Archive for the ‘World current affairs’ Category
Forgotten World (171): Comoros
May 18th, 2009 by Roger Darlington
It’s time to have another week of postings in my long-running series called Forgotten World – a look at parts of the world that hardly feature in our media or thoughts. You can check the previous 170 entries here. Located off the east coast of Africa between Madagascar and Mozambique, the Comoros are an archipelago […]
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Swine flu outbreak (4)
April 30th, 2009 by Roger Darlington
I saw my first face mask on the streets of London today. Is this where we’re all going? Has this happened where you live? The mask wearer was clearly a newcomer (he was pulling a suitcase on wheels) and from Asia (he looked Japanese to me). It reminded me of when my wife and I […]
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Swine flu outbreak (3)
April 29th, 2009 by Roger Darlington
Of all the reams already written about the outbreak, for me the best piece has been this column by Mike Davis, the author of “The Monster At Our Door: The Global Threat of Avian Flu”. He points out graphically: “In 1965, for instance, there were 53m US hogs on more than 1m farms; today, 65m […]
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Swine flu outbreak (2)
April 28th, 2009 by Roger Darlington
The Israeli health minister has decided that, for reasons of religious sensitivity, the outbreak should not be called swine flu but Mexican flu. That let’s the pigs off but will probably upset the Mexicans. More information here. Incidentally why did God take against pigs? Didn’t he create them? If he thought they were so offensive, […]
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Swine flu outbreak (1)
April 27th, 2009 by Roger Darlington
Who’s responsible? The bizarre conspiracy theories have started – see here.
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The Indian general election
April 16th, 2009 by Roger Darlington
India – the world’s largest democracy – starts its 17th general election today as explained here. For some perspective on the event, you might like to read my essay on “A Short Guide To The Indian Political System”.
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Forgotten World (170): Uruguay
April 3rd, 2009 by Roger Darlington
Uruguay has a small population of just 3.4 million, mostly of European origin, half of whom live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area. The country has traditionally been better off than many other countries in South America, and is known for its advanced education and social security systems and liberal laws governing social […]
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Forgotten World (169): Senegal
April 2nd, 2009 by Roger Darlington
The west African state of Senegal – a country of 13 million which surrounds The Gambia – has been held up as one of Africa’s model democracies. It has an established multi-party system and a tradition of civilian rule and, although poverty is widespread and unemployment is high, one of the region’s more stable economies. […]
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Forgotten World (168): Croatia
April 1st, 2009 by Roger Darlington
Croatia, with a population of less than 5 million (mostly Catholics), is one of the new, small countries to emerge from the break-up of the former Yugoslavia. It entered the new millennium recovering from a decade of authoritarian nationalism under President Franjo Tudjman and bitter war, but it has now joined the World Trade Organisation […]
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Forgotten World (167): Azerbaijan
March 31st, 2009 by Roger Darlington
Azerbaijan gained its independence in 1991 as a result of the break-up of the former Soviet Union. It is an oil-rich state and in 1994 signed an oil contract worth $7.4bn with a Western consortium. Since then Western companies have invested millions in the development of the country’s oil and gas reserves. Caspian oil is […]
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