Facebook Instagram X Youtube
Monday, April 6, 2026
Facebook Instagram X Youtube
Home Blog Page 1734

Taiwan stands up to bully China, Invites the Dalai Lama

By
The Commune
-

In a move that is set to anger Beijing even more, Taiwan has said it would welcome a visit by exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, the Hindustan Times reported.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry has said, any invitation would be handled under “relevant rules” if a request to visit is received, reported Radio Free Asia, a US-funded international broadcasting corporation.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou said on Monday (13 July) said, “The Dalai Lama is welcome to come to Taiwan again to propagate the Buddhist teachings,” and the visit would be handled in accordance with the principle of mutual respect and at a time of convenience for both sides.”

A visit to Taiwan by the Dalai Lama would be his first since 2009 and would certainly anger Beijing, which claims self-governing Taiwan as a renegade province and regards the Tibetan spiritual leader as a dangerous separatist intent on splitting Tibet from Chinese rule.

In a video message to his devotees and followers his holiness the Dalai Lama said, “As the political scenario changes, it may be that I’ll be able to visit you in Taiwan again soon. I hope so,”. This message was conveyed to the island nation of Taiwan on his birthday, July 6.

Taiwan new President Tsai Ing-wen made some moves to further distance from China and the Dalai Lama said he will always remain with the people of Taiwan in spirit no matter what happens.

On his 85th birthday, his holiness received video messages from former US President George Bush, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Nobel laureates, and European politicians.

In a statement of support released by the US Ambassador to India Kenneth Ian Juster, the ambassador said, “The esteem in which you are held by the people of the United States is a demonstration of the deep and enduring affinity between Americans and Tibetans,”

He further added, “I believe the warm feelings between Americans and Tibetans spring in part from the recognition that yours is a just and noble struggle–a struggle to secure for your people the same self-evident and unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that our Founding Fathers enshrined in the Declaration of Independence,”.

The Dalai Lama has been living in exile in India since 1959 after Tibetan national uprising against rule by China.

Rafale jets capable of dodging all radars and air defence systems, bomb Turkish facilities in Libya

By
The Commune
-

Rafale fighter jets belonging to France or Egypt bombed the al-Watiya airbase in Libya as a response to Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar’s visit to Libya.

France and Egypt are both against any involvement of Turkey in Libya. France called the presence of any Turkish-backed militias who tried to head towards Sirte as unacceptable and warned to intervene militarily in Libya.

The 4++ generation Rafale jets carried out an airstrike on al-Watiya airbase. As per reports, a squadron of fighter planes launched a series of airstrikes on al-Watiya base, where Turkey had deployed F-16 aircraft, Bayraktar TB2 and Anka-S drones, backed by a MIM-23 Hawk air defence system with its radars.

However, such countermeasures did not deter the airstrikes and these advanced fighter jets easily managed to dodge the air defence systems.

The jets either flown by French or Egyptian pilots also targeted air defence systems, fixed and mobile radar installations and Koral signal jamming system in Sungur, which the Ankara had deployed at al-Watiya base.

India is poised to receive six Rafale jets on 27 July 2020. India had placed an order of 36 Rafale jets from France to give its air force superior air dominance.

BJP MLA found hanging in market in West Bengal, party suspects murder, TMC refutes charges

By
The Commune
-

Debendra Nath Roy, who is a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal was found hanging near his house in Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district on Monday morning.

BJP leaders in West Bengal and his family members have alleged that he was murdered first and then hanged.  The BJP has demanded an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the lawmaker’s unnatural death.

A police official from Uttar Dinajpur district, requesting anonymity said, “The body has been sent for autopsy. We are investigating the case. No one has been detained for questioning or arrested so far,”.

https://twitter.com/DilipGhoshBJP/status/1282572194497785856

National Secretary of BJP Rahul Sinha has alleged and said, “Roy was murdered. The way his body was found hanging suggests that it was a premeditated murder and the accused tried to pass it off as a suicide. The ruling TMC (Trinamool Congress) is involved in his murder,”.

Mamata Banerjee’s TMC, which is the ruling party in West Bengal has refuted the BJP’s allegations.

Roy in 2016, had contested Bengal assembly elections from Hemtabad on a Communist Party of India (Marxist) ticket but later joined the BJP.

“I head that he (Roy) died by suicide. Police are investigating the case. Let the truth come out. If he has been murdered, then the culprits should be identified and punished as per law,” said Kanhaiyalal Agarwal, a TMC leader from Uttar Dinajpur district.

Many took to social media to express their anger against the unnatural death of the BJP lawmaker. They have accused Mamata Bannerjee’s administration as “Jungle Raj” and “Fascist Raj”. They also called it a murder of democracy.

https://twitter.com/OnyourNot/status/1282576660831719424

https://twitter.com/OnyourNot/status/1282572956741189634

Man from Texas dies after attending COVID-19 party

By
Preetika Parashuraman
-

A 30 year-old man from Texas died from COVID-19 after he attended a “COVID-19” party hosted by a person infected by the virus. 

Chief Medical Officer at Methodist Hospital, San Antonia Jane Appleby said that some young people do not understand how “sick” they are.

“Someone will be diagnosed with the disease, and they’ll have a party to invite their friends over to see if they can beat the disease,” she said while expressing how some people do not take the virus seriously.

“They don’t look really sick. But when you check their oxygen levels and their lab tests, they’re really sicker than they appear,” she said, urging the youth to not take the pandemic as a joke.

Despite the virus killing a great number of people in the United States of America, the man thought the virus to be a hoax.

It was “heart-wrenching” when he expressed to the nurse that he made a mistake.

“He thought he was invincible and young,” and hence would not contract the virus, she added.

Recently the Trump admission has decided to reopen schools and universities despite the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the country. It has pressured students to leave their institutions if they cannot continue with in-person classes.

The United States is by far the world’s worst country to be struck by the virus with the highest number of cases and number of deaths.

Source: AFP

Newsful Quiz: Here are the details about the quiz brought to you by ‘The Commune’ and ‘X Quiz It’

By
The Commune
-

Newsful, a quiz on current affairs brought to you by “The Commune” and “X Quiz It” will be conducted on this Sunday (July 19, 2020) between 6 PM and 7 PM (IST).

This quiz, 2nd in the series, will be on events from across the world that grabbed the headlines in the past few months with a special focus on science and technology.

Register for the quiz here.

Heads up: There will be a minimum of 8-10 questions out of 25 from the following sections in The Commune’s website: Science and Technology, Business, Explained.

Here are some of the other details that you should know:

1) Cash Prize – First 3 winners will get a cash prize of ₹500, ₹300 and ₹200 in that order.

2) Mode of play – The quiz will have 25 MCQ type questions. The questions will be from the famous / important news items for the past one year. You may feel free to google the answers during the quiz as we want you to learn rather than take the pressure of competition!

3) Timing – The quiz will commence sharply at 6:00 PM IST on July 19, 2020. The quiz window will be open till 7:00 PM. You can login and play the quiz anytime between 6 PM to 7 PM. The link to play this online quiz would be displayed in the website of The Commune at www.thecommunemag.com half an hour before the scheduled time of the commencement of the quiz (i.e) from 5:30 pm (IST).   .

4) The most important rule –  Please enter your mobile number through which you registered. Usage of names is strictly prohibited and will amount to disqualification.

Once u enter using the game code, a screen appear as above saying “Enter your name”. Instead of your name, enter the registered mobile number.

5) Winners and Tiebreaker – The top 3 scorers based on accuracy score will be declared as winners. There will be a 7 star marked questions (will be specified in the question) in the quiz. In case of a tie, the number of star marked questions answered correctly will be considered for identifying winners. If a ties still exists, the time taken for answering star marked questions will be considered and the person who takes least time for answering star marked questions will be considered as winner. If still the tie continues, time taken for answering all the questions will be considered and the person who answers in the least time will be the winner.

Now school students across the country can learn to develop an app for free

By
The Commune
-

NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission has launched the ALT App Development Module for school children across the country. The ALT App is an online course and is completely free. There are six project based learning modules and online mentoring sessions. Children can learn to develop mobile apps in various Indian languages and earn certificates. Also, to build capabilities and acumen for app development within school teachers, periodic teacher training sessions will be conducted on the AIM App Development course.

NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer Amitabh Kant has said that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about big disruption, which is being tackled through the use of technology to assist everyday life activities. The Prime Minister has been encouraging people to use technology and discover a new way to make India, Aatmanirbhar Bharat. Mr. Kant said, it is very important and essential for the young Indians to learn skills at a young age and to enable them to become the next generation of technology leaders.

Mission Director of Atal Innovation Mission R Ramanan while speaking on the occasion said, the launch of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge has inspired young students at school, university, and industry level. NITI Aayog is now bringing the skills of app development to the young tinkerers of Atal Tinkering Labs to integrate the skills of apps development enhancing the usability and reach of their innovations.

Source: AIR News

Facebook and Instagram ban content on gay conversion

By
Preetika Parashuraman
-

Content regarding conversion therapy that aims at forcefully changing an individual’s sexual orientation has finally been banned on all social media platforms by Facebook and Instagram. 

“We don’t allow attacks against people based on sexual orientation or gender identity and are updating our policies to ban the promotion of conversion therapy services.” Tara Hopkins, Instagram’s public policy director for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa said in a statement to CNN.

Research has shown the numerous negative effects that conversion therapy, such include – depression, drug use and suicide.

According to Instagram, the ban is applicable worldwide as a part of the expansion of hate speech policies. The ban is aimed at shutting down organisations in Africa, Europe, the US and other religions trying to promote the practice online. Germany is the only country where conversion is banned, the report noted.

Facebook is also looking at banning political ads in the US ahead of elections in November. It is in the discussion stage and nothing has been finalised as of now, Bloomberg noted.

United States President Donald Trump and former Vice President and democratic nominee Joe Biden have spent a combined $29.2 million on ads, according to the company’s self-reported data.

 

Mobile application to help farmers in Mizoram

By
Preetika Parashuraman
-

The Mizoram government launched a mobile application for farmers that will provide them with the latest information on agriculture. 

The mobile application will have various features such as information on cultivation of various crops, maximum requirement for seeds and estimated total production in first cultivation, and protection of crops from pest infestation.

“The state government has been making massive efforts to alleviate the difficulties faced by farmers, who have been greatly affected by the coronavirus induced lockdown,” said Agriculture Minister C Lalrinsanga

He launched the mobile application with high hopes that it will be of immense help to the farmers.

He also said that the technological and mechanical innovation in the agricultural sector of the state will not only transform their practice but will also generate income simultaneously.

Before this was the ‘farmers helpline,’ which benefitted the farmers greatly too, he further added.

The application is available in Google Play Store.

Source: PTI

Trump ‘finally’ wears a mask during a hospital visit, internet erupts in shock

By
Vaibavi Jayakumar
-

US President Donald Trump wore a mask for the first time since the advent of the pandemic, and the internet erupted over this turn of events. He was seen visiting the Walter Reed military hospital outside Washington, where he met wounded soldiers and health care workers. At the medical facility, Trump walked by media gathered for a carefully staged photo opportunity wearing a navy blue mask emblazoned with a presidential seal embossed in gold. He said only “thank you” as he passed.

Donald Trump who had been a strong advocate against masks, was heard saying, “I’ve never been against masks but I do believe they have a time and a place,” as he left the White House. He added that he “sort of liked” how he looked with one on, likening himself to the Lone Ranger, a fictional masked hero who with his Native American friend, Tonto, fought outlaws in the American Old West.

This is the same man that had mocked the CDC’s regulations to wear masks in public places as the pandemic started becoming rampant in the United States. Notably, he had also previously criticized Presidential rival candidate Joe Biden for wearing masks in public.

This new stance by the US President has caused a storm on social media. Many even wondered if this is a result of the recently recorded 66,528 coronavirus cases on Saturday, a new daily record for the country.

(source: BBC, Al Jazeera)

Siddha treatment gets thumbs up from Supreme Court Judge Justice Indira Bannerjee

By
The Commune
-

Supreme Court Judge Justice Indira Bannerjee has in a statement given a testimony to the efficacy of the ancient traditional Siddha medicine saying that it has helped cure her aches and pains, cough, nd sore throat. She said that she has been undergoing Siddha Varmam Therapy under the guidance of Dr. K. Elavarasan, Siddha Consultant of Ayush Clinic in the President Estate, Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

Tamil Nadu Minister Ma Foi K Pandiarajan took to Twitter to share the news and said “Resounding testimony by Hon. SC Judge & former CJ of TN, Ms Indira Banerjee of the efficacy of #Siddha medicine system esp #KabaSuraKudineer for treatment !”

“I regularly underwent therapy under Dr. Elavarasan till the imposition of the lockdown on account of the pandemic. The therapy was very effective.” She also said that she is now taking regular shots of immunity booster Kabasura Kudineer and has also purchased 50 bottles of the same to be distributed to her staff at her residential office and for her family members.

She said that she has been taking Siddha medicines as per Dr. Elavarasan’s advice for sore throat, cough, aches and pain which has cured her of the ailments.

She congratulated Dr. Elavaravarasn and wished him success for his efforts who has been working towards administering Kabasura Kudineer en masse and also creating awareness on diets, hygiene practices, exercises, therapies, etc.

1...1,7331,7341,735...1,827Page 1,734 of 1,827
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.
Contact us: thecommune.news@gmail.com
Facebook Instagram X Youtube

NATIONAL NEWS

How Evangelists Waged War Against Government Schools In Tribal Madhya Pradesh...

The Commune - 0
For nearly a century before Indian independence, Christian missionaries, primarily Lutheran, Roman Catholic, and various Protestant denominations, had established a near-complete dominance over education,...
© The Commune 2025. All Rights Reserved.