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Santa comes to International Space Station as astronauts on board receive Christmas presents

By
The Commune
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As the astronauts at the International Space Station (ISS) beamed a message to their families back home on earth. they were in for a pleasant surprise, as some holiday levity had swept in. SpaceX Crew Dragon pilot Victor Glover showed off his socks, custom-printed with photos of his family, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency engineer Soichi Noguchi shared an early Christmas present for the team – a can of mackerel made by a group of schoolgirls.

The International Space Station will host seven crew members throughout the holiday season, the most ever for the orbiting laboratory in its 20 years of having humans living aboard.

The Expedition 64 crew members are taking the day off, but NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Kate Rubins, and Japanese space program astronaut Soichi Noguchi still took some time to send a message of “resilience” back home during a particularly difficult holiday season.

“Resilience” is also the name they gave to the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule that launched four of the astronauts to the space station last month.

The Expedition 64 crew members are taking the day off, but NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Kate Rubins, and Japanese space program astronaut Soichi Noguchi still took some time to send a message of “resilience” back home during a particularly difficult holiday season.

“Resilience” is also the name they gave to the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule that launched four of the astronauts to the space station last month.

Telangana: Sixteen UK returnees test positive for COVID-19

By
The Commune
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In Telangana, 16 out of the 926 persons who returned from the United Kingdom have tested positive for COVID-19. G Srinivasa Rao, the Public Health Director, said that the 16 persons are currently undergoing treatment. He added that test results of some more people are pending. Samples of the virus-infected sixteen have also been sent to the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) for the virus genome sequence test, the results of which are expected in two days.

After contact-tracing, authorities were able to find 76 persons who had come into contact with the infected individuals. They have been quarantined and are under observation.

Four of the persons who tested positive for COVID-19 are from Hyderabad, while four are from Medchal Malkajgiri district, two are from Jagityal and one each from Manchiryal, Nalgonda, Rangareddy, Sangareddy, Siddipet and Warangal Urban.

However, authorities are yet to trace a further 274 individuals who returned to Telangana from the UK after December 9.

The tale of Abhaya

By
The Commune
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After 28 years the law has caught up with the perpetrators of the heinous murder of a young nun called Abhaya.

Abhaya belonged to Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph,  a part of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Kottayam, Kerala. The local police which investigated the case initially  closed it with a theory of suicide. The Crime Branch which took up the investigation  tried to strengthen the suicide theory, with claims of psychological illness of the deceased. The same crime branch later tried to strengthen the suicide theory, with claims that the victim had psychological problems.

The CBI had ordered an inquiry following public outcry. The CBI officials who initially conducted the investigation also came to the conclusion that it was a suicide. Another CBI probe team, which then took up the case, concluded that Abaya had been murdered. Father Thomas Kottur and Father Jose Boothurugai were arrested in 2008 in connection with the murder of Sister Sebi. The CBI then acquitted Father Josiah of the case on the ground that there was no evidence.

After realizing that Abhaya was a witness to the sexual relationship between Father Thomas Kottur and Sister Sebi, the two attacked Abaya with an axe and threw her into a well. She hit her head on the water pump and fell into the water and eventually died. On March 27, 1992, the body of Sister Abaya, 21, was found floating in the well of St. Pius Convent in Kottayam, Kerala. The CID, which initially investigated the case, concluded that Abaya had committed suicide

The main turning point in the case was  when a thief who had entered the church premise to steal, became the eyewitness  in this case.

The Thiruvananthapuram CBI special court finally convicted priest Thomas Kottur and nun Sebi in the 28-year-old Sister Abaya murder case. In the court the prosecution lawyers wanted the maximum punishment for the culprits. The Judge on the contrary felt that this was not a premeditated murder and gave them life imprisonments. Priest Thomas Kottur, who was convicted in the murder of Sister Abaya in Kerala, was sentenced to double life imprisonment and Sister Sebi to life imprisonment. The judge also ordered the two to pay a fine of ₹5 lakh each.

The Kerala High Court and the Supreme Court have rejected the pleas of Father Thomas Kottur and Sister Sebi to acquit themselves, and the CBI special court has pronounced the verdict.

Though murder is obviously a  heinous crime, experience tells us that  if the criminal is a religious head of a minority community in India, then the law enforcing agencies may be compelled to look the other way.

Kalaripayattu must find its right place in the world: Sadhguru

By
The Commune
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Sadhguru, Founder-Isha Foundation, observed that the inclusion of Kalaripayattu in the #KheloIndia youth games “is a big boost for rural participation.” He was commenting on the recent announcement that four indigenous sports including Kalaripayattu would make their entry into the #KheloIndia games that are to take place in Haryana next year.

“Kalaripayattu- an earthy, full-blooded sport must find its right place in the world; demands enormous levels of physical capabilities & mental discipline. Including it in National Sports contests a big boost for rural participation. Congratulations. #KheloIndia”, he tweeted.

Khelo India, an initiative under the ministry of state for youth affairs and sports added four indigenous games of India namely Gatka, Kalaripayattu, Thang-Ta and Mallakhamba along with Yogasanas to the #KheloIndia youth games. Its twitter handle announced that these sports will debut at next year’s #KheloIndia games.

For nearly two decades, Isha has been promoting the revival of rural and indigenous sport through its annual rural sport festival Isha Gramovtasam. Isha was awarded the prestigious Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar in the ‘Sports for Development’ category in 2018 for Gramotsavam, India’s largest rural sports festival

India and Vietnam Navies conduct “passing exercise” in South China Sea

By
The Commune
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In a show of solidarity with the people of Vietnam, Indian Navy’s warship, INS Kiltan reached Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday (24 December) with 15 tonnes of humanitarian relief supplies for people affected by floods in central Vietnam, reports Hindustan Times.

The visit by INS Kiltan (P30) which is an anti-submarine warfare corvette comes days after Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi held a bilateral summit with his Vietnamese counterpart.

The indigenously built corvette arrived at Ho Chi Minh’s Nha Rong port as a part of the government’s “Mission Sagar-III” under which India is leading humanitarian assistance and disaster relief support to friendly nations during the course of COVID-19 pandemic.

But more importantly, INS Kiltan will also be undertaking a “passing exercise” with the Vietnam People’s Navy in the contentious South China Sea on 26-27 December.

The South China Sea is considered as the People’s Republic of China own territory and that has led to a dispute with almost all nations in that region coupled with the territorial aspiration of President Xi Jinping.

However, India’s mission is focused on enhancing maritime cooperation between the two naval forces and strengthening regional security and stability. This exercise will also signal other nations in that region that they can stand up to China and not be bullied.

New Metro line between Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar to be operational by January 2021

By
The Commune
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In the new year, the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) will open up the 9 km-long Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar metro rail line.

The new line will be operational from January 2021 and trial runs on the stretch will be conducted from December 24-26, Times of India reports.

The line has two underground and six elevated stations and is an extension of phase-1 corridor from Washermenpet to Airport through Anna Salai.

The CMRL will undertake several steps during the testing process like,

  • The distance between the centre of the track and the nearest structure.
  • The alignment post which a metro train will be operated manually.
  • Signalling system by operating trains on the route daily.

The new link will be commissioned after inspection and approval of the commissioner of railway safety by the end of January which ensure that all safety measures are met and any error is corrected during the trial period.

The new line link places like Koukkupet, Tondiarpet, Thiruvottiyur and Wimco Nagar to the southern parts of Chennai through Anna Salai via this link.

Once the line will be fully operational, the 32 km commute from Wimco Nagar to the airport could now be covered in less than 90 minutes.

CMRL expects a rise of 30 per cent in daily passenger once the route is open for the public. 

UK and EU strike historic post-Brexit trade deal

By
The Commune
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After nine months of hard negotiations, the United Kingdom and the European Union have reached a trade deal, averting a disastrous “no-deal” Brexit on December 31.

The UK and EU struck a historic and complex free-trade agreement, despite both sides maintaining over recent weeks that a “no-deal” scenario was very likely. Downing Street is calling this “the biggest bilateral trade-deal signed by either side”, as trade between the UK and the EU was worth £668 billion in 2019.

Ending the transition period of the UK’s exit from the European Union without a trade deal would have meant that trade between the UK and the European body would be subject to the World Trade Organization regulations. This would have included automatic tariffs, border checks and other impediments to free trade between the UK and its closest and largest trading partner. A “no-deal” Brexit would have also caused widespread job losses and an increase in food prices — erasing an additional 2% of GDP off a British economy that is already being pummeled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the deal needs to be approved by the UK Parliament before December 31. Westminster is set to vote on the deal on December 30.

12 year old Indian origin boy from UAE makes Guinness record for identifying most aeroplane tails in a minute

By
The Commune
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Siddhant Gumber, a 12-year-old Indian origin boy from UAE made it to the Guinness for identifying the most aeroplane tails in a minute. He is a home-schooled boy from Abu Dhabi and identified 39 aeroplane tails in 60 seconds. He is also the youngest Indian to identify top 100 tallest buildings, Gulf News reported. Gumber can now easily recognise about 300 of aeroplane tails.

“I have been a Lego buff since I was a toddler, and my father and I spent a lot of time creating a variety of models — rockets, aeroplanes, buildings and vehicles. I was able to recognise a lot of the aeroplane tails, and my mother helped me compile them in PowerPoint slides so I could identify them (very quickly),” news agency PTI quoted Gulf News.

His mother Monisha said that her son has always been interested in signs, symbols and logos. “He has an exceptional picture memory and usually never forgets an image once he has seen it. He does have a variety of interests and likes to know about things into detail, just like air planes. Although he loves country flags, we focused on aeroplane tails for the Guinness record because they too are unique,” she said.

He was recognised in the ‘India Book’ for being the youngest person to identify the top 100 tallest buildings of the world with their respective heights and locations.

Largest hockey stadium in the country to be constructed in Rourkela

By
The Commune
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Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik announced that the country’s biggest hockey stadium is to be constructed at a capacity of 20,000 in Rourkela. It is completed by 2023 and will host matches of FIH men’s World Cup.

“As a tribute to the contribution of Sundargarh to Indian hockey, I would like to announce that we will build a new international level stadium in Rourkela with a seating capacity of 20,000. The stadium will have all the modern amenities and will offer a unique experience. I hope it will emerge as the best venue for field hockey in the World,” the CM said.

He further said Sundargarh district is a powerhouse of hockey talent and many great hockey players from the district have represented the country at the international level. “The Indian team led by players like Dilip Tirkey and Sunita Lakra have brought laurels for the country. The popularity of hockey can be seen across the district. The support of people of the district to hockey players is unparalleled anywhere in the world,” said Patnaik.

Recently, a high-level team including senior officials from the state government, International Federation of Hockey (FIH), Department of Sports and Youth Services and Hockey India had visited Rourkela. They reviewed the infrastructure and allied facilities in the city to host the prestigious event.

Raza Academy calls COVID vaccine Haraam for Muslims, fears it may contain pig’s gelatin

By
The Commune
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As the UAE Fatwa Council issued a Fatwa that if the Covid-19 vaccine contains pork gelatin, it is permissible for Muslims, however, Sunni Muslim clerics of Raza Academy in a meeting in Mumbai Wednesday (23 December) have categorically stated that the Chinese Covid-19 vaccine which contains pork gelatin is Haraam (forbidden) for Muslims, India Today has reported.

“There are reports of a Chinese vaccine with parts of pig’s body. As pig is Haram for Muslims, a vaccine containing its body parts cannot be allowed. Even if a hair of a pig falls in a well, water from that well is forbidden for Muslims. Hence, as per Islamic law, a vaccine which contains pig’s gelatin cannot act as a treatment against any disease”, Raza Academy’s Secretary-General Saeed Noorie has been quoted as saying.

It is however ironic after UAE’s highest Islamic authority, the UAE Fatwa Council, ruled that coronavirus vaccines are permissible for Muslims even if they contain pork gelatin because preserving human lives are important when there is no alternative.

“Coronavirus vaccination is classified under preventive medicines for individuals, as recommended by the Islamic faith, particularly in times of pandemic diseases when the healthy happen to be prone to infections due to the high risk of contracting the disease, therefore posing risk to the entire society,” the UAE Council said.

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TheCommune
The Commune is a news and views portal focusing on social and political issues of the southern part of India with a focus on Tamil Nadu.
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