World Affairs for 2017 DECEMBER II

18^th December 2017 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)

“South Africa awaits to see who will be their next President”

“The battle to succeed President Zuma has already threatened to split the 105-year-old organisation”

“The ANC faces an uphill battle to get the party back on track”

“South Africa is struggling with low economic growth, high unemployment and rising dissent”

“The deep crisis in the ANC is a product of President Zuma’s deep corruption legacy”

“The ANC is facing opposing visions and the future of a party and the country show that ANC is at war with itself”

“President Zuma has brought his party into disrepute over many allegations of corruption”

“Even the students have protested for free education in what is known as #FeesMustFall movement”

“Poor students and working-class students will be funded and supported by Government grants”

“That is if the Government has the ability to fund this programme, such are the limited funds in the Treasury’s coffers”

“Whoever wins in South Africa, there will need to be a major shake-up of Government policies”

“No longer will the South African people put up with another President Zuma type”

“There will be major riots on the streets if new policies are not implemented and the economic situation sorted out once and for all!”

“All eyes are on South Africa now to set an example for the rest of the continent”

“The black people have said how much they suffered under the White Government regime”

“They have suffered far more from their own people now in Government”

“They will not tolerate any more corruption. A better way needs to be found and it needs to be now!”

15^th December 2017 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)

“Christmas is a time for giving. Let us for once consider to give to ourselves first for a change”

“We rush around getting ready for the big event with presents, food and decorations”

“It is also a time for peace and being gentle to ourselves with rest and recuperation after a hard-working year”

“For many of us a few days off at Christmas is crucial to recharge our batteries”

“To meet up with friends and family and to join in and to re-connect”

“It is also time to be at one with a loved one and to have quiet and a loving time together”

“To make that necessary time and just to be!”

“All of us need that rest from the hustle and bustle of life, which seems a constant stream of stress and worry”

“We all need to slow down and be at one with ourselves and if possible just do nothing”

“For many that is almost an impossibility, such is the treadmill of life of which we all are responsible”

“Learning to switch off, to relax and be kind to ourselves is very important at this time”

“This way we can all stop and appreciate what we have and to start to enjoy the meaning of life itself”

“We can reflect on the year now almost past and to be content that we have done very well in fact”

“Now it is precious time for us and it is us, who must choose how we wish to enjoy it”

“Peace and goodwill starts with ourselves and then, if we have a mind and energy left, we can help others”

“By putting ourselves first for a change, means we start to value who we are”

“We are all holy and sacred and this sometimes we forget in today’s busy lives”

“Peace for us all must reign supreme!”

World Affairs for 2017 DECEMBER I

6^th December 2017 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)

“Russia has been banned from competing at next year’s Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang by the International Olympic Committee”

“It is high time that sports in general are highlighting the use of drugs”

“In the 2014 Games hosted by Russia in Sochi, high level cheating by drugs was confirmed”

“Thomas Bach and his board made this announcement in Lausanne. They reached their conclusions after a seventeen-month’s investigation”

“The Russian Olympic Committee has been suspended”

“The IOC will only invite clean Russian athletes to compete in February under the name Olympic Athletes from Russia”

“There has been systematic manipulation of the anti-doping rules and the system”

“This proves the Russian Government was involvement in cheating in the run-up to and during the Winter Olympics for almost four years”

“This entire investigation was instigated by a whistleblowing Dr Grigory Rodchenkov”

“He was the director of Russia’s anti-doping laboratory during the 2014 Sochi Games”

“He stated that he ran a systematic programme of doping & claimed he had cheated substances to enhance athletes’ performances”

“He switched urine samples to avoid detection”

“The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) enlisted the services of Canadian Law Professor & Sports Lawyer Dr Richard McLaren”

“He looked into these allegations. The report showed 1,000 athletes across 30 sports benefited from the doping programme between 2012 & 2015”

“When Russian athletes were re-tested, there was a host of bans & a stripping of medals”

“A Russian bobsleigh man Alexander Zubkov was stripped last month of two gold medals he has won at the 2014 Sochi Games & banned for life”

“A total of 25 Russians have so far been banned for life in taking part in any Olympics”

“The clean-up of athletes is now being strictly controlled and there are more whistle-blowers out there”

“No one is safe and it is high time that hard working athletes get their fair share of the prizes & no longer the cheats of the world!”

“John Jackson, who led Great Britain’s men’s bobsleigh team in Sochi in 2014 could be awarded a bronze medal”

“These decisions must come in to protect all legitimate athletes around the world at last”

World Affairs for 2017 NOVEMBER III

28^th November 2017 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)

“As Prince Harry has announced his engagement to Meghan Markle, we send our congratulations to the happy couple”

“This couple is both special to each other and to the world – both are accomplished in many things”

“They want to help the underprivileged and those who have suffered either abuse or injury in some way, be it mental or physical”

“Their love of nature and endangered species, conservation, play a huge part in their lives”

“It will be the closeness and support that they give each other, which is very much part of their nature”

“They are both givers and want to do the right job right for people and the world, so that those who have suffered can be helped in some way”

“You have here two remarkable people in their own right and, with their natural love, they will have a lifetime of happiness together”

World Affairs for 2017 NOVEMBER II

20^th November 2017 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)

“As Zimbabwe looks for new answers from their powerful military chiefs, a forced impeachment is very much on the cards”

“Mugabe is a very frightened man – he has not been questioned and forced out as he is today”

“His wish is that he continues from the grave giving power to his family members at whatever cost to his people”

“Mugabe is all about power and gross wealth, bleeding his people dry, whom he cares little about, as long as he gets what he wants”

“The man is a megalomaniac – wealth and assets are his prime concern”

“Letting go of what he feels is still his right to have from his people – woe to anybody who stands in his way”

“Seventy percent of Zimbabweans live below the national poverty line”

“The people cannot send their children to school, as they do not have the funds to do so”

“Mugabe has broken so many people’s lives and homes – massacres of people against his regime have been in the hundreds of thousands”

“President Ian Khama from Botswana has openly called for Mugabe to step down”

“Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was dismissed by Mugabe on 6^th November…”

“…has been central to this political chaos after months of infighting as to who would replace Mugabe”

“The military are losing patience with their leader, who is refusing to resign as they want him to, with little disgrace”

“Parliament, which sits on Tuesday, will put forward a motion of no confidence in their leader”

“Parliament now have the numbers to impeach him”

“Mugabe will fight on to the bitter end until he is physically moved out of office, which will be soon enough”

“The country needs a new leader and the Zimbabweans need a new hope at last!”

13^th November 2017 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)

“The situation in Saudi Arabia is now spiralling out of control”

“The new Crown Prince, Prince Mohammad bin Salman, has over-reached himself and there will be a backlash soon”

“Imprisoning senior business officials in Riyadh’s Ritz Carlton Hotel will not hold this situation”

“Senior businessmen and the other princes also imprisoned have high extensive influences both in the country and outside”

“Prince Mohammed is making a precedent for himself, which is unstoppable”

“There will be a violent and possible catastrophic backlash to what Prince Mohammed sees…”

“…as his right to claw back $800bn to restore their war depleted coffers”

“Observe now, as there will be a closing of ranks from all aspects of Saudi Arabia”

“The Kingdom has left themselves exposed and vulnerable. The backlash ensued will be costly and fatal”

“There is large scale panic both inside the Kingdom and outside”

“This fear factor causes irrational behaviour to erupt, as survival for those imprisoned well-known people, takes hold”

“Prince Mohammed bin Salman has reached a crossroads in his life and in his strategy. He cannot hold this position of control for long”

“A breaking point incident will occur, bringing in skirmishes in the form of violence into the Kingdom”

“Other countries around the world will get involved and Prince Mohammed will have to back down in case he is over-thrown”

“He cannot hold this iron tight grip for much longer…”

“…as other countries will exercise pressure on him to release these senior officials, businessmen and princes”

“Fear causes many problems and there will be strong words of warning from other countries, especially Russia to curb the Prince’s actions”

“The US cannot get involved here. It is an internal Muslim matter and must be seen by Arabs to sort out their own nightmare”

“Dictatorship by King Salman through the ambitions of his son Crown Prince Mohammed will not last”

“There will be an overthrow and it will happen when they least expect it”

“Peace must be restored”

“Saudi Arabia should look now to preserving sanity and not chaos, if it wants to continue with its reforms in the Kingdom”

World Affairs for 2017 NOVEMBER I

6^th November 2017 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)

“As America closes in on their massive hold on countries around the world…”

“…we must be mindful that the citizens around the world do not necessarily agree with US policies”

“Other worldwide countries have their own agenda, as to what is right and what is wrong”

“None of us should ever feel threatened, if we don’t recognise another view point to our own”

“It does not mean to say we are wrong, we are just different”

“We come in from different standards and where we can embrace other people’s views, which are not our own”

“Everybody has the right to speak, as long as we don’t harm one another in the process”

“The freedom of speech is the collective right of all citizens around the world”

“It is only those citizens who are in the command of dictators that their views can never be expressed”

“Dictators are in it for power alone, anybody opposing their views are a threat to that power and must be stopped at all costs”

“These are fear tactics, when you have a democracy then fear should not exist”

“Healthy dialogue should be encouraged – this way we all learn and where we can integrate better with our citizens”

“When democracy is healthy, then the citizens of that country benefit”

“When there is dictatorship, only the elite few under that dictatorship gain, the people do not”

“More and more citizens are trying to release themselves from the stranglehold of dictatorship”

“Sometimes it can cause wars or skirmishes, when the rule of law is not present”

“Justice for the people is now at its height and many more are standing up for what they believe is their right to speak for the good of all”

“Venezuela is a country in crisis – the people have no basic supplies of food, water and other amenities”

“The Government cannot hold its people as hostages for their right to govern”

“Humanitarian aid must be allowed to get through and fresh elections formed”

“The people must have a right to speak when their Government is not fulfilling its duties just to stay in power”

“America put in puppet dictators to suit their own control over that country’s Government”

“It goes against the people and what they believe is right – corruption spreads ill feelings and is the bane of a country’s rights”

“The people will speak and they will be heard”

“Dictators will realise that they are expendable and cannot keep their iron grip on nations forever”

“Everything changes eventually”

World Affairs for 2017 OCTOBER III

29^th October 2017 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)

 “The whole sordid mess of abuse going on in the workplace has got out of hand in the last two decades or so”

“It is now time to bring these culprits out into the open”

“Their exposure becomes a reminder to others that they will be exposed and dealt with severity”

“No longer can society tolerate this kind of behaviour”

“Serious consequences must be enforced to finally see its eradication from our lives”

“Why should work colleagues, both female and male, be subjected to physical and mental abuse”

“The police are now getting prosecutions on a more regular basis”

“The law is there to enforce the right sentences for this kind of behaviour”

“These crimes have gone largely unreported, because these perpetrators hold power over individuals & they have largely got away with it”

“Society is now waking up to the fact that it is more prevalent than was first envisaged”

“Now, collectively, we all have a responsibility to bring these perpetrators to light, where they are named and shamed”

“The bully is common place from the classroom to the boardroom in all aspects of society and backgrounds”

“Now society has to wake up and to protect itself and finally bring these perpetrators to justice, otherwise none of us are safe at anytime”

“We are coming up to the festive season and the Christmas party is a venue, which every year brings misery to so many”

“Again where women and men are exposed to drunken behaviour, because these people don’t know how to behaviour”

“Abuse becomes rife under the guise, “It is the Christmas party and what is wrong with a little bit of fun?””

“The unruly feel they have a right to act badly & to make another’s life so miserable they can’t stand to go to another works party again”

“We, as a society, must start taking personal responsibility for each other”

“We must seek out these vermin saying their behaviour is no longer tolerated or allowed”

“Society needs to heal from these abuses and it is long overdue”

“Innocent children are now more protected than at any time from sexual and emotional abuse”

“Now it is the time to protect the adults in the same way”

“It has to be done now!  It has gone on long enough!”

22^nd October 2017 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)

“President Trump keeps shooting himself in the foot regarding domestic and worldwide affairs”

“The latest insensibility regarding his disregard for the way he deals with the families of war dead”

“A callous Presidential call to a grieving widow of a US soldier killed in NIGER”

“Trump said, “He knew what he was getting into””

“This soldier gave his life for his country – he acted bravely and courageously as his regiment commander confirms”

“This soldier’s duty was to his country first and foremost; his sacrifice was his life”

“No President, who has soldiers under his command and where he is the commander-in-chief, should ever utter such an insensitive remark”

“How does that statement fall on the heads of all the US soldiers serving their country around the world?”

“It does not allow for personal pride to enter in, to serve one’s country with courage and determination to fight for justice”

“These soldiers should be regarded for the potential sacrifice they are all prepared to give”

“Not that it necessarily becomes a certain factor that they would die”

“If that was the case, there would be no serving soldiers entering into the US military at all”

“It is important that all commanders-in-chief become consoler-in-chief, a reassuring voice in times of national distress or tragedy”

“It is a skill that successful politicians learn early, sadly this does not apply to Donald Trump”

“His insensitivity is now well renowned”

“He has shown himself up with celebrities, sports stars, major companies, prominent journalists & members of his own party”

“Together with parents of a Muslim American soldier killed in Iraq – he just keeps digging himself into ever bigger holes”

“Yet Mr Trump likes to boast of his Presidential accomplishments”

“His record so far is bereft of legislative victories, which includes his tried attack on abolishing Obamacare”

“He cares nothing for the people, only what he can obtain for his own self-interest”

“He will go down in history as the worst US President of his era”

“The American people will hold their heads in shame, as to their folly to vote this man into The White House”

“It will take a decade for America to resume any kind of respect from the rest of the world”

“At this time, they are falling!”

World Affairs for 2017 OCTOBER II

13^th October 2017 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)

“Making this world a better place to live is all our responsibility”

“Where we can sustain life in our own way to the amount of waste we produce”

“This world is filling up with so much waste that we are slowly killing our planet”

“Landfills are a major contributor of methane and other glasshouse gases”

“When we burn waste, we release toxic gases into the atmosphere, resulting in global warming”

“It takes less energy to recycle old items than produce items from scratch”

“Planting a tree helps reduce global warming. Trees give out oxygen and take carbon dioxide, which is the main source of global warming”

“Conserving water, if we added up the water wasted by millions of Americans brushing their teeth…”

“…we could provide water for 23 nations, who have no access to clean drinking water”

“It takes energy to draw up and filter water from underground”

“We as meat consumers means the number of cows breathing out methane is a huge contribution to global warming to meet our meat appetite”

“We have to learn as a species to live within our means and not to waste our natural resources that have taken millions of years to produce”

“We have to curb the deforestation of so many forests and to reclaim them back…”

“…so that they can aid us in the much-needed oxygen to sustain all life”

“All of us have to take personal responsibility and to stop being reckless with our planet”

World Affairs for 2017 OCTOBER I

8^th October 2017 (jandmayers and ladylydialondon twitter)

“The backbiting regarding Theresa May and the Conservative Party won’t last that long”

“There is a mounting coup, which is gathering momentum no matter how hard she explains to the press that her Cabinet are behind her”

“What the Cabinet fear most is that it will have a detrimental effect on the Brexit talks and look as if Great Britain is weak”

“Great Britain is weak in policies, not in heart!”

“It will take a mighty leader, who will come up from the ranks to supersede Theresa May”

“It is no longer a fact that she wants to continue, but if she is allowed to continue in her current role”

“She took very bad advice from her advisers and therefore weakened her position”

“Theresa May is literally there as a curtsey until her Cabinet say, “Enough is enough””

“The knives are already out and she knows it. She is barely hanging on by a prayer!”

“The sad thing is that she is a good leader, but has lost the power to lead”

“See her have another political fall and that is when there will be a coup de grâce”

“She will not be able to save herself any longer, retreating to the back benches will not be something she is used to”

“There will be a race between two men of equal stature, who will then take this country forward”

“There will not be a General Election as the political statement is they have no more faith in their leader…

…so a new one will have to be appointed”

“The Brexit talks will fail and then resurrect themselves again with new policy tactics”

“These tactics have not been tried before, but will prove beneficial to the United Kingdom”

“The European situation is collapsing all around and that is where vital leeway will occur”

“The European Union will not be in a powerful position to object, as they are haemorrhaging money left, right and centre”

“Their own policies on so many fronts are already failing, so a restructure for them becomes inevitable”

“See massive reconstruction on policies occur and where the new Prime Minister will be able at last to drive his agenda home”

“It will be done with strong forthright arguments, where the European Union will have no choice but to agree”

“The UK and Europe will have their agreement and a new trade deal will be enforced satisfying the UK’s high moral objective”

“The UK after that will flourish considerably, while Europe will further sink!”

“Watch this space!”