Mizo Women's Body Seeks Proper Representation in Assembly

Aizawl, Aug 30 : Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl (MHIP), an apex women's body, has resolved to ensure that women are adequately represented in the 40-member Mizoram legislative assembly.

Lalthlamuani, president of the MHIP general headquarters, on Thursday said that the organization not only wanted its representative in the legislature, but would also work to ensure that a number of women are elected to the assembly.

The organization has declared 2013 as the year for empowerment of women in politics.

Lalthlamuani, wife of state transport minister P C Zoramsangliana, said the group has been pleading with its members to cast their votes in favour of women candidates irrespective of party affiliations.

Anger May Brew Among Northeast Youth if Jobs Are Not Created, Says Economist

Guwahati, Aug 30 : Economist Bibek Debroy said the northeast needs to create more jobs to absorb the youths of the region as absence of proper employment opportunities could lead to frustration among the youth.

"Enrollment in educational institutions is rising in the northeast. If jobs are not created in the region, anger will start brewing among the youth," Debroy said at the North East Marketing Conclave organized by FIhere on Thursday.

Debroy said that although a large part of India's population is young, the demographic dividend is not going to last long as "young India" is going to age.

"Young India is impatient. The angry protests against sexual violence and corruption we have seen in the recent past have their fundamental roots in economics. This demographic dividend is not an open-ended window because by 2030-35, young India is going to age. If we expect our growth rate to be eight to nine percent, it must not be in mere numbers. It should translate into jobs and other benefits for young India," Debroy said.

The region is endowed with natural and human resources and is geographically well-positioned for trade linkages with south and Southeast Asia. Economists, corporate leaders and policymakers gathered at the conclave deliberated on how to market the northeast as a business destination and to explore opportunities to tap the region's economic potential.

He said for the northeast, it is of prime importance to ensure that the sources of revenues in the region are tapped properly. Once that is done, it should be ensured that the revenues are used for common goods and services.

Health and education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the time has come to brand the northeast and market its potential in a proper manner.

FICCI's northeast advisory council chairman, Ranjit Barthakur, said that the long international border the northeast shares with neighbouring countries is its greatest advantage and will help market the region's products and potential.

Barthakur said that tourism is another sector with great potential and the northeast is "a paradise" waiting to be discovered. "The region's tourism sector has the potential to stimulate growth in different sectors of economy," he added.

Meghalaya Eyes Strong Law To Check illegal Immigrants

Shillong, Aug 30 : Ruling out the re-introduction of a permit system for Indians seeking to enter Meghalaya, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma Thursday said the government will implement a strong law to check the influx of illegal immigrants.

"The government is equally concerned over the influx and we will tackle the issue by strengthening the existing laws and enforcement agencies," Sangma told reporters here after a meeting with 10 social organisations which demanded the re-introduction of the inner line permit (ILP) system.

He said that the government was in process of having a system, which was "more effective and comprehensive" rather than the ILP, which is also perceived as a piece of law that infringed upon the fundamental rights of the citizens.

The ILP is issued under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873 by the state governments.

The chief minister claimed the tribal population had declined in Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, where ILP was in force to curb the influx of outsiders in those states.

Underlining the need to implement the National Population Register Biometric Enrolment Plan in the state, Sangma said it will help a great deal to verify the credentials of the people.

"It is our shared objective to check influx and infiltration and we require further engagement and cooperation of NGOs, instead of hitting a stone-wall and taking a confrontational attitude," the chief minister said, while making clear that his government will not re-introduce the ILP in the state.

The 10 social organisations sought restrictions like the inner line permit - required by Indian citizens to enter Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram - saying that the influx situation in Meghalaya might go out of control given its proximity to Bangladesh and Assam.

Joe Marwein, the spokesman of the 10 organisations, said the implementation of the ILP would help protect the tribal population from being "annihilated" in their own land.

Sergey Brin's New Lover Amanda Rosenberg

• Amanda Rosenberg last night named as the new lover of Sergey Brin

The Google co-founder is one of the world's richest men with £15bn fortune

He and wife Anne Wojcicki, both 40, married in 2007 and have two children

Miss Rosenberg went to the same £31,000-a-year school as the Middletons

She is marketing manager for Google's Glass computerised spec

tacles

The 27-year-old came up with the 'Ok, Glass' command to activate the device

Brin and his wife reportedly have a prenuptial agreement in case of divorce 

By Neil Sears and David Gardner

Google gossip: Amanda Rosenberg is the 27-year-old British woman who has struck up a romance with multibilionaire Google co-founder Sergey Brin

A British woman who left London in search of fame and fortune with Google is at the centre of Silicon Valley gossip after striking up a romance with the search engine’s married multi-billionaire founder.
Only last year, Amanda Rosenberg was so friendless after moving to San Francisco that she spoke of eating her lunch alone in the toilets.

But the 27-year-old, who boarded at £31,000-a-year Marlborough College with Princess Beatrice and Kate and Pippa Middleton, certainly seems to  have turned things around – for she was last night named as the new lover of Sergey Brin, 40.
Google has been rocked by talk of the romance, and a spokesman yesterday confirmed that Brin – one of the world’s richest men with a £15billion fortune – has for several months been living apart from his wife of six years Anne Wojcicki, the mother of his two children.
If they divorce, Californian law suggests their massive fortune would have to be halved – although they reportedly signed a strict pre-nuptial agreement.
While the internet was agog with talk of Brin romancing his much younger employee, the Daily Mail tracked down a distinctly unsurprised former boyfriend of Miss Rosenberg – who said she ‘knew the power of her womanly ways’.
Ewan Butler, 28, a trainee teacher living with his parents in Darlington, said: ‘Amanda’s a good looking girl, and she knows she is.
'And she’s good at “playing” men – she played me.’
Brin’s relationship with Rosenberg emerged only yesterday – but the pair were pictured together earlier this year at a New York Fashion Week event, both wearing the controversial Google Glass computerised spectacles for which she is marketing manager.
An employee of Google since she graduated with a communications degree from Leeds University, she initially worked for the internet giant in London before last year moving to San Francisco to work at its Silicon Valley nerve centre.
She soon won a role promoting Google Glass, widely criticised as the glasses which enable users to film and broadcast over the internet everything they see non-stop, worrying privacy campaigners.

Miss Rosenberg wrote an online blog soon after she arrived – describing herself as a ‘misanthropic Brit struggling to come to terms with Californian optimism’.

Split: Mr Brin, who is worth a staggering £15billion, has separated from his wife of six years, Anne Wojcicki, left

A good looking girl... 'who knows she is': Miss Rosenberg, shown left wearing the Google Glass device and right in a picture from her Google+ profile, previously dated Ewan Butler, 28, a trainee teacher living from Darlington

Employee: Miss Rosenberg pictured in a YouTube marketing video for Google Glass. She won her role promoting the controversial spectacles after coming up with the voice command ‘Ok, Glass’ to activate them

Glasses promotion: Rosenberg with boss Brin and fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg in New York

She wrote: ‘I’d been living a beautifully choreographed life in London for pretty much my entire life; family, friends, job, life. Then one day I realised the beauty had faded.

‘So I applied for a transfer with my company to a different country. Yes! The romance of a transfer!
‘Luckily for me this all worked out like I dreamed it would...NOT. Of course it didn’t work out like that!
‘I remember having conversations with people about moving countries, and no one talks about how it felt to be alone.
'I wanted to grab them and scream “Why are you not telling me about how you ate lunch in the toilets at work for the first week because no one talked to you?”.’

Power couple: If Brin and Wojcicki, his wife of six years, divorce, Californian law suggests their massive fortune would have to be halved - although they reportedly signed a strict pre-nuptial agreement

Marriage on the rocks: A Google spokesman confirmed that Brin – one of the world’s richest men – has for several months been living apart from Wojcicki, the mother of his two children

Miss Rosenberg, who previously lived in Wimbledon, adding tellingly that her first thought in her new office was: ‘Hello new boss, hello new team...LIKE ME IMMEDIATELY.’ 

A RELATIONSHIP RIDICULED

Sergey Brin, 40, is being roundly mocked on the internet over his apparent relationship with Amanda Rosenberg.

One of numerous websites ridiculing the reported affair draws particular attention to his recent enthusiasm for the ‘Google Glass’ computerised spectacles.
The website jibes: ‘Since Google Glass launched the company’s co-founder, Sergey Brin, hasn’t been spotted without a pair.
'He’s placed himself atop the privacy-eroding project, publicly, and inside Google’s secret labs.
'Maybe it’s because he’s f****** the Glass marketing manager, Amanda Rosenberg.’
The blog goes on: ‘Knowing that one of the most vital, powerful men at the company has been using Google’s most ambitious product as a dating pool won’t be smooth news for the rest of the team.’

She also wrote that she was initially so shy she failed to turn up at her first work drinks invitation, fearing she would be ‘the weird loner in the corner’, so stayed in eating biscuits alone on her sofa instead.

In an internet profile Miss Rosenberg wrote of herself: ‘I’m part of the master race that is the Chinese Jew or Chew, if you will.
'Born in Hong Kong but bred in the UK. A misanthrope who’s bad at maths, so I got the worst of both worlds.’
Elsewhere she declares that her motto is: ‘He who hesitates is a damned fool.’
Miss Rosenberg is understood to have an English father and a Hong Kong Chinese mother who worked as an investment banker.
After leaving Marlborough, where Pippa Middleton was two years above her, and Princess Beatrice was just a year below, she soon began a year-long relationship with fellow Leeds University student Mr Butler.
Told his ex was being linked to the Google tycoon, he said: ‘It wouldn’t surprise me in the least – she’s that kind of girl.’
He added: ‘Although Amanda did have a posh crew she knocked around with she wasn’t stuck up like you might expect from a Marlborough girl.
'With me I think there was a fascination with me being northern – I was pretty much the only person in our student halls who went to a comprehensive.’

More than a marketing manager: Miss Rosenberg also appears in promotional shots for Google Glass 

California dreamin': She wrote on her blog that she was initially so shy in her new role in Google's Silicon Valley HQ she failed to turn up at her first work drinks invitation, fearing she would be 'the weird loner in the corner'

Mixed-race heritage: Miss Rosenberg is understood to have an English father and a Hong Kong Chinese mother. She describes herself as 'part of the master race that is the Chinese Jew or Chew, if you will'

Geek chic: Miss Rosenberg's blog details how she made every effort to fit in with Google's in-crowd

Celebrity lifestyle: Miss Rosenberg poses with British rapper and iconic glasses-wearer Tinie Tempah

Romantic link: Hugo Barra, Google's product management director for Android. Miss Rosenberg was previously linked to the Google executive, who recently announced he was leaving the firm to take a job in China

Intriguingly Miss Rosenberg had already had a high-flying Google boyfriend in America – senior executive Hugo Barra, who recently announced he was leaving to join a Chinese computer firm.
Last night Miss Rosenberg – who got her Google Glass job after coming up with the voice command ‘Ok, Glass’ to activate the device - could not be contacted for comment.
A spokesman for Brin – who founded Google with Larry Page in 1998 – said that he was not legally separated from his wife and that ‘they remain good friends and partners’.

How I Smuggled 'Porn' Out of North Korea

By Isaac Stone Fish


On Wednesday, the occasionally reliable South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported that a dozen performers, including Kim Jong Un's ex-girlfriend, were executed for making sex tapes, some of which "have apparently gone on sale in China," violating North Korean laws against pornography.

The story has been picked up by FoxNews and theTelegraph, among others, though it's impossible to judge its veracity. Still, this seems as good a time as any to tell the story of how I smuggled pornography out of Pyongyang.

On a trip to North Korea in September 2011, my tour group stopped in the city of Kaesong near the South Korean border. One of the few North Korean cities open to U.S. tourists, Kaesong is perched near the Demilitarized Zone, the heavily fortified, 160 mile-long border separating the two Koreas.

Tourism in North Korea involves minders shuttling you between Kim family monuments, punctuated by pre-arranged restaurant meals and, occasionally, opportunities to shop. Right around the time we were allowed to photograph a rock memorializing Kim Il Sung's last known calligraphy, our guides took us to a little stand. And in one of the few places selling goods to foreigners, amid bitter ginseng candies and wooden backscratchers and berry liquors, I purchased a silkscreen that, to my untrained eye, looked a lot like topless women bathing by a lake.

Andrei Lankov, a North Korea expert at Kookmin University in Seoul, tells me the silkscreen, pictured above, is a reproduction of a well-known painting by 18th century Korean artist Sin Yun Bok, called "AScenery on Dano Day." For North Koreans, "this will have a soft porno appeal," he says.

This probably wouldn't be remarkable anywhere else, but North Korea is one of the world's most conservative countries. It was shocking when Kim Jong Un appeared on television in July 2012 with (unlicensed) Disney characters, but more because the video also included women in strapless dresses -- bare shoulders in public are practically unheard of in Pyongyang, outside of a gymnastics outfit. In The Aquariums of Pyongyang: Ten Years in the North Korean Gulag, defector Chol-hwan Kang gushesabout his first experience with erotic film in South Korea. "One night seemed too short a time to make up for a lifetime of North Korean prudishness," he wrote in his 2000 memoir. We had entered a fairyland. We couldn't believe our eyes."

Obviously, porn exists in North Korea. Former CIA official Henry Crumpton, in his 2012 book The Art of Intelligence, wrote "I've never met a North Korean diplomat who did not want porn, either for personal use or resale." And in 2009, South Korean media released a video, allegedly for internal North Korean use, featuring scantily clad women dancing to pop tunes.

As I was leaving the country, a border guard at the Pyongyang Airport, perhaps suspecting I was a journalist, gruffly and methodically searched through my bag. He unpacked my clothes, ruffled through my books, and peered into my Dopp kit. When he came across the red bag housing my silkscreen, I grew nervous and smiled awkwardly. He unfolded it and stared at the image. If memory serves, I was the last one of my tour group to go through security, and my mind briefly raced through the consequences of spreading illicit materials in the world's most repressive country. He looked up at me, only to flash a delighted grin, gently return the silkscreen to its bag, and wave me through.

source: foreignpolicy.com

Which Organs Can I Live Without, And How Much Cash Can I Get For Them?

First, a disclaimer: Selling your organs is illegal in the United States. It’s also very dangerous. Handing off an organ is risky enough when done in a top hospital, even more so if you’re doing it for cash in a back alley. No, really: Don’t do this. OK? OK.

There are many organs one can theoretically do without, or for which there’s a backup. Most folks can spare a kidney, a portion of their liver, a lung, some intestines, and an eyeball, and still live a long life. That said, donating a lung, a piece of liver or a section of intestines is a very complicated surgery, so it’s not done frequently on the black market. And no one’s going to make much cash on an eyeball. “In the U.S., there’s a fairly steady supply of donated corneas from corpses,” says Sean Fitzpatrick, director of public affairs at the New England Organ Bank. “There’s pretty much no market demand for eyes.” Giving up a kidney, though, is a relatively simple surgery that has netted desperate people a few bucks.

No one’s going to make much cash on an eyeball. Now, black-market organ dealers don’t do a great job of filing taxes, but here are some prices based on rumored deals and reports from the World Heath Organization. In India, a kidney fetches around $20,000. In China, buyers will pay $40,000 or more. A good, healthy kidney from Israel goes for $160,000.

Don’t expect to pocket all that dough, though. “The person giving up the organ only gets a fraction of the fee,” says Sally Satel, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute think tank who studies the prices paid by legal and illegal organ-donor operations. After the organ broker—the guy who sets up your kidney-for-cash transaction—takes his cut, he needs to pay for travel, the surgeon, medical supplies and a few “look-the-other-way” payoffs. Most people get $1,000 to $10,000 for their kidney (probably much less than you were hoping for).

The best bet is to wait until compensation for organs is legalized in the U.S.—the Organ Trafficking Prohibition Act of 2009 would allow payment to donors, but it stalled in Congress—because there’s certainly a market for kidneys. Last summer, a man offering one of his for $100,000 (plus medical expenses) on Craigslist received several offers until the Web site removed his post. And you could probably hold out for even more. In 1999, before eBay delisted a kidney put up for auction, bidders drove the price up to $5.75 million.

Bang with Friends Returns

Three Months After Being Banned From The App Store, Bang With Friends Returns As “Down”

By Greg Kumparak

They’re baaack.

Bang With Friends, the Facebook friend hookup app that seemed to be endlessly engulfed in one controversy or another earlier this year, is returning to the iOS App Store (albeit in a slightly toned-down form) after gettin’ the boot back in May.

For those who missed all the hubbub, even the concept behind Bang With Friends tends to get some people worked up: you open the app, and select which of your Facebook friends you’d want to have over for a romantic steak dinner followed by a screening of The Notebook hook up with. It’s all kept anonymous, unless that same person picks you as a would-be fling in turn.

If there’s a match, Bang With Friends attempts to connect the dots. After a recent update, users can also mark a friend as someone they’d like to “hang” with. Why anonymity is required to say you’d want to hang out with someone you’re already friends with on Facebook, I have no idea.

Back in May, Bang With Friends wiggled its way into the App Store as the moderately more mild “BWF” (on Android, it ditches the acronym in favor of its full name.) Ten days later, however, Apple dropped the banhammer.

As you might expect, the app’s creators — who once tried to remain anonymous themselves, though their identities eventually leaked — protested the decision. They argued that they limited use of the app to adults, contesting that plenty of other apps served the same purpose, just without being quite as blatant.

“We’re working with Apple to get BWF back into the App Store shortly,” promised BWF’s site.
“Shortly”, here, eventually proving to mean “in three months”.

The app returned this morning, though not without its fair share of tweaks and changes to appease the powers that be. Gone are all traces of the word “Bang”; gone is the app’s uber suggestive launch screen imagery. The app is now called “Down”, its namesake “Down To Bang” button now reading just “I’m Down”.


Down to what, you ask? Down to share a pop? Down to go kiteboarding? It’s left open to interpretation (at least theoretically), vague and innocuous enough that it’d be hard to get too offended without already having been offended by the app’s earlier iterations.

The name change also works out alright in a few other ways. After the influx of users from their early controversies, the company had seemingly been trying to steer the app into less of a straight up hookup app into something a bit more broad, like a general dating/friend finding service — hence the introduction of the “Down To Hang” button.

Plus, there’s that whole Zynga lawsuit over the “with friends” trademark. It’s unclear as to whether or not the potential legal battle had any influence on the name change; while it gets them away from using “with Friends” on the App Store, the name remains unchanged for the company’s Android and web variants as of this morning. Their company name in the App Store is still listed as “Bang With Friends, Inc.”

The new, self-censored app is up on the App Store here.

Mary Kom To Take Year Long Break From Boxing

Imphal, Aug 29 : Internationally- acclaimed boxer Mary Kom, while interacting with media on Wednesday said, ” The facilities provided by Madhya Pradesh government to promote boxing are much better in comparison with Manipur.

Otherwise, Manipur would have produced more boxers.” May Kom had won bronze medal in Beijing Olympics.

She denied that she was leaving Manipur because of disturbances and other social reasons. She said that she would shift to Bangalore just for better education for her kids. She said she would like to keep away from boxing for one year because she had to take care of her twin babies.

In reply to volley of questions about sexual assault on female Mumbai photojournalist, boxer Mary Kom said, ” Girls should learn boxing, Judo Karate and other such arts to maintain their physical fitness so that they can defend themselves under such situation instead of surrendering.”

Commenting on dispute between Indian Olympic Association ( IOA) and International Olympic Committee ( IOC), Mary Kom said that she hopes that the dispute would be settled when she returns to boxing field after one year.

International Olympic Committee ( IOC) had slapped a ban on the Indian Olympic Association ( IOA) after dispute cropped up after allegation of ‘ possible manipulation in the elections.’

The move led to subsequent bans on several national sports federations with clouds of uncertainty hanging over the participation of our players in various international competitions.

Mizo Liquor Prohibition Law To Be Reviewed

By Adam Halliday

Aizawl, Aug 29 : Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla has said the government will review the state's prohibition law, adding that "outsiders" are attacking Mizoram with drugs and spurious liquor and that it is sometimes necessary for the government to condone moves by voluntary outfits against such elements in the best interest of the "sons of the soil".

"Things like prostitution and alcohol are not really going to disappear as long as the world exists. Our governor's contention that 'Mizoram is the wettest dry state' is true and we all know it well, there's no denying it," Lal Thanhawla said in an interview on a popular talk show.

"Is it (prohibition) good? Are our youths dying (from spurious liquor) or taking to drugs? These need to be examined and we have set up a state council to look into it... The government will take necessary action at the appropriate time," he said.

"No one should take the law in their own hands but if someone is trying to repair our people then the government will make exceptions," he said.

Zoramthanga Promises 3 New Districts in Mizoram

Aizawl, Aug 28 : Mizo National Front (MNF) will create three new districts if the party comes to power after the next assembly elections.

Former Mizo militant leader and ex-chief minister of Mizoram Zoramthanga pledged that three new districts namely Hnathial, Saitual and Khawzawl will be created if the MNF comes to power. 

"We must form the next government," said MNF president while delivering a speech at South Tuipui MNF Block-I Conference.

It can be recalled here that the MNF had announced to create the new three districts during its last regime but failed to materialise it.

"This time, we will not fail to create the three new districts," Zoramthanga said. The former militant leader said during the MNF regime, it was in the process of creating the three new districts "but our tenure got over."

Meanwhile, the ruling Congress party is heavily depending on the state government's pilot project, the New Land Use Policy (NLUP) as its vote plank in the run-up to the forthcoming assembly polls likely to be held in November. Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla has been making claims of relieving the poor farmers in the state by the New Land Use Policy (NLUP).

NLUP is a pilot project of the Congress led Mizoram government under the leadership of chief minister Lal Thanhawla. Under this scheme, the government of Mizoram attempts to provide alternative means of livelihood to the farmers who are heavily dependent on jhumming which is detrimental to the environment.

Piggery, bee-keeping, fish-farming, grape-cultivation etc., are some of the fields the government is encouraging the local people to pursue by providing financial assistance.

Source: Newmai News Network

14 Girls Raped by Hostel Warden

 Violent Protest in Arunachal

Itanagar, Aug 29 : A shocking case of rape of 14 minor girls allegedly by the hostel warden of a private school in Likabali in West Siang district has come to light after a few students reported the matter to police.

The rape of the girls in the age group of four to 13 for over three years has triggered protests with local residents, students and members from the civil society hitting the streets last evening to protest against the crime.

They also gheraoed the Likabali Police Station demanding capital punishment for the culprits. The incident came to light when a few students of the school yesterday managed to report the crime to the Likabali Police Station, police said here today.

Vipin Wisvan, a non-Arunachalee teacher in the school, who also serves as the warden of the hostel, was arrested yesterday in this connection. The school principal and two other staff were also detained for interrogation. A case had been registered at the Likabali Police Station and an investigation was on, the police said.

According to police, the molestation and rape of students were going on at the school for the last three years. After committing the offence, the accused had threatened the girls with dire consequences if they disclosed his act to the parents.

It was alleged that when the matter was brought to the knowledge of the school principal by the students yesterday, the principal tried to hush up the matter. Then a few students mustered courage to scale the boundary wall and reported the matter at the police station.

The Arunachal Law Students Union, Galo Students’ Union, All Galo Students Union condemned the incident and appealed to the authorities not to grant bail to the culprits. Other organisations too demanded harsh punishment to the offenders.

India Steps Up Efforts To Build Border Infrastructure

Ministerial group headed by finance minister on developing North-East is expected to meet soon

By Utpal Bhaskar

New Delhi, Aug 28 : Prodded into action by recent Chinese incursions into the North-East, New Delhi is stepping up efforts to develop infrastructure in a region it has traditionally ignored—and about time too, said a strategic analyst.

The committee of secretaries (CoS), which until six months ago had not met since November 2011, has met twice since. And in July, the government created a ministerial group headed by finance minister P. Chidambaram on developing the North-East. It, too, is expected to meet soon.

India and China faced off for 21 days in April over an incursion by Chinese troops into Indian territory. The two countries are yet to resolve a long-standing border dispute.

“After a long hiatus, there has been a spate of meetings of the CoS and issues are being taken,” said a government official requesting anonymity. The secretaries in CoS include those from the departments of telecom, railways, defence, home, power, water resources, finance and the Planning Commission.
Another government official familiar with the plans to expedite the creation of critical infrastructure in the region said, “While the CoS didn’t meet in the last two years since November 2011, it met on 26 February 2013 and 26 July 2013. This shows our sense of urgency given our concerns with our neighbour.”

Former naval officer C. Uday Bhaskar, a fellow at New Delhi-based Society for Policy Studies, responded: “We have seen this pattern of episodic interest, whenever there have been exigencies. The ability of the collective Indian state to act in a sustained and collective manner is dwindling. The system has become an octopus with its many tentacles.”

Some of the important projects planned for the region include the 670km East-West corridor, connecting state capitals with a broad gauge railway network, developing air transportation infrastructure such as a greenfield airport in Itanagar, and inland waterway development.
The development of infrastructure in the North-East is also key to the nation’s so-called Look East policy—a focus on South-East Asia.

“If India has to integrate with the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a 10-nation grouping), it is critical to develop infrastructure in the North-East. An effective Look East policy can only work in the backdrop of effective connectivity,” Bhaskar said.

Increasing connectivity in the region and linking it with Myanmar will help India access South-East Asian markets.

China claims 90,000 sq. km of Indian territory in Arunachal Pradesh and occupies around 38,000 sq. km in Jammu and Kashmir that India claims. And under a China-Pakistan boundary agreement signed in March 1963, Pakistan illegally ceded 5,180 sq. km of Indian territory in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to China.

India and China have also sparred over hydropower projects in Arunachal Pradesh, the state that borders China and has the highest potential for hydropower generation in India. With China planning to divert water from rivers that flow into the Brahmaputra to the arid zones of Xinjiang and Gansu, India is worried about the slow pace of work on hydropower projects awarded in Arunachal Pradesh.

Any delay in executing hydropower projects in the region, particularly on rivers originating in China, will affect India’s strategy of establishing prior-use claim. Under international law, a country’s right over natural resources it shares with other nations becomes stronger if it is already putting them to use.

The ministries of water resources and power have already expressed their reservations over Beijing’s ambitious water diversion scheme, into which it is pouring $62 billion (around Rs.4 trillion today). China is building a number of projects on rivers upstream of the Brahmaputra.

New Delhi has decided to fast-track environmental clearances for hydropower projects in Arunachal Pradesh. But projects totalling 13,522 megawatts (MW) in this strategically important state are awaiting environmental clearance, even though they have been given the go-ahead by the Central Electricity Authority, the country’s apex power sector planning body.

The forest advisory committee has rejected forest land diversion plans for the 3,000MW Dibang multi-purpose project in Arunachal Pradesh and forest clearance to the 1,500MW Tipaimukh hydroelectric project in Manipur.

Arunachal To Host Bird Festival

By Pullock Dutta

A bird at Eaglenest wildlife sanctuary.

Jorhat, Aug 29 : Arunachal Pradesh will host its first bird festival in the first week of February next year at Eaglenest wildlife sanctuary in West Kameng district.

The sanctuary, whose lowest point is 500 metres and the highest over 3,500 meters, has a mind-boggling variety of birds and the festival aims to showcase this diversity.

It is at Eaglenest, in the Eastern Himalayas, that a new species of bird, Bugun Liocichla, was discovered in 2006. Only seven pairs of the species were found in the sanctuary. Bugun Liocichla is a close relative of another rare Liocichla species, found only in a few mountains of central China. Liocichla are members of the bird family, babblers.

A bird race for birdwatchers will also be held during the festival. Prizes will be awarded to those with the highest tally of birds and the most special birds sighted.

“We are expecting a large number of tourists, including foreigners, during the festival,” divisional forest officer, Shergaon forest division, Rupa, Millo Tasser, told The Telegraph today.

Eaglenest, which covers an area of 217 square km, derives its name from the Red Eagle Division of the army, which was posted in the area in the 1950s. The sanctuary is home to at least 450 species of birds including babblers, herons, black storks, ducks, hawks, eagles, kites, vultures, falcons, pheasants, jungle fowl, quails, woodpeckers, warblers and cormorants.

The sanctuary has the distinction of having three tragopan species. It is also home to at least 165 species of butterflies and 15 species of mammals, including the endangered red panda, Royal Bengal tiger, Asiatic black bear and capped langur.

Tasser said the main aim of the festival was to raise awareness about Eaglenest.

“Although a large number of tourists visit Eaglenest every year, the sanctuary has not yet received the required attention. We hope the festival will help showcase its diversity of birds at the international forum,” Tasser said.

The festival will be held jointly by the tourism and the forest department, with co-operation from Bugun Welfare Society, an NGO involved in eco-tourism at Eaglenest.

Its members are from the Bugun community, who live on the fringes of the sanctuary.

Indi Glow, chairman of the society said a photography competition with entries of bird pictures taken at Eaglenest and painting and essay competitions among school children have also been planned during the festival.

“We are expecting the bird festival to become an annual feature in Eaglenest’s calendar,” Glow said.

Rural Entrepreneurship For Northeast India

By Shreya Dalela

North East India, the seven sisters, the sunrise states have since a long time been unable to keep pace with development happening in rest of the country. Somehow, even with the government allocating huge amounts of funds every year for its development in infrastructure and other facilities necessary for its progress, the benefits have been minimal. The insurgency and distrust between communities has been a big reason for this. After looking at all the problems that currently plague North East India, one may get a hopeless picture about it which is not the actual scenario.

North East India is endowed with vast number of resources which if put into use judiciously by encouraging micro level rural entrepreneurship and integrating it with local as well as international market can provide employment to all and also guarantee better living conditions. In spite of better literacy rate than rest of the country, the unemployment is high. If the skilled manpower is organized into rural enterprises, the true scope of North East can be realized. Only better living conditions and proper education can help communities leave behind their old notions and embrace development. There is a need for proper education and awareness about the opportunities that surround them among the local people and motivated youth can help solve this problem by being the facilitators of knowledge.

There is no dearth of opportunities when it comes to setting up rural enterprise in North-East. There are huge species of ornamental fishes and scope for expansion of floriculture, rubber plantations, mushroom cultivation and handloom industries. Not only that, North-East India has a huge capacity of hydro-electricity projects which if tapped, can be used to satisfy one third of India's power requirement. The vast amount of coal, petroleum and natural gas reserves also exist in the region. Almost all states share border with other countries providing scope for trade through land.

The communities need to be taught about organizing themselves into an enterprise, about the latest technical knowledge and skills needed for that particular industry, provided with regular and monitored funding and then linked to the local and international market. Government has taken up numerous initiatives to encourage rural entrepreneurship but the progress has been slow due to many factors and one of them being lack of proper guidance and support. Insurgency and infrastructural problems have also added to the problem. There's a need for a proper sustainable model that can solve some of the existing problems and promise development for all. This model is what the participating team of NIT Silchar for Manthan 2013 is working for.

"After spending around four years in North-East, I feel connected to this place and would feel extremely good if I can help in solving some of its problems. It's a wonderful place with limitless scope of growth and educated people. We just need a working model in place that uses the strengths of this place to overcome the limitations and result in overall development and that's what our team is working on", said Nitish Rajpurohit, one of the team members.

Decline in Citrus Orchards in Northeast India

Nagpur, Aug 29 : Despite a sharp rise in area and production of citrus in northeastern hill (NEH) region in seven years (2005-12), there has been huge decline in citrus orchards in this region due to climate change and weather vagaries. The NEH region includes Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.

The area under various citrus crops has increased from 71.8 thousand hectares (TH) in 2005-06 to 139.86 TH and the average production in region in the same period increased from 289.1 thousand tons (TT) to 737.08 TT. Yet there has been little increase in productivity during these years as the productivity increased from 4 tons per hectare (t/h) to 5.27t/h.

"Northeast is the primary source of citrus biodiversity in the country. Yet due to climate change the productivity levels are the country's lowest here. Climate change and natures vagaries have led to a severe decline in citrus orchards in region. There is a strong need to conserve all the 23 species of region," said SV Ngachan, scientist, NEH Indian Council of Agricultural Research at Umiam in Meghalaya.

He was in the city recently for the National Citrus Meet hosted by the National Research Centre for Citrus. Ngachan said that research was needed especially to protect and improve the Khasi mandarin of the region.

Talking about constraints and strategies, Ngachan pointed out that acidic soil, high humidity, and climate change are environmental constraints. But non-availability of quality planting material, farmer's mindset which does not allow them to use pesticides and adopting modern technology has added to the decline in productivity.

Production of elite disease-free planting material, development of new citrus-based integrated farming systems, sequential replanting of senile orchards through participatory approach and rejuvenation of dying orchards could prove to be good for the region.

In addition, Ngachan said that setting up processing units with pre-planned marketing strategies and proper extension can reverse the scene.

A Photographer's Take On Miley Cyrus

The marketing of Miley

By Lucas Jackson

Does anyone remember what happened during the MTV Video Music Awards in 2012? How about 2011? I would wager that the last thing you remember from any MTV video related anything would be when Kanye West walked up and snagged the microphone away from poor Taylor Swift in 2009.

Guess what, someone was counting on that this year. I haven’t a clue who, it might be MTV or Robin Thicke or most likely Miley Cyrus but someone was counting on creating one of these exciting “moments” for people to talk about the next day and boy did they hit the ball out of the park. I cover a fair amount of live music. I am not a concert photographer and I don’t go to every music festival but I cover enough to know when I see a performer putting on a good show. Lady Gaga almost always does it, she has the theatrics down.

A lot of groups who use large stage set-ups know that the show itself can be as important as the music but it would appear that the world is yet to catch up to the genius that is Miley Cyrus.

Sure it was risque but take a look at Robin Thicke’s original video from the song, Miley Cyrus’ video for her song, and finally Robin Thicke’s video for his new song that was just published and ask yourself if all of this isn’t just clever marketing?

I was in the room with my long lens waiting for something to happen and although Gaga’s performance was artistic and interesting due to the deeper meaning (starting with a blank canvas and moving through several iterations until she was standing before the audience in shells) it was not something that made for a ‘signature’ moment.

Miley provided that. As soon as I saw it I shipped the disk containing the image back to my editors in order to get that out because it was a signature moment designed to titillate and cause buzz. It was obvious, and it worked.

The VMAs are awards for the music videos that the network doesn’t even play anymore so they have to make them interesting and the mission was accomplished. I was glad that it happened early in the show so that the pictures could make it to print. There is a certain glee in knowing that you have clear and sharp photographs of the evening’s signature moment but to think that it was any more than a marketing ploy for all involved is playing right into the evil genius of the whole thing.

How Gin And Tonic Saved The British Empire

By Kal Raustiala

This stuff really is medicine.
Photo by Brian Jones/iStockphoto/Thinkstock

The gin and tonic is having a moment. From Spain—where gin and tonics are practically the national drink—to our summer shores, the venerable G-and-T is everywhere. House-made tonic is on the menu in restaurants from coast to coast, and in many fine bars gin and tonics come in dozens of varieties, with special tonics and fruit garnishes matched to distinctive artisanal gins.

Of course, a lot of classic cocktails are enjoying a resurgence—part Mad Men, part the boom in distinctive small-batch spirits, and part the waning fad of faux speakeasies with handcrafted bitters and bartenders in arm garters chipping away at blocks of ice.

But the gin and tonic is different. For one, it requires no unusual ingredients, and it’s very simple to make. More interestingly, the gin and tonic has a storied history that places it at the heart of the largest empire the world has ever known. Indeed, it is not too much of a stretch to say that the gin and tonic was as essential a weapon for the British Empire as the Gatling gun. No less an authority on imperial power than Winston Churchill once declared, “The gin and tonic has saved more Englishmen’s lives, and minds, than all the doctors in the Empire.”

What was the source of the gin and tonic’s great power? As is sometimes said of tequila, the gin and tonic is not just a drink; it’s a drug.

The story begins with the jewel of the British Empire: India. British India comprised both more and less than modern-day India. More, in that it included large parts of what are today Pakistan and Bangladesh. Less, in that much of India under the British Raj was quasi-independent, in so-called princely states that were nominally sovereign but largely under England’s thumb. India was so important to the empire that in 1876 Queen Victoria added the moniker “Empress of India” to her title. Her successors continued that practice right up till 1948, under George VI (he of The King’s Speech fame).

Controlling India, in short, was central to the British Empire and to Britain’s sense of itself as the world’s leading power. What allowed Britain, a small island far off in the northern reaches of Europe, to rule over the vast semi-continent of India for so long is a subject of some debate. But in Jared Diamond’s famous words, Europe’s military superiority was built on a mix of “guns, germs, and steel.”

Guns and steel clearly favored powers like Britain. These innovations allowed Britain (and other European countries) to deploy weapons such as machine guns at a time when many societies around the world still used swords and spears. But germs were more equivocal. Malaria in particular was a virulent killer of colonized and colonizer alike. While malaria has a long history in Europe, it began to be eradicated in the 19^th century, and even earlier it was never as deadly as it was in tropical locations. So as Europeans established colonies in the tropics, they faced a serious and often mortal threat from the mosquito-borne disease. Soldiers and civilian officials alike succumbed to it.

In the 17^th century, the Spanish had discovered that indigenous peoples in what is now Peru used a kind of bark to address various “fevers.” Stripped from the cinchona tree, the bark seemed to work well for malaria. The “Jesuit’s bark,” as it was known, quickly became a favored treatment for malaria in Europe. (Before the discovery of the cinchona tree, European malaria remedies included throwing the patient head-first into a bush in the hope he would get out quickly enough to leave his fever behind.)

Eventually it became clear that cinchona bark could be used not only to treat malaria, but also to prevent it. The bark—and its active ingredient, quinine powder—was a powerful medicine. But it was also a powerful new weapon in the European quest to conquer and rule distant lands.

Quinine powder quickly became critical to the health of the empire. By the 1840s British citizens and soldiers in India were using 700 tons of cinchona bark annually for their protective doses of quinine. Quinine powder kept the troops alive, allowed officials to survive in low-lying and wet regions of India, and ultimately permitted a stable (though surprisingly small) British population to prosper in Britain’s tropical colonies. Quinine was so bitter, though, that British officials stationed in India and other tropical posts took to mixing the powder with soda and sugar. “Tonic water,” of a sort, was born.

Still, tonic water was basically a home brew until an enterprising Brit named Erasmus Bond introduced the first commercial tonic water in 1858—perhaps not coincidentally, the very same year the British government ousted the East India Co. and took over direct control of India, following the so-called Sepoy Mutiny, a violent rebellion and counterattack.

Bond’s new tonic was soon followed by Schweppes’ introduction, in 1870, of “Indian Quinine Tonic,” a product specifically aimed at the growing market of overseas British who, every day, had to take a preventative dose of quinine. Schweppes and other commercial tonics proliferated both in the colonies and, eventually, back in Britain itself.

Gin, which in earlier days had been associated with vice and social decay among the lower classes in Britain—take a look at William Hogarth’s famous print Gin Lane for a taste—was by the 19^th century making its long march toward respectability. It was only natural that at some point during this time an enterprising colonial official combined his (or her) daily dose of protective quinine tonic with a shot (or two) of gin. Rather than knock back a bitter glass of tonic in the morning, why not enjoy it in the afternoon with a healthy gin ration?

The gin and tonic was born—and the cool, crisp concoction could, as Churchill observed, start saving all those English lives.

And American lives. Quinine proved as critical to the battle over the Pacific in the second world war as it had to the struggle over India. As Amy Stewart notes in her new book, The Drunken Botanist, Japan seized Java, the home of huge cinchona plantations, from the Dutch in 1942, cutting off nearly all of the Allied supply of quinine. The last American plane to fly out of the Philippines before it fell to the Japanese carried some 4 million quinine seeds. Unfortunately, the effort was largely in vain: The trees grew too slowly to provide sufficient quinine to the Allied war effort.

The gin and tonic, of course, was not enough to keep the British Empire alive either. Churchill, and many other British leaders, fervently believed that imperialism was essential if Britain was to remain a truly great power. But the strength and appeal of independence and self-determination was overwhelming, and India could no longer be held down by a small coterie of foreign officials, even with their quinine-based cocktails. By 1947 India—and Pakistan—were independent nations. Kenya, Jamaica, Malaya, and other tropical colonies soon followed.

Today, “empire” is a dirty word. But the gin and tonic lives on. The drink went from a bitter medicinal tipple in tropical outposts to a mainstay of British clubs and bars by the first world war. In postwar America, the gin and tonic became synonymous with WASP summer retreats and country club lounges. Then, in the ’70s and ’80s, gin was almost forgotten as first classic cocktails went out of fashion and then vodka began to explode in popularity. Now the gin and tonic is back, especially at the very high end, where artisanal gins from Brooklyn, San Francisco, and all parts in between can be mixed with special tonics like Fever-Tree (get it?) or Fentimans.

But the gin and tonic certainly did the British Empire a lot of good. So as you mix your next one, remember the curious history of the drink—or is it a drug?—in your hand.

Naga Villages Pledge To Save Migratory Amur Falcons

People of three villages of Nagaland have made a pledge to protect and conserve the migratory Amur falcons.

Experts say are usually hunted on a large scale by villagers for the birds' meat.

Village Council Members (VCM) of Pangti, Asshaa and Sungro of Wokha district signed an agreement with two NGOs to assist Nagaland forest department to stop the wide-scale hunt of the birds. The Amur falcons came to light last year, a release issued by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) said in Guwahati on Wednesday, August 28.

Besides the WTI, the other NGO was Wokha-based Natural Nagas, who signed the Memorandum of Understanding earlier this week.

Thousands of these birds were hunted annually for their meat in the district as they crossed the region en route to Africa from Siberia.

Hunters used fishing nets to trap the birds when they come to roost during late evenings or while leaving early in the morning, the release said.

The three villages have pledged to save the migratory raptor in Doyang Reservoir, its largest roosting site in the country, and a resolution was passed by the villages to penalise offenders upto Rs 5000 from this year.

The MoU pledged to generate awareness to engage locals in formulating watch squads to help protect the birds.

It was also agreed to formulate laws and guidelines in accordance with the VCMs to prohibit hunting and poaching of Amur falcons and help mitigate human-wildlife conflicts.

"Following a report on the hunting of Amur Falcons by Conservation India, a Rapid Action Project was initiated by WTI and Natural Nagas to spread awareness on the plight of the species among the local communities," said Natural Nagas spokesperson Steve Odyuo.

Rupee Sinks to 68 Against Dollar

The partially convertible rupee was trading at a record low of 67.40/45 per dollar.

Mumbai, Aug 28 : Continuing its free-fall, the rupee on Wednesday breached the 68-mark against the dollar on strong demand for the US currency amid rising concerns over fiscal burden after the passage of the food bill.

The rupee also dragged the BSE sensex down by over 400 points in early trade, following persistent selling by funds.

The sensex was trading at 17,539.28 points at 10.25am.

Stocks of banking, oil and gas, PSUs, realty, FMCG, auto and capital goods sectors were major losers, dragging down the benchmark sensex.

Brokers said sustained selling by funds and other participants triggered by sliding rupee which breached 68 to a dollar and a weakening trend on the other Asian bourses, tracking overnight losses on the US market as the West stepped up preparations for a military strike on Syria, mainly dampened the trading sentiment here.

The wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty was also down almost 100 points.
At the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, the local currency opened lower at 67.06 a dollar from its previous close of 66.24 and breached 67-mark to trade at a fresh low of 67.42, down by 118 paise, or almost 1.8 per cent.

It later breached the 68 mark.

Forex dealers said besides strong month-end demand for the American currency from importers, concerns related to subsidy burden after the passage of Food Security Bill and capital outflows mainly weighed on the domestic currency.

Further, rising crude prices in the global market also put pressure on the rupee, they said.

The rupee had recorded a steep fall of 194 paise, or 3.02 per cent to close at record low of 66.24 against the dollar in the previous session.

Chief Minister's Special NLUP Launched at CM Constituency

Aizawl, Aug 28 : With hardly three months to go before the state assembly polls, Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla on Tuesday launched the 'Chief Minister's Special New Land Use Policy' (NLUP) Scheme at Serchhip, his constituency, by distributing upto Rs 20,000 to each beneficiary, an official statement said on Tuesday.

While around Rs one lakh each was distributed to each family in the Congress flagship programme the NLUP, launched on February 14, 2011, and meant for providing permanent livelihood to the beneficiaries, the Chief Minister's Special NLUP was to be distributed to people who could not perform any work due to sickness, disability or any other reasons.

Lal Thanhawla claimed the NLUP was a huge success and a blessing to the people of Mizoram while expressing the hope that the Chief Minister's Special NLUP would also be a blessing to the poorest of the poor.

The distribution would continue tn different parts of the state, the statement added.

Rise in Tourists in Meghalaya

 
Sohra in East Khasi Hills the main draw for foreigners, Indians

By Andrew W. Lyngdoh

Shillong, Aug 28 : Not for nothing do they call it the Scotland of the East. Meghalaya, the abode of clouds, was a popular draw for tourists, both domestic and foreign, last year.

The improvement in law and order scenario in Meghalaya, barring the Garo hills, was also responsible for the steady rise in tourist inflow to the state from 2007-2012.

According to statistics provided by the Meghalaya tourism department, the state received more than 6 lakh domestic and foreign tourists in 2012, with 6,80,254 domestic tourists and 5,313 foreign tourists setting foot in the state. Most of the domestic tourists were from Assam and West Bengal and a bulk of them came in April to escape from the heat in the plains.

However, the increase in the inflow of tourists in 2012 as compared to 2011 was marginal. Two years ago, the number of domestic tourists was recorded at 6,67,504 while the number of foreign tourists was 4,803. The same trend is being seen in the last five years where more domestic and foreign tourists came to visit the state. (See chart)

Though there are over 40 tourist spots officially identified across the state, East Khasi Hills district, in which Sohra (Cherrapunji) is located — once the wettest place on earth — still attracts the bulk of tourists, a government official said.

Overlooking the plains of Bangladesh, Sohra at 1,300m (4,290 feet) above sea level, offers a panoramic view of the hilly terrain, deep gorges and valleys and roaring waterfalls. Despite not having received the best of rainfall in recent times, “Brand Sohra” still carries weight among those who are in quest of the exotic amid the most ordinary locales.

Although there are miles to be covered, the tourism infrastructure is steadily developing with more home stays and guesthouses coming up in the state. Focus is also being given to rural tourism to enable guests to take pleasure in living in conjunction with different facets of nature. According to a government official, there are around 15 home stays and guesthouses in and around Sohra alone.

Recently, chief minister Mukul M. Sangma said the government has increased investment under the Tourism Mission and implemented several schemes, which include construction of tourist lodges, guesthouses, roadside amenities and restaurants to promote tourism.

The government is also promoting rural and village tourism to provide tourists with a personalised experience of the culture and lifestyle of the locals, Sangma said.

However, Meghalaya still has a long way to go to provide the best of comfort and service to tourists, though some of its facilities are world class.

The office of principal accountant general (Audit) of Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) is conducting a performance review on the impact of the Meghalaya government’s investment in promoting the tourism sector in the state. Responses, together with the findings emanating from the performance review, will seek to bring out a balance on the efficacy of the expenditure incurred by the state government out of the public purse to promote tourism.

Priyanka Chopra Consults Mary Kom On The Script Of Her Biopic

After visiting Mary Kom at her home in Manipur, buzz is that Priyanka Chopra has asked the makers to incorporate some changes in the biopic on the boxing champ.

Apparently, during her meeting with Mary, the two discussed certain aspects of the script and found some differences in the real and reel facts.

Apparently, a scene in the film shows the protagonist shaving off her hair in anger to register a protest at some disagreements she'd had with her coach and federation authorities. But, it turns out, Mary told PC that she had actually tonsured her head for new, thicker hair growth.

Consequently, the actress suggested to director Omung Kumar that he make the necessary changes before the film's next schedule in October.

Taking a cue from Milkha Singh, who was actively involved in the scripting of his biopic, PC is keen that Mary is kept in the loop.

My Experience Photographing the Yakuza

By Christopher Jue

After watching the movie “The Last Samurai” at a theater back home in Southern California (where I’m originally from), my curiosity for Japan inspired me to go and discover what it’s like. I took a couple of vacation trips out there and met a lot of good people before I found a job that sponsored my working visa to officially let me move out to Japan in 2005.


I actually majored in IT while in college, so the company that hired me was an Internet service provider in Tokyo. At that time, photography was entirely just a hobby that I had no intentions of making a career out of. While doing the IT stuff, I would shoot a lot of personal work related to Japan on the side, ranging from tourist landmarks to Japanese cars, people, events and fashion.


In 2008, I got an email from a CEO of a small Japanese modeling/talent agency asking if I was interested in working with him as a photographer and coordinator, so I jumped ship from the corporate IT life and have been working on interesting projects ever since…

Although I work with a diverse range of clientele, one of the most interesting assignments that I was able to take on to date was with The Times. Whenever I get commissioned with this newspaper, it begins with an “are you available and interested” type of conversation between myself and their Tokyo bureau staff, followed by a final confirmation from the desk in London.


The brief that was presented to me this time explained that there were lots of crimes happening within the community of Kita-Kyushu area, ranging from arson, to threatening phone calls, to people being slashed in the face by machetes. Basically, my job was to illustrate the dangerous goings on that were happening in the community and behind the closed doors of the Kudo-kai — the organization that the police and local people believed was ultimately responsible.

As this was a first-of-a-kind type of assignment for me, I was looking forward to it. After all, it’s not everyday one is allowed into the headquarters of a large mafia organization.

Even though I wasn’t too familiar with this particular Kudo-kai Yakuza group in the beginning, I thought to myself that sometimes it’s probably best not knowing too much. If I knew the organization, it might have changed my perspective and how I photographed them. It’s just like consistently looking at other photographers’ work, you become influenced by their style and the pictures you take are not really yours anymore.

In the beginning, I imagined the Yakuza would be stiff and serious — you know, mafia type personalities — but it was the total opposite. They were surprisingly welcoming and we were all treated with complete respect.

We saw a lot while inside their closed quarters, but there was one particular floor we couldn’t go into because they mentioned it was just a typical “messy” office with papers all over.

There are always challenges when I step out on a commissioned assignment, but the one main challenge for me every time is whether or not I can bring back usable pictures that are also visually stimulating. On this story, however, I was super focused rather than nervous and trying to make sure I had a variety of shots to choose from at the end of the assignment.

Nothing insidious or particularly eventful happened, but the Yakuza did insist on driving me in a separate car from the rest of the The Times staff at one point. Focused as I was, I thought they were going to drive off in another direction, but I assumed it was just so I could shoot from the car comfortably.


Afterwards, The Times staffers were joking with me that they were going to kidnap me and have me work as the organization’s staff photographer. It made for a valuable lesson in safety and understanding that it’s always the first priority while on any assignment.

It’s always better to ask permission rather than running and gunning the shots, especially when you’re dealing with the Yakuza.

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About the author: Christopher Jue is a photojournalist based our of Tokyo, Japan. He considers his images vibrant, honest and straight to the point. Visit his website here.