Russia Hot summer in Moscow

Warm autumn likely to follow

Dozens have died in fires, hundreds have been arrested, thousands have drowned in the last month as the ecological crisis and the struggle against its causes find their epicenter in Moscow.

This summer has already seen 17 temperature records smashed as temperatures have steadily climbed from the high twenties Celsius in the middle of June, to the mid-thirties in July and now around forty degrees Celsius. Forecasters say this heat wave may last till September and may get even worse. Never have such temperatures been recorded in Moscow.

Solidarity Needed - Socialists brutally attacked after Moscow environment protest

Afghanistan - US strategy in disarray

The concerted might of the strongest and largest military force in the world, that of the US, is failing to defeat the disparate and crudely equipped Taliban militias in one of the poorest countries of the world.

This is despite the US leading a force of nearly 120,000 troops fighting an estimated 28,000 Taliban, and having spent a phenomenal £190 billion over the nine years of the war so far.

Afghanistan WikiLeaks

Building new workers’ parties and the tasks of socialists

European CWI Summer School Report

On Tuesday 13 July, attention at the European Summer School, held by the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI) last week in Belgium, with over 400 attending, turned to the question of building new mass-based workers’ parties. The call for the building of new mass workers’ parties has been a vital part of our political programme for almost 20 years in many CWI sections. The summer School was an ideal arena to share the varied experiences of our sections so far, discuss the perspectives for the development of new parties and draw the key lessons to assist our dual tasks of building revolutionary Marxist forces and assisting the development of new mass parties.

South - Are Labour a radical alternative?

An IPSOS/MRBI poll published in June in the Irish Tines showed Labour as themost popular party in the Irish Republic with 32% support. This had never happened before in the history of elections or opinion polling in this state.

This poll was merely the most dramatic of a series of polls showing a big increase in support for Labour since the 2007 General Election. This rise in support is particularly strong in Dublin here polls are consistently showing Labour with more than 30% support.

Privatisation and corruption at NI Water

A Public Accounts Committee review has identified 73 PPP (Public Private Partnership) contracts awarded by NI Water where rules regarding competitive tendering were not followed, worth £28.4 million in total. The review revealed contracts that were signed with private companies with close links with senior managers at NI Water, that were often repeatedly renewed without review and that featured consultants receiving lucrative payments.

Pride 2010 - Unite against homophobic attacks

On 26 June, a gay couple were violently assaulted in Shipquay Street, Derry. Just a month previously, two men were found guilty of the homophobic murder of Shaun Fitzpatrick in Dungannon in 2008. These brutal attacks must be met with a firm response from the LGBT community and by workers and young people everywhere.

The 12 months between April 2009 and March 2010 have seen a spike of homophobic incidents reported to the police in areas like Carrickfergus, Banbridge, Newry, Antrim and Cookstown. However, the majority of incidents go unreported. The Rainbow Project surveyed over 1,000 gay, lesbian and bisexual people and found that 64% of incidents are never reported to the police. The project also found that over a fifth of participants had been victims of homophobic attacks in the last three years.

Riots expose reality of sectarianism

Working class needs its own party

Fierce rioting erupted in Ardoyne after an Orange Order parade on 12 July and continued for three days. The period before, over and after this year’s Twelfth was also marked by rioting in other areas and a number of gun and bomb attacks. There was trouble across Belfast - including the New Lodge, Broadway, the Markets, Short Strand, Ormeau Road-and in Derry, Armagh, and Lurgan.