IN Shakespeare’s famous play Macbeth, the feudal lord kills his friend Banquo to eliminate a possible rival, then kills the king and takes the throne. Troubled by his guilty conscience, Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost which appears repeatedly to haunt him in public.

WOMEN'S groups and networks, health experts and concerned individuals from civil society, on July 19, have submitted a memorandum to the President of India, through an email, raising concerns and opposing the draft Uttar Pradesh Population (Control, Stabilization and Welfare) Bill, 2021.The draft bill has been developed by the State Law Commission.

CPI(M) Polit Bureau has issued the following statement on  July 19, 2021VERY concerning information has emerged on the government of India procuring the Pegasus spyware from an Israeli firm, NSO, the worldwide leader in cyber surveillance.  NSO has categorically clarified that it deals only with “vetted” governments.  These investigations reveal a large number of journalists and human rights activists have been targeted for hacking their smart phones for surveillance.  Globally more than 50,000 instances concentrated in countries known to engage in surveillance of

AT the call of the Jharkhand United Platform of Left parties, social and mass organisations, NGOs, college students and concerned citizens, a march to Raj Bhavan was held in Ranchi on July 15, demanding a judicial probe into the death of Father Stan Swamy, and the release of all political prisoners.Hundreds joined the march including Brinda Karat, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member, and Party state leaders Prakash Biplav, Praful Linda, Suknath Lohra and other activists of the Left parties and mass organisations.The meeting was presided over by Dayamani Barla, noted activist and fighter for tribal r

TO facilitate its agenda of wholesale privatisation, the Modi government brought in the Essential Defence Services Ordinance, 2021. The President of India promulgated it under the garb of “maintaining the essential defence services”. But its real aim is to throttle any strike and protest by defence civilian employees’ federations amid continued opposition to the government’s move to dismantle the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and corporatise the 41 ordnance factories situated across the country into seven companies so as to paveway for their ultimate privatisation.