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US cancels 5 Chinese-funded cultural exchange programmes

In a big jolt to China, the United States (US)’ Department of State headed by Michael Pompeo has decided to terminate five Chinese-funded cultural exchange programs, calling them Beijing’s propaganda tools, reports Economic Times.

Announcing the decision via a statement, Secretary Pompeo said that these programs conducted under a US law called the MECEA allowed US Government employees to travel using foreign Government funds under the garb of “cultural exchanges”.

Secretary Pompeo added that while the other programs funded under MECEA are mutually beneficial, the five programs which have now been terminated were fully funded and operated by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as soft power propaganda tools.

Secretary Pompeo also shared that the five programs provided carefully curated access to the officials of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and not to the Chinese people who do not enjoy freedoms of speech and assembly.

It should be noted that over the recent years, the relationship between China and the US has been going through rough weathers troubled by trade woes, US’ growing closeness to Taiwan, issues related to China’s actions in Hong Kong, handling of COVID-19 virus and its origin and more.

Gitanjali Rao, the 15-year-old Indian American TIME’s Kid of the Year

Gitanjali Rao, a 15-year-old scientist and inventor has been named as Time magazine’s first “kid of the year”. This Indian-American girl has been lauded for her work on using technology to tackle issues ranging from contaminated drinking water to opioid addiction and cyberbullying.

Ms Rao was selected from a field of more than 5,000 nominees as TIME’s first-ever ‘Kid of the Year’. She was interviewed by actor and activist Angelina Jolie for the TIME special.

In an Instagram post, Time magazine said: “Introducing TIME’s first-ever Kid of the Year, Gitanjali Rao. Just 15 years old, Rao has been selected from a field of more than 5,000 nominees. She spoke about her astonishing work using technology to tackle issues ranging from contaminated drinking water to opioid addiction and cyberbullying, and about her mission to create a global community of young innovators to solve problems the world over.” “Even over video chat, her brilliant mind and generous spirit shone through, along with her inspiring message to other young people: don’t try to fix every problem, just focus on one that excites you,” Time said. Last year,  Greta Thunberg became the youngest ever person of the year when she was given the honour at age 16.

Rao is a believer in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and works with schools, girls in STEM organisations, museums all across the world, and bigger organisations like Shanghai International Youth Science and Technology group and the Royal Academy of Engineering in London to run innovation workshops.

Agniveer aids families of those affected by Mettupalayam wall collapse, promises aid to build Ram temple in the area

Last year, a wall collapsed in the middle of the road next to Mettupalayam, killing 17 people, causing a great stir in Tamil Nadu. Although various organizations boasted of helping the victims of the accident, the Tamil Nadu Agniveer organization has been providing them with various assistance since the day the wall collapsed, silently.

The Tamil Nadu Agniveer organization lit the moksha lamp with the public during the first-anniversary commemoration of the one year anniversary of the collapse of the wall on December 3, 2019. Affected people have said that the Tamil Nadu Agniveer organization has been providing with various welfare and legal assistance to the people of the area since the day the wall collapsed till date.

Also, the long time wish of the village people for revamping the Ram temple in the area is set to begin soon which will be called as Dakshina Ayodhya. The people of the Mettupalayam Naduvoor area have also emotionally expressed their gratitude to the National Arundhatiyar and Tribal Commission for providing for them with ₹1.43 crore in assistance to the families of the victims so far”.

Kerala Govt changes stance on Sabarimala temple?

The Government of Kerala and Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the temple have come out with the an age limit for women to worship at the Sabarimala Ayyappan Temple.

The Travancore Devaswom Board has launched a new website in collaboration with the Kerala Police to provide various services to Sabarimala Ayyappa devotees. The website states that ‘females and other gender pilgrims between 50 and 65 years will be eligible to book and avail virtual Q services’ thereby restricting the entry of women who are below 50 years.

Earlier, the government had announced that children below 10 years and people above 65 years will not be permitted to the temple because of Covid restrictions.

In September 2018, the Supreme Court delivered a judgement allowing women of all ages to worship at the Sabarimala Ayyappan Temple, which is open to women between the ages of 50 and 65.

Various Hindu and spiritual organizations were involved in the struggle against the Kerala government which tried to implement the Supreme Court’s order by all means while sitting on the judgement of the Malankara Church dispute. The Kerala Government had also opposed the review pleas filed against the September 28, 2018 verdict that allowed women’s entry at the temple.

Germany to remove Nazi sounding phonetics from its alphabet

During the Nazi invasion, a lot of Jewish sounding alphabets and phonetics had been replaced by Hitler’s men to resemble Nazi-like pronunciation, some common examples being “D for David”, “N for Nathan” and “Z for Zacharias” to Dora, North Pole and Zeppelin. Their use has since continued with most Germans unaware of their anti-Semitic origin.

“Jacob” for the letter “J” and “Samuel” for “S”, which became “Julius” and “Siegfried” are the other Jewish names removed by the Nazis in 1934.

A few Nazi references were, replaced post World War Two.

The job of devising new terms for the problematic letters now lies with the German Institute for Standardization (DIN). Notably, this is not a recent move, since the past few years have seen multiple pleas for fighting anti-Semitism.

The memory of the anti-Semitic list will be presented as an annex to the new list which will be put to public consultation next year. The new German list is expected to be adopted in late 2022.

DIN spokesman Julian Pinnig said choosing new personal names would be more problematic than German town or city names because the choice of personal names might not reflect the nation’s ethnic diversity today.

(Source: BBC)

Communists’ losing streak continues: NOTA gets more votes than both Communist parties in GHMC polls

After the debacle of the two main Communist parties – Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India Marxist (CPIM) – in the Bihar Assembly elections, their lackluster performance continued in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) polls too.

In the recently concluded Bihar Assembly elections, both CPI and CPIM secured a vote of less than 1% falling behind vote share of NOTA (None Of The Above).

The same has happened to both the Communist parties in GHMC polls the votes of which were counted yesterday (December 4).

The CPIM polled just 2,771 votes and their fellow comrade CPI ended up with 3,439 votes grabbing a meagre 0.08% and 0.09% of the pie. Both the parties put together received 6,210 votes i.e., 0.17% vote share.

On the other hand, NOTA received 29,076 votes amounting to 0.84% of the vote share which is more than 4.7 times the total votes polled by both the parties.

In the Bihar Assembly elections, the CPI got 349,489 votes and the CPIM got 274,155 votes grabbing a meagre 0.83% and 0.65% of the vote share. Both these parties managed to get 2 seats each, with the former contesting in 6 seats and the latter in 4 seats. NOTA received 7,06,252 votes i.e., 1.68% of the vote share.

DMK’s hatred for Sanskrit is nothing but DMK’s hatred for Hindus

DMK president MK Stalin on Sunday (November 29) issued a statement against the Centre’s move to telecast news in Sanskrit for 15 minutes. In his tweet, Stalin said “What is the purpose of having Sanskrit news in Doordarshan Podhigai?” and called it a “cultural invasion”.

This reaction from the DMK was expected given that their entire political history has been to exploit the fault lines created by the baseless Aryan-Dravidian myth. Tamil chauvinism has been a festering wound in the psyche of some of the Tamils brainwashed by Caldwell and GU Pope. People are made to believe that Sanskrit is antithetical to Tamil and both the languages are not compatible with each other.

According to to Tamil mythology Sanskrit and Tamil originated from the two sides of the damaru (a two headed drum) of Lord Sivan. Sanskrit scholars always called Tamil as a sister language, and others as daughters. Thus Sanskrit can borrow from Tamil but not from others.

But, with the entire Tamil mainstream media along with the ‘neutral journalists’ dancing to their tunes, a massive campaign is unleashed to rake up sentiments creating a Sanskrit vs Tamil divide.

The DMK and its allies have been meticulously building their party on Tamil chauvinism and hatred for anything that is remotely connected to the unity of this country.

But had DD Podhigai introduced news in Urdu, the DMK and its allies like the VCK and Communists would have been delighted. As far as they are concerned, anything that appeases Muslims and Christians is secular and unites the country.

The point to be noted here is that DD has been broadcasting Sanskrit news for more than 40 years. But the DMK and its friends have suddenly woken up from their deliberate slumber considering that elections are just a few months ahead.

Sanskrit is a language that is native to this land and is language in which many spiritual texts and books on Ayurveda, Yoga, astronomy and mathematics were written. The works of Aryabhatta, Brahmagupta, Bhaskara, Charaka and Sushruta that opened up new horizons for humanity were in Sanskrit. But the DMK is blinded by its sheer hatred for anything that has to do with Hindu culture and Indian one-ness.

Afterall, it is a party that once advocated secessionism from India. The Communists in Tamil Nadu who got sold out for just a mere ₹25 crores have an undeclared goal to destroy every vestige of Indian culture and make India a totalitarian dictatorial communist regime. Hence it becomes imperative for them to destroy anything that is Hindu or Indian. The leader whom they revere, Dr Ambedkar wanted Sanskrit to become our national language. Why don’t they openly declare that Dr Ambedkar was wrong?  Do they have the nerve to say so?

If foreign ideologies like Communism and baseless theories like Aryan-Dravidian divide can flourish in Tamil Nadu and if  foreign faiths like Islam and Christianity can be practiced freely here, why not Sanskrit which is one of the most ancient languages in the world and is native to this land?

Their mutual hatred for the Hindu faith stems from their belief that criticizing Hinduism will please the minorities. They assume that criticizing Sanskrit and Hinduism will consolidate their minority vote bank and their chances of winning increases more given that Hindus are divided by caste. This minority appeasement apparently has worked in its favour for the past few decades.

But times have changed.

The recent attempt of the DMK to use Sanskrit as their political tool will go damp for sure as the DMK is coming to be seen as a spent force. People are now seeing through their propaganda. Their double standards oozes through every pore of their skin as many of the DMK leaders including Karunanidhi, Kalanidhi, Udhayandhi and Dayanidhi are Sanskrit names. Their symbol ‘Udhaya Suriyan’ itself is Sanskrit. If they are concerned about Sanskrit imposition, let them start with their names. Let ‘Udhaya Suriyan’ become ‘Ezhum Nyaayiru’.

(Views expressed here are the author’s own)

What does the arrival of Rajini mean for TN?

What does the arrival of Superstar Rajinikanth to politics mean for Tamil Nadu? What is the politics that he offers? Will he be an effective alternative? Karthik Gopinath gives you the answers in this first episode of The Vantage Point.

The Vantage Point is a series brought out by The Commune where politics, policies and everything in between are analyzed and presented.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNMLn1eWyKWAfdCda0kg4zA

Indian and Russian Navy hold PASSEX exercise in Eastern Indian Ocean Region

The Indian Navy (IN) is undertaking a Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with Russian Federation Navy (RuFN) in the Eastern Indian Ocean Region (IOR) from 4 to 5 December 2020.  The exercise involves participation of RuFN guided missile cruiser Varyag, large anti-submarine ship AdmiralPanteleyev and medium ocean tanker Pechenga. INis being represented by indigenously constructed guided missile frigate Shivalik and anti-submarine corvetteKadmattalongwith integral helicopters.

The exercise is aimed at enhancing interoperability, improving understanding and imbibing best practices between both the friendly navies, and would involve advanced surface and anti-submarine warfare exercises, weapon firings, seamanship exercises and helicopter operations.

PASSEXs are conducted regularly by IN with units of friendly foreign navies, whilst visiting each other’s ports or during a rendezvous at sea. This exercise, being conducted in the Eastern Indian Ocean Region, reflects the strong long-term strategic relationship between the two countries and particularly, defence cooperation in the maritime domain.

This exercise is being conducted on the occasion of ‘Navy Day’ of the IN on 4th December, which emphasizes the strong bonds of friendship shared between the two friendly militaries. This PASSEX would be another step towards strengthening Indo-Russian defence relations. The two navies have built a robust relationship through regular exercises such as INDRA Navy conducted biennially, with the last edition held in the Northern Indian Ocean Region from 4 to 5 September 2020.

COVID vaccine expected to be ready in the coming weeks: PM Modi

Narendra Modi bureaucrats bureaucracy IAS officers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the All Party Meeting on December 4 via video conferencing to discuss the Covid-19 vaccination strategy in India. The meeting was also attended by the Union Defence Minister, Union Home Minister, Union Finance Minister, Union Minister for Rural Development, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment and Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs.

The Prime Minister said that the government is developing a comprehensive vaccination strategy. He emphasised that the world is looking towards India for the development of a safe and affordable vaccine.

India is ready for Covid Vaccination

The Prime Minister shared his experience of visiting the vaccine manufacturing facilities in Ahmedabad, Pune, and Hyderabad, informing that about eight potential vaccines, currently in different stages of trial, will be manufactured in India, that includes the three indigenous vaccines.

The Prime Minister said that it is expected that the vaccine will be available in the coming few weeks. The vaccination campaign will kickstart in India as soon as the vaccine is approved by the scientists. The Central government is working in close coordination with the State governments to identify the priority groups for vaccination that will include Health Workers, Frontline workers and high-risk individuals viz the aged population cohort and people with comorbidities.

In an effort to administer the vaccine in an efficient, smooth & transparent manner, database of healthcare and frontline workers, augmentation of cold chains and procurement of syringes and needles are in advanced stages of preparation.

Underlining India’s vaccine distribution expertise, capacity and presence of an experienced and vast network for vaccination, the Prime Minister said that this will help us in streamlining Covid vaccination. Collaboration with State Governments will be established for additional cold chain equipment and other such logistical requirements.

The digital platform for vaccine administration and distribution (Covid-19 Vaccine Information Network Co-WIN) is prepared and is being tested in collaboration with the State and District Level authorities and other stakeholders.

National Expert Group constituted for vaccination campaign

A National Expert Group that includes technical experts and officials of both the Central Government and State Governments, has been constituted to shoulder the responsibility of the campaign related to the vaccine. The National Expert Group will take decisions collectively as per national and regional requirements.

India fought the Pandemic with indomitable will

The Prime Minister mentioned that Indians have fought this pandemic with indomitable will, noting that the restraint, courage, and strength of Indians has been incomparable and unprecedented during this entire battle. He added that we not only helped our fellow Indians but also made every effort to save the citizens of other countries as well. Also, the scientific methodology adopted by India led to increased testing in India, which not only reduced the positivity rate but also reduced the covid mortality rate.

The Prime Minister cautioned against rumors that may be spread about vaccination, saying that it would be against both public interest and national interest. He called upon all the leaders to make the citizens of the country more aware, and prevent any such rumors from spreading.

The Prime Minister thanked the leaders of all parties for their valuable contribution in the fight against Covid. He said that Jan Andolan& Jan Bhagidari with support of all political parties is the key for success of India’s vaccination effort. Along with this, he again appealed to the citizens to be constantly alert and not let the guard down in following the preventive measures against the virus.

Leaders of political parties speak

Political parties that participated in the meeting included among others, the Indian National Congress, Trinamool Congress, DMK, YSR Congress Party, JD(U), BJD, Shiv Sena, TRS, BSP, SP, AIADMK and BJP. The leaders assured the Prime Minister of their full support to ensure efficient and speedy vaccination. They hailed the leadership of the Prime Minister in tackling the pandemic and praised the scientific community as well as vaccine manufacturers for their efforts in vaccine development.

The Union Health Secretary made a presentation highlighting the situation of Covid-19 in the country. An overview of the global vaccine landscape as well as India’s progress in the entire gamut of vaccine distribution and beneficiary management was shared.

(Published from PIB)