Up in flames
On January 11, firefighters on the roofs of buildings try to contain a blaze that damaged ancient Dukezong town in Shangri-la county in southwest China’s Yunnan province. — AP
Family matter
Mother has baby for daughter
Los Angeles — A 58-year-old Peruvian woman is due to give birth to her own granddaughter in early in February.
Julia Navarro, a Peruvian citizen, agreed to be implanted with one of her daughter Lorena McKinnon’s fertilised eggs after the 32-year-old had a string of miscarriages.
Julia had to undergo tests to ensure she was physically fit to give birth. She had been menopausal for about 12 years but gave herself hormone shots every day for three months to prepare for being implanted. — AFP
Brave boy
Student stops suicide bomber
Islamabad — A schoolchild in Pakistan sacrificed his life to stop a suicide bomber, saving the lives of hundreds of students. He was handed the country’s highest award for bravery, local media reported on January 11.
Aitzaz Hassan, 15, a student in Hangu district in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, became a hero after tackling the bomber who came to attack his school on January 6, with hundreds of students inside.
Hassan died in hospital. Nobody else was wounded or killed in the incident. Local media demanded recognition of Hassan’s bravery, calling for him to receive the nation’s highest award. — Reuters
Mass meeting
Hundreds of thousands of barefoot devotees clamber over one another to touch the sacred Black Nazarene statue during the annual religious procession in Manila on January 9. — AFP
Travel warning
US citizens targeted in Mexico
Washington — The US has issued a travel warning to Mexico, saying that Americans have been targets for kidnapping, robbery and other violent crimes there.
The travel alert on January 10 blamed international criminal gangs involved in the drug trade for the crimes and threats to safety.
“US citizens have fallen victim to criminal activity,” the Department of State said in a statement. “While most of those killed in narcotics-related violence have been members of gangs, innocent persons have also been killed.”
The department added that 81 US citizens were murdered in Mexico in 2013. — DPA
Controversial policy
Journalists face huge costs
Sydney — Nauru, the tiny Pacific island that hosts a controversial Australian immigration detention centre, is hiking visa costs for foreign journalists by 40 times, fuelling concerns over secrecy surrounding Australia’s asylum seeker policy.
The flow of refugee boats is a hot political issue in Australia, polarising voters while stoking tension with neighbours such as Indonesia and Sri Lanka over border security policies criticised by the United Nations.
Nauru’s decision to increase the cost of applying for a one-visit visa from A$200 (5,900 baht) to $8,000 (237,000 baht) makes the rate one of the most expensive in the world. — Reuters
Fatal fall
Famous hypnotist dies
Sydney — World-renowned US hypnotist Scott Lewis, who was performing in a show at the Sydney Opera House, died on January 11 after falling from an inner-city apartment balcony.
His body was found on a fourth-floor balcony below his own 11th story apartment, local media reported.
They Sydney Opera House cancelled a matinee performance of The Illusionist 2:0 show and dedicated the evening performance to Lewis. — Reuters.
EASY NEWS FOR M1-3
Crash landing
Three injured in accident
Kuala Lumpur — A private plane crashed into a forest. It happened on January 11. The accident happened north of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Three people were injured. They were sent to a nearby hospital. — AFP
Exercises
1. Who issued the travel warning to Mexico?
a. The US Department of Commerce.
b. The US Department of State.
c. The US Ministry of Justice.
2. How old was Aitzaz Hassan when he was killed?
3. One hundred and ninety three displaced Thais were given citizenship and identification cards to become full Thai nationals. True or false?
Vocabulary
- miscarriage (n): the process of giving birth to a baby before it is fully developed and able to survive
menopausal (adj): connected with the time during which a woman gradually stops menstruating
hike (v): to increase prices, taxes, etc. suddenly by large amounts
matinee (n): an afternoon performance of a play, a show, etc.
