The birth centenary of Cuban leader Fidel Castro was celebrated in a grand manner in Chennai on August 13. The occasion was marked by, among other things, cultural performances, photo exhibition and addresses by leaders of the Cuba Solidarity Movement.
The CPI(M) staged a major protest in Agartala on August 17 against abnormally high electricity bills, steep tariff increases and the forced installation of smart meters, warning the Tripura government that people would not tolerate the use of technology to mislead or exploit consumers.
A violent confrontation in Karishunda village in Indas block of Bankura district has cast a harsh light on the deteriorating state of government education across West Bengal. The brutal assault on 24-year-old education activist Abdul Hafiz and the subsequent death of his father, Sheikh Mohammad Mafik — a landless farm labourer — has ignited widespread outrage.
TWO months ago, two articles were published here on the Ebola outbreak unfolding in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) about the forgotten frontline and global consequences. Back then, the tally was brutal enough: 896 confirmed cases, 232 dead. As of 17 August 2026, we are staring at 4,945 cases and 2,325 deaths. It is already past the 2,299 who died in the 2018–2020 outbreak. The virus is not remaining confined. It has now spread to 54 health zones in six provinces, well beyond the original three hotspots.
The so-called golden period of almost two and half decades of BJP-JD(U) rule has left the state bankrupt. The failure of the government to pay salaries to government employees and teachers on time and fulfill its social security responsibilities is being raised in different forums. Even the meagre amount of 1000 rupees for senior citizens is not being paid on time.
The Modi government’s move to impose charges on UPI (Unified Payments Interface) transactions is an attack on ordinary people. On August 6, the government passed the bill in the Lok Sabha to allow charges on payments made through UPI apps.
This bill was passed without hearing the views of the opposition and without any debate. It was pushed through by voice vote in an authoritarian manner. Through this amendment, the government is punishing ordinary people by collecting charges from them and handing over the benefits to corporates.
In August, right-wing billionaire Abelardo de la Espriella took office as Colombia’s president and vowed to move an agenda of the far right even though he won by less than a percentage point over the left-wing candidate Iván Cepeda. It is characteristic of the far right of a special type to adopt any mandate and pretend that they have the authority to transform their society into a toxic swamp.
On July 26, a general body meeting was held in Erode, Tamil Nadu, to hand over subscriptions collected for Theekkathir, the daily organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Polit Bureau member Com U Vasuki received the subscriptions.
The agreement reached between the Jharkhand government and the students protesting over the recruitments done by Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) issue is welcome. The cancellation of the JSSC-CGL (Combined Graduate Level) and examinations conducted by the private outsourcing agency TSR Data Processing Private Limited (TDPL), along with the decision to investigate irregularities in recruitments made since 2014, is a significant achievement of the sustained student movement.