Deaths of Irish Students in Berkeley Balcony Collapse Cast Pall on Program – The New York Times
June 17, 2015
Irish News Balcony Collapse, Berkeley, Irish Students, J1 Visa, People & Society, Peter Singhatey Leave a comment
Deaths of Irish Students in Berkeley Balcony Collapse Cast Pall on Program – The New York Times.
“BERKELEY, Calif. — They come by the thousands — Irish students on work visas, many flocking to the West Coast to work in summer jobs by day and to enjoy the often raucous life in a college town at night. It was, for many, a rite of passage, one last summer to enjoy travel abroad before beginning a career.
But the work-visa program that allowed for the exchanges has in recent years become not just a source of aspiration, but also a source of embarrassment for Ireland, marked by a series of high-profile episodes involving drunken partying and the wrecking of apartments in places like San Francisco and Santa Barbara…”
Student legally changes name because it was cheaper than changing Ryanair booking
June 5, 2015
Aviation Aviation, deed poll, peter singhateh, Ryanair Leave a comment
Student legally changes name because it was cheaper than changing Ryanair booking.
WE’VE ALL HAD a Ryanair experience, but this student’s ordeal might just take the biscuit.
The Sun reports that Adam Armstrong, 19, was due to go on holidays with his girlfriend to Ibiza next week. His girlfriend’s stepfather booked flights with Ryanair and accidentally booked Adam’s ticket under the wrong name.
You see, Armstrong’s name on Facebook had been Adam West, in an homage to the Batman actor, which his girlfriend’s stepfather saw and assumed was his real name.
Once he became aware of the error, Armstrong attempted to change his name on the ticket, but was informed by Ryanair that it would cost him £220 to do so.
And so, he did what any rational person would do and changed his name by deed poll.
After changing his name to Adam West for free, he paid £103 for a new passport and he was sorted, meaning that changing your actual name is cheaper than amending a Ryanair booking…
ISS Africa | Beyond rhetoric: the role of women in sustainable peacebuilding
May 27, 2015
Articles on Africa Africa, Conflict, International Security, Peace & Security, Peacebuilding, peacekeeping, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey, Research Leave a comment
ISS Africa | Beyond rhetoric: the role of women in sustainable peacebuilding.
“A high-level review of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution 1325, expected to be released in October this year, provides an opportunity for policymakers to move beyond the rhetoric of gender mainstreaming and start putting words into practice. Resolution 1325 underlines the need for gender-sensitive approaches to peace and stability in post-conflict contexts.
Although the inclusion of women in peacebuilding processes has gained momentum in policy discussions over the last 15 years, the number of women in decision-making positions remains relatively small. Peacebuilding is the foundation for creating sustainable human security and equitable development in countries emerging from conflict. UNSC resolution 1325 recognises that women are disproportionally affected by conflict, and to address this, women should play a key role in achieving lasting peace after conflict…”
Schools that ban mobile phones see better academic results | Education | The Guardian
May 19, 2015
Research Ban Mobile Phones, Education, People & Society, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey Leave a comment
Schools that ban mobile phones see better academic results | Education | The Guardian.
“It is a question that keeps some parents awake at night. Should children be allowed to take mobile phones to school? Now economists claim to have an answer. For parents who want to boost their children’s academic prospects, it is no.
The effect of banning mobile phones from school premises adds up to the equivalent of an extra week’s schooling over a pupil’s academic year, according to research by Louis-Philippe Beland and Richard Murphy, published by the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics.
“Ill Communication: The Impact of Mobile Phones on Student Performance” found that after schools banned mobile phones, the test scores of students aged 16 improved by 6.4%. The economists reckon that this is the “equivalent of adding five days to the school year”.
The findings will feed into the ongoing debate about children’s access to mobile phones…”
End deaths on the sea by ending the wars around it – Al Jazeera English
April 24, 2015
Articles on Africa Africa, Immigration, mediterranean, People & Society, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey Leave a comment
End deaths on the sea by ending the wars around it – Al Jazeera English.
“How to digest the reality of 1,500 dead migrants when most of the victims are lost to the sea; their hopes, dreams and even their names drowned with them?
Blame is of course being assigned; or rather deflected, divided, avoided. British stinginess, smugglers’ greed, ISIL’s savagery, European racism, the oppression of the Amazigh and the vagaries of war – each has its measure of truth. And however tragically dramatic, the present large-scale migration across the Mediterranean is only the latest in at least half a dozen cycles of mass global migration in the modern era.
Global capitalism and global war have always driven large-scale human migration…”
Farafenni identified as one of Africa’s ‘Boom Towns’ – The Point Newspaper, Banjul, The Gambia
April 20, 2015
Articles on Africa Africa, Development, Farrafenni, Gambia, People & Society, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey Leave a comment
Farafenni identified as one of Africa’s ‘Boom Towns’ – The Point Newspaper, Banjul, The Gambia.
The town of Farafenni in the North Bank Region of the Gambia has been identified by DHL as one of Africa’s ‘boom towns’ and cities that are enjoying growth on the back of growing industries and providing opportunities for African businesses.
In a statement issued in Cape Town, South Africa, on Thursday, DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) described Farafenni as being situated on the north bank of the Gambia River, about 120 kilometres inland from the capital Banjul.
It said the town is home to numerous banks and insurance firms and that it is experiencing fast growth mainly due to its geographical location on the main road between Dakar and Casamance (the southern area of Senegal), and its close proximity to the ferry crossing on the Gambia River….
Billion dollar ivory and gold trade fuelling DR Congo war: UN – Times LIVE
April 20, 2015
African Center for Strategic Studies Africa, DR Congo, Fuelling DR Congo War, Gold, International Security, Ivory, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey, UN Leave a comment
Billion dollar ivory and gold trade fuelling DR Congo war: UN – Times LIVE.
“Militarised criminal groups with transnational links are involved in large-scale smuggling” of “gold, minerals, timber, charcoal and wildlife products such as ivory” of up to $1.3 billion each year from eastern DR Congo, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said.
The revenues finance at least 25 armed groups — but up to 49 according to some estimates — that “increasingly fuel the conflict” in the war-torn region, the report read.
Control over the mineral-rich areas is a key factor in the conflicts that have raged in eastern DR Congo for decades.
“These resources lost to criminal gangs and fuelling the conflict could have been used to build schools, roads, hospitals and a future for the Congolese people,” said Martin Kobler, UN chief in DR Congo, and head of the 20,000-strong UN peacekeeping force, MONUSCO….
Peter "Just Loves Flying" 
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