TWO news items about India have figured prominently, one a nearly 24 per cent drop in India’s GDP  the previous quarter and the other that India has taken over as the new epicentre of the global pandemic with its figures for new cases crossing even the US numbers. The 24 per cent drop in GDP for the second quarter is the biggest drop of any major economy in the world for a quarter. The comparable US figures are 9.5 per cent and Japan’s 7.6 per cent drop in the same quarter.

ON August 30, Gulam Nabi, secretary of J & K CPI(M) while reacting to the former finance minister, Haseeb Drabu’s assertions on the 'Gupkar Declaration' with reference to CPI(M), said it was not based on facts.In an Op-Ed piece in Greater Kashmir, Drabu had questioned whether J&K CPI(M) had the blessing of the high command to be part of the Gupkar Declaration or it is a 'localised' show of solidarity.To put the records straight, the CPI(M) central leadership has strongly opposed unconstitutional, illegal and authoritarian decisions taken by the BJP government on August 5, 2019.

THE joint platform of central trade unions and sectoral federations/associations on August 31, unanimously denounced the renewed move of the central government to unilaterally and on absolutely arbitrary grounds, impose conditions for forced premature retirement on its employees.The office memorandum issued by the ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions, department of personnel and training on August 28 arms the government with powers to give any government employee marching orders after completing 30 years of service or reaching 50/55 years of age or older, said the union lea

RICH tributes were paid to Comrades Rama Krishna, Vishnuvardhan Reddy and Balaswamy, on the 20th anniversary of the Martyrs Day of the Electricity movement, on August 28.  The three were brutally killed by the then Telugu Desam Party government, which hiked electricity charges heavily and was vehemently implementing the World Bank dictates by putting a burden of Rs1,000 crore on the people of the united Andhra Pradesh.The CPI(M) and Left parties initiated the struggle against the power tariff hike and later the Congress, the main opposition supported it.

THE sixth plenary meeting of the seventh Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea was held on August 19, 2020. Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), the State and the armed forces of the Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea (DPRK) presided over the meeting.Members and alternate members of the WPK Central Committee and members of the Party Central Auditing Commission attended the meeting.