AWAITING SANTA
Filipino farmers arrange a Christmas tree made of trash from relief goods after the Typhoon Haiyan disaster in the Philippines’ Samar province on December 25. — EPA
ANIMAL ANGER
Elephant kills keeper
Hanoi — A Vietnamese zookeeper was killed by a two-tonne elephant after he tried to sneak into its cage to paint a fence, an official said December 24.
"The elephant lifted him up with his trunk and smashed him onto a water tank next to the cage," an official at the Dai Nam tourism centre, where the zoo is located in southern Binh Duong province, said.
The victim was well known by the elephant, which had been at the zoo since the age of two in 2008. — AFP
BABIES’ FIRST SOCKS
Hospitals give special stockings
Redlands, California — Hospitals spread holiday cheer for new parents on December 25 by delivering newborn babies in giant Christmas stockings.
The bright red stockings were provided for babies born at Long Beach Memorial Medical Centre in Redlands. The Long Beach Press-Telegram says it's a tradition dating back more than 80 years.
The Redlands Community Hospital hands out stockings to parents of infants born in December. — AP
SERIOUS TALK
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (front left) and Okinawa governor Hirokazu Nakaima (front right) on December 25 gesture during their meeting at Shinzo's official residence in Tokyo, discussing the move of a US military base in Okinawa. — AFP
ANTARCTIC ADVENTURE
Ship gets struck in the sea
Sydney — Tourists aboard a polar research vessel spent Christmas awaiting rescue, after the ship got stuck in Antarctic ice. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority dispatched three ships after receiving a distress call from the Russian-registered ship on December 25.
The Finnish-built MV Akademik Shokalskiy, with about 50 passengers and 20 crew members, was icebound 2,778 kilometres south of Hobart, apparently not in immediate danger but forced to wait out at least two days for help to arrive.
The ice-strengthened oceanographic research vessel, built for polar exploration, has 26 berths for tourists. — DPA
PREVENTIVE MEASURES
Caps and sunglass banned in malls
Manila — Police in the Philippine capital have banned the wearing of caps and sunglasses in shopping malls to stop criminals concealing their identity from security cameras.
The ban was imposed after a gang of hammer-wielding robbers looted a jewellery store at a popular suburban Manila shopping mall in the middle of December.
The suspects are believed to have used baseball caps to hide their identities.
"These criminal elements know about the presence of closed circuit TVs in commercial establishments like malls. That's why they are trying to hide their identity by wearing caps and even dark sunglasses," an official said. — AFP
FASTER RETIREMENT
China’s retirement ages getting shorter
Beijing — China plans to raise the retirement age for the first time since the 1950s.
“The age will rise gradually,” Hu Xiaoyi, a vice minister of human resources and social security said on December 25.
“China's compulsory retirement ages, now 50 for most women and 60 for men, are likely in 2020 to be about five years higher than they are now.”
Delaying retirement may be a more effective tool in alleviating labour shortages and driving growth than the easing of the one-child policy announced last month as part of the broadest policy reforms since the 1990s. — Bloomberg
EASY NEWS FOR M1-3
NARROW SPACE
Big Boeing hits building
Johannesburg — A British Airways airplane’s wing struck an office building. It happened on December 22. The incident took place at Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa. Authorities said the runway was too narrow for the jumbo plane. Four people were slightly injured. — AFP
Exercises
1. Where is Tambo International Airport located?
a. In Melbourne, Australia.
b. In Tokyo, Japan.
c. In Johannesburg, South Africa.
2. Hu Xiaoyi is a government official. True or false?
3. How many Cambodians were arrested for cutting protected phayung in Si Sa Ket?
Vocabulary
- stocking (n): either of a pair of thin pieces of clothing that fit closely over a woman’s legs and feet:
oceanographic (adj): connected with the scientific study of the ocean
establishment (n): an organization, a large institution or a hotel
shortage (n): a situation when there is not enough of the people or things that are needed
