CPI(M) Polit Bureau has issued the following statement on April 22THE Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the communal targeting of India’s largest religious minority – the Muslims – that is increasingly taking place during the current battle against the Covid-19 pandemic. Nasty abuses, social media postings dutifully relayed by the trolls of the ruling party supporters is simply not acceptable. They violate basic constitutional provisions.

LEFT Front and mass organisations in West Bengal, while delivering relief as much as possible to the poor and stranded people, have also raised their voice on burning questions of peoples’ life and livelihood.On  April 18, leaders of Left Front and allied parties organised a silent protest in Kolkata. Keeping lockdown restrictions in mind, the leaders assembled in Red Road, outside ‘red zone’ area and stood near Ambedkar statue maintaining physical distance.

THERE is an exodus of finance from the third world at present, far exceeding in scale what had occurred in 2008 after the financial crisis. Even more important than the actual outflow is the desire on the part of finance to pull out of the third world, including even the so-called “emerging markets”, and move to US dollars or dollar-denominated assets. This is resulting in a depreciation of a host of third world currencies vis-à-vis the dollar, of which the Indian rupee is an obvious example.This is paradoxical at first sight.

DURING an interview with Jonas Salk, the creator of the polio vaccine, CBS newsman Edward R Morrow asked him who owned the patent for the vaccine. “Well, the people, I would say,” said Salk, “There is no patent.

BLAME it on Covid! Whatever be the problem that the world is facing, the causes for those problems – be it social, economic or political – are being attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic. In a word, the pandemic is being used to silence criticism, questioning and dissent that are rising or are on the verge of rising.Almost all commentators are stating that the world after the Covid will not remain the same.