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Cuba is a terrorist state—at least in the opinion of the U.S. Department of State. In 1982, President Ronald Regan added Cuba to the U.S. roster of countries that supposedly promote international terrorism. That designation, stamped on Cuba in the midst of the Cold War, imposed even stricter financial attacks on the socialist island than it faced under the already-punishing U.S. economic blockade in place since the Sixties.

Eighty years ago, on February 2 1943, the Soviet Union’s sustained defence of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd), ended with the surrender of 91,000 soldiers of the German 6th Army under General von Paulus.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala’s economy posted a strong recovery in 2021-22. Growth rate of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), at constant (2011-12) prices increased from (-) 8.43 percent in 2020-21(P) to 12.01 per cent in 2021-22(Q).This is the fastest growth since 2012-13. Indian economy grew by 8.7percent in 2021-22 (P). The stimulus packages, along with other pro-active policy interventions of the State Government, augmented growth, particularly at a time when economic activities were severely constrained.

Mahatma Gandhi was shot by Nathuram Godse on January 30, 1948, when he was coming to his prayer meeting and had succumbed to the bullets. The killing itself was an expression of the ultimate fear, a fear of getting uprooted from the mass consciousness. The very fact that insecurity, like ever haunting demon, kept underlining their own inability to face the challenge it posed, is still alive as the forces that claimed the exclusivity of majoritarian forces.

A small US investor firm has challenged the Indian behemoth, the Adani group, and shaken it to its foundations. The Hindenburg Research, a short selling firm, brought out a 129-page report on the Adani group marshalling evidence of all the funding operations and offshore activities of the 578 subsidiaries and shell companies linked to the seven listed companies of the Adani group. The report states that this is the “biggest con in corporate history”.

The day after, and Budget 23-24 stands out in stark relief, warts and all. February 1, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was the picture of animated tranquillity when she read out Budget 2023-24 dressed in red, both the minister as well as the country’s ‘bahi-khata’. She did not miss a trick in the book to make Budget 2023-24 sound like it was up every citizen’s alley.

Union Budget 2023-24 betrays India’s workforce though it sings its song of achievement under Modi rule since 2014 and eulogizing its “Big Tent accommodating all”. In contrast this “Big Tent” is too small to accommodate the majority of the workforce.

Much was expected from the budget presented by the Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1 2023. As this was the last budget of the present government before the upcoming elections to the parliament next year, people had high hopes of relief in various sectors including the health. Thumping the chest by the BJP members and its allies in NDA apart the allocation to health in the budget has completely belied people’s aspirations. This is apparently because health and education are not taken as assets by the governments in power in our country.

Sukesh Chandrasekhar knows how to make an entrance. With a supporting cast of 12 bodyguards and an expensive car fitted with red bacon, he is a Tamil Nadu politician’s son. He walked into Taj Connemara in Chennai brimming with confidence, only to stop in his tracks as he spotted Leena Paulose alias Leena Maria for the first time in 2010.

Tech layoffs have left the employment scene bloodied. So far, Google has officially laid off 12,000 employees, Amazon 18,000, Meta 11,000, Salesforce 8,000, Twitter 4,000, IBM 3,900, SAP 3,000, and Coinbase 2,000. Microsoft is planning to reduce its headcount by at least 10,000 and Google investors are reportedly pressing CEO Sundar Pichai to reduce the workforce by half to improve profitability. In all, over 200,000 tech jobs were eliminated globally by the end of 2022. But the first month of the new year itself has seen nearly 70,000 technology jobs eliminated. Indian tech companies, particularly, startups, have been part of this global tech layoff calamity.