IMPHAL, April 16: Fourteen departments in the state today came into grinding halt with the launching of the indefinite cease work strike by a faction of the Joint Administrative Council and All Manipur Government Employees Organization this morning, demanding payment of long overdue salaries and protesting against the suspension of allowances of employees by the state government. The S Narendra led faction of the JAC declared a wildcat indefinite cease work strike effective from today during a press conference yesterday at the State Guest House. All government machineries are likely to come to...

GUWAHATI, April 16: In a move which is certain to raise the hackles of state BJP leaders, the Asom Gana Parishad today named four of its top guns in constituencies which have been marked for "friendly contests" with its latest ally. Chief minister and party president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta renominated party vice-president and state cooperation minister Nurul Hussain in Hajo, sericulture minister Ramendra Narayan Kalita in Guwahati (West), deputy Speaker Renupoma Rajkhowa in Teok and former education minister Jatin Mali in the Palasbari constituencies. The names of these four top leaders...

AGARTALA, April 16: Gripped by continued dissension in the wake of the ouster of autonomous district council chief executive member Debabrata Koloi from his post, the leadership of the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura is considering a major restructuring of the party to tide over the crisis. According to information available from senior IPFT leaders, party president Harinath Debbarma will be replaced by the chief of the high-level monitoring committee, B.K. Hrangkhawal. In order to forestall any revolt from the deposed party president - Harinath Debbarma is adept in breaking parties - he...

IMPHAL, April 16: The Judicial Magistrate First Class (Imphal East) Ms Noutuneshori has passed an order to produce the 28 year-old hunger striker Irom Sharmila in the court located at Lamphelpat for further detention under judicial custody on April 18. Mention may be made here that from Sharmila of Kongba had launched fast unto death agitation since November 5 last year in public soon after the Malom massacre in which 10 persons were brutally shot dead by 8 Assam Rifles personnel. Miss Sharmila is demanding immediate removal of the black laws like Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958 from the...

IMPHAL, April 16: The Catholic Schools in the state are still in a limbo even after the school teachers have taken over the management of the schools. It may be recalled that the schools had closed down following threats from an underground group. All the headmasters of Don Bosco schools in Imphal have either left or are in the process of doing so for fear of harm coming to them after handling over the charge of day to day management of their schools to the teachers for the time being. However, the teachers and students are reluctant to attend classes after an anonymous caller ordered closure...