the unbalanced evolution of homo sapiens

Μέρος 6ο - Διαιτητικά δικαστήρια : Επικείμενες εντάσεις Το σημείο στο οποίο αποκρυσταλλώνονται όλες οι εντάσεις, συνίσταται στην ύπαρξη του «δικαστικού συστήματος για τις επενδύσεις», αγγλιστί Investment Court System , ICS (Σύστημα Επενδυτικών Δικαστηρίων), η οποία θα επιτρέψει στις πολυεθνικές να προσβάλλουν τα κράτη όποτε εκτιμούν ότι έγιναν εις βάρος τους διακρίσεις ή ότι εξαπατήθηκαν. Δηλαδή, όποτε οι εταιρείες θεωρούν ότι το αναμενόμενο κέρδος τους δεν υλοποιήθηκε, λόγω αλλαγής στη νομοθεσία που αφορά κυρίως, θέματα περιβάλλοντος, υγείας ή προστασίας των καταναλωτών. Πρόκειται για πλέγμα διατάξεων προς όφελος της μίας πλευράς, εφόσον τα κράτη δεν θα μπορούν, αντίστοιχα, να στρέφονται εναντίον των επενδυτών . Το δικαστήριο θα αποτελείται από δεκαπέντε «επαγγελματίες δικαστές», που θα διορίζονται για πέντε έτη. Σύμφωνα με κοινή δήλωση 101 καθηγητών νομικής, το ICS δεν εγγυάται πλήρως την αμεροληψία και την ανεξαρτησία των δικαστών που θα επιλέ

Ecuador has come under fire for scrutinizing non-profits like Accion Ecologica, many of whom get millions from Europe and North America. Part 6 - Beyond Accion Ecologica “ Theoretically speaking, NGOs shouldn’t exist, ” said Casado. NGOs operate within a logic of narrowing, minimizing and weakening the role of the state so they can keep filling holes in public services and keep their jobs, which are at risk of disappearing if the state works as it should, added Casado. “ They elect themselves representatives of civil society in general, ” and yet their role is limited and entirely reliant on and responsive to funding, which at the end of the day remains in their pockets. Other social organizations and popular movements, said Casado, operate only on conviction. If an NGO is completely free to operate without regulations, a country would open itself to any corporate and foreign interest that found an open hand, he argued. Latin America is intimately familiar with th

globinfo freexchange Suddenly, the bad theatrical performance by Greece's creditors has ended ingloriously after the recent meeting between the IMF head, Christine Lagarde and the German chancellor, Angela Merkel. As Deutsche Welle reports: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday to discuss Greece's debt crisis. Lagarde said after the meeting that Greece's debt needed "significant" restructuring but that it did not require debt forgiveness from the Mediterranean nation's creditors, marking an apparent shift of her policy view. Germany and other eurozone lenders have categorically dismissed the notion of debt forgiveness, previously placing it at loggerheads with the global financial mechanism. Indeed, the supposed disagreement between the IMF and the eurozone so far was that the Fund was calling for a debt relief for Athens or it will refuse to

globinfo freexchange Και ξαφνικά, η κακή θεατρική παράσταση των δανειστών έλαβε άδοξο τέλος μετά τη συνάντηση Μέρκελ-Λαγκάρντ : Tελικώς το ελληνικό χρέος δεν χρειάζεται κούρεμα, κατέληξε χθες η κυρία Λαγκάρντ αφού επί μήνες ξόρκιζε το χρέος και αρνιόταν να συμμετέχει στο ελληνικό πρόγραμμα αν το χρέος δεν μειωθεί δραστικά . Τα γιατροσόφια της τώρα απαιτούν η Ελλάδα να προχωρήσει σε «μεταρρυθμίσεις», δηλαδή στη μείωση των συντάξεων και του αφορολόγητου, στην αγορά εργασίας (βλέπε ομαδικές απολύσεις) και στην ρύθμιση των κόκκινων δανείων-προφανώς σε βάρος των δανειοληπτών. Αυτή είναι η συμφωνία στην οποία κατέληξαν χθες με την κυρία Μέρκελ, στη συνάντηση του Βερολίνου. Το πρόβλημα του χρέους παραπέμπεται για το 2018 και θα πρόκειται όχι για κούρεμα αλλά, σύμφωνα με όσα δήλωσε η κυρία Λαγκάρντ, για « μια σημαντική παράταση του χρόνου αποπληρωμής και μια σημαντική μείωση των επιτοκίων ». Πράγματι, υποτίθεται ότι μέχρι τώρα η βασική διαφωνία του

Expensive medicines remain inaccessible for many. Lengthy patents prevent development or importation of cheaper generic drugs. The quest for profit trumps the needs of the developing world, violating the basic tenet of justice to provide healthcare to all. Great scientific and medical advances were made over the course of the 20th century, manifesting in the development of myriad medicines, sophisticated surgical techniques, and significant improvements in healthcare provision. Average life expectancy in the USA increased by almost three decades during this period, concomitant with a steep fall in infant mortality. In England and Wales, average lifespans rose from 49 (males) and 53 (females) in 1910 to 75 (males) and 80 (females) by the end of the century. The development of antibiotics, novel vaccinations, and an ever-widening array of medicines are some of the reasons behind the virtual eradication of infectious diseases such as measles, rubella, and TB in t

As US-backed Iraqi forces are advancing on ISIS-held western Mosul, the UNHCR says it’s extremely concerned about the thousands of civilians trapped in the city, as there’s a high risk of casualties, spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh says. Iraqi government forces have retaken Mosul’s airport from Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) and stormed a military base in a bid to enter the terrorist-held city, where up 750,000 civilians remain trapped. This comes as the Pentagon's Baghdad-based spokesperson, Col. John Dorrian, admitted that US troops came under fire in the embattled city. “ They have come under fire at different times, our forces... that have been in Mosul and other places around Iraq, ” he said at a press briefing on Wednesday. Interview with Matthew Saltmarsh: https://www.rt.com/op-edge/378409-civilans-humanitarian-mosul-iraq-isis/

Relatives of Jean Charles de Menezes, a 27-year-old Brazilian shot dead by counter-terrorism police in 2005, say the appointment of Cressida Dick as chief of the Metropolitan Police is ‘offensive,’ as she was responsible for the botched operation. De Menezes was shot in the head 11 times on a train at Stockwell Underground Station, south London, after being mistaken for a terrorism suspect. His bereaved family say Dick’s appointment proves that “ police officers can act with impunity. ” Dick was appointed chief of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on Wednesday, making her the first woman in history to head the UK’s largest police force in its 188-year history. Although many hailed Dick’s appointment, the de Menezes family hit out at the decision, saying they had “serious concerns” for London’s security under her leadership. More: https://www.rt.com/uk/378414-cressida-dick-met-menezes/

The bodies of 13 migrants who died of suffocation have been recovered from a shipping container in western Libya, the Red Crescent said on Thursday. The migrants appear to have been locked in the container for several days as it was transported to the coast at Khoms, where they were to attempt to cross the Mediterranean towards Europe, the Red Crescent said in a statement. Fifty-six migrants were rescued from the container, some suffering from serious injuries and fractures, the statement said. Libya has become the main gateway for migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. A record 181,000 migrants reached Italy along the route last year. https://www.rt.com/news/line/

Iraq US-backed Iraqi troops have retaken Mosul’s airport from Islamic State and stormed a military base in a bid to enter the militant-held western part of the densely-populated city, where up 750,000 civilians are now trapped. " The Rapid Response Forces and federal police are fully in control of the airport of Mosul, " state television said in a flash on its screen on Thursday afternoon, Reuters reported. Attacking from the south, Iraqi forces reached the Ghazlani base near the airport in southwestern Mosul on Thursday morning, two special forces officers told AP, adding that there was fierce fighting going on between the Iraqi military and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants near the besieged facility. Later in the day, Iraqi police officials said the troops had captured the airport’s runway and were attempting to enter nearby buildings. The runway had already been destroyed by IS, but seizing the compound would open the route

Statement declines to offer number wounded in offensive Fresh on the heels of reports from Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend that US ground troops have been sent closer to the front lines in the offensive in Mosul, Pentagon officials are now admitting that “some number” of US troops have been wounded in the last six to eight weeks in Mosul. The indications from Tonwsend’s comments were that President Trump dramatically loosened restrictions on US “non-combat” troops in Iraq being embedded into combat operations, and Col. John Dorrian, a coalition spokesman, conceded they have been under fire “at different times” since then. The admission suggests the woundings happened as far back as eight weeks ago, and that the Pentagon is only now willing to confirm that the incidents happened. Even more noteworthy, officials are still openly refusing to say how many US troops were wounded in Mosul, insisting it was just “some number.” More: http://news.antiwar.com/2