Archive for the ‘World current affairs’ Category
There must not be another Hama
July 31st, 2011 by Roger Darlington
The political protests in Syria came later than in most Arab countries but have now been running for almost five months. The demonstrations began within a matter of days of Vee and I leaving the country after a brief holiday. One of the places we visited briefly was the city of Hama (see here). This […]
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How political shifts have altered the map of Europe
July 30th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
With 21 European Union member states now under varying degrees of right-wing government, Europe has never been more blue. To see how its political complexion has changed in the 38 years since Britain joined the EEC, click on this interactive map produced by the “Guardian”.
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Not all of Iraq is a tale of disaster
July 21st, 2011 by Roger Darlington
“Major events in the wider Middle East have overshadowed the already neglected story of the Kurdistan Region which is now the safest, most pluralistic and dynamic part of Iraq although there should be no complacency about pressing and persistent social, economic and political problems.” These are the opening words of the latest report from the […]
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The heated debate over a carbon tax for Australia
July 11th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
Every nation on the globe needs to be thinking about its contribution to global warming and debating what it needs to do to reduce its carbon footprint. This is especially the case for Australia which simultaneously contributes more than its ‘fair share’ of emissions and is especially vulnerable to the impact of climate change. On […]
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Forgotten World (245): U.S. Virgin Islands
June 23rd, 2011 by Roger Darlington
The Virgin Islands are divided between Britain (the eastern 36) and the United States (the western 53 of which only three are inhabited). The US Virgin Islands with a population (a total of only 113,000) are St Thomas, St John and St Croix. Motor vehicles are driven on the left-hand side of the road in […]
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Forgotten World (244): Tristan da Cunha
June 23rd, 2011 by Roger Darlington
Tristan da Cunha was at one time on the main trading route between Europe and the Indian Ocean, but the tiny community of 275 living there is now extremely isolated. It is situated 2,800 km west of Cape Town, South Africa, and is part of a group of islands which includes Inaccessible, Nightingale, Middle, Stoltenhoff, […]
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Forgotten World (243): St Kitts-Nevis
June 22nd, 2011 by Roger Darlington
The islands of St Kitts and Nevis have been in an uneasy federation since independence from Britain in 1983, with some politicians in Nevis saying the federal government in St Kitts (also known as St Christopher) – home to a majority of the population of around 50,000 – have ignored the needs of Nevisians. But […]
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How many are killed on the roads each year?
June 21st, 2011 by Roger Darlington
This week, I attended a meeting at the BT Centre in central London as a guest of the Chair of the BT Ethnic Minority Network Malcolm Weston. The subject of the meeting was infrastructure. Most of the prese4ntations related to the UK but one looked at the topic from a world perspective and I was […]
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Forgotten World (242): Faroe Islands
June 20th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
The Faroes, an archipelago of 18 islands in the North Atlantic with a population of only 50,000, constitute an autonomous region of Denmark. While the islands’ rugged coastlines and extensive bird life are a draw for some, the Faroes also offer the prospect of major offshore reserves of oil and gas. These potential resources have […]
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Forgotten World (241): Cayman Islands
June 20th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
It’s time for one of the regular weeks of postings in my long-running series called Forgotten World – a look at parts of the world that too rarely feature in our media or thoughts. You can check the previous 240 entries here. I think we’ll make this the last batch for a series which has […]
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