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North Korea conducts mask-free parade for the 75th anniversary of ruling party

By
Vaibavi Jayakumar
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North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un declared the country to be free of coronavirus ahead of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea. He went on to warn that his country would “fully mobilise” its nuclear force if threatened as he oversaw an early morning military parade showing off the new hardwares.

This is particularly significant, as the troops paraded mask-free in an event which aimed to galvanise the secretive country at a time of increasing economic hardship and isolation due to the pandemic. The unveiling of the seemingly new weapon followed a familiar display of goose-stepping troops, armoured vehicles and a broad range of smaller ballistic missiles, all in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the country’s ruling party.

This event took place early in the morning on Saturday and was later edited and telecasted on the country’s national television. Several analysts described it as the largest road-mobile liquid-fuelled missile anywhere. Notably, this is the first time since 2018 that North Korea is displaying its ballistic missile arrangement. This comes as a follow-through of a pledge made by the North Korean leader to demonstrate a “new strategic weapon” to the world.

Kim later addressed the gathering and the troops, and indirectly attacked Washington. He focussed on a strong domestic message urging the population to remain firm in the face of “tremendous challenges” posed by the pandemic and crippling international economic sanctions.

5-year-old Ziva Dhoni gets rape threats after CSK performs poorly in IPL

By
Vaibavi Jayakumar
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To add to the misery of the already existing cases of sexual violence against women and children, Dhoni’s five-year-old daughter Ziva has received rape threats on social media by trolls. She has become the latest target after the poor performance of CSK in this year’s IPL. Dhoni’s wife Sakshi also got similar threats on her Instagram handle.

CSK, which has been led by MS Dhoni ever since the inception of IPL, is one of the most successful teams and has won three editions of the game. Sadly, it has been having a lull in its graph and has lost four out of five matches in this year’s tournament. This caused a lot of backlash against the team by “angry fans”, the most recent one in the form of rape threats.

The threats created an outrage on social media, especially from women. Sowmya Reddy, MLA from Jayanagara, Karnataka, wrote on her timeline, “This is just nasty! What’s happening to our country? Where are we heading?” Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi tweeted, “This has to be the most disgusting example of how social media platforms are being misused.”

This incident is particularly disturbing because, while there have been insults hurled at the players per se in the past, targeting a player’s daughter, who is a child, in this case, has been unheard of.

DMK office bearers charged under SC/ST Act for practicing untouchability towards a Dalit Panchayat President

By
The Commune
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Chidambaram South Thittai Panchayat Secretary Sindhuja and Vice President of the Panchayat Council Mohanraj belonging to the DMK, have been arrested for practicing untouchability towards a Scheduled Caste woman who is a Panchayat President.

Rajeswari (37), hailing from the Adi Dravidar community, is the Panchayat President of the Chidambaram South Thittai Panchayat near Bhuvanagiri in Cuddalore district. The panchayat has 6 panchayat members.

There were allegations that Panchayat members, including the Panchayat Council Vice President Mohanraj had curtailed Rajeswari from functioning and is said to have been constantly insulted during the panchayat council meetings.

In the meeting held on July 17, Rajeswari was made to sit on the floor while the other members sat on chairs. Photos of this incident went viral on social media on October 9.

Following this, Panchayat President Rajeswari lodged a complaint at the Buvanigiri police station on October 10 stating that Panchayat Secretary Sindhuja and Vice President of the Panchayat Council Mohanraj had been insulting her as she belonged to the Adi Dravidar community. She noted that she was made to sit on the floor during the meetings and was also not allowed to exercise her duties as Panchayat President.

The police then charged both Sindhuja and Mohanraj under Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Additional Collector Rajagopal Sungara and Assistant Collector of Chidambaram L. Madhubalan inspected the Panchayat Council records and enquired the Bhuvangiri Regional Development Officer Prema, Deputy Regional Development Officer Tamilchelvi and Panchayat Secretary Sindhuja.

Sindhuja was suspended and was later arrested.

Mohanraj who is said to be absconding was reported saying in The Hindu Tamil that Rajeshwari ‘s husband Saravanakumar interfered in the affairs of the panchayat council which he condemned. He accused Saravanakumar of instigating Rajeshwari to file a complaint.

Suganthi, a ward member of the South Thittai Panchayat also accused both the DMK office bearers of making her sit on the floor. She also accused Mohanraj of interfering in people’s work. District Collector Chandrasekara Sakhamuri and District Superintendent of Police Sree Abhinav are investigating into the alleged insult to the woman. Rajeswari, Suganthi and other panchayat leaders are being inquired.

Drunk DMK office bearers hit police officer’s head with beer bottle

By
The Commune
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A police officer from Chennai was severely injured after two drunk men hit him with a beer bottle. Both the men who attacked the police officer were reportedly office bearers with the DMK youth wing.

On the night of October 4, two men were drinking alcohol in the service road near the Thillai Ganganagar tunnel in Nanganallur area of ​​Chennai.

Mohandas, a Sub-Inspector, who had come along that road after returning from work confronted the two men for creating nuisance. The two drunk men stopped him and did not let him go. A heated argument followed and turned into a fist fight. The drunk men then took a beer bottle and hit on the SI’s head and ran away snatching his bike keys and cellphone. Dripping with blood, he later got himself treated at a nearby hospital. Ten stitches in the head and three near the eyebrows were done.

Following a complaint lodged by Mohandas at the St. Thomas Mount police station, the police analysed the CCTV footages and identified the two men as Vinodh and Ajith Kumar.

Both of them are reportedly organizers of the DMK youth wing in Alandur 162 ward and have been arrested.

British historian sparks backlash online after he calls idli ‘boring’

By
Vaibavi Jayakumar
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Edward Anderson, a UK-based historian caused a huge storm on Twitter and sparked up an online debate after he commented on Zomato’s Twitter post calling idlis the most boring food ever. Soon, the tweet garnered a lot of attention, with opinions divided on the platform. While idli lovers were quick to slam Anderson for his opinion, many agreed with him and said a lot depended on what was served with the idlis.

Many Indian users hit out at Anderson, saying he has not eaten “real” idlis and other users opined that the taste of idli depends upon what it is being eaten with.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, India’s resident Shakespeare, also took a jibe at the history professor, saying: “civilisation is hard to acquire”. To which Anderson replied saying ” Oh no, I feared that the world’s most famous idli evangelist would see this after @ishaantharoor tweeted it! Coincidentally ‘this poor man’ is currently re-reading one of your books which I’ve set my students to read for a class next week!”.

In times like these when the entire world is grappling with the unseen Wuhan virus, banter like this that comes up online is proof that be it resident or diaspora, Indians are always up for defending their culture no matter where they are.

India tests radar-killer missile Rudram-1, fired from IAF’s Su-30MKI fighter jet

By
Balaji Subramanian
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In the latest testing of its numerous weapons systems platform, India, today tested its indigenous New Generation Anti-Radiation Missile (NGARM) launched from a Su-30MKI fighter jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) as reported by Swarajya Magazine.

NGRAM or Rudram-1, has a range of 250 kilometers and it can be fired from an altitude of 500 m to 15 km.

This is a significant development for the Indian military as reports have emerged that China has been building Surface to Air missile platform in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. NGARM is an anti-radiation missile that can hit radars that emit radiation from a long distance.

The missile is equipped with passive homing, which means it can track sources of radiation of a wide range.

Amid the possibility of having to face attack from two front, it must be noted that the testing of this missile is the sixth missile test India has conducted in the last 20 days.

In September India India tested an anti-tank guided missile from an Arjun Tank, followed by the test-firing of a Prithvi-II nuclear-capable missile by the Strategic Forces Command and the BrahMos missile with an extended range of hitting targets over 400 km away.

In October, India tested the hypersonic nuclear-capable Shaurya missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Shaurya is reportedly a version of India’s K-15 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), that can hit enemy targets with precision at a range of over 700 km.

However, the weapon system that has caught the eye of every defence expert is the testing of the Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo on 5 October. This is a long-range torpedo, that can destroy enemy submarines beyond torpedo range.

It is also possible, India may test its Nirbhay missile subsonic cruise missile later this month.

With China’s aggressive posting at the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, weapons system like Nirbhay cruise missile that has a range of around 1,000 km is of great importance to hit the enemy target with pinpoint accuracy.

Hindu temple priest in Rajasthan burnt to death for opposing land mafia’s attempts to grab temple land

By
Balaji Subramanian
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In another horrible incident in Rajasthan, a 50-year-old temple priest by the name of Babu Lal Vaishnav was set on fire by five people in Rajasthan’s Karauli district for resisting attempts to grab the temple land by a land mafia.

Babu Lal Vaishnav along with his family was looking after a Radha Krishna temple in Bukna village and the surrounding land belonging to the temple was being used by them for farming. He had earlier complained to the cops that Meena and his family were trying to grab the 15 bigha land which belongs to Radha Gopal temple.

According to reports, Babu Lal Vaishnav had an argument with Meena and his associates on Wednesday morning, over some construction that the latter was carrying out near a hill. Meena had then set the 60 year Babu Lal Vaishnav on fire. He was shifted to SMS hospital in Jaipur where he succumbed to injuries on Thursday.

The main accused Kailash Meena was arrested and police are on the search of the remaining culprits.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot condemned the incident and tweeted: “The death of Babu Lal Vaishnav is unfortunate and condemnable. We do not have place for such acts here. The state government stands by the family of the deceased. The main accused has been arrested and a case is underway. The accused won’t be spared.”

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra put out a tweet on the deteriorating law and order in Congress-ruled Rajasthan. 

Meanwhile, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar told ANI that, “Rahul Gandhi should take cognisance of these issues instead of going on political tours. He should either ask the Rajasthan government to resign or make efforts for its betterment. They should take action against the culprits,”.

The Minister of Environment added, “Today in Karauli, a priest of a temple was burnt alive by the goons who wanted to take possession of the land belonging to the temple. Incidents of rape are being reported from all parts of the Rajasthan.” 

This attack was reminiscence of the gruesome Palghar mob lynching in Maharashtra where two Hindu Sadhus were beaten to death by an angry mob under the very noses of the police who stood as spectators.

India joins more than 30 countries in UNHRC joint statement on human rights violations and abuses against intersex persons

By
The Commune
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Calling the attention of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Austria on behalf of countries from every region of the world issued a statement to investigate and address human rights violations and abuses against intersex persons.

“The Vienna Declaration states that human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated. The VDPA makes clear that “every person is born equal and has the same rights to life and welfare, education and work, living independently and active participation in all aspects of society”. However, intersex people – that is, individuals who are born with sex characteristics that do not fit the typical definition of male or female bodies – continue to face serious and widespread human rights violations and abuses”, read the joint statement.

The joint statement added that many countries in the world do medically unnecessary surgeries, hormonal treatments and other procedures on intersex persons in an attempt to change their appearance to be in line with gendered societal expectations of male and female bodies without their full and informed consent adding that they face discrimination in all areas of life, such as access to education, health, employment and sports as well as restrictions on the exercise of legal capacity and in access to remedies and justice.

“The root causes of these human rights violations and abuses include harmful stereotypes, spread of inaccurate information, stigma, taboos, and pathologization. It is high time this Council address human rights and abuses violations against intersex people and their root causes.” the joint statement read.

It also noted that the COVID19 pandemic had worsened the inequalities already faced by intersex people and called on governments to protect the autonomy of intersex adults and children and their rights to health, and to physical and mental integrity so that they live free from violence and harmful practices.

“Governments should investigate human rights violations and abuses against intersex people, ensure accountability, reverse discriminatory laws and provide victims with access to remedy. We encourage Governments to work in collaboration with intersex-led organizations in raising awareness and understanding about the human rights of intersex people”, the statement concluded.

More than 30 countries were signatories to the joint statement. India was also a signatory for this statement at the UN Human Rights Council.

Organizations working on intersex rights and awareness like –  ILGA World, Intersex Asia, Intersex South Africa, OII Europe, Intersex Human Rights Australia, GATE, SIPD Uganda, and OII Chinese welcomed and called it a historic step forward.

Tamil Nadu became the first state in India to ban sex-selective surgeries on intersex infants following the landmark judgement by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court which was later followed by a government order thus recognizing their human right and the right to bodily integrity.

 

‘Covaxin’ made by Bharat Biotech to begin phase 3 clinical trials

By
Balaji Subramanian
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Bharat Biotech, the Hyderabad-based vaccine maker has sought approval from Indian drug regulators to conduct the phase 3 human clinical trials for the indigenous Covid-19 vaccine known as Covaxin, the Economic Times reported.

As the race to develop a vaccine heats up at a global level, Bharat Biotech has approached the Drug Controller General of India’s (DCGI) office and presented its phase 3 clinical trial protocol along with all the interim data of phase 1 and 2 clinical trials.

The DCGI’s Subject Expert Committee (SEC) has asked the firm to resubmit the protocol after extensive deliberation.

“After detailed deliberation, the committee opined that the design of the phase III study is in principle satisfactory except for clarification on the definition of asymptomatic, etc,” said the minutes of the meeting, reports ET.

“However, the study should be initiated with an appropriate dose identified from the phase II safety & immunogenicity data. Accordingly, the firm should submit safety & immunogenicity data from the phase II trial for consideration,” it added.

Bharat Biotech had already approached some of the states, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Punjab and has sought permission for initiating the phase 3 trials this month. 

Third Indo-US 2+2 dialogue to be held in end of October amid rising tensions between India-China

By
Balaji Subramanian
-

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar are likely to meet with their American counterparts US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defence Mark Esper on 26 and 27 October in New Delhi for the third edition of the India and the United States (US)’ two-plus-two dialogue as reported by The Times of India.

The likely subject of discussion will be to review the strategic cooperation between the two nations thoroughly.

This upcoming meeting will be watched very carefully by China because bilateral relationship between India and the US has grown exponentially in the last two years.

The third edition will take place at a time when India is looking at the possibility of a two-front war with China and Pakistan. Since President Donald Trump took office he took some bold decisions when it came to dealing with an aggressive China.

India is presently locked in a conflict by China on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh, and the US administration has been very critical of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic that has caused immeasurable damage to the global economy and security.

The first two-plus-two meet was conducted in September 2018 in New Delhi and the second meet was held in the US capital Washington in 2019 December.

India has now become one of the most important security partners of the US in the Indian Ocean Region and the Pacific. The military from both nations has regularly conducted exercises to develop strong interoperability to counter any threat to their combined interests.

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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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