THE CPI(M) Jammu and Kashmir Committee has expressed grave concern over the recent cloudburst in Chisoti Padder on August 14, which has claimed several precious lives, left many missing, and caused widespread devastation. The deadly cloudburst has once again brought into sharp focus the vulnerability of Jammu and Kashmir’s Himalayan region to extreme weather events such as flash floods, landslides, and avalanches.

ON August 1, the Central Government Offices (CGO) Complex in Salt Lake, Kolkata, became the site of a major protest. The Abhaya Manch and the Joint Platform of Doctors (JPD) organised a demonstration, accusing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of negligence in the R G Kar murder case, better known as the Abhaya case.

THE National Committee for Solidarity with Cuba convened a special meeting on August 13, to mark the commencement of the birth centenary celebrations of Comrade Fidel Castro. The programme brought together a wide range of Left and progressive leaders, including Cuban Ambassador Juan Carlos Marsán, CPI(M) General Secretary M A Baby, CPI General Secretary  D Raja, RJD MP Manoj Jha, Samajwadi Party MP Javed Ali Khan, AIFB General Secretary G Devarajan, and CPI(ML) Liberation leader Gopal Pradhan. CPI(M) Polit Bureau member R Arun Kumar presided over the meeting.

SURROUNDED by lush green forests, water flowing in gentle streams, and – since it’s the rainy season – a stronger pull of flowing waters, peacocks calling for rain, and parrots chirping, this is a place that delights the heart. But here, grief lies heavy. Silence weighs on the mind.This is the house of Padmalatha, near Beltangady taluk of Dakshina Kannada district) Padmalatha – a teenager who in 1986 almost four decades ago, became the victim of injustice, falling prey to the arrogance of those who used religion as a cover for oppression.

DISPLAYING insensitivity toward crisis-ridden working people already struggling for livelihood, the Tripura government has further compounded their hardships by installing smart meters for electricity consumers, sharply hiking electricity tariffs, imposing multiple additional charges on electricity bills, increasing PNG and CNG gas prices, raising water taxes through urban bodies, and even inflating the price of milk supplied by the state-run Gomati Milk Corporation.Smart meters have caused serious concern among consumers.