WITH much fanfare, US President Barack Obama took to the White House podium to announce, as part of his administration’s action plan on climate change, a new Clean Power Plan aimed at cutting carbon emissions from electricity generation in the US, chiefly from coal-based power plants, by 32 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. The Plan, comprising a set of rules proclaimed by the federal Environment Protection Agency (EPA) under the Clean Air Act, seeks to shut down or drastically improve efficiencies of coal-based power stations and promote non fossil-fuel electricity generation.

FOR the past one week, the people of Tamil Nadu raised their voice against TASMAC liqour shops, which have become a huge threat to the entire society. A shut down was observed, demonstrations and picketing were held, and people laid siege to liquor shops in many places. Left and democratic forces are leading the protest. The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC), owned by the Government of Tamil Nadu, has monopoly over wholesale and retail vending of alcoholic beverages in the state.

IT undoubtedly was the most difficult task for the All India Kisan Sabha-challenging emotionally as well as organisationally. It required the Kisan Sabha activists to go down to the families in extreme distress, understand their suffering, stand in solidarity with them and mobilise them to be a part of the struggle against the neo-liberal economic policies and the insensitive state as well as central governments that had snatched their loved ones from them.

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement on August 12, 2015.THE Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) condemns the arrest of P Madhu, secretary of the Andhra Pradesh state committee of the Party and Central Committee member. Madhu was arrested at the Amudalavalasa railway station, in Srikakulam district in the early morning of August 12. The police have arrested him to prevent him from visiting the area where forcible land acquisition is taking place for the Polaki Power Plant.

THE people of Kerala wrote a new history in the struggle against pro-rich and pro-communal policies of the state and central governments on August 11 by making a 1,000-kilometre long human chain from Manjeshwaram to Thiruvananthapuram. Thousands of people from all walks of life lined up along national and state highways across the state to protest against the policies that are making the lives of people, particularly the poor and the downtrodden, miserable.It is estimated that around 25 lakh people participated in the struggle organised on the call of CPI(M) Central Committee.