THE sudden reversal of the Trump administration’s policy on Syria just two days after an alleged chemical explosion in the Jabhat al Nusra (an al Qaeda affiliate) controlled town of Khan Shaykhun in the rebel dominated Idlib province on April 4, did not come as a big surprise to many, given Donald Trump's flip-flops on other major issues since taking office. More than 70 civilians, some of them children, were reportedly killed in the attack by the Syrian air force on Khan Shaykhun. Idbib is described as “the heartland of Jabhat al Nusra”.

NEITHER military nor militancy is solution to Kashmir issue. It is a political issue which can be settled only through political initiatives, said Mohd Yousuf Tarigami, CPI(M) senior leader in a statement issued on May 5.The crackdown launched in South Kashmir areas is not a proper response to the emerging situation. Our experience says crackdowns launched earlier have not succeeded in addressing the real source of the unrest. The real problem is deep rooted alienation and government of India seems to be reluctant to acknowledge that.

FROM the preliminary MoU signed in eleven banks, it is clear that further dilution of government holding in public sector banks is the main intention of the government of India. It is common knowledge that any dilution of the government holding in the PSBs is detrimental to the interest of the common man and is diametrically opposite to the very aim of the nationalisation.

THE election of Emmanuel Macron as president of France has received a rapturous welcome across much of the mainstream media as well as in the boardrooms and financial markets of international capital.In the second round of the presidential poll, held on Sunday May 7, Macron trounced his opponent, Marine Le Pen of the fascist Front National, gaining 66.1 percent of the valid votes against 33.9 percent for Le Pen.  The scale of his victory has been greeted with relief, and in many quarters it is being presented as some sort of revalidation of France’s credentials as a liberal democracy commit

THOUSANDS of people marched towards Raj Bhavan in Kolkata in solidarity with the struggling people of Bhangar on May 8. The rally had to face police obstacles as huge contingent of forces were stationed. Police even picked up some of the protestors from the rally but were forced to release them later under pressure from the people.The movement against the high voltage power grid in Bhangar has eventually turned against large scale land loot in the area. Land mafia, under the leadership of TMC has practically snatched hundreds of acres of land for realty and other purposes.