20,000 riot police deployed to silence protests
The G8 (Group of Eight) kicked off its three-day meeting in Toyako on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido on July 7, with world leaders bunkered in what the British Independent newspaper described as a “fortress”.
By Vincent Kolo at chinaworker.info (more…)

Chinese regime blocks socialist but welcomes Bush and Sarkozy
Socialist Hong Kong legislator Leung Kwok-hung, better known as “Long Hair”, was barred Friday from traveling to southwest China’s earthquake zone.
By CWI reporters Hong Kong (more…)

Over five years since the US invasion of Iraq four of the world’s biggest oil companies have signed agreements for repair and technical support in major oilfields in Iraq.
By Chris Newby, Socialist Party (more…)

The Victorian Labor government has introduced new P-Plate passenger restrictions. The government claim that these restrictions will be go some way to reducing the amount of young people who die on Victoria’s roads.
By Kirk Leonard, Socialist Party Melbourne (more…)

SP Newsletter No.220
Rudd has announced that the Australian Defence Force’s Overwatch Battle Group and the Australian Army Training Team Iraq have formally ceased their operations in Iraq. (more…)

If you need proof that capitalism simply doesn’t work, it must be in the fact that already one sixth of the world’s population does not have enough food to eat.
By Will Kaplan, Socialist Party Melbourne (more…)

‘A workers’ MP on a worker’s wage’
Tragically, Terry Fields has died from lung cancer at the age of 71. Terry was a supporter of Militant, forerunner of the Socialist Party, and a defender of the working class.
By Tony Mulhearn, Socialist Party Liverpool (more…)

On Tuesday night Yarra Council voted 8-1 in favour of this year’s budget. As a Socialist Party Councillor I was the only one who voted against. Despite describing the financial state as “strong”, the budget added extra pain on the backs of local residents and community groups.
By SP Councillor in Yarra, Stephen Jolly (more…)