The Greek Parliament unanimously voted a resolution recognizing the state of Palestine on Tuesday. the voting took place during a special parliamentary session attended also by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas currently on an official visit to Athens.

The main focus of the paper is on the form taken by imperialism in the current conjuncture of capitalist development, namely extractive capitalism. This conjuncture is characterised by the demise of neoliberalism as an economic model and a growing demand on the world market for energy, minerals and other “natural” resources—the political economy of natural resource development (large-scale investment in the acquisition of land and entailed resources, primary commodity exports).

Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu at the Israeli initiative.

The conversation focussed on the situation in the Middle East, particularly the Syrian crisis. Vladimir Putin stressed that there was no alternative to intra-Syrian talks under the aegis of the UN and a further uncompromising struggle against ISIS and other extremist groups operating in Syria. Agreement was reached to maintain active dialogue at various levels, in particular to further coordinate anti-terrorist actions.

Speaking of a Palestinian-Israeli settlement, the Russian President stressed the importance of practical measures aimed at reducing tensions.

The conversation also touched upon the development of cooperation between Russia and Israel in various spheres.

(19.6.2014) Im Juni 2013 war bereits im Zuge einer „ersten Phase“ durch die Konsortien Genel Energy und Addax Petroleum die Pipeline zwischen Khurmala und den nordöstlich von Kirkuk gelegenen Ölfeldern von Taq Taq fertiggestellt worden. Genel Energy machte sich bereits, als „zweite Phase“ der Vernetzung der verschiedenen Öl-Felder im Irak, an die Fertigstellung der Khurmala-Faysh Khabur-Pipeline, mit deren operativen Betrieb zum damaligen Zeitpunkt für 2014 gerechnet wurde. Oryx Petroleum erwähnte die Fertigstellung der Khurmala-Faysh Khabur-Pipeline ausdrücklich in ihrem Jahresbericht 2013.

Hinter Oryx Petroleum steht der Milliardär Jean Claude Gandur. Gandur hatte das erwähnte Konsortium Addax Petroleum 2008 für schlappe 7,2 Milliarden Dollar an den in China basierten Konzern Sinopec verkauft und kehrte danach mit dem neu geschaffenen Oryx Petroleum wieder in das Bombengeschäft im Irak zurück.

Sinopec und deren Geschäftspartner Genel Energy, dem zentralen Konsortium in dem Geschacher vor Ort um das irakische Öl, bekamen bald ehrenwerte Gesellschaft: den nach dem Deepwater Horizon Mißverständnis zeitweilig abgetauchte ex-„British Petroleum“-Chefdramaturg Tony Hayward und dessen unauffälligen Finanzier und engen Freund Nat Rothschild.

Deren Konsortium Vallares stieg in 2011 durch einen 50 / 50 Aktien-Deal bei Genel Energy ein, das bis dahin dem türkischen Mogul Mehmet Emin Karamehmet und dem umtriebigen Lebemann und Großunternehmer Mehmet Sepil gehörte. Nachdem Hayward und Rothschild ihr Konsortium Vallares an Genel Energy angedockt hatten, ging dieses unter dem Namen Genel Energy in dem Konsortium auf.

Turkish officials were involved in illegal transport of oil from Iraq long before the emergence of the so-called Islamic State (ISIL/ISIS/IS/DAESH). Their illegal trade expanded to the Syrian Arab Republic with the intensification of the conflict in Syria. Turkey, however, is not the only player involved in the illegal oil trade in Syria and Iraq. The operations of the Anglo-Turkish company Genel Energy PLC, which works in Iraqi Kurdistan and Malta, illustrates the constellation of financial and energy sector interests involved.

Im kurdischen Südosten der Türkei eskalieren die Auseinandersetzungen zwischen der Bevölkerung und den türkischen Sicherheitskräften. Die Armee beschießt Wohnviertel und es kommt zu Straßenkämpfen. Überall im Land finden Razzien statt. Die Versorgung ganzer Städte ist zusammengebrochen.

Long before the vast planetary surveillance programs being carried out by the Five Eyes team were revealed by Edward Snowden, there was Echelon, a similarly globe-spanning system for slurping up communications. The person who did more than anyone to expose this top-secret collaboration was the UK journalist Duncan Campbell:

The Manhattan Project, if you a need a refresher, was a research and development collaboration between the US, UK, and Canada to develop weapons during World War II, culminating in the development of the atomic bomb. It was initially a secret military project. Over a hundred civilians died working on it.

Uh.

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On Dec. 11, France’s highest administrative court asked the Constitutional Court to examine the constitutionality of the law, notably for its restrictions on freedom of movement, after a challenge by an activist who was placed under house arrest ahead of the recent global climate conference in Paris.

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The French government is expected to announce its decision to write into the constitution the state of emergency introduced after last month‘s Paris attacks. A series of new security measures would also include increased powers of house arrest.

Justice Minister Christiane Taubira, who has had deep misgivings about the plan from the start, said it had been dropped from the constitutional amendment bill, due to be presented on Wednesday.