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Philippines all set for medical trials as numbers cross 10,000

By
The Commune
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Close to 100 patients are touted to be given an anti-flu coronavirus drug, as the number of cases in the country crosses 10,000.

In a bulletin issued by the country’s Health Ministry, it was reported that there were 320 additional infections recorded, bringing the number of cases to 10,004. In addition to this, 21 new deaths have also been recorded, thereby taking the total death toll to 658. However, out of those infected, 98 more patients have recovered, which puts the total number of recoveries at 1506.

Amidst these stats, Philippines is all set to trial its anti-flu drug Avigan from Japan, as part of a clinical trial in treating COVID-19 infections, as declared by Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire. She further stated that they have the ‘go-signal’ for the trials and that the health department was preparing the protocol to choose the patients to be included.

Top British COVID-19 Advisor resigns over breaking lockdown rules to meet married lover

By
The Commune
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Professor Neil Ferguson, who was an eminent member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the key strategists of the British lockdown policy has resigned from the post following a report claiming him having broken the rules of social-distancing.

The Telegraph had reported Professor Ferguson of having broken the rules of lockdown, not once, but twice, when he had gone to visit his married lover, soon after which he stepped down from his post on the Advisory Group, which had been spearheading the coronavirus response mission.

While giving a statement to the CNN, he had said that he had acted in the belief that he was immune, having tested positive for coronavirus and had completely isolated himself for almost two weeks after developing symptoms. He further said that “I deeply regret any undermining of the clear messages around the continued need for social distancing to control this devastating epidemic.”

Students of Navodaya Vidyalaya stranded in Puducherry return home, BJP MLA Saminathan comes to the rescue

By
The Commune
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23 students belonging to Araria district, that includes 15 boys and 8 girls will be returned to their homes in Bihar, thanks to the efforts of BJP MLA V. Saminathan.

The students who had come to Puducherry on a cultural exchange programme between Navodaya Schools, were to return to their states on March 27 through train. However, the lockdown made them to stay put in Kalapet in Puducherry. The school’s principal Mr. Ramachandran ensured that the children faced no difficulties during their stay here by arranging for food and other essentials.

Apprised of the matter, BJP’s Bihar State President Sanjay Jaiswal reached out to Mr. Saminathan who then took efforts to send them back to their homes in Bihar. He informed District Collector Arun and explained to him the agony of the students and requested the Collector to give the necessary documents for them. The Collector then arranged 2 Puducherry Road Transport Corporation Buses for the children to be taken to Bihar.

MLA Saminathan sponsored facemasks, sanitizers, gloves, food and water bottles that would be required for the journey on behalf of the school. Elated students and prinicipal thanked the Collector and Mr. Saminathan for their efforts.

Former Minister in Vajpayee’s government Dalit Ezhilmalai passes away

By
S Kaushik
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Dalit Ezhilmalai, who served as the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government during 1998-99 passed away at his residence on the outskirts of Chennai on Wednesday.

He was 74 and is survived by his wife, 3 daughters and a son. The last rites will happen on Wednesday evening. The Hindu, quoting his family sources reported that the death was sudden and he did not have any health conditions.

Dalit Ezhilmalai was born in Madurantakam near Chengalpattu on June 24, 1945. Between 1963 and 1987, he served at the Post & Telegraph Department. He went on deputation to the Indian Army for 5 years up to 1974. He participated in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War and was honoured with the Sainik Sewa Medal for his exemplary service in the Army. He held key positions in the National Federation of Postal Union and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Employees Association Co-ordination Committee, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. He launched the Dalit People’s Front in 1980.

He went on to join Paatali Makkal Katchi and served as General Secretary in the party. During the 1998 Lok Sabha elections, he was elected from the Chidambaram (reserved) constituency when the PMK was in alliance with AIADMK. He was inducted into Vajpayee’s government as Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare with Independent Charge. In 1999, he quit the PMK and joined AIADMK as the former denied him a ticket to contest from the same constituency.

He was again elected to the Lower House from the Tiruchi Lok Sabha constituency, a general constituency, during the by-elections in 2001 which quite rare in Tamil Nadu politics. Though he continued to be with the AIADMK, he had maintained a low profile.

Clearing the air on Shramik trains, here is what you should know

By
S Kaushik
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The Ministry of Home Affairs decided to run the special Shramik trains from May 1 (labour day) to move the migrant workers, students, and tourists stranded in different parts of the country. These trains would be plied at the request of the ‘sending’ State governments. Only those who are found asymptomatic would be screened and allowed to travel with strict social distancing norms. On arrival, they would be screened at the destination again for symptoms. The ‘sending’ State government should arrange for the commute of passengers and provide them with food and water for the journey.

The fare for these trains includes the charge of sleeper class ticket, superfast charge of ₹30 and an additional ₹20. The Indian Railways on Monday clarified that the ‘sending states’ should pay for transporting the migrants and is up to them to decide for how to fund this cost. Ever since the Centre announced the move, much confusion has prevailed over who is paying for the ticket. Here, we clear the air by answering some of the questions the issue has attracted.

Should people have to pay for the tickets?

Depends on the ‘sending’ state. The Indian Railways bears 85% of the cost of the ticket. The rest 15% is to be borne by the state. The government of the ‘sending state’ has the following options – the State government could bear the expenses or levy it on the passengers or ask the ‘receiving’ state to share the expenses or charge it to a fund.

There is no provision for the passengers to ‘buy’ the tickets. No tickets are sold through railway counters or through IRCTC. So, if people have been charged for the Shramik trains ticket, it was the State’s prerogative and not the Centre’s.

Did any state make the travellers to pay for the ticket?

According to media reports, the states that made the travellers pay are Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka. Kerala Chief Minister in a press conference said that the state had no plans of paying for the tickets for migrants who are mostly from the states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha. The Gujarat government has roped in an NGO to pay a part of the cost. The Bihar and Jharkhand government are spending from their own coffers for the transport of migrants.

Why can’t the Centre bear the entire cost?

India is a federal country where Centre and State governments have their share of responsibilities. The decision to let states pay for 15% is for them to be a part of the fight against the disease. Had the cost been borne entirely by the Centre, State governments would not think about limiting the number of people to travel. Social distancing would have gone for a toss then. With the states being made to pay a cost, it ensures that state governments identify and send only those in need.

What would be the impact of Sonia Gandhi’s move to pay for the ticket?

Just like how an NGO is sponsoring for the ticket in Gujarat, similar is the attempt by the Congress Party, the only difference being that the latter had Sonia Gandhi announcing the move in a grand way. What the Congress party must realize is that it is a political party and not an NGO.

Also, the Congress party asking for its Pradesh Congress Committee to pay for the travel of migrant workers could lead to mayhem with people thronging the railway stations to get back to home. Although only those identified by the state government would only be allowed to travel, it could lead to misinformation being spread that the Congress party is paying the tickets for all those wanting to go back home. This could trigger a wave of migrants to queue at railway stations. It looks like the intention of the Congress party is to increase the spread of the virus and blame the centre for mismanagement of the pandemic.

India is at a curcial stage of containing the pandemic. The last thing that this country needs is for the virus to spread in its villages.

China launches new rocket and spacecraft prototype

By
The Commune
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While other countries across the world are grappling with the pandemic that originated in China, the country on Tuesday launched a new rocket carrying a new experimental spacecraft. This comes as a step forward in realizing the country’s moon landing ambitions and send astronauts to the moon.

The rocket names ‘Long March 5B’ took off from the Wenchang launch site located in the southern island of Hainan province. Eight minutes after launch, the unmanned prototype of a spacecraft akin to NASA’s deep space capsule Orion, separated from the rocket and entered the intended orbit. A prototype of a cargo return capsule was also separated from the rocket as planned, the state news agency Xinhua said in a statement.

The spaceship and the capsule are slated to return to earth on Friday after completion of the test flights.

China hopes to transport astronauts to a space station through a spacecraft that it plans to complete by 2022. The assembly of the Tiangong space station is expected to begin this year and finish by 2022. It is also aspiring to send people to the Moon eventually which only the US has done so far. China plans to send astronauts to the Moon in a decade and build a base there.

Kim Jong Un honoured with war medal by Putin

By
The Commune
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The Russian Embassy in Pyongyang on Tuesday said that Russian President Vladimir Putin honoured the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with a commemorative medal marking the 75th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany.

The statement released said that the medal was awarded for Mr. Kim’s role in preserving the memory of the soldiers of erstwhile Soviet Union who died in North Korean territory.

The award was presented by Russia’s Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora to Ri Son-gwon, North Korea’s Foreign Minister.

Russia last year, invited Mr. Kim to visit Moscow on May 9 to attend the parade marking the 75th anniversary of Soviet’s victory over Nazi Germany.

Koyambedu: Chennai’s Wuhan Wet Market?

By
Anirudh Sriram
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The decision of the Tamil Nadu government to implement a complete lockdown between April 26-29 has definitely put the citizens of TN into a state of shock leaving the more people symptomatic to the deadly virus. While Tamil Nadu so far has strategized its plan of containing COVID-19 in an effective manner, the sudden decision to implement a ‘complete lockdown’ resulted in mayhem across the state, especially in Chennai. Epidemiologists and experts have been repeatedly pointing out that the lockdown must be lifted in a phased manner. However, this has been misconstrued by the Tamil Nadu Government. The release and withdrawal of orders is making things ambiguous for the common man to understand.

The announcement of a ‘complete lockdown’ when there was already an existing nation-wide lockdown led to an abrupt rush of people to throng the Koyambedu Market. People resorted to panic buying to stock up their essentials, leaving the vendors shocked. Though the government had time and again clarified that there will never be any shortage in the supply of essential commodities, the innocuous actions of the citizens with blatant disregard  to the adherence of social distancing have severed the spread of COVID-19 in the city. This has sent the battle against the virus to unchartered territories. The Koyambedu episode has made one wonder if this will overshadow and outnumber the cases that were reported due to the Tablighi Jamaat conference.

On May 4, the city reported 527 positive cases out of which 266 are from Chennai.  The number of active cases till date has touched 2,107. With many of them having a contact / travel history to the market,it has has emerged as the new hotspot that is leading to a massive outbreak across the city. If it was Wuhan for China, it looks like, it will be Koyambedu for Chennai.

It is also a no-brainer to blame the police personnel as they have been at the forefront ever since the pandemic started and have been implement the lockdown in toto by sensitizing the people on social distancing and staying at home. They have seized nearly 3.6 lakh vehicles with FIRs registered against the violators, and have time and again urged the public especially the youngsters to maintain civic sense and act in compliance with the decisions of the Government. However, the sudden decision of the government put the police in a fix with the situation falling out of their hands. Fortunately, our state is not a Banana Republic where the state manhandles citizens according to its whims and fancies and indulges in coercive activities.

As we all grapple with the situation created by the pandemic, the state should act in the best interest of what needs to be done to control the spread of COVID-19.  While the double lockdown was aimed at controlling the spread, it has been otherwise.  The authorities have now decentralized the market into two and have shifted the place of the market. It is a relief that 98% percent of the reported cases are asymptomatic. Despite the fact that the government is undertaking an uphill task to ensure there is no community transmission, the recent passivity of imposing a double lockdown by the Tamil Nadu government still is a case of faulty decision making.

DMK MP and fringe group leader engage in spat over Sri Lankan refugees

By
The Commune
-

Dr. Senthilkumar, the DMK MP from Dharmapuri engaged in a war of words with fringe group leader Thirumurugan Gandhi, who is also called as Daniel Gandhi by a certain section of people on Twitter.

Thirumurugan Gandhi had in a tweet loaded with digs at Dr. Senthilkumar, said that he is happy that the Dharmapuri MP for provided food to 220 refugees who had been suffering of hunger for 40 days that includes children. He said that it is the case where May 17 movement cadres are required to highlight the plight of the Tamil refugees from the constituency he won. He also said that he would be double-happy if he inquired about the plight of the Sri Lankan Tamils who lost their lives in the civil war.

In response to Thirumurugan Gandhi’s tweet, Dr. Senthilkumar gave a strong replying saying that he had high regard for the former and asked him to not pull him into a fight ‘voluntarily’. He questioned Thirumurugan Gandhi as to whether the latter had done anything at all apart from giving speeches on stages. He added that it is the DMK that has stands in solidarity with the Tamils of Sri Lanka and not his movement. “We try to help as and when we come to know about it”, he said.

Thirumurugan Gandhi has been mounting criticism on the DMK MP for the past few days. Earlier he had said that the DMK MP is under the mindset of a ‘Aryan Brahminist’ and went on to call him a ‘Neobrahmin’.

India’s loss becomes Pakistan’s gain, thanks to Sterlite Copper’s Closure

By
The Commune
-

When Sterlite Copper plant in Thoothukudi was closed down after violent protests in 2018, India became a net importer of copper after 18 years. What has been India’s loss, has turned out to be Pakistan’s gain. According to media reports in Pakistan, the country’s copper shipments to China have seen a surge of 400% in terms of value.

The News of Pakistan, quoting a report from China Economic Net, reported that the copper product exports to China increased to $550 million last year from $106 million three years ago. It said that Pakistan’s export increased through the Reko Diq Project, one of its largest reserves. Reko Diq is a small desert town in Balochistan province bordering Afghanistan and Iran. It added that the shipments of copper had boosted the local industry in Pakistan.

The Reko Diq project has been under dispute since BHP, an Anglo-Australian mining firm discovered large swathes of gold and copper ores. BHP had sold its stake to Tethyan Copper Company but Balochistan did not acknowledge it. The latter then dragged the former to the World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes and managed to get the $5.95 billion order in its favour. But the dispute hasn’t been resolved yet.

Beijing is looking forward to increasing copper exports from Pakistan once the dispute is resolved. China’s state owned Mettalurgical Corporation has been executing another project since 1995 called the Saindak gold-copper project in Balochistan. The Saindak project yields 4.5 million tonnes of copper ores a year and helps in smelting 13,000 tonnes of copper annually. With the reserves at Saindak depleting fast, China is hoping to take over the operations of the Reko Diq project.

The Sterlite Copper was shut by the Tamil Nadu government following violent protests that rocked Thoothukudi in which 13 persons were shot after they turned violent by torching vehicles and damaging properties. The protests demanding closure of Sterlite started in February 2018 after Vedanta launched works for plant expansion.

Sterlite Copper contributed close to 40% of the country’s total copper production. The Union government in Parliament said that the plant’s closure had led to import of the metal rise and exports to fall. Imports doubled to 92,990 tonnes in 2018-19 financial year while the exports dropped to 47,917 tonnes from 3.78 lakh tonnes.

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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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