Enda Kenny, Michael Noonan and Eamon Gilmore may be hoping that the Irish exit from the Troika bailout will convince the voters that the end of the economic and political crisis and particularly the crisis in the state finances might be in sight, but there is more than enough evidence in place to the contrary.

Daniel Morley looks at China’s announcement of its very own Air Defence Identification Zone, which highlights the tensions between Chinese and American imperialism. This ominous step by China is proof that US imperialism’s golden era of relative stability is drawing to a close and a new phase of instability and conflicts dawns.

In the mass media, the demonstrations in the Ukraine are presented as the desire of the Ukrainian people for the country to join the European Union. However, anyone who has followed Ukraine in the last two decades can understand that the grievances are not limited to the question of joining the EU. What are the different factors behind the Ukrainian protests?