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The headlines
Hashtag of the week
Arts
Sport
The IndeXYZ
Stuff we found interesting this week

HEADLINES

French authorities has said the operation to clear the 'Jungle' camp in Calais, France, has been completed - but charities have said hundreds of child refugees have been left with nowhere to go. Fires raged across the camp as the clearing operation took place earlier this week. In a piece for the Telegraph, Juliet Samuel says the Jungle is a ‘disgrace’ that must never be allowed to happen again.
The Iraqi army has been trying to reach a town south of Mosul where ISIS has reportedly executed dozens of people to try to deter others from supporting the US-led assault on the terrorists’ last major city stronghold in Iraq. Meanwhile, it has been reported ISIS are forcing civilians in their self-declared caliphate to move to Mosul, where it is likely they will be used as human shields. According to a US general, around 900 ISIS fighters have been killed so far in the battle to retake the city.
As the US Election hits the home straight, Justin Timberlake caused a stir by posting a polling booth selfie to social media. Taking pictures in a polling station is illegal in Tennessee, where the snap was taken. Timberlake told Jimmy Fallon he was unaware of the law and just been trying to encourage people to vote. Luckily, no one has to cry Justin a river, as the authorities have decided not to pursue the matter.
Twitter is discontinuing its Vine video-sharing app. In a statement about the closure, the company did not specify a reason for the decision but, in a separate announcement, said it was cutting 9% of its workforce. Matthew Ingram at Fortune says Twitter never worked out how to make the most of Vine.
Zac Goldsmith resigned as a Conservative MP in his Richmond Park constituency, as a result of the government’s decision to approve a third runway at Heathrow. He will stand as an independent in the upcoming by-election. The Tories will not field a candidate against Goldsmith, but the Liberal Democrats are mounting a challenge. The Lib Dems and commentators, including Hugo Green in the Guardian, have said that, with Goldsmith being a Brexit supporter, the by-election will be a fight over Britain’s decision to leave the EU.
Italy was hit by two huge earthquakes that caused extensive damage to mountain villages and left the town of Ussita 'finished', according to its mayor. Thousands were forced to flee their homes, with one person reported to have been killed in the disaster.
The company that owns the Australian theme park where four people were killed on a ride has defended its safety record, as police blocked its plan to reopen just three days after the tragedy.
Testing toddlers for high cholesterol could prevent 600 heart attacks a year, according to new research. One in 270 children is born with a genetic condition that means they have high cholesterol at an early age.
A copy of a letter written by John Lennon to the Queen explaining why he returned his MBE has been valued at £60,000 – it was found in the sleeve of a record bought at a car boot sale for £10 by an anonymous buyer 20 years ago.

HASHTAG OF THE WEEK

#GBBOFinal

Bake Off took over Twitter this week as the latest series, and the last on the BBC (and the last with Mel, Sue and Mary Berry – sob), came to a conclusion. Candice Brown was the winner, carrying away the coveted cake stand trophy. Buzzfeed has collated all kinds of stuff to remember this series by, including the best reactions from Wednesday night, Mel and Sue’s top puns, and the photographic record of one man’s attempt to bake the technical challenges from the past ten weeks – the results aren’t pretty.

Despite Candice’s victory, the highlight of the final came at the end of the show as Yorkshire character Val announced where she was off to on her holibobs…

ARTS

Paul Beatty became the first American to win the Man Booker Prize, for his novel The Sellout, a satirical story about a black man who attempts to reinstate slavery and segregation in an LA suburb. In an interview, he revealed the book was turned down 18 times by UK publishers.
London’s Globe Theatre announced its recently appointed artistic director Emma Rice will leave her post in 2018. In a statement, the Globe said future productions will not include ‘designed sounds and light rigging’, which have been a feature of Rice's tenure. At the Guardian, Lauren Mooney says Rice tried to ‘shake up the Globe’ but the theatre instead chose to ‘cling to the past.’ But, Kate Maltby, for the Spectator, argues Rice was ‘never as radical as she thought she was.’
Pete Burns, star of 80s pop band Dead or Alive, has died at the age of 57 after suffering a heart attack. Burns was best known for the hit You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) and for starring in Celebrity Big Brother in 2006.
Rapper Ice Cube will play Fagin in an Oliver Twist reboot. The man at the helm of the musical film will be Thomas Kail, the Tony Award-winning director of Hamilton.
Yoko Ono has referenced a joke made about her in The Simpsons in her latest art exhibition.

SPORT

After a humiliating 4-0 defeat against Chelsea on Sunday, Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United managed to get back to winning ways, with a 1-0 victory over fierce rivals Manchester City in the EFL Cup on Wednesday. West Ham will play United in the quarter finals after beating Chelsea at the Olympic Stadium in a match was marred by fighting in the stands between the two sets of fans. MP Mark Field said West Ham should be forced to play behind closed doors if the scenes are repeated.
The latest American Football match to be staged on British soil took place at Twickenham Rugby Stadium on Sunday, with the New York Giants beating the Los Angeles Rams.
Tennis player Svetlana Kuznetsova gave herself a haircut mid-match at the WTA Finals in Singapore – the quick snip seemed to do the trick as she went on to beat defending champion Aga Radwanska.

IndeXYZ

Going up

Computer wars – Big announcements from Microsoft and Apple this week, with the former launching the Surface Studio desktop computer, complete with tiltable touchscreen, and the latter producing a new MacBook, featuring an ‘instant emoji’ touch bar.

Sasha Obama – President Obama was the victim of merciless Snapchat trolling… at the hands of his daughter.

Tasmanian devils – Milk from the little critters could help fight superbugs including MRSA, according to researchers.

Going down

Coca-Cola – Sales of the fizzy drink fell by 7% in the three months to September.

Essex girl – the phrase will not be removed from the Oxford English Dictionary despite a campaign that suggested its entry represented ‘a lazy, tired stereotype’.

Kent Student Union – The union was criticised for promoting Black History Month with a poster of Zayn Malik.

STUFF WE FOUND INTERESTING THIS WEEK

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