TRUMP’s decision to withdraw from WHO is a continuation of his wielding a wrecking ball to the international framework of treaties and organisations. Whether it is arms control treaties, climate change, trade and now WHO, the US sees these agreements and institutions as fetters on its hegemonic powers to shape the world. Trump may express this pathology in its most ugly form, but the disease runs far deeper.Trump’s excuse for withdrawing from WHO is that it did not do its job well on the Covid-19 epidemic and was soft on China.

CPI(M)  Polit Bureau has issued the following statement on July 13THE Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) expresses grave concern over the deteriorating health condition of several jailed political and human rights activists. Some of them have been reported to have contracted Covid-19 in jail. The deplorable conditions in the overcrowded jails, which lack even basic facilities has contributed immensely to their deteriorating health condition. Many of them have co-morbidities and have been on medications since long.It has been reported that Akhil Gogoi has tested positive.

CPI(M) Polit Bureau has issued the following statement on July 11THE Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) rejects the unilateral proposal made by the University Grants Commission through a circular issued on July 6. This imposes a homogenous national pattern of online/open book examinations where physical mode of examinations may not be possible under the conditions of the pandemic and lockdown.Internet connectivity in the country is still around 36 per cent only.

THE government intends to bring changes in the Indian Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code and the Evidence Act. In December 2019, union home minister Amit Shah had announced in parliament that a committee would be set up to assess the need for amendments in IPC and CrPC to deal with the issue of mob lynching.Through a notification on May 4, the ministry of home affairs constituted a committee headed by the vice chancellor of National Law University, Delhi (NLUD).

THE Kerala state secretariat of CPI(M), in a statement issued on July 10, 2020 said that the violent protests organised by the opposition in the name of the gold smuggling case to topple the LDF government, is a threat to human lives when Kerala is at the brink of Covid-19 community transmission.Both the chief minister and the LDF government have made it clear that their demand is to bring to book the accused and the aids behind the gold smuggling case.