EVERY global pandemic must be seen in its political, social and economic context. The Covid-19 pandemic is occurring at a time when neoliberal capitalism has ravaged all the basic services which are vital for the well-being of people. Privatisation has denuded or dismantled the public health system in many countries; the State has abandoned the responsibility of providing for the basic needs of the people – food, housing, education and public transport.

THE Covid-19 pandemic has hit the global economy badly and its impact is still unfolding. According to the WHO, as of March 18, the pandemic had spread to 164 countries and territories, with confirmed cases of over 194,000 and resulting in the death of over 7,800 people.With respect to the global economy, it is certain that there will be a recession. Economic activities are crippled in various sectors, particularly travel, tourism, oil sector and services. Supply chains have been disrupted, breaking production chains all over the world.

THE agreement to bring peace to Afghanistan signed by the United States and the Taliban at Doha represents nothing but a unilateral retreat by the United States from Afghanistan.  After invading Afghanistan and toppling the Taliban regime in October 2001, for 19 years, the United States and its NATO allies were engaged in the fruitless pursuit of subjugating the Taliban.Under President Obama, American troops were reduced to 8,400 and efforts made to equip the Afghan army to counter the Taliban forces. The civil war, which has been going on for the past few years, led to no success.

TWO judgments delivered by two High Courts have forthrightly upheld the fundamental right of citizens to protest.  The Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court set aside an order by the additional district magistrate against allowing protests in Beed against the CAA.  The Karnataka High Court, two days earlier, held that the prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) imposed by the Bengaluru police to prevent protests against the CAA were illegal.These are two significant judgments at a time when sections of the higher judiciary and even the Supreme Court ar

KERALA is facing a harsh discriminatory approach from the BJP-led government at the centre. Because of this prejudiced attitude of the centre, Kerala is experiencing a serious financial crisis. The Modi government seems determined to thwart the LDF government’s development agenda by strangulating its finances.Centre-state relations are structured in an asymmetrical fashion. The centre has all the major powers to raise resources while the states are required to undertake development and social welfare expenditure that far exceed their revenue generating capacities.