30 December 2017

Deadly Bronx fire: A tragic product of inequality and social crisis in America

By Fred Mazelis and A. Woodson, 30 December 2017

In every sphere of life, New York remains what newly reelected Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio hypocritically promised to change four years ago: two worlds in one city.

Cold wave, house fires prove lethal for US homeless, poor

US fire death toll in 2017 reaches 2,152

New York prepares military-style occupation for New Year’s celebration in Times Square

By Philip Guelpa, 30 December 2017

Thousands of heavily armed, uniformed personnel, including police snipers, are being deployed to impose a military-style occupation of Times Square in connection with the annual New Year’s Eve celebration.

Was the 2016 terrorist attack on the Berlin Christmas market an “intelligence operation with deadly collateral damage?”

Protests erupt in Morocco after two die working in abandoned mine

By Alex Lantier, 30 December 2017

Poverty and mass unemployment force thousands in eastern Morocco to risk their lives in abandoned coal mines, which Jerada residents call the “mines of death.”

US president accuses China of illegal oil transfer to North Korea

By Peter Symonds, 30 December 2017

Trump’s tweet declaring Beijing was “caught RED HANDED” smacks of a contrived provocation aimed at ramping up tensions with China and North Korea.

UN imposes harsh new sanctions on North Korea

South Korean and Chinese leaders meet over North Korea, economic ties

US will “compel” North Korea to denuclearise

More on the war threat against North Korea »

Drexel University professor resigns amid death threats from right-wing forces

By Trévon Austin, 30 December 2017

Ciccariello-Maher, a professor of politics and global studies, was harassed and threatened after several tweets he made were criticized on various right-wing outlets.

Australian dramatic arts workers defend Geoffrey Rush, denounce #MeToo witch-hunt

The petition against Matt Damon and the “erasing” of Kevin Spacey: The fiercely antidemocratic character of the sexual misconduct campaign

Actor Matt Damon comes under attack for his criticisms of the sexual misconduct campaign

Trump administration rolls back fines against nursing homes as violations mount

By Kate Randall, 30 December 2017

By one government estimate, a staggering 380,000 deaths a year may be the result of health care-associated infections in facilities for the elderly.

Health care threatened for nine million low-income US children

It’s the most exhausting time of the year: Amazon, UPS workers denounce grueling holiday conditions

By our reporters, 30 December 2017

Amid reports of deaths at Amazon and UPS, workers at Amazon, UPS, FedEx, US Postal Service, and other logistics and delivery companies have been under immense pressure to meet increased demand during the Christmas holiday.

Germany: Demands grow for Merkel’s resignation

By Peter Schwarz, 30 December 2017

The longer negotiations on a new ruling coalition continue, the more likely leading business, political and media figure will press for a rapid change at the top of the government.

Social inequality and Germany’s government crisis

Italian election campaign officially opens

By Peter Schwarz, 30 December 2017

Italian President Sergio Matarella dissolved parliament on Thursday, opening campaigning for the election which will take place in the first week of March.

Alberta’s NDP government imposes wage and hiring freezes on public sector

By Janet Browning and Roger Jordan, 30 December 2017

The NDP’s anti-working class austerity measures are aimed at wooing big business, which has rallied behind the newly-established United Conservative Party.

Peru’s President Kuczynski pardons Fujimori after surviving impeachment

By Armando Cruz, 30 December 2017

Fujimori’s pardon has unleashed a wave of protests, mostly by young people, in the capital and other main cities.

Peru’s President Kuczynski facing impeachment

Top Peruvian businessmen arrested in Odebrecht bribery scandal

US and India pressure Sri Lanka over port deal with China

By Saman Gunadasa, 30 December 2017

Mounting government debt has forced the Colombo government to turn to China for financial help.

Australian police handed more military weaponry

By John Roberts, 30 December 2017

The provision of assault rifles to the New South Wales riot squad is part of an international process of police militarisation to deal with growing social tensions.

New Zealand government offers false promises to reduce poverty

By Tom Peters, 30 December 2017

The Labour-led government’s meagre welfare increases and social spending are subordinate to keeping corporate taxes low and upgrading the military.

New in Romanian

Muncitorii Ford din Romania trebuie să facă un apel internațional!

World Socialist Web Site Buletinul Informativ al muncitorilor auto, 29 decembrie 2017

Succesul luptei duse de muncitorii de la Craiova va fi determinat de capacitatea lor de a-si păstra independența față de sindicate si față de partidele burgheze dar și de capacitatea lor de a rupe izolarea și de a face legătura cu colegii lor de la Ford din toată lumea.

New in Spanish

Macron dirige sus decretos laborales contra los trabajadores automotrices

Por Alex Lantier, 30 diciembre 2017

El anuncio de despidos masivos por el segundo mayor fabricante de autos de Europa forma parte de una ofensiva internacional e implacable contra los puestos de trabajo, las condiciones laborales y los derechos sociales.

Rusia acusa al Pentágono de entrenar a excombatientes de Estado Islámico

Por Bill Van Auken, 30 diciembre 2017

El reporte de que EUA está entrenando a exmilicianos de Estado Islámico es otra pieza más de evidencia de que Washington está preparándose para una nueva fase de su guerra en Siria.

“El gobierno no ha hecho nada”:
Crisis de empleo en Puerto Rico, meses después del huracán

Por Genevieve Leigh y Zac Corrigan, 30 diciembre 2017

“Uno se pregunta ¿quién es peor?, ¡los Republicanos que están alborotando todo, o los Demócratas que no hacen nada! Ninguno de esos dos partidos es para nosotros”.

New in Turkish

Oligarşi topluma karşı

Barry Grey, 30 Aralık 2017

Tarihte hiçbir zaman, mali oligarşinin işçi sınıfı zararına devasa bir toplumsal servet biriktirdiğini gösteren raporların her gün, her hafta yayınlandığı günümüzdeki kadar doğru olmamıştır.

Rusya Pentagon’u eski IŞİD savaşçılarını eğitmekle suçluyor

Bill Van Auken, 30 Aralık 2017

Bir rapora göre, ABD özel harekat birlikleri, Suriye’nin Irak ile Ürdün sınırlarının stratejik bağlantı noktası yakınlarındaki El Tanf üssünde IŞİD’in eski savaşçılarını gizlice barındırıp eğitiyor.

New in French

Québec solidaire fusionne avec les nationalistes de droite d’Option nationale

Louis Girard et Richard Dufour, 30 décembre 2017

Alors que les deux partis traditionnels de l’élite dirigeante au Québec ont été discrédités par leurs mesures d’austérité, QS cherche à exploiter son image «de gauche» en offrant ses services à l’establishment comme défenseur de l’État capitaliste.

New in German

Macrons Arbeitsrechtsdekret wird gegen Autoarbeiter eingesetzt

Alex Lantier, 30. Dezember 2017

Der massenhafte Abbau von Arbeitsplätzen bei Europas zweitgrößtem Autobauer ist Bestandteil eines internationalen Angriffs auf Arbeitsplätze, Arbeitsbedingungen und soziale Rechte.

Pläne für massive militärische Aufrüstung nach Regierungsbildung

Johannes Stern, 30. Dezember 2017

Wenige Tage vor dem offiziellen Beginn der Sondierungsgespräche zwischen den Unionsparteien und der SPD macht ein aktuelles Papier der CSU deutlich, was die wirklichen Fragen sind, um die es bei der Regierungsbildung geht.

Italien im Wahlkampf

Peter Schwarz, 30. Dezember 2017

Der italienische Staatspräsident Sergio Matarella hat am Donnerstag das Parlament aufgelöst und damit offiziell den Wahlkampf eröffnet. Die Parlamentswahl findet am 4. März statt.

Rumänische Ford-Arbeiter müssen sich an internationale Arbeiterklasse wenden!

World Socialist Web Site Autoarbeiter-Newsletter, 30. Dezember 2017

Der Erfolg des Kampfs der Arbeiter von Craiova hängt davon ab, ob es ihnen gelingt, ihre Unabhängigkeit von den Gewerkschaften und den bürgerlichen Parteien zu wahren, ihre Isolation zu durchbrechen und sich mit Ford-Arbeitern weltweit zu verbünden.

Rumänischer Autoarbeiter spricht mit WSWS über wilden Streik im Ford-Werk von Craiova

Eric London, 30. Dezember 2017

„Wir haben es mit einer korrupten Gewerkschaft zu tun, die für das Unternehmen arbeitet.“

VW kürzt Gehälter von Betriebsräten

Dietmar Henning, 30. Dezember 2017

Der Volkswagen-Konzern hat die Gehälter von 14 Betriebsräten gekürzt, weil die Staatsanwaltschaft Braunschweig dem Verdacht der Untreue nachgeht.

Jemen: 700 Zivilisten im Dezember getötet und verletzt

Bill Van Auken, 30. Dezember 2017

Die brutale Intensivierung der saudischen Bombardements wird sowohl von der Frustration Riads über das Patt im Krieg als auch von der fortwährenden Unterstützung durch Washington getrieben.

Bestandsaufnahme Gurlitt: „Entartete Kunst“ im Kunstmuseum Bern

Marianne Arens, 30. Dezember 2017

Schon ein erster Streifzug durch die Berner Ausstellung vermittelt einen Eindruck davon, was für ein kultureller Schatz über achtzig Jahre hinweg – seit der Verfemung durch die Nazis ab 1937 – der Öffentlichkeit entzogen war.

New in Arabic

مكانة ثورة أكتوبرعلى مستوى تاريخ العالم وفي السياسات المعاصرة

١٢ تشرين الثاني نوفمبر ٢٠١٧

إن برنامج الثورة الاشتراكية العالمية الذي طرحه لينين و تروتسكي مثل الاستراتيجية الوحيدة القابلة للحياة في مواجهة انهيار النظام الذي بدأ مع اندلاع الحرب الأوروبية.

New in Russian

Эта неделя в русской революции
18–24 декабря: В Брест-Литовске начались мирные переговоры

29 декабря 2017 г.

Троцкий позднее писал: «История сложилась так, что делегатам самого революционного режима, который когда-либо знало человечество, пришлось заседать за общим дипломатическим столом с представителями самой реакционной касты среди всех правящих классов».

Other Languages

Perspective

Final reflections on the centennial year of the October Revolution

30 December 2017

The commemoration of the centenary of the October Revolution reflected the political interests and outlooks of different class forces.

Earlier Perspectives »

WSWS Online Webinar

WSWS Holiday Schedule

Over the holiday period, we will not publish on Monday, January 1 and Tuesday, January 2. We will resume our regular schedule of postings on Wednesday, January 3. The WSWS extends season's greetings to all of our readers.

Auto Workers Struggles

Romanian Ford workers must make international appeal!

World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter, 29 December 2017

The success of the Craiova workers’ struggle will be determined by their ability to retain their independence from the trade unions and the bourgeois parties, and by their ability to break the isolation of their strike and link up with their fellow Ford workers internationally.

US Ford worker supports autoworker strike in Romania: “They need to hook up with us”

By Tim Rivers, 29 December 2017

Romanian Ford worker speaks to WSWS about wildcat strike at Craiova plant

More on auto workers issues »

Commentary

The ruling class’s Christmas message to Grenfell survivors: You will get nothing from us

By Steve James, 30 December 2017

Three days before Christmas, Prime Minister Theresa May rejected a petition set up by a survivor of the July Grenfell Tower inferno in London.

Macron turns France’s labor decrees on auto workers

By Alex Lantier, 29 December 2017

Zimbabwe government and opposition compete for imperialist backing

By Chris Marsden, 29 December 2017

The way forward in Zimbabwe after Mugabe

Over 700 Yemeni civilians killed and wounded by US-backed Saudi airstrikes in December

By Bill Van Auken, 29 December 2017

Saudi crisis threatens wider war in the Middle East

The oligarchy versus society

By Barry Grey, 28 December 2017

The US government and the Russian election

By Andre Damon, 27 December 2017

Arts Review

Best films of 2017, and other matters

By David Walsh and Joanne Laurier, 30 December 2017

It is impossible to discuss the best films of the year without considering some big social and cultural issues.

Pop and jazz in 2017

By Hiram Lee, Matthew Brennan and Nick Barrickman, 30 December 2017

With a few exceptions, the top of the Billboard charts in 2017 was home to one conformist and forgettable album after another, or worse.

Remarkable collection of early Soviet films on DVD: The New Man—Awakening and Everyday Life in Revolutionary Russia

By Bernd Reinhardt, 29 December 2017

Downsizing: Alexander Payne’s take on climate change, overpopulation, social inequality … and more

Science

Insights into a new class of HIV retroviral drugs

By Benjamin Mateus, 30 December 2017

Recent investigation into the process of the HIV virus capsid maturation suggests a new method of disrupting its ability to infect.

Workers Struggles

Hyundai autoworkers rejected pay deal; Taiwan workers protest industrial laws
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific

30 December 2017

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

Massachusetts public transportation workers’ wages, benefits, and safety under attack

Puerto Rico

Support on-the-spot reporting on the WSWS

Donate to the WSWS today to support on-the-spot reporting, like our continuing coverage of the crisis in Puerto Rico.

“The government has done nothing”
Months after hurricane, Puerto Rican workers face worsening jobs crisis

Puerto Rico governor orders review of official hurricane death toll

More on Puerto Rico »

Socialist Equality Party

Indian ICFI supporters call public meeting in Kolkata to mark Russian Revolution centenary

29 December 2017

The Kolkata meeting will discuss the political and theoretical struggles led by Lenin and Trotsky and their significance for today.

Socialist Equality Party (Sri Lanka) stands for local government elections

By our correspondents, 23 December 2017

SEP in Sri Lanka pays tribute to Keerthi Balasuriya

By our correspondent, 20 December 2017

On the 30th anniversary of the death of Comrade Keerthi Balasuriya

By David North, 19 December 2017

Keerthi’s death on December 18, 1987 was an irreplaceable loss to the International Committee of the Fourth International and its Sri Lankan section.

Australian and New Zealand Trotskyists hold powerful Russian Revolution centenary meetings

SEP meeting attendees speak about the Russian Revolution

Centenary of the Russian Revolution

Arabic translation of “The Place of the October Revolution in World History and Contemporary Politics”

We are publishing here the Arabic translation of the concluding lecture in the ICFI series marking the centenary of the Russian Revolution, “The Place of the October Revolution in World History and Contemporary Politics.” The lecture by David North, the WSWS chairman, was streamed live on November 11.

This week in the Russian Revolution
December 25-31: Soviet government nationalizes the banks

27 December 2017

The year 1917 closes with the Russian Revolution in a precarious situation. The new Soviet government is menaced on all sides by hostile armies. Meanwhile, the imperialist war rages on, and the October insurrection catalyzes revolutionary struggles around the world.

Chronology of the Russian Revolution »

History

How former Nazi official Reinhard Gehlen erected a state within a state in post-war Germany

By Wolfgang Weber, 27 December 2017

Over 100,000 pages of documents relating to the post-World War II head of the German Federal Intelligence Service and ex-Nazi official Reinhard Gehlen have been leaked to the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Mehring Books

WSWS publishes Urdu translation of Trotsky’s Lessons of October

Preface to the Urdu edition of Lessons of October

Profiteering by insulation industry central to Grenfell Tower fire in London

By Tom Pearce, 28 December 2017

Six months since the Grenfell Tower fire

More on the Grenfell Tower fire »

International Amazon Workers Voice

Amazon begins operations in Australia

By Patrick Kelly, 28 December 2017

Amazon worker dies after vomiting blood at Sacramento, California fulfillment center

By Kristina Betinis, 23 December 2017

OSHA dragging its feet investigating death of Pennsylvania Amazon worker Devan Shoemaker

Amazon conducts total surveillance of workers in new German plant

By Marianne Arens, 16 December 2017

Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa
One day strike hits German and Italian Amazon distribution centres

Watch: How can Amazon workers fight back?

Share this video widely! Like and Follow the International Amazon Workers Voice on Facebook

Google Censorship

Net neutrality and the drive to censor the internet

By Andre Damon, 25 November 2017

The conspiracy to censor the Internet

By Andre Damon and Joseph Kishore, 18 October 2017

The elites “have no credibility left:” An interview with journalist Chris Hedges

An open letter to Google: Stop the censorship of the Internet! Stop the political blacklisting of the World Socialist Web Site!

25 August 2017

Sign the petition and share it as widely as possible through email, online forums, and social media.

Watch: Stop online censorship!

More on Google Censorship »

Centenary of the Russian Revolution

Australia: Socialist Equality Party holds successful meetings on Russian Revolution

By our correspondents, 7 December 2017

Workers and youth discuss the Russian Revolution at SEP meetings

By our reporters, 7 December 2017

Russian television’s Trotsky serial: A degraded spectacle of historical falsification and anti-Semitism

By Fred Williams and David North, 25 November 2017

The eight-part serial is an exhibition of the political, intellectual and cultural depravity of all those involved in its production.

The Place of the October Revolution in World History and Contemporary Politics

By David North, 13 November 2017

IYSSE

IYSSE mounts campaign against university police censorship at University of California, Berkeley

By Evan Blake, 2 December 2017

International Youth and Students for Social Equality launches new website

6 November 2017

The IYSSE’s newly designed website includes an updated Statement of Principles for its US section. We urge all youth and students to join the IYSSE and take up the fight for socialism.