Two devastating natural disasters have caused enormous loss of life and suffering in southern and eastern Asia. Tens of thousands of people are dead, missing or stranded without aid following the Myanmar cyclone. In the Sichuan province of China a powerful earthquake killed at least 12,000 people, with thousands more trapped and the death toll feared likely to rise.

In both countries a major task for the aid effort is to reach people in remote areas. In Myanmar many people have access only to unclean water, contaminated by dead bodies, animals, human waste and industrial debris. There is a growing concern that diarrhoea and disease could cause even more deaths than the impact of the cyclone. In China the first task is to free people trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings. The survivors will face the same basic needs of food, shelter, clean water and health care.

> UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has criticised Myanmar's "unacceptably slow" response to the emergency. Talk about why it is important to act swiftly following a disaster. How might families be coping with no shelter, food, water or medicines? Aid workers also know that tracing family members lost in the cyclone is vital. "You can't underestimate the significance of enabling a family to learn that their child is alive and well," said one worker. Invite students to imagine what the priorities of cyclone survivors might be.

> Some of the help offered by the international aid community to Myanmar has been held up. Dropping food and other aid from planes is useless without a planned distribution network. One disaster expert said that it would be like dropping a lot of orchestral instruments on the ground and expecting a symphony. Discuss what this means. Invite students to think of the waste and chaos from dropping randomly, and the value of organised transport.

> In China the problems of reaching earthquake survivors are more practical, as roads have been destroyed and transport to remote areas is very difficult. Invite students to compare what they know of the aid effort in China and Myanmar. What problems are similar and what are different? How are the solutions likely to work out?

>> Download the scripted assembly looking at the effects of the cyclone in Myanmar, preparedness and media coverage.

The expected rapid growth in the number of elderly and disabled people will put "tremendous pressure" on social services and the benefits system, according to the government. Health secretary Alan Johnson says that in 20 years a quarter of the adult population will be over 65. The number of people over 85 will have doubled.

Many will need care and support because of accidents, long-term illnesses or disability. Such services are generally designed to help people to live independently. They may include cooking, shopping, washing, dressing and helping with going to the toilet and other personal needs. The total spend on such care for older people in England is forecast to rise from £12.7 billion to £24.1 billion in 2026.

> The government has launched a national debate about the future of care and support services. Much responsibility is likely to fall on the current generation of young people. They will have either to pay higher taxes or provide care directly for older family members. Or both. Talk about providing personal care for an older relative. Do students think of it as a loving duty or an undignified burden? Will the responsibility fall mostly to men or women?

> Discuss the care and support services students are familiar with. How important do they think they are to the recipients? The emphasis is on supporting people to live independently with dignity. Why is this important to individuals? How much benefit does it bring to wider society? Talk about what kinds of care should be provided free and what should be paid for. Most social care has to be paid for by the recipient unless they have very little income and savings. Is it right that someone should have to sell their home to pay for care?

> You can contribute to the government consultation on the future of social care on the Radio 4 website.

Fierce fighting in the Lebanese capital Beirut has spread to other parts of the country, increasing concern for the safety of civilians. Armed clashes between supporters of various political groups have forced thousands to leave their homes around the northern city of Tripoli.

Clashes involving machine-gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades are thought to be the worst fighting in Lebanon since 1990 when the 15-year civil war ended. The International Committee of the Red Cross has appealed to all those engaged in the fighting to allow medical and humanitarian workers to carry out their tasks and have unimpeded access to the wounded.

> Traditionally, the laws of war covered conflict between countries. They were then extended to cover any armed conflict, including high intensity internal conflict or civil war. Discuss the difference between international and internal armed conflict. Civil wars are usually fought between government supporters and opposition fighters, who may be more than one group and be fighting among themselves. What wars around the world does this describe? How might applying humanitarian law be more difficult in civil wars?

> Talk about the vital distinction between combatants and civilians. Is this likely to be harder during a civil war, when many of those fighting do not wear uniforms? Another problem is the loose command structures in internal conflict. Talk about the problems of applying justice and the laws of war in the chaos of civil war and afterwards. Can students appreciate why many people take the very hard decision to flee their homes at the approach of a civil war? What safe place might the people of Lebanon find?

> Take ten minutes to read our laws of war teacher briefing.

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay says British restaurants should be fined if they serve imported fruit and vegetables. The celebrity chef wants to see "stringent" licensing laws and fines to make sure that fresh produce is used only in season.

As well as leading to more interesting and higher standards of cooking, Ramsay says the move would reduce the amount of imported food and cut carbon emissions. Critics have pointed out that many livelihoods in developing countries depend on growing and exporting fruit and vegetables.

> Do students know what kinds of food are in season in Britain at different times of the year? Talk about how different it would be if staples like tomatoes were available only in the summer. Discuss food and drink that could never grow in the UK such as bananas, rice, coffee and tea. If seasonal foods are a good idea, where and how do you draw the line?

> Many people in the UK have roots elsewhere in the world and enjoy eating their traditional food. What impact might Gordon Ramsay's idea have on restaurants serving yams, cassava, sweet potato, mango, okra, coconut, tilapia fish, Creole snapper or any of the thousands of other regional favourites from around the world? Talk about the importance of familiar food to families and communities. Does it enrich the local community too? Talk about how students might feel if they were abroad and found it impossible to get food they recognised because of local laws. Would it make the world a better or worse place?

News think! is one of a number of free educational services produced by the British Red Cross. You can find more resources at www.redcross.org.uk/education

Have you used these topics to raise discussions or plan classroom work? Let us know your experiences or thoughts by emailing us at reducation@redcross.org.uk