A fashion show and concert is to take place on 13 Dec at the Royal Albert Hall to raise funds for the devastated regions of Pakistan. As you all know, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit the area on 8 Oct, killing an estimated 87,000 people and destroying the homes of more than three million people. Thousands of people made homeless by the disaster could die as winter sets in unless relief efforts are stepped up.
The London concert, supported by such stars as Michael Palin and Goodness Gracious Me actress Nina Wadia, will feature performances by a variety of South Asian musicians, including Ghulam Ali - one of the world's most influential ghazal singers, the Nizami Brothers and Taufiq Niazi, a qawwali group from Old Delhi.
Dr Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan's High Commissioner to London, praised the British public's response to the disaster, but said that a better and more effective global system of response to such emergencies is required. "We are in Pakistan in a race against time because the harsh Himalayan winter is setting in," she said, "We need to get enough life-saving resources to the mountains and to the valleys so that people are able to get though the very harsh winter, and if we can get people through the harsh winter, we can help them rebuild their lives and also we can help them rebuild their homes."
You can get tickets, from £10 - £35, from http://www.royalalberthall.com.