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Published by the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI)

2 June 2010

Washington comes to aid of Israel over Gaza convoy massacre

By Jean Shaoul, 2 June 2010

Israel is being aided by Washington in its efforts to quell criticism of its murderous act of piracy against the international aid convoy to Gaza and manage the worsening diplomatic fallout.

Obama signals no end to deep-sea oil drilling

By Tom Eley, 2 June 2010

The US will resume issuing new permits for deep-sea oil drilling after a six-month moratorium expires, President Obama signaled at a White House press event Tuesday.

Full coverage of the Gulf oil disaster »

As Congress allows extended unemployment benefits to expire
Hewlett-Packard slashes 9,000 jobs

By Hiram Lee, 2 June 2010

Coming just days after the US Congress allowed extended unemployment benefits to expire for some 1.2 million workers, the announcement by Hewlett-Packard on Tuesday that it would slash thousands of jobs underscored the continuing jobs crisis in the US.

Australian court hears prosecution appeal against Julian Moti verdict

By Patrick O’Connor, 2 June 2010

Public prosecutors yesterday asked the Queensland Court of Appeal to overturn the legal victory recorded by former Solomon Islands Attorney General Julian Moti late last year when the Australian government’s attempt to prosecute him on politically motivated statutory rape charges was blocked by the Queensland Supreme Court.

French establishment promotes IMF director as presidential candidate

By Kumaran Ira, 2 June 2010

The Parti Socialiste’s promotion of IMF director Dominique Strauss-Kahn as a potential presidential candidate in 2012 exposes the anti-working class politics of the entire French “left.”

WSWS reporters visit the devastated Sri Lankan town of Kilinochchi

By our correspondents, 2 June 2010

Tens of thousands of civilians who lost everything during the fighting a year ago have been “resettled” in the area with little government assistance.

Trial begins against ex-Chicago police commander accused of torture

By Naomi Spencer, 2 June 2010

The federal trial began last week for former Chicago police commander John Burge, who has long stood accused of torturing hundreds of poor, black prisoners beginning in the early 1970s. The case is a window to the meat-grinder of the city’s criminal justice system.

New York City to shutter 50 senior centers

By Ali Ismail, 2 June 2010

Last month, New York City’s Department for the Aging announced that at least 50 senior centers would be closed across the city by July 1.

New Hungarian citizenship law creates tensions with Slovakia

By Markus Salzmann, 2 June 2010

The Hungarian parliament passed a law last month conferring Hungarian citizenship on ethnic Hungarians who live in neighbouring countries.

Australia: Bushfire inquiry submissions criticise government policy

By Margaret Rees and Richard Phillips, 2 June 2010

The final submissions to the Victorian royal commission into the February 2009 bushfires are an indictment of the state Labor government’s policy and of leading officials.

US public transit systems cutting service and raising fares

By Alan Whyte, 2 June 2010

The deepest economic crisis since the Great Depression is having a devastating impact on mass public transit systems throughout the US.

New in German

Köhlers Rücktritt verschärft Regierungskrise

Von Ulrich Rippert und Peter Schwarz, 2. Juni 2010

Köhlers Rückzug verkörpert die Krise der Regierung von Angela Merkel (CDU) und Guido Westerwelle (FDP), als deren Erfindung er gilt.

Berlin: Oberverwaltungsgericht untersagt islamisches Gebet an Schulen

Von Justus Leicht, 2. Juni 2010

Berliner Schüler sind nicht berechtigt, auf dem Schulgelände ein islamisches Gebet zu verrichten, selbst wenn dies außerhalb der Unterrichtszeit und nur einmal täglich geschieht.

Empörung über israelisches Massaker an Gaza-Hilfskonvoi

Von Chris Marsden und Jean Shaoul, 2. Juni 2010

Das israelische Massaker an bis zu neunzehn Teilnehmern des Gaza-Hilfskonvois hat auf der ganzen Welt zornige Proteste hervorgerufen.

Israel verstärkt Kriegstreiberei

Von Chris Marsden, 2. Juni 2010

Israels Vorgehen gegen die Gaza-Hilfsschiffe steht im Einklang mit seiner zunehmend kriegerischen Haltung an allen Fronten.

New in Portuguese

As lições políticas dos protestos na Tailândia

Por Peter Symonds, 2 de junho de 2010

A ofensiva militar pode ter esmagado os protestos anti-governistas nas ruas de Bangcoc, mas as tensões sociais e questões políticas subjacentes permanecem e irão inevitavelmente emergir, cedo ou tarde, sob novas formas.

Medidas de austeridade por toda a Europa

Von Justus Leicht, 2. Juni 2010

Há duas semanas, chefes de estado europeus e do Fundo Monetário Internacional (FMI) acordaram um pacote de resgate de €750 bilhões para o euro.

Ford Austrália: metalúrgicos em greve contra retrocesso nas condições de trabalho

Por Chris Sadlier, 2 de junho de 2010

Os trabalhadores da Ford-Austrália lançaram duas greves de 24 horas em maio, a primeira desse tipo de ação na indústria em 12 anos.

New in French

France : La journée d’action souligne le gouffre existant entre les travailleurs est les partis traditionnels

Par Antoine Lerougetel, 2 juin 2010

L’organisation par les syndicats et la « gauche » bourgeoise de la journée d’action du 27 mai contre le recul de l’âge de départ à la retraite vise à redorer leur blason tout en dissimulant leur soutien à la rigueur.

La conférence de presse d’Obama
Mensonges et faux-fuyants pour défendre BP

Par Patrick Martin, 2 juin 2010

Lors de la conférence de presse, jeudi à la Maison-Blanche, consacrée à la catastrophe pétrolière survenue dans le golfe du Mexique l’on a vu le président Obama couvrir à la fois l’industrie pétrolière et le gouvernement fédéral.

Other Languages

Perspective

Europe’s media warn of global social unrest

2 June 2010

A number of media commentaries have predicted an eruption of global class struggle of revolutionary dimensions as a direct result of the worsening economic crisis.

Earlier Perspectives »

Committee Against Utility Shutoffs (CAUS)

An appeal to DTE workers

Statement of the Committee Against Utility Shutoffs (CAUS), 2 June 2010

The Committee Against Utility Shutoffs calls on DTE employees to refuse to shut off utilities to Detroit residents. CAUS members and supporters distributed this letter to DTE workers on Tuesday. PDF version here.

CAUS campaign continues
The profit motive and utility shutoffs

By Andrea Peters, 28 May 2010

In this comment, the Committee Against Utility Shutoffs (CAUS) explains why the provision of electricity and gas on the basis of private profit can neither guarantee essential services nor ensure that workers in the utility industry have jobs and a decent standard of living.

Arts Review

Sculptor Louise Bourgeois dies at 98

By Paul Stuart, 2 June 2010

The remarkable French-born sculptor Louise Bourgeois, who moved to the US in the late 1930s and became an American citizen in 1955, died in a hospital in Manhattan on Monday. Bourgeois, 98, reportedly suffered a heart attack Saturday night.

San Francisco International Film Festival 2010 Part 5: The small pictures that still dominate

BP Oil Disaster

The socialist response to the Gulf oil crisis

1 June 2010

The continued eruption of oil from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico is an unmitigated catastrophe, with incalculable economic and ecological consequences.

Failure of BP’s “top kill” means oil will continue to flow for months

Full coverage of the Gulf oil disaster »

Socialist Equality Party

Public meetings in Australia discuss new stage of global crisis

1 June 2010

University students and working people participated in SEP public meetings addressed by Nick Beams in Sydney, Melbourne and Newcastle late last month on the “Class struggle in Greece: The second stage of the global financial crisis”.

Workers Struggles

Boron struggle betrayed

By Jack Cody, 1 June 2010

Hundreds of miners returned to work last week after a three-and-a-half-month lockout by the Rio Tinto group. Workers were forced to take major concessions after the struggle was isolated by the International Longshore and Warehouse union.

Commentary

A wave of mine disasters

31 May 2010

Yet another mining disaster, in which 17 miners died in a reported dynamite explosion in central China last Saturday, has highlighted the ongoing sacrifice of mine workers’ lives around the world for profit and increased output.

Mehring Books

Newly available from Mehring Books
Detroit Disassembled: A visual exposé of Detroit’s decline

25 May 2010

Mehring Books is pleased to offer Detroit Disassembled, the recently published monograph by photographer Andrew Moore.

25 years
50 years
75 years
100 years

25 years ago: Papandreou’s PASOK win Greek elections

The Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) won the Greek elections held on June 2, 1985, allowing it to maintain its majority in parliament and Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou to form a government.

More »

50 years ago: U-2 incident reveals US provocations against Soviet Union

Congressional inquiries into the U-2 incident continued this week in 1960, with Dr. Hugh L. Dryden, head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), giving largely secret testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on NASA’s role in the spy plane incident and its cover-up. NASA, by law, was to serve only peaceful purposes.

75 years ago: Massive earthquake strikes Pakistan

On the morning of May 31, 1935, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck the town of Quetta, located in Baluchistan, Pakistan. Between 40,000 and 60,000 people were believed to have been killed during the disaster, with thousands more injured.

More »

100 years ago: British dominion of South Africa founded

On May 31, 1910, the former Boer republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State joined with the Cape and Natal colonies to form the Union of South Africa, a British dominion. Unity between Boers and English settlers, formerly bitter rivals, was secured based on the disenfranchisement of black Africans.

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