On 26th December 2004 the then UPA-I Government promulgated an ordinance -- The Patents (Amendment) Ordinance, 2004.

I had the privilege of traveling to Venezuela and witnessing the country's October 7 presidential election and watching the South American country's extraordinarily active and engaged citizenry in action. An impressive 81 percent of the electorate participated in a transparent and secure electoral process that former president Jimmy Carter reportedly referred to as the best in the world.

Reputed International Affairs expert Prof.Aijaz Ahmad discusses the significance of President Hugo Chavez' historic fourth election victory in Venezuela. Prof.Aijaz opines that the polity and public opinion in Venezuela has shifted markedly to the Left due to the consistent delivery of important social and economic benefits to the underprivileged, and the related grassroots movement and civil structures. This explains the substantial 11% margin of victory, belying the determined campaign by imperialist forces led by the US that the elections were a cliff-hanger, that they would be rigged by Chavez and that violence would ensue after results were declared. Chavez' victory leads and further cements the momentous shift to the Left in Latin America as a whole.

Christina Kaindl and Prof. Jayati Ghosh discuss the economic crisis in Europe. The opportunities these crisis throw up for the left movement and the new left movements in Europe after the crisis. The discussion is followed by an open house question-answer session with audience.

In conversation with Newsclick, Vijay Prashad analyzes the American Occupy Wall Street movement and the Tea Party movement.

The left made strong advancements in the recent elections in France and Greece. These results came in the backdrop of a severe economic crisis which show no signs of dying out. Are these opportunities for revolutionary advancements for the left? Prof. Aijaz Ahmad and Prof. Prabhat Patnaik talk about these issues in a discussion chaired by Sudhanva Deshpande.

The left made strong advancements in the recent elections in France and Greece. These results came in the backdrop of a severe economic crisis which show no signs of dying out. Are these opportunities for revolutionary advancements for the left? Prof. Aijaz Ahmad and Prof. Prabhat Patnaik talk about these issues in a discussion chaired by Sudhanva Deshpande.

As soon as the news broke last Sunday that Mohamed Morsi was officially declared Egypt’s first elected civilian president, I could hear loud happy chants and cheers in my street. The janitors in my neighborhood gathered around the corner in their galabiyas, jumping up and down, in the same fashion I usually see them when the Egyptian national football team scores a goal in some match. Their children, in bare feet, were running up and down the street, chasing posh cars that passed by, chanting “Morsi! Morsi!”.

Professor Samir Amin, one of the leading Marxist thinkers in the world today, speaks about the implosion of contemporary capitalism. He articulates the need for the radical left, in the North as well as the South, to be bold in formulating its political alternative to the existing system. It is time for the left to articulate a new socialist agenda, not merely as a repetition of the 20 century socialism, but recreating it in light of the lessons learned from the past and the changes we are seeing in the world today.

Prakash Karat, speaking in the Conference...discusses the challenges before theft in South Asia in promoting peace and a development agenda for the people. He also speaks on the need for the Left in India to take the initiative to bring together the Left in South Asia.