Govt Formulates Job Plan For Youths of Northeast India

New Delhi, Jan 28 : The government is finalising a special scheme for the skill development and employment of youth with focus on troubled Jammu and Kashmir, North-East and Naxal-affected areas to counter terrorism and insurgency.

The youth affairs ministry's programme will start with the north-eastern states. Assembly elections in Assam -- which is politically crucial for the ruling Congress -- are due later this year.

"The aim would be to make the youth a vibrant force against divisive forces," youth affairs and sports minister Ajay Maken said. "If we can generate employment, insurgency-related problems could also be addressed. Unemployment is a root cause of the problem," he added.

The ministry will approach the Planning Commission and the finance ministry for funding of the new scheme which will be worked out after consulting state governments.

The minister said that the age group of 15-35 years constituted about 40% of the country's total population and the youth in troubled regions fall pray to divisive and extremists forces in the absence of employment opportunities.

Under the scheme, the country would be divided into four parts -- J&K, North-Eastern states, Naxal-hit tribal areas and the rest of the country -- to understand the skills needed in each region so as to ensure that youths get employment.

The projects, in collaboration with FICCI, will start with the North-Eastern region while the Naxal-affected areas will be taken up next in March-April.

The ministry has called the youth affairs and sports ministers of the North-Eastern states for a meeting on February 4 to work out the specific programmes for the region.

"We have to draw up new schemes for the youth as some of the schemes have become outdated," Maken said, adding that these are specific programmes and tailor-made for each region. "The focus will be skill development and employment through sports," he said.

Talking about the North-Eastern region, Maken said infrastructure has to be developed in the region. "In the North-East, there is natural talent for sports. We have to use," he explained.

Cancer Claims More Lives Than Any Other Disease in Mizoram

Aizawl, Jan 28 : Among various diseases that claim lives in Mizoram, cancer claims more lives than any other diseases if the reports by Mizoram Economics & Statistical department is to be based.

In the book, ‘Statistical Abstracts of Mizoram 2009’ prepared by the said department cancer had claimed more lives than other diseases like malaria, cholera, TB etc.

The book highlighted numbers of death during the year 2004-2008. During the year 2004, 593 died of cancer which is 12.72% of death while in 2005, 618 persons died due to cancer which is 13.18% of the total death on that year.

The book further revealed that during 2006, 2007 and 2008, cancer had claimed 12.82%, 13.08% and 11.71% of the total death.

Meanwhile, according to Mizoram Population Based Cancer Registry (PBCR) report, stomach cancer is the most common cancer where 23.1% of cancer patients have suffered from this cancer. It is followed by lung cancer and then throat cancer followed.

via Newmai News Network

US Offers 5th gen F-35 Stealth Fighter to India

Washington, Jan 28 : The US is open to Indian participation in its Joint Strike Fighter programme that would finally lead to its purchase of fifth generation F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter, a top Pentagon official said Friday.

"There is nothing on our side, no principle which bars that on our side, Indian participation in the Joint Strike Fighter. Right now, they're focused on these aircraft which are top-of-the-line fourth-gen fighters," Under Secretary of Defence for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Ashton Carter said.

Headed to India in the coming weeks, Carter said the decision to pursue the F-35 is to be taken by India only.

Carter was delivering a key-note address on "US-India Defense Relations" at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, on the occasion of the release of a report on India's Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) program.

At a cost of about USD 10 billion for 126 aircraft, the MMRCA competition is the largest Indian fighter tender in years.

Eight countries and six companies eagerly await the outcome of the selection process, which has garnered high-profile attention for its sheer size, its international political implications, and its impact on the viability of key aircraft manufacturers.

Carter argued that US-built F-16 and F/A-18 as being the most technologically advanced aircraft in the competition.

"I think that, without saying anything disparaging about the other entrants, both F/A-18 and the F-16 offers include the best technology," he said.

Authored by Ashley Tellis, the report says that in choosing an aircraft, the government of India must employ a speedy decision process that is focused on the right metrics, taking both technical and political considerations into account.

Tellis in his over 140 page report notes that the European aircraft are technically superb, but the US entrants prove to be formidable "best buys".

If Washington wants an American aircraft to win the game, however, it will need to offer generous terms on the transfer of technology, assure India access to fifth-generation US combat aircraft, and provide strong support for India's strategic ambitions to counter the perception that the older US designs in the MMRCA race are less combat effective, the report notes.

"Given the technical and political considerations, New Delhi should conclude the MMRCA competition expeditiously, avoid splitting the purchase between competitors, and buy the best aircraft to help India to effectively prepare for possible conflict in Southern Asia," the report said.

"Because of the dramatic transformations in combat aviation technology currently underway, the Indian government should select the least expensive, mature, combat-proven fourth-generation fighter for the IAF as a bridge toward procuring more advanced stealth aircraft in the future," it said.

"In making its decision, India's government must keep the IAF’s interests consistently front and center to ensure that its ultimate choice of aircraft is the best one for the service. This will not only help India to strengthen its combat capabilities in the coming years but position it as a rising global power worthy of respect far into the future," the report said.

'Rebirth' A Tale of Assam's Troubled Politics

Writer Jahnavi Barua's new novel 'Rebirth' provides glimpses of Assam's troubled political history while examining contemporary urban life.

Set in Bangalore and Guwahati, 'Rebirth' is the story of a young woman Kaberi struggling with an uncertain marriage and is also an intimate portrait of the bond between a mother and her unborn child.

Moving between Bangalore and Guwahati, the novel, published by Penguin, weaves together Kaberi's inner and outer worlds as she negotiates the treacherous waters of betrayal and loss - an unfaithful husband, a troubled relationship with her parents and the death of a childhood friend.

With characteristic restraint and disarming honesty, Jahnavi lays bare the disquieting predicaments of contemporary urban life and reveals the timeless and redemptive power of love, friendship and self-renewal.

Though trained as a doctor, Jahnavi instead decided to pursue a career in writing with her passion for the land she comes from (Assam), publishing her first book 'Next Door' - a collection of short stories, in 2008 to critical acclaim.

Besides her short stories being widely anthologised, in 2005 Jahnavi won the Short Fiction contest hosted by Unisun Publishers and the British Council.

That was followed by the second prize in the Children's Fiction category of the same prize the next year.

In 2006, the Bangalore-based author was awarded a Charles Wallace Trust Fellowship to study Creative Writing in the UK.

RIM Tells India No Access For BlackBerry Emails

An Indian customer waits next to a BlackBerry display at a shop in New Delhi

New Delhi, Jan 28 : BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) said Thursday it could not give Indian law enforcers a way to monitor its corporate mail service, days ahead of a government deadline for access.

India had given RIM until the end of the month to come up with a solution allowing security forces to monitor encrypted data transmitted on the smartphone or face a shutdown of the core service.

"There is no solution, there are no keys (to the corporate email service)," senior RIM executive Robert Crow told reporters in New Delhi.

"It's not possible to do so because the keys of the service are in the possession of the corporate enterprises," said Crow, reiterating previously stated remarks.

India's government, battling multiple insurgencies in areas from Kashmir in the northwest to the remote northeast, is worried militants could use encrypted services to coordinate attacks.

Earlier this month, RIM announced it had given the government the tools to monitor its popular instant messaging service.

However, Crow said BlackBerry's corporate email service was part of a wider issue that needed to be tackled on an industry-wide basis.

"This is not an issue unique to BlackBerry. BlackBerry represents a very small fraction of the total population of VPN (virtual private networks) in India," he said.

There may be more than a million VPNs in India with high security features, he said.

India has also told Google and Skype that they must set up servers in the country to allow law enforcers to screen traffic, as the country widens its security offensive on Internet communications firms.

In October, the United Arab Emirates withdrew a threatened ban on Blackberry services after saying they had been brought into compliance with the Gulf state's regulatory framework, though it did not provide details of the changes.

Ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia made a similar announcement last year when it decided not to impose a proposed ban.

India, which has the world's fastest-growing number of mobile users, is a key market for BlackBerry, which has 1.1 million customers in the country.

BlackBerry has become a global market leader in the smartphone sector thanks to its heavy encryption.

No Dearth of Talent in Northeast India: Tripura Governor

Agartala/Aizawl, Jan 27 : The success of tennis player Somdev Devvarman, who won a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games, shows that ‘there is no dearth of talent in northeast India’, said Tripura Governor D.Y. Patil Wednesday.

‘Somdev has become an immense source of motivation for all the sportspersons in India as well as Tripura. The people of Tripura along with the rest of the country are extremely happy following his success and feat in the international sports arena,’ Patil said after unfurling the national flag at the Assam Rifles ground here on the occasion of Republic Day.

‘Somdev’s success proves… that there is no dearth of talent in northeast India and that all these bright youngsters need a platform or an opening to prove their capability,’ the governor said.

The tennis sensation, who belongs to Tripura’s erstwhile royal family, won two gold medals at the Guangzhou Asian Games in China and a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi last year.

‘Terrorism seems to be in its last throes in Tripura which bodes well for faster development of this land-locked bordering state.

‘We all must reiterate our resolve today to banish militancy with courage, vigour and determination and share the commitment of our government to bring the fruits of development to every home of the state,’ Patil said.

People came out in large numbers across the state to participate in the 62nd Republic Day celebrations, defying the boycott call by militant group, the Tripura People’s Democratic Front.

In Mizoram, Governor M.M. Lakhera unfurled the tricolour at the Assam Rifles ground at Aizawl.

Lakhera said: ‘As many as seven sports persons from Mizoram took part in the recently concluded 16th Asian Games at Guangzhou.’

Crack in ULFA, Paresh Barua Warns Peace Lobby

Guwahati, Jan 27 : ULFA chief Paresh Barua has sent out a stern message to the peace lobbby.

A video footage, showing ULFA's elusive Commander in Chief Paresh Baruah dancing during Bihu along with the militant group's armed cadres in an unknown location, was sent to the media by ULFA cadres who still owe their allegiance to Barua and not Arabindo Rajkhowa.

The video message came days before top ULFA leaders were to sit down for peace talks.

Rajkhowa, ULFA's chariman along with eight members of the group's Central Committee, were recently released from jail to facilitate peace talks with the Central Government.

Intelligence officials in New Delhi claim that Barua, who has always called the shots within ULFA, is hiding in Burma and this camp is located on the banks of the Chinwin river and his loyal cadres were trained in China.

But ULFA is now a divided house. A large chunk of it's leaders and members want peace talks. Jiten Dutta was once Barua's most dreaded commandant but now he called his former boss a dacoit.

"Paresh Barua is now a weak leader. That's why he is sending this video to tell people that he is still in control," said Dutta, a leader of ULFA pro-talks group.

The government in Guwahati is determined to carry the talks forward without Paresh Baruah.

"There is a faction who doesn't want peace to return in Assam and have become foreign agents," said Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

For 30 years, the people of Assam have seen a grainy picture of Paresh Baruah.

But is there a hidden agenda in this first ever video of Paresh Barua?

Some analysts believe that behind the apparent show of renewed resistance and threats, there was a message to Assam and its people. Barua wants them to know his face, that he was the ultimate voice in the organisation always and that he is not willing to give up even in a changed scenario.

Firefox, Chrome Adding 'Do Not Track' Tools

New York: The Firefox and Google Chrome browsers are getting tools to help users block advertisers from collecting information about them.

Alex Fowler, a technology and privacy officer for Firefox maker Mozilla, said the "Do Not Track" tool will be the first in a series of steps designed to guard privacy. He didn't say when the tool will be available.

Google Chrome users can now download a browser plug-in that blocks advertisers - but only from ad networks that already let people decline personalized, targeted ads. According to Google Inc., these include the top 15 advertising networks, as rated by the research group comScore, a group that includes AOL Inc., Yahoo Inc. and Google itself.

The next version of Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer browser, which is still being developed, will include a similar feature, though people will have to create or find their own lists of sites they want to block.

Google and Mozilla, however, are developing tracking-protection tools that will work automatically - once people decide to turn on that privacy feature, that is.

Microsoft, Google and Mozilla's promises of stronger privacy comes on the heels of government complaints that online advertisers are able to collect too much data about people in their quest to target ads.

Last month, the Federal Trade Commission recommended the creation of a "Do Not Track" tool that would invite consumers to restrict advertisers from collecting information about them, including the websites they visit, the links they click, their Internet searches and their online purchases.

Meanwhile, the Commerce Department last month called for guidelines that would require online advertisers to warn consumers what information about them they are collecting and how they plan to use it. Consumers, the department said, should be able to "opt out," or decline, some or all of that data collection. And if companies do collect information, they would be required to store it securely.

Google product managers Sean Harvey and Rajas Moonka said the new Chrome tool will allow for more permanent ad blocking. Before, opt-out settings were typically stored through small files known as cookies; when users clear cookies, however, the opt-out settings get erased, too. Another benefit is that the new tool allows users to opt out of all participating ad networks at once, rather than one at a time.

Google eventually hopes to develop a similar plug-in for other browsers as well, Harvey and Moonka added.