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Ο Τιτανικός αποκτά επισήμως πρώτη και δεύτερη θέση

Τα πάντα μπορεί να βρει κανείς στη διακήρυξη των ηγετών της ΕΕ, αλλά ο διάολος κρύβεται στις λεπτομέρειες. Γιατί πέρα από τις συνηθισμένες αναφορές στην ανάπτυξη ή τη ανάγκη καταπολέμησης « της ανεργίας, του κοινωνικού αποκλεισμού και της φτώχειας » δύο είναι τα νέα, σημαντικά σημεία: « Θα προχωρούμε ενωμένοι, με διαφορετικούς ρυθμούς και ένταση όπου χρειάζεται », τονίζεται στην ανακοίνωση που υιοθετεί, εμμέσως πλην σαφώς,την Ευρώπη των πολλών ταχυτήτων. Η δεύτερη «λεπτομέρεια» προδιαγράφει ήδη την αύξηση των αμυντικών δαπανών των κρατών μελών με ευθεία μάλιστα αναφορά στη « δημιουργία μιας περισσότερο ανταγωνιστικής και ολοκληρωμένης αμυντικής βιομηχανίας »: τα γαλλικά και γερμανικά εργοστάσια παραγωγής όπλων ήδη τρίβουν τα χέρια τους. Κατά τα άλλα, αν εξαιρέσει κανείς τις αναφορές στη τρομοκρατία και μια σπόντα για το brexit (« κάθε κράτος μόνο του, θα είχε περιθωριοποιηθεί από την παγκόσμια δυναμική ») τα ίδια θα είχαν υπογράψει οι ηγέτες της Ευρώπης και δέ

Hundreds of thousands protest Chile's Pinochet-era pension system

Organizers say it was the largest-ever protest against the private pension system in Chile Hundreds of thousands of people took the streets in cities across Chile Sunday to protest the private pension system known as AFP, in what the organizers call the largest march for the cause in the history of the movement. The march, organized by workers' organizations and trade unions, kicked off at 11:00 a.m. local time in the capital city Santiago's in Plaza de las Armas, as well as several other cities. " We hope today we will have a lot of people and show that the social movements are saying, 'We don't want anymore AFP,' " a protester with the Cabreados Movement told Chile's Bio Bio TV at the demonstration in Santiago. " (AFP) is already a failure, and our political actors need to know that the social movements won't stop. " Luis Messina, spokesperson for the CNT labor union, predicted that Sunday's demon

Peru referendum: 98% of Cajamarca residents reject gold mining

Between 2011 and 2014, there were 153 social conflicts based on problems with mining and access to water, most of them reported in the region of Cajamarca. With a majority voting “No” in a popular referendum Sunday, local communities in Peru's northern province of Cajamarca scored a landslide victory against transnational mining giant Anglo Gold Ashanti, likely putting a definitive end to the La Colosa project and setting a precedent for the whole country. According to the preliminary results — 20 percent of the vote is still to be disclosed — almost 98 percent of local residents rejected the extraction project in the area, corresponding to more than 6,000 votes. The result is now expected to force local authorities to prohibit mining in the town, according to lawyer Diana Rodriguez consulted by daily El Espectador. However, Anglo Gold Ashanti's representative in Colombia Carlos Enciso told the daily that the consequences will be “minimal,” q

NATO’s war of resources is causing a humanitarian crisis in West Africa

As millions suffer from hunger, disease, illiteracy and grinding poverty in the Lake Chad region of West Africa, a sinister game of resource extraction and exploitation is playing out, with geopolitics at the heart of it all. by Eric Draitser Part 4 - Lake Chad and France’s Neocolonial Agenda in West Africa For the last five hundred years, colonial powers have dominated the political and economic life of Africa. But while formal colonialism may have ended decades ago, the informal dominance and control of Africa continues. This neocolonial control over the continent and its resources is at the root of all conflicts in Africa, including the current crisis in Lake Chad. Francophone West Africa includes Cameroon, Niger and Chad. This makes France, which continues to be the main trading partner for these countries, into a dominant player in the scramble for Lake Chad. The 2012 coup in Mali and the civil war that subsequently ensued gave the French military the open

Demystifying Alexander Nahum Sack and the doctrine of odious debt

Eric Tousaint’s study of the odious debt doctrine by Eric Toussaint Part 13 - Unilateral debt repudiation by Costa Rica with Washington’s support In January 1917, the government of Costa Rica, under President Alfredo González, was overthrown by his Secretary of the Army and Navy, Federico Tinoco, who called new elections and established a new constitution in June 1917. The Tinoco putsch was supported by the oligarchy, who rejected the policies of the previous government. For good reason – it had decided to levy a tax on property and a progressive income tax. Tinoco also had the support of the director of the infamous North American transnational United Fruit Company (known since 1989 as Chiquita Brands International), known to have contributed to the overthrow of several governments in Latin America in order to maximise its profits. The Tinoco government was then recognized by several South American States, as well as by Germany, Austria, Spain and Denmark