Ferocious fire
More than 800 houses were destroyed by a huge fire in a slum area in Mandaluyong City, the Philippines, on November 26, leaving thousands homeless. — AFP
Safe haven
Mother abandons child
New York City — A mother who left her newborn son at a New York City church will not face criminal charges for giving him up, a prosecutor said on November 25.
A custodian found the crying infant wrapped in towels in the nativity scene at the Holy Child Jesus Church in Queens, New York police said.
Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said the mother would not be prosecuted because she gave up the child in accordance with the state’s Safe Haven law. — Reuters
Helicopter horror
Bodies taken off ice
Wellington — The last three bodies remaining on a southern New Zealand glacier after a sightseeing helicopter crashed in the middle of November were recovered on November 26, police said.
The accident killed all seven people on board the helicopter including its New Zealand pilot and tourists from England and Australia. Four of the seven bodies were recovered from Fox Glacier before deteriorating weather conditions forced a halt to recovery operations. — DPA
Popular pope
A boy on November 27 holds a picture of Pope Francis as he awaits his arrival at a church in the Kangemi slum of Nairobi, Kenya. — AP
Big cat breakout
Tiger tastes freedom
Mexico City — A tiger named Ankor marked a full month on the run on November 25, having evaded capture since it escaped from a restaurant zoo and disappeared into what appears to be a very tiger-friendly habitat on Mexico’s Pacific coast.
Mexican authorities have mounted a full-scale search effort including police, soldiers and a group of 10 big-cat experts.
The country’s environmental protection agency said that it expects to capture him in the next few days. — AP
Soldier shooting
IS claim responsibility
Cairo — An Islamic State affiliate in Egypt said it carried out a shooting near a historic site just outside Cairo that killed four police. A statement circulated online by supporters of the group on November 29 vowed to continue targeting the soldiers of the tyrant, referring to President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, who led the military overthrow of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in 2013.
It was not possible to confirm the authenticity of the statement, but it resembled previous claims issued by the group. — AP
Final flight
Pilot killed in crash
Islamabad — One of Pakistan’s few female fighter jet pilots was killed in a training crash on November 24, the air force said in a statement.
Flying Officer Marium Mukhtiar and Squadron Leader Saqib Abbasi were flying a training mission and encountered a serious in-flight emergency, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) said.
Saquib sustained minor injuries, the air force added. In order to ensure the safety of civilians on the ground, they were forced to eject and the aircraft crashed. — AFP
EASY NEWS FOR M1-3
Hazy days
Pollution rises in China
Beijing — Air pollution reached hazardous levels in Beijing, China. Authorities reported the news on November 29. Some commuters started wearing masks. — Reuters
Exercises
1. What does PAF stand for?
a. The Public Air Force.
b. The Pakistan Airplane Foundation.
c. The Pakistan Air Force.
2. One of Pakistan’s few female fighter jet pilots was killed in a training crash on November 20. True or false?
3. How old is Sarawut Lopieow?
Vocabulary
- prosecutor (n): a lawyer who leads the case against a defendant in court
haven (n): a place where people or animals are protected
commuter (n): a person who travels into a city to work each day
resemble (v): to look like or be similar to another person or thing
