THE transformation of the agrarian landscape under contemporary capitalism has yielded new ways in which big companies use their financial power to control the production processes in agriculture. This use of financial and political clout can take many forms. The first is of course outright land deals where companies directly control both land and production. This is especially true of the African countries where agricultural supply chains have spread considerably. Here the control of land by the companies is direct either in terms of transfer of ownership, or through long term leases.

THIS 13th August, we will be celebrating the 90th birthday of one of the living legends of our times – Fidel Castro Ruz. Fidel Castro was born on August 13, 1926 in a relatively well-to-do family and studied in various religious schools for the wealthy, before graduating in law from the University of Havana. For many, this would have provided the perfect platform to pursue conservative politics. But not for Fidel, as he is fondly called. He chose a different path, to become one of the greatest and finest revolutionaries.

ON July 27 evening in Dadar, Mumbai, activists comprising women, youth and students protested the brutal attack on dalits in Gujarat by gau rakshak dal and the brutal murder of the 16-year old boy in Nerul in the name of caste honour.

JULY 31, 2016, would be remembered by the people of Tripura as a day of fulfilment of their long-cherished dream with the flagging-off of the ‘Tripura Sundari Express’ from Agartala to New Delhi. The first ever passenger train from Agartala railway station after gauge conversion was flagged off jointly by Union Railways Minister Suresh, Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Union Minister of State for Rails Rajen Borgonhai, Tripura Transport Minister Manik Dey and Bangladesh Railway Minister Mujibul Hoque.

THE toxic activities of gau raksha samitis that have sprung up all over the country has led to increased attack on not only Muslims but also dalits. This was the pattern in the past, and also the pattern today. Even as the protests against the Una attacks rocked the country, Bajrang Dal targeted dalits in Chikmaglur in Karnataka, the eighth such attack in the last two years. This was followed by the beating of two dalit men in Lucknow for skinning a dead cow.