Archive for the ‘World current affairs’ Category
The world’s oldest man: a survivor of Auschwitz who is 112
March 12th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
The human body and the human spirit are amazing things. I regularly marvel at how some people who have suffered so much can live so long. A case in point is Israel Kristal, a citizen of Haifa in Israel. He has just been confirmed as the world’s oldest documented living man, but he is a […]
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Word of the day: millennial
March 8th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
In today’s “Guardian” newspaper, there is a major feature on so-called millennials. But what exactly is a millennial? Wikipedia states: “Millennials (also known as the Millennial Generation or Generation Y) are the demographic cohort following Generation X. There are no precise dates for when the generation starts and ends; most researchers and commentators use birth […]
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Back from Kenya to find Britain divided by Europe
February 23rd, 2016 by Roger Darlington
At 5 am this morning, I landed at London’s Heathrow Airport after a near nine hour overnight flight from Nairobi. It was wonderful to spend almost a week with my son Richard, his wife Emily, and their daughter Catrin (now just five). It was Catrin’s half term and we able to spend a lot of […]
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Poor Christchurch hit by another earthquake
February 14th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Three years ago, Vee and I visited Australia and New Zealand and had some time in Christchurch. My account of the trip noted of the city: “Christchurch has been utterly changed, and will experience still more change, as a result of the devastating earthquake of 22 February 2011 which killed 185 people and severely damaged […]
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Does the world really need a 500 Euro note (or other very high denomination notes)?
February 13th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
The €500 note, in use throughout the Eurozone, is one of the highest value banknotes in the world. It is worth around £388 or $563. According to Europol, the European police agency, the €500 note accounts for a third of all the euro notes in circulation, despite their low public profile. About a fifth of all […]
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The stark statistics that summarise the appalling tragedy of Syria
February 11th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
470,000 have been killed 1.88 million have been wounded 11.5% of the population has been killed or injured 6.36 million have been displaced internally More than 4 million have been displaced abroad 45% of the population has been displaced overall About 13.8 million have lost their source of livelihood Consumer prices rose 53% last year Poverty […]
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How can the Israeli Government improve the image of the country?
February 9th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Well, one approach is to be found in this news item which explains: “The Israeli government is offering directors and actors shortlisted for this year’s Oscars a trip to the Holy Land worth $55,000 (£38,000) in the hope of countering recent bad press for the country. The voucher for a 10-day trip, valid for one […]
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How many of the world’s richest people have the same wealth as half of the globe’s total population?
January 18th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Oxfam has calculated that: In 2015, just 62 individuals had the same wealth as 3.6 billion people – the bottom half of humanity. This figure is down from 388 individuals as recently as 2010. The wealth of the richest 62 people has risen by 44% in the five years since 2010 – that’s an increase […]
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My review of an excellent new book on international politics
January 17th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
I’m a bit of a news junkie and am fascinated by national and international politics. However, so much reporting of current affairs lacks context. One needs to know something of the history and geography of a nation or region to make real sense of what is happening today. British journalist Tim Marshall has written an […]
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Who were the 73 most powerful people on the planet in 2015?
December 23rd, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Each year, the “Forbes” magazine compiles a list of those it believes to be the most powerful in the world. This year – for the third year running – top place goes to Vladimir Putin, President of Russia. Second place is given to Angel Merkel, Chancellor of Germany. No 3 is Barack Obama, the President […]
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