Waiting to be Found: Young Drug Users in Manipur

A A new report on young drug users in Manipur called “Children at Risk: Lost in the Haze,” has been released by the Childline India Foundation and the Social Awareness Service Organization (SASO) in Imphal. The report, based on research conducted among 220 children aged under 18 from Imphal East, Imphal West, Churachandpur, Bishnupur, Chandel, Thoubal and Ukhrul, revealed significant levels of drug use. But drug users who are not yet 18 are not able to access services from treatment clinics and drug-related service providers as the majority of these services are aimed at adult male drug users. According to Childline’s Dr Abhishek Lakhtakia, the release of the study marked the start of a realization that these issues were not receiving enough attention from programmers and policy makers. “This is the first step towards drawing attention to the needs of children. We hope that the findings will lead to discussions and translate into steps for advocacy to have existing laws around children be more inclusive of their special needs,” Dr Lakhtakia said during a dissemination workshop. Many young people are not confident talking about their drug use and Archana Oinam, who took part in the study, said she spoke to one young boy who wanted to stop using drugs but could not ask for help. “He went to an NGO that was providing services related to drug use on a couple of occasions but went back without seeking any treatment options each time saying that he was not confident of talking about his situation to people he knew and those who were older,” Mongjam said. About the study: 220 young people from five districts in Manipur took part in the study, which was conducted from November 2007 to March 2008. 182 had tried to stop using drugs. Only 57 sought service-related help through their own personal contacts and NGOs. 63% of the children who took part had used Spasmo Proxyvone during the last month of the study. 57 (or 25.9%) had used heroin with 40 injecting the drug during the last month of the survey. 93 of the children said they sourced drugs from their peers, 85 bought drugs directly from dealers, 22 went to chemists and 20 bought drugs from common stores.

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Bagan Striker Lalawmpuia Admitted to Rehab

Kolkata, Feb 18 : A promising football player from Mizoram and a I-league regular PC Lalawmpuia of Mohun Bagan Club has been admitted to a rehabilitation clinic for addiction to alcohol. Club Secretary Anjan Mitra today said that the striker was admitted to a rehabilitation clinic in the southern suburb of the city last night for treatment of addiction to alcohol. Mitra said, “We have admitted him so that this promising players does not go astray and can get rid of his addiction.” Puia was arrested early morning on Saturday for drunken driving and riding a motorcycle without a helmet. He failed the alcohol test at the police station and was later released on bail. Bagan did not allow him to practice the next day and did not field him against Mohammedan Sporting on Sunday. Mitra said, “Puia is a member of the Mohun Bagan family. He is young and very promising. Even after Saturdays arrest we did not suspend him or issue a show cause notice. At the same time we felt he should get cured of his addiction. So we decided to admit him to a rehabilitation centre.”

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US to boost troops in Afghanistan

President Barack Obama has authorised the deployment of up to 17,000 extra US troops to Afghanistan, saying they are to "meet urgent security needs". Two brigades - one army and one marine - are to be sent, Mr Obama said in a statement released by the White House. This first major troop deployment under Mr Obama comes as his administration reviews US policy in Afghanistan. He has vowed to focus US military efforts on fighting the Taleban in Afghanistan, rather than on Iraq. The additional troops to be sent to Afghanistan had originally been scheduled to go to Iraq. "The fact that we are going to responsibly drawdown our forces in Iraq allows us the flexibility to increase our presence in Afghanistan," Mr Obama said. A senior White House official was quoted by Reuters as saying that a decision on cutting US troop levels in Iraq would be taken within "weeks". During his election campaign Mr Obama promised to withdraw US combat troops from Iraq within 16 months after becoming president. 'Strategic attention' The additional troops are to be sent before warmer weather brings an expected increase in fighting in Afghanistan, US defence officials said.

The deployment will be made up of 8,000 marines, and 4,000 army soldiers, plus another 5,000 support staff. They will serve in the south of Afghanistan, where the violence has been worst. "The 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, with approximately 8,000 marines will deploy to Afghanistan in late spring 2009," said a statement from the Pentagon. "The 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division from Ft Lewis, Washington, will deploy approximately 4,000 soldiers to Afghanistan in mid-summer 2009. "Approximately 5,000 additional troops to support these combat forces will receive deployment orders at a later date," the statement went on. The US already has about 14,000 troops serving with a Nato-led mission. There are also 19,000 US troops under sole US command charged with fighting Taleban and al-Qaeda insurgents. US commanders in Afghanistan have requested 30,000 additional troops. 'Extraordinary strain' The increase "is necessary to stabilise a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan," Mr Obama said. "The Taleban is resurgent in Afghanistan, and al-Qaeda supports the insurgency and threatens America from its safe-haven along the Pakistani border," he said. Afghanistan, he said, "has not received the strategic attention, direction and resources it urgently requires". "I recognise the extraordinary strain that this deployment places on our troops and military families," the president said. The announcement came after the UN said that the number of civilians killed in the conflict in Afghanistan rose by 39% last year. Militants were to blame for 55% of the 2,118 civilian deaths, while US, Nato and Afghan forces were responsible for 39%, according to the UN report - the highest number since the Taleban were ousted in 2001.

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Interim Budget Neglected Northeast India: Tripura Govt

Agartala, Feb 18 : Terming the interim budget of the central government a ‘poll lollipop’, the Left Front government in Tripura Tuesday said it largely neglected the northeastern region. The budget is ‘a political agenda ahead of the general elections and no programme to deal with the crucial economic issues of the northeastern region in view of the slowdown’, Tripura Finance Minister Badal Chowdhury told reporters. ‘For the first time in many years, no additional allocation was made in the interim budget for the backward northeastern region,’ he said. The minister added that the central government neglected the region because the Congress party ‘might have no chance to win any Lok Sabha seat from the northeast’. Chowdhury, also a member of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) central committee, blamed the United Progressive Alliance government for not allocating adequate funds for the public distribution system, creation of jobs and for enhancing people’s income. ‘The budget is simply a poll lollipop. It’s an election oriented budget without any realistic basics of economy and after the general elections people would face a dangerous economic situation,’ he said.

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Darfur rebel group 'makes deal'

Sudan and Darfur's most active rebel group have reached a tentative deal, amid hopes it could lead to talks on a peace deal in the war-torn region. Khartoum and the Justice and Equality Movement agreed to sign a declaration of good intentions on Tuesday. The deal - reached in Qatar - includes an end to attacks on more than two million people in refugee camps and an exchange of prisoners, diplomats say. However, other rebel groups are refusing to talk to the government. The BBC's Africa editor, Martin Plaut, says that much more needs to be done to achieve peace in the region. And hanging over any agreement is a proposed indictment from the International Criminal Court of Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir for alleged crimes. 'Intense pressure' The agreement between the Sudanese government and the Jem rebels was announced by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, whose country has been mediating talks under way since last Tuesday.
"There has been great progress," Sheikh Hamad told reporters in Doha. "The content of the agreement, which will be signed tomorrow [Tuesday], has the agreement of all parties," he added. Once the agreement is signed, small teams of negotiators will continue talks, the BBC's Africa editor says. He says that by reaching this deal now, the government in Khartoum is signalling that it is moving on peace - under intense pressure from the international community. A Jem spokesperson in London, Haroun Abdul Hami, told the BBC's World Today programme that "we all endorse the peace process". "Qatar will be the base of the negotiations and also we are going to endorse the role of... the neighbouring countries of Sudan," Mr Hami continued. "But the most important point is to stop the harassment of our people in the IDP [Internally Displaced People's] camps in addition to [urging] the government not to impede the humanitarian aid to our people." Key town
Last week Sudan's army said it had captured the strategic Darfur town of Muhajiriya after three weeks of clashes with rebels. Thirty people were reported dead in that fighting, and a Jem rebel commander said his forces had withdrawn voluntarily to spare civilians from government air attacks. The United Nations says at least 300,000 people have died and more than 2.2 million have been displaced since the conflict began six years ago. Fighting started after African groups complaining of discrimination at the hands of Sudan's Arab-dominated government launched a rebellion. The government admits mobilising "self-defence militias" in response, though it denies links to the Janjaweed, which has been accused of trying to "cleanse" black Africans from large swathes of territory. The joint UN-African Union peacekeeping force, Unamid, remains at only about half its planned strength of 26,000, a year after the UN took joint control of the mission.

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Pakistan agrees Sharia law deal

P akistan has signed a peace deal with a Taleban group that will lead to the enforcement of the Islamic Sharia law in the restive Swat valley. Regional officials urged the Taleban, who agreed a 10-day truce on Sunday, to lay down their arms permanently. Once one of Pakistan's most popular holiday destinations, the Swat valley is now mostly under Taleban control. Thousands of people have fled and hundreds of schools have been destroyed since the Taleban insurgency in 2007. Chief Minister of North West Frontier Province Ameer Hussain Hoti announced a bill had been signed that would implement a new "order of justice" in the Malakand division, which includes Swat. The bill will create a separate system of justice for the whole region. The BBC's M Ilyas Khan, who was recently in Swat, says the Taleban had already set up their own system of Islamic justice, as they understand it. Their campaign against female education has led to tens of thousands of children being denied an education, our correspondent says. US envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke, who is in India, said he needed more information on the deal but that the situation in Swat had "deeply affected the people of Pakistan, not just in Peshawar but in Lahore and in Islamabad". Mr Holbrooke said Swat "demonstrates a key point and that is that India, the United States and Pakistan have all a common threat now... [we] all face an enemy which possesses a direct threat to our leadership". 'Very positive'
The government of North West Frontier Province had been holding talks with local militant leader, Sufi Mohammad, on making amendments to the enforcement of Sharia in Swat. Sufi Mohammad, a pro-Taleban cleric, is the father-in-law of Maulana Fazlullah, who has been waging a violent campaign to impose Sharia in the region. Mr Hoti said: "An agreement has been reached with Sufi Mohammad's delegation and this is a great "The recommendations and proposals have been finalised, but they can only be implemented after peace is achieved." Mr Hoti said President Asif Ali Zardari had "in principle... approved this package". Mr Hoti said the agreement had not been made "under pressure from anyone" and was not unconstitutional. "It was reached after realisation that it was the demand of the people." The chief minister said the government had done all it could and asked for the Taleban to now lay down their arms. He said a grand jirga (council) led by Sufi Mohammad would now be going to Swat to get all the factions to comply. The Taleban have said they will examine the document before ending hostilities permanently. The Agence France-Presse news agency quoted Sufi Mohammad as saying: "We had been holding negotiations with the government on a 22-point charter of demands for quite some time. There were differences on five points, which were removed in a meeting on Sunday."
Sharia law has been in force in Malakand since 1994. But appeal cases are heard in the Peshawar high court, which operates under the civil code. Our correspondent says there will be alterations to the appeals process - a point of contention often cited by the militants for their continued insurgency. The agreement will bind the provincial government to implement Sharia law in the Malakand division, which comprises Swat and its adjoining areas. The people of Swat have been caught in the crossfire between the army and the Taleban, our correspondent says. More than 1,000 civilians have died in shelling by the army or from beheadings sanctioned by the Taleban. Thousands more have been displaced. The Taleban now control the entire countryside of Swat, limiting army control to parts of the valley's capital, Mingora. Many people in Swat now would favour an early exit by the army as they have failed to roll back the Taleban or protect the Taleban's opponents, says our correspondent.

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Manipur to Develop Golf Infrastructure: CM

I mphal, Feb 16 : Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh today said that the state government will extend all possible help to popularize golf. Inaugurating the sixth Birachandra Kumar memorial golf tournament at Mantripukhri organised by Manipur Golf Association,he said Manipur is a small state with large numbers of talented sports persons, hence we need to popularize all forms of sports. ”A proper golf course may be developed here at Nongmaiching hill” he added. He also announced assistance for ”Chief Minister’s trophy”. Bijoy Koijam, MLA and Assam Rifles personnels attended the opening function among others.

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Tsvangirai becomes Zimbabwe's PM

Z imbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has been sworn in as prime minister in a unity government with President Robert Mugabe. Mr Tsvangirai won the first round of last year's presidential election - but he withdrew from the run-off citing violence against his supporters. However he later agreed to share power with Mr Mugabe. Problems facing the new government include a cholera epidemic, a collapsed economy and a 90% unemployment rate. Mr Mugabe administered the oath of office to Mr Tsvangirai in a ceremony in Harare. Two deputy prime ministers were also sworn in: Thokozani Khupe, the deputy leader of Mr Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), and Arthur Mutambara, the leader of a break-away faction of the MDC. Deep scepticism The new prime minister must deal with an economy in ruins and a cholera epidemic which has killed more than 3,400 people. Hyperinflation is causing prices to double every day and the country stopped publishing inflation figures after it was last estimated at 231m%. People are using foreign currency wherever possible. More than half the population rely on emergency food aid. The cabinet in the new coalition government will be sworn in on Friday. There is deep scepticism about whether it will work, says the BBC's southern Africa correspondent, Peter Biles, in Johannesburg. At best it will be a transitional arrangement leading eventually to a new constitution and fresh elections, he says. New coalition On Tuesday, Mr Tsvangirai named Tendai Biti, the secretary general of his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), as his choice for finance minister. A Zimbabwean judge last week dropped treason charges against Mr Biti over an alleged coup plot, citing lack of progress in the case against him. Mr Biti's new position will be a key one, given the country's economic collapse. In January, Mr Tsvangirai returned to Zimbabwe after an absence of more than two months for fresh talks with Mr Mugabe on sharing power. Earlier negotiations had faltered after the MDC accused Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF of keeping the most powerful ministries - including the one that controls the police - to itself. A minister from each party will now share the home affairs ministry.

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IIM Shillong’s Maiden Batch Gets 100% Winter Internship

S hillong, Feb 6 : IIM Shillong’s 64-strong maiden batch has witnessed 100% placements for its winter internships, with some 35 companies across sectors making a total of 79 offers to students. Top contenders to pick up students from IIM Shillong included Deloitte, E&Y, KPMG, and PwC. A number of students also opted for media and advertising firms which included the likes of Ogilvy & Mather, Viacom, Warner Brothers and Euro RSCG, among others. On the marketing front, recruiters included AC Nielsen, Cadbury and ITC. The students will be undergoing a two-month internship in January-February. IIM Shillong however, declined to comment on the stipends offered.While students showed a reluctance to join traditional i-banking biggies, core banking and asset management companies including Citigroup, HDFC, Standard Chartered, Axis Bank, Tata AIG, SBI Cap, Kotak Mahindra Bank, SREI-BNP Paribas were among those who turned up for the process. Other leading companies at the institute included Barclays, Deutsche Bank, HUL, TATA Capital, Eicher Motors, and GE India. Technology consulting drew keen interest as well, with Siemens, Bosch, and Headstrong participating. Manufacturing and supply chain companies like Ford, Honda, Lafarge, Hero Group, Cargo Partners made their presence felt on campus as well. PSUs included ONGC, NTPC, and Power Finance Corporation. Economic Times

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Myanmar Not to Allow Its Soil to be Used by NE Insurgents

New Delhi, Feb 6 : Myanmar on Thursday (February 5) pledged that it would not allow its territory to be used by northeastern insurgents to target India as the neighbouring countries signed two pacts in industry and education sectors injecting a substantive economic content to their relations. India raised the security issue stemming from the insurgents taking shelter in Myanmar which shares border with northeastern states of Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland as visiting Vice President Hamid Ansari held talks with Gen Maung Aye, the number two in this country’s ruling military junta, sources said. At the delegation-level talks between the two sides, which followed a brief one-to-one meeting between Ansari and Gen Aye, the Myanmarese side acknowledged India’s security concerns but conveyed that the insurgents would not be permitted to use its territory to target India, they said. Myanmar’s assurance assumed significance as India, which had kept the military junta at arms length for a long time after the 1988 crackdown on pro-democracy protests, changed track when it found its security interests in northeastern states were in jeopardy. Since India began engaging the Myanmarese military junta, there has been cooperation between security forces of the two countries in flushing out the northeastern insurgents. Security issue apart, the two countries inked a Memorandum of Understanding under which India will provide technical and financial assistance to set up an industrial training centre at Pakkoku in Myanmar to churn out skilled labour force, including electronic technicians, electricians, mechanists, welders and sheet metal workers. The MoU was signed by the Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju and Myanmar Industry Minister Sowe Thein. The two countries signed a separate MoU under which India will set up an English Language Training Centre in Myanmar to equip civil servants, students, professionals and businessmen with communication skills.

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Key Tamil Tiger sea base 'falls'

The Sri Lankan army says it has captured the last major naval base of Tamil Tiger rebels in the north-east of the island.It says that about 15 rebel fighters - including three senior commanders - were killed in the fighting at Chalai.There has been no independent confirmation of the report, and no comment from the rebels.Earlier, the government said there would be no ceasefire with the rebels, despite international calls for talks.Military spokesman Brig Udaya Nanayakkara said that with the capture of Chalai, the army had now brought almost all the rebel naval bases on the eastern coast under its control.He said the deputy leader of the rebel Sea Tigers unit was among the senior commanders killed in the fighting. The spokesman further added that troops were now trying to subdue remaining rebel resistance in the area.The military has already made it clear it is in charge of the seas, following the last major clash between the two sides last month in which the navy said four rebel boats had been sunk.The rebels are boxed in by troops in a shrinking piece of territory in the north-east. The military says they control just a few miles of coastline.Meanwhile aid agencies have continued to express concern over the plight of civilians caught up in the conflict. The government says more than 1,500 people have crossed from rebel-held areas to government-controlled territory in the past four days.Earlier, Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa ruled out any chance of the Tamil Tigers negotiating a surrender."There is no question of negotiations on surrender. The rebels should surrender unconditionally. They should lay down their arms first."He rejected any amnesty for top rebel leaders, but said that "lower level cadres" would be "given amnesty, retrained, given vocational training and integrated into mainstream society".Civilian fearsMr Rajapaksa also dismissed US-led calls for a ceasefire, saying that the rebels had used ceasefire time "only to regroup and attack security forces". His comments came days after donors called on the rebels to consider laying down arms in order to end the bloodshed.The Tigers say they will not lay down their arms until they have a "guarantee of living with freedom and dignity and sovereignty".There are fears for about 250,000 civilians who may be trapped by the fighting.On Thursday pro-rebel websites again accused the army of shelling a hospital following similar claims throughout the week.On Wednesday, the United Nations said that 52 civilians had been killed in 24 hours of fighting.

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Pakistan nuclear scientist 'free'

Acourt in Pakistan has freed disgraced nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan from house arrest, his lawyer says.Mr Khan, who has been under tight restrictions since 2004, can now leave home and receive visitors but must still report to the government.He must give 48 hours' notice if he wants to leave Islamabad.Mr Khan admitted transferring nuclear secrets to other countries in 2004 but was later pardoned by former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.Nuclear 'father'"The high court has declared him a free citizen," lawyer Iqbal Jaffry told local television.The Pakistani government says the restrictions that remain are for his own security.In January, the US imposed sanctions on people and companies linked to Mr Khan, the former head of Pakistan's nuclear programme.Last July, Mr Khan told the media that Pakistan had transported uranium enrichment equipment to North Korea in 2000 with the full knowledge of the country's army, then headed by Gen Musharraf.The former leader has repeatedly stated that no-one apart from Mr Khan had any knowledge of the transportation of nuclear technology.Mr Khan is seen as the father of Pakistan's nuclear industry and is still regarded a hero by many in the country.

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