The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement on June 30.THERE are a number of problems arising from the Goods and Services Tax which is being hastily implemented from July 1, 2017.There is an imminent threat of inflation and an all-round increase in the prices of consumer goods.  This, despite the fact that for a number of commodities the GST rates now fixed are lower than the combined existing rate of centre and state taxes.

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement on July 6, 2017.THE visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Israel marks a rupture in the long-held position of India which has viewed Israel as an occupying power of Palestinian territories.The announcement of a “strategic partnership” with Israel in the joint statement, which is a strategic alliance, amounts to a virtual abandonment of the Palestinian cause. This was reinforced by Modi not visiting Ramallah and the Palestinian Authority.

Women were truly the ‘midwives of the revolution’ – they were present at the birth and were crucial in the final stages of deliveryTHE centenary of the Russian Revolution has triggered a great deal of interest, not all of which is helpful or illuminating. However, one aspect of the two revolutions of 1917 which has been almost completely disregarded is the role of women.The commonly accepted view is that Russian women featured only twice in 1917.

TO say that the current conditions in valley (especially in South Kashmir) are alarming is really an understatement. They are worsening day by day coupled with a massive increase in people’s anger. The brutal lynching of a police officer in Srinagar, the audacious but cruel attack on police party in Achabal, Anantnag, and the recurring attempts of women, men and children to save militants in every encounter are really the worst tipping points of this whole grim scenario. In all, precious lives are being lost and blood is being shed mindlessly.

INDIA and Pakistan formally became the latest members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) at the latest summit of the grouping held in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, in the second week of June. The two countries had enjoyed observer status in the organisation for many years and have now been elevated to full membership. Iran is the next country that is expected to join the grouping in the near future. The original members of the grouping initially known as the Shanghai Five that was established in 1995 were Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.