Syria

Hardly able to watch, Syria and also Venezuela, so much tragedy.

I caught the end of the news last night Luckygirl and I agree with you.

Can't remember his name now but did you see the Syrian guy being interviewed at the United Nations meeting? He was in compete denial and insisted that they were not bombing schools or hospitals at all.

Agreed lucky- this is such a tragedy - beyond words ...

How can anyone, just anyone- irrepsective of politics- and especially those who are parents and grandparents - blame those poor people for trying to escape to some future ...?

I think that the reason this thread hasn’t taken off is not because people don’t care but because, there is nothing to say.

Evil seems to be triumphing

I’m finding it harder and harder to watch these news items. Not because I don’t care, because I do and just feel increasingly despairing about anything changing in those parts of the world where suffering has become the norm.

www.amnesty.org.uk/report-world-human-rights-2017

Thanks for that dj - it is all so miserable.

I put that on to show there is something people can do.
Not much, I know, but anything is worth trying.

I guessed that, I feel very pessimistic at the moment. Well I have for quite some time really.

It's horrifying. The Russians ...

There is a Save Ghouta silent protest in Piccadilly Circus against the absolute silence of the international community over the massacre of civilians in Eastern Ghouta taking place at the moment. I just wonder how much coverage it will get in the MSM.

The citizens of Ghouta have been under siege for more than 4 years now, with very limited humanitarian food and medicine deliveries allowed access by the regime.

Not only have they been suffering from a lack of medical supplies and malnutrition, but they are being actively bombed from the sky by Assad's and Russia's air forces. They have also been repeatedly gassed by the regime with chlorine and sarin bombs, against international prohibitions on the use of chemical weapons.

Four hospitals were destroyed by airstrikes yesterday, including a maternity hospital. In the past week, more than 100 people have been killed and hundreds more injured every day. It is difficult for emergency services to help the people of Ghouta because roads are being bombed by the airstrikes. As if the number of civilians killed or injured by the bombings wasn't bad enough, yesterday, Ghouta's food storage facilities were destroyed, worsening the effects of the siege.

The regime's siege, bombing and gassing of civilians in Eastern Ghouta are crimes against humanity, yet the world is watching in silence. How many UN resolutions does Assad need to break before being held to account? How many more war crimes will we witness while the world watches in silence? How many more parents in Eastern Ghouta will watch helplessly while their children are being slaughtered in front of their eyes? When will ENOUGH BE ENOUGH???

When countries stop trading in arms and weapons?

Oh it's more wicked than that Jen. It's all about power and fighting your battles in other people countries. Arms and weapons are just the means it's man's misuse of power.

Exactly, GracesGran. However, without weapons, Syria might still be liveable in.
It's very much 1984, with the UK being America's airstrip one, and the middle east being the battle field.
It's on the GCSE syllabus this year.
Pleased I'm not still teaching a class - I wouldn't be able to control myself.

www.change.org/p/join-me-in-standing-with-one-of-the-last-doctors-in-aleppo-call-world-leaders-to-act-now-to-savealeppo

Updated email today.

Oh crumbs Jen that is so depressing. Power and weapons. I think you are probably right.

What can you say? If only we had a decent foreign secretary instead of Boris the Buffoon - but we'd still be faced with total denial.

Given the main players, I’m not sure there is much we can do as a single country. I suppose the EU might have some clout, but no one seems to care.

Stuff in the papers today about Nazanin Radcliffe.
She appears to have been forgotten about, but a judge in Iran said today that it is about the money.

Unfortunately, Boris still hasn't done anything about it, and Emily Thornberry thinks Iran will be the next battlefield.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/15/war-protests-iraq-libya-syria-iran-peace-jeremy-corbyn

www.theweek.co.uk/syrian-civil-war/91838/syria-crisis-why-the-un-security-council-is-impotent

I'm afraid I have my head in the sand about Boris Deedaa and am slightly ignoring the fact that this is who we got for Foreign Secretary. I feel very embarrassed when I do think about it. I don't think that we can do everything as a country but we did used to be good at diplomacy. I know Boris is supposed to be very clever but I don't think he has any idea what the word means.

Yet another heartbreaking news report tonight . Those poor children .

That poor doctor crying in the corner .

and yesterday the Democratic Republic of Congo was featured on the BBC News too.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cvenzmgylgwt/democratic-republic-of-congo

The news from Syria this evening was just agonising to see.

News from Syria horrendous and tragic, those two little girls just broke my heart. I think news reports shou!d show it how it is in all its awful reality of bleeding crying traumatized children, then maybe, just maybe some of the more hard hearted may understand why Syrian refugees make the dangerous journeys they do in an effort to get away, to save their children's lives.