2004: Thousands die in Asian tsunami

Massive sea surges triggered by an earthquake under the Indian Ocean have killed over 10,000 people in southern Asia, with many more feared dead.

An 8.9 magnitude earthquake under the sea near Aceh, north Indonesia, at 0759 local time (0059 GMT) generated the biggest tsunami the world has seen for at least 40 years.

The wall of water fanned out across the Indian Ocean at high speed and slammed into coastal areas with little or no warning.

(BBC On This Day)

Studying with news in English class is useful

New research from the BreakingNewsEnglish.com website suggests that news is good for students. A researcher asked many teachers and students in an online class their opinions on using the news to learn English. Almost everyone said it was very important. One student said he enjoyed studying using news because the story is real. He said he remembered many times when the teacher put a headline on the whiteboard and he was surprised that it was that day's breaking news. Another student said she thought news was a lot more interesting than other types of topics in her lessons. She said she felt good when she understood the news in English. She also learnt a lot of useful "international vocabulary".

Teachers were also enthusiastic about using news in the classroom. Many said students had problems with listening, so they made the recording slower to help their students. Teachers also liked news stories because they encouraged conversation. Many teachers said their students talked non-stop about news of their own country or city. Teachers also said news was useful because students already had a lot of background knowledge from listening to or reading about a news item in their own language. Teachers also liked the fact that they could do many kinds of activities, such as role plays, debates, surveys, quizzes and language games. One teacher said he thought listening to news was "unhealthy for students". (Breaking News English)

THE DIGITAL STORY OF THE NATIVITY

Merry Xmas!

Bergen - Norway

Bergen is "The Gateway to the Fjords of Norway" and a well-established cruise port. Bergen is an international city packed with history and tradition, a big city with small-town charm and atmosphere. Bergen likes visitors. And Bergen is worth a visit. Welcome!

Bergen is surrounded by one of the world's most spectacular tourist attractions - The Norwegian Fjords, which have now been included on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

Bergen is great to explore on foot. Strolling around old streets and alleyways where people have lived for centuries is like a fairy-tale. You will see small wooden houses, cobbled streets with stone steps in the steepest parts and flowers everywhere. Stop off at the Fish Market to mingle with the crowds. Visit the Bergen Aquarium and see the fish, penguins and seals in their natural element, as well as crocodiles, snakes and spiders.

Stroll along the listed wooden buildings at Bryggen to the old fortress at Bergenhus, or call in at one of Bergen’s many museums and galleries. And it’s not far from the city centre to Mt. Fløyen, Mt. Ulriken or another of the seven mountains that form the backdrop to the city. The panoramic views of the city, the fjord and the ocean are breathtaking.

Bergen was also the birthplace of the hugely popular composer Edvard Grieg and you can visit his home at Edvard Grieg Museum Troldhaugen. (visitBergen.com)

The Whispering Palms

1963: Kennedy shot dead in Dallas

Kennedy shot dead in Dallas

The President of the United States has been assassinated by a gunman in Dallas, Texas.

John F Kennedy was hit in the head and throat when three shots were fired at his open-topped car.

The presidential motorcade was travelling through the main business area of the city.

Texas Governor John Connally was also seriously injured when one of the unknown sniper's bullets hit him in the back.

The men were accompanied by their wives, who were both uninjured. (BBC On this day)

Spanish dictator Franco dies

1975: Spanish dictator Franco dies

General Francisco Franco, who ruled Spain with an authoritarian hand for 39 years, has died at the age of 82.

He had been ill for five weeks and died early this morning at La Paz hospital, Madrid. Doctors said the cause of death was heart failure aggravated by peritonitis.

Flags all around the country are at half-mast and the general's body is now lying in state at the El Pardo Palace.

Franco, also know as the Generalissimo, will be buried next week at the Valley of the Fallen mausoleum. (BBC On this day)

Spain train crash

         Renfe said the train came off the tracks on a bend about 3 or 4km (2-2.5 miles) from Santiago de Compostela station at 20:41 local time (18:41 GMT) on Wednesday.
It was on the express route between the capital, Madrid, and the ship-building city of Ferrol on the Galician coast, with 218 passengers on board - in addition to an unknown number of crew members.

Firefighter Jaime Tizon, one of the first to reach the site of the crash, described the scene as "hell".

"I'm coming from hell, I couldn't tell you if the engine was on fire, or one of the carriages or what..." he told ABC after dragging the injured and bodies from the train.

Earlier, the leader of the regional government Alberto Nunez Feijoo described it as "a Dante-esque scene", in comments to Spanish radio.

One witness, Ricardo Montesco, described how the train carriages "piled on top of one another" after the train hit a curve.

"A lot of people were squashed on the bottom. We tried to squeeze out of the bottom of the wagons to get out and we realised the train was burning...I was in the second wagon and there was fire. I saw corpses," he told Spanish Cadena Ser radio station.

Several eyewitnesses described the train travelling very fast before it derailed. (BBC News)

9th May - Europe Day

Why a Europe Day?
Europe Day (9 May) celebrates peace and unity in Europe. The date marks the anniversary of the historical 'Schuman declaration'. At a speech in Paris in 1950, the French foreign minister, Robert Schuman, set out his idea for a new form of political cooperation in Europe, which would make war between Europe’s nations unthinkable.
His vision was to create a European institution that would pool and manage coal and steel production. A treaty creating such a body was signed just under a year later. Schuman’s proposal is considered to be the beginning of what is now the European Union. (europa.eu)

Menu shows exercise needed to lose weight

New research reveals that restaurant menus showing how much exercise is needed to burn off calories could be good for losing weight. Researchers from the Texas Christian University say that telling customers how many minutes they must walk to burn off the calories from a hamburger is much better information than showing how many calories the hamburger has. They say people do not really understand calories but do understand they have to walk for 30 minutes. Senior researcher Dr. Meena Shah said the menu could help people make healthier choices. She said: "We need a more effective strategy to encourage people to order and consume fewer calories from restaurant menus."

The researchers looked at the restaurant orders made by 300 different people. Some used a menu without calorie information; some had a menu with calorie information; and the rest were given a menu with a guide to how many minutes of fast walking would burn off the calories in the food. Example information on the last menu suggested a woman would need to walk for two hours to burn off the calories in a double cheeseburger. The people who had the menus with the exercise information ordered food with the fewest calories. Researcher Ashlei James said: "Brisk walking is something nearly everyone can relate to, which is why we displayed…the minutes of brisk walking needed to burn food calories." (Breaking News English)

On this day: 4th April 1968

1968: Martin Luther King shot dead

 

The American black civil rights leader, Dr Martin Luther King, has been assassinated.
Dr King was shot dead in the southern US city of Memphis, Tennessee, where he was to lead a march of sanitation workers protesting against low wages and poor working conditionsHe was shot in the neck as he stood on a hotel balcony and died in hospital soon afterwards.Reverend Jesse Jackson was on the balcony with Dr King when the single shot rang out."He had just bent over. I reckon if he had been standing up he would not have been hit in the face," said Mr Jackson.Police in Memphis were put on alert for a "well-dressed" white man who is said to have dropped an automatic rifle after the shooting and escaped in a blue car.There were early signs of rioting in Memphis after Dr King's death and 4,000 members of the National Guard were drafted into the city.
A dusk-to-dawn curfew has been ordered to ward off disturbances.The US President, Lyndon Johnson, has postponed a trip to Hawaii for peace talks on Vietnam.The president said he was "shocked and saddened" by the civil rights leader's death."I ask every citizen to reject the blind violence that has taken Dr King who lived by non-violence," Mr Johnson said.
Dr King, 39, had previously survived several attempts on his life including the bombing of his home in 1956.
The charismatic civil rights leader joined the crusade for equal rights for black people in America in the mid 1950s.He first came to national prominence as one of the leaders of the Alabama bus boycott in 1955. In 1963 Dr King led a massive march on Washington DC where he delivered his now famous "I have a dream" speech. Dr King advocated the use of non-violent tactics such as sit-ins and protest marches. In 1964 he was awarded the Nobel peace prize. (BBC ON THIS DAY)

Hobbit 'ring' goes on display

An ancient gold ring thought to have inspired JRR Tolkien to write The Hobbit is on show for the first time.

In 1929 an archaeologist is believed to have told Tolkien about the ring, which he thought was linked to an ancient Roman curse.
Tolkien was very interested in the ring and the story behind it.
Not long after he began writing The Hobbit, which was first published in 1937.
The ring was originally found in 1785 in a farmer's field in Hampshire and will now be on display in a Tudor house - the Vyne - which is also in Hampshire. (CBBC Newsround)

Torrijas

The "torrijas" is a traditional sweet, typical of Easter.

Ingredients:

a loaf of bread (wider than the baguette)

4 to 5 eggs

½ litre of milk

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/2 kilo of sugar

1/2 litre of sunflower oil

 
Preparation:

• Heat some milk with about 4 tablespoons of sugar and add a teaspoon of cinnamon. Cut bread into slices half an inch thick. Dip the slices in milk and leave in a table or tray about half an hour.
• Beat the eggs and put plenty of oil to boil in a pan (to float the toast). Pass the bread slices in egg and go frying in oil until golden brown but soft inside. Prepare a bowl with the cinnamon sugar mix (the ratio should be so that the sugar is light brown), and pass the bread in the mix as we taking them out of the pan, so that they are impregnated with sugar cinnamon. If you do not like cinnamon, are also good without it.
• Place the toast on a tray and wait to eat them when they are warm. Can be made in advance because they are very good too cold and they release the juice of sugar.
• The "torrijas" is a traditional dessert Easter in Spain and there are people who like to accompany them with a syrup made with honey and water that is served over the French toast when you are eating. In this case, do not pass through the cinnamon (black) sugar.
• Tip: The is soaked in milk for the creamy interior, but we must beware of the time and temperature of the hot milk, as if they are too soft, we will have trouble breaking when fried. (Imsol)

EU bans sale of all animal-tested cosmetics

People in Europe will no longer be able to buy cosmetics that were tested on animals. The European Union has banned all cosmetics that were developed using animal testing. The EU is also asking other countries to do the same. The total ban follows an earlier one from 2009, when companies could test on animals for serious human health issues. Tonio Borg, the EU's commissioner for health, said the ban, "gives an important signal on the value that Europe attaches to animal welfare". Mr Borg said the EU would help the industry find different ways of developing new cosmetics. He said this would, "set an example of responsible innovation in cosmetics without any compromise on consumer safety".

Animal rights campaigners say the ban is an important victory. They have campaigned for decades against animal testing. A spokesman from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals charity said: "Animal testing in the name of beauty has never been acceptable." He added the work for animal rights activists was not over. "This is a great day for animals but…there are still many animals being used across the world to develop cosmetics," he said. Cosmetics companies were very angry over the new law. A Cosmetics Europe spokesman said European companies would fall behind in developing new products. He added that, "that consumers in Europe won't have access to new products". (Breaking News)
 

The King's Secret

Daily routines

Around Town2

Around Town1

Who will be chosen as the next Pope?

All 115 cardinals have arrived in Rome to decide who will be the next leader of the Catholic Church.

Pope Benedict XVI stunned the world when he resigned from the role and no one is sure who the new pope will be.
In fact the special robes he'll wear have been made in three different sizes to make sure they fit whoever is chosen.
The voting process will start on Tuesday 12 March.
A new Pope is picked by the Catholic Church's most senior priests, called cardinals.
They have travelled from all over the world to the Vatican in Rome - the home of the Catholic Church - where they'll begin the Papal election - known as the Conclave.
One hundred and fifteen cardinals will take part. A cardinal needs more than two thirds of votes to become Pope. If that doesn't happen on the first vote, the cardinals will vote again and again until there's a clear winner.
During the vote special smoke signals are used to tell people outside what is happening.
Black smoke means the cardinals are still making up their minds, but when white smoke is seen - a new Pope has been chosen. (CBBC Newsround) 

What is the Eurovision Song Contest?

Hundreds of millions of people tune in every year for a live extravaganza of multi-cultural entertainment - the Eurovision Song Contest.

Every year countries from all over Europe - and some from outside Europe - send a song and performers to entertain a worldwide audience.
The contest is hosted by the country that won competition the year before. The 2013 show will be held in Sweden.

When did it start?
Eurovision started in 1956 when just 14 countries took part. In 2008, there were a record 43 countries.
The contest was created by the European Broadcasting Union - an organisation of TV companies in and around Europe.
The idea originally came from an Italian song contest and it was also a chance to test out early live TV technology.

How does it work?
Many countries hold a national competition to select their entry. In the UK, the BBC chooses an act to send.

Most competitors then sing in a semi-final to win a place in the grand final - but some countries go straight into the final.
Last year's winner always gets a place in the final - along with the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy. They give the most money to the EBU and get a guaranteed place.

How's the winner decided?
A combination of viewer phone votes and the opinions of an expert jury are used to score the countries.
Each country that enters gives points to their favourite song. The song with the most points wins!
Sometimes countries end up scoring nothing and getting the dreaded "nul points".

Political voting?
Some people think some countries just vote for their neighbours and friends instead of voting for the best song.
For example, Greece and Cyprus usually give each other points, while the Scandinavian countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland) often exchange votes.
Organisers reintroduced the expert juries in 2009 to try and combat this. (CBBC Newsround)

Nadal thrashes Ferrer and regains fourth spot in Mexico final

Rafa Nadal steamrollered fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 6-0, 6-2 in the final of the Mexican Open in Acapulco to win his second trophy in only his third tournament since returning from seven months out with a left-knee injury.
It was the first time the Mallorcan had faced a top-10 player since his comeback and the result at the ATP 500 clay-court competition also allowed him to steal back the number four spot in the world ranking from the Valencian.
“Today I played as if these seven months hadn’t existed, but they did exist and you have to keep them in mind, and that all the negative stuff could turn into something positive if everything progresses well,” explained Nadal.
“I didn’t do anything badly; I had an almost perfect match. Perfection doesn’t exist, but for me it was almost perfect. I could never have imagined playing at the level I played today.” (El País in English)

Asia has most of the world's billionaires

A newly-published report on global wealth says that for the first time, Asia has more dollar billionaires than the USA. According to the Global Rich List 2013 from the research institute Hurun, there were 1,453 people whose personal worth was $1 billion or more at the end of January. Asia had 608 billionaires, compared with 440 in the USA and 324 in Europe. Moscow came top of the list of billionaire capitals of the world with 76 of the world's mega-rich; New York, Hong Kong, Beijing and London followed. The world's wealthiest person is Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim, who has $66 billion. He is followed by US investor Warren Buffett and Amancio Ortega, boss of the fashion brand Zara.

The report's author, Luxembourg accountant Rupert Hoogewerf, believes there are a lot more billionaires in the world. He said that for every billionaire he found, he probably missed another two. This means it might be more accurate to say there are 4,000 billionaires living a life of luxury. Mr Hoogewerf also believes that the number of wealthy Chinese will continue to rise as more business leaders target worldwide markets. He said: "Chinese entrepreneurs are preparing their international expansion plans. It is a very new concept but growing very fast." The report says the youngest billionaire is Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, 28, who is 42nd on the list and has a personal fortune of $17 billion. (Breaking News English)

 

Do you speak English?

Horsemeat DNA found in Nestle beef pasta meals

The horsemeat scandal has now hit the world's biggest food company, Nestle.

It's removed two chilled beef pasta meals from shelves in Italy and Spain after tests showed traces of horse DNA.
The Switzerland-based firm has identified a problem with a supplier in Germany - and stopped taking products with meat from them.
The company said levels of horse DNA were very low but above 1%. A frozen lasagne product for catering companies in France has also been withdrawn.
Nestle said in a statement: "There is no food safety issue, but the mislabelling of products means they fail to meet the very high standards consumers expect from us."
It added that new tests on beef for horse DNA would be introduced.
On Friday it was revealed that horsemeat had been found in cottage pie supplied to 47 schools in Lancashire in north-west England. (CBBC Newsround)

Carnival in Cadiz

 

Off the southern coast of Spain you’ll find a different sort of Carnival happening in Cadiz. While it’s definitely a match for the Carnival in Tenerife in terms of fun and over-the-top partying the Carnival in Cadiz is defined by its music. At any point in the crowded streets you’ll find musical groups stationed in plazas or in open air carts accompanied by guitars and lutes. The majority of these songs are satirical; the people in Cadiz are known to have amongst the best senses of humour in Spain, and the music of Carnival reflects this. Politicians, clergy and celebrities are all cheerfully mocked and the costumes, while still extravagant, have a focus on cleverness and wit. You can find rock music at the Plaza Catedral and a competition for satirical group songs at the Gran Teatro Falla. Between street theatre and daily fireworks displays, the Carnival at Cadiz strives to entertain and succeeds in leaps and bounds! (Spanish Fiestas)

Lou je m'appelle Lou

Should junk food adverts be banned?

Doctors are calling for a ban on junk food adverts before 9pm in a new plan to tackle obesity.

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, which represents nearly every doctor in the UK, says the UK has an obesity crisis with a quarter of adults classed as obese and one in three kids leaving primary school overweight.
They also want a limit of the number of fast food outlets near schools and to raise taxes on sugary drinks by up 20 percent. (CBBC Newsround)

Pisto manchego

Pisto manchego is similar to ratatouille. It can be served warm to accompany a main dish or cold as a starter or to accompany a salad. Pisto can be used as a filling for sandwiches, savoury crepes, empanadillas or little puffed pastry pies or even as a pasta sauce. Pisto manchego freezes well, so you can make a big batch and use as required. This is an easy recipe for a traditional Spanish dish which originally came from Castilla la Mancha (hence it's name, Pisto Manchego) but is nowadays a favourite simple dish cooked and served all over Spain.

Basic ingredients:
     4 ripe tomatos                                     2 medium sizes onions
     2 green peppers                                  1 red pepper
     2 courgettes                                        3 cloves of garlic
     olive oil                                               sugar
     salt and pepper

Steps:
1. Dip the tomatoes in boiling water to loosen the skin, then peel them and cut them in to small pieces
2. Peel and slice the onions and garlic
3. Clean and slice the peppers and courgettes
4. Put the olive oil into a frying pan, and gently fry the garlic and onions for a couple of minutes. Add the peppers and turn up the heat a little. Cook for five minutes, stirring all the time.
5. Add the courgette, stir and cook for five more minutes and then add the tomatoes. Cover the pan, and leave to simmer for about 15 minutes.
6. Add a teaspoon of sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Turn up the heat and stir well. If the pisto has too much liquid, let it boil away but keep stirring so that none of the ingredients stick to the bottom.
(euroresidentes)

1975: Tories choose first woman leader

The British Conservative Party has chosen Margaret Thatcher as its new leader.
She will be the first woman to head a British political party after a landslide victory over the other four - male - candidates.Mrs Thatcher - who served as Secretary of State for Science and Education in Ted Heath's Government - exclaimed "It's like a dream."The MP for Finchley, north London, since 1959 rejected suggestions of great celebrations.

She said: "Good heavens, no. There's far too much work to be done."

Mrs Thatcher, 50, forced Ted Heath to resign as leader last week when she trounced him in the first round of the leadership race with 130 votes to his 119.Conservative Party confidence in Mr Heath - prime minister from 1970 to 1974 - was rattled by his failure to win general elections in both February and October last year. Chairman of the influential 1922 Backbench Committee - whose 276 members are largely responsible for deciding party leaders - Edward du Cann, told BBC Television: "We have a new and rather exciting leader. Mrs Thatcher will make the Tory Party distinctive."At a press conference at the House of Commons the new leader thanked her campaign team and looked forward to retaining Ted Heath and other members of the current Shadow Cabinet, though probably not in the same jobs.Mrs Thatcher - a mother of twins married to Denis, an oil executive - put in a brief appearance at a party in Pimlico before having a working dinner with Conservative Chief Whip Humphrey Atkins in Westminster.Former Northern Ireland Minister Willie Whitelaw was her closest challenger, but still only gained 79 votes in comparison to the 146 she polled in the second ballot of the contest. The other candidates were Sir Geoffrey Howe, QC, and Mr Prior who each received 19 votes and John Peyton trailed in last with just 11 votes. (BBC On This Day)

Pope Benedict XVI announces he's resigning

Pope Benedict XVI, the leader of the Catholic Church, has announced he's resigning.

After eight years in the job, he says he's now too old to continue.
The unexpected news came as a shock to many people as it's the first time a Pope's resigned in 600 years.
A spokesperson for the Vatican, the Pope's headquarters, said a new Pope will be elected next month.

Who is Pope Benedict XVI?

Before becoming Pope, he was known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.

At 78, he was one of the oldest new popes in history when he was voted into the job in 2005.
He took on the role after the death of a very popular Pope, John Paul II, who led the Catholic Church for 27 years.
He faced many challenges, with fewer Catholics attending church services.
In a statement, Pope Benedict XVI said he was getting too weak to perform his duties and felt he had to resign.(CBBC Newsround)

1958: United players killed in air disaster

Seven Manchester United footballers are among 21 dead after an air crash in Munich.
The British European Airways (BEA) plane caught fire shortly after take off this afternoon with 38 passengers and six crew on board.The footballing world is reeling from the loss of some of its most talented young players - known as the Busby Babes.Their average age was 24 and they included Roger Byrne - the captain - Mark Jones, Eddie Colman, Tommy Taylor, Liam Whelan, David Pegg and Geoff Bent.

Queen 'deeply shocked'
Eight British sports journalists and several club officials have also been killed.The Queen has said she is "deeply shocked" and has sent a message of condolence to the Lord Mayor of Manchester and Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation.The chartered aircraft was bringing the Manchester United entourage back from a European Cup match against Red Star Belgrade in Yugoslavia and had stopped at Munich's Riem Airport to refuel.On the third attempt to take off the plane over-shot the runway, hit a house with its port wing, veered to the right, hit another building and burst into flames.The fuselage did not catch fire and several crew and passengers went back into the wreckage to rescue the injured.Team manager Matt Busby was described as being the most seriously hurt and is being given blood transfusions in hospital.Star striker Bobby Charlton has been treated for slight head injuries.According to the Chief Executive of BEA, A. H. Milward, there was a heavy snowstorm in Munich and the pilot delayed departure because he was dissatisfied with one of the plane's engines.This was the first fatal accident for this type of BEA aeroplane, which has carried 2,340,000 passengers on 86,000 flights since it began service in 1952.The same plane - called Lord Burghley - took the Manchester United entourage out to Belgrade on Monday. (BBC ON THIS DAY)  

The Elves and the Shoemaker

Experts create the world's most complete bionic man

Robotics experts have created the world's most complete bionic man - made with a working heart and a face.

Rex, as the team have named him, even has lungs, kidneys and arms and legs that move.
And just like you he has blood pumping through him, though Rex's blood isn't real.
In fact, none of Rex is real, but he is made up of all the different parts that human can have as transplants.

Doctors use such parts to help patients with a limb missing or organs that don't work properly.

He was built for a television programme all about the technology that goes into making artificial body parts.
It goes on display at London's Science Museum this week. (CBBC Newsround)

Drum Festival Spain - La Tamborrada

When and Where The Drum Festival Spain usually takes place on January 20th in Donostia San Sebastian in the Basque land of Spain for one day only.

What to Expect From midnight to midnight the streets of San Sebastian fill with many gastronomic societies from San Sebastian marching in uniform all bidding to outdo each other. It begins in Plaza de la Constitution and marches all the way to the Old City of San Sebastian. This Spanish drums festival is an intense noisy fiesta lasting 24 hours.

History
The history of this Spanish drums Festival goes back to when the French occupied the Basque country. The French soldiers would play their drums when they were on the charge. One day as they did so in 1720 a baker who was filling water barrels from a fountain near the Iglesia de San Vicente (Church of St Vincent) San Sebastian began to sing, and a group of young girls passing by started banging on the barrels as accompaniment. The crowd started to gather and this drum beating knees up which evolved over the last almost 300 years into the spectacle you see today. It also gave rise to Raimundo Sarriegui who created the masterpiece the "March of San Sebastian" which is played to this day. (Festival Pig)

New species of frog discovered

An Australian researcher who discovered a new species of flying frog near Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam has revealed how she found it.

Jodi Rowley discovered the frog in 2009 but thought it was an ordinary flying frog.
But at closer inspection she noticed differences in the colour of the webbing and the size of the frog.
Jodi named the new species Helen, after her mum.
What made the discovery so special was how close to such a big city the frog was living.
Researchers are now working to establish whether Helen's frog is endangered. (CBBC Newsround)

Stolen train crashes into house in Sweden

A cleaning woman is seriously hurt after she apparently stole a train and crashed it into a house.

It happened in a suburb of Stockholm, the capital of Sweden.
The train was empty but there were three families in the house. Luckily, none of them were hurt.
The railway firm, Arriva, said the woman was an employee of theirs. She was flown to a nearby hospital. They are now investigating the incident. (CBBC Newsround)

Paella (with chicken and artichokes)

Ingredients (4-6 people):

• 600 grams rice (short grain)
• Half a chicken in pieces
• 2 artichokes
• 2 medium-sized red peppers
• 2 mature tomatoes
• Black pepper
• Garlic
• Parsley
• A strand of saffron
• Olive oil (one glass, about 1/4 litre)
• 1/2 lemon
• A sprig of rosemary and thyme
• Salt

Steps:

1: Fry the chicken in some olive oil. Put the browned chicken pieces into a pan with 8 glasses of water, and bring to the boil. Leave simmering for half an hour.

2. Cut the artichokes and red pepper and fry them.

3. Fry the tomato and garlic in olive oil in the large paellera (special paella pan), then add the rice, stir for a minute and then add the chicken, chicken stock (there should be 6 glasses), artichokes, red peppers, the juice of half a lemon, black pepper, parsley, thyme, rosemary, the saffron strands (Grind them first. If you haven't got a grinder, use colorante which you'll find in the spice and herbs racks in supermarkets) and salt.

4: Once all the ingredients are in the paella pan, turn the heat up to maximum and boil for about 10 minutes. Then lower the heat and leave to simmer for another 10 minutes. After 20 minutes, the liquid should have evaporated. Turn off the heat, and leave to stand for five minutes. If possible cover while it is standing (many Spaniards use paper to cover the pan). (Euroresidentes)

Malaga miracle worker saves boy’s life on Ryanair flight

A SPANISH nurse was called into action to save the life of a child who had gone into convulsions on a Ryanair flight to Germany.

The nurse, who was flying to Dusseldorf on New Year’s Eve, acted swiftly when she spotted the child lying in the aisle close to unconsciousness.
Virginia Valle, 27, from Malaga, quickly took the boy’s temperature to find it was over 40 degrees and then steadied his head to stop him banging it, as well as getting the father to hold his tongue to stop him from swallowing it.
As the boys parents were Italian and Belgium the language barrier was initially a problem.
“They spoke no Spanish so we made do with a mixture of French and English,” she told Sur.
After ascertaining if he had had some sort of allergic reaction, she asked the airline for some diazepam, but discovered the rudimentary medical kit on board had very little of use.
Finally she was able to get a paracetamol from the mother and managed to bring his temperature down by inserting it into his rectum.
After a few minutes the contractions started to slow down and finally the boy dropped off to sleep with his temperature dropping.
“It was such a relief and half the plane gave me a round of applause,” said Valle, who was forced to move to Germany to find work last year.
“The father kept telling me how I had saved his son’s life.”
She continued: “The biggest problem was having to fight off other passengers who wanted to help, but with no idea.
“Some told me to cover him up when I took his top off to try and bring his temperature down, while another wanted to give him something to eat.
“An Asian man even suggested that he gave him some acupuncture.”
Ironically the nurse had been expecting to spend New Year’s Eve in Malaga with her family.
But due to a mix up with her ticket she ended up having to fly back to German that day.
She ended up spending the night on her own in Germany, eating a panini.
“But in the end I was overjoyed to have been on the flight and had my calling to help. It was something of a miracle!” (The Olive Press)

African country Zambia bans the hunting of big cats

 

Zambia has banned the hunting of lions and leopards because of a drop in the numbers of its big cats.

Until now, people in the southern African country could hunt the animals for sport.
But Zambia's tourism minister Sylvia Masebo said there are no longer enough cats for hunting purposes.
"Tourists come to Zambia to see the lion and if we lose the lion, we will be killing our tourism industry," she said.
Lions are found in all of Zambia's major parks, but their numbers are going down, with fewer than 4,500 lions in the whole country.
The number of leopards is unknown.
Neighbouring Botswana is also banning all sport hunting from 2014, while Kenya stopped hunting for sport decades ago. (CBBC Newsround)

2013 to be great for English students

The year 2013 will without doubt be a great year for many of us wondering what's in store for us. Expert forecasters are predicting it will be one of the best years ever. It will be one of those years when record numbers of people will stick to and keep their New Year's resolutions. That means millions of smokers will quit smoking and the overweight will make a more conscious effort to trim their waistlines. It should also be an easier year on the pocket as the world economy recovers slightly from its recent shocks and downturns. In technology, all eyes will be on Apple to see if it will launch another revolutionary product. Industry insiders say rumours are spreading of an Apple television.
There is also good news for those hoping to make gains with their English. An abundance of great new tools will hit the shelves of both online and traditional stores throughout the year. These will provide students with an unprecedented variety of products to help them in areas they want to improve on. The Internet will also see a lot more sites aimed at providing students with ways to interact with others around the world in English. More and more learners will study English in cyberspace from a growing army of online teachers. 2013 will also see record numbers of people studying abroad, but not just English - millions will start learning Chinese, as China grows increasingly important in business. (Breaking News)

U.S. town bans small bottles of water

The U.S. town of Concord in Massachusetts state has banned stores from selling water in bottles that are smaller than one litre. Stores who sell the water will have to pay a $50 fine. The new law is the result of a three-year campaign by local resident Jean Hill. Ms Hill first told people about the idea at a meeting in 2010. She wants people to drink more tap water and use fewer plastic bottles, which she says end up littering streets, rivers and the countryside. She said: "Bottled water is bad for the environment, our health, and our public water systems. Concord's decision to go bottled-water free is a great example of how communities can promote our most essential public service: the tap."
Many people are unhappy with the new law, which started on New Year's Day. The bottled water industry said small bottles are very important for people's health. It said banning small bottles would mean people will drink more small bottles of colas and other soft drinks. Shops can still sell small bottles of other kinds of drinks. Local stores and restaurants say they will lose customers as people will simply drive to nearby towns to buy small bottles of water. One local resident said the new law is dangerous to her health. Ann Davidson, 82, said tap water is bad for her health so she has to buy water, but 1.5 litre bottles are too heavy for her. People buy 50 billion small bottles of water each year in the USA. (Breaking News)