Modi e il Mahatma: la manipolazione del messaggio e della figura di Gandhi nel discorso politico del primo ministro indiano

This article analyses the intriguing relationship between Narendra Modi and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Since Modi's beginnings as Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001, Gandhi's image and discourses have been a constant reference in the BJP leader's political rhetoric. Through an analysis of Modi's discursive landmarks and of the recurrent themes in his propaganda, this article explores the way Modi has juxtaposed himself to the figure of the Mahatma. It suggests that Gandhi played a central role in the construction of an imagery of India based on a partial and stereotyped reading of the past, functional to claim for himself and for the country a role of moral leadership in the global world. In this framework, the omnipresent Gandhi in Modi's discursive and visual rhetoric has become a political seal to disguise an exclusivist politics, intolerant of dissent and closed to diversity and dialogue

Fatality rate and predictors of mortality in an Italian cohort of hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Clinical features and natural history of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) differ widely among different countries and during different phases of the pandemia. Here, we aimed to evaluate the case fatality rate (CFR) and to identify predictors of mortality in a cohort of COVID-19 patients admitted to three hospitals of Northern Italy between March 1 and April 28, 2020. All these patients had a confirmed diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection by molecular methods. During the study period 504/1697 patients died; thus, overall CFR was 29.7%. We looked for predictors of mortality in a subgroup of 486 patients (239 males, 59%; median age 71 years) for whom sufficient clinical data were available at data cut-off. Among the demographic and clinical variables considered, age, a diagnosis of cancer, obesity and current smoking independently predicted mortality. When laboratory data were added to the model in a further subgroup of patients, age, the diagnosis of cancer, and the baseline PaO2/FiO2 ratio were identified as independent predictors of mortality. In conclusion, the CFR of hospitalized patients in Northern Italy during the ascending phase of the COVID-19 pandemic approached 30%. The identification of mortality predictors might contribute to better stratification of individual patient risk

Collective violence, urban change and social exclusion : Ahmedabad 1930-2002

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