16 May 2012

French President Hollande attends Berlin summit after inauguration

By Alex Lantier, 16 May 2012

French President François Hollande flew directly from his inauguration in Paris yesterday to Berlin, to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Voters in German state election reject government austerity policy

By Peter Schwarz, 16 May 2012

The results of the North Rhine-Westphalia election represent an unequivocal repudiation of the austerity policies of Chancellor Angela Merkel, following the trend in the elections in Greece and France.

Left Party collapse in North Rhine-Westphalia vote

By Martin Kreickenbaum, 16 May 2012

The Left Party suffered a punishing defeat in the election held in the state of North Rhine Westphalia last weekend.

Murdoch scandal: Rebekah Brooks charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice

By Chris Marsden, 16 May 2012

Former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks and her husband, Charlie, are two of six people charged yesterday in connection with the Murdoch phone hacking scandal.

California governor demands massive new cuts in response to budget revision

By Rafael Azul, 16 May 2012

On Monday, California’s Democratic Party Mayor Jerry Brown called for drastic cuts in health care and government worker pay, two days after the state announced a projected deficit increase of nearly $7 billion for next year.

Survey finds 23 percent rise in street homelessness in New York City

By Ali Ismail, 16 May 2012

The number of homeless people living on the streets of New York City increased by 23 percent in one year according to an annual survey conducted by the city's Department of Homeless Services.

Scores of decapitated bodies found in Mexico

By Bill Van Auken, 16 May 2012

In a brutal escalation of Mexico's drug war, scores of decapitated and mutilated bodies were recovered outside of the northern industrial city of Monterrey.

Australian state governments prepare sweeping spending cuts

By Patrick O’Connor, 16 May 2012

Every state government, Labor and Liberal alike, has stressed its determination to do whatever is necessary to avoid a credit rating downgrade.

South Korean government tries to shore up fragile banking system

By Ben McGrath, 16 May 2012

Besides being exposed to a domestic real estate bubble, South Korea’s banking system is heavily dependent on international credit markets.

New in French

La débâcle de JPMorgan

Par Andre Damon et Barry Grey, 16 mai 2012

Les 2 milliards de dollars de pertes dans des opérations de courtage de JPMorgan Chase montrent que près de quatre ans après le krach de Wall Street en 2008, rien n'a été fait pour maîtriser les pratiques spéculatives qui avaient conduit à l'effondrement financier.

Grèce: le soutien de SYRIZA est recherché pour imposer des mesures d'austérité

Par Christoph Dreier, 16 mai 2012

L'élite dirigeante de Grèce et de l'UE sont apparemment convaincues que la meilleure façon de reprendre le contrôle sur une opposition populaire grandissante contre les mesures de rigueur est d'avoir l'aide de SYRIZA.

New in Chinese

菲律宾示威加剧与中国的紧张关系

作者: 约瑟夫 • 桑托兰,2012年5月16日

这场针对中国的、具挑衅性和受大量金钱资助的示威活动,其起源地是华盛顿。

New in German

Griechenland: Neuwahl unter der Drohkulisse der EU

Von Christoph Dreier, 16. Mai 2012

Die griechische Parlamentswahl vom 6. Mai wird im Juni wiederholt, weil die Vertreter der Europäischen Union und der deutschen Regierung kein Wahlergebnis akzeptieren, das dem Diktat des Finanzkapitals widerspricht.

USA verschärfen Konfrontationskurs mit Iran

Von Peter Symonds, 16. Mai 2012

Wenn die Verhandlungen in Bagdad nächste Woche scheitern, wird die Gefahr, dass Israel oder die USA einen Krieg beginnen, dramatisch steigen

Spanische Bankenschulden verschärfen Krise der Eurozone

Von Nick Beams, 16. Mai 2012

Wegen der Lage der spanischen Banken verschärft sich die europäische Finanzkrise. Hinzu kommen die Zweifel, ob Griechenland in der Eurozone verbleibt.

Chinesische Marktreformen beschleunigen sich nach Bo Xilais Absetzung

Von John Chan, 16. Mai 2012

Die Wende in Chongqing ist Teil einer Kampagne der chinesischen Regierung, um mehr internationale Investitionen anzuziehen.

Stadt Frankfurt verbietet Blockupy-Proteste

Von Sven Heymanns, 16. Mai 2012

Die Stadt Frankfurt am Main hat ein vollständiges Verbot gegen die Blockupy-Proteste verhängt, die von Mittwoch bis Samstag dieser Woche geplant sind. Dies stellt einen beispiellosen Angriff auf demokratische Grundrechte dar.

"Natürlich war Trotzki eine Alternative zu Stalin"
Ein Gespräch mit Professor Mario Kessler über die Trotzki-Biographie von Robert Service

Von Wolfgang Weber, 16. Mai 2012

Im Zentrum des Gesprächs mit dem Historiker Mario Kessler, der sich seit den Anfängen seiner Laufbahn mit der Thematik "Antisemitismus und Arbeiterbewegung" auseinandersetzt, steht der Vorwurf, Robert Service bediene mit seinem Buch gezielt antisemitische Vorurteile einschlägiger Leserkreise.

Other Languages

Perspective

The Obama campaign and “vampire” capitalists

16 May 2012

With staggering cynicism, the Obama campaign attacked Mitt Romney’s role at Bain Capital while raising funds from equally rapacious Wall Street sharks.

Earlier Perspectives »

Socialist Equality Party (US) Election Campaign

ScherrerSEP candidate Scherrer wins support at education protest in Pittsburgh

By Samuel Davidson, 16 May 2012

Phyllis Scherrer won strong support from teachers, parents and students who took part in a protest against the cuts in education this past Saturday.

"The only jobs out there are low wage jobs"
Bronx workers speak to SEP campaigners on the jobs crisis in America

By a reporting team, 15 May 2012

Visit the Socialist Equality Party campaign site »

Socialist Equality Party

Sri Lanka: Fire destroys plantation workers’ homes

By M. Vasanthan, 16 May 2012

A recent fire that destroyed over 20 line rooms highlights the poverty facing Sri Lankan plantation workers.

Sri Lankan SEP to hold plantation workers’ congress

7 May 2012

SEP/ISSE Public Meeting:
Defend Quebec’s striking students! Education should be a social right!

The International Students for Social Equality and the SEP (Canada) are holding a public meeting in Kingston, Ontario on May 19 as part of the fight to mobilize the working class in defence of Quebec’s striking students.

Arts Review

playBelgrade production of They Live exposes corruption of Serbia’s political parties

By Ognjen Markovic, 16 May 2012

Maja Pelevic and Milan Markovic have created a play They Live (Oni Zive) exposing the hollowness of the political system in Serbia.

Citizen Gangster: A drama of postwar Canadian life

By David Walsh, 15 May 2012

Commentary

The JPMorgan debacle

By Andre Damon and Barry Grey, 15 May 2012

US intensifies confrontation with Iran

By Peter Symonds, 14 May 2012

How the Lutte Ouvrière group backed Hollande in the French elections

By Francis Dubois, 14 May 2012

Workers Struggles

India: Striking NLC contract workers must expand struggle—industrially and politically

By Arun Kumar and Moses Rajkumar, 15 May 2012

Australia: TAFE teachers and students protest Victorian budget cuts

By Margaret Rees, 15 May 2012

Mehring Books

Special offer from Mehring Books

3 May 2012

New subscribers to Mehring’s Book Link newsletter will receive a $5 gift coupon.

25 years ago: 37 American seamen killed in missile attack on USS Stark

Two missiles fired by an Iraqi jet on the American frigate USS Stark on May 17, 1987, killed 37 seamen and injured 21 others.


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50 years ago: Tensions between US, western allies

This week in 1962 a series of conflicts emerged between the US and its key European allies.

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75 years ago:  CIO opens campaign to unionize US steel workers

Fresh from their successful campaign to unionize American automobile workers the Committee for Industrial Organization (CIO) began its campaign to unionize steel workers in May 1937.

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100 years ago: Cuban “race” riots

On 20 May, 1912 around 10,000 demonstrators in Cuba, largely in the southeastern province of Oriente, demanded that the Gomez administration repeal the Morúa law, which banned parties based on class or race.

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