Flávio Dino of the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), was elected governor of the state of Maranhão with more than 63 per cent popular vote. Amidst the overall failure of the Brazilian State under the leadership of right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro to control the Covid pandemic, Maranhao stands as an exception. Led by the PCdoB coalition, the state earned plaudits for its efforts to control the pandemic and emerge as a beacon of hope in the entire country.

ON July 31, 2020, over 150 activists of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), the Shramajeevi Sanghatana (a foreign-funded NGO whose leaders are close to the BJP) and other organisations from Palghar district left their own parties and organisations and joined the red flag in an enthusiastic programme that was organised at the Palghar tehsil office of the CPI(M), which is strategically located on the Mumbai-Delhi national highway. They hail from Palghar, Dahanu, Talasari, Jawhar and Vikramgad tehsils.

IN a document like the New Education Policy, one must distinguish platitudes from new provisions, including within the latter even the dropping of old platitudes. Thus phrases like “education is a public good”, “6 per cent of GDP should be earmarked for education” are just platitudes, unless some concrete suggestions are advanced to realise to them.

THE period from 1957 was one of gradually intensifying debate inside the Communist Party over fundamental ideological issues. However, the Party put aside all its ideological differences and rallied unitedly in the fight to defeat the Congress Party in the second general elections held in 1957. Though the Congress retained power at the centre and in all states, except Kerala, a massive change took place in the political landscape of the country.

THIS August 6, 80 years after the first use of the atom bomb against a section of humanity, reminds us all of the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and the threat to all human lives. But this year, we have to address two new questions. Does the dominant section of the US strategic establishment under President Trump believe that the nuclear weapons are usable and a nuclear war can be won? Is that the reason they want to abandon all the nuclear arms treaties?