Korean
scientists developed a cancer-targeted phototherapeutic agent that
promises complete elimination of cancer cells without side effects. It
involves only one injection and repeated phototherapy. In a mouse model,
it showed no toxicity while the cancer was completely removed.
Italy's data protection watchdog has ordered TikTok to block access to users whose age cannot be confirmed.
The ban comes just days after the death of a young girl in Palermo, who had been taking part in an online "challenge" that has been viral on the platform.
"The Italian Data Protection Authority (GPDP) has ordered Tik Tok to immediately block the use of user data for which the age of the user has not been ascertained with certainty," it said in a statement.
"The authority decided to intervene as a matter of urgency following the terrible case of the 10-year-old girl from Palermo."
The Chinese-owned app has been prohibited from processing user data that is not "in compliance with the provisions related to the age requirement".
The temporary ban will last until 15 February as the authority continues to assess data privacy regulations. The GPDP also stated that they had informed Irish data protection authorities "given that recently TikTok has announced that it has set its main establishment in Ireland".
The President of Italy's Commission for childhood and adolescence, Licia Ronzulli, described the ban as "right and timely" on Twitter.
"The safety of minors must be protected at all costs and we cannot, as happened in Palermo, allow a social network to be an accomplice in a suicide".
Tiktok had already been accused of data privacy violations by the GPDP in December over the "lack of attention to the protection of minors".
The social network had also been accused of weak policies, which allowed users under the age of 13 to circumvent age-restricted rules.
The public prosecutor's office in Palermo indicated that it has opened an investigation into TikTok for "incitement to suicide" after the 10-year-old's death by asphyxiation, which provoked strong reactions across Italy.
"The safety of the TikTok community is our top priority," the platform said in a statement, adding, "we are at the disposal of the competent authorities to collaborate in their investigation".
Currently NBFCs are categorized as deposit taking and non-deposit taking
Within the second category there are systematically important entities
New suggestions would have four layers - base layer would be for non deposit taking
Deposit taking NBFCs would have a new superstructure for regulation - this structure has not been fully specified, but is expected to be closer to that of the banks
In effect, entities taking deposits from customers would have similar regulations on Tier 1 capital, reserves, etc.
This would greatly help the folks who stick to 'Fixed Deposits'
Singjamei police in Manipur’s Imphal West district had registered a suo motu case against the portal’s editor-in-chief, Sadokpam Dhiren, executive editor Aribam Paojel Chaoba, and M. Joy Luwang for an article, “Revolutionary Journey in a Mess”.
Two editors of a web portal, The Frontier Manipur, booked on charges of charges of sedition and helping unlawful organisation on Sunday were not only released on Monday but all charges against them were also dropped.
Singjamei police in Manipur’s Imphal West district had registered a suo motu case against the portal’s editor-in-chief, Sadokpam Dhiren, executive editor Aribam Paojel Chaoba, and M. Joy Luwang for an article, “Revolutionary Journey in a Mess”.
The article, written by Luwang and published on the portal on January 8, was a criticism of the state’s armed groups and had also issued a call to “work with togetherness” to streamline the “revolution”.
The police said the article “openly endorsed revolutionary ideologies and activities and expressed shock and dismay at the deteriorating character of the armed revolutionary leaders of Manipur” and lead to the registration of the case against the editors who have admitted to publishing it but denied knowledge about the author.
The FIR says the accused attempted to bring hatred/contempt/disaffection against the government and of hatching a criminal conspiracy and being a sympathiser of unlawful organisation. The were booked under Sections 124A (sedition), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 505(b) (incitement) and 34 (common intent) of the IPC, and Section 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which deals with furthering the activity of a terrorist organisation.
Dhiren and Chaoba’s lawyer, Chongtham Victor, had on Sunday night said they have been arrested and were to be produced in court on Monday. But he refused to comment on the matter on Monday.
Sources familiar with the case told The Telegraph that the “intervention” of the All Manipur Working Journalists Union seeking the release of the duo, the “leniency” shown by chief minister N. Biren Singh and a “clarification” issued by the editors resulted in their release. by noon. The Editors Guild Of India too had issued a statement seeking their release and withdrawal of the cases that pose a threat to free expression, and to democracy itself.
“Senior journalists approached the chief minister. Both sides explained their positions and concerns and the chief minister ordered their unconditional release. The editors too offered a formal clarification admitting that publishing the article without verifying the source was an oversight on their part and such mistakes will not pass their scrutiny in the future,” a source said.
Imphal West superintendent of police K. Meghachandra Singh told this newspaper that all charges against the duo have been dropped but the investigation against Luwang will continue. “They were released around noon on PR (personal recognizance) bond. The matter was amicably resolved after the intervention of senior journalists and the government,” he said.
Asked whether the police can release persons arrested on charges like sedition and under the UAPA, Singh said: “ We had filed the FIR on our own. It was not reported by anyone. Sometimes prima facie there may be many things but on close examination we find something different. They were detained for 24 hours. Our investigation against Luwang, the author of the article, will continue.”
According to Singh, the case was registered against the editors and Luwang because the article was alarming. “It has the potential to create unrest, pose a serious threat to rebels who have joined the mainstream, was against the state and had urged the civil society to help, correct and streamline the movement led by the revolutionaries,” Singh said.
Associate editor Kishorechandra Wangkhem is also a part of the portal’s editorial team but was not questioned. He was earlier booked for sedition and was released on bail last month. The web portal was launched last year.
Noklak is located along the international boundary with Myanmar and connects India with other east and south east Asian countries
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Rio, while conveying his best wishes to the people of Noklak, encouraged them to uphold a competitive spirit and to co-operate with the government for all-round development.
Noklak is located along the international boundary with Myanmar and connects India with other east and south east Asian countries. The chief minister tagged the new district as the “frontier district” and asked the people of Noklak to safeguard and to protect the region.
Meanwhile, vice-president of India M Venkaiah Naidu released a video on Noklak via video conference and extended his best wishes to the new district.
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Nagaland is one of India’s most charming states, located in the northeastern part of the country. The state is most reputed for its Hornbill Festival that is celebrated each year, and tourists visit from all over the country. However, the state also has some unique experiences, tastes, and places that are really the most rewarding for a traveller. If you ever want to go offbeat in the northeast of India, head to Nagaland.
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The
image of a tattooed headhunter is a world apart from anything we have
ever known. Nagaland is home to numerous old tribes, and the Konyak Naga
tribe is one such fascinating tribe. The distinct tattoos on the faces
of the members of this tribe are earned after they take the enemy's
heads. Today, the headhunters certainly do not go on a hunt, but this
extraordinary tradition is a gem of Indian culture.
 |
Nagaland
is still a very pristine land, thanks to the state and its people who
have kept its best interests at heart. While commercialisation has
entered the state, Nagaland is still inherently natural. So the state is
full of nature’s bounty, at places such as the Dzukou Valley, or the
Shilloi Lake, you will find yourself coming in touch with nature.
 |
Naga
cuisine has spread across the country today, earning quite a good
reputation. Across New Delhi, there are numerous Naga restaurants
serving authentic delicacies. The food of Nagaland includes some unique
things such as axone, or fermented soya bean, bamboo shoots, dry fish
among others. Pork meat is one of the main foods of the state, which is
cooked in various ways. But if you get the chance, you must try the
smoked pork of Nagaland.
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Recently, Frontier Manipur has been reporting in detail on the sensational drug haul case involving a person said to be close to chief minister N. Biren Singh.
Paojel Chaoba and Dhiren Sadokpam. Photos: Facebook
New Delhi: In yet another case of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Manipur government rounding up journalists in the state under draconian laws, two senior journalists Paojel Chaoba and Dhiren Sadokpam have been detained on Sunday. While Chaoba is the executive editor of The Frontier Manipur, an online news portal, Dhiren is the portal’s editor.
According to a police statement, a case under the Unlawful Atrocities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Section 124A (sedition) of the Indian Penal Code has been filed against “the editors of the Facebook page of the news portal” along with M. Joy Luwang, the author of an article published in The Frontier Manipur on January 8.
Chaoba and Dhiren’s detention has come close on the heels of the arrest of another Imphal-based journalist, Kishorechandra Wangkhem, multiple times under several draconian laws, including the National Security Act and sedition. A well-known name in the state’s journalistic circles, Chaoba has a number of investigative stories under his byline at the Imphal Free Press, including about a Manipur police officer going on the record for the first time about carrying out fake encounters on innocent civilians in the insurgency-ridden state. Dhiren is the former editor-in-chief of Imphal Free Press.
Recently, Frontier Manipur has been reporting in detail on the sensational drug haul case involving a person said to be close to chief minister N. Biren Singh. State police officer Thonoujam Brinda had said in a sworn affidavit in the Manipur high court that she was under pressure from the chief minister to release the person from custody.
Even though the person, Lukhosei Zou, was arrested by the state police on finding drugs worth Rs 27 crore from his residence, a special court acquitted him in December. Following his acquittal, Brinda had returned the police gallantry medal accorded to her by the chief minister for her credible work in fighting the drug menace in Manipur.
The FIR filed by the officer commanding P. Sanjoy Singh on January 17, at the Singjamei police station in Imphal West district against The Frontier Manipur publishing the article mentions that it spotted the article with the headline “Revolutionary Journey in a Mess” on January 17, 12:30 pm. Soon the FIR was filed charging Luwang and the editors of the portal for “attempting to bring hatred/contempt/disaffection against government; criminal conspiracy and statements conducting to public mischief with common intention by being Sympathiser of unlawful organization punishable under 124A/120B/505B/34 of the IPC and section 39 of the UAPA Act”.
According to the latest information from Imphal, a police team arrived at Chaoba’s house at Thambeiband leikai of Imphal on January 17 morning and asked him to accompany them, but he refused. Later, when he reached the police station on his own, he was detained. Towards the evening, Dhiren Sadokpam too was summoned for interrogation and detained thereafter.
Advocate Gunadhar Singh, looking into the case, told The Wire, “It is not clear yet whether Chaoba has been arrested or still detained. Dhiren has been summoned for interrogation. Anyway, even if he is arrested, being a Sunday, he will be produced before a magistrate only tomorrow, following which we will submit our bail application in the court.” Around 9 pm, news came that Dhiren too had been detained.
The author of the article has not been detained so far. The police statement said that the author through the article “openly endorsed revolutionary ideologies and activities and expressed shock and dismay at the deteriorating character of the armed revolutionary leaders of Manipur in the recent decade”.
“He called out to the people of Manipur to become true revolutionaries….His article clearly expressed sympathy and support to the ideologies and activities of armed revolutionary groups and outrightly called the rule of law of the union and state governments As colonial law thereby attempting to bring hatred, contempt and feeling of Enmity against the rule of kaw and government which is likely to cause fear ir alarm in public inducing them to commit an offence against the state thereby posing serious threats of internal security issues,” the police continued.
Interestingly, though the same article was published earlier in Imphal Times and Kangla Pao, these news publications have not been named in the FIR. While the article in Kangla Pao was published in Meitelion in October 2020, the same report was published in Imphal Times on January 3.
The Wire tried to contact the Singjamei police station multiple times for more information on the case, but has failed to get in touch so far.
Chaoba’s wife A. Sanahanbi Devi has submitted a letter to the president of the All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union (AMWJU), informing them of his detention and urged it to do the needful. Sources in the AMWJU have said that its executive members would meet on Monday to discuss the issue.
On Monday, the Foundation for Media Professionals issued a statement condemning the journalists’ detention. The statement points out that the Centre has for years been engaged in talks with insurgent groups, and leaders of such groups have often subsequently become minister or prominent politicians. “They were not charged with sedition or terrorism,” the statement reads. “…It is therefore odd that mere publication of an OpEd article on some such groups should draw extreme charges upon editors.”
The Foundation for Media Professionals has issued a statement on the detention of two Manipur journalists using sedition and UAPA @NBirenSingh @SanjoyHazarika3 @MrSamratX @RevatiLaul @paranjoygt @nit_set pic.twitter.com/DxWVB1pusq
— Media Track (@mediatrack_in) January 18, 2021
Also on Monday, the Editor’s Guild of India criticised the Manipur police, the action indicates “no media organisation is safe from the irrational use of these laws”. It demanded the immediate release of the two journalists, adding that the cases pose a threat to free expression and democracy itself.
The Editors Guild of India has issued a statement on the arrest of journalists in Manipur under sedition laws as well as UAPA. EGI demands the immediate release of the editors and withdrawal of these cases that pose a threat to free expression, and to democracy itself. pic.twitter.com/GQqFGZw7yP
— Editors Guild of India (@IndEditorsGuild) January 18, 2021
Note: This article was updated at 4:44 pm on January 18 to include the statement issued by the Editor’s Guild of India.
AIZAWL, JAN 18 : Mizoram will reopen schools for students in Class 10 and 12 from January 22 and places of worship from February onwards, according to new unlock guidelines.
Schools and hostels will reopen from this Friday. The new guidelines require students intending to join hostels to produce a Covid-19 negative certificate obtained within 96 hours of entering the premises.
The guidelines also said churches will be allowed to open with 50 per cent seating capacity or 200 attendees on every Saturday and Sunday at noon from first February.
Churches in Christian majority Mizoram are closed since March 22 last year due to Covid-19 pandemic.
Higher institutions for undergraduate and postgraduate students will be allowed to open from February and training or coaching institutes will also open with either 50 per cent sitting capacity or not more than 50 students from now onwards, the order said.
The maximum number of attendees in funeral and marriage reception has been raised from 35 to 100.
The number of attendees in indoor games, cinema hall, auditorium, community hall and social events (indoor) is fixed at 50.
However, games and sports practices and social events held outdoors will be allowed with 100 attendees.
In any function related to organisation or party, the number of attendees allowed is 100 but deputy commissioners can allow up to 150 attendees by special permission.
All business shops, establishments and commercial activities will function normally under strict Covid-19 protocols.
Any individual, who is returning from other parts of the country, will have to be placed under quarantine at designated facility but those who produce RT-PCR or TreuNat labs negative test certificate, which is not older than four days, will be exempted from the quarantine protocol.
Any state resident, who goes outside and returns to the state within four days, need not go for quarantine.
However, any person returning from Europe will be placed under quarantine at designated facilities and will not be allowed for home quarantine facility.
Night curfew will remain in force in Aizawl and other district headquarters from 8.30 pm to 4.30 am every day till further orders, it added.
