What is needed now for the Eurozone is to strengthen in its commitment to bringing Greece to the table
They must be advised on other issues to save their flagging economy
Greece needs to understand it can no longer expect the Eurozone to turn a blind eye to Greece’s increasing intractable demands
Greece really is in no position to demand anything any longer
They have continually overstepped the mark and continue to isolate themselves from any radical reforms
Their positon is completely untenable and they have no outside creditors willing to entertain their demands to remain solvent
Greece has to start looking to themselves for hard-line solutions of which they have no choice now but to meet
The Greek people are naïve if they think that austerity measures will simply go away
The country is already in too much hock to too many creditors
It needs to step back from the coal face and begin to see an alternative route
By being plunged once again into the abyss without a lifeline, so it is hoped that they will come to their senses
They need to bring about a system of reforms, which must be implemented if Greece wants to stay alive and not dead?
Whatever the European situation might think that without Greece Europe will fall, will never happen
Europe will just close its ranks and become stronger, as it will always attract strength and outside investments
Europe’s economic strategies are founded on long-term, sound economic practices
Europe will always survive without Greece, but Greece cannot survive without Europe!
The special relationship between President Obama and Angela Merkel has re-connected in a more stabilising way
They are now singing from the same hymn sheet
Both see internal and external terrorism as a situation that is dire and is under the control of a handful of extremists groups
Together they have put in place a package of defence mechanisms, which suits all their policies except one
That still needs to be addressed – the complexities of the Iran/Iraq situation
There has been a rift between Iran and Iraq for decades
Now that is being healed by the continuous influence of the US and Germany
Many behind the scenes scenarios are being conducted by them
They bring new powers together to deal with the barbaric gains by IS to date
Angela Merkel and President Obama have organised a series of extensive talks
These will construct better policies of how to drive out IS today and in the future
They both see key elements of substantial funding in NATO and beyond to secure all interests
These are to deal with the IS expanding ideology
The new structure of strategic events will be shown to the world and where they both begin to take an active role together
Foreign policies are high on the agenda and with mutual interests these can be accomplished
The economies of both the US & Europe have also been discussed & will be strengthened by trade & the foreign exchanges of ideas & services
Begin to see a more robust outlook and outcome by these two nations
This will allow others to come in as working partnerships, where all will gain
Monetary policies are seen as a strengthening virtue and, where other countries cannot re-build their failing economies, help will be given
The US and Germany are now in the driving seat
See the many changes occurring on many fronts – all of which will be positive
New Zealand’s South Island and some parts of Australia have been treated to the Aurora Australis, a natural light display in the sky
There was a solar storm
This allows the Aurora Australis in the southern hemisphere to become more visible much further north than it usually is
Aurorae occur when cosmic rays or solar wind interacts with the earth’s upper atmosphere
Another view of its activity will be shown this Thursday giving New Zealanders another chance to see this amazing phenomenon
Many New Zealanders have already braved the cold conditions to capture and enjoy this amazing sight
In the northern Hemisphere, Finland, Iceland and Northern Canada are able to see these northern lights more frequently
But for those who live in New Zealand, it is a rare sight and a rare treat indeed
Many people have already waited years to see this phenomenon with one man who has already been chasing aurorae for the last 15 years
He is truly ecstatic with the amazing sights
All things that are natural in the world are beautiful
We should never take these for granted. We are after all truly blessed
Is Greece playing the Russian card against Europe?
The Greek Syriza Government chose the pro-Russian right wing populist ANEL party
This is the Greek version of UKIP, as its coalition partner over the pro-European Potami party
A distant threat that Greece might leave NATO and sell a naval base to Russia would be a serious matter
Not just for Europe, but for the US as well
Greece’s playing around with Russia could get Europe and the US to focus on geopolitics rather than its fiscal counting
The US and the IMF feel that Greece needs a cut in its debt burden anyway
By dealing with Russia it hopes it would strengthen Greece’s hand in its demands for a big debt write off
This of course is not easy, when Cyprus wanted to get money to avoid asking for a European bailout…
…its finance minister came back empty handed. At that time Russia was awash with oil
The problem with Greece is it is not just a matter of plugging a hole for a short-term fiscal loan for a few billion euros
Russia is now in deep recession and it will not be able to be the backstop for these huge Greek amounts
Greece needs a backstop for its banking system
Already the European Central Bank (ECB) had reached a peak of 135 billion euros at the time of the Greeks repeat election in June 2012
A bank backstop is the financial support for banks
Whereas for Governments it is used to mean their debts can be guaranteed by a central bank
The only possible backstop for Greek banks in the euro is the ECB
If Greece decided to renege on its obligations to Europe and the IMF…
…and turned to Russia instead for a small bridging loan, the ECB support for Greek banks would have to stop
A Russian loan would not help Greece at all
The coalition of Syriza and ANEL may have inclined to a pro-Russian line, but it would be toying with their key national interests
Greece sits on an exposed corner of Europe
It is close to the war torn regions of Syria and Libya and next to their neighbour Turkey, who they are afraid of
For Greece to exchange wealthy and powerful allies, such as Europe and the US for Russia would not be wise
Russia is visibly crumbling under its economic incompetence and the Greek people would not let Syriza-ANEL get away with it
Greece badly needs fresh money and a reliable backstop. This it can only get from Europe and the IMF
Flirting with Russia won’t help Greece secure better terms from the only realistic leaders it has
It is high time that Greece comes to terms that the financial hardships were caused by mismanagement of their respective economies
Japan took ten years to turn over its indebted economy and Germany after the war took even longer
It is high time that Greece understood that it can no longer expect other countries to continually bail it out
It has to start the long road to recovery and to become strong again
It is in their hands alone. Help is there, but not on their terms any longer!
The Queen has visited the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany with her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh
It was at this camp, where thousands died that were Jews, gypsies and homosexuals
It was also at this camp that the teenage diarist, Anne Frank and her sister died
The Queen with Prince Philip visited a memorial to Anne Frank
The Queen laid a wreath at the camp in memory of all those who died there
It was in 1945 when British soldiers liberated the camp
They saw the many horrors that words cannot express adequately about what happened there
The Queen’s presence has shown that complete reconciliation has taken place between Britain and Germany
Mankind still has not learnt about the atrocities of war
Many still want to remember, but not enough is done to prevent these happenings occurring again
Solutions to long term sufferings need to be addressed more thoroughly, so that atrocities can be avoided throughout this world
We all must move forwards to find peace and justice and eliminate sufferings that cause so much hardship to so many
Massive street protests in Argentina on the 3rd June called for an end to the killing of women
Tens of thousands of people mostly women, but many men as well, took to the streets to demand an end to violence against women
They protested in particular against femicides, the killing of women because of their gender
It was the female journalists who organised the rally after they heard of the death of a 14 year old girl murdered because she was pregnant
The slaying of the girl called Chiara Paez, who was buried alive, was the latest in a long line of female casualties
The female journalists said that they would raise their voices to say ‘THEY ARE KILLING US’
The march saw over 150,000 people, who gathered in the capital alone
Many people were surprised as they hadn’t realised that male chauvinism was such a big issue
Argentina has a female president in Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner
They also had the famous first lady Eva Peron, who fought for women’s rights in the 1950’s
Now the Argentine Supreme Court and the Human Rights Secretariat will create a register on violence against women
They hope to have the information by the end of the year
Most Latin American countries have this problem with El Salvador and Mexico being the worst, where women are killed daily
A women’s shelter carried out a national estimate showing that a women is killed every 31 hours
It is now known that more than 1,800 women have been shot, stabbed, beaten, burned, strangled or drowned to death since 2008
That is when these records began
Argentine’s Congress passed a bill in 2012 increasing the jail sentences for gender related violence
Femicides differ from other crimes, because the killer is the husband, boyfriend or former partner of the victim
This was one of the main issues addressed by the protest march
This male-on-female violence stems from a culture, which allows men to see women as objects
These marches will continue to increase until a notable advancement in public re-education is realised
People are now fighting back. This brutal culture has to be changed!
More and more tons of confiscated ivory is being crushed. This is another example, which has recently happened in New York’s Time Square
This sends out a strong message that the illegal trade in ivory will no longer be tolerated
The global ivory trade leads to the slaughter of 35,000 elephants a year in Africa alone
Elephants are being slaughtered every 15 minutes and theirs is a gruesome death
Elephants will become extinct in a few years’ time unless this insatiable appetite for ivory ceases altogether
New York’s crushing and then burning of the ivory sends out a clear message to the world
Ivory has no commercial use in the market place anymore
The obtaining of ivory will become a taboo subject
Purchasers will be held to account that they participated in the wholesale slaughter of elephants
If one does not want elephants to die then don’t buy the ivory in the first place – that is the clear message here
Anyone holding or displaying items of ivory is complicit in the crimes against elephants
Ivory is rendered an illegal product from now on
It is up to China now to set an example to all its citizens and to confiscate all ivory from domestic and commercial use
Until the blackening of the names of those who sell and own ivory, no elephant will ever be safe to roam around freely on this land!
Until the International community starts taking responsibility then more and more people become displaced
They die from being in a war zone that they cannot get out of and like sitting ducks waiting for their end to come
Until the International community starts to speak with a majority voice to save our fellow citizens then what does that say about us?
Have we all become so battle hardened and oblivious to what is actually happening to Mankind?
Do we continue to bury our heads in the sand until these conflicts are at our doorstep before we act?
The world is in crises
It is up to the world to devise solutions and act morally to do what is right to save Mankind once and for all
Sitting on the fence, continuing to see the suffering and plight of refugees in the world and doing nothing means we are heartless souls
If we were in these situations, would we not want Mankind to respond? Of course we would
It is up to all of us now to act and to impress on politicians that solutions to war-torn countries must be found
That time has come and the International communities must bring in political strategies to solve these refugee crises and political inertia
We, as humans, cannot keep on killing each other
Ways of how to live together in peace and harmony will be found if right thinking is given
Syria is the greatest problem and has the greatest number of people displaced
That political destruction needs to be addressed. It cannot be allowed to continue
With President Assad openly dropping barrel bombs on his people, he kills them with impunity, while the world sits by and does nothing
Surely these atrocities need to be stopped?
There must be an International peacekeeping force with teeth to rectify these problems so that stability is restored
Dictatorial leaders must be removed and placed before the criminal courts
The International community is far too slow to act, while daily thousands more die while politicians deliberate and do nothing
It is on their heads that the souls of these destroyed people will start to weigh heavily
Mankind must finally do the right and decent thing!
It is now time for Israel to reflect, as the US starts to back away from them
No longer can Israel rely on the US for moral support for Israel’s wrongdoing. Israel’s day is coming
President Obama has given a revealing interview to Israel’s Channel 2 television station. He was able to talk to the Israeli public direct
He stated his support of the Jewish state, but also warned that the status quo between Israel and the Palestinians cannot continue
If there is no progress towards the peace process with Palestine…
…there would be an impact upon how America will approach defending Israel on the International stage
There would be immediate diplomatic consequences too
President Obama said that the US would no longer obstruct any European effort…
…to bring about a resolution to the Palestinian problem through the UN Security Council
Mr Netanyahu’s speech to Congress has pushed the situation too far
He overstepped his rights by criticising the President in his own country
The rift in Congress created by Netanyahu has now opened up a field of criticism of Israel
It has damaged the Israelis quite badly
Netanyahu has caused grave hostility and it leaves the Obama administration and its supporters disappointed
They are frustrated and insulted at a level of contempt, which has been directed at them by Israel
The continued ascendance to the right in Israel, presents a challenge to the American Jewish community
They overwhelmingly vote for the Democratic Party. They do not vote for the hard right Republican Party
As Israel continues its policy in the West Bank, it puts itself at odds with the rest of the world
So much so that America will no longer stand alone with Israel against the world
Israel is already being side-lined and ignored by world Governments and every day is increasing its own isolation
This often happens when arrogance takes hold and one can’t see reason anymore
Israel is in a sense digging their own graves all by themselves
The Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church has the oldest black congregation in the southern state of South Carolina
This church is a historical landmark, where black churchgoers escape from suffocating conditions from the days of slavery
It is where thousands of faithful members gather to worship today
The Emanuel AME Church in Charleston signifies not just a place of worship but a safe haven
It offers safety from segregation and the discontents of slavery and second class citizenship
This church goes back before the days of the abolition of slavery and is an important landmark to this day
It was in this sacred space during a prayer meeting that nine black members of the congregation were shot down and killed
This was by a lone white gunman
It has been suggested that it was a hate crime, but others believe the motive to be racism
Too many black people have been gunned down violently and this is becoming apparent more and more
The attack on the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church is now the new low!
The white man’s attack on the black man’s sacred history has been desecrated. It shows nothing is off limits
Time is long overdue in America dealing with their African America fellow citizens
More than a hundred years have passed and very little has changed
At the rate that America is now changing with Latin Americans coming in all the time together with other minority groups…
…white Americans will soon feel they are in the minority
Until America can start to build legitimate bridges and bring justice to those who have suffered the worst…
…there will continue to be backlashes
America already has had its civil war, does it once again want to divide its country and allow another war to ensue?
America, do the wise thing and start to reconcile these hostilities and bring back order and love to these broken communities
It shows once again that the gun is never the answer to these solutions, only dialogue and the right intentions are!
The UN peacekeeping missions face ‘chronic challenges’, such as too few resources and are often too slow in engaging in crises
A UN panel are conducting their first major review of peacekeeping operations in a decade
It is stated that the UN must form a new quicker response force and that their peacekeepers do not engage in counterterrorism operations
At this time the UN peacekeepers system is creaking under the strain of what it needs to do
There are only 125,000 peacekeepers at this time
When the UN deployed a peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic, it took five months to get it up and running
Now the panel states that operations must act quicker with responses taking just eight to twelve weeks
The UN peacekeeping missions lack specific equipment, intelligence, logistic capabilities and specialised military preparations
These operations need to be tackled by the host Governments or by a capable regional force
The UN is now considering a small UN vanguard force, which interacts with civilians, military and police capabilities
There have been many requests for a study of peacekeepers
They have repeatedly been floundering on their availability and where costs are incurred
The panel in the UN Security Council should engage earlier to address emergency threats
There should also be a Deputy Secretary General position, which is responsible for peace and security
The UN acknowledges the enduring shame of the organisation’s sexual exploitation and abuses
These still continue in the UN peacekeeping operations
The UN has recommended that victims of sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers will be compensated for the harm they have suffered
Information leaked by the media has revealed that UN peacekeeping troops commonly paid for sex with cash, dresses and mobile phones
The information on 480 allegations of sexual exploitations of abuse was made from 2008 to 2013 with one-third involving children
At last Ban Ki-moon has appointed a panel to recommend changes to international peacekeeping in the face of dangerous conflicts
Ban Ki-moon states the world is changing and UN peace operations must change…
…that is if they are to remain an indispensable and effective tool to promote international peace and security
If the world cannot have faith is such an organisation as the UN and their peacekeeping forces then what can it have faith in?
Clearly these peacekeepers have failed in many ways and the lack of resources has not made it any easier
However it is the integrity of these peacekeepers which are in question here
There is no real overseer to do what is right and proper in areas of conflict and unrest
It is right that the peacekeepers needs to be overhauled and it is sadly overdue
There are also so many things that are not right in the UN Security Council
It is always too little too late and the world continues to suffer with the lack of leadership and clout to do anything about it
It is a sad day for the world and for any form of right action
Justice for all must not only be seen to be done, but delivered in the right and proper way
The UN Security Council are not worth the salaries they are given
Some time ago we told you of the difficulty of dealing with IS with their knowledge and expertise of local terrain and fighting spirit
It is IS’s ideology of wanting to destroy a doctrine that is enjoyed by most Muslims
As we see it today this is the greatest upheaval to the Muslim world
Until IS’s ideology is crushed by the Muslim world itself, where they can stand up united to oppose this ideology…
…the rest of the Muslim world needs to be in fear of a grave cancer emerging
No longer can it be Shia verses Sunnis, now the risks to their lives are all too clear
Until they learn to bury their grievances today to bring about a united constructed force, they will all be defeated by the IS cause
There is no more time to deliberate opposite views, but to find a common ground
This must unite all the Muslim people against IS’s ideology of brutal criminal bombardment
No town, city or country is safe anymore
This creeping IS ideology and destructive ways are charging forwards, ducking and diving where necessary, but always on the offensive
Their strong ideology is what draws young impressionable Muslims from around the world to join them
The lure of excitement of being somebody important with the promised rewards of paradise…
…is music to the ears of vulnerable naïve young Muslims
These young Muslims are willing to die for the IS’s cause without even blinking
How long will it be before IS use these impressionable young Muslims to become dangerous sleepers around the world?
To become activated at any time, any place, in places where the most destruction can be obtained
A taste of this was the Boston Marathon bombing in April 2013, where two pressure cooker bombs were planted by two brothers
They were motivated by extremist Islamic beliefs due to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
It was their actions that killed three people and injured 264 others
It is high time that this world took IS seriously and it is only as a united force that they will ever be defeated
The Muslim world needs to remove IS’s ideology, so that it has no longer a voice, no fire to continue burning
This can only happen when the combined Muslim clerics around the world shout with one voice and one soul
The clerics must engage collectively in putting across the peaceful Islamic doctrine
It is the disenfranchised Muslims around the world that wish to be heard, who feel constantly that they are marginalised and ignored
It is the Muslim communities themselves who have to start repairing this damage and to unite in one strong voice of what is right and wrong
It is only by having one right voice and one consistent right action that will defeat IS
If Muslims decide to ignore their collective responsibilities, then it really will be divided you all fall
It is because the Muslim world is so divided that IS can and does muscle in and destroys from within
Are the lives of fellow Muslims so worthless that their governors/clerics will not join together and fight to save their own?
The continued lies by Israeli military to the world and its people are noticed and are gathering momentum and justice will prevail!
During last year’s Gaza war we saw 2,200 Palestinians die - the vast majority were civilians
The funeral of a 26 year old Israeli soldier killed in the war was held in a military cemetery
This funeral was attended by Lieutenant Colonel Nerya Yeshurun
He was so incensed by the killing of one of his own soldiers that he ordered his troops to fire on a medical clinic in Gaza
This crowded neighbourhood, where the Israeli troops had killed 120 people just days before, was again subjected to brutal force
Yeshurun’s words are military evidence of deliberate war crimes, including targeting a medical facility without military necessity
He took military action in revenge that was clearly prohibited by international law
Five people were killed and dozens were injured by the Israeli attack on this medical centre
It was clear that Yeshurun’s shelling was something the Israeli army wanted the Israeli public to know about
It is the swaggering commander’s admission of a war crime, which did not even get a murmur from the Israeli public or press
On 11th June it was made public that the Military Advocate General had opened a criminal investigation on this incident
It was based on evidence uncovered
The MAG has now announced the closing down of investigations without charges of several prominent criminal investigations
The most notable was the unlawful killing of four little school boys, as they played football on a Gaza beach
It had been openly declared a crime when it occurred and later it was presented to the Israeli people
The idea was to boost a flagging moral in the Israeli army and the nation
Yeshurun trumpeted his eulogy at the funeral as an attack on Palestinians
He was performing for his soldiers and his country
Yeshurun insists this is the right way to behave
He was insisting upon the honour and righteousness of his soldiers and it was the invader’s chief concern
This single episode speaks volumes
It says that the sadistic 50 day assault committed by Israel on Palestinians last summer was intentional and premeditated
This crime was in plain sight of the world’s media
It is being systematically immunised against accountability by their own army’s internal investigations
Israel will delay or prevent any investigation by the International Criminal Courts
For the Israeli soldiers the wanton shelling of Palestinian civilians, their homes and hospitals is something to boast about at home
It is up to the Criminal Courts to now take a stand and to show openly to the world they will not be dictated to by the US and Israel
Have the Courts got the guts to do something positive and constructive?
Will they do what is morally right or will they do what they always do and chicken out?
The world now in complete chaos and where retribution on a number of levels is ever increasing
The Higher Intelligence is now formatting a system of highly successful operatives
They will be able to put in place a package to suit so many countries and Governments
This strategy will be long-lasting and have incredible effects throughout the world
There will be a number of Governments, who will settle old scores to bring in a more decisive approach to not only helping one another…
…but to put together a planned objective to increase wealth and to reduce massive sufferings on so many levels
It will be the brainchild of one man, whose foresight is already established into so many things
He is already established and where from a commanding position he can now alter the state of events
A specialised team of operatives will see that the work is carried out, where corruption and personal interests are not required
This is a humanitarian approach within a legal framework, where relief is given to so many
The structures of policies not before seen will renew Man’s confidence in justice once more
The interests of this group is to renew standards of diplomacy
Here personal gains are not the issues, but overall global satisfactions is
The group will be in a position to adjust strategies, which will allow for lasting relief against violence and discrimination
It will be the blueprint that all Governments around the world must abide by irrespective of colour, creed or religion
This will allow for changes to occur nationwide and to bring relief and satisfaction to an ailing world
Justice is the main theme to be recognised, where all have a direct hand in its delivery and purpose
All have to obey, so that circumstances are able to change from the grass roots up
No longer can Man rely on the discretions of another
These new policies will be signed up as law, so that lasting benefits can be delivered to all
The guiding hand of The Almighty will be seen by all and witnessed by all
This will allow Mankind to rebuild his life and the lives of the generations to come
A lady, who has the calling, will be the initial instigator in helping/formatting of these policies
She has the Higher Calling and will not be denied
Her influence through the power of God sees to all the needs of everybody in this world
The world will come to know her soon enough
They will see that Mankind must learn from his misdemeanours in order to make amends and to then go forwards
All is given with love and the right indoctrination to influence others in now taking up the cause to save Mankind
Mankind must be saved from the very brink of destruction
All will abide by these new rulings
Lasting relief to the masses changes the elements of war and focuses them into peaceful productive schemes
It is high time that Mankind listened and expanded his conscience
He has to follow the true path of righteousness if he wants to be saved
No single person will be excluded
This is a blueprint for right living and where those who choose to fight against it will be dealt with by the Law
These laws are Universal and are accepted by all religions and creeds
They will establish the basis to do what is right and turn Mankind away from the abyss of personal destruction!
The situation in Greece will continue to be dire and many Greek people will feel the pinch as their money or lack of it bites them hard
It is Greece’s political culture and their thoroughly corrupt public institutions, which have hindered their economic growth
The public institutions have blocked the adjustments that all societies need to make in this world in order not to remain static & backward
It was the Greek Government that cheated their way into joining the Euro by giving false accountings
Then the political elite took advantage of cheap borrowing costs and engaged in reckless spending, pushing up debts to unstainable levels
How can anyone lend hundreds of billions of Euros to a country that was already posting the highest debt of GDP levels in all of Europe?
Greece’s political regime is notoriously corrupt, lacks structures and processes of transparency, democratic accountability and openness
It really does not deserve any more bailouts where their system of reform is not worth the paper it is written on
With five years of hardship the Greek people are quite naturally fed up with austerity
They were hoping to secure a debt write off and be addressed as a humanitarian crisis
Greece is now bust
It is time that all of its citizens realised the true costs of their respective corrupt Governments have put them through
The Greek people also have to address their own culture, which tends to be corrupt and underhanded
Until this culture is addressed then going forwards will be extremely difficult and painful for them all
It would be better for all concerned for Europe and Greece that Greece leaves the Eurozone
Even if it means that from rock bottom they will be able to find a way and eventually rebuild their nation
It might be decades, but they will at last be masters of their own fate
Greece will no longer be subjected to paying off enormous loans, where there was no money to do so!
Equally they can no longer expect loans of billions of Euros given from hard working countries, where corruption is not part of the system
Finally they will need to learn that corruption does not pay and they will all have to suffer this fault in their culture
Let’s hope they finally learn from it. They will certainly need to in order to survive
Barrel bombs are the scourge of the Assad regime on the innocent children
Now the Arab world is expressing their solidarity with the child victims of barrel bombs in Syria
Barrel bombs, which are made from oil drums filled with explosives and scraps of metal, are dropped by helicopters
The use of barrel bombs has escalated in recent days in Aleppo
These weapons destroy children and the graphic scenes are continually shown
They have been criticised for causing indiscriminate destruction, despite being banned by a UN resolution
The world now recognises the uselessness of the UN resolutions and its lack of teeth into bringing those responsible to account
It is because of the uselessness of the UN that dictators can act with impunity and nothing changes
There needs to be another organisation, which is law abiding, that will bring those who blatantly commit acts of genocide to account
The International Criminal Court is too slow and too bureaucratic
It is outrageous that so little is ever done when so many are suffering
In Syria 12 million people have been affected by the Assad regime
It needs the Arab world to start to take responsibilities and act for their own fellow man
No longer can they afford to sit on their hands and just watch. Active action needs to take place
Assad will never leave his chair of office
Assad will fight to the bitter end regardless of how many Syrians are left standing
Syria will be left as a barren wilderness until somebody is prepared to rise up and take action
The many humanitarian operatives risk their lives every day to bring in food and water to the starving Syrians
If these volunteers did not care, more Syrians would die each day
The political dialogue has been exhausted. Action with the right intention is the only hope for the Syrian people
The Arabic hashtag, which translates as “We are the child, you are the barrel”, opposes the Assad regime
This man does not care for his people or his destruction on his children
There needs to be a united Arab contingent to operate in saving Syria from total destruction!
As more historical abuse victims finally come out of their closet of fear, they can begin to express the horrors they were subjected to
This important work needs to continue
Boys, who were placed in boarding schools, are now having their complaints investigated by two police forces
These police forces are taking their cases very seriously indeed
The abuses took place in privately run schools in the Gloucestershire and Wiltshire area
Pupils stated they were subjected to horrific abuse during the 1970s and 1980s
Staff working there at the time categorically deny any involvement, as is so often the case until they are found guilty
Then they bleat like lambs
Some of the boys were sexually abused, while others were beaten violently
The owner of these schools, a Mr Anthony Hurley, oversaw the regime of terror and beatings
Hurley died in 2003. He had already been in court in 2000 on allegations of cruelty and sexual abuse on children
At that time Hurley was deemed unfit to stand trial
Hurley would force food down through pupil’s mouths, saying “I’m not paying for this food and you are not eating it”
The head teacher at the time, a John Derek Williams and his deputy Ashley Pritchard, are accused of carrying out violent assaults on pupils
One pupil was caned repeatedly and his face smashed into a bowl continuously after he refused to eat his meal
The pupils have stated that the teachers terrorised them and that, when Williams just stood next to them, they would wet themselves
The mental and emotional abuse was rife to the extremes and pupils were told they were unacceptable in society
The schools at the time were privately owned and therefore not regulated by the Council
It was only when the Council became aware of allegations involving staff in the 1970s that the Council stopped using these schools
In spite of that, nothing was done by the Council to bring about any safeguards for these vulnerable boys
It is right and proper that historical and present day abuses are brought to the surface
This culture of warped-minded butchers of children must be ended
The public has to be more educated and to realise that children are vulnerable, as these sick-minded predators will not go away
It is the job of every individual to shine a spotlight on these evil practices and bring the culprits to justice
Children can feel that in some small way they are vindicated
There has been too much abuse of children and many have ignored their pleas/cries for help
This now has to be addressed on a massive scale
All children need to be taken seriously and with compassion and understanding
It is now that the tide is turning and that the perpetrators of these crimes against the vulnerable are named and shamed
Society will no longer put up with these abusers and the law will show it is doing its job by ripping out this abuse by root and branch
Understand that these souls suffer a lifetime of emotional pain and suffering
They are perpetually in their own hell. They need to be given love and therapy to alleviate their sufferings once and for all
This is where Psychotherapy can rectify the symptoms from the past by getting to the root cause and dealing with it to save these souls
We all know they deserve it!
The shameful omission by Ban Ki-moon on Israel’s name being left off the List of Shame
This List of Shame is of states and armed groups that violate children’s rights during conflicts
Ban Ki-moon has crumbled under pressure from the US and Israel and should be ashamed of himself
As he cannot do the job properly he should leave
He needs to allow others, who hold moral principles to their hearts, to do the job instead
While Ban Ki-moon continues to submit to US and Israel pressure it shows he is not fit for purpose and should go!
In the 2014 war in Gaza, there was unprecedented and unacceptable scale of impact on Palestinian children by Israeli forces
Israel has no compunction in its ethnic cleansing of Gaza and all Palestinians
Their determination continues to obliterate this race while the world looks on and does nothing
What is the point of having a UN to service the people of this world against injustice when they openly do nothing?
The UN inquiry showed Israeli military were responsible for seven attacks on UN schools
This was in spite of precise GPS coordinates being given many times
It is known that many Israeli soldiers no longer have the stomach for these atrocities
Many of them have openly admitted their instructions were to destroy these people leaving no one alive
Israeli soldiers are made fully aware that Palestinians are of no count and should be obliterated from the face of the earth
How can any UN Security Council faced with this objective by Israel, continue to sit back and do nothing?
Where are the UN’s moral values? Where are the rights of innocent children?
When will the world act against the continuous oppression by Israel on Palestinians?
Last year’s 50 day conflict saw 495 children killed and 3,100 injured with 1,000 having a permanent disability
Almost 1,500 children were orphaned. All are suffering deep psychological traumas and again nothing is done!
Israel continues to hold the power throughout this world, as no one has the might or influence to stand up to them!
Israel is the occupying power and every day they continue their hostile regime
They control the borders, the airspace and territorial waters as well as all activities of goods and people
How can the international community continue to sit on their hands and do nothing?
Where is international law when Israel systematically oppresses Palestinians and their children with all impunity?
The US, who is controlled by Israel, exercised their veto power 41 times in the UN Security Council
The US is voting against resolutions to hold Israel to account for their crimes
The UN will continue to be a laughing stock by all those who hold justice in their hearts
It is crystal clear that the UN does not!
The Turkish election results place the Kurds (HDP) party at the centre of Turkish politics
The composition of a new Government will determine whether the make-up of the Turkish Parliament…
…will bring about more pluralism and a more mature political understanding
The new Parliament, which will be a coalition, needs to now fully respect the peace process with the Kurds
The Kurds have continually been placed on the back burner
This is the case with so many minority groups, as their views are of no count
Their views are continually kept as a condition of low priority
They are viewed as being a thorn in the side of Governments, who prefer them to simply go away
The Justice and Development Party (AK) party have not stood up to their name, as injustice has occurred to the minority groups in Turkey
Now the Turkish people have spoken
New policies will need to be introduced to incorporate all of the people and not just the chosen few
The new Government will need to finally initiate the Kurdish peace process
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can’t have his cake and eat it all the time
His bullying tactics towards the Turkish people have now backfired
Erdogan underestimated the power of the Turkish people
This always happens when ones arrogance finds a way of finally hitting one where it hurts most
Tony Blair’s resignation from his job as Middle East Peace Envoy is not surprising
Is it coincidental that a new UK documentary film puts Blair and George W Bush at the centre of this century’s Middle East disasters?
The film ‘We Are Many’, now released in the UK, was made by Amir Amirani and tells the story of how we went to war in Iraq
At that time there were the biggest international anti-war demonstrations ever seen throughout the world
On 15th February 2003, millions of people around 60 countries and over 800 cities marched in a coordinated effort
They marched to stop the impending war in Iraq
It was the biggest demonstration ever seen in London with 1.5 million people
In Madrid there were 1.5 million and in Rome there were 3 million people who demonstrated
Despite these demonstrations, the US and UK and their allies invaded Iraq in March 2003
Hans Blix, head of weapons inspections mission in Iraq, still needed three weeks before could finish his job
Hans Blix’s findings confirmed that Saddam Hussein was not hiding any weapons of mass destruction
Bush and Blair did not want Blix to finish his job and they certainly did not care about massive democratic peace protests
They wanted to wage war on Iraq in order to control oil reserves at any cost!
The cost of this war was huge. 4,491 American service men were killed in Iraq between 2003 and 2014
The number of Iraqis killed ranges from 150,000 to over a million
This war has destroyed a state, its political, military, social and economic institutions
It has also decimated a society with ethnic and religious groups. Some of them are sectarian and may become wiped out completely
This film, ‘We Are Many’, reveals 25% of Iraqi children live with chronic malnutrition
Amir Amirani, the film maker, took nine years to make this film. For him it was a labour of love
He started out ‘wanting to tell the story’, but quickly found ‘he needed to tell it.’
The film, now released, has come along to remind us through interviews of an impressive array of politicians…
…together with international lawyers, anti-war activists, journalists and former high profile figures
All tell the story of Bush and Blair’s great lie
The film shows many testimonies from those directly involved in policy
They include Hans Blix and various politicians as well as Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson
Colin Powell, who was Chief of Staff at the time, states he would gladly sacrifice his freedom…
…if the administration he worked for could be punished for what they did!
With the biggest anti-war movement in the world, it shows that International Law remains feeble and with no real teeth
Tony Blair still roams the world freely
He is earning millions from public speaking and advising Governments and now this week posing as a peace envoy
Tony Blair together with George W Bush has no conscience
But with all things in life and when they least expect it, the Higher Intelligence that sees all and knows all will deal with these souls
It will not be in the way they would expect it
They have blood on their hands and no amount of washing can ever remove it
More than 3.5 million lives a year could be saved if the G20 cracked down on corrupt businesses practices
Money laundering and tax evasion costs the world’s poorest countries at least a trillion dollars each year
The advocacy group ‘ONE’ has been campaigning to fight poverty, disease and hunger
All of which are being damaged by a ‘web’ of corrupt activity
It is this corrupt web of activity that siphons hundreds of billions of dollars from economies every year
The ONE report says that money is being stealthily drained off through anonymous shell companies and shady deals
It is in these developing countries that corruption is a killer
Up to 3.6 million lives could be saved if we end the web of secrecy that helps the criminal and the corrupt
It is when Governments are deprived of their own resources
They are unable to invest in their essentials, like nurses and teachers, where the cost is devastating
ONE estimates that these practices result in between $972bn and $2.02tn going out of these developing countries every year
At least $20tn is held in off shore tax havens and this money could yield tax revenues of $19.5bn a year for their own countries
It is not only the scandal to save 3.6 million lives a year in low-income countries, but it would prevent 4.3 million deaths a year
In the sub-Saharan Africa alone the money recovered would pay to educate 10 million children a year
It would cover the costs of 500,000 primary school teachers
In addition the retrieved money would provide antiretroviral drugs for more than 11 million people
Those that have HIV and Aids would benefit by 165m vaccines
ONE’s report is being launched in the run-up to the G20 summit in Brisbane in November
There must be a light shone on these anonymous shell companies
Their information must be made public to identify corrupt and criminal individuals and businesses
The G20 needs to introduce tough payment laws to increase transparency in the oil, gas and mining industries and crack down on tax evasion
It is the only way to hold Governments to account. It is the use of these shell companies where the corruption lies
A case, where a licensing payment was paid by Nigerian subsidiaries of Shell and Italy’s ENI was made in 2011
This was to develop lucrative offshore oil drilling
That money ended up in a bank account of a private firm owned by Nigeria’s former oil minister
The British-Dutch company insisted it had paid the Nigerian Government, not a private firm
They added that they have acted lawfully at all times
Another report of tax evasion was against the mining firm in Zambia that is controlled by the Swiss trader Glencore Xstrata
They have always denied the allegations
For too long now the G20 countries have turned a blind eye to these massive outflows from developing countries
Here funds have been channelled into offshore bank accounts and secret companies
It is down to the G20 to make drastic changes and to save millions of lives
If they have any moral conscience at all they will finally do this act and swiftly!
Cultural genocide, a practice which occurred in Canada where the indigenous children were separated from their parents
This occurred in residential schools, a system is now in place to bring in reconciliation to the survivors
In 1966, five year old Joseph Maud was separated from his family
He was sent to live at the Canadian residential school for indigenous students in Pine Creek, Manitoba
Maud did not speak English or French, only his native language of Ojibwa
When the students spoke their own language their ears were pulled and their mouths were washed out with soap
The greatest hurt to these children was being separated from their parents
When the lonely little boy would wet his bed the nun in charge of his dormitory would rub his face in his own urine. That was so degrading
Maud remembers kneeling painfully on the cement chapel floor, because the nuns had told him it was the only way that God hears you
Maud cried, “When is this going to end?”
The Government of Canada released a report on their residential schools with testimonies from 7,000 witnesses
It was called the ‘Truth and Reconciliation Commission” (TRC)
From 1840 to 1996, more than 150,000 First Nations, Metis and Inuit children were taken from their families and placed in these schools
The idea was to ‘kill the Indian in the child’
TRC chair Justice Murray Sinclair said that more than 6,000 children died at these schools
Many more suffered emotional, physical and sexual abuse
It is the survivors of St Anne’s Indian Residential School in Fort Albany, Ontario, who are suing the Government
They want them to release the unredacted documentation
The documentation proves staff used an electric chair to shock students as young as six and forced sick students to eat their own vomit
The TRC report concludes that the Government-led policy amounted to cultural genocide
These inhumane policies were to eliminate Aboriginal people as distinct peoples
It was to incorporate them into Canadian mainstream against their will
The will of the Canadian Government was to remove themselves of any legal or financial obligations to the Aboriginal people
It also wanted to gain control over their land and resources
The Canadian Prime Minister apologised to the survivors in 2008, but it is the report that states urgent reconciliations needs to run deep
Canada now needs to move from apology and into action
The TRC report made 94 recommendations about the way we talk to and about each other
There needs to be an Aboriginal Languages Act to preserve and promote these languages
There needs to be a memorial museum launched by Canada’s 150th anniversary in 2017
It is high time that we removed ignorance and begin to recognise people from all parts of this world and even in our own country
All have a right to live and to be respected for who they are
The Aboriginal people enrich our lives and our history
We must never take them for granted, because we are all a part of this world together
The People’s Democratic Party (HDP) leader is gaining support with voters opposed to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Selahattin Demiras is a confident and charismatic 42 year old lawyer
He is transforming the People’s Democratic Party from a dedicated Kurdish faction into a mainstream liberal party
Its rise shows the growing influence of the Kurds not only in Turkey but across the region including Syria and Iraq
It is the self-governing Kurdish communities, which are rare islands of stability
Should the HDP party receive the valued 10% of the vote, it needs to get representation in the Turkish Parliament
It would be enough to deny Mr Erdogan’s Islamic-rooted Justice Development Party or AKP a supermajority
The HDP’s performance on June 7th could affect the balance of power in the precarious peace process
This is between the Government and the outlawed Kurdish Workers’ Party or PKK
It is their aim to end a three-decade insurgency that has cost them some 40,000 lives
The HDP’s campaign has shifted its focus on promoting democracy, free speech and the rights of women and minorities
The HDP is increasingly appealing to the young, secular Turks weary of Mr Erdogan’s dominance
This will be a high stakes election – it all hinges on the HDP
The AKP have been dominant for more than a decade and they are now vulnerable, largely because they are a single party
The AKP have won nine back-to-back elections and other votes since 2002
Mr Erdogan wants more power. He hopes to change his Presidency from a ceremonial role to and executive one
When Mr Demiras’s party hits the threshold of 10% to enter Parliament, it will get the 50 out of the 550 seats
This would be enough to stop the AKP from getting three-fifths supermajority to overhaul the construction to beef up the President’s role
Relationships with the 15 million Kurds and the Government have improved
However the Kurdish region is still poor and many feel disenfranchised
Selahattin Demiras has worked as a human rights lawyer in Turkey’s de facto Kurdish capital Diyarbakir before entering politics
Mr Demiras has seen first-hand the many killings of the Kurdish people
Many of his friends were killed in clashes and in the prisons
Selahattin Demiras states the youths joined militants, because their conditions were dire. These conditions have not changed
Mr Demiras wants to turn to the youths to encourage them into politics instead
One must not forget the Gezi Park protests last summer
This demonstrated the extent of dissatisfaction with the ruling AKP party and especially Mr Erdogan
Those street protests high-lighted the lack of a viable political alternative to the AKP party
The Turkish people themselves are crying out for modernisation and freedom of speech
Instead they get more gripping control by their Government, again by Mr Erdogan
It is time that the Turkish people voiced their opinion in the ballot box and asked for reform and not more control over them!
