Finding Snowden

By Silkie Carlo “There were times when I thought it would never happen,” Coleen Rowley, a former FBI agent, said about her recent trip to Moscow. “I’m still amazed.” I too was amazed when I received an encrypted email at 2am one recent October morning, with a photo of her and three other whistleblowers standing shoulder to shoulder with one of the most wanted men on the planet. When...

Mizoram: He Once Discarded This Seat, Now His Fate Depends On it

By Adam Halliday Former CM Zoramthanga (in cap) in Khuangthing village. Khawbung, Nov 21 : Wearing a white baseball cap and walking on Khuangthing village's deserted main street with two aides, Zoramthanga is candid about his chances. "I am taking a risk," says the former Mizoram chief minister. "We now only have one-third of the strength we had in this seat," he adds. "But I was born and grew...

Mary Kom Sizzles On Ramp in Delhi

The North East Festival 2013 came to an end with a fashion show, where many designers from the north-east - like Dhiraj Deka and Garima Saikia Garg from Assam, Yena Ngoba from Arunachal Pradesh, Joy Shing from Manipur, Anu Marbaniang from Meghalaya, Charlie from Mizoram and Anga and Aji from Nagaland - showcased their creations. The showstopper for the evening was Olympic bronze medal winner...

In Mizoram, A Party That Hunted 40 Candidates Settles for 1

By Adam HallidayAizawl, Nov 21 : There is a new party in Mizoram politics — in a manner of speaking. The Jai Maha Bharath Party (National Level), a party headquartered in New Delhi's Connaught Place, has set out to contest the assembly elections. It started off scouting for candidates for the 40 seats, and has finally found one.It began with an advertisement in the front page of a local daily, Vanglaini,...

India losing the battle against TB?

Two people die every three minutes in a country that accounts for 26 percent of cases globally. By Bijoyeta Das Rafael Hasta, 58, has yet to benefit from the world's largest free TB care programme [Bijoyeta Das/Al Jazeera] The days Rafael Hasta coughs up blood, his son Samuel gives him mashed papaya with boiled rice and red tea....

India Gets On The Highway to Growth in Southeast Asia

By Nayanima Basu With the implementation of the India-Asean comprehensive economic partnership, the target for two-way trade has been set at $100 billion by 2015 As India readies to sign the free trade agreement on services and investment with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), taking bilateral trade relations to the next level of a comprehensive economic...

Mizoram: Rivals Come Face To Face On One Platform To Seek Cotes

By Arijit SenAizawl, Nov 20 : Mizoram will vote on November 25 to elect a new Assembly and politicians are showing the way when it comes to campaigning. In this Northeastern state candidates from different political parties come together to face questions on joint platforms.Like students getting ready for an exam, candidates from three different political parties competing for the Aizawl North Constituency...

Mizoram CM: I Wiped Tilak Off, Can They Wipe Blood Off Their Hands

By Adam Halliday The CM with a tilak on his forehead Serchhip, Nov 20 : Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla has hit back at the opposition, which has been attacking him for sporting a tilak and charging him with forsaking his religion. "I wiped off the tilak on my forehead after the function, but how are those who took up arms and caused deaths of many innocents to wipe the blood off their...