Showing 1 - 10 of 23
Putting today's news on the map
Roger Crutchley, Published on 19/04/2026
» One of the few positive outcomes of the present Iran conflict is the impact it has had on geographical knowledge of the area amongst people around the globe. Every day millions switch on the television or their phones and the first thing they are likely to be greeted with is a map of the Middle East.
Taking a journey into the unknown
Roger Crutchley, Published on 13/07/2025
» According to newspaper reports Bulgaria will next year become the 21st country to adopt the euro. Admittedly it's hardly earth-shattering news and is possibly the first time Bulgaria has ever been mentioned in PostScript, let alone its currency, the "lev". But it reinforces my feeling that the European Union and the euro is partly responsible for taking the fun and romance out of travel.
A country full of Eastern promise
Roger Crutchley, Published on 30/06/2024
» Watching the current Euro football championships has served as a reminder that the official name of the country known to most of us as Turkey, is now Turkiye, pronounced "Turkiya". This name was approved by the UN in 2022. The change was believed to have been made partly to disassociate the country from the large bird of the same name and other negative interpretations of the word "turkey". You can understand why Turks could be irritated by silly newspaper football headlines such as "England roast Turkey".
Did the West cause the war in Ukraine?
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 25/06/2024
» There is one thing almost all populist nationalists agree on: the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the continuing carnage there was the fault of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato). If Nato had not expanded to Russia's borders, it would all still be peace and love in Europe.
The myth of global grain shortages
Oped, Jayati Ghosh, Published on 17/08/2023
» In recent years, soaring food prices and the growing frequency and intensity of floods, droughts, and other extreme weather events have prompted warnings of a looming grain shortage, potentially spelling disaster for the world's poorest and most vulnerable populations. Although climate change poses the greatest medium to long-term threat to global food security, Russia's invasion of Ukraine is frequently cited as the immediate cause of the current hunger crisis. But this is a red herring.
Why do I smell tom yum kung cooking?
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 10/08/2023
» Readers who follow my bi-weekly economic column will have no doubt that the tom yum kung I am referring to is not a traditional Thai soup dish but the financial crisis of 1997.
Can democracy survive the polycrisis?
Oped, George Soros, Published on 16/06/2023
» We are living in troubled times. Too much is happening too fast. People are confused. The Columbia University economic historian Adam Tooze has, indeed, popularised a word for it. He calls it a "polycrisis".
The baby bonus just does not work any more
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 22/05/2023
» I was one of five children -- not seen as a particularly big family in Newfoundland at the time -- and there was one year when we allegedly beat Guatemala to have the highest birth rate in the world. (That's probably not true, but people were proud of it anyway.)
Global ammunition race may decide Ukraine war
News, Peter Apps, Published on 08/05/2023
» At the US Army Ammunition Plant in President Joe Biden's hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, production lines are running day and night through the working week to deliver artillery shells.
Why Pele was such a joy to watch
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 08/01/2023
» All week there have been eloquent tributes to the great Brazilian footballer Pele. The news of Pele's death came too late for last week's column but I would like to offer a belated salute, however inadequate, to this man who provided such joy to my generation. Just like Muhammad Ali in boxing, Pele transcended his own sport to become a figure of international standing.