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Employees of public sector banks and insurance companies have to resort to several strike actions in 2022 against the moves of the PM Modi led Union Government which included privatisation and outsourcing bids exposing the entire financial sector to further risks ultimately victimising the employees in so many ways. The November 19 all Indian bank strike is a case in point, and the adamant attitude adopted by the government and the managements is a clear indication of even more intensified struggle in the next year 2023.

The British Government led by the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak government has marked a “new era of austerity” in its Autumn Statement, unions warned November 17 as the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt was accused of “picking the pockets” of the entire country.

The news on Tuesday that a Russian missile had killed two people in a Polish village on the border with Ukraine was greeted with trepidation by many.

There are two defining and portentous features of the current world economic situation. One, which is well discussed, is the world-wide increase in interest rates in response to the pervasive inflationary upsurge; it would indubitably generate recession and unemployment, which, notwithstanding all protestations to the contrary, is the real objective behind it. The second feature, which is less discussed, is the outflow of finance from elsewhere in the world to the US that is contributing to a strengthening of the dollar vis-à-vis virtually all other currencies, with the sole and ironical exception of the Russian rouble. While all major currencies are weakening against the dollar, including the euro and the pound-sterling, what concerns us here in particular is the weakening of third world currencies, of which the rupee is a prime example.

After weeks of weaving through narrow roads and broad avenues, through how many states one had stopped counting, Congress leader and party rejuvenator Rahul Gandhi and his Bharat Jodo Yatra are in volatile territory; the peace of the southern vistas replaced by the cacophony of opposing narratives, sometimes quiet, oftentimes bold, and burning bright.

Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee missed the wood for the trees when she expressed concern at the death of five persons from West Bengal in a Mizoram stone quarry collapse recently. The deaths of four persons from Nadia and one from North-24-Parganas are a pointer to the gulf between the showpiece business conclaves held in the state and the fruition of the projects announced amidst much fan fare.

Agitation of the central government and state government Employees are going on throughout the country against the no-guarantee National Pension System (NPS) implemented by the BJP-led NDA government during the year 2003. The central government and state government employees are grateful to the Communist Party of India for adopting a resolution against the NPS and demanding restoration of defined, guaranteed and non-contributory old pension scheme in the 24th Congress of the CPI held at Vijayawada from October14 to 18, 2022.

Ideology is the foundation on which political thoughts and actions have taken shape. At the core of every socio-political battle, it acts as the decisive factor. All the political parties represent certain ideological traits attributed to their class character. In the history of Congress, it was Nehru, who struggled hard to pave an ideological understanding for its political course. In a broad manner he was influenced by the ideals of democracy and secularism oriented to socialism.

Chandigarh: Teenager Avani Prashanth fired six under 66 in her second round to setup a commanding 10-shot lead, one of the largest 36-hole leads in the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour, at the Chandigarh Golf Club on Thursday.

Digboi (Assam): Yuvraj Sandhu carded a determined two under 70 and maintained his one-shot lead at the halfway stage of the IndianOil SERVO Masters 2 at the Digboi Golf Links on Thursday.