Capitalism isn’t working. This is the conclusion being drawn by increasing numbers of workers and young people as every week a new crisis dominates the headlines. These calamities include the deepest economic crisis since the Great Depression, which has left millions unemployed; millions in foreclosures; the BP oil spill and the growing threat of global warming; an escalating disaster in Afghanistan; vicious Islamophobia and racist scapegoating of immigrants.

The recent, celebrated ending of “combat operations” in Iraq is telling for what kind of “withdrawal” policy could be in store for Afghanistan.

More than 26,000 telecom workers in Pakistan have been on indefinite strike since 16 August. They are demanding a 50% increase in wages as announced by the government for the public sector. These workers in the semi-privatised telecom industry started their protest campaign and partial strike earlier in August, but the telecom authorities refused to accept the demand.

The international day of workers’ action, called by the European Trade Union Confederation for 29 September, could be an event of major importance for the working class movement and the CWI. The day itself, which will see co-ordinated protests, action and general strikes, has the potential to shake the continent. Europe’s capitalist governments are intent on continuing their brutal war of austerity and attacks against the working class, at the behest of their masters: the international markets. It could play a decisive role in hammering home the power of the international working class and stop their savagery in its tracks. The CWI will work enthusiastically to mobilise workers and youth to take action on the day, under the banner of international struggle and solidarity, against Europe’s axe-wielding governments and the dictatorship of the capitalist markets.

In the elections of December 2009 and April 2010, once again the oppressed Bolivian masses showed their desire for fundamental change to eradicate the deep problems which continue to plague this country.

In May of this year the Nepali masses once again demonstrated their thirst for a revolutionary transformation of society, when they took to the streets in their tens of thousands. The Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (UCPN (M)) called for a general strike and protests on 1 May to demand the resignation of the new Prime Minister, Madhav Kumar Nepal.

On Thursday 24 June, about two million workers took to the streets in about 200 cities and towns of France in a national day of action called by the main trade union organisations (CGT, CFDT, CFTC, UNSA, FSU and Solidaires) against the pension reforms. This is the centre-piece of the wave of attacks concocted by the Sarkozy-Fillon government, aimed at slashing up to €100 billion from public spending by 2013. Many capitalist voices, in France and internationally, are already pushing for ‘supplementary efforts’, arguing that such a move remains insufficient.

The G20 meeting in Toronto of the leaders of the main capitalist governments of the world demonstrated a complete incapacity to solve the huge problems that confront us, particularly those hardest-hit – the poor and the working class – by the economic crisis.

Europe is facing its biggest economic and political crisis in decades. Large state debts in a number of smaller European Union countries are undermining confidence in the euro, compounding the effects of the global downturn. To get out of this spiral of crisis, European ruling classes are demanding big cuts in living standards from workers. The danger they face is that the massive opposition to these cuts will grow over into open revolt.

Strikes by workers at Honda-affiliated factories in southern China’s Guangdong province have shaken the ‘sweatshop of the world’. The fighting example of the Honda workers, many in their teens or early twenties, has spawned a spate of copycat strikes across China as migrant workers at foreign-owned companies especially, slaving for notoriously long hours and low wages, demand pay rises, improved conditions and “restructured” trade unions.

The following is the translated text of a leaflet (in Arabic) that is being distributed in Beirut today by supporters of the CWI in Lebanon during a mass protest against the massacre of peace activists by the IDF last weekend.

Despite huge bail-out plans, world financial markets continue to batter the EU. The very existence of the eurozone is in question. Although the Greek working class is in the frontline, deep cuts are being implemented internationally.

Below we provide an initial response from Socialist Struggle Movement in Israel (CWI) following the killing of protesters during the IDF takeover of the international aid convoy, last night. We call on everyone to participate in demonstrations and protests.

News reports have not yet provided a definitive account of the extent of the IDF attack on the flotilla of eight humanitarian aid ships on their way to Gaza. However, it is clear that IDF forces have taken over some of the ships and at least 10 unarmed activists have been slaughtered and others injured. There are at least eleven Irish nationals on this flotilla and we do not yet know the condition they are in.

The Northwest Socialism Conference, held Saturday, May 8 at Seattle University, marked a big step forward for socialists in Washington State. More than a 140 people from all over Western Washington came to discuss socialism and the conference’s theme “Revolutionary Ideas for Changing the World.” The number of participants mushroomed over the course of three sessions throughout the day. An initial crowd of 75 grew to approximately 140 for the last session featuring a debate with a Tea Party member, forcing the conference to move to a larger room.