Archive for the ‘World current affairs’ Category
Our Central America tour (17): Guatemala
February 8th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
The country’s name comes from the Nahuatl language and translates as “place of many trees”. A Spanish colony from 1524, Guatemala became fully independent in 1834. From 1960-1996, the country was ravaged by a 36-year long civil war which pitted four groups of Leftist, mainly Mayan, insurgents – who came together as Guatemalan National Revolutionary […]
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Our Central America tour (15): Honduras
February 7th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
On his fourth and final voyage, Christopher Columbus landed in the country in 1502 and its name – literally “depths” in Spanish – is said to come from the explorer having written “Thank God we have come out of those depths”. Honduras became fully independent in 1840. Honduras is the original and archetypal banana republic […]
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Our Central America tour (11): El Salvador
February 4th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
The country’s name means “the saviour” which is a reference to Jesus Christ. A Spanish colony from 1540, El Salvador became fully independent in 1840. It is known as the land of the volcanoes. In the 1980s, the country was ravaged by a civil war which left around 70,000 people dead and caused damage of […]
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Our Central America tour (6): Nicaragua
January 31st, 2014 by Roger Darlington
In 1522, the Spanish explorer Gil Gonzalez de Avila named Nicaragua after a local indian chief called Nicarao. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the British had influence over the Caribbean coast and Nicaragua became fully independent in 1838 (when it became the first country to leave the United Provinces of Central America). The Somoza […]
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Our Central America tour (2): Costa Rica
January 28th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Our first destination …. Costa Rica means “rich coast” in Spanish and it obtained this name from Christopher Columbus who visited the area in 1502 on his fourth and final voyage to the New World. A Spanish colony for many centuries, Costa Rica became fully independent in 1838. Costa Rica avoided the civil wars that […]
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The astonishing, moving and inspirational story of Malala Yousafzai
January 22nd, 2014 by Roger Darlington
How many 16 year olds get to write an autobiography? But Malala Yousafzai is a remarkable young woman who almost paid with her life for her passion that all girls should have an education. I have reviewed her book here.
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The world’s 85 richest are worth as much as the 3.5 billion poorest
January 20th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Wealthy elites have co-opted political power to rig the rules of the economic game, undermining democracy and creating a world where the 85 richest people own the wealth of half of the world’s population, worldwide development organisation Oxfam warns in a report published today. “Working For the Few”, published ahead of this week’s World Economic […]
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The real battle is within Islam rather than between Islam and other faiths
January 16th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
I recently had dinner with a friend who had just returned from a holiday in Tunisia and we were debating the role of islam in the modern world. My friend felt that Islam is a forcefully proselytising religion and that its fundamentalist adherents want not just an Islamic caliphate but an Islamic world. He feared that, […]
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Why are fewer people voting in the older democracies?
December 27th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
“The issue? Millions of British young people are not voting, have never voted and are unlikely to do so unless there is reversal of a downward trend in electoral participation that seems to have started 50 years ago and accelerated in the last two decades.” Today’s “Guardian” newspaper today devotes two and a half pages to this […]
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How big is Africa? BIGGER than you think.
December 21st, 2013 by Roger Darlington
For an explanation and an illustration, see here.
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