Willi's News Review 1.2

In beginning the review of the week, the devastating earthquake that has has rocked Haiti dominates all current affair agendas. Personally, I will be concise in my summation though this brevity is not with the intention to deflect attention from the crisis. Rather, it would merely not be possible in an article of this size to adequately cover the story in enough detail or to do any such reporting justice.

There has been a large aftershock following the initial earthquake on January 12 which measured 7.1 on the richter scale. Tens of thousands are already confirmed dead with the final figure once the debris has been cleared expected to run into hundreds of thousands. Please click here for details about how to donate to the disaster appeal.

It's been good news for sterling over the past week as it reaches relative highs against the Euro. The single currency is currently plagued with concerns over the dire state of Greece's finances and despite Britain's equally increasing debt, this has weakened the Euro against the pound. One other contributing factor has been a higher than predicted fall in the number of those claiming unemployment benefit. The Office for National Statistics announced jobless benefit claims fell by 15,200 in December, the biggest decrease in nearly 3 years. Nevertheless, the Eurozone remains an expensive holiday proposition with Egypt and Turkey continuing to be seen as offering better value for tourists.

The bitter and divisive repercussions of the Falklands War in 1982, fought between Great Britain and Argentina, look set to continue. This is following the passing of a new Argentine law that asserts authority over the Falklands, known locally as Las Malvinas. According to the law, the Falklands, the Southern Atlantic Islands and part of Antarctica falls under the regional auspices of the province of Tierra del Fuego.

Naturally, Britain has dismissed the claims with Foreign Office minister Chris Bryant sounding out against the hostile claim. No doubt, simmering tensions between Britain and Argentina will be closely monitored by Falklanders whom the majority remain proud to be British and loyal to the crown. Attention will also focus on the untapped oil and gas supplies, rumoured to be in the vicinity of the islands. Of course, the cynic might suggest, no wonder Britain is keen to keep hold of them. Though no amount of Argentine posturing or natural resource quibbling should get in the way of the what matters most-the islanders themselves.