The Burmese government has turned against its people yet again, and this time, only days after promising UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon that all foreign aid workers would be let in to the country.

The latest stunt from the regime is rumoured to be, evicting starving Burmese cyclone victims from government run emergency camps. Apparently, the greedy regime generously gave the cyclone victims bamboo poles and tarpaulins and told them to go and rebuild their lives.

Terje Skavdal, head of the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, could not confirm the closure of the camps, but stated: “People need to be assisted in the settlements and satisfactory conditions need to be created before they can return to their place of origins…Any forced or coerced movement of people is completely unacceptable.”

We seem to be hearing these statements from UN representatives a lot lately, but still there doesn’t seem to be much progress and improvement in the lives of the Burmese people. 2,4 million cyclone victims are still homeless and lacking sufficient food supplies.

But then again, it must be hard negotiating with this irrational regime, particularly as long as the Burmese government is unwilling to ‘realise’ the reality and consequence of this natural disaster.

The Burmese- language daily, Myanma Ahlin said: “cyclone survivors could get by without bars of chocolate from the international community.” 

The cyclone caused the death of at least of 78,000 people, 56,000 are still missing and 2,4 million people are homeless. I say, ‘chocolate bars’ from the International community is exactly what the Burmese people need, and the International community should step up and pressure the Burmese government harder than ever before, as everyday that goes by more and more people are at the risk of dying. We have been keeping our eyes closed for too long…

The bravery of the mother, who reported her two sons to the police for attacking and beating up a man on a night out, proves that justice can prevail even in though situations.

The brothers now jailed for two years, attacked a father of two outside a takeaway shop on a night out, and left the man forever blind in one eye. When the attackers mother, found out about her sons criminal and abusive behaviour, she made the difficult decision to report her own sons to the police.

Carol Saldinack explained today to the BBC, that if the situation was reversed: “I would want to know why or who did this and for what reason and to be punished for what they have done…We can all turn a blind eye to situations in our lives and that’s what’s wrong with everybody now. We are teaching our children that it’s ok to do this and it’s wrong.” She also said that by keeping quiet that would make her just as guilty as her sons were. 

This brave mother clearly has made sacrifices and even received threats from her oldest son, saying: “Mother, if you say anything else to the police, it won’t necessarily be me, but you might not wake up in your bed one morning.”

But this woman isn’t selfish, and she did what she did out of love for her children who clearly needed some moral guidance, and a lesson teaching them that violence is never acceptable. But unfortunately Carol Saldinack is right in saing that no one really cares anymore.

We are living in a self-centred society where we are only looking after our self, and turn a blind eye to everything that happens around us because we don’t want to get involved. But things can only change if we all get involved. It is about time someone put their foot down and proved that it is possible, even for parents to take a stand against the violent ‘youth’ culture in Britain. Just because you love your child doesn’t mean you have to accept everything they do!

The Russian Presidential change did not portray itself to the West as a hopeful occasion, and questions were asked about the legitimacy of the newly appointed Prime Minister’s position which Putin now hold.

However, it might appear like President Medvedev might be the man to improve Russia’s relationship with the West after all. And most importantly, restore justice for the Russian people after he openly admitted the need for change in relation to the Russian justice system.

Medvedev spoke last week of the need to make Russian’s courts independent and described the current legal system as one which decisions were reached after pressure and for money. This is a gutsy stand by the newly elected President.   

What thus might be worrying the West and particularly Russia’s old enemy, USA, is Russia’s increasingly tight relationships with China, and how they seem to be creating a new super alliance, jeopardising the US place as the one and only super power.

But things could be worse and Medvedev’s interest in furthering talks with the EU in relation to trade agreements seems like a step in the right direction for EU to achieve a closer relationship with this powerful and slightly unpredictable nation.

The grotesque revelation about UN peacekeepers raping young children who they are suppose to protect really makes a person lose all hope in humanity.

As the cruelties happening around the world (most recently witness in relation to the Burmese regime’s reaction to Cyclone Nargis) are a reality of human behaviour, we would not expect that same behaviour from peacekeepers who dedicate their life to work against such cruelties.

How any human being can exploit and abuse a young, defenceless child is so grotesque I can barely stand thing about it.

Nick Birnback, a UN spokesman said in relation to the revelation, that it was impossible to ensure zero incidents within an organisation that has up to 200,000 personal serving around the world. But to me, that is a cowardly approach and unless zero incidents can be assured, the UN should not be allowed to portray themselves as peacekeepers, as peacekeeping is about protecting vulnerable people from injustice, not inflict it!

The cruel incidents came to light through a report issued by ‘Save the Children’ which has proposed an international watchdog to be set up. The report also found out that also aid workers have been sexually abusing young girls and boys.

Jasmine Whitbread, executive Save the Children UK, said: “In recent years, some important commitments have been made by the UN, the wider international community and by humanitarian and aid agencies to act on this problem. However, all humanitarian and peacekeeping agencies working in emergency situations, including Save the Children UK must own up to the fact they are vulnerable to this problem and tackle it head on.”

While UK’s Prime Minister, Gordon Brown tries to convince the British public of going green, lorry drivers are protesting in London against the rising fuel prices.

The reason behind the sky high global fuel prices is that a barrel of oil is measured in US dollars, and when the dollar is low, prices goes up. Of course the instability in the Middle East, particularly in relation to the occupation of Iraq, does not help.

Although the UK lorry drivers recognise that the government can’t control global fuel prices, the matter of controversy is in relation to a 2p tax increase on highly polluting cars. They wish instead for a duty rebate of 20p to 25p per litre for lorry drivers as they claim that would help the drivers compete with foreign competition.   

One of the protests organisers, Peter Corral claim: “If they do that, we will keep in business, we continue to pay our taxes and play our part in UK business and also the government wins because we take some of the inflationary pressure out of the economy.”

We can all understand the frustration of the lorry drivers, although the view Corral defends is very narrow minded, particularly at this stage when the Co2 levels in the atmosphere is at its highest in over 650,000 years.

Simultaneously, the sea is soaking up more and more waste, threatening the natural inhabitant of the sea, the artic ice is melting in record speed, the Amazon rainforest is in danger of becoming a dry savannah and harvest can be cut to up to half in some African countries. And this will not only affect the wellbeing of our planet, people need to remember that this will also have tremendous effect on their pockets. If all you understand is the pennies in your bank account, try and remember how much worse it could be and then you might decide that a 2p tax increase is not so bad after all.

Fair enough, The UK Labour party’s attempt in going green might be slightly hypocritical for a country and a government who simultaneously suggest the building of a new coal- fired power station, but even baby steps are better than nothing. So Lorry drivers, stop moaning and wakeup to the global crisis of the 21th Century, your part is as great as everyone else’s!

Related links: Stop whining about gas

As the Zimbabwean opposition leader Tsvangirai returned home two days ago, the election campaign is back on track and Tsvangirai seems certain about replacing Mugabe from his Presidential position.

Mugabe has tyrannised Zimbabwe for nearly three decades and does not appear to be ready to give up without a fight.

Mugabe lost the majority of votes in the recent election held on the 29^th March, but as the candidates need over 50 percent each to win completely, it is scheduled for a re election on the 27^th of June.

But not everyone is convinced that Mugabe won’t try and cheat himself to victory, as the March election has been shadowed by Mugabe’s desperate attempt to hold on to power. And the opposition and human rights groups have said hundreds of opposition supporters have been beaten up and at least 40 killed since the first round of the election.

After returning to Zimbabwe, Tsvangirai said that the South African Development Community would meet and discuss the possible deployment of peacekeepers and election monitors as fear of election violence might jeopardise the possibility to hold the re election.

But Mugabe is not a man that usually gives up with out a fight, and everyone that tries to challenge him is in danger. Even Tsvangirai return to Zimbabwe was delayed after rumours about the army having plans to kill him.

This Mugabe denies and said: “I don’t even have a bow and an arrow.” But history doesn’t vouch well for Mugabe’s credibility,  I guess we just have to wait in anticipation and see how far that moral stretched when Mugabe loses the election, yet again!

Related links: Back for the better…

It seems like not a day goes past without reports about young people being murdered by fellow youths in Britain. And while the Home office say that youth crime has gone down over the last 10 years, the crimes committed seems to be increasingly worse.

Today, yet another teenager was found dead. A teenager between 17-18 years old was found dead and battered in a West Yorkshire park.

The home office says: “We are committed to continuing this success in tackling youth crime, but also reduce the fear of youth crime.”

It’s seems like a paradox that the Home Office feel the need to emphasis that they are committed to continue to tackle youth crime, as it is supposed to be their job.  And anyone who has been attacked by youth gangs know that their fear of being a victim again is very real, particularly since there seem to be little legal protection available.

My friends and I were once attacked, and one of my friends was battered unconscious by tennagers hitting him with full beer cans. We didn’t provoke the situation we merely passed them and desperately tried to walk away. Worst of all, when the police showed up after we called for help, they had no interest in finding who did it. They blamed my friend who couldn’t even walk, for vandalising a car and they never took any of our details down or the description of the children who attacked us.

In 2007, 26 young people were killed in relation to gun and knife crimes in London.  And statistic show that the numbers of killings where both victim and offender was under the age of 18 tripled last year, from 12 in 2005 to 37 in 2007. Also the numbers of teenagers convicted or cautioned over violent offences rose last year from 15,590 to 24,102, the Telegraph reported.

But youth crime does not just effect children, also adults who try to stand up to the gangs are frequent victims.

What I find particularly interesting every time a murder which is in relation to gang crime is reported on, is the need to characterise the victims as outstanding citizens. It’s like desperate pleas to determine their innocent. But how can victims ever be guilty? And does a teenager deserve to die if that person is a member of a gang?

Children are never evil, but the government has to stop babying young offenders and make them learn the consequences of their actions. On the website ‘ChildLine’ crime is defined: “Some examples of things which are against the law are: Stealing, carrying a knife or a weapon, physically hurting or attacking someone, taking drugs which are not for a medical condition, smoking when you are under 16 years old, driving a car without a license.”

By putting, physically hurting or attacking someone and carrying a knife or a weapon next to how it is illegal to smoke cigarettes, I am starting to see more clearly why Britain’s youths are so confused.

As the riots in South Africa continues, so does the comparison with the former Apartheid regime. Although this time around it is the oppressed which has become the oppressors.

So far 50 people have been killed and over 25,000 has fled their homes in relation to the xenophobic riots which surfaced two weeks ago. And although the South African government even sought to bring in the army to stabilise the riots, the violence continues.  

President, Thabo Mbeki continues to condemn the violence as an “absolute disgrace that has blemished the countries name.”

But critics of the government continue to blame the government for their failure in not admitting that the riots are a result of their own their foreign and immigration policies. Unemployment rates in South Africa are as high as 30 percent and out of a population of 49 million, between 3 and 5 million are foreigners.

However, no reasoning can justify the actions of inhumanity which is going on in South Africa. One South African blogger wrote: “We are an intolerant, racist and xenophobic nation with a short and selective memory.”

Without going so far that I tend to pass judgment on the South African populations, it is thus hard to comprehend how the people which only few years back needed help from a gathered international community now are attacking those who come to their nation for help from political oppression at home.

The South African Human Rights Commission said: “South Africa must pass a hate crime law, sign and ratify the International Convention on the protection of the rights of migrant workers and members of their families, as one of the measures to deal with xenophobia.”

It might be possible to comprehend the frustration and anger which have built up among the poor and unemployed South Africans. But we should not forget that similar signs also surface other places and it continues to amaze me how we keep blaming those who are even less fortunate than ourselves when something change or goes wrong in society. That seem to be a universal pattern of reaction and we should all be ashamed.

It seems like George W Bush’s dream of recreating ‘The Cold War’ is staying just that, a dream as both Russia and China have come together and condemned the US plan for a missile defence shield in Europe.

The US want to located a radar base In the Czech Republic and an interceptive missile site in Poland and their reason for wanting to do so is that they say it is a system key to the US’s own security and to that of their allies in relation to their continues attack on Iran and the Islamic world.

The new defence stations in Europe is US latest attempt to seek acceptance for their propaganda in relation to what they characterised as the ‘evil axis’ and ‘the war on terror’. Instead this is just another sign of the irrational behaviour of the Bush regime and their abuse of their power as a world super power, on the world.

Luckily, for once Russia and China come together as the rational part of a world debate, as their leaders expressed: “It harms the strengthening of trust between states and regional stability.”

It is time for Bush to wake up and smell the smoke of his own wrong doing. He has driven the world into a cultural and religiously ideological war that no one wanted in the first place. Bush’s actions over the last 7 years don’t reflect democracy but it reflects one of the most gruesome totalitarian violations of human dignity the world has ever seen, and there is really no surprise that this war hungry beast is trying to prolong the suffering and consequences of his game.

There is really no need for a missile defence shield to draw association between the happenings of the last 7 years to the cold war, but if the history of the Cuba crisis thought us anything,  this US proposal will for sure fuel a situation where no country, people or religion will benefit. Well, except maybe Bush himself.

Related links: Orwell was an optimist

The leader of Burma’s military junta has finally agreed to let all foreign aid workers in to the country to assist with relief work, in the areas affected by Cyclone Nargis.

But the promise of entry might still lead to disappointment as the Burmese regime has a history of changing their mind in relation to agreements made with the UN.

It is impossible to comprehend the reasoning behind the actions of the Burmese government in relation to this large scale natural disaster which has contributed to the death of at least 78,000 Burmese people.

But then again, the Burmese dictatorship is not known for their rational behaviour or even the compassion for the people they govern. A Global report published earlier this week show that Burma also has the highest amounts of child soldiers of any nation.

Since the cyclone hit Burma on the 2. May, the violating and evil behaviour of the regimes has proven more clearly than ever, as they have been denying aid to citizens, steeling from the aid deliveries for self consumption, and recently refusing to reconnect the Bahan township with electricity due to their support to the Monk’s in September’s ‘Saffron Revolution’.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rica told the BBC: “It’s a quite unusual situation actually that you have a country in this desperate straits with its population in the circumstances that this population is in- and you get a kind of stone cold face about people who just want help.”

It might be an unusual situation if it happened anywhere else in the world, but from a regime that is led by a sadistic greed, their reaction should not come to the world as a surprise.  

Luckily, it seems like the International community has had a dramatic wake up call, as the European Parliament are now threatening to drag the Burmese regime to the International Criminal Court of human rights violations, in Haag, if they do not open up to International aid to assist the crisis.