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The capitalist class is always trying to will Bernie Sanders into death or retirement. A recent New York Times report noted, perhaps wishfully, that his new role as chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labour, and Pensions “could be his final act in Washington.” But so far, Sanders is alive and staying put, and the hearings he’s planning for next month could provide some powerful public education on our capitalist system and lend fuel to organizing efforts nationwide.

Mexico’s capitalist class is angry with the present President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) and they’re resorting to some desperate tactics to defame him. Recently, they held a multi-party protest featuring a white woman, the mother of the main opposition leader Claudio X. Gonzales (formerly an employee of the U.S. corporation Kimberly Clark in Mexico), called the supporters of President AMLO “patarajadas.”

Western nations, led by the US, slapped economic sanctions against Russia, targeting its financial system, oil and gas exports, and thousands of oligarchs in the hope that Moscow will be brought down to knees for having invaded Ukraine. In fact, the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development all predicted declines of between 2 percent and 4 percent in Russian gross domestic product in 2022.

We are in the Ides of March. And like Caesar’s wife, all holders of top positions in India should be above suspicion. Shouldn’t that apply to the Prime Minister of India? It’s a thought. Why should anybody get a free pass, spared the rigmarole that applies to every Indian citizen, just because he/she can claim privilege by dint of his/her position?

Actor-singer Shruti Haasan first stepped into a recording studio when she was six years old. It was to sing a few lines of composer IIayaraja’s song. ‘Porti Paadadi Peney’ for her father Kamal Haasan’s magnum opus, Thevar Magan (1992). Then, she clung to her father’s hand, butterflies in her stomach. That is when she saw a red heart stickler on the microphone. That heart comforted her and gave her confidence that she would not make a mess of it all. Since then, she has always associated the recording studio with kindness and love. “it will always for ever remain an encouraging memory for me,” says Haasan, who has just returned to Mumbai after her shoot for The Eye, her international project with Mark Rowley.

Even before it officially launched, Saudi Arabia's bid to host the 2030 World Cup is on thin ice. The bid suggests that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is determined to do whatever it takes to become a dominant force in international sports. However, the hubris underlying the approach, rooted in a belief that there is little that money cannot buy, may be the kingdom’s Achilles Heel.

The political situation in Nepal continues to be fluid. Exactly two months since the new government was formed, it’s in minority. The largest partner of the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government, the CPN-UML, has withdrawn support from the government. Now, the government must seek a vote of confidence within a month to continue in the power. The trigger for the latest political crisis comes from the upcoming presidential elections.

For a Bangladeshi job seeker, securing any kind of employment is naturally preferable to joblessness. But, in the post-Ukraine war period, it does not make a world of difference, as before.

“Up the ante” is a common tactics resorted to by some players in betting games, in which stakes are raised too high for the opposing players in the hope to win the game. What is Modi-Shah duo has been doing for quite some time is almost the same in respect to the Lok Sabha Election 2024. They are raising the stakes too high for the political parties in opposition in every possible way – whether it is financial resources, making them defensive through cases and arrests, or keep them divided through carrot and stick policy.

“I’m sorry if I offended you.” That would have been Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia talking to himself after his arrest by the CBI in what’s come to be known as the Delhi liquor policy scam. Actually, Sisodia should practice saying, “I’m sorry I got caught.” True, it’s innocent till proven guilty; but the flip side is equally grim in people’s perception: Guilty till proven otherwise.