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Kerry charges “war crimes” as US escalates tensions with Russia

Sat, 08 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The US secretary of state charged Moscow with “war crimes” as US-backed, Al Qaeda-affiliated “rebels” appeared close to defeat in Aleppo.

One month to the US presidential election—what lies ahead

Sat, 08 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The next president will oversee a deepening global crisis of capitalism, mounting attacks on jobs, living standards and social services at home, and the escalation of military conflicts in the Middle East and against Russia and China.

British pound plummets over “hard Brexit” fears

Sat, 08 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The currency’s sudden fall on Friday was a warning that capital inflows needed to finance the British current account deficit could dry up.

Unifor President Dias attempts to “whipsaw” Canadian auto plants

Sat, 08 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Militant opposition to the miserable GM pattern settlement is growing at Fiat Chrysler and Ford Canada auto plants.

Boone County, West Virginia students lack textbooks

Sat, 08 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Following the imposition of deep budget cuts to public education, many students lack basic science textbooks.

Pentagon paid British PR firm $500 million to create fake al-Qaeda recruiting videos

Sat, 08 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The US military paid British public relations firm Bell Pottinger half a billion dollars to make fake terrorist videos as part of a secret propaganda programme in Iraq.

Germany: Kaiser’s Tengelmann supermarket chain threatened with closure

Sat, 08 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Following another secret meeting, the takeover of the supermarket chain by Edeka was again postponed.

Pakistani elite rattled by “strategic isolation” following Indian attack

Sat, 08 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

To the shock of Pakistan’s elite, its appeals for international condemnation of India’s military strikes have fallen on deaf ears.

Australian union imposes 10 percent pay cut on steelworkers

Sat, 08 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Australian Workers Union is playing the central role in the destruction of the jobs, wages and conditions of steelworkers.

Australian politicians hold sham hearings on banks’ “unethical behaviour”

Sat, 08 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Thousands of working class people, retirees, small business owners and family farmers have been ruined by the banks.

The class issues exposed by Hurricane Matthew

Sat, 08 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Poverty, combined with the lack of adequate infrastructure and planning, has resulted in the deaths of more than 800 in Haiti and at least 4 people in the US, while disrupting the lives of millions.

Trotsky in New York, 1917: A Radical on the Eve of Revolution, by Kenneth D. Ackerman

Sat, 08 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Trotsky in New York, 1917 focuses on a remarkable period in the life of one of the greatest political figures in modern history.

Exploring the origins and impact of the Internet

Sat, 08 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The movie examines the origins and implications of the Internet and related technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things and space travel.

Nobel Prize in physics awarded for discoveries about condensed states of matter

Sat, 08 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The combination of the mathematics of topology and condensed matter physics is expected to lead directly to new types of materials and electronics.

Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific

Sat, 08 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

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

Australian Labor Party restates call for military challenge to China

Sat, 08 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Labor’s statements indicate frustration within the US and Australian establishments over the Turnbull government’s refusal to order an operation in the South China Sea.

IMF warns of record high global debt

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The International Monetary Fund said low and negative interest rates are reaching the limits of their effectiveness and could undermine the solvency of pension and insurance funds.

Bernie Sanders stumps for Clinton in Michigan

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Vermont Senator continued his effort to convince his former supporters to back the Democratic nominee, despite her right-wing policies.

Clinton calls for National Service

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Clinton champions General Stanley McChrystal’s policy for National Service, a ruling class initiative designed to promote American nationalism and militarism, and ready society for “the next big war.”

After rejection of contract at Allina, Minnesota nurses call for expanded struggle

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Allina nurses, who have been on strike for over a month at five hospitals, voted down a contract that would exchange their health care for more expensive plans.

Residents ordered to evacuate as Hurricane Matthew approaches US East Coast

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

As with all natural disasters in the United States, Hurricane Matthew will reveal the stark social inequalities that characterize all facets of American life.

US Fortune 500 firms use tax havens to avoid $717.8 billion in taxes

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The same politicians who say “there is no money” for jobs, schools, health care, pensions or housing, oversee the corporate theft of hundreds of billions in taxes.

West Virginia: Seven Fayette County schools to be shuttered

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The number of schools in the rural county would be reduced from 18 to 11, leaving only two high schools open.

Political lessons from the Canadian auto “bailout”

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

A successful autoworker counter-offensive requires not only a political and organizational break with the pro-company Unifor, but a political struggle against the entire ruling class and their political hirelings.

Thousands of Caterpillar workers protest plans to close Belgium plant

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Despite the efforts of the unions and pseudo-left groups to smother opposition to Caterpillar’s closure plans, workers demonstrated their determination to fight with.

Germany: IG Metall and works council agree to 1,700 more job cuts

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Siemens management and the central works council agreed September 26 to a so-called compromise of interests including plans for widespread job cuts.

Poland: PiS government beats retreat on antiabortion law

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The government is preparing for more fundamental attacks on the living standards of the working class and an escalation of the military buildup against Russia.

Coventry University in UK attacks teaching staff wages, terms and conditions

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Coventry University is leading the moves towards marketisation and privatisation of higher education.

Video of summary executions exposes Peruvian police death squads

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Peruvian security forces have been rocked by revelations of extra-legal killings and rampant corruption.

Fifteen years of the war in Afghanistan

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The US has been the central instigator of the Afghan tragedy for a period that now spans 38 years, with a toll in dead and wounded that numbers well over a million people.

SEP presidential candidate Jerry White on war and the 2016 elections

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

At on online forum at 7:00 pm, streamed live at fb.com/sepus, White will speak about the state of the US elections and the war drive of the American ruling class.

Germany: Common ground between Left Party leader Wagenknecht and the far-right AfD

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

While leading CDU politicians are drumming up support for coalitions with the Alternative for Germany, the Left Party is playing a key role in integrating the far-right party into the official political spectrum.

Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

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

Sri Lankan plantation workers’ struggle: Build action committees, fight for socialist policies

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The protests spreading throughout the plantation areas sharply pose the need for workers to establish new forms of organisation and a new socialist leadership.

Lady Macbeth, John Coltrane, Mali Blues and more: What makes a film festival interesting?

Fri, 07 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

There are many problems with filmmaking today, but human ingenuity and curiosity have not stopped functioning.

Workers struggles mount in run-up to US election

Thu, 06 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Strikes by nurses, orchestra musicians other sections of public and private sector workers reveals the broad scope of social opposition in the United States.

Beating the drums for war with Russia

Thu, 06 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The New York Times and other major media are weighing in on the side of escalating the US intervention in Syria and militarily confronting Russia.

Harvard dining hall workers strike over health insurance, wages

Thu, 06 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The strike by Harvard University Dining Services workers is the first since 1983, and the first ever during the academic year.

Faculty set October 19 strike date at Pennsylvania universities

Thu, 06 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Professors and faculty members at Pennsylvania’s 14 state-run universities have voted overwhelmingly to go on strike against cuts to health benefits and the expanded use of adjunct professors.

Escalating war games in the South China Sea

Thu, 06 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Tensions have only worsened since the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favour of the US-backed Philippine challenge to Chinese maritime claims.

Philippine President Duterte tells Obama to “go to hell”

Thu, 06 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The statement was the latest in a string of outbursts by Duterte, who has responded angrily to Western criticisms of his murderous anti-drug crusade.

India’s military calls for more strikes on Pakistan

Thu, 06 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Large sections of India’s ruling elite are urging the Hindu communalist BJP government to further escalate military pressure on Pakistan.

Yahoo spied on “hundreds of millions” of email accounts on behalf of US spy agencies

Thu, 06 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The revelation further reveals the near-seamless collusion of the major internet and telecommunications firms with the US intelligence apparatus.

Tunisian men reveal new details of torture at CIA black sites

Thu, 06 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The ex-detainees described gruesome forms of torture not mentioned in the Senate Intelligence Committee report on the CIA torture program.

Nazi propaganda during German Unity celebration in Dresden

Thu, 06 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Police encouraged right-wing anti-immigrant activists to demonstrate right in front of the main reviewing stands.

German media steps up drumbeat for war and militarism

Thu, 06 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Articles in two prominent newspapers urge intensification of the war drive despite the opposition of the population.

UK: May dresses up policies of austerity and militarism in the language of fairness and opportunities

Thu, 06 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Conservative Party spent its four-day conference outlining a raft of policies that collectively make Prime Minister Theresa May’s government the most right-wing in British history.

One year since the exposure of the Flint water crisis

Thu, 06 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

October 1 marked the anniversary of the first acknowledgement by the governor of Michigan of the Flint water crisis, which poisoned an entire city.

Ford Australia’s closure demonstrates need for a global auto workers’ strategy

Thu, 06 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Ford’s shutdown of its Australian production tomorrow is one of the final nails in the coffin of an entire industry, at the hands of the transnational auto companies.

Vice presidential candidates agree on US military escalation in Syria

Wed, 05 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Most of the 90-minute vice presidential debate consisted of unintelligible squabbling, but the Democratic and Republican candidates agreed on the overriding issue of war.

Threat of US-Russia clash grows after Washington cuts off Syria talks

Wed, 05 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Obama administration is set to discuss military options even as Russia has begun deploying more sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles to Syria.

Sanders’ campaign for Clinton: A “political revolution” in defense of the status quo

Wed, 05 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Sanders’ bid to drum up support for Clinton in a series of campaign appearances this week is based on sophistries and lies.

IMF cuts growth forecasts for major economies

Wed, 05 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The International Monetary Fund has warned of a “deflationary trap” where further cuts in interest rates cannot provide a stimulus to the world economy.

Hurricane Matthew hits Haiti and heads north

Wed, 05 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The storm made landfall Tuesday morning in a country that has been devastated by the 2010 earthquake and still lacks basic infrastructure.

Opposition grows to GM Canada pattern contract

Wed, 05 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Fearing mass rank-and-file opposition to the rotten “pattern” agreement Unifor reached at GM Canada, the local leadership at Ford’s Oakville assembly plant now claim to oppose it.

Los Angeles police kill second man in two days

Wed, 05 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The unidentified young man was shot to death just a day after the fatal shooting of another youth, 18-year-old Carnell Snell, Jr.

Video raises questions in 2012 New York police killing of Ramarley Graham

Wed, 05 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

A new surveillance video obtained by the New York Daily News shows paramedics covering and then uncovering the corpse of Ramarley Graham, who was killed by police in 2012.

Poland: Tens of thousands protest proposed anti-abortion bill

Wed, 05 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

If passed, the bill would implement a ban on abortions, including for minors and victims of rape.

One month until the US elections: the political issues facing the working class

Wed, 05 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

On October 7, at 7:00 Eastern Time, SEP candidates Jerry White and Niles Niemuth will join SEP National Secretary Joseph Kishore to discuss the state of US politics one month before the election.

Syriza government assaults Greek retirees

Wed, 05 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

On Monday, the Greek government mobilised the police to attack protesting retirees.

UK Labour Party attacks Greater Manchester firefighters

Wed, 05 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Firefighters are opposing new shift patterns that will cut service during the night.

France’s sale of Rafale jets to India stokes Indo-Pakistani war tensions

Wed, 05 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Rafale deal is one of India’s largest-ever arms purchases

The development of public water systems and the crisis in Flint

Wed, 05 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The events in Flint are a sharp expression of a historical retrogression in the United States, where gains made by the working class in an earlier period are being stripped away.

Billions for infrastructure and health care not war!

Wed, 05 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Socialist Equality Party fights for the only viable program to address the disaster inflicted on the residents of Flint, Michigan.

Sami Blood from Sweden, Werewolf from Canada, Park from Greece: Society’s cruelty to its youngest members

Wed, 05 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Amanda Kernell’s Sami Blood, from Sweden, is not an easy film to watch. It was also one of the most moving and authentic films shown in Toronto this year.

Ma’ Rosa from the Philippines: Small-time drug dealers set upon by the police

Wed, 05 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The 14th film from Filipino director Brillante Mendoza was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and earlier premiered at Cannes.

US suspends talks with Russia as danger mounts of escalation in Syrian war

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Washington’s attempt to pin the blame on Russia for the breakdown of diplomacy in Syria is thoroughly dishonest and hypocritical.

Trump’s taxes: Capitalist corruption and class privilege

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The tax dodges that Trump employed provide a glimpse of the real nature of the “free market” system, in which working people are systematically exploited to boost the wealth of the super-rich.

US defence secretary announces “third phase” of military build-up against China

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Ashton Carter made clear that the US would sharpen its “military edge” in the Asia Pacific so as to remain the most powerful military in the region.”

Minnesota nurses reject sellout contract, continue strike

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Nurses in the Twin Cities have defied all the political forces arrayed against them, from the Allina bosses and corporate media, to the Democratic Party politicians and the Minnesota Nurses Association, which have failed to defeat them.

Amid war crisis, Pakistani actors hounded out of India

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Indian Motion Pictures Producers’ Association has passed a resolution banning Pakistani actors, singers and technicians from Bollywood productions.

Colombia votes against peace accord between the FARC and government

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Widespread abstention has postponed President Juan Manuel Santos’ plan to initiate an austerity plan under the banner of “peace” and “unity.”

Deutsche Bank crisis: Germany and US accuse each other of economic warfare

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

While the latest outbreak of transatlantic hostilities revolves around the perilous state of Deutsche Bank, it is not the only bank facing collapse.

UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson maps out post-Brexit agenda

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Johnson gave a disgusting panegyric to militarism and empire, bragging that Britain “has directed the invasion or conquest of 178 countries” over two centuries.

Unifor sets stage for Fiat-Chrysler sellout

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Unifor’s bargaining team at Fiat-Chrysler in Canada is putting the finishing touches on the “pattern” agreement initially negotiated at GM late last month.

UAW lines up behind Trump’s call for trade war

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The nationalist ravings of Trump dovetail with the UAW’s corporatist program based on the subordination of the working class to the interests of the American auto companies.

Italy: Strikes and protests against the Renzi government’s “Jobs Act”

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Italy is experiencing a wave of strikes by rail workers, flight attendants and teachers that are also directed against the traditional unions.

Job cuts threatened at New Caledonia nickel plant

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Koniambo job “review” foreshadows a major assault on workers throughout the nickel industry in the French colony and internationally.

Australia: Dean of arts college quits amid student protests

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The moves to close Sydney College of Arts are one expression of a broader assault on the social rights to education and culture.

Growing opposition from Canadian autoworkers to Unifor-backed sellout contracts

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

FCA Canada workers warmly greeted White and stopped to discuss their contract battle as well as the broader political questions raised by the US elections.

SEP Presidential candidate Jerry White speaks to students and workers in Northern Virginia

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

White spoke before an audience of students, workers and members of the community at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale about the dangers of war.

Spanish Socialist Party coup exposes Podemos

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Podemos’ perspective was to form a government with the Socialist Party, which is now working to bring a right-wing government to power in Spain.

Workers Struggles: The Americas

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

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

Death toll mounts in US police killings

Mon, 03 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

US police killed at least 19 men last week. Ranging in ages from 18 to 53, the victims were shot, tased or, in one case, beaten and asphyxiated.

The “major and deadly” wars to come

Mon, 03 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

A report by a leading geopolitical strategy think tank makes clear that the US military is engaged in intensive planning for wars involving massive casualties.

Protests continue in El Cajon, California over the police killing of Alfred Olango

Mon, 03 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Recently-released video shows an officer firing deadly shots at unarmed Olango less than two minutes after arriving on the scene.

Pasadena police kill father of eight during help call

Mon, 03 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Pasadena police officers dispatched to assist with a disturbed man, tased, beat and ultimately asphyxiated Reginald Thomas, Jr., a father of eight, in front of his family.

Russia responds to US threats with blunt warning over use of force in Syria

Mon, 03 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

A US attack on Syrian government forces could result in “total war” and “tectonic shifts” in the Middle East, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned.

India and Pakistan teeter on the brink of war

Mon, 03 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

In anticipation of a possible Pakistani counter-strike, or to facilitate their own war preparations, India is evacuating tens of thousands of people living near the border.

UK Prime Minister announces timetable for UK exit from European Union

Mon, 03 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

According to plans put forward by Theresa May, Britain will be out of the European Union by March 2019—a year ahead of a scheduled 2020 General Election.

Spanish Socialist Party leader resigns to allow formation of right-wing government

Mon, 03 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The success of the inner-party putsch against Pedro Sánchez underscores how the ruling class uses parties like the Socialist Party (PSOE) to impose unpopular policies.

Police state preparations in Dresden for German Unity Day

Mon, 03 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Some 2,600 police officers have been mobilised, including a special unit of the Saxony state police and the elite GSG 9 force.

Philadelphia and Pittsburgh orchestra musicians on strike

Mon, 03 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The musicians in both the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony face demands for concessions from wealthy patrons and management.

US transit agency launched safety probe before fatal New Jersey train crash

Mon, 03 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Federal Railroad Administration began an audit of the New Jersey Transit rail system in June, fining it nearly $335,000 for 33 federal regulation safety violations in 2013-2015.

Hungary’s anti-refugee referendum fails after low turnout

Mon, 03 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The refugee referendum marked the high point of a vicious anti-refugee campaign waged by the Hungarian government and the entire European Union.

Worker killed at US Steel mill in Indiana

Mon, 03 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The death of Jonathan Arrizola comes amid a wave of layoffs at the US Steel mill in Gary, Indiana and rising complaints over unsafe conditions.

Amnesty International documents torture by Thai junta

Mon, 03 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

The Amnesty report documents the brutal methods that will be used more broadly as opposition develops to the regime’s austerity measures and brutal repression.

Thousands of teachers strike in Brazil as government prepares attack on education

Mon, 03 Oct 2016 05:00:00 GMT

In addition to cuts in the education budget, teachers protested against President Michel Temer’s proposals for pension and labor “reforms.”