5 June 2010

May job figures underscore deepening economic crisis in US

By Andre Damon, 5 June 2010

The May job figures, including a continued increase in long-term unemployment, reinforced the fact that the US is mired in a protracted recession. Stock markets recoiled at the news, which came together with renewed fears of debt defaults in Europe.

BP spill washes ashore in Florida

By Tom Eley, 5 June 2010

On Friday, oil globules and sheen washed ashore on the Florida panhandle’s white sand beaches, delivering a heavy blow to the state’s struggling tourism industry. In Louisiana, heavy oil pushed its way further into biologically-rich estuaries and marshlands.

BP likely to proceed with dividend payout

By Tom Eley, 5 June 2010

BP will likely proceed with a multibillion-dollar dividend payout to investors in spite of the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill resulting from the explosion of its leased Deepwater Horizon rig on April 20.

BP cleanup workers report serious health problems

By Hiram Lee, 5 June 2010

BP cleanup workers spending long hours on waters contaminated by oil and chemical dispersants have begun reporting health problems including headaches, nosebleeds, chest pains and dizziness.

Full coverage of the Gulf oil disaster »

Sabotage of West Bengal train leads to 148 deaths, sparks reactionary political furor

By R. Shreeharan, 5 June 2010

One hundred forty-eight people were killed and scores more injured in rural West Bengal last week, when a freight train struck a passenger train that had been derailed as the result of track sabotage. This tragedy demonstrates yet again the utter bankruptcy of individual terrorism as an emancipatory instrument.

Bangladesh fire kills more than 120 people

By Sarath Kumara, 5 June 2010

The toll from a huge fire in one of Dhaka’s poor districts on Thursday has highlighted the indifference of successive governments to the conditions facing the country’s working people.

Obama sharply increases secret military operations

By Bill Van Auken, 5 June 2010

The Obama administration has sharply increased the use of US Special Operations forces in secret military interventions around the world, according to a report Thursday by the Washington Post.

Spain: government imposes austerity and pay cuts

By Paul Stuart, 5 June 2010

The ruling Socialist Workers Party of Spain (PSOE), led by Prime Minister Jose Zapatero, has pushed through a package of cuts adding up to €15 billion and imposed a 5 percent pay cut on government workers.

Thai prime minister survives no-confidence vote

By John Roberts, 5 June 2010

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s government defeated censure motions in the country’s parliament on Tuesday, in a bitter debate that demonstrates that Abhisit is not prepared to make any concessions.

Russian-EU summit produces few agreements

By Niall Green, 5 June 2010

The Russian-EU summit held last weekend produced no significant agreements as both sides attempted to shore up their relative positions in the face of Europe’s deepening financial crisis.

Berlin court bans Islamic prayer in schools

By Justus Leicht, 5 June 2010

Students in Berlin are not to be allowed to perform Islamic prayers on school grounds, according to a decision of the Berlin city government endorsed last week by the Superior Administrative Court in Berlin.

New in German

 

Die sozialistische Antwort auf die Ölkrise im Golf von Mexiko

Von Joe Kishore und Patrick Martin, 5. Juni 2010

Das ununterbrochene Austreten von Öl aus dem Boden des Golfs von Mexiko ist eine absolute Katastrophe mit unabsehbaren wirtschaftlichen und ökologischen Folgen.

Ein Jahr seit dem Bankrott von General Motors

Von Jerry White, 5. Juni 2010

Vor einem Jahr erklärte General Motors seinen Bankrott und setzte damit die Vernichtung von Tausenden von Arbeitsplätzen in Nordamerika und Europa in Gang.

 

Italien am Vorabend neuer Klassenkämpfe

Von Marianne Arens, 5. Juni 2010

Die Regierung Berlusconi hat ein drastisches Sparprogramm beschlossen, um bis 2012 fast 25 Milliarden Euro einzusparen. Eine regelrechte Sparorgie bedroht nun Arbeitsplätze, Löhne und Rechte der arbeitenden Bevölkerung.

 

Wie kann die Bildung verteidigt werden?

Von Johannes Stern, 5. Juni 2010

Für den 9. Juni sind weitere bundesweite Demonstrationen zur Verteidigung der Bildung im Rahmen der "Bildungsstreik"-Kampagne geplant.

Politische Biografie und Geschichtsfälschung:
Eine kritische Untersuchung der Trotzki-Biografie von Robert Service

Von David North, 5. Juni 2010

Diesen Vortrag über die Trotzki-Biographie von Robert Service hat David North, der Vorsitzende der Internationalen Redaktion der WSWS, am 5. Mai an der Universität von Oxford gehalten

New in French

Les leçons politiques du mouvement de protestation thaïlandais

Par Peter Symonds, 5 juin 2010

La répression militaire de la semaine passée a peut-être supprimé les protestations anti gouvernementales à Bangkok mais les tensions sociales et les questions politiques qui les sous-tendent demeurent et éclateront nécessairement de nouveau.

Other Languages

Perspective

The Chinese working class emerges

5 June 2010

Against those who wrote off the proletariat as a revolutionary social force and declared the class struggle to be old hat, the first outbursts of the working class in China, following on from Greece, are sending tremors through global ruling elites.

Earlier Perspectives »

Commentary

One year since the GM bankruptcy

4 June 2010

A year ago this week US auto giant General Motors declared bankruptcy, setting in motion the destruction of tens of thousands of jobs in North America and Europe.

Israel’s massacre at sea

3 June 2010

The massacre of nine civilians aboard a ship loaded with humanitarian supplies bound for Gaza—the latest chapter in a long record of Israeli state terrorism—is emblematic of the criminality that increasingly dominates world affairs.

Mehring Books

May PerspectivesLatest edition of Perspectives now available

3 June 2010

The latest edition of Perspectives, a journal published by the World Socialist Web Site, is now available from Mehring Books. In this month’s magazine, readers will find a collection of articles from the WSWS analyzing the most important events of the day, including the Gulf oil spill, the debt crisis in Europe, and much more.

Arts Review

San Francisco International Film Festival 2010 Part 6: Luchino Visconti’s Senso—drama and history

By David Walsh, 3 June 2010

Senso, the 1954 film directed by Luchino Visconti about the Italian national unification struggle in the nineteenth century, is a beautiful and important work.

San Francisco International Film Festival 2010
An interview with Woo Ming-jin, director of Woman on Fire Looks for Water, and a comment

By David Walsh, 3 June 2010

An interview with the young Malaysian film director, Woo Ming-jin, and a comment on his new film, Woman on Fire Looks for Water.

Workers Struggles

Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia & the Pacific

5 June 2010

The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.

96 percent vote in favor at Detroit area mass meeting
DTE Energy workers authorize strike

By Jerry White, 3 June 2010

Thousands of workers employed by DTE Energy voted by a 96 percent margin to authorize a strike against the utility giant at a mass meeting Tuesday evening in the Detroit area.

China: Honda strike sends shudder through financial circles

By John Chan, 1 June 2010

A strike at the Honda Motor transmission plant in southern China paralysed the company’s production for almost two weeks.

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.

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”.

Correspondence

Letters from our readers

5 June 2010

A selection of recent letters sent to the World Socialist Web Site.

This Week in History: May 31 - June 6

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.

More »

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Videos and Images


Vale Inco strikers and supporters in Sudbury, Ontario speak
Detroit resident speaks on utility shutoff
Friend of Detroit fire victim denounces utility shutoffs
Shutoff victim speaks to WSWS at DTE public relations stunt
Scientist says government policy contributed to Gulf Coast Spill
Louisiana workers denounce BP’s oil spill response
Lawyer for family of worker killed in blast says BP guilty of negligence
SEP candidate addresses Oxford Union
Hearing of the Citizens Inquiry into the Dexter Avenue Fire
Detroit firefighters discuss impact of utility shut-offs and budget cuts
Citizens Inquiry chairman speaks at press conference
Dexter Avenue fire victim’s son speaks to the WSWS
ISSE members speak at San Diego rallies
Neighbors of Detroit fire victims oppose utility shutoffs
Interviews with neighbors of Bangor Street fire victims
Sister of fire victims speaks on utility shutoffs NUMMI
NUMMI auto workers denounce UAW intimidation Borax
Locked-out California Borax workers oppose concessions Borax
Boron, California mine workers denounce company lock-out House fire
Family members denounce deaths in Detroit fire Detroit teachers
Detroit teachers speak out against DFT Contract Handful of jobs offered at Detroit jobs fair
Handful of jobs offered at Detroit jobs fair H1N1 distribution interviews
Thousands line up for Swine Flu vaccine in Michigan Ford workers speak on contract rejection
Ford workers speak on contract rejection Ford workers speak out against concessions contract
Ford workers speak out against concessions contract 50,000 line up for housing assistance in Detroit
50,000 line up for housing assistance in Detroit ISSE members speak on education cuts at rally
ISSE members speak on education cuts at rally Detroit residents speak on utility bills, social crisis
Detroit residents speak on utility bills, social crisis OU video
Michigan’s Oakland University faculty strike has student support Detroit teachers denounce pay cuts
Detroit teachers denounce pay cuts D'Art
Detroit city workers oppose concessions, layoffs Interviews at Los Angeles health care clinic
Interviews at Los Angeles health care clinic Workers continue Vestas occupation on Isle of Wight
Workers continue Vestas occupation on Isle of Wight A conversation with Windsor municipal workers
A conversation with Windsor municipal workers New York City workers speak against cuts in healthcare and social services
NYC workers speak against cuts in social services Flint vid
Flint, Michigan and the bankruptcy of General Motors MI auto vid
GM workers on bankruptcy and plant closings MI auto vid
Michigan auto workers and families speak on plant closures GM vid
GM workers speak out on concessions contract Protesting students and parents speak to the WSWS
Protesting students and parents speak to the WSWS Chrysler workers speak on concessions vote
Chrysler workers speak on concessions vote UK Visteon workers speak on occupation
UK Visteon workers speak on occupation GM and Chrysler workers oppose more concessions
GM and Chrysler workers oppose more concessions Chrysler workers oppose Obama auto plan
Chrysler workers oppose Obama auto plan
WSWS interviews G20 protesters in London Donovan
Pontiac residents speak on schools crisis Detroit jobs fair
Workers interviewed at Detroit jobs fair
Ford workers: “Now the fight is with our own union.” GM workers videoGM workers denounce concession demands Chrysler workers oppose cuts
Chrysler workers oppose pay cuts, concession demands London demonstration against Sri Lankan war
Over 100,000 demonstrate in London against Sri Lankan war Joanne
Funeral for Michigan man frozen following utility shut-off Montserrat
Exposing Franco's mass graves Bay City, Mich.: “Shutting somebody's electricity off in the dead of winter is criminal”
Bay City, Michigan residents speak on death from utility shut-off London protesters speak to the WSWS
WSWS interviews London protesters London demonstrators protest Israeli assault on Gaza
London demonstrators protest Israeli assault on Gaza Chrysler workers denounce pay cuts
Chrysler workers denounce pay cuts Griffiths and Walsh
The Writer and Revolution: A conversation with Trevor Griffiths

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