Archive for the ‘World current affairs’ Category
Why has Egypt suddenly given away the islands of Tiran and Sanafir?
May 16th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Around the world, there are many disputes over the ownership of islands – for instance, look at the East China Sea and the South China Sea. Countries that currently own these islands fiercely resist the claims of other states. Yet recently Egypt – or at least its dictatorial leader – suddenly gave to Saudi Arabia […]
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The most compelling reason to be cheerful: now is the best time in history to be alive
May 15th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
“Now is the best time in history to be alive. Angry voices will loudly deny this but that doesn’t make it any less true. Despite the many miseries that plague our world, humanity as a whole has never climbed so high, so fast. If you could choose to be reborn at any moment in history, […]
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Which are the most corrupt nations on earth?
May 11th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
British Prime Minister David Cameron has been caught telling the Queen that Nigera and Afghanistan are “fantastically corrupt” [see story here]. Is he right? Well, yes. It probably would have been better not to have said this just before hosting an international event on corruption at which these two countries are represented or at least […]
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Will there ever be a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict?
May 8th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
In an article in today’s “Observer” newspaper, Dov Waxman and Dahlia Scheindlin consider a two-state solution, a one-state solution, and their recommended confederal approach. As regards the usual option for a resolution of the conflict, they write: “The two-state solution – the creation of two separate countries divided by a border roughly along the 1949 […]
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UN risk expert warns we are heading for catastrophe over natural disasters
April 25th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Last year, earthquakes, floods, heatwaves and landslides left 22,773 people dead, affected 98.6 million others, and caused $66.5bn (£47bn) of economic damage. Yet, according to UN figures, in 2014 just 0.4% of the global aid budget of $135.2bn – roughly $540m – was spent on efforts concerning disaster risk reduction (DRR) – things like infrastructure, storm […]
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The wonder of Palmyra – revisited
April 22nd, 2016 by Roger Darlington
This week, a monumental recreation of the Arch of Triumph in Palmyra, Syria, which was destroyed by ISIS, has been unveiled in London’s Trafalgar Square. The 1,800-year-old arch was destroyed by Islamic State militants last October and the 6-metre (20ft) model, made in Italy from Egyptian marble, is intended as an act of defiance: to […]
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Where now for Iraqi Kurdistan?
April 19th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Broadly speaking, there are three main groups in Iraq: the Shia Arabs, the Sunni Arabs and the Iraqi Kurds. We hear a lot about the first two groupings – especially the conflicts between them – but less about the Kurds who have created a near-autonomous territory in the north of the state and fought successfully […]
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The world’s newest country: Czechia
April 16th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
As Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic, I’ve visited the country 26 times because my wife is half-Czech and we have many relatives and close friends there. Indeed I regard the capital Prague as my favourite city. But this week the nation rebranded itself as Czechia. Why? All is explained here.
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Where is Dabiq and why is it so special?
April 15th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Media reports suggest that Syrian Government forces are close to retaking the ISIS-occupied town of Dabiq in north-west Syria close to the Turkish border, but ISIS is putting up a strong resistance. Before the war, this was a small town which had a population of only just over 3,000, so what makes it so special? […]
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The Panama Papers story has been over a century in the making
April 10th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
It is amazing that the Panama Papers were leaked almost a year ago but the story was only broken when journalists had done the necessary research. Originally an anonymous hacker handed the files to journalists on “Süddeutsche Zeitung” who shared the information with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. Then 400 reporters working in 80 […]
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