Around the world

Skilled jobs are going and more are threatened with the possible closure of the St Rollox ‘Caley’ historic railway yard in Glasgow. Owner Gemini is now issuing compulsory redundancies.

First there were 13. As the Socialist went to press at least one of the remaining six candidates will be knocked out of the Tory leadership election. By the end of the week, votes by Tory MPs will reduce the field to two. In the week starting 22 July, two will become one and, based on the votes of the 100,000 or so Tory Party members, Britain...

Political pressure arising from a mass protest movement, including a demonstration estimated at two million people, forced a humiliating climb-down by the pro-Beijing executive in Hong Kong over its infamous ‘extradition bill’.

Nearly two months after the overthrow of the former dictator Omar al-Bashir, who ruled Sudan for 30 years, the struggle between revolution and counter revolution has entered a critical stage. Protests against the former dictator began in December 2018. He was removed from power to try and contain the developing revolutionary movement. The...

The results of the European elections, as well as the Bremen state and various local elections, on 26 May, will continue to stir up the German party system, increase political instability and pose the possibility of an early collapse of Merkel’s coalition.

The end of austerity in Finland has been loudly proclaimed by the new Social Democratic prime minister, Antti Rinne. The announcement came as talks were concluded between his party and  Keskusta (the Center Party), Vihreät (Green League), Vasemmistoliitto (Left Alliance) and the RKP (Swedish People’s Party).

At the end of May events moved fast in Austria after the then vice-Chancellor HC Strache was seen in the leaking of the “Ibiza Video”. He was seen and heard plotting to take over the Kronenzeitung, Austria’s biggest newspaper, with the help of what he believed to be a Russian investor who was also offered government contracts.

For media commentators and pundits the big story of the local and European elections in Southern Ireland was the surge in support for the Green Party. The party tripled its percentage vote to 5.6% in the local elections, jumping from 12 to 49 seats, and picked up two MEP seats.

The first elections since Macron came to power, the European elections were anything but exciting. Electing representatives who have no power, in an institution, the European Union, which primarily serves the interests of banks and multinationals and organises privatisations and the destruction of public services, can be of little interest....

The unprecedented second-time victory of Modi, with an increased vote share, has shocked and worried many workers and young people. There is complete disarray among the left in general and Communist parties in particular. Nevertheless the Indian working class has a heroic history of struggle both for its own interests and for society...

Days before the 30th anniversary of the massacre, on 3-4 June 1989, of hundreds, possibly thousands, of unarmed demonstrators in Tiananmen Square, China’s Defence minister, General Wei Fenghe maintained that the crackdown was absolutely justified!

As previously reported, the police in south-western Nigeria appear to be working hand in glove with the owners of Sumal Foods Limited (http://sumalfoods.com) to prevent its workforce winning gains and establishing a militant union presence in that company (see: