A new home for Maldivians, an artistic giveaway and irritating phrases…
• It looks like an idyllic Indian Ocean island community but the inhabitants of the nation of The Maldives are reportedly preparing for the worst. The country’s first democratically elected president, Mohamed Nasheed, is apparently looking to establish a land-buying fund so his nation’s inhabitants can relocate when rising sea waters finally claim the islands - a growing possibility in a nation of nearly 1200 islands (200 of which are inhabited) where the land doesn’t rise more than 2.3 metres above sea level. Apparently the 300,000 strong nation is looking at India, Sri Lanka or even Australia as a possible future location.
• A British street artist is reportedly planning to give away artwork worth an estimated £1 million. Artist Adam Neate has announced plans to place 1,000 works of art around the city of London in an urban art project which he says is about taking art to the masses. Mr Neate says that while he wants as many people as possible to see the works, he’s happy for them to be taken by those who find them.
• Finally, Oxford Uni researchers have reportedly come up with a list of Britain’s 10 most irritating phrases. The top of the list is “at the end of the day”, followed by “fairly unique”, “I personally”, “at this moment in time”, “with all due respect” and “absolutely”. Others in the top 10 include “it’s a nightmare”, the grammatically incorrect “shouldn’t of”, “24/7″ and “it’s not rocket science”.