Disaster in the Philippines
Typhoon Haiyan approached the Philippines on the 7th of November, and was quickly recognised as one of the most powerful storms on land ever recorded. So far it is estimated that around 11 million people have been affected by this disaster, and almost all are in need of essential food and services. The Philippine government has also stated that it believes the death toll of the typhoon to be at least 2300, however it is suspected that the government have underestimated this figure in order to placate panic of how dire the situation is. As the situation stand, both British and US naval vessels are shipping in essential goods, as well as may nations flying aid into Tacloban’s destroyed airport. The general consensus of aid workers is that the priority should be to get food and water to people, and to try and prevent the spread of deadly infectious diseases as they start to appear. So far around £13 million has been raised to aid the Philippines by the UK alone, however much more is needed and all donations are welcome here:
McBusted!
On the morning of the 10th of November, boy bands McFly and Busted announced that they were going to merge to form one super-group: McBusted! They are forming this group for a one off tour in 2014, with James Bourne and Matt Willis representing Busted, and Dougie Poynter, Tom Fletcher, Harry Judd and Danny Jones representing McFly. Former Busted member Charlie Simpson has announced that he will not be part of this group, but that he does wish them all the best. With the boys starting their tour in April, HCX will be first in line for tickets!
David Cameron is warned not to bring up allegations of Sri Lankan War Crimes
In 2009 Sri Lanka ended it’s 26-year-long civil war. At the time, it was claimed that 40,000 civilians were killed over the last 5 months of the war, and that president Mahinda Rajapaska carried out war crimes that were in league with Tamil separatists. Four years later and Sri Lanka is hosting the 23rd Commonwealth summit, a meeting that is being boycotted by several countries, including India and Canada, over the allegations that Sri Lanka have breached human rights. Some people believe that David Cameron has made a mistake in agreeing to attend the event, however he believes that he can make more of a difference by attending the event. Now that he has agreed to go he has said that he will stringently insist that the Sri Lankan government provide answers to these accusations of war crime. The government in question however has reacted badly to this proposal, arguing that our Prime Minister was not invited to Sri Lanka to talk about these issues. It remains to be seen just how far David Cameron will push this nation for some long awaited answers.
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Carnage on the roads of London as 12th cyclist this year is killed
A woman has been killed after she was knocked off her bicycle by a lorry in London, on the 13th of November. This woman is the 12th cyclist to have tragically died this year on the roads of London, and The London Cycling Campaign have held a protest to draw attention to the fact that something desperately needs to be changed. In 2012, there was a total of 14 cyclist deaths on the roads of London, and the fact that this figure looks as if it will rise this year just goes to show how dangerous these roads still are. Mayor Boris Johnson has said that he will do everything he can to ensure the safety of cyclists on the roads of London, however although he has already committed £1 billion to doing just that, some people still believe it is not enough.
Bacon’s painting of Freud sells for a record £89 million
In 1969, Fracis Bacon painted a series of three paintings of his good friend Lucian Freud. The triptych, now 44 years old, was sold at auction for £89 million after six minutes of fierce bidding. Art connoisseurs say that the paintings have become the most expensive artwork to be sold at auction due to its high quality and unique nature. Involving two legendary names, the triptych was sold to an anonymous buyer, and is said to be one of the greatest artworks to be sold in our current generation.
Sources: bbc; dailymail
Photo Credits: bbc; mirror