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Vol XXX No. 202

DIMAPUR, SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2020 Pages 12 ` 5.00

Defining images of the COVID-19 lockdown

Sunday Post Supplement

nagalandpostofficial

Pangnyu inaugurates BSL-2 at CIHSR Says Covid-19 testing priority; no community transmission so far Staff Reporter

DIMAPUR, JUN 27 (NPN): State Health & Family Welfare (H&FW) minister S. Pangnyu Phom Saturday inaugurated the much awaited Bio Safety Level-2 (BSL-2) laboratory at Christian Institute of Health Sciences and Research (CIHSR). Speaking at the inaugural, Pangnyu underscored the importance of extensive testing in the fight against COVID-19 and assured that, so far, there was no community transmission in the state. Pangnyu said June 27, 2020 was a significant day for the people of Nagaland because despite “untold difficulties” two Bio Safety laboratories at NHAK and CIHSR have been set up within two months. With the installation of BSL-2 lab, the minister said the department can now increase its COVID-19 testing capacity and complete testing of all those at institutional quarantine centres (QCs) at the earliest. In order to further boost the testing capacity, Pangnyu said the state

S. Pangnyu Phom inaugurating the BSL-2 lab at CIHSR. (NP)

government had also acquired TrueNat machines and distributed the same to all the eleven districts. The sole objective is to maximize testing capacity, he said, adding the department was also working on a war footing to complete the BSL-2 at District Hospital Tuensang. As reported earlier by Nagaland Post, the minister reiterated that “civil work” at DHD Tuensang was underway and that world-class equipment was being procured for installation. He informed that the BSL-2 at DHD Tuensang was likely to be completed by July end. Though Nagaland has seen a steady rise in COVID-

19 cases, Pangnyu appealed to the people to not panic as all the cases were detected from amongst the returnees, currently stationed at institutional QCs. Referring to the frontline workers who had tested positive for COVID-19 in Kohima and Mon, the minister said that there was no need to panic or spread rumours as there were no reports of community spread so far. He pointed out that as soon as the cases were detected, the respective District Task Force swung into action and took all precautionary measures to prevent any possible community spread.

Biden ahead of Trump in some polls

nagalandpostofficial

“I assure the people that so far we do not have any community spread. Therefore, I urge the people not to panic or spread rumours but to follow the SOP and guidelines issued by the government,” said Pangnyu. In his message to the returnees at different quarantine centre across the state, Pangnyu said the state government under the leadership of chief minister, Neiphiu Rio was doing its best to provide the “best service” to each one of them. He acknowledged that despite “best efforts” and sacrifices from all those in the frontline, some “unfortunate incidents” have been reported. However, he assured the returnees that the High Powered Committee on COVID-19 activities under the chairmanship of the chief minister was committed to resolve any issue. “I know that all of you are undergoing tremendous stress, both physically and mentally, but be rest assured that we are all here to help you,” said Pangnyu. Seeking the support and cooperation of all returnees to fight the deadly virus, Pangynu urged them to reach out to the appropriate authority in case of any grievances and not resort to violence. (Cont’d on p-8)

international, Page 9

WSH demands BSL-3 lab in Dmu DIMAPUR, JUN 27 (NPN): Even as Bio Safety Level-2 (BSL-2) laboratory was inaugurated in Dimapur on Saturday, the Western Sumi Hoho (WSH) maintained that justice would have been served had the government set up a BSL-3 laboratory for Dimapur district. WSH asked why was Dimapur deprived of BSL-3 lab if the government felt that Kohima deserved to be allotted a BSL-3 and Tuensang district allotted BSL-2 lab after demanding for a BSL-3 lab? WSH said Dimapur, has the maximum population and is also gateway and transit point of the state with several thousand people travelling by road, trains and planes every day. WSH, therefore, stated that “allotting a lower standard than its other counterparts was pure discriminatory and partial as usual.” WSH expressed surprise at the silence maintained by various Dimapur-based civil society organizations which claimed to be working for the welfare of its citizens, when they did not demand BSL-3 lab for Dimapur. WSH said it has become the lone and the only voice for what Dimapur district truly deserved. Further, WSH pointed out that maximum number of the returnees and tests conducted were all from Dimapur district. It therefore asked all Dimapur-based CSOs to ponder “Why Dimapur was deprived of BSL-3 lab?”

Testing of returnees expected to complete within 15 days: Yhome Staff Reporter

DIMAPUR, JUN 27 (NPN): State Health & Family Welfare (H&FW) department is likely to conclude COVID-19 sample testing of all returnees currently lodged at different quarantine centres across the state in next 10-15 days. Disclosing this to Nagaland Post on the sidelines of BSL-2 laboratory inauguration programme at CIHSR Dimapur on Saturday, H&FW, Kesonyu Yhome said: “our attempt is to conclude almost all the testing if not 100% testing in the next 10-15 days.” The department was focussed on testing the samples of all the returnees, however, once this is completed (in next 10-15 days), Yhome said the department would focus on surveillance at the community level as well. With reports about several frontlines workers testing positive for COVID and the apprehension of community transmission, Yhome clarified that so far there was no report of an community spread in the state. He pointed out that all the frontline workers have been identified and under strict surveillance and contact tracing activated. “Source of infection is known in case of COVID positive people in Nagaland. We have to be concerned if we do not know their source of infection. If source of infection is

NSCN (I-M) says Nagaland COVID tally now 387 Mon lockdown extended till July 5 state’s total tally to 387 it does not extort, Nagaland COVID-19 STATUS the cases-- 223 active and 164 re- DC, SP, CMO & Addl took charge to oversee all with a positive patient. COVID-19 related activities Painwang said that a covered cases, till June 27. only levies tax under Mon district after sethorough investigation has According to Health SP in self-isolation nior officials-- deputy com- been ordered to ascertain DIMAPUR, JUN 27

However, KSH asserted that the fundamental duty of law enforcement agency was to protect the lives and property of its citizens. “However, in this instance a precious life has been taken away without fair trial or any persecution,” Kohima Sumi Hoho stated. Since the guilt and innocence of a person can only be established in the Court of Law, the hoho said that much restrain should have been applied to avert killing “owing to the fact that the deceased was unarmed as such he was not posing any threat.” Kohima Sumi Hoho has, therefore, asserted that resorting to such act of killing was “totally unacceptable and condemnable.” KSH said it condemned the “dastardly act in the highest order”.

Locust swarms enter Gurgaon, border areas in Delhi Recommending postponement

6-day Peren distt total lockdown

Dimapur DH Dimapur CCC SIHFW AR Hospital Dimapur Kohima NHAK Kohima Chedema Jakhama Army Hospital Mon CCC Peren CCC Jalukie Peren Covid Hospital Tuensang DH

Total

Wokha DH

Zunheboto DH

Kiphire DH

Longleng DH Mokokchung IMDH Phek DH

State Total

387

223

164

DIMAPUR, JUN 27 (NPN): Nagaland on Saturday reported 16 more COVID-19 positive cases and two recoveries, taking

minister S. Pangnyu Phom the 16 new cases were reported out of 422 samples that were tested-- 12 from Mon quarantine centre and 2 from Dimapur quarantine centre. Further, Pangnyu said that two patients from Dimapur recovered on Saturday. All the active patients have been sent to the respective COVID hospitals and those recovered have As per the severity of symptoms, 218 active cases were asymptomatic and 5 with mild symptoms. Till date, a total of 11,158 samples were tested and results of 10,197 samples were received. Out of the 11,158 samples, 7715 samples were sent to BSL-3 lab at Naga Hospital Authority Kohima (NHAK) and a total of 6,981 samples were tested, out of which 316 samples tested positive.

This is it! A swarm of locusts flies over the walled city in Jaipur, Saturday. (PTI)

“All those years, I used to feel, your singing was excellent. But now social distancing you sound flat.” K Y M C

KSH, LVC seek inquiry into June 23 incident DIMAPUR, JUN 27 (NPN): Reacting to the June 23 incident in Kohima where an ex-army personnel was killed in police action near Old MLA Hostel, Kohima Sumi Hoho (KSH) and Lizutomi Village Council(LVC) have demanded inquiry to hold accountability on those involved. Kohima Sumi Hoho (KSH) has demanded setting up of a judicial inquiry “to examine whether the act of killing was just and whether it could have been averted.” KSH president Khevito T Shohe and general secretary Shivito Wotsa said KSH condemns extortion in general, as it has become a menace to the society and also does not condone the alleged act of extortion committed by late Khehuto I Assumi and his accomplice.

Location

(NPN): NSCN (I-M) through its MIP Saturday reiterated that it “did not and does not commit extortion at any point of time but levies legitimate taxes from the people.” NSCN (I-M) further asserted that the “inherent right of any sovereign people and nation to collect taxes from the people and commercial establishments” which was a universal practice. NSCN (I-M) also said taxes have been the sources of sustenance that has brought the Naga political movement thus far. However, it said that the “madness” of ‘extortions’ that were being carried out by “some groups in the guise of freedom fighters” has complicated the situation as seen today. NSCN (I-M) maintained that it is a “recognized and legitimate national organization of the Naga people and not a gang” since no gang has found its place as member in the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO)- parallel organization to the United Nations (UN)- to which it was a bona fide member. (Full text on p-6)

ReActive covCases ered 125 8 117

unknown only then we can call it a community transmission or that community spread has started,” explained Yhome. Asked when was the BSL-2 lab likely to start conducting tests, Yhome said in order to that, the laboratory is required have a “unique code” from the Indian Council of Medical Research. “We may receive the code in a day or two. The moment we receive the unique code the laboratory will be made operational,” Yhome said. Earlier, delivering a short speech at the inaugural programme, Yhome said the launch of BSL-2 lab at CIHSR would “greatly boost” the testing capacity. He said the lab will also further strengthen the fight against the spread of SARS CoV2 by enabling early detection and containment of infection which in turn would save several lives. “The advantage in having a facility of this nature is not only the immediate utility for COVID-19 diagnosis but more so for the huge promise that it holds in future for a wide array of research works,” said Yhome. Further, Yhome also thanked the state government for all the support; the staff of Thermo Fisher Scientific Ltd for working overtime to get the laboratory ready; director and team of CIHSR and various agencies who facilitated the timely completion.

NEW DELHI/GURGAON/LUCKNOW, JUN 27 (PTI): Swarms of cropdestroying locusts entered Gurgaon in Haryana, border areas of the national capital and over half a dozen districts in Uttar Pradesh, prompting state authorities to sound an alert on Saturday, while the Centre said it has deputed more teams to assist in control opera-

tions. The Air Traffic Control (ATC) in Delhi told pilots to remain alert as a locust swarm came near the airport area, officials said. The locusts have been coming in waves into Rajasthan from Pakistan over the last one and a half months and devouring crops along their path as they cross from one state to another, though

Correspondent

KOHIMA, JUN 27 (NPN): Following the detection of 12 COVID-19 positive cases in Mon on Saturday, the district authorities have decided to extend the total lockdown of Mon district till July 5. Those who had tested positive include-- nine police personnel and three persons lodged at Mon quarantine centre. Of the 29 samples sent to Dibrugarh for testing, nine police personnel and three returnees- 2 from Chennai and 1 from Mizoram tested positive. Informing this to Nagaland Post, Transport & Civil Aviation and Land Resource minister, P. Paiwang Konyak, said the lockdown was extended in order to effectively carry out the contact tracing. Pawiang also

Delhi had not been affected till now. The skies over many parts of Gurgaon turned dark at around noon as a swarm spread over several kilometres descended on the city from Rewari district where it had settled at night. An advisory was issued by the district administration to all the residents on Friday asking them to keep their doors and windows closed as a precautionary measure. Yet, the invasion of the locusts, which settled on trees, rooftops and plants, left the people anxious and many shared videos taken from their high-rise perches. Swarms were also spotted in Dwarka and Asola Bhatti area in South Delhi. The city government put all the districts on high alert and asked the district magistrates to coordinate

missioner, superintendent of police and additional SP and chief medical officer had gone under self-isolation, as a precautionary measure as they reportedly came in contact with COVID positive patients. It was learnt that the DC, SP and CMO had come in contact with the same barber who had earlier come in contact with a police personnel infected with COVID-19. The police personnel was on duty at Mon quarantine centre and had reportedly gone out, in violation of the laid down the protocol. He then had his haircut with the same barber who later came in contact with the DC, SP and CMO. In another incident, the home guard of the additional SP Mon had also tested positive after he reportedly came in contact

with the fire department for spraying of pesticides and insecticides to prevent a possible attack of locusts. An advisory issued by the Delhi development commissioner said that residents can distract the locusts by making high-decibel sound through beating of drums, utensils; playing high-volume music, bursting crackers, and burning neem leaves. It asked the people to keep doors and windows closed and cover outdoor plants with plastic sheets. According to experts, broadly four species of locusts are found in India - desert locust, migratory locust, Bombay locust and tree locust. The desert locust is considered the most destructive. It multiplies very rapidly and is capable of covering 150 kilometers in a day.

as to how the nine police personnel, on duty at the quarantine centre, may have been infected. Taking note of these incidents, Paiwang held a coordination meeting on Saturday with the district task force, civil societies and churches and decided to mark containment zones in wards and locations where the positive case were detected. As precautionary measures, till the lockdown, Paiwang said that the supply of essential items to the district will be done twice a week (Monday and Friday) and all goods will be transported from Assam with security. He appealed to the public not to panic and to strictly observe the lockdown as it was being done for effective contact tracing, to contain the spread of virus.

of delimitation an insult: JAC

DIMAPUR, JUN 27 (NPN): Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Tribal Hohos on Delimitation has termed BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav’s statement in the media about his party recommending postponing the proposed delimitation exercise in Nagaland based on the representation of party’s State president Temjen Imna Along and chief minister Neiphiu Rio as an insult to the Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah. In a statement, the committee said Madhav should have been wiser while making such statements as delimitation was a constitutional obligation, not a petty party matter, to ensure equal opportunity

of development to all sections of the society. JAC observed that the BJP national general secretary had forgotten that the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister had in their wisdom and ardent desire to establish a nation of unity, progress and peace through equal opportunities to all citizens in every State of the country had notified the unfinished deferred task of delimitation in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Nagaland, whose process began in 2002. It said Madhav was perhaps sleeping when Shah had recently told Rio that delimitation had to be implemented in Nagaland on priority and pointed out that Naga issue was a different matter. (Cont’d on p-8)

(Cont’d on p-8)

DIMAPUR, JUN 27 (NPN): Peren district administration has announced total lockdown of the whole district from June 30, 2020 to July 5, 2020 in order to ensure that the COVID-19 pandemic was successfully contained and did not pose unnecessary risk to public health and safety of the citizens of Peren. According to DIPR report, the deputy commissioner (DC) Peren, Sentiwapang Aier, has issued an order on June 27, 2020 strictly prohibiting movement of public, banning movement of private vehicles, closing down of all business/shops and trade activities besides prohibiting all social/political/religious gathering and functions. DC also ordered that not more than 20 persons would be permitted in case of funerals. (Cont’d on p-8) K Y M C

state

Nagaland Post, Dimapur SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2020

BJP Nagaland holds 3rd virtual rally in Kohima

Correspondent

KOHIMA, JUN 27(NPN): Bharatiya Janata Party Nagaland 3rd virtual rally for state mahila and Schedule Tribe (ST) morchas in commemoration of one year of Modi 2.0 government was held Saturday at BJP headquarter Kohima with national BJP mahila morcha vice president A Sharda Devi addressing the gathering through video conferencing. In her address, Sharda Devi encouraged the state mahila morcha to propagate all the schemes of the central government formulated during the past one year of Modi 2.0 government. She said that among others, the various welfare schemes for women and farmers should be highlighted through the virtual rallies. She also encouraged the state BJP mahila leaders saying that amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, they should not deter to work for the welfare of the peo-

Nagaland state BJP mahila and ST morchas with state BJP leaders on June 27. (NP)

ple. She mentioned that the state BJP mahila morcha should initiate making face covers for free distribution among the general people. Saying that despite the COVID-19 pandemic agricultural activities will have to be continued following all protocols, Devi also asked them to highlight the Kishan Samman Nidhi scheme for the welfare of

women farmers. Speaking on the occasion Nagaland state BJP mahila morcha president Phangnon Konyak said the central government under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had lived up to its promises to deliver good gover nance and sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas. She also said that

One sentenced TVC condemns Army for rape of minor raid at Thilixu village DIMAPUR: Court of district and session judge Phek, special court of Mezivolu T Therieh has sentenced one person Chichu Pfithu to two years imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs. 3000 for sexually harassing his minor step daughter. A press release from Phek government pleader and public prosecutor, Samuel Ritse, stated that the accused was a 38 year old man, of Khrunti colony, Meluri town. He was charged for committing rape on the minor and further attempted to murder his wife. The release however mentioned that he was acquitted of the murder charges due to insufficient evidences. The accused have been found guilty of sexual harassment on the minor, via U/S 12, of the POSCO Act.

the central government has put in migrant labourers not covered under National Food Security Act or without ration cards eligible for food grains for May and June this year, free of cost. She highlighted on easy credit access for street vendors covering both urban and rural areas. She also said that with the active support of the

state president, the mahila morcha started the “Mask for all” campaign in March this year till date wherein more than 15,000 masks have been stitched and distributed, led by the mahila morcha district presidents. State BJP ST morcha president Wanphong Konyak in her address said that in Nagaland Schedule Tribe consists of 89% of the population, where tribals were long deprived of basic amenities, because of which the BJP government has taken up several important steps and curved out the ST Morcha, she said. She also highlighted some of the activities carried out by the state BJP ST morcha during this pandemic. Chaired by media officer to state BJP president, Sapralu Nyekha the virtual rally commenced with prayer by BJP mahila vice president P Kavili Achumi while spokesperson & PRO to state BJP president, Samuel Sumi tendered vote of thanks.

ZPOD appeals for more medical staff in Peren

DIMAPUR: Drawing attention to the alarming rise of COVID-19 positive cases in Peren district, the Zeliang People’s Organization Dimapur (ZPOD) during an emergency meeting called for various measures and appeal to government. A press release from ZPOD president Heikim Meru and general secretary, Kedinlung Newmai stated that meeting discussed on the lack of preparedness by concerned authority in accommodating the returnees, with Peren district having the highest numbers of returnees. With limited accommodations and toilets, the ZPOD suggested that many government buildings lying vacant can house the returnees to avoid further congestion and rise of the disease. Zeliang People’s Organization Dimapur also

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

DIMAPUR: Thilixu Village Council (TVC), GBs, youth front organisations and STH of Thilixu village have condemned the raid by Indian Armed Forces (IAF) at a private residence under Thilixu village on June 26. A press release from chairman, Nikhevi Yeptho and secretary, Dr. Khashepu Chishi stated that the “unwarranted raid during the pandemic” not only harassed the villagers but also destroyed the peaceful atmosphere under the village. The council suggested that during such pandemic, it was “better not to create any unwanted situation in village”. Meanwhile, the council also stated that “instead if harassing the public, the government should be more concerned in solving the Naga political issue”.

In our moment of despair we were blessed by many friends, well wishers, neighbours, relatives, churches, staffs of the Department of Economics and Statistics, Kohima, Nagaland and various institutions who not only comforted us by their presence and prayer but all extended rich tributes spiritually, physically, materially and financially. Through all your magnanimous acts of love and compassion we were able to bear the burden of our loss. We are profoundly grateful to each and everyone for their time, efforts and magnanimity rendered to us. We are unable to thank everyone personally, yet we will uphold you in our prayers that God the Almighty bless you abundantly for your good deeds. He was a loving Husband, Father, Son and Brother; he was steadfast in his faith and beliefs. A source of hope and helping hand to many in adversity, he believed in serving the society committing his service as President of Tsütuonuomia Students Union, General Secretary Kohima Village Youth Organisation and Tsütuonuomia Gazetted Officers Krotho and, was serving in the capacity of Deputy Director and DESO Kohima, till he breath his last. We dare not ask the Lord why so soon? But accept the covenant you had with the Lord which you had solemnly fulfilled. We will live to cherish the memories of your measured times with us. Live and radiate the goodness and the humane nature of your life. Every time we remember you, we will thank the Lord for giving you to us. ‘... The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away...’ Job – 1 :21 May the name of the Lord be praised. – Loving Wife, Daughter and Family Members. K-1153

K-1148

When you left without saying goodbye on this day, 20 years back, we never thought we will be able to make it this far without you. We always miss you but we also rejoice in the hope that One day we will all be together again as a family in God’s big mansion.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Late K. Obang Jamir Born : 12/12/1945 Died : 28/06/2016

LT. SENTIWATI JAMIR ( LONGMISA)

On the fateful day of the 30th of May, 2020 our beloved Late Mr. Khrietsolie John Whuorie ended his worldly sojourn.

~Loving wife and children

To live in the hearts of those we love is never to die. Four years have passed since you left, but you live in our hearts always. Unseen, unheard but forever near, loved and missed deeply.

1ST DEATH ANNIVERSARY

01/07/1962 - 28/06/2000

Today, as we commemorate our beloved Dad’s 20th Death Anniversary, we want to say ‘THANK YOU’ to all our near and dear ones, strangersturned-family, churches around for always upholding families like ours in your prayers. God bless.

be given mandatorily to maintain credibility of the test results. Zeliang People’s Organization Dimapur further appealed the government to immediately assign more medical staff to assist those currently deployed, while also demanding the government to provide up-to date medical equipments on priority. While appealing returnees to be patient and to continue maintaining discipline, the Zeliang People’s Organization Dimapur also appealed the concerned authority to identify and punish returnees creating problem and defying the guidelines set by the District Task Force as per the law.

4 th DEATH ANNIVERSARY

Loving Wife, Children, Grandchildren & Relatives. DP-2946

20th Death Anniversary LATE KHRIESAKEDUO KREO

pointed out that no separate rooms have been provided to those who have undergone swab test and awaiting results, whereby the Zeliang People’s Organization Dimapur expressed apprehension that the swab test results might become unreliable when the tested ones are continued to be exposed to any person who might be COVID-19 positive and yet to be tested. Z e l i a n g Pe o p l e ’s Organization Dimapur therefore requested for immediate separation of those returnees awaiting their results to be accommodated in separate rooms and avail them with separate toilets. It further asked that full medical test report

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Died on 28th June 2019 “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord make me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:8 A year has passed since you left for your eternal Home, but you lift us with beautiful memories. Your love is still our guide and thoughts we cannot see you but we feel you by our hearts. Loving wife, sons & loved one K-1145

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

BORN: 14/02/1939 – DIED: 21/06/2020 We, the bereaved family members of Late AYUMETEN (KHAR) convey our sincerest gratitude to all those who stood by us physically, materially, financially and in prayers during the illness and sad demise of our beloved father on 21st June 2020. We regret our inability to thank each and every individual but your kind expression of sympathy will always be remembered and it is our sincere prayer that Almighty God blesses you all abundantly. Loving children, grand children and relatives. MKC-151

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

08.08.1928 – 17.06.2020 “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain” Philippians 1:21 The family of Lt. Lanu Imchen would like to express our profound gratitude to each and everyone who stood by us physically, financially and through prayer support during the illness and sad demise of our beloved. We convey our special thanks to Dimapur Ao Baptist Arogo. It is our humble prayer that the Almighty God bless each one of you abundantly. DP-2942

K Y M C

Loved Ones.

NCHUMBENI KIKON

(14-09-1964 to 23-06-2020) “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6. The family of Late Nchumbeni Kikon wishes to acknowledge the many expressions of sympathy and gestures of love and kindness shown to us during her illness and untimely demise. We express our profound gratitude to the many friends, neighbours, relatives, colleagues, churches and well-wishers who provided emotional, financial, prayer and other physical support to us during this difficult time. A special word of thanks to the management, doctors, nurses and staff of various hospitals for their kindness and respect shown to us at all times. To those who helped in any way, your contribution made our loss more bearable. We regret our inability to thank each and every individual personally but sincerely pray that the Almighty God showers His blessings upon all of you. “You earned those wings dear mother and you will always be my angel eternal”. K-1149

Dr. Rongsen Longkumer, husband, Remrabenla, daughter and family members

LATE MR. L. MHALIE ZATSU Born: 31.03.1952 – Died 21.06.2020

Words fail to express our heartfelt gratitude to all individuals, friends, churches, organisations and well wishers, who stood by us during illness and sad demise of our beloved Late Mr. L. Mhalie Zatsu on 21-06-2020. Your support has been a great source of solace during this moment of grief. We cannot repay the noble deeds you all have done for us, but we pray that the Almighty God bless you all abundantly. K-1152

From loving children & family members. K Y M C

State

Nagaland Post, Dimapur SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2020

COVID-19: Various preventive measures stepped up in the state

DIMAPUR: With the fear of community spread of COVID-19 in Nagaland, the state government and its agencies have reinforced various measures for safety of the citizens. The much awaited BSL-2 lab has been inaugurated at Dimapur to cater to the needs of the district. Much focus is also given on awareness of tobacco consumption and its harmful affects through the concerned authority. District administrations and concerned legislators continue to hold meetings on how best to contain spread of COVID-19. Some district administrations have ordered lockdown till further order due to possible community spread of the pandemic. Trainings and other vital measures are being organised for community awareness, while public have been requested to adhere to government guidelines like wearing mask, using sanitiser and maintaining social distancing.

Zunheboto District

Tuensang District

Dimapur District

Advisor Khehovi Yeptho addressing at the meeting held on June H. Khehovi at laying of the foundation stone for the Participants at the programme held at Murise village on drug abuse organised by IRCA, Prodigal’s 27 at DC’s residence. (DIPR) development of pilgrimage infrastructure. (DIPR) Home.

District Task Force & ZCMC meeting held in Zunheboto

Advisor of Tourism, Art and Culture, Khehovi Yeptho visited Zunheboto district and held a meeting with DTF and ZCMC at deputy commissioner’s residence on June 27. According to DIPR report, in an interaction with the members, the advisor thanked and appreciated the efficiency of all those who have been working selflessly for the common cause during this hour of COVID19 pandemic. Advisor emphasized on the importance of awareness at the village level, who could be easily misinformed of do’s and don’ts, leading to catastrophic consequences, he stated. Further, he apprised the members about 4 nos of ventilators to be installed at the district Covid hospital by ministry of the concerned department at the earliest. He also informed that the current SOP shall be adhered to, till further order. Encouraging the frontline workers, he expressed sincerity on behalf of the government to work united at any given situation. Chairing the meeting, DC Peter Lichamo thanked the advisor for sparing time, reviewing the preparedness and situation at the district. Earlier, Dy. CMO, Dr. K Akaho Sema reporting on the details, specified that, so far the district had received 428 returnees of which 107 had completed the quarantine periods, both facility and home. 287 returnees were home quarantined at the moment. 499 nos of samples tested, out of which 344 were through TrueNat machine and 165 through BSL Kohima and 16 sample results were still awaited. The 3 positive patients in district Covid hospital are asymptomatic and doing well, he reported.

Kiphire District KSACCD on delimitation of Kiphire district Kiphire sadar assembly constituency committee on delimitation (KSACCD) has appealed on the creation of one or two more assembly constituencies by segregating the existing 59 & 60 assembly constituency as feasible. A joint press release from KSACCD co-convener T. Zukimong Sangtam, co-convenor R. Joshua Sangtam and member K. Tsilise has stated that, Kiphire being one of the aspirational district needed large attention to address the untold miseries and to develop the quality of life of the people amidst diffi-

cult geographical hilly landscape. KSACCD stated that delimitation of assembly constituencies in Kiphire district was vital to achieve a balanced progress and quick development of the socio-economic indicators of the district through an equitable and proportionate representation. The committee also deliberated over the growth and productivity aspects of the district and found that delimitation was very much conducive and opens a larger scope for growth and productivity of the district. Finally, the committee evaluated delimitation as a policy of fiscal injection to attain quick and steady progress of society. Therefore, it appealed to let the delimitation commission exercise its full power as per the Delimitanagalandpost.com Poll tion Act 2002 and reconstitute the assembly constituencies of the state Q.: Will the government of for better future of the citizens. Nagaland implement the delimitation exercise?

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

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Consequent upon the increasing number of COVID positive cases in Mon district, DC Mon K. Thavaseelan K informed that in partial modification to the previous SOP, (May 30) transporting of essential commodities and other goods from Assam should cross Nagaland gate, Tizit latest by 11 a.m and move to the designated parking space for disinfection after which the vehicle should move out in a convoy for Mon at 12 p.m. The vehicles carrying essential commodities/other goods from Assam to various sub-divisions of Mon district will unload the goods onto a local vehicle either in Tizit or Mon town thereafter the local vehicles will transport the same to various Sub-Divisions. Not more than one person shall accompany the driver in a vehicle and the drivers should maintain strict social distancing and wearing of masks and gloves will be compulsory. Only the vehicles with movement permits issued by the DC Mon and with proper documents will be allowed to transport essential commodities/other goods. Vehicles carrying essential commodities/other goods from Assam should return after unloading the

goods only and for no other purpose should they get down from the vehicle. Urinal and toilet facilities arranged at highway between Lampong Sheanghah and Mon villaged can be used by the drivers before and after entering Mon town. If any local driver of these vehicles decide to stay for the night in their own villages, the village COVID Task Forces and the village councils should arrange accommodation for the drivers and they should be isolated from the rest of the villagers and families. Food should be arranged by their families and handed over to the volunteers on duty. Drivers are strictly prohibited to meet anyone in the village. Vehicles carrying essential commodities/other goods will be allowed entry into Mon only on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and vehicles from Assam transporting livestock should reach Mon town, unload their goods and leave Mon town latest by 8 a.m. Police, DBs, DTO & PTAM shall monitor the entry of vehicles to Mon town at the committee gate and shall ensure that all the vehicles that entered the town should leave town after unloading by 8 p.m.

longleng District

Vehicles coming from Assam to carry tea leaves and boulders will be allowed on all days of the week except Sunday strictly following SOPS. Fruits and vegetables vendors along the highway should mandatorily wear mask and glove and should collect the payment in a polythene bag and maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from the customers. Vehicles are strictly prohibited to halt in the inhabited areas along the route and that violation of any of the SOPs will entail action under Sec.188 National Disaster Act. OPD and emergency services at district hospital suspended DC also notified that in view of the on-going sanitisation process at the District Hospital Mon and simultaneous COVID-19 sample collection based on contact tracing, the Out Patient Department (OPD) and emergency services at the District Hospital remain suspended from June 26 to 28. General public are informed that temporary arrangement for OPD and emergency services have been activated at Rapha Hospital, Mon and are informed to avail the facilities from Rapha Hospital during the suspension period.

phek District

Wokha District

ADC Bhandari chairing the consultative meeting on COVID-19 held on June 26. (DIPR)

Bhandari BTF consultative meeting

Bhandari Block Task Force (BTF) held a consultative meeting on COVID-19 at the conference hall of the additional deputy commissioner Bhandari on June 26, to review the management of the pandemic in the sub-division. According to DIPR report, in the meeting chaired by ADC and chairman BTF Bhandari, Tiameren Chang, Dr. Riku Khutso, EAC Bhandari informed that 35 quarantine intimates have been released after completing 14 days institutional quarantine at Bhandari and sent for home quarantine. The house decided that the SOP and protocol implemented successfully at four quarantine centres Bhandari sub-division shall remain same until further notice. ADC, Bhandari urged police personnel to strictly check all 3 check gates of Bhandari town and allow only vehicles with valid permit, except essentials commodities and emergency services. He also expressed sincere gratitude to members of BTF Bhandari for giving the best efforts for the benefit of people in fighting against the COVID-19.

Mokokchung District

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Yes. No. Can’t Say.

75% 0% 25%

WEATHER FORECAST June 28

(Temperature in ºC)

Max Min

Agartala A thunderstorm in spots

32 25

Clouds and sun, a few showers 26 20

Guwahati Periods of rain and a t-storm

31 25

A morning t-storm in the area

28 22

Itanagar Rain and a thunderstorm

26 22

Shillong

Rain and a thunderstorm

24 18

Kohima

Cloudy, a t-storm in spots

24 19

Dimapur A shower and t-storm around

Cloudy with a thunderstorm

Tuensang Couple of thunderstorms

31 23 25 20 19 16

Cloudy, a t-storm in the p.m.

25 20

Zunheboto Cloudy with a thunderstorm

23 18

Wokha

Mon District Mon DC issues series of notification

Tenyimi Students’ Union Dimapur (TSUD) has informed that due to disruption of courier services across the country because of COVID-19 pandemic, the delivery of desktops have been suspended temporarily. A press release from TSUD deputy speaker Pouhemlung Rongmei and finance secretary, Pechesin Bukh informed that delivery would resume after July 15 or when the courier services resumes. All bookings will be suspended indefinitely. Union further informed any students who wanted to cancel their bookings may do so by sending their cancellation notice to 8515988973/8787509451.

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reopen by July while coronavirus continues to spread?  Yes.  No.  Can’t Say.

Mkg

A press release from IRCA Prodigal’s Home coordinator Apong Jamir stated that, residential counsellor, Longching Konyak, dwelled on the significance and impact of commemorating the annual event and called upon the youths to live drug free lives by becoming more aware of the perils of addiction and to use knowledge as a weapon against addiction and illicit trafficking. He also challenged the churches to play more pro-active roles in the fight against addiction. During the programme, an art competition on the theme, “Say no to drugs, yes to life” which had participants, numbering 24, from the villages of Murise, Tsithrongse and Diezephe was exhibited wherein Alongdi Sangtam and B. Moses Sangtam were declared winners. The programme, apart from the staff and residents of the centre, was attended by the church members of Murise and Tsithrongse villages. Residential counsellor, Zubemo Lotha chaired the programme while the youth director, Tsithrongse Baptist Church shared his perspective on addiction. Invocation and benediction prayers were offered by the pastors of Murise and Tsithrongse Baptist Churches.

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Q: Should schools/colleges

Imphal

galand (Prashad Scheme) 2019 on June 26 at Noksen (Tuensang). Advisor lauded Noksen village stating that since statehood the village has produced four ministers from their village which was a blessing. He said the state government identified the heritage site for development at Noksen where Godhula Brown, pioneer missionary visited the village from 1880-90 AD. He sought support and cooperation from the villagers for the successful completion of the project within the specified period. Khehovi said he was fully committed to maintain justice as a whole irrespective of tribal lines. He further said that the global pandemic has taught the Nagas to again start cultivating fields, rearing domestic animals which would lead to self-sufficiency. Er. Thungdemo Patton EE Tourism highlighted on the project. Programme was chaired by Moatemsu senior TO, while vote of thanks was pronounced by TokaTuccumi assistant director Tourism.

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Next poll

Aizawl

Khehovi lays foundation stone Programme-cum-art competition on drug abuse TSUD temporarily Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking for pilgrimage infrastructure underInternational suspends delivery the theme, “Better knowledge for better care” was observed H. Khehovi also laid the foundation stone for by Integrated Rehabilitation Centre for Addicts (IRCA), Prodigals’ of desktops the development of pilgrimage infrastructure in Na- Home on June 26 at Murise village, Dimapur.

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MSK member along with a new born baby at district makeshift hospital, Longleng. Dr. Kolhitso one of the resource person speaking at the training Fabricated plastic waste bins ready to be installed held at District Hospital Phek. at strategic points at Aongza Ward.

DEF Longleng conduct online video competition

In connection with International Day against Drugs Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the DEF Longleng conducted an open online video competition on the topic “Impact of drugs in Longleng” on June 26. According to DIPR report, The result of the online competition was declared on June 26, Konaei Shangdok, Kohima, Hommei S Phom, Noklangkhong Longleng and Pangilenla T Phom, Model Colony, Purana Bazar, Dimapur bagged 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively. Consolation prize winners were I. Akum Kichu, Sungkomen Ward, Mokokchung, K. Chingmei, Yongam village, Longleng, Y. Lehotandet Phom, Shayung Ward, Longleng and Tongpangkumluk Phom, Alayong village, Longleng. They will be awarded with a cash prize of Rs. 2500, 1500 and 1000 respectively for the first, second and third and Rs. 500 each as consolation prize will be given to 4 persons. The video of the first prize winner is uploaded in the face book page of the District Executive Force

Longleng. The winners of the competition are requested to contact the mobile number 9612411925 for further details. To mark the day, the DEF Longleng along with the district administration also destroyed the seized tobacco products in the presences of the civil societies. Meanwhile, District Task Force on Bati Bachao Bati Padhao (BBBP) along with Mahila Shakti Kendra (MSK)-DLCW celebrated birth of girl babies at district makeshift hospital, Longleng as continuous activities of the BBBP and MSK in the district. MSK team led by the Phumla WWO, MSK and Tutitungla, district coordinator, MSK presented gift items and certificates to the new born baby girls. MSK team also visited the COVID-19 community kitchen run by the Phom Baptist Christian Association (PBCA) women wing and presented gift hamper to 18 women who are volunteering their tireless service since Covid-19 kitchen began functioning at PBCA, Lempong.

Sensitisation and training on COVID-19 SEMB installs fabricated Training on COVID-19 for officers and staffs of Animal waste bin in Mokokchung Husbandry & Veterinary Service and Social Welfare departments was conducted at conference hall, District Hospital Phek on June 26. A press release from NHM Phek district media officer, Kutolu Nakro stated that, CMO Phek, Dr.Vibeituonuo Mepfuo in her keynote address highlighted the main objectives of the training. She reiterated that with the increasing cases in the state, the Health department would need the support and assistance from the allied departments in case of any eventuality. CMO also acknowledged the Anganwadi workers (AWW) for their continued support on community based activities and also further sought their cooperation during this time of need. She also thanked the departments for promptly responding and adhering to the training imparted by the medical department. Practical demonstration of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) donning and doffing was also given by a nurse of District Hospital. The participants were trained and sensitised on containment strategy, contact tracing, rational use of PPE, management of dead bodies etc. The resource persons from the Health department included Dr. Lanuakum (DSO), Dr. Kolhitso Khalo (DPO RCH/UIP) and Dr. Wetshelo T.Mero (senior paediatrician), District Hospital Phek.

Socio Environment Management Board (SEMB) Aongza Ward Mokokchung has provided 25 fabricated plastic waste bins within the ward to beautify and keep the environment clean on June 26. A press release from SEMB Mokokchung stated that, the plastic waste bins were dedicated in the presence of Aongza ward local authority and officials of the Mokokchung Municipal Council (MMC). SEMB chairman Lima Aier appreciated all the donors and volunteers who had contributed to the success of the project. He stated that the bins were not just to collect the waste but also to aesthetic beautification to the surrounding area. The release also stated that SEMB members will be monitoring the collection and disposal of the plastic wastes which shall be send to the plastic recycling collection point, trained by the Mokokchung Municipal Council. K Y M C

northeast

Nagaland Post, Dimapur SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2020

Landslides in Sikkim damage dam, Assam COVID patients face mental health issues snap links to district bordering China

Guwahati, Jun 27 (PTI): COVID-19 patients in Assam are facing mental health problems over issues like job loss, financial distress, social stigma and delay in receiving test reports, a recent state government study has found. The issues came to light during a telepsychology volunteering programme -- ‘Monon’, which means mental well-being -- conducted by a team of doctors and counsellors of the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), the medical establishment’s Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology Dr Mythili Hazarika told PTI. The programme, an initiative of the National Health Mission, Assam, was launched on June 13 by state Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. A team of doctors and clinical psychologists made around 3,238 calls to COVID-19 patients since June 17. Of them, 1,539 could be connected with, Hazarika said. As per the preliminary findings, 22 per cent of those counselled were stressed due to job loss while 11 per cent were worried about their financial insecurities. Nine per cent were worried about their career prospects and 13 per cent were concerned about essential supplies not being provided to their family members, she said. Besides, six per cent of the patients counselled were

Security personnel stand guard at a closed market, in Dibrugrah, Saturday, June 27, 2020. Authorities have announced a complete lockdown of the city from tomorrow.(PTI)

stressed due to COVID-19 and seven per cent because of the stigma attached to the disease while seven per cent were worried about their family members and about going back to their homes, Hazarika said. Among these patients, 97 per cent have disturbed sleep while 12 per cent suffered from anxiety, fear, panic, tension and worries while seven per cent felt sad, tearful, hopeless, helpless, worthless and guilty, she said. Ten patients, comprising only one per cent of those counselled, had suicidal thoughts and were referred for further counselling and medical help. Hazarika said so far 178 patients have been identified as requiring follow-up counselling while one per cent of patients were pro-

ICAR sets up animal health clinic in Meghalaya

Correspondent

Shillong, Jun 27: An ‘Animal Health Clinic’ was inaugurated at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Complex for the North Eastern Hill (NEH) Region at Umiam in Meghalaya’s Ri-Bhoi district on Saturday. Director of the institute, B.K. Kandpal said that the initiative was “just a stepping stone” towards the ultimate goal of making it the best animal health clinic in the North Eastern Region. The Clinic has been set up to cater to the needs of the farmers and will provide health services to the ailing livestock in the North East. Arnab Sen, Head, Division of Animal Health, ICAR also pointed out that the Animal Health Clinic was the need of the hour.

“The zoonotic diseases also known as zoonoses are caused by germs that spread between animals and people and needs utmost precautions in treating these animals. The functional clinic is a boon to the livestock owners of the region as well as the manpower behind handling the diseased animals,” Director of the institute, B.K. Kandpal said while inaugurating the animal clinic. “The clinic is fully functional to serve the livestock owners of the region. With this facility now, it will be possible for proper diagnosis and treatment of these diseases. Animal health sector includes three aspects - surveillance, treatment and a secured environment to treat the disease animals,” the senior scientist pointed out.

vided with telemedicine. Following the counselling, 81 per cent of the patients were stabilised while the others required further medical attention, Hazarika said. The patients were asked to give feedback. Forty-six per cent of them expressed satisfaction, 29 per cent appreciated the initiative and the remaining people refrained from giving feedback. The ‘Monon’ team, comprising 220 clinical psychologists, psychiatrists and counsellors, are connected to the patients through helpline number 104. Each counsellor is allotted 18-20 people on a random basis. On an average, 80-85 patients are dealt with every day and the details documented in a format, Hazarika said.

Shillong, Jun 27: The Meghalaya government has directed all heads and managers of educational institutions to maintain status quo of all fees from the last academic session 2019-2020 for 2020-2021 in all educational institutions. “No tuition fees should be collected from the below poverty line (BPL) families or those directly impacted by the lockdown which led to the loss of their livelihood in government, government aided, deficit and deficit pattern institutions for the months of March, April and May, 2020,” Chief Secretary M.S.Rao stated in his order. Rao, who is also Chairman, State Executive Committee, State Disaster Management Authority, ordered a 50 per cent reduction of school and college fees for children from below poverty line or those who lost their livelihood during the furlough period of lockdown studying in unaided or purely private institutions for the months of April and

May, 2020. “No other fees must be collected except tuition fees in all institutions for the months of March, April and May, 2020 from all students and in cases where institutions have collected fees in advance, the same may be adjusted in the subsequent months,” the order reads. The order was issued after some private institutions have increased the fee in the academic session 2020-2021 without taking cognizance of the prevailing situation in view of the nationwide lockdown and despite the enforcement of Disaster Management Act, 2005 and the Meghalaya Epidemic Diseases, COVID-19 Regulations, 2020 under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 for prevention and containment of COVID-19 and also without compliance of the mandatory provisions of Meghalaya School Education Act, Meghalaya Board of School Education, 1973. Rao also said that some private institutions have started charging the fees from the students under

Minister Samdup Lepcha visited and inspected various damaged roads and sites of North Sikkim on Saturday.

Gangtok, Jun 27 (PTI): Heavy rains for the past one week have triggered a series of landslides snapping road links at several places between Gangtok and North Sikkim bordering China, and causing major damage to a dam of the NHPC in the East District, officials said on Saturday. Landslides blocked two major roads that connect state capital Gangtok and Mangan, the headquarters of North Sikkim district, at multiple places affecting traffic movement. Vehicles going from Gangtok to Mangan are being diverted via Dzongu-Sankalang Road due to a road blockade at Namok Khola, officials said, adding that restoration work

was underway. A massive landslide caused severe damage to a dam of the NHPC Teesta Stage-V project site at Apdara in East Sikkim, they said. “The Teesta-V Power Station (3x170 MW) is a run of the river scheme with diurnal storage to harness the hydro-power potential of the Teesta river for peaking during the lean season,” according to the NHPC. Landslides have cut off Lum and Lingtyang villages in North Sikkim’s Lower Dzongu, around 70 km from Gangtok, from the rest of the state, officials added. Incessant rain has also led to slips and slides all along the North Sikkim Highway, snapping road

links at several places. Road communications in several routes such as Mangan-Gangtok, Dikchu-Gangtok and Dikchu-Singtam have been disrupted due to landslides, officials said, adding the Mangan-Gangtok road has been blocked at Phamtam near Phensong and Ambithang near Mangan. Similarly, rocks and boulders have stopped movement of vehicles at several places such as Namok Khola, Tintek Khola and 9th Mile on Mangan-Singtam road. The Dikchu-Gangtok road via Pangthang has been blocked at Sokpay for the past one week as people are taking an alternate route via SamdongIpsing.

No oil flow from gas well site to water bodies: OIL BSF trooper tests positive Guwahati, Jun 26 (PTI): PSU major Oil India Limited on Friday said that no oil is flowing into water bodies from a gas well in Assams Baghjan following a blowout last month, as claimed in a video clip which has gone viral on social media. Floodwaters have entered the gas well fire site in Tinsukia district affecting efforts of the OIL authorities to cap the well and douse the blaze, the company said. "There is a video clip is in circulation in the social media wherein it has been claimed that lot of oil is flowing into nearby water bodies/river from Baghjan blowout well. This is totally false since all hydrocarbon coming out of the well is completely burnt at the well head," OIL said in a tweet.

BPL families exempted from paying tuition fees in Meghalaya Correspondent

“This is perhaps the first-of-its-kind initiative in the country where service providers are reaching out to the patients instead of them calling the doctors and counsellors for help,” she said. There are also plans to reach out to people placed under institutional and home quarantine for their stress management as there are problems regarding their behaviour, Hazarika said. NHM, Assam emphasised providing counselling to COVID-19 patients and their family members since March 31 when the first case was detected in the state. Initially, the patients were counselled by a few doctors but later, a need for a more concerted effort was felt to deal with the issue, an official said. This led to the forma-

tion of the volunteering network ‘Monon’ to help COVID-19 patients and also those in quarantine, he said. Following the imposition of the lockdown in March, GMCH’s Clinical Psychology Department was approached by the Director General of Police, Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, to counsel people on mental health issues faced by them during the period. Later, health officials asked the department to prepare a guideline on counselling patients and others during the pandemic. Hazarika, along with her colleagues Bornali Das, Shyamanta Das and Dyuksha Hazarika, prepared the ‘Best Practice Guidelines for Telepsychology during Disasters (COVID-19)’, on which ‘Monon’ is based. The counsellors take into account multiple psychological and other medical factors to arrive at a conclusion and adopt approaches that may include counselling, stress management, coping strategies, cognitive restructuring, problem-solving and other emotion-reducing strategies, Hazarika said. The NHM authorities have plans to take the mental health programme beyond COVID-19 to address the psychosocial rehabilitation of patients. “But for that, we need different positions in the department to be filled as we cannot depend on volunteers alone for such a task,” she added.

various new heads in violation of the direction of the Supreme Court as well as the direction of the Directorate of Education. In another order, the Chief Secretary has directed government, governmentaided and privately owned hostels in the State to cease and desist from charging rent from students during the period of the lockdown beginning from April 2020 till further orders. The order also states that hostel fees exemption is applicable only to students who are not using the hostel facilities. “If any proprietor is found violating the directions, they shall be liable for action under the provisions of Section 51 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and under the provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 and regulations framed there under,” he said. The Chief Secretary also directed all deputy commissioners and Superintendents of Police to be personally liable for the strict implementation of these directions.

A release by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) also said that the well head area is dry and no oil is flowing into any waterbody. "Before the fire occurred, condensate was falling in nearby area as it was coming out along with gas. But once the well caught fire on 9th June, all condensate and gas is getting burnt," the release said. Well number 5 at Baghjan has been spewing gas uncontrollably since the blowout on May 27 and it caught fire on June

36 new COVID-19 cases in Tripura; total 1,331

Agartala, Jun 27 (PTI): Thirty-six more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Tripura, taking the northeastern state’s tally to 1,331 on Saturday, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has said. Fifteen of the new patients are from Gomati district while 14 are from South district, three each from Sepahijala and West districts and one from Dhalai, he said. “Out of 1,021 samples tested for COVID19, 36 people found positive. Among them 34 people have travel history & 2 are contacts of COVID-19 patients,” Deb tweeted late on Friday. Of the 1,331 cases, 276 are active while 1,055 people have recovered, officials said. Most of the COVID-19 patients have travel history and there is no community transmission of the disease in the state so far, they said. All the Border Security Force (BSF) jawans who were afflicted with the disease have recovered, Education minister and Cabinet spokesperson Ratan Lal Nath said, adding that there are 19 containment zones in the state.

9, killing two of OIL's firefighters at the site. Meanwhile, it has been raining continuously and various parts of Baghjan gas well site and three roads leading to the spot from Tinsukia were inundated making it difficult to move personnel and equipment, OIL said in a statement. The site of helipad earmarked earlier cannot be used now because of the presence of floodwater on the road and efforts are on to identify a new site to set up a helipad. Due to damage of Doomdooma-Baghjan Bridge, all movement on the bridge has been suspended. OIL had contacted the Army for construction of a Bailey bridge but it can be done only after the water level recedes, the company said.

Another bridge over Daisajan near Daisajan Tea Estate on Tiphuk Kordaiguri road is deteriorating too due to the flood. However, environmental Impact Assessment by M/s ERM is continuing with collection of samples of air, water, soil from different parts of the area since June 4 as a part of a study. Due to agitation by people, there was production loss of 88 MT of crude oil and 0.14 million metric standard cubic meters (MMSCM) of natural gas as on Thursday, the company said adding that operations were disrupted in 13 oil wells and one gas well. OIL said cumulative production loss since May 27 due to bandhs and blockades was 8570 MT crude oil, 10.99 MMSCM of natural gas.

for COVID-19 in Meghalaya

Correspondent Shillong, Jun 27: A Border Security Force trooper has tested positive for COVID-19 in Meghalaya late on Friday night taking the state's total tally to 48, a health official said on Saturday. With the most recent COVID-19 case, Meghalaya has 6 active cases, 42 recovered and one person has died. Health and Family Welfare Minister, Alexander Laloo Hek said that the trooper had returned to the State from Bihar on June 23. “After his arrival in the BSF Meghalaya Frontier Headquarters, the trooper was immediately put under quarantine. His swab samples were collected and sent for testing,” he said,

Over 30 quarantined as caterer tests COVID-19 positive in Mnp

Correspondent

IMPHAL, JUN 27: Authorities in Manipur’s Thoubal district swung into action to check community transmission after a volunteer at a catering service in a COVID19 quarantine centres tested positive for the virus. The volunteer at catering was the seventh person who tested positive for coronavirus among the frontline warriors and with no recent travel history outside the state. Two doctors and four nurses had earlier tested positive for COVID-19. The volunteer actively involved in catering service at some quarantine centres in the district tested positive for the virus on Friday and was immediately shifted to a COVID care facility of Thoubal district hospital. The district COVID19 surveillance team on Saturday identified as many as 30 people during contact tracing and put them into quarantine centres, officials said on Saturday. Some of them including family members have been lodged at a community quarantine centre with

better facilities, while the remaining were quarantined at a new centre at Thoubal District Congress Committee office premises, the official said. Swab samples of family members and some volunteers at catering service together along with the sample of the person who positive case were sent for testing. A team led by district COVID19 surveillance officer also recorded contact histories of the people lodged at the quarantine centres to initiate other necessary precautionary measures like containment and contact tracing, the source said. M e a n w h i l e, t o t a l COVID-19 cases in Manipur rose to 1,096 with 17 fresh cases -12 males and five females – in the last 24 hours. Of these 1,096 infections, 660 were active cases. The total recovered cases increased to 432 after 39 individuals were discharged on Saturday. The recovery rate is 39.56 percent. All the 17 fresh cases were detected among returnees from other states lodged at different quarantine centres across the state since their arrival.

Among the fresh cases, 11 of them are from Imphal West district, four from Ukhrul district and one each from Kakching and Thoubal district, the source said. An official source in the state health department said that there was no more sample backlog for testing. In another development, Democratic Students’ Alliance of Manipur (DESAM) today expressed shock over disposal of bio-medical wastes from COVID-19 treatment by burning at Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS), the state run biggest hospital. The state has three incinerators to dispose biomedical wastes from the hospital including one each at RIMS and JNIMS hospital. However, all are defunct despite DESAM’s repeated request to the authorities. The student body threatened to lodge a complaint with the National Green Tribunal if the state government, particularly the health department, fails to take up immediate steps for proper disposal of the wastes as per relevant guidelines.

adding that the trooper is asymptomatic and is now admitted at the isolation ward of the composite BSF hospital. “The BSF is tracing the contact of the troopers since he did not mingle with the civilian community,” the Health Minister This is the first positive case of COVID-19 detected amongst the paramilitary forces in Meghalaya. On June 20, an army man who had recently returned to the Assam Regimental Centre Headquarters in Shillong from Guwahati, tested positive for COVID19. On Friday, the Meghalaya government has advised residents of the state to avoid travelling to Assam following the rapid surge in COVID-19 cases in that neighbouring state, especially Guwahati.

‘False positive COVID-19’ man dies in M’laya Correspondent Shillong, June 27: An elderly person, who was falsely tested as positive for COVID-19, passed away on Friday due to asthma in Meghalaya’s Ri-Bhoi district, a family member said on Saturday. 81- year-old Philing Sohpoh of Umsamlem village, had been admitted in Dr. H Gordon Robert’s Hospital in Shillong early this month with complaints related to breathing. “He passed away on Friday due to Asthma after he was discharged from hospital on our request on June 22,” Sohpoh’s son Sikhaius Mawlong said. His funeral service was held on Saturday. Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on June 9 declared that the elderly man had tested positive for COVID19 after his samples were collected. However, the State Medical Expert Committee later clarified that it was a “false positive”, false result, attributable to one percent error in the testing kit, a rare case.

national

Nagaland Post, Dimapur SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2020

Patanjali’s COVID drug claim: ‘Govt’s guiding light is the Constitution’ FIR against Ramdev, four others Govt does not discriminate between faith and creed: modi

New Delhi/Thiruvalla (Ker), Jun 27 (PTI) Asserting that the government’s guiding light is the Constitution of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the government does not discriminate between faith, gender, caste, creed or language and is led by the desire to empower 130 crore Indians. Addressing the 90th birthday celebrations of Rev Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan in Pathanamthitta of Kerala via video conference, the prime minister said his government has been guided by a long-term vision to make India a growthengine. “We have taken decisions not from comfortable government offices in Delhi but after feedback from people on the ground,” he said. “It is this spirit that ensured every Indian has access to a bank account,” he said. Modi said Ayushman Bharat is the “largest healthcare scheme in the world” through which over a crore people have got “quality treatment.” “For women, we are ensuring that their health gets due attention via various schemes.And, their career path is not compro-

Narendra Modi

mised through extension of maternity leave,” Modi said. The prime minister asserted that Government of India does not discriminate between faith, gender, caste, creed or language. “We are guided by the desire to empower 130 crore Indians and our guiding light is the Constitution of India,” he told the gathering. The prime minister said thegovernment had brought the one nation-one ration card scheme to help the poor from wherever they are and for the middle class several initiatives have been introduced to boost the ease of living. On India’s COVID-19 battle, Modi said thecountry was firmly fighting the pandemic.

Lockdown till July 31 in J’khand Ranchi, Jun 27 (IANS): The Jharkhand government has decided to extend the lockdown till July 31 to contain the spread of coronavirus in the state. All schools and religious places will remain closed during this period. Jharkhand Chief secretary Sukhdev Singh on Saturday issued a circular to extend the lockdown. “All religious places, schools, hotels, spa and salons in the state will remain closed till further orders,” says the circular. All district administrations have been directed to ensure that provisions of the lockdown extension are implemented seriously and effectively in their area. Apart from emergency work a complete ban has been imposed on all kinds of movement between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. It would be compulsory to wear face masks at public places, work places

and maintaining a distance of 6 feet while travelling. All activities including social, political, religious, sports, entertainment like cinema halls will remain suspended. Schools, gyms, coaching institutes, swimming pools, assembly halls will also remain closed during the lockdown period. Only 50 people would be allowed to attend a marriage function and people will have to wear face mask. Social distancing should be ensured and not more than 20 people would be allowed to take part in the last rites of a person. A complete ban will continue on spitting in public places and consumption of liquor, pan, gutkha and tobacco at public places has also been banned. Further, the government has advised people above 65 years, pregnant women and children less than 10 years of age to remain at home.

“Earlier this year, some people had predicted that the impact of the virus in India would be very very severe. But, due to lockdown and many initiatives taken by the government as well as a people driven fight, India is much better placed than many other nations. India’s recovery rate is rising,” Modi said. India’s death per million due to Covid is under 12 while the death rate in Italy was 574 per million,he said. India was much better placed than many other nations, Modi said and pointed that the figures in the United States, Spain, Britain and France were much higher than India. Lakhs of villages, home to almost 85 crore people remain almost untouched by the coronavirus, he said. “The people-driven fight has given good results so far,” Modi said, cautioning that people can’t let their guards down yet. “In fact, we have to be even more careful now. Wearing masks, following social distancing, avoiding crowded places remain important,” he said. Pointing out that the coronavirus is not only a physical sickness but a threat to the lives of the people, he

Asked whether it is full deployment, a senior Indian Army officer said: “It is a mirror deployment.” Indian Army spokesperson, Colonel Aman Anand was, however, unavailable for comments. In a separate domain, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force are also on full operational alert. The IAF has deployed a number of SAGW systems to Ladakh. The movement of additional men and material to the border comes when talks between military commanders at the Chushul-Moldo in Ladakh have ended in a stalemate. The situation at the four flash points -- Galwan Valley, Hot Springs, Depsang and Pangong Lake -in eastern Ladakh is tense. At Pangong Lake, Chinese troops have moved upto Finger 4 where they have brought over 120 vehicles and dozens of boats. The Chinese Army has also opened up a new front in the area near the Depsang Bulge, north of Galwan. They have built camps and deployed vehicles and troops. At Patrol Points 14 at Galwan, Patrol Points 15 at Kongka La and Patrol Points 17 at Hot Springs,

of poverty and women empowerment.” Modi said the Mar Thoma Church is closely linked with the novel ideals of St Thomas, the apostle of Lord Christ. It is with this spirit of humility that the Mar Thoma Church has worked to bring a positive difference in the lives of fellow Indians, he said. They have done so much in areas such as healthcare and education, he said. India has always been open to spiritual influence from many sources, the prime minister said, adding that the contributions of St Thomas and the Christian community are deeply valued. Modi said the church, which has played a role in India’s freedom struggle, was in the forefront working towards national integration and had fought the emergency. It has also “worked to bring a positive difference in the lives of our fellow Indians.” “The Mar Thoma Church played a role in India’s freedom struggle. The church was at the forefront of working towards national integration.Church fought the Emergency.

JAIPUR, JUN 27 (IANS): In another jolt to yoga guru Ramdev, an FIR has been lodged here against him, Patanjali Ayurved CEO Acharya Balkrishna and three others for allegedly making misleading claims that the herbal medicine company has found a cure for COVID-19 called Coronil. The complaint was filed at Jyoti Nagar police station in Jaipur on Friday. Avnish Parashar, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), south, Jaipur, said: “Ramdev, Acharya Balkrishna, Balbir Singh Tomar, Anurag Tomar and Anurag Varshney, were booked under Section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954, as per the FIR lodged by an advocate Balbir Jakhar.” Two of the accused including Balbir Singh Tomar and Anurag Tomar, are the chairman and the director of the Jaipur-based NIMS University. The fifth accused, Varshney, is a scientist at Patanjali Ayurved. Jakhar said the accused have endangered the common people’s lives by mak-

Patanjali was stopped from advertising the medicine within a few hours after its launch.

ing false claims of finding a COVID-19 vaccine as they neither informed the Rajasthan government nor the Centre about the clinical trials of Coronil. Patanjali Ayur ved, on Tuesday launched Coronil tablet and Swasari vati medicine claiming that they can cure COVID-19 within seven days. However, the AYUSH ministry expressed unawareness about the development and Patanjali was stopped from advertising the medicine within a few hours after its launch. Patanjali earlier also claimed that the two Ayurveda-based medicines have shown 100 per cent favourable results during clinical trials on COVID-19

patients except those on a life support system. The clinical trials were reportedly held in NIMS Jaipur. While Ramdev claimed making a thorough clinical case study on patients admitted at NIMS, its Chairman, B.S. Tomar on the other hand said, “No clinical trial in our hospital was made for the drug as there was no serious case of patients admitted. Only 100 asymptomatic patients in our hospital were given a few ayurvedic medicines under the Patanjali banner. We did not ask for medicine to cure coronavirus but had only these ayurvedic immunity boosters who helped recovery of asymptomatic cases faster by 35 per cent.”

14-day serological survey begins in Delhi ‘Sheer profiteering’ by Centre: New Delhi, Jun 27 (IANS): The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, on Saturday began a 14-day serological survey across Delhi to ascertain the presence of anti-bodies among people. Under the survey, from June 27 to July 10, blood samples from 20,000 persons will be tested, said a Health Ministry statement, adding that the survey is part of the Centre’s support to states and Union Territories (UTs) to combat COVID-19. The survey has begun at a time when the number of COVID-19 patients in the national capital has crossed 77,000. Looking at the sudden surge of novel coronavirus or COVID-19 cases, the Union Health Ministry said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved antigen-based

Indian military amasses more men, material at border with China

New Delhi, Jun 27 (IANS): The Indian military is amassing more men and material as a precautionary deployment along the 3,488-km-long disputed border with China. The deployment, perhaps one of the biggest in the recent years, comes at a time when India and China are locked in a hitherto unprecedented standoff - for eight weeks now - at multiple points along their border. Sources said that Indian Army has deployed three more divisions in eastern Ladakh region to bolster its position on the Line of Actual Control. Apart from tanks and artillery, the Army has deployed their advanced very quick-reaction surface-toair missile defence systems, including Akash missiles which have the capacity to take down very combat aircraft and drones. It was stated that four weeks ago an important division had started acclimatising for high-altitude warfare and two weeks later, parts of it were deployed at the 18,000-foothigh Depsang plains, a plateau located north of the Galwan valley. Similarly, reserve forces have been moved to forward locations to match up the Chinese deployments.

said “It also takes our attention to unhealthy lifestyles. A global pandemic implies that humanity as a whole needs healing. Let’s do everything possible for further harmony and happiness on our planet.” Modi said the wheels of trade and commerce have to move even as the fight against thepandemic continues. “At the same time, we have to focus on economic growth and prosperity for 130 crore Indians.The wheels of trade and commerce have to move.Agriculture has to flourish. In the last few weeks, the government of India has addressed both short-term and long-term issues relating to the economy. From the sea to space, from the farms to the factories, people-friendly and growth friendly decisions have been taken,” the prime minister said. Conveying his birthday greetings to the Metropolitan and wishing him long life and best health, Modi said “Dr.Joseph Mar Thoma has devoted his life for the betterment of our society and nation. He has been particularly passionate about removal

the Chinese Army has been deployed to a large extent. In response, the Indian Army has also upped the deployment in these positions. Chinese People’s Liberation Army troops have even returned to Patrolling Post 14 in Galwan Valley where the barbaric June 15 attack, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed, occurred. The clash was on the south bank of Galwan river, which flows in an east-west direction before its confluence with Shyok river. The killing of the 20 soldiers became the first fatalities faced by the Indian Army in a clash with the PLA since 1975 when an Indian patrol was ambushed in Arunachal Pradesh. The Indian Army said that its soldiers went to the spot where the clashes happened without any animosity to check if the de-escalation agreement was being followed as promised and were displaying friendly gestures to the Chinese side when they were attacked. “It was the deadliest attack carried on Indian Army personnel by the Chinese military personnel to our memory,” a government source said.

rapid tests and supplied 50,000 such rapid test kits to the Delhi government. “ICMR has provided all these test kits free of cost to Delhi,” the Ministry said. Till date, the ICMR has supplied diagnostic material for carrying out 4.7 lakh RT-PCR tests to the 12 functional labs in Delhi. It has also provided 1.57 lakh RNA extraction kits essential for carrying out the tests and 2.84 lakh VTMs (Viral Transport Medium) and swabs for collection of Covid-19 samples. The Ministry further said its NCDC department has supported the efforts of Delhi government through technical guidance on all aspects of the COVID-19 surveillance and response strategy. Among the steps taken were the identification and assessment of quarantine facilities and COVID Care Centres (CCC) at the begin-

Yashwant on fuel price hike

A medic collects samples during door-to-door serological survey, Saturday. (PT)

ning of the epidemic; orientation training and technical support on surveillance, contact tracing and lab aspects including infection prevention and control; data analysis and timely feedback to the Delhi government on the gaps identified and suggested solutions. The NCDC has also provided laboratory diagnostic support for processing of samples by RT-PCR including training of lab professionals of the Delhi government.

Technical support by the NCDC included deployment of multiple central teams of experts for situational analysis and subsequent recommendations; deployment of public health experts to coordinate and provide technical inputs to district level teams in implementation of the revised Delhi COVID Response Plan; and planning and execution of a sero-prevalence study on COVID 19 in Delhi.

Patna, Jun 27 (PTI): Former Union finance minister Yashwant Sinha on Saturday alleged that the Centre is resorting to “profiteering” by increasing fuel prices on a daily basis. On one hand, the Centre announced a Rs 20-lakh crore package to uplift the economy, while on the other, it “robbed” people who travel by motorbikes, scooters and other vehicles, he said. While diesel rates were hiked for the 21st straight day on Saturday, petrol prices have been increased on 20 occasions in three weeks. “There are occasions when the price hike in petrol and diesel (prices) becomes imperative. But I can tell you on the basis of my experience that it

is nothing but sheer profiteering in today’s circumstances,” Sinha said at a press conference here. “It is unfortunate and saddening to know that the government is resorting to profiteering,” he said. Sinha said it is well known that “crude oil price is soft in the international market”. On Saturday, the price of petrol was hiked by 25 paise per litre and diesel by 21 paise per litre, taking the cumulative increase in rates in three weeks to Rs 9.12 and Rs 11.01, respectively. On June 7, oil companies had restarted revising prices in line with costs after ending an 82-day hiatus during which they adjusted steep excise duty hikes by the government against the fall in benchmark international oil rates.

PM has given up fight against Covid: Rahul New Delhi, Jun 27 (IANS): Even as India witnessed a spike of over 18,000 fresh cases of novel coronavirus and total cases crossing five lakh mark, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Saturday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his silence, saying he has surrendered and is refusing to fight the pandemic. “Covid-19 is spreading rapidly into new parts of the country. Government of India has no plan to defeat it. Prime Minister is silent. He has surrendered and is refusing to fight the pandemic,” Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet attaching a news report highlighting that the government has become less visible. His remarks came after India witnessed a highest single-day spike of COVID-19 cases adding over 18,000 patients in just 24 hours taking the tally to over half a million cases. A total of 18,552 new cases took the tally up to 5,08,953 as India continued to be the fourth worst hit among 213 countries. Now, it is only a lakh cases away from Russia, which is in the third spot behind the US and Brazil. According to the health ministry data, 384 new deaths were reported in the last 24 hours taking the death toll to 15,685 in the country.

DC-566

OPINiON/EDITORIAL

Nagaland Post Vol. XXx NO. 202 Dimapur, SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2020

Travesty of norms

hough the BJP managed to steal victory for the lone Rajya Sabha seat, election for which was held on June 19; it was a pyrrhic victory that came after all democratic norms were trampled on the ground . The poll was held amidst intense behind-the-scene machinations. After the BJP-led coalition under Biren Singh was reduced to a minority on June 17 when nine legislators including four ministers of the NPP withdrew support; the BJP was reduced to a minority of 23 legislators(BJP-18 including the speaker,NPF-4,LSP-1) while the newly formed Secular Progressive Front (SPF) coalition (Congress-20, NPP-4, TMC-1, Independent-1) had 26 legislators. This excluded the seven Congress rebels who were facing disqualification proceedings and who have been barred from entering the assembly by the Manipur high court. The high court had directed the speaker Y. Khemchand to conclude the disqualification case by June 22. As reported in this newspaper on June 17, the SPF had the numbers but the minority BJP coalition had the advantage. This advantage was in the form of speaker Y. Khemchand who had earned the ire of both the Supreme Court and the Manipur High Court for inordinately delaying decisions on the disqualification petitions of seven rebel Congress MLAs since November 2018. Despite such a censure the Speaker on June 18 night had decided on the game plan while the Ibobi-led newly formed SPF were betting on the 26-23 arithmetical equation. In a house whose effective strength was reduced to 49,after disqualification of one minister and resignations of three BJP legislators and seven rebel Congress MLAs being debarred by the court from entering the house. This gave the Congressled newly formed Secular Progressive Front (SPF) the support of 26 (Congress-20,NPP-4, TMC-1 and Indepdent-1) while the BJP coalition had 23 (BJP-18,NPF-4 and LJP-1)including the speaker. However, on June 19, the speaker had other plans. He disqualified four (three Congress MLAs who supported the no-confidence motion against the speaker and the lone TMC member). Another independent MLA was barred from voting. The victory was made possible by cross-voting of two Congress MLAs and the Speaker allowing three of the seven Congress MLAs, who had earlier crossed over to the BJP, to vote. The rest of the four turncoat MLAs have been disqualified. The Ibobiled SPF had allowed victory to be snatched because it could not think beyond the numbers. Numbers can change, as every politician knows and with a speaker who has quashed every rule book, it was indeed a folly to expect the going to be smooth sailing. The BJP has left no stone unturned, even democratic principle and constitutional norms, to ensure that it retained power by hook or by crook in Manipur. In 2017, the Governor invited BJP with 21 seats to form the government and ignoring the Congress which won 28 seats. The second episode was the highly immoral actions of the speaker in ignoring the directives of the court to disqualify a rebel Congress legislator. In addition, the speaker kept the disqualification petitions against seven rebel Congress MLAs in abeyance since November 2018. Next he turned the tables on June 19. What Congress’s senior spokesperson Ajay Maken alleged was not totally untrue that BJP has violated each rule within the statute and used each unethical trick, together with misuse of probe agency, to stay in power in Manipur. Certainly, such unethical politics don’t augur well for democracy in India.

DailyDevotion The Overshadowing of God’s Personal Deliverance

"…I am with you to deliver you," says the Lord. —Jeremiah 1:8 God promised Jeremiah that He would deliver him personally— “…your life shall be as a prize to you…” (Jeremiah 39:18). That is all God promises His children. Wherever God sends us, He will guard our lives. Our personal property and possessions are to be a matter of indifference to us, and our hold on these things should be very loose. If this is not the case, we will have panic, heartache, and distress. Having the proper outlook is evidence of the deeply rooted belief in the overshadowing of God’s personal deliverance. The Sermon on the Mount indicates that when we are on a mission for Jesus Christ, there is no time to stand up for ourselves. Jesus says, in effect, “Don’t worry about whether or not you are being treated justly.” Looking for justice is actually a sign that we have been diverted from our devotion to Him. Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it. If we look for justice, we will only begin to complain and to indulge ourselves in the discontent of self-pity, as if to say, “Why should I be treated like this?” If we are devoted to Jesus Christ, we have nothing to do with what we encounter, whether it is just or unjust. In essence, Jesus says, “Continue steadily on with what I have told you to do, and I will guard your life. If you try to guard it yourself, you remove yourself from My deliverance.” Even the most devout among us become atheistic in this regard— we do not believe Him. We put our common sense on the throne and then attach God’s name to it. We do lean to our own understanding, instead of trusting God with all our hearts (see Proverbs 3:5-6).

Quotes

We aim above the mark to hit the mark. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nagaland Post, Dimapur SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2020

Post-mortem

on guv’s The governor’s prerogative Comment letter to CM E T ver since the advent of institutionalized corruption in Nagaland, in the early 1980s, Nagas have been harping about our unique rights under Article 371A (I) (a). We have used this article and its subsections to cover every sin under the sun, that we commit. Corruption does not mean the act of misusing or extorting money alone, every act of illegality comes under corruption, for when one breaks the law in any manner, one corrupts the law of the land. And when I talk about institutionalized corruption, it includes the politicians and bureaucrats using the state exchequer and its funds like their personal banking account, “Freedom Fighters’ claiming they have the right to tax everyone and everything, unions and associations being formed to enrich their office bearers and colony, ward and village councils governing like mini dictatorships . All this has led to a catastrophic breakdown in Law and Order in Nagaland. Now our Honourable Governor, Mr. R. N. Ravi, I.P.S. (Rtd.) has decided to exercise his unique power under Article 371A(1)(b) in an attempt to curb this rampant lawlessness. So, what exactly does Article 371A(1)(b) state and what are its implications? The final interpretation of laws will be a matter for the Courts to decide, but I give the text of the article in italics, and what I opine they mean. Article371A(1)(b) the Governor of Nagaland shall have special responsibility with respect to law and order in the State of Nagaland for so long as in his opinion internal disturbances occurring in the Naga Hills Tuensang Area immediately before the formation of that State continue therein or in any part thereof and in the discharge of his functions in relation thereto the Governor shall, after consulting the Council of Ministers, exercise his individual judgment as to the action to be taken: The above quote has three

parts:(a) The Governor of Nagaland, unlike the governors of other States of India, has a direct say in matters concerning law and order in the State of Nagaland. (b) This responsibility/power resides with the Governor for as long as he deems that the internal disturbances (insurgency) prior to December 1st. 1963 continues in any part of the Naga Hills Tuensang Area (presently Tuensang, Mon, Longleng and Kiphirie). Since no part of Nagaland has ever been free of insurgency since statehood, this power still resides with the Governor. (c) That in the exercise of his special power, the Governor will consult the Council of Ministers about any measures he wishes to take, but his personal decision will be final and binding. Provided that if any question arises whether any matter is or is not a matter as respects which the Governor is under this sub clause required to act in the exercise of his individual judgment, the decision of the Governor in his discretion shall be final, and the validity of anything done by the Governor shall not be called in question on the ground that he ought or ought not to have acted in the exercise of his individual judgment: This quote, too, has three parts:(a) The Governor has the right to decide which matter falls under his responsibility for maintaining law and order. Examples being, if the Governor feels that any government official is hampering or obstructing the maintenance of law and order, he is free to suspend or transfer the concerned official, as he sees fit; or if he feels that any work/project being undertaken or neglected could cause problems with the maintenance of law and order, he can order the work stopped or undertaken as he deems fit. (b) The Governor’s judgement

Prioritizing the use of ICT

nformation and Communication Technology (ICT) has completely metamorphosised the process of education system. With the advancement of the ICT gadgets, the education system has taken a paradigm shift from traditional to digital teaching learning. It has made the teaching-learning process more effective and productive. The outbreak of the COVID19 has caused a huge problem to the educational institutions. Most governments around the world have temporarily closed educational Institutions in an attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. According to the study, these nationwide closures are impacting over 60% of the world’s student’s population. During this lockdown ICT has become a fundamental instrument in imparting education to the students. Undoubtedly, ICT has introduced a new way of learning such as, distance learning and virtual learning. Though the institutions in Nagaland are temporarily suspended, the teachers with the use of ICT could able to work from home and help the students in their studies. With the inception of ICT in the present education system many teachers are reluctant to adopt the new way of using ICT in teaching learning process. Lack of knowledge and skills in

he word “Breakdown” is very much in vogue these days from Tom, Dick and Harry. But Harry, the other day, brought in another interesting quote into the imbroglio. The question is he said, a choice between that oft used word “breakdown” and that other phrase, describing what occurred so commonly in our poor lives in Nagaland during the past 25 years. He was of course referring to the famous words “out of order”. As in this Covid world, life is “out of order”. Or as in, my Fridge is “out of order” depicting a scene wherein food cannot be preserved

integrating ICT in pedagogical practice is one factor for preventing majority of the teachers to adopt ICT. Many teachers feel stagnant and are more comfortable with traditional way of teaching rather than using ICT in the teaching-learning process. During this lockdown period teachers are compelled to go live stream for online classes but due to lack of competence many teachers are finding difficult in handling ICT tools. But in spite of numerous challenges and difficulties the teachers are working tirelessly to impart quality education to the students during this lockdown period. Prioritizing the use of ICT in the field of education is the need of the hour. Many institutions in Nagaland are still lacking behind in promoting the use of ICT for educational purposes. Every schools and colleges in Nagaland should aim to foster better infrastructure in order to enhance the knowledge and skills of using ICT in the near future. Teachers need to be confident enough and be open minded to new approach of teaching. In order to bring transformation and to improve education in all levels the teachers should be empowered with the latest technology. Lulu Dozo, Assistant Professor, Immanuel College

and decision on these matters is final and unquestionable. (c) The Governor’s personal judgement alone matters. Provided further that if the President on receipt of a report from the Governor or otherwise is satisfied that it is no longer necessary for the Governor to have special responsibility with respect to law and order in the State of Nagaland, he may by order direct that the Governor shall cease to have such responsibility with effect from such date as may be specified in the order; The conclusion clearly states that only if the President orders the Governor that these powers and responsibilities have ceased, will they be inoperative. But the Governor has to first report to the President that such powers are no longer necessary, before the President can issue such an order. This may seem like a Catch 22 situation, but it is necessary, because the Governor is the man on the front line and giving him the power to exercise his individual judgement will be worthless if he is always under threat of having his powers taken away without his knowledge or consent. Many Nagas have been fighting against institutionalized corruption in Nagaland on many fronts. Our appeals have been ignored and our cries unheard. Litigation has been the only recourse for the victims of injustice. But litigation is expensive and time consuming. I thank our Almighty Lord and our Honourable Governor for giving us another avenue for appeal against the multiple injustices that Nagas face on a daily basis. Such a decision can only have been taken by a man of unquestionable principles and integrity. I urge all the people of Nagaland to come out in support of our Honourable Governor’s decision to apply Article 371A (1)(b). Kahuto Chishi Sumi, Akukau, Hevishe Village, Khaghaboto Range, Dimapur, (Kahuto107@ gmail.com)

and therefore leading to a “breakdown” in Harry’s ability to keep food fresh and therein Harry’s failure to keep proper order in his dietary life. Harry is prescient and practical about life. One dictionary gives an analogy to explain the words “out of order” as in a Soda machine refusing to dispense what it should, a Soda Can precisely. So Harry very affably uses this example to describe the ongoing talks as akin to that very same Soda Dispensing Machine. For the last 25 odd years, many people have pressed the button, but no Soda Can was ever dispensed. Obviously the machine is “out of order”.

This has led to a severe shortage of Soda Cans. So the question Harry poses is who owns this machine that is always out of order? The machine is owned by an ever growing number of companies. The largest share belongs to the Central company, about 90%, and the remaining shares belong to several “Shell” companies. Together they control our poor lives. But since the machine is out of order, the maintenance of this whole thingaling is borne by taxing the poor people. Harry may shout from the rooftops about this 25 years old “out of order machine” and the consequent deprivation

turning the public against the factions manifests a sick mind because it directly put the public in the line of fire. The policy has not yielded the desired effect because unarmed civilians are helpless in the face of armed men. In such a scenario, the woes of the public are bound to continue. There is also problem in handling the situation effectively as there seems to be no clear line drawn between antisocial activities and activities political in nature. Taking all these points into consideration, the onus lies more with the GOI and its ceasefire monitoring cell and supervisory board. That being said, the threat to invoke Article 371A (1)(b) of the constitution of India was unfortunate on the ground that the law and order problem that prevailed immediately before statehood during the Era of Naga Hills Tuensang Area and immediate post-statehood were different from present situation, both in nature and operative. At that time there were no factions. There was no ceasefire either up to September 5, 1964. This sub-clause of the said article leaves enough room to interpret the content in different ways by different people, lay people as well as experts. It is surprising then, as to how that antiquated law has been allowed to remain operative until now without amendment. Now that this particular provision in the said article has been brought to life, the NLA may like to give serious thought to explore means to adopt assembly resolution on the issue. After all, there should not be any ambiguity in the content and context of the said article. (Opinions expressed here are purely personal) Dr. K. Hoshi, Phek Town

The position of NSCN

wenty three (23) years of Indo-Naga political talks have come down in the history of the world as the longest period of political negotiations. Down the line, significant achievement was made. But the complexity of the issue delayed the process of finalizing the agreement. Notwithstanding the exasperating time taken to strike the final deal, it was the most peaceful period in the history of Naga political movement spanning over seventy (70) years. However, taking advantage of peaceful environment created by the Indo-Naga ceasefire there were offshoots of pseudo-nationalists tagged with high sounding names. But in the long run they proved themselves nothing less than commercialized organizations least connected with Naga political issue. Nobody cried foul against such mushrooming of mercenary groups which is the root cause of the problem today that smears the ongoing Indo-Naga political process. NSCN is the recognized and legitimate national organization of the Naga people and not a gang. It may be pointed out that the first Indo-Naga Ceasefire agreement was signed on 6th September, 1964 for political dialogue. Mrs. Indira Gandhi herself took up the issue as she sat together across the table with the Naga

Humor in Breakdowns

he Hon'ble Governor's D.O letter to the Hon'ble Chief Minister dated June 16, 2020 needs serious indepth study and further probing. He had charged the PDA government that law and order in the State had collapsed. He went on to show as to how all other issues/problems were connected with the law and order problem. He went on to add that the problems were created by armed cadres who indulge in anti-social and illegal activities. He had charged the government of the day for all the problems that the public are facing on day-to-day basis. However, conscious citizens are not totally blind/ignorant to the ceasefire ground rules. The genuine concerns raised in public interest were praise worthy. Nonetheless, it would have been prudent to apply the rule of first thing first. As a matter of fact, the charges leveled against the government directly reflected the failure of the Government of India (GOI) in the first place. They manifested nothing less than total collapse of ceasefire monitoring cell and supervisory board. Had the ceasefire ground rules been implemented at ground in letter and spirit, the question of cadres roaming with loaded arms and creating law and order problems did not arise. The ceasefire monitoring cell and supervisory board are directly responsible to ensure that cadres strictly adhere to the ceasefire ground rules, in particular, carrying loaded arms outside the designated camps in public places. The failure to conclude the political talks are directly responsible for the deteriorating law and order situation. Obstinate policy of the central government is causing all the problems. The policy of

delegates led by Mr. Kughato Sukhai, the then Ato Kilonser of Nagalim. However, the peace talks failed. It was after a gap of thirty three (33) years that the Indo-Naga political talks resumed during the premiership of Mr. PV. Narasimha Rao, who initiated to establish contact with the NSCN in 1995 resulting in declaration of the Second Indo-Naga Ceasefire on 1st August 1997. So far the Indo-Naga political talks have passed into the hands of six (6) Prime Ministers of India. Finally, the light at the end of the tunnel got brighter when the historic Framework Agreement was signed on 3rd August, 2015, supervised and guided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This agreement recognized the sovereign right of the Naga people on the basis of the unique history of the Nagas and stressed on peaceful co-existence of the two entities sharing sovereign power. What is significantly important is the inherent right of any sovereign people and nation to collect taxes from the people and commercial establishments. This is the universal practice as seen all over the world. Taxes have been the sources of sustenance that has brought the Naga political movement this far. This was legitimately acknowledged by the earlier Interlocutors and Indian

on his life, but his voice is drowned out by the din of “negotiations” between the head office and the company boards. With Harry’s influence, along with Tom and Dick, they decided to write letters of resignations, from the labour union until the “machine” miraculously decides to dispense what it should. And the appeal is, will somebody please explain when this out of order machine became broken down, either way we poor sods know, the owner is the same. Harry says cheerio and hopes that the mess is not being passed on to an unsuspecting passerby. Bendang Ao, Dimapur

authorities and it was never an issue. What has complicated the situation as seen today is the madness of ‘extortions’ that are being carried out by some groups in the guise of freedom fighters. NSCN did not and does not commit extortion at any point of time but levies legitimate taxes from the people. In the history of UNPO (Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization) which is the parallel organization to the UN (United Nations) to which NSCN is a bona fide member, no gang has found its place as member. Only legitimate political organizations of peoples and nations are admitted in the fold of UNPO. Many pseudo-organizations tried to find their way into UNPO but failed to pass the final scrutiny. Any Indian Interlocutor who represents the Government of India needs to prove himself as a man who stands committed to solve the longest political conflict in Southeast Asia. But if he finds pleasure to handle the Naga issue as a ‘law and order’ problem he is not the right person to solve the long standing Indo-Naga problem. Such an Indian Interlocutor will rather complicate and prolong the process which is not the desire of both the Indians and the Nagas. MIP, NSCN/GPRN

Reader’s Post

Contain the spread of the virus

Sir,

My deep appreciation and salute to all the Covid19 front line worked - Administration, Health workers, Security personals, Transporters, CSOs, FBOs, etc. With the continuous growth of Covid-19 positive case in our land, it is a Herculean task for all the front line workers risking their own health and even their families. Now, that the virus has now moved out from the Quarantine centres and Care centres among the health workers, security personals and even transporters, our days ahead is quite gloomy. Therefore, I would like to suggest and request the concern authority that separate place may be arranged for all the frontline workers to stay, and restricting them from going home among the civilian populace. This should not be taken otherwise, but for the safety of their love and dear ones, and moreover will help to contain the spread of the virus before we enter community transmission. Richard Haolai. Social Worker, Dimapur Reader’s note: Articles or letters published in any of the columns do not reflect the view of this newspaper nor that of the Editor in any manner.

national/state

Nagaland Post, Dimapur SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2020

GoM meet to monitor COVID-19 situation ‘China has occupied Y junction in Ladakh’ 8 states contributed 85pc COVID-19 caseload: Health Ministry

New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI): Eight states, including Maharashtra, Delhi and Tamil Nadu, contributed 85.5 per cent of the active COVID-19 caseload and 87 per cent of the total deaths due to the disease in India, according to the Union Health Ministry. The ministry said it briefed the Group of Ministers on COVID-19 on the coronavirus situation in the country and the efforts to boost healthcare infrastructure on Saturday. “It was mentioned that presently eight states - Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Telangana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal - contribute 85.5 per cent of active caseload and 87 per cent of total deaths in India,” it said in a statement. India has reported five lakh COVID-19 cases with the worst single-day jump of 18,552 cases on Saturday. The death toll has climbed to 15,685. The health ministry said it also briefed the GOM during its 17th meet-

eam S Jaishankar and Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri after a GoM meeting in New Delhi, Saturday. (PTI)

ing about the recovery and mortality rates, doubling rate and ramped up testing in various states. It told the GOM 15 central teams consisting of public health experts, epidemiologists and a senior joint secretary-level officer have been deployed to provide support to the states. Another central team is currently visiting Gujarat, Maharashtra and Telangana to strengthen ongoing efforts for management of COVID-

19, it said. The GoM was also briefed about the utility of ITIHAS and Aarogya Setu in contact-tracing and prediction of potential hotspot areas. The Group of Ministers was told that the key focus areas continually communicated to states and UTs are strict containment measures and surveillance, utilizing full testing capacity and focus on monitoring of co-morbid and elderly population and predicting emerging hotspots leverag-

ing digital tools such as Aarogya Setu. They have also been asked to ensure seamless patient admission processes, fatality mitigation by effective clinical management; focus on infrastr ucture preparedness (critical care beds, oxygen, ventilators and logistics) and ensuring that non-COVID healthcare services are not impacted. Balram Bhragava, the ICMR Director General, gave a detailed presentation on the testing strategy. He explained about the serological survey and the increasing capacity for enhanced per-day testing through various tests. The samples tested in the last 24 hours have increased to 2,20,479, taking the total number of samples tested so far to 79,96,707, the statement said. India now has 1,026 diagnostic labs dedicated to COVID-19. This includes 741 in the government sector and 285 private labs, Bhargava told the Group of Ministers.

The GoM was also apprised that as of June 27, the COVID-related health infrastructure has been strengthened with the availability of 1,039 dedicated COVID Hospitals with 1,76,275 isolation beds, 22,940 ICU beds and 77,268 oxygensupported beds, the ministry said. Also, 2,398 dedicated COVID Health Centres with 1,39,483 isolation beds, 11,539 ICU beds and 51,321 oxygen-supported beds have been operationalised. M o r e o v e r, 8 , 9 5 8 COVID Care Centres with 8,10,621 beds are now available in the country. The Centre has provided 185.18 lakh N95 masks and 116.74 lakh Personal Protective Equipment to the states, UTs and Central institutions. In a detailed presentation by K Shivaji, the chairman of the Empowered Group-10, the GoM was briefed that the stipulated redressal time on COVID19 public grievances was brought down from the usual 60 days for normal public grievances to three days.

New Delhi, Jun 27 (IANS): The Congress on Saturday sharpened its attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the IndiaChina face-off, accusing him of giving inconsistent statements on the issue. It said the Chinese soldiers have occupied ‘Y’ junction in Ladakh and are very close to Burtse town. Addressing a virtual press conference, former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal gave the reference of ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu who gave four principles of warfare -- subdue enemy without battle, exploit opponent’s weaknesses, camouflage offence as defence and all warfare is based on deception. “The Chinese are now using the same tactics with us. They have occupied the bottleneck ‘Y’ junction in Ladakh’s Depsang plains, which is 18 km inside the Indian territory in Ladakh,” Sibal said. He said Indian soldiers used to patrol the area from the Burtse OP that went on till bottleneck ‘Y’ junction. “And as the bottleneck Y is occupied by Chinese, now we cannot reach

Kapil Sibal (File)

our patrol point number 14 and there is no access to that today,” Sibal said. “I want to ask the Prime Minister, how did this happen?” “China is now intruding and obstructing Indian patrolling at patrol point numbers 10, 11, 11A, 12, 13,” Sibal said showing the map. He added that the Chinese forces are now 7 km from Ladakhi town Burtse on the Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) road. The Congress leader said that the Y junction is incidentally just 25 km away from the Indian airstrip in Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO), thus putting it within artillery range. Stating that the Daulat Beg Oldi airstrip was the lifeline for Indian forces in Siachen and Karakoram pass, Sibal said, “If the Chinese are so close then it is danger-

ous for India as in case of artillery firing our aircrafts cannot land at the DBO air strip.” Sibal highlighted that the DBO airstrip was made operational during the UPA government in 2013. A total of 230 aircraft landed there due to which Indian soldiers were able to get supplies in Siachen and make the establishment at the LAC stronger. Attacking Modi, Sibal said, “During the all-party meeting, the Prime Minister said that no one intruded in our country and no Chinese intrusion has happened. But yesterday Indian Ambassador to China in an interview said that India hopes China will realise its responsibility in de-escalation and disengagement by moving back to its side of the LAC.” “What does this mean? It means that they are still sitting there and the invasion is still there,” Sibal said. He said that there is inconsistency in the statement of the Prime Minister and the statements by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and two other statements issued by the External Affairs Ministry in the last one month.

Health Min suggests dexamethasone as Enforcement Directorate questions Ahmed Patel at his house an alternative over methylprednisolone

Nagaland’s education initiative amidst Covid19 pandemic wins huge international accolade DIMAPUR, JUN 27 (NPN): Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation Education has recognised and highlighted Nagaland’s initiative of ‘Tele/ Online education programme’ during Covid-19 pandemic terming it as “affordable and effective remote learning.” In its report, “Learning from international education responses to the crises”, OEDCE said that Nagaland was quick to react to school closures, creating lessons to broadcast on radio and television, as well as on the internet, crowd sourcing the content from local teachers and educators. It also encouraged community participation and helped ensure the response was cost–effective and right for local context. According to OECDE and Skills Today, information from around the world

NSUI officebearer shot dead in MP’s Mandla Mandla (MP), Jun 27 (PTI): A 28-year-old local office-bearer of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the Congress’s student wing, was allegedly shot dead at Mandla in Madhya Pradesh, police said on Saturday. The incident, a fallout of some past enmity, occurred during the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, they said. “The deceased, Sonu Parochia, was returning home after celebrating the birthday of his uncle at a roadside eatery in a suburban area of Mandla,” Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Vikram Singh Kushwaha, said. The accused, identified as Mayur Happy Yadav (30), fled from the spot after the crime, he said. “As per the preliminary information, Parochia’s twowheeler was hit by Yadav’s four-wheeler. Later, the accused fired at Parochia, in which he died on the spot,” Kushwaha said.

on education responses to the crises were gathered combining the expertise of Harvard Global education Innovation initiative, OECD directorate for Education and skills and the World Bank Group Education Global Practice. School Education principal director Shanavas C said: “Such article from international organisation is motivating and inspires us to do more”. He said the department was conducting a survey from all the schools asking them the numbers of how many students are able to use the digital education and how many are not able to do it. “Once we have the data wherever we are lacking we’ll find some alternative solutions for them., Shanavas said, adding the, ultimate aim was to cover each and every child in Nagaland.

Over a lakh more become literate in Kerala T h i r u v anan thapuram, Jun 27 (IANS): Kerala has registered over one lakh people becoming literate in the last three years, the Kerala State Literacy Mission claimed on Saturday. The new literates from various sections of society include tribals, fisherfolk, SC/ST and also the migrant population. Mission director P.S. Sreekala said that from 2017 to 2020, a total of 1,05,565 new literates have emerged in the state. “The hard work put in by our team among the weaker and downtrodden sections of the society has now yielded results,” said Sreekala. They include 10,972 tribals from Wayanad and Palakkad, besides over 30,000 living in over 2,000 colonies while close to 4,000 migrant labourers also successfully passed the examinations and over 8,000 from various fishing villages in the state.

Another highlight of this programme was when Bhageerathi Amma and Karthiyayini Amma were given the Nari Shakti Puraskar awards in March this year as the former is 105 and also became the oldest student in the country, while the latter is 98.

House staff at senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel’s residence, in New Delhi, Saturday. (PTI)

fraud that is said to have been perpetrated by the Vadodara-based pharma firm Sterling Biotech and its main promoters -- Nitin Sandesara, Chetan Sandesara and Deepti Sandesara -- all of whom are absconding. The agency has said

that this is a bigger bank scam in volume than the PNB fraud involving diamantaires Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi. The total fraud amount pegged in the PNB case is about Rs 13,400 crore. The Sandesaras are also facing separate probes

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by the CBI and the Income Tax Department for their alleged nexus with some high-profile politicians and charges of corruption and tax evasion, respectively. At present, they are stated to be based in Nigeria, from where India is trying to extradite them. The ED registered a criminal case in connection with the alleged bank loan fraud on the basis of an FIR and a charge sheet filed by the CBI. The agency, last year, had questioned Patel’s son Faisal and son-in-law Irfan Siddiqui in this case and recorded their statements. The two were questioned in context with the statement of one Sunil Yadav, an employee of the Sandesara group, who earlier recorded his statement before the agency.

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expert consultation. Dexamethasone is a corticosteroid drug used in a wide range of conditions for its anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant effects. The dr ug has been tested in hospitalised patients with Covid-19 in the recovery clinical trial and was found to have benefits for critically-ill patients. It has been shown to reduce mortality by about one-third for patients on ventilators, and by about one-fifth for patients being maintained on oxygen therapy. The drug is also a part of the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM)

lines that advises senior citizens to stay indoors in order to remain safe from the pandemic. The agency then assured the Congress party treasurer that all care will be taken while he is questioned at its office but it was pointed out by his legal team that there are media reports about coronavirus cases being found in the ED Headquarters too. The agency then told him that they are willing to visit his home as taking the probe forward in the case was important. Subsequently, the time for home visit was fixed and the agency informed Patel that they will send the investigating officer of the case to him for questioning. Patel has earlier been the political secretary to UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi and considered one of the most powerful persons in the grand old party. This money laundering case pertains to the alleged Rs 14,500 crore bank loan

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New Delhi, Jun 27 (IANS): The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday released an updated clinical management protocol for managing Covid-19 cases, advising use of dexamethasone as an alternative to methylprednisolone for managing moderate to severe cases of the disease. Keeping pace with evolving knowledge about Covid-19, especially in terms of effective drugs, the ministry released the updated clinical management protocol in which some changes have been made after considering the latest available evidence and after

New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI): An Enforcement Directorate (ED) team on Saturday questioned senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel at his residence in Delhi in connection with the Sandesara brothers money laundering case, officials said. They said a three-member team reached Patel’s home at 23, Mother Teresa Crescent in the Lutyens zone of central Delhi around 11:30 am. The team members were seen carrying files and wearing masks and gloves as precautionary measures against coronavirus spread. Patel’s statement is being recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the politicians’ purported links with the Sandesara brothers are under the scanner, they said. The ED had summoned Patel, 70, twice for questioning in the case but the Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat later cited prevailing COVID-19 guide-

business/state India’s forex reserves decline system and for securing its by over $2 bn proper management, even

Co-operative banks come under RBI

without making an order of moratorium, so as to avoid disruption of the financial system. “It will also provide comfort to the depositors who have partly or fully lost their deposits in the past and stablise the deposit flows in these banks. Some of them may need to raise capital from their members to mitigate their asset quality risks and further, a consolidation in this space may get a momentum involving the merger of weaker banks into stronger ones,” Chowdhury said. In February, the BRA was amended to give RBI more regulatory powers over cooperative banks. However, these amendments failed to be passed through the Budget session due to Covid-19 outbreak. Cur rently, Reser ve Bank of India can not audit or give its consent for the appointment of the bank’s CEO, without these new powers.

6-day Peren distt total lockdown

(From p-1) The order stated only the exempted categories related to COVID-19 services such as medical, police, administration, all frontline workers involved in COVID-19 duty and those involved in farming activities and people on medical emergencies would be allowed movement with necessary permit. While pharmacies have been allowed to open, DC stated that all safety measures such as compulsory use of face mask, frequent hand washing/use of hand sanitizer and maintenance of social distancing would be strictly adhered to while carrying out COVID-19 duties. Spitting in public places has been strictly banned and violation of which would be punishable with fine.

Recommending postponement of delimitation an insult: JAC

(From p-1) According to JAC, Madhav being a national general secretary of BJP should have impressed upon the leaders of the State to abide by the Parliament and the country’s constitution. “Unmindful of the position he holds, it is unfortunate that Madhav had forgotten the rationale that giving room to oppose or prevent parliamentary policies from being implemented in a State will only encourage vested-interest sections of the society,” the statement added.

Crossword

Su doku

KAKURO

New Delhi, Jun 27 (Agencies): Starting July 1, bank ATM cash withdrawal rules are going to change. This is because during the lockdown norms for cash withdrawals from an ATM were relaxed. The relaxations had been announced for a period of three months which means the deadline is June 30, 2020. If there is no extension announced, then the old ATM withdrawal rules will get reinstated. So, it will be better to say that the old rules are going to be implemented again. ATM withdrawal rules differ from one bank to another. So, bank customers are advised to contact their home branch bank customer care number and find out the rules in this regard. During the lockdown that was induced by the pandemic, India’s largest lender State Bank of India had earlier waived service charges for all ATM transactions made on SBI ATMs as

well as other bank ATMs. SBI’s official website said, “In view of the announcement made by Finance Minister on March 24, State Bank of India has decided to waive ATM charges for all ATM transactions made on SBI ATMs and other bank ATMs on account of exceeding the free number of transactions up to 30th June.” As per the information available on the official website of the State Bank of India (SBI) sbi.co.in, in metro cities, SBI allows 8 free transactions to its regular

savings account holders to transact in a month. Beyond this, customers are charged on each transaction. SBI allows 8 free transactions to its regular savings account holders to transact in a month. These include free transactions from 5 SBI ATMs and 3 ATMs of any other bank. Nonmetro cities get 10 free ATM transactions, in which 5-5 transactions can be made from SBI and other banks. It then levies Rs 20 + GST for cash transactions and Rs 8 + GST for non-cash transactions.

Pangnyu inaugurates BSL-2 at CIHSR

KSH, LVC seek inquiry into June 23 incident

(From p-1) In another statement, Lizutomi village council (LVC) has strongly condemned the June 23, 2020 incident at Kohima where Khehuto I Assumi, accused of extortion, was “relentlessly killed” in board daylight by anti-extortion unit of Kohima police. LVC chairman Hotokhu Kiba maintained that even if the deceased was found guilty in the eyes of the law, everyone deserved a fair trial. LVC asserted that gunning down the accused on the spot was “truly unjust” as per the constitution. LVC has, therefore, appealed to the state government to “scrutinize the incident by making every effort and give justice to the deceased and the bereaved family.”

Mumbai, Jun 27 (IANS): India’s foreign exchange reserves fell by $2.078 billion during the week ended June 19. According to the RBI’s weekly statistical supplement, the overall forex reserves decreased to $505.566 billion from $507.644 billion reported for the week ended June 12. India’s forex reserves comprise foreign currency assets (FCAs), gold reserves, special drawing rights (SDRs) and India’s reserve position with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). On a weekly basis, FCAs, the largest component of the forex reserves, edged lower by $1.698 billion to $467.039 billion. Similarly, the value of the country’s gold reserves decreased. It fell by $358 million to $32.815 billion. Besides, the SDR value slipped by $6 million to $1.447 billion. The country’s reserve position with the IMF declined by $16 million to $4.264 billion.

(From p-1) To those undergoing mental stress, the minister urged them to avail the counseling service provided by the government. As the entire country was under the process to “unlock”, Pangnyu urged the people of Nagaland to strictly follow the guidelines issued by the state government. Though many restrictions have been lifted, Pangnyu warned that it did not mean that the pandemic was over. He asked the people to honour the sacrifices of those at the frontline by following the guidelines. Earlier, in his brief address, PHED minister, Jacob Zhimomi said the dream of the people of Nagaland and citizens of Dimapur district to have a

Bio Safety Laboratory has materialized. Asserting that the state government was committed to contain COVID-19 pandemic, Jacob said this was only possible with the support and cooperation of the people of Nagaland. Citing various allegations and criticisms faced by the government and H&FW department in particular, Jacob said it was imperative for the people to understand that most countries including the superpower countries, with world-class health infrastructures, were caught unprepared by the pandemic. Stating that people of Nagaland were yet to grasp the gravity of the situation, Zhimomi called upon all to be more responsible and sensitive towards the ongoing global pandemic.

No. 9607 Yesterday’s solution No. 9606

No. 4226 Yesterday’s solution No. 4225

No. 3251 Yesterday’s solution No. 3250

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In his welcome address, director CIHSR, Dr. Sedevi Angami said the BSL-2 laboratory had been especially “created” to augment the testing of the COVID-19 patients in the state. Dr. Sedevi said BSL-2 was a unique state of art facility which houses Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) machine and its entire related infrastructure. Putting to rest all speculations of possible spread of viruses through the laboratory, Dr. Sedevi said BSL-2 laboratory facility was an “extremely safe facility” for those working inside. He said there was very little chance that any organism that would escape from the lab to the outside world, if all the protocols were observed religiously.

Govt savings bonds to offer higher rate of interest Mumbai, Jun 27 (Agencies): In a move that may increase retail appetite for government bonds, the Centre on Friday evening said it is going to issue a floating rate, taxable savings bond for an initial coupon of 7.15 per cent, to be reset half yearly from January 1 next year. The coupon rate will be pegged with the prevailing National Saving Certificate (NSC) rate with a spread of 35 basis points over the respective NSC rate, the details and operational guidelines on which will be issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) shortly. The bond will replace the savings bonds offered by the government at 7.75 per cent until May 28. The key difference is that the earlier one was fixed, and now this is going to be floating, and can thus work as an inflation hedge, while saving the government from higher cost when rates are low. The bond will be available at State Bank of India and other nationalised banks, as well as four private sector banks, the RBI said in a statement. The bonds will be available only for resident Indians, or to a Hindu undivided family. Subscription to the bonds will be in the form of cash (up to Rs 20,000), drafts, cheques or any electronic mode.

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Thanking the state government for providing CIHSR and people of Nagaland with the such a facility, Dr. Sedevi said the team would make best use of the lab to conduct tests related COVID-19 and others diseases instead of sending them outside. “This facility also enhances our capability of conducting several researches at a molecular level related to the peculiar disease patterns that exist in our state and region,” said Dr. Sedevi. The inaugural programme began with an invocation by CIHSR chaplain, Aonukstung and concluded with benediction by deputy director (Admin) CIHSR, Dr. Viu Meru. The prog rammme was attended by advisors – Tovihoto Ayemi, Zhaleo

Rio, Toshi Wungtung and Azheto Zhimomi, MLA; APC and Dimapur incharge of COVID-19 related activities, Y Kikheto Sema; secretary H&FW Kesonyu Yhome; deputy commissioner Dimapur, Anoop Khinchi; Commissioner of Police Dimapur, Rothihu Tetseo; Chief Medical Officer Dimapur, Dr. Tiasunup and Medical Superintendent (MS) Dimapur, Dr. Kheshito and host of other officials. Meanwhile, CIHSR management informed that the hospital has been assessed and found to comply with National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) pre accreditation entry level-hospital requirements. The certificate issued by NABH was unveiled by minister, Jacob Zhimomi.

NVCO backs PAC demand

DIMAPUR, JUN 27 (NPN): Nagaland Voluntary Consumers’ Organisation (NVCO) Saturday expressed support to the Public Action Committee (PAC)’s demand for enacting an anti-crime act to control rampant organised crime in Nagaland, which it said was ‘the need of the hour’. NVCO through its press & media cell reminded that in 2014, it urged upon the legislators to enact stringent laws such as Maharashtra Crime Control Act & U.P. Goondas Act to combat extortion in the state. In the press release, NVCO mentioned about the concerns expressed by the Governor over rampant tax collections by various armed groups that has led to upward spiral of prices of every item in the market. NVCO also drew attention on the press briefing of the state police to highlight its achievements during

the past five years. NVCO questioned as to why was nothing mentioned about illegal taxation at the checkgates and on highways by organizations, government agencies including police and several other groups?. N VC O a l s o m e n tioned about the representation to DC Kohima by the Kohima District Truck Owners’Union(KDTODU) on October 9,2019 over rampant collections by various government departments and scores of organizations from Khuzama check gate to Lalmati area. NVCO also pointed out that KDTODU had enclosed the government order issued on June 22,2009 banning any form of gate collections. NVCO said that the state police highlighted its achievements just after Nagaland Governor had shot a letter to the chief minister expressing concern over collapse of law and order in the state.

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heightened concerns on the safety of the retail deposits in co-operative banks, we believe that bringing the sector under complete RBI regulation at par with other scheduled commercial banks will go a long way in improving its health and operating practices,” said Suman Chowdhury, Chief Analytical Officer, Acuite Ratings & Research. The ordinance will bring 1,482 urban and 58 multi state cooperative banks having over 8 crore depositors and estimated deposits of Rs 4.84 lakh crore under the supervisory powers of Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Since this sector had been under dual regulation involving the Registrar of Co-operatives, RBI didn’t have adequate jurisdiction over these banks. The Ordinance also amends Section 45 of the BRA, to enable making of a scheme of reconstruction or amalgamation of a banking company for protecting the interest of the public, depositors and the banking

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Saturday. “The Ordinance seeks to protect the interests of depositors and strengthen cooperative banks by improving governance and oversight by extending powers already available with RBI in respect of other banks to Co-operative Banks as well for sound banking regulation, and by ensuring professionalism and enabling their access to capital,” the statement added. The amendments to Banking Regulation Act, 1949 does not affect existing powers of the State Registrars of Co-operative Societies under state co-operative laws. It will also not apply to Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) or co-operative societies whose principal business is longterm finance for agricultural development, and which do not use the word “bank” or “banker” or “banking” and do not act as drawees of cheques. “Given the increased instances of cor porate governance lapses and the

Bank ATM cash withdrawal rules to change from July 1

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New Delhi, Jun 27 (IANS): The Centre has brought urban and multistate cooperative banks under the direct supervision of the Reserve Bank with President Ram Nath Kovind promulgating the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020. The government had issued ordinance to operationalise new provisions of the Act quickly in the interest of millions of depositors who use the cooperative channel to undertake banking transactions including making deposit of their hard earned money. In the absence of sound regulation offered by the RBI, cooperatives were prone to mishandling of depositors’ money. A case in point is the last year’s PMC scam. “In pursuance of the commitment to ensure safety of depositors across banks, the President has promulgated the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020,” a finance ministry statement said on

Nagaland Post, Dimapur SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2020

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I, MS AWELE ELAH D/O. MESOTSOLO ELAH R/O. RIVER BELT COLONY COLLEGE: UNITY COLLEGE, Dimapur That I have lost my Original Documents Bearing N.U. REGISTRATION CARD of 2017 Roll No. 17280053 is reportedly lost from River Belt Colony on 25/06/20. DP-2950

I, Shri Pauheurang Ringdi am applying for a duplicate copy of HSLC Examination 2020 Admit Card as I have lost it. Name : Paheurang Ringdi F/Name : Huthui Ringdi Roll No : 201953107 D.O.B : 09-02-2003 School : LM Hr. Sec. School, Mhainamtsi Board : NBSE DP-2943

Biden ahead of Trump in some polls

personal style may be a turn-off to many voters, although his supporters love his outspoken and sometimes outlandish persona. “The emotional basis for Trump’s campaign is: things are bad, this is the fault of bad people... Such people are trying to stop me from fixing what’s wrong. Join me and I’ll crush them and then I’ll make things better,” Clay Ramsay, a senior research associate at the Center for International and Security Studies at University of Maryland, told Xinhua.

US imposes visa restrictions on China

The US has imposed visa restrictions on Chinese Communist Party officials.

Washington, Jun 27 (IANS): US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that Washington was imposing visa restrictions on Chinese Communist Party officials believed to be responsible for the national security law for Hong Kong, the media reported. On Friday, Pompeo said the sanctions targeted “current and former” party officials, reports the BBC. China has proposed the security legislation that would make it a crime to undermine Beijing’s authority in Hong Kong, and could

also see China installing its own security agencies in the territory for the first time. Pompeo’s statement on Friday, which did not name the Chinese officials affected by the US visa restrictions, followed a recent vote by the US Senate to impose sanctions on individuals who undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy and the banks that do business with them. Responding to the move, the Chinese Embassy in Washington said on Saturday that it “firmly opposes the US side’s wrongful decisions”.

‘Russia offered terrorists bounties to kill US soldiers’

US soldiers engage in block-to-block urban combat in the streets of Karbala. (File)

Washington, Jun 27 (Agencies): US intelligence has concluded that the Russian military offered bounties to Taliban-linked terrorists in Afghanistan to kill American troops and other coalition forces, the New York Times reported on Friday. Citing officials briefed on the matter, the Times said the United States determined months ago that a Russian military intelligence unit linked to assassination attempts in Europe had offered rewards for successful attacks last year. Islamist terrorists, or armed criminal elements closely associated with them, are believed to have collected some bounty money, the newspaper said. The White House, the

CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined requests from Reuters for comment on the Times report. US President Donald Trump has been briefed on the intelligence finding, the Times said. It said the White House has yet to authorize any steps against Russia in response to the bounties. Of the 20 Americans killed in combat in 2019, the Times said, it was not clear which deaths were under suspicion. After nearly 20 years of fighting the Taliban, the United States is looking for a way to extricate itself from Afghanistan and to achieve peace between the US-backed government and the terrorist group, which controls swathes of the country.

In a statement posted on Twitter, the Embassy added: “We urge the US side to immediately correct its mistakes, withdraw the decision and stop interfering in China’s domestic affairs.” Last month, President Donald Trump had also said that he would start to end preferential treatment for Hong Kong in trade and travel, in response to China’s plans, the BBC reported. He said Beijing was replacing “its promised formula of One Country, Two Systems with One Country, One System”.

Israeli warplanes strike Hamas facilities in Gaza Jerusalem, Jun 27 (IANS): Israeli warplanes carried out air strikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip in response to a rocket attack, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Saturday. Hours after two rockets were fired into southern Israel, IDF aircraft conducted an airstrike late Friday against a rocket manufacturing workshop and a weapons manufacturing facility. There were no immediate reports from the Gaza Strip on the extent of damage or injuries. “The IDF views any kind of terror activity aimed at Israel with great severity and will continue operating as necessary against attempts to harm Israeli civilians,” the statement said. The mutual exchange of fire came after 10 ten days of quiet in the area, but tensions were running high in the region as Israel may announce annexation of territories in the West Bank. Earlier this week, Hamas warned that it would respond violently to the expected Israeli move, calling it “a declaration of war”. In response, Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz warned Hamas that “they will be the first ones to pay for any aggression”.

G e n e va , J u n 2 7 (Agencies): AstraZeneca’s experimental COVID19 vaccine is probably the world’s leading candidate and most advanced in terms of development, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) chief scientist said on Friday. The British drugmaker has already begun largescale, mid-stage human trials of the vaccine, which was developed by researchers at University of Oxford. This week, AstraZeneca signed its tenth supplyand-manufacturing deal. “Certainly in terms of how advanced they are, the stage at which they are, they are I think probably the leading candidate,” WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan told a news conference. “So it’s possible they will have results quite early.” Swaminathan said Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate was “not far behind” AstraZeneca’s, among more than 200 candidates, 15 of which have entered clinical trials. “We do know that Moderna’s vaccine is also

going to go into phase three clinical trials, probably from the middle of July, and so that vaccine candidate is not far behind,” she said. “But I think AstraZeneca certainly has a more global scope at the moment in terms of where they are doing and planning their vaccine trials.” The WHO is in talks with multiple Chinese manufacturers, including Sinovac, on potential vaccines, as well as with Indian researchers, Swaminathan said. She called for drugmakers to consider collaborating on COVID-19 vaccine trials, similar to the WHO’s ongoing Solidarity trial for drugs. A WHO-

led coalition fighting the pandemic on Friday asked government and private sector donors to help raise $31.3 billion in the next 12 months to develop and deliver tests, treatments and vaccines for the disease. The initiative is called the ACTAccelerator. Andrew Witty, Special Envoy for the ACT-Accelerator, said it was important to consider a “portfolio of research efforts” for vaccines. “It’s still very early days in this journey, we may be super lucky - which would be terrific - and have an early win,” Witty said. “Even if it takes 12 to 18 months that would be without precedent, the world’s fast development of vaccine.”

UN marks 75th anniversary of Charter signing

U n i t e d Nat i o n s, Jun 27 (IANS): The UN Charter “brought rules and hope to a world in ruins” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a virtual ceremony, commemorating 75 years since the organization’s foundational text was signed. Adopted by member states as the Second World War was ending, the UN chief on Friday noted that the world today was marking the milestone anniversary “as global pressures are spiraling up”, reports Xinhua news agency The Charter was signed in San Francisco on June 26, 1945 and came into force on October 24, 1945. Conceived above all as a means to save future generations from the scourge of war, the Charter calls for the organization to maintain international peace and security; promote social progress and better standards of life; strengthen international law; and promote human rights. The UN Charter “remains our touchstone for a world mired in a pandemic, torn by discrimination, endangered by climate change

eral Assembly President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande told the commemoration. Mona Juul, President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) pledged “to continue engaging ... to ensure that ECOSOC remains as relevant today and, in the future, as it was when first envisioned in the Charter 75 years ago”. “Seventy-five years ago, today, the UN Charter was signed in San Francisco,” chief for UN political and peacebuilding affairs Rosemary DiCarlo said. “A declaration of unity of purpose after the ravages of the Second World War, it set out our mission: ‘to save An aerial view shows a giant ephemeral landart painting entitled ‘World in succeeding generations from Progress’ at the European headquarters in Geneva. (AP/PTI) the scourge of war’ (and) guides us to this day.” and scarred by poverty, in- did 75 years ago, Guterres equality and war”, Guterres said that the delegates in San said. Francisco in 1945, “having OFFICE OF THE VILLAGE COUNCIL, CHANGKI Speaking of the post- themselves lived through a FELICITATION war multilateral arrange- global pandemic, depression ments, Guterres said that and war, seized their opporthey “have compiled a solid tunity to plant the seeds of record of service - saving something better and new”. millions of lives, advancing “Today, we must do the the human condition and same,” he stressed. fulfilling its cardinal task The penholders of the of preventing World War Charter “dared to imagine Three”. Recalling what the a better world defined by founding people of the UN peace and equality”, Gen-

Planets around star intrigue astronomers

The Village Council, Changki through this platform extend our heartiest congratulations to Miss YANGERJUNGLA PONGEN, D/O Lanusungkum and Tialemla for bringing laurels to Changki villagers by securing top 6th position in the recently declared NBSE Pre University (Science stream) from St. John Higher Secondary School. The Village Council wish her the very best in her future endeavors. The council also congratulates all the successful students from Changki village for clearing the same NBSE (Pre University) exam declared recently, and encourage all to continue to work harder in the days to come too. Lendimenba Amri Imodangba Pongen Chairman Secretary

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tions that slowed economic growth. But now, the thriving economy with a constant growth and a low level unemployment rate in the past recent years has been erased, and the president is racing against the clock to get the economy moving forward again in the next crucial months before November’s elections. W h i l e Tr u m p h a s maintained the economy will bounce back in a socalled “V shape”, many economists were sceptical. Moreover, Trump’s

C h i c ag o, J u n 2 7 (IANS): Two people were killed and one critically injured after an employee of a coffee-dispenser manufacturer opened fire at the company’s warehouse in Springfield, the capital of the US state of Illinois, police said. The shooting took place at the Bunn-O-Matic plant on Friday morning, reports Xinhua news agency local media as saying. The suspect, Michael Collins (48), then fled the scene and was later found dead in his car of a selfinflicted gunshot wound, with two handguns besides his body. Police officers found the bodies of the two male victims, one in his 20s and the other in 60s, in warehouse. A woman in her 50s was found injured in the parking lot and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, local media quoted Springfield Police Chief Kenny Winslow as saying during a news conference. The suspect was a coworker of the three victims, Winslow said.

UK most advanced in COVID vaccine race

FELICITATION We, the Dimapur Longtsung Yamo Randan Ekhum Okho would like to express its heartiest congratulations to all the following members who have promoted and appointed to the following posts:1. Shri. Thungdemo L. Mozhui promoted to Inspector General of Prison (I.G.P) 2. Shri. Nribemo M. Mozhui promoted to Chief Engineer Department of Power. 3. Shri. Nzinimo Mozhui promoted to Registrar, Department of A.H. & Vety. 4. Er. Thechano C. Ovung promoted to Scientist C (Bureau of India Standard) under Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Govt. of India.

Washington, Jun 27 (Agencies): Up to three planets - potentially rocky like Earth - have been spotted around a star located relatively near our solar system - a planetary system offering astronomers intriguing possibilities in the search for signs of extraterrestrial life. The planets orbit Gliese 887, a so-called red dwarf star half the sun’s mass located 11 light years from Earth - right in our backyard in cosmic terms, researchers said on Friday. A light year is the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km). Only 12 other stars are closer to our solar system. Two planets have been definitively identified, one

orbiting Gliese 887 every nine days and the other every 21 days. One of these two is situated just inside what is called the habitable zone, or Goldilocks zone, around the star - not too hot and not too cold, perhaps able to maintain liquid water on the surface and harbor life. A third potential planet orbiting every 50 days is located in the habitable zone, but still needs further confirmation. “They are ‘superEarth’ planets, which means that they are a few times the mass of the Earth and are expected to have a solid core like the Earth, as opposed to the big gas giants such as Jupiter and Saturn,” said astronomer Sandra Jeffers of the University of Gottingen in Germany, lead author of

the research published this week in the journal Science. “The newly detected planets are the best possibilities of all the known planets in close proximity to the sun to see if they have atmospheres and to study these atmospheres in detail,” Jeffers added, to learn whether their conditions are “amenable for life.” This planetary system will be a key target for study using NASA’s next-generation James Webb Space Telescope, due for a 2021 launch, Jeffers said. Red dwarf stars are relatively small and cool. Gliese 887 is exceptionally inactive in terms of energetic outbursts and dark starspots, meaning it could be hospitable to life on the planets in its orbit.

Chairman Nrinimo Mozhui Dimapur Longtsung Randan Ekhum Okho

Secretary Rakomo Mozhui Dimapur Longtsung Randan Ekhum Okho

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Joe Biden (File)

However, there are several X factors, one of which is that polls showing Biden ahead might not predict the general election, as there is evidence that while many Americans may not openly admit they support Trump, they support him in private. At the same time, polling guru Nate Silver, of the website FiveThirtyEight, told ABC News that it’s still possible for Trump to clinch the White House by winning the electoral college vote, as he did in 2016. There is also the issue of the protests that swept the nation in recent weeks, amid calls to defund the police. Republican Strategist and TV news personality Ford O’Connell told Xinhua that Democrats now realize they are “playing with fire” ,as calls to defund the cops are echoing in the Democratic Party’s left wing. If that continues, “that is certainly winning more and more voters over to Donald Trump’s law and order side”, O’Connell said.

Two killed in Illinois shooting

OFFICE OF THE

KUHOXU STUDENTS’ UNION NIULAND : NAGALAND

FELICITATION With immense pride and joy, the Kuhoxu Students’ Union would like to extend our heartiest congratulations to the 18 successful candidates in the HSLC and HSSLC examination 2020. The under mentioned achievers who hold distinction: Name Class Subject 1. Ikusa Zhimo 10 English, Social Science 2. Kinitoli Kiba 10 Social Science, 6th Subject 3. Kughashi Chophy 12 English 4. Jermy 12 Education We wish you all good luck for the future endeavours. (LOVITOLI ACHUMI) President, KSU

(HOKITO CHOPHY) Gen. Secy., KSU

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Washington, Jun 27 (IANS): Democratic presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden was ahead of President Donald Trump in some polls, but experts have said the winner of the 2020 race to the White House was still far from a done deal. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and recent civil unrest, Trump has come under severe criticism on a number of fronts, reports Xinhua news agency. A New York Times/ Siena College poll released this week shows Biden with a strong, 14-point advantage, at a time when Trump is still fighting the pandemic, as well as dealing with the economy, badly hit by the nationwide lockdown. The lockdown triggered by the pandemic has put millions of Americans out of work, and the jobless rate now stands at levels not seen since the Great Depression nearly 90 years ago. Many Americans still support Trump, as his administration rolled back years of red tape and regula-

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Nagaland Post, Dimapur SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2020

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Nagaland Post, Dimapur SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2020

Nawazuddin Bill Maher skewers awkward ‘push and pull’ Tetseo Sisters’ release Siddiqui sends legal campaign song ‘say yes to life’ notice to wife Aaliya B B

etseo Sisters’ “say yes to life”, a happy folk tune written and composed by Tetseo Sisters for Nagaland Police initiative is a campaign song for International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (IDADAIT) observed on June 26 every year. The song written by Tetseo Sisters and mixed/ produced by Mhaseve K Tetseo (MKT) has been declared by Narcotics

Control Board Guwahati as one of the top 10 #SayYesToLife campaign songs for 2020. It was released on social media by Nagaland Police and the artistes on YouTube on 26 June to commemorate the department's effort at fighting drug abuse and illicit trafficking. In their message, Tetseo Sisters encouraged everyone battling an addiction to “stay strong and

never give up”. “We care. Your family cares. There is hope, love and support. Life is beautiful”, the sisters stated. They also encouraged youngsters, to “be aware and think again before going down that road” as there really isn't a rewind. “We lose so much to drugs; there is so much more to life. Get high on life, music, art instead”, they added. (Correspondent)

ollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has reportedly sent a legal notice to his wife Aaliya, who had sent him a divorce notice on May 7. Nawazuddin's notice to his estranged wife alleges "engaging in fraud, willful and planned defamation" and "slander of character", as per a report in timesofindia.com. The notice adds that the actor had replied to Aaliya's divorce notice on May 19, within 15 days. Aaliya had reportedly complained in a recent interview that she is unable to pay her children's school fees as Nawazuddin Siddiqui has stopped paying her the monthly allowance. The actor's lawyer has rejected such claims. "EMI is still being paid by my client. Other children related expenses too. Divorce notice was replied to but again, she has stated the contrary in order to defame through this well thought slander campaign," Nawazuddin Siddiqui's lawyer Adnan Shaikh told the website. (Mid Day)

ill Maher returned to a subject directly in his wheelhouse during his closing monologue in Friday night’s episode of Real Time: cancel culture during the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests. “White people need to stop trying to cancel other people whose heart is in the right place but don’t get it exactly right on the first try,” Maher said. Ridiculing recent incidents involving white shaming of other white people’s responses to the protests over racial injustice, Maher managed to avoid the phrase “political correctness.” But he reeled off a series of examples, which he derided for effectively telling people they were “helping wrong.” Maher also mentioned the backlash over the posting of black squares on Instagram in support of Black Lives Matter and a tweet by Ellen DeGeneres. The daytime talk host, Maher marveled, had to delete a tweet that read in part, “People of color have faced injustice for far too long” because it was seen as offensively cautious in tone. “I worry that the kind

of tensions that the guardians of ‘gotcha’ are creating is going to make people afraid to mingle at all, and thrust us back towards a resegregation of sorts, where instead of just seeing a person and not a color, now we’re only seeing color,” he said. “Maybe this is oldschool liberalism talking, but I don’t think that’s the way to go.” Maher said it seems to have the feel of an uncomfortable competition. “Hating racism the most?! You can’t steal that. Elvis taking Little Richard’s act – that was bad enough.” Liberalism, Maher said, “should be about lifting people up instead of

slapping people down who are trying to say, ‘I’m on your side.'” “You want to be a good ally — but not too good, or you’re being a white savior. Use your voice — but don’t make it about yourself ! But speak up — unless it’s your time to just listen. And then silence means violence,” he said. “Even though ‘silence’ sometimes just means someone works two jobs and has three kids. They have baby food on their shirt, not hate in their heart.” Maher acknowledged there are sometimes more clear-cut examples of someone making a serious misstep that deserves to be called out, but he argued

that more leniency should be applied. He mentioned a sportscaster in Sacramento who was fired after tweeting “all lives matter,” though he claimed he did not understand the racist overtones of the phrase. “Instead of a possible ally, we create a bitter, unemployed person,” Maher lamented. Willow Smith, Maher said, offered some of the most accurate assessment of these fraught times. She recently decried people “shaming others for what they are choosing to say or shaming people for not saying anything at all. I feel like if we really want change, shaming doesn’t lead to learning.” (Deadline)

YouTuber Shane Dawson Joaquin Phoenix attends vigil Primus reschedule their Rush tribute tour for 2021 ‘willing to lose everything’ for animal rights activist

into isolation with a nasty virus. This time I will get to go out there and get my ‘Geddy on’. I’ve got my Ricky shined up and have been practicing my Moog licks. He continued: “2020 has proven to be one nasty kick to the crotch on many levels. This nation is divided beyond anything I’ve ever seen; from who’s wearing masks or not to who’s treating folks with common dignity…or not. Let’s hope 2021 will resolve us all into some form of unity. As far as touring, it will be nice to be back in the saddle again, see y’all next summer… ’Geddy up!'” Primus will be supported on the tour by Wolfmother, The Sword, and Battles. The tour comes following the death of Rush

drummer Neil Peart, who passed away in January after quietly battling brain cancer for the past three years. Often considered one of the greatest drummers of all time, Peart joined Rush in 1974 along with singer/bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson. His flamboyant yet definitive style helped make the trio one of the key bands of the classic-rock era. Meanwhile, a short film narrated by Peart titled ‘Growth Rings’ has been made available to watch online. Created in collaboration with DW Drums, the film honours the way in which music marks moments in people’s lives. Peart co-wrote and recorded his own voiceover before his death. (NME)

Stuart Cornfeld, ‘Zoolander’ and ‘Tropic Thunder’ producer dies at 67

tuart Cornfeld, the longtime producing partner of Ben Stiller who guided such comedies as Zoolander, Dodgeball and Tropic Thunder, has died. He was 67. Cornfeld died of cancer, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. No other details of his death were immediately available. While his earlier career saw him produce such fare as the David Cronenberg remake of The Fly in 1986 and the 1991 Steven Soderbergh movie Kafka, it was with his nearly two-decade association with Stiller where he made his mark. Born in Tarzana in 1952, Cornfeld was part of the American Film Institute class of 1975. He worked with Anne Bancroft on two Directing Workshop for Women projects, which opened a doorway for him into Hollywood. She introK Y M C

duced him to her husband, Mel Brooks, who hired Cornfeld as his assistant on High Anxiety (1977). Cornfeld went on to associate produce the Bancroft-directed Fatso (1980) and the Brooks-directed History of the World: Part 1 (1981) and to executive produce the Brooks-produced The Elephant Man (1980). Cornfeld's 1990s output was sporadic — he produced

Glenn Gordon Caron's Wilder Napalm (1993) and worked with Guillermo del Toro on Mimic (1997) — but in 1999, he partnered with Stiller to launch Red Hour Films, ushering in movies that made their mark on the comedy scene. Starting with Zoolander (2001), starring Stiller and Owen Wilson, the Cornfeld-Stiller partnership yielded Duplex (2003) with

Stiller and Drew Barrymore, Starsky & Hutch (2004) with Stiller and Wilson, Dodgeball (2004) with Stiller and Vince Vaughn, Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny (2006) with Jack Black and David Grohl, Blades of Glory (2007) with Will Ferrell and Will Arnett, horror thriller The Ruins (2008) with Jena Malone and Tropic Thunder (2008) with Tom Cruise, Robert Downey Jr. and Stiller in the first decade of the 2000s. Thunder earned an Academy Award nomination for Downey and Golden Globe noms for Downey and Tom Cruise. The film won best comedy at the Broadcast Critics Film Awards and the Hollywood Film Awards. More recently, Cornfeld produced the Black-starrer The Polka King (2017) and had moved into television, executive producing The Meltdown with Jonah and

Kumail and Another Period, among other shows. Cornfeld unofficially retired from the entertainment business about two years ago. He said he had lost interest in movies and thought it was time to step aside. "There's nothing terribly important about a producer, I believe," Cornfeld told American Film magazine in 2013, the year he received AFI's Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal. "I mean, honestly, what you want to do is just make the films that you work on better. And I think that I really, really, really like working with strong directors. It's an incredibly difficult job to do well, and I've been very lucky to work with a lot of people who do it really well." He is survived by his ex-wife, Johanna Went, and sisters Lois and Ellen. (The Hollywood Reporter)

he Oscar-winning actor, 45, joined more than 100 animal rights activists for a vigil to commemorate Regan Russell outside of the Farmer John slaughterhouse in Vernon, California, on Thursday night. Phoenix, who has been an outspoken proponent for animal rights and veganism, stood outside of the slaughterhouse in a black hoodie reading "LA Animal Save," a mask, and a sign that read, "#SavePigs4Regan." Standing beside him was his friend, Michelle Cho, with a sign that read, "Rest in power Regan." In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, Phoenix said, "Regan Russell spent the final moments of her life providing comfort to pigs who had never experienced the touch of a kind hand." "While her tragic death has brought upon deep sorrow in the Animal Save community, we will honor her memory by vigorously confronting the cruelties she fought so hard to prevent by marching with Black Lives, protecting Indigenous rights, fighting for LGBTQ equality, and living a compassionate vegan life," he said. "The Ontario government can attempt to silence us with the passage of its Ag-Gag bill -Bill 156 - but we will never go away and we will never back down," he said. "My heart goes

out to the Toronto Animal Save community and to Regan’s lifelong partner, Mark Powell." Part of Russell’s fight was to repeal a new bill passed in Ontario, Bill 156, that will soon make it illegal for anyone to be on private property such as farms

where animals intended for slaughter are usually held. Russell died on the morning of June 19 outside of the Fearman’s Pork Inc. when she was hit by a transport truck as she was attempting to give water to pigs headed to slaughter. (People)

TOLUVI GHAMI MUTAKITO SSA FELICITATION

With immense pride and honour, we the Toluvi Ghami Mutakito SSA would like to express our profound happiness and convey our heartiest congratulations to MR TOKASHE SEMA on being promoted to Inspector Home Guards & Civil Defence. We further wish and pray that God Almighty grant him success in his future endeavour. (INABO LABO) Chairman Mutakito SSA

(NGUKATO ZHIMO) Secretary Mutakito SSA

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his is the third time the California funk metal band have had to reschedule the tour that will see them perform Rush’s 1977 album ‘A Farewell to Kings’ in its entirety. They were originally supposed to head out in 2019 but pushed it back in order to support Slayer on the final leg of their farewell tour. They then planned to hit the stage in May of this year but were forced to postpone due to the first wave of the coronavirus. “We’ve postponed this Tribute to King’s tour twice now,” Primus frontman Les Claypool said in a statement. “Once because we opted to help send Slayer on their way into retirement and once because mother nature decided to slap us all

upset. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be Black, and see this white guy do blackface, and the whole internet at that time being like, ‘LOL!' That's insane and I am so sorry." "I should lose everything for that," he remarked. As for his use of the N-word in past YouTube videos, Shane admitted to contributing to the "normalization" of the slur. "Me, as a white person, wearing a wig, playing a character, doing stereotypes and then saying the N-word is something that I should have probably lost my career for at the time. There's no amount of apologizing that can take it away." Now, in a time of reckoning for more and more internet personalities, Shane said he's "willing to lose everything" because of his actions. Shane concluded his video by apologizing to James Charles, who was the subject of criticism following last year's infamous feud with fellow beauty guru Tati Westbrook. Addressing a statement he posted to Twitter last week, in which he described James as "egocentric" and "power hungry," Shane said, "The part of the Twitter note that I regret more than anything in my entire life, was the part where I said that James deserve a slice of humble pie the size of the Empire State Building." (EOnline)

OFFICE OF THE KOHIMA RIPHYIM EKHUNG KOHIMA :: NAGALAND

FELICITATION

Dr. N. RENTHUNGO PATTON Mr. ZUCHANBEMO T. PATTON The KOHIMA RIPHYIM EKHUNG (KRE) would like to extend our heartiest congratulations to the following achievers for bringing laurels to the Union in particular and the village in general. 1. Dr. N. RENTHUNGO PATTON, s/o Lt Ntsemo Patton on being conferred Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Economics on the topic “Economics of Rubber Plantation in Nagaland: A case study of Wokha and Mokokchung District” under the supervision of Prof. T. Zarenthung Ezung, Nagaland University. 2. Mr. ZUCHANBEMO T. PATTON, s/o Tumben Patton for securing top 4 position (Arts Stream) in the recently declared HSSLC Examination 2020 under NBSE. The Union also congratulates all the successful candidates of HSLC, HSSLC examination 2020. The Union conveys its best wishes in their future endeavours. Sd/Sd/(KONTHUNGO ODYUO) (SHUMBENTHUNG PATTON) Chairman, General Secretary, Kohima Riphyim Ekhung Kohima Riphyim Ekhung

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ouTube star Shane Dawson wants his millions of fans to know that he's not the person he used to be. In a 20-minute video released Friday, titled "Taking Accountability," Dawson addressed the renewed criticism he's facing for his use of blackface, the Nword and other offensive comments he's made since launching his popular YouTube channel more than a decade ago. Despite having issued public apologies in the past, Shane said it's only recently that's he realized how poorly those incidents were handled. "I have done a lot of things in my past that I hate, that I wish I could make go away, that I tried to make go away by deleting videos, or un-tagging my Instagram, literally doing whatever I can to pretend those things didn't happen," he said. "Because yes, I apologized for a lot of them but I'm 31, almost 32. Those apologies suck. I don't know who that person is anymore." Shane addressed his history of "all the racism that [he] put onto the internet," notably his portrayal of Black, Asian and Mexican people in comedic sketches. "Blackface was something that I did a lot," he said. "There's no excuse for it. I didn't do the work. I didn't look into the history of it and why it's so wrong, and why people were so

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Nagaland Post, Dimapur SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2020

City can still have Wolves sink Aston Villa to boost Euro bid ‘Man unbelievable season’

Birmingham, Jun 27 (Agencies): Nuno Espirito Santo backed Wolves to step up their bid to qualify for the Champions League after Leander Dendoncker sealed a 1-0 win at Aston Villa that lifted them into fifth place in the Premier League on Saturday. Nuno’s side made it three successive victories since the Premier League restart thanks to Dendoncker’s clinical finish in the second half. Wolves have yet to concede a goal following the coronavirus hiatus and are now just two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and three ahead of sixth-placed Manchester United. Both Chelsea and United have a game in hand on Wolves due to their FA Cup involvement this weekend. But with fifth place potentially offering Champions League qualification if second-placed Manchester City’s European ban is upheld, Nuno’s men are firmly in contention to play in the continent’s elite club competition for the first time in 60 years. “What’s in front of us will be very tough but it’s a welcome week to recover. We will prepare ourselves

Wolverhampton’s Leander Dendoncker wheels away in celebration after scoring against Aston Villa.

to compete and see what happens,” Nuno said. “I’m very happy for Leander Dendoncker, he gives so much to us and he truly deserves this moment.” Wolves are unbeaten in eight league games and have won three successive top-flight away matches for the first time since 1980. In contrast, their struggling midlands rivals Villa

are without a win in eight league games and remain rooted in the relegation zone on goal difference. Second-bottom Villa have now played a game more than the teams around them and have just six matches left. With fixtures against Liverpool and Manchester United up next, Dean Smith’s team are in serious danger of an immediate re-

turn to the Championship. “ We m o r e t h a n matched a top-six team today but they managed to get a goal from the edge of the box out of nothing and we didn’t convert the chances we had,” Smith said. Smith had complained about the fixture schedule that saw his team playing for the fourth time in 11 days. His fears were confirmed when defender Matt

Targett limped off with a leg injury after 10 minutes. Wolves were on top and Joao Moutinho’s freekick was flicked goalwards by Raul Jimenez, but Orjan Nyland was well placed to save. Matt Doherty led another threatening Wolves raid, the wing-back bursting into the Villa area to shoot into the side-netting. Villa captain Jack Gre-

alish was being deployed in a central midfield role rather than his usual wider position and he tested Rui Patricio with a low strike from the edge of the area. Nyland had got away with a horrendous mistake in Villa’s first game of the Premier League restart when he carried the ball into his own net against Sheffield United, only for Hawk-Eye to fail to award the goal. Luck was on Nyland’s side again when he threw the ball straight to Diogo Jota late in the first half, but the Wolves forward shot hurriedly over the bar with just the blundering keeper to beat. Douglas Luiz was narrowly off target from long range as Villa tried to change the momentum in the second half. But Nuno sent on Adama Traore after the break and the electric winger immediately made an impact. Dancing through the Villa midfield, Traore found Jimenez and his raking pass reached Jonny, who teed up Dendoncker on the edge of the area. Unleashing a perfectly-placed low drive, the Belgian midfielder beat Nyland in style for his fifth goal of the season.

Kevin De Bruyne

L o n d o n, J u n 2 7 (Agencies): Kevin De Bruyne claims Manchester City will not dwell on losing the Premier League in what could still be an “unbelievable season”. City saw their two-year reign as champions come to an end on Thursday as defeat at Chelsea handed the crown to Liverpool for the first time in 30 years. Yet last season’s treble winners, who also won a third successive Carabao Cup in March, can still finish the campaign with another clutch of trophies. They travel to Newcastle for their delayed FA Cup quarter-final on Sunday and are well placed to reach the last eight of the Champions League - with a 2-1 first-leg lead over Real Madrid - when European competition resumes in August. De Bruyne said, “I

think in comparison with a lot of other teams we are doing all right. We are still second, so that means after Liverpool we are the second best team, and I think we have still got big chances in the FA Cup and Champions League.” “Imagine if we come out after winning these cups, it will be an unbelievable season. We have got a lot to play for and look forward to it. There is no time for us to get down.” City clocked up a record 100 points in winning the title in 2018 and followed up with 98 this season. This term they were unable to match those high standards and fell behind a relentless Liverpool side early on. Jurgen Klopp’s team secured the title with seven games remaining and City 23 points behind after eight defeats.

Six Pak players test negative for COVID Zidane casts doubt over his Real Madrid future

L AHORE , J u n 2 7 (Agencies): Six of the 10 Pakistan cricketers bound for England who tested positive for COVID-19 have now registered negative results on re-testing, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Saturday. Mohammad Hasnain, Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Hafeez and Wahab Riaz, however, must return a second negative result before they can join the main squad of 20 players who will leave for England on Sunday. “These players were asymptomatic, which means their chances of regaining complete fitness are higher and brighter

than most,” PCB chief executive Wasim Khan said in a statement. “As soon as these players test negative twice through the PCB testing process they will be flown to England to join the squad.” Kashif Bhatti, Haris Rauf, Haider Ali and Imran Khan have tested positive again. Pakistan are scheduled to play three test matches and three T20 internationals behind closed doors in August-September, although the exact dates and venues have not been announced yet. After reaching Manchester on Sunday, the p l aye r s w i l l u n d e r g o COVID-19 tests before

moving to Worcestershire for a 14-day isolation period, the PCB said. Test captain Azhar Ali and limited-overs skippers Babar Azam will be in the first batch of players, accompanied by head coach Misbah-ul-Haq. Fast bowling coach Waqar Younis will travel to England from Australia, while Twenty20 specialist Shoaib Malik has been allowed to join late after meeting his family in India. “With the test series being played first in August, Misbah is satisfied with the group of players that are travelling on Sunday as the focus will be on red-ball preparation,” the PCB CEO added.

M a d r i d, J u n 2 7 (Agencies): Zinedine Zidane has cast a little uncertainty over his long-term future at Real Madrid, as he suggested the demands of management will lead to an early retirement. Zidane has had a significant impact on Los Blancos, first during a fiveyear stint as a player and now as coach, with the Frenchman in his second spell at the helm. During his first he led the club to an historic three successive Champions League successes, and although he left soon after the third, he returned last year following the ill-fated tenures of Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari. He has Los Blancos

back on track this term as they sit top of La Liga, ahead of Barcelona by virtue of a better head-tohead record with seven matches to go. But rarely has the possibility of a long coaching career been associated with Zidane, who, even when unemployed between his two Madrid spells was only ever closely linked with the France job. And ahead of facing rock-bottom Espanyol, who sacked their coach Abelardo earlier in the day, Zidane brought up the subject of his future when asked about Sergio Ramos. When asked if he thought Ramos would become a club icon when

Zinedine Zidane

he played alongside the centre-back, Zidane said: “It was clear that he could achieve what he is achieving, because he already had quality and above all personality. “He always wanted to win and make history in this club. I am not surprised by what Sergio is

doing. We are lucky to have him in Madrid and I hope that continues until the end of his career. I am not going to coach another 20 years, I am going to retire sooner. Anything can happen.” He added, “I was a better footballer than a coach, but there were bet-

ter footballers than me as well, although I’m happy with what I’ve done.” “I’m not going to coach for 20 years, I don’t know how many. I don’t plan anything, what encourages me is the day-today. Then I will do other things. In my head I have always been a footballer, I had 18 or 19 years as a player and when I was asked if I was going to coach, I would say no. In the end I was, but it’s demanding – I don’t think I’ll be here for another 20 years.” But he was eager to assure fans that he is in no rush to leave, adamant he is still happy. “No one should interpret what I say,” he added.

Struggling Espanyol sack coach

M a d r i d, J u n 2 7 (Agencies): Struggling Espanyol said on Saturday they have sacked coach Abelardo Fernandez, the third manager they have dispensed with this season, as they fight to extend their 26-year stay in La Liga. Fernandez was appointed in December after David Gallego and Pablo Machin were each dismissed, but despite a positive start since play resumed following a threemonth break due to the coronavirus pandemic, Thursday’s 1-0 defeat at Real Betis proved the last straw. “Espanyol announce that Abelardo Fernandez has been relieved of his duties as first team coach,” the Barcelona club said in K Y M C

a statement. “This decision has been taken due to the team’s recent performances and with the clear aim of keeping the club in the top flight.” The club added in a later statement that sporting director Francisco Rufete would take charge of the team for the remainder of the season. His first game is a daunting home fixture on Sunday against La Liga leaders Real Madrid. In 13 matches in charge, Fernandez earned three victories and five draws as well as five defeats. He leaves Espanyol bottom of the table on 24 points, eight from escaping the relegation zone with seven matches remaining.

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Abelardo Fernandez

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Juventus rout 10-man Lecce in Serie A a straight red card for a last-man challenge on Rodrigo Bentancur, leaving the visiting side in 10 men for nearly an hour. “Until the sending off the match was balanced,” said Lecce coach Fabio Liverani, who also bemoaned the number of players he is missing through injury. “Maybe if we had had every player available I could have made different moves. At the moment I have a maximum of 14 players available. But I am sure that with a bit of fortune, getting some players back, we can have our say in matches against direct rivals.” Juventus scored all of its goals after the red card and in the second half, but struggled to break down the visitors. Ronaldo had several

chances but sent an overhead kick past the left post and somehow headed over an empty goal from two yards out. However, the Portugal international set up Juve’s opener eight minutes after the break as he cut the ball back to Paulo Dybala who curled into the roof of the net from the edge of the area. Ronaldo then got on the scoresheet himself with his second penalty in as many matches after he was tripped by Luca Rossettini. Ronaldo also set up Juve’s third in the 83rd minute, back-heeling the ball for Gonzalo Higuaín to score shortly after coming off the bench. Matthijs de Ligt headed in a Douglas Costa cross two minutes later to cap a great night for Juventus.

Sarri unsure over Pjanic’s Juve future

Players of Juventus celebrate after scoring a goal during their Serie A match against Lecce.

Rome, Jun 27 (Agencues): Cristiano Ronaldo is back in form. He set up two goals and converted a penalty to help Juventus beat 10-man Lecce 4-0 on Friday and boost its chances of claiming a recordextending ninth successive Serie A title. Ronaldo had struggled since soccer resumed in Italy, but his return to form pushed Juventus seven

points clear of secondplaced Lazio, which hosts Fiorentina on Saturday. “What’s important is that we continue to get results,” Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri said when asked about their increasing advantage at the top of the table. “We struggled at the beginning and then we managed to get going at the end of the first half. But I

saw a good mentality because even when the match was over, we still continued to attack.” Lecce remained in the relegation zone but is level on points with Genoa, which occupies the last position of safety. Lecce started brightly but its chances of getting anything from the match diminished when defender Fabio Lucioni was shown

Payet extends Marseille contract

Dimitri Payet

PARIS, Jun 27 (Agencies): France international Dimitri Payet has extended his contract with Olympique de Marseille by two years until 2024 and accepted a 50% pay cut for next season, the club said on Saturday. “To love the club is

good, to prove it is better,” the forward, who had previously refused a pay cut amid the COVID-19 crisis, told a joint news conference with coach Andre Villas Boas and president Jacques-Henri Eyraud. His salary for 2021-22 will be 30% less than this

season’s reported 6 million euros. “I went to see the president to make this proposal,” added Payet. Payet, who helped take France to the Euro 2016 final, won the last of his 38 caps in October 2018. Marseille are under financial pressure, having been fined 3 million euros this month for breaching a settlement agreement relating to financial fair play (FFP) rules. European soccer’s governing body UEFA said it would permanently withhold “15% of the revenue that the club would be entitled to receive from any participation in UEFA club competitions” for the next two seasons. Eyraud, however, said that “OM is not for sale” amid speculation that former rugby club RC Toulon’s owner Mourad Boudjellal may make an offer for the side on behalf of an unnamed businessman.

Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri conceded he doesn’t know if playmaker Miralem Pjanic will be at the club next season as reports continue to link him with a multi-million move to Spanish giants Barcelona. Meanwhile, it was earlier reported by Goal.com that Barcelona’s Arthur has agreed a deal to move to Juventus, paving way for Pjanic to go to Camp Nou. “I don’t know if Pjanic will no longer play with Juventus, I have not received any communication,” Sarri told Sky Sports Italy. “These are not things that interest us, the market only starts in September. Miralem’s a professional, he understands situations quickly. I don’t know anything at the moment, but I’m not worried. He’ll be with us until the end of August.” “I hope he’ll stay with us even beyond that, but these are decisions that will be made at a later stage,” he added. Pjanic was part of the Juventus team that recently beat Lecce 4-0 to extend their lead at the top of the Serie A table to seven points. The Old Lady took a while to break Lecce, staging a second-half show as Cristiano Ronaldo scored one and set up another two, with Paulo Dybala, Gonzalo Higuain and Matthijs de Light also on target. Pjanic played full 90 minutes for Juventus in this one-sided clash.

NBA season to restart on July 30

New York, Jun 27 (IANS): The 2019/20 season of the NBA will restart on July 30, the American basketball league said in a statement on Friday. The NBA said that it arrived at the decision in consultation with the National Basketball Players’ Association and the matches will be played at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. “The NBA and Disney have reached an agreement that makes the Arena, the Field House and Visa Athletic Center at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex the venues for all games for the remainder of the season, which will resume with 22 teams returning to play,” the statement read. Under the competitive format for the restart, the 22 participating teams will be the eight teams in each conference with the highest current winning percentages and the six teams that are currently within six games of the eighth seed in either conference.

Nagaland Post, Dimapur SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2020

Robert Lewandowski voted Bundesliga’s Player of the Season Berlin, Jun 27 (IANS): Bayern Munich’s free-scoring striker Robert Lewandowski has been named as Bundesliga’s Player of the season. Lewandowski won more than 50 per cent of the votes and defeated the likes of Timo Werner, Jadon Sancho, Amine Harit, Erling Haaland, Kai Havertz and Serge Gnabry. Borussia Dortmund star Sancho finished second overall, with Bayer Leverkusen’s Kai Havertz completing the podium. Lewandowski started the new season in perfect fashion, and was deservedly voted Player of the Month for August. He continued to perform strongly throughout, and was once again the league‘s leading goalscorer, according to the official Bundesliga website. The 31-year-old was chasing one record after another this season, becoming the first player in Bundesliga history to score in 11 consecutive matches at the start of the campaign. By that stage, he had already been on the scoresheet 16 times. After netting against Fortuna Dusseldorf, the Pole completed his collection and has now scored against every current club in the top flight. Lewandowski built Robert Lewandowski on his August win and ultimately fired Bayern to tive Bundesliga title with in 1-0 win over Werder a record eighth consecu- his 31st goal of the season Bremen.

Joe Root wary of Windies pace battery Lo n d o n, J u n 2 7 (IANS): England Tests skipper Joe Root has warned his teammates against the West Indies pace attack ahead of the three-match Test series which will mark the resumption of cricket after coronavirus stoppage. Referring to the visitors’ bowling attack as formidable, Root stated they are aware what the visitors will be throwing at them in the upcoming series. The visitors have included fast-bowlers Jason Holder, Kemar Roach, Alzarri Joseph, Chemar Holder and Oshane Thomas in their squad for the series. West Indies bowling coach Roddy Estwick had earlier said that the current crop of bowlers are as good as their fearsome attack of the 80s and 90s and they could spring a surprise against the high-profile batting line-up of the ‘Three Lions’. “We are very aware of the skill West Indies have

Joe Root

and what they will bring to this series,” Root told BBC Sport. “One thing that stood out was how formidable their bowling attack can be. It is really important we prepare well and we are ready for all of that.” Root

also heaped praise on his counterpart Holder, who had earlier warned England against taking his team lightly. Root stated Holder is now reaching the peak of his powers and it will interesting to play against him. “Jase is one of the

most well-respected guys in international cricket,” Root said. The first Test of the much-anticipated series will be played on July 8 at the Ageas Bowl, followed by two Tests at Old Trafford on July 16 and July 24.

Sevilla hold Valladolid to a 1-1 draw in La Liga French football to return in late July M A D R ID, J u n 2 7 (Agencies): Sevilla drew with Valladolid 1-1 on Friday for its fourth straight setback in the Spanish league, missing a chance to retake third place from Atlético Madrid. Lucas Ocampos converted an 83rd-minute penalty kick to salvage the tie, the fourth consecutive for Sevilla since it returned from the coronavirus break with a win in the Seville derby. Kiko Olivas opened the scoring for Valladolid in the first half at Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium. The result kept Sevilla in fourth place, one point behind Atlético Madrid, which on Saturday hosts Alavés. Atlético has won three straight and is unbeaten after the pandemic break. “We really needed this win,” Sevilla forward Suso said. “We dominated and

Players of Sevill and Valladolid during their La Liga match.

had our chances, but the ball didn’t go in. It’s tough when the other team stays in the back like that.” Sevilla had resumed

with a 2-0 win against rival Real Betis in the city derby, but it drew three straight since then — against Levante, Barcelona and Vil-

larreal. Valladolid also won in its first match after the break and was winless since, with two draws and

a loss at Atlético Madrid. It moved to 14th place with Friday’s draw. Olivas got on the board with a header after a long cross from a set-piece in the 25th minute. Ocampos equalized from the penalty spot after a handball by a defender inside the area. Valladolid nearly retook the lead when an 87thminute close-range shot by Rubén Alcaraz prompted a tough reflex save by Sevilla goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik. Sevilla’s Munir El Haddadi had a 55th-minute goal disallowed by video review for offside. It took nearly three minutes for the VAR to make the call. One of Sevilla’s best chances in the first half was a shot by Ocampos that struck the woodwork when the game was scoreless. League leader Real Madrid visits last-place Espanyol on Sunday.

Paris, Jun 27 (IANS): Two Cup finals will take place on two consecutive Fridays in late July, the French Football Federation (FFF) has confirmed, which marks the return of football in the country from the suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The French Cup final between Paris SaintGermain and Saint-Etienne is set for July 24 at the Stade de France in Paris. One week later, the Ligue 1 champions will take on Lyon in the same field, reports Xinhua news agency. Both matches were initially scheduled in April but were postponed due to the pandemic, as the French government had suspended all sporting events to fight against the spread of the virus. The top two divisions of French football - Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 - have been

abandoned in late April, as Paris Saint-Germain were declared the champions of the top flight for the third consecutive year. As to the resumption, the two Cup finals will both be staged in front of fans, but there will be a limitation of 5,000 spectators. The FFF president Noel Le Graet is eyeing more. “Five thousand people at the Stade de France, it’s true that it’s a bit short,” he told reporters on Friday. “I’d love to get it up

to 30 percent, but I won’t make a crisis out of it if we don’t get it.” Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu hinted on Thursday that Le Graet could potentially get his wish, depending on the virus situation in France. “For the time being, we are sticking to the 5,000-person limit because it does not only concern sport but also large cultural gatherings in public spaces,” she said. “There’s a review on July 11, so we’ll see what happens according to the epidemic curve in France.” The FFF has also confirmed on Friday that next season’s Ligue 1, which kicks off on the weekend of August 22, will remain with a 20-team format. Amiens and Toulouse were relegated from the curtailed season, and Lorient and Lens will promote into the first division.

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