OIL RESISTANT
Protesters on August 31 gather to demonstrate against Shell oil near the Dena’ina Convention Center in Anchorage, Alaska, ahead of a speech by US president Barack Obama. — AFP
MONSOON BLUES
Locals killed in floods
New Delhi — At least 27 people were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced in monsoon floods in India’s north-eastern state of Assam, officials said on September 1.
The flooding damaged roads, bridges and homes. “A total of 27 people have died in drownings and landslides since August 12,” an official at the state disaster management control room said.
More than1,600 villages were inundated in 17 of the state’s 27 districts. More than 50,000 people have taken shelter in 180 government-run relief camps. — DPA
TEEN ARMY
Young soldiers quit group
Butembo — More than 100 child soldiers have deserted an armed group in eastern Congo, the United Nations mission to the country said on September 1.
The 113 children aged between 12 and 17 years took advantage of fighting between the Front for Patriotic Resistance in Ituri (FRPI) and government forces, an official from the UN mission said.
At least 400 children are still believed to remain with the FRPI, which reportedly forced them to join its ranks in 2011. — DPA
INDEPENDENCE DAY
On September 2, Vietnamese soldiers from an army defence unit march during a parade marking the 70th anniversary of National Day in Hanoi, Vietnam. — EPA
SUICIDE BOMB
Bomb hits army base
Mogadishu — Militants from Somalia’s al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shebab group rammed a suicide car bomb into an African Union army base on September 1 and stormed inside, a witness said.
There were no immediate reports on casualties, and the rebels said in a statement that the Amisom troops had fled the base, situated 80 kilometres southwest of Mogadishu.
The base is thought to be manned by Burundian soldiers. “There was a heavy explosion and fighting broke out,” said a Somali military commander based in the region. — AFP
RISKY TRIP
Migrants face danger
Berlin — More than 350,000 migrants have risked their lives crossing the Mediterranean this year, and some 2,600 have died while making the perilous journey to Europe, the International Organisation for Migration said on September 1.
The latest figures from IOM show that 234,778 migrants had landed in Greece and another 114,276 in Italy, with most of the other arrivals split between Spain and Malta.
The figure from 2015 already dwarfs that of 2014, when 219,000 made the crossing throughout the entire year. — AFP
DEADLY CLASH
Men killed in protests
Kiev — The death toll from violent protests in Ukraine rose to three, officials said on September 1.
In the worst outburst of violence in Kiev since the new government took power in 2014, nationalist protesters clashed with police and National Guard troops outside parliament on August 31.
One National Guard officer died on August 31, and a second died the following day, both as a result of injuries caused by a grenade explosion. The National Guard reported another death on September 1. — AP
EASY NEWS FOR M1-3
FAST ATTACK
Group kills soldiers
Mogadishu — The Al-Shebab armed group attacked a military camp. It happened in Somalia on September 1. At least 50 soldiers were killed. Another 50 went missing. — AFP
Exercises
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the report about migrants crossing the Mediterranean?
a. More migrants crossed the Mediterranean in 2014 than in 2015.
b. IOM stands for International Organisation for the Mediterranean.
c. 114,276 migrants have landed in Italy.
2. How many people were killed in the monsoon floods in India?
3. How old is Paul John Miller?
Vocabulary
- landslide (n): a mass of earth or rock that falls down the slope of a mountain or a cliff
man (v): to work at a place or be in charge of a place
perilous (adj): very dangerous
