Mass Prayers
French locals lay candles in Nice, France on March 10 while praying for 10 people, including famous French swimmer Camille Muffat, who died in a helicopter crash in Argentina. - AFP
Political Unrest
Violence in China is on the rise
Beijing - Violent attacks and unrest are on the rise among Muslim Uigurs in China’s remote Xinjiang region and in Tibetan areas, where self-immolation to protest against Chinese rule is rife.
China vowed to clamp down on violent terrorists and last year sentenced 13.3 per cent more people than in 2013, said a report by the Supreme People’s Court, which put maintaining national security and social stability at the top of its agenda this year.
“We will actively participate in the fight against terrorism and separatism, and firmly punish violent terrorist crimes according to the law,” it said on May 12. - AFP
Murderers Get Death Penalty
Yangon court sentences 15 men to death
Yangon - A Myanmar court has sentenced 15 men to death for stabbing and killing a man outside a busy restaurant in Yangon, a court official said on March 9.
The attack caused public outrage and led to 23 arrests. “Judgment was passed under tight security for fear of reprisal,” a court official said on condition of anonymity.
The official declined to divulge the motive for the attack, but a lawyer familiar with the case said it was related to a dispute between criminal gangs. Ko Kyaw Min, 32, was attacked by masked men inside a restaurant on November 17, 2011. - Reuters
Official Visit
South Korea’s President Park Geun-hye visits US ambassador Mark Lippert at Severance Hospital in Seoul, South Korea, on March 9. The US envoy had 80 stitches in his face after an anti-US activist attacked him in Seoul. - EPA
Skeletons Found
Researchers dig up skeletons
London - Archaeologists in London have begun digging up some 3,000 skeletons including those of Great Plague victims from a burial ground that will become a new train station, the company in charge said on March 10.
A team of 60 researchers will work at the Bedlam burial ground in April to remove the ancient skeletons, which will eventually be reburied at a cemetery near London. Crossrail Co, which is building a new east-west train line in London, said the dig near Liverpool Street station was being done on its behalf by the Museum of London’s archaeology unit. - AFP
Hard-Working Animals
Elephant dies of exhaustion
Hanoi - An elephant used to transport tourists in the Central Highlands of Vietnam has died of overwork, local media reported on March 10.
The 40-year-old male Asian elephant collapsed on March 8 in Dak Lak province while carrying tourists on sightseeing trips, newspaper Viet Nam News reported. Only around 50 tamed elephants remain in the province.
The animals are not breeding because of overwork and a lack of natural environment caused by shrinking forests. In January, a 36-year-old elephant used for tourism in the province died after it slipped and fell down a slope. - DPA
Terror Attack
Seven cops killed in Afghanistan
Kunduz - At least seven policemen were killed on March 12 in a Taliban ambush in northern Afghanistan, authorities reported.
“The incident occurred near Dasht-e-Archi district of Kunduz province,” said district governor Nasruddin Saadi. “They were travelling to another province to get their salary when the Taliban attacked their vehicle.”
In addition, two policemen were killed and two others wounded when Taliban militants attacked Seyah Gard outposts on the evening of March 11, said Waheed Sediqqi, the governor’s spokesman for Parwan province. - DPA
EASY NEWS FOR M1-3
Deaths In Custody
Eleven military officers are missing
Pensacola, Florida - A US army helicopter crashed. It happened in Florida, USA, on March 11. The helicopter crashed during a routine training mission. Eleven soldiers on board were presumed dead. - AP
Exercises
1. Which of the following statements is NOT true, according to the story about the elephant that died in Vietnam?
a. The elephant was 40 years old when she died.
b. The elephant was used to carry tourists on sightseeing trips.
c. The elephant died of food poisoning.
2. At least seven policemen were killed in a Taliban ambush in southern Afghanistan. True or false?
3. According to the story, how long has the 1111 hotline service been operating?
Vocabulary
- envoy (n): a person who represents a government or an organization and is sent as a representative to talk to other governments and organizations
rife (adj): if something bad or unpleasant is rife in a place, it is very common there
reprisal (n): a violent or aggressive act towards somebody because of something bad that they have done towards you
divulge (v): to give somebody information that is supposed to be secret
archaeologist (n): a person who studies archaeology
