The Venezuelan opposition is stepping up its campaign, organising a “sovereign consultation” last Sunday, 16th July. The opposition has announced that Sunday’s consultation marks the “zero hour” for a national, permanent and open ended “trancazo” (road blockades), until the “fall of the dictatorship”. The aim is clear: to overthrow the government of Nicolas Maduro.

For the last month the Gulf state of Qatar has been blockaded by its neighbours Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, who along with Egypt have severed all diplomatic ties with the country. These events have opened up a crisis situation in the Gulf region, which is being viewed with trepidation by the major powers on the world stage.

The refugee crisis has returned to the pages of the national press once again recently, with further deaths reported as boats capsize during the perilous journey from Libya across the Mediterranean. The refugee crisis has been going on for over two years now, with no apparent end in sight. Capitalism and imperialism are to blame.