THE May Day celebrations in Havana, Cuba are important not only for the working class of Cuba, but for the entire world. Socialism in Cuba is a driving and inspiring force for the world’s working class. In the early days of the Revolution, the then US president John F Kennedy warned Cuba of dire consequences if they continued with their chosen socialist system and famously reminded them that Cuba was just 100 miles from the USA. Fidel Castro, the founder president of Socialist Cuba gave a befitting reply.

IN the concluding week, Lok Sabha discussed about the situation arising out of drought and drinking water crisis in many states and the need to consider inter-linking of rivers and water resource management for sustainable solution to mitigate the crisis. Speaking on this, Md. Salim said farmers are worst affected by drought. They are not able to repay their debts due to crop failure and are driven to commit suicide. Drinking water crisis has also arisen due to the drought like situation in the country. We have not been able to increase the irrigated area during the last 20-25 years.

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi during his first two years has sent a clear and unambiguous message to fanatically and ideologically committed anti-Muslims belonging to the RSS or stray groups like Abhinav Bharat of Lt.Colonel Prasad Purohit or Kumari Pragya that they will be fully protected by the State apparatus even if they had broken the law of the land.  May 13, 2016 charge sheet submitted by the National Investigation Agency in the Malegaon Blast case of 2008 has overturned the investigations and charges filed by the Maharashtra ATS against Lt.

THE cabinet has approved the national IPRs policy on May 12 2016. It is India’s ‘first of its kind” policy which covers all the forms of intellectual property and follows a common set of principles to govern the rights of intellectual property owners without bothering to pursue the concerns of development. In the recent past, India has been under pressure from the US government under Section 301. India has been asked to strengthen the intellectual property regime beyond TRIPS Agreement to which India reluctantly acceded to in order to be member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

ON May 3, 2016, around 1000 peasants and students from all the eight districts of the Marathwada region, led by the AIKS and the SFI, broke two police barricades and marched right inside the compound of the Aurangabad Divisional Commissioner’s office. This militant and unprecedented action was conducted on the burning demands related to the grim drought situation in the region.