martes, 30 de septiembre de 2014

Easy access to data on EU lobbying | LobbyFacts Database

Over 60 per cent of EU lobbyists represent corporate interests.

The 10 companies that spend the most on lobbying the EU put over €39 million per year towards influencing decision-making.

How do we know this? http://www.lobbyfacts.eu/

is a great new tool for finding out who spends what on lobbying in Brussels.

Al-Moallem: Syria supports any international effort to combat terrorism as long as it preserves civilians’ lives and sovereignty | Syrian Arab News Agency

Al-Moallem: Syria supports any international effort to combat terrorism as long as it preserves civilians’ lives and sovereignty | Syrian Arab News Agency:

New York, SANA – Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign and Expatriates Minister Walid al-Moallem, delivered a speech on Monday at the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly, in which he affirmed that Syria supports any international effort to combat terrorism as long as it fully preserves civilians’ lives and national sovereignty and is carried out according to international accords.

Syria’s Position Regarding America’s Campaign against the Islamic State (ISIS) | Global Research

It is true that to arrive late is better than never. Indeed, this UN
resolution, adopted on 15/08/2014, came too late, but the question asked
here is whether everyone is serious and resolute about its
implementation? But since its adoption, we have not seen any serious
move to implement this resolution. Furthermore, we have not felt any
real sense of the danger to work on its basis on the part of the
regional states that were and are still providing all kinds of support
to these terrorist organizations. On the contrary, what we see on the
part of the US administration is a double standard policy and alliances
to score certain political agendas, particularly through supporting with
money, weapons and training of groups they call moderate. This is a
real recipe for the increase of violence and terrorism, shedding of
Syrian blood, prolonging of the Syrian crisis and demolishing of the
political solution at its basis. This behavior creates a fertile ground
for the growth of these terrorist groups that commit the most heinous
crimes on the Syrian territory, which requires all of us to seriously
and effectively address and eradicate terrorism, and re-establish
security and stability in Syria and the region.

Academics and Diplomats Contest the Washington Post’s Propaganda on Venezuela | Global Research

The Washington Post editorial, “Venezuela doesn’t deserve a seat on the
UN Security Council,” combines ad hominem attack with misinformed
smears. The Post’s views appear to have been formed by uncritically
accepting all of the propaganda offered up by the right-wing opposition
press in Venezuela.

Why Syrians Support Bashar al Assad | Global Research

What
do Syrians think, and why do they continue to support a man the western
powers have claimed is constantly attacking and terrorising ‘his own
people’? To understand this we must consider the huge gap between the
western caricature of Bashar al Assad the ‘brutal dictator’ and the
popular and urbane figure within Syria.

If we believed most
western media reports we would think President Assad has launched
repeated and indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas, including the
gassing of children. We might also think he heads an ‘Alawi regime’,
where a 12% minority represses a Sunni Muslim majority, crushing a
popular ‘revolution’ which, only recently, has been ‘hijacked’ by
extremists.

[462] Fake Terror Threats, Standing Up to Beijing, Secret Fed Tapes, World Leaders Call Out UN - YouTube

Breaking The Set on Fake Terror Threats, Standing Up to Beijing, Secret Fed Tapes, Navajo Sacrifice Zones & World Leaders Call Out the UN:

http://ow.ly/C5SYv

SPAIN AGAINST THE CATALONIA NATION -- ‘Nobody is allowed to break up Spain’: Madrid court suspends Catalonia vote — RT News

‘Nobody is allowed to break up Spain’: Madrid court suspends Catalonia vote — RT News:

Spain’s Constitutional Court decided Monday that Catalonia has no right to vote for its independence. The independence referendum planned by Catalonia’s President for this November was unanimously suspended by 12 judges.

READ MORE: Catalonia president orders independence referendum on Nov. 9

Speaking in a televised address after an emergency cabinet meeting Monday, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said he regretted Catalonia’s president Artur Mas’s decision to call for separation from Spain:

“I regret it because it’s against the law; it’s beyond democratic law, divides Catalans, distances them from Europe and the rest of Spain and seriously damages their welfare.”

Madrid has not yet voiced the government’s further plans beyond the appeal, although Rajoy is sure the Catalan president’s initiative, “being illegal won’t see the light of the day”.

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) Trojan Horse. Selling out Europe to US Corporate Plunder | Global Research

The great corporate heist continues today in Washington. Shrouded in
secrecy and granting privileged access to powerful corporations, the 7th
round of negotiations on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment
Partnership (TTIP) will take place amid growing civil society protests
at the dangers of the proposed deal for democracy and essential
regulations in the areas of public health, safety, the environment and
the financial sector...

Big business continues to dominate the
discussions, while the majority of the public is being left in the dark
about the exact direction of the talks. Instead, they must rely on
leaked documents to get information about what is being negotiated on
their behalf.

The death toll in the Mediterranean rises while Europe looks the other way | Amnesty International

“As the EU builds its walls higher and higher, refugees and migrants are
increasingly taking to the Mediterranean in a desperate bid to reach
European shores. Placed on rickety boats by ruthless smugglers, every
week hundreds of them sway between life and death, between hope and
despair,” said John Dalhuisen, Europe and Central Asia Programme
Director.

African asylum seekers rescued off boats and taken aboard an Italy navy ship, June 8, 2014.

© Massimo Sestini / eyevine

Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 30 September 2014 | Human Rights Watch

In today's Brief: Hong Kong protests; EU shame of migrant deaths,
credibility crisis for Council of Europe; Syrians face violent attacks
in Lebanon, more...

As China expelled journalists from Beijing, it made it easier for them to cover this in HKong: http://trib.al/Np9NXfr pic.twitter.com/G2uBnfKLyJ

BBC News - In pictures: Guinea's artisanal gold miners

Conditions
are tough and dangerous. In November last year a gold mine collapsed,
killing at least 14 people. Accidents are common. It is also estimated
that between 20,000 and 40,000 children work in Mali's artisanal mines: http://bbc.in/1nDZF5n

Conditions are tough and dangerous. In
November last year an artisanal gold mine collapsed, killing at least 14
people. Accidents are common. It is also estimated that between 20,000
and 40,000 children work in Mali's artisanal mines, often from a young
age.

The Roots of Hong Kong’s ‘Umbrella Revolution’ - YouTube

Hong Kong is the second most expensive city in the world but its minimum wage is only $3.86 per hour.

Breaking The Set on the roots of Hong Kong's ‪#‎UmbrellaRevolution‬:

http://bit.ly/1nCXQWd

Obama’s Ukraine Policy. Crimes against Humanity in Donbass | Global Research

Obama installed in that coup an anti-Russian Ukrainian Government, and
so he now needed to get rid of Ukraine’s pro-Russian voters, who were
the residents in Ukraine’s southeast, especially in Ukraine’s Donbass
region. If the voters there weren’t killed &/or expelled, then the
Ukrainian leaders whom Obama imposed would be voted out of office in any
nationwide Ukrainian election; so, this ethnic-cleansing campaign was
necessary to Obama in order to make his new anti-Russian Ukraine last,
not break up into a pro-U.S. northwest and a pro-Russia southeast. Obama
lost that war.

Turn the Tables: Stopping Western Aggression in Syria | New Eastern Outlook

After the West’s flooding of the region with billions of dollars worth
of weapons, equipment, vehicles, training, and cash for the purpose of
bolstering “moderate rebels,” what has emerged is precisely the
“extremist groups that espouse a militant vision of Islam” and are
“sympathetic to Al Qaeda” Hersh warned about in 2007. The West has thus
far otherwise failed to explain who else besides extremists could have
received the aid, or who is funding extremists above and beyond the
collective support provided by the US, Europe, and the West’s Middle
Eastern partners, that have allowed these extremists to dominate the
battlefield so decisively.

War, Media Propaganda and the Police State | Global Research

Modern
propaganda techniques utilized by the corporate state to enforce
anti-democratic and destructive policies routinely entail the
manufacture and manipulation of news events to mold public opinion and,
as Edward Bernays put it, “engineer consent” toward certain ends.

Such events include not only overt political appeals, but also acts of
seemingly spontaneous terrorism and militarism that traumatize the body
politic into ultimately accepting false narratives as political and
historical realities.

Prof James F. Tracy on GRTV at the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG), Montreal, August

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qQGfj1ZBnKA&list=UUvtTGZEcS8mbWdB7prg4QNw

British PM David Cameron: “Non-Violent Extremists” Including “9/11 Truthers” and “Conspiracy Theorists” are Just as Dangerous as ISIL Terrorists | Global Research

Putting aside the direct issue of ISIL for a moment, I find this
position on 9/11 evidence to be quite incredible. It is a position that
is either extremely ignorant, or it is a position that goes against
freedom and democracy in British society to such an extent that it is
scarcely believable. Huge numbers of extremely credible and professional
people across the world are now bringing forward incontrovertible facts
and evidence showing us that the events of 9/11 have been
systematically covered up, and that the public has been deceived and
manipulated on this issue at a quite incredible level. Just like the
public was deceived and manipulated about weapons of mass destruction in
Iraq.

American terror suspects can be indefinitely detained without a lawyer in military prison camps - YouTube

People Against the NDAA

"The world is the battlefield including the homeland." --Senator Lindsey Graham

http://youtu.be/cCII9_Ctz_w

Infographic: the deadliest countries for journalists in the Americas - Reporters Without Borders

Two hundred two journalists, bloggers, social communicators and media
workers have been killed since 2000 in these four countries. In most
cases, the exact motives remain unknown. Mexico ranks number one on this
dark list...

Netanyahu plays the blame game at the UN to avoid responsibility for Israeli human rights violations | Jewish Voice for Peace

"Netanyahu's claim that Israel is responsible for the entirety of the Jewish people worldwide is dangerous and flat-out wrong."

Our response to the Israeli Prime Minister's U.N. speech: http://bit.ly/1nB0taY

CATALONIA -- Informes publicats. Departament de la Presidència. Generalitat de Catalunya

The White Book for the National Catalan Transition has been published ‪#‎LlibreBlanc‬ Download it here (catalan): http://presidencia.gencat.cat/ca/ambits_d_actuacio/consells-assessors/consell_assessor_per_a_la_transicio_nacional_catn/informes_publicats/ - private

Read and share, our future is our right! ‪#‎CatalansVote9N‬

CATALONIA -- Publicitat institucional de la consulta del 9-N - Video Dailymotion

Publicitat institucional de la consulta del 9-N - Video Dailymotion

A consequence of the court decision is that the Generalitat @govern can no longer continue the ‪#‎YesYes‬ campaign. But we can:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x26qatq_publicitat-institucional-de-la-consulta-del-9-n_news

SPAIN AGAINST THE CATALONIA NATION -- Apareixen urnes engabiades contra la suspensió del TC, a #mutsialagàbia - VilaWeb

Apareixen urnes engabiades contra la suspensió del TC, a #mutsialagàbia - VilaWeb

Polls are caged against the suspension of CW # mutsialagàbia

The campaign was accompanied by a manifest and a website to collect citizen participation

The
day after the suspension of the law and the decree convening
consultations query 9-N by the Spanish Constitutional Court, a group of
private citizens, developers of the campaign # Mutsialagàbia
wants to draw attention to this made a symbolic gesture: the
abandonment of ballot boxes in cages in the public space of the towns in
Catalonia.
I ask people to add to the campaign hanging cages with polls or votes
in and spreading out the photos for the web, especially via Twitter. In a manifesto
(pdf), the group explains that 'prohibit consultation is kidnapped and
imprisoned consensus among citizens fundamental freedoms. No political balance does not justify such a ban. "

And say later: '# Mutsialagàbia is also a way to express the absurdity of the ban. A vote in a cage is still a vote. In a democracy, freedom is impossible to silence. The freedom to stay or leave Spain belong to us. The freedom to found a state and not like the others belong to us. Freedom consent power over our community belongs to us. This cage is mental: it is our job to release the votes. '

He adds: 'We invite all citizens, whatever their political preference
in cages hung on balconies, terraces and windows, with a ballot or vote
in, so now or never erase the collective memory class action on
democratic freedoms that all were banned and imprisoned. '

The campaign also released this video that teaches how to make an urn in 2 minutes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Gkn26XsQf-g

CATALONIA -- Artur Mas: 'They cannot stop us voting' - VilaWeb

Artur Mas: 'They cannot stop us voting' - VilaWeb

Artur Mas: 'They cannot stop us voting'

Catalan president is interviewed by the Spanish La Sexta state television channel

'The ballot boxes will be out on the 9-N', Artur Mas, the president
of the government of Catalonia said in the interview of the Spanish La
Sexta state television channel. He also took the chance to address the
Spanish citizens and called upon Spanish public opinion to encourage the
state institutions to act in the same way as the United Kingdom over
Scotland.' 'We have built the whole of the legal architecture so voting
can take place on the 9-N and they will not prevent us from voting; in
Catalonia we are at the height of the circumstances', he added. The
president insisted that when the Constitutional Court suspends the
consultation he will work to convince it that it is legal and to agree
to lift the suspension before 9 November.

And what if this were
not the case? Well, he made it clear that he would take the decision in
accordance with all of the parties in favour of the consultation. One
option would be civil disobedience, which is something both the ERC and
CUP political parties have suggested. Mas talked about this. 'Civil
disobedience is a term which may be logical at some times, but not
others. This is not a process of civil disobedience, but rather a
democratic, peaceful, legal and majority process. This is not civil
disobedience.'

Concerning the suspension of the call once it is admitted to
proceedings by the Constitutional Court, Mas said, 'Suspension means
that they have to address us and we have to give our opinion. We will
tell the Constitutional Court how we have made the decree and I hope we
will convince them. We can make allegations. They will have to listen to
our position if they are impartial arbiters.' He added, 'The
Constitutional Court cannot be used to solve political problems. We have
a political problem, so let’s solve it from politics.'

'The concept of Spanish unity is not sacred’

He also said that he did not discard 'any possible option for making
the consultation'. However, at the present time he does not foresee
early elections. 'I am not thinking of elections. I will do whatever I
can to have the voting on 9-N. It would seem that the world is going to
end on 9-N, that Spain will disintegrate, but all that will happen is
that we will know people’s opinion.' And he said, 'The concept of
Spanish unity in neither sacred nor biblical.'

Mas went further, 'I am democratically shocked that before approving
the consultation law and before the decree was made they were already
saying it was illegal. How can this happen in a democracy? This is
manipulation of a legal framework, not the work of jurists but rather of
politicians.'

Gerard Piqué, proud of Mas

One of the most striking reactions to Artur Mas’s interview on la
Sexta was that of the FC Barcelona footballer Gerard Piqué, who placed a
message on Twitter saying 'It is great to have President Mas
representing Catalonia' and thanking la Sexta TV for broadcasting the
interview for Spain.

Piqué already showed his support for the consultation on 9 November
some days ago. In a press conference he explained that he had taken part
in the ‘V’ formation in Barcelona on 11 September. 'I was in the crowds
on National Day because I am Catalan and it was the Catalan holiday. I
went there with my family, I enjoyed the day and I had a good time. The
day was remarkable for the number of people who were there and for the
festive atmosphere.' And he added, 'I am in favour of the consultation; I
think it is the most democratic of events, something that has to
happen, because in the end the people must have the right to vote.'

He received an array of criticisms and insults on the social networks
for having made a couple of tweets showing him with his son in the ‘V’
on the Catalan National Day.

SPAIN AGAINST THE CATALONIA NATION .. Spanish government asks constitutional court to declare Catalonia's independence consultation illegal - VilaWeb

Spanish government asks constitutional court to declare Catalonia's independence consultation illegal - VilaWeb

Spanish government asks constitutional court to declare Catalonia's independence consultation illegal

The consultations law and the call for the 9-N vote will be provisionally suspended once the court admits the appeal

Mariano Rajoy's cabinet has agreed to appeal to the Constitutional
Court to challenge the consultations law and the call for the 9-N vote.
Both legal texts will be automatically and provisionally suspended
without any need for justification when the appeal is admitted to
proceedings at the court. In order to admit appeals made by the Spanish
government, the twelve court magistrates must meet in a plenary session.
The court will meet extraordinarily this afternoon.

The Spanish
government cabinet met urgently this morning to challenge, on the basis
of unconstitutionality, the law on consultations passed Friday 20
September by the Parliament of Catalonia and President Artur Mas’s
decree signed last Saturday. This decision was long announced by several
Spanish ministers.

In fact after the passing of the law on consultations in the
Parliament of Catalonia, the government admitted a fast plan of action
that would start up as soon as Artur Mas, the president of the
Government of Catalonia, called the consultation.

The urgency of the decision is intended to prevent the Catalan
institutions from having time to start up the machinery of the
consultation and the pertinent campaign. 

International coverage:

Spain government asks court to declare Catalonia vote illegal (Reuters)

Madrid décidé à bloquer le référendum d'indépendance en Catalogne (Les Echos)

Spain seeks court ban on Catalonia independence vote (BBC)

Spain to Challenge Catalonia Referendum Call (ABC News)

Spain government files appeal to top court over Catalonia referendum (Deutsche Welle)

Spain Asks Court to Block Independence Referendum in Catalonia (Wall Street Journal)

SPAIN AGAINST THE CATALONIA NATION -- Catalan News Agency - Rajoy takes the Catalan consultation vote to the Constitutional Court, which is holding an early meeting

Catalan News Agency - Rajoy takes the Catalan consultation vote to the Constitutional Court, which is holding an early meeting

Rajoy takes the Catalan consultation vote to the Constitutional Court, which is holding an early meeting

CNA

Barcelona (ACN).- The Spanish Government Cabinet held an
extraordinary meeting this Monday morning in order to approve the two
appeals against the Catalan Law on Consultation Votes and the decree
calling for the 9^th of November consultation vote on
Catalonia's political future, instead of waiting until Friday's regular
meeting. The Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, considered the
Catalan measures to be "antidemocratic" and "to attempt against the
rights of all Spaniards". The appeals have been filed at the
Constitutional Court on Monday at 1:15 pm and, immediately after this,
this body announced it was holding an extraordinary meeting at 6:30 pm
to decide whether it accepts them, instead of waiting until the next
regular meeting, scheduled for the 7^th of October. The
acceptance of the appeals, which has to be decided in a Constitutional
Court's plenary session, would mean the automatic temporary suspension
of the Catalan measures until the Court issues a definitive verdict or
decides to lift this cautionary measure. Furthermore, the Spanish
Government's main advisory body, the Council of State, gave their
recommendation on Sunday evening to file the appeals. Such a
recommendation came after the Spanish Government asked for it on
Saturday morning, just after the Catalan measures entered into force. It
is the first time in Spain's democratic history that the Council of
State reacted so quickly and it is also extremely unusual for the
Constitutional Court to hold an extraordinary plenary session over
whether or not to accept an appeal and even more extraordinary to do so
in such an urgent way. On Monday morning, before the Spanish Government
approved the two appeals, the Spokesperson for the Catalan Executive and
Minister for the Presidency, Francesc Homs advised Rajoy and the
Constitutional Court to be "very careful" with their decisions, as they
could make "the greatest mistake in Spain's democracy".

The Spanish Government has reacted as expected and it has filed two
appeals at the Constitutional Court against the Law on Consultation
Votes, approved by the Catalan Parliament with an 80% support, and the
decree based on this law calling a self-determination consultation vote
on the 9^th of November, which was signed on Saturday morning.
Mariano Rajoy himself has held an extremely unusual press conference to
announce the decision, which has also been approved an exceptional
Cabinet Meeting, organised 4 days earlier than usual. Rajoy, who only
faced 3 questions – none of which asked about his no-to-everything
attitude and his responsibility for the current situation, did not wait
for the Constitutional Court's verdict and stated that the measures
approved in Catalonia were "unconstitutional" and "antidemocratic".
Rajoy said they are "a severe attack" against "the unity of Spain" and
"the rights of all Spaniards", insisting on the "indissoluble unity of
the Spanish nation". He stressed that "national sovereignty belongs to
all the Spaniards", "to the Spanish people as a whole" and that a part
of it – Catalonia – cannot decide for everybody.

Rajoy ignores Catalonia's nationhood

Therefore, Rajoy does not consider that Catalans have the right to
decide on their own collective future, because he does not consider
Catalonia to be a nation and to be sovereign. In fact, the full
recognition of Catalonia's nationhood is at the core of the problem,
since the 1978 Spanish Constitution partially recognises it when it
states in Article 2 that Spain is formed of "nationalities and regions".
This formula was a compromise during the transition to democracy with
the forces of Franco's Spanish nationalist and military dictatorship in
order not to derail the process and to partially recognise Catalonia's
nationhood status. In order to balance this, the military imposed the
inclusion of the "indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation" expression.
Catalans massively voted for the Constitution with the implicit promise
that, once democracy was consolidated in Spain, Catalonia's nationhood
would finally be fully recognised. However, the opposite has happened.
In 2010, the Constitutional Court emphasised the "indissoluble unity of
the Spanish nation" in its verdict against the Catalan Statute of
Autonomy, which outraged Catalans. In addition, Rajoy referred solely to
this expression that was imposed in 1978 by the most reactive sector of
Franco's military dictatorship but has ignored that Spain is "formed of
nationalities and regions", therefore ignoring Spain's plurinational
nature.

Rajoy has already decided the Catalan measures are unconstitutional

According to Rajoy, the Catalan Government asking the opinion of
Catalans citizens on Catalonia's political future through a non-binding
consultation vote is "not compatible with the Constitution". The Spanish
PM stated up to 10 times that the Law on Consultation Votes and the 9^th
of November vote were "unconstitutional", without waiting for the
Constitutional Court's verdict on the issue. In fact, the Spanish
Government has been saying the same for the last few months and it
already announced in early September that the appeals against the
Catalan measures were "ready", despite the fact that the Catalan
Parliament had not yet approved the law and that the Catalan President
had not signed the decree and therefore its exact wording was unknown.

The Catalan measures are "harming the rights of all Spaniards"

Rajoy stated that it is "false" and "demagogical" to say that "the
right to vote and decide" can be "unilaterally" used by an Autonomous
Community – Catalonia – and "denied to the rest of the nation". "It is
demagogical to refer to something that sounds good, such as the right to
express oneself or to be heard", he said. "The problem is that who are
putting these arguments upfront are actually denying this right to those
who are legally entitled to use it, which is the whole of the Spanish
people", Rajoy added. The Spanish PM accused the President of the
Catalan Government "of stealing from the rest of Spaniards" their
"right" to decide on Spain's destiny. According to Rajoy, the Spanish
Government cannot do anything but file these appeals, since it cannot
trade with "the national sovereignty", which "belongs to all the Spanish
people as a whole".

Rajoy says he is "open to talk, but always within the law"

The Spanish PM stated that "there is still time" to honour the law
and obey the Constitutional Court's verdict – which at the time has not
decided to even accept the Spanish Government's appeals since they had
not even been filed. He insisted that the Spanish Government is
"defending the Law, which it is not a restriction against freedom but a
guarantee of equality and security for all". "Contrasting the law and
democracy is unacceptable", because "there is no democracy without laws,
neither is there respect for the citizens or for politics". Rajoy said
that "the Law is the expression of the majority's expression" and that
"the Constitution can be changed", but using the foreseen mechanisms.
However, he did not say that in those two years he has been blocking any
debate on reforming the Constitution. Paradoxically, Rajoy said that he
is always "willing to talk" and "open to set a dialogue", but "always
within the Law".

Rajoy accused the Catalan Government of "carrying out a policy of
accomplished facts", by "unilaterally" adopting a series of decisions
towards the organisation of the self-determination vote without the
approval of the Spanish Government. The Spanish PM presented the facts
as the Spanish Government always being willing to talk but the Catalan
authorities carrying out their own agenda and later on "·pretending that
the Spanish Government will be forced to find a solution to unilateral
decisions which are impossible to share". However, he also admitted that
"there has never been a real possibility" to reach an agreement with
the Catalan Government. "When a part goes against the legal framework
and the interests of all, it cannot be the [Spanish] Government's duty
to find a half-way point for reaching an agreement", Rajoy added.

Finally, he stated that the Catalan President will be "the person in
charge" of the consequences of this process, which are "the unfair
delegitimisation of democratic institutions and breaking the fraternity
bonds that have united Catalonia and the rest of Spain during all our
common history". In addition, the current situation will bring a great
"frustration" to "a part of Catalonia's citizens, who have been
encouraged to participate in an initiative that cannot see the light,
because it is illegal".

The Catalan Government warns against making "the greatest mistake in Spain's democracy"

A few hours before the Spanish Government was to file the two
appeals, the Catalan Minister for the Presidency, Francesc Homs, warned
Rajoy that this action would a "major political error", which will
strengthen the self-determination process. Homs said that with the
temporary suspension of the Catalan law and decree, "the game will not
be over", on the contrary. Those supporting independence will be more
convinced, according to the Catalan Minister. He advised the Spanish
Government and the Constitutional Court to be extremely "careful" with
their decisions, as they risk making "the greatest mistake in Spain's
democracy".

The Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, announcing the appeals against the Catalan measures (by R. Pi de Cabanyes)

lunes, 29 de septiembre de 2014

Dispatches: Political Earthquake in Hong Kong | Human Rights Watch

Jarring photos of police using tear gas and pepper spray on protestors.

Riot
police fire teargas to disperse protesters after thousands demonstrated
in the main street to the financial Central district.

John Holloway: cracking capitalism vs. the state option | ROAR Magazine

John Holloway: "I sincerely hope that Podemos and Syriza do win the
elections, because that would change the current kaleidoscope of social
struggles. But I maintain all of my objections with regard to the state
option. Podemos or Syriza can improve things, but they cannot create
another world outside the logic of capital."

With left parties on the rise in
Spain and Greece, John Holloway reflects on his influential 2002
thesis: can we change the world without taking power?

"It's the Devil's excrement" - Where fossil fuels lurk, corruption creeps | Greenpeace International

5 stories of coal corruption that will make you want to ditch fossil fuels all over again.

http://grnpc.org/IgHFE

**When it comes to resource extraction and the political process — the issue is a global one. Have a look at some of the recent coal-ruption stories that have been breaking all around the world.**

The curious case of Ebola patents | Down To Earth

It is clear that the US government has been keeping tabs on Ebola for a
while now. It holds the patents on a strain of the Ebola virus known as
Bundibugyo (EboBun) that was found in Uganda. It is although not clear
whether it is the same strain that has created the current epidemic. The
patent, awarded in October 2012 to five scientists led by Jonathan S
Towner, is now deposited with the US Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.

NRW: Wachleute sollen Flüchtlinge in Asylunterkunft misshandelt haben - SPIEGEL ONLINE

This photo is not from the USA but from an emergency shelter for
refugees in Burbach (Nordrhein-Westfalen). And I think ', the guy who
can shoot as proud as he pushes an asylum seeker the shoe in the neck,
like complains in his spare time about the fact that asylum seekers are
antisocial.
# DuBistDeutschland # #
SehIchInDemAnzugFremdenfeindlichAus NeinMann #
UndJetztWennEinAsylbewerberUntermeinemSchuhLiegt # # NeinMannAllesGut
OkThx
- Background: employees of the private security company "SKI"
force among others To lay on refugee mattress with vomit; photograph
with foot on the neck of a bound on the ground Aslybewerbers. "Private
security guards allegedly harassed and humiliated refugees in several
refugee centers in North Rhine-Westphalia. [...] 'These are images that
are otherwise only known from Guantanamo, "said the police chief Frank
Hagen Richter.“

http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/nrw-wachleute-sollen-fluechtlinge-in-asylunterkunft-misshandelt-haben-a-994228.html

UK Bombs Texas to Save British Hostage from State Barbarism | PIPR

UK Bombs Texas to Save British Hostage from State Barbarism | PIPR:

The centenary of the First World War is commemorated this year. What have we learnt? Elites have learnt that war pays. The centenary coincided with an Israeli assault on occupied Gaza—Operation Protective Edge—which is a tragic irony given that Gaza hosts WWI memorial graves.1

Other events coinciding with the commemorations include a brutal civil war in Syria stoked by militias armed and trained by Britain, France, and the US; an escalation of violence in Libya, following the NATO assault of 2011; a plea from the Red Cross to help a million Somalis facing starving, most of whom are the victims of a UK-Ethiopia assault, which began in December 2006 and ended with the overthrow a socialist government; and on and on.2

http://www.pipr.co.uk/all/uk-bombs-texas-to-save-british-hostage-from-state-barbarism/

How Israel Silences Dissent - NYTimes.com

"Not only are they not willing to listen, they are trying to silence it before it can even be voiced."

War Propaganda and Women’s Rights: The Arab Emirates (UAE) Exploit First Woman Pilot to Lead the Bombing Campaign Against ISIS | Geopolitics | News, Opinions & Analysis that Matters

Women’s rights in the Gulf States are hideous regardless of the UAE’s
actions it has taken to involve women in their military ranks. The
mainstream media in the West is quick to jump on the women’s rights
issue in the Gulf; they even praised Saudi Arabia for sending members of
the Royal family to battle. The Week, a British news magazine published
a story called “Why the West should applaud these autocratic kingdoms
with dubious human rights records” by Peter Weber. The subtitle read
“Saudi Arabia is sending its princes to fight ISIS. UAE is sending
women. The Persian Gulf kingdoms are in this battle now, come hell or
high water.” Weber does admit that Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf
states which have some of the worst human rights violations have been
both directly and indirectly involved in the creation of ISIS

CATALONIA -- Activist Post: Catalonian Secession, and the Approaching Spanish Civil War

Activist Post: Catalonian Secession, and the Approaching Spanish Civil War

‪#‎Secession‬ sentiments are stronger than ever, as the people of ‪#‎Catalonia‬ try to break free from the nation of ‪#‎Spain‬.

http://www.activistpost.com/2014/09/catalonian-secession-and-approaching.html

TTIP: covert attacks on democracy and regulation | Corporate Europe Observatory

TTIP: covert attacks on democracy and regulation | Corporate Europe Observatory:

In a muddle with ‪#‎TTIP‬ jargon? Read our beginners guide to regulatory cooperation

TTIP: covert attacks on democracy and regulation
A beginners guide to "regulatory cooperation"

The EU Commissions' proposals on "regulatory cooperation" poses a
threat to regulation that protect our health, the environment and our
welfare - and they are a threat to democracy. Read the beginners guide
from Corporate Europe Observatory, LobbyControl and Friends of the Earth
Europe.

http://corporateeurope.org/international-trade/2014/09/ttip-covert-attacks-democracy-and-regulation

Trojan horse trade deal could increase GM food and crops in Europe | Friends of the Earth Europe

The latest round of EU-US trade talks (or ‪#‎TTIP‬) kicks off in Washington today. On the agenda: how the talks to lead to GM crops being forced into Europe.

Trojan horse trade deal could increase GM food and crops in Europe

CATALONIA -- Madrid no quiere a Cataluña

Madrid no quiere a Cataluña

Madrid does not want to Catalonia

In
any voluntary social relationship that seeks to establish a common
destination is essential to have at least some degree of affection
between the parties. Otherwise, this relationship has no future. We've seen this clearly reflected in the case of England in respect of Scotland.

Thus,
the growing sense that there has been for decades among the Scots
prefer a course independent of Britain, was met with concern by the
English, because they felt they had a common bond worth keeping. Therefore, the central government agreed to recognize those greater autonomy creating a Scottish Parliament; and subsequently ampliándole its powers. Not
enough this, and pretend Scots nationalists gaining independence, the
British without wishing that these are separaran- respect the exercise
of the right of the Scottish people to freely determine its future. Ie the preferred choice of whether to separate from Great Britain, or continue living together.

But with respect, the English showed him the Scots a real associative affection. Thus,
British politicians were actively involved in the campaign trying to
convince the first that from every point of view, it suited both stay
together in Britain. Even
the main British political parties pledged to further expand their
degrees of autonomy if the Scots decided to follow integrated to the UK. What
it was specified that if separated Scotland, she could not continue
with free sterling as its currency, as was the intention of the Scottish
Nationalist Party. Very reasonable specificity, as they had formed completely independent of each other states.

Certainly all this must have influenced the outcome in favor of continuing the union far exceeded what was estimated.

In the case of Madrid has followed an entirely opposed behavior towards Catalonia. First, keep in mind that the historical grievances of Catalonia were much larger than those in Scotland. Nevertheless, when the Catalans began to show greater desire for autonomy, Spanish establishment response was clearly negative. Even
when they democratically approved an extension of that (through the
Statute), the Spanish government appealed to the Constitutional Court,
forming PP-PSOE, to try to override it; which partially succeeded after an exasperating delay of several years.

On the other hand, the national government also refused to renegotiate the economic terms of their relationship to Catalonia; although this was very unfairly treated. Reacting
and this systematic contempt, was generated in the Catalan village
wishful and independence than ever before in history contemporary
manifestations. Thus, the main Catalan party Convergence and Unio, which was not independence, became such. And yet, in the last regional elections in 2012, the pro-independence parties won 64.4% of the seats in the Parlement.

And
when that majority -product Catalan government raised the idea of a
referendum on independence, the reaction of Madrid has been "scary". It's been attacked without mercy; for it using every imaginable disqualifications. Until it has been described as madness. And he's scared of open and sustained Catalan people for their "audacity" form. Would be outside the European Union; all legal resources will be used to avoid it; and finally, the force will be used if you insist on making the referendum.

Neither
politicians nor the media and intellectuals even Real Madrid have made
some effort to try to convince them, as did the Scots-English with a
common destiny that would be much more favorable for both. Why speak of affection or just show some respect! Even
in the debates of the Spanish Television, that are seen throughout
America, who boasts more disqualifies the Catalans done ...

Thus,
the establishment Madrid has, along with a lack of affection
associative Catalans, a total absence of democratic logic shown to
address the issue. The insistence in arguing that the Spanish Constitution would violate a referendum is a grievous fallacy. First,
because it is the ABC of contemporary law that international law,
particularly in the case of human rights-premium over domestic. Second, because obviously the Constitution can be changed if there is political will. And
third, because it is absurd in a democratic system to use a legal
loophole to keep a people without a right to decide their future.

Why Spaniards can not follow the example already given twice Canada for Quebec; or who gave the Czech Republic and Slovakia; or in respect of which gave Serbia Montenegro; given brand or Britain?

The
saddest thing is that it seems that the Madrid elite is so so
authoritarian that seems not to realize that their current attitudes are
securing a future break with Catalonia. If they like something the Catalans, how they do not realize that they are virtually pushing the separation! Sure, with violence or the threat of its use may perhaps keep the "unity" for a while; but the Catalans are losing associative affections perhaps forever.

So, what is clear, at least until today, is that Madrid wants imposed on the Catalans, but do not want to Catalonia ...

CATALONIA -- EUROPP – Should Catalonia hold an independence referendum? Four responses from EUROPP contributors

EUROPP – Should Catalonia hold an independence referendum? Four responses from EUROPP contributors

Guibernau: "The key questions we should be asking here is why a solid non-secessionist ‪#‎Catalan‬
movement has turned into a fully-fledged secessionist movement? What
has prompted the shift from devolution to secession? Have all parts
concerned done their best to find a democratic peaceful solution to a
situation facing gridlock?"

http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2014/09/11/should-catalonia-hold-an-independence-referendum-four-responses-from-europp-contributors/#Two

Israel's Apartheid Wall Must Fall

Comedian Mark Thomas walked the length of Israel's Apartheid Wall on
both sides! July 2014 marks 10 years since the International Court of
Justice (ICJ) ruled the construction of Israel's Apartheid Wall in the
occupied Palestinian West Bank illegal under international law.

TTIP: No to backroom deals that would imperil our health, environment and welfare | Corporate Europe Observatory

#‎TTIP‬ ‪#‎TAFTA‬ ‪#‎CETA‬ ‪#‎TISA‬ ‪#‎ISDS‬ ‪#‎GMO‬ ‪#‎NOTTIP‬ ‪#‎STOPTTIP‬

Civil society groups denounce attempts to design transatlantic “regulatory cooperation” to fit business lobbies’ demands

Corporate Europe Observatory

Exposing the power of corporate lobbying in the EU

domingo, 28 de septiembre de 2014

Afghans struggle to settle down in Tajikistan - Asia - Al Jazeera English

Video: Thousands of Afghan refugees live in the Central Asian country of
Tajikistan. They went there hoping to find a better and safer way of
life, but as Nidhi Dutt reports, many of them are now facing new
problems. http://aje.me/1rmfpdL

"Why in the World are They Spraying?" Documentary HD (multiple language subtitles) - YouTube

"Why in the World are They Spraying?"
www.witwats.com

People around the world are noticing that our planet's weather is
dramatically changing. They are also beginning to notice the long
lingering trails left behind airplanes that have lead millions to accept
the reality of chemtrail/geoengineering programs. Could there be a
connection between the trails and our severe weather? While there are
many agendas associated with these damaging programs, evidence is now
abundant which proves that geoengineering can be used to control
weather. In this documentary you will learn how the aerosols being
sprayed into our sky are used in conjunction with other technologies to
control our weather. While geoengineers maintain that their models are
only for the mitigation of global warming, it is now clear that they can
be used as a way to consolidate an enormous amount of both monetary and
political power into the hands of a few by the leverage that weather
control gives certain corporations over the Earth's natural systems.
This of course, is being done at the expense of every living thing on
the planet. Directed/Produced by Michael J. Murphy and Produced/Edited
by Barry Kolsky.. Written by Michael J. Murphy and Barry Kolsky.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=mEfJO0-cTis

Militarising the Ebola Crisis | Inter Press Service

As the U.S. plans to step up operations in West Africa to combat Ebola,
the nature of its military involvement remains in question. http://bit.ly/1nq4D5E

First shipment of the ramped-up U.S. military response to Ebola arriving in Liberia. Credit: US Army Africa/CC-BY-2.0

Women can abuse children too - and society must confront it - Health News - Health & Families - The Independent

As ChildLine reveals that more than one in 10 callers report bullying or
sexual advances by females, one victim tells his family's story

Local Protesters Are Killing Big Oil and Mining Projects Worldwide | Motherboard

BE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY~ Indigenous and Local Protesters Are Killing Big Oil and Mining Projects Worldwide

"Multinational corporations are infamous for pushing native people off
their land in order to open a new gold mine, extract oil, or otherwise
extract local resources. For decades, backlash has been thought to be
both limited and ineffectual, but new evidence suggests that protests
from local people are effective, extremely costly for the companies, and
often lead to substantive changes to or total abandonment of a project.

Researchers at the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining
interviewed employees at several dozen major international corporations
who are involved with extractive activities, and found that companies
are increasingly having to deal with the social and environmental
impacts of their work, and that it’s hurting them where it hurts most:
their bottom lines.

The researchers, led by Daniel Franks, took a
look at 50 planned major extractive projects (oil drilling, new mine
construction, that sort of thing) and found that in fully half of them,
local people launched some sort of “project blockade.” In 40 percent of
the projects, someone died as a result of a physical protest, and 15 of
the projects were suspended or abandoned altogether, according to
Franks' study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences.

“There is a popular misconception that local
communities are powerless in the face of large corporations and
governments,” Franks said in a statement. “Our findings show that
community mobilization can be very effective at raising the costs to
companies.”

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/local-protesters-are-killing-big-oil-and-mining-projects-worldwide

Pirate Fishing

Investigate Sierra Leone's multi-million dollar illegal fishing trade. Try our new investigative game ‪#‎PirateFishing‬

www.aljazeera.com/piratefishing

martes, 30 de septiembre de 2014

Over 60 per cent of EU lobbyists represent corporate interests.

The 10 companies that spend the most on lobbying the EU put over €39 million per year towards influencing decision-making.

How do we know this? http://www.lobbyfacts.eu/

is a great new tool for finding out who spends what on lobbying in Brussels.

Al-Moallem: Syria supports any international effort to combat terrorism as long as it preserves civilians’ lives and sovereignty | Syrian Arab News Agency:

Breaking The Set on Fake Terror Threats, Standing Up to Beijing, Secret Fed Tapes, Navajo Sacrifice Zones & World Leaders Call Out the UN:

Big business continues to dominate the discussions, while the majority of the public is being left in the dark about the exact direction of the talks. Instead, they must rely on leaked documents to get information about what is being negotiated on their behalf.

African asylum seekers rescued off boats and taken aboard an Italy navy ship, June 8, 2014.

© Massimo Sestini / eyevine

In today's Brief: Hong Kong protests; EU shame of migrant deaths, credibility crisis for Council of Europe; Syrians face violent attacks in Lebanon, more...

As China expelled journalists from Beijing, it made it easier for them to cover this in HKong: http://trib.al/Np9NXfr pic.twitter.com/G2uBnfKLyJ

Conditions are tough and dangerous. In November last year a gold mine collapsed, killing at least 14 people. Accidents are common. It is also estimated that between 20,000 and 40,000 children work in Mali's artisanal mines: http://bbc.in/1nDZF5n

Conditions are tough and dangerous. In November last year an artisanal gold mine collapsed, killing at least 14 people. Accidents are common. It is also estimated that between 20,000 and 40,000 children work in Mali's artisanal mines, often from a young age.

Hong Kong is the second most expensive city in the world but its minimum wage is only $3.86 per hour.

Breaking The Set on the roots of Hong Kong's ‪#‎UmbrellaRevolution‬:

Modern propaganda techniques utilized by the corporate state to enforce anti-democratic and destructive policies routinely entail the manufacture and manipulation of news events to mold public opinion and, as Edward Bernays put it, “engineer consent” toward certain ends.

Such events include not only overt political appeals, but also acts of seemingly spontaneous terrorism and militarism that traumatize the body politic into ultimately accepting false narratives as political and historical realities.

Prof James F. Tracy on GRTV at the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG), Montreal, August

People Against the NDAA

"The world is the battlefield including the homeland." --Senator Lindsey Graham

Two hundred two journalists, bloggers, social communicators and media workers have been killed since 2000 in these four countries. In most cases, the exact motives remain unknown. Mexico ranks number one on this dark list...

"Netanyahu's claim that Israel is responsible for the entirety of the Jewish people worldwide is dangerous and flat-out wrong."

Our response to the Israeli Prime Minister's U.N. speech: http://bit.ly/1nB0taY

The White Book for the National Catalan Transition has been published ‪#‎LlibreBlanc‬ Download it here (catalan): http://presidencia.gencat.cat/ca/ambits_d_actuacio/consells-assessors/consell_assessor_per_a_la_transicio_nacional_catn/informes_publicats/ - private

Read and share, our future is our right! ‪#‎CatalansVote9N‬

A consequence of the court decision is that the Generalitat @govern can no longer continue the ‪#‎YesYes‬ campaign. But we can:

Polls are caged against the suspension of CW # mutsialagàbia

The campaign was accompanied by a manifest and a website to collect citizen participation

The campaign also released this video that teaches how to make an urn in 2 minutes:

Artur Mas: 'They cannot stop us voting'

Catalan president is interviewed by the Spanish La Sexta state television channel

'The concept of Spanish unity is not sacred’

Mas went further, 'I am democratically shocked that before approving the consultation law and before the decree was made they were already saying it was illegal. How can this happen in a democracy? This is manipulation of a legal framework, not the work of jurists but rather of politicians.'

Gerard Piqué, proud of Mas

One of the most striking reactions to Artur Mas’s interview on la Sexta was that of the FC Barcelona footballer Gerard Piqué, who placed a message on Twitter saying 'It is great to have President Mas representing Catalonia' and thanking la Sexta TV for broadcasting the interview for Spain.

Big business continues to dominate the
discussions, while the majority of the public is being left in the dark
about the exact direction of the talks. Instead, they must rely on
leaked documents to get information about what is being negotiated on
their behalf.

In today's Brief: Hong Kong protests; EU shame of migrant deaths,
credibility crisis for Council of Europe; Syrians face violent attacks
in Lebanon, more...

Conditions
are tough and dangerous. In November last year a gold mine collapsed,
killing at least 14 people. Accidents are common. It is also estimated
that between 20,000 and 40,000 children work in Mali's artisanal mines: http://bbc.in/1nDZF5n

Conditions are tough and dangerous. In
November last year an artisanal gold mine collapsed, killing at least 14
people. Accidents are common. It is also estimated that between 20,000
and 40,000 children work in Mali's artisanal mines, often from a young
age.

Modern
propaganda techniques utilized by the corporate state to enforce
anti-democratic and destructive policies routinely entail the
manufacture and manipulation of news events to mold public opinion and,
as Edward Bernays put it, “engineer consent” toward certain ends.

Such events include not only overt political appeals, but also acts of
seemingly spontaneous terrorism and militarism that traumatize the body
politic into ultimately accepting false narratives as political and
historical realities.

Two hundred two journalists, bloggers, social communicators and media
workers have been killed since 2000 in these four countries. In most
cases, the exact motives remain unknown. Mexico ranks number one on this
dark list...

Mas went further, 'I am democratically shocked that before approving
the consultation law and before the decree was made they were already
saying it was illegal. How can this happen in a democracy? This is
manipulation of a legal framework, not the work of jurists but rather of
politicians.'

One of the most striking reactions to Artur Mas’s interview on la
Sexta was that of the FC Barcelona footballer Gerard Piqué, who placed a
message on Twitter saying 'It is great to have President Mas
representing Catalonia' and thanking la Sexta TV for broadcasting the
interview for Spain.