DANGER ZONE
Workers in decontamination suits on August 20 clean up the site of the explosions in Tianjin. A cyanide level which was 270 times higher than the standard limit had been detected in water close to the site. — AFP
NINE LIVES
Police hunt murderer
Beijing — Police in the east of China have launched a manhunt for a killer accused of fatally stabbing his estranged wife and eight other people.
The attacks occurred on August 22 in Longshan County of Hunan province, southwest of Shanghai, Xinhua news agency said, adding that four people were also injured.
Around 400 police officers were mobilised to find the suspect, identified as Wang Wensheng, news website rednet.cn said on August 23. — AP
KIDNAPPING ENDS
Locals find bodies
Kabul — An Afghan official says the bodies of three border police officers abducted in a volatile eastern region were found by residents in the nearby areas.
Shafiqullah Nang, spokesman for the governor of Ghazni province, said on August 23 the officers were kidnapped by local insurgents in the middle of August while there were driving to Paktika province bordering Pakistan. The Taliban, as well as criminal gangs, operate in the rugged border regions. Insurgents have stepped up attacks in recent months. — AP
AIR STRIKES
On August 21, villagers collect bodies of those killed by Saudi-led air strikes in the city of Taiz, Yemen. — Reuters
MILITARY MISSION
Militants killed near border
Islamabad — Pakistan air strikes killed 43 suspected militants near the Afghan border on August 20, as part of a major ongoing operation against Taliban and other insurgents.
The attacks took place in North Waziristan, where the army has been waging a major offensive to clear militant hideouts since June last year.
Pakistan has been battling a homegrown Islamist insurgency since the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan. — AFP
PLANES CRASH
Two planes collide
Bratislava — Two planes carrying dozens of parachutists collided in mid-air on August 20 over Slovakia, killing seven people, officials said. The accident took place about 10.30 am near the village of Cerveny Kamen, a spokeswoman for the Slovak firefighters said.
According to preliminary information, some 40 people were on board the two planes at the time of the collision, officials said.
Those who survived did so because they managed to jump out of the plane before the collision and parachute safely to the ground. — AP
DIRTY POLITICIAN
Former PM heads to jail
Seoul — South Korea's first female prime minister was headed for jail on August 20 after the Supreme Court upheld a conviction and two-year prison sentence for accepting illicit political funds.
Han Myeong-sook served one year as prime minister from April 2006. In 2010, she was tried on charges of receiving 880 million South Korean won (over 26 million baht) from a businessman in an illegal campaign.
She was allowed to remain free pending her appeal. — AFP
EASY NEWS FOR M1-3
STORMY WEATHER
Typhoon hits Philippines
Manila — A powerful typhoon hit the north of the Philippines. Authorities reported the news on August 23. At least 15 people were killed. Many people were injured. — AP
Exercises
1. Where is Longshan County located?
a. In England.
b. In Malaysia.
c. In China.
2. Who was South Korea’s first female prime minister?
3. What university does Taweelap Suwattanapunkul study at?
Vocabulary
- cyanide (n): a highly poisonous chemical
estranged (adj): no longer living with your husband or wife
insurgent (n): a person fighting against the government or armed forces of their own country
homegrown (adj): made, trained or educated in your own country
parachute (v): to use a cloth canopy which fills with air and allows a person attached to it to fall slowly from an aircraft
