World News and Analysis

Report from the CWI Summer School The Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI), the worldwide organisation to which the Socialist Party is affiliated, held its annual Summer School in Leuven, Belgium in late July. Hundreds of CWI members from South Africa, Nigeria, Tunisia, the US, Canada, Quebec, Brazil, Venezuela, Australia, [...]

Since 2009 the National-led government has carried out a series of attacks against workers and their unions. The measures have included the introduction of probationary employment periods, the reintroduction of youth rates and drastic changes to access to sick leave. By Jared Phillips, Hamilton, New Zealand They have also made [...]

A conference involving members from the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI) groups in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan was held in Hong Kong last month. The debates and discussions over the weekend reflected the leaps and bounds that the CWI has made across this crucial region in recent years. [...]

On May 25 two million people marched in protest against the global agriculture giant Monsanto. Hundreds of rallies were held across the US and in more than 50 other countries around the world. Organisers of the “March Against Monsanto” protests say they wanted to call attention to the dangers posed [...]

Revelations by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden have exposed US hypocrisy over cyber-spying As many as 1,000 protesters turned out on 15 June for a demonstration in support of Edward Snowden who fled to Hong Kong last month after leaking details to the media of US government hacking of internet [...]

Mass demonstrations against the increase of bus fares in all major cities In São Paulo, on the night of 13 June, the military police cowardly attacked a peaceful demonstration of about 15 thousand people in the city centre. Police arrested in a totally arbitrary way 235 people, many just for [...]

Urgent need for independent working class socialist organisations The capturing of the strategically important city of Qusair by pro-government forces, including Hezbollah and Iraqi Shias, marks a new stage in the bloody quagmire of Syria and is likely to have wide ramifications, both for the country itself and the region [...]

The severe downturn in 2008-09 made the world economy into an experimental workshop. But neither extreme austerity nor trillions to the banks has led to a solid recovery. Now there is growing concern among politicians and economists. By Per-Åke Westerlund At the centre of concern is the crisis in Europe. [...]

Several of Turkey’s union federations have called national strike action against police violence for June 4 & 5. Hundreds of thousands are expected to come to the demonstrations. Yet the police continue to use tear gas and to violently attack demonstrators. By Sosyalist Alternatif (CWI Turkey) Reporters The ongoing police [...]

Following an appeal from advocates of an academic boycott on Israel, physicist Stephen Hawking recently turned down an invitation to speak at a conference in Jerusalem. He joins others who have boycotted Israel in one form or another, particularly in reaction to the horror of the 2008/09 Gaza war, the [...]