Current Affairs

For more than a month now, the world has held its breath ever since the Middle East was plunged into another deadly conflict between its most hard-line of sworn enemies.[...]

With the Middle East in flames and oil prices soaring, a significant piece of legislation - the 'Representation of the People' Bill - attracted little attention when it was debated[...]

In 2027, the BBC will reach a historic milestone, having been established by Royal Charter exactly a hundred years ago. Under the terms of that Charter, its remit must be[...]

Barely a year has passed since his inauguration, yet even the most fanciful of apocalyptic predictions about how Trump’s second term as US President would unfold, have fallen way short[...]

For our final meeting of the year, I'm once again opening the floor to all of you - our members - to share your thoughts on anything that's been making[...]

In common with many other developed countries, the UK's birth-rate has been falling for some time, and now stands at around 1.5 children per woman, far below the so-called 'replacement'[...]

Since we last met in July, much has happened in the world, and yet, in many ways, little has changed. The conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine are no closer to[...]

"I disapprove of what you say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it". This famous quotation, usually - but incorrectly - attributed to the pioneering Enlightenment-era[...]

This week, in a change from our previously-advertised subject, we will now be discussing the escalating conflict that has erupted between Israel and Iran. Could it have been avoided, or[...]

Here in the UK, this week has been officially designated as 'Mental Health Awareness Week'. And if that's news to you, you're not alone, because domestic and global events seem[...]

In the wake of former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby's ignominious resignation over the John Smyth cover-up, followed last week by his ill-judged public forgiveness of this prolific abuser, is[...]

Following last month's jaw-dropping Oval Office ambush of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the subsequent freezing of military aid to his country, the full horror of Donald Trump's determination to completely rewrite[...]

Hardly a day goes by without news of yet another amazing breakthrough in AI and/or robotics, which, we are told, will transform our lives in ever more dramatic and profound[...]

Back in July, after 14 years in the political wilderness, Labour swept back into power with a huge majority, and a commitment to change our country for the better. But[...]

As another year draws to a close, and the nights draw in, it can sometimes feel like the most significant events of the last twelve months were all doom and[...]

A year on from the brutal Hamas incursion into southern Israel, the bloody chain of events it triggered has left tens of thousands dead across the region, and has brought[...]

Our subject for this month's meeting could hardly be more topical, coinciding as it does with the introduction, in the House of Commons, of Labour MP Kim Leadbeater's Private Member's[...]

By popular demand, the Current Affairs Discussion Group is up and running again, so we're looking forward to welcoming back some of our old friends, and hopefully many new ones[...]

It has become clear that Russia's President Putin was "badly advised" to attempt to restore his Union of Russian Republics. Ukraine's vigorous response, plus shortcomings in the Russian war machine,[...]

All ethical systems, religious and non-religious, at some time raise the need to recognise past mistakes and prejudices and try to forgive and correct them. In the last few years[...]

A belief in conspiracies has been with us since ancient times; but the 'echo-chamber of the internet' has allowed conspiracy-mongering to run riot, and in the USA many of the[...]

This meeting was CANCELLED due to ill health Out title is neither a criticism nor a complaint. It's meant to promote discussion about a factor much used by demographers and[...]

Amid our current woes of climate change, pandemic, war and energy on a global scale, we are constantly reminded by the media that we in the UK are in the[...]

We live in a world that consumes itself. Politicians of all persuasions continually stress the need for 'economic growth'. Battered by constant advertising, the public are encouraged to believe that[...]

Extinction Rebellion (XR) is a global environmental movement, with the stated aim of using nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity[...]

School shootups, Gun sales, Abortion, politically biased judges, voting rights, there seems no end to it. And looming over it all we have the twin 'Swords of Damocles' -- the[...]

They won't disappear. Firearms can be passed down through generations. To meet growth targets, then, firearms manufacturers must figure out ways to scare or otherwise motivate people who already own[...]

This talk by Dr Anna Grabowska, based in Gdansk, Poland, provided an update to the current refugee situation. Anna Grabowska was born in Gdynia, lived in Sopot and Gdansk, and[...]

Has President Putin's fear of the NATO Alliance backfired? Has he instead prodded it back into life? When Finland and Sweden ask to join it you can be sure the[...]

India: The rise of Hindutva and the curse of caste

Every day technology promises us new 'breakthroughs' in communications, mobility, energy, robotics, bio-science and even the conquest of space. Yet at the same time we hear constant warnings that we[...]

Will the Biden Administration make any difference to the Two State policy and the the expansion of Israeli Settlements on West Bank? The change in the Israeli Government and Benjamin[...]

Taiwan, a pawn between China and the US since the end of WWII. We will briefly recall Taiwan's history, examine current tensions in the region, ask what its future may[...]

In the USA these are now easily obtainable, either by buying a kit of parts (legal) or made with a 3d printer (legal). As a result America has 124 guns[...]

High Speed 2 (HS2) is a planned high-speed railway network in the United Kingdom, with its first phase between London and Birmingham currently under construction. For details see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Speed_2_Phase_Two The[...]