. I need not be any environmental scientist to make such a statement.

Moreover, our region has a few common but nearly dangerous natural hazards - the earthquake, landslides and floods. The forest cover in the eight north eastern states accounts for 23.75 per cent of the total forest cover in the country.

The unique geo-climatic conditions of the regions make the entire northeastern region of India vulnerable for these disasters. It goes without stating that Assam -- the perceived to be numero uno state in our region - experiences perennial floods, river bank ero-

sion and landslides.

Nagaland is greatly afflicted with the threat of landslides and our own state capital region has been worst affected by the same. The nightmare has troubled people in our state and also those in Manipur.

It may be needless to add that the major cities and towns including Guwahati get submerged during floods. There is a huge waste spread over the land and river causing several health hazards. There are other major environmental problems too. They are - Industrial activities, bricks making, coal mining operation, oil exploration, fertilizer industries, cement and automobile exhaust emissions. Old timers and middleaged people already develop eyesrelated problems during summer months in and around Guwahati. Due to floods hundreds of wild animals including deer and rhinoceros’ calves living in the Kaziranga National Park also are lost in the stream of mighty Brahmaputra. We also have the case river island ‘Majuli’.

Closer home in Nagaland, in 2010, the state had 1.31Mha of natural forest, extending over 79% of its land area. In 2021, it lost 12.8kha of natural forest, equivalent to 6.92Mt of Carbon (CO2) emissions.

One study has revealed that between 2019 and mid-2022, Arunachal Pradesh lost the maximum forest cover of 257 Sq. km, Manipur lost 249 Sq. km, Nagaland 235 Sq. km, Mizoram 186 Sq. km, Meghalaya 73 Sq. km, Assam 15 Sq. km, Tripura 4 Sq. km and Sikkim lost one square kilometre forest cover.

Nagaland lost a total of 235 Sq. km forest cover in two years, as per the India State of Forest. Report (ISFR) 2021. Nagaland with geographical area 16,579 Sq. km has 234 Sq. km reserve forest and 8,623 Sq. km of unclassed forest, which includes all forest other than reserve forest and protected forest.

The state has 8,623 Sq. km of recorded forest areas, which is 52.01% of geographical area.

Now, rather than doing the

post-mortem and finding details how much we have lost; it is high time the focus shifts to what corrective steps we ought to take.

Firstly, as a native son-ofthe-soil and a Naga I would like to lay emphasis on the fact that the common people ought to be battle ready to fight the emerging challenges on this front. People should not depend solely on government schemes for protection of the environment and forest cover.

If all of us in unity of purpose and sincerity start planning and planting say about 10,000 plantations per village across the region, the face of the North East will change. Thus, encouragement must be given to growing Mango, lichi, jackfruits etc.

In fact, seeds after consuming the fruits can be used in a systematic manner.

We do not need huge corporate and government investments.

A small voluntary-based collection from the respective villages and government employees and others from respective villages will do and save the world from destroying it

fur ther.

Nagas are religious. In the past, as animists we have worshipped hills and trees. Even now there is much respect for nature. We have celebrations around Stone Pulling practices. Nagas belong to nature and Nature belongs to Nagas.

Mother Nature has been taking care of us for ages. It is time we payback the good and selfless gestures especially in the new century.

In the end, I must say moreover we can take up plantation of saplings that suit cold climates. Most fruit bearing trees could be taken like oranges etc.

I must also add here that by concerted efforts by all stakeholders we can ensure active involvement of village councils, panchayat bodies and NGOs based in both rural and urban pockets.

If we take such efforts, we can see real climate change within 5 to 7 years, I am confident about it.

M Chuba Ao, BJP national vice president

~

SNIPPETS

BJP leader shot dead in Gujarat

VALSAD (GUJARAT),

MAY 8 (IANS): A leader of Gujarat’s ruling BJP in Valsad district was shot dead by unidentified assailants while seated in his car on Monday, police said.

The incident occurred at 7 a.m. when Shailesh Patel, Vice President of the BJP in Vapi taluka of Valsad, was waiting for his wife outside a temple when the assailants came on a motorcycle, fired three shots at him, and fled.

Kerala Vande Bharat stoned again

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, MAY 8

(IANS): For the second time in six days, stones were pelted at the recently-commissioned Vanda Bharat train that was in service on Monday afternoon from Kasargod to the state capital Thiruvananthapuram.

According to the Railway Protection Force, the incident occurred around 3.30 pm while passing through Valapattanam in Kannur district.

The RPF and the Kerala Police has begun a probe into it.

In-laws poison woman as she could not conceive

KAUSHAMBI (UP), MAY 8 (PTI): A 33-yearold woman died after she was allegedly poisoned by her in-laws as she could not bear a child even after 15 years of marriage, police said on Monday.

The incident was reported from a village in this Uttar Pradesh district on Sunday night.

It happened when the in-laws of a woman identified as Sali Begum, rebuked her for not having a child. After a heated argument, Begum called her brother for help, saying that her in-laws had poisoned her, they added.

22 killed in Kerala boat accident

treatment for the injured. She also asked the officials to speed up the post-mortem process.

The state government has announced a judicial probe into the matter and decided to give a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of the deceased.

CM meets survivors

MALAPPURAM (KER), MAY 8 (AGENCIES): The death toll in the tragic boat capsize incident in Kerala rose to 22 on Monday, while 10 people have been rescued and admitted to the hospital.

According to district officials, the boat - which reportedly had over 30 people on it - had capsized near an estuary close to the Thoovaltheeram beach in the Tanur area around 7:30 pm on Sunday. The rescue operations are still underway,

reports Hindustan times.

On Monday morning, the Indian Navy’s Chetak helicopter was called in at the incident site to assist in the search and rescue operation. According to officials, 22 people have died and 10 others have been rescued. Meanwhile, five people reached the shore by swimming, they added.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan visited Taluk Hospital in Malappuram district where survivors of the incident have been admitted. Condoling the loss of lives in the in-

IAF’s MiG-21 crashes into house in Rajasthan; three civilians killed

JAIPUR/NEW DELHI,

MAY 8 (PTI): A MiG-21

cident, the CM wrote on Twitter: “Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives in the Tanur boat accident in Malappuram. Have directed the District administration to effectively coordinate rescue operations, which are being overseen by Cabinet Ministers. Heartfelt condolences to the grieving families and friends.” Kerala health minister Veena George convened an emergency meeting of the state health department at midnight following the incident, and directed the officials to ensure better

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief over the loss of lives in the incident and announced an ex-gratia of Rs two lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased. “Pained by the loss of lives due to the boat mishap in Malappuram, Kerala. Condolences to the bereaved families. An exgratia of Rs two lakh from PMNRF would be provided to the next of kin of each deceased,” he tweeted.

Vessel owner caught from Kozhikode The owner of the boat that capsized on Sunday evening, which resulted in the death of 22 people, including 15 children, was caught from the Kozhikode beach area of the district on Monday, police said.

fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed into a house in Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan on Monday, leaving three women dead and as many others injured on the ground, officials said.

The pilot sustained minor injuries in the crash that took place at around 9:45 am, the IAF said, adding a Court of Inquiry has been set up to ascertain the cause of the accident. The plane was on a routine training sortie from the Air Force Station at Suratgarh in Ganganagar district, which is close to Hanumangarh.

“Soon thereafter, the pilot experienced an onboard emergency, following which he attempted to recover the aircraft as per existing procedures,” the IAF said in a statement. “Having failed to do so, he initiated an ejection, sustaining minor injuries in the process. The pilot was recovered from about

25 kilometres North East of Suratgarh base,” it said.

The IAF said the “wreckage of the aircraft fell on a house in Bahlol Nagar in Hanumangarh district, unfortunately leading to the loss of three lives.”

“The IAF regrets the loss of lives and offers its deepest condolences to the bereaved families. A Court of Inquiry has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident,” it said.

The incident has once again put the spotlight on the poor safety record of MiG-21 jets which have been involved in 400 crashes in

the last six decades.

Inspector General of Police, Bikaner range, Om Prakash said the pilot made all efforts to avert human casualties and the plane crashlanded on the outskirts of a village. “Three women have died in the incident and three others are injured,” he said.

Superintendent of Police, Hanumangarh, Sudheer Chaudhary said the plane crashed into the house of one Ratti Ram, killing his wife Basho Kaur and two other women identified as Leela Devi and Banto Kaur. Burn injuries led to the death of the women, he said.

Woman from Hyderabad killed in Texas mass shooting Bengal bans ‘The Kerala Story’ movie; triggers BJP-TMC war of words

ect engineer, a friend of the judge told mediapersons here on Monday.

Aishwarya’s family stays at Saroornagar here. She did her civil engineering from a college in the city and completed her masters in the US after which she had been working there for more than two years.

HYDERABAD, MAY 8

(PTI): A 27-year-old woman, Aishwarya Thatikonda, from Hyderabad was among the nine people killed when a gunman opened fire at a crowded mall in Dallas in the US state of Texas, according to information received by her family here.

Aishwarya, daughter of a district judge in Ranga Reddy district court, was working in Texas as a proj-

Aishwarya had spoken to her family members before the incident on Saturday, and when they called her back after learning about the shooting they did not get any response, according to the judge’s friend.

“The family got the information about (her death) on Sunday. They are in a shock. They have been told that efforts were being made to send her body by Wednesday,” the judge’s friend said.

EC notice to Kharge for Sonia’s

NEW DEL HI, MAY 8

(IANS): The Election Commission on Monday issued a notice to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge asking to provide clarification and take rectification measures over former party chief Sonia Gandhi’s “Karnataka sovereignty” remarks.

In the notice to the Congress chief, the EC said: “I am directed to refer to a complaint dated May 8, 2023 submitted by the leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party, namely, Bhupender Yadav, Dr. Jitendra Singh, Tarun Chugh, Anil Baluni and Om Pathak to the Commission regarding a tweet which appeared on the official Twitter handle of the Congress on May 6, 2023 at 09:46 PM.”

“CPP Chairperson Sonia Gandhi Ji sends a strong message to 6.5 crore Kannadigas: The Congress will not allow anyone to pose a

sovereignty’ remarks

threat to Karnataka’s reputation, sovereignty or integrity,” the poll panel cited the tweet as saying.

It said that in the complaint made by the BJP, it is alleged, inter-alia (as quoted): “Karnataka, is a very important member state in the union of India and any call to protect the sovereignty of a member state of the union of India

amounts to a call for secession and is fraught with perilous and pernicious consequences.

“”In view of the above, you are requested to clarify and take rectification measures in respect of the social media post which has been put up on the INC Twitter handle and attributed to Chairperson CPP,” the EC said.

KOLKATA, MAY 8 (PTI):

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday ordered an immediate ban on the screening of the controversial film ‘The Kerala Story’ in the state to avoid “any incident of hatred and violence”, a senior official said here.

Action will be taken against any theatre found showing the film which depicts how women from Kerala were converted to Islam and recruited by Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.

Earlier in the day, Banerjee described ‘The Kerala Story’ as a distorted movie, aimed at defaming the southern state.

The move triggered a war of words between the opposition BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress.

The saffron camp ac-

cused the government of appeasing the minority community to serve its political interests, while the TMC charged the BJP with trying to create a “communal narrative” across the country ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

“To avoid any incident of hatred and violence and to maintain peace in the state, the CM has directed an immediate ban on screening of ‘The Kerala Story’ anywhere in West Bengal. There are scenes in this movie which could be dangerous to the peace and law and order of the state. Action will be taken against any cinema hall that violates the ban,” the bureaucrat told PTI.

‘The Kerala Story’, directed by Sudipto Sen, was released across the country on May 5.

NAGALAND PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION

KOHIMA

NO.NPSC/EXAM-5/2022 Dated Kohima, the 8th May, 2023

ANNOUNCEMENt Of RESULtS

The result of the Common Educational Services Examination 2022 is hereby declared. Viva-voce is scheduled to be held from 16th June 2023 onwards. Details can be accessed from the Commission's website at www.npsc.nagaland.gov.in and also from the notice board on the Commission.

(NUNgSANgMENlA IMChEN)

Secretary, Nagaland Public Service Commission, Kohima DC-

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Will take legal action: Producer on WB ban

“The Kerala Story” producer Vipul Shah on Monday said they will take legal action against the ban imposed by the West Bengal government on the screening of the film in the state. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered an immediate ban on the screening of the controversial movie to avoid “any incident of hatred and violence”.

Earlier in the day, Banerjee alleged that ‘The Kashmir Files’ was made to humiliate one section of the society whereas ‘The Kerala Story’ was a distorted movie, aimed at defaming the southern state.

“If that’s what she has done, then we will again take legal action. Whatever is possible under the provisions of the law, we will fight that,” Vipul Shah said at a press conference when asked about the ban in West Bengal. The Kerala High Court had refused to stay the release and said the trailer does not contain anything offensive to any particular community as a whole. It noted that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has examined the movie and found it suitable for public exhibition.

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Mamata Banerjee

Aishwarya Thatikonda

Locals gather after a MiG-21 fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed in Hanumangarh district, Monday. (PTI)

Rescue operation underway as a boat sank near Tuvalthiram beach, at Tanur area of Malappuram district, Sunday. (PTI)

DGCA asks Go First to stop selling tickets

NEW DELHI, MAY 8 (AGENCIES): Indian aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday issued a show cause notice to Wadia Group-owned cash-strapped airline Go First following the sudden cancellation of flights and initiation of the corporate insolvency resolution process under IBC. The airline has also been asked to stop the sale of tickets until further notice.

“In view of the sudden cancellation of flights and initiation of corporate insolvency resolution process under IBC by Go Airlines (India) Limited (Go First), DGCA has issued a show cause notice to Go First under the relevant provisions of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, for their failure to continue the operation of the service in a safe, efficient and reliable manner,” the DGCA said.

The airline has been asked to submit its reply within 15 days of the receipt of the show cause notice, and further, a decision on the continuation of its Air Operators Certificate (AOC)

will be taken on the basis of the reply submitted by it, a source told news agency PTI. The regulator’s ruling comes after the crisis-hit airline’s CEO in an interview said that he is optimistic about resuming flights within seven days if the bankruptcy court restrains lessors from taking back its aircraft.

“We will hundred per cent be able to save the airline” if the court starts the insolvency resolution process “immediately,” said Chief Executive Officer Kaushik Khona on Saturday. “All our stakeholders, including oil suppliers, service providers are aligned to the fact that we have been continuously cooperating and transparent with them.

Nagaland celebrates World Red Cross Day

(From p-1) He observed that one of the most inspiring aspects of the work of the Red Cross was the role of its volunteers who were the lifeblood of the organisation, providing essential support and assistance to those in need and their work underscored by a deep sense of understanding of the challenges faced by the communities they serve.

The Governor said Red Cross Society embodied the spirit of kindness and compassion.

sustainable community. IRSCN chairman, Abeni TCK, in a short speech, said Red Cross Nagaland had been part of the worldwide effort and numerous mission activities. She encouraged all to be ambassadors of humanitarian services.

A PowerPoint Presentation of activities of IRCSN state branch was presented during the programme.

The event was attended by several legislators, officials of the state.

Food cart vendors want return to same area

(From p-1)

Go First on Monday requested the National Company Law Tribunal to take an early decision on its voluntary insolvency resolution plea, saying lessors have started deregistering the carrier’s aircraft. On May 4, after a hearing, the tribunal had reserved its order on the budget carrier’s petition. Senior advocate P Nagesh along with Pranjal Kishore mentioned the matter in the morning before the principal bench of the tribunal headed by President Ramalingam Sudhakar. The counsels requested the tribunal to take an early decision on its plea, saying that lessors have started deregistering the airline’s aircraft. The bench agreed to look into Go First’s request.

He encouraged the gathering to contribute in their own capacity for humanitarian service with the Red Cross Society in order to build a more peaceful and

IRCSN general secretary, Akhale V Khamo, read out the message of the Secretary General, IRCS, HQ, New Delhi and also highlighted about the founder of Red Cross and urged the people of Nagaland to continue serving under the International Red Cross Society, keeping in mind the saying “Service to Men is service to God”.

The event was chaired by IRCSN managing committee member, Dr. R Rose Chakhesang while invocation was given by Chakhesang Baptist Church, Minister Hill, Kohima pastor Rev. Dr Vevo Phesao.

Students from Mt. Olive College and Mt. Sinai Higher Secondary School presented special numbers.

The programme was organized by IRCSN state branch.

Manipur violence: Army rejects rumours; flags fake video

(From p-1)

PRO mentioned that the volatile situation in Manipur had led the civil administration to requisition Indian Army and Assam Rifles and claimed that the security forces had conducted themselves impartially in restoring law and order. According to the PRO, out of the approximately 23,000 persons displaced internally due to the orgy of violence, around 9,500 of them were from the Meitei community and another 10,000 belonged to Kuki community. He said they had been accommodated in various army and Assam Rifles company operating bases/military garrisons on humanitarian grounds.

Panel proposes ban on diesel vehicles by 2027 A HC does not have power...

(From p-1)

“By 2030, no city buses should be added which are not electric...diesel buses for city transport should not be added from 2024 onwards,” the panel said in a report posted on the oil ministry’s website. It is not clear if the petroleum ministry will seek cabinet approval to implement the recommendations of its Energy Transition Advisory Committee, headed by former oil secretary Tarun Kapoor.

To boost electric vehicle use in the country, the report said the government should consider “targeted extension” of incentives given under Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles scheme (FAME) to beyond March 31.

Diesel accounts for about two-fifths of refined fuel consumption in India with 80% of that being used in the transport

sector. The panels said new registrations of only electric-powered city delivery vehicles should be allowed from 2024 and suggested for higher use railways and gaspowered trucks for the movement of cargo. The railway network is expected to be fully electric in two to three years.

Long-distance buses in India will have to be powered by electricity in the long-term, it said, adding that gas can be used as a transition fuel for 10-15 years.

The panel said India should consider building underground gas storage, equivalent to two months’ demand as demand is expected to rise at compound average growth rate of 9.78% between 2020 and 2050. It suggested the use of depleted oil and gas fields, salt caverns and aquifers for building gas storage with the participation of foreign gas-producing companies.

(From p-1) Article 342(1) of the Constitution is clear. The power is entirely that of the President. “It is not open to State governments or courts or tribunals or any other authority to modify, amend or alter the list of Scheduled Tribes specified in the notification issued under clause (1) of Article 342,” the Constitution Bench in State of Maharashtra versus Milind had held in November 2000.

The Constitution Bench had held that a notification issued under clause (1) of Article 342, specifying Scheduled Tribes, can be amended only by law to be made by Parliament.

“In other words, any tribe or tribal community or part of or group within any tribe can be included or excluded from the list of Scheduled Tribes issued under clause (1) of Article 342 only by Parliament by law and by no other authority,” the fivejudge Bench had laid down the law.

The Constitution Bench had held that the Scheduled Tribes Order “had to be read as it is”. “The Scheduled

PRO said these figures exemplified the impartiality and fairness of all rescue operations conducted by the Indian Army and Assam Rifles in their bid to restore normalcy. However, he lamented that inimical elements were spreading false rumours about the leanings of security forces towards a particular community.

PRO called for dispelling such rumours as they not only tarnished the image of the apolitical and righteous forces, but also demoralised the soldiers who executed the operations on ground.

PRO further requested all sections of the media, influencers and people to refer to official sources and verified handles for any news/content.

Tribes Order must be read as it is. It is not even permissible to say that a tribe, sub-tribe, part of or group of any tribe or tribal community is synonymous to the one mentioned in the Scheduled Tribes Order if they are not so specifically mentioned in it,” the Constitution Bench had drawn the line. The settled law in the Milind verdict had been referred to by a July 2017 judgment authored by Justice Chandrachud (as he was then) for a three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court in CMD, FCI versus Jagdish Balaram Bahira to note that the Presidential Order under Article 342 regarding Scheduled Tribes was always “final”. Acting on a writ petition filed by the Meetei (Meitei) Trade Union, the Manipur High Court’s acting Chief Justice M.V. Muralidaran on April 19 had directed the state government to submit the recommendation for inclusion of Meitei (Meetei) community in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list to the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry.

Air India extends VRS offer

NEW DELHI, MAY 8 (IANS): Tata-owned Air India on Monday extended a voluntary retirement offer for its non-flying staff till May 31. This is the third such offer by the group after it took control of the airline in January last year.

According to Air India, the permanent general cadre officers who have attained the age of 40 years or above and completed a minimum of five years of continuous service at the airlines are eligible for the offer. Also eligible will be clerical and unskilled categories of employees who have completed a minimum of five years of continuous service. “This is in reference to the organisational announcement dated March 17. In this regard, please note that the last date to apply for voluntary retirement in terms of the above organisational announcement for all the eligible employees has been extended till 31 May 2023,” read a notice issued on Monday.

He said the vendors wanted to return to the same location and assured they would follow whatever guidelines and restrictions for reopening their food cart vending business.

Asked why the food cart vendors did not want to go to Super Market, he replied that the proposed place was distant and that it would be difficult to take their carts everyday. He alsoclaimed that the vendors had been paying Rs 10 each to DMC and BAN each day.

On the allegation of playing loud music throughout the night till wee hours, causing serious problems on colony residents, he expressed apology and assured that they would run their stalls in disciplined manner. He also denied that vendors sold alcohol to customers. He said the customers themselves often brought and drank alcohol openly despite their requests not to do so.

An elderly lady who used to run a food cart at Clock Tower told this reporter that it was the only business she was involved with and also the main source of income for many

families. Admitting nearby colony residents had faced many problems due to the food stalls, she said that all vendors were now willing to follow any specific rules and regulations laid down by the authorities concerned. She also appealed the administration to allocate them the same spot.

Another lady who earlier ran her stall from Clock Tower also alleged that they were all asked to shut their business without any prior notice. She pointed out that many youth got ventured into street food cart trade due to unemployment.

On why there were disinclined to be allowed to operate in Super Market, she pointed out that they would not be able to push their carts everyday as most of the vendors were elderly persons . Further, she stated that the vendors would face some problems when night carnivals were held at Super Market.

It was later learned that the food cart vendors had met commissioner of police and assistant commissioner of police (traffic) to apprise them of the problems faced by due to the closure of their stalls.

India-UAE bilateral trade grew 20% in 2022-23

NEW DELHI, MAY 8

(IANS): Since the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) came into existence, bilateral trade between India and UAE witnessed tremendous growth of 20 per cent in 2022-23 as against the previous year.

India’s exports to the UAE also recorded a remarkable growth of 12 per cent, reaching $31.3 billion

in 2022-2023. This was stated by Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Rajesh Kumar Singh, who along with UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeoudi on Monday jointly inaugurated the events to commemorate the first anniversary of the implementation of CEPA, in Abu Dhabi.

60 dead, 231 injured, 1,700 houses burnt: Manipur CM

(From p-1)

The chief minister also informed that RD and PR minister Y Khemchand, works minister K Govindas and water resources minister Awangbow Newmai were also appointed as ministers in-charge of overseeing transportation of stranded persons, he added.

He also informed that

forest and environment minister Thongam Biswajit Singh has been made incharge of overseeing relief arrangements. Biren claimed that the situation was brought under control in almost every part of Manipur where state and paramilitary forces have been deployed at sensitive areas.

Gold climbs Rs 150; silver declines Rs 120

NEW DELHI, MAY 8 (PTI): Gold price climbed Rs 150 to Rs 60,600 per 10 gram in the national capital on Monday amid gains in international precious metal prices, according to HDFC Securities.

In the previous trade, the yellow metal had ended at Rs 60,450 per 10 gram.

Silver, however, de -

clined Rs 120 to Rs 77,580 per kg. “Spot gold prices in the Delhi markets traded at Rs 60,600 per 10 gram, up Rs 150 per 10 gram,” Saumil Gandhi, Senior Analyst - Commodities at HDFC Securities, said.

In the overseas market, gold was trading higher at USD 2,022 per ounce while silver was flat at USD

25.65 per ounce. Gold prices traded higher in Asian trading hours on Monday as the yellow metal got support from weaker US dollar, Gandhi said.

loSt & FoUnD

One Airbag (Red & Grey colour mix) containing personal clothing and important documents was

SNIPPETS

Fire in gold mine kills at least 27, Peruvian officials say

LIMA, MAY 8 (AP): A fire broke out deep in a gold mine in southern Peru and killed at least 27 workers during an overnight shift, Peruvian authorities reported.

The Yanaquihua mining company said in a statement that a total of 175 workers had been safely evacuated after the accident, which happened late Friday or early Saturday. It said the 27 dead worked for a contractor that specializes in mining.

Government officials said the cause of the incident was under investigation. Some news reports said preliminary investigations indicated an explosion might have been set off by a short circuit in a part of the mine about 100 metres below the surface.

Indian woman among nine killed in mass shooting incident in US

HOUSTON, MAY 8 (PTI): A 27-year-old Indian woman, who was working in the US as a project engineer, was among nine people killed when a gunman opened fire at a crowded mall in Dallas in Texas, authorities said on Monday.

Aishwarya Thatikonda, of McKinney, was shopping with a friend when they were shot by gunman Mauricio Garcia at the Allen Premium Outlets in Dallas, the New York Post newspaper reported.

The shooting erupted around 3:30 pm on Saturday as throngs of shoppers filled the outdoor mall. The shooting killed at least eight people before Mauricio Garcia, a 33-year-old gunman, was shot dead by a police officer. Aishwarya, daughter of a district judge in Ranga Reddy district court in India, worked as a project engineer at Perfect General Contractors LLC.

Nepal MP takes off clothes after not being allowed to speak

KATHMANDU, MAY 8 (IANS): An Independent MP in Nepal, Amresh Kumar Singh, on Monday took off his shirt and vest in the House in protest against not being given time to speak.

Singh, a former Nepali Congress leader, contested the elections last year as an Independent candidate from Sarlahi after the Nepali Congress did not give him a ticket.

Singh, who had done Ph.D from Jawaharlal Nehru University in the Indian capital of Delhi, took off his clothes after Devraj Ghimire, Speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) did not allow him to speak. Ghimire warned him that “action would be taken if he did not behave politely in the HoR meeting. “I am ready to become a martyr for speaking against corruption,” said Singh before taking off his clothes.

Cyclonic storm forecasted in SL

COLOMBO, MAY 8 (IANS): A low-level atmospheric disturbance that developed over the southeast Bay of Bengal area will gradually develop into a low-pressure area and then into a cyclonic storm within the next few days in Sri Lanka, said the Department of Meteorology on Monday. The fishing and naval communities are requested to be attentive to future forecasts issued by the department in this regard, Xinhua news agency reported.

Coronation celebrations conclude with ‘Big Help Out’ volunteering drive

LONDON, MAY 8 (PTI):

The long celebratory Coronation weekend in the UK concluded on Monday with a nationwide volunteering initiative entitled the “Big Help Out”, made up of around eight million opportunities for charities and local communities to participate in volunteering initiatives.

Conceived by Buckingham Palace as a tribute to newly crowned King Charles III’s focus on public service, the “Big Help Out” encouraged people from all walks of life to try volunteering for themselves and join the work being undertaken to support their local areas.

While British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and wife Akshata Murty joined the initiative at a lunch club in southern England, Opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer answered calls for the National Health Service (NHS) volunteer responders programme.

“This is part of the Big Help Out, tens of thousands of events taking place across the country just like this, respecting and reflecting His Majesty’s long tradition of service,” Sunak told report-

Prince Loius, with his father Prince William, aboard an excavator while taking part in the Big Help Out on Monday. ers as he chopped vegetables for food being prepared at the MacMillan Lunch Club in Hertfordshire.

“It is community spirit like this that binds our country together. It’s fantastic to be a part of it,” he said.

The King and Queen finally got a day of rest after the hectic activities of the weekend, with other royals deputed to support various volunteering initiatives.

William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and their children Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, joined volunteers in renovating the Upton

Afghanistan’s Taliban FM asks Pak, banned TTP to sit together for dialogue

ISLAMABAD, MAY 8 (PTI):

Scout Hut in Slough, Berkshire, with works including resetting a path, digging a new soakaway, sanding and revarnishing the front door, adding planters to the front of the building and adding a mural to create a “Big Help Out” legacy. “The 3rd Upton Scouts Hut was built in 1982 and is used by a variety of community groups in the area, including the local mosque, a senior citizens contact group for members of the South Asian community and the Scout group themselves,” the palace said.

“The building is also used by ‘Slough All Nations’, a group with a heri-

Iran hangs 2 in rare blasphemy case as executions surge

DUBAI, MAY 8 (AP): Iran hanged two men Monday convicted of blasphemy, authorities said, carrying out rare death sentences for the crime as executions surge across the Islamic Republic following months of unrest.

Iran remains one of the world’s top executioners, having put to death at least 203 prisoners since the start of this year alone, according to the Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights. But carrying out executions for blasphemy remains rare, as previous cases saw the sentences reduced by authorities.

The two men executed, Yousef Mehrad and Sadrollah Fazeli Zare, died at Arak Prison in central Iran. They had been arrested in May 2020, accused of being involved in a channel on the Telegram message app called “Critique of Superstition and Religion,” according to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom. Both men faced months of solitary confinement and could not contact

their families, the commission said. The Mizan news agency of Iran’s judiciary confirmed the executions, describing the two men as having insulted Islam’s Prophet Muhammad and promoted atheism.

Mizan also accused them of burning a Quran, Islam’s holy book, though it wasn’t clear whether the men allegedly did that or such imagery was shared in the Telegram channel.

Mahmood AmiryMoghaddam, who leads Iran Human Rights, decried the executions as exposing the “medieval nature” of Iran’s theocracy.

“The international community must show with its reaction that executions for expressing an opinion is intolerable,” he said in a statement. “The

Pak SC resumes hearing pleas against act curtailing CJ’s powers

tage spanning across St Kitts and Nevis, and which provides recreation and leisure activities to improve health and wellbeing and promote community cohesion. The Princess of Wales has been Joint President of the Scouts since 2020,” it said.

According to Buckingham Palace, the aim of the final day of the long Coronation weekend was to use volunteering to bring communities together and create a lasting volunteering legacy of the historic event held after a gap of 70 years.

“Pa, we are all so proud of you,” said Prince William in a very personal address to his father at the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle on Sunday night.

“As my grandmother [Queen Elizabeth II] said when she was crowned, Coronations are a declaration of our hopes for the future. And I know she’s up there, fondly keeping an eye on us. She would be a proud mother,” he said. The heir to the British throne also made his own pledge to “serve King, country and Commonwealth” and concluded with the refrain of “God Save the King”.

China

refusal of the international community to react decisively is a green light for the Iranian government and all their like-minded people around the world.”

It wasn’t immediately clear when Iran carried out its last execution for blasphemy.

Other countries in the Middle East, like Saudi Arabia, also allow for death sentences to be imposed for blasphemy.

The streak of executions, including members of ethnic minority groups in Iran, comes as monthslong protests over the September death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after her arrest by the country’s morality police have cooled.

Already, at least four people charged over alleged crimes from the demonstrations have been put to death. The protests, which reportedly saw over 500 people killed and 19,000 others arrested, marked one of the biggest challenges to Iran’s theocracy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Afghanistan’s interim Taliban regime Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has asked Pakistan and the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to sit together for a dialogue, amid a sharp increase in deadly attacks on Pakistani security forces in recent months.

“It is requested that Pakistan and TTP sit together for dialogue,” Muttaqi said at the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad, a leading think-tank, on the last day of his fourday trip to Pakistan where he held bilateral talks on different issues, apart from attending a trilateral meeting with foreign ministers of Pakistan and China.

The Afghan Taliban official said that his country had helped initiate negotiations between Islamabad and the TTP, a reference to talks between the two sides which failed to produce any result. Pakistan had held several rounds of talks - brokered by the Afghan Taliban - with the TTP but the negotiations failed last year after which the militant group resumed terror activities. Pakistan has witnessed a surge in TTP violence since the militant group formally

ended the ceasefire on November 28. “We do not want any bloodshed and unrest on the land of Pakistan,” the acting Afghan foreign minister asserted as he said that talks between Pakistan and the TTP were the best way to solve differences.

He also said that Afghanistan would not allow anyone to use its territory against any country.

On the key issue of banning girls’ education in his country, he said the Taliban never said that women’s education was un-Islamic or prohibited and added that they only said that educational activities would remain suspended until further orders. The TTP has become a thorny issue between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban. Pakistan expected the Afghan Taliban to address its concerns re-

garding the TTP after its return to power in August 2021. But contrary to the expectations, the TTP attacks only went up. The TTP, which has ideological linkages with the Afghan Taliban and is also known as the Pakistan Taliban, was set up as an umbrella group of several militant outfits in 2007. Its main aim is to impose its strict brand of Islam across Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban’s reluctance to take on the TTP stemmed from its fears that the group’s fighters might join Da’esh (Islamic State). Second, the Afghan Taliban and the TTP share the same ideology as they fought alongside the US-led foreign forces. Nevertheless, the two sides have been trying to find a way out of the TTP problem as it has threatened to undermine their future cooperation. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif last month warned Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers about targeting terrorist hideouts inside the war-torn neighbouring country if the latter were unable to rein in anti-Pakistan militants. He had earlier said that the banned TTP was using Afghan soil for carrying out attacks in Pakistan.

tells US to ‘reflect deeply’ over downturn in ties

BEIJING, MAY 8 (AP):

China’s foreign minister told the US ambassador on Monday that Washington is responsible for the downturn in relations between the two countries and must “reflect deeply” before ties can return to a healthy track, an official said.

Qin Gang’s comments follow a suspension of serious dialogue on a range of issues between the world’s largest economies, increasingly at odds over tariffs, attempts by Washington to deprive China of cuttingedge technology, and China’s claims to self-governing Taiwan and large parts of the South and East China Seas.

China’s Foreign Ministry quoted Qin as telling Ambassador Nicolas Burns that a “series of erroneous words and deeds by the US” since a meeting in November between US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping “have undermined the hard-won positive momentum of Sino-US relations.”

“The US side should reflect deeply, meet China halfway, and propel ChinaUS relations out of the

difficulties and back on the right track,” Qin was quoted as saying.

The United States should “correct its understanding of China and return to rationality,” Qin said, repeating his earlier accusation that the US is attempting to suppress and contain China. Beijing routinely cites US political and military support of Taiwan as infringing on its sovereignty.

Qin said ties had “grown icy” and the priority was to stabilise them “and avoid a downward spiral and unanticipated events.”

The US should stop “undermining China’s sov-

ereignty, security, and development interests,” particularly through support of Taiwan’s independent identity, Qin said.

China says Taiwan must come under its rule, by force if necessary, while the United States says the relationship between the sides must be resolved peaceably. US law requires it to treat threats to Taiwan, including a military blockade, as a matter of “grave concern,” though it remains ambiguous under what conditions US forces could be dispatched to defend the island.

Despite the lack of formal diplomatic relations, the US is Taiwan’s

largest supplier of military hardware and diplomatic support, even while it continues to maintain relations with Beijing.

Biden has been seen as going a step further by repeatedly saying that the US would back Taiwan militarily, and America has been upgrading basing arrangements with the Philippines, located just south of Taiwan.

US-China military contacts have been on hold for years, and China’s top staff refused to answer a call from Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin after then-Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last year. China retaliated for the visit by staging a naval and air force blockade of Taiwan and cutting off channels of communication with the US on issues from environmental protection to maritime security.

At a daily briefing Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin described the meeting between Qin and Burns as ”a normal diplomatic arrangement.”

Ukraine shoots down 35 drones over Kyiv as attacks kill 4

KYIV, MAY 8 (AP): Ukraine air defences shot down 35 Iranian-made drones over Kyiv in Russia’s latest nighttime assault, as attacks across Ukraine by the Kremlin’s forces killed four civilians, officials said on Monday. The bombardments came as Moscow enforced tight security on the eve of traditional Red Square commemorations marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

wounded.

Some of the Soviet-era cruise missiles fired against the Odesa region self-destructed or fell into the sea before reaching their targets, according to Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuri Ihnat.

In addition, six Russian rockets also struck the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk during the night, a regional official reported on Monday.

netsk regional governor Petro Kyrylenko said in a Telegram post.

May 9 is normally a bank holiday in Ukraine, too, but not this year, because of the war.

ISLAMABAD,

MAY 8 (PTI): Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Monday resumed the hearing on the pleas challenging the newly enacted law aimed at clipping the powers of the chief justice. The bill, titled the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023, was aimed at depriving the office of the CJP of powers to take suo motu notice in an individual capacity. The draft law was initially passed by both houses of Parliament in March and sent to President Arif Alvi for his assent. However, the president sent it back, saying that the proposed law travelled “beyond the competence of Parliament”. The bill was subsequently adopted by a joint session of Par-

liament on April 10 — albeit with some amendments. The top court — while hearing three petitions challenging the then-bill — in an “anticipatory injunction” on April 13, barred the government from enforcing the draft law, saying the move would “prevent the imminent apprehended danger that is irreparable” as soon as it became an act of parliament. An eight-member larger bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial is hearing the pleas on Monday. At the outset of Monday’s hearing, Attorney General of Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan informed the court that a plea had been filed for the formation of a full court to hear the case.

Russian media counted at least 21 Russian cities that cancelled military parades — the staple of Victory Day celebrations across Russia — on May 9 for the first time in years. Regional officials cited “security concerns” or vaguely referred to “the current situation.”

Parades will go ahead in Russia’s largest cities, Moscow and St. Petersburg. But the use of drones has been banned in both cities ahead of Victory Day.

In St. Petersburg, which is often referred to as “northern Venice” for its network of rivers and canals, using jet skis in certain parts of the city has also been prohibited until May 10.

In the Russian capital, car sharing services have

Police inspect an apartment building damaged by a drone, that was shot down during a Russian overnight strike, in Kyiv. (AP/PTI) been temporarily barred from the city centre — drivers will not be able to start or finish rides there.

Five people in the capital were injured by falling drone debris, according to Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration. Air raid alarms sounded for more than three hours during the night.

Drone wreckage struck a two-story apartment building in Kyiv’s western Svyatoshynskyi district, while other debris struck a car parked nearby, setting it on fire, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a Telegram post. Facing economic sanctions and limits on its supply

chains due to its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has routinely turned to Iranian Shahed drones to bolster its firepower.

Russian shelling of 127 targets across northern, southern and eastern parts of Ukraine killed three civilians, the Ukrainian defense ministry said.

The Kremlin’s forces used tanks, drones, mortars, warplanes, multiple rocket launchers and surface-to-air missiles to bombard Ukraine, the report said.

Russian long-range bombers launched up to eight cruise missiles at Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, authorities said. One person was killed and three

The missiles targeted the city’s industrial zone and caused no casualties, Do -

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday he had sent a draft bill to parliament proposing a Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II on May 8 and a Day of Europe on May 9, further distancing Kyiv from Moscow.

OGBLOU ELECTS

Oil and Gas bearing Land Owner Union of Tssori and Changpang (OGBLOU) bearing

21 Nos Oil and 2 Gas held a general meeting on 18th April 2023 at Lt. NK Kithan residence and selected the following New Office Bearers for the tenure 3 Years (2023-2026).

1. President – T. Amos Kikon

2. Vice President – L. Zubemo Odyuo

3. General Secretary – Libenthung Odyuo

4. Joint Secretary – Richard Kithan

5. Finance – K. Lithao Kithan

6. Treasurer – Rentsamo Shitiri

Amir Khan Muttaqi

Qin Gang and Nicolas Burns

90.8 Hills FM announces partnership with TaFMA

To promote and encourage local artistes, 90.8 Hills FM announced partnership with Task Force for Music and Arts (TaFMA) on Monday at its station, 90.8 Hills FM, 3rd Floor, Hotel Sente, Golaghat Road, Dimapur.

Announcing this in a press conference, 90.8 Hills FM managing director, Imali Hesso informed that 90.8 Hills FM-Nagaland was the first community radio station initiated by an NGO and inaugurated on September 8, 2022, with the vision to be the voice of the people.

It also informed that the station covers Dimapur, Niuland, Chumoukedima and parts of Assam and other adjoining areas. The community radio is a station operated, owned and driven by communities they serve, it provides platform for enabling individuals, groups and communities to share experiences and become active creators and contributors to the community. It was also mentioned that the station produces contents that are relevant to the community but also covers issues pertinent globally regardless of the

demographic environment.

Radio jockey and mentor, Vitono Gugu Haralu, who disclosed about the collaboration with TaFMA, said that the new venture will focus on giving artistes the needed exposure to their talents via the radio channel. The partnership will be Season-1, to encourage artistes to be featured providing a medium to bring back the culture of listening engage to know about the artiste at large. The platform will not only be about musicians but also provide platform for art such as film makers

‘Never received invite’ for Coronation Concert: Ed Sheeran

Despite reports claiming Ed Sheeran turned down the chance to perform at Windsor Castle, the singer said he actually never received an invitation from the Buckingham Palace requesting his services at King Charles III’s Coronation Concert.

King Charles III makes virtual appearance on ‘American Idol’

King Charles III made a cameo appearance on “American Idol” after the royal coronation concert in his honour.

Charles and Queen Camilla walked into a room at Windsor Castle on Sunday where “Idol” judges Lionel Richie and Katy Perry — who performed at the concert of eclectic acts — were appearing virtually on the talent show.

and encourage indigenous culture art form.

She mentioned that starting from May 11, 2023, 90.8 Hills FM will be featuring home grown artistes and bands from across Nagaland every Thursday 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Interested artiste can reach out TaFMA or contact 90.8 Hills FM at 9650227310 or 8798099630; email-www. hillsfmnagaland.com.

This week the station will be featuring Moko Koza “Naga Manu’ singer as artiste of the week.

(Staff Reporter)

The British singer, who recently won a copyright trial in New York, said he “wasn’t asked” but was “excited to tune in” to the bash at Windsor Castle on Sunday evening, reports mirror.co.uk.

Ed also explained how he wanted to “set the record straight” regarding reports that he had turned down the chance to belt out a tune for the new King and Queenrevealing there was actually no offer from the Buckingham Palace for him to reject.

Ed, alongside Alanis Morissette, instead spent his Sunday evening as a guest judge on ‘American Idol’, as fulltime judges Katy Perry and Lionel Richie performed for the newly-crowned head of state in London.

(IANS)

The king, wearing a dark blue suit and tie, named-checked one of Richie’s signature songs, which he performed at the show, asking if he was planning to do this “All Night Long.”

“I just wanted to check how long you’ll be using this room,” Charles joked. The audience laughed.

The concert the day after the gilded coronation spectacle had the newly crowned monarch and his wife on their feet at one point swaying to the music. Other members of the royal family, including 8-year-old Princess Charlotte and Prince George, 9, waved Union flags along with a crowd of some 20,000 gathered on the castle’s east terrace.

Charlotte and her mother, Kate, the Prin -

cess of Wales, sang along as Perry, dressed in a gold foil ball gown, performed her pop hit “Roar.”

“Top Gun” star Tom Cruise appeared in a recorded video message, saying: “Pilot to pilot. Your Majesty, you can be my wingman any time.”

The mixed programme also saw performances by the Royal Ballet, Nicole Scherzinger from the Pussycat Dolls, opera singer Andrea Bocelli and British band Take That.

Even Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog made an appearance, joking with

What is spinal stenosis?

What Is It?

It’s when the spaces between the bones that make up your spinal cord (called your vertebrae) get narrow. This can put pressure on those bones and on the nerves that run from your spine to your arms and legs. It happens most often in your lower back or neck.

The Symptoms

You may not notice any. But if the narrowing puts pressure on your spinal cord or nerve roots, you may have numbness, weakness, cramping, and pain in your arms and legs. In more severe cases, you may have trouble with your bowel, bladder, or having sex.

Who Gets It

It’s most common in

men and women over 50 years old. But it can happen when you’re younger if you’re born with a condition that narrows your spinal canal, or you injured your spine in some way.

Your Aging Spine

The ligaments (cords that hold your spine together) may get thicker and harder as you age. Bones and joints also may get bigger, and that can narrow the spaces between your vertebrae. Arthritis, which is more common when you’re older, can make this worse.

Other Possible Causes

Several things can put pressure on your spinal cord and nerves. For example, if you have a herniated disk, the soft cushions

or “disks” that separate your vertebrae can crack and ooze. Tumors also can grow in the spine, or a sudden injury can shift your spine or create bone fragments there.

Diagnosis

Your doctor will ask about your medical history because injuries and other health problems may cause the same symptoms. They’ll check for pain when you bend backward and test your muscle strength and reflexes. They also may want do imaging scans to look inside your spinal column and check for things like tumors, bone spurs, or an injury.

Doctors Who Can Help

In addition to your

OFFICE OF THE SUMI APHUYEMI BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL FELLOWSHIP FELICITATION

The Sumi Aphuyemi Baptist Theological Fellowship extends our heartiest congratulations to the following members of the fellowship for their achievements and accomplishments.

regular doctor, you also may see physical and occupational therapists (who help you with certain exercises), a rheumatologist (who treats arthritis and related disorders), and a

neurologist (who treats nerve problems). If you need surgery, you’d probably see an orthopedic surgeon (who deals with bones) or a neurosurgeon (who focuses on your nervous system).

Medication

To treat inflammation and pain, your doctor may suggest that you take over-the-counter drugs like acetaminop hen, aspirin,

naproxen, or ibuprofen. If those don’t help, they may give you a shot of a steroid (such as cortisone) in your spinal cord to ease inflammation and pain. Another option is an anesthetic medication to block pain near the affected nerve.

Nonsurgical Treatments

Your doctor might recommend that you not do some activities. They also might suggest certain exercises to strengthen your stomach and back muscles to help support your spine.

Aerobic exercises -swimming, biking, or brisk walking -- can be good ways to stay active. If you’re older or have weak stomach

host Hugh Bonneville.

Richie and Perry, who are judges on “Idol” and were replaced for the episode by Alanis Morissette and Ed Sheeran, were on camera in a room in the castle with dark red drapes and golden arm chairs when the king and queen entered.

Richie feigned surprise and told the US audience that he and Perry needed to vacate the room immediately.

The king thanked Richie and Perry for a “brilliant performance.”

“It’s a great treat to

have you both here,” he said.

Camilla, in a bright blue jacket, gave them high marks: “Fantastic, absolutely fantastic.” Charles was not the only member of the royal family to make a joke of one of Richie’s most popular tunes.

Prince William, heir to the throne, before delivering a heartfelt speech telling his father, “Pa, we are all so proud of you,” promised the audience that, unlike Richie, he wouldn’t go on “All Night Long.” (AP)

muscles, you might need a brace to strengthen your backbone.

When to Have Surgery A lot depends on your overall health and how much your symptoms affect your day-to-day life. If you’re in good shape but have numbness or weakness that makes it hard to walk or causes bladder or bowel problems, your doctor may suggest surgery. It’s a big step, so it’s important to weigh your options.

What Happens in

Surgery

The goal is to relieve pressure on your spinal cord and nerves and support your spine. Your sur-

geon may adjust, trim, or take out the parts of your spinal column that are causing the pressure. They may also join together (fuse) some of your vertebrae in the problem section.

Surgery Risks

Most people have less pain and are able to walk better after surgery. But, as with many operations, infection and blood clots are possible. You also could have a tear in the membrane that covers the spinal cord. All of these are treatable, but they may make your recovery time longer. Medically Reviewed by Tyler Wheeler, MD

May God continue to use you all for more of His Glory.

K-988/23

K-985/23

Rev. Dr. Hotokhu P. Zhimomi Dr. Samuel Swu Dr. K. Itsato Assumi Chisholimi Village Shesulimi Village Khughutomi Village

1. Rev. Dr. Hotokhu P. Zhimomi, on being conferred Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) from International Institute of Arts and Theology, Kolkata, India.

2. Dr. Samuel Swu, on being conferred Degree of Doctorate in the Department of History of Christianity from Angel Global University Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh.

3. Dr. K. Itsato Assumi, on being conferred Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) from Patriot Bible University, Del Norte, Colorado, USA.

Mr. Khehoto Swu Mrs. Shetoli Assumi President, SABTF General Secretary, SABTF

Queen Camilla and King Charles III during the royal coronation.

Arsenal win 2-0 at Newcastle to stay in title hunt in EPL

NEWCASTLE/LONDON, ENGLAND, MAY

8 (REUTERS/AGEN -

CIES): Arsenal showed no sign of raising the white flag in the Premier League title race with a 2-0 victory at Newcastle United on Sunday to close the gap on leaders Manchester City to one point.

Defeat would have left Arsenal’s hopes of a first title since 2004 hanging by a thread but Martin Odegaard’s brilliant strike and a Fabian Schar own goal sealed a vital victory.

Newcastle, bidding to cement third place and take a big step towards a topfour finish, dominated early on but Odegaard’s sweet strike after 14 minutes gave the visitors the lead.

Schar then inadvertently turned in Gabriel Martinelli’s cross with 20 minutes remaining.

City, who have won

Arsenal’s Gabriel and Martin Odegaard celebrate after the match. (Reuters)

10 straight games to catch and then overhaul Arsenal, have 82 points from 34 games with the Gunners on 81 having played a game more. Newcastle remain in third spot on 65, helped by fourth-placed Manchester United’s surprise 1-0 defeat at lowly West Ham United later on Sunday.

If ever there was a test

of the resolve of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal team it was a trip to St James’s Park to face a Newcastle side on a roll in their quest to return to the Champions League after an absence of two decades.

They also had the bitter memory of a 2-0 defeat at Newcastle a year ago that scuppered their top-

Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy misses from the penalty spot. (Reuters)

four hopes. But this Arsenal side, despite the recent wobbles that have cost them top spot, are made of much sterner stuff.

Leicester’s relegation worries deepen after 5-3 loss at Fulham Willian and Tom Cairney both scored twice to help Fulham beat Leicester

City 5-3 at home on Monday, ending the visitors’ three-game unbeaten Premier League run and leaving them deep in relegation danger.

Leicester, who had taken five points from their last three matches, are 16th in the standings on 30 points -- tied with 18th-placed Nottingham

Ishan named KL Rahul’s replacement for WTC final against Aus

MUMBAI, MAY 8 (PTI):

The BCCI has named wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan as replacement for KL Rahul for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia, who suffered a right upper thigh injury during an Indian Premier League match recently.

Rahul, the Lucknow Super Giants skipper, had been ruled out of the entire IPL and the WTC final against Australia after he picked up the injury while fielding during an IPL match against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

The WTC final will take place between June from 7-11 at The Oval in London. The BCCI also said in a statement on Monday that a decision on the

WTC final participation of left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat, who suffered a shoulder injury to his bowling arm while practising for LSG ahead of the RCB game, will be taken at a later stage.

“The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Ishan Kishan as KL

Rahul’s replacement (for the WTC final),” said a statement from BCCI secretary Jay Shah.

“KL Rahul suffered an injury to his right upper thigh while fielding during Match 43rd of TATA IPL 2023 between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal

Challengers Bangalore on 1st May.” Shah said Rahul will undergo surgery “at the earliest”, which will be followed by a “rehab at the National Cricket Academy for the same”.

“After consultations with specialists, it has been decided that Rahul will undergo surgery at the earliest. He is ruled out of the upcoming ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia,” said the BCCI statement.

“Jaydev Unadkat sustained a left shoulder injury by tripping over the side rope while bowling in the (LSG) nets. A specialist consultation has been sought and the left-arm fast bowler is currently at the National Cricket Academy

in Bengaluru undergoing strength and rehab sessions for his shoulder. A decision on his participation in the WTC final will be taken at a later stage.”

Th BCCI said Umesh Yadav, after sustained a minor left hamstring injury during the Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders game on April 26, had started “lowintensity” training.

“The fast bowler is currently under the care of the KKR Medical Team and has started low-intensity bowling as part of his rehab process. The BCCI Medical Team is in regular touch with KKR Medical Team and is closely monitoring Umesh’s progress,” the statement added.

Forest and a point above 19th-placed Everton, who are both in action later on Monday. Fulham remain 10th. Fulham were gifted the opener in the 10th minute by a howler from goalkeeper Daniel Iversen, who misjudged the trajectory of a Willian free kick and could only watch as the ball bounced past him and into the back of the net.

The hosts continued to press forward, with Carlos Vinicius squeezing a shot past Iversen in the 18th minute before Cairney scored either side of halftime to give the West London club a four-goal advantage. Leicester pulled a goal back as winger Harvey Barnes fired into the roof in the 59th minute but Willian wrapped up a one-sided victory by curling home Fulham’s fifth from distance. The visitors scored through Barnes and

James Maddison late on to threaten a dramatic comeback, but Fulham were able to hold on for the win.

De Gea error gifts

West Ham 1-0

win over

Manchester United

A howler by Manchester United goalkeeper

David De Gea gifted West Ham United three vital points in their battle against relegation as the hosts secured a 1-0 Premier League win at the London Stadium on Sunday. United are fourth on 63 points after 34 games, one ahead of Liverpool and with a game in hand over the Merseysiders, while West Ham are 15th on 37 points, seven above the drop zone. Visiting forwards Marcus Rashford and Antony hit the post in the first half but De Gea’s error will capture the headlines as it reopened

the chase for Champions League places. Said Benrahma’s bouncing shot from distance looked to be no real threat but although Spaniard De Gea dived and got a hand to it he failed to keep the ball out as West Ham took the lead.

The goal knocked the wind out of United’s sails and they were lucky not to concede a penalty when Victor Lindelof moved his arm into the path of a ball from Benrahma, with VAR deciding not to recommend a spot kick as the first half came to a close.

De Gea redeemed himself somewhat early in the second half with a superb reaction save to deny Tomas Soucek but he looked shaky again as Soucek found the net with a header in the 73rd minute, only to see the effort chalked off for offside.

Golf: Wyndham Clark wins maiden PGA Tour title; Bhatia is T-43, Theegala finishes T-56

CHARLOTTE (USA),

MAY 8 (IANS): Indian American golfers Akshay Bhatia shot 73 and finished tied for the 43rd place (T43), while Sahith Theegala returned an identical card of 73 in the final round but ended T-56 in the Wells Fargo Championship. Bhatia (72, 69, 69, 73) finished on one-under 283 to pocket a cheque of $69,000 while Theegala (67, 74, 71, 73) ended with a four-round total of one-over 285 and was placed tied 56th with two

other players, claiming a total prize of $46,200 in the event.

On the final day on

Sunday, Wyndham Clark shot 68 for a four-shot victory over Xander Schauffele to earn his first career win on the PGA Tour. The 29-year-old Clark struggled to hold back tears as he sank a bogey putt on the 18th hole to seal the win. Clark finished the tournament at 19-under 265, the second-lowest score in relation to par in tournament history behind only three-time champion Rory M’Ilroy’s 21-under 267 in 2015 when par for the course was 72.

MADRID, MAY 8 (AP):

Two of the best attacking teams in Europe face off in the Champions League semifinals this week, with Manchester City’s recordseeking Erling Haaland going against Real Madrid’s red-hot trio of Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo and Karim Benzema.

It will be a rematch of last year’s semifinal, when Madrid got the better of a City team that didn’t have Haaland in the squad. City fell short of European success yet again, while Madrid went on to win a recordextending 14th title.

The addition of Haaland could be the differencemaker for Pep Guardiola’s team this time. The 22-yearold Norwegian scored 12 of City’s 26 goals in the Champions League this season. He is five short of Cristiano Ronaldo’s singleseason record of 17 goals for Madrid in 2013-14. Haaland added a new dimension to

a City attack that played most of last season without a striker. Instead of focusing on always dominating possession, Guardiola has been happy to use Haaland as a weapon on the counterattack at times. The striker has a Premier League-record 35 goals this season, and 51 in total in all competitions. Madrid will stick to the formula that has worked well in recent years, with Vinícius, Benzema and Rodrygo taking turns to lead an attack that scored 25 goals in the Champions League this season — 15 of them coming from the trio. They scored eight of the team’s 10 goals in the knockout stage alone. Last season, Vinícius, Benzema and Rodrygo combined for all six of Madrid’s goals as it advanced past City 6-5 on aggregate in the semifinals. Rodrygo scored the two late goals that took the second leg to extra time at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

5th Aphuyemi Cup from May 9

DIMAPUR, MAY 8 (NPN): The 5th edition of the Aphuyemi Cup organised by Aphuyemi Football Club will kick off from May 9 with branch manager, SBI Aghunato & president of Football Association Tseminyu District, Benlo Thyu as the guest of honour.

Aphuyemi Cup is an annual tournament which is organised and hosted in different location of Pughoboto area. This year’s edition of the tournament is being hosted by Pughoboto Town. Aphuyemi Football Club, is among one of the reputed clubs in Nagaland football which participated in many major tournaments in Nagaland and beyond. Aphuyemi Cup is a platform where the club select the best to represent the club.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Born: 10/11/1954 Died: 06/05/2023

We the bereaved family of Late T Viheto Achumi would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to every Individual, Churches, Organisations and Well Wishers who stood by us Physically, Financially, Materially and Spiritually during his illness and also at his demise .

We convey our special thanks to:

1. Sumi Community Süghüna

2. Phisami Union Dimapur

3. Süghüna Baptist Church, Women Ministry, CED, Youth Ministry, Worship Team.

4. Phisami Village Students' Union

5. Atosa Azanaqomqo,Sughuna

6. Kuki Baptist Fellowship, Jalukie

7. Sumi Kiphimi Kuqhakulu, Sughuna

8. Phisami Baptist Church SBAK Aizuto

We regret our inability to thank each and everyone individually, however it is our prayer that God's blessings be upon you all. Loving Wife, Children and Relatives.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We express our heartfelt gratitude to each and everyone who stood by us and provided us physical, emotional, spiritual and material help and support at the sad demise of Lt. Y. Longshio Tsopoe, Hav (MT) DEF Kohima.

It is our sincere prayer that Almighty God bless you all abundantly.

27-08-1975 to 01-05-2023

We the family of Late Meyazokho Khawakhrie express our heartfelt thanks to those who called to our homes, to our wonderful neighbours, friends, relatives, church, clans, and organizations for lending your helping hand through prayer, spiritual, motivation and generosity. We wish to thank the huge number of people who travelled from far and near to attend the funeral service and the kindness shown to us during this arduous time will never be forgotten.

We sincerely convey our thanks to:

1. Sechü Zubza Baptist Church

2. GHSS Sechü Zubza

3. GMS Orphanage Seithogei

4. Blood Donor’s

5. Referral Hospital Dimapur Doctor’s and Nurses

6. NHAK Doctor’s and Nurses

We regret our inability to thank you all individually but we pray that our Almighty God bless you all in every aspect of your lives.

Loving Wife, Mother, Brothers, Sisters, In-laws and Relatives.

Born: 14/04/1982

Died : 02/05/2023

We also convey our special thanks to:

1. Shri Temjen Imna Along, Minister (Tourism & Higher Education)

2. Dr.Longrineken, Ex-MLA

3. Shri Liremo Tsopoe IPS, IGP(NAP)NPTO

4. Superintendent of Police, Kohima

5. Shri Johnny Patton, Dy SP (R), Kohima

6. Shri. Rhonbemo Kikon, MTO DEF Kohima

7. MT Coy, DEF Kohima

8. All Ranks and Files of DEF Kohima

9. Bethesda Hospital Kohima

10. Naga Hospital Authority, Kohima

11. Police Union Baptist Church, Phesama/Women Dept/Sunday's School Dept.

12. Ao Fellowship, New Police Reserve

13. Union Christian Revival Church, New Police Reserve

14. Sumi Friday Fellowship/ Sumi Community, New Police Reserve

15. New Reserve Lotha Union

16. Kohima Shaki Fellowship

17. Trinity School Staff & Students, New Police Reserve

18. N. Mhonchan Tsopoe, Chairman (NRLE)

19. Abemo Ezung, ABSI

20. Er. Y. Mhathung Tsopoe

21. Dimapur Shaki Tsopoe Ekhung

22. Dimapur Seithekema (C), E-Khel

23. Dimapur Seithekema Lotha Union

24. Mission Centre Baptist Church, Chumoukedima Loving wife, children and family members

IN GRATITUDE OF LT. MEYAZOKHO KHAWAKHRIE

Erling Haaland with Pep Guardiola.

Wyndham Clark

Ishan Kishan

IPL: KKR beat PBKS by 5 wkts in last ball thriller

KOLKATA, MAY 8 (PTI): Rinku Singh added another bright chapter to his legend as a “finisher” with a last-ball boundary as Kolkata Knight Riders beat Punjab Kings by five wickets on Monday to keep their IPL play-off hopes alive.

It was a complete ‘RRR’ show by KKR as skipper Nitish Rana’s halfcentury and Andre Russell adding muscle to the chase of 180 enabled Rinku to finish off the game with a 10-ball-21 not out.

Earlier, Varun Chakravarthy once again brilliantly spearheaded their bowling department to grab 3/26 as KKR put up a tidy bowling show to restrict PBKS to a belowpar 179 for seven after the visitors opted to bat on a slow wicket.

In reply, KKR show batting show was led by Rana’s stellar effort when he promoted himself to No 3 and laid the foundation with a 38-ball 51 (6x4, 1x6).

On a wicket where the odd ball was gripping and batters struggled to find their timings, Rana stiched a crucial fifty-plus stand with Venkatesh Iyer (11) before Andre Russell and Rinku Singh sealed

the issue.

Needing 56 off 28 balls after Rana became Rahul Chahar’s second victim, Russell went ballistic against Sam Curran smoking him for three sixes in four balls in a 20-run over to change the equation in favour of KKR

who needed six off the last over. But death over specialist Arshdeep Singh who had six to defend took it down the wire with four off first four balls. Arshedeep has often floundered of late failing to nail his yorkers.

World Boxing: Sachin Siwach moves into pre-QFs; Naveen, Govind Sahani bow out

TASHKENT (UZBEKISTAN), MAY 8 (IANS):

On a mixed day for India, Sachin Siwach (54kg) was at the top of his game on Monday as he defeated Moldova’s Serghei Novac comfortably to reach the pre-quarterfinals of the IBA Men’s World Boxing Championships here.

However, the journey ended for fellow Indian pugilists Naveen Kumar and Govind Sahani as they lost their respective bouts on Matchday 8 to bow out of the competition.

The day belonged to Siwach as he came up with a superb display to maintain his chances of finishing on the podium.

Siwach dominated the match from the beginning and registered a 5-0 unanimous decision over his opponent. The 2021 World Youth champion started aggressively and never let his guard down in the first round. Siwach continued with the same strategy in the second round as well. He

landed some heavy punches on his opponent with swift movements. Siwach was all over Novach in the third and final round with precise hits and received the decision of all the judges in his favour.

Siwach will now face top seed Kazakhstan’s Makhmud Sabyrkhan in pre-quarters on Tuesday, the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) informed in a release on Monday.

On the other hand, Naveen Kumar (92kg) went down 0-5 against Enmanuel Reyes of Spain. The Indian

The duo off Russell and Rinku put together a match winning 54 runs partnership from 26 balls.

Their second win in a row pushed KKR (-0.079) past Royal Challengers Bangalore (-0.209) to topfive on net run-rate as five teams are locked a midtable rush for playoff with 10 points.

Chahar bowled a brilliant 10th over conceding just three runs to have them 76/2 at the half-way stage as the home side still had a lot of work to do with 104 needed from the back-10.

But Rana turned it around, taking charge on Livingstone when he hit the PBKS part-time spinner for two fours and a six in a row in a 16-run over.

It was still not a cakewalk with legspinner Rahul Chahar quietly doing his role in his tidy 4-0-23-2.

Earlier, KKR Impact Player Jason Roy (38; 24b) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (15; 12b) gave them a flying start when they cruised to 36 for no loss in four overs after they took Arshdeep Singh to cleaners in a 16run over.

Nathan Ellis gave the breakthrough trapping Gurbaz LBW with a slower one, before Roy

became the victim of Brar after he failed to clear deep midwicket.

On a day Sunil Narine (4-0-29-0) was decent but went wicketless yet again, Chakravarthy relished the slow nature of the track where the odd ball was gripping to return with excellent figures of 4-0-263 after PBKS opted to bat.

With Harshit Rana (3-0-33-2) grabbing two inside the powerplay, KKR had a perfect start reducing PBKS to 58/3.

Skipper Shikhar Dhawan (57; 47b) anchored the show in a Virat Kohlilike innings the other day against Delhi Capitals but the lefthander could never take off and was dismissed by KKR skipper Nitish Rana.

Dhawan put together 53 runs partnership with Jitesh Sharma (21).

Brief scores:

Punjab Kings: 179 for 7 in 20 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 57; Varun Chakravarthy 3/26, Harshit Rana 2/33).

Kolkata Knight Riders: 182 for 5 in 20 overs (Jason Roy 38, Nitish Rana 51, Andre Russell 42, Rinku Singh 21 not out; Rahul Chahar 2/23, Nathan Ellis 1/29).

boxer found it hard to get into a rhythm in the first round and could not find his feet in the second round as well. Naveen tried hard to get back into the game in the last round but it was too late and the Indian boxer lost the bout to exit the tournament.

Govind Sahani (48kg) also suffered a 0-5 defeat against top seed Sakhil Alakhverdovi of Georgia. The Indian pugilist couldn’t find his feet and the Georgian boxer was too quick for him. He kept Govind at bay throughout the bout.

Alcaraz

set to reclaim number one spot in Rome after Madrid triumph

MADRID, MAY 8 (AGENCIES):

Carlos Alcaraz is raring to get to Italy next week to compete in the Rome Masters for the first time in his career and reclaim the world number one spot from Novak Djokovic.

After retaining his title in Madrid on Sunday by beating lucky loser JanLennard Struff 6-4 3-6 6-3, Alcaraz only has to show up and play in Rome to leapfrog Djokovic. Rankings are based on points claimed at each tournament, which expire every year. To maintain the points won at an event a player must at least match the tally from the previous year.

Alcaraz skipped the Rome Masters last year due to an ankle injury so has no points to defend while Djokovic won in Rome last year and thus cannot improve his overall points total. With only five points set to divide the two players in the next set of rankings Alcaraz will move above the Serbian into top spot even if he loses at the first hurdle in Rome. After an injuryplagued start to the season, Alcaraz said he is 100% and thinking big, motivated to keep improving his game as he builds up for the French

Open, which starts on May 28. “I am an ambitious guy and I’m going full for the win in Rome,” Alcaraz told a news conference on Sunday.

“What I am achieving is something big. I just have won my 10th title, my fourth Masters 1000, back-to-back titles here in Madrid and very close to reclaiming the number one world spot.

“It’s a special moment and I’m very proud of what I am accomplishing. The work I’m putting in.”

The Spaniard, who turned 20 on Friday, has enjoyed a spectacular start to his career by winning the U.S. Open last September to become the youngest man to top the rankings. On Sunday, he had to play

his best to beat a relentless Struff and clinch his fourth title of the season, adding to triumphs in Buenos Aires, Indian Wells and Barcelona.

“I know I have an ability to play good in the important moments,” Alcaraz said. “I am a player who grows under pressure, in the big stage, and I like to do different things in those moments. To adapt to what my opponents bring to me.

“I am a finals’ player: I played 13 finals and won 10.”

He has joined Rafael Nadal as the only back-toback Madrid champion and is the youngest to retain an ATP Masters 1000 title since his fellow Spaniard at Monte-Carlo and Rome in 2005-06.

Nadal missing Roland Garros would be brutal for tennis: Federer

NEW DELHI, MAY 8 (IANS): Roger Federer is hopeful that Rafael Nadal will recover from his injury in time to compete in the French Open as the absence of the Spaniard from Roland Garros will be a ‘brutal blow’ to tennis.

The 14-time Roland Garros champion remains in doubt for his 19th appearance at the clay Grand Slam, where he is defending champion, as he continues to recover from a hip injury sustained during his Australian Open second-

round loss to Mackenzie McDonald. The Spaniard has recently announced his

withdrawal from the Rome Masters. The 36-year-old had withdrawn from last

week’s Madrid Open and also missed tournaments at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Barcelona.

“It would be brutal (Nadal not being there), it would be tough for tennis if Rafa isn’t going to be there. I still hope so, I saw he pulled out of Rome so I wish him the best,” Federer told Sky Sports.

“Obviously Novak hasn’t been playing that much so I hope he’s going to be strong as well and then all the young guys coming through as well. I’ll

be watching that’s for sure,” he added. Nadal boasts an alltime record highest matchwinning percentage at clay court majors of 97.4, as well as holding the record for the highest clay court match-winning percentage at 91.3. This year Nadal has played four matches -- two at the United Cup and two at the Australian Open and lost three of them. His only win came against Britain’s Jack Draper in the first round at Melbourne Park.

World Athletics offers funding to help Ukraine train for worlds

MONACO, MAY 8 (AP): Dozens of Ukrainian track and field athletes and officials preparing for their world championships in August can get funding for training camps, World Athletics said on Monday.

World Athletics will invest $190,000 and prioritise replacing equipment for pole vaulters — the event of Ukrainian great Sergey Bubka — which has been destroyed in Russian missile attacks. A college in Bakhmut named for Bubka, the senior vice president

of World Athletics, was part of a sports complex including a track stadium and indoor arena that has been destroyed during fierce fighting there in recent months, the national track federation said.

“It was the only center where athletes could conduct training camps at any time of the year. Now there is nothing left in Bakhmut,” Ukrainian officials wrote in a letter, World Athletics said. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe pledged ahead of the Aug. 19-27 worlds in Budapest to do “whatever we can to help

Bajrang, Vinesh hit mat for first time in 15 days

IOA’S AD-HOC PANEL PLANS TRIALS FOR ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS FROM MAY 17

NEW DELHI, MAY 8

(PTI): Star wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh

Phogat hit the mat on Monday for the first time in 15 days to be ready for the Asian Games trials even as IOA’s ad-hoc panel set the ball rolling for resumption of activities by finalising dates for the Asian Championships (U17, 23) trials.

Sparring was out of question for these top wrestlers after they resumed their sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar, demanding the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who they have accused of sexual exploitation of women wrestlers.

Bajrang and Vinesh have not competed in any international tournament since January and have not gone for training abroad though the Sports Authority of India (SAI) had cleared their training-cumexposure stints on their request.

Till recently, they were adamant that unless their demands are met they won’t train or compete in international tournaments. In the last fortnight, they

had two light training sessions at Jantar Mantar only. However, Vinesh on Sunday had said they will resume training and won’t shun tournaments anymore.

In the one-hour session at a nearby stadium, Bajrang had Jitender Kinha as his sparring partner while Vinesh trained with her cousin Sangeeta and Rio Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik.

Satyawart Kadian trained with his brother Sombir.

“The last time we did mat training was a day before the resumption of this protest. And you have seen how busy we were in meet-

ing supporters in the last 15 days. The discussions were happening even late in the night, training was not possible. But now, we will do mat training consistently,” said a wrestler who was part of the training session.

“We had light training today as we followed techniques. Gradually, we will start strength and endurance training as well. We are hoping that a proper resolution will come and by that time we want to be ready for the Asian Games trials. We also want to compete in the upcoming Ranking Series tournament,” he added.

However, the team for the UWW Ranking Series

event, scheduled to be held in Bishkek from June 1-4 has already been decided. It’s more or less the same team that had competed at the Asian Championships in Astana in April and won 14 medals.

Bajrang, Vinesh, Sakshi, Satyawart and Sangeeta were not a part of the Indian team in Astana as they were protesting.

IOA’sad-hocpanel meetsforthefirsttime

The ad-hoc panel, formed by the IOA to run the WFI’s day-to-day activities had discussions with coaches and SAI officials. Ad-hoc committee member, national shooting coach Suma Shirur did not attend the meeting and another panel member Bhupendra Singh Bajwa discussed the roadmap with the coaches.

Keeping in mind the Asian Championships for Under-17 and Under-23 wresters, to be held in Bishkek from June 10-18, the panel decided to hold trials from May 17-19 at the Indira Gandhi Stadium. There were discussion on resuming the national

camps for senior wrestlers but SAI will take a final call. “There was no issue with regards to the men’s national camp and a date will soon be finalised by the SAI, but the women wrestlers are not keen to join the camp in Lucknow. They want the camp to be held in Delhi at the IG Stadium but accommodation is an issue there,” said an IOA source.

“The SAI officials are discussing it and will finalise the dates and venue for the camp soon,” the sources added.

Farmersreachprotest siteingoodnumbers

In the morning, farmers from Punjab and khap members from Haryana reached the protest site to extend their support to the wrestlers. They even brought down the barricades to enter the site. It looked more like a farmers’ protest than a wresters’ agitation. In the evening, labourers were seen welding the barricades to ensure the farmers do not breach the cordon, like they did on Monday morning.

athletics survive and recover in Ukraine.”

“The deliberate destruction of Ukrainian athletics facilities and equipment is also a serious attack on the accessibility of our sport,” Coe said in a statement.

World Athletics has excluded athletes and officials from Russia and its military ally Belarus during the war and both countries are expected to miss the upcoming worlds. They also were excluded from the 2022 worlds in Eugene, Oregon.

Lionel Messi back in training with PSG despite suspension

PARIS, MAY 8 (AP): Lionel Messi returned to training Monday with his Paris Saint-Germain teammates less than a week after being suspended by the French league club.

PSG announced Messi’s return on its website, posting a picture of the former Barcelona player running with a ball at the club’s training ground.

The club did not say whether the World Cup winner would be available for PSG’s next league game against Ajaccio on Saturday. With four games left to play, PSG tops the standings with a six-point lead over Lens.

Messi missed practice last Monday while he was on a promotional trip to Saudi Arabia, and the French club announced his suspension a day later. PSG has not specified the length of the suspension, though French media reported it to be two weeks.

Messi later apologized to the club and his teammates for traveling without PSG’s permission.

He is not expected to extend his contract with

PSG beyond this season.

Reports have linked him to Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, a return to Barcelona, and a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia.

Messi joined PSG in 2021 after winning every major title with Barcelona.

The Catalan club that Messi called home from the age of

13 couldn’t afford to keep him because of large debts and the Spanish league’s financial regulations.

PSG fans hoped Messi’s arrival would result in an elusive Champions League title. Instead, the Qatari-backed club was eliminated in the round of 16 in consecutive seasons.

Wrestler Bajrang Punia during wrestlers’ protest at Jantar Mantar, in New Delhi, Monday. (PTI)

Carlos Alcaraz

Sachin Siwach left after winning against Serghei Novac.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

Kolkata Knight Riders batters Nitish Rana and Andre Russell during the IPL match against Punjab Kings. (PTI)

Anna Ryzhykova of Ukraine

Lionel Messi