Amid the horrors of the pandemic, the collective wealth of the world’s billionaires exploded by more than 60 percent last year from £5.8 trillion to £9.5 trillion.

Pandemic has worsened inequality and state repression, warns Amnesty report

Inequality, oppression and state repression have deepened across the globe during the pandemic, according to a damning new report.

Goodlord strikers take on bosses’ fire and rehire plan

Goodlord strikers in London are upbeat after over a month of strikes against bosses’ fire and rehire plans

Child rapist Andrew crawls out of his hole after prince Philip death

The death of prince Philip has seen the return of another disgraced royal—paedophile prince Andrew

Escalate bus fightbacks in Manchester and London

Bus drivers at Go North West in Manchester are battling on against a brutal employer assault.

Greensill revelations show how a corrupt system aids the rich

A revolving door between ministers and private firms helps the rich hold onto their cash—and democracy means little in the networks that shape governments, says Charlie Kimber

Refugees to be forced back to the Napier camp

The Home Office is sending asylum seekers back to the condemned camp, reports Isabel Ringrose

Scottish health workers furious at union backing for 4 percent pay offer

Health workers in Scotland are furious that their Unison union is recommending they accept the Holyrood government’s offer of a paltry 4 percent pay rise.

Rulers use parasite Prince Philip’s death to push ‘national unity’

The past few days have shown that the monarchy matters for Britain’s rulers. They see it as a useful way to push the idea of national unity.

Hundreds of civil service workers strike over safety

As the Tories push ahead with a dangerous easing of lockdown restrictions, more than 1,000 people at a major government workplace struck last week for safety.

Scottish FE action + United Colleges + Liverpool university

College lecturers across Scotland plan a further two‑day strike in a continuing dispute over the replacement of lecturers with instructors on lower pay and with worse conditions.

British Gas workers are victims of fire and rehire

Many British Gas workers have expressed their anger and sadness after being sacked this week.

Three week strike begins in Thurrock + Scotrail + Bakerloo line + St Mungo's

Refuse, highway maintenance workers and street cleaners working for Thurrock council in Essex began a three-week strike on Tuesday.

Virtual NEU conference calls for concrete action

Almost 1,000 delegates debated the key issues facing the union as schools have reopened and educators look to face the challenges of a new term

Defend the Shell 7

The trial began on Monday of seven people, including two Extinction Rebellion co-founders, charged with £25,000 of criminal damage at Shell’s London headquarters.

Join actions this weekend to kill the Tory police bill

The second major Kill the Bill day of action on Saturday should be a day of anger, resistance and defiance.

Thurrock council workers take to picket lines over pay cuts

Council workers in Thurrock, Essex, launched 18 days of strikes on Tuesday against bosses’ plans to “brutally cut their pay and conditions”.

International

Northern Ireland riots sparked by legacy of British imperialism

As Loyalist areas of Northern Ireland face unrest, Simon Basketter explains why the protests are taking place now, and what they mean for Britain’s imperialist interests

Furious protests after cops kill black man Daunte Wright near Minneapolis

Protesters raged on the streets of Brooklyn Center just outside Minneapolis on Sunday after cops murdered a black man.

Comment

Should we be worried about the AstraZeneca vaccine?

Dr Kambiz Boomla says the vaccine is safe—but commercial interests are not

Repression is rulers’ response to crisis

The Tory government’s Police and Crime Bill is a very nasty attack on civil liberties. But it’s not an aberration.

Features

In years gone by the Labour Party could take the votes in the north east of England for granted. But, reports Nick Clark, next month’s Hartlepool by-election could show just how out of touch the party now is with its former heartlands

How workers battled to kill the bill in 1971

In 1971, workers fought against an authoritarian Tory law, chanting, ‘Kill The Bill’. Isabel Ringrose argues we need the same spirit of militancy to kill the Tory police bill today

Financial institutions are funding climate destruction

Extinction Rebellion targeted banks last week as part of a campaign against their funding for fossil fuels. Sam Ord looks at global banks’ climate failures

Reviews

Deutschland ’89—the end of Communism and the big grey mess of history

The Deutschland TV series’ writer and creator Anna Winger told Socialist Worker how it combines truth and fiction

What We Think

Capitalism allows global Covid-19 cases to soar

Global coronavirus cases have escalated over the past seven weeks and deaths have risen for the past three weeks. More than 136 million people have been infected, and almost three million have died.