London fire in tower block
A fire in a west London block of flats that broke out during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday claimed many victims and the numbers are still rising. Today emergency services spend a third day searching for survivors and bodies. Police says there is a risk that they won´t be able to identify everyone. So far 17 people have been confirmed dead and more than 35 are still being treated in hospitals.
Fire fighters fought bravely against the flames and risked their lives in order to save the people that were trapped inside the burning building. Eye witnesses say they saw people blinking lights within the building to attract attention.
Police announced that they are launching a criminal investigation into the fire. The cladding that was used during the renovation was not really fire resistant. Furthermore, no sprinklers were installed as it would have taken up much more time. Prime Minister Theresa May was criticized for not speaking to the victim´s families during her visit on the scene on Thursday.
flat (flæt) – die Mietwohnung
to rise (raɪz) – steigen
emergency service (ɪˈmɜ:ʤən(t)si ˈsɜ:vɪs) – der Notdienst, die Hilfskraft
risk (rɪsk) – das Risiko
to confirm (kənˈfɜ:m) – bestätigen
to treat (tri:t) – umgehen, hier: behandeln
bravely (ˈbreɪvli) – mutig, tapfer
to be trapped (træp) – gefangen, eingeklemmt, eingeschlossen
eye witness (aɪ ˈwɪtnəs) – der Augenzeuge
attention ( əˈten(t)ʃ ə n) – die Aufmerksamkeit
to announce (əˈnaʊn(t)s) – etwas verkünden, bekanngeben
to launch (lɔ:n(t)ʃ) – etwas einführen, etwas beginnen
cladding (ˈklædɪŋ) – die Verkleidung, die Verschalung
fire resistant (ˈfaɪəʳ rɪˈzɪstənt) – feuerfest
sprinkler (ˈsprɪŋklə) – die Beregnungsanlage
Gun amnesty in Australia
Australia´s government has announced the first gun amnesty since 1996. People can hand in unregistered weapons without the fear of prosecution. The amnesty will last for three months and will start on 1st July. Anyone caught outside this period faces a fine or up to 14 months in prison.
It is estimated that there are as many as 260,000 illicit guns in Australia. The amnesty is supposed to reduce the pool of illegal guns and with that the threats of a terror attack in the country. Some incidents over the last years have increased this fear and the government wants do something about it in a time when their national security environment is deteriorated.
amnesty (æmˈnəsti) – der Straferlass, die Straffreiheit
weapon (ˈwepən) – die Waffe
prosecution (ˌprɒsɪˈkju:ʃən) – die strafrechtliche Verfolgung
to last (lɑ:st) – dauern
to face (feɪs) – etwas gegenüber stehen
fine (faɪn) – die Geldstrafe
to estimate (ˈestɪmeɪt) – etwas einschätzen
illicit (ɪˈlɪsɪt) – gesetzlich verboten
to suppose (səˈpəʊz) – annehmen, vermuten, hier: etwas voraussetzen
threat (θret) – die Drohung
national security environment (ˈnæʃənəl sɪˈkjʊərəti ɛnˈvairənmənt) die nationale Sicherheit