THE events of the last fortnight have been dramatic – some might even call them cataclysmic. The sequence began with Israel’s surprise attacks on Iranian targets, particularly the nuclear enrichment and production sites at Natanz and Isfahan. The third and most crucial site, Fordow, remained untouched. Fordow lies deep within a mountain – approximately 80 meters underground – making it impenetrable to conventional weapons. It is here that experts began suggesting that only the US military’s...
COMMUNISTS in India often mobilised public donations and public effort to establish schools and colleges in their areas of work. This was of course totally different from the activity of establishing schools for children by fascistic outfits like the RSS; it differed from the latter in two obvious ways. One, the Communists did not start educational institutions in order to control them and disseminate through them merely their own particular world-view; their aim was to...
IF Israel-Iran ceasefire holds and the US President Trump, after his attack on Iran’s nuclear installations, decides that enough is enough, we might just see a glimmer of hope in the Israel-Iran war. The genocide in Gaza though continues, with its two million Palestinians offered only the choice of a quick death at the hands of Israeli forces, or a slow death by starvation. The Gaza holocaust is live on our screens every day. Israel feels secure that the West – the ex-colonial European...
THE Government of India proposed four Labour Codes claiming to reform the employer-worker relationship which was otherwise archaic and complex with too many rules and regulations. The much-needed labour reform as had been argued was meant to simplify the rules, address the changing needs of production flexibility and to take care of the ‘unprotected’ who are employed in the informal sector.
THE 145th birth anniversary of Helen Keller, falls on June 27, 2025. During the celebrations, the dominant yet sanitised mainstream narrative will portray her as an inspirational figure, an icon, who, notwithstanding her disability, broke many barriers and scaled great heights. These achievements by all means are highly significant, more-so in the times that she lived in.
THE private sector-led prepaid smart metering project has been stalled in West Bengal. This marks a significant victory for the people’s movement in the state. For the first time in the past one and a half decades, the people of West Bengal were able to assert their own agenda in an organised manner and compel the TMC government to roll back its anti-people policy. It is, therefore, crucial to reflect on the...
A FRAGILE ceasefire was announced by US President Donald Trump on June 24, following 12 days of Israeli attacks on Iran. Israel had launched its offensive on June 13. The boldness of the assault stunned many, especially given that the US and Iran had appeared to be engaged in sincere negotiations. The Israeli offensive effectively derailed these talks. The US directly joined the attacks on June 22, deploying B-2 bombers to strike Iranian nuclear...
WITH the smell of elections in the air, political formations of all hues and colours in Bihar have begun their preparations to woo the masses with catchy slogans and populist economic agendas targeted at various sections of society. Caste-based formations are actively organising conventions and rallies to draw the attention of the two major electoral alliances – the Mahagathbandhan and the NDA – seeking representation in seat allocation for their respective communities...
THE five Left parties extend their full support to the countrywide General Strike called on July 9, 2025, by the Joint Platform of Trade Unions, comprising ten Central Trade Unions (CTUs) and independent all-India sectoral federations and associations. The General Strike has been called mainly against the implementation of the Labour Codes, which are a key part of the corporate agenda aimed at severely curtailing the basic democratic rights of workers, including...
SATYESHA Leuva, state secretary of the Gujarat unit of the Students' Federation of India (SFI), has been elected as the sarpanch of Vadvasa gram panchayat in Prantij taluka, Sabarkantha district, Gujarat. The gram panchayat elections were held across the state on June 22, 2025. A dedicated activist with nearly a decade of experience in student and people’s movements, Satyesha has played an...
