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While cause of Egypt Air crash remains unknown, terror scare mounts

Sat, 21 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The US and Europe are are seizing on the incident to justify an escalation of their military operations.

US prepares troop deployment to Libya amid fight for oil fields

Sat, 21 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Pentagon’s top general said troops could be sent “any day” once there was a formal request from the Western-backed regime in Tripoli.

Retired British general predicts war with Russia, denounces Cameron government as “semi-pacifist”

Sat, 21 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Shirreff urges class war at home and public spending cuts to fund massive increases in military spending.

WSWS reporters visit landslide victims in Sri Lanka

Sat, 21 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Survivors expressed no confidence in the government’s ability to solve the problem of landslides.

Clinton calls Trump “unqualified” to be commander-in-chief

Sat, 21 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Democratic frontrunner is appealing to Republican warhawks and neo-conservatives to support her against her likely Republican opponent.

Congressional Democrats call for end to Verizon strike

Sat, 21 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

President Obama, Congressional Democrats and the unions are intent on wrapping up the Verizon strike before it becomes the catalyst for a broader movement of the working class.

Verizon strikers denounce federal mediation, CWA news blackout

Sat, 21 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Workers said they were determined to defeat any attempt by the unions to repeat the sellout of 2011, when the CWA and IBEW ended a strike without a contract.

San Francisco police chief resigns after cops kill unarmed woman

Sat, 21 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Amid repeated killings and scandals, the city administration looks to make a cosmetic change to its police force.

Sports Authority to close all stores, lay off 16,000

Sat, 21 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The announcement by Sports Authority (SA) follows a wave of recent closures from other retail companies.

Thousands of oil workers evacuated as Alberta wildfire spreads

Sat, 21 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley presented a timeline for residents to return to Fort McMurray, but the flare-up of the fire again this week could push this back.

German Social Democratic Party in free-fall

Sat, 21 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The SPD’s collapse in the polls is the product of the right-wing, anti-social and militarist policies the party has pursued for years.

Australia: NSW government accelerates privatisation of prisons

Sat, 21 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The state’s prison policy is part of a global process of higher imprisonment rates and commercial exploitation of public facilities.

Local campuses disaffiliate from British National Union of Students

Sat, 21 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The ahistorical, irrational and racialised policies of the pseudo-left have opened the way for an assault on the NUS from the right.

A resurgence of class struggle

Sat, 21 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The revival of the class struggle is finding political expression in the turn by workers against all of the parties of the official “left” that are backed by the trade unions.

Race and class in American history: A reply to a false explanation of the Trump phenomenon

Sat, 21 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

An op-ed published this week in the New York Times provides an opportunity to consider the history of class struggle in America and the role of identity politics in dividing the working class.

Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific

Sat, 21 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

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

Australian Federal Police raid Labor Party frontbencher

Fri, 20 May 2016 06:00:00 GMT

Raids conducted by the police have been denounced as “extraordinary and unprecedented” in an election campaign.

French parliament extends state of emergency amid rising protests

Fri, 20 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Contrary to official claims, the state of emergency is not aimed at Islamist terrorism, but at growing opposition in the working class to social austerity and military and police violence.

Strikes and protests mount against French labour law

Fri, 20 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The protest and strikes are mounting against the unpopular labor law, imposed by the Socialist Party government without a parliamentary vote

A pittance for Zika, $600 billion for the Pentagon

Fri, 20 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The priority of the ruling class and its political representatives is not the protection and wellbeing of the vast majority of Americans, but funding the gigantic US military apparatus.

Spy plane “intercept” highlights US push for South China Sea confrontation

Fri, 20 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Allegations that Chinese aircraft “unsafely” intercepted a US surveillance plane underscore Pentagon calls for a “trigger” for conflict with China.

US and NATO leaders say EgyptAir Flight 804 was bombed, vow military response

Fri, 20 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton demanded an escalation of the war in Iraq and Syria in response to the destruction of the Cairo-bound jetliner.

Hundreds feared dead in Sri Lankan landslides and floods

Fri, 20 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Disaster victims have blamed the government and other authorities for not providing adequate relief or moving residents to safe places.

US media steps up witch-hunt over claims of Sanders “violence” in Nevada

Fri, 20 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The bogus claims of violence and harassment have now reached the front page of the New York Times and the editorial page of the Washington Post.

Growing anger among Verizon strikers as CWA and IBEW prepare sellout

Fri, 20 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

After telling workers they would not accede to Verizon’s demands for a federal mediator, the CWA and the IBEW agreed to mediation as talks restarted Tuesday.

As CWA prepares sellout, Verizon strikers discuss way forward on WSWS online call

Fri, 20 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Verizon strikers from throughout the East Coast of the United States discussed and debated the way forward during a two-hour call hosted by the WSWS Verizon Strike Newsletter.

Obama overtime rule to go in effect this December

Fri, 20 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The expansion of eligibility for overtime pay has many loopholes and will only affect a small portion of the workforce.

AFL-CIO report points to continued social polarization

Fri, 20 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The typical Fortune 500 CEO took in $12.4 million last year, 355 times the pay of an average non-supervisory worker.

New York police gun down mentally unstable man in midtown Manhattan

Fri, 20 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Police fired nine shots at a busy intersection Wednesday morning, killing one and injuring another.

Syriza government uses tear gas and stun grenades against refugees

Fri, 20 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The violence deployed against helpless and desperate refugees fleeing wars most clearly exposes the class character of the current government in Greece.

Austrian presidential run-off offers no alternative

Fri, 20 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Many conservatives are backing Green candidate Van der Bellen because they see him as best able to carry out austerity measures.

Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa

Fri, 20 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

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

UK: BMA agrees sell-out contract to end junior doctors dispute

Fri, 20 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Junior doctors have reacted angrily to a proposed contract that is even worse than the one they previously rejected by an overwhelming margin.

Break the CWA’s isolation of the Verizon strike!

Fri, 20 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The five-week strike by 40,000 Verizon workers can only be taken forward by mobilizing the strength of the entire working class.

Why the South China Sea tensions were removed from Australian Greens’ speech

Fri, 20 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Richard Di Natale’s foreign policy speech was edited to remove anything that could have been interpreted as a challenge to the Australian ruling elite’s preparations for war against China.

Maggie’s Plan, Frank & Lola, along with Dreyer’s Vampyr (1932)

Fri, 20 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Some not very good new films—and better old ones.

Outrage erupts at Flint meeting of pipeline board

Fri, 20 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Residents of Flint spoke out in anger during a board meeting of the KWA pipeline authority.

French government backs neo-fascist protest against opposition to labor law

Thu, 19 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Wednesday’s protest, organised by a police union close to the neo-fascist National Front, was aimed at intimidating broad popular opposition to the Socialist Party's labor reform.

Democratic Party establishment witch-hunts Sanders’ supporters

Thu, 19 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The political and media uproar over the Nevada state Democratic Party convention is an entirely manufactured provocation.

NATO rearmament in Eastern Europe increases danger of world war

Thu, 19 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

In the run-up to its July summit in Warsaw, NATO is building up its capabilities in Eastern Europe, heightening the danger of a nuclear conflict with Russia.

German government steps up military intervention in Africa

Thu, 19 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Separate missions in Mali and the Horn of Africa are aimed at strengthening Germany’s economic and strategic interests in Africa by military means.

Queen’s Speech 2016: UK Conservatives continue agenda of austerity and repression

Thu, 19 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The government’s legislative programme for the next year includes new powers for the state under the guise of tackling “extremism” and the abolition of the Human Rights Act.

CWA, Verizon impose blackout on contract talks

Thu, 19 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The federal mediator overseeing contract talks, Allison Beck, is a tried and tested representative of the corporate establishment.

Many dead or missing after landslides in Sri Lanka

Thu, 19 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Successive governments have done nothing to mitigate the death and destruction caused by annual monsoonal rains.

New evidence reveals state of Michigan helped to push Flint into pipeline deal

Thu, 19 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

A “sweetheart” state environmental order was issued to ensure that bond attorneys for the new pipeline would face no financial obstacles to Flint’s signing on to the project.

Venezuela’s right appeals to military amid mounting tensions

Thu, 19 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

While participation in the right wing’s protests has been scant, unrest is spreading in working class areas.

Teachers in widespread walkouts in Mexico

Thu, 19 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The strike is in opposition to a 2013 law that established gave new powers to the government to monitor, test and fire teachers en masse.

Panama Papers: Further revelations about New Zealand’s role as a tax haven

Thu, 19 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Panama law firm Mossack Fonseca promoted New Zealand to its wealthy clients, including some allegedly involved in illegal activity and one who assisted in the looting of Iraq.

Australia: Fairfax Media imposes forced redundancies

Thu, 19 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Amid threatened government legal action against its workers for striking, one of the country’s largest media corporations last week began sacking editorial staff across two states.

A further comment on the death of David King, socialist and artist

Thu, 19 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

King was a brilliant graphic designer, photographer, illustrator, archivist, researcher, editor, historian and art collector.

US and its allies threaten escalation of Syrian war

Wed, 18 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The failure to set a date for the resumption of talks points to the continuation of a conflict that threatens to spill over into a wider war involving the US and Russia.

The controversy in the US over transgender access to public bathrooms

Wed, 18 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The actions of the Democrats with respect to the North Carolina “bathroom bill” reflect their strategy of using identity politics to provide a cover for their right-wing and anti-democratic policies.

US forces in combat in Somalia as AFRICOM plans for war across continent

Wed, 18 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Washington is preparing interventions throughout sub-Saharan Africa, where the US military’s Africa Command is currently examining a dozen locations for new bases.

Defying police repression, protests continue against French labour law

Wed, 18 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

In the run-up to a rail strike planned for Wednesday, sections of truck drivers joined youth protesting the reactionary French labour law imposed by the Socialist Party government.

Sanders’ strong showing in Oregon, Kentucky extends Democratic presidential contest

Wed, 18 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

After winning in Oregon and virtually tying Hillary Clinton in Kentucky, Bernie Sanders said he would continue his campaign through the last primary and into the Democratic convention in Philadelphia.

Canadian ruling elite divided over prospect of Trump presidency

Wed, 18 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

While a majority of the political and media establishment is concerned by the rise of Trump, a significant section believes his presidency offers benefits for Canada.

Growing warnings over Chinese debt

Wed, 18 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The IMF has reported that one sixth of Chinese business loans are on the books of companies earning less revenue than their interest payments.

CWA agrees to federal mediator, prepares sellout of Verizon strike

Wed, 18 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers agreed to a federal mediator during talks overseen by the Obama administration.

Boston Public Schools students walk out over budget cuts

Wed, 18 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

More than one thousand students walked out of classes Tuesday for the second protest this year against budget cuts that threaten student services and teachers’ jobs.

UK: Gap in life expectancy between rich and poor widens for first time since 1870

Wed, 18 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The growing discrepancy in life expectancy between the rich and poor is the result of decades of attacks on jobs, wages and living standards.

One third of London renters sinking into debt

Wed, 18 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Last year, one in five families was forced to move home in the capital. Rent has soared 20 percent over the past five years, while average pay has increased only 2 percent.

UN officials say torture is “common practice” in Sri Lanka

Wed, 18 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The revelations constitute a damning exposure of the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government’s claims to defend democratic rights.

Australian Greens leader criticises the US alliance—without mentioning China

Wed, 18 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

While denouncing aspects of the US-Australia alliance, Di Natale stopped short of raising the preparations for war against China or the crisis in the South China Sea.

Germany: How the pseudo-left justify the Left Party’s shift to the right

Wed, 18 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The pseudo-left groups which either work in or around the Left Party have assumed the task of defending its rightward shift.

Money Monster: Who are the criminals?

Wed, 18 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Money Monster is the latest film to depict the consequences of the 2008 financial crash and the criminal manipulations of the financial elite.

Who’s who in the Flint water crisis: Part three

Wed, 18 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The final part in our series profiling the major figures in the crisis focuses on those who conspired to cover up the devastating effects of the lead exposure.

Maduro government imposes state of emergency in Venezuela

Tue, 17 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

While the Venezuelan president said that the decree was aimed at “international and national threats,” the most pressing challenge to his government comes from the working class.

The political struggle facing Verizon workers

Tue, 17 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The month-long strike by 40,000 workers at Verizon Communications in the eastern United States is at a critical juncture.

Duterte offers cabinet posts to Maoist Communist Party of the Philippines

Tue, 17 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The president-elect has vowed to restore hangings and not to back down on the country’s territorial claims in the South China Sea.

NATO build-up in Romania and Moldova directed against Russia

Tue, 17 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The recent activation in Romania of the first land-based element of the NATO missile defense system has provoked a harsh reaction from Moscow.

Obama to American youth: Stop complaining, things have never been better!

Tue, 17 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

While media attention has focused on Obama’s swipes at Donald Trump, more significant was his chastisement of young people for supporting the campaign of self-declared socialist Bernie Sanders.

US department store sales plunge, jobless claims rise

Tue, 17 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The slump in major chain store sales reflects the impact of a vast reordering of class relations in the US with devastating consequences for the working class.

Talks resume as Obama administration collaborates with CWA to shut down Verizon strike

Tue, 17 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The White House is intent on wrapping up the Verizon strike as soon as possible by helping the CWA impose a settlement on management’s terms.

Jeremy Corbyn appeals to UK Labour’s Blairite wing for unity

Tue, 17 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s lofty pretence at being above personal insults would carry more weight if it was not routinely employed to justify his latest political capitulation to the right wing.

UK: Manchester United ground evacuated in false terror scare

Tue, 17 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

No explanation has yet been provided by Manchester United, the police or the company that left a dummy explosive device in a football stadium, of Sunday’s extraordinary events.

French government escalates repression of protests against labor law

Tue, 17 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Even though this illegitimate and regressive law has technically been passed, a majority of the French people want protests against it to continue.

Refugees shot by Turkish border guards

Tue, 17 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

According to eyewitness reports published by Human Rights Watch, at least five people were shot or beaten to death by Turkish border guards on the country’s border with Syria in March and April.

Australian rate cut warnings point to economic slump

Tue, 17 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The predictions indicate a deflationary “vortex” of falling prices, business investment and living standards.

Video: Flint, Michigan resident speaks on lack of services for poisoned residents

Tue, 17 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Keri Webber, whose family still suffers serious health issues as a result of the lead contamination of Flint’s water, says those affected by the disaster have been left to fend for themselves.

Radio Dreams, about Iranian Americans—and the problem of images without insight

Tue, 17 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Radio Dreams is a pleasurable experience. Other films at the San Francisco festival––The Event, No Home Movie, Counting, Five Nights in Maine––fared less well.

An interview with Babak Jalali, director of Radio Dreams

Tue, 17 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The WSWS spoke to Babak Jalali during the recent San Francisco International Film Festival.

Workers Struggles: The Americas

Tue, 17 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

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

NATO-Russia war tensions laid bare at Washington summit

Mon, 16 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The past week has seen the American-dominated Western alliance markedly intensify its preparations for aggressive war along Russia’s eastern and southern borders.

Barack Obama and a quarter-century of US wars

Mon, 16 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Obama administration embodies the institutionalization of war as the foundation of US foreign policy.

Sheriff’s deputies called to Nevada Democratic Convention to preserve Clinton victory

Mon, 16 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The meeting erupted in fistfights and catcalls after dozens of Sanders delegates were disqualified by the party leadership.

Verizon strike: CWA officials call New York cops against WSWS reporters

Mon, 16 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Union officials in Brooklyn called the police to stop strikers from speaking to the WSWS, just days after an NYPD cop, driving a van load of scabs, ran down a striking worker.