Today's Headlines:

Ecuador limits Julian Assange's internet access

Sweet potato helps tackle child malnutrition

Work starts on British polar research ship

Transcript:

The Ecuadorian government has temporarily cut internet access for the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been living in its London embassy for four years. Officials said he had recently released classified material that would have an impact on the American presidential elections.

From the red soil of Uganda, these farmers are unearthing an unlikely solution to a silent killer. Orange flesh sweet potatoes are rich in beta-carotene, needed to prevent Vitamin A deficiency; an affliction that leads to the death of an estimated 670,000 people globally every year. In Uganda 32% of children under five are estimated to suffer from Vitamin A deficiency. Scientists here are hoping to change that. Through a technique called biofortification, they interbred sweet potatoes from across the world to produce the most nutrient-rich variety.

Work has officially begun on a new British polar research ship, the RRS Sir David Attenborough, named after the broadcaster and naturalist. The vessel is perhaps best known for the online vote to name it, which saw the public choose ‘Boaty McBoatface’ after a social media campaign hijacked the poll. Once complete, the vessel will conduct crucial scientific research in both the Arctic and the Antarctic.

Words and definitions:

classified
accessible only to authorised people (for example: documents)

deficiency
lack or shortage of something

vessel
large boat

Exercise:

Use one of the words or phrases from Lingohack to complete each of these sentences. Note that you may have to change the form of a word or phrase to complete the sentence correctly.

classified / deficiency / vessel

1. People at high risk of vitamin D __________ include children under five, pregnant and breastfeeding women, the over-65s and people at risk of not getting enough exposure to sunlight.

2. A historic fishing __________ has been refloated after it overturned in high winds during a festival in Scotland.

3. US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has insisted he took no __________documents to Russia when he fled to Moscow from Hong Kong in June.

Answers:

1. People at high risk of vitamin D deficiency include children under five, pregnant and breastfeeding women, the over-65s and people at risk of not getting enough exposure to sunlight.

2. A historic fishing vessel has been refloated after it overturned in high winds during a festival in Scotland.

3. US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has insisted he took no classified documents to Russia when he fled to Moscow from Hong Kong in June.