ONLY strong alliances forged by Left parties with non-Congress, non-BJP secular parties like BJD, JD(U), JD(S), AIADMK and others, can help drive out the "twin evils" of corruption and fundamentalism from the country, said CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and MP, Sitaram Yechury.

AT the call of Punjab CITU, a militant rally and meeting was organised in Bathinda on January 20. Despite biting cold, about 1000 ASHA workers and facilitators took part in this rally which was held near Civil Hospital, Bathinda. Several ASHA workers had their little babies with them. The district administration imposed Section 144 and did not allow the holding of rally and procession. But the police had to make a retreat when the CITU leadership told the police that they would defy prohibitory orders and would court arrest.

 THE Jammu & Kashmir People’s United Front (JKPUF), a recently formed umbrella organisation of several political groups, organised its second convention in Jammu on Sunday, January 19, 2014. The well attended convention was held at Kathua, where the front leaders addressed the workers of the area.

A Tongue in cheek disclaimer was printed in The Hindustan Times of January 7, 2014, under the heading ‘You Thought Kim Fed His Uncle to Dogs? Not Really, It was a Satire!’ The news item referred to the widely circulated story that the execution of Jang Thong Sack, the uncle of Kim Jong Un, was undertaken by stripping him and some of his colleagues, who were then fed to some 120 hungry hounds in horror story style in full view of Kim Jong Un and 300 other witnesses. Such an extraordinarily public event can hardly be kept secret, but it was assumed that it was.

The following is the statement issued by Awami Muttahida Mahaz (AMM) on January 21:

EXPRESSING serious concern on the events unfolding after the seizure of a narcotics consignment at LoC, Awami Muttahida Mahaz (AMM) appealed the leadership of two countries not to squeeze the confidence building measures (CBM’s) to such a level.