Prince Harry is off the market
Prince Harry and the American actress Meghan Markle announced their engagement earlier this week. The royal wedding will take place in spring. The venue is not clear yet and more details will follow in due course. The couple met in July 2016 and had their first public appearance in September 2017 at the Invictus Games in Toronto.
Prince Harry was always known for his excessive party life but over the last few years he has worked hard to promote a more mature image of himself. He served a second tour in Afghanistan and is often praised for his charitable work. Markle is an advocate for UN women, the United Nations office for gender equality and the empowerment of women as well as a global ambassador for World Vision.
Although Markle was enthusiastically welcomed by the royal family there was some negative talk on social media platforms about her being biracial and divorced. Furthermore, she was chased and harassed by photographers and journalists who tried to get more information about the relationship from her. But the warm welcome through the royal family shows their openness and their acceptance of Meghan Markle as the woman by Harry´s side.
actress (ˈæktrəs) – die Schauspielerin
engagement (ɪnˈgeɪʤmənt) – die Verlobung
royal (ˈrɔɪəl) – königlich
wedding (ˈwedɪŋ) – die Hochzeit
spring (sprɪŋ) – der Frühling
venue (ˈvenju:) – der Veranstaltungsort
appearance (əˈpɪərən(t)s) – Auftritt, Erscheinen
excessive (ɪkˈsesɪv) – übermäßig, ausschweifend
to promote (prəˈməʊt) – etw fördern, für etw werben
mature (məˈtjʊəʳ) – erwachsen, reif
charitable work (ˈtʃærɪtəbl̩) – wohltätig, karitativ
advocate (ˈædvəkeɪt) – Befürworter/in, Verfechter/in
gender equality (ˈʤendəʳ ɪˈkwɒləti) – Gleichberechtigung der Geschlechter
empowerment (ɪmˈpaʊəmənt) – die Ermächtigung, Bevollmächtigung
biracial (baɪˈreɪʃəl) – gemischtrassig
to divorce (dɪˈvɔ:s) – sich scheiden lassen
to chase (tʃeɪs) – jdn/etw verfolgen
to harass (ˈhærəs) – jdn belästigen, stören
openness (ˈəʊpənnəs) – die Offenheit
acceptance (əkˈseptən(t)s) – die Annahme, Zustimmung, Akzeptanz
Volcano erupts on Bali
Tens of thousands of people are stranded in the airport on the island Bali due to a volcano eruption. Earlier this week Mount Agung hurled grey ash nearly 10.000 (ca 3,048 m) feet into the air shutting down the main airport. Roughly 400 flights were cancelled and about 59.000 tourists are stuck on the island, which attracts nearly 5 Million visitors every year. Indonesian authorities have ordered a mass evacuation from the danger zone on Monday.
The last eruption of Mount Agung took place in 1963, killing nearly 1.100 people. The volcano´s alert was raised to the highest level and the danger zone was expanded to six miles (ca 9,656m). The evacuation affects 22 villages and about 9.000 to 10.000 people. So far only 40.000 people have moved to an evacuation centre. Others have refused to leave their home and cattle behind. The volcano has been rumbling for weeks now.
to strand (strænd) – stranden, liegen bleiben
eruption (ɪˈrʌpʃən) – der Ausbruch
to hurl (hɜ:l) – etw schleudern, werfen
ash (æʃ) – die Asche
to shut down (ʃʌt daʊn) – etw stilllegen, schließen
main (meɪn) – Haupt-
to stuck (stʌk) – feststecken,
visitor (ˈvɪzɪtəʳ) – der Besucher, Gast
alert (əˈlɜ:t) – der Alarm, Alarmstufe
to expand (ɪkˈspænd) – etw erweitern, vergrößern, ausdehnen
to refuse (rɪˈfju:z) – sich weigern
cattle (ˈkætl̩) – Rinder, Vieh
to rumble (ˈrʌmbl̩) – rumpeln, donnern
North Korea – New Ballistic Test Missile
North Korea fired another ballistic test missile on Tuesday earlier this week. It was the first missile launch since September. On Wednesday an emergency Security Council meeting took place to discuss the provocation by Kim Jong-Un. President Trump said they will take care of the situation but gave no further details on how they will do that. The Japanese Prime Minister called for the full implementation of sanction measures.
The missile flew higher and longer than previous such launches. It landed in the Sea of Japan and was launched in the middle of the night with less advance warning. North Korea stated after the launch that the test was a full success and that the new missile could carry heavy nuclear warheads to anywhere in the United States. It would be able to reach Washington, for example.
But scientists say that the test missile might not be as ready as North Korea wants everyone to believe and that it was not filled with heavy material but only carried a little weight. The launch might be a reaction by Kim Jong-Un to Trump putting North Korea back on a list of state sponsors of terrorism.
ballistic test missile (bəˈlɪstɪk ˈmɪsaɪl) – Raketengeschoss
launch (lɔ:n(t)ʃ) – der Start, Abschuss
to call for (kɔ:l fɔ:ʳ) – fordern, aufrufen, verlangen
implementation (ˌɪmplɪmenˈteɪʃən) – die Einführung, Durchführung
sanction measure (ˈsæŋ(k)ʃən ˈmeʒəʳ) – die Sanktionsmaßnahme
previous (ˈpri:viəs) – vorig, vorherig
to state (steɪt) – etw äußern, aussprechen
success (səkˈses) – der Erfolg
to reach (ri:tʃ) – jdn/etw erreichen
might (maɪt) – könnte (eine Möglichkeit ausdrücken)
heavy (ˈhevi) – schwer