IMPHAL, February 14: The winter session of the state Assembly was reconvened today with the entire ruling group including the Samata Party MLAs and an Independent MLA supporting the Nipamacha government, staying away from the proceedings. This was the first in the state's history that a House session was conducted without its leader and ruling members attending it. The House was later adjourned sine die by Speaker Dr. S Dhananjoy after reading out a communication from the Governor, Ved Prakash Marwah, concerning the Chief Minister's resignation letter tendered to him yesterday. The House...

IMPHAL, February 14: Politics in Manipur is changing fast. Two days after Radhabinod Koijam (Samata Party) staked claim to form the government along with the MSCP faction led by Nipamacha Singh, it took yet another sharp turn. This time Koijam staked claim along with the MSCP faction led by T Chaoba Singh, Union minister of state, and other Opposition parties that have formed the People's Front. The new development started unfolding since this morning, when Singh, cancelling his trip to New Delhi, got hold Sambhu Srivastava, Samata Party's secretary in charge of the Northeast. Srivastava was...

IMPHAL, February 14: In a fresh twist to the ongoing political crisis in Manipur, the BJP central leadership today prevented Governor Ved Marwah from inviting Samata Legislature Party leader Radhabinod Koijam to form the new government. The situation underwent a dramatic change after the BJP high command forced Koijam to team up with the Opposition. The Samata Party leader today met the Governor and submitted a new list comprising names of 45 legislators. However, the validity of the list was controversial as it included the names of W. Nipamacha Singh's supporters in the Thounaojam Chaoba...

GUWAHATI, February 14: As part of the ongoing effort to formulate National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), process is on to formulate State-level strategy to protect and patent bio-resources in all the States of the Northeast India, one of the two biodiversity hotspots in the country. PC Bhattacharjee of Zoology Department, Gauhati University, informed The Assam Tribune that commendable progress had been made towards formulation of State-level strategy and action plan in Assam and Meghalaya while other NE States had just got on with the job. Bhattacharjee who is one of the...

SHILLONG, February 14: The former Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh, Faruq Sobhan yesterday reiterated that his country was committed to cooperation with India to stop insurgency which was wreaking havoc in the Northeastern States. "Bangla's stand on the issue of insurgency is very firm, articulate and positive," he said, denying charges that Bangladesh is sheltering militants from the Northeast. He was interacting with newsmen here last afternoon. Observing that there is a feeling in India that Bangladesh is not interested in extending its cooperation in dealing with ultras hiding there, he...