City votes
A child casts his mother’s ballot at a polling station during the Tokyo governor election in the capital on February 9. — Reuters
Second fatality
Woman dies from bird flu
Hanoi — Vietnam has recorded its second death from bird flu in 2014, a health official said on February 6, as regional concerns over a potential resurgence of the deadly virus grow.
A 60-year-old woman from southern Dong Thap province died on January 28 and tested positive for the H5N1 virus the following day, medical official Nguyen Ngoc An reported.
The incident followed the death of a 52-year-old man from the southern Binh Phuoc province on January 18. — AFP
Worker woes
Factory owners threaten staff
Dhaka — A human rights group said on February 6 that garment factory owners in Bangladesh have been threatening workers who try to organise trade unions. The working conditions in Bangladesh garment factories are often harsh and unsafe.
New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a statement that it had interviewed dozens of workers who said they were beaten, fired or forced to resign after trying to organise unions.
The rights group added that it is difficult for the workers to sign up as law requires support of at least 30 percent of workers of a factory to form a trade union. — AP
Flying high
The T-50 jets of South Korean Air Force aerobatics team, the Black Eagles, on February 9 perform a maneuver during a media preview for the upcoming Singapore Air Show. — AP
Tragic accident
Bride killed on wedding day
Beijing — A bride, her grandmother and the driver of their wedding car died when the vehicle slid off an icy road and plunged into a reservoir in northwestern China, state media reported on February 8.
Two other passengers were rescued by local residents from the 20 metre-deep reservoir in Ningxia on February 7, police reported.
The National Meteorological Centre reported that heavy snow had fallen in Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei and Henan provinces. — DPA
Tokyo snow
Severe weather hits Japan
Tokyo — Heavy snow and severe weather struck Tokyo and other areas across Japan on February 8, leaving at least seven dead and more than 1,000 injured, reports said.
More than 600 flights were grounded as the weather agency issued a severe storm warning for the capital.
Up to 27 centimetres of snow was recorded on the afternoon of February 8 in parts of Tokyo. Meteorologists said it was the heaviest snowfall in the capital in 45 years. — AFP
Terrible terrorist
Hijacker fails to reach Russia
Ankara — A Ukrainian man tried to hijack a Turkey-bound flight to Sochi, Russia, as the Winter Olympics were starting on February 7. However, the pilot tricked him and landed in Istanbul, where he was later detained.
The hijacking drama came as the Winter Olympics opened in the Russian resort city, with thousands of athletes from around the world pouring into the stadium amid warnings the games could be a terrorism target.
The hijacker wanted to divert the plane to Sochi where Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych were meeting. — AP
EASY NEWS FOR M1-3
Shark attack
Man killed while fishing
Adelaide — A man was killed by a shark. It happened on the South Australia coast on February 8. The 28-year-old man was from Adelaide. The shark attacked him while he was spear fishing. — AP
Exercises
1. Which of the following is NOT true about the aeroplane hijacking?
a. The hijacker was from Ukraine.
b. There were more than two hijackers in the incident.
c. The hijacking happened on February 7.
2. According to the news story, the working conditions in Bangladesh garment factories are seldom harsh and unsafe. True or false?
3. What does BMTA stand for?
Vocabulary
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resurgence (n): the return and growth of something that had stopped
trade union (n): an organisation of workers, usually in a particular industry, that exists to protect their interests, improve conditions at work, etc.
harsh (adj): cruel, severe and unkind
ground (v): to prevent an aircraft from taking off
