LEIGHTON PARK’S STUDENT LED NEWSPAPER
The Acorn I S S U E
Featured
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articles: •
The Discussion - By Fin Walker
From Short Stories to
Marathon Movies •
This Autumn’s Poetry Picks
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Going Green with the Eco Team
Inside this issue: Talking tech - Apple Updates
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Pitch Perspective
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House drama Highlights
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House Heroes: The Face Behind the Name
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Puzzels Corner
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Libya Loses Thousands For most, Sunday 10th of September was a normal day but for Libya, it was a completely different story. After facing one of the harshest storms Libya had ever experienced, the 40 cm of rainfall was becoming too overwhelming for the Derna dams. The city of Derna itself dates back to the 15th century with many historically significant structures and is a mostly Hindu region. But unfortunately, when cracks began to show on the Derna dams, most of these sites were wiped away. In a matter of minutes, Derna was flooded with water so deep, cars were submerged never to be seen again.
It was estimated by the UN that 4,000 died in the resulting carnage. Areas near and even far from the dams found themselves in over 30 metres of rain. The water ravaged nearby hotels and flats that scaled 40 stories high which left a difficult job for rescue workers. Initially, it was only Libya and UN aid being used in the aftermath of the flood with no European help of any kind. It was only 3 days later that France and Germany sent their relief. Throughout the recovery phase, 3,000 bodies were located with 1,000 still missing and presumed dead. When aid started leaving and people began to fully reconcile with the tragedy, it was later found
that (due to climate change) the annual rainfall had increased by 22.5 metres the previous year. The flood has recently disappeared from major news outlets and the public mind is leaving Libya to clean up the mess of a city that once was. This event is set to cost the Libyan government over $50 Billion in rebuilding costs for an already economically crippled nation. The flood will go down in history as one of the worst pieces of evidence for climate change.
The Discussion - By Isla Walker
Rishi Sunak Stumps Tory Policies The prime minister of the UK is supposed to be an upstander in their policies, but Rishi Sunak seems to want out. Leader of the Conservative party, Rishi Sunak was elected in by the party members in 2022 and has since focused the nation on lowering inflation and rebuilding the once large British economy. Behind his mild-mannered demeanour, Rishi Sunak’s announcement was an excoriating demolition of the Conservative governments that came before his, some of which he was a member of. Already Rishi Sunak has said that people will still be
able to buy new diesel/petrol cars until 2035 and no new energy efficiency targets on homes. The actions taken by Mr Sunak could hurt the future of the Conservatives as election season rolls around. Labour promises to stick with the original 2030 goal for petrol/ diesel cars but agrees with Sunak on postponing the boiler replacements until the new date. He has also dodged many questions about the future of the high speed HS2 rail road which runs from London to Birmingham then to Leeds but is now cancelling the railroad so it does not go to neighbouring Manchester. HS2 has already cost the general public
over £10 Billion in taxpayer and treasury money, but is yet to provide significant progress. Many had land forcibly bought from them by the government in order to construct, which could prove pointless and costly. HS2 is meant to support business into the north but the constant delays that the construction has had is more likely to push large enterprises away. Ultimately, whether Rishi Sunak and the Conservative party can follow through on any of their policies seems, to some, unlikely.