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English news and easy articles for students of English

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17-01-2019 07:00

Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun is an 18-year-old woman from Saudi Arabia who says that her family tried to forcefully marry her off and has been abusive to her - especially after she renounced Islam.

When she was on vacation with her family in Kuwait, she ran away, got on a plane to Thailand and planned to go to Australia to ask for asylum. However, when she reached Bangkok, Thai officials stopped her and took her passport away.

She was facing deportation to Saudi Arabia, so she barricaded herself in a Thai airport hotel room and asked for help on social media. She said that going back to Saudi Arabia would mean abuse by her family or even being sent to jail.

In response to the events, the UN granted her refugee status, which means that she can enjoy certain rights and protections, which people agreed in the 1951 Refugee convention.

Difficult words: abusive (hurting someone physically or psychologically), renounce (say that you do not believe in something), ask for asylum (ask if you can live somewhere in safety), barricade (block oneself into somewhere), deportation (transport a foreigner from a country).

You can watch the video news lower on this page.

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Story of a Saudi Woman - level 3 | News in Levels

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17-01-2019 07:00 Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun is an 18-year-old woman from Saudi Arabia who says that her family tried to forcefully marry her off and has been abusive to her - especially after she renounced Islam. When she was on vacation with her family in Kuwait, she ran away, got on a plane to Thailand and planned to go to Australia...

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The Land of Fire and Ice: 12 Reasons to Travel to Iceland in 2019

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The Land of Fire and Ice: 12 Reasons to Travel to Iceland in 2019

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There are few locales in the world where a week spent on vacation includes glacier hikes and ice caves one day, hot springs and lava fields the next. But the natural beauty of Iceland - that breathtaking blend of ice and fire - is but one of the many reasons why the island nation draws visitors from around the world.

From the allure of geothermal spa days and crossing Aurora Borealis off your bucket list to celebrating Pride and Iceland's love of live music festivals, there's no shortage of reasons to head north come 2019. We lay out some of the most tempting reasons to visit Iceland below.

For those who have never been to Iceland or are dying to get back, IGLTA - the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association, a network of tourism businesses that provides free travel resources and promotes equality worldwide - is giving away a four-night trip for two to Iceland. (More details at the end of this article!)

Here are 15 reasons to travel to Iceland, the land of fire and ice, in 2019:

1. Pink Iceland is at your disposal for planning the queer trip of your dreams.

If only every international destination had a tour operator-slash-travel agency like Pink Iceland! Dedicated solely to the queer community, Pink Iceland works with nearly every LGBTQ (and allied) hotel, restaurant and business in the country. Twice a week it organizes a city walk and happy hour through Reykjavik. (Because what goes better with a little gay history than a cocktail?) Twice every month Pink Iceland also organizes a "Gay Golden Circle Tour." (That ends with cocktails, too.)

And if you're thinking about getting married in Iceland - it's the new hot spot for gay weddings, in case you didn't know - Pink Iceland is a must. Their planners will help out with everything from finding the perfect location to securing your flowers, cake and an officiant for the big day.

Basically, don't even think about going to Iceland without reaching out to Pink Iceland first!

2. Rainbow Reykjavik Winter Pride is the perfect mix of nature and nightlife.

Not content with just one Pride celebration per year (hey, we're not complaining), this three-day celebration (the next one March 7-10, 2019) is a great excuse to get to Iceland just before Spring begins. Not only does Winter Pride offer the most popular LGBTQ party of the season, but already planned for 2019 are a Northern Lights walking tour, several other outdoor excursions and a plethora of parties. (Find more info on Rainbow Reykjavik Winter Pride here.)

3. How can you pass up dancing and drinking at Kiki Queer Bar?

Offering weekday drag shows, happy hour and karaoke fun, this renowned bar in Reykjavik is the place to go for some gay fun on your trip to Iceland in 2019. You're sure to laugh, dance, drink and sing alongside some of the city's most fun locals and drag performers.

4. Iceland takes diving to a completely different level.

Not only does Iceland boast some of the clearest water you've ever seen (you'll see up to 300 feet in front of you while underwater), but you're actually able to dive and snorkel in waters that sit between the North American and Eurasian continental plates, called the Silfra Fissure. It's on just about every single "top 10 underwater dives" list in the world, and you'll find it in Iceland.

5. You can explore the Grandi neighborhood in Reykjavik.

You know the drill: When a city's downtown hub gets to be too expensive, the artists, designers and queer people pack up and move elsewhere, turning a formerly meh part of town into the place to be. And that's exactly what happened with the Grandi neighborhood. It's been referred to as "the SoHo of Reykjavik," which makes sense as this is where you'll find no shortage of great restaurants, boutiques and hip locals.

Highlights in Grandi include The Coocoo's Nest for anything from pizza to tacos (depending on the day of the week); Valdís ice cream shop, where the Ferrero Rocher ice cream is a favorite; Kaffivagninn, a nondescript waterside café perfect for breakfast or lunch; Farmers Market, a boutique specializing in modern Nordic designs; and museums including The Whale Museum of Iceland (with life-size whale models), the Northern Lights Center and The Saga Museum, which offers an interactive way to learn about Iceland's rich history.

6. You can learn all about Iceland through video.

Don't let the unassuming building fool you. Referred to as "The Modern National Museum," Tales From Iceland is a video museum dedicated to the country and its people. Made up of several short films about everything from Iceland's famed musicians to its fisherman culture, this museum is considered a must-stop spot for your Iceland itinerary.

7. There's no better spa day than heading to the Blue Lagoon.

Iceland has those volcanoes to thank for its majestic hot springs, including the Blue Lagoon, located outside of Reykjavik. Its waters are consistently around 100°F year-round (38°C), and not only is it perma-heated but it's rich in minerals that make it a full-fledged spa treatment.

8. A third of the country turns out for Reykjavik Pride.

The entire nation of Iceland is thrilled to take part in Reykjavik's annual summertime Pride celebration, taking place Aug. 6-11, 2019. The perfect opp for an Iceland first-timer, Reykjavik Pride offers six days of live music, lectures, gallery openings, several parties, a big queer dance party on Saturday and - of course - the annual parade, which ends at the big stage at Arnarhóll for a not-to-be-missed outdoor show.

For those interested in attending Reykjavik Pride, each year Pink Iceland offers multi-tiered Pride packages for travelers that include accommodations with optional add-ons for Pride passes and goodie bags. (For 2018 travelers could purchase packages named after some of our favorite divas - The Barbra, The Liza and The Dolly.)

9. There's no better place to take in the Northern Lights than Iceland.

It's on many people's bucket lists, but Iceland is one of the best spots in the world to catch Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights - as you'd expect from a country that quite literally sits at the top of the world. Most commonly seen between September and mid-April (when the skies are at their darkest), it's possible to see the green lights flickering above Reykjavik, but your best bet is to head outside of town away from the city lights. Several tour companies take travelers on "Northern Lights hunts," and it truly is a must for first-time Iceland tourists.

You're likely familiar with the song stylings of Björk and Sigur Rós, but Iceland has a rich, complex musical history and loves its live music. Several times per year Iceland hosts music festivals, including Dark Music Days in January (contemporary music during the darkest period of winter at a concert hall in Downtown Reykjavik), Sónar Reykjavik in February (electronica, hip-hop and more during Northern Lights season), Secret Solstice in June (when the sun is still shining at midnight) and Iceland Airwaves in November (four days of Icelandic and international acts).

11. Shots of the black beaches of Iceland are sure to make your friends jealous.

Few things in the world are more beautiful than black beaches, a result of the volcanoes that formed (and continue to form) a spot like Iceland. Near the southernmost tip of Iceland sits the black pebble beach of Reynisfjara, with black cliffs, strong winds and huge rock formations. Also stunning to visit is the black sand beach Breiðamerkursandur in southeast Iceland, dubbed "Diamond Beach" for the "ice diamonds" that sit on shore throughout the year.

12. Getting to Iceland is free and easy.

For nearly 60 years now, Icelandair has strived to make it cheap and easy for people to visit the country. Did you know that if you book a transatlantic flight through Reykjavik on the way to another destination (say, somewhere else in Europe or the United States), you're able to spend time in Iceland as a stopover for free? Flights from America's East Coast are less than five hours, and it's not difficult to find direct flights year-round from cities around the world.

IGLTA is giving away a four-day trip for two to Iceland, and you can win! The trip includes round-trip flights, accommodations, tours, excursions and much more. Head here to enter now for your chance to finally see the Northern Lights up close and in person.

Have you ever traveled to Iceland? Have any tips for first-time travelers? We want to hear from you!
Featured image courtesy Pink Iceland

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The Land of Fire and Ice: 12 Reasons to Travel to Iceland in 2019

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There are few locales in the world where a week spent on vacation includes glacier hikes and ice caves one day, hot springs and lava fields the next. But the natural beauty of Iceland - that breathtaking blend of ice and fire - is but one of the many reasons why the island nation draws visitors from around the world.

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The most powerful earthquake recorded in Japanese history, magnitude 8.9. The tremors were the result of a violent uplift of the sea floor 80 miles off the coast of Sendai, where the Pacific tectonic plate slides beneath the plate Japan sits on. Tens of miles of crust ruptured along the trench where the tectonic plates meet. The earthquake occurred at the relatively shallow depth of 15 miles, meaning much of its energy was released at the seafloor.

How does the earthquake compare with others?

This was the sixth largest earthquake in the world since 1900, when seismological records began. The most devastating earthquake to strike Japan was in 1923, when a magnitude 7.9 tremor devastated Tokyo and Yokohama and killed an estimated 142,800 people. The Kobe earthquake in 1995 was a magnitude 6.9 and caused more than 5,000 deaths and injured 36,000 others. The earthquake that wrecked Christchurch in New Zealand last month was a magnitude 6.3 event. Around 30 times more energy is released as the magnitude of an earthquake increases one unit, for example from magnitude 8 to 9.

Why is the area so prone to earthquakes?

The Pacific plate moves fast in tectonic terms, at a rate of 9cm (3.5 inches) a year. This leads to the rapid buildup of huge amounts of energy. As the Pacific plate moves down, it sticks to the overhead plate and pulls it down too. Eventually, the join breaks, causing the seafloor to spring upwards several metres. The plate tectonics of the region are complex, and geologists are not sure which plate Japan sits on. Candidates include the Eurasian plate, the North American plate, the Okhotsk plate, and the Honshu microplate.

How big were the waves?

The largest waves measured by instruments in the water were 7 metres (nearly 23ft) high in the north-east of Japan, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) in Hawaii. Other estimates put the wave height at 10 metres. Waves reached 4 metres around the coast of Japan. As the tsunami spread across the Pacific, the wave height dropped to around 40cm in Guam and the nearby Marianas. The most powerful waves appeared to be moving south-west from Japan. Some countries may experience waves up to 2 metres, according to PTWC forecasts.

How much damage has been caused?

Japan has invested heavily in coastal protection and buildings that can withstand tremors. Nevertheless, ports were pounded by the tsunami and the airport in Sendai was inundated. Nuclear power plants were shut down across the country and a state of emergency declared at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, where a cooling system failed. Modern buildings in Japan are designed to absorb the violent sideways shaking that can devastate cities. High-rise buildings can still be damaged, but are more likely to remain standing. There are concerns for low-lying islands in the Pacific.

How long will the waves take to reach other countries?

The tsunami moves across the Pacific at a speed of 500mph, with waves expected to reach the island of Fiji and Cairns in Australia at 3.28pm GMT. From then, waves are due to reach Acapulco in Mexico at 7.59pm, Chile at 10.55pm, Ecuador at 11.31pm, Colombia at 11.47 and Peru at 12.33am.

Will there be aftershocks?

Regular aftershocks have already hit Japan as the Earth's crust continues to rupture along the Japan trench. Those tremors are expected to be weaker and are less likely to produce another tsunami. The release of energy along the subduction zone between the Pacific and North Atlantic plates will transfer stress to other parts of the faultline, which could easily generate more earthquakes in the region in coming months.

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Japan earthquake and tsunami: what happened and why

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The key questions on the Japanese quake answered

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God help us all, Donald Trump is making fast food great again

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Yonden Lhatoo is still picking his jaw up off the floor after the US president orders junk food from McDonald's, Wendy's and Burger King for a candlelit banquet at the White House

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Julen is a small child, he has a Two years ago, and when he is went with her parents, he fell in a small water fell the news say it’s the most water fell never saw, the child it’s now in there for 7 days. The rescue worker tries to help him because every hour past is most difficult for her life

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Game of Thrones’ in the wild: BBC America's 'Dynasties' explores battle for power

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Game of Thrones’ in the wild: BBC America's 'Dynasties' explores battle for power

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In the early-morning darkness of Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe, two safari vehicles are on the hunt for a pack of painted wolves. It’s a dramatic sequence that’s part of BBC America’s new nature series “Dynasties.”

The series, narrated by David Attenborough, focuses on five species, one of which is a small, dog-like wolf dappled in multicolored spots and patches. There are around 6,000 painted wolves left in the world, with only 100 in Mana Pools, and the animals are proving extremely difficult to find.

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An innovation ambitiously aimed at ridding the world of plastic bottles! Whoo!