Fighting the haze
Indonesian firefighters tackle a blaze in South Sumatra, Indonesia on October 18. The haze has covered many parts of Southeast Asia. — AFP
Party peril
Organiser charged over deaths
Taipei — The organiser of a party at a Taiwan water park that resulted in the deaths of a dozen people and injuries to hundreds of others was charged on October 16 with professional negligence causing death and injury.
Coloured powder pumped into the air at the party caught fire at the Formosa Water Park in New Taipei on June 27, causing severe and fatal burn injuries.
The accident injured about 500 people, a district spokesman said. — DPA
Drone down
Turkey shoots plane
Ankara — Turkish jets shot down an unidentified drone that flew into Turkey’s airspace at the border with Syria on October 16.
The drone was shot down after it ignored three warnings to leave, the Turkish military said. “We have not been able to establish who the drone belongs to, but we are able to work on it because it fell inside Turkish territory,” Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu said. The US, Russia and the Syrian government all operate drones in the region. — AP
Free speech
National League for Democracy chairperson Aung San Suu Kyi speaks during a campaign rally in Rakhine state, Myanmar on October 16. — AFP
Early present
Santa wins election
Alaska — A man with a soft white beard who prides himself on being an advocate for young children has been elected as a city councilman in North Pole, Alaska, USA.
The 68-year-old candidate, who happens to be named Santa Claus, won a three-year term in the community of about 2,200 residents southeast of Fairbanks, according to election results.
“My thanks to everybody who voted for me and all who supported my campaign,” Santa wrote on Facebook. “I’ll do my best for all!” — Reuters
Out of hiding
Security forces arrest leader
Dhaka — Bangladesh security forces said on October 16 that they have arrested a Dutch national suspected of leading a group of Myanmar separatists who attacked Bangladeshi border forces in August.
Rannin Soe, 47, is an alleged leader of the Arakan Army, which has been fighting for an independent homeland in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. Bangladesh launched a huge manhunt after the attack on its border forces.
Police arrested him after finding his Dutch passport, ID card and army fatigues at a hideout. — AFP
Broken ring
Police bust pornographers
Madrid — Spanish police said on October 17 that they have arrested 81 persons on suspicion of sexually abusing minors and sharing child pornography on the Internet.
A police statement issued by the Interior Ministry said it took a year to track down the participants in the child pornography ring who exchanged videos and photos.
Among material seized were 96 hard drives, 58 computers, 68 pen-drives, four tablets, 195 CDs and DVDs, 18 mobile phones and 25 memory cards — AP
EASY NEWS FOR M1-3
Baby business
Woman sells infant
Johannesburg — Police arrested a woman for human trafficking. It happened in Johannesburg, South Africa on October 16. The 20-year-old posted to sell an infant on the Internet for 5,000 rand (13,400 baht). — Reuters
Exercises
1. Who is Turkey’s Foreign Minister?
a. Lu Chung-chi.
b. Rannin Soe.
c. Feridun Sinirlioglu.
2. Formosa Water Park is located in Tokyo. True or false?
3. Where is the couple who got stuck in the mud from?
Vocabulary
- drone (n): an aircraft without a pilot, controlled from the ground
councilman (n): a member of a council
pornography (n): images or video that show naked people and sexual acts in order to make people feel sexually excited
