The recent charges against Gautam Adani and several associates for bribery have taken a new turn, with questions being raised about U.S. Attorney Breon Stacey Peace’s potential connections to George Soros. Peace’s spouse, Jacqueline Jones-Peace, holds a senior position at the Equal Justice Initiative—an organization tied to Soros’ Open Society Foundations.

Soros has previously been linked to campaigns that challenge the Narendra Modi government, raising speculation about the motivations behind these new legal actions, especially as an arrest warrant looms over Gautam Adani. This is the third major controversy involving the Adani Group, each time with alleged ties to Soros-backed entities, casting a shadow over the prosecution’s intentions.

US Indictment Charges Against Adani

U.S. authorities have charged Gautam Adani and seven others for allegedly bribing Indian government officials to secure solar power contracts with state-run electricity distribution companies. According to the lawsuit, the Adani Group chairman, his nephew Sagar Adani, and six others allegedly paid bribes totaling ₹2,029 crore (approximately $265 million) between 2020 and 2024.

The individuals named in the case include Vineet Jain, a senior executive at Adani Group; Ranjit Gupta and Rupesh Agarwal, employees of Azure Power; and Cyril Cabanes, Saurabh Agarwal, and Deepak Malhotra, former employees of Canadian institutional investor CDPQ.

The Adani Group is also accused of concealing these bribes from U.S. banks and investors, from whom it raised billions of dollars to finance its solar energy projects. The prosecution alleges that the group sought to earn $2 billion in profits through these contracts.

Breon Stacey Peace, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, brought the charges. Reports suggest that an arrest warrant has been issued for Gautam Adani in connection with this case.

This marks the third major controversy surrounding the Adani Group, following Hindenburg Research’s allegations of fraud and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project’s (OCCRP) investigative findings. A common thread across these incidents is the involvement of organizations linked to billionaire philanthropist George Soros.

Through his Open Society Foundations, Soros has frequently been associated with political disruptions and regime changes. Critics have described him as an agent of chaos, citing his alleged disregard for democratic norms and his use of questionable methods to exert influence globally.

In the current case, Breon Peace’s allegations against Adani, including the claim that the group orchestrated an elaborate bribery scheme while misleading U.S. and international investors, have sparked speculation about his possible connection to Soros. 

Soros-Breon Peace Connection

Breon Peace’s spouse, Jacqueline Jones-Peace, serves as the Director of Development and Senior Attorney at the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), a nonprofit organization based in Montgomery, Alabama. EJI was founded by Bryan Stevenson, who also leads the organization as its Executive Director. Notably, Stevenson is a member of the U.S. Programs board of the Open Society Foundations, which is funded by billionaire philanthropist George Soros. This connection raises questions about the links between the Peace family and Soros, suggesting potential motivations for targeting the Adani Group.

Additionally, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who has long-standing ties to Soros and his family, supported Breon Peace’s nomination for a judicial role and played a significant role in his appointment in 2021. Schumer has publicly aligned himself with several Soros-backed initiatives. Wealthy liberal donors, including Soros, have contributed significantly to Schumer-affiliated political causes.

Soros’ Democracy PAC II has been a notable source of financial support for Senate Democrats. On June 22, Soros donated $2.5 million to the Senate Majority PAC, bringing his contributions to the PAC to $6 million over the past three years. This includes donations of $3.5 million in 2022 and $2.5 million in 2021. In 2024 alone, Soros has contributed $16 million to the PAC, which underscores his influence on Democratic Party initiatives.

How Soros Targeted Adani Repeatedly

George Soros, along with his organizations and allied networks, has previously targeted the Adani Group, seemingly as part of a broader agenda to destabilize the Indian economy and undermine the Modi government. On February 16, 2023, Soros made a public statement leveraging the Adani-Hindenburg controversy to criticize the Indian government. “Modi and business tycoon Adani are close allies. Their fate is intertwined. Adani Enterprises tried to raise funds in the stock market, but it failed. Adani is accused of stock manipulation, and his stock collapsed like a house of cards,” he alleged.

Soros went on to accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi of crony capitalism, asserting that Modi would eventually face questions from international investors and in parliament. He suggested that the Hindenburg Research report, which triggered a downturn in Indian markets, could lead to “much-needed institutional reforms” and a “democratic revival” in the country.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also linked Soros to Hindenburg Research, accusing him of funding anti-India narratives. Ravi Shankar Prasad, a BJP leader, claimed on August 12 that Soros was a major investor in Hindenburg Research. He accused the Congress Party of aligning with Soros in a campaign against Modi, stating, “In their pathological hatred against Narendra Modi, the Congress Party today has developed hatred against India itself.”

Additionally, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which released a critical report on the Adani Group, is financially supported by Soros’ Open Society Foundations. The foundations provided at least $800,000 (₹6.61 crores) in funding to OCCRP, ostensibly to enhance its cross-border reporting capabilities. Critics argue that this aligns with Soros’ usual approach of influencing civil society and shaping public opinion to suit his agendas. Through organizations like Freedom House and the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute, Soros has frequently been accused of attempting to tarnish India’s global image.

Anand Mangnale, OCCRP’s South Asia Editor, also has ties that raise questions. He previously worked as a partnerships and strategy consultant for NewsClick, a controversial media platform with reported financial links to China. NewsClick, which positions itself as a left-leaning outlet, has often faced scrutiny for its editorial stance and funding sources. Mangnale’s profile highlights his involvement in investigations into corporate fraud and government corruption, further fueling the debate around OCCRP’s motivations and affiliations.

Soros & His Alleged Role In Swaying US Elections

George Soros made headlines by acquiring a significant stake in Audacy, the second-largest radio company in the United States, just weeks before the presidential elections. This media giant operates over 220 radio stations nationwide and boasts a monthly audience of 165 million listeners. The timing of the purchase and its implications raised alarm among lawmakers and officials, including a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) commissioner appointed by former President Donald Trump.

U.S. law generally restricts foreign ownership in American radio stations to no more than 25%. Reports suggest Soros leveraged foreign investments to secure his bid for Audacy. Public filings reveal that his group petitioned the FCC to bypass the typical review process. Alarmingly, the FCC granted expedited approval for this deal, marking the first instance in modern history where such a transaction avoided the standard national security review process, which usually takes up to a year.

Republican Congressman Chip Roy of Texas highlighted concerns over the FCC’s handling of this matter in April. Citing communications laws designed to limit foreign ownership of radio licenses, Roy questioned how Soros’ acquisition was approved so quickly. According to Roy, the Soros group requested a waiver to delay this process instead of following the traditional petition for a declaratory ruling—which would have allowed for a thorough review of foreign ownership interests.

Roy raised the issue in a letter to the FCC, stating, “Instead of going through the usual petition for declaratory ruling process, which would enable the FCC to review and assess those foreign ownership interests as part of its transaction review, the Soros group has asked the FCC to waive that process and put it off until sometime down the road.” He further revealed that the foreign stakeholders involved in the deal were granted special warrants.

The investment, reportedly amounting to nearly $400 million, added to concerns about Soros’ influence on U.S. media and its potential impact on the election process. 

Soros-Linked Attorney Behind Donald Trump’s Indictment

The indictment of former President Donald Trump by a Manhattan grand jury last year prompted accusations from Trump and other prominent Republicans, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, of George Soros’ influence in the case. The investigation, led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, centered on allegations of hush money payments made during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

George Soros’ financial connections to Bragg became a focal point of criticism. In May 2021, Soros donated $1 million to the Color of Change PAC, a racial justice advocacy organization that heavily supported Bragg’s campaign. Additionally, Soros’ son, Jonathan Soros, and daughter, Jennifer Allan Soros, also contributed to Bragg’s election bid. State records reveal that Jonathan Soros donated $10,000 to Bragg’s campaign on April 26, 2021, followed by a $10,000 contribution from Jennifer Allan Soros on April 29, 2021. While others donated more significant sums directly, the Soros family’s involvement positioned them among Bragg’s key supporters.

Trump vehemently criticized the indictment and its implications, calling out Bragg as a “Soros-backed” figure. On his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump questioned why the case persisted despite what he described as a lack of evidence. He asserted, “Why won’t Bragg drop this case? Everybody says there is no crime here. I did nothing wrong.” Trump referred to Michael Cohen, his former attorney and a key figure in the case, as a “convicted nut job with zero credibility.”

Trump further criticized the situation, likening it to authoritarian regimes, stating, “This is the Gestapo, this is Russia and China, but worse. Disgraceful!” In another post, he accused Bragg of carrying out a politically motivated agenda, claiming, “He is just carrying out the plans of the radical left lunatics. Our country is being destroyed.”

The former president also used the indictment to rally his supporters, sending a fundraising email that declared, “They’re coming for me,” and blamed district attorneys “hand-picked and personally funded by George Soros.”

It is worth noting that Trump’s political influence remained robust, as evidenced by his decisive victory in the recent U.S. elections, setting him up for a second term as president.

George Soros’ Hostility Toward Nationalist Leaders Including PM Modi

At the 2020 World Economic Forum in Davos, George Soros pledged support for initiatives aimed at addressing what he described as the erosion of civil society under the influence of “would-be and actual dictators” and the challenges of climate change. He openly criticized global leaders, claiming that nations like the United States, China, and Russia under Vladimir Putin were under the control of authoritarian figures. Soros went further to express concern about the growing prevalence of such leaders worldwide.

Singling out India, Soros described it as experiencing “the biggest and most frightening setback.” He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of transforming India into a “Hindu nationalist state,” imposing strict measures in Jammu and Kashmir and allegedly threatening the citizenship of millions of Muslims. His remarks reflected a long-standing animosity toward the Indian government, with Soros never shying away from expressing his opposition to PM Modi’s administration.

The Agenda Behind Soros’ Efforts

George Soros has a history of labeling nationalist governments as “authoritarian” and committing resources to counter them globally. Among his key targets, India and PM Modi’s administration stand out as the primary focus of his campaigns. Soros’ Open Society Foundations, which began operations in India in 1999 by offering fellowships and scholarships, have expanded their influence under the pretense of charitable work. However, they have also been linked to supporting groups critical of the Indian government.

Through networks comprising media outlets, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and intellectual figures, Soros has made efforts to challenge India’s nationalist leadership. His activities suggest a deliberate strategy to undermine the government by fostering dissent and empowering organizations that oppose the administration’s policies.

One of Soros’ more recent tactics appears to involve targeting Indian corporations. The Adani Group, in particular, has faced repeated criticism, with Soros and his affiliates accused of orchestrating campaigns to tarnish its reputation. Such actions not only aim to destabilize the company but also threaten the broader fiscal health of the Indian economy.

Soros’ efforts to hinder India’s economic growth are seen as part of a broader attempt to discredit the Modi administration. By undermining India’s progress and creating economic turbulence, Soros seeks to weaken the current leadership and pave the way for a government more aligned with his ideological preferences.

(With inputs from OpIndia)

The post Is There A Soros Link To US Attorney Breon Peace Who Charged Adani & 7 Others In Alleged Solar Bribery Case? appeared first on The Commune.

US automaker Ford Motor announced on Friday that it will restart its manufacturing plant in Chennai to boost exports and hire another 2,500-3,000 employees.

According to Kay Hart, President of Ford International Markets Group, the step aims to “underscore our ongoing commitment to India as we intend to leverage the manufacturing expertise available in Tamil Nadu to serve new global markets.”

In a LinkedIn post, she said the company has submitted a letter of intent (LOI) to the “government of Tamil Nadu in India, outlining Ford’s intention to utilise our Chennai plant for manufacturing for export.”

The decision follows multiple meetings with the Tamil Nadu government.

“We appreciate their ongoing support as we have explored different options for the plant. I know people will be curious, but we will have more to share about the type of manufacturing and which export markets we’ll be focusing on, along with other details, in due course,” Hart mentioned.

Ford Motor ceased operations in India in 2021 due to low sales and financial losses in the highly competitive domestic automotive market.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin posted on X, a social media platform, that he had a very engaging discussion with the Ford Motor team.

“Explored the feasibility of renewing Ford’s three-decade partnership with Tamil Nadu, to again make in Tamil Nadu for the world,” he said. The Chief Minister also visited the headquarters of Google, Apple, and Microsoft and entered into MoUs with these tech giants for investments in Tamil Nadu.

According to Hart, the decision will add to Ford’s growing employee base in Chennai.

“Our global Ford Business Solutions team based there is already more than 12,000-strong and we are planning to increase that by another 2,500 to 3,000 team members in the next few years,” said Hart.

Ford also has an engine manufacturing team based in Sanand, Gujarat. India is the US automaker’s second-largest employee base worldwide.

– IANS

The post Ford To Make A Comeback In India To Boost Exports, Hire Up To 3,000 More appeared first on The Commune.

About a fortnight ago in the U.S.A, a long awaited journey for Hindus and people of Indic faiths, culminated in the announcement of a significant, social and political milestone – the official declaration of the launch of a “Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain (HBSJ) Caucus” in the U.S Parliament.

In the U.S, a caucus is a type of a ‘special interests’ group that works to lobby for, legislate for and defend the interests of the group (ideological, industrial, business, religious Etc) for which it came into existence.

Earlier this year, U.S Congressman of Indian origin, Mr. Shri Thanedar, a Democratic party representative elected from Michigan state, announced plans to form a ‘Hindu Caucus’ in the U.S. Congress, that would bring like-minded lawmakers together for the benefit of American citizens of Hindu and Indic-faith backgrounds. One of the stated aims of the proposed caucus is to ensure that people of non-Abrahamic faiths are not discriminated against and that there is no hate or bigotry against this demographic group in the country.

Representative Thanedar’s declaration of plans for the creation of a Hindu caucus and his subsequent inauguration of such a group for all Indic faiths is a significant achievement for the immigrant Indian community, Hindus from all over the world and people of Indic, non-Abrahamic faiths like Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, indegenous spiritual traditions, that do not have the same religious beliefs of Christianity and Islam.

The HBSJ Caucus has been successfully created with bipartisan support from members of the U.S Parliament of both the Republican and Democratic parties. A united Hindu/ Indic voice, will finally be heard, loud and clear, amidst concerns of rising discrimination and acts of violence against the people of Indic faiths, their property and their business interests.

The caucus will also, hopefully, have a positive impact on the important but vulnerable and fluctuating U.S -India relationship, in a changing world order. Another crucial expected outcome of presenting a united Hindu front and being represented by a bi-partisan, politically approved Hindu Caucus, is to reign in lop-sided, biased and exaggerated reports of purported injustices on minorities in India, the ground reality of which, is often distorted by christian and muslim groups, motivated by vested interests and a religious-conversion agenda.

The USCIRF (US Commission for International Religious Freedom), supposedly an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government agency created by the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA),
often prepares and publishes annual reports on indices like “religious freedom” and “minority rights” in nations around the world. These reports are presented to both houses of the U.S Parliament (the House of Representatives and the Senate) for further discussions. For a long time now, Indians (Hindus in particular), have complained that the USCIRF and similar organizations, behave more like representatives of vested-interest groups from within and outside India, claiming a lack of religious freedom for Minorities.

An American legislator-led legitimate “caucus”, representing the interests and grievances of the Hindu and Indic faiths, can help with a fact-finding mission on the ground realities in India. This group can help with the presentation of unbiased, factual data while discouraging falsified or exaggerated religion-related information showing Indic religions in poor light, at the alleged behest of religiously and politically motivated groups, lobbying for sanctions against India.

For over five decades now, Indians in the U.S have stayed away from publicly or politically displaying, emphasizing or seeking attention for their Eastern faith, their culture and traditions – Hindus and other Indic, non-Abrahamic faiths did not come together to discuss the common problems faced by them and try forming a group that would defend their cause or address their grievances in a public, social or political forum. This is a far cry from religious groups like the Muslims in various non-muslim nations including the U.S, who band together fairly quickly – they are vocal, present themselves as a homogenous group with special needs and form political alliances to defend their interests while staying united as a single voting block. They attempt to assert their rights, seek better representation across various fields, market their religion and traditions and even defend the political or economic goals of their native, muslim lands.

In contrast, the Hindus made no such efforts, since the early days of sizeable immigration to the U.S from the 1960s onwards. Some reasons for this tendency are:

1) Hinduism and other Indic faiths do not naturally gravitate towards groupism, social or political activism as quickly as the Christians and Muslims tend to do.The very nature of their philosophical beliefs, their broad minded tolerance of all spiritual traditions, respect for all faiths and their acceptance of all religions as different paths to the same Divine entity… does not compel them to form a separate, visible, bold, united group to represent themselves as a unique or special group from the general population.

2) Their history, belief system, their spiritual masters along with the primary intent of their faith (Union with the Divine) did not and does not encourage, emphasize or insist on active political participation, like Islam or Christianity.

3) Generations of Hindus influenced by a utopian Gandhian Idealism of
un-limited tolerance for other religions without expectong the same from them as well a skewed Nehruvian policy on “secularism” that advised and even instructed the Hindus
(through school education or court-ordained legistation) to stay away from attachment to their philosophical beliefs and customs while simultaneously promoting a strong and distinct sense of religious identity among the minority religions of Christianity and Islam… Between the politics of the Congress party, the Communist parties of India and all self-proclaiming “secular” parties, several generations of Hindu Indians were alienated enough from the spiritual traditions of their ancestors, that they barely identified themselves as a proud, distinct, homogenous social group called Hindus. Hence, little social and political will, to form a Hindu grouping of any kind when they emigrated to foreign shores in search of educational and employment opportunities.

4) The Hindu or Buddhist governments of the immigrant community’s native nations, were not forthcoming in lending asisstance of any kind to their expat, diaspora populations, for the establishment of religious centres or the promotion of their culture, abroad.

5) The Indian immigrants to the U.S tend to be educated, hard working people striving for economic prosperity in a foreign nation. As is their natural, civilizational tendency, they are typically law-abiding citizens who contribute to the economic prosperity of the host nation, their adopted country…
without drawing any attention to themselves for any reason other than economic. They tend to assimilate into the local culture and contribute positively towards it rather than alienating themselves from the local population and refusing to assimilate. Unless necessary and for the right reasons, they do not immediately begin to group together to declare themselves a special group demanding special recognition or special privileges.

The Hindus and other Indic faiths in the U.S, have finally risen to the occasion, at this historic moment. The recent creation of the HBSJ Caucus denotes the following:
– this ethno-religious group’s significantly larger numbers now, across the length and breadth of the U.S.
– their improved participation and influence in America’s educational, economic/business and political spheres of life.
– their higher-than-average economic prosperity, their positive contributions to American innovation, R&D and the Technical sector.
– their recent recognition and public admission of several reported instances of discrimination, bullying and sometimes violence on members of this group and their business interests.
– a Hindu re-awakening on foreign soil along with the community’s acceptance that second and third generation Indian-Americans (children and grand children of Indian immigrants) need better awareness of their native identity, roots and spiritual traditions before they fall prey to the non-tolerant beliefs of the more aggressive and proselytizing religions.
– a renewed, refreshed sense of pride in themselves as Indians and Hindus/Buddhists/Sikhs/Jains/Tribal ; a resurgent pride in their way of life and beliefs, coinciding with a more confident India, proud of its unique heritage, asserting its rights and not afraid of wielding its economic and military clout on the world stage.

Wishing the newly inaugurated, better-late-than-never Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain (HBSJ) Caucus,
much success on the shores of the World’s most powerful nation. Let’s hope the Hindu, Indic Caucus in the U.S, eventually makes a difference in U.S domestic and International policies, besides addressing the issue of overt and subtle prejudice towards Eastern, non-Abrahamic spiritual traditions. The time is ripe. Cheers!

Subscribe to our channels on Telegram and WhatsApp and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post Historic Launch Of Hindu Buddhist Sikh Jain Caucus In The U.S. Parliament Marks A New Milestone For Indic Faiths appeared first on The Commune.

In a development that could be detrimental to Pakistan, legislation has been introduced in the United States Senate seeking a report from the Secretary of State Antony Blinken about his assessment of Pakistan’s role in the Taliban offensive that led to the toppling of the US-backed Afghan government.

The US Senate also wants a detailed report on the support given to the Taliban offensive in Panjshir Valley, prompting Islamabad to term the move as ‘unwarranted’. 

The ‘Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight and Accountability Act’, introduced by 22 Republican senators on Tuesday (September 30), seeks to impose sanctions on the Taliban and any foreign governments that support the hardline Islamic group that has now imposed Sharia law in the country.

Now the Senate wants assessment form the Secretary of State about Pakistan’s role in supporting the Taliban from 2001-2020, and the logistical support extended to the Taliban against Panjshir Valley and the Afghan resistance.

In a response to media queries about the draft bill introduced by the US Senators, the Foreign Office in Islamabad said that the proposed legislative measures were ‘uncalled for and counterproductive’.

“The legislation includes references to Pakistan that are completely unwarranted. We find all such references inconsistent with the spirit of Pakistan-US cooperation on Afghanistan since 2001, including facilitation of the Afghan peace process and during the recent evacuations of American and other nationals from Afghanistan,” the statement said.

Pakistan again used the old formula wherein it said that Pakistan has consistently maintained that there was no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan and that long-term sustainable peace in Afghanistan could only be achieved through engagement and dialogue.

The Foreign Office also added that Pakistan plays a very important role in the sustained security cooperation with the United States and that be would critical in dealing with any future terrorist threat in the region.

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post US Senate wants report on role of Pakistan in toppling Afghan govt and Panjshir Valley attack appeared first on The Commune.

Pomerantz, a US-based law firm, said on July 19 that it has launched a class action lawsuit against Bharat Biotech’s US partner Ocugen, which has a license to manufacture and commercialize Covaxin in the US and Canada, asserting certain violations of the US federal securities laws.

Pomerantz has alleged in its class-action lawsuit that, the defendants Ocugen a US-based Pharma company have made materially false and misleading statements regarding the company’s business, operations, and compliance policies.

The class action was filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by Pomerantz. “… failed to disclose that the information submitted to the (US)FDA was insufficient to support a EUA, Ocugen would not file an Emergency Use Authorization with the FDA, (and) as a result of the foregoing, the Company’s financial statements, as well as defendants’ statements about Ocugen’s business, operations, and prospects, were false and misleading or lacked a reasonable basis,” Pomerantz alleged in its lawsuit.

On February 2, Ocugen had announced it has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Bharat Biotech to obtain exclusive rights to develop, manufacture the COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin in the US.

Pomerantz is now accusing Ocugen of stock manipulation, claiming that after the news of the high efficacy Covaxin vaccine’s licensing, Ocugen’s stock price surged from $1.81 per share on February 1, 2021, to $3.26 per share on February 2, 2021, representing a gain of about 80.1 percent.

“On February 5, submitted investor presentation that described in great detail the Covaxin vaccine characteristics, the “unmet need in the United States” and Ocugen’s plan to develop and file an Emergency Use Authorization (“EUA”) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”),” Pomerantz said.

“On June 10, 2021, Ocugen issued a press release announcing that it would pursue a “biologics license application” with the FDA instead of the previously announced EUA,” it added.

(with inputs from Moneycontrol)

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post Lawsuit filed to block Bharat Biotech’s US partner Ocugen from manufacturing Covaxine appeared first on The Commune.

The United States (US), after withholding the key ingredients necessary to manufacture the coronavirus vaccine to India, has now decided to send 20 million AstraZeneca vaccines from its stocks.

When this stock of vaccine will arrive in India, it will be a major boost to vaccinate people who are below the age of 45 and against the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the US has not set any timeline for the delivery of the 20 million AstraZeneca vaccine it has pledged, as reported by  The Economic Times.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is currently being manufactured in India by Pune-based Serum Institute and sold under the brand name “Covishield”, and the US has a stockpile of 10 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and 50 million doses of the vaccine is estimated to be manufactured over the next two months. 

The US has also pledged that, in addition to the vaccines, it will also divert sufficient supplies of multipore filters which would help facilitate the production of as many as 18 million more doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in India itself, and already 20,000 doses of Remdesivir is also expected to reach India from the US. But more importantly, 17 oxygen generator plants will be supplied by the US.

When the US stopped crucial supplies to India which was critical to manufacturing vaccines, there was outrage within and outside of the US. Many US-based analysts called it a strategic blunder after they saw that other countries like Russia, the UK, Singapore, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, France, and many more nations were helping India to cope with the pandemic.

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post US pledges to send 20 million AstraZeneca vaccines from its stocks; however, timeline unknown appeared first on The Commune.

The Biden administration’s top medical adviser on the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday said that the US is actively looking at ways to boost aid to India as it grapples with the surging coronavirus cases.

Dr.Fauci told ABC’s “This Week” show that several measures were being considered, including sending over oxygen supplies, COVID-19 test kits, drug treatments and personal protective equipment.

The outbreak in India adds to the pressure on US President Joe Biden to provide vaccines and aid to other countries. Biden has said that the US won’t begin doing so until it has enough supplies at home.

Fauci said Sunday that the US would review how to help increase India”s vaccine supply, such as by sending them doses or helping them “to essentially make vaccines themselves.”

He said, “Bottom line, it’s a terrible situation that’s going on in India and other lower middle-income countries, and there is more we can do.”

Earlier, Serum Institute of  India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla had taken to Twitter on April 16 and requested United States President Joe Biden to lift the embargo of raw material exports from the US. Appealing to POTUS on behalf of the vaccine industry apart from the US, Poonawalla had said that by lifting the embargo, the vaccine production amid the COVID-19 pandemic could be “ramp[ed] up”. The SII CEO had also said that the Biden administration already has the details required to make the move which can contribute to better the situation amid the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic which has rocked several nations, months after it first began.

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post US considering virus aid to India, says Biden’s top medical advisor Fauci appeared first on The Commune.

Cmdr. Edward Forrest Hill, a naval aviator attached to the command overseeing manpower readiness for the United States Navy faces court-martial on charges of sexually assaulting a woman in 2019.

Hill, a veteran officer with 16 years of experience in the Navy, was near or in Bangalore, India, at the time of the alleged assault, according to a charge sheet obtained by a US media report. It is not clear whether he was traveling for work or if he was off-duty.

Hill was assigned to Chief of Naval Personnel Support out of Arlington, Virginia, when he allegedly committed a number of nonconsensual sexual acts, such as penetrating her with his finger and forcing oral sex, upon a woman whose name is redacted in the report. While the alleged incident happened on August 4, 2019, Hill was charged on October 28, 2020.

The accused is set to appear in court at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., on May 20 for a motions hearing on the sexual assault charge.

Hill is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who was commissioned in 2002. He has served at numerous helicopter aviation and test commands and graduated from Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland, in 2012. His most recent aviation unit was Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 35, out of North Island, Calif., which flies MH-60R Seahawks.

Prior to joining Chief of Naval Personnel Support in 2018, Hill completed a tour in the Legislative Fellows Program in Washington, D.C.

A published biography from that tour adds that he previously served as a squadron department head “who was responsible for the integration of manned and unmanned aircraft onboard littoral combat ship [and] an experimental test pilot who has deployed numerous times and has logged over 2,000 hours in 29 different aircraft.”

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post US Navy Commander charged with sexual assault while travelling in India in 2019 appeared first on The Commune.

An Indian couple was found dead at their residence in the United States after neighbours saw their four-year-old daughter crying alone on the balcony of their house. The police are investigating the incident.

The corpses of Balaji Bharat Rudrawar and his wife Arati Balaji Rudrawar were found at their 21 Garden Terrace apartment in the Riverview Gardens complex of North Arlington borough in New Jersey which has just over 15,000 residents.

The husband appeared to have stabbed and sliced his wife in the abdomen as she unsuccessfully tried to fight him off in their living room, a US media report said.

“The bodies were found on Wednesday after neighbours saw my granddaughter crying in the balcony and informed the local police who then entered the house,” Balaji’s father Bharat Rudrawar told presspersons.

He also said that his daughter-in-law was pregnant and did not suspect any foul play. “I am not aware of any possible motive. They were a happy family and had lovely neighbours”, he said.

The couple’s daughter is with a friend of her father.

Balaji Rudrawar, an IT professional from Ambajogai in Maharashtra’s Beed district had moved with his wife to the US in August 2015 after they got married in December 2014. Balaji worked in a well-known Indian infotech company and his wife was a home-maker.

This is a second suicide-murder in recent days, that involved a child. On Saturday, a convicted sex offender died by suicide Saturday following an hours-long SWAT standoff at his home. Before killing himself, he had killed his former wife in front of their 5-year-old daughter.

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post Indian techie, pregnant wife found dead in US after neighbours see child crying in balcony appeared first on The Commune.

A legislation allowing yoga to be taught in public schools of Alabama state in the US was quashed in committee on Wednesday, stalling an uphill years-long battle by one state legislator to bring the practice back.

According to a 2016 study, around 36.7 million people practice yoga in the US.

If passed, the Bill AL HB246, put forth by Alabama State Rep. Jeremy Gray, would have made bringing yoga back to school voluntary. It sought to overturn a ban on the practice in Alabama schools in place since 1993.

The text of the ban says “school personnel shall be prohibited from using any techniques that involve the induction of hypnotic states, guided imagery, meditation or yoga” and additionally banned the use of the word “namaste.” Alabama is the only state with such a ban.

Lawmakers in Alabama’s state Senate voted against Gray’s proposal, effectively endorsing the existing ban. While Gray can attempt to pass the measure again in the future, this vote against the bill is a significant setback.

Several conservative Christian groups say that the practice of yoga promotes Hinduism. Because yoga is rooted in Hinduism, Eric Johnston, a legal adviser for the Alabama Citizens Action Program, said, “it does not need to be taught to small children in public schools.”

“If this bill passes, then instructors will be able to come into classrooms as young as kindergarten and bring these children through guided imagery, which is a spiritual exercise, and it’s outside their parents’ view. And we just believe that this is not appropriate,” Betsy Garrison of the Eagle Forum of Alabama, argued in session.

Gray’s proposal still included language seeking to address that. It said that “chanting, mantras, mudras, use of mandalas, and 11 namaste greetings shall be expressly prohibited.”

Gray and other yoga advocates say their critics have it wrong, and that yoga can help students focus and relax, which leads to better academic performance. “This whole notion that if you do yoga, you’ll become Hindu — I’ve been doing yoga for 10 years and I go to church and I’m very much a Christian,” Gray told reporters.

While the arguments against yoga indicate how deeply ingrained the Christian worldview is in a significant section of the US population, the issue also highlights the unintelligibility between two vastly diverse cultures.

There have also been several attempts, in the West, to dismember the practice of yoga from its philosophical roots in Hindu traditions and orthopraxy − and churning out a ‘digested’, superficial and ‘secular’ version of the practice. This is evident from the bizarre kinds of yoga peddled in the US by yoga studios, like ‘goat yoga’, ‘beer yoga’, ‘hip-hop yoga’, and so on.

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post Alabama upholds ban on yoga in schools amid fears that the practice promotes Hinduism appeared first on The Commune.