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Fiat Chrysler layoffs hit workers in suburban Detroit

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The announcement that Fiat Chrysler is cutting 1,420 jobs at its Sterling Heights assembly plant foreshadows a new wave of downsizing in the auto industry.

Fiat Chrysler workers react to Sterling Heights Assembly job cuts

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Workers who spoke to the World Socialist Web Site at the Warren Truck Assembly Plant said the 2015 contract betrayal by the United Auto Workers helped set the stage for the latest layoffs

Amid Brazil’s drive to impeachment, Rousseff’s foes engulfed in corruption scandal

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

As a vote in congress approaches, both the vice president who would succeed the PT president and the congressional leader of the drive to impeach her are facing charges.

Chicago mayor’s choice to head police oversaw crackdown on anti-NATO protesters

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Democratic Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s decision to appoint Eddie Johnson as police chief exposes the fraud of his so-called “reform” of the police department.

Dutch referendum produces majority against EU-Ukraine Association Agreement

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Wednesday’s referendum result has deepened the political crisis in Europe and provoked nervous reactions from politicians and the media.

European steel workers face massive attacks on jobs and pensions

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The proposed merger of Tata Steel and the steel division of Thyssen Krupp would be accompanied by an assault on jobs and pensions in the European steel industry.

US seeks to develop close military ties with Sri Lanka

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The US Seventh Fleet flagship’s visit to Colombo indicates moves by the Sri Lankan government to tie the country into US war plans.

French troops accused of sexual violence in the Central African Republic

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The latest revelations of sexual violence against the Central African population unmask the “humanitarian” pretensions of the French intervention.

Thousands of jobs threatened by Australian steel company collapse

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Steelworkers in Australia, like those around the world, are being made to pay for a colossal breakdown in the world capitalist economy.

Australian government uses “war on terror” to end airport strikes

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The ban on strike action by Immigration and Border Protection employees has set a precedent that will be used against other sections of the working class.

New Zealand First proposes army training for unemployed youth

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The trade union-funded Daily Blog enthusiastically endorsed the proposal, reflecting the support for militarism and nationalism by Labour and the union bureaucracy.

US provocations against China threaten world war

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The United States has sharply escalated its standoff with China, leading the New York Times to conclude that a “confrontation seems increasingly likely.”

#NightOnOurFeet: A petty-bourgeois trap for opposition to French labor reform

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The occupation of Republic Square in Paris by parties closely allied to the ruling PS is a trap designed to prevent radicalized youth from turning to the working class.

Canada’s pseudo-left rallies round discredited pro-war, pro-austerity NDP

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Pseudo-left groups like Fightback and the Socialist Caucus shamelessly distort, falsify and lie about the political record, social composition, and class orientation of the NDP.

Of Men and War: Among the countless victims of American imperialist violence

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The damage of post-traumatic stress disorder inflicted by the Iraq and Afghanistan wars on US soldiers is addressed in this immersive documentary by French filmmaker Laurent Bécue-Renard.

UK junior doctors speak out during latest strike

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

World Socialist Web Site reporters spoke to junior doctors on picket lines around the country.

Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

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

Concern over Australian banks’ stability if housing bubble bursts

Thu, 07 Apr 2016 06:00:00 GMT

The official position is that the Australian housing market is sound but it is becoming increasingly clear that this view is not shared internationally.

Panama Papers revelation triggers political crises around the globe

Thu, 07 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

As pressure builds on Britain’s Conservative government over the tax arrangements of Prime Minister David Cameron, it is becoming clear that the Panama Papers are merely the tip of the iceberg.

The message of Wisconsin

Thu, 07 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The American working class is moving sharply to the left, destabilizing the corporate-controlled two-party system and setting the stage for the eruption of major social struggles.

Tax avoidance scandal wracks Iceland

Thu, 07 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Iceland’s Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson announced his resignation Tuesday, before subsequently declaring that he had merely stepped aside temporarily.

Panama Papers highlight nexus between wealth and power in China

Thu, 07 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Family members of current and former Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping, have set up offshore companies in tax havens such as the British Virgin Islands.

Amnesty report: Executions worldwide at highest level in 25 years

Thu, 07 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Last year saw the highest rate of state killings since 1989, with at least 1,634 prisoners killed, a more than 50 percent increase over 2014’s official number.

Fiat Chrysler axing 1,400 jobs at Sterling Heights, Michigan plant

Thu, 07 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The company is permanently eliminating one shift at the passenger car plant in suburban Detroit due to slumping sales.

Alabama police gun down bipolar woman after family calls for help

Thu, 07 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Melissa Boarts’ parents called 911 hoping someone would intervene to keep her from harming herself.

Former Massey CEO Don Blankenship sentenced to one year in prison

Thu, 07 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship was sentenced yesterday to one year in prison and a $250,000 fine for conspiring to willfully violate federal mine health and safety laws.

Austria rejects all refugees

Thu, 07 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Austrian government has announced it will turn away refugees at the border after conducting summary hearings.

German military to station Heron drones in Mali

Thu, 07 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The defence minister’s visit to troops in Mali is part of the return to an aggressive foreign policy.

Junior doctors face political fight to save National Health Service

Thu, 07 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Junior doctors have demanded more effective action after Health Secretary Hunt announced he would impose a new contract by August 1.

The class issues in the Brexit referendum

Thu, 07 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The following is an amended version of a report delivered March 26 by Chris Marsden, the national secretary of the Socialist Equality Party (UK), to a party aggregate in Sheffield.

Mobilize the working class to defend Caltrans workers!

Thu, 07 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The following statement will be distributed at tomorrow’s statewide rallies of Caltrans workers, who build and maintain highway, bridge, and rail transportation in the state of California.

Born to Be Blue and Miles Ahead: Why so much fiction when life is fascinating enough?

Thu, 07 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Films based on the lives and personas of post-World War II jazz musicians Chet Baker and Miles Davis have been released recently.

Oppose Indian government’s witch-hunt of JNU students

Thu, 07 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The BJP government’s witch-hunt of the JNU students is part of a turn to authoritarian methods of rule.

The reality behind the “Save our Steel” campaign in Britain

Wed, 06 Apr 2016 06:00:00 GMT

Whatever deal Tata and the government cook up with the private buyers of threatened steel plants, the trade unions will do nothing to oppose any attacks on jobs, wages and pensions.

Double-digit victory for Sanders in Wisconsin primary

Wed, 06 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The vast majority of young voters, including 55 percent of minority voters aged under 45, gave their support to a candidate they believed to be a socialist.

Global military spending increased in 2015

Wed, 06 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Governments worldwide spent $1.7 trillion on military costs in 2015, spurred on by deepening geopolitical strife in Eastern Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Imperialism, political corruption and the real face of capitalism

Wed, 06 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The publication of the “Panama Papers” has exposed the criminality that pervades the financial elite and its political representatives.

Hundreds arrested as French police assault student protests against labour reform

Wed, 06 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Police are trying to intimidate youth in the run-up to the next major protest by workers and students, on April 9, amid rising anger with austerity and the state of emergency.

Youth and workers in Marseille speak out against austerity

Wed, 06 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

WSWS reporters in Marseille discussed with youth and workers who mobilised yesterday against the El Khomri law.

Sanders’ primary victory and the social crisis in Wisconsin

Wed, 06 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The result of Tuesday’s primary election in Wisconsin is yet another expression of the deep discontent and hostility of the working class to austerity and social inequality.

After four days of fighting, Azerbaijan, Armenia call Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire

Wed, 06 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Doubts persist over how long the ceasefire will last, as the Caucasus and the Middle East have been put on edge by escalating imperialist wars and economic crisis.

Cameron government implicated in Panama Papers revelations

Wed, 06 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The leaked Panama Papers detailing widespread global tax avoidance place the UK at the centre of this operation.

Mexican government employing torture in US-backed anti-immigrant drive

Wed, 06 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Targeting migrant workers and children, the Pena Nieto administration’s crackdown is backed by billions in weapons and training aid from the Obama administration.

Mississippi governor signs anti-gay law

Wed, 06 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The law, which allows public and private businesses to refuse service to gay people, effectively legalizes discrimination based on sexual orientation.

New Zealand university professor subjected to pro-Zionist witch-hunt

Wed, 06 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Academic Scott Poynting has been forced to take “study leave,” pending retirement, for likening the Israeli persecution of Palestinians to the Nazi treatment of Jews.

Michigan governor threatens to cut aid to Flint over potential lawsuit

Wed, 06 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Even though Flint’s mayor claims that the city is not planning to sue the state, Michigan officials are demanding that its intent to sue filing be dropped.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice—Doom and gloom, with capes

Wed, 06 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The price tag of the film, including production and marketing costs, approaches half a billion dollars, and some analysts believe it would need an $800 million box office to recoup its investment.

Struggle at California State University endangered by faculty union’s alliance with Democrats

Wed, 06 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Despite the results of the fact-finding mission validating the CSU faculty union’s demand for a 5 percent pay raise, university administrators refuse to back down, setting the stage for a limited statewide strike.

Sri Lankan government imprisons Frontline Socialist Party leader

Wed, 06 Apr 2016 04:00:00 GMT

Gunaratnam’s jailing is another warning of the anti-democratic methods that the government will use against political opponents and more broadly against working people.

IMF report points to sources of increasing financial turbulence

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 06:00:00 GMT

The ever-closer integration of the global economy has led to increased financial instability and turbulence, and heightened “systemic risk.”

The political agenda behind the racial politics of the New York Times’ Nicholas Kristof

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 06:00:00 GMT

Amid mounting signs that interest in socialism is on the rise, Kristof is doing his best to promote racialist politics to divide the working class and block the development of class consciousness.

Study warns of potentially catastrophic impacts from Antarctic ice melt

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 06:00:00 GMT

New research estimates that unabated warming may double the rate of expected sea level rise to nearly 2 meters by century’s end.

“Panama papers” tax evasion leak stokes political crises worldwide

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Documents provided to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists tie hundreds of wealthy individuals and world leaders to offshore havens used in tax evasion and money laundering.

Greece’s Syriza: Full partner in historic crime against refugees

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The police-state measures and summary deportations employed by the Syriza government against refugees are of a piece with its relentless attacks on the Greek working class.

US, NATO preparing new air and ground attacks against Libya

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Barely five years after destroying Libya as a functioning society, the imperialist powers are preparing a new bombing campaign and ground invasion.

Syriza and European Union begin mass deportations from Greece

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The brutal actions against refugees and the militarisation of Europe are directly linked to the intensification of the attacks on the working class in Greece and throughout the continent.

US navy prepares third provocation in South China Sea

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Amid large US-Philippine war games, the Pentagon is preparing a new “freedom of navigation” operation to challenge China’s maritime claims.

Why is the CIA putting bombs on Virginia school buses?

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

A substance found in a school bus was identified as C-4, which the CIA said had been used to conduct detection training exercises in a school bus yard.

Family seeks answers after homeless man dies in New Hampshire jail

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Pendleton’s death is a tragic consequence of the criminalization of the poor and homeless in America that is repeated in courtrooms and prisons across the US.

Australian government crisis intensifies over austerity agenda

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Prime Minister Turnbull’s new slogan—“We must live within our means!”—signifies that working class people must be made to pay for the worsening economic situation.

Mexican Nissan workers in two-day strike

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The walkout by more than 5,000 workers brought production to a halt at the Nissan plant in the industrial City of the Valley of Cuernavaca.

Canadian spy agency regularly using new “disruption” powers

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Under Canada’s new Liberal government, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service is making regular use of its new power to “disrupt” purported threats to public security.

Last-minute efforts to form a government in Ireland before parliament resumes

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Ireland has been without a government since the February 26 general election, which saw a repudiation of the right-wing policies of the Fine Gael/Labour coalition.

US-backed Colombian peace treaty grants impunity for war crimes

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The agreement would transform the FARC into a legal political party and pave the way for intensified imperialist exploitation in Colombia.

Indian Stalinists ally with regional DMDK party in Tamil Nadu elections

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The alliance with a regionalist party closely tied to US imperialism confirms the Indian Stalinists’ role in abetting the US “pivot to Asia” against China.

UK documentary exposes Saudi role in global terror operations

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Saudi ruling family spent $70 billion exporting its particularly repressive form of Islamism through books, the media, Islamic welfare institutions and charities.

Court issues restraining order after New Mexico school bus drivers vote to strike

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The drivers will be forced to continue working for 10 days, after which they face the possibility of a permanent restraining order.

Workers Struggles: The Americas

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

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

Australia: State electricity workers vote for industrial action

Tue, 05 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Essential Energy wants to axe agreements covering hundreds of workers to begin sackings and further slash working conditions.

Democrats silent as one million lose food stamp benefits in the US

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

None of the presidential candidates, including self-proclaimed “democratic socialist” Bernie Sanders, has made an issue of the food stamp cutoff.

The working class in France mobilizes against austerity

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The attempt to promote hysteria over terrorism to suppress popular opposition is failing in the face of a growing radicalization of workers and youth.

Syriza government carries out mass deportation of refugees from Greece to Turkey

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Thousands of people are being deported as part of the deal to seal off the “Balkan route” to refugees fleeing the war zones of the Middle East.

Azerbaijan-Armenia fighting erupts over disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The conflict threatens to escalate into a broader war between Russia, Armenia’s main backer, and Azerbaijan’s ally, Turkey, and behind Turkey, the entire NATO alliance.

UK Tata Steel operation at centre of escalating trade war

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Labour Party and the trade unions have responded to the planned closure of Tata Steel’s UK plants with demands for protectionism and trade war.

Two dead and dozens injured in Amtrak derailment near Philadelphia

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Two Amtrak workers were killed and 35 passengers injured Sunday in the latest wreck involving the national passenger rail system.

GM found not liable in bellwether case over ignition defect

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The case was chosen by GM because evidence of corporate malfeasance appeared weakest.

Poverty among California seniors rising despite economic “recovery”

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The poverty rate among California seniors nearly doubled between 1999 and 2014.

Pennsylvania budget underfunds education, prepares attack on pensions

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The deal leaves an estimated $2 billion deficit unresolved until the next fiscal year.

Spain’s Podemos prepares for coalition talks with Socialist Party, Citizens

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Podemos is playing the instrumental role in the possible formation of a PSOE-led government to continue imposing austerity on the workers in Spain.

German report confirms poor die younger

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The link between income and “years lived in good health” is even clearer than the link between income and life expectancy.

The Brazilian “More Doctors” program’s dilemma

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Brazilian government’s solution to the lack of health care in the small towns and rural areas was to “import” doctors from overseas, mainly Cubans.

Mexican government obstructs investigation into disappearance of the Ayotzinapa 43

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Mexican government is threatening to shut down an investigation by independent experts of the disappearance of the student teachers and seeks to buy off their parents.

Sri Lankan government presents phony “Right to Information” bill

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The legislation provides limited access to state information, while entrenching broad areas that will remain off-limits, including national security, diplomacy and economic activities.

New Zealand voters reject flag change in referendum

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The government and opposition sought to use the flag issue to whip up nationalism and encourage unquestioning respect for the military.

This week in history: April 4-10

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

This Week in History provides brief synopses of important historical events whose anniversaries fall this week.

SEP public meetings: For an active boycott of the Brexit referendum! For the United Socialist States of Europe!

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The SEP meetings are part of a campaign for an active boycott of the June 23 referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU.

The New York Times on race and art

Mon, 04 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

A review published in this Sunday’s New York Times Book Review advances a racialist view of art and culture with thoroughly reactionary implications.

Obama’s nuclear summit underscores danger of war

Sat, 02 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The aim of US “non-proliferation” policy is not to rid the world of nuclear bombs but to ensure the US retains its nuclear dominance over any potential rival.

The social crisis and the US elections

Sat, 02 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Behind the phony economic “recovery,” the entire structure of employment in the United States is being radically altered to reduce the status of workers to that of a super-exploited casual labor force.

Clinton, Sanders clash intensifies in New York

Sat, 02 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton has an increasingly precarious lead over her self-proclaimed “socialist” challenger, Bernie Sanders.

Conversations with Sanders supporters in Wisconsin, New York and Pennsylvania

Sat, 02 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Those attending recent Sanders rallies expressed both hostility to social conditions in the US and illusions in the role of Sanders and the viability of reforming capitalism.

Chicago Teachers Union holds one-day “strike” to channel opposition behind Democrats

Sat, 02 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

In the face of enormous opposition among teachers to the attacks on public education, the CTU called a phony one-day “strike” to politically disarm teachers by promoting illusions in the Democratic Party.

Detroit Public Schools principals charged with taking kickbacks

Sat, 02 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The scandal comes on the heels of months of teacher and student protests for better conditions.

California’s budget to hit Caltrans workers

Sat, 02 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The last offer from the state includes meager raises that are wiped out by rising retirement and benefit contributions.

Opposition in Greece to European Union refugee policy

Sat, 02 Apr 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Two thousand refugees and aid workers demonstrated in Athens against the recent agreement between the EU and Turkey