Men Carrying Assault Rifles 'Play' Football In Manipur. Video Viral

A man in a fluorescent green football jersey came walking towards the camera. In knee-high socks and running shorts, he appeared prepped for a football match on the dusty ground. But this 'football player' carried two automatic assault rifles - one slung from the right shoulder, the other in hand. He raised the gun and laughed.

This 'football match warmup' video first appeared in an Instagram post by a social media influencer from Manipur's Kangpokpi district. It has gone viral now.

The visuals showed a dozen men in football kits carrying AK and American-origin M series assault rifles, kicking a football around. The guns have red ribbons tied around the barrel.

An event poster visible in the video showed the place as (L) Nohjang Kipgen Memorial Playground, K Gamnomphai. There is a village which locals identify as 'Gamnomphai' in Manipur's Kangpokpi district, some 30 km from the state capital Imphal.

The word 'Sanakhang' is written on the front side of the football jerseys, and one of the men carrying an AK assault rifle has the name 'Ginna Kipgen' written on the back of his jersey. He is player No. 15.

The text on the event poster seen in the video showed the football match began on January 20.

The social media influencer, Nampi Romeo Hansong, deleted the Instagram video which carried the watermark 'Kukiland' and a hashtag in his name. Mr Hansong, who has 11,000 followers, later posted a short video of the football match on Instagram - without the men carrying assault rifles.

On his YouTube channel, which has 1.09 lakh subscribers, he posted a nearly six-minute-long video showing the men with guns -- from the earlier video that he deleted -- for the first three seconds.

While the rest of the video has cultural performances and scenes from the football match, heavily armed men in dark green battledress are seen dancing at the venue towards the end of the video. Their helmets and shoulder patches carried a red logo usually seen worn by militants of the Kuki National Front (P), or KNF-P, whose turf is Kangpokpi.

A civil society organisation of the Meitei community in a post on X asked the authorities to "investigate this open display of assault rifles".

"This video of a football tournament in Manipur has gone viral on social media. What is deeply disturbing is the open display of sophisticated weapons by the so-called footballers. Or is it a football tournament of Kuki Militants? We urge the authorities to investigate this open display of assault rifles," the Meitei Heritage Society said.

This video of a football tournament in Manipur has gone viral on social media. What is deeply disturbing is the open display of sophisticated weapons by the so called footballers. Or is it a football tournament of Kuki Militants?

We urge the authorities to investigate this... pic.twitter.com/3IC5uY9BkH

— Meitei Heritage Society (@meiteiheritage) February 6, 2025

The 'P' in KNF-P means "president"; it is used to indicate KNF-P is the original KNF, hence the letter "president", the supreme. The KNF was founded in 1987. In 1994, it split into two factions i.e. KNF-MC led by SK Kipgen, and the original became KNF-P led by ST Thangboi Kipgen.

So, KNF is the KNF-P; the rest are its factions.

The KNF is a signatory to the controversial suspension of operations (SoO) agreement signed between nearly two dozen Kuki militant groups and the state and the centre.

Under SoO, the militants are to stay at designated camps and their weapons kept in locked, monitored storage.

The Manipur government has been asking the joint monitoring group, which reviews the SoO agreement every year, to scrap it for good, over allegations that the SoO groups have been involved in the Manipur violence from the beginning. The SoO agreement lapsed in February this year.

The Kuki tribes and the Meiteis have been fighting since May 2023 over a range of issues such as land rights and political representation.

Manipur's Gun Problem

In 2023, the year the Manipur violence began, young men armed with automatic assault rifles from both communities were frequently seen roaming in the open. Hundreds of videos have surfaced on social media.

Members of the Meitei militia Arambai Tenggol armed with military-grade grenade launchers and AKs were often seen 'patrolling' the foothills, while their Kuki counterparts were seen in bunkers on the hilltops with similar weapons.

Both sides claim they are "village volunteers".

With the security forces and the government authorities themselves using the word "village volunteers", these groups of young people may have become more and more confident of showing off lethal weapons and normalising the act in the absence of effective deterrence, local activists have alleged.

Many senior officers of the security forces have publicly said militants from both sides are involved in the Manipur violence. These include violations of the SoO agreement by Kuki militants, and Meitei militants who had been dormant for the last 10 years returning to Manipur from war-torn Myanmar.

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CIA Staff Offered Buyouts As Agency Aligns With Trump Priorities

The CIA is moving "swiftly" to align its workforce with the Trump administration's national security priorities, the agency said Wednesday, with staff members understood to have received government buyout offers.

The CIA has become the first US intelligence agency to join a voluntary redundancy program initiated by President Donald Trump, who has vowed to radically downsize the federal workforce in the name of efficiency and frugality.

"Director (John) Ratcliffe is moving swiftly to ensure the CIA workforce is responsive to the administration's national security priorities," a spokesperson said in a statement.

"These moves are part of a holistic strategy to infuse the agency with renewed energy, provide opportunities for rising leaders to emerge, and better position the CIA to deliver on its mission."

Ratcliffe -- who served as the director of national intelligence from 2020-2021 during Trump's first term in office -- was confirmed by the US Senate last month.

He told lawmakers that under his leadership, the agency would "produce insightful, objective, all-source analysis, never allowing political or personal biases to cloud our judgment or infect our products."

"We will collect intelligence, especially human intelligence, in every corner of the globe, no matter how dark or difficult," and will "conduct covert action at the direction of the president, going places no one else can go and doing things no one else can do."

Addressing CIA officers, he said: "If all of this sounds like what you signed up for, then buckle up and get ready to make a difference. If it doesn't, then it's time to find a new line of work."

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Union Budget 2025 Provides For 200 Day Care Centres: PM's Big Announcement For Cancer Patients

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking in parliament today in his response to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to President's address, made a big announcement about the government's plans for cancer treatment.

Speaking on the World Cancer Day, he said the government is planning to open Day Care centres for cancer patients, that would come as a huge relief to them and their families. 

"If today is cancer day, i would like to say all the MPs can take advantage of this for patients in their area," PM Modi said.

"You know patients face problems because there are not enough hospitals, especially those who come from out of town. This budget envisages creating 200 day care centres. These will be a big help to the patients and their families," he said.

Taking the initiative to provide relief to patients of cancer and rare diseases further, 36 life-saving drugs have been fully exempted from basic customs duty in the Union Budget 2025.

Additionally, 37 more medicines and 13 new patient assistance programmes have also been exempted from the basic customs duty.

"To provide relief to patients, especially those suffering from cancer and rare diseases, I propose 36 life-saving drugs in fully exempted custom duties," Union minister finance Nirmala Sitharaman said while presenting her eighth consecutive Union Budget.

In 2018, PM Modi had launched the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), which has emerged as a revolutionary initiative. 

The scheme is designed to offer health insurance coverage to over 500 million people, especially those who are from the economically vulnerable sections.

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Speaking Marathi In Government Offices Made Mandatory In Maharashtra

The Maharashtra government on Monday made it mandatory for all officials in government and semi-government offices in the state to speak only in Marathi.

The Government Resolution (GR) issued to this effect also said that speaking Marathi is compulsory in local self-government, government corporations and government-aided establishments.

Errant officials will face disciplinary action, the GR cautioned.

The Marathi Language Policy, approved last year, had recommended the use of Marathi in all public affairs to further the steps taken for the preservation, conservation, promotion, dissemination and development of the language.

The GR also stated that PC (personal computer) keyboards in all offices should have Marathi Devanagari alphabets apart from Roman alphabets.

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Rajasthan Law Minister Uses Cuss Word In Assembly, Apologises After Uproar

The Rajasthan Assembly erupted in chaos on Monday when Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel used "unparliamentary" language in the House.

Mr Patel made the remarks during the Question Hour, which became a bone of contention when the house resumed after lunch for debate on the Governor's address.

The matter settled when Mr Patel apologised saying he did not mean to use the word.

The incident occurred during a discussion, when Minister Otaram Dewasi was replying to the question raised by Congress MLA Chetan Patel related to crop damage due to floods.

Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully expressed his displeasure over the minister's answer and asked counter questions, leading to an uproar.

And when Mr Jully asked the minister to give the figures of damage in Sangod of Kota, Mr Patel stood up and used an abusive word.

As soon as the House resumed after lunch, Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra said, "The House was in session. When the Leader of Opposition was speaking, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister objected to the Leader of Opposition. He did not only objected, but also abused. There can be nothing more unfortunate than this." He added, "What can be more shameful that the Parliamentary Affairs Minister abusing? We come here for the issues of the common people, we do not come here to be abused."

Mr Patel responded by saying he and his party always respected and honoured the members.

"We present our point effectively, we do not lack in this. There was no intention to hurt anyone's dignity," he said.

"I never had the intention to speak unparliamentary words in the House nor will I have in the future. If someone gets excited while speaking in the flow, there was no such intention. Therefore, it should be deleted and such feelings will never be there towards any member in future. I feel sorry for this," he added.

Mr Dotasra reacted saying, "If it came in the record, then an apology should be made. Our Dhariwal ji had apologised, I had apologised on his behalf, you are the Law Minister."

Mr Patel said, "I have not said this and if I have said it, then I feel sorry. We do not remain adamant like you. We respect everyone."

Later, Speaker Vasudev Devnani directed the members to maintain decorum of the House.

"If something goes wrong, we should immediately take action against it. If something happens then I think there is no harm in apologising," he said.

The House proceeded for debate on the Governor's address and adjourned till Wednesday.

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US Secretary Of State Meets Panama Leader Over Trump's Demand For Canal

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio entered talks Sunday with Panama's leader to press President Donald Trump's demand that the United States take back control of the Panama Canal.

Trump has refused to back down on threats to seize the vital waterway and it remains unclear what Rubio can achieve diplomatically that would please him, with Panama firmly rejecting any claims against its sovereignty.

Rubio, in his first meeting abroad as the top US diplomat, walked past an honor guard outside the whitewashed walls of President Jose Raul Mulino's official residence in the tropical capital's old quarter.

Rubio shook hands with Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha and flashed a thumbs-up sign before heading into talks with Mulino. They made no immediate comments to the press.

Rubio later in the day will tour the Panama Canal, the crucial link between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through which some 40 percent of US container traffic passes.

Trump and Rubio say that US competitor China has gained too much power around the canal and could shut it down in a potential conflict, with catastrophic consequences for the United States.

Mulino, in response to pressure, ordered an audit of a Hong Kong based company that controls ports on both sides of the canal.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump said it was not enough and that Panama has "totally violated" the understanding when the United States handed back the canal in late 1999.

"They've already offered to do many things," Trump said Friday of Panama, "but we think it's appropriate that we take it back."

Protests for sovereignty 

Scattered protests broke out in Panama ahead of Rubio's visit, with an effigy of him in a red, white and blue suit set on fire.

Diojenes Sanchez, a professor who took part in the protests, vowed to defend Panama's sovereignty.

"We firmly reject the claims of the United States to turn Panama into a protectorate and colony," he said.

The Panama Canal -- which Trump has dubbed as a modern "wonder of the world" -- was built by the United States at the cost of thousands of lives of laborers, mostly people of African descent from Barbados, Jamaica and elsewhere in the Caribbean.

The United States maintained control of the canal when it opened in 1914 but began to negotiate following deadly riots in 1964 by Panamanians angered over foreign control.

Jimmy Carter sealed the agreement that gave the canal to Panama at the end of 1999, with the late president seeing a moral imperative for the United States to respect a smaller but still sovereign country.

Trump takes a vastly different view and has returned to the "big stick" approach of the early 20th century, in which the United States threatened force to have its way, especially in Latin America.

In his first week in office, Trump prepared massive tariffs on Colombia to force the US ally to take back deported citizens on military planes, after the country's leftist president complained that they were not being treated in a dignified way.

Just as Rubio started his trip, Trump on Saturday signed off on sanctions on the top three US trading partners -- Canada, Mexico and China.

Rubio, the first Hispanic secretary of state and a devout Catholic, started his Sunday in Panama City attending Mass at a church built four centuries ago in the old city.

He will travel to four more Latin American countries -- El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic -- where he is expected to press for cooperation on Trump's key priority of deporting migrants from the United States.

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Who Are Gig Workers? Nirmala Sitharaman Announces Major Benefit For Them

In a significant move under Budget 2025, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that gig workers will now be eligible for the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), the world's largest health insurance scheme. This initiative aims to provide crucial healthcare coverage to gig workers who do not receive traditional employment benefits.

Who Are Gig Workers?

Gig workers are individuals engaged in short-term, flexible jobs, such as driving cabs, online delivery services, or freelance work. This category is growing rapidly, and according to projections, by 2030, gig workers will constitute approximately 4.1% of India's total workforce, or around 23.5 crore people.

What is AB-PMJAY?

Launched in September 2018, AB-PMJAY is a health insurance initiative designed to provide free treatment for up to Rs 5 lakh per year for every eligible family. The scheme is managed by the National Health Authority (NHA) and offers immediate benefits with no waiting period, including coverage for pre-existing conditions. Initially covering 10.74 crore families, it now extends to 14.74 crore families, benefiting nearly 70 crore people.

The inclusion of gig workers in the scheme follows recommendations made by the NHA to expand coverage for those without any form of health insurance. This move aligns with the goals outlined in the National Health Policy 2017, which emphasizes universal health coverage for all.

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