North Korea publicly executes defense chief, South Korean spy agency says

North Korea has publicly executed the country's defense minister after the regime accused him of treason, according to reports from South Korea.

Hyon Yong Chol was killed by fire from an anti-aircraft gun at a military school in front of hundreds of people in Pyongyang.

Hyon was executed because he expressed discontent towards leader Kim Jong Un, and failed to follow Kim's orders on several occasions.

Hyon was a longtime Kim family loyalist who spent years working under North Korea's former leader Kim Jong Il as a high-ranking military official.

His career continued after power transferred to the younger Kim upon the death of his father in 2011.

CNN

Vatican recognize Palestian State

Vatican said that would sign a treaty that includes the recognition of the State of Palestine.

For Israelis, it was an emotional blow, since Francis has deep relationships with Jews dating back decades, and Christians are critical backers of their enterprise.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it was “disappointed” by the Vatican’s decision, and that the recognition would “not advance the peace process.”

The Vatican announcement came as Israel’s new, more conservative government published its official guidelines, which promised to “advance the peace process” and “make an effort to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians” but did not use the term “Palestinian state.”

NY TIMES

The Spanish opera singer Montserrat Caballé failed to appear in a Barcelona court this week to settle a tax fraud case, and her lawyer stepped down as her legal representative in the matter.

Ms. Caballé, who was summoned by a judge on Tuesday, did not explain her absence, although one of her assistants told the Spanish news agency EFE that she had been ill. No further details were provided.

The court is expected to set another date for Ms. Caballé, 82, to appear in the case. If she again fails to turn up, she could face new charges.

Ms. Caballé, a soprano and a star of the international opera stage for five decades, reached a deal with a public prosecutor in December to receive a symbolic prison sentence of six months and to pay a fine of 254,000 euros, or about $286,000, for having falsely claimed residency in Andorra. The principality, wedged between Spain and France, has long thrived as a tax haven.

NY TIMES

The hamburger

The world's most succesful snack!

The hamburger is one of the most popular sandwiches in the world. The average American eats three a week!

The biggest burger

A 900-kilo hamburger made in Minnesota, USA, holds the world record for largest burger. On top of it were: 27 kg of onion, 23 kg of lettuce, 24 kg of tomatoes, 9kg of pickles, 18kg of cheese and 7 kg of bacon!

The most expensive

Some restaurants want to develop the hamburger's potential for making money and are creating luxury burgers. In London, you can taste the Glamburger, which is topped with caviar and gold leaf! It costs 1487 € for one burger!

Watemelon festival

This festival is in the watermelon capital of Australia, Chinchilla. Activities include street parades and watermelon skiing. It's fun!

Writing unit 9

WRITING: A NARRATIVE WITH DIALOGUE

Something happened a couple of weeks ago which was a real test of my honesty. I was with some friends walking through the street when we found a white envelope on the floor and we got it. When we opened it, we found €1000 inside it. We didn't know what to do. We felt surprised and confused. Did we have to take it to the police office or not?

“We have to keep the money and spread it” a friend said. “If the money had had an owner, he would have come to get it.”

“I am not sure” I said. “Maybe somebody has lost it and he needs the money”.

Finally, we gave the money to the police and the other day they phoned me to say that somebody had gone to the police office to recover the money. At least, we felt that we'd done the right thing.

Àlex

writing unit 8

WRITING UNIT 8: a Happy Ending

This time last year, things weren't going too well for me. I was in Australia alone, and I missed home, family and my friends. I had some australian mates and they invited me out, but I didn't really want to see them. I spent a lot of time reading books in my hotel room.

Everything changed for me the day my Australian mates invited me and we went surfing. I hadn't ever surfed before, but I loved it. I loved the feeling of the slide through the water, the wind in my face, the freedom... During the next days, I went surfing every day with my new friends. Also, we worked on keeping clean the beach

These days, I feel much happier. Surfing and cleaning the beach has made me feel a part of a group, more sociable... I aim to continue surfing for the rest of my life. If I hadn't been to Australia, I'd never had the opportunity.

Àlex