China has surged ahead as the world’s premier industrial power. Not a day goes by without news of new technological breakthroughs made in China.

A mass movement has erupted once again in Pakistani Administered Kashmir (AJK) led by the Joint Awami Action Committee (AAC). Hundreds of thousands of people across the whole territory of AJK have been mobilised. Today, after a long march, they will reach the capital Muzaffarabad.

After Nepal joined Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the list of countries yet to be roiled by revolution on the Subcontinent has been reduced to three: India, Pakistan and the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. [Even as these lines are being written, a mass movement is unfolding on the Pakistan side of the Line of Control in Kashmir.]

Brazil faces its greatest external aggression since the 1964 coup. The same imperialist tormentor that orchestrated and encouraged the military dictatorship, the United States, is now imposing a protectionist policy of 50 percent tariffs on the Brazilian economy. Trump's stated objectives are the release of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who longs for a military dictatorship, and the supposed ‘correction of mistreatment’ of American technology companies.

One day, it seems that a country is calm and the ruling clique there is firmly ensconced in power. The next day, the revolutionary masses stand in front of the burning parliamentary building. The police are gone, the MPs have fled, and so too has the Prime Minister. The photographs and videos that recently emerged from Nepal were astonishing. They are also astonishingly similar to the scenes that we’ve already seen: in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, ...

For three straight days, starting on 15 September, mass protests rocked Timor-Leste. It started as a protest against the government’s plan to procure luxury cars for members of parliament, but quickly became an expression of a general anger toward the whole political system. These were the largest mass protests in years. The regime, horrified by these protests – and what had happened in Indonesia and Nepal – was quick to make concessions. 

For some time, military parades were obscure remnants of the past. American imperialism was too powerful. Any other country showcasing its military might for the world to see would merely underline the large discrepancy between the US and everyone else. Not any more.

Protesters have set fire to the federal parliament, Supreme Court, political party officers and homes of senior politicians. The Prime Minister has resigned, along with a whole host of cabinet ministers. The army is evacuating politicians from their homes. After putting up with years of crushing poverty, the Nepalese youth have had enough. They have entered the stage of history.

President Donald Trump has taken a sledgehammer to decades of US foreign policy in South Asia by imposing 50 percent tariffs on a swathe of Indian goods. This is a slap in the face for Trump’s former close ally Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is now seeking more reliable friends in Beijing. The entire diplomatic picture in the region has been turned upside down, while Indian workers and poor brace for the economic fallout.

As revolutionary events rock Indonesia, we wish to bring to the attention of our readers a masterpiece of documentary filmmaking, the 2012 film The Act of Killing. This documentary is truly a unique and harrowing watch. It is also invaluable as an insight into the nature of the regime that the youth of Indonesia are rising against today.

The results of the recent Upper House election in Japan have shown that it is experiencing similar shifts in the political landscape as the West, with the meteoric rise of the right-wing populist party, Sanseito (参政党). From being one of the most stable advanced capitalist countries, Japan is staring into an abyss of economic and political crises which will lead to sharp convulsions.

Young people and students have played a leading role in this revolutionary movement. Millions of poor workers have taken to the streets across the country. This is enough to demonstrate the power of the working class and make the ruling class tremble. But it is not enough to win our demands, let alone achieve our ultimate goal, which is a fundamental transformation of our lives and society, and the abolition of the exploitation, oppression and impoverishment of the working class, while the rich continue to get richer.

Within a week, what began as demonstrations with a semi-insurrectionary character have turned into an open revolutionary uprising which shows no sign of stopping. It is not only tearing down government buildings and police stations, but more importantly, it is shattering the mass stupor that has kept the people in chains. A revolution has begun.

On Monday, seemingly out of nowhere, thousands upon thousands of young people took to the streets in Indonesia. Gathering in front of the parliament building and valiantly facing down hundreds of police officers with water cannons, they shouted “Down with the parliament!”. Street fighting between the protesters and the police continued until past midnight. By morning, 400 people had been arrested, including about 200 school students.

From 15-17 August, 300 revolutionary communists from across Pakistan gathered to attend the Communist School at Banjoosa lake near Rawalakot, ‘Azad’ Kashmir. Despite dire inflation, unrest in Balochistan and Pakhtunkhwa, heavy rain, floods and traffic jams, the comrades overcame all kinds of difficulties to attend the event. Many other young people were unable to attend due to financial difficulties and for other reasons.