IMPHAL, April 28: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national secretary (organisation) and in-charge of the Northeast border area States, P B Acharya is conducting certain political development programmes since his arrival on Thursday here, after inspecting the Indo-Bangla border conflicts recently. The visiting BJP leader is also likely to sort out the problems that have apparently cropped up between the Samata Party and the BJP. It may be mentioned here that the BJP Manipur Pradesh, had recently come out with a scathing criticism of Chief Minister Radhabinod Koijam for his "high-handedness in...

KOHIMA, April 28: In a fresh peace initiative in the Northeast, the Centre today announced ceasefire with Khaplang faction of National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K) which will come into effect immediately in Nagaland, reports PTI. "It has been jointly agreed between the Government of India and NSCN(K) to announce a formal ceasefire declaration for a period of one year with effect from April 28, a Union government press release quoting Home Minister L K Advani said. Announcing that the text of "ceasefire ground rules" have been agreed upon between the Centre and NSCN(K), he expressed...

AGARTALA, April 28: Fifteen National Liberation Front of Twipra militants surrendered yesterday before state Governor Lt. Gen. (retd) K.M. Seth and CRPF inspector-general Vageesh Misra. The group, led by Manindra Debbarma, laid down arms at the CRPF's second battalion headquarters in Narsingharh near here. They would get rehabilitation benefits under a Union home ministry programme. The militants deposited an AK-47 assault rifle, two self-loading rifles, a 7.62 bolt action rifle, a 303 rifle, four countrymade guns and a large quantity of ammunition. The CRPF inspector-general said he is...

GUWAHATI, April 27: It is a "sweet" lost-and-found tale spanning two continents and over half-a-century. From South Wales, Lesley Sweet and her father John Arnold Sweet will be flying into this city early next year to meet 43-year-old John Earnest Duchi - their only living relative in Assam. Duchi, a state government employee, is Lesley's paternal uncle. It will also be the first meeting between cousins John Arnold and John Earnest though their parents were in touch through mail till the early seventies. "It will be a reunion and I can't wait for it," Duchi said. "But the most excited member...

IMPHAL, April 27: Admitting that the state government has been virtually reduced to the status of a beggar and has no other alternative but to drastically curtail development works due to the present financial crisis, the Chief minister Radhabinod Koijam today announced that the Government has constituted a resource mobilization committee. Speaking to reporters today after inspecting the Kangchup water supply scheme, which is being taken up with the assistance from French Government with Law and Public Health Engineering Minister O Joy Singh, the Chief Minister said that the resource...