Tseminyu NAP Church

London, Feb 11 (AFP): A team of British scientists believe they have become the first to start animal testing of a vaccine for the new coronavirus that has killed more than 900 people.

Researchers at Imperial College London said their ultimate goal was to have an effective and safe way of halting the SARSlike strain’s spread by the end of the year.

“At the moment we have just put the vaccine that we’ve generated from these bacteria into mice,” Imperial College London researcher Paul McKay told AFP in an interview on Monday.

“We’re hoping that over the next few weeks we’ll be able to determine the response that we can see in those mice, in their blood, their antibody response to the coronavirus.”

Scientists across the world are racing to develop a way to stamp out a new strain of a well-known virus that has been successfully combatted in the past.

Britain’s has recorded eight cases and been forced to shut down two branches of a medical centre in the southeast city of Brighton where at least two staff members tested positive.

But coming up with a vaccine is a laborious process that usually involves years of animal testing and clinal trials on humans. Doctor Paul McKay poses for a photograph with bacteria containing fragments of coronavirus DNA. UK team tests China virus vaccine on mice Regulators must then make sure that the vaccine is both sufficiently safe and effective to be mass produced. Imperial College London hopes that research on the SARS coronavirus nearly two decades ago can speed things up.

“We’re hoping to be the first to get this particular vaccine into human clinical trials, and that perhaps is our personal goal,” McKay said. “Once the phase one trial is complete -- which can take a few months to complete -- it can be immediately started into an efficacy trial in people, which will also take a few months to complete,” McKay added.

“So, perhaps by the end of this year there will be a viable tested vaccine that would be suitable for use in people.”

Much of the world’s current research into the new strain is being funded through the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).

The group was formed at the 2017 World Economic Forum in Davos to help drug companies and universities join forces and stamp out dangerous and preventable diseases.

Imperial College London is not working with any of the current teams partnering with CEPI and requires its own sources of funding. Its scientists hope that successful animal testing can help secure investments that allow clinical trials to start some time between June and August.

McKay said it would be unfair to say that the various universities and companies are competing to become the first to develop a vaccine. “There’s been so much cross-sharing with all of this information -- I mean the Chinese, as soon as the genome was sequenced, they shared it freely with everyone in the world,” he noted.

“So to put it in a competitive sense is probably not accurate. I would say that it’s a collaborative race.” Geneva , Feb 11 (AFP): The head of the World Health Organisation on Tuesday warned the novel coronavirus was a “very grave threat” for the world as he opened a conference to combat the epidemic.

“With 99% of cases in China, this remains very much an emergency for that country, but one that holds a very grave threat for the rest of the world,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva.

Some 400 scientists will review how the virus is transmitted and possible vaccines at the two-day forum.

“What matters most is stopping the outbreak and saving lives. With your support, that’s what we can do together,” Tedros said.

The virus, first identified in China on December 31, has killed more than 1,000 people, infected over 42,000 and reached some 25 countries.

Participants will also discuss the source of the virus, which is thought to have originated in bats and reached humans via another animal such as snakes or pangolins.

There is no specific treatment or vaccine against the virus, which can cause respiratory failure.

Tedros, who has repeatedly urged countries affected to share their data, called for global “solidarity”.

“That is especially true in relation to sharing of samples and sequences. To defeat this outbreak, we need open and equitable sharing, according to the principles of fairness and equity,” he said.

“We hope that one of the outcomes of this meeting will be an agreed roadmap for research around which researchers and donors will align,” Tedros said.

Several companies and institutes in Australia, China, France, Germany and the United States are racing to develop a vaccine -- a process that normally takes years.

Asked whether scientists from Taiwan would be allowed to take part in this week’s Geneva conference, WHO officials said that they would do so but only online -- along with colleagues from other parts of China. WHO warns of ‘very grave’ global virus threat Iranians mark 41st anniversary of Islamic Revolution T ehra n, F e b 1 1 (IANS): Hundreds of thousands of Iranians participated in nationwide rallies on Tuesday to mark the 41st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

In different cities, people took to the streets, chanting anti-US and antiIsraeli slogans, reports Xinhua news agency.

In Tehran, the demonstrators burned US and Israeli flags.

The participants also carried images of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the late founder of the Islamic Republic, and his successor and the incumbent supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as well as Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian Major General who was killed in the January 3 American drone strike in Baghadad.

Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani had called for a mass turnout to mark the anniversary of the revolution and condemn the “hostile” moves of the US against Iran.

The 1979 Revolution in Iran toppled the USbacked Shah regime of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and brought the country under the leadership of Khomeini, an event seen as a turning point in Iran’s history.

At least 15 refugees drown after boat sinks off Bangladesh

A view of victims’ bodies covered in sheets lying on a quay after a trawler capsized off the Bay of Bengal, Feb. 11. (Stringer. EPA-EFE. REX. Shutterstock)

Sa int Ma rtin’s Is la nd, Feb 11 (AFP): At least 15 women and children drowned and more than 50 others were missing after a boat overloaded with Rohingya refugees sank off southern Bangladesh as it tried to reach Malaysia Tuesday, officials said.

Some 138 people -- mainly women and children -- were packed on a trawler barely 13 metres (40 feet) long, trying to cross the Bay of Bengal, a coast guard spokesman told AFP.

“It sank because of overloading. The boat was meant to carry maximum 50 people. The boat was also loaded with some cargo,” another coast guard spokesman, Hamidul Islam, added.

Seventy-one people have been rescued including 46 women. Among the dead, 11 were women and the rest children.

Anwara Begum said two of her sons, aged six and seven, drowned in the tragedy.

“We were four of us in the boat... Another child (son, aged 10) is very sick,” the 40-year-old told AFP.

Fishermen tipped off the coast guard after they saw survivors swimming and crying for help in the sea.

The boat’s keel hit an undersea coral in shallow water off Saint Martin’s island, Bangladesh’s southernmost territory, before it sank, survivors said.

“We swam in the sea before boats came and rescued us,” said survivor Mohammad Hossain, 20. Coast guard commander Sohel Rana said three survivors, including a Bangladeshi, were detained over human trafficking allegations.

Nearly one million Rohingya live in squalid camps near Bangladesh’s border with Myanmar, many fleeing the neigh

1st Death Anniversary Late T. Vungathung Tungoe

Loving Mum & Dad, Brother, Sisters, In-laws and Relatives bouring country after a 2017 brutal military crackdown. With few opportunities for jobs and education in the camps, thousands have tried to reach other countries like Malaysia and Thailand by attempting the hazardous 2,000-kilometre journey.

An estimated 25,000 Rohingya left Bangladesh and Myanmar on boats in 2015 trying to get to Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Hundreds drowned when overloaded boats sank.

Begum said her family paid a Bangladeshi trafficker $450 per head to be taken to Malaysia.

“We’re first taken to a hill where we stayed for five days. Then they used three small trawlers to take us to a large trawler, which sank,” she said.

Shakirul Islam, a migration expert whose group works with Rohingya to raise awareness against trafficking, said desperation in the camps was making refugees want to leave. “It was a tragedy waiting to happen,” he said.

“They just want to get out, and fall victim to traffickers who are very active in the camps.” Islam said in the past two months dozens of Rohingya reported approaches from traffickers to his OKUP migration rights group.

“Human smuggling and trafficking in the Bay of Bengal is particularly difficult to address as it

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Lt. Mrs. Akho Ringa 12.10.1964 – 31.01.2020 We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported us during the illness and demise of our dearest mother. We deeply regret our inability to mention each and every one here. We remain indebted to all your kindness and prayer rendered.

A special thank you to : • Chakhesang Baptist Church, Dimapur Town • Chesezumi Welfare Union, Dimapur • Landmark Colony Council, Dimapur • Tenyimiapfu Krotho (Landmark & Residency Colony, Dimapur) • Caretaker, Agri Rest House, Dimapur • Family friends, Neighbours, Well-wishers and Friends.

Loving Son, Daughter and Family DP-1104

In Remembrance of Late Jemtimenba Ningdrangri on his 1 st Death Anniversary A year has passed by since you left us but we think about you always.

You have never been forgotten and you never will be.

We hold you close within our hearts and there you will remain, to guide us through our lives. "Your presence we miss, Your memory we treasure. Loving you always, Forgetting you never.”

requires concerted effort from multiple states,” the Bangladesh head of UN agency the International Organisation for Migration, Giorgi Gigauri, told AFP.

“The gaps in coordination are easily exploited by criminal networks.” Since last year, Bangladesh authorities have picked up over 500 Rohingya from rickety fishing trawlers or coastal villages as they waited to board boats.

Trafficking often increases during the November-March period when the sea is safest for the small trawlers used by traffickers. Bangladesh and Myanmar signed a repatriation deal to send back some Rohingya to their homeland, but none have agreed to return because of safety fears.

Save the Children called on Myanmar to “take all necessary steps to ensure the Rohingya community can return to their homes in a safe and dignified manner”. “The tragic drowning of women and children... should be a wake-up call for us all,” Athena Rayburn of Save the Children said in a statement.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Born : 10-11-1976 – Died : 05-02-2020 Through this column, we the family members of Lt. Imlisunep Jamir would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all individuals, friends, relatives, neighbours, churches, unions, well wishers and loved ones who stood by us and supported us through financially, materially, physically and spiritually during his brief illness until his last breath. We are indeed very thankful to each and every individual families and societies. We pray that the Almighty God may shower His abundant blessings upon you all.

DP-1110

Loving Wife, Children, Relatives & Family Members

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Late Mrs. Margaret Murry 04/12/1940 – 28/01/2020 We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all who stood by us physically, financially and through your prayer support during the prolonged illness and sad demise of our beloved Late Mrs. Margaret Murry, wife of Late Dr. M.C. Murry. We deeply regret our inability to thank each and every one of you individually, but your support and kindness will be ever remembered with great affection and gratitude.

The massive breach was tied to a mobile app used by PM Netanyahu and his Likud party to communicate with voters.

Jerusal em , Feb 11 (IANS): In a massive breach, an election app named Elector in use by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party exposed sensitive personal data -- including identity card numbers, full names and addresses of the country’s entire national voting registration of about 6.5 million citizens.

The Authority for Defending Privacy issued a statement Monday night that it had opened a probe into the actions of multiple parties involved in Likud’s leak of the personal information of close to 6.5 million Israeli voters, The Jerusalem Post reported on Monday. The statement said that the authority would probe both the Likud officials responsible and third parties hired by the party, who had obligations to protect the personal data, the report added. The massive breach was tied to a mobile app used by PM Netanyahu and his Likud party to communicate with voters, offering news and information about the March 2 election. The flaw, first reported by the newspaper Haaretz, was the latest in a long series of large-scale software and data breaches that demonstrated the inability of governments and corporations around the world to safeguard people’s private information and ensure the integrity of electoral systems, according to The New York Times.

Mallya arrives for High Court appeal against extradition to India

London, Feb 11 (PTI ): Liquor baron Vijay Mallya arrived at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Tuesday for his appeal against being extradited to India to face fraud and money laundering charges amounting to Rs 9,000 crores. The 64-year-old former Kingfisher Airlines boss, who remains on bail since his arrest on an extradition warrant in April 2017, avoided the usual scrum of reporters at the court entrance and went in with his lawyers separately.

The High Court judges will begin hearing arguments against a magistrates’ court extradition order, signed off by former UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid in February last year. Mallya had received permission to appeal on one ground, which challenges the Indian government’s prima facie case against him of fraudulent intentions in acquiring bank loans for his nowdefunct Kingfisher Airlines. The hearing is scheduled for three days until Thursday, with a verdict unlikely right away but it would depend on how the hearing progresses. Vijay Mallya (NP)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Through this column we would like to express our profound gratitude to each and every individuals, groups and organizations for extending your priceless support to us and our beloved father Late Mr. MK Kurak Tikhir through physical, financial and material help and prayers during his brief illness and demise.

We would like to convey our special thanks to : 1. Shri. L. Khumo. (Advisor: Fisheries, Evaluation, Economics and Statistics) 2. Shri. Toshi Wungtung. (Advisor: I&PR, SCERT and Village Guard) 3. Shri. Mark Murakiu. (P/S to Advisor Shri. L. Khumo) 4. Shri. James Kheantimong. (PA to Advisor Shri. L. Khumo) 5. Shri. Bentsu. (PA to Advisor Shri. L. Khumo) 6. Er. Dikhalo. (E.E Water Resource Department) 7. Shri. Nokshei Kano (Chief Judicial Magistrate) 8. Naga Hospital Authority Kohima. (NHAK) 9. Tikhir Baptist Church Kohima. (TBCK) 10.Tikhir Baptist Church Kiphire. (TBCK) 11.Tikhir Tribal Council. (TTC) 12.Tikhir Students' Union. (TSU) 13.Tikhir Students' Union Kohima. (TSUK) 14.Tikhir Students' Union Kiphire. (TSUK) 15.Metonger Village Council. (MVC)

Although, we are unable to reach each one of you, through this we convey our sincere and deepest gratitude and thanks for standing by our side.

May the good LORD bless each one of you and your family abundantly. Loving wife, children, grandchildren & relatives K-389

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Words are inadequate to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every individual, friends and well wishers who stood by us spiritually, physically, materially and financially during the illness and at the demise of our beloved mother Mrs. Inali S. Achumi, W/o Sukhaho Achumi on 05/02/2020 at Faith Hospital Dimapur.

We sincerely thank you all for your comforting support that has given us the strength to bear our loss. 1. Doctors & Nurses of Faith Hospital Dimapur. 2. DDADU President Mr. Tito Yepthomi. 3. Ashu Khuti Lagha. 4. Tsaphimi Baptist Akukuhou, General/Women/Youth. 5. Tsaphimi Union Dimapur & Akighini Muqo. 6. Tsaphimi Union Kohima. 7. Tsaphimi Students Union. 8. Spirit of Faith Church Dimapur. 9. Superkidz Academy School Dimapur. 10. Tseminyu NAP Church. 11. Kitami Union Dimapur. 12. Superintendant of District Jail Zbto. Mr. K.K. Awomi. 13. H. Khel Welfare Diphupar. Though we are unable to mention each and everyone individually. We pray that our Almighty God bless you all abundantly. Born - 1943 Died - 5 th Feb. 2020