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Obama’s drone-missile machinery of murder

Mon, 08 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The document provides essentially unlimited authority to the CIA and Pentagon to conduct assassinations with drone-fired missiles, subject to review only by the White House.

Rio 2016: The “Olympic ideal” and the reality of capitalism

Mon, 08 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Olympics are being held under conditions of military occupation in Brazil, one of the world’s must unequal countries, wracked by economic, social and political crises.

Anti-Corbyn plotters make second Brexit vote centre of UK Labour leadership contest

Mon, 08 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Owen Smith, the challenger to the Labour leadership, condemned Jeremy Corbyn for not fighting hard enough for a Remain vote.

UK National Health Service forced to the brink of financial collapse

Mon, 08 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The NHS has been instructed to make savings of £22 billion by 2021, on pain of fines and takeovers by regulators.

More than 500 UK employers and charities benefited from use of free forced labour

Mon, 08 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The scheme was set up not to assist people to get back into employment, but as a subvention to employers.

German “left” journalist Jacob Augstein comes out as a right-winger

Mon, 08 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

In his latest column in Der Spiegel, Augstein rails against dual citizenship for Germans of Turkish origin.

A year in the plight of Berlin’s refugees

Mon, 08 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Berlin Senate wants the distressing images of refugees on city’s streets to be forgotten ahead of the state election.

Report documents human rights violations in Australian refugee camps

Mon, 08 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

A report targets Ferrovial, a global infrastructure giant, which currently holds the Australian government contract to run the detention centres on Nauru and Manus Island.

Low-income retirees in the Detroit-area face abysmal housing conditions

Mon, 08 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

An acute lack of affordable housing along with deplorable conditions in existing housing stock has left tens of thousands without a safe and healthy place to live out their retirement.

New York City police commissioner Bratton resigns

Mon, 08 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The abrupt resignation of the NYPD commissioner comes amid a counteroffensive in response to protests against police brutality and police killings over the past several years.

South Korean Democrats posture as opponents of US anti-ballistic missile system

Mon, 08 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The MPK’s criticisms of the THAAD system are driven by concerns over possible Chinese economic retaliation and also seek to block the development of anti-war opposition.

US government lawsuit undermines Malaysian prime minister

Mon, 08 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

US authorities are seeking the seizure of assets allegedly stolen from Malaysia’s state-owned investment fund.

Stop the police killings! Unite workers and youth of every race and nationality!

Mon, 08 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Socialist Equality Party presidential candidate Jerry White issued the following statement after the release of video showing the brutal police murder of 18-year-old Paul O’Neal.

Global economic stagnation fuels financial instability

Mon, 08 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The decision by the Bank of England to take “exceptional” financial measures reflects the worsening outlook for the global economy.

As Clinton seeks support from Republicans, Sanders hails her role in the “political revolution”

Mon, 08 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Following the Democratic National Convention, Sanders has remained silent about leaked DNC emails as he seeks to bolster Hillary Clinton as a progressive candidate.

Turkish regime imprisons and harasses artists, journalists and academics after coup attempt

Mon, 08 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

In the aftermath of the July 15 attempted coup, the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has imprisoned artists, banned books and frozen academic relations with other countries.

This week in history: August 8-14

Mon, 08 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

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

Chicago police warn of unrest after murder of teen

Sat, 06 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The July 28 murder of Paul O’Neal is the latest in a series of police killings around the US that have claimed the lives of nearly 700 victims so far this year.

Why the CIA is for Hillary Clinton

Sat, 06 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Clinton campaign is seeking to direct all anti-Trump sentiment in a right-wing, pro-war direction.

German defence minister announces domestic use of Armed Forces

Sat, 06 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The minister left no doubt that “in an emergency”, the Armed Forces would not only handle “logistics,” but would “also provide military support.”

Refugees confront inhumane conditions at mass accommodation centres in Berlin

Sat, 06 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The thousands of people who have fled from war and poverty to Germany continue to face unbearable conditions and are still being housed in mass accommodation centres.

UK: Labour leader Corbyn calls debate with coup plotter Owen Smith “comradely”

Sat, 06 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Denying that a split is in the cards has become the central theme of Corbyn’s leadership campaign, even as the Blairite wing of the party continues to seek his removal.

One million Indian bank workers strike against privatisation

Sat, 06 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The unions are trying to contain the confrontation against the Modi government and its pro-business program.

Clinton, Obama tout tepid US jobs report

Sat, 06 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

A closer look at the employment numbers for July reveals many indications of continuing economic stagnation and deepening hardship for wide layers of the population.

Purdue Pharma and the opioid epidemic

Sat, 06 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Purdue Pharma’s marketing of the painkiller OxyContin has made the company billions, while contributing to the opioid epidemic in the United States.

Japan’s new cabinet line-up to promote remilitarisation

Sat, 06 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The new defence minister Tomami Inada, a protégé of Abe, is well known for her extreme right-wing nationalist views and defence of Japan’s past war crimes.

Senate result underscores Australian government’s instability

Sat, 06 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The outcome highlights how far the election backfired for the government and the entire parliamentary establishment.

India and US deepen strategic collaboration in Africa

Sat, 06 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Indian and US militaries are partnering in the training of African officers to lead and train troops deployed on UN “peacekeeping” missions.

International Socialist Organization calls for Greens to support US-backed “revolution” in Syria

Sat, 06 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The ISO, while formally endorsing the Green Party’s presumptive presidential candidate Jill Stein, criticized her for an insufficiently aggressive foreign policy towards Russia and Syria.

Lady Dynamite and other Netflix comedies

Sat, 06 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

A number of new comedies on Netflix offer mixed results.

Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific

Sat, 06 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

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

Bank of England announces record rate cut in windfall for financial markets

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 06:00:00 GMT

The rate cut, together with other measures announced by the bank, will pump 170 billion pounds ($223 billion) into the UK’s financial markets.

Clinton steps up right-wing appeal to Republicans and billionaires

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Democratic presidential campaign is using appeals to patriotism and militarism to woo Republican officials and the super-rich.

RAND Corporation lays out scenarios for US war with China

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The RAND Corporation study provides further evidence that a US war against China is being planned and prepared in the upper echelons of the American military-intelligence apparatus.

Knife attack in London prompts massive police operation

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The killing on a central London street of a US national is being used to justify a massive build-up of armed police throughout the UK.

British government to escalate its Middle East intervention

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The ramping up of the British military intervention is part of US plans to recapture Mosul from Islamic State control.

What is behind the campaign against Erdogan?

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

German politicians are demanding firm measures against Turkey and the break-off of accession talks to the EU.

Rio Olympics overshadowed by social crisis

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Rio Olympic Games open in the midst of social crisis.

Amnesty report denounces Australia’s “cruel” refugee regime on Nauru

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Australian government has set a brutal model for countries around the world to punish and bar entry to millions of desperate refugees.

Owners announce plan to close Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort next month

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Despite the owners’ claim that the strike caused the casino’s closure, the shutdown was planned far in advance.

New powers for secret services in Bavaria

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The new Bavarian legislation is part of a massive upgrade of the country’s security services.

Hardship grows in Alberta as oil industry contracts

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The economic slump brought on by the oil price collapse has increased poverty rates, food insecurity and homelessness.

New York Times covers up Obama administration’s role in Turkish coup

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The combination of propaganda and disinformation makes it impossible to know where the CIA ends and the Times editorial board begins.

All Quiet on the Western Front: A generation haunted by war

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Erich Maria Remarque’s seminal work, All Quiet on the Western Front, deals with a generation thrown into World War I and the confusion and depression of those who survived.

Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa

Fri, 05 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

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

US Republican presidential campaign in crisis

Thu, 04 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Discussions within the Republican Party establishment over the fate of the Trump candidacy coincide with criticisms of Trump by the Democrats from the right.

Kerry backs Duterte’s murderous anti-drug campaign: “Placing a cheapness on the lives of Orientals”

Thu, 04 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

US Secretary of State Kerry pledged $32 million to fund Philippine President Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, involving death squads, police murders and concentration camps, in order to secure support for Washington’s war drive against China.

Baltimore County police shoot, kill young mother

Thu, 04 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Days after charges were dropped against the cops in the Freddie Gray murder case, police in the Baltimore area shot Korryn Gaines to death and wounded her five-year-old son.

Whistle-blower Chelsea Manning: “I became very, very sad” during torture

Thu, 04 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

A recently published interview sheds light on the conditions faced by Manning, the US Army whistle-blower and political prisoner, who attempted suicide on July 5.

British RAF carry out airstrikes in Mosul, Iraq

Thu, 04 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The bombings mark a further escalation of Britain’s participation in imperialist military operations in the Middle East.

UK law firm boasts blocking support to disadvantaged children

Thu, 04 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

More than 1.3 million schoolchildren in England—15 percent of the total—have been identified as needing special educational needs and disabilities support.

India ships food after mass protests by starving Indian workers in Saudi Arabia

Thu, 04 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Laid-off workers in Saudi Arabia, the most reliable ally of US and European imperialism in the Middle East, are being left to starve by the thousands.

Sri Lankan opposition intensifies anti-government campaign

Thu, 04 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Rajapakse opposition aims to fashion a right-wing, Sinhala chauvinist force to divide and take on the working class.

New Zealand ‘Rich List’ dominated by property speculators

Thu, 04 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Big investors have seen “huge gains” to their share portfolios, while the property boom has “seeded fortunes for astute and opportune investors.”

Stop the war drive in Syria and Libya! Workers of the world unite against war!

Thu, 04 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Behind the backs of the American people, President Obama has ordered US military jets to bomb Libya even as the White House ratchets up its military intervention in Syria.

Socialist Equality Party campaigns for ballot status in Louisiana

Thu, 04 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Throughout the state, campaigners found widespread disaffection with the political establishment and interest in the party’s socialist program.

The Green Party platform: Reformist politics in the service of imperialism

Thu, 04 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Greens are being falsely presented as a “left” alternative in order to prevent workers and youth from drawing the necessary political lessons from the debacle of the Sanders campaign.

Systemic abuses in Australia’s juvenile prisons: The class issues

Thu, 04 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Concerted efforts are being made to divert the outrage over the Northern Territory abuses behind claims that the violence can be attributed solely to racism.

A comment on the recent San Diego Comic-Con International

Thu, 04 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The convention attracts over 150,000 people each year to attend panels, workshops and events celebrating comic books and science fiction. What does this say about the official culture?

More airstrikes in new US war in Libya

Wed, 03 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

While nominally directed against ISIS, the fresh eruption of American militarism is more broadly aimed at stamping US dominance throughout the region.

After the conventions, Democrats attack Trump from the right

Wed, 03 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Clinton campaign and the Democratic Party are seeking to use their Republican opponent Donald Trump as a foil for legitimizing their deeply unpopular program of militarism and war.

New chemical weapons claims pose threat of US escalation of Syrian war

Wed, 03 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Chemical weapons allegations against the Syrian government should be taken as a warning that the US is prepared to escalate its confrontation with Russia over Syria.

US homeownership rate falls to lowest level in 51 years

Wed, 03 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Declining household income and rising rent prices are preventing workers and young people from owning homes.

Michigan Obamacare insurers request 17 percent premium hikes

Wed, 03 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Any premium increases will affect 345,000 people in Michigan, including Detroit city workers who have been forced onto the Obamacare insurance marketplace.

US courts strike down “Voter ID” laws in four states

Wed, 03 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Recent court rulings concerning attacks on the right to vote in several states underscore the deeply anti-democratic character of “Voter ID” laws

State of emergency declared in Maryland suburb after record-breaking flooding kills two

Wed, 03 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The storm is being called a “1-in-a-1,000-year rain event” by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Massive police operation for pro-Erdogan demonstration in Cologne

Wed, 03 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The police operation and civil war exercise in Munich has now been followed by a massive police deployment Sunday in the city of Cologne for a Turkish demonstration.

Spain: Catalan regional parliament votes next steps to independence

Wed, 03 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The independence vote has deepened the political crisis in Spain, which has now been without a government for eight months.

UK: Weymouth and Bridport bus drivers escalate strike action

Wed, 03 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Weymouth bus drivers’ dispute demonstrates that whenever the union bureaucracy are forced to call industrial action, they ensure that it remains isolated.

Australian Workers Union pushes pay cuts for Arrium employees

Wed, 03 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The union is seeking to blackmail Whyalla workers, by declaring that if they reject the enterprise agreement, Arrium’s steel plant and nearby mines will be closed.

New Zealand rail union pushes pro-company collective agreement

Wed, 03 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Greater Wellington Regional Council is demanding $100 million in cost-cutting, which will be imposed by Transdev through attacks on jobs, wages and conditions.

The New York Times’ chief military correspondent met secretly with State Department in 2010 to bury Iraq War Logs

Wed, 03 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The revelation of the correspondence again makes clear the degree to which the American “fourth estate” is completely integrated into the capitalist state.

The anti-scientific character of “race” as a concept

Wed, 03 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

A recent article in Science correctly demands the expulsion of race as a category from the study of human genetics.

Russian helicopter shot down in Syria as battle rages over Aleppo

Tue, 02 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Cut off from their supply lines to Turkey, US-backed Islamist militias are mounting a desperate offensive to break through the encirclement of their forces in Aleppo.

After Democrats’ celebration of militarism, US warplanes bomb Libya

Tue, 02 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The bombing of the Libyan coastal city of Sirte was ordered amid an explosive escalation of American militarism.

Manufacturing slows in Europe and Japan

Tue, 02 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The continued slump in the real economy is in marked contrast to the ongoing and ultimately unsustainable speculative frenzy on international share markets.

Democrats seize on Khan-Trump conflict to woo right-wing support

Tue, 02 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Democrats and the Clinton campaign are using Trump’s anti-Muslim comments to whip up patriotism and militarism and pressure right-wing figures to support Hillary Clinton.

First cases of mosquito-contracted Zika on US mainland reported in Florida

Tue, 02 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Fourteen people have contracted the Zika virus from mosquitoes in a small area north of downtown Miami known as Wynwood.

China issues warning to Australia over South China Sea

Tue, 02 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The state-owned Global Times newspaper suggested that Australia would be “an ideal target for China to warn and strike” if it intruded in South China Sea disputes.

UK delays nuclear plant deal signed with France and China

Tue, 02 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Conservative Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark announced that the project was to be reviewed, with a final decision delayed to the autumn.

Adama Traoré’s autopsy undermines French police’s account of his death

Tue, 02 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Police banned a peaceful rally protesting the death in police custoday of 24-year-old Adama Traoré after a new autopsy contradicted initial police accounts.

German Labour Court declares air traffic controllers strike illegal

Tue, 02 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The federal Labour Court in Erfurt ordered the aircraft controllers union GdF to pay airport operator Fraport millions in damages following the 2012 strike.

Israel adopts powers to suspend members of parliament

Tue, 02 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The measures are aimed at preventing and suppressing any united opposition on the part of Jewish and Palestinian workers and youth to government policies.

Australian government appoints indigenous bureaucrat to juvenile detention inquiry

Tue, 02 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The revamp is a bid to head off the widespread hostility to the royal commission by putting an Aboriginal face on the inquiry, whose assigned task is to whitewash the abuses.

HBO’s Veep: Lots of profanity, but not enough of what’s truly ugly

Tue, 02 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The popular HBO television comedy stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer, a hopelessly inept and unprincipled US vice president who ascends to the presidency.

Workers Struggles: The Americas

Tue, 02 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

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

Erdogan accuses US of supporting failed coup in Turkey

Mon, 01 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The attempted coup has exposed the explosive tensions growing behind the scenes within the NATO alliance, of which Turkey is a member state.

Democratic Party’s anti-Putin rhetoric prepares escalation of Syrian War

Mon, 01 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

A campaign to accuse the Putin government of hacking into Democratic Party servers is aimed at creating the conditions for military escalation in Syria and against Russia itself.

Clinton campaign appeals to Republicans and the military

Mon, 01 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Democratic presidential candidate gave her first post-convention interview to Fox News in a bid for support from right-wing elements disaffected with Donald Trump.

UK Labour Party coup plotters make public their split preparations

Mon, 01 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

A major fear of the right wing is that if they carry out a formal split now, ahead of the September result, they could lose any right to be called the “Labour Party” and to secure its assets.

Slowdown in US, global economy

Mon, 01 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Second-quarter gross domestic product figures for the US and Europe show a further slowing in economic growth and business investment.

Farm equipment giant John Deere lays off 120 workers as sales plummet

Mon, 01 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The third round of layoffs in 2016 raises the total number of workers cut by Deere in the US to 2,000 over the last two years.

Canadian police “manufactured” terror plot to ensnare couple

Mon, 01 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

A BC judge has ruled a high-profile terrorism case was in fact “a clear case of police manufactured crime.”

Growing opposition in Berlin to exorbitant rents and evictions

Mon, 01 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The city is increasingly divided: discernible poverty and a growing housing crisis for many families—wealth and success for a super-rich glitterati.

Protests denounce violent abuses in Australian juvenile jails

Mon, 01 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Rally organisers, from Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance, channeled the deeply-felt anger and disgust into divisive black nationalism.

Australian youth and workers speak out against torture of juvenile prisoners

Mon, 01 Aug 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Rally participants interviewed by the WSWS voiced disgust at the abuse revelations and hostility to the proposed royal commission, saying it was another official coverup.