CALCUTTA, August 27: The Army today threatened to intervene again in Nagaland where for the past few days a series of armed clashes between rival militant factions has been spreading panic among the people. The Army had suspended operations in the state following a ceasefire agreement with the major rebel outfit two years ago and only last month, the government had announced that the agreement would be extended for another year. However, the fresh spell of violence has forced the government to consider resuming its operations in the State. On Thursday morning, an activist of the National...

DIBRUGARH, August 27: A part of the ancient Silk Route, the Stilwell Road, may be opened for civilians by 2005. That is the time when most trade of the globe would be opened up and liberalised, and the beneficiaries of the Stilwell Road are keen to have the roadblocks removed and pave the way for prosperity to unfurl in a hitherto landlocked hinterland. The four Governments in Beijing, New Delhi, Dhaka and Yangon appear enthusiastic from the outcome of an unofficial international conference that took place during the middle of this month at Kunming, the capital city of the south Chinese...

KOHIMA, August 26: The stage is set for the merger of two regional political parties of Nagaland - the Nagaland People's Council (NPC) and the Nationalist Democratic Movement (NDM), according to senior leaders of both the parties. The NPC and NDM have jointly put up Shurhozelie as their common candidate for the lone Lok Sabha seat in the state and released a joint manifesto on Wednesday at Dimapur. Talking to newspersons after releasing the manifesto, the party leaders expressed their desire to merge to form a viable regional party. The leaders present were NDM president Hokishe Sema, working...

AIZAWL, August 26: After having failed to forge an electoral alliance with the Congress, the Mizo National Front (Nationalist) today decided to contest the lone Lok Sabha seat in Mizoram on its own, party leader Landuhawma said. The party has, however, invited all "like-minded" parties to support its candidate which would be announced soon. The MNF(N) was formed in 1997 by a breakaway group of the MNF led by present chief minister Zoramthanga following the defeat of Lalduhawma in the party organisational election. Lalduhawma, a former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, was a security officer...

IMPHAL, August 26: All efforts by political parties to combine forces against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate in Manipur during the coming Lok Sabha elections have failed and a multi-cornered contest appears unavoidable, since, according to them, the Congress wanted other parties to support its own candidates. Following failure of talks to forge a unity among all anti-NDA forces, the Secular Democratic Front (SDF) and the Congress declared their respective list of candidates for the Inner and Outer Manipur constituencies. Khaidem Mani Singh of the Manipur People's Party (MPP)...