onlinenewsviews.com

Why doesn’t Sweden arrange to give Julian Assange diplomatic immunity?
The kingdom of Sweden is the third largest country in Europe and has a great welfare state. Sweden was reported to be in receipt of the most monetary assistance from the eu even though it is prospering. Greece, on the other hand, according to figures, received the least subsidies even though they helped so much during the refugee crisis, and despite major financial problems:
Police invaded the Ecuadorian embassy this year and arrested Julian who was granted political asylum there in 2012. He was tried with violating the US espionage act. A Swedish court rejected an attempt by the British prosecutor to extradite him to Sweden concerning an accusation of rape in 2010. This would have absolved the UK of responsibility.
The current wars in the middle east began on 2 August 1990 with the USA and UK against Iraq, following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait: In 1962 a British mandate in Kuwait was replaced by the current regime which is an affiliation of the Saudi dynasty. The war in 1990 began because Kuwait was selling oil to the west, and Saddam Husseine, objecting to western domination of oil trade in the middle east, invaded Kuwait. The illegal procurement of oil, and the exploitation of the oil industry has lead to many conflicts and deaths. US military forces went to Saudi Arabia in 1990, which is not well documented, and several thousand military personel are reported to have stayed.
The twin towers or world trade center buildings, were destroyed on 9 September 2001 leading to 2,977 deaths.
The Taliban was formed in 1990 as a response to western invasion. Al-qaeda, founded in 1988, is an international organisation dedicated to the elimination of a western presence in the middle east, and opposition to western foreign policy.
Is the west creating a norm where people are afraid to tell the truth? To free Julian Assange is to begin to recreate a society where transparency leads to the correct attribution rather than blaming religion and describing opposition as extremism.

Today Israel will elect a new prime minister. The battle for leadership, according to news is between Benjamin Netanyahu and his party, the Likud National Liberation Movement, likud literally meaning ‘consolidation’ (formed in the 1970’s by Ariel Sharon); and Benny Gantz of the Blue and White party. Blue and white indicating the colours of the Israeli flag and referring to anything typical of Israel.
The Blue and White Party want to amend the philosophy of a Jewish state to include other groups. The term Jewish state was first mentioned in a un partition resolution (1947). This culminated in the creation of a Jewish government in what had, since 1920, been British (or Mandatory) Palestine.
The former allies disagree on other issues. Benjamin Netanyahu being influenced by the UK and the US which isn’t working for Israel. There is an indication that Benny Gantz may wish to explore the possibilities for friendship with the east. Although, historically, Saudi domination has caused as many problems as western domination.
Syria is a semitic race, like Israel. So is Iran. It would be nice to see the winning party substantiating others’ struggles for justice by holding out the hand of friendship.

The Iran nuclear deal, known as the joint comprehensive plan of action was signed in July 2015 between Iran and the five permanent members of the united nations security council, ie the UK, USA, France, China and Russia. Later others were invited to sign. The conditions of the deal are reported to involve a curtailment of Iran’s enriched uranium program in return for an easing of un sanctions which are comprehensive. Ayatollah Khomeini complied according to official reports.
Sanctions against Iran included a prohibition of shipping and ship building which precludes trade. An Iranian oil tanker was misappropriated by the UK recently. This was illegal and has never been explained.
In 2010, oil accounted for 80% of Iranian exports. National Iranian Oil Company, used to be Anglo-Persian oil company, is the second largest oil enterprise in the world. It is said to be state-owned and had estimated assets of 200 billion US dollars in 2013, but who benefited?
Although un sanctions were never withdrawn, US sanctions are said to have been imposed on Iran in 2018. According to news, Donald Trump has been thinking about lifting some sanctions against Iran, but will he go ahead?

There is much speculation about whether Brexit will go ahead. There is a possibility that Britain will ask for an extension until 31st January, which is the middle line. Otherwise, there is talk of a supreme court ruling designed to stop a no deal Brexit. A problem Boris Johnson inherited.
Britain may have had control of trade agreements via the customs union which is described as being under the umbrella of the world trade organization. Control of the customs union means that sovereign states might be sanctioned causing poverty and hardship.
The problem with autocratic structures, as history dictates, is the inevitable vie for leadership which causes dissent and often leads to implosion.
The eu took over from the European Community in 1992. It favoured a fusing of values which culminated in the treaty of Lisbon (2007) and a change in autocratic structure. This led to the winding down of human rights legislation in favour of a policy described as ethics, where in reality the victim, rather than perpetrator was under moral scrutiny.

Is the European Court of Human Rights still available to parties throughout the world?

Is Brexit the end of the Lisbon treaty?

Is Europe tired of British domination of the Customs union and the Single Market.

A no deal Brexit is the only way Europe can win.

#opinion

The drone attack, or assault by unmanned aircraft, on Saudi Arabian oil plants has reduced productivity by 50%. Responsibility for this has been admitted by Yemen. The reason surely being Saudi involvement in the taking of Yemen’s oil without consent. The US are also involved, and although this is reported to be a two-fold joint venture, various reports tell of air strikes on Yemen from the UK, France, China and Russia. This constitutes the UN security council.
Yemen is in crisis and indigenous Houthis have been termed rebels because they are fighting for their oil. There are reports of blockades concerning humanitarian aid. The US is blaming Iran. The UN are calling The situation in Yemen a civil war, and last year warned that 13 million Yemenese were facing starvation.

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is so called after Simon Bólivar; being socialists and believers in the right to sovereignty. President Nicolas Maduro has been in office since 2013.
Venezuela is reported to be in political and economic crisis and contains the world’s largest source of oil. Petróleus de Venezuela, PDVSA is the state owned oil and natural gas company founded in 1976 by President Carlos Andrés Pérez, whose economic plan launched La Gran Venezuela, nationalising the Venezuelan oil industry. However, multinational operators such as Standard Oil, Shell and Mobile infiltrated PDVSA and created new legislation contrary to national interests.
Before 2011, according to reports, most of Venezuela’s gold was held in London. On 25th November 2011, under unknown conditions, 11 billion US dollars of repatriated gold bullions are said to have arrived in Caracas; but in 2013, all national assets were ceased, reportedly via investments in foreign bonds being required by beurocracy.
There is widespread poverty in Venezuela with many fleeing their homes and seeking asylum elsewhere. The situation is described as one of escalating starvation and disease, yet this year BP have reported Venezuelan oil reserves to be 303.3 billion barrels.
Sanctions in March 2019 prohibit business with Minerven, Venezuela’s state-run gold mining company, and has frozen their assets in the US. As of this year also, Venezuela do not receive any revenue from Citgo, a Venezuelan-US company. This is described under the term of US sanctions.
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The Golan Heights was part of Syria until the Israeli six day war in 1967 which also resulted in the retrieval of Gaza from Egypt; and Samaria, which had been renamed the west bank by Jordan. There are aproximately 40,000 inhabitants in Golan, 20,000 being Israeli colonists. There are four remaiming Druze villages in Golan. The Druze being a minority in Syria.
Golan Heights is a fertile area bordered by the Yarmouk River in the south and the Sea of Galilee, a lake in Israel, to the west. Golan provides 15% of Israel’s water. The Israel-Lebanon war of 2006 was about water according to news and is thought to be a cause of continuing conflict with Iran.
The conflict in Syria is said to be ongoing. The current population of Syria is around 18 million and there are reported to be between 5 and 6 million Syrian refugees, mainly in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Germany and other European nations. Figures are part of u.n. statistics and predictions which may form a basis for eu quotas. Some feel refugee quotas interfere with sovereignty; and sending some means of aid or support to the country in crisis is a more holistic way of addressing the problem.
Historically, people from other nations have been moved around and displaced by various empires. This is political and is a means of assimilating a particular group into a new bureaucracy.
Supporters of the Syrian government have been Russia and Iran. Saudi Arabia back the rebels along with the UK, France and other western countries. About six million people are reported to be displaced inside Syria. A lack of protein and clean water being the reason. This is estimated to compel President Bashar al Assad to comply to terms which may not concede to the rights to proprietorship of national assets and to sovereignty. If Europe is to be believed it must intervene on the basis of fundamental civil rights.

The Iran nuclear deal was an agreement reached in 2015 by the Islamic Republic of Iran and the UN. It began with a joint plan of action, the Geneva interim agreement, which was signed by the UN security council and Germany and consisted of a short term freeze of portions of Iran’s nuclear program in return for a reduction of sanctions.
Sanctions were placed on Iran in 1979 which involved the freezing of 12 billion US dollars worth of Iranian assets, but were lifted according to reports, after a group of students invaded the US embassy in Tehran, taking staff hostage. Ronald Reagan introduced new sanctions in 1987 due to conflict in the Persian Gulf which holds massive oil reserves. In 2016 it was estimated to contain 55% of the world’s oil. It is home to Saudi Aramco, formerly Arabian-american oil company, who own one of the richest oil reserves in the world. Persian Gulf states are Iisted as Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates:
Britain and Russia invaded Iran in 1941, during the second world war, on the pretext that Iran was supporting nazism, but Iran did not support antisemitism and Iranian embassies in European capitals occupied by Germans, rescued over 1500 Jewish people, granting them citizenship and allowing them to move to Iran.
Tensions between the UK and Iran have been strained since 1931 when Reza Khan, the King of Iran, cancelled an agreement that only allowed Iran 10-16% of the profits of the Abadan refinery, founded as the Anglo-persian oil company in 1909, and marketed as BP, formerly British Petroleum.
BP was founded in 1909 by William Knox-D’Arcy who had a history of mining in Australia and New Zealand. He made his fortune with the Mount Morgan gold mining company, primarily in Queensland and in Matakanui and Central Otago, New Zealand. He was director and major shareholder. At one point, having shares worth more than 613 million pounds in present day terms. In 1901, reportedly with the help of the British government, he secured a 60 year mining concession in Iran. The area specified covered the whole country except five provinces bordering Russia.
BP began as a subsiduary of the Burmah Oil company which was established to develop oil fields in Burmah, India. A court case in 1942, concerning the destruction of oil fields by British forces, was brought by Burmah Oil, eventually leading to a ruling that the company was to be partially compensated, but in the end a law was passed which retroactively exempted the crown from damage.
Reza Khan was king of Iran from 1925 until he was deposed by the Anglo-soviet invasion in 1941. He died three years later. There is a surviving letter he wrote to his son, Mohammad Reza, who continued to rule to some degree, until the Iranian revolution in 1979 overthrew the monarchy, resulting in the migration of many Iranians to western destinations.
The Islamic Republic of Iran was formed in April 1979, under Ayatolla Khomeini, and was the beginning of a new theocratic government whose motto was, neither east nor west.
Iran is reported to subjugate women; but internationally Iranian contingents have been active in Syria, Yemen and other areas in crisis such as Gaza.
In 2018 new sanctions were imposed on Iran, including shipping restrictions; this being the prohibition of Iranian oil tankers, one of which was hijacked by the UK recently. This occurred because trade embargoes were partially lifted due to an agreement. In reality though, the situation regarding Iran and western sanctions doesn’t seem to have changed much. Atleast the UK are not sticking to the agreement.

The price of Irish beef and a fall in demand has led, according to some reports, to the current beef farming crisis. Irish farmers are complaining about the price they receive per head, and in the wake of farming subsidies who is benefiting from the Irish beef industry anyway?

There are also protests about a new trade agreement to be signed early next year between the European Union and four South American countries; Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uraguay – together known as Mecosur.
French and Irish pressure may jeopardise the Mecosur deal which removes 90% of tariffs from both industrial and agricultural products on both sides. Hopefully this will benefit the poorer countries.