Fidel Castro, who defended the values of the revolution that he led in his country and extended his moral and material support to the forces of progress wherever they found themselves up against dictatorship and imperialism, walks into history.
FIDEL CASTRO MADE NO SECRET OF THE FACT that he led the revolution on behalf of the dispossessed not only in Cuba but all over the world. Fidel Castro’s heroism and revolutionary deeds before coming to power are now historic lore. The attack on the Moncada Barracks, his trial following his capture in which he declared “history will absolve me”; and the leadership he provided to the band of revolutionaries who accompanied him on the “Granma” and went on to achieve the revolution have continued to inspire revolutionaries and other progressive people.
Among his first moves after coming to power was the nationalisation of foreign-owned companies and comprehensive land reforms. The revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro wanted to once and for all end the domination of foreign powers and interests in Cuba.Under the cruel Fulgencio Batista dictatorship backed by the United States, workers had few rights and there was widespread unemployment. After the 1959 revolution, the real wages of workers saw an immediate rise and unemployment vanished. Within three years, the literacy rate in Cuba went up to 96 per cent, a figure which rivalled that of its next-door neighbour, the U.S. Education was made free, along with health care. The informal apartheid that had existed before the revolution ended. Cubans of colour were admitted to private clubs and beaches. Afro-Cubans were among the biggest beneficiaries of the revolution.
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How Not To Handle An Epidemic
The lockdowns were meant to buy time to put in place appropriate health measures and contain the coronavirus’ spread, but they have failed to achieve the objective and heaped immense misery on the marginalised sections of society. India is still in the exponential phase of the COVID-19 infection and community transmission is a reality that the government refuses to accept.
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As the COVID-19-induced lockdown cuts the ground beneath their feet in Tamil Nadu, thousands of migrant workers are trudging along the highway to the relative safety of their upcountry homes.
Sarpanchs as game changers
Odisha manages to keep COVID-19 well under control because of the strong participation of panchayati raj institutions and the community at the grass-roots level under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Scapegoating China
As the COVID-19 death rate spikes and the economy tanks in the United States, Donald Trump and his advisers target China and the World Health Organisation with an eye to winning the forthcoming presidential election.
New worries
Kerala’s measured approach to the pandemic and lockdown has yielded results. But it still has to grapple with their huge economic impact on its economy, which it feels the Centre’s special financial relief package does little to alleviate.
No love lost for labour
Taking advantage of the lockdown and the inability of workers to organise protests, many State governments introduce sweeping changes to labour laws to the detriment of workers on the pretext of reviving production and boosting the economy.
Capital's Malthusian moment
In a world that needs substantial reorienting of production and distribution, Indian capital is resorting to a militant form of moribund neoliberalism to overcome its current crisis. In this pursuit of profit, it is ready and willing to throw into mortal peril millions whom it adjudicates as not worth their means—an admixture of social Darwinism born of capital’s avarice and brutalism spawned by Hindutva. .
Understanding migration
When governments and their plans are found to be blatantly wanting in addressing reverse migration, exercises such as the Ekta Parishad’s survey of migrant workers throughout India can be useful to work out creative long-lasting solutions.
Waiting for Jabalpur moment
The Supreme Court’s role in ensuring executive accountability during the ongoing lockdown leaves much to be desired. Standing in shining contrast is the record of some High Courts.
An empty package
The Modi regime, which has been unable to control the COVID-19 infection, restore economic activity and provide relief to millions exposed to starvation, trains its sights on Indian democracy, making use of the panic generated by fear and a lockdown that forecloses paths of resistance.
