Driver strike
Thousands of London bus drivers on January 13 hold a one-day strike over pay and conditions. — AFP
Smoky subway
Many injured in tunnel incident
Washington — A woman died and dozens of people were injured after thick smoke filled a subway tunnel in the US capital on January 12 during the evening rush hour, officials said.
A spokeswoman for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority confirmed the incident, which caused mayhem in the second-busiest US mass transit system after New York.
Washington Emergency Medical Services said 84 people were taken to hospital with various injuries. The Washington Post also reported that two people were suffering from critical injuries. — AFP
Terrorists attacked
Fighters killed in Cameroon
Yaounde, Cameroon — At least 143 Boko Haram fighters were killed in an attack on a military camp in Cameroon on January 12. It was the heaviest loss sustained by the Nigerian Islamist group in the country.
“The terrorists lost 143 lives and warfare equipment including assault rifles, heavy weapons and bullets,” Minister of Communications Issa Tchiroma Bakary said. “On the Cameroon side, we lost one life and four were wounded.”
It was not immediately possible to independently verify the toll from the fighting near the northern town of Kolofata. Boko Haram, which has killed thousands in its bid to carve out an Islamic state in northern Nigeria, had also targeted Cameroon over the past year. — Reuters
Colombo Mass
On January 14, Pope Francis waves to people as he arrives to lead a canonisation Mass for Joseph Vaz in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo. Hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans attended to Mass. — AFP
Coup plot
Lawyers call for dismissal
Colombo — Lawyers in Sri Lanka protested on January 12 over an alleged attempt by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa to convince the armed forces to stage a coup during the recent elections.
The lawyers waved placards outside the Justice Ministry calling for the dismissal of Chief Justice Mohan Peiris for his alleged involvement in the plot.
A spokesman for newly elected President Maithripala Sirisena accused Mahinda of having summoned the chief justice, the army commander and the police chief and asked them to prevent the results of the January 9 election from being released. — DPA
Family planning
Few couples ask for two kids
Beijing — China’s push to encourage more couples to have a second child after decades of restrictive family planning has fallen short of expectations in the first year, state media reported on January 12.
The National Health and Family Planning Commission received fewer than half of the expected 2 million annual applications for couples to have a second child, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
The world’s most populous country has restricted most families to a single child since the late 1970s, but the Communist Party has started easing controls, allowing couples to have two offspring so long as one of the parents is an only child. — AFP
Mall murder
Two killed in shooting
Orlando — A Florida man targeted his wife in a shooting on the morning of January 18 that left two people dead at a mall food court, police said.
Jose Garcia Rodriguez, 57, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound at Melbourne Square Mall in Orlando, according to police. His 33-year-old wife, Idanerys Garcia-Rodriguez, was hospitalised with a gunshot wound.
Officers evacuated the mall, assisting some employees who had locked themselves in closets when they heard gunfire, police said. Another man died in the shooting. — AP
EASY NEWS FOR M1-3
Many missing
Boat sinks on river
Bangui — A boat caught fire and sank. It happened on the Oubangui River in Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic. Officials reported the news on January 15. About 80 people were missing. — AFP
Exercises
1. What caused the injuries in the Washington subway tunnel?
a. A gun fight.
b. Thick smoke.
c. A train crash.
2. How many Boko Haram fighters were reported to have been killed in the attack in Cameroon on January 12?
3. Four men were arrested during a series of raids in Suphan Buri. True or false?
Vocabulary
- canonisation (n): in the Catholic Church, the act of officially declaring somebody a saint
mayhem (n): confusion and fear, usually caused by violent behaviour or by a sudden shocking event
plot (n): a secret plan made by a group of people to do something wrong or illegal
summon (v): to order somebody to appear in court
restrictive (adj): preventing people from doing what they want
