Hunger for democracy
Supporters of the pro-democracy movement flash the three-finger salute from the The Hunger Games as a trailer of the movie is shown on the exterior screen of a theatre in Hong Kong on November 28. — AFP
Industrial accident
Gas leak makes many ill
New Delhi — At least 41 people fell ill after a suspected chlorine gas leak from a chemical factory near the central Indian city of Bhopal, officials said on November 30.
The leak occurred in an industrial area in the Raisen district, about 25 kilometres from Bhopal on the evening of November 29.
Workers at the factory and nearby units complained of breathlessness and vomiting, after which they were taken to hospitals, district official JK Jain said. — DPA
Flu threat
Woman treated for H7N9 virus
Shanghai — China confirmed a new human infection of the deadly H7N9 avian influenza virus, state news agency Xinhua reported. It is the first case this winter in the southern province of Guangdong.
A 31-year-old woman surnamed Deng, from the provincial city of Dongguan, was confirmed on November 28 to have been infected with the virus, Guangdong’s health and family commission said. The patient was in a critical condition.
The H7N9 bird flu first infected three people in China in March last year. Since then, it has since infected more than 450 people, killing 175 of them. — Reuters
Sacrificial slaughter
A herder sits inside an enclosure for buffalos awaiting sacrifice on the eve of the sacrificial ceremony for the Gadhimai Mela festival in Bariyarpur, Nepal on November 27. — Reuters
Bad advertising
Airline apologises for tweet
Kuala Lumpur — Malaysia Airlines apologised on November 29 for a year-end promotion tweet that sparked anger on Twitter after it inadvertently drew parallels with the still-missing MH370 flight.
“Want to go somewhere but don’t know where?” read the post on Twitter that was meant to promote special deals by the national carrier, prompting scorn from online users. Malaysia Airlines said that the tweet was intended to inspire travellers during this holiday period to explore the destinations and deals it was offering.
“It unintentionally caused offence to some and we have since removed the tweet,” an airline official said. — AFP
Lost at sea
Treasure hunters arrested
Kuala Lumpur — Seventeen suspected Vietnamese treasure hunters were arrested by Malaysian navy sailors while allegedly diving for relics from sunken ships, a report said on November 29.
The suspects were arrested on November 27 in the waters off Tanjung Gelang town in the state of Pahang, about 200 kilometres northeast of Kuala Lumpur, the Star newspaper reported.
Two British warships sank in the area in 1941 after the vessels were bombed by Japanese forces during World War II. — DPA
Clearing the air
Beijing bans smoking indoors
Beijing — Beijing has adopted a smoking ban in all indoor public spaces including workplaces and public transport. The official Xinhua news agency reported that the ban will go into effect on June 1 next year and carry a fine of up to 200 yuan (1,000 baht).
The Standing Committee of Beijing Municipal People’s Congress passed the draft regulation on November 28.
China is home to the highest total number of smokers of any country, with 300 million smoking and 740 million exposed to second-hand smoke every year. — AP
EASY NEWS FOR M1-3
Tough teen
Boy survives shark attack
Sydney — A 13-year-old boy cycled home after being bitten by a shark. He had been surfing at a beach in Western Australia. It happened on November 29. The boy had small wounds on his right leg. — DPA
Exercises
1. What did the 13-year-old Australian boy do after he was bitten by a shark?
a. He went to a nearby hospital.
b. He rode his bicycle home.
c. He went surfing.
2. Smoking has been banned in all outdoor public spaces in Beijing. True or false?
3. How many Indonesians were caught on the hijacked oil tanker?
Vocabulary
- exterior (n): the outside of something, especially a building
sacrifice (n): the act of offering something to a god, especially an animal that has been killed in a special way
inadvertently (adv): without intending to
scorn (n): a strong feeling that somebody or something is stupid or not good enough
unintentionally (adv): accidently; without meaning to
relic (n): an object, tradition, etc. that has survived from a period of time that no longer exists
