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Published by the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI)

31 July 2009

Verizon to slash 8,000 jobs
US job cuts, foreclosures mount

By Tom Eley, 31 July 2009

New layoff announcements and reports of record home foreclosures point to a deepening social crisis in the US.

Violence increases in Russia’s Caucasus republics

By Niall Green, 31 July 2009

A recent spike in violence between Russian security forces and local militants indicates that Moscow has no plans to loosen its military grip in the North Caucasus.

Strange case of North Carolina “jihadists” used to heighten terror scare

By Bill Van Auken, 31 July 2009

In the wake of this week’s arrest of seven North Carolina men labeled as “jihadists” in a federal conspiracy case, the Obama administration has sought to heighten fears of “homegrown terrorism.”

Judge orders release of Guantánamo detainee Mohammed Jawad

By Jerry White, 31 July 2009

A federal judge Thursday ordered the US government to release Guantánamo detainee Mohammed Jawad—the youngest prisoner at the military concentration camp, who has been illegally imprisoned there for nearly seven years.

Sri Lanka: A phony debate on university privatisation

By Panini Wijesiriwardane and Sujeewa Amaranath
31 July 2009

The IUSF staged the debate in order to posture as opponents of university privatisation and to contain the growing opposition among students. However, as the debate demonstrated, the IUSF has no answers precisely because it, like the proponents of privatisation, accept the framework of the profit system.

Australian Labor Party conference showcases “unity” and “discipline” for pro-business agenda

By Patrick O’Connor, 31 July 2009

Yesterday’s opening day of the Labor Party’s 45th national conference saw the assembled parliamentarians, apparatchiks, and trade union leaders issue a united and enthusiastic show of support for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s right-wing agenda.

Irish government prepares more spending cuts

By Jordan Shilton, 31 July 2009

The Irish government is preparing to implement yet another round of public spending cuts, its third in the past year.

New in French

L’arrestation de Gates et le « débat national sur la race »

Par Tom Eley, 31 juillet 2009

La controverse entourant l’arrestation du professeur Louis Gates Jr. a dominé les médias pendant une semaine. Elle a fourni une occasion de plus pour faire passer la question de la race comme la division sociale décisive et pour obscurcir les réalités fondamentales de classe.

Grande-Bretagne : Le chômage continue d’augmenter pour atteindre 2,4 millions

Par Peter Reydt, 31 juillet 2009

Augmentation record du chômage au Royaume-Uni en passant à 2,38 millions, une hausse de 281 000 sur les trois mois allant de mars à mai.

Le parlement d’Islande vote en faveur d’une demande d’adhésion à l’Union européenne

Par Jordan Shilton, 31 juillet 2009

Le 16 juillet, le parlement islandais (Althingi) votait par 33 voix contre 28 en faveur d’une demande de candidature d’adhésion à l’Union européenne.

New in German

Die Übernahmeschlacht zwischen VW und Porsche ist entschieden
Porsche-Chef Wiedekings Spekulationsgeschäfte brachten Porsche an den Abgrund

Von Ludwig Weller, 31. Juli 2009

Der seit Monaten tobende Machtkampf zwischen VW und Porsche ist entschieden. Porsche wird als zehnte Marke in den Volkswagen-Konzern integriert. So gestärkt will VW Toyota als weltgrößten Autokonzern angreifen.

Tarifeinigung bei Kitas und Sozialdiensten
Gewerkschaften setzen Ausverkauft durch

Von Dietmar Henning, 31. Juli 2009

Verdi und die GEW haben sich mit den kommunalen Arbeitgebern am Montagmorgen nach einem fünftägigen Verhandlungsmarathon in Frankfurt/Main auf einen Entgelt- und Gesundheitsschutztarifvertrag geeinigt.

Wahlkampf der Socialist Equality Party (USA):
D’Artagnan Collier kandidiert als Bürgermeister von Detroit

Von WSWS-Korrespondenten, 31. Juli 2009

Die amerikanische Socialist Equality Party (SEP) nimmt mit ihrem Kandidaten D’Artagnan Collier (40) an der Bürgermeisterwahl von Detroit in Michigan teil. Diese Stadt verkörpert wie keine zweite Aufstieg und Niedergang der amerikanischen Autoindustrie.

Großbritanniens Propaganda-Offensive für den Krieg in Afghanistan

Von Chris Marsden, 31. Juli 2009

Die Rede von Außenminister David Miliband im Nato-Hauptquartier in Brüssel zeigt deutlich, dass Großbritannien eine Verstärkung der Zusammenarbeit mit den USA in Afghanistan anstrebt.

Perspective

International banks exploit the crisis to reap massive profits

31 July 2009

Less than a year after the eruption of a financial crisis that has devastated economies across the globe and wiped out an estimated 40 percent of the world’s wealth, a number of major banks and investment houses are posting record profits.

Earlier Perspectives »

Polemics

Australian PM’s latest essay
“The pain of recovery”: Rudd’s declaration of war on the working class

Comment by Nick Beams, 31 July 2009

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s latest essay “Pain on the road to recovery”, published in the Sydney Morning Herald on July 25, could be more accurately titled “A declaration of war against the working class”.

Socialist Equality Party

Interview with SEP Detroit mayoral candidate D’Artagnan Collier
How I became a socialist

By Nancy Hanover, 31 July 2009

D’Artagnan Collier, the Socialist Equality Party’s candidate for mayor of Detroit, has deep roots in the city’s working class population. In the following interview, he discusses the experiences that shaped his political views.

SEP public meeting in California
For a socialist solution to the economic crisis

29 July 2009

A public meeting on Saturday, August 1 in South Pasadena will feature SEP National Secretary Joe Kishore and John Burton, SEP candidate for California governor in 2003 and for US Congress in 2006.

Workers Struggles

Strike at National Express East Anglia
Britain: Rail unions prevent national struggle

By Paul Stuart, 31 July 2009

Members of the Rail Maritime Transport Workers Union (RMT) and the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) are striking today to oppose a pay freeze by National Express East Anglia.