Category Archives: Features
Gold Rush: Striking inequality in rural Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is one of the largest producers of gold in Africa. Small-scale mining is responsible for a sizable percentage of all exports, but with a distinct lack of regulation in this sector communities are exposed to Read on! →
The rise of frustrated nationalism in Russia
International media followed events in a southern Moscow suburb with a sense of foreboding and concern. Youths rioted, fought with security services and attacked migrants in retaliation for the killing of a young Russian named as Yegor Sherbakov. The murder Read on! →
The Wrath of Khans: The other presidents of Russia
In between musings about the economy and his republic’s famous honey, Rustem Khamitov admits he is the last President of Bashkortostan. In case your knowledge of ‘stan’ geography is a bit rusty, Bashkortostan is a semi-autonomous republic within Russia, home Read on! →
Peace down the line: Are Iran and the US ready to talk?
On Friday the 27th September, the president of the United States and his Iranian counterpart had a 15-minute phone talk, which signalled the first such high-level dialogue between these two countries for over 30 years. Since the Iranian Shah was Read on! →
Terrorists on Twitter: Should extremists be on social networks?
The attacks on the Westgate Centre in Nairobi by Somali terrorist group, al-Shabaab have brought into focus an age old question about how liberal western democracies handle extremists who use mass media as a propaganda tool. Al-Shabaab were probably the Read on! →
Spain: Sipping orujo in the green dustbowl
In the first days of the tourist season in Green Spain, sightseers, attracted by orujo, a grappa-like liquor, and local honey, brave a downpour to swarm on motorbikes and coaches around the centre of Potes, the gateway to the Picos Read on! →
USA: Germany sets solar power records, but America lags behind?
Earlier this year, Germany toppled their own record for energy production using solar power, with daily output of 23.9 gigawatts. While Germany has spent the past several years topping records for solar power output, other central European nations like Bulgaria Read on! →
Timor Leste: After the UN’s departure, can the country sustain its rise?
The United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor Leste (UNMIT) withdrew its troops on December 31st, 2012. When introduced in 2006, it aimed to “bring about a process of national reconciliation and to foster social cohesion’. This task is almost complete Read on! →
Tunisia: The second assassination of a secular opposition leader threatens to derail Tunisia’s political transition
On Thursday 25th July 2013 Mohammed Brahmi, a secular opposition figure, was gunned down outside his home in Tunis. The killing is reminiscent of the assassination of Chokri Belaid in February, another leading figure in Tunisia’s leftist opposition and an outspoken critic of the ruling Read on! →
Tasmania: A surge in tourism is changing the economy
One of the things Tasmania has tended to be famous for, throughout history, is an economy that has often looked rather bleak. There was no gold rush in Tasmania and many other industries failed to flourish there. However, the fortunes Read on! →