View Articles

With recording 22,854 new COVID-19 cases on March 10, India is back to the level of July 3, 2020. Just a month ago in February 2021, the number of new cases was around 9000, which was just at the level of June 3, 2020, and which many believed as a signal of success of the containment and prevention strategy being implemented by the government. However, the present upsurge upto 2.5 times of the lowest level in February proves our strategy has utterly failed after initial success. The concern is greater than ever before, since the continuous upsurge in the last month remained unbridled despite our vaccination drive being implemented. No doubt, the present containment of COVID-19 and vaccination strategies need a fresh relook.

It was four decades back when in United States, agriculture was corporatized, in the same way as in our country today. Situation has been not very different. It was a total structural change, as here the three farm laws profess. Added with it is the illusion of development. It was the same illusion that even led to recession in the world. The steps to corporatisation led to gross financial crisis. Basic essentials were absent. There were thousands dying and starvation became common in the US. The agenda was to divide the world to serve corporate led finance capital.

The Kerala Assembly elections are being fought by three alliances – the CPI(M)-led LDF, the Congress-led UDF and the BJP-led NDA. Both the Congress and the BJP have been targeting the LDF government with a string of false allegations which began with the gold smuggling case in July last year.

The campaign for the state assembly elections to the states of Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala along with the union territory of Puducherry is in full swing now. The polling starts on March 27 and ends on April 29 and the results will be announced on May 2.The major national parties as also the regional parties are involved and the outcome will have a bearing on shaping the national polity in the coming days.

Gurugram: Saaniya Sharma carded day's best round of 2-under 70 and emerged sole leader after the first round of the fifth leg of the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour at the DLF Golf & Country Club here on Wednesday.

Former Brazilian president LuizInacio Lula da Silva could be set for a comeback after the Supreme Court sensationally quashed his convictions for corruption on Monday.

Ever since the days of the Ronald Reagan presidency, the defining narrative in Washington has been that big government is an unruly animal that has to be tamed.

Political pyrotechnics in Pakistan touched a high point with the decisive victory of three-time Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani of Pakistan People’s Party, pulling a shock victory defeating the ruling Tehreek-e-Insaf candidate, Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh. It raised the PPP strength in the 100-seat Pakistan Senate, the upper house in the Pakistani parliament to 20 and taking the tally of Pakistan Democratic Movement to 53 against 47 of the ruling group of which the PTI strength is 26.

The revelation that the Bhim Koregaon case accused Rona Wilson’s computer had incriminating documents planted by outsiders created furore few weeks back and the lawyers as also human rights activists demanded a thorough investigation into the whole episode. Rona had also moved the Bombay High Court immediately. His petition is still pending though it is of urgent importance relating to his fundamental rights.

Sudarshan Sahoo is a well known name in the world of stone art. The 83-year-old sculptor was awarded Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian award on the occasion of India’s 72nd Republic Day. He is known for his stone craft all over the world. Even today, he often travels to Japan, USA and many other countries for his art. He runs a training and creative centre for traditional sculpture of stone, wood and fibreglass in Bhubaneswar. At 42, he bagged a National Award and decorated with Padma Shri when he was 48.