Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
National Editorial:Â Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi:Â Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore:Â Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt:Â Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
Damien McElroy: AÂ CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
National Editorial:Â Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi:Â Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore:Â Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt:Â Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
Damien McElroy: AÂ CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
Rashmee Roshan Lall: Sound of silence in South Asia
Kareem Shaheen on Canada
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When:Â April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where:Â Allianz Arena, Munich
Live:Â BeIN Sports HD
Second leg:Â May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Boston%20Strangler
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The%20specs
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mina Al Oraibi:Â Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore:Â Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt:Â Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
Damien McElroy: AÂ CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
National Editorial:Â Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Jack Moore:Â Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt:Â Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
Damien McElroy: AÂ CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
