Light show
The Great Pyramids and Sphinx are lit in green on the occasion of the World Climate Conference held in France on November 30. — EPA
Female freedom
Women gain independence
Riyadh — Female divorcees and widows in Saudi Arabia will receive their own ID cards allowing them to act independently from men, local media reported on December 1.
The changes will allow women to register children for school, access records and authorise medical procedures once their marriages have ended.
Men in Saudi Arabia can take up to four wives according to Islamic law, while women face restrictions in everyday life and are not allowed to drive. — AFP
Border battles
Migrants clash with refugees
Skopje, Macedonia — At least two people have been injured in clashes between migrants and refugees on the Greek-Macedonian border. Authorities reported the news on December 1.
Macedonian authorities are allowing only people from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq to cross from Greece on their way to other EU countries, leading to protests from other nationalities.
Scuffles broke out between Iranians and Pakistanis on one side, against Afghans on the other, with both sides throwing rocks. At least two men were seen with bloodied heads. — AP
Peace protest
Anti-war protesters block the road during a demonstration outside the Houses of Parliament in London, England on December 2. — Reuters
Aids aid
Government increases funding
New Delhi — India’s federal government said on December 1 that it will restore funding to the country’s HIV/Aids programme after it previously cut its contribution and asked regional governments to fill in the gaps.
Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda said that the government was committed to combating HIV-Aids and that the federal government would resume fully funding India’s National Aids Control Programme. Jagat was speaking at an event to mark World Aids Day. — AFP
Teen army
Child soldiers released
Yangon — Myanmar’s military released 53 young people from service on November 30 as part of an effort to rid its ranks of underage soldiers, the United Nations said.
Human rights groups have long accused Myanmar’s military, known as the Tatmadaw, of abuses such as using child soldiers.
Since the military handed power to a semi-civilian government in 2011, it has taken some steps to professionalise the armed forces, including the release of soldiers recruited while under the age of 18. — AFP
Hotel surprise
Marine kills woman
Manila — A Philippine court on December 1 convicted a US Marine of killing
a Filipino last year after he discovered she was a transgender woman in a hotel in the Philippines while he was on a break after participating in joint military exercises in the country.
Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton was convicted of homicide by first strangling Jennifer Laude and then dunking her head into a toilet bowl. He was sentenced to six to 12 years in jail. — AP
EASY NEWS FOR M1-3
Deadly flood
Two hundred killed after storm
Chennai — Heavy rains hit Chennai, India. Officials reported the news on December 2. India used troops to rescue and help residents. The floods killed about 200 people. — AFP
Exercises
1. Who is Jagat Prakash Nadda?
a. India’s Prime Minister.
b. India’s Health Minister.
c. India’s Finance Minister.
2. How many young people were recently released from military service in Myanmar?
3. What does OBEC stand for?
Vocabulary
- authorise (v): to give official permission for something, or for somebody to do something
scuffle (n): a short and not very violent fight or struggle
resume (v): to begin again or continue after an interruption
transgender (adj): relating to people who live and dress as members of the opposite sex
