Tens of thousands of Jews and Arabs demonstrated in Tel Aviv in a militant protest against the war on Gaza on January 3.

Around the world there has been shock and anger at the barbaric brutality of the Israeli government’s onslaught on the Gaza strip and horror at the impact of the random missile attacks on Israeli civilians.

Around the world there has been shock and anger at the barbaric brutality of the Israeli government’s onslaught on the Gaza strip and horror at the impact of the random missile attacks on Israeli civilians. As in the Lebanon in 2006 the Israeli air assault is wiping out whole families in the name of “peace”.

More than 1.5 million people live in the "open air prison camp" that is Gaza. For the last sixteen months the blockade of the Israeli regime has intensified the nightmare - a majority of the population are unemployed and suffering from malnutrition. Now the "prison guards" are bombing the prison - resulting in the deaths of many hundreds of Palestinians, including children.

Like the rest of the world, there is boiling anger in Lebanon among the masses at the Israeli state’s brutal attack on Gaza.

Israel’s government’s rule has been a chain of scandals and failures, most recently the impact of the world capitalist crisis. Now they are trying to save themselves from defeat in February’s elections by means of a wholesale slaughter of Palestinians in this long planned attack.

Barack Obama made a call for an environmental "New Deal" a centerpiece of his presidential campaign, promising to spend $150 billion on sustainable technology. Will green Keynesianism be effective in tackling climate change? And, perhaps most significantly, what will be the chances of the adoption of a Keynesian approach on a world scale that would be necessary for it to have a real impact?

We publish this interview with Mexican workers in struggle which was conducted by members of the CWI in Latin America for our Spanish web page mundosocialista.net. We are sure that this interview will be of interest to our readers, but it does not necessarily fully reflect the ideas and programme of the CWI.

Even before the dramatic economic collapse since September, opportunities to build the socialist movement internationally were growing fast in 2008. Socialist Alternative is in political solidarity with the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI), which has sections in nearly 40 countries around the world. The CWI has made important progress over the last year, not least of all in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Over the next year, the stunning failures of capitalism will undoubtedly provide major new openings to build the forces of socialism in this country and internationally.

In a symbolic epitaph to the Bush regime, journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi became a hero across the Arab world for hurling his shoes at U.S. president George W Bush. Yelling, "this is a farewell kiss, you dog", al-Zaidi gave a glimpse of the anger of the great majority of the world, particularly in the Middle East, against the Bush regime.

The Smithfield Packing plant located in Tar Heel, North Carolina is the largest pork slaughterhouse in the United States. Ever since it opened in 1992, workers at the plant have been struggling for their rights to have union representation. On Thursday, December 11, this fight resulted in a victory, as Smithfield workers voted 2,041 to 1,879 to join the United Food and Commercial Workers.

By occupying their plant, and refusing to budge, workers at the Republic Windows & Doors factory in Chicago have provided an inspirational example to workers around the country of how workers can fight and win their demands.

After the general strike on Wednesday, December 10, Greece finds itself, for the 7th day, gripped by youth and social revolt. The main thing now is to see how the mass movement can move forward.

Last Saturday evening, a group of young school students shouted at a police car that was passing by a cafe in which they were sitting, in the center of Athens, and threw two plastic 0,5 litre water bottles at the police car. The two policemen (special guards) stopped the car some distance away, came out of the car and approached the school students. One of the officers pulled out a gun and fired at the youths, killing one of them. The two policemen then simply turned their backs and walked away!

A massive demonstration against education cuts organised by the teachers’ unions saw over 60,000 teachers, parents and students take to the streets of Dublin today.