“Jasmine Revolution”
Symbol of peace: Flowers placed on the barrel of a tank
in very much calmer protests than in recent days in Tunisia

'The Protester' - Time Person of the Year 2011

'The Protester' - Time Person of the Year 2011
Mannoubia Bouazizi, the mother of Tunisian street vendor Mohammed Bouazizi. "Mohammed suffered a lot. He worked hard. but when he set fire to himself, it wasn’t about his scales being confiscated. It was about his dignity." (Peter Hapak for TIME)

1 - TUNISIA Democratic Change / Freedom of Speech (In Transition)


How eyepatches became a symbol of Egypt's revolution - Graffiti depicting a high ranking army officer with an eye patch Photograph: Nasser Nasser/ASSOCIATED PRESS

2 - EGYPT Democratic Change / Freedom of Speech (In Transition)


''17 February Revolution"

3 - LIBYA Democratic Change / Freedom of Speech (In Transition)

5 - SYRIA Democratic Change / Freedom of Speech (In Transition)

"25 January Youth Revolution"
Muslim and Christian shoulder-to-shoulder in Tahrir Square
"A Summary" – Apr 2, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Religion, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Intelligent/Benevolent Design, EU, South America, 5 Currencies, Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Middle East, Internet, Israel, Dictators, Palestine, US, Japan (Quake/Tsunami Disasters , People, Society ...), Nuclear Power Revealed, Hydro Power, Geothermal Power, Moon, Financial Institutes (Recession, Realign integrity values ..) , China, North Korea, Global Unity,..... etc.) -
(Subjects: Egypt Uprising, Iran/Persia Uprising, Peace in Middle East without Israel actively involved, Muhammad, "Conceptual" Youth Revolution, "Conceptual" (without a manager hierarchy) managed Businesses, Internet, Social Media, News Media, Google, Bankers, Global Unity,..... etc.)
"The End of History" – Nov 20, 2010 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll)
(Subjects:Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Muhammad, Jesus, God, Jews, Arabs, EU, US, Israel, Iran, Russia, Africa, South America, Global Unity,..... etc.) (Text version)

"If an Arab and a Jew can look at one another and see the Akashic lineage and see the one family, there is hope. If they can see that their differences no longer require that they kill one another, then there is a beginning of a change in history. And that's what is happening now. All of humanity, no matter what the spiritual belief, has been guilty of falling into the historic trap of separating instead of unifying. Now it's starting to change. There's a shift happening."


“ … Here is another one. A change in what Human nature will allow for government. "Careful, Kryon, don't talk about politics. You'll get in trouble." I won't get in trouble. I'm going to tell you to watch for leadership that cares about you. "You mean politics is going to change?" It already has. It's beginning. Watch for it. You're going to see a total phase-out of old energy dictatorships eventually. The potential is that you're going to see that before 2013.

They're going to fall over, you know, because the energy of the population will not sustain an old energy leader ..."



African Union (AU)

African Union (AU)
African Heads of State pose for a group photo ahead of the start of the 28th African Union summit in Addis Ababa on January 30, 2017 (AFP Photo/ Zacharias ABUBEKER)

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela
Few words can describe Nelson Mandela, so we let him speak for himself. Happy birthday, Madiba.

Monday, June 9, 2014

Syria's Assad announces wide-ranging prisoner amnesty

Yahoo – AFP, 9 June 2014

Two women walk past a huge billboard bearing a portrait of Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad in the capital Damascus on May 27, 2014 (AFP Photo/Louai Beshara)

Damascus (AFP) - Syria's President Bashar al-Assad announced an unprecedented prisoner amnesty on Monday, less than a week after his re-election, the most wide-ranging since the beginning of the revolt against him.

Announced five days after Assad was re-elected with nearly 90 percent in a ballot decried as a "farce" by the opposition and the West, the amnesty is the first extended to those accused under a controversial anti-terrorism law.

The July 2012 law has been used to jail tens of thousands of regime opponents, armed and unarmed.

Meanwhile, in key rebel-backer Qatar, the prime minister urged the United Nations to impose a ceasefire to end Syria's conflict.

And Iran's president pledged during a trip to Ankara to work with Turkey despite opposing positions on the war.

Syrian state television said Monday's amnesty would cover all crimes committed before June 9, and would for the first time extend to those accused under the country's controversial terrorism law.

The government has accused all those opposed to Assad's rule -- armed opposition fighters and peaceful activists alike -- of "terrorism".

State media cited Justice Minister Najem al-Ahmad as saying the decree was issued in the context of "social forgiveness, national cohesion calls for coexistence, as the army secures several military victories".

The amnesty is not the first time the government has offered clemency, but it is the first that pledges reduced sentences, and in some cases freedom, to regime opponents.

There are an estimated 100,000 people in custody for activities related to the uprising which began in March 2011.

Some 18,000 of those detained have "disappeared", according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The conflict began with peaceful anti-government demonstrations that were met with live fire by government forces, eventually prompting some in the opposition to take up arms.

In the more than three years since, upwards of 162,000 people have been killed.

Picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on May 22,
 2014 shows the entrance to Aleppo prison after Syria's army broke a siege, cutting
off a major rebel supply route in the main northern city of Aleppo (AFP Photo)

'Dire conditions in prisons'

Rights groups, including the Observatory, have described dire conditions, including torture and malnutrition in both prisons and detention facilities such as security service buildings.

On Monday, the Observatory reported that the families of 25 people being held in regime facilities had been informed a day earlier that their relatives had died in detention.

Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP the detainees had been tortured to death.

Abdel Rahman also said the new amnesty should in theory cover many opposition activists being held.

"The amnesty should cover many opponents -- regardless of whether they bore weapons or not. Opponents of the regime are all considered terrorists," he said.

The amnesty announcement comes after Assad won another seven-year term in the country's first multi-candidate presidential vote.

Assad secured 88.7 percent of the vote in a ballot that was widely criticised by the international community and the opposition.

Voting was held only in regime-held areas, with many refugees barred from participating and election rules making it impossible for opposition figures abroad to stand.

It also came as the International Committee of the Red Cross and Syria's Red Crescent made rare aid deliveries in rebel territory in the northern province of Aleppo, according to ICRC spokesman Ralph El Hage.

The delivery comes a day after aid was delivered to two government hospitals and two others in rebel-held parts of Aleppo city.

The city has been divided between government control in the west and rebel control in the east since shortly after fighting began there in mid-2012.

In Doha on Monday, Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani warned of the continuing threat to regional stability posed by Syria's conflict.

"It is incumbent on the international community, especially the (UN) Security Council, to act urgently and decisively to adopt a resolution imposing a ceasefire," he said.

Qatar has been a key backer of rebels in Syria, reportedly providing financial and military backing.

And in Ankara, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani -- a key Assad ally -- pledged to work with rebel supporter Turkey, emphasising their opposition to extremists.

"Iran and Turkey, the two important countries in the region, are determined to fight against extremism and terrorism," he said.

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