DIMAPUR — The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) Pughoboto region convened a consultative meeting on April 9 at Pughoboto Town Hall in support of the People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) consensus candidate, Dr. Chumben Murry, in the upcoming Lok Sabha election.

According to a press release, KT Sukhalu, Advisor for Food and Civil Supplies and Legal Metrology and Pughoboto region in charge, attended the meeting and addressed the gathering. Former candidate Y Vikheho Swu and other NDPP officials from the central executive board also spoke on the occasion.

The meeting unanimously resolved to support the PDA consensus candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha election and also reaffirmed its support for the government under the leadership of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio.

DIMAPUR — With the 18th Lok Sabha election approaching, independent candidate Hayithung Bill Lotha has emphasised the significance of every single vote in shaping India’s democratic future and criticised the state government’s “attitude to brush off lakhs of votes from the Eastern Nagaland region” simply because it failed to come to an agreement.

In a press statement, Hayithung pledged attention to the education and health sectors, besides other commitments, if only the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) reconsider their decision to abstain from the upcoming election and participate as a major player in electing the next MP to represent the Eastern Nagas, who will be capable “to press upon the next Prime Minister of India in fulfilling the FNT (Frontier Naga Territory) demand”.

“My representation as an elected Lok Sabha MP will not only be limited as a guarantor to the FNT but also as a guardian to any entity or factor that will threaten the socio-cultural, religious and political identity of the Eastern Nagas,” he said.

Stating that he chose not to stay silent nor blind to the demands of the ENPO and the lakhs of people who had gone through a lot of inequalities and sufferings since attainment of statehood in 1963, Hayithung said that he has set priorities that, if given an opportunity, he would prioritise the needs and aspirations of the people of Eastern Nagaland for a better future by fulfilling the demand for FNT.

He promised to bring about and achieve the political, financial, and administrative autonomy that the people of Eastern Nagaland desire. This includes the appointment of a Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) equivalent to the rank of Chief Minister, who shall directly report to the Governor’s Office. Most importantly, the FNT should receive direct funding from the Central Government and be monitored and supervised by the Government of India.

“I extend a clarion call upon the ENPO, the most prestigious, powerful and dedicated organisation of the Eastern Nagas, to invest their faith and power of vote in a candidate like myself, who is neither influenced nor dictated by the ideology of any political party or with any obligation but only driven by the philosophy to facilitate equality and justice for all,” he said.

Further, he claimed that participating in the electoral process in 2024 by the ENPO will be the “most historic and defining moment” to truly show the ”power and worth” of the Eastern people of Nagaland.

PARIS — Even as the Indian media celebrates the inclusion of Payal Kapadia’s first feature film in the competition section of the Cannes Film Festival, world cinema’s most prestigious event this year will bring together several iconic filmmakers, reports ‘Variety’.

The roster includes notable names such as Francis Ford Coppola with ‘Megalopolis’ starring Adam Driver, George Miller with ‘Furiosa’ featuring Anya Taylor-Joy, and ‘Star Wars’ creator George Lucas, who will be feted with an honorary Palme d’Or.

Kevin Costner will also be on hand with the first installment of his Western epic, ‘Horizon, An American Saga’.

Some of the high-profile films in the pipeline for this year’s competition, according to ‘Variety’, include ‘Poor Things’ helmer Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘Kinds of Kindness’, a stylised three-part story set in the present that reunites the Greek director with Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe; Paul Schrader’s ‘Oh Canada’ with Richard Gere, based on a screenplay by the late Russell Banks (‘Affliction’); Jacques Audiard’s musical melodrama ‘Emilia Perez’ with Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez; Paolo Sorrentino’s ‘Parthenope’ starring Gary Oldman; and David Cronenberg’s ‘The Shrouds’ featuring Vincent Cassel and Diane Kruger.

There’s also Coralie Fargeat’s ‘The Substance’, a female-powered horror film starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley.

‘Barbie’ director Greta Gerwig will be presiding over the jury.

Last year, the festival set a record in terms of representation of women, inviting seven female directors to the Official Competition, ‘Variety’ adds. The Palme d’Or was ultimately awarded to Justine Triet for ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ — and it was just the third time that a woman had won the festival’s top honor (and the film went on to win the Best Adapted Screenplay award at the Oscars, BAFTAs and Golden Globes.

This year, the number of women in competition stands at just four, including India’s Payal Kapadia.

Hollywood, notes ‘Variety’, may have a lighter presence because of a combination of factors — including last year’s actors’ and writers’ strikes, which created production delays, as well as a tough economy — but this year’s festival will see no shortage of glamour and stars on the red carpet.

NEW DELHI — Filing of nominations for the third phase of Lok Sabha 2024 will begin on Friday.

In this phase, 94 Parliamentary constituencies across 12 states will undergo polling on May 7.

A notification for the adjourned polling in the Betul Parliamentary constituency in Madhya Pradesh is also likely to be issued on Friday. The election to the seat was to be held in the second phase but got adjourned due to the demise of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate.

The last day for filing nominations is April 19 and for withdrawal of candidature is April 22.

The states and UTs which are set to polls in the third phase include Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

The General Elections 2024 will be held in seven phases, starting from April 19 to June 1 and will conclude on June 4, with the announcement of results.

SEOUL — An international tribunal ordered South Korea on Thursday to pay 43.8 billion won ($32 million) in compensation to US-based hedge fund Mason Capital in an investor-state lawsuit the company filed over a controversial 2015 merger of two Samsung affiliates, the Justice Ministry said.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in the Netherlands issued the decision nearly six years after the New York-based fund brought the investor-state dispute settlement process against the South Korean government, demanding $200 million in compensation.

The ordered compensation amount, which included interest on delayed payments, represents about 16 per cent of what Mason demanded, reports Yonhap news agency.

The case dates back to the 2015 merger of two Samsung Group affiliates, Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries, where a ratio of 0.35 Cheil shares was offered for every one Samsung CT&T share.

Mason, which held a 2.18 per cent share in Samsung C&T at that time, objected to the merger, saying it undervalued Samsung C&T shares, and has since filed the suit in 2018, claiming the South Korean government had unfairly intervened in favour of the merger.

The merger, seen as aimed at tightening Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong’s control over the family-controlled group, had been the centre of a massive corruption scandal that led to the ousting and the conviction of former President Park Geun-hye, as well as the imprisonment of Lee.

Mason accused the Park administration of exerting excessive influence in the state-run National Pension Service, a major shareholder in Samsung C&T, which was seen as a swing vote at that time, casting its vote in favour of the merger.

Dimapur, April 11 (EMN): The Nagaland State Lottery results for the Dear Lake Thursday draw, held on Thursday, at 6 p.m., have been declared.

According to the official information provided by the Nagaland State Lotteries, the winning number of Dear Lake Thursday, the 54^th draw held at 6 pm Thursday, is  79A 20753 the winner of the 1st prize will receive INR 1 crore for a ticket priced at INR 6.

Here is the official result of the Nagaland State Lottery Dear Lake Thursday at 6 pm on April 11, 2024:

Where to claim prizes

The winners of Nagaland State Lottery draws must present their winning tickets, along with a completed claim form available online, a government-recognized photo ID, and passport-size photographs in order to claim their prizes.

Nagaland State Lottery results are also accessible on the official Nagaland Lotteries website, Lottery Sambad, and Eastern Mirror. Director Zhothisa Dawhuo stated that the lottery results can also be viewed on YouTube channels including Nagaland Lotteries, Nagaland Dear Lottery, Nagaland Lottery, Nagaland State Lottery Live, and Nagaland Dear Laxmi.

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NEW DELHI — Meta (formerly Facebook) on Thursday said that the company is testing new tools to help protect young people from sextortion and other forms of intimate image abuse on their platforms.

The company also said that it is making it hard for scammers to find potential targets on its apps and across the internet.

“While people overwhelmingly use DMs (direct messages) to share what they love with their friends, family or favourite creators, sextortion scammers may also use private messages to share or ask for intimate images,” Meta said in a blogpost.

“To help address this, we’ll soon start testing our new nudity protection feature in Instagram DMs, which blurs images detected as containing nudity and encourages people to think twice before sending nude images,” it added.

Moreover, the tech giant mentioned that ‘nudity protection’ will be turned on by default for teens under 18 worldwide, and will encourage adults via notification to turn the feature on.

According to the company, when this feature is turned on, people sending images containing nudity will see a message reminding them to be cautious. Those who try to forward a nude image will receive a message encouraging them to reconsider.

In addition, the tech giant is testing new ways to help people spot possible sextortion scams, “encourage them to report and empower them to say no to anything that makes them feel uncomfortable”.

The company is also adding new child safety helplines globally into their in-app reporting flows.

GUWAHATI — Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has postponed his campaigning schedule in Assam, a senior party leader said on Thursday, adding the Wayanad MP will visit the northeastern state on April 20 after the first phase of polling.

As per the revised schedule, Rahul Gandhi will address a public meeting in Nagaon on April 20, instead of holding rallies in Jorhat and Dibrugarh on April 17.

“Due to some other commitments, Rahul Gandhi had to cancel his scheduled public meetings in the state. He will come on April 20 and will address a public gathering in Nagaon. But Priyanka Gandhi might campaign in Jorhat and Dibrugarh before the first phase of polls,” a senior Assam unit Congress leader said.

Five out of 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam including Jorhat and Dibrugarh will go to polls in the first phase on April 19.

Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi — son of late chief minister Tarun Gogoi — will contest from Jorhat Lok Sabha seat while Lurinjyoti Gogoi is pitted against BJP heavyweight, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in Dibrugarh Lok Sabha constituency as joint Opposition candidate.

These two seats in the upper Assam region are considered crucial for the Congress.

The Congress leader said as Rahul Gandhi earlier had passed through Jorhat during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, that is why, he has now decided to campaign for the party in Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency.

MUMBAI — Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd (TPEM) said on Thursday that it has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding with Shell India Markets Private Limited (SIMPL) to collaborate in setting up public charging stations across India.

“The collaboration will leverage Shell’s fuel station network and TPEM’s insights from over 1.4 lakh Tata EVs on Indian roads to set up chargers at locations frequently visited by Tata EV owners. Additionally, both companies will work towards delivering superior charging experiences,” according to a TPEM statement.

The two companies are also exploring introducing convenient payment systems and loyalty programmes to facilitate charging for electric vehicles.

Commenting on the partnership, Balaje Rajan, Chief Strategy Officer, Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd and Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd, said: “Through this partnership, we aim to grow the existing charging infrastructure, which is crucial for mainstream adoption of EVs in the country, particularly as the customer base continues to expand. This strategic alliance will help in driving up the EV adoption in the country.”

Sanjay Varkey, Director, Shell India Markets Private Limited, said, “Shell is committed to offering integrated solutions that prioritise convenience, safety, and sustainability in charging EVs. Our ultra-fast and reliable chargers ensure that our customers enjoy a sustainable, hassle-free and efficient charging experience.

ATHIABARI — Nambie Jessica Marak, first runner-up of Masterchef India (Season 8, 2023) joined National People’s Party (NPP) on Thursday, during an election meeting in Athiabari in West Khasi Hills.

She joined the party in the presence of Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and NPP candidate from Shillong parliamentary seat, Mazel Ampareen Lyngdoh.

Taking to X, Meghalaya CM wrote: “At Athiabari in West Khasi Hills to seek blessing for our candidate Dr Ampareen Lyngdoh for the ensuing Lok Sabha election.”

“We are delighted to have Nambie Marak join our party. It’s a positive sign to see young individuals stepping into politics, as they bring fresh perspectives and can effectively represent the aspirations of the people,” he added.

At Athiabari in West Khasi Hills to seek blessing for our candidate Dr Ampareen Lyngdoh for the ensuing Lok Sabha election.

We are delighted to have Nambie Marak join our party. It's a positive sign to see young individuals stepping into politics, as they bring fresh… pic.twitter.com/vP6OqwfFFp

— Conrad K Sangma (@SangmaConrad) April 11, 2024

Nambie Marak is a household name in the culinary world. She hails from the Garo tribe of Meghalaya. She runs a YouTube channel known as ‘Eat Your Kappa’ where she documents various foods and cultures of northeast India.