Shillong, March 25 : Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir Monday said the opening of a high court in Meghalaya will help integrate the different traditional laws and customs of the state together with the legal system of mainstream India.

"There are different systems prevalent here, which need to be integrated, and with the coming into operation of the new high court here, I think it will go a long way in fulfilling these aspirations," Kabir said, after inaugurating the Meghalaya High Court.

Shillong, March 14 - Condemning crimes against women in Meghalaya, Governor Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary Thursday said the government is adopting new strategies to tackle the issue.

In his address at the first day of the budget session of the assembly, Mooshahary said the overall crime rate in Meghalaya was "under control" but crime against women were a matter of serious concern.

Shillong, March 14 : Catholics in the predominantly Christian state of Meghalaya Thursday reacted with joy as Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as the 266th pope in the Catholic Church's 2,000-year history and took the name of Francis I.

Archbishop of Shillong Dominic Jala, who offered Pope Francis I his congratulations, prayers and support, said: "He is God's timely gift to us all."

Shillong, March 12 : Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul M. Sangma Tuesday formed his new council of ministers by inducting 11 members from the Congress.

Mukul Sangma also scripted new political history in the state by inducting three women legislators as ministers.

Of the 25 women who contested the recently concluded assembly elections, only four - Ampareen Lyngdoh, Roshan Warjri, Deborah C. Marak and Dikkanchi D. Shira - won the assembly polls. Shira is Sangma's wife.

Shillong, Feb 12 : Pope Benedict XVI's announcement to resign due to his frailty has shocked and surprised everyone in the predominantly Christian Meghalaya.

Archbishop of Shillong archdiocese Dominic Jala expressed surprise at the decision but said he respects the Pope's decision, which was matter of conscience before God.

"We all admire his humility and sincerity and pray for him, thanking God for having given him as a shepherd and we pray for light that we may have a successor worthy of this ministry," Jala told IANS Tuesday.

Shillong, Jan 2 - A "historic settlement" is on the anvil to resolve the issues raised by rebel A'chik National Volunteers Council (ANVC) group Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said Wednesday.

"Negotiations with ANVC for arriving at a permanent settlement have reached the final stage. I have been informed by the (union) ministry of home affairs that a tripartite meeting is being convened on January 5 in Shillong," Sangma said in a newspaper advertisement here.

Shillong, Sep 9 : Meghalaya has lost 41 acres of land as India and Bangladesh have demarcated their boundaries but the overall agreement will only bring "goodwill and prosperity" to both countries, said state Chief Minister Mukul Sangma Friday.

Sangma was part of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's entourage to Bangladesh Sep 6-7. The two countries signed a framework agreement on cooperation for development and a protocol on demarcating their land boundary.

Shillong, Aug 30 : Irom Sharmila, fasting for the last 11 years for the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), must "reach out to people across the country" like anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare to make her cause known, says former union home secretary G. K. Pillai.

AFSPA enables security forces to shoot at sight and arrest anybody without a warrant if an area is declared disturbed. Sharmila is currently in an isolated room of Manipur's Jawarharlal Nehru Hospital.

Shillong, Jan 7 : To ensure smooth and quick delivery of mail and emergency aid to drivers, the union ministry of communications and information technology will introduce Global Positioning System (GPS) devices to track the movement of mail motor vehicles in the hilly terrains of northeast India, an official release said here Thursday.

"The GPS would be installed to track the movement of mail motor vehicles in the hilly and difficult terrains of northeastern states - Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura," the release said.

Shillong (Meghalaya), Dec 12: Artisans from various states of the country showcased their authentic handloom and handicraft creations at an exclusive handloom exhibition organised in Shillong.

Organized in collaboration with the Development Commissioner for Handloom, under the Ministry of Textiles, Artfed, the ''Special Handloom Expo'' commenced on December 3.

The expo is first of its kind to provide marketing extravaganza to weavers of the lower sections of society.

Shillong, Dec 11: Music for a cause is the motto of “The Squadron,” the longest surviving band in Nagaland.

The group has come together after a gap of six years to perform in the state as part of the “Save A Life All Nagaland Mega Tour.”

They dazzled… they rocked… And now, they are back for round two…

The five-member band, which had a long-standing dream of “Saving A Llife,” recently performed at the Dimapur Sports Council Stadium.

Shillong, Dec 4 : The two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists who were handed over to India by Bangladesh Wednesday were taken to Bangalore Friday as they had allegedly masterminded a blast in the Karnataka capital in 2005, officials here said.

After being handed over by Bangladesh, T. Nazeer alias Nazeer Parvan and his relative Safiquq alias Shafaz Samsuddin were arrested by Border Security Force (BSF) troopers from Umkrem near Dawki along the India-Bangladesh border in Meghalaya Wednesday morning.

Shillong, Dec 4 : The deputy commander-in-chief of United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), Raju Baruah has been handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF).

Baruah surrendered in Bangladesh and was handed over to the BSF officials at the Dawki outpost in Meghalaya.

In the mean time, the founding member and chairman of the ULFA, Arabinda Rajkhowa is ready to hold talks with the center. According to sources, Rajkhowa is in talks about the modalities of negotiations with the intelligence agencies.

Shillong, Dec 2 : The Border Security Force (BSF) today arrested two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists at the Meghalaya border.

The two arrested terrorists Naseer and Shafaq are supposed to be involved in the last year''s serial blasts in Bangalore, where nine bombs exploded the city. The blasts in Bangalore were followed by the serial blasts in Ahmedabad.

The Home Secretaries of Bangladesh and India disclosed the identity of the arrested LeT terrorists.

Shillong, Nov 18 : Mild tremors were felt in several parts of northeast India late Tuesday, met officials said here Wednesday.

"The quake, measuring 4.5 on the Richter Scale, occurred at 11.10 p. m. Tuesday and had its epicentre in the East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, bordering China," said an official of the meteorological department.

The earthquake was felt in some parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Assam and adjoining areas of northeastern region. It lasted for about 10 to 12 seconds.

No loss of life or property has been reported so far.

Shillong (Meghalaya), Nov. 14 : A much-awaited uranium-mining project, which promises development of the remote West Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya, is finally taking shape.

The State government’s decision to allow the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) to implement its pre-project developmental package has elicited a positive response from locals.

Shillong, Nov 2 : Angling, which is practiced as a recreational activity, has now become a major sporting event in Meghalaya with thousands of people participating in a angling competition held in the State recently.

About 3000 anglers from all over Meghalaya and other northeastern states converged at the Thadlaskein Lake, located around 56 kms from Shillong to take part in the 4th Sajer Nangli Fishing competition.

Shillong, Nov 14 : Enthusiasts turned up in large numbers to get a taste of exclusive varieties of homemade wines during the two-day long sixth wine festival held here.

The festival began on Friday.

Wine made from locally available sohiong (black cherry), ginger, mulberry fruit, strawberry, litchi, pineapple, passion fruit, blackberry, plum, banana and even jackfruit were fermented to produce wines during the two-day festival.

Shillong/Guwahati, Nov 11 : Senior ministers from the states of Meghalaya and Assam are scheduled to meet today to iron out the vexed border dispute between the two states.

Meghalaya Revenue Minister Prestone Tynsong and Assam Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will attend the meeting of the ''Joint Special Committee on Meghalaya-Assam Boundary.''

Shillong, Nov 7 : India is in a period of rapid economic growth and there is no doubt that in near future, if everyone puts their act together, India will become a developed country, the Prime Minister's Principal Scientific Adviser R. Chidambaram said here.