Britain

By Laurence Lee in Europe on April 13th, 2012


Camila Batmanghelidjh looked me in the eye. "We've had toddlers drawing food on pieces of paper and eating the paper because they were so hungry," she said.

I gawped at her. She's instantly recognisable and one of Britain's leading childrens' charity campaigners.

Her people have been on the phone, and say children (and some adults) they deal with are suffering the effects of starvation. They described it as a "humanitarian crisis".

Now I can completely follow the logic of people in Britain not having enough cash to feed them and their kids.

Benefit cuts, food inflation, the disgracefully high cost of fuel, all combine to make it impossible to afford enough food over a week for many thousands.

By Barnaby Phillips in Africa on January 7th, 2012
[Photo from EPA]

On my way home from work the other day I impulsively hopped off the bus outside the British Museum to go inside and admire some of my favourite treasures, the Benin Bronzes.

These, if you’ve not heard of them, are the fabulous sculptures and casts from the West African kingdom of Benin, (the historic kingdom of Benin is part of modern day Nigeria, and is not to be confused with the neighbouring Republic of Benin).

In 1897, the British burnt the city of Benin to the ground, destroying many treasures, and looting others. The best surviving "Bronzes”, actually made from brass, are a series of plaques that adorned the royal palace, depicting kings and their attendants, and visiting European traders. These are now beautifully displayed in the British Museum.

Tags: Britain
By Laurence Lee in Europe on October 17th, 2011



Almost entirely unreported in the British media, there's a revolution taking place in working practices in the public sector in this country.

The location is the rural county of Shropshire, near the English border with Wales. Over the summer, every one of the council's 6,500 workers was sent a letter from the chief executive.

Entitled 'Changes to Shropshire Council Staff Terms and Conditions of Employment', it explains that the authority has decided to terminate the contracts of all current staff, instead making everyone an offer of immediate re-employment on new terms and conditions.

Tags: Britain
By Barnaby Phillips in Americas on September 10th, 2011

How much difference did 9/11 really make to our world? At the time, it seemed like everything had changed. For the many thousands of people in the United States personally affected by those heinous acts, life would never be the same again. 

For millions of people in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the consequences have been traumatic and profound. In many other countries, from Britain to Nigeria, from Indonesia to Spain, from Uganda to Russia, innocent people have become victims of acts of terror. 

Governments have responded in various ways, and sometimes those responses have been clumsy, cruel and counter-productive. These are all very important events. But have they really changed the world for decades to come?   

Here’s a list, off the top of my head, of global events and trends in the past decade that many people would argue are more important than 9/11, "the War on Terror" and the activities of al-Qaeda.

By Al Jazeera Staff in Africa on April 12th, 2011
Anti-Gaddafi fighters pause on the front line outside Ajdabiya to let a caravan of camels pass [Photo: Reuters]

As the uprising in Libya continues, we update you with the latest developments from our correspondents, news agencies and citizens across the globe. Al Jazeera is not responsible for content derived from external sites.

By Al Jazeera Staff in Africa on March 30th, 2011
Libyan rebels rest in Ugayla after being pushed out of Ras Lanuf on Wednesday. [AFP]

As the uprising in Libya continues, we update you with the latest developments from our correspondents, news agencies and citizens across the globe. Al Jazeera is not responsible for content derived from external sites.

By Al Jazeera Staff in Africa on February 24th, 2011
[Photo: Reuters]

As the uprising in Libya enters its eleventh day, we keep you updated on the developing situation from our headquarters in Doha, Qatar.

By Barnaby Phillips in Europe on January 27th, 2011
Photo by GALLO/GETTY

The King's Speech is a well directed, well acted, and thoroughly enjoyable film.

It tells the story of Britain's constitutional crisis in the 1930's, when a reluctant George VI came to the throne following the abdication of his brother, Edward VIII.

The new King struggled to overcome a speech disability, as the Nazi shadow loomed ever larger over Europe.

Pundits predict it will win a slew of Oscars (it's been nominated for 12).

It's a box-office hit in America, Australia, and, above all, Britain.

At my local cinema in London, it's being shown concurrently on several screens, to meet public demand.

But is the success of The King's Speech only down to the fact that it is a very good film?

That question is asked in a couple of interesting articles I've come across recently.

This one, from the Economist, argues that the extreme pub

By John Terrett in Americas on December 25th, 2010
Photo by Taran Rampersad

 

While the populations of most developing nations are rising rapidly, the same cannot be said for the northern South American country of Guyana.

It is rising slightly but for many years has been in serious decline.

The brain drain in this poor nation has been going on for many years as people emigrate to America, Canada and Britain in search of a better life.

I went to a small first floor apartment in the capital Georgetown to meet a couple on the eve of their departure for New York plus the country's President who wishes more of his fellow countrymen would return home for good.

"We're excited that we're leaving," Affia McKenzie told me.

She and husband Richard are preparing for the trip of their lives.  They're taking their ten month old daughter Sasha to live with his parents in America.

"I would want to have just about everything, every necessity of life, which includes my own vehicles, my own house, a good job."

By Kristen Saloomey in Americas on December 19th, 2010
Photo by EPA

While the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, fights his legal battles in front of the cameras (or from the palatial estate in Britain where he is under "house arrest") the American soldier accused of releasing secret US government documents to him remains hidden from public view. Army Private Bradley Manning has spent seven months in solitary confinement in a military prison in Virginia, waiting for his day in court.

I recently travelled to Manning's hometown of Crescent Oklahoma, to try to get a sense of who he is and where he came from.

I also spoke by e-mail with David House, who describes himself as a Boston-based computer researcher and friend of Manning. According to House, the conditions of Manning’s confinement are starting to take their toll. He also says a lot of Manning’s supporters are being harassed by the authorities.

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