THE first week of the monsoon session of parliament has revealed a lot about the character of the Modi government.

A DELEGATION of ‘Visakha Ukku Parirakshana Porata Committee’ (Struggle Committee to Save Vizag Steel Plant) from Andhra Pradesh met opposition political party leaders and floor leaders of different political parties in New Delhi between July 23 and 25.

THE space race was once between the Soviet Union and the United States. It is now – on the surface – between the three billionaires, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson. Two of them rode their sub-orbital flights, meaning that they cannot be considered as space flights as they did not reach a stable orbit around the earth. Branson’s ambitions are limited, more for a market for developing the exotica of space tourism. Elon Musk and his SpaceX have been playing for the long haul, with a series of rockets and launches including to the International Space Station.

THE National Committee for Solidarity with Cuba and the All India Peace and Solidarity Organisation (AIPSO) organised an all India webinar in solidarity with Cuba on July 26, 2021. July 26 is observed as ‘Moncada Day’, as it is on this day in 1953 that Fidel Castro and his compatriots stormed the Moncada garrisons, in an attempt to topple the dictatorship in Cuba. Though that attempt failed and Fidel Castro was captured and sentenced to imprisonment, the day has historic significance. The July 26 Movement played a significant role in the success of the Cuban revolution.

THE monsoon session of parliament began on a stormy note on July 19 as a united opposition protested over several issues, including farm laws, fuel price hike and Pegasus snooping controversy. Due to this, PM Narendra Modi was even unable to introduce his new ministers to parliament as is customary after a reshuffle.On July 20, the Rajya Sabha held a short duration discussion on management of Covid-19 pandemic, implementation of vaccination policy and challenges of likely third wave.