THE Tripura State Election Commission (SEC) issued a notification on July 11 for the upcoming three-tier panchayat elections in the state. The elections will cover 606 gram panchayats with 6,371 GP seats, 35 panchayat samities with 423 PS seats, and 8 zillas (districts) with 116 zilla parishad seats. Voting is scheduled for August 8, 2024, with vote counting set for August 12.

CPI(M) Polit Bureau member, Brinda Karat has written a letter to Jual Oram, minister for tribal affairs, government of India, on July 15, seeking his intervention to reverse the present centralised processes of recruitment in Eklavya Model Residential (EMR) schools, which she said will adversely affect tribal students.Karat's letter emphasizes the need for recruitment processes that consider the cultural and linguistic needs of adivasi students. "I write to draw your attention and seek your intervention to protect the interests of adivasi students studying in EMR schools across India.

Article based on the interview “Cuba has never stood idly by” granted by Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, to Ignacio Ramonet, Spanish professor and journalist, at the Palace of the Revolution.FOR more than 60 years, Cuba has suffered the limitations and adversities derived from the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States.

PRIME Minister Modi’s two-day visit to Moscow on July 9-10 saw the revival of the annual summit meetings between the leaders of India and Russia. The last summit had been held in 2021 when President Putin visited Delhi. The visit has resulted in further strengthening the strategic partnership between India and Russia.The joint vision statement issued after the talks focuses more on economic cooperation and trade unlike earlier meetings. The decision to increase trade to 100 billion dollars by 2030 was announced.

HAWKERS from across West Bengal united in a strong display of solidarity against the Mamata Banerjee government's “bulldozer” encroachment removal policies. On July 11, at the call of Hawker Joutha Mancha, a joint platform of hawker organisations including CITU, they delivered a resounding message through a massive joint rally.