Aizawl, March 10: A leading Mizo female singer has come in for sharp rebuke from the state?s largest women?s organisation for comparing girls with puppies in one of her hit songs. The Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl (MHIP) has also urged the people to boycott the song by Ramthanzuali, more popularly known as Puibawihi.

The influential women?s organisation termed the song Hmeichhia Leh Uite (Puppies and women) as ?a humiliation of women?. The controversial song dwells on the similarities between a girl and a puppy, based on an old Mizo saying that puppies and girls are easily attracted to those...

Kokrajhar, March 10: The Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District (BTAD) executive member Bishiram Narzary has taken up an extensive programme for saving the forests within the Bodoland administrative set-up. Narzary, who holds the forest portfolio in the BTAD, has conducted a series of surprise raids, resulting in the seizure of illegal timber worth Rs 1 crore.

The BTAD is blessed with the largest forest cover in the state with a national park at Manas and three wildlife sanctuaries at Orang, Bornodi and Chakrasila besides several other reserved forests. However, militants and timber...

Guwahati, March 9: The Congress today cleared the names of four sitting Lok Sabha MPs, including chief minister Tarun Gogoi?s brother Dip Gogoi. However, the fate of six others hung in the balance as the ruling party drew up the first list of candidates for the parliamentary polls.

The list, which was prepared by the state election panel today, would be forwarded to the Congress central election panel for finalisation.

Gogoi is scheduled to leave for Delhi with the list in a couple of days. The central panel?s meeting is scheduled for Sunday, after which the list will be forwarded to the high...

New Delhi, March 9: India may be ?shining? but the Northeast is not. Actually, it rarely does and this admission has come right from the Centre. The ministry of non-conventional energy sources has turned down proposals for over 800 solar photovoltaic projects, saying that ?the sun hardly shines for more than 100 days in a year in the region?.

The Northeast receives the highest amount of rainfall every year and Mawsynram near Cherrapunjee has been identified as the wettest place on earth. However, there is no silver lining on this cloud.

According to an official of the ministry, norms stipulate...

Agartala, March 9: The comptroller and auditor general report, 2002-2003, tabled in the just-concluded session of the Tripura Assembly, has revealed that the 15 bullet-proof vehicles procured by the police for counter-insurgency operations are not bullet-resistant at all.

The vehicles continue to ply in the rebel-infested areas of the state, endangering the security forces.

According to the report, in 2001 the state police had acquired 15 bullet-proof Maruti Gypsy vehicles from the Union home ministry for Rs 65.14 lakh. The vehicles were then dispatched to the ordnance factory in Medak for...