UN

GDP has stopped being a reliable barometer of economic strength and stability. Events of recent years have turned it into a decorative gauge that shows growth where people are getting poorer, and prosperity where ecosystems are collapsing. Here is a fresh look at an old number.

GDP Counts Everything Except What Matters

The prerequisites for the emergence of a political crisis in Venezuela arose several years ago as a result of the collapse of the economic system. The acute phase of confrontation has began in January, when the current president of the country, Nicolas Maduro, refused to comply with the demands of the opposition, which constitutes a majority in the National Assembly, about resigning and went for a second presidential term. The state leader announced his intention to continue to fulfill his duties until 2025.

The days of the « Arab Spring » are almost over. As of now, the White House and the Kremlin are redesigning the contours of the « Greater Middle East ». However, their agreement, which was concluded before the Russian military intervention in Syria, could still be modified by the changes in the balance of power. There is no proof that Moscow will accept the stabilisation of Syria or ignore the partition of Turkey and Saudi Arabia which are soon to begin. In any event, the coming upheaval will modify the status quo which has been in place for the last five years.

While the European media arouse emotion by showing photographs of a drowned child and reports of crowds of refugees crossing the Balkans on foot, Thierry Meyssan demonstrates that these images have been fabricated. It’s certain that they serve the purposes of the head of the Federation of German Industries, Ulrich Grillo, and also NATO. But they do not show the phenomenon in its totality, which leads the Europeans to offer inadapted responses.

Attorney General Alejandro Ordóñez said that the policy of persecution and systematic attacks against thousands of Colombians forcibly deported is a "crime against humanity".

The Attorney General of Colombia, Alejandro Ordóñez, had asked the ICC (International Criminal Court) to capture President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro and other officials of his government.

In international press, a lot of ink has been devoted to the BRICS. Without a doubt the participation of the five-party in the world economy block has increased over the course of the last years, competing directly with the United States and the European Union. However, the details about the New Development Bank and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement make it clear that its members resist to abandoning the orbit of the dollar in order to destroy the shell of the Bretton Woods institutions.

The members of the G7 just ended their 41st summit. The leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and US gathered in a great Bavarian palace, the Schloss Elmau. It was a fitting location for the masters of the universe.

They claim that the maintenance of world order is their passtime. In fact, what they are most interested in is the preservation of their power at any cost.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Chaloka Beyani, today urged the international community “to prepare for massive displacement and humanitarian crisis as conflict torn Yemen further descends into chaos and civilians flee the fighting.”

The Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), Ban Ki-moon said today that 8400 million dollars are needed to meet the humanitarian needs in Syria.
During the Third International Donors Conference for this Arab country, held in Kuwait with the participation of 67 countries and numerous humanitarian organizations, Ban Ki-moon warned that "the Syrians are victims of the worst humanitarian crisis of our time".

Deputy Secretary General of the UN, Jan Eliasson, warned that the world is experiencing a "crisis of employment" with the youth as the main victim and warned of the consequences of failing to address that problem.
"It is essential to do more to create jobs for young people. Their frustration is understandable and undermines the belief in government and national institutions," Eliasson said in a speech to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).