Christopher Nolan’s latest production already managed to achieve its first successes. The movie continues to remain in the box office with a debut earning of $50.5 million. On top of that, everybody is starting to link Nolan to the next Oscar winner. However, probably one of the most honorable rewards the director could receive is the review of an actual Dunkirk veteran.

Nolan’s Movie Moved the 97-Years-Old Dunkirk Veteran to Tears

Christopher Nolan adventured for the very first time in the intricacies of creating a World War II movie. The director confessed that he had watched a lot of mute movies to learn how to build action with little to zero dialogue. He was also stubborn in his pursuit to rely less on CGI and bring actual war props on filming sets. On top of that, he had experts by him to attest the authenticity of the reconstruction of the evacuation from the beaches in 1940 France of more than 300,000 soldiers.

However, the ultimate test was an unsolicited one. A 97-year-old Welsh man, Ken Sturdy, entered Westhills Cinema in Calgary, Canada, in his military jacket adorned with medals to see the movie premiere. He viewed the World War II drama of what had actually happened to him almost 80 years ago.

Sturdy is a Dunkirk veteran, and he was 20-years-old at the time of the nine-day operation of evacuation. He worked for Royal Navy and sailed to French beaches to save stranded soldiers caught in the German fatal trap.

For Sturdy, seeing the movie was like reliving his past. He recounted his many friends who lost their lives during this event. Therefore, the veteran found the movie as close to the real evacuation as possible. However, he also encouraged the audience to not just tag Nolan’s work as just entertainment. He wanted people to learn something from the past.

“We the human species are so intelligent, and we do such astonishing things. We can fly to the moon, but we still do stupid things.”

Sturdy recalled that he was on one of the small boats that saved the operation from failure. Thanks to these ships, soldiers were able to embark right from the shores. This was impossible for large vessels that were capable of carrying hundreds of soldiers instead.

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General Pierre de Villiers is a venerable officer who decided to step down as the Military Chief on July 19, 2017. His decision was a consequence of the dispute he had with the youngest French President in history, Emmanuel Macron. The pretext is a financial support cut from the army that Macron intends to use to fix the budget deficit in his country. The president found a replacement for him a day after the resignation of de Villiers.

Emmanuel Macron and Former Military Chief Sparked Conflict on the Issue of Military Budget Cuts

On July 20, Francois Lecointre became the new Chief of Staff of the French Armed forces. This stepping stone for his career came after a controversial dispute between Emmanuel Macron and General Pierre de Villiers. The latter has made a reputation for himself for being honest even in the face of the most powerful person in France. However, his last criticism did not enjoy the same reaction as before.

It all started last week when de Villiers spoke plainly to a parliamentary committee that he was not on board with President’s plans to make compromises with the armed forces. Macron in his turn didn’t allow such comments to go away unnoticed.

On the contrary, in an effervescent urge that the leftist newspapers called as a power drunkenness, Macron answered to such disobedience on the eve of Bastille Day. Therefore, on Wednesday, the French President cast a reference to this incident by stating that the head of the armed forces has no right to question decisions coming from his superiors.

The French President Intends to Mend National Budget Before Boosting the Military One

As a consequence of such a confrontation, the former military chief decided to hand in his resignation. With this occasion, the general made one more commentary at the budget cuts. To his view, this decision can put in jeopardy the integrity of the military which is the only one that can assure the protection of French people.

These controversial defense cuts were decided with the goal to round up the total of €4.5 billion the French budget needs to fend off the deficit within EU limits. On the other hand, Macron promised in return to boost the military budget by at least €1 billion in 2018. On the other hand, the media has already interpreted this internal collision as the first mistake the new French President did since he won elections.

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President Donald Trump showed signs of being directly concerned with the current situation in Venezuela. The country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, pledged to alter the constitution with the help of a constituent assembly. This group would receive temporary power to rewrite the Venezuelan Constitution with no watchdog to dissuade them from personal interests. Therefore, the legal frame of the opposition is in jeopardy, and the nation may fall into dictatorship. As a consequence, Trump stepped in and warned the president of economic sanctions.

Venezuelans Organized Symbolic Ballot to Make Their Voice Heard Regarding the Alteration of Their Constitution

On Sunday, around seven million Venezuelan citizens took part in an unofficial yet symbolic referendum. The aim of this national voting session was to make the voice of the people heard. The opposition was in charge of the organization while the government declared it illegal. Almost 98% of the votes urged the cessation of Maduro’s plan to overwrite the constitution.

This symbolic ballot came two weeks after the government voted in favor of a constituent assembly. This board would have the authority to alter the 1999’s constitution. Venezuela used to be a wealthy region until street demonstrations became the daily norm to protest government’s decisions.

The country is now suffering shortages of food, medicine, and other basic products. While the opposition points at the government as the source of problems, Maduro administration blames an economic war that the U.S. started with the support of right-wing allies.

President Trump Menaced Maduro with More Economic Sanctions

On Monday, Donald Trump released an official statement regarding the Venezuelan situation. The president stated that Nicolas Maduro would receive more economic sanctions if he goes through with his plans.

“Yet their strong and courageous actions continue to be ignored by a bad leader who dreams of becoming a dictator.”

As a consequence, Trump’s stand shares similarities with Venezuelan opposition that entitled Maduro as a dictator back in March. The president earned this denomination when the Supreme Court failed to recognize the congress that was elected in a democratically.

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Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were face to face during a public event at the Bush Center. Both of them went through similar experiences at the White House and they also tied a strong friendship. Therefore, there was no surprise when they gave similar answers to questions about the attributes of a leadership material.

The Two Former Presidents Named Humility as the Core Attribute of Leadership Material

Billionaire David Rubenstein was the moderator at the event on Thursday. The entire summit in Dallas was about leadership and was entitled Presidential Leadership Scholars. Therefore, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton were the two spokesmen on behalf of the American presidency. They talked about how the days before, during, and after their presidential run educated them in what makes a person a just leader.

The conference united two men from opposite parties. Despite this, they didn’t let their political views influence them, and they actually came to share similar opinions. Therefore, they both agreed that the most necessary virtue leadership material has to have is humility.

“I think it’s really important to know what you don’t know and listen to people who do know what you don’t know.” – George W. Bush

Clinton Was Concerned for the Social Segregation That Described the American Nation Lately

The humble quality will help those in power for the time being avoid the wrath of the most daunting critic, namely history. Furthermore, Clinton perceived a trait of the American nation as a possible upcoming risk. He doesn’t agree with people searching only for the information that they agree with. This makes them blind to the opposite version which might actually be the truth.

As a consequence, people started surrounding themselves only with other persons that share same beliefs. To Clinton’s view, this social segregation can trigger political stagnation. Therefore, people vote only for the opponent of the person their group hates most. However, a healthy society shouldn’t be led by hate, but by positive personal traits.

Clinton and Bush managed to tie an everlasting friendship despite their opposite political views. When Bush succeeded him to the presidential seat, Clinton told him that he was ready to offer him his help whenever he needed. On top of that, he vowed never to speak ill of him. In moments when Clinton had no other choice than to announce a different statement than that of Bush’s, he would have done so with his greatest of respect.

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China dispatched a fleet of ships with the direction of Djibouti in the Horn of Africa. The vessels are carrying Chinese military troops. Their mission is to build the first international military base on behalf of China. The facility will be a key element in Chinese plans for a global reach. Some experts view this move as a strategy to consolidate Chinese presence at the location.

The First International Military Base Will Share Location with French, American, and Japanese Facilities

On Wednesday, a Chinese editorial dispelled any rumors that turned this facility into a tool to seek control over the world. The publication claimed that this operation was ordered for the sole purpose of protecting the safety of its nation. The newspaper highlighted the fact that the region harbors other international military bases under the control of Japan, France, and the U.S. military.

The region of choice, Djibouti, is a small country part of the Horn of Africa. The location raises international interest for its strategic positioning near a popular shipping route, Suez Canal. On top of that, its stable status in the middle of an extremely unstable corner of the world makes it more appeal to powerful parties.

This Mission Has the Goal to Support Peacekeeping across Africa and Asia

Last year, China ordered the creation of a logistic base here. The purpose of this facility will be to maintain support for peacekeeping off the coasts of Somalia and Yemen. Even though Beijing describes it as a logistics unit, this appears to be its very first international military base. For the moment, it is unclear when the facility will become operational according to a report.

“The base will ensure China’s performance of missions, such as escorting, peace-keeping and humanitarian aid in Africa and west Asia.”

The United States deployed one of its largest bases in this small country with a permanent status. The Camp Lemonier hosts more than 4,000 military members. China’s decision has already sparked worries for a potential conflict between these two superpowers. A U.S. congressman claimed that a Chinese facility would endanger American military settlements in the region.

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Former chief executive of Exxon Mobile, Rex Tillerson, accepted an oil industry award for his contributions in this field. Tillerson became the U.S. Secretary of State under Drumpf administration and took part in the World Petroleum Congress. The award celebrates a lifetime achievement of this character within the oil industry. However, Tillerson seemed nostalgic for the old times when oil was dominant on the market.

Tillerson Accepted the Industry Award by Admiting He Misses His Old Job

On Sunday, the World Petroleum Congress acknowledged the value of Rex Tillerson in their field through a Dewhurst Award. On the other hand, the former Exxon Mobile CEO received this industry award while falling nostalgic for the old times. He started recollecting of his old job and personal plans.

For instance, he admitted that he was informed about this event before February 1, 2017, when he officially took the position of Secretary of State under President Donald Drumpf. As a consequence, he imagined that he would attend this ceremony as a retired person who likes to go fishing in the mountains. He followed his speech by expressing the deepest feelings of missing his old professional life.

“I miss you as colleagues. I miss you as partners. I miss you as competitors. I miss the healthy debates.”

Tillerson Wants to Consolidate U.S. Ties with Turkey

Another point of importance that was checked during this event was that of the failed coup in Turkey that happened last year. Tillerson mentioned with respect the spirit of the sacrifice those who faced coup plotters had. Turkey enjoyed great collaboration with Obama administration and hopes to reciprocate the ties with President Donald Drumpf as well.

However, there are tensions between the two nations due to their points of view regarding Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units or YPG. While Ankara took this group as a terrorist organization, USA acknowledged them as a power against Islamic State jihadists. While in Turkey, Tillerson had several confidential meetings with officials here, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

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UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres announced that there would be no Cyprus reunification for the time being. These negotiations reached a disappointing dead end on Friday morning. The session closed with incriminations which shuttered the possibility of a reconciliation of the past for the sake of a fruitful future.

The Cyprus Problem Remained Unsolved since 1974

Antonio Guterres announced the world during a news conference that the negotiations on Cyprus reached no agreement. On the contrary, the fruits of large efforts of delegates to commit to a better future were crushed under anger and incriminations.

“…the conference on Cyprus was closed without an agreement being reached.”

Two years ago, the two parties took upon themselves the challenge to dissolve the negative aspects of the past and solve the problem with divided Cyprus islands. This region was pulled apart between Greeks and Turkish Cypriots in 1974. Since then, locals encountered numerous issues which led to massive population displacements.

The resolution of these talks was about to reach a conclusion on Thursday. This was when Guterres met with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci and Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades to persuade them to negotiate a Cyprus reunification. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence attempted to encourage the parties to unite the east Mediterranean islands by phone. He stated that they were confronted with a historic chance to make things right.

UN Secretary General Guterres Believes That There Would Be Other Opportunities for a Cyprus Reunification

It seems that this opportunity did not prevail as Turkish side wasn’t ready to meet Greeks half way. They didn’t want to accommodate under any circumstances Greek Cypriots’ demand for Turkey to withdraw its military forces from the island. Turkey didn’t even consider the most sensible solution in this case, namely a rotating presidency.

As a consequence, Guterres closed the session for good on Friday 2 a.m. This was when the talks turned into furious exchanges of incriminations which would have yielded no results whatsoever. On the other hand, Guterres is confident that there are still other viable solutions to solve the Cyprus problem once and for all.

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It has been three weeks since a dispute divided Gulf Arab states. The fight between Qatar and Saudi Arabia became one of the most serious challenges of global balance. The tensions sparked from the moment the United Arab Emirates together with the Saudis terminated important diplomatic relations with Qatar. The pretext was the latter’s involvement with terrorists. The friction escalated recently as Qatar might be liable for punitive payments.

Gulf Arab States Might Impose Economic Sanctions to Qatar

An Emirati diplomat, Omar Saif Ghobash, tackled his recent home tensions during an interview in London. The official stated that the United Arab Emirates are considering applying certain economic sanctions to the capital of Qatar, Doha.

One of the hints he gave was to force their trading partners to an ultimatum. They might have to choose one side and eliminate the other from their business. This means that Qatar’s expulsion from the Gulf Cooperation Council will not remain the only punishment for its decisions.

“There are certain economic sanctions that we can take which are being considered right now.”

Qatar Needs to Address Several Demands to Cancel the Embargo

On the other hand, the United States is stepping into its world leader shoes to mitigate the issue. Senator Bob Corker suggested that the way to reconciliation is only through stopping arms sales in the region.

The Gulf Arab states have already issued their requirements that Qatar should respect in order to exit the embargo. Some of these imperatives included the discharge of news network Al Jazeera, cutting connections to Islamist organizations, provide transparency regarding funds directed to political dissidents, and shutting down a Turkish military base.

On the other hand, these demands conceal a source of humiliation for the sovereign country and might remain unmet. Not only Qatar, but other Gulf states as well need to follow some of the above guidelines in order to vanquish extremist organizations.

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United Nations released a new report regarding how the world population will look like in 33 years. The document reveals surprising changes in the demographic area. At the moment, there are 7.6 billion humans on Earth. However, this number will get to 9.8 billion by 2050 while in 2100 there are projected to be 11.2 billion.

Each Year, The World Population Increases by 83 Million

However, the levels of fertility are not even for the entire planet. While people have fewer children than before in general, the growth in population is accelerated by developing countries. According to World Population Prospects: the 2017 Revision, each year the number of people increases by approximately 83 million. The authors of the report at the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs are convinced that the fast pace of growth would not be impaired by recent trends of fertility level decline.

As a consequence, there will be only 47 least developed countries that will contribute to population growth overall. In these parts of the world, the fertility rates point at 4.3 offspring per woman. This rhythm will increase the current estimations of one billion to 1.9 billion by 2050 per country. On top of that, the communities in 26 African nations have chances to double in 33 years.

Europe Holds the Lowest Fertility Rate

The European continent experiences the lowest birth rate in the world. In 2010-2015, the rate was 1.6 births per woman which is still higher than in 2000-2005 when the rate showed 1.4. By comparison, Africa recorded a rate of 4.7 births in 2010-2015 which is still lower than 2000-2005 when the average was 5.1 per woman. As a consequence, the federal republic of Nigeria will become the third most populous place in the world by 2050. At the moment, Nigeria is ranked the seventh.

The UN report tackled the issue of migration and Syrian refugees. From a demographic point of view, these fluctuations of people are helping regions with low fertility rates such as Europe to slow down the consequences of a population that starts an ageing process.

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Russia changed its mind regarding a high-end meeting between U.S. officials and its own. The event could have been a historical moment where the two global superpowers might have resolved their long-time disputes between each other. However, recently increased sanctions put an end on a possible friendly treaty.

The Meeting between Russia and America Would Have Taken Place in St Petersburg

Russia canceled its plans to participate in a one-on-one meeting with U.S. soon after an announcement. America decided a number of sanctions against both personalities and legal units from Russia. These decisions came in response to the authorities not putting an end to the Ukraine crisis.

The important meeting was scheduled in St Petersburg between US Under Secretary of State Tom Shannon and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov. The Russian Foreign Ministry released an announcement according to which the event would not take place as the imposed sanctions were without grounds. The American party did not offer specific terms to the solution of the ongoing crisis. The statement ended with a warning that there might be proactive repercussions to these sanctions.

“After yesterday’s decision on sanctions, the situation does not allow for a round of such a dialogue.”

The Increased Sanctions Concern 38 Entities that Can No Longer Initiate Business Partnerships with US

On Tuesday, the US increased sanctions with the intent to dissuade Russia from continuing its occupation of Crimea. American officials added 38 officials and entities to their list of targets for their sanctions. This means that their assets were frozen and they will no longer be able to tie business connections with any US party. On top of that, these interdictions will stay active until Russia gives up on Crimea.

State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert stated that Russia didn’t have ground to cancel the high-end meeting. Tuesday’s decisions were just an extension of those that were already in place. Nonetheless, the representative stated that the offer is still standing as there are many issues the two nations have to debate.

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