If that sounds like a tall order, take a deep breath and remember your geography lessons. But more importantly, keep reading Opednews, your best chance to get it sorted out.
Europe: France' Socialist President caved to Wall Street and agreed to reform his country's labor laws so that businesses could pay workers less, work them longer, and fire them more easily. All supposedly in the name of fighting unemployment if you can get your head around that.
As was inevitable in a country whose people demonstrate against anything they don't like (don't try to take away their six weeks of vacation, or their government-sponsored health care), workers across the country took to the streets five weeks ago, soon joined by students. With Occupy in mind, crowds began gathering every evening after work in Paris's vast Place de la Republique, dubbing the event Up All Night.
This weekend, just days after May Day, Europe's traditional workers' holiday, the organizers of Nuit Debout are welcoming delegates from around the world, determined to take their anti-government movement global.
Meanwhile, the European Union is locked in a titanic struggle with Turkey, whose President suddenly decided to condition his help controlling the flow of refugees from the Middle East to being allowed to do as he pleases with Kurds and journalists, flouting European norms. Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, who penned the deal with Turkey, is tumbling from her pedestal, as far-right parties across Europe win elections, encouraged by the Ukrainian neo-fascists that played a decisive role in the 2014 coup against a pro-Russian president. (Google Stepan Bandera for details.)
While all this is going on, Moscow rehearses the May 9th parade celebrating the 71st anniversary of World War II, days after bringing a major orchestra to play in the newly liberated and de-mined ruins of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra.
When the US liberated Western Europe from Nazi occupation, 71 years ago, as part of the Marshall Plan it brought coca-cola and jazz to the old world, setting it on the road to aa problematic modernity. While some pundits claim the Russian President is keen to show he is a modern Westerner, Vladimir Putin brings Bach and Prokofiev to Syria.
P.S. London just voted in a socialist, Muslim mayor.
