Archive for the ‘World current affairs’ Category
How long can a person live?
April 2nd, 2015 by Roger Darlington
The world’s oldest living person, Japan’s Misao Okawa, has just died from heart failure at the age of 117. The oldest person who has ever lived was Jeanne Calment of France, who lived 122 years and 164 days. She died in August 1997. More information here.
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How do the ‘dabbawallas’ of Mumbai deliver more than 350,000 home-cooked lunches to office workers every working day?
March 30th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
I confess that I had never heard of the ‘dabbawallas’ of Mumbai until I read reviews of the 2013 Indian film “The Lunchbox” and only very recently did I manage to see the film [my review here]. So who are these ‘dabbawallas’ and how do they work? “Mumbai’s committed contingent of 5,000 dabbawallas delivers over […]
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A review of the book “Zone Of Crisis: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran And Iraq”
March 29th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
How much do you know about these four countries? You know that they are constantly in the news headlines and are deeply troubled states. but what are the root causes of these troubles and how well have local leaders and the international community tackled the issues? Amin Saikal is an Afghan-born scholar of international affairs […]
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Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito acquitted of Meredith Kercher murder
March 28th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Like many people around the world, since the appalling murder of Londoner Meredith Kercher in 2007, I’ve read a lot about the case and followed the incredible twists and turns of the Italian judicial process. I never felt that the case against American Amanda Knox and Italian Raffaele Sollecito was sound or fair and I was astonished […]
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Do we need a new theory of capitalism? You bet – and soon.
March 23rd, 2015 by Roger Darlington
In an interesting column for today’s “Guardian” newspaper, economist Paul Mason argues that, to move beyond boom and bust, we need a new theory of capitalism. He writes: “For me, the most fundamental question in economics still concerns the 2008 crisis. Was this event the last in a series of shocks needed to allow a […]
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Do you understand the difference between Sunni and Shia Islam? (2)
March 18th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
In an earlier posting, i explained the fundamental reason for the schism between Sunni and Shia Muslims. In terms of how many there are of each branch and sub-branch of Islam and where they live, you’ll find a really helpful infographic here.
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Four years of death, destruction and diaspora for Syrians
March 17th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
The week 15-21 March 2011 – exactly four years ago – is considered by the media to mark the beginning of the Syrian civil war or uprising. Since then, an estimated 220,000 have died. Nearly seven million have fled their homes but remain within the country. Some four million are living in camps in the […]
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Who will win the Israeli general election?
March 15th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
My American Jewish friend David Eden has produced this analysis of what might happen after the election on Tuesday: “With the Israeli elections just a few days away, many of my friends have been asking me what the results will be. Will Bibi win? Will it be Herzog & Livni? Which will be the third […]
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Do you understand the difference between Sunni and Shia Islam? (1)
March 11th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
I have just started to read “Zone Of Crisis: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran And Iraq” by Amin Saikal, an Afghan-born scholar of international affairs who is Director of the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Australian National University. Afghanistan and Pakistan are predominately Sunni states, while Iraq and Iran have a Shia majority population […]
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British man in secret detention in Ethiopia eight months after rendition
March 4th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
I have recently returned from a two-week holiday in Ethiopia, so I am very disturbed about the case of Andargachew ‘Andy’ Tsege. Tsege, a British national of Ethiopian origin who is Secretary General of the outlawed Ethiopian opposition group Ginbot 7, disappeared at Sana’a airport in Yemen on 23 June 2014 while he was travelling to […]
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