General Knowledge on Current affairs My first impression, when I saw the expression current affairs, was that I could not give any signification (or ideas) to the expression: the definition was confused to me. During my first tutorial of Seminar on Current Affairs, I was very surprised that the expression current affairs was identified to news announced by radio or televisions around the world. However, my understanding of the definition of the current affairs was uncompleted. It is during the second tutorial that I have understood the difference between news and current affairs. In the following lines, the term issues is used to refer to current affairs. All news is not current affairs; only news on events or on issues which are happening at the present time are currents affairs. Based on my understanding of the definition of current affairs, we call current affairs, any issue happening in the world at the present time regardless of its aspects. Therefore, the issue can be of any aspects and, it is an on-going event. In an issue, there are dominant aspects to be considered because those aspects can be the characteristics of the issue itself. There are four principal aspects, namely, the social aspect, the cultural aspect, the political aspect and the economical aspect of an issue. Those aspects are illustrated in the table below (figure 1) in a windows form.
Science and Technology Political aspect / power Environment Cultural aspect/ Identity
Social aspect/ Structure
Economical aspect/Resources
Figure 1- Current Affairs Windows During the first tutorial class, our lecturer Mr. John Britto showed us the above windows to help us understand effectively the meaning of current affairs. The table has six windows containing respectively science and technology window, political aspect window, cultural aspect window, social aspect window, economical aspect window, and the environment window. Based on my understanding, these windows imply that to understand any current affairs we may answer the following questions: 1. What is the political aspect of the issue? 2. What is the cultural aspect of the issue? 3. What is the social aspect of the issue? 4. What is the economical aspect of the issue? The political aspect of an issue is concerned with power; two or more groups dispute for acquiring power; it is the case of the Syrian conflict. In a cultural issue, there is a problem of identity; it is a problem of structure for the social aspect, or resources for the economical aspect of an issue. Science and technology are factors of globalization which has been increasing the number of international contacts; science and technology are, therefore, factors of issues or conflicts happening around the world. The presence of the environment window means that all the current affairs have effects on the environment because they occur in a setting which is the environment. Understanding globalization is very important in the course of Seminar on Current Affairs because globalization is the origin of many economic issues. The same rice produced and consumed in Bangladesh and in China is consumed in Guinea. Although one of its principal economic activities is agriculture, my country, Guinea, imports rice from those countries. Now, there are few farmers who cultivate rice; this phenomenon affects the economy of this country. Therefore, globalization would have its justification in the table to understand all the current affairs; it is replaced by science and technology window. One point I would like to comment about this table is that it is a tool to understand a given issue. It is not a means of solving an issue. In addition, the table does not say any on the relation between two issues which are interrelated because it is the case for many issues in the world. For example, the hostages in Algeria would be related to the conflict in Mali. Those two issues are current affairs because they are happening in the present time. Overall, my understanding of the table of current affairs is of great importance for me to gain the maximum of understanding and knowledge about seminar on current affairs subject; and to have the right view on all the current affairs in the world.