the unbalanced evolution of homo sapiens

globinfo freexchange   Ήδη από τον Ιούλιο του '15, ανιχνεύσαμε την πιο σοβαρή απόπειρα της ντόπιας ολιγαρχίας, σε συνεργασία πάντα με τους δανειστές της Τρόικας, να μεταλλάξουν τον ΣΥΡΙΖΑ σε συστημικό κόμμα, κομμένο και ραμμένο στα μέτρα τους. Η μεγάλη επιτυχία των ολιγαρχών και του άξονα Βρυξελλών-Βερολίνου, ήταν η απομάκρυνση της επικίνδυνης γι'αυτούς Αριστερής πλατφόρμας από το κόμμα.    Όπως είχαμε γράψει πριν από ένα χρόνο, μετά την εικονική έξοδο από τα μνημόνια, οι ολιγάρχες άρχισαν να φοβούνται ότι ο ΣΥΡΙΖΑ θα μπορούσε να εκτροχιαστεί από την "κανονικότητά" τους. Δεν είναι τυχαίο ότι η "κανονικότητα" άρχισε να πλασάρεται, ως έννοια, από τους μιντιακούς παπαγάλους, όταν οι ντόπιοι ολιγάρχες και το νεοφιλελεύθερο ιερατείο είδαν τον ΣΥΡΙΖΑ να "τσινάει" και να αρχίζει να σκαλίζει διάφορα μεγάλα σκάνδαλα. Έτσι, η "κανονικότητα" ταυτίστηκε με την άνοδο της Μητσοτακικής δεξιάς στην εξουσία, που θα γλίτωνε τη χώρα από τους επικίνδυνους ...

Ecuador’s presidential candidate Yaku Pérez supported coups in Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. His US-backed party Pachakutik and supposedly “left-wing” environmentalist campaign is being promoted by right-wing corporate lobbyists.   by Ben Norton  Part 7 - Right-wing corporate lobby group AS/COA promotes Yaku Pérez’s campaign   Articles by anarchist-oriented US environmentalist organizations like Extinction Rebellion leave readers with the impression that Yaku Pérez Guartambel is Ecuador’s best choice for the left. But a look at some of Pérez’s most high-profile promoters, including powerful right-wing corporate lobby groups, illustrates an ulterior agenda. On February 1, the US website Americas Quarterly published a puff piece praising the third-place candidate, titled “Yaku Pérez: The New Face of Ecuador’s Left?” The article spread misleading disinformation demonizing Rafael Correa, trumpeting, “ Pérez said he offers such voters an alternative to the ‘author...

The Trump and Biden administrations have relied on the work of a right-wing religious extremist, Adrian Zenz, for their “genocide” accusation against China. A close review of Zenz’s research reveals flagrant data abuse and outright falsehoods.   by Gareth Porter and Max Blumenthal Part 5 - An anti-gay, anti-abortion Christianist dedicated “led by god” against China The BBC based its June 2020 report alleging “ forc[ed] birth control to suppress population ” on Zenz’s work, referring to him as a “China scholar” without mentioning his employment by right-wing institutions in Washington or his own hyper-ideological views. Like the BBC, an AP report relied entirely on an advance copy of Zenz’s paper, but provided no background and whitewashed his right-wing politics or institutional affiliations. A CNN story published a month later and a CNN follow-up in September 2020 on alleged Chinese forced sterilizations in Xinjiang also relied on Zenz without mentioning his political background. ...

How did EU governments decide to oppose a global measure that could boost production of COVID vaccines and medicines for the global south? You won’t get the slightest hint from official EU sources. But leaked documents reveal that the Commission and member states see the real problem as a mere PR issue of how to deflect criticism. Given the pandemic, their position seems indefensible.   Corporate Europe Observatory   Part 1   A crucial political battle is taking place in the World Trade Organization (WTO), one that will determine the fate of hundreds of millions of people across the globe.    While the wealthiest nations are busy fighting amongst themselves over a scarce supply of COVID-19 vaccines, India and South Africa have tabled a proposal that would waive current intellectual property rules in order to expand production worldwide substantially. If know-how and vaccine recipes are shared, generic manufacturers could start supplying the countries in the back...

The cops and the district attorneys want people to see what we are going through — the conditions of our arrests, our experiences in jail, and our legal battle — and to think that this is what you risk when you stand up against them. – Lillian House, Aurora Activist and Defendant   by Alan Macleod   Part 3 - A vindictive police response To this day, Aurora Police classify McClain as a “suspect” in a case, meaning that his family cannot seek compensation, even for funeral costs. At the height of the Movement for Black Lives last summer, activists organized a mass protest for McClain, including a somber violin vigil in the city’s Center Park. Musicians (including children) from all over the city and further afield congregated to mourn the death of one of their own. The event was broken up by masked, black-clad police in full riot gear, wielding batons and pepper spray. “ We challenged their impunity, we challenged their ability to kill without consequence, and the protests ...

Instead of idealizing a non-existent centrist alternative, those who still believe in democracy in Brazil should appreciate Lula’s return to the political arena.   by Rafael R. Ioris  Justice Edson Fachin’s ruling on March 8 to reverse three sentences against former president Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva up-ended Brazilian politics. The Supreme Court (STF) decision over-turned charges that stemmed from the CarWash Operation (Operação Lava Jato) in 2018, condemning Lula to more than 12 year of imprisonment and suspending his political rights. Lula was imprisoned in April 2018 at the Federal Police headquarters in Curitiba, where the Operation, now in the process of being shut down, was based. He was released in November 2019 after serving 580 days, when the Supreme Court finally agreed to examine his case and reinstated the jurisprudence that no one can serve a sentence before it can be reviewed by the country’s highest court. Lula’s return in full force to the political arena ha...

Moderate Rebels   Ben Norton speaks with journalist Yasha Levine about how Silicon Valley has its origins in the US national security and its Cold War on communism. We discuss the links between the United States government and Google, Facebook, and Tor; the far-right anti-China cult Falun Gong; and how Washington rapidly shifted from promoting "internet freedom" to censorship of alternative information.  We also talk about Adam Curtis' documentary series Can't Get You Out of My Head, and respond to questions from our patrons on Patreon.

Bolivia's Justice Minister Ivan Lima Sunday reported on the initiation of four accountability trials against the coup-born regime leader Jeanine Añez.   The judicial processes that began this Monday at 8h00 are related to cases of corruption and human rights violations committed by Añez after the coup against former president Evo Morales in 2019.  " In the coming weeks, we will also file charges against Añez for the Sacaba and Senkata massacres, " Lima assured. The statements occurred after the justice system ruled preventive detention for Añez, former Energy Minister Rodrigo Guzman, and former Justice Minister Alvaro Coimbra. The coup-born regime officials are also accused of the crimes of sedition, conspiracy, and terrorism. Lima informed that the Justice Ministry will provide legal assistance to the victims of the regime who have scarce economic resources. On Sunday, the Bolivian justice system ordered Añez to be held in preventive detention for four months, after the ...

The Grayzone   Five former officials from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have joined a group of prominent signatories to urge the OPCW to address the controversy surrounding its investigation of an alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria in April 2018.  Leaks from inside the OPCW show that key scientific findings that cast doubt on claims of Syrian government guilt were censored, and that the original investigators were removed from the probe. Since the cover-up became public, the OPCW has shunned accountability and publicly attacked the two whistleblowers who challenged it from inside. The "Statement of Concern" is signed by five former OPCW officials, including the organization's founding leader, José Bustani, and others including Noam Chomsky, Daniel Ellsberg, Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, Tulsi Gabbard, John Pilger, Lord West of Spithead, as well two former senior UN officials, Denis Halliday and Hans von Sponeck. " The issue at hand ...

New leaked documents show Reuters’ and the BBC’s involvement in covert UK FCO programs to effect “attitudinal change” and “weaken the Russian state’s influence,” alongside intel contractors and Bellingcat. by Max Blumenthal Part 4 - The Consortium Among the intelligence contractors bidding to participate in the UK FCO-funded Consortium were the Zinc Network and Albany Communications. As journalist Kit Klarenberg noted in a February 18 report on the recent FCO leaks, these firms “ boast staff possessed of [security] clearances, individuals who previously served at the highest levels of government, the military and security services. They furthermore have extensive experience in conducting information warfare operations on London’s behalf the world over. ” Previously known as Breakthrough, Zinc has contracted for the UK Home Office to covertly implement media projects propagandizing British Muslims under the auspices of the Prevent de-radicalization initiative. In Australia, Zinc was cau...