World News

Bangladeshi police attack garment workers’ protest

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Police fired rubber bullets at tens of thousands of workers demanding higher wages and protesting the April 24 garment factory collapse that killed 1,127 workers.

Washington’s hacking charges escalate pressure on China

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The New York Times on Monday published a front-page article reiterating unsubstantiated allegations that the Chinese military is carrying out cyberwarfare against US corporations.

New revelations of US government spying on the press

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The FBI followed and obtained emails from Fox News chief Washington correspondent James Rosen as part of an investigation of a 2009 leak of information from the State Department.

Devastating tornado kills at least 91 in Oklahoma City

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

On Monday afternoon, a massive tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, leaving a mile-wide swath of devastation.

Employers to offer bare-bones coverage under health care law

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

US employers will be able to avoid penalties under the Obama-backed health care legislation, while offering token plans to their workforces.

Obama to college graduates: “No room for excuses”

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

US President Barack Obama used his commencement speech at Morehouse College on Sunday to insist that if young people are poor or unemployed, it’s their own fault.

The crisis of Venezuela’s “Bolivarian” revolution and the political independence of the working class

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Venezuelan workers can rely only on their own independent strength to defend social gains won over the past period and defeat the threat of a right-wing coup.

Guatemala’s US-backed dictator Rios Montt convicted of genocide

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

On May 10, Guatemala's former dictator José Efraín Rios Montt received an 80-year prison sentence for crimes committed under his rule.

Germany: Parliamentary inquiry into neo-Nazi murders concludes

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The federal prosecutor and judges in the neo-Nazi NSU trial want to limit further revelations about state involvement in the group’s series of murders.

Spain’s Popular Party faces wave of strikes and demonstrations

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

A social explosion is brewing in Spain, where there have been at least 27 demonstrations since the beginning of the year.

Slovenian government adopts another austerity programme

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Seven weeks after taking power, Slovenia’s centre-left governing coalition adopted a new austerity programme and presented it to the EU commission.

Hedge funds eye Detroit for “hostile takeover”

Mon, 20 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Detroit’s $8.6 billion in junk bond debt is being eyed by hedge funds eager to play their part in the looting of the city.

Greek teachers defy military mobilisation orders

Thu, 16 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Greek teachers have voted to oppose the mobilisation order of the government and begin strike action on Friday.

Video shows US-backed opposition fighter cannibalizing Syrian soldier

Thu, 16 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The video makes clear the barbaric character of the Islamic fundamentalist forces the US has mobilized in its proxy war against Syria.

House hearing whitewashes US government seizure of AP phone records

Thu, 16 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

A House committee that heard testimony from Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday initiated a bipartisan whitewash of the virtually unprecedented assault on press freedom carried out by the Obama administration.

US Defense Department to furlough 650,000 civilian workers

Thu, 16 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Tuesday announced plans to impose 11 days of unpaid leave for most of the Pentagon’s 800,000 civilian employees beginning in July.

Nationwide protests against austerity in Israel

Thu, 16 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The budget aims to cut the deficit that reached US$11 billion in 2012.

Incoming Pakistani prime minister pledges loyalty to Washington

Thu, 16 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Pakistan’s incoming prime minister has moved quickly to signal his readiness to work with Washington in prosecuting the AfPak War and with the International Monetary Fund in imposing punishing austerity measures.

Russia: Deputy Prime Minister Surkov resigns

Thu, 16 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

On May 8, President Vladimir Putin approved the “voluntary resignation” of Deputy Prime Minister Vladislav Surkov, universally regarded as “number two in the Kremlin”.

Schools in Buena Vista, Michigan may reopen after board approves cuts

Thu, 16 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The state of Michigan restored funding to the district after the school board agreed to a drastic deficit reduction plan.

France: Three die in fire at Roma squat

Thu, 16 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Three Roma, two women and a 12-year-old child, died in a fire in an abandoned factory in Lyon.

Obama, Cameron hold Syria war summit in Washington

Tue, 14 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The US and British heads of government discussed stepping up their campaign for war in Syria as well as plans for intervening throughout the Middle East.

Reports suggest Syrian opposition involvement in Turkish bombings

Tue, 14 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Despite evidence that groups involved in the campaign against the Syrian regime were behind the bombings, Turkish leaders are pushing to use them as a pretext for war.

Greek protests against ban on strikes

Tue, 14 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Greek police served 88,000 high school teachers with civil mobilization orders on Monday.

Detroit’s emergency manager outlines slash and burn “restructuring” plan

Tue, 14 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Kevyn Orr released a report on Monday, outlining a “comprehensive restructuring plan” for the city involving savage cuts to city workers’ jobs, wages and pensions and the elimination of services to a large section of the population.

Mother’s Day shooting in New Orleans injures 19 people

Tue, 14 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Eight years after Hurricane Katrina, poor and working class sections of the city remain devastated by unemployment and poverty.

Pontiac, Michigan school crisis provokes outcry from parents, teachers

Tue, 14 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The district has agreed to massive budget cuts as a condition for receiving state aid.

Philippine coast guard kills Taiwanese fisherman in disputed waters

Tue, 14 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Relations between Taiwan and the Philippines soured dramatically over the weekend after Philippine forces shot and killed an unarmed Taiwanese fisherman.

Philadelphia mayor threatens elimination of school programs, staff

Tue, 14 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

City officials have seized upon the school system’s $300 million budget deficit to demand further cutbacks in education.

Twenty-four dead in Mexican truck explosion

Tue, 14 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

A tanker truck carrying pressurized LP gas careened off a highway near Mexico City killing 24 people.

Karzai reveals US plan for permanent Afghanistan bases

Sat, 11 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The Afghanistan president’s statement underscores the intention of the Obama administration and the Pentagon to maintain a permanent military presence.

FBI, Homeland Security withheld information on Boston bombing suspects from local, state police

Sat, 11 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The Boston police commissioner and a top Massachusetts Homeland Security official told Congress Thursday that the local and state police were never informed by the FBI or the Department of Homeland Security of multiple warnings about Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

Germany: Opel Bochum workers denounce union sellout

Sat, 11 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

GM Opel workers are incensed over the betrayal carried out by the IG Metall trade union.

Britain’s Queen’s speech: Anti-immigrant rhetoric in support of austerity

Sat, 11 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

By scapegoating immigrants as undeserving “scroungers”, the government intends to deny people, including European Union citizens, the right to access public services, including welfare, health care and housing.

Irish Labour Party in deep crisis

Sat, 11 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Since entering government with Fine Gael in 2011, Labour has taken the lead in wielding the axe to public spending.

Ontario: NDP preparing to support another Liberal austerity budget

Sat, 11 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

With strong backing from the trade unions, the New Democratic Party is again preparing to enable Ontario’s minority Liberal government to impose a big business austerity budget.

Unions, ministers organize protest in Detroit over fast-food worker pay

Sat, 11 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The Detroit protests held Friday at locations across the city shut down several fast-food restaurants.

Marx 21 Congress: Anti-Marxists meet in Berlin

Sat, 11 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The congress of the Marx 21 group taking place this weekend in Berlin is a shabby operation aimed at promoting right-wing and imperialist policies under a pseudo-left garb.

Video: Detroit tenants denounce mass evictions

Sat, 11 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Hundreds of low-income Detroit residents are being forced from their homes as part of a plan by Detroit officials to gentrify the downtown area.

German Left Party’s Oskar Lafontaine calls for return to national currencies

Sat, 11 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The founder and former chair of the Left Party, Oskar Lafontaine, is proposing the reintroduction of national currencies to drive down wages.

Seattle transit agency proposes deep cuts in service

Sat, 11 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Seattle’s Metro Transit plans to slash service by one third to address a $75 million funding shortfall.

UN says US-backed opposition, not Syrian regime, used poison gas

Tue, 07 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

UN investigator Carla del Ponte’s statements explode the propaganda lie that the US is preparing to attack Syria to defend its people from chemical weapons.

Obama warns against “cynicism” at Ohio State commencement address

Tue, 07 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The US president, whose tenure in office has underscored the corporate control of both political parties, counseled students not to be “cynical” about government.

US preexisting conditions health plan closed for enrollment

Tue, 07 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

An estimated 40,000 people with serious medical conditions will be turned away from a federal insurance plan that is running out of funds.

Guatemala imposes state of siege against mine protests

Tue, 07 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The Guatemalan government has imposed a 30-day state of siege to repress protests against a Canadian-owned mining operation.

Germany: Verdi union accepts cuts to real wages at Lufthansa

Tue, 07 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Following strikes by its Lufthansa members, Verdi has capitulated to management.

Obama education secretary, Michigan governor promote school “reform”

Tue, 07 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Obama administration Education Secretary Arne Duncan joined Michigan’s Republican Governor Rick Snyder on Monday to promote the attack on teachers and public education.

French unions back closure of PSA Aulnay auto factory

Tue, 07 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

On Monday, auto maker PSA’s central works council authorized a redundancy scheme to close PSA’s plant at Aulnay, near Paris.

Euro zone unemployment hits record high for 23rd consecutive month

Thu, 02 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Unemployment in the euro zone hit another record in March, with no end in sight to the economic and social catastrophe gripping Europe.

Greek unions hold one-day general strike

Thu, 02 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Public transport ground to a halt in the capital Athens, with no train or ferry services operating.

Obama hails police lockdown, covers up state role in Boston bombings

Thu, 02 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

In his White House press conference, Obama sought to divert attention from the connections of the bombing suspects to US intelligence agencies.

Guantanamo hunger strike, force feedings continue

Thu, 02 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

At least 100 detainees at the Guantanamo prison camp remained on hunger strike a day after President Obama claimed he would “re-engage Congress” on closing the facility.

UAW chief stabs German Opel workers in the back

Thu, 02 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

United Auto Workers President Bob King called on workers at General Motors’ Opel factory in Bochum, Germany to vote again on a concessions-laden contract.

Quebec unions mount nationalist campaign against savage cuts to jobless benefits

Thu, 02 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Tens of thousands of workers from New Brunswick and all parts of Quebec joined a mass protest in Montreal last Saturday to oppose the federal Conservative government’s dismantling of Employment Insurance.

Free health screening in Detroit draws thousands

Thu, 02 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Both the uninsured and underinsured turned out at the event held this week at Cobo Convention Center.

American GM worker supports German Opel workers

Thu, 02 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

In August 2010, workers at General Motors stamping plant in Indianapolis, Indiana rebelled against the efforts of the United Auto Workers to push through a 50 percent wage cut to entice a new owner to buy the plant, which was being shuttered by GM. With the support of the World Socialist Web Site , workers organized a rank-and-file committee independent of the UAW to oppose the wage cut and threatened factory closure.

University of California medical workers hold strike vote

Wed, 01 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Medical workers at a UC Medical Center spoke to the WSWS about the alarming conditions facing both workers and patients.

US moves to expand Internet wiretaps

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is seeking to force companies such as Google, Dropbox and Facebook to create backdoors for wiretapping users’ communications.

More mass layoffs in Greece

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The Greek parliament has voted to dismiss 15,500 public service workers and slash the minimum wage.

Amid jobs collapse, French President Hollande backs austerity in Europe

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

With 26 million workers unemployed in Europe, Hollande is signaling that he will keep supporting social cuts that are devastating the French and European economies.

Explosion at Detroit oil refinery raises danger of wider disaster

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The explosion of a diesel fuel tank at the Marathon Detroit Refinery raises the specter of a larger industrial disaster in the Detroit area.

Study finds nearly half of New Yorkers living in or near poverty

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

A new report by the New York City Commission on Economic Opportunity finds that over 20 percent of the residents in America’s most populous city live in poverty.

US student loan interest rates expected to double

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Beginning on July 1, interest rates on subsidized Stafford loans for college undergraduates are expected to double from 3.4 to 6.8 percent.

UK base carrying out Afghan drone strikes

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

A specially created mission base in Lincolnshire, England is directing drone strikes on Afghanistan.

University of California’s medical workers to hold strike vote

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Thirteen-thousand patient care workers in the University of California’s medical system will vote on a possible strike starting April 30.

US ramps up plans for military intervention in Syria

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The expansion of aid to US-backed oppositional forces in Syria and the deployment of hundreds of US troops to Jordan come amidst new threats against Iran.

70,000 Danish teachers locked out

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

In a historically unprecedented act, the Danish government has locked out 70,000 high school teachers for more than three weeks.

Canadian government unveils “terror plot” as it adopts draconian new law

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Canadian authorities announced Monday afternoon they had broken up a terrorist conspiracy, just as the country’s parliament was to debate new anti-terrorism legislation that would give the state draconian new powers.

European Union cites Boston attack to justify major anti-terrorist operation

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

On April 17 and 18, anti-terrorist units of numerous European Union member states participated in an operation involving simulated terrorist attacks in nine different countries.

Snyder administration plot to privatize Michigan schools exposed

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Officials in Governor Rick Snyder’s administration have been holding secret meetings to map out a strategy to finance corporate-run schools with public funds.

One-day Lufthansa strike grounds flights in Germany

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

A strike by Lufthansa ground crew on Monday led to the cancellation of flights at airports across Germany.

Spain: Polls show support for all parties, unions and monarchy at record low

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The huge decline in support for the political parties, trade unions, and the monarchy can only mean huge social struggles are on the horizon.

Official opposition protests Montenegro presidential election result

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Both candidates in the recent presidential election in Montenegro support the austerity policies of the European Union.

350 working without a contract at Master Lock in Milwaukee

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Workers represented by the United Auto Workers (UAW) at the Master Lock facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin have been working without a contract since April 3.

US sequester furloughs delay flights, threaten airport safety

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Unpaid furloughs imposed on air traffic controllers will result in flight delays and cancellations at airports across the US.

Boston bombing suspect gets death penalty charge

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the 19-year-old surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings, was formally charged Monday before a federal judge, who was brought to his hospital bed.

German media, politicians praise Obama for military-police lockdown of Boston

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Commentaries in the media and by leading political figures on the events in Boston throw a spotlight on the undemocratic character of the German ruling elite.

Detroit emergency manager proclaims power to end collective bargaining

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Emergency manager Kevyn Orr claims he is under no legal obligation to participate in bargaining with public safety employees, including police, firefighters and emergency medical responders.

UK: 50,000 march to save Stafford Hospital

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The massive turnout to protest plans to close Stafford Hospital testifies to the determination of local residents and hospital staff to protect services.

Mass evictions continue in Spain

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

None of the main demands of the anti-evictions petition launched by the Mortgage Victims Platform have been included in a new law by the Popular Party.

Supreme Court bars US lawsuits against overseas human rights abuses

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that foreign citizens subjected to human rights abuses outside the US cannot sue corporations or individuals in US courts.

Interview with Paul Hoffman, lawyer for the plaintiffs

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Paul Hoffman, a partner in the Venice, California law firm of Schonbrun, DeSimone, Seplow, Harris, Hoffman & Harrison, has been representing plaintiffs in cases under the Alien Tort Statute for the last 30 years.

German Left Party supports imperialist intervention in Syria

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The Left Party has responded to the intensification of imperialist intervention in Syria by working more openly with right-wing Islamist forces and US imperialism.

Ontario Liberals to keep raising post-secondary tuition fees

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Ontario’s NDP-backed minority Liberal government has announced plans to raise university tuition fees to $8,000 by 2016.

Child poverty in US among the highest in developed world

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

A new report by the United Nations details the growing levels of poverty facing children in the major capitalist countries, with the US ranking near the bottom on all metrics.

Media hysteria grows over Boston bombing

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

While the nation, including the people of Boston, have remained calm, deeply saddened and shocked by the bombings as they are, the media and their leading personnel present a picture of disorientation and panic.

IMF slashes world growth outlook

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The International Monetary Fund downgraded its 2013 outlook for the world economy Tuesday amid mounting signs that the global slump is intensifying.

Sequestration cuts hit Michigan

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

As a result of the sequester cuts signed by President Obama, $150 million will be cut from programs that particularly affect the poor in Michigan.

German SPD conference approves election program

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The Social Democratic Party Augsburg conference sent a clear message that the party agrees with the Merkel government’s austerity policy.

Britain’s involvement in assassination of Congo’s Lumumba confirmed

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

A senior British politician has revealed Britain’s involvement in the 1961 assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the Congo’s first prime minister.

Floods devastate Argentina

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Torrential storms and floods affected 450,000 people and killed 58 in Argentina.

New York stop-and-frisk trial bares massive police abuse

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Plaintiffs in an ongoing federal trial have alleged that New York’s Police Department has violated the constitutional rights of millions of people in its decade-long stop-and-frisk program.

Homeless in San Diego, California

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

San Diego, California ranks third in the nation for the number of homeless, with estimates of 10,000.

Mass layoffs in Illinois

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

A large number of companies in Illinois have announced closures and job cuts.

The US Justice Department brief for the assassination of US citizens

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Since the publication of the white paper, leading figures in the US political establishment have declared that the asserted power to assassinate includes the power to kill US citizens on US soil.

Locked-out American Crystal workers narrowly pass concessions contract

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The ratification ended the 20-month lockout by American Crystal Sugar Company.

Media rush to judgment in Boston Marathon bombing

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

At least three people were killed and 144 wounded, including 15 with critical injuries, by two bomb explosions in downtown Boston.

Syrian opposition militia declares allegiance to Al Qaeda

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The leading fighting group in the US-backed war against the Syrian government has announced its loyalty to Al Qaeda.

US Head Start preschool program hit with sequester cuts

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The Obama administration has announced that Head Start, a federally funded program that provides preschool for low-income families, will face cuts.

German Defence Minister prevented from speaking at Berlin’s Humboldt University

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Protesting students in Berlin prevented Germany’s Defence Minister Thomas from delivering a lecture.