THE New York Times (NYT) has recently published an article (September 14, 2021) detailing how politics overrode science in India's deadly second wave. It is based on the struggle of a young scientist, Dr Anup Agarwal, who sought to warn the top scientific and health agency Indian Council of Medical Research, of a second wave and that a policy based on the so-called Super Model would prove a disaster for the country. Dr Agarwal has since then left the country.Dr Agarwal was not the only one who had warned the government.

THE process of India’s public engagement with the intellectual property (IP) regime including Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) is a matter of worldwide interest. With the latest development on the front of public engagement with IP policy and strategy it is apparent that India stands on the verge of abandoning its opposition to the imposition of strong IP on the people of this country.

THE impact of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan is slowly being felt on geo-politics. NATO allies of the US, mostly from Europe, felt betrayed by the US decision, as they were not consulted. Rubbing salt over these injuries is the announcement of a new defence arrangement between the US, UK and Australia, termed as AUKUS. Coincidentally, within a day of the announcement of the AUKUS, the EU had come out with its own strategic document on the Indo-Pacific. Few days from now, a meeting of the Quad group, consisting of US, Japan, Australia and India, is scheduled in the US.

MASSIVE mobilisations of peace-loving people were held across the state of Kerala, against the fascistic tyranny of the BJP in Tripura. About seven lakh people gathered in more than 35,000 centres to express their solidarity with the people fighting against the vicious attack of BJP goons in Tripura. Observing the Covid-19 protocol, CPI(M) activists mobilised in their respective branch centres with red flags.In three years, 21 CPI (M) activists have been killed in attacks by BJP criminals in Tripura. Hundreds of comrades were attacked.

CPI (M) leader Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami, on September 17, has said that the latest orders of the Jammu and Kashmir administration that employee’s alleged involvement in terrorism, subversion will lead to his/her termination and no passport will be given to employees till they get vigilance clearance, are another set of arbitrary decisions which need to be reconsidered.A government employee is a tool to implement policies of the government.