Country Profile: Lebanon. 24 May 2018 Civil war, ISIS invasions, mountains of rubbish. Never a dull day in Lebanon. The country’s constant turmoil is exhausting, says Reem Haddad, reporting from Beirut Country ratings Income distributionLife expectancyPosition of womenFreedomLiteracySexual minoritiesNI Assessment (Politics) Details » My 15-year-old daughter suddenly declared last week that she needed a break. Lebanon is a country that goes through ‘waves’.
More recently, a wave of refugees from the Syrian war entered the country. As the Syrian war showed no sign of stopping, even more refugees arrived and the streets were filled with begging Syrian children. Then, suddenly, the influx of refugees began to slow – not much, but enough to notice the difference in the streets of Beirut. In 2014, a new wave: the kidnapping of Lebanese soldiers by ISIS. Meanwhile, a wave of a completely different kind: the closure of Beirut’s waste dumps in 2015. Would a pro-Saudi camp and a Tehran-backed alliance take to the streets? 4 lessons from Bhutan on the pursuit of happiness above GDP. Waking to the sound of monks chanting prayers and drumming their gongs during countless traditional pujas, a ceremony of honour, worship and devotion; running up the steep Himalayan mountain slopes under colourful prayer flags hung between trees in the lush natural landscape; looking out at the expanse of forests and mountains that surrounded its capital city, Thimphu.
These are the memories that remain imprinted in my memory after two years living in Bhutan – the Himalayan Kingdom best known for its concept of “Gross National Happiness” (GNH). But, what is GNH and are the people of Bhutan really the happiest in the world? GNH as a development philosophy in Bhutan dates back as far as 1972, when the fourth king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, announced that Bhutan would pursue “happiness” in its path towards development, rather than measuring progress merely through growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
What does the pursuit of happiness really mean? Four leadership lessons from Bhutan 1. 2. Chagos Islanders face second exile. 17 January 2018 The poor treatment of Chagossians is blight on Britain’s conscience. It must end now, writes Tom Guha. Fifty years ago, a community on a remote Indian Ocean atoll suffered a brutal exile at the hands of the British government. Today, that community, the Chagos, are going through the same process again. Only this time their lives in Britain are at risk. The Chagossian people were British subjects living on a UK Overseas Territory – the Chagos Islands. The inhabitants were dropped at Indian Ocean ports in Mauritius and Seychelles with little or no support.
Seeking a better life, many came to Britain in the early 2000s, when the right to claim British citizenship was given to all native Chagossians and their children. The process has been fraught with difficulty and the community continues to be largely impoverished. The most prevalent issue is the struggle Chagossians face to keep their families united. Take Chris for example (not his real name). Chris’s case is typical. DR Congo: Cursed by its natural wealth. 8 October 2013Last updated at 20:48 ET The Democratic Republic of Congo is potentially one of the richest countries on earth, but colonialism, slavery and corruption have turned it into one of the poorest, writes historian Dan Snow. The world's bloodiest conflict since World War II is still rumbling on today.
It is a war in which more than five million people have died, millions more have been driven to the brink by starvation and disease and several million women and girls have been raped. The Great War of Africa, a conflagration that has sucked in soldiers and civilians from nine nations and countless armed rebel groups, has been fought almost entirely inside the borders of one unfortunate country - the Democratic Republic of Congo. Many of the country's mining operations are connected to the waters of the mighty Congo River I went to the Congo this summer to find out what it was about the country's past that had delivered it into the hands of unimaginable violence and anarchy.
“Start Quote. Nine charts which tell you all you need to know about North Korea. As North Korea and the United States continue to trade threats, we have little idea how the war of words is perceived to the people of North Korea because the regime of Kim Jong-un maintains an iron grip over the population, carefully controlling access to the outside world. The country is often depicted as isolated and thoroughly out of step with the 21st century. Statistics are hard to get and often based on estimates, but what can they tell us about life in the North? Kim Il-sung effectively founded North Korea in 1948 and his family dynasty has ruled the country ever since, with control passing from father to son.
In the same period South Korea has managed six republics, a revolution, a couple of coups and the transition to free and fair elections. In total 12 presidents have led the country, covering 19 terms of office. Three million mobile phones might seem like a lot - but in a country of 25 million it amounts to just over one out of every ten people. Image copyright Getty Images. Is Egypt in Africa or Asia? - Answers. Egypt is physically part of the African continent but its cultural, social and economic interface has historically been greater with the Middle East and Asia. Egypt is a country located in the northeastern corner of the African continent with Sudan to the south, Libya to the west, the Mediterranean sea to its north and Red Sea to the east. The Suez Canal, constructed in 1869, connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea through a sea-level waterway.
The Suez Canal runs north to south across the Isthmus of Suez within Egypt and is accepted as the border between Africa and Asia. East of the Suez Canal lies the Asian Sinai Peninsula. The Isthmus of Suez is the land bridge connecting Africa and Asia while the Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean. Egypt shares its border with Sudan – 793 mile, Libya-693, Israel-129 mile and Gaza Strip-9 mile. Related Maps: Stacey dooley in the usa season 01 episode 03 hd tv immigration documental. An insider's guide to Bangalore: the chilled out Silicon Valley of India | Cities. In five words Our motto: swalpa adjust maadi.* *It literally means “please adjust a little”, and is used often in daily life.
Sound of the city Apart from the central business districts and the roads that lead up to them, Bangalore’s neighbourhoods are mostly quiet, especially the older parts. Here is a stitched-together collection of the sounds I hear from my balcony every day: squirrels running up the huge jacaranda tree that overlooks my house, the owner of a bull blowing a trumpet and the shrill horn of the trash collecting van. Best building Charles Correa, one of India’s best known architects, is legendary for designing buildings with an unusual mix of modernist aesthetics and local contexts. And the worst The Halcyon Complex is on St Mark’s Road in the central business district. Built in 2007, the complex houses a bank, some shops and a well-known pub. Homegrown talent Agam, a carnatic, progressive rock band, is one of many in the city. The look on the street How green is your city? Eleven things women in Saudi Arabia cannot do.
Women in Saudi Arabia claim to have been temporarily banned from entering a branch of Starbucks in the capital Riyadh. A sign was placed in the window of the coffee shop saying: "Please no entry for ladies only send your driver to order thank you", after a wall designed to segregate men and women was reportedly removed during renovations. A customer who tweeted a picture of the sign, which was written in English and Arabic, said the store "refused to serve me just because I'm a woman and asked me to send a man instead".
In a statement, the shop said: "We are working as quickly as possible as we refurbish our Jarir store, so that we may again welcome all customers in accordance with local customs. " Men and women are segregated in the majority of public spaces in Saudi Arabia, with the Muslim kingdom's religious police ensuring the rules are enforced. Saudi Arabia's human rights record, especially with regards to protecting women, has often been called into question. Drive a car Go for a swim. Explicit cookie consent. “IS ANYONE here actually hoping to make any money, or are you all just trying to minimise your losses?” The question, asked at a dinner in London for investors who specialise in Africa, showed how the mood has changed in the past year. The financiers around the table—mostly holders of African bonds—all said they were simply trying not to lose money. Only a few years ago people were queuing up to invest in Africa.
As recently as 2012 Zambia paid less than Spain to borrow dollars. Private-equity funds dedicated to Africa raised record sums to invest in shopping malls and firms making everything from nappies to fruit juice. Businessfolk salivated at the prospect of selling to the fast-growing African middle class, which by one measure numbered 350m people. Miners sank billions into African soil to feed China’s appetite for minerals. Now investors are glum. From oil in the gears to sand in the wheels Yet Afro-pessimists should remember two things about commodity busts.
Minds, not mines. What's Behind The Surge In Suicide Attempts Among Canada's Indigenous Population. Bhutan: Things you may not have known about the country. Image copyright Getty Images Nestled between India and China, Bhutan is hosting some of its highest profile visitors, as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge drop by after visiting India.
The tiny Himalayan Kingdom is little known by outsiders, so here's a Bhutan primer: It is isolated, but less so than it used to be Bhutan, which has no formal diplomatic relations with the UK, kept itself cut off from the world for centuries to protect its culture. The internet and television have only been allowed since 1999. It was not until the 1970s that the first foreign tourists were allowed in, but the authorities still keep a close eye on foreign influences. Things are changing fast Smartphones and karaoke bars are now common in the capital, Thimphu, and young people, the majority of the population, have taken to social media with ease. This has led to a boom in street fashion, alongside more open discussion of politics. By law, 60% of the country must always be forested.
It's still not that easy to visit. Balochistan, Asia's blackest hole -- New Internationalist. It was hanging on the wall of one of the many hairdressers in West London On a yellowed piece of paper in a frame, The New York Times reported that Kalat – the old kingdom which corresponds roughly to Pakistan’s Balochistan modern province – was an ‘independent sovereign state’ as of 12 August 1947. ‘We had a state of our own for eight months until Pakistan annexed our territory by force eight months later, on 27 March 1948,’ the barber said while he finished the job with his razor. I could not help thinking of the late Yasser Arafat, chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, producing the Palestinian pound note that he would always carry with him as a proof of the previous political existence of the country under British rule.
I had, of course, heard of the Baloch but that slight man in his fifties was the first I had ever met. That encounter sparked my curiosity and a few months later I set foot on Baloch soil for the first time. But why is this such a sensitive area? Uk.businessinsider. Doctors on the move: Getting healthcare to far-flung places. Many people can find a doctor close to where they live, but for millions living in rural communities health care is many miles away. To tackle this organizations have found innovative ways of getting hospitals on the move, taking them right to the doorsteps of those in need.
Around 700 rivers are constantly shaping Bangladesh's landscape - building up some areas, flooding others, and moving small sand islands that people call home. Along these rivers and the low lying coastal regions it often isn't possible to build permanent hospitals. One charity has turned to these rivers to solve the problem they create. "The rivers go into the most remote, the poorest, the most unaddressed communities which the roads do not go to," explains Runa Kahn, executive director for the charity Friendship. "Rivers [are] the best tools by which we can carry our care to the people.
Hence, hospital ships. " Roving hospitals Abu Taher is one of the people these hospitals help. "I can see only with one eye. In pictures: The world's largest salt flat in Bolivia. Image copyright Fellipe Abreu The horizon is sometimes almost impossible to make out in the salt flat of Uyuni in south-west Bolivia. The line which divides the sky and the land is barely discernible and it is hard to tell what is real and what is reflection. In the world's biggest salt desert, measuring 12,000 sq km (4,635 sq miles), the ground at certain times of the year resembles a giant mirror. In the remaining months, it is more like an immense white canvas of raw salt. Extracting the salt from the surface continues to be one of the main activities for those who live around this vast white expanse.
But the area is also a draw for tourists keen to see this unusual geographic formation for themselves. It resembles a puzzle of seemingly endless hexagonal shapes. But there is life, too. And giant cacti dot the landscape. Most tourists start their journey at the train cemetery. Uyuni was on the railway route linking landlocked Bolivia with Chile. US and British imperialism have ruined Sudan Details Created: Monday, 21 December 2015 11:59 Written by Charles Chinweizu ‘If the south goes there will be no more Sudan’ – Malik Agar, Sudan Revolutionary Front ‘rebel’ leader and former governor of Blue Nile state, 2009. On 28 October 2015, President Obama extended US sanctions on Sudan for the 18th consecutive year as part of a strategy to maintain Sudan in political and economic isolation. Its aim has been to break Sudan up into smaller bite-size chunks so as to deny vital energy resources to strategic rival China, Sudan’s main trade partner.
South Sudan, a creation of imperialism which broke away in 2011 has descended into war barely three years after it was formed. The imperialists do not want South Sudan to collapse entirely, and are determined to keep it as a thorn in the side of Sudan regardless of the human cost. In 1982, Sudan was the top recipient of US aid in sub-Saharan Africa. Sudan is believed to hold Africa’s largest unexploited oil reserves. Can India become a superpower? - Documentary. Huffingtonpost. Huffingtonpost. The Economist. International statistics: Compare countries on just about anything! NationMaster.com.
Untitled. SOMALILAND, a slim slice of Somali-inhabited territory on the southern shore of the Gulf of Aden, ticks almost all the boxes of statehood. It has its own currency, a reasonably effective bureaucracy and a trained army and police force. The government, located in the capital city of Hargeisa, maintains a respectable degree of control over its territory: the country is, by and large, peaceful, in stark contrast to Somalia to the south—where bombings and a rampage through a popular hotel in the capital killed at least 14 people at the weekend.
Somaliland enters into legal contracts (signing, for example, oil-exploration licences with foreign corporations), and it engages in diplomatic operations with the United Nations, the Arab League, the European Union and nations such as Britain, America, and Denmark. But it has yet to receive official recognition from a single foreign government in the years since it declared independence in 1991. Explicit cookie consent. Siberian Medical Train. Country Profile: Central African Republic -- New Internationalist. North Korea in Widescreen: Photographs by David Guttenfelder -- National Geographic.