Morung Express by The Morung Express

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The Morung Express

A Daily Publication of Morung for Indigenous Affairs & JustPeace

Dimapur VOL. III ISSUE 321

Forest chief suspended DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 18(MExN): The state’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forest Dr. CL Goel, IFS has been placed under suspension. However, the reasons he was suspended for, was not made available. The department of Forest, Ecology and Environment & Wildlife, in an order today said Goel has been placed under suspension, pending disciplinary proceedings. During this period, the government said, the order shall remain in force and the headquarters of the Principal Chief Conservator shall be Kohima. The officer is ordered not to leave the HQ without obtaining due permission from the Chief Secretary of Nagaland.

NLA to discuss women quota KOHIMA, NOVEMBER 18 (DIPR): The Speaker of Nagaland Legislative Assembly has convened a consultative meeting with all recognized political parties in Nagaland on November 25, from 11 AM in the conference hall of the Assembly Secretariat. The meeting is to discuss issues pertinent to the 8th (Amendment) Act 2008 Women Reservation Bill. Representatives from the NPF (10 members), INC (8 members), BJP (5 members), NCP (5 members), JD (U) (2 members), RJD (2 members), Independent (7 members), Samata Party (2 members), BSP (2 members) and MPs (2 members) are requested to attend the meeting.

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NSF solicits support DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 18 (MExN): The Naga Students’ Federation has appealed for support, to its agitations demanding reforms in the superannuation policy. A note from the NSF general secretary V Hetoi Chishi solicited ‘kind co-operation and sincere participation’ in the proposed protest rally and demonstration which is to be held on the 19th from10 AM. All the educational institutions in Kohima are asked to make participation compulsory for all the students in the rally other than those sitting for their examinations. The federation appeals to all to bear with the inconveniences during the course of the demonstration.

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NPF Swings to Peace Tune PRESIDENT SHURHOZELIE TO ADOPT NEW APPROACHES

Chizoko Vero Kohima | November 18

DR. SHURHOZELIE LIEZIETSU has been re-elected president of the Nagaland People’s Front while Apong Pongener and Kewezu G Kenye are instated as working president and secretary general respectively. The new team of office bearers, also comprising of general secretaries, vice presidents, secretaries and others was also announced during today’s NPF general convention held here at the India Gandhi Stadium. In his acceptance speech, Dr. Liezietsu said the new team will retrospect ‘with seriousness’ to ‘correct the failures’ and to adopt newer approaches ‘to move forward’. “Towards solution to the political problem, we have committed to strive for its solution by playing the role of a mediator”, said Dr. Liezietsu in his presidential address. He said the party has committed itself to supporting all disseminative moves towards peace. “As we have been repeating from time to time, solution to the Indo-Naga political problem depends on the wisdom of the underground groups to have one voice. Therefore, we continue to appeal to their good sense to respect the wishes of the Naga people who want peace desperately,” he said. The party fully supports the various activities being undertaken at the moment including consultative meetings and soccer matches organized by civil society for reconciliation. Hoping that good sense will prevail, he congratulated the members of the DAN Political Affairs Committee who have been striving hard to bring about better understanding amongst the various sections of the people. Stating that the NPF is a party that protects the

The newly-elected NPF central ofﬁce bearers, after the NPF’s general convention. The new team of ofﬁce bearers, also comprises general secretaries, vice presidents and secretaries.

rights, preserves identity and represents the personality of the Nagas, Dr. Liezietsu thanked the alliance for their wholehearted support to these ‘principles’. “Because of like-minded people coming together, DAN coalition government proved to be very successful. God willing, this will continue for many more years to come,” he said. Highlighting the various achievements under the DAN government, he said “With all these achievements in the past, we are now in a better position to promise for more achievements in the years to come. No promise of any future has weight unless your past is good. But because our past is good, people

have now put their trust on us.” He also said the economy of the people during the DAN’s time has ‘improved’ and with the ‘improvement of circulation of money’ in the state, many people are now in a position to ‘afford comfortable lives’. “As a party, we will continue to extend full support to the DAN government to deliver more goods to the people in future,” Dr. Shurhozelie added. In his address, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said the top agenda of the NPF is early solution to the decades’ old Indo-Naga political problem. “Our commitment and role as active facilitator in the ongoing peace process and political dialogue

remains steadfast. Our declared stand of paving way, in the event of an alternative solution that is honourable and acceptable to the people, still stands,” Rio said. The chief minister also said the NPF has committed not to stand in the way of peace “but rather we will leave no stone unturned to make way for lasting peace.” Welcoming and extending the party’s and DAN government’s support to the Forum for Naga Reconciliation and the Political Affairs Committee, working to forge understanding and oneness among all sections of Nagas, Rio said “The efforts to achieving understanding and oneness are a collective responsibility and we appeal to

Northeast VCs for University overhaul?

Thannganing Hungyo

Shillong | November 18

VICE CHANCELLORS of universities from across the country put their heads together this morning to suggest ways that could lead to overhauling India’s higher educational system, at the general session of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) convened at the auditorium of the North Eastern Hill University in Shillong. If recommendations made by different zones are followed in letter and spirit, more interaction between the University Grants Commission (UGC) and vice chancellors will become visible. This could lead to maintaining standards of education where institutions would have to follow UGC norms strictly, or face the music. According to Section 2F/12 B of the UGC Act, recognition given to a college or university can be withdrawn if class enrollment is beyond 80 (in non-technical courses), a faculty deficiency of more than 15% exists, or if the appointment of faculty is based on fixed consolidated salary of Rs 5000-Rs 8000 per month for 5 years. “There are instances when we de-affiliate colleges (for not following norms),” NEHU Vice Chancellor Pramod Tandon said. But innovation is the need of the hour. According to the north zone conference, the future human resource re-

quirements for different sectors need to be assessed and preparedness of the system for meeting these requirements have to be examined. Secondly, universities must have full autonomy in their functioning. An autonomous Education Commission, such as the Election Commission, needs to be established to plan and monitor the entire system of education. The commission should comprise only of academicians. Thirdly, the policy of higher education should be reexamined. Fourthly, the syllabus should be reviewed every 3 or 5 years depending on the field of study and finally a policy to train, assess and monitor performances of teachers should be evolved. Upon constant suggestions from participating delegates, it was decided that in future relevant matters of only national importance should figure in such talks by omitting issues that can be addressed by statutes or through the discretionary powers of vice chancellors. For a few minutes though, the congress took on the shape of a heated debate in parliament. The bone of contention was the recommendation made by the west zone vice chancellors’ meeting, which stated that 20% of the standing committee of the AIU should comprise of members from self-financed institutions and the remaining 80% from public-funded ones. Continued on page 3

Kannan talk

Vice Chancellor of Nagaland University, Professor K Kannan, today said Nagaland is making “quiet” innovations in improving the quality of higher education. As Nagaland lacks good teachers, recorded video footage of lessons by “quality” teachers can be engaged in classrooms, he told The Morung Express, in Shillong. Queried on whether the university requires more funding, he replied that technology should take precedence over funding because “if there is too much money we will not know where to spend it.” He did admit that there was political “interference” in the functioning of the NU, but was equally quick to say that the interference in Nagaland was “less” compared to other states.

all sections of the Naga society to come forward with initiatives and contributions.” “Nagas must realize that we can no longer be hurdles to our own growth and progress. A section that is not part of the solution, cannot deny that they are part of the problem,” said the chief minister. Referring to the running of the state government, he said the DAN has been a ‘hallmark of peace’, development, growth and progress. ‘People have appreciated the fact that we have framed policies with longterm goals and visionary plans’ he said. Empowerment of youth, uplift of agriculture and allied sectors, creation of employment, building of asset-oriented infrastructure, improvement of connectivity, promotion of sports, music and culture and industrialization of the state have been some of the many thrust-areas of the government’s policies and programmes for the past six years, said Rio. The results are there for all to see, he said. Rio also said the government’s ‘good performance’ and ‘increasing popularity’ among the masses became ‘unbearable for the opposition’ and “they tried all means to topple our government but it was to no avail and finally the might of Delhi was undemocratically used to impose President’s Rule in Nagaland during the fag end of our tenure.” He said the imposition of PR in January 2008 was a repetition of the decades of ‘suppressive nature’ that the Congress party has always imposed upon the Naga people. “The centre has never allowed a regional government to complete its term in Nagaland and even as there was just two months to go before the term of the assembly was to end, Delhi imposed PR much against the wishes of the Naga people,” said Rio. This decision was totally undemocratic and politically motivated, he maintained. Continued on page 3

Kangaroo genes linked to humans

MELBOURNE, NOVEMBER 18 (PTI): A landmark Australian research, which has successfully mapped the genome of kangaroos, has suggested that kangaroos are genetically similar to humans. “There are a few differences, we have a few more of this, a few less of that, but they are the same genes and a lot of them are in the same order,” said professor Jenny Graves, outgoing director of the Australian Research Council Centre for Excellence for Kangaroo Genomics (KanGO). The scientist stressed early findings have helped explain genetic puzzles such as the sex determination gene and the origin of human blood proteins. “Essentially

it’s the same houses on a street being rearranged somewhat,” he stressed. Graves said kangaroo genomics has already helped identify the gene, SRY, that determines the sex of a baby and has overturned theories on how blood proteins, known as globins, formed. “In fact there are great chunks of the [human] genome sitting right there in the kangaroo genome,” Graves was quoted as saying by the ABC Science online. Graves, of the Australian National University, said marsupial genomics are important in understanding and identifying the role of human genes because marsupials diverged from other mammal species about 148 million years ago.

EUUN wants bribery ‘Tibetans could push for Independence’ ‘Tibetan independence doomed to fail’ evidence out in open

DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 18 (MExN): Noting reports that some office bearers of the Educated Unemployed Union of Nagaland have fallen to bribery, the union today appealed to the government employees or departments in concern to publicize the matter and “do justice”. In a press note today, the EUUN quoted reports that some of its office bearers had taken bribery of Rs. 50, 000 from “state government servants” and each department “in connection with enhancement of retirement age”. “If it is true, the EUUN appeals to government servants/employees for which whose promotion has been prevented to come out openly and publicize in the press media and do justice instead of spreading propaganda and tarnishing the good image of union office bearers” stated the note from EUUN president Achilo Thong and press secretary Ezambemo Erui. The EUUN said it has nothing to do with state government servants ‘to gain

political mileage as alleged by some students leaders’. The fact is, the union said, “they are fighting their own battle to continue occupying the chairs and we are fighting our own battle to create resultant vacancies of the chairs for which we are losing sympathy of senior state government servants”. The EUUN said it is primarily concerned with the upper-age limit entry into government service considering the increase in the number of over-aged educated unemployed and has been fighting for a length of service for 35 years. “If it is implemented, lakhs of government servants ranging from 54 (uniformed service) to 60 years of age will successively retire in two to three years time. Hence, there will be variation and no uniformity in the retirement age” the union said. The office bearers of the EUUN are “leading simple and humble life style” but shall continue to fight in the interest of the Naga people and “not make few bucks at

DHARAMSALA, NOVEMBER 18 (REUTERS): Tibetans could push for independence from China if exile groups meeting this week in India decide that is their only option, the prime minister of the Tibetan government-inexile said on Tuesday. Frustrated at the lack of progress in official talks with Beijing, hundreds of Tibetans are meeting in Dharamsala, the exiled Tibetans’ headquarters, searching for a way forward. Some want the Dalai Lama’s long-standing “Middle Way”, which advocates greater autonomy within China, replaced by demands for outright independence. “If the majority of the people offer some different way than the present (Middle Way), then of course we would gladly follow that,” Samdhong Rinpoche, the Tibetan exile prime minister, told reporters. “If the parliament by majority makes the decision that we should go for independence, then of course there is no way to escape that,” Rinpoche said. “The parliament has the final decisionmaking power.” Analysts say the meeting may be an attempt to persuade the Chinese that if they don’t compromise, more

Samdhong Rinpoche, the prime minister of the self-proclaimed Tibetan government-in-exile speaks to the media in Dharmsala, Tuesday, November 18. (AP Photo)

radical elements will surface against China’s rule. The exiles gathered in Dharamsala were hopeful of reaching a consensus and were huddled in closed door meetings. “Everybody (has a) kind of mixed feeling -- frustration, hope, determination to do something but not very clear what to do,” Rinpoche added. China this month rejected demands for autonomy during talks between Chinese officials and the Dalai Lama’s envoys. The Tibetan leader, who fled into exile in 1959 after an unsuccessful uprising, recently hinted his push for an autonomous Tibet had

failed. Speculation has grown he wants to step back from day-to-day political leadership. After being hospitalised with abdominal pain in August and undergoing gallstone surgery last month, he is not attending the Dharamsala meeting. Some Tibetan activists say he is laying the ground for a possible successor. At the latest talks in Beijing, the Tibetans presented a “memorandum on genuine autonomy”, which stressed their right to create their own regional government and to be represented in decision-making in the Chinese government. It also

BEIJING, NOVEMBER 18 (AP): China insisted on Tuesday that any effort by Tibetan exiles to seek independence for their homeland would fail, as they held talks in India on a new strategy for their campaign against Chinese rule. “Our position on Tibet is clear and resolute. Any attempt to separate Tibet from China is doomed to fail,” foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters. “The so-called Tibetan government-in-exile is not recognised by any government in the world.” Qin’s comments come as Tibetan leaders are meeting this week in the first major re-evaluation of their strategy since the Dalai Lama in 1988 outlined his “middle way,’’ which pushes for autonomy but not outright independence for Tibet. The meeting in India comes after the Dalai Lama expressed frustration over years of fruitless talks with China.

called for protecting the culture and identity of minority nationalities in Tibet, and preserving the environment. Chinese officials have said the door to Tibetan independence or semi-independence would never open, and China’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday attempts to split Tibet from Chinese territory would not succeed. “No country in the world recognises an independent Tibet,” Qin Gang, a foreign ministry spokesman, told a news conference in Beijing. China has already stepped up security inside Tibet. A Tibetan source, who asked

not to be identified for fear of retribution, said security had been noticeably boosted in Tibet’s capital, Lhasa. Tibetans without Lhasa residence permits, including pilgrims and businesspeople, are being forced out of the city, the source said. “This is a big sweep out,” the source added. Police and armed soldiers patrol the streets, and there are few tourists, the source said. Government agencies are also being asked to have people on duty 24 hours a day. “It was more relaxed after the Olympics,” the source said.

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LOCAL

Wednesday 19 November 2008

The Morung Express

Zion Hospital takes healthcare delivery to Peren

Patients ‘queue’ up to register for the free health camp conducted by the Zion Hospital & Research Centre at District Hospital, Peren.

DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 18 (MExN): The Zion Hospital & Research Centre conducted a free health camp at District Hospital Peren. This was done in response to the clarion call given by the department of Health & Family Welfare for Public Private Partnership (PPP) in Healthcare Delivery in Nagaland, especially the rural populace living in far-flung interior areas, stated the ZHRC in a release. A 22-member team consisting of doctors, nurses, technicians, pharmacists, sweepers and other supporting staff arrived at Peren on the evening of November 14. Ten consultant doctors from the following departments participated at the camp: paediatric surgery,

general surgery, gastroenterology, cardiology, general medicine, dermatology, paediatrics, anaesthesiology, pathology, and obstetrics and gynaecology. Altogether 550 patients from Peren district and nearby adjoining areas of Manipur had registered for the camp. Dr. Tali Longkumer, Managing Director, informed that during the camp, the team carried out outpatient consultations, endoscopy, electrocardiography (ECG), including blood, urine and other pathological tests, e.g. FNAC, one major surgery (emergency laparotomy), 9 minor surgeries, 4 ligations (female sterilisation) and dispensed medicines/drugs worth rupees one lakh.

MEx File

ANSTA postpones general conference

DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 18 (MExN): The All Nagaland School Teachers’ Association (ANSTA) has informed that the proposed general conference of the ANSTA has been postponed for the time being due to unavoidable circumstances. “The rescheduled date shall be notified to all concern after it is finalised. Meantime it is informed to all subordinate units to kindly submit and clear the conference cum membership fee at an early date so as to carry out the said programme,” informed N Thungchio Shitire, general secretary of ANSTA, in a press release.

Kuki community prayer held at Athibung ATHIBUNG, NOVEMBER 18 (DIPR): The 39th Kuki community prayer programme was held at Elizah Maicham, Athibung, from November 14 to 17. The main speaker was Evangelist Seithang Doungel, M. Div. Highlights of the programme included services, devotion, fasting and special prayers. The programme was attended by around 1500 people from Nagaland, Assam, Manipur and Myanmar.

NIDA condoles demise of Dr. Kronu C M Y K

KOHIMA, NOVEMBER 18 (MExN): The Nagaland In-Service Doctors’ Association (NIDA) has expressed pain at the sudden demise of its member, Dr. Nisa Kronu, Medical Officer i/c Kikrüma PHC. “The premature death of lt. Dr. Nisa Kronu has left a vacuum in the department which will be difficult to fill up,” Dr. Vizolie Suokhrie, General Secretary of NIDA, and its President, Dr. Khanlo Magh, stated in a press release. The members of the Association expressed heartfelt condolence and mourning with the bereaved family members at their hour of grief and pain. “We pray that the Almighty God bring them comfort in knowing that he is in a better place now and may his soul rest in peace,” the NIDA members added.

Doctors, nurses and medical staff of ZHRC and District Hospital Peren at the free health camp conducted in Peren.

Entry is Free All Are Invited

KOHIMA, NOVEMBER 18 (DIPR): The Naga Hospital Authority Kohima (NHAK) has been permitted to train Doctors for specialisation in Family Medicine, on being granted accreditation by the Delhi National Board of Examination, New Delhi (DNBE). A notification to this effect from Commissioner and Secretary for Health & Family Welfare, Nagaland, Menukhol John, stated that the NHAK is authorised to start the course from the academic session 2009-10. The timeframe for carrying out the specialisation course is as follows: 1. Advertisement to be published – January 1 each year 2. Last date for candidates to apply – January 10 each year 3. Interview & Aptitude test to be done – January 20 each year 4. List of selected candidates to be displayed at Accredited Institute – January 25 each year 5. Candidates to join the Institute – February 1 each year

Disaster response system based on Jamnagar plan National Handloom Expo in Dmr

KOHIMA, NOVEMBER 18 (DIPR): The Kohima District Disaster Management Committee meeting was held today at the DC’s Conference hall under the chairmanship of DC Kohima, Sachopra Vero. The meeting was convened in pursuance to the Home Department’s direction and as per the work plan for Kohima district. The meeting updated the Kohima District Disaster Management and Response Plan. EAC Manpai Phom elaborated on the Disaster Response and District Incident Command System for Ko-

hima district that has been formulated as per the plan of Jamnagar district, in Gujarat. The District Emergency Operation Centre (EOC), under the command and control of the DC, leads the disaster response. Phom also mentioned about the 13 expected teams/ units for key response operation functions. Associate Prof of Disaster Management Cell, ATI, Hovithal Sothu, while commenting on the Kohima District Disaster Management and Response Plan, made a few recommendations and suggestions for inclu-

sion like indexes/abbreviation charts, history of disaster in Kohima, disaster probability, incorporation of prevention and mitigation, resource maps and maps indicating detailed administrative heads, indigenous communication or warning dissemination system, etc. Resource person Hovithal Sothu also advised on the Disaster Management and Response Plan being updated regularly. He also gave a PowerPoint presentation on non-structural hazards or damage in homes, hospitals, bookstores, libraries, schools, etc.

DIMAPUR,NOVEMBER18(MExN): The Nagaland Handloom & Handicraft Development Corporation Ltd Dimapur is organising the 4th National Handloom Expo at Dimapur from December 2 to 16, 2008. Weavers from different parts of the country and abroad have been invited to participate and showcase different handloom products at the Expo 2008. “Through this expo we aim to create awareness in marketing and also for better exposure of such producers as well as to promote the weavers’ skill. We also aim to encourage interac-

Transport Commissioner responds to taxi notiﬁcation DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 18 (MExN): Reacting to the news item ‘Confusion on taxi notification’, the Transport Commissioner of the Motor Vehicle Department in a press note has stated that “the Government notification permitting the territorial limit of the local taxi for the whole district is the provision to enlarge the operational area of local taxi in the non-municipal but rural areas and smaller town, whereas for local taxi within a municipal area, permit are to be issued to ply within the municipal limit only.” However, the note went on, if the licensing authority has issued a composite permit for the entire territorial

extent of a district, the permit condition so stipulated stands as valid legal document although not in consonant with the establish policy.” “The intention of the department is to curb the illegal operation of zonal taxi encroaching upon the jurisdiction of local taxi. It is unfortunate that the local taxi union instead rallying and asserting their primary field of right of operation with the municipality dwells on a secondary field where they hardly ventures,” stated the note, adding, “The department would like to see each operator abide by the condition of the permit without encroaching upon others area of operation and interest.”

tion among the weavers from different states, abroad, thereby, instilling in the artisans the capacity to improvise in upgrading their skills to meet the demand of the consumers,” N Hushili Sema, Managing Director, stated in a release. Interested weavers and handloom units within and outside the state may apply for participation on or before November 28, 2008, during office hours. For further information, one may contact the officers in charge of Expo 2008 at: 9436602955, 9436603059 and 9436063173.

NE Craft Bazar from December 1 to 10 DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 18 (MExN): The Nagaland Handloom & Handicrafts Development Corporation Ltd. Dimapur is organising a Craft Bazar on handicrafts. The attractions at the Bazar will include, among others, art metalware, carpet and other floor coverings, woodware, hand printed textiles scarves, embroidered and crochetted goods, shawl as artware, zari and zari goods, cane and bamboo items, and imitation jewellery. The 10-day Bazar is being held in commemoration of the Hornbill festival at the Naga Heritage Village, Kisama, from December 1 to 10. It will be sponsored by the Office of the Development Commissioner for Handicraft, Ministry of Textiles, New Delhi. Informing this in a release, N Hushili Sema, Managing Director of NHHDC, further invited participation from interested persons. The participants from the North-Eastern region need an ID card duly issued by the Office of the Development Commissioner for Handicraft, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, New Delhi, and may contact and apply for participation to the Managing Director, NHHDC Ltd, Half Nagarjan, Dimapur, on or before November 27, 2008, during office hours. For further information, one may call at: 03862-230130, 9436602955, 9436603059, 9436063173; fax no.: 03862-224591. Stalls will be provided free of cost and No TA/DA shall be paid to the participants, the release added.

DC Phek advocates justice and truthfulness PHEK, NOVEMBER 18 (DIPR): Deputy Commissioner Phek, Zachive Thele, visited Matikhru and Lephori villages on November 15 last and held a meeting with the Kamaliah Area public leaders and villagers. Addressing the gathering, Thele spoke of the many developmental activities taking place for the upliftment and development of villages and schools under the Village Development Boards (VDB) and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) schemes, and called upon the village leaders to utilise funds judiciously. Pointing out that the responsibilities of the Village Councils and Gaon Burahs (GBs) is to determine the right decisions for the people in the villages, Thele called upon them to maintain justice and truthfulness as they represent Godliness on earth, adding that the rich or poor, strong or weak, should be treated equally without impartiality. On the subject of career guidance for young people, the DC called upon parents to be careful while dealing with their children and asked them to teach their children the right path. The need of the hour today is quality education, he said, and asked the students to equip themselves with the same so as to be ready to face the competitive world. We need healthy competition, because a degree alone is impossible to compete with others, he added.

On behalf of Kamaliah Area, the Puchury Public Forum President, Chulelehu Nyusou, and KAPO President, P K Pokar, expressed the long felt desire of the people of Kamaliah area to have an EAC Hq. at Lephori village, and appealed to the government to create an EAC Hq. at Lephori village at the earliest. Nyusou added that a memorandum to this effect was submitted to the Chief Minister during the inaugural function of ADC Hq. at Meluri. Superintendent of Police, Phek, P F Zeliang also spoke at Matikhru village and advised the villagers to use modern cultivation methods. He urged them to learn the method of double cropping in order to improve their economy. He urged the village leaders to identify the emerging trends of education, which is the only core weapon to survive in this modern world, and said that quality education is a must to compete with others. The parent must show an interest to lead their children to learn more because learning is a continuous process, he said, calling upon the parents and students to make more effort in the journey of learning. Earlier, the Deputy Commissioner also visited the proposed EAC Hq. The Deputy Commissioner was accompanied by SP Phek, SDO (C) 2 Phek, SDO (C) Meluri, Assistant Engineer, CAWD, and the PPF President.

A mournful looking Himalayan Black Bear sits in the shade of his enclosure, at the Nagaland Zoological Park at Rangapahar, in Dimapur. (Morung Photo/Zakir Hussain)

Nagaland to host NCSC at Dimapur

KOHIMA, NOVEMBER 18 (DIPR): The 16th National Children’s Science Congress (NCSC), a unique forum available to children in the age group of 10 to 17 years to exhibit their creativity, innovativeness and sense of discovery, will be held at Dimapur from December 27 to 31, 2008. The NCSC, the first ever Congress to be hosted by Nagaland state

Acknowledgement

November 21 11.30am to 4pm Highway-39 Conference Center & Go-Karting Dimapur

NHAK to train specialists in family medicine

We express our heartfelt gratitude to all who stood by us with their presence, prayers, financial and moral support throughout the sickness and demise of Dr. Neisa Kronu who left us on 17th Nov.2008. We deeply appreciate and thank the profound service of the following. 1. Dr. Kuveduyi Theyo and Dr. Chiekrozhoyi Kezo 2. Doctors and Staff of District Hospital, Dimapur 3. Doctors and Staff of Zion Hospital and Research Centre 4. Inservice Nagaland Doctors Association 5. Chakhesang Gazetted Officers Forum 6. Chakhesang Baptized Church Dimapur 7. Baptist Church, Village Council Kami and Kami Union Dimapur 8. Mr & Mrs M. Vero, Ex-MP Though we are not able to thank all personally for the love and concern shown during our grief and sorrow, we pray that the Almighty Bless you all abundantly.

Wife, Children & Relatives

since its inception in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh in the early nineties, will be jointly organised by the Government of Nagaland and the Nagaland Institute of Health, Environment & Social Welfare (NIHESW). According to NIHESW sources, hundreds of child scientists from across the country will take part in the six-day event to be held at Living Stone Foundation Higher Second-

ary School, Dimapur. Eight child scientists will represent Nagaland state. To make the six-day children’s forum a success, the state organising committee held a meeting in Kohima yesterday under the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary Lalhuma. NIHESW informed that about 40 delegates from ASEAN countries would also take part in the Congress.

Showuba Women on anti-tobacco drive

DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 18 (MExN): The Old Showuba Women (Aliberubo Arihako) during a surprise checking of shops at Old Showuba Village on November 17 and 18, seized a large quality of Talab, Tez and beer. The seized items were later burnt near the village gate. In another incident, the Aliberubo Arihako apprehended a person with 70 capsules of Spasmo Proxyvon in his possession. L R Asola, President of Aliberubo Arihako, in a release informed that action was later taken against the accused.

LOCAL

The Morung Express

Wednesday

19 November 2008

AR jawans taken into custody DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 18, (MExN): Dimapur Police today arrested jawans from 2nd AR for allegedly failing to follow Traffic Rules late in the evening. The AR jawans were taken into custody by the Police. “Assam Rifles is very highly regarded in the country for people friendly reputations that they have. But they cannot misbehave like this. So may be this will be a big lesson for them in the future,” cautioned a top police official.

Dimapur

STARTING LINE-UP

Your daily Meetings, Appointments, Information and Reminder column

NSCU Peren GM November 19

All members of NSCU Peren District are informed of a general meeting of the Union to be held on November 19 at the residence of Dennis Elung, Zeliangrong Colony Burma Camp Dimapur at 10:00 am. All NSCU registered card holder from Peren district are requested to attend the meeting without fail. Dimapur District VC chairmen meet November 19

‘Godhula Semtu’ inaugurated at Impur

This is to inform to all the recognized village council Chairman under Dimapur District that there will be an urgent meeting on November 19 at 10:00 am at Tourist Lodge, Dimapur. Therefore, all are requested to attend the meeting without fail. For further MOKOKCHUNG, NO- gas to come forward and de- queries contact: 9436425588/ 9856050947 VEMBER 18 (DIPR): The velop this sacred place. Rev. O. inaugural function of Godhula Alem, ABAM Executive Secre- DP&DB Mon meeting November 20

Semtu (rest house) at Impur, Mokokchung was held on November 15 with Mission Director Horticulture, Nagaland, Dr. N. Benjong Aier as chief guest. Impur is a significant place not only for the Aos but also for the Nagas as a whole, said Dr. Aier Chief Minister Nephiu Rio along with Dr. Shurhozelie Liezietsu and others at the Nagaland People’s Front (NPF) general in his inaugural address. He therefore called upon all Naconvention held at Kohima on Tuesday. Dr. Shurhozelie was re-elected president of NPF.

tary, ABAM Education & Literature Secretary, Rev. C. Walu Waling and Imtiwapang Aier SDO (C) Changtongya also spoke on the occasion. Later in the function Dr. N. Benjong Aier, Imtiwapang Aier and Rev. O. Alem planted tree saplings in commemoration of the special day.

Clergy as catalyst for social transformation

50 cases of Rum seized

DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 18, (MExN): One Kambo Sema, s/o Zhekheyi, of Tokiye village from Zunheboto district, was today arrested at Newfield Checkgate, Dimapur for possession of 50 cases of liquor (Macdonald Rum). Police also seized the DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER catalysts for social transforma- human society and need for de- and was organized by Rev. Fr. Scorpio (NL07-7592) in which he was travelling. Police dis- 18 (MExN): A one day seminar tion wherein important topics veloping new strategies in the Charles and Fr. Shaji of Razeclosed that he was on his way to Zunheboto to sell the liquor. on the role of Church leaders including the Leadership role wake of rapid spread of HIV/ ba Parish. Fr. Joe Mariadhas towards uplift and welfare of of Jesus and the early Church, AIDS were highlighted. through a release informed society was organized by St. Ig- historical development of the The Seminar was animated that a host of church elders, DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 18, (MExN): Dimapur Naga natius Parish, Razeba in Phek Church through the centuries by Rev. Fr. Joe Mariadhas, women leaders and youth Students’ Union (DNSU) denounced Spice Club for alleged- District. The seminar focused and the contribution of the Director, Shalom Rehabilita- leaders were among the 75 ly selling lottery tickets ,violating an earlier notice of DNSU on the role of Church leaders as Church in the development of tion Centre, Chumukedima, participants at the seminar. prohibiting the sale of lottery tickets. Spice club is organising a lottery draw to be held on December 23, 2008 at Dimapur Stadium with cash prizes of Rs. 15000, 10000 and 5000 for the winners. In this regard, DNSU has asked the club to stop selling the tickets immediately and summoned the club at the PEREN, NOVEMBER 18 (DIPR): The measures to safeguard the limited resourc- su Ao, JSCO, S&WC, chaired the inauguDNSU’s office on November 19, 2008 on or before 4:00 pm. Department of Soil & Water Conserva- es of the state. Lotha said that land and ral function, while welcome address was tion, Government of Nagaland, com- water conservation has become a people’s delivered by Thungdemo, DSCO. Hepumemorated the National Land Resourc- movement and the government’s endeav- ni, UDA, proposed the vote of thanks. es Conservation Week at the DSCSO’s or in this sphere is only to play a catalytic A farmers training programme was Office Hq, Jalukie, on November 14 last. role and provide broad direction. held during the evening session under Reminding that natural resources are WDPSCA Peren District Hq., Jalukie. DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 18 (MExN): The United Sang- L Jamithung Lotha, SDO (C) Jalukie, very precious and their management in- Resource person Dreleu, M.Sc (Hortam Likhum Bumji (USLB) has expressed sorrow at the de- was chief guest on the occasion. Addressing the gathering, the chief volves utmost attention, the SDO stressed ticulture) HEA, spoke on the ‘Impact mise of Late L. Yanger Rtd. Dy. Commissioner of Excise and the Vice President of USLB till date. Shashi Naga, general guest stated that the Nagaland State Land on the need to create awareness among the of horticulture in watershed managesecretary, USLB in a condolence message said that in spite of Use Board under the Department of people to protect the limited natural re- ment’, while K Thungdemo Lotha, B.Sc his ill health, he had been working for the Sangtam commu- S&WC was celebrating the conservation sources in our land. He appealed to the Agri Hons, P.G. Dip (Forestry), spoke nity earnestly. At this moment of grief the USLB conveys its week along with the rest of the state from farmers to conserve and manage these on ‘Role of soil & water conservation heartfelt condolence and prayers to the bereaved family and November 14 to 20. Since its inception, the limited and precious resources for our in watershed management’. About 60 Board has undertaken serious preventive benefit and for generations to come. Tem- farmers attended the training. rest for the departed soul.

Seminar organized by St. Ignatius Parish, Razeba

DNSU condemns

‘Management of natural resources involve utmost attention’

USLB bereaved at demise of its Vice President

Weather forecast from 19th Nov to 23th Nov 2008 Districts Mon

Rainfall

Temp

No rainfall Normal

Mokokchung

-do-

Normal

Tuensang

-do-

Normal

Zunheboto

-do-

Normal

Phek

-do-

Normal

Wokha

-do-

Normal

Kohima

-do-

Normal

Cloud cover Mainly cloudy sky on 21st & 22nd Nov Mainly cloudy sky on 21st & 22nd Nov Mainly cloudy sky on 21st &22nd Nov and partly cloudy sky on 23rd Nov Mainly cloudy sky on 21st & 22nd Nov Mainly cloudy sky on 21st & 22nd Nov Partly cloudy sky on 21st Nov and mainly cloudy sky on 22nd Nov Partly cloudy sky on 21st Nov and mainly cloudy sky on 22nd Nov Partly cloudy sky on 21st Nov and mainly cloudy sky on 22nd Nov

Relative humidity Max%

Min%

Wind speed km/hr

DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 18 (MExN): Rev. Fr. Neisalhou Carolus, Parish Priest of St. Francis de Sales, Kohima town was appointed Vicar General of the Diocese of Kohima by Rt. Rev. Dr. Jose Mukala, D.D, Bishop of Kohima on November 5 last. T.G. Meyase, vice president, Angami Catholic Youth Association while informing this in a release received here today stated, “This

Wind direction

2-3

Southernly to easternly

2-3

Southwesternly to southeasternly

1-2

Westernly to easternly

2-3

1-2

2-3

Rev. Fr. Neisalhou appointed Vicar General, Kma Diocese

South westernly to southeasternly South westernly to easternly

is the first time that a Naga has been elevated to this prestigious post in Nagaland.” Fr. Neisalhou is one of the two first Naga priests of Nagaland and has served in various capacities in several parishes and schools in the last more than twenty years. “In his youth he was an active member of ACYA and held the post of music secretary in the central executive during 1980-1981,” the note added.

BHARAT SANCHAR NIGAM LIMITED (A Govt. of India Enterprise) OFFICE OF THE CHIEF GENERAL MANAGER TELECOM, NE-II Circle, DIMAPUR, NAGALAND

Southernly to southeasternly

No. CGMT/NE-II/Admn/Gen/Hired Vehicle/08-09

2-3

Dated:17/11/2008

NOTICE INVITING TENDER

Easternly

* Potato should be harvested in dry weather. If tubers have even little moisture on their surface, then that could lead to infection and rotting during storage. * Care should be taken that the soil in case of radish does not become dry and compact as it will check root development. * In case of tomato, mulches like straw, saw dust can be used as it helps in controlling weeds and also help conserve moisture and reduce incidence of insect pest and diseases. * Problem of termites will be seen in cereal crops which can be tackled by soil drenching with Chlorpyriphos 20EC 4-5 ml/lt of water.

On behalf of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, the Chief General Manager Telecom, NE-II, Dimapur invites tender for hiring of light commercial vehicle. Intending bidders can be downloaded bid document from NE-II BSNL Website www.ne2.bsnl.co.in. the bid document must be accompanied by crossed demand draft for Rs 563/- (Rupees Five Hundred Sixty three only) (nonrefundable) drawn on any scheduled Bank in Dimapur in favour of Accounts Ofﬁcer (cash), O/o the CGMT, NE-II Circle, BSNL, Dimapur. Duly wax sealed tender/bid document should be sent to AGM(Admn). O/o CGMT, 2nd Floor, OCB Exchange Building, Behind Super Market Complex, Dimapur through Registered Post well in advance so as to reach this ofﬁce by 1430 Hrs of 10/12/2006. Intending bidders may visit NE-II BSNL Website www. ne2.bsnl.co.in for more details.

Imtisenla Walling Agromet Field Unit ICAR,Medziphema

Sd/- Assistant General Manager (A) O/o the CGMT, NE-II, BSNL, Dimapur

Dimapur

-do-

Normal

2-3

Easternly

Agro advisories for the farmers

Child Rights Seminar on Nov 20 KOHIMA, NOVEMBER 18 (MEXN): The Nagaland Child Rights Committee is organising a one-day seminar on Child Rights on November 20, 2008, at the Zonal Council Hall, Kohima. The seminar will be inaugurated at 10 am with the Governor of Nagaland, K Sankaranarayanan, as the chief guest. Neingulo Krome, member of NPMHR, and Ela K will speak on ‘Child Rights is Human Rights’ and ‘Realities of Child Trafficking’ respectively. The seminar will also include presentation by Akhan Koza, additional secretary of Legal Department, on ‘Child Rights – legal perspective’, and Yanger Aier, project director of Labour Department, on ‘Child Labour Act’. A panel discussion will follow with representatives from the police, law and justice, social welfare, media, etc. as the panelists. The NCRC has invited all interested citizens to attend the seminar and share their concern.

Boy from Assam found

GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND

DIRECTORATE OF HIGHER EDUCATION NAGALAND: KOHIMA

ORIENTATION PROGRAMME ON UGC SCHEMES ON 24th NOVEMBER 2008 FOR PRINCIPALS OF ALL SECULAR COLLEGES IN NAGALAND

DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 18 (MExN): The Dimapur Women Cell personnel today found a boy, identified as Anoor Hussain (12 years) from Dimapur. The boy, who hails from Masli Gaon, Banga, Karimganj Assam was allegedly brought to Dimapur by an unknown youth by train. The boy, who currently is under the care of Women Cell, Dimapur said that he was left alone by the youth after reaching Dimapur. The boy named his father as one Salip Ahaimar, a mason.

The Directorate of Higher Education, Nagaland, Kohima, in collaboration with the UGC, NERO, Guwahati is organizing one day Orientation Programme on various UGC Schemes for colleges. Therefore, all the Principals of secular colleges in Nagaland (irrespective of whether recognized by UGC under section 2(f) and 12(b) or not, are informed to attend the orientation to be given by the Deputy Secretary, UGC, North Eastern Regional Ofﬁce, Guwahati. In view of time factor, no formal invitation letter will be sent to the colleges. Traveling expenses will have to be borne by the respective colleges. For any query contact- 9436006306 Addl. Dir. H.E. DATE: 24th November 2008 TIME: 10:30 Hours VENUE: Conference Hall of Directorate of Higher Edn. Kohima Issued by: A.M. TOSHI. JAMIR, Director, HE, Kohima. Dt.18.11.2008

The monthly meeting of Mon District Planning & Development Board for the month of November has been convened on November 20 at Tourist Resort, at Mon. All board members are requested to attend the meeting positively.

NPF Swings to Peace Tune

From page 1 Rio also said that at a time when the Naga people are at the crossroads, “the onus is on us to rise to the occasion and make every possible effort to foster peace and brotherhood and thereby take our people towards a more progressive future where our dignity, honor and unique history are respected by one and all.” As Nagas strive for lasting peace through political dialogue, Rio said, the NPF being the only functioning regional party in the state and being one of the oldest regional political party organizations in the region, “we must carry the desire of our people across all imaginary man made boundaries.” Saying that there is much difference between national parties and regional parties, Rio said “For national parties, the most important aspect for the leaders and elected members is to keep the high command in good humor. So long as the high com-

mand is pleased with a particular leader, he or she will continue to occupy the chair, though the leader may not enjoy popular support. But for a regional party like us, the people are the real high command.” The people are the strength and destiny, he said adding ‘it does not have any high command’ as “we are cadre-based dependent on the support of the grass-root level.” Also saying that the Lok Sabha elections are just round the corner, he called upon the party workers to work hard to overcome the challenge so that it repeat the landslide victory which it achieved so handsomely the last time. Earlier, TN Mannen announced that the progressive group of the RJD has decided to support and merge with the NPF party. MP Khekiho Zhimomi, ministers P. Longon, M.C. Konyak, former minister Noke, former home minister Thenucho and T. Kikon also spoke at the occasion.

Northeast VCs for University overhaul? From Page 1 As the matter could not be laid to rest during the general session it was deferred to the business session, reserved for members only. Also, unanimity prevailed over the recommendation that the term of a vice chancellor should be for five years and that the retirement age should be 70 years. The delegates felt that political interference should not hamper the term of office.

IN GRATITUDE

Through this column I would like to express my profound gratitude to all my friends and well wisher who has helped me in retriving my lost vehicle (WAGON R) on the night of 9th Nov 2008 from Jakhama and was recovered from Senapati district of Manipur on 10th Nov 2008. In particular I would like to make special mention of the Town Command of Senapati and the Regional Guards, Shepoumaramth GPRN, the Town Command GPRN, Mao gate, D. Kanmi Vice-President NPO, Senapati and Mr Lorhü of Mao gate, without whose help it would have been impossible. My gratitude also goes to the O/C and staff of South Police Station, Kohima, Mr Chundemo O/C of Khuzama check gate and his entire staff for their timely action. Though I have nothing to offer in return, but it is my sincere prayer to God to bless all of you abundantly and reward you all for your good deeds. Thanking you Dr. Laso Meze and Family.

GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND

DIRECTORATE OF TOURISM NAGALAND: KOHIMA

NO.TOUR/F&F-25/2007-08 (Misc)

Dated, 18th Nov’08

LIST OF SELECTED APPLICANTS FOR FOOD STALLS 2008, KISAMA 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

SUBENRO WELFARE SOCIETY (MIDLAND) FARMER’S SOCIETY AGHUNATO MODERN GENERATION SOCIETY N/L WOMEN VOLUNTARY ASSOCIATION CULTURAL CLUB POILWA VILLAGE HOT-POT (SHG) JOY SOCIETY SATAKHA AZONOQO SOCIETY BOTSA YOUTH & SPORTS ASSO. ZOGAZOI MPSC, TSIESA BASA TRONGER VILLAGE FISHERY COOP. SOCIETY SHORUN MPSC, YIMCHUNGER ULEMI SOCIETY PFUTSERO SHG, LOKUMTSUR (FOREST COLONY) LONGCHANG AREA UNION, KONYAK NOUSI KROTHO SHG GRADUATE INDEGENEOUS SOCIETY OF N/L AHOTO WOMEN SOCIETY, KOHIMA LODIBA MPSC, CHANGKI KENEI KROTHO, KOHIMA VILLAGE UNEMPLOYED YOUTH, PHOCHURY ZUTSO’S SHG, KIGWEMA UNESCO CLUB, TSNG YIMTSALAR SHG, MKG KULNU & MURRY NAGA STUDENTS FEDERATION

TEA STALLS 1 2 3 4 5

NYEMLEM MPSC YEP’S WELFARE SOCIETY NIGHALIMI SOCIETY UNITED CLUB, JAKHAMA ZHOTSO SHG

NB: Please contact Directorate of Tourism, Kohima for necessary formalities w.e.f. 20th-26th Nov’08 during Ofﬁce hour. Sd/- T. Alem Pongener Director of Tourism

C M Y K

Wednesday

BUSINESS UK to help Indian companies Companies rule out cut, ask govt produce cheaper AIDS drugs price to take initiative Dimapur

The Morung Express

19 November 2008

LONDON, NOV 18 (PTI): The United Kingdom is working with the Clinton Foundation to help Indian pharmaceutical companies produce cheaper drugs for malaria and AIDS. The UK Secretary of State for International Development Douglas Alexander MP announced this, saying the proposed nine million pounds programme to be implemented between 2009 and 2012 would provide

technical support to Indian companies in producing and registering new treatments for AIDS and malaria, and negotiate affordable prices for these drugs. The move will help over 11 million people with AIDS gain access to life saving treatment by 2012. “Three million people died of HIV/AIDS in 2007, and every year, there are over one million deaths from malaria,” Alexander said. Governments and pri-

vate sector companies need to work together to expand access to more effective and low cost medicines to reduce this unacceptable burden, he said. “Indian pharmaceutical companies have made a massive contribution in improving the health of the poor, by providing affordable drugs in India and to other developing countries. We want to see their contribution grow, by reducing the barriers they are facing in en-

tering markets for newer and more effective medicines for AIDS and malaria. “It is a genuine win-win situation. With DFID (Department for International Development) support to the Clinton Foundation, health services for malaria and AIDS in India and Africa will be able to buy drugs at cheaper prices and put more people on better quality treatment, and pharmaceuticals companies will enjoy a bigger market.”

Yahoo co-founder, chief Yang to step down SAN FRANCISCO, NOVEMBER 18 (AGENCIES): Jerry Yang, who helped kick start the internet revolution as cofounder of web portal Yahoo, is stepping down as the company’s chief executive. The announcement by the ailing internet giant came after months of falling revenue, fierce proxy battles and a series of botched negotiations that scuttled what now seems to have been an exceedingly generous buyout offer from Microsoft. Yahoo said that the search for a successor had already started and that Yang will leave after his replacement is found. “Jerry and the board have had an ongoing dialogue about succession timing, and we all agree that now is the right time to make the transition to a new CEO who can take the company to the next level,” Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock said in a statement.

Jerry Yang (File Photo)

Yang took over at the company’s helm last year as Yahoo fell behind web-search powerhouse Google in attracting users and advertisers to its properties. He soon faced fierce criticism for rejecting a $47.5-billion takeover by Microsoft, in a deal that would have valued Yahoo at almost three times what it is worth today. Microsoft’s offer was worth $33 per share, while Yahoo traded at just $10.63 per share at the close of Monday trading. “Having set Yahoo on a new, more open path, the time is right for me to transition the CEO role and our global talent to a new leader,” Yang said. “I will continue to focus on global strategy and to do everything I can to help Yahoo realise its full potential and enhance its leading culture of technology and product excellence and innovation,” he said.

NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 18 (PTI): Though industry chambers promised lower prices of manufactured goods after a call from finance minister P Chidambaram, individual companies did not think twice before ruling out such a proposition. Instead, auto-makers and real estate companies asked the government to make credit available to customers at cheaper rates. “This (two-wheeler) industry has a margin of about 4-5 per cent only and in the near future we do not see any price cuts,” company Chairman Rahul Bajaj said. “Minimum wages are increasing, fuel price has increased and electricity prices have also increased, so how do we bring down the prices of our products?” asked Brij Mohan Lall Munjal, Chairman of Hero Honda Motors — the country’s largest two-wheeler maker. They also accused public and private sector banks of not lending to potential buyers of two-wheelers. Realty leader DLF’s complaint was identical: “There are no takers for housing... Ideally, interest rate should be around 7 percent.” Their reaction was far removed from the industry’s. “I am sure you will find a newer set of prices in most product categories,” CII president K V Kamath said, after his meeting with Chidambaram, while Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat said: “India Inc will positively respond to the call given by the finance minister.” “Hotels must cut tariffs; airlines must cut prices; real estate must cut rates of apartments and homes they sell; car makers and two-wheeler makers must cut prices,” Chidambaram said earlier, adding it was better than allowing inventories to build up, lay off workers and digging a deeper hole.

People walk outside the Citibank headquarters in New Delhi, Tuesday, November 18. Citigroup Inc. is shedding approximately 53,000 more employees in the coming quarters as the banking giant struggles to steady itself after suffering massive losses from deteriorating debt. (AP Photo)

FM says India to bounce back; asks Cos to cut prices

C M Y K

NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 18 (AGENCIES): Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday expressed hope that the ongoing financial crisis will come to an end soon. He further said that India, which is experiencing the spillover effect of the global meltdown, will bounce back next year. Speaking at the India Economic Summit in New Delhi, Chidambaram said that it is not the first time that industrial economies have gone into a recession, but added that the current crisis threatens to be stronger. “We are not the cause of the problem but we want to be part of the solution,” the Finance Minister said, adding, “there is a crisis and it will end some day”. He further listed “confidence, courage and taking the steps that are necessary” as vital to tide over the current financial crisis. Noting that the agriculture sector continues to grow at a robust pace, Chidambaram said that the government was expecting a bumper crop this year. Acknowledging that manufacturing, financial and services sectors were facing liquidity crunch, the minister assured that the government will ensure availability of cash at adequate price. Assuring one and all about the health of the Indian economy, Chidambaram

said that the country will register a GDP growth rate of at least 7% going by the lowest estimates of global think-tanks. Noting that the world economy was expected to only grow by 2%, Chidambaram said that India’s growth rate would still be three times more than that of the world. “I am confident that we will end the year with a satisfactory growth rate,” he said, adding that the government will take steps to stimulate the economy. On the trade front, Chidambaram acknowledged that exports were expected to dip and may not touch the USD 200 billion target. So there’s a need to raise local demand to offset a slowdown in exports, he added.

Cut prices, not production Further, Chidambaram asked the Indian industry to cut prices and maintain production levels in a bid to address demand slowdown. “The classic response to demand slowdown is to cut prices for the short-term,” the Finance Minister said on the concluding day of the Davos-based World Economic Forum’s India Economic Summit that began here on Sunday. He said this was the only way India Inc could main-

he said, calling for a cut in the cost of homes, cars, two-wheelers and other consumer products. He said thanks to pragmatic policies of the government led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the nine percent growth rate, India Inc was used to a 30 percent or higher rise in its profit after tax. When this growth falls to 10-12 percent, it is concerned. “All I ask is, there are enough people to spread gloom and doom. Just have your chin up, and in sixnine months, or maybe 12, we will be back to normal growth rates that we are used to,” he said. According to the Finance Minister, when inflation was rising and the government was addressing the issue, critics said it was ignoring growth. Now when price rise has moderated, they say we are focused on growth and ignoring inflation. “That’s the luxury of sitting on the other side of the aisle,” he said, adding: “We will continue to balance growth and inflation.” He also said that while the average excise duties had been cut Indian Finance Minister P. Chidambaram talks at a world economic forum in New Delhi, Tuesday, No- from 16 percent to 14 percent, he vember 18. (AP Photo) was willing to consider more. “I tain its financial health, keep an example, the minister said appreciate. “Unfortunately, that am open to examining any sugthe inventories down, continue when people buy cars, they know assurance is not there,” he said. gestion,” he said. to enjoy the hard-won market that its value would depreciate. “While banks are ready and share and retain the loyal and But when they buy a house or an willing to lend, the borrowers are ‘G20 most important ﬁnancial body’ hardworking employees. Giving apartment, they want the value to not ready to buy at current prices,” Chidambaram also said that

DAILY CROSS WORD

LEISURE W K D L M S R D S T E D I D I H L D E R P D F F R J Z N

O K D A U L S P P I I O C T C C L R D M F U V W E V T E

S X C X Q L W A H R I N N G V S E R S I C N O T H I L

R O X H I C Y D D H S L M H Z G H O A U L D L R K G A M A P Y U O X R T O E D D E O X I I G K S B R P S E T E

Beetle Bicycle Blister Bottle Burritos Butter Candle Curry Delicious Dinner Favorite Fiddle Frenchfries Friedrice Handle

D S D B U E S I U E O D E N E J R I E L I L I B E O E I E

X I J B E E J Q E L T T O B J K K W T Z O E Z H L D D I F O X D A D O V V I K H D E B O E A O Q S T Y Y Z D S S T T I W G Y L R E K V R L A W C M H R T M N I E U X Z K T O O E Y T C G C N C N R U E F A O Y U H Z I D O W R F L P C J E E R T C I L E D E N V T T U B A U N P A W E L T T I L P E K P N O W A T T A R R J N M S L E T I R O V Q O W G T E Q G Y I G C V A F F L E M O N A D E X K J H J T P X C I E G F Q J L B B C D

Hotdogs Icedtea Lemonade Little Lobster Middle Mother Poodle Popsicle Rattle Saddle Spaghetti Tacos Tiger Uncle

H K L T S C T C R O V Q G R C S P E N R S A D E L C Q

SUDOKU

CROSSWORD # 1156

The Morung Express number game

Sudoku # 1139

DIMAPUR

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

the G20 group of developed and emerging nations has replaced the G7 club of rich industrialised countries as the world’s most important body to tackle economic problems. “The G20 has come to stay as the single most important forum to address the single most important issues of the world,” he said. “The G7 has belatedly recognised that unless they engage with emerging economies there can be no solution to world problems,” Chidambaram told the summit. India has long argued that it and other large emerging economies should have a greater voice in global financial decision-making. Chidambaram’s remarks came after neighbouring China said at the weekend that the meeting of 20 major economies was helpful in tackling the global financial upheaval, and urged more co-operation to prevent a global recession. The G20 leaders, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, agreed on Saturday on an action plan meant to restore global growth and prevent future financial upheaval, while also promising new spending plans, a trade deal and a set of reforms.

STD CODE: 03862

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

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

STD CODE: 0370 2244279 2244923 2242897 2222952 2222916 2243339 2224202

CHEVROLET CARS PRICE LIST NOVEMBER’ 2008

Simple Rules - There is just one simple rule: “Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.”

Yesterdays answer Sudoku #1138

ACROSS 1. Official (6) 4. South American plains (6) 7. Rupture (4) 8. Chasm (4) 10. Sheep-like (5) 11. Dish (7) 14. Expire (3) 15. Appreciate (5) 17. Actor, - - - Robertson Justice (5) 18. Cast off! (3, 2) 19. Observed (3) 21. Disrobe (7) 24. Constructor (5) 26. Sea force (4) 28. Scurry (4) 29. Speculation (6) 30. Craved (6)

DOWN 1. Installed (6) 2. Wall-painting (5) 3. Buoyant (5) 4. Friend (3) 5. Beautiful fairy (4) 6. Security (6) 9. Predict (7) 11. Saucy (4) 12. Postpone (7) 13. Fearful (5) 16. British actor, - - - Auckland (4) 18. Norman - - - Tory politician (6) 20. Required (6) 22. Majestic (5) 23. African country, capital Khartoum (5) 25. Curly cabbage (4) 27. Girl’s name (3)

Answers to CROSSWORD #1155 Across: 1. Price, 7. Perillous, 8. Roman, 10. Possessive, 12. Eminence, 14.Fall, 16. Bite, 17. Explored,20. Dictionary, 23. Tough, 24. Chilling, 25. Deuce. Down: 1. Parade, 2. Clap, 3. Lees, 4. Tipsy, 5. Solitaire, 6. As well, 9. Novel, 11. Pistachio, 13. Cox 15. Flirt, 16. Bedeck, 18. Daphne, 19. Silly, 21. Nine, 22. Yoke.

CAR MODEL

PRICE

SPARK 1.0 BASE

268,648

SPARK 1.0 PS

289,992

SPARK 1.0 LS

304,641

SPARK 1.0 LT

334,123

U-VA 1.2 BASE

401,753

U-VA 1.2 LS

444,299

U-VA 1.2 LT

484,090

SRV 1.6 OPT. PACK

790,100

AVEO 1.4 BASE

606,461

AVEO 1.4 LTD EDI

661,631

AVEO 1.4 LT OPT.PACK

754,930

TAVERA 2.5 LT 9S BS3

877,748

TAVERA 2.5 SSD1 7S (C) BS3

993,249

OPTRA ROYAL 1.6 LT (PETROL)

967,686

OPTRA MAGNUM 2.0 LT ACC (DIESEL)

1,074,547

CAPTIVA 2.0 LT VCDI

1,812,688

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The Morung Express

Mizo polls: volatile play of religion and identity

AIZAWL, NOVEMBER 18 (NDTV): As many as a dozen tribes live in the Mizoram hills, their histories of origin being diverse. One can trace ancient waves of migration from Mongolia, China, even Myanmar in them. Mizos are constituted of tribes like Hmars, Paites, Mara and Pwais. Other than those, there are Chakmas in the south and Reangs or Brus in the west. The unifying thread has been Christianity and the Mizo language. ''Traditional system of life, we don't find even in the interior villages today. Therefore Christianity has

changed society. It has also enforced a change in cultural life. Mizos couldn't persist to continue to live in traditional system,'' said Henry, professor, Mizoram University. The rise of Mizo insurgency in the 60s led by the Mizo National Front and its leader Laldenga, demanding independence from India, acted again, as kind of unifying force. But contained in the old movement is an unfinished battle that we grapple with even today. Despite Mizoram being a Christian majority state, its biggest uprising was not on religious but ethnic lines.

Though Mizoram was granted statehood in 1987, within the state the ethnic caldron bubbles. There's a realisation that individual identities have been lost in centuries of religious cohesion. The need to assert those original ethnic, tribal identities hasn't taken a very violent form unlike elsewhere in the north-east India, but tensions simmer within. For instance, the Bru tribe that was ousted to neighbouring Tripura during the 90s is organising to return. They have formed a militant outfit, the Bru National Liberation Front.

Chakmas, Maras and Lais run autonomous councils for governance, but feel sidelined by the mainstream. The entire region is dotted with ethnic and sub-national armed rebellions. ''See, southern part of Mizoram, which has La and Hmar people and the Chakmas, the Brus and the Paites, who would like to distinguish themselves. They want votes, and these groups would like to be wooed,'' said Henry, Professor, Mizoram University. 86-year-old Brigadier Sailo is the patriarch of Mizo politics, the man who healed the wounds of its in-

Wednesday 19 November 2008

Dimapur

Journalist shot dead in Manipur

surgency years. As the oldest candidate today, he says that the ethnic unrest is fuelled by the economic deprivation, each feeding off the other. ''If fight between Mizo and Indian Army had continued, the alienation would have been deep-rooted. There I can say I contributed something. It's a part of India today. But it is the most underdeveloped state in the north-east,'' said Brig Sailo, former chief minister. A battle of ethnic identity, a battle against economic anonymity, whether this voice of Mizoram going to find any space in this democracy is the big question.

Manipur ILP Demand Committee to launch agitation Newmai News Network Imphal | November 18

THE INNER LINE Permit System (ILPS) Demand Committee, Manipur is all set to launch an extreme form of agitation against the state government demanding the implementation of the ILPS in the state even as the Speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly S. Budhichandra has assured of a possible support. Informing of the decision of the ILPS Demand Committee on the occasion of the “Permit System Deprivation Day” at the Manipur Press Club, Imphal

on Tuesday, Sapamcha Jadumani, convenor of the demand committee informed that the committee is all set to launch intense form of agitation to pressurise the government to implement the ILPS in Manipur. He also further revealed that the committee has even spread its network to the hills districts and added that youths will be taking main roles regarding the issue. Meanwhile, this decision of the demand committee received a boost with the Assembly Speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly, S Budhichandra, while considering the apprehension in the mindset of the people

regarding the population explosion due to absence of the permit system, assured to extend some possible cooperation. Supporting the stand of the demand committee and also the Speaker, member of legislative assembly (MLA) Kh. Ratan, who also attended the function as guest of honour, held that in view of the gravity of the situation a concrete measure should be adopted and observed the need to look forward. While terming the issue a matter of great concern all over the world due to the quantum of growth which is increasing every fortnight, the MLA said that the most

serious threat perception in the context of the state was that we were driving away our own people with the prevailing gun culture and added that no promising professionals, intellectuals and youth were compelled to settle abroad. Opposition MLA RK Anand who also spoke during the function pointed out the devastating impact democratically due to the absence of the permit system as the Manipuris were marginalised by the 'outsiders' and alerted that there is no issue more serious than this. The RK Anand also alerted that population and

identity of the indigenous people of the state are on the verge of extinction with the merging of Manipur into the Indian Union. In this regard he called upon people of the state to unite and act unanimously and further called upon all sections of the society including the politicians to endorse the move while adding that this could possibly bring a positive result. Calling upon the 60 (sixty) MLAs of the state to extend their sincere co-operation, MLA RK Anand stated that only the politicians with true political will and with no double standard could help solve the matter.

Manipur Journalists’ took out silence rally from the Manipur press club to C.M. Bungalow on Tuesday to submit a memorandum against the killing of Junior subeditor of Imphal free press Late Konsam Rishkanta by Unknown arm personnel on 17 November. (UB Photos)

IMPHAL, NOVEMBER 18 (PTI): A sub-editor of an English daily here was shot dead at Langol area in Imphal West district of Manipur. Unidentified gunmen shot Konsam Rishikanta (22), working in the 'Imphal Free Press', from point blank range killing him on the spot

India to take up insurgent issue with Bhutan govt Newmai News Network

Guwahati | November 18

ASSAM INDUSTRY minister Pradyut Bordoloi on Tuesday informed that the government of India will take up with Bhutan government the issue of links between the Assam's insurgents and dissidents of Bhutan. The investigators of the Assam serial blasts suspected a link between the local insurgent outfits like the Ulfa and the NDFB and dissidents in Bhutan after the arrest of Tenzing G. Zangpo, a senior leader of a faction of the Druk National Congress (DNC), formed by Bhutanese exiles in Nepal, on November 12 in connection with the blasts. There are also reports of ULFA reentering Bhutan and setting up training camps there. Bordoloi added, "The government of Assam has taken up with the government of India about the ‘developments’ and government of India will take up with its Bhutan counterpart. Investigation into the serial blast is proceeding satisfactorily,” said Bordoloi who is also the spokesman of the Assam government.

The Royal Bhutan army during the operation ‘All Clear’ in 2003 has dismantled the camps of Indian rebel outfits in Bhutan. The Bhutanese government has held several leaders of Ulfa, NDFB, and North Bengal based Kamtapur Liberation Organisation and handed them over to Indian authority. The Assam government’s reaction came after the BJP recently attacked four cabinet ministers of the Congress led coalitions government in Assam for alleged links with terrorist organizations. BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar has launched attack on four ministers of Assam government and pointed out the arrest of Congress Seva Dal member Vimal Mushahary by the Special Investigation Team regarding the serial blasts. Javadekar also alleged that Mushahary was an associate of Assam revenue minister Bhumidhar Barman. While Mushahary was picked up by police in connection with recent serial bomb blasts; TADA and Arms Act cases are pending against Assam health minister Himanta Bishwa Sarma, Javadekar pointed out.

Central team to visit Bangla border

GUWAHATI, NOVEMBER 18 (AGENCIES): A highlevel team of the Ministry of Home Affairs today arrived in the State on a two-day visit to assess the situation along the international border with Bangladesh. Official sources said that the team comprising Secretary, Border Management, Joint Secretary (North East) of the MHA and Deputy Secretary of the Ministry today held discussions with officials of the Home and Planning and Development Departments of the Government on the progress of construction of border roads and fencing. The team is scheduled to visit Karimganj tomorrow to assess the situation along the international border on the ground.

on Monday evening, official sources said. Imphal Free Press editor Pradip Phanjoubam said Rishikanta was a hard working, sincere and honest journalist. All Manipur Working Journalists' Union (AMWJU) demanded that the culprits disclose the rea-

sons for shooting down an upcoming journalist. It said in a statement that AMWJU had earlier appealed to various organisations including militant outfits to give journalists a chance to explain their point of view if their writing was not accepted by individual or organisation.

Assam Blasts: ‘Third force involvement certain’ GUWAHATI, NOVEMBER 18 (PTI): The Assam government today said that a ‘third force’ besides ULFA and NDFB having roots in Bangladesh was also involved in the October 30 serial blasts that snuffed out 85 lives. Going by the investigations it was ‘clear’ that a third force having roots in Bangladesh was involved in the serial blasts, senior minister and government spokesman Pradyut Bordoloi told reporters here. Local help to the terrorists in planting the bombs was rendered by ULFA and NDFB, Bordoloi said, adding the clues available so far point to the involvement of that force. “Investigations (into the serial blast) are coming to an end and very soon we will reach a conclusion,” he said. All efforts are being made to identify the culprits involved in the heinous crime, he said denying charges made by BJP about the alleged involvement of four senior ministers Himanta Biswa Sarma, Bhumidhar Barman, Pramila Rani Brahma and Bharat Narah, with extremists. “There is no proof and no cases have been registered against the ministers,” he said.

IT’S HARVEST TIME: Man folks harvesting in paddy ﬁelds situated 17km away from Imphal on November 18. (UB Photos)

Governor blames militancy on ‘faulty’ education

SHILLONG, NOVEMBER 18 (AGENCIES): Militancy and other crimes in the Northeast are the products of a faulty educational system being followed in the country in general and the Northeast in particular, Meghalaya Governor R.S. Mooshahary asserted today. In his inaugural address today at the 83rd annual conference of the Association of Indian Universities at North Eastern Hill University (Nehu) here, the governor said militancy, kidnapping, extortion and other social maladies were directly linked to the faulty system. Of the many objectives of education, the one that aims at empowering students with the art and skills of self-reliance is perhaps the most important, Mooshahary said.

“Education without skills is unproductive. An uneducated person will till the land, work as a wage earner or an artisan, but the degree-holders in India will not do so because our education gives them a false sense of pride. This makes them a misfit for work done by uneducated persons.” These degree-holders were a social liability and potentially dangerous, Mooshahary said, adding that universities and colleges were just awarding general degrees to a huge number of students. According to him, it will not be wrong to say that the universities have become mass production units of degree-holders without the wherewithal to empower the youth with the skills for employment and self-reliance.

At present, there are nearly 300 million illiterate people in the country and the accessibility of the youth to higher education is merely eight per cent, compared to 89 per cent in the US and 63 in the UK. This means that the students do not get admission to courses of their choice for higher education, according to Mooshahary. “There are around 11.5 million students at various stages of higher education in about 415 universities and 20,675 colleges in the country. To attain the gross enrolment ratio of 15 per cent by 2015, there is a need for setting up of 1,500 more universities,” he said. Mooshahary said privatepublic initiative in the education sector by extending financial and logistical sup-

port to establish new universities for vocational training was the need of the hour. Meghalaya higher and technical education minister Manas Chaudhuri said under the Look East Policy, Shillong could become an ideal knowledge city because of its proximity to Southeast Asia. “Though there is a mushrooming of engineering, medical, management institutions in the Northeast leading to a high rate of literacy, the quality of education is very low leading to a brain drain in the region.” “Brain drain in the Northeast is taking place as many educated youths prefer to study outside the Northeast and also get employed outside the region once they complete their studies,” Chaudhuri said.

Stripped, abused tribal to contest LS polls NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 18 (AGENCIES): A tribal girl in Guwahati who was stripped by hoodlums about a year ago, has decided to contest the next parliamentary polls from Tezpur in Assam. Last year, Lakshmi Oraon felt her dignity being stripped off as she fought off the local goons. This year she has joined the Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF) along with her family and will contest on the its ticket. The AUDF is a political party that was floated to take on the Congress before the 2006 assembly election in the state. With Lakshmi's candidature, the AUDF hopes to make inroads into some 20 lakh tea garden workers in the state, which is a sizeable chunk by any measure. Lakshmi was abused while participating in a demonstration by All Assam Adivasi Students Association in November 2007.

6 injured in tiger attack NAGAON, NOVEMBER 18 (AGENCIES): At least six persons were injured on Tuesday when they were attacked by a tiger in Assam’s Nagaon district, official sources said. The tiger pounced on the six persons at Gormukh Tengajan village, under Kampur police station, as they were going to pray at a mosque around 4.30am, the sources said.The injured, aged between 30 and 35 years were admitted to the Nagaon Civil Hospital. The condition of two of them was stated to be serious. Forest officials have rushed to the site and were keeping a watch on the tiger that was spotted by the local people after the incident, the sources added.

Spurt in violence against women

GUWAHATI, NOVEMBER 18 (AGENCIES): It has now been confirmed that violence against women in Assam, and in some other parts of North East is on the rise despite efforts made by State Government agencies and NGOs on various fronts. This was revealed by Neeva Konwar, member of the National Commission for Women at a press conference today, where she also mentioned that the Assam Government is yet to fulfil its obligations regarding a A woman of the Reang community makes Pachra, a traditional attire at a makeshift Central Government direcReang refugee camp in Gachirampara on November 18, some 230 kilometers east of tive on gender budgeting and gender auditing. Agartala. (UB Photo)

Konwar stated figures, which suggested that a significantly large percentage of crimes committed in Assam centred on violence against women. In the State 40 per cent of all crimes involved those committed against women, while the corresponding national percentage was 37 per cent. Among the states that recorded the highest cases of violence against women were Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. In Bihar, 59 per cent of all crimes registered were committed against women, and in Rajasthan the percentage was 46 per cent. The fig-

ures, Konwar provided, were from the National Family and Health Survey, 2007. Amongst the crimes committed against women were demands for dowry, rape, abduction, witch hunting and violence in various other forms. In order to focus on the issue of witch hunting in Assam, the National Commission for Women is organising a regional conference on crucial aspects surrounding witch hunting from tomorrow in Guwahati. “We have invited various stakeholders, including senior Government officials and NGOs to take part, so that better understanding of the phe-

nomenon could be achieved. Konwar dwelt on the hapless condition of those termed as witches by local people, a state in which a woman and her family lived under a cloud of continuous terror. She compared witch hunting to an infectious disease that had to be stopped in the initial stages. The conference would seek to analyse the prevailing situation of the social problem of ‘dayan pratha’, and seek ways to eradicate the social evil from various angles. The conference would further evaluate the existing legal laws with reference to this phe-

nomenon and come up with recommendations for the rehabilitation and vocational training for those accused of carrying out witchcraft. In the press meet Konwar underlined the need for gender budgeting and gender auditing as a means to empower women especially at the grassroots. She hoped that gender budgeting, including setting aside 33 per cent of funds towards women’s welfare would begin soon, so that the important section of the population could have better opportunities towards econmic and social emancipation.

IN-FOCUS

The Power of Truth

The Morung Express WEDNESDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2008 VOL. III ISSUE 321

Moral Recession

he global economic crisis continues to be a worry, more so for the impact on the livelihood of ordinary people in the streets. The official word coming out of Tokyo that the world’s second most powerful economy is now in recession mode will only add to the concern that the recovery from the financial meltdown will be anything but easy—jobs and homes may be lost, economic growth may slowdown thereby adversely affecting development, food prices are already climbing and worst still, the commoners will suffer the most. Even as the corporate world look up to governments for financial bailouts and support system, it is all but clear that market capitalism as an ideology including its principles and practice needs a mid-course correction. While the United States (at least under the Republican lame duck President George Bush) continues to be in denial mode vis-à-vis the inherent vice present within capitalism itself, at least some within the western world, most notably France under President Nicolas Sarkozy, has not only admitted to the weakness in the present free market system but has also taken the lead in calling for reforms in the global financial system. Clearly, the arguments for a ‘free market’ and the infallible tag attached to western capitalism are now under serious question. Even the bailout packages are being bitterly opposed by ordinary taxpaying citizens in a first world country like the United States. More and more Americans are angry that the corporate leaders have not been held accountable for the crisis and that such bailouts only aid in legitimizing the unethical practices of CEOs and corporate America—those who have enjoyed windfall profits, huge salary packages and undiluted incentives. It seems that the billions of dollars spend without appropriate checks and balances are at the root of the current crisis. It is important not to lose sight of the cause factor/s that has led us to where we are now. While one may not be an expert on economic theories or western capitalism, what is striking about the global economic crisis is that it is as much a crisis of confidence as it is about a moral human failing. It is easier to scan the surface—of wrong policies, crashing stock markets, mortgage crisis, bankruptcy leading to new acquisitions and mergers, job cuts, liquidity crunch and recession. Yet it will be far worse if we miss the human failings—of those who have given in to greed, remained unaccountable, misusing leadership positions. Simply put the few who for their own gain has only brought about misery to the many. While a global effort is urgently needed in order to reform the financial system and the flawed practices within capitalism, nevertheless, any correction without involving a moral makeover will only lead to further failings. This applies to the management practices and leadership qualities in different fields of activity—social, political, economic or religious. It is therefore of fundamental importance to have honest, capable and committed leaders side by side with strengthening good management practices and ensuring good governance at all levels—not to forget good human values.

LEFT WING |

David Kimche

Keep Hope Alive

very American president since Truman had to deal with the Israeli-Arab conflict. Now that the transition from the Bush to the Obama presidency is underway, Washington must recognize that the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is in a race against time. The concept of a negotiated two-state solution - a Jewish state of Israel living in peace and security alongside an independent, economically viable Palestinian state - that has been widely accepted for more than 15 years is disappearing before our eyes. More and more people in the region are talking seriously about three other options: one-state, three-state, or a Jordan solution. But these are not solutions at all. Rather, they are prescriptions for intensified conflict and violence in the Middle East or the end of Israel as a Jewish state. The one-state solution would entail granting equal voting rights to everyone living in Israel and the Palestinian territories. Since Jews would then become a clear minority within a relatively short period, this scenario would mark the end of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. The resulting binational state could only be a Jewish one if Jews ruled as a minority, much like apartheid-South Africa. And Israel would then be condemned and ostracized by the international community, including many Americans, as South Africa was. The three-state solution envisions Israel, the West Bank, which is governed by the Palestinian Authority, and Gaza, now ruled by Hamas, as separate states. The Palestinians would never accept such a plan. Historically they are one people and cannot be divided artificially. The Hamas factions in the West Bank would be literally up in arms, creating additional military threats to Israel. Furthermore, are Israel, moderate Arab states and the West prepared to recognize the state of Gaza with an extremist Hamas government? Third is the growing school of thought among some Israelis that the only solution to the Palestinian problem is through Jordan. Nearly all Jordanians, however, want nothing to do with such a plan and get angry whenever an Israeli politician raises this proposal: It would endanger the Hashemite Kingdom. Despite these other plans gaining support, the Palestinian Authority still wants a negotiated two-state solution. Israel is strong enough to work out an accord. Officials in Israel’s Foreign Ministry say that Israel can, at the very least, reach a shelf agreement with the Palestinian Authority without much difficulty. That leaves the question of Hamas. Israel is also strong enough to talk to Hamas in order to reach an agreement with it. Israel is strong enough to even talk to Iran, as it is negotiating with Syria. We simply have no choice but to talk to our enemies. There will always be some Palestinians who oppose reaching an agreement with Israel. There are also elements in Israel who oppose negotiating with Palestinians. But the intense feeling among the majority of Palestinians and Israelis in favor of an agreement must compel our leaders to work urgently and diligently toward a twostate solution. The urgency is such that if the Palestinians and Israelis do not negotiate seriously, with the sustained assistance of the American administration, and if neither compromises, we will very soon find ourselves facing one of the other solutions, most likely the one-state, or a continuation of the status quo, which is getting worse for Israel and the Palestinians each year. Fortunately, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators continue to talk. Israel Foreign Minister Tsipi Livni, who hopes to lead the next government, and Ehud Olmert, the current prime minister, have declared peace negotiations a top priority. Several of the Israeli and Palestinian negotiators told an Israel Policy Forum delegation in September that the two sides have never been closer. Thus, there is a new opportunity for the United States to advance Israeli-Palestinian peace. The outgoing Bush and the incoming Obama administrations, as well as the Israeli and Palestinian leaders, must all come to grips with what is happening here and act decisively and quickly to reinvigorate the peace process and keep hope for a two-state solution alive. Even during its remaining two months, the Bush administration can play a critically important role. It should develop bridging proposals to move the sides even closer to a two-state solution before that concept becomes history. David Kimche, former director general of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, is president of the Israel Council for Foreign Relations and a member of the Israel Policy Forum’s Israel Advisory Council.

THE EDIT PAGE

C O M M E N T A R Y

Carne Ross

United Nations in Trouble? The sclerosis in the United Nations Security Council is characteristic of a body in desperate want of renovation

he financial crisis has triggered calls for renovation if not replacement of the world’s outdated financial institutions. But there is another crisis - where the damage is measured in terms of real blood shed, not dollars or mortgages lost - that shouts out the need for change: this time at the United Nations, the world body charged with international peace and security. The slow-burn genocide of Darfur, the raging disasters in Somalia, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the intractable political impasses in Burma and the Western Sahara are not, of course, solely the failure of the UN; but, like the financial crisis, the absence of competent, legitimate global institutions to deal with such horrors has hindered an effective global response. It’s time to say it loud and clear: the UN is in trouble. Here are the problems. The Security Council is divided or unable to agree effective action on many crucial peace and security issues: Darfur, Iran, Somalia, Burma... the list goes on. Frustration and anger within and against the council - in particular its five permanent, veto-wielding members (known as the P5) - is at an alltime high. Today, one can hardly talk to a UN ambassador outside the P5 - including the ten nonpermanent (or elected) members of the council - without hearing a litany of complaint against the P5’s behaviour. Criticisms range from the P5’s unwillingness to discuss draft texts with other members before demanding they vote on them, to crude threats from P5 members to veto discussion of issues (such as like Palestine, Chechnya or Tibet) that make them uncomfortable. The hard reality Rather than discussing and producing real political measures to tackle the world’s many crises, the Security Council is proliferating forms of expression, unnecessarily complicating its alreadyopaque communication with the world. There are now no less than four different forms of council expression - resolutions, presidential statements, press statements and “remarks to the press”; distinctions which are unintelligible to all but the cognoscenti. Meanwhile, the council busies itself agreeing new formats in which to meet, one of which requires non-council UN states to apply - in writing - to the president of the council to attend misnamed “open” or public meetings of the council. So nugatory and trivial is this fiddling-while-Rome-burns-type behaviour that it escapes international attention and concern. Journalists still write about the Security Council as if

With its breathless coverage of the American elections, the Indian media has demonstrated once again that it simply cannot shake off its colonised worldview

ot for the first time, the English language media in India has been saturated with news emanating from the western world, at the cost of coverage of equally critical events in the rest of the world: saturated this time with the election of Barack Obama as president of America. The coverage has breathlessly talked about an election victory that will change not just the US, but the rest of the world. The media has also overflowed with tedious comparisons between this example of an apparently flawless and mature democratic system at work in the US with India’s sadly -- in these comparisons -- lacking democracy, incapable of producing such exceptional leaders as Obama. The symbolic value of the victory of an until recently relatively unknown African American, in a country where race continues to be a deep faultline of inequality, is, of course, significant. It is, as other, more considered commentators, both in India and the US, have written, also more than just a symbolic moment. Veteran historian Howard Zinn, for example, has said that even though Obama does not represent any fundamental change, he creates an opening for a possibility of change; others have pointed out that even if there are tiny policy differences between Obama and McCain (and the conservatives of the unspeakably reactionary Bush administration), those differences are important.

it is a serious body, even though the dwindling UN press corps and even diplomats inside the council despair at the ineffectiveness and absurdities of a body charged with nothing less than preventing war and promoting peace. The world may be distracted by the credit-crunch, Afghanistan or Iraq, but it doesn’t mean that the neglected UN

is working any better. Its decline is no less serious for being unnoticed. Thanks in part to the sclerosis on the council, discussion of many other issues at the UN - such as reform of the UN bodies dealing with the crisis facing the environment (an urgent matter you might think) - is impeded. The G77 bloc of so-called “developing” countries (a now-outdated grouping of more than 130 countries, ranging from China to Tuvalu) takes the chance to push back against what it sees as the arrogance of “the west”. And slowly but surely, this poison is spreading, including to parts of the UN that were hitherto seen as more effective, such as the humanitarian agencies. Here too, G77 anger has blocked important efforts to reform things like recruitment and management practices in the UN, which is still beset by inefficiency at best, and downright incompetence and corruption at worst. Any frank and honest UN official will quickly agree. The closed door Leadership that can offer a way out of this quagmire is all but impossible to find. The P5 themselves - France, the United States, Russia, China and the United Kingdom - exhibit little appetite and energy for addressing this malaise. The secretary-general is clearly a

decent man, but has proven unwilling to admit the crisis, and demand (not merely encourage) action to resolve it: “back change or sack me”, he should say, but he won’t. The secretariat view is a feeble one - the crisis is for memberstates to resolve. This of course is true, but is also an abrogation of the secretariat’s own responsibility to provide a

way forward when member-states have so abjectly failed to do so. Outside the council, big countries like Brazil, India, Japan and Germany content themselves with rote demands for enlargement of the Security Council - to include themselves as new permanent members. Clothing their blatant self-interest with calls for more “legitimacy”, such states have become excited by the recent agreement to start so-called “intergovernmental negotiations” on council reform. But discussion will inevitably return to zero-sum-game rows about enlargement formulae that merely reflect states’ self-interest rather than a genuine effort to reform discredited methods of decision-making. It is naive to believe that enlargement will by itself make the council work. The UN needs drastic renovation. The council should be more representative of the 21st century, true, but it must also be made more open and accessible to those affected by its decisions. 80% of the conflicts on the council’s agenda now involve non-state actors, reflecting the shift in warfare from between states to inside them. Yet such actors are invisible and unheard at the council and indeed at the UN, a bastion (one of the last, in my guess) of governments. This is one reason why Independent Diplomat, the advisory group I head, has called for all affected actors to be given

NO, WE CAN’T Sharmila Joshi

Already, however, some are also saying that the change (in policy and practice) ended with Obama’s election. How the potential differences, the sliver of possibility for change, can be negotiated and expanded by people in the US, by India and by other countries, should correctly be the focus of discussion in our media. After all, the American presidential election corners so much column and screen space presumably because of America’s global dominance, and surely not because the conventional South Asian media pathetically continue to look at the western world as the aspirational standard of progress? If that were not the case, equally significant elections, significant for different reasons though—for example, controversial elections in Zimbabwe earlier this year or Hugo Chavez’s repeated reelection in Venezuela—should also be consistent and big news in India. Electoral and related developments in other formerly colonised countries, or other economically poor countries struggling with the global impact of neo-liberal policy reforms, should be of as much interest to the Indian media as the elections in the mighty America. When the US’s globally still-dominant position justifies the extensive coverage, this coverage logically should be more critical and analytical of what the change of president may mean to countries affected for decades by America’s foreign policies. It should more rigorously inform readers/view-

ers of what this change from far-right Republican to marginally (if at all) left of centre Democrat means for the international inter-state system, or if it is going to be business as usual. Bypassing such analyses, a focal point in parts of the English language media has been comparisons of the American and Indian electoral systems, in which India invariably shows up in a poor light. Not only do such comparisons (one columnist referred to the US, yet again, as “the world’s greatest democracy”, and to India as only “the world’s largest democracy”) ignore historical specificity, vastly different demographics and economies, they also mask the shortcomings of the American electoral system: its infamous voter apathy, the fracas over Al Gore’s possible win in 2000, the funding and billions of dollars spent in campaigns, the ugly, personalised campaigns. The comparisons also ignore the multiple complexities of Indian elections, the active engagement of the electorate (other than the sedentary middles classes) with issues, the telling verdicts. The victory of a candidate from a historically disadvantaged and discriminated against community (African American) also seems to make the comparison with India compelling to our media: for example, a television talk show titled ‘An Indian Obama’, despairingly discussed when India might have an equivalent national winner from a marginalised community.

WRITE-WING

the “universal right of address” to speak to the council of their concerns. This is but one idea; there should be many others. Senior UN appointments should not be, as they are today, a function of under-the-table national pressure for jobs, an odious internationalised version of “buggins’ turn” in which even the most pious UN members (including the UK) indulge. The secretary-general must be free to invite applications from qualified candidates worldwide, and to hire on merit. That such an obvious proposal should seem so radical at the UN is an indication of the depth of the crisis. The only remedy It is depressing how little creative thinking goes on at the UN to remedy its many deficits. Diplomats posted to the UN tend to come and go for three or four-year tours making little impression, and often leave demoralised and defeated by the UN’s absurd and seemingly intractable conundrums. Most UN member-states are small, and have commensurately small diplomatic missions, and most of these admit that are completely overwhelmed with the number and complexity of committees and processes they must keep up with; many barely comprehend them at all (pity the rest of us). Staff in the deeply-hierarchical secretariat are discouraged from action, fearful that their next posting will be to Congo rather than up the greasy, corrupt pole that is the promotion system in the UN. Note, by the way, how virtually no senior staff member is under 50, a clear indicator that subservience is valued higher than competence. The only solution is a severe jolt of electricity. Some say that only a war will at last trigger the energy for change. But there already is one, in fact many. The leading states should agree to have a conference with the goal of nothing less than a renovated and revivified UN. Take discussion away from the corridors and stale arguments of the New York UN complex. Set an ambitious agenda and aim high, but for something simple and ideal. These days, the Europeans, including the UK, tend to leave such ambition to the US. But any new administration will have its hands full with the residue of George W Bush’s maladministration. Taking on the UN is never an appealing prospect in Washington, even for Democrats, and in any case the American brand is a sure invitation to hostility in UN discussion. Such an initiative certainly won’t come from China, Russia or those stuck with their own repetitious and self-seeking demands for permanent membership. So here is a chance for the UK, perhaps in partnership with France, and ideally the whole European Union - a potentially powerful force at the UN to show some leadership. San Francisco? Why not Bordeaux, or even Brighton? Disadvantage generally occurs along the axes of class, race/caste/religion/ethnicity, and gender. India had a woman prime minister decades ago (and let’s not even talk about Babasaheb Ambedkar and others). The merits of the politician (Indira Gandhi) are not being discussed here, just the fact of an individual from a socially unequal group rising to national leadership. How come then, when Hillary Clinton (also partially banking on family name as Gandhi did) looked like she could be the Democratic presidential candidate, did our TV channels not have a show titled ‘An American Indira Gandhi’? If that sounds odd, it may be instructive to consider why. It should not be our task to defend or compare the Indian democratic system in this manner; such defensiveness speaks of an uncertainty, a perpetual need to prove that “we” are, or can be, as good as “them”. The dominant Indian middle class is, by and large, indoctrinated into thinking about “development” in terms of the West; the white western world is its constant template of “progress” on all fronts. So the same media that extols the imminent arrival (financial meltdowns notwithstanding) of India as an economic “superpower” (as if the existing “superpowers” are worthy of joining ranks with), simply cannot shake off its colonised worldview. So now much of the mainstream print media is applying the Obama catchphrase, “Yes, we can” to everything. Even to a forthcoming ‘Mumbai Festival 2009’. A recent newspaper report about this event states: “Drawn in by Barack Obama’s ‘Yes, we can’ campaign, the Mumbai festival sees its new focus as being a catalyst for change”! It may be time to say, “No, we cannot’—simply cannot, digest such media coverage.

Letters to the Editor should be sent to: The Morung Express, House No. 4, Duncan Bosti, Dimapur - 797112, Or –email: editor@morungexpress.com. All letters (including those via email) should have the full name and Postal address of the sender. Readers may please note that the contents of the articles, letters and opinions published do not reﬂect the outlook of this paper nor of the Editor in any form.

WEDNESDAY

THE MORUNG EXPRESS

19 NOVEMBER 2008

PERSPECTIVE NEWS ANALYSIS, FEATURE AND DISCOURSE

Debating the ideology of globalisation Rahul Varman & Manali Chakrabarti

affled by the refusal of their IIT students – and indeed most middle class people -- to see the flip side of globalisation, Rahul Varman and Manali Chakrabarti engaged the students in a semester-long debate on globalisation. The interaction provided useful insights into how dominant ideologies are shaped I. Making sense of globalisation Earlier this year we saw two news items together on the front page – Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh once more extolling the virtues of the 9% growth rate, and the chairman of the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector reporting that four out of five Indians live on less than Rs 20 a day. Every time there is a report on the rising information technology (IT) sector, or the promise of the retail industry, or of India becoming a superpower, somewhere tucked away there is also news about another farmer suicide or police firing on agitating peasants or yet more starvation deaths. We live in Kanpur, a metro with a population of over 4 million, where every morning it is a nightmare to even glance at the newspaper headlines – power breakdowns, epidemics, killings, suicides, burglaries… the list goes on without respite. And yet, on the same pages, there are reports on the new malls and fashion shows of India Shining. One often wonders whether these divergent reports and the people talked about in them belong to the same geographical region, the same society, or even the same species. The divide is even more in and around the IIT Kanpur campus where we have been living for many years now. On the one hand here are our students whose starting pay packets are several times the amount our senior colleagues draw as their last salary at retirement, and on the other hand are the migrant workers from Malda and Chhattisgarh who construct those swanky buildings out of contributions from our alumni in Silicon Valley, and earn Rs 50 for a 12-hour workday. While our graduates have been in leading positions in technology and management across the globe for decades, last month a visiting German student asked us why it is that women workers on our construction sites carry loads on their heads: “Could you not design something to alleviate their workload, not even a crude contraption to carry the load on wheels?” the student asked. Despite this state of affairs and the ensuing bewilderment for somebody not ‘used’ to it, the media tells us that the world is, finally, turning out to be a wonderful place for us thanks to globalisation, and all we need to do is work sincerely and not entertain any ‘negative thoughts’ about these developments. When we pose some of our above concerns to our students, they too tell us that our problem is that we think pessimistically and see only negative things. They proclaim that we are looking at the empty half of the glass (which is actually getting filled up very fast). Given such a massive disconnect in views on contemporary reality, we have attempted of late to engage our students on the phenomenon of globalisation in order to further understand the nature of the debate and its underlying premises. In the process of debating with our students formally through a semesterlong course, we have discerned a pattern. This consists of what we call three limiting ‘tendencies’ in their thinking about globalisation: Globalisation without interconnections, A homogeneous world without differentiation and A world without a past. We also see the reflections of these tendencies in the popular media and literature and even in our arguments with friends and colleagues, hence this attempt to share it in a popular forum as well.

Globalisation without interconnections The most educative aspect of the debate with our students has been our realisation that they lack appreciation of interconnections in the global order. Though they are all for globalisation and believe in the captivating ideas of ‘one world’ and ‘global village’, they find it hard to look beyond standalone concepts like corporation, state, World Bank, India, US, etc. They fail to assess the phenomenon in terms of cause and effect of various socio-political and economic forces; they fail to see the interconnections amongst institutions and to understand globalisation as an emergent system of all these variables put together. They are used to thinking in terms of good versus bad, black versus white and have a limited understanding of grey, so to them, corporations are good but the government is bad, the West is good and the developing world is bad, technology is good but population is bad, and so on. That there are complex interconnections amongst the global forces and institutions – the corporations, states and multilateral institutions, the developed first world versus the underdeveloped third world, technology and unemployment, industry and agriculture, all this largely escapes them as they look for quick and ready answers to the ills of the present order. We opened up the debate with what perhaps best symbolises the present order of globalisation -- the large corporations -- and our first case was that of Wal-Mart. We made the class examine the phenomena underlying the success of Wal-Mart -- the ‘high price’ behind the ‘low costs’ of the corporation. We discussed the labour practices of Wal-Mart in the US – less than legally stipulated minimum wages, long hours of work, gender discrimination, ethnic discrimination, union-busting, undercutting of employee benefits, systemic and regular violation of laws, their record of consistently infringing environmental regu-

lations combined with huge state subsidies, massive salaries of the top executives and profits for the owners. And, of course, perhaps the worst of all -- their outsourcing policies in the developing countries, zero taxes and horrific work conditions (universal violation of minimum wages) from China to Bangladesh to Honduras, and so on. We attempted to enlarge the scope of this debate by demonstrating that this phenomenon is not limited to one ‘bad’ corporation and hence not attributable to the ‘unethical’ practices of a specific set of managers but is inherent in the present order of globalisation and its favoured vehicle – the large corporation. We tried to establish this through multiple examples across a wide time-span – United Fruit’s involvement in the coup in Guatemala against the Arbenz government in order to protect its interests and the subsequent military regime and muzzling of civil and democratic rights of the people for decades (in fact the phrase ‘banana republic’ can be traced back to the corporation-State relations in Guatemala). Similarly we discussed the Japanese-owned South Manchuria Railway, Nike’s labour practices in the South, and finally the financial jugglery that led to the meteoric rise of Enron and its equally dramatic demise at the cost of employees and consumers. Through various case studies we attempted to establish that the phenomenon was not ‘survival of the fittest’ as is claimed, but actually the power of the biggest and the mightiest, as the Yale sociologist Charles Perrow puts it in his pioneering study of 19th century American corporations. In other words, the corporations are not ‘efficiency maximising’, implying more output for less input, but are in fact ‘externality maximising’, that is, their bottom line may appear good only because they are able to pass off their costs to others – consumers, workers, society, the developing world, or even future generations if you look at it in terms of environmental costs as argued by Harvard economist Stephen Marglin about the factory system of 18th century England. Faced with a critical set of facts and the unenviable record of corporations on various counts, many in the class came up with a new position: that it is not the corporations’ job to promote development and fulfil related objectives like providing employment, good wages etc. Many asserted that these were only incidental to the primary objective of the corporations, which was to earn profits for their shareholders. In their modified opinion it was the state which was to be blamed if the corporations are not following their legal obligations. After all, they argued, it is the state which is mandated to take care of the public good – it is the government’s duty to ensure that corporations ‘behave’ as good citizens and follow appropriate labour laws, environmental regulations etc. Several of them emphasised that the primary problem is that “we (developing countries) have not put our house in order” and hence “we cannot blame others (corporations/theWest) for our failures”. They were disinclined to see the interconnections between state and corporations, for instance the state subsidies that Wal-Mart gets everywhere, the manner in which Enron was promoted and propped up by the political elite of the US, the nexus between Nike and third world states, the manner in which medieval Middle East states have been propped up by the oil corporations (sociologist Dan Burton calls them ‘oilocracies’), and so on. Further, they seem to think that all governments are the same, irrespective of the process through which they have developed – whether it is a state in Europe which has emerged from a thoroughgoing and long-drawn-out process of capitalist transformation, including benefiting from the colonial plunder of Asia, the Americas and Africa, or a nascent nationstate like India or Bangladesh which has been subject to centuries of colonial plunder. In fact, some of them would tend to ignore the historical fact of colonialism, choosing to believe that it was a mutually beneficial arrangement between the West and the third world and probably the only possible way for the latter to industrialise and modernise. Thus we found that for most in the class the emptiness and fullness of the metaphorical glass (representing individual national economies) are two discrete qualities of the glass. We, on the other hand, attempted to reveal that in the global order nothing can be studied in isolation and a complex understanding can be achieved only by studying the whole picture with all its inherent interconnections. That is, the empty and full glasses are intimately related in historical processes. A homogeneous world without differentiation Interestingly, though the students were not able to see the systemic interconnections, they thought of society as an undifferentiated homogeneous unity. Thus, the US, India, etc are units by themselves which are not amenable to further categorisation and hence the Dabhol project is good for India, Wal-Mart is good for China, structural adjustment is good for India, and so on. The argument that society is divided in many ways and often when we juxtapose costs versus benefits it is likely that the costs are borne by one class -- most likely the poorest -- and the benefits go to the higher strata, was incomprehensible to the students. Similarly, many of them felt that the government was one unified entity, synonymous with the notion of nationhood, which works for the benefit of all. That governments may consciously favour certain classes over others was unimaginable for them. Perhaps the two points are related: the students fail to see the societal differentiations probably because they are unable to decipher the interconnections amongst the elite across the world and the convergence of their interests at the cost of the toiling poor.

A world without a past We discovered that a significant category like history is alien to many in the class; for them, either the world always existed like it is, or it has evolved to the best possible form courtesy ‘survival of the fittest’. Inferentially, thus, the profit motive always existed and market-based exchange has always been part of human interactions. The very fact that the present world is embracing globalisation and corporations is, for them, testimony to the fact that this must be the best and most effective form available to humanity for progress. The class seemed unwilling to recognise that what may be perfectly rational for one set of individuals in the global sweepstakes, can possibly be absolutely irrational from another vantage point. That, for example, what might appear to be in the best interests of the Enron headquarters has the possibility of being devastating for electricity consumers in the Maharashtra countryside. Most significantly, a lack of appreciation of the historical context of various societies, capitalist institutions and the present global order, has made them practically blind to the historiography of possibilities – that history is always full of alternatives and that humanity could have taken multiple paths. Once certain choices are made at specific historical junctures, alternative possibilities are closed, at least for a time, as the choices made have their own momentum. For instance, monopoly, limited liability, public interest minimising and profit maximising corporate structures were not inevitable but happened at a historical juncture through the confluence of certain socio-political and economic forces in the US. Once such a corporate form was devised, it closed the possibilities of other ways of organising production, such as small firm networks, labour hiring capital, worker-owned organisations etc. II: No alternative to globalisation One of the primary reasons for the students’assertion that a critical analysis of the present form of globalisation was pointless was TINA – ‘there is no alternative’. We tried to establish that the above mode of thinking was against the spirit of science and that one ought to be willing to acknowledge a problem even if one has not been able to identify any solution yet; that, after all, is usually the first step towards a solution. We repeatedly invoked the metaphor of the ‘lost key’ – that one cannot hope to find the key by searching in a lighted area if it was lost in the darkness. We spent considerable class time dealing with various attempts at creating an alternative world order – kernels of new possibilities. We emphasised at the outset that each of these examples is only a part-answer to the ills of the present order, and that is how it will be for a long time as only incomplete alternatives can be forged in the interstices of a dominant system. And yet, we can find examples all around the world, including our immediate context, where people have attempted to transcend the limits posed by the present order. This is a tribute to human ingenuity and the striving for betterment in spite of the restrictions of the present system. We began with the example of ‘free software’ which is based on diametrically different principles from proprietary software. The free software effort indicates that humans like to work for motives other than mere economic gain, such as professional satisfaction, freedom and community participation. It suggests that people can work well in non-hierarchical settings and yet implement complex tasks like producing operating systems. At the time that this case was presented to the class, three million lines of ‘free’ code was available and tens of thousands of professional programmers were contributing to the movement. Most importantly, it has been empirically established that open source leads to far more reliable programmes that are likely to be free of faults as they undergo scrutiny at multiple points. For this reason systems requiring high reliability such as those used in operation theatres and for security, are rapidly converting to free software based systems. We discussed examples of the community form of service organisation like the celebrated dabbawallahs of Mumbai, who make less than one error in 15 million lunch deliveries from homes to workplaces, while working with little differentiation and hierarchy. They have evolved complex systems of self-organising through which around 5,000 dabbawallahs deliver 175,000 lunch boxes every day in a massive metropolis like Mumbai. They have been providing this service for more than a century now and it has not been possible for any competing courier service, national or international, to be able to challenge their low price and high reliability service. We also discussed the Mondragon complex of cooperatives in the Basque country of Spain, which has now become a huge conglomerate of manufacturing firms, educational institutes, retail chains and financial institutions with a turnover in billions. The cooperative complex has tens of thousands of worker-members at present and is still following many of the contra-capitalist principles, like worker ownership, with one member one vote, systems for accountability to community, equitable salaries and participatory democracy. Finally, we discussed the ongoing experiment of the Bolivarian revolution of Venezuela to demonstrate that society can be organised on fundamentally different principles which would lead to very different outcomes. The Venezuelan experience gives rise to hope and also provides a direction for challenging the present imperial global order. It empirically demonstrates the effectiveness of the two-pronged strategy of people’s participation in economy and polity to organise society on fundamentally differ-

ent principles, and pan-third world solidarity -- in this case Latin American solidarity -- to create possibilities beyond those offered by the present global regime. The cases chosen as alternatives to globalisation attempted to demonstrate that people work for motives other than monetary benefit, that market-based exchanges can be substituted with community ties, that production systems can be far more egalitarian than the present large-scale hierarchical systems, that top-down bureaucratic states can be replaced by participatory democracy leading to unleashing of tremendous energy and spontaneity, and finally, that labour resource can be a substitute for capital resource. Without providing a blueprint for a new world -- which none of us have -- the purpose was to sensitise students to the possibility of an alternative world, beyond the present globalisation. Probably, most importantly, we attempted to reveal that the ‘promises’ and ‘claims’ of the present global order could be met but with radically different principles of organisation of world systems and commensurate institutions and norms. The class’s response to these alternatives was both interesting and educative. It can be summarised, overall, as – small, short-lived, and specific. The class was generally sceptical about the above examples and their objections were primarily threefold. The first objection was that the alternatives being discussed are “too small” in their scope and do not pose any serious challenge to the present order. They were unwilling to consider the Popperian idea of falsification that so long as one can find even one white crow, it is a serious challenge to the thesis that all crows are black, and that alternatives to a dominant order can be found only in the interstices. And, above all, each of the above examples amply manifests the energies and ingenuity of a huge set of individuals, either as producers, consumers or participants. The second and oft-cited limitation was that these examples have been short-lived, that at some point of time during their existence they acquired the characteristics of the dominant order. Thus Linux (free software) is getting increasingly commercialised, the Mondragon conglomerate has become identical to any other corporate giant, the Grameen Bank has become a huge top-down bureaucracy dependent on international funds from the likes of the Gates Foundation, and so on. Though we do agree in part with most of these criticisms, and encouraged the class to look at the limits of the alternatives, the interesting aspect for us with reference to the ‘about-turn of the course’ argument is that it assumes that at some point each of these examples stood on a different set of principles than the present order. But the students had no time to dwell on that phase and would quickly like to move over to the purported stage where these ‘alternatives’ have become contradictory to their own stated principles, or, in other words, fallen in with the norm. Finally, even if some of our students did recognise that at some point there was a concrete reality organised on ‘counter-intuitive’ principles, they would like to quickly find some specificity to which they can attribute its success. Thus the success of free software was attributed to the contributions of ‘retired’ professionals who had already secured their economic future by working on proprietary software, the success of the Mumbai dabbawallahs and the Mondragon cooperatives was attributed to peculiar ‘community values’ in which each of them was located and which were not transferable to other contexts. Similarly, the Venezuelan army could participate in development activities only because they were surrounded by particularly ‘peace-loving neighbours’, unlike India. And if none of the above fitted, then they took recourse to the extraordinary individual theory: ‘the great leader’ who descends from nowhere from time to time – Stallman for free software, Yunus for Grameen Bank, Chavez in Venezuela and so on. Once we attribute the alternatives to the great leaders, we do not need to do anything other than wait for the moment of our salvation from any situation, including globalisation. Our greatest learning through this exercise has been an appreciation of the grip of ideology which determines the kind of weightage each one of us attaches to a set of facts. Thus, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, the students justified and defended the present order because of their belief in a certain philosophy of globalisation based on notions of individual gain, corporate profits and markets. Likewise, they dismissed the possibilities of another global order which can be human-centric, based on community values of mutuality, and ecologically sustainable. Of course we also appreciate the fact that most of us, including our students, are likely to be more susceptible to certain ideas because it serves our immediate individual and/or class interests especially if they stem from the dominant ideology. Our experience conclusively demonstrates the need for persistent ideological debates with every strata of society. And further, the need to repeatedly point out and acknowledge the existence of contending ideologies, that even the universally accepted norm represents an ideology because otherwise it is generally assumed that only when one critiques the present order is one being ‘ideologically motivated’. (We would like to put on record that while we are sharing our debate and disagreements with our students of various classes we have regard for their viewpoints, in fact, that is the reason for our attempts at engaging them. Moreover, the students had multiple points of view and many of them displayed the finest of sensitivities and attempts at grappling with a complex phenomenon like globalisation.) (Rahul Varman teaches at IIT Kanpur, and Manali Chakrabarti teaches at the Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata)

Of Love and Friendship when reel meets real Naro Tali

Friends. Sex and the City. Two very popular sitcoms based in New York. Each providing an interesting mix of unique characters that captures your imagination even today, long after the curtain had come down and you don’t really mind sitting through the reruns. In all probability, we saw a tiny bit of us in each of those characters and hence found it easy to relate to the events being unfolded. As a viewer, I was massively drawn to their underlying theme of love and friendship. These are the two concepts that we’ve heard and felt ever since we were old enough to think for ourselves. In the beginning, we had the unconditional love of our parents but as we grew older we realized that love was not that simple. It has many faces and comes in different forms, shapes and sizes! I think one love in particular, that consumes the thoughts of most humans, is requited love from ones object of affection. As it turns out, the fairy tales that we were fed with when we were young innocent mortals were actually, well, fairy tales and nothing more. The idea of a prince charming or a knight in shining amour coming to your rescue makes a noble notion, if, we were somewhere in the middle ages. However, as things stand today, everyone needs a little rescuing irrespective of the gender. The ‘happily ever after’ concept is archaic and it is as ancient as the dinosaurs themselves Notwithstanding the fact that many of the greatest love stories that have ever been written had tragic endings, there are people out there who are able to find their one true love and experience married bliss. This is fairly expected, of course, considering the billions of population inhabiting this blue planet. Most of us have to find it the hard way by going through our share of break-ups and heartaches before we meet the one or discover much later on that it was right in front of us all along. Just as in the case of Carrie and Mr. Big or Ross and Rachael, fate may come into play and true love will triumph after all. While their endless on and off relationship isn’t exactly our idea of romance, it certainly paints a picture that’s closer to reality. The fear of commitment, mistakes, misunderstandings and all the trimmings of adulthood are dealt with as the characters find their way back into the comforting arms of one another. When we were kids, we had the luxury to choose our friends according to our fancy but nobody told us that sometimes the greatest injustice done to you can come from a trusted friend. With the onset of maturity, we learn to weed out these unwanted elements and hold on to only those people that truly matters. Real friends do not hesitate to point out your flaws and they’ll tell you when you’re wrong. They won’t shower you with fake compliments or mislead you with sick lies. They will always be there to catch you when you fall and lend you their willing ears as you rant about your life’s miseries over a few drinks. Sometimes you argue and fall out but reconcile in the end because you realize that they have your best interest at heart. The keen sense of friendship and deep bonding between unique individuals comes from mutual love and respect sans pretension. Perhaps, the depiction of such qualities made these sitcoms all the more appealing and made an impact in our mundane lives. Whether it was catching up over a cup of coffee at central perk or a drink of martini, the core message of love and friendship were not lost on most of us. On a lighter note, might I add that the gorgeous clothes and accessories flaunted in these shows were an added bonus and yes, I want my very own Mr. Big.

Vanishing Fauna Ranjan Roy, Mokokchung

Despite massive deforestation, Nagaland still has a large tract of land under forest cover. The undulating hills and the greenery all around make Nagaland a very picturesque state. Whoever visits Nagaland is captivated by its breath-taking scenic beauty. However, the dark green foliage is deceptive. It hides an unpalatable truth. Wildlife in Nagaland is on the verge of extinction. Many species have disappeared altogether. The animals that survive are on the endangered list. When dawn breaks, hills always echo with the songs of birds. Ironically, the arrival of dawn in Nagaland is not accompanied by the twittering of birds. This is because there are very few birds around. Even common birds such as sparrows are a rare sight. There is a saying that crows dare not venture beyond the border between Assam and Nagaland. If they do, they pay with their lives for their folly. Exotic or migratory birds are rarely sighted in Nagaland. One of the reasons for this alarming decline in the wildlife population in Nagaland is the deeply entrenched tradition of hunting. Nagas are notorious for their passion for hunting. Many homes prominently display animal skins and heads as trophies on their walls. Those who go on hunting expeditions roam the forests with guns slung across their shoulders. Anything that moves is fair game for them. They return home with their kill gloating over their marksmanship. Youngsters hone their shooting skills by hunting hapless birds. With catapults in hands, they give chase bringing down birds with deadly aim. It is quite common to see throngs of customers haggling over the price of a dead deer, squirrel or rabbit in the marketplace. These are highly prized as a delicacy and fetch huge sums for the sellers. The slaughter of animals and birds will continue as long as there is a ready clientele willing to splurge. The problem is further exacerbated by government apathy and a lack of political will. There is hardly any initiative worth its name to protect wildlife and their natural habitat. Every year, Hornbill festival is held at Kohima with great fanfare. The purpose of this festival is to attract foreign as well as domestic tourists and give them a glimpse of the rich Naga tradition and culture. But what is the current status of this splendid bird? How many of them still survive in the wild? There was a time when the traditional headgear of a Naga youth would be adorned with the colorful feathers of the hornbill. Nowadays original feathers can be replaced by fake ones. This in itself is a proof of the fact that the bird will be as dead as the dodo in the near future unless urgent conservation measures are initiated. Nagas have an abiding passion for music. They live, breathe and dream music. It is astonishing why they are hell-bent on silencing the strains of divine melody created by birds. It is imperative to inculcate in children a healthy respect for life. They must be taught that all forms of life are sacrosanct. They must be sensitized regarding the food chain and the importance of each animal in the pecking order. A world without birds and wild animals will be a bleak place and catastrophic for humans.

Readers may please note that, the contents of the articles published on this page do not reﬂect the outlook of this paper nor of the Editor in any form.

C M Y K

Dimapur

NATIONAL

Wednesday 19 November 2008

There’s nothing called Hindu terror: L K Advani

RAIPUR, NOVEMBER 18 (AGENCIES): Senior BJP leader L K Advani has alleged that the majority community is being linked to terrorism to get votes of minorities. "In last one month, a new term 'Hindu terrorism' has come into existence. This was pure vote-bank and minority-appeasement politics. We never linked terrorism with any religion. But now, this is being done to get votes," he said. There should not be any attempt to defame any community for votes, Advani said while addressing an election meeting here ahead of the second phase of polling in Chhattisgarh on Thursday. Comparing the BJP-led NDA administration with the Congress-headed UPA government on terror front, the former deputy Prime Minister said terrorists were never spared and were killed during the NDA rule. But now not a single terrorist has been caught or convicted. Afzal Guru, convicted in the 2001 Parliament attack case, has not yet been hanged, the ex-home minister said. Advani alleged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has 'devalued' the top post as head of the party (Congress)

Youth can change image of Indian politics: Advani

NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 18 (PTI): Underlining the need for changing the image of the “ugly Indian politician”, senior BJP leader L K Advani today said one way of making this possible was by encouraging more young people to join politics. “I tell my fellow politicians, particularly those belonging to my own party, that it is our duty to erase this image of the ‘ugly Indian politician’....It is necessary for the best and the brightest among the youth to join politics and serve the nation,” Advani said. He was speaking at a seminar on ‘National Values Crisis and its Redressal’ organised by the

Foundation for Restoration of National Values. The 81-year-old leader cited Transparency International’s annual reports where India ranks high in the corruption index and the United Nations report in which India ranks low in the Human Development Index. He held responsible the lack of professionalism among politicians as the reason for this state of affairs. “Politics was a noble profession during the freedom Movement... After Independence, the spirit of mission got gradually diluted...Unfortunately, in India today politics is seen neither as a mission nor as a

profession, but as pure commerce,” Advani lamented. However, the senior leader pointed out that it was not just in politics that the values had gone down. “The lack of integrity and professional ethics is seen among lawyers, judges, doctors.... And even security personnel. It is seen even in the media,” Advani said. BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate said though the intelligence quotient of an individual could develop lifelong, his emotional, moral and spiritual quotient developed mostly between the age of 15 and 25 years. “It is necessary for the young to join politics and serve the nation,” he said.

is now getting more importance than the head of the government. "This system exists in Communist regime. But it is not good in a democracy." The BJP's prime ministerial candidate challenged the UPA government to show one major achievement during its over four years of rule. "I have seen elections since

1952. Every government used to have something to claim as its achievement but the UPA government has none," he added. The issue is said to have made headlines after Advani alleged that majority community is being linked to terrorism to get votes of minorities. Meanwhile, the

Congress has slammed Advani's terror remark, saying the BJP should apply similar yardsticks for all radical terror outfits. Party spokeperson Manish Tiwari said that the safrron outfit has done a complete U-turn on its stance on religion and terror just to appease the majority voters.

Egyptian Prez Hosni Mubarak keen to boost ties with India

(L-R) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, wife of Egyptian president Suzanne Mubarak, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and President Pratibha Patil pose for photographs at a ceremonial reception for Mubarak in New Delhi on Tuesday. (AP Photo)

C M Y K

The Morung Express

NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 18 (ANI): 0Egyptian President Mohammad Hosni Mubarak, who arrived on a four-day visit to India on Sunday boost economic ties with India, was given a ceremonial reception on Tuesday. Egypt has been an important trading partner of India. The two countries now want to expand the basket of trade and are negotiating a free trade Agreement. Enthused by a 112 percent surge in the bilateral trade in 2006, both countries now want to boost their two-way trade to 10 billion dollars by 2010. Their mutual trade is currently poised to touch the 2.5 billion dollar mark. Egypt and India inked cooperation agreements covering economic and trade areas. Several other agree-

ments on information and legal domains are also expected to be signed between the two countries. The focus of Mubarak’s visit will be on intensifying strategic and economic cooperation between India and Egypt. The two countries are old friends and founders of the non-aligned movement and South-South cooperation. During his visit, Mubarak will meet President Pratibha Patil and hold delegation level talks with Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. He will also meet Vice President Hamid Ansari, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Leader of Opposition L K Advani. Mubarak is visiting India after 25 years. He last came here in 1983 on a state visit.

A medical volunteer administers polio drops to a child in Allahabad, Tuesday, November 18. (AP Photo)

‘Regressive politics is the biggest threat to constitution’ NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 18 (AGENCIES): Apparently concerned by the belligerent stand being taken by political parties over divisive issues, the Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan on Tuesday said that the “regressive” politics is the biggest threat

to the constitution of the country. “Regressive brand of politics is threatening our constitution, and the principles that our constitution stands for. There have been several instances of senseless violence in recent times to polarise the nation on the

toral office as so far such voters had to take assistance while exercising their franchise. “But no more. For all the assembly constituencies we have prepared a ballot paper with details of name of the candidate, his party name and its serial number on the electronic voting machine in the Braille lan-

guage,” a senior election officer told PTI. Explaining the process of how a visually-challenged voter can exercise his franchise, the official said that the person concerned will have to ask the election authorities at the polling booth for Braille ballot paper. “After reading the ballot paper

Ajit Jogi on comfortable turf in Chhattisgarh BILASPUR, NOVEMBER 18 (AGENCIES): Congress’ Lok Sabha member and former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi and his wife Renu Jogi seem to be on a comfortable wicket in the Marwahi and Kota assembly constituencies in Bilaspur district that will go to the polls November 20. Jogi’s confidence could be understood from the fact that he has not addressed a single election meeting in Marwahi or in Kota. Congress star campaigner Jogi has covered as many as 80 constituencies of the state’s total 90, but he did not find it necessary to go to Marwahi or Kota. Polling for 39 seats concluded in the first phase November 14 and it would be held November 20 for the rest of the 51 seats, while the result will be out Dec 8. “Kota is a seat the Congress has never lost. It doesn’t matter Jogi’s wife contests or anyone else, people have always preferred the Congress and the trend will continue,” Lokesh Sahu, a hosiery shop owner in the Ratanpur area under the Kota constituency, said. A housewife in the populous Pendra area of Kota, Rajni Devi, said: “Madam (Renu Jogi) enjoys good respect here, she always gives a patient hearing to our problems. This is not just my view, a ma-

expressed concern over degradation of moral values in judiciary. “There have been allegations against higher judiciary in recent days. It has raised question on who would watch the watchdog,” he said adding, “Our national values are deeply eroding at this time”, added CJI.

VHP opposes move to rebuild Orissa churches BHUBANESWAR, NOVEMBER 18 (AGENCIES): The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Tuesday said it was opposed to the move by the Orissa government to rebuild churches that were damaged during the communal violence in the state’s Kandhamal district in August. “The government has no right to spend taxpayers’ money to appease the Christian community. Churches and Christian training centres are patronising conversion activities,” general secretary VHP’s Orissa unit Gouri Prasad Rath said. “If the government wants to restore communal harmony in Kandhamal it must stop any kind of financial help for their reconstruction,” he said. “There is no provision for financial assistance to places of worship in the state relief code. The Supreme Court had never directed the state government to provide financial assistance to such institutions. “It had only asked the government to look into the issue in a humanitarian

Pawar leads team to riot-hit Kandhamal

BHUBANESWAR, NOVEMBER 18 (AGENCIES): A three-member central government team led by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Tuesday reached Orissa’s Kandhamal district to take stock of the situation in the region where at least 38 people were killed and thousands rendered homeless in communal violence in recent months. The delegation, which also includes Tribal Affairs Minister P R Kyndiah and Social Justice Minister Meira Kumar, visited a relief camp at Raikia, a district police official said. They are to visit relief camps in Tikabali and Nuagaon, he said. The official added that

they would also travel to the ashram where Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda and four of his aides were killed, allegedly by Maoists. The team is to talk to victims, religious leaders, district officials and police officials. Pawar, Kyndiah and Kumar arrived in Bhubaneswar Monday, met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the state secretariat and discussed measures taken by the state government in the area. Kandhamal district, some 200 km from here, witnessed large-scale communal violence, mostly attacks on Christians and their places of worship,

after the Aug 23 killing of Laxmanananda and his aides. Though Maoist rebels have claimed responsibility for the killings, radical Hindus hold Christians responsible, despite repeated denials by Christian organisations. At least 38 people lost their lives in the communal violence that ensued and more than 20,000 people were rendered homeless. Around 10,000 people are still living in governmentrun relief camps. The three ministers, accompanied by central government officials, are here to review the relief and rehabilitation measures of the state government in the riot-hit areas.

manner but the government seems to be mistaking the court order,” Rath added. “Orissa is the first state in the country that is offering financial help for reconstruction of religious institutions damaged during communal violence. It may

lead to further tension in the region,” he said. The state government had recently notified that it would provide Rs.200,000 each for churches and temples destroyed during the riots. It is also to give Rs.100,000 each to partially damaged places of worship

and Rs.50,000 each to prayer halls that were destroyed. Kandhamal district, some 200 km from here, witnessed large-scale communal violence, mostly attacks on Christians and their places of worship, after the Aug 23 killing of VHP leader Swami

Ballot paper in Braille for visually-challenged

NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 18 (PTI): Visuallychallenged people can now cast their votes without assistance in the Delhi assembly polls as ballot paper in Braille has been prepared for their convenience. This is for the first time that such a facility has been provided by the Delhi elec-

flimsiest of reasons,” he said addressing a conference on National Value Crisis and Redressal. In a pluralistic society, there is bound to be differences, but with maturity of democracy these differences should be resolved amicably, Balakrishnan said. He also

he can find out the serial number of his candidate on the EVM. Then he can push the button in front of the serial number which will also be in Braille language,” the official said. “Thus, a voter having no eye-sight does not have to look for any help. This will ensure his secrecy in casting

his vote which is his right,” the official added. He added that only those who can read the special language can avail themselves of the benefit. Though the Delhi chief electoral office has not estimated the number of blind people in the national capital requiring the facility, ballot papers in Braille will

be made available at every polling station to ensure that they can be used, if need be. In April 2004, the Supreme Court had directed the Election Commission to ensure that all EVMs are equipped with Braille signs for the benefit of blind people apart from taking other disabled-friendly measures.

jority of people say so.” But the candidate from the state’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here, Mulchand Khandelwal, claimed: “There is a strong wave across the state in favour of the BJP and Kota will not be an exception. This time, the Congress will lose here. “ Renu Jogi had resigned as a government doctor and contested an assembly byelection from Kota in late 2006 to launch her political career. She won the seat by a margin of about 22,000 votes despite all out efforts of the BJP to defeat her. The BJP had held the Marwahi seat until early 2001, but the party was stunned when its sitting legislator, Ramdayal Uike, vacated the seat for Ajit Jogi to contest for. Jogi comfortably won the seat in a byelection and also in the 2003 elections by a record margin against the BJP’s tribal face, Nandkumar Sai. This time the BJP has fielded Dhayan Singh Porte to contain Jogi. But even BJP insiders claim Porte is a weak candidate considering Jogi’s sway over Marwahi and only a miracle here can help the BJP. The Jogis’ lone son, Amit Jogi, has taken command of campaigning in Kota and its neighbouring Marwahi with a team of Damini, 9, displays artificial flowers at her roadside shop in Allahabad, Tuesday, November 18. his trusted friends to ensure a comfort- One basket of flowers sells at approximately one dollar and a family manages to earn about hundred dollars a month. (AP Photo) able victory for his parents.

Laxmanananda and four of his aides. Though Maoist rebels claimed responsibility for the killings, some Hindus held Christians responsible for the crime, despite repeated denials by Christian organisations. The communal violence that ensued claimed at least 38 lives and thousands of Christians had to flee to the jungles to escape rampaging mobs. While some have returned to their homes, more than 10,000 are still living in government-run relief camps in Kandhamal. The state government had earlier rejected a demand by Christian leaders for a Rs.30 million assistance for the reconstruction of damaged and demolished churches, saying that giving grants to religious places was against its secular ethos. The change of stance came after the Supreme Court last month asked the state to “take a generous view” of the matter. The court had asked the government to identify the damaged churches, assess the extent of damage and take steps to rebuild them.

Workers buy the plant they worked for AHMEDNAGAR, NOVEMBER 18 (NDTV): Fifty fiveyear-old Ashok Godkar has been driving an autorickshaw for over 12 years now. He is among the 1,200 people who lost their jobs overnight when the Garware Nylon factory abruptly shut down. But today, he looks back at his struggle with pride. He’s now one of the owners of the same company. “I saved money and I contributed Rs 1.65 lakh to win this Ahmednagar unit in an auction,” he said. Godkar is among 210 employees of the defunct factory who have created history by buying the company they worked for. After the factory went bankrupt, it was taken over by the high court liquidator. But the workers and their families made the winning bid at the court auction – a bid of Rs 6.1 crore. “Whatever I saved for the future of my children, I contributed for this auction. Even my mother gave me some money,” said Shobha Balasaheb Koli, a widow. “Now we are focusing on production. We will give jobs to those who need it badly, because we know from experience what living without a job is like,” said Shivaji Baad, ex-employee of Garware Nylon Factory. Help also poured in from across the city and the workers finally saw their dream coming true, just four days before the High Court deadline of November 7. Karl Marx once famously said, “Capital is a dead labour which, vampire-like, lives by sucking living labour.” But here, Marx has been proved wrong. These workers generated the capital to give new life to the company that once left them dying.

Law colleges: Hotbed of violence? CHENNAI, NOVEMBER 18 (NDTV): The fact that future lawyers were involved in a recent brawl in their own college in Chennai has disturbed many old students as well. Many believe the present admission system doesn’t focus on the background of applicants. Some have even gone to court seeking a solution to this chronic campus violence. Sources have told NDTV that this year alone, a total of 57 cases, mainly of assault, including the attack on an Assistant Commissioner Of Police, are pending against nine students of this college. “Students with criminal antecedents should be screened before they take up courses,” said advocate D Ferdinand. “It happens in Law College because they are left free for more than half a day. They have enough time to plan whatever they want,” said Dr P Nagabooshanam, former VC, Law University. Many professors are said to be scared of students. This is the reason why the suspended principal didn’t call in the police when the violence erupted. “Teachers are docile and don’t take any action against students,” said Kirthi, a law student. Senior officers say whenever they intervene in such clashes, students and a section of lawyers gang up against them. “We will start a partnership between the students and the police to prevent such incidents in future,” said Chennai Police Commissioner K Radhakrishnan. Not surprisingly then that there are now no takers for police posts in the Law College area.

The Morung Express

INTERNATIONAL

OBAMA AND MCCAIN

pledge ‘new era of reform’

Wednesday 19 November 2008

Dimapur

UN condemns

Myanmar activist trials GENEVA, NOVEMBER 18 (REUTERS): Democracy activists in Myanmar jailed for long terms after unfair trials should be retried in open hearings, United Nations investigators urged the ruling junta on Tuesday. A dozen detainees were sentenced last week to 65 years each in prison for involvement in last year's mass protests against Myanmar's military rule, the five human rights experts said in a joint statement condemning the convictions. They also demanded the release of three defence lawyers, whom they said were sentenced to prison for contempt of court after raising clients' complaints about the hearings held inside prisons. Another 20 people, including five monks, were recently sentenced to up to 24 years prison. "The closed-door hearings are being held inside prisons by courts which lack independence and impartiality," the U.N. investigators said. Myanmar authorities -- whom activists say have intensified a campaign to crush dissent before a 2010 election -- must "cease harassing and arresting individuals for peacefully exercising their internationally recognised human rights", they said. The investigators, who report to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, include Tomas Ojea Quintana, U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar. The Argentinean lawyer made his first trip to Yangon last August, meeting prominent political prisoners including representatives of Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's National League of Democracy. The four other rapporteurs are Leandro Despouy, on the independence of judges and lawyers; Frank La Rue, on freedom of opinion and expression; Margaret Sekaggya, on human rights defenders; and Asma Jahangir on freedom of religion or belief.

China rejects sending troops to Afghanistan

President-elect Barack Obama meets with Sen John McCain, R-Ariz. on November 17, at Obama's transition ofﬁce in downtown Chicago. (AP Photo)

CHICAGO, NOVEMBER 18 (AFP): President-elect Barack Obama and his defeated Republican rival John McCain pledged a "new era of reform" to solve the US economic crisis, transform energy policy and safeguard national security. Two weeks after the November 4 election, the pair said in a joint statement Monday after talks here that Americans of all parties wanted their leaders to come together and "change the bad habits of Washington." The hour-long meeting in Obama's transition headquarters added heft to his vow to reach out to old opponents as the Democratic president-elect crafts an expansive agenda for the next four years. "It is in this spirit that we had a productive conversation today about the need to launch a new era

of reform where we take on government waste and bitter partisanship in Washington in order to restore trust in government, and bring back prosperity and opportunity for every hard-working American family. "We hope to work together in the days and months ahead on critical challenges like solving our financial crisis, creating a new energy economy, and protecting our nation's security," Obama and the Arizona senator said. At the start of the meeting, McCain was asked by reporters whether he would help the presidentelect's new administration and replied: "Obviously." The two politicians were joined by McCain's close Senate friend, Republican Lindsey Graham, and Congressman Rahm Emanuel, whom the president-elect has

chosen as his White House chief of staff. According to reports, Obama's transition team is meanwhile conducting an in-depth vetting of the finances of his former primary rival Hillary Clinton and her husband Bill Clinton with a view to naming her his secretary of state. In an interview on CBS program "60 Minutes" broadcast late Sunday, Obama confirmed that he had met with the former first lady in Chicago last week but refused to say if he made her a job offer. The Democrat also said he would name at least one Republican to his cabinet, but again was coy when pressed for details. Secretary of State Condoleezza rice Monday met with Obama's State Department Transition Team leaders Tom Donilon and Wendy Sherman, but there were no

indications she was asked to form part of the incoming administration. At the halfhour meeting, said State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid, "Rice expressed her desire to work closely with the team on a smooth and professional transition." Obama noted that his political hero, Civil War president Abraham Lincoln, assembled a hard-driving "team of rivals" drawn from his three opponents for the Republican nomination in 1860. "I've been spending a lot of time reading Lincoln," he said in the interview. "There is a wisdom there and a humility about his approach to government, even before he was president, that I just find very helpful." A transition source said the Democratic president-elect would not go as far as offering McCain a

post in his cabinet. While the Republican gave a gracious concession speech on election night and pledged to work with his new commander-in-chief, the two differ markedly on how to fix the economy and on Obama's determination to end the war in Iraq. But aides said there was still plenty to discuss between Obama and a politician who has often bucked Republican Party orthodoxy down the years, including on immigration, climate change and ethics reform. With the transition to power accelerating, Obama Monday telephoned Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, Philippine President Gloria Arroyo and Turkish President Abdullah Gul to thank them for their messages of congratulation. In his CBS interview,

Obama said repairing the stricken US economy would be his top priority when he succeeds George W. Bush on January 20, even at the cost of still-bigger budget deficits. The president-elect vowed to pull troops out of Iraq, crush Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and shut down the Guantanamo Bay internment camp as part of a dramatic foreign policy break with Bush. On Sunday, Iraq's cabinet approved a military pact negotiated with Bush's White House that requires the withdrawal of all US troops by the end of 2011. On the campaign trail, Obama vowed to pull one or two combat brigades out of Iraq every month for 16 months, until only a residual security force of unspecified size remains. Some of those brigades would head to Afghanistan.

Congo replaces army chief after defeats by rebels KINSHASA, NOVEMBER 18 (REUTERS): Congolese President Joseph Kabila has replaced the head of his armed forces, a move aimed at bolstering their fighting capacity after a string of defeats during weeks of battles against eastern rebels, officials said. General Dieudonne Kayembe was replaced as military chief of staff by General Didier Etumba, who was previously head of the navy and has also served as head of military intelligence, state television announced late on Monday. Kabila's army has been repeatedly routed in east Democratic Republic of Congo by Tutsi rebel fighters led by renegade general

Laurent Nkunda. The violence in North Kivu province has displaced 250,000 people since the end of August, causing a humanitarian emergency and threatening a wider war. Human rights groups have accused the rebels of committing war crimes and say retreating, ill-disciplined government soldiers have also looted, killed and raped. "Kayembe has been removed. I guess the president wants to change the dynamics after the losses," said a presidency source. Congolese and international officials have repeatedly accused Congo's military hierarchy of embezzling money meant for poorly-paid and ill-equipped

soldiers who are sent to the front. Etumba was involved in the negotiations that ended Congo's 1998-2003 war, which sucked in six neighboring countries and killed 5 million people through violence, hunger and disease. He has also been involved in talks with Nkunda's rebels and is a respected commander, a United Nations official said. Nkunda's rebels in North Kivu forced back army troops and advanced north on Monday despite their leader's pledge to back a ceasefire and peace talks after a weekend meeting with former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, a U.N. special envoy.

Protegee, carrying her niece on her back, cries as she looks for her parents through the village of Kiwanja, 90 kms north of Goma, eastern Congo, on November 6. A fragile cease-ﬁre in Congo appeared to be unraveling Thursday as the U.N. said battles between warlord Laurent Nkunda's rebels and the army spread to another town in the volatile country's east. (AP Photo)

BEIJING, NOVEMBER 18 (AP): China said Tuesday it would not send any troops to Afghanistan - rejecting recent speculation that Beijing might support the international coalition there. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown told New York’s Council on Foreign Relations on Friday that China could send troops because there was a global consensus that Afghanistan is the “the front line” in the battle against terrorism. “I think we’ve got to, we’ve got to look at that as a possibility for the future,” Brown said in answer to an audience question on the possibility of a Chinese deployment. However, in a statement seen Tuesday on the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Web site, spokesman Qin Gang said there had been no change to Beijing’s approach to Afghanistan. The issue of China sending troops to Afghanistan “simply doesn’t exist,” Qin said. As one of the five permanent U.N. Security Council members, China has grown increasingly active in the body’s peacekeeping efforts, having deployed more than 10,000 troops, mainly from engineering companies, to U.N. missions from Cambodia to Haiti to Sudan. In contrast, the 41-nation coalition helping maintain Afghan security operates under NATO command. Britain has 8,000 troops in Afghanistan, mainly in the violent southern province of Helmand. The U.S. has a total of around 32,000 troops in the country. In the face of an increasingly deadly insurgency, NATO has called for additional forces - a demand supported by U.S. Presidentelect Barack Obama. China might seem like a natural to send troops to Afghanistan because the countries share a narrow border tucked deep into the Karakorum Mountains. Beijing helped ferry arms to anti-Soviet forces in Afghanistan during the 1980s and says it is threatened by radical independence groups among its Uighur Turkic Muslim minority whom it says are trained and commanded from outside its borders. In his statement, Qin also said China remained committed to supporting Afghanistan’s peace, stability, and development – a reference to Chinese aid to the country that ranges from building hospitals to donating computers for government offices.

Indonesian men beat each other with rattan canes during a traditional ritual commemorating past battles of their ancestors on November 18, in Probolingo, East Java, Indonesia. (AP Photo)

Israel renews blockade of Gaza crossings GAZA, NOVEMBER 18 (REUTERS): Israel resealed border crossings with the Gaza Strip on Tuesday citing continued rocket fire at its towns, despite warnings from world aid groups of looming shortages of food and fuel supplies in the coastal territory. Israel had allowed 33 truckloads of supplies into Gaza for the first time in two weeks on Monday, and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert assured Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas he would not permit a humanitarian crisis to develop there. "The crossings are shut because of ongoing rocket fire," Peter Lerner, a defence spokesman said, referring to several barrages of rockets

fired from Gaza on Monday that slammed into Israeli towns, causing no injury. International aid groups said the supplies sent in on Monday were not enough to alleviate food shortages. Israel has also held up fuel shipments to Gaza's main power plant, leading to daily periodic electricity blackouts for many of 1.5 million Palestinians living in the territory. Israel had not allowed UNRWA, a United Nations agency that aids some 750,000 refugees in Gaza, to bring in supplies since Nov. 4 during cross-border fighting in which more than a dozen Palestinian fighters were killed. Several Israelis have been lightly wounded by dozens of rockets fired

by gunmen after the Israeli raids. Hamas gunmen fired mortar bombs at Israeli soldiers searching for explosives near the Gaza border fence on Tuesday, Israeli military and Hamas said. There were no reported casualties from that incident. The British-based Oxfam International humanitarian agency said in a statement that "only the bare minimum of goods have entered Gaza in the past couple of days." Barbara Stocking, Oxfam's chief executive, said the group "fears a serious worsening once again of the humanitarian situation if urgent action is not taken". In talks with Olmert in Jerusalem on Monday, Abbas urged Israel to abide

by a 5-month-old Egyptianbrokered truce with Hamas Islamists who control Gaza, a deal that has neared collapse in the past two weeks of fighting. Abbas, involved in peace talks with Israel since last year, a move rejected by Hamas, has condemned Israel's tightened blockade of Gaza as a "war crime". Olmert promised Abbas in talks they held on Monday that Israel would free some 250 Palestinian prisoners to the occupied West Bank, of some 11,000 Israel holds in its jails. Israeli troops arrested 32 more Palestinian suspects in overnight raids against militant hideouts on Tuesday in the West Bank, a military spokesman said.

An Israeli soldier puts a blindfold on a Palestinian detainee at the Beit Iba checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus on November 18. A pipe bomb was found in the belongings of the Palestinian man, the Israeli army said. The Israeli army later detonated the explosive device. (AP Photo)

Dimapur

SPORTS

Wednesday 19 November 2008

The Morung Express

Diego Maradona back directing play for Argentina

SMCSU annual Sports meet from November 19 to 22 DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 18 (MExN): The Sakus Mission College Students’ Union (SMCSU) annual Sports meet will be held from November 19 to 22, 2008. I. Nungsang Jamir, members Dimapur Municipal Council for Planning and Development has consented to grace the occasion as Chief Guest. This was informed in après release issued by Shikuto N. Ayemi, General Secretary SMCSU.

ISAF cuts 1 event out for 2012 Olympics MADRID, NOVEMBER 18 (AP): International sailing's governing body re-elected its president and cut one event from its program for the next Olympics at its annual general assembly. The London Games will see 10 sailing events - six for men and four in the women's competition - down from the 11 featured in Beijing, after the ISAF voted to leave the Tornado class out of the program for 2012. President Goran Petersson was re-elected for a second four-year term after standing unopposed. The Swede, along with seven reelected vice presidents, will serve through November 2012. In the women's disciplines, ISAF decided to add keelboat match racing to the program instead of the Tornado, while no replacement was made in the men's schedule.

Player who showed card to ref suspended six games

Argentina's coach Diego Maradona, left, is seen during a training session of the Argentine national soccer team at Celtic Park Glasgow, Scotland on November 17, ahead of an international friendly soccer match against Scotland on Wednesday. (AP Photo)

GLASGOW, NOVEMBER 18 (AP): Diego Maradona was again directing play for Argentina on Monday, this time as coach on the training field rather than dynamic playmaker. After chatting to the squad he has picked for his first ever match in charge of his country, the 48-yearold Maradona acted as referee and dictator for a short seven-a-side game at Celtic Park. Maradona did not address fans or media as he prepared for Wednesday's friendly against Scotland at Hampden Park, but was vocal with motivational cries of "Venga!" as he strode about the turf with the game swirling around him. And his unpredictable streak was on show when he congratulated a Celtic

Zlatan wins Player of the Year in Sweden

STOCKHOLM, NOVEMBER 18 (AP): Inter Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic won the Player of the Year award in Sweden on Monday to become the first ever to win the prize three times. "Third time's a charm," the 27-year-old Ibrahimovic said at the Swedish football federation's annual televised gala. "Now it feels like I have been written into the history books." A native of Malmo, Ibrahimovic has scored seven goals in 12 matches for Inter Milan. He also scored two goals for Sweden at the 2008 European Championship. "Zlatan is a unique representative of Swedish football at the very highest level," the prize jury said. "With technique and character he has created a space for himself both in the world elite and in Swedish football history." Ibrahimovic, who has played for Juventus, Ajax and Malmo FF, also won the award for best forward and the honorable mention, selected by the public. That award was presented to him by Pele, who won his first World Cup in Stockholm in 1958.

schoolboy player who found a St. Christopher medallion that midfielder Fernando Gago had lost on the field. Maradona hoisted 13-year- old Adam Brown into the air and posed for photos before presenting the winger with his hat and gloves. "It was a wee gold medallion with a face on it, but I don't know whose face," Brown said. "It was brilliant when he lifted me up. Maradona's a legend, so when he lifted me up it was brilliant." That was the most animated by far that Maradona got during the 45-minute training session. He mostly let his assistants address a group including Gago, Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano, taking little to no part in skill

exercises and training drills. But he looked more engaged and enthusiastic - stopwatch in one hand and whistle in the other – as he was once again in the midst of the action. After well-publicized health scares and battles against addiction, the diminutive legend was a less sprightly figure than the one who led his country to the 1986 World Cup title with some of the most dynamic forward play ever seen on the international stage, but he jogged occasionally and appeared increasingly interested as play unfolded. His occasional touches of a stray ball during stretching exercises heralded a flurry of closing camera shutters, but Maradona resisted temptation to indulge in his old tricks and seemed only

to speak to players when he felt it necessary - at one point raising his voice in a heated chat with Real Madrid defender Gabriel Heinze. "To have someone like Maradona, the best player for your country, play, manager or be a coach of that country, that's a fantastic experience for the Argentina players," Scotland assistant manager Terry Butcher said. Butcher was part of the England team that lost to Argentina in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals, playing in a defense twice breached by Maradona. The playmaker scored one solo goal still regarded as one of the greatest ever and punched another into the net, later calling it the "Hand of God." "I'll never forgive him," Butcher said. "It's not nice

when you lose a World Cup quarterfinal under those circumstances. But that was 22 years ago. It's not about me and it's not about that game and England. It's about Scotland and playing its match against one of the best teams in the world and in preparation for the World Cup qualifiers in March and April. "It would be nice to see his face. I saw the back of his head for quite a while in Mexico." But Scotland's chances of upsetting Argentina on Wednesday were hit when two more players pulled out because of injury. Scotland lost West Bromwich Albion midfielder James Morrison to a knee injury and Cardiff forward Ross McCormack to a hamstring strain.

With Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher, Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon and Rangers striker Kenny Miller already on the sidelines, Scotland coach George Burley reacted to Monday's withdrawals by calling up Aberdeen striker Lee Miller and uncapped Dundee United midfielder Scott Robertson. "I'm sure those who are not here will be disappointed and the ones who are here will be looking forward to playing against one of the best teams in the world," Butcher said. "Those who have pulled out have genuine injuries and will be very disappointed not to be here. "I was lucky enough to play against Argentina in some big games and they are games you remember for the rest of your life."

Top Chinese football league bumped off TV BEIJING, NOVEMBER 18 (AP): China's top domestic football matches have been bumped off national TV, partly because of on-field fighting at a recent game with reports comparing some players with "martial arts" experts. Jiang Heping, head of sports for CCTV - China's government-run broadcaster - has said he'd prefer to show foreign games. He has accused some players in the China Super League of lacking "professional ethics" following an on-field scuffle last week between clubs from Beijing and the neighboring city of Tianjin. Angry fans after the match also attacked the bus of the visiting Tianjin team. Dong Hua, spokesman for the Chinese Football Association, on Tuesday dismissed the fracas and said it was part of "fierce competition" as the season nears the end. "But we have rules and we'll deal with everything according to the rules," Dong said. His James Blake, right, of the US gestures after a tennis training opinion was challenged by a workshop in Kuala Lumpur on November 18. Blake will play recent headline in the Beijing against Roger Federer of Switzerland in an exhibition match Evening News, which asked: later Tuesday. (AP Photo) "When will Chinese football

stop bringing shame?" The China News Agency likened Super League games to "a Kungfu movie" and some players to "martial arts heroes." The Beijing Olympics were widely regarded as a sporting success. However, the world's most popular game in the world's most populous country has been mostly a disaster. The famed staterun sports machine, which produced 51 Olympic gold medals three months ago, has failed to produce a single marquee football player. The hallmark of the governmentrun Super League has been chronic mismanagement, match-fixing scandals and on-field violence. "In football, the issue of violence is always present," said Rowan Simons, an Englishman and 20-year resident of China, who has worked as a TV analyst in Chinese. "China is not unusual in player fights. But it does seem to be more endemic here." Simons said developing top football players was more difficult than finding Olympic gold medalists. "Many of the Olympic sports are minority sports. It's possible to

manufacture world champions in those sports. Football is the world's most popular game and the competition is fierce." China's national team was knocked out of 2010 World Cup in Asian qualifying five months ago, failing to make the last 10 in continental competition. China has qualified only once for the World Cup - 2002 - but lost all three games and failed to score a goal. It still hopes to bid for the 2018 or 2022 World Cup, and could be the leading contender. The country of 1.3 billion is No. 98 in the world rankings, just ahead of Georgia - a country of 4.6 million - and the island nation of Barbados (pop. 280,000). "The Chinese have tried to replicate the elite level of football they see in Europe without seeing that underneath it is a huge infrastructure of community clubs which have been there for generations," Simons said. "You can't create an elite model of football without a grassroots model. The Chinese just don't have the raw number of people involved in the game to produce a competitive team at the national level."

Drogba admits violent conduct after throwing coin LONDON, NOVEMBER 18 (REUTERS): Chelsea striker Didier Drogba will discover on Tuesday whether he is to be punished for throwing a coin at Burnley fans after the FA said he had admitted a charge of violent conduct. "Chelsea forward Didier Drogba has admitted a charge of violent conduct," a statement on the FA website (www.thefa.com) said on Monday. "A regulatory commission will hear the case tomorrow based on video evidence and written submissions." Drogba was charged last week following the inci-

dent at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday when he reacted angrily to objects being thrown from an area containing Burnley supporters while he celebrated his first goal of the season. The Ivory Coast striker, who was also booked for his celebrations, apologised immediately after the League Cup fourthround tie. Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was banned for three matches in 2002 for throwing a coin back at Arsenal supporters. Police also investigated the Drogba incident after a complaint from a member of the public.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008 ﬁle photo shows Chelsea's Didier Drogba, right, throwing a coin back into the crowd after scoring against Burnley during their English League Cup soccer match at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge Stadium in London. Didier Drogba will not contest the Football Association's violent conduct charge for throwing a coin back into the crowd during a League Cup game against Burnley. (AP ﬁle Photo)

SAO PAULO, NOVEMBER 18 (AP): The Brazilian player who grabbed the yellow card and showed it to the referee was suspended for six games by the South American football confederation on Monday. The suspension of Botafogo defender Andre Luis is valid for all competitions organized by the South American confederation, Brazilian media reported. After realizing that Chilean referee Carlos Chandia was going to show him his second yellow card in the Nov. 5 match against Argentine club Estudiantes in the Copa Sudamericana, Andre Luis sprinted toward the referee and grabbed the card from his hand, hoisting it into the air before quickly giving it back. Botafogo drew 2-2 at the Engenhao stadium in Rio de Janeiro, a result that eliminated the Brazilian club from the quarterfinals of the tournament.

De la Rosa tests for Force India LONDON, NOVEMBER 18 (REUTERS): McLaren's Spanish reserve driver Pedro de la Rosa switched over to testing duties with the Force India Formula One team at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya on Tuesday. Force India this month agreed a five-year partnership deal with McLaren and Mercedes that will see them replace their Ferrari engines with a complete drivetrain (engine and gearbox) package next season. The team will also use a KERS (kinetic energy recovery system) designed by McLaren and Mercedes. The deal has triggered speculation the experienced De la Rosa could also be drafted in as a race driver for the Silverstonebased team but a Force India spokesman played that down. "Pedro is an old friend of the team," he said, pointing out that the Spaniard had been a test driver for Force India's predecessors Jordan in 1998 before making his F1 race debut with Arrows in 1999. "It's an opportunity for a fresh face to put a new perspective on an old car," he added. While some other Formula One teams have two more tests planned before the New Year, this week's outing at the Spanish Grand Prix circuit will be Force India's last track appearance of the year. The team will not be able to use their Mercedes engines until January and have almost used up their supply of Ferrari power units. De la Rosa, who tested for McLaren on Monday, was joined by Force India's German race driver Adrian Sutil on Tuesday with Italian Giancarlo Fisichella scheduled to test with the Spaniard on Wednesday. Force India's billionaire owner Vijay Mallya has said the team intends to keep Fisichella and Sutil but hinted recently that the McLaren deal could change his thinking. "They (McLaren) will recommend what they believe to be in the best interests of my team and I have to decide," he told Reuters last week. "And I would be hard pressed to ignore their advice."

Court wants Akhtar record LAHORE, NOVEMBER 18 (AP): The High Court in Lahore has asked the Pakistan Cricket Board to submit records of Shoaib Akhtar's bad behavior as it considers the fast bowler's appeal against his ban for breaching the code of conduct. Akhtar has filed an appeal against an 18-month ban and a fine of seven million rupees ($88,300) for criticizing the PCB. "We have the DVD of the interview that Akhtar gave on an Indian television channel recently in which he criticized the PCB," Tafazzul Rizvi, the PCB's legal adviser, told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "Akhtar had assured the court about his good behavior but he violated the code of conduct in his recent television interview." The court wanted the transcript of Akhtar's interview and Rizvi said that the PCB would submit the text in court within a week. "The day we will submit the text of the interview, the court will give us the next available date of the hearing," Rizvi said. Akhtar, 33, was fined and handed a five-year ban in April by a PCB tribunal for a disciplinary breach after he criticized the Pakistan selectors. The ban was later reduced to 18 months by another tribunal, but a heavy fine was recommended. Despite the pending court case, the cricket board included Akhtar in the four-nation Twenty20 tournament in Toronto last month where Pakistan lost to Sri Lanka in the final. The controversial fast bowler - nicknamed the 'Rawalpindi Express' - was also part of the 15-member squad in Abu Dhabi's three-match limited-overs international series against the West Indies, but could not compete after sustaining a calf injury before the first match last week. In Akhtar's absence, Pakistan's backup fast bowlers Umar Gul and Rao Iftikhar helped Pakistan beat the West Indies 3-0.

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, right, receives a Chelsea Football Club jersey from Luiz Felipe Scolari, Chelsea's head coach, during a meeting at the presidential palace in Brasilia on November 18. (AP Photo)

C M Y K

Ent/Tabloid

The Morung Express

19 November 2008

Theron joins fight to end violence against women

he newest United Nations messenger of peace, actress Charlize Theron, made her name in hardhitting movies about abused women but she says audiences don't want to see that kind of film. Theron was appointed on Monday a messenger of peace with a special focus on ending violence against women. Her job will be to promote U.N. activities and ideals through public appearances and media contacts. The South African-born actress told a news conference that she welcomed U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's call for Hollywood to make more films about social issues. But she added: "I always find it interesting the pressure gets put on Hollywood when we really should be putting the pressure on society, because whenever we make these movies like 'North Country,' people don't go and see it." "I think it's a much bigger issue than getting Hollywood to step in and make these films. I think we should be asking our public why, when we make these movies, do they not go and see them. That's the bigger question," she said. Theron was nominated for an Oscar for her role in "North Country" but the film was not a hit in movie theaters. "I don't necessarily want to forget that my job as an actor is to entertain," Theron said. "But let me tell you, there's a tremendous feel-

ing when you can do it with a sense of responsibility, a sense of truth, with a sense of greater truth, which is not necessarily always good to look at or nice to look at," she said. Charlize Theron said Monday that a woman is raped every 26 seconds in her country, a situation she described as 'quite horrific.' 'The statistics on rape cases were quite horrific,' Theron told a news conference at UN headquarters in New York on her first day at work, joining nine other existing Messengers of Peace to help advance various UN campaigns. 'One in every three women is raped in her lifetime and the number was devastating,' Theron said. 'It is getting worse.' Theron has campaigned against rape in her native South Africa. She had her own experience of domestic violence at the age of 15 when her mother fatally shot her alcoholic father as he threatened the family in a drunken rage. "People want to somehow always connect a personal issue with the greater scheme of your life," she said. "(But) I don't think it was necessarily one event in my life that made me want to do this kind of work." The United Nations has 10 messengers of peace, mostly from the fields of film, music, literature and sport. They include actors George Clooney and Michael Douglas, author Paulo Coelho, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel.

Angelina Jolie cries over mother

ngelina Jolie blinked back tears as she told journalists in London that her role in new film Changeling reminded her of her late mother. The actress, visiting the UK to promote the Clint-Eastwood directed movie which opens next week, said her character, whose son goes missing, was similar to her actress mother Marcheline Bertrand, who

died from cancer in 2007. Tears welled in Jolie’s eyes and her voice broke as she remembered her mother: “She was very much Christine Collins. She was very sweet and she would never get angry and she would never swear, but when it came to her kids she was fierce, so this was very much her story.” The mother-of-six also confirmed that she was winding

down her acting career. “I’m not making some retirement announcement but I have a big family and a lot of responsibility at home.” The actress, who brought her four-month-old twins to London with her, said she planned to make a movie every one to two years and imagined she would eventually step away from the film industry. Despite her glam-

orous image as one half of a Hollywood super couple, Jolie, whose partner is Brad Pitt, told journalists that she had spent much of the past year at home in her pyjamas colouring in with her children. Motherhood meant she almost turned down Changeling, already being tipped as an Oscar contender, as she found the idea of re-enacting the true story of Christine Collins too harrowing. Collins’ son went missing in 1928. Corrupt police then returned a boy that wasn’t hers, insisting he was her missing son and throwing her into a psychiatric hospital when she disputed his identity. “When I first read the script I couldn’t put it down and then I said no immediately. I didn’t want to go near this story.” But Jolie, who won an Oscar in 2000 for Girl Interrupted, said she was unable to stop thinking about Collins’ plight, which ended in a damning enquiry into the Los Angeles Police Department. “I found it very inspiring in the end. I really wanted people to know about her as an extra piece of justice.

Hugh and Nia help raise adoption awareness

hey have two adopted children of their own, so when Hugh Jackman and his actress wife Deborra-Lee Furness heard the first ever National Adoption Awareness Week was to be held in Australia, they were keen to get involved. The Hollywood couple - parents to eight-yearold Oscar and Ava, three – brought star power to a bash to launch the initiative in their Sydney home town. Speaking before the event Deborra-Lee expressed her concern over the amount of time the process of adoption can take. "People are waiting for so long - a minimum of three years and sometimes up to ten," she said. "And you

hear there are 133 million orphans in the world. There are families for the children - let's make it happen faster." Also helping draw attention to the subject of adoption was Canadian Oscar nominee Nia Vardalos, who announced she and her actor husband Ian Gomez have adopted a daughter. The couple - who starred together in 2002 flick My Big Fat Greek Wedding welcomed the little girl into their home several months ago, but have just announced the news to highlight North America's National Adoption Month. While they haven't released the name of the child, the couple have revealed she is under five years old.

For more detail information for Miss Barak: 2008 one can log on to www.nagalim. co.uk/ www.poumai.com or can contact 03871-201444/9436293104/9862061749

‘Terri dumped me by text’

Dimapur

06:00 - Fashion House; 07:00 - Friday Night Lights; 08:00 Seinfeld; 08:30 - Friends; 09:00 - My Name Is Earl; 09:30 According To Jim; 10:00 Grey’s Anatomy; 11:00 - The Moment Of Truth; 12:00 - Jimmy Kimmel; 13:00 - Prison Break; 14:00 - The Ellen Degeneres Show; 15:00 - Fashion House; 16:00 - Cold Case; 17:00 - Grey’s Anatomy; 18:00 - Friday Night Lights; 19:00 - Friends; 19:30 - Seinfeld; 20:00 - How I Met Your Mother; 20:30 - Hope And Faith; 21:00 - The Moment Of Truth; 22:00 Shark; 23:00 - Jimmy Kimmel; 00:00 - Friends; 00:30 - Seinfeld; 01:00 - The Simpsons; 01:30 - My Wife And Kids; 02:00 - Grey’s Anatomy; 03:00 - The Ellen Degeneres Show; 04:00 - Cold Case; 05:00 - The Simpsons; 05:30 - Kenneth Copeland

Khwaishein Aisi

05:40 - Chameli; 07:45 - Global Tele Mall; 08:00 - Jhankaar Beats; 09:00 Star Gold Special; 09:15 - Sarfarosh; 12:45 - Diljale; 15:45 - Kaalia; 20:00 International Khiladi; 23:00 - Bloodstone; 01:10 - Kaante; 05:15 - Hazaaron

06:00 - Animal Planet Safari; 07:00 Teleshopping; 08:00 - All New Planet’s Funniest Animals; 08:30 - Lemur Street; 09:00 - Corwin’s Quest; 10:00 - Baby Planet; 11:00 - Wild South America; 12:00 - Animal Battlegrounds; 12:30 Predators’ Prey; 13:00 - Incredible Journeys With Steve Leonard; 14:00 - Animal Planet Safari; 15:00 - Max’s Big Tracks; 16:00 - Eye Of The Hunter; 17:00 - Corwin’s Quest; 18:00 The Planet’s Funniest Animals; 18:30 - Lemur Street; 19:00 - Equator; 20:00 - Animal Battlegrounds; 20:30 Predators’ Prey; 21:00 - Max’s Big Tracks; 22:00 - Animal Planet Safari; 23:00 - Predation!; 00:00 - All New Planet’s Funniest Animals; 00:30 - Lemur Street; 01:00 - Teleshopping; 02:00 Petsburgh Usa; 03:00 - Monkey Business; 04:00 - Petsburgh Usa; 05:00 - Monkey Business 06:00 - Telebrands; 07:00 - Life In Cold Blood; 08:00 - Planet Earth; 09:00 - Dirty Jobs; 10:00 - Extreme Engineering; 11 : 0 0 Futureweapons; 12:00 - Planet Food; 13:00 - Hunters; 14:00 Man Vs. Wild; 15:00 - Saira Khan’s Pakistan Adventure; 16:00 - Wild Discovery; 17:00 Futureweapons; 18:00 - Discover India; 19:00 - Hunters; 20:00 India With Sanjeev Bhaskar; 21:00 - Michael Wood: The Story Of India; 22:00 - Man Vs. Wild; 23:00 - Mega Builders; 00 :00 - Wild Discovery; 01:00 - Telebrands; 02:00 - Mega Builders; 03:00 Discover India; 04:00 - Futureweapons; 05:00 - Mega Builders 06:00 - Seva Ganga; 06:30 - Vignan Shashwat Sukh Ka; 07:00 - Shri Krishna; 08:00 - Sampoorana Ramayana; 08:30 - Sai Baba; 09:30 - Kasturi; 10:30 - Raja Ki Ayegi Baraat; 11:00 - Tujh Sang Preet Lagayi Sajna; 11:30 - Bidaai; 12:30 - Jahan Pe Basera Ho; 13:00 - Kumkum; 13:30 - Hamari Devrani; 14:00 - Karam Apnaa Apnaa; 14:30 - Grihasti; 15:00 - Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil; 18:00 - Tujh Sang Preet Lagayi Sajna; 18:30 - Hamari Devrani; 19:00 - Hamari Devrani; 22:00 - Tujh Sang Preet Lagayi Sajna; 22:30 - Raja KI Ayegi Baraat; 23:00 - Bidaai; 00:00 - Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil; 00:30 - Kumkum; 01:00 - Tvc Sky Shop (Consumer); 01:30 Bidaai; 02:30 - Kayamath; 03:00 - Hamari Devrani; 03:30 - Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil; 04:00 - Tujh Sang Preet Lagayi Sajna; 04:30 - Raja Ki Ayegi Baraat; 05:00 - The New Adventures Of Winnie Pooh (Animation); 05:30 - Little Einsteins 05:05 - Leonard Cohen - I’m Your Man; 06:55 - Bounce; 09:05 Basquiat; 11:10 - Zatôichi; 13:25 Dead Fish; 15:05 - Daltry Calhoun; 17:00 - Scoop; 19:00 - She’s All That; 21:00 - Dragons Forever; 22:55 - Jersey Girl; 01:00 - Basquiat; 02:45 - Daltry Calhoun; 04:20 - The Pallbearer 0:00 - Icl Hls - Final 3; 1:00 Rugby League World Cup Live: Semi Final 2; 3:00 - Pak V West Indies -3rd Odi H/L’s; 5:00 - Icl Hls - Final 3; 6:00 - Atp Tennis; 6:30 - Hockey Classics 2007; 7:00 - Gillette World Of Sports; 7:30 Wwe: Bottom Line; 8:30 - Pak V West Indies -3rd Odi H/L’s; 10:30 - Icl Hls - Final 3; 11:30 - Dutch League; 13:30 - Scottish League; 15:30 - Rugby League World Cup Live: Semi Final 2; 17:30 Simply The Best; 18:00 - Sports News; 18:30 - Great Centuries : Mohammad Yousuf- 192; 19:00 - Hockey Classics 200 - 7; 19:30 - Gillette World Of Sports; 20:00 - Fifa: Futbol Mundial; 20:30 - Icl Hls - Final 3; 21:30 - Simply The Best; 22:00 - Sportsnight; 22:30 - Wwe:vintage Collection; 23:30 - Sportsnight

imon Cowell has laughed off rumours he has given his exgirlfriend Terri Seymour a £5million 'parting gift'... because she was the one who dumped him. The model-turned-TV presenter ended the couple's six year relationship in the summer, but they only confirmed the split earlier this month. In a bizarre joint interview on U.S. TV show Extra, the couple insist their relationship ended on good terms and they remain close friends. Cowell was reported to have given Seymour £2.3million in cash and another £2.3million mansion in Beverly Hills. When asked why they had broken up, the X Factor judge said: 'Because Terri decided to dump me.

You sent me a text.' Seymour insisted: 'I didn't dump you. It was just time. 'We had a great six years, and we're the best of friends.' Laughing off rumours of a 'golden goodbye', Cowell said: 'That is actually not a true story. 'If anything I should be getting the money. Rumours come around, there was no £5million, no.' Despite their split, the couple still talk every day on the phone. Cowell, 49, said: 'I do call Terri, first, when I’ve got an issue or I’m moaning about something, or I want to bounce an idea off.' Seymour, 34, agreed: 'We do speak more now on the phone all the time. It’s true.' Since their split, Seymour has been linked to Hollywood heartthrob Stephen Dorff.

DIVINE CONNECTION to perform in aid of NCFG ministry

he Naga Christian Fellowship, Guwahati (NCFG) will be organizing a concert in aid of its ministry at ITA Centre for Performing Arts, Machkhowa, Guwahati on December 2, 2008. Senti Longkumer, NCFG member in a release said that the concert will have special band invitee Divine Connection from Nagaland. Divine Connection is a Christian band that experiments with all genres of music. The band is not confined to just the Christian crowd but to every section of the society advocating good clean music with a movement against the society's challenges like drugs, sex, alcohol and violence etc. They were formed as Christian rock band on the 30 September, 2004 and made its début in dream café Kohima which was sponsored by Life pro. They consist of four members with Obed Kath on the vocals, Aseu in guitar, Yanpo on the drums and Mhathung Odyuo on the bass. For the first two years the band was confined to playing locally inside Nagaland only. In December 2006 the band collaborated with Joey Woch on the guitars and Neisakuo Noudi on the keys and participated in the first ever Hornbill National Rock contest and bagged the Runner-Up prize. Obed was nominated the best vocalist. Soon after, the pair had to leave to pursue their own profession as music teachers. Joey is a full time music teacher in Dimapur and Neisakuo is teaching piano in Delhi. Right now the band is experimenting with different genre of music. The band has performed in and around the states like, Manipur, Shillong, Delhi and Nongpoh. The band has also released its debut album called 'EL ROI' in July 2008 consisting of a blend of rock, jazz, funk, NU metal and modern rock. The objective of the band is to promote positive music. They believe that young people can enjoy good music without indulging in sex, drugs, alcohol and violence. Till date the band has worked with youths in collaboration with various organizations around the Nagaland and some neighboring states as well. The band is open to any programmes and shows relating to social and humanitarian cause.

11 PRIME TIME Wednesday

06:00 - The Legend Of Butch And Sundance; 07:45 - No Escape; 10:00 Accepted; 12:00 - First Knight; 14:45 Hollywood One On One 16; 15:15 - The Hunt For Eagle One: Crash Point; 17:00 Homie Spumoni; 18:45 - Gattaca; 21:00 - Fair Game; 22:45 Mumbai Calling; 23:15 - Dominion: Prequel To The Exorcist; 01:30 - Max Knight: Ultra Spy; 03:15 - Seven Years In Tibet 06:00 - Sant Nirankari; 06:30 - The Faith Show ; 07:00 - Enjoying Everyday Life; 07:25 - Ek Nazar; 07:30 - Sales Slot; 07:55 - Exposure Jhalak; 08:00 - Teleshopping; 08:25 - Ek Nazar; 08:30 Jai Ganesh ; 09:00 - Ramayan; 09:30 - Naaginn; 10:00 - Best Of Shabash India; 10:30 - Betiyann; 11:00 - Maayka; 11:30 - Ek Se Badhkar Ek Chota Packet Bada Dhamaka ; 12:30 - Kasamh Se; 13:00 - Rishtey; 14:00 - Kabhi To Milenge; 14:30 - Shree 420; 15:00 - Kasamh Se; 15:30 - Maayka; 16:00 - Betiyann; 16:30 - Ek Se BadHkar Ek - Chota Packet Bada Dhamaka ; 17:30 - Rooh; 18:30 Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 200 - 9 - Spotlight ; 19:00 - Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai ; 20:00 - Rishtey; 21:00 - Ek Se Badhkar Ek - Chota Packet Bada Dhamaka ; 22:00 - Betiyann; 22:30 - Rooh; 23:30 - Kabhi To Milenge; 00:00 - Asian Sky Shop; 00:55 - Exposure; 01:00 - Asian Sky Shop; 02:00 - Teen Bahuraaniyaan; 02:30 - Kasamh Se; 03:00 - Ek Se Badhkar Ek - Chota Packet Bada Dhamaka ; 04:00 - Vivaah; 04:30 - Urja ; 05:00 - Parrivaar; 05:30 - Narseva Narayan SEva 06:00 - Hum Ladkiyan; 06:30 - Meet Mila De Rabba; 07:00 - Telebrands; 07:30 - Teleshopping; 08:30 - Maati Maangey Khoon; 12:00 - Hum Ladkiyan; 12:30 - Aathvaan Vachan; 13:00 Comedy Circus; 13:30 - Sujata; 14:00 - Meet Mila De Rabba; 14:30 - Hum Ladkiyan; 15:00 Aathvaan Vachan; 15:30 - Comedy Circus; 16:00 - Babul Ka Aangann; 16:30 - Sujata; 17:00 - Meet Mila De Rabba; 17:30 - Aathvaan Vachan; 18:00 - Hum Ladkiyan; 18:30 - Babul Ka Aangann; 19:00 - Jai Hanuman; 19:30 Sujata; 20:00 - Meet Mila De Rabba; 20:30 - Hum Ladkiyan; 21:00 Aathvaan Vachan; 21:30 - Babul Ka Aangann; 22:00 - Sujata; 22:30 - Comedy Circus; 23:00 - Indian Idol 4; 00:00 - Telebrands; 00:30 Teleshopping; 01:00 - Sujata; 01:30 - Comedy Circus; 02:00 - Babul Ka Aangann; 02:30 - Aathvaan Vachan; 03:00 - Hum Ladkiyan; 03:30 - Meet Mila De Rabba; 04:00 - Devi; 04:30 - Jai Hanuman; 05:00 Babul Ka Aangann; 05:30 - Aathvaan Vachan 04:50 - Air Rage; 06:30 - Charlie Chaplin; 07:00 - Hollywood On Set; 07:30 - Infomercial; 08:00 - Rabbit Proof Fence; 10:15 - Forever Mine; 12:45 - Basic; 15:00 - Arahan; 17:00 Hollywoods 10 Best; 17:30 - Rushmore; 19:30 - Black Hawk Down; 22:30 - Turner And Hooch; 00:45 - Epk; 01:00 - House Of Nine; 02:30 - Basic; 04:00 - The Contract; 05:30 - Modigliani 06:00 - Indian Rendezvous; 06:30 - Adventures Of The Ladies Tailor; 07:00 - Monster Garage; 08:00 Around The World; 09:00 - Madhur Jaffrey’s Flavours Of India; 09:30 Hairy Biker’s Ride Again; 10:00 - Cover Shot; 10:30 - Beautiﬁcation With Ruby And Millie; 11:00 - While You Were Out 3; 12:00 - Biker Build-Off - The Series; 13:00 - Cooking It; 13:30 - Take Home Chef 2; 14:00 - Feast Bazaar Year 2006; 14:30 - The Hairy Bikers Cookbook; 15:00 - Cheese Slices; 15:30 - Living With The Future; 16:00 MonsteR Garage; 17:00 - Kylie Kwong: My China; 17:30 - Lawrence Of America; 18:00 - Beach Blast; 19:00 - Hairy Biker’s Ride Again; 19:30 - Madhur Jaffrey’s Flavours Of India; 20:00 - Monster House; 21:00 - Dream Hotels; 21:30 - Great Hotels Iii; 22:00 - La Ink; 23:00 - Project Runway 2; 00:00 - Three Sheets; 00:30 - Thirsty Traveler 4; 01:00 - Food Paradise; 02:00 - The Presidential Tour; 03:00 - I Do, Let’s Eat!; 03:30 - Nigella Express; 04:00 - Beautiﬁcation With Ruby And Millie; 04:30 - Cover Shot; 05:00 - TrAding Spaces 4 06:00 - Global Tele Mall; 07:00 Body And Soul; 07:30 - Tvc Sky Shop ; 08:30 - Instant Khichdi; 09:00 - Hatim; 10:00 - Shaka Laka Boom Boom; 10:30 - Son Pari; 11:00 - Mum Tum Aur Hum; 11:30 - Shararat; 12:00 - Ssshhhh Phir Koi Hai; 13:00 - The Great Indian Laughter Challenge; 14:00 - Dill Mill Gayye; 14:30 - Mile Jab Hum Tum; 15:00 - Movie; 18:30 - Anu Ki Ho Gayi; 19:00 - Dill Mill Gayye; 19:30 - Mile Jab Hum Tum; 20:00 Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai; 20:30 - Dill Mill Gayye; 21:00 - Mile Jab Hum TUm; 21:30 - The Great Indian Laughter Challenge Iv; 22:30 - Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai; 23:00 - Dill Mill Gayye; 23:30 - Mile Jab Hum Tum; 00:00 - Siddhanth; 01:00 - Tony B Show; 01:30 Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se; 02:30 - Dill Mill Gayye; 03:00 - Mile Jab Hum Tum; 03:30 - The Great Indian Laughter Challenge; 04:30 - Dill Mill Gayye; 05:00 - Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai; 05:30 Mum Tum Aur Hum

C M Y K

The

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SPORTS

P 12

Evander Holyﬁeld wants to be undisputed champion again

1st Annual Inter District Full Contact Kickboxing

DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 18 (MExN): The All Nagaland Kickboxing Council held its 1st annual Inter District Full Contact Kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Championship finals at Dainty Bud School, Kohima on November 15. Representatives to the National MMA and Muay Thai Championship which is to be held at Nashik in December 2008 were also selected. The first bout in the 40-45 kg category witnessed a knock out in the 1st round delivered by Rohit Muchahari of Kohima against his opponent. The contest was conducted under full contact professional rules. The list of the medal winners are as follows: 56-60 kg weight category Full Contact kickboxing:L. Shou Khiam- Gold Amit Brahma – Silver C. Pehe Khiam – Gold I. Imkongsunep – Silver T. Temgeih Konyak – Gold Birender Yadav – Silver H. Manleih Konyak – Gold Donis Mantar – Silver W. Manom Konyak – Gold Binod Yadav - Silver 51-55 kg Full Contact:– Samuel Konyak – Gold Rnisumni – Silver Baghadhr Mantar – Gold

Mhasi Peter – Silver Rajiv Nareh – Gold Kajal – Silver Arling – Gold Avizo – Silver Thelek – Gold Ananta Das – Silver 40 – 45 kg Full Contact Rohit Muchahari – Gold Ranjan Kumar – Silver 51-55 Mixed Martial Arts Samuel – Gold Thelek - Silver

DSO Dimapur informs

DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 18 (MExN): The District Sports Officer of Dimapur, has informed the selected players who ranked from 1 to 5 at the just concluded District Level Half Marathon Race, Dimapur to report at the State Sports School ground, Half Nagarjan in Dimapur on November 20 next at 7:00 am, for preparation of the State Level Championship to be held at Kohima on December 7 next. This was stated in a press note issued by Nizheto Awomi, District Sports Officer of Dimapur in a press note.

BUC Phek Town lifts PDF open tournament

dle Russian boxing heavyweight champion Nikolai Valuev, left, and U.S. boxer Evander Holyﬁeld, right, pose during a press conference at the Hallenstadion, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008 in Zurich, Switzerland. The box champions will ﬁght on December 20. (AP Photo)

ZURICH, NOVEMBER 18 (AP):Evander Holyfield is returning to the ring at age 46 because he wants to become undisputed heavyweight champion again. Holyfield will fight 7-foot (2.13 meter) WBA champion Nikolai Valuev next month, aiming to become the oldest man to claim a world heavyweight title and the first to win it five times. "My goal is to be undisputed champion not just to win one title," Holyfield said at a news conference Tuesday at

the Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland, where the fight will take place on Dec. 20. "I think people make too much about age," he said. "I haven't fought in a year but I will be ready." Holfyield underwent five hours of medical tests in Germany on Monday to show he was ready for the physical challenge of facing the Russian champion, who is likely to take a 100-pound (45 kilogram)advantage into the ring. Holyfield, who had his license to box in New

York state revoked three years ago, said he could do no more to reassure people worried about his health. "They will have to see the fight and know for themselves," he said. "I have taken care of myself and if I couldn't fight then I wouldn't fight." Holyfield said he never expected to be "the old guy" in the ring, recalling that his first defense after becoming undisputedchampion in 1990 was a points victory against 42-year-old George Foreman. "I didn't want to

fight him," Holyfield said. "My manager said he (Foreman) earned his shot so do it. I did and it was a tough fight." Holyfield has reunited with trainer Tommy Brooks and his first professional manager, Ken Sanders, to try to regain the WBA title he last lost in 2000 to John Ruiz. Sanders said the fighter's publicized financial problems were solved and he was coming back for a title shot rather than the money. "If it was not a champion-

ship fight we would not have taken it," Sanders said. "And there is no doubt in my mind he is going to win." Holyfield is expected to earn between $750,000 and $1 million (594,000-790,000 euros) for fighting Valuev, with bigger purses waiting for unification fights. The Klitschko brothers currently hold four other versions of the heavyweight title. The 37-year-old Vitali has the WBC belt, while 32-yearold Wladimir holds the IBF, WBO and IBO versions.

The 35-year-old Valuev said he watched Holyfield's fights 10 years ago and dreamed of one day meeting him in the ring. Although the fight is being held in Switzerland, it is being promoted by Germans and Holyfield's fighting license has been issued by the boxing authority of neighboring Austria. "The only way you can reach your goal is if you do the things you know you can do - and I do box real well," Holyfield said.

PHEK, NOVEMBER 18 (DIPR): Bros United Club of Phek town beat Peace Club of Phek town and emerged the champions of the Phek District football open tournament 2008 held at local ground, Phek. The tournament was sponsored by NYK and organised by Veteran Sporting Club. Zehiehu Vero, Coordinator, EBRC Phek Block graced the opening ceremony as the chief guest. In his speech, he lauded the organizers for organizing the tournament and said that such tournaments would help participants to greater heights of excellence and further urged them to give more efforts in games and sports. He also highlighted the relevance of games and sports in enabling the youth to realize their potentials. He stressed on developing human resources, as education is the most important aspect in the modern world. He also urged the participants to gather more knowledge in games and sports so as to enhance their approach. He opined that education and good sportsmanship is the key weapon in this modern world and maintained that it is impossible to go further unless one possesses good sportsmanship. He further called upon the participants to rise up with sincerity, discipline and competitive spirit so as to catch up with the rest of the society. Huveta Hoshi, President, Phek District PET Association was the guest of honour during the closing function. In observance of NYK foundation day and children’s day sweets were distributed to all the people at Phek local ground on the day.

2nd Open Volleyball C'ship enters second day

Our Correspondent

Kohima | November 18

THE 2ND Open Volleyball Championship entered second day here today at Kohima Local Ground. Results of Day-II MEN’S Exceed got walkover from Faithballers 33 AR defeated Manipur Police by 25/10, 25/21 and 25/21 Longsa Sporting Club beat Faithballers by 25/12, 25/16 and 25/15 Manipur Police beat Kohima

Club by 25/19, 25/10 and 25/21 Creepers Club beat Exceed by 25/15, 25/14 and 25/12 33 AR Phek beat Akin Club by 25/12, 25/07 and 25/05 Creepers got walkover against Faithballers WOMEN’S Vortex Sporting Club beat Rising Club by 22/25, 26/24 and 25/20 Trinity Club beat Zion Club 25/19, 25/15 Shark beat Rising by 25/18, 19/25 and 25/15 Seasoned Players beat Halcyon by 25/22, 25/14

Lamkang Snulup beat Vortex by 25/17, 25/21 Seasoned Players beat Trinity by 25/23, 27/25 Matches for November 19: MEN’S 1. Manipur Police Vs Akin @ 9:00 am 2. Longsa SC Vs Exceed 3. Kohima Club Vs 33 AR WOMEN’S 1. Shark Club Vs Vortex @ 9:00 am 2. Halcyon Vs Zion Club 3. Lamkang Snulup Vs Rising

England among favourites for 2010 WC

C M Y K

LONDON, NOVEMBER 18 (AGENCIES): Germany beat England 2-1 at Wembley in the most recent match between the two nations at Wembley and then went on to reach the final of Euro 2008. Franz Beckenbauer compared England to a lifeless school team after the match last year, but Klose, who has scored 44 times in 86 internationals, says that Germany are mindful of the improvement since the replacement of Steve McClaren with Fabio Capello. “England is a very good team, they have been playing very well with a new coach – it is something we are very aware of,” said Klose. “Even though they were not at the Euros, we certainly feel that England are now among the very top teams again like ourselves and Spain. But we are also play-

ing very good football at the moment.” Last week’s Fifa rankings placed Germany second behind Spain, while England have moved up to 10th after beginning their World Cup qualifying campaign with wins against Andorra, Croatia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. Klose, who also featured in the famous 5-1 defeat against England in 2001, admitted that Wednesday’s fixture in Berlin still a special importance for both nations. “It’s a friendly game, but both teams will be desperate to win this game,” he said. “We have to retain the ball against England to win.” Meanwhile, Football Association director of communications Adrian Bevington has played down reports of a rift between Capello and top Premier League clubs. England are missing sev-

eral first-choice players for the friendly with Steven Gerrard (groin) and Frank Lampard (rib) pulling out of the squad yesterday. Capello asked Gerrard to make a lengthy round trip to have his groin injury assessed by England physiotherapist Gary Lewin. But Bevington insists the injuries suffered by both players are legitimate, adding that there was “no dispute” over the withdrawals. “Gerrard reported for duty last night [Sunday], was assessed by the medics and scanned this morning, Bevington told BBC Radio 5 Live. “It’s a legitimate injury and he goes back to his club for treatment. “Obviously he [Capello] is disappointed that he’s losing players. I’ve spoken personally with both players, they’re gutted about it.”

An attractive advertisement board of the NFA displayed at a location in Kohima town. The Nagaland Football Association is organising the 18th Inter District Football Championship at IG Stadium, Kohima, from November 1to10, 2008. Teams will compete for the coveted Dr. T. Ao Trophy. All 11 districts are expected to participate in the mega event. The cash prizes for the best four teams have been announced as 3,00,000/-, 2,00,000/-, 60,000/- and 40,000/-. The advertisement boards are displayed in different locations around the capital. (Morung Photo/Kuzhovesa Soho)

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