Fiery eruption
A high column of ash and lava spews from the Calbuco volcano in Puerto Varas, southern Chile on April 23. — AFP
Hostages killed
White House issues statement
Washington — The White House said on April 23 that a US operation in January against an al-Qaeda compound near the Afghan-Pakistan border killed one American and one Italian hostage, along with a US member of the jihadist group.
The White House identified the hostages killed in the operation against the border compound as US contractor Warren Weinstein and Italian aid worker Giovanni Lo Porto. Weinstein was snatched after gunmen tricked their way into his home in Lahore on August 13, 2011, just before he was to return to the US. — AFP
No fun run
School under investigation
Melbourne — An Islamic college in Australia is under investigation after the principal allegedly banned girls from running competitions because he said they might “lose their virginity.”
The claims were made by a former teacher at Melbourne’s al-Taqwa College, who wrote to government ministers this week alleging that the principal, Omar Hallak, holds beliefs that if females run excessively they may lose their virginity.
“He thinks there is scientific evidence to indicate that if girls injure themselves, such as break their leg while playing soccer, it could render them infertile,” the teacher said. — AFP
Word of mouth
A trained sea lion writes the Chinese character “yang,” which means “sheep,” on a board held by its trainer during a performance at the Beijing Aquarium in Beijing on April 23. — Reuters
Flying high
Drug tests wanted
Wellington — Adventure aviation operators should face random drug tests, a New Zealand coroner said on April 23 after finding the pilot of a balloon that crashed, killing 11 people, was a regular cannabis user.
Peter Ryan said Lance Hopping’s judgement was probably impaired when the balloon hit power lines in January 2012 before plunging to the ground in a flaming wreck. Ryan said marijuana accounts for some of the “inexplicable” actions taken by Hopping, who allowed the balloon to descend into a field bordered by power lines then attempted to fly over them, rather than landing so that the basket did not become entangled in live wires. — AFP
Ink blot
Man sentenced for defacing painting
Beijing — A Chinese court has sentenced a man to 14 months in jail for defacing the giant painting of Communist leader Mao Zedong displayed opposite Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, state media reported.
Sun Bing, 42, was arrested at the scene in March 2014 after he threw a bottle of ink on Mao’s portrait. A Beijing court ruled on Wednesday he had defied the law when he made a mess and caused public disorder, the Global Times reported.
The 6 metre tall oil painting of Mao has been vandalised on several occasions. — Reuters
Weapons warning
Experts give possible nuke figures
Seoul — Chinese nuclear experts have warned that North Korea may already have 20 nuclear warheads and the capability to produce enough weapons-grade uranium to double its arsenal by next year, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The Chinese estimates of Pyongyang’s nuclear production, relayed to US nuclear specialists, exceed most previous US forecasts, which range from 10 to 16 bombs currently, the report said. — Reuters
EASY NEWS FOR M1-3
Fascinating fossils
Dinosaur eggs discovered
Beijing — Dozens of dinosaur eggs were unearthed at a construction site. It happened in the city of Heyuan in southern China. Local state media reported the news. A nest containing 43 dinosaur egg fossils was found. — AFP
Exercises
1. Who thinks that North Korea may have 20 nuclear warheads?
a. Chinese nuclear experts.
b. US nuclear specialists.
c. The Pyongyang edition of Wall Street Journal.
2. What was Giovanni Lo Porto’s job when he was captured as a hostage?
3. How many bags of body parts were found in Chiang Mai?
Vocabulary
- lava (n): hot liquid rock that comes out of a volcano
hostage (n): a person who is captured and held prisoner by a person or group and who may be injure or killed if the person or group does not get what they ask for
unearth (v): to find something in the ground by digging
fossil (n): the remains of an animal or plant which have become hard and turned into rock
virginity (n): the state of having never had sex
inexplicable (adj): that cannot be understood or explained
deface (v): to damage the appearance of something, especially by drawing or writing on it
