Your weekly round up of news from the last seven days.
The first full week of January, and just as we thought the new year was off to a mellow start, the catastrophe starts. There’s a lot to catch up on, so we’ve made it easy by summarising the top points throughout the last week. There’s always a lot going on in the world, so our snippets are here to keep it simple (if such a word can describe the news anymore).
- On Wednesday morning a Ukrainian International Airlines flight crashed shortly after taking off from Imam Khomeini airport in Iran. All 176 people on on board were killed, including four Britons. It was initially stated that the Boeing 737-800 had technical problems resulting in the crash, however there is now speculation that it may have been shot down by mistake. Officials believe it was accidentally hit by an Iranian anti-aircraft missile, however those claims have been denied by Iranian intelligence.
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced earlier this week that they will be stepping back from senior Royal duties. They took to Instagram to exclaim their intentions to become ‘financially independent’ and that they plan to split their time between the UK and North America. It appears that the couple had not consulted the Royal Family before broadcasting their decision on social media.
- Two wildfires in Australia are set to join to create a so-called ‘mega blaze’. The merge of two fires on the boarders of New South Wales and Victoria has been predicted and feared for days. The Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, has warned that it will be “a difficult day in the eastern states” following further forecasts of heat, strong winds and dry lightning.
- Ricky Gervais’ Golden Globe speech has praised as his jokes that ridiculed Hollywood and award ceremonies has swept through the internet. Making jokes of the likes of The Irishman, Knives Out, Leonardo DiCaprio, politics issues and many more cultural references which had the audience, and the internet, incredibly amused. Ricky Gervais has hosted the Golden Globes five times, but apparently stated that this was his last.
- Justine Bieber reveals he has been diagnosed with Lyme disease. The Canadian singer posted to Instagram informing his fans that he was suffering with the health problem amid speculations that he had a drug problem. His post said, “It’s been a rough couple years,” and also confirmed that he was receiving the right treatment. Lyme disease is something which is spread to humans by infected ticks. Symptoms can involve headaches, muscle and joint pain, tiredness and lacking energy.
Image of the week
In New South Wales town of Bega, Amy and Ben Spencer are camping at the show grounds having fled their homes due to the wildfires. It comes to light that Australia’s bushfire crisis has claimed at least two more lives as the fires burn throughout several towns on the east coast of the country. Thousands have been forced to flee to nearby beaches.
Feature image: Sean Davey/AFP/Getty Images via The Guardian
