THE scientific community has responded to the Covid-19 pandemic in a way that would have been thought impossible earlier. Within only 12 months, we are now likely to have a set of vaccines for Covid-19. This is an astounding achievement, as the fastest vaccine development till date was mumps which took nearly four years. Equally important is that the first four vaccine candidate frontrunners – Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Gamaleya – have all shown efficacy well-beyond the target of 50 per cent success rate set by the regulatory agencies.

“CALL of the hour is to further cement the worker-peasant unity. The farmers of the country are lending support to the workers' movement and vice versa the workers stand in solidarity with the movement of the peasants. Both these major sections must complement to the causes of one another. That would inspire the other oppressed sections to mobilise in the mainstream of struggles.

THE call for a general strike by central trade unions, peasants and agricultural workers unions became a success in Telangana on November 26th. Statewide publicity for the 2020 strike was widespread. In response to amendments to labour, agricultural laws, the Grameen Bandh also came along and as a reflection of the peasant-worker alliance, both the peasants and the working class responded in an unprecedented way.Massive rally was organised by trade unions at Dharna Chowk, Hyderabad.

Leaders of the several political parties – NCP, DMK, CPI(M), CPI, RJD, CPI(ML), AIFB and RSP – have issued the following joint statement on November 28.BRAVING severe repression, teargasing, heavy water cannoning, roadblocks, police barricades and digging up the national highways surrounding Delhi, akin to waging a 'war' on our farmers, tens of thousands of farmers have successfully reached the National Capital of Delhi.

WAS it an unconscious decision of that irrepressible certainty – Mr. Time – that Diego Armando Maradona left us forever on the same day his renowned friend and comrade, Fidel Castro, bid adieu four years ago? Yes, both Fidel and Maradona share the same date of death: November 25th.  While I pen these lines, the body of Maradona has been laid to rest in Bella Vista Cemetery, outside Buenos Aires. Tens of thousands of people gathered to pay homage to the legend during the funeral procession and the funeral.