Running for cover
People run for cover from a stun grenade and tear gas after a skirmish between locals and foreign nationals as thousands of people take part in a march against xenophobia in Durban, South Africa on April 16. — AFP
Fight fatalities
Hundreds killed in clashes
Yangon — Combat between the military and ethnic rebels in northeastern Myanmar has claimed more than 200 lives since the beginning of the year, the government said on April 18.
State-run media claimed control of hilltops in the Kokang region of Shan state, after more than 250 armed clashes with ethnic Kokang rebels of the Myanmar Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army. At least 126 soldiers were killed in the fighting, according to reports. However, rebel spokesman Htut Myat Lin claimed that his forces were still in control of the region. — DPA
Big blast
Gas explosion injures 14
Washington — A gas explosion at a firing range in California injured 14 people and shut down traffic on a major highway for several hours on April 17, local media reported.
Eleven victims suffered burns requiring hospital treatment, including four who were in critical condition, the Fresno Bee reported. Seven of the injured were inmates of the county jail who were working about 50 metres away from the blast site. Prisoners carry out maintenance at the shooting range.
Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims said it was not clear what caused the explosion. — DPA
Suicide attack
A burqa-clad Afghan pedestrian walks past security personnel at the site of a suicide attack outside a bank in Jalalabad, Afghanistan on April 18. The suicide bomber killed at least 33 people and wounded 100 others in the attack. — AFP
Cat killer
Vet brags about shooting feline
Brenham, Texas — Authorities are investigating whether animal cruelty charges should be pursued against a Texas veterinarian shown in a Facebook posting bragging about killing a cat with a bow and arrow.
Austin County sheriff Jack Brandes said that he’s disturbed by the image that shows Kristen Lindsey holding up what she described as a dead feral tomcat.
“This kind of stuff shouldn’t happen in our society,’’ Brandes said.
The operators of the Brenham clinic where Lindsey worked said on April 17 that she was fired after they learned of the posting. — AP
Death sentence
Court gives verdict after retrial
Cairo — An Egyptian court on April 19 sentenced 11 people to death after a retrial over a 2012 football stadium riot in the canal city of Port Said that left 74 people dead. An appeals court had ordered the retrial in February last year after rejecting a lower court verdict sentencing 21 people to death for being involved in the deadliest sport-related incident in modern Egyptian history.
The riot erupted in February 2012 when fans of home team Al-Masry and Cairo’s Al-Ahly clashed after a match between the two clubs. — AFP
Police arrested
Cops charged for shooting boy
Srinagar — Two Indian policemen have been arrested for the killing of a teenage boy during weekend protests in the disputed region of Kashmir. Police said in a statement that they arrested the policemen after an investigation revealed one had ordered the other to fire his rifle at stone-throwing protesters in the northwestern village of Narbal on April 18.
Locals and rights groups have long said, however, that such investigations rarely yield results and are aimed only at calming public anger. Relatives and witnesses have contested the official story of the boy’s death. They said he was shot on the side of the road while in custody. — AP
EASY NEWS FOR M1-3
Drug haul
French customs find cocaine
Paris — French customs agents seized 2.25 tonnes of cocaine. It was their largest drug haul ever. The drugs were found on a sailboat in the Caribbean on April 15. Three people were arrested. — AFP
Exercises
1. Why were the two Indian policemen arrested?
a. They were involved in a dispute about Kashmir.
b. They shot a teenage boy.
c. They threw stones at protesters.
2. What injured people at a firing range in California?
3. How many tonnes of ivory items were recently declared in Thailand?
Vocabulary
- skirmish (n): a short fight between groups of soldiers, etc. especially one that is not planned
xenophobia (n): a strong feeling of dislike or fear of people from other countries
firing range (n): a place where people can safely fire guns at targets, for practice or training or to test weapons, safety equipment, etc.
brag (v): to talk too proudly about something you own or something you have done
retrial (n): a new trial of a person whose criminal offense has already been judged once in a court of law
contest (v): to formally oppose a decision or statement because you think it is wrong
