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8 June 2010

BP and White House continue cover-up of oil spill

By Hiram Lee, 8 June 2010

The US Department of the Interior intentionally misrepresented the findings of a recent study by federal scientists of the oil spill in order to minimize the true scope of the disaster.

Full coverage of the Gulf oil disaster »

Israel steps up operations in Gaza

By Patrick O’Connor, 8 June 2010

Israeli naval commandos killed four Palestinian militants off the coast of Gaza yesterday morning in an operation designed to send a signal to the Palestinian people and the world—that its illegal blockade will continue despite mounting criticism of the May 31 massacre of nine Turkish activists.

New Japanese prime minister installed

By Peter Symonds, 8 June 2010

Naoto Kan faces the task of trying to revive the government’s fortunes before next month’s upper house elections, but confronts the same basic dilemma as his predecessor—how to implement policies that are widely unpopular.

Union backs attacks on teachers in Washington, D.C.

By Niall Green, 8 June 2010

With the backing of teachers’ unions, the government of Washington, D.C., has pushed through a new contract for teachers that will destroy workplace rights and allow further private encroachment into public education.

The way forward for a defense of education in Germany

By Johannes Stern, 8 June 2010

Nationwide demonstrations to defend education are planned for June 9 in Germany.

Hundreds of billions for the banks
France votes credits for European Financial Stability Fund

By Antoine Lerougetel and Alex Lantier, 8 June 2010

France’s National Assembly voted €111 billion for the planned €750 European bailout fund aimed to rescue banks hit by the sovereign debt crisis, amid rising tensions among European financial authorities.

Australia: Minimum pay ruling deepens social inequality

By Noel Holt, 8 June 2010

The $26 a week rise in the minimum wage awarded by the Rudd government’s Fair Work Australia tribunal last week amounts to a further real wage cut, after a two-year freeze.

New in German

Die chinesische Arbeiterklasse regt sich

Von John Chan, 8. Juni 2010

In Südchina haben Honda-Arbeiter mit ihrem Streik fast zwei Wochen lang den Konzern lahmgelegt. Ihr Streik und weitere Kämpfe der letzten Wochen versetzen die Pekinger Bürokratie und die globale Finanzwelt in Nervosität.

Regierung beschließt größtes Sparpaket in der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik

Von Ulrich Rippert, 8. Juni 2010

Arbeitslose, Hartz-IV-Empfänger, Alleinerziehende und Rentner sollen für die Wirtschaftskrise und die Milliardenverluste von Spekulanten und Profiteuren bezahlen.

Krise des Kapitalismus, Bildungsproteste und die Rolle des SDS

Von Johannes Stern, 8. Juni 2010

Die Studentenorganisation der Linkspartei, Linke.SDS, versucht den Protest auf rein bildungspolitische Fragen zu beschränken. So entwaffnet sie den Kampf der Studierenden.

New in French

Les médias européens mettent en garde contre des troubles sociaux au niveau international

Par Chris Marsden, 8 juin 2010

Ces derniers jours, un certain nombre d’articles de presse ont prédit un éclatement de troubles sociaux aux dimensions révolutionnaires comme conséquence directe de l’aggravation de la crise économique.

Other Languages

Perspective

The Gulf oil spill and the case for socialism

8 June 2010

The ongoing disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and the US government’s complicity and impotence in relation to energy giant BP reveals in the most striking manner the irrationality and socially destructive character of the capitalist system.

Earlier Perspectives »

Commentary

Frank Rich on Obama: Liberal fears and illusions

By Barry Grey, 8 June 2010

In a column published Sunday, New York Times commentator Frank Rich expresses the mounting frustration and concern of Obama’s liberal supporters over the president’s response to the BP oil spill

The jobs crisis and socialist policies

7 June 2010

Friday’s unemployment figures from the US Department of Labor demonstrate the failure of American capitalism to create jobs for millions of workers and underscore the refusal of the Obama administration to make any serious effort at job creation.

Committee Against Utility Shutoffs (CAUS)

Report: DTE used spy planes to spot unauthorized hookups

By Debra Watson and Shannon Jones, 8 June 2010

A report indicates DTE used high-tech aerial surveillance to spot unauthorized hookups as it ramped up its campaign of utility shutoffs.

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.

Workers Struggles

Workers Struggles: The Americas

8 June 2010

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

Washtenaw County, Michigan school bus drivers face deep wage cuts

By Naomi Spencer, 7 June 2010

Bus workers for ten public school districts in Washtenaw County, Michigan are targeted for layoffs, double-digit wage cuts, and other attacks under a countywide consolidation plan. The proposal will affect Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and surrounding towns.

Mehring Books

Latest 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.

25 years
50 years
75 years
100 years

25 years ago: 2.3 million US factory jobs lost since 1980

A US Labor Department report published this week in 1985 revealed that over 8 million jobs had been lost since 1980. Hardest hit was factory employment, where 2.2 million jobs had been shed. The steel industry by itself had purged nearly 400,000 jobs, resulting in the devastation of cities like Gary, Indiana and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

More »

50 years ago: Mass protests in Japan over Eisenhower visit

US-Japanese relations faced their greatest crisis since World War II this week in 1960 over a scheduled visit by US President Dwight Eisenhower, which came soon after the approval of a security pact that was widely opposed among Japanese workers and youth.

75 years ago: Chiang Kai-shek recognizes Japanese control over northern China

On June 9, 1935 Generals Yoshijiro Umezu of Japan and Ho Yingqin of China concluded an agreement by which Chiang Kai-shek’s Kuomintang government formally recognized Japanese control over large sections of northern China. The pact, which came to be known as the Ho-Umezu Agreement, also banned anti-Japanese organizations and stipulated that Chinese forces be withdrawn from Hopei.

More »

100 years ago: Mexico puts down Mayan uprising in Yucatan

On June 8, a detachment of Mexican national guardsmen succeeded after a fierce battle in repulsing thousands of Mayan insurgents from the administrative town of Valladolid in the Yucatan peninsula. Earlier, on June 5, some 2,000 Mayans had invaded the city, killing all of its top administrative officials, seizing arms, cutting telegraph lines, and ripping up railroad track.

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.