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TORONTO: Canadians are calling BS on Donald Trump’s claims that his trade war is about fentanyl or stopping illegal border crossings. From coast to coast to coast, the labor and people’s movements say they see it for what it is: pure economic aggression.

NEW YORK: In 1960, a young Robert Zimmerman — who had begun to call himself “Bob Dylan” — journeyed from the icy flatlands of Minnesota to New Jersey on a pilgrimage. His destination: the bedside of his ailing idol, the legendary folk hero, Woody Guthrie. He was obsessed with Woody, or rather, with the mythic figure Guthrie created in his memoir, Bound for Glory. The book painted Guthrie as a train-hopping folk troubadour singing for hobo camps, union halls, and saloons, armed with nothing but a guitar and harmonica. Biographer Clinton Heylin described Dylan at this time as being fully immersed in his “Guthrie phase.”

The world celebrates International Women’s Day (IWD) 2025 annually on March 8. This year’s theme is “For all women and girls: Rights-Equality-Empowerment”. The commemoration celebrates the leadership and creativity of women and girls in advancing sustainable and inclusive development, with a focus on the green and digital economies. The purpose of IWD is to advocate for gender equality and to call for action that will create a more equitable world for women and girls. It is a day when women worldwide are recognized for their achievements irrespective of divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political.

A controversy has erupted centring around CPI(M)’s position expressed in the Draft Political Resolution for the ensuing 24th Party Congress that the present Narendra Modi Government is not fascist, but marked by fascist tendencies. This stand has been subjected to criticisms by other Left parties on the ground that this would amount to underestimation of the danger posed by the BJP and the RSS, the latter being an out and out fascist outfit, and this would weaken the fight against the present regime.

The world has barely emerged from the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, a crisis that ravaged economies, disrupted supply chains, and sent financial markets into turmoil. Just as nations are striving to rebuild, another storm is brewing—one that threatens to be more insidious and longer-lasting than the pandemic itself. The economic virus known as the Trumpian tariff has begun its disruptive march, casting a pall over global trade and economic stability. The tremors are already evident; markets are reacting with unease, businesses are recalibrating their strategies, and governments are bracing for impact. The world is witnessing a chaotic and unpredictable shift in economic diplomacy, engineered by a leader who treats international trade like a high-stakes game of power and dominance.

Politics in South India, especially in Tamil Nadu, has become hotter on the issue of delimitation of constituencies in India, after the first Census to be completed after 2026. Census process in yet to be started, though it was to be started in early 2025, a process which takes about 18 months to be completed. Registrar General and Census Commissioner’s tenure was extended until August 2026, which was an indication that the Centre had planned the Census process to be completed by that time. Centre plans to complete the delimitation process by 2028 and the Lok Sabha General Election 2029 to be held as per new delimitation order. However, a new twist has come after the all-party meeting in Tamil Nadu on March 5, 2025, when Chief Minister M K Stalin demanded postponement of delimitation for the next 30 years.

PATNA: Though the “Badlo Bihar Mahajutan (Change Bihar Maha-Rally)” organised by the CPI (ML) Liberation on March 2 appeared to be a Bihar centric event, in reality, it carried a pan-India message which will have critical impact on the ideological and philosophical subtleties of the political structure and institution of the country.

Fat-shaming is the new normal in Congress party political circles these days. Congress spokespersons use it with critical remarks regarding the cricketing performances of top Indian cricketing icons. And if you’re Malayali with almost zero cricketing knowledge you’re best at the game.

BHOPAL: Strange things happen in Madhya Pradesh. Latest in this is the open condemnation of the habit of demanding freebies by the people and leaders, readily giving them liberally. This remark of Minister Prahlad Patel drew sharp criticism from Congress. But Patel forgot that his own government carried a campaign to ban appearance of beggars during Global Industrial Summit in Bhopal. Almost every beggar was asked to disappear. Now after the summit beggars are back in the streets.

Abdullah Ocalan, founder leader of The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) made a historic call from İmralı prison where he is being held in near total isolation since 1999 to his party to lay down its arms, dissolve itself and end its decades-long conflict with the Turkish state. PKK responded very positively to the call of its imprisoned leader by announcing a unilateral ceasefire with Turkey.