Code red heat warnings have been issued by Italy's health ministry, as a heatwave nicknamed 'Lucifer' scorches the Mediterranean region. But at the zoo in Rome, keepers are ensuring the lions and tigers stay cool by freezing their food in large blocks of ice. The animals have to lick through icy layers before getting to the joints of meat contained inside, like a giant lollipop.
Klaus Friedrich, the zoo's veterinarian, says making these meat-flavoured treats is part of their strategy to cool the animals down: "The animals get bored, like children, so they find new ways - how to prepare the ice. So sometimes you put the ice in a bucket of water, and you put a string inside, and you hang this on a tree or you hide it somewhere. There are different ways to give this food and these ice creams... So they like it a lot."
The smaller animals, like lemurs, are fed pieces of watermelon and special ice cream, while the monkeys are given bamboo canes filled with yoghurt and frozen fruit. Italy is suffering from its worst drought in ten years, caused by a high-pressure system that's bringing hot air from Africa to Europe. Spain is also sweltering, while the heatwave has fuelled forest fires in the Greek island of Chios and the north-east of Bosnia.
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code red
emergency
nicknamed
known as
scorches
heats or burns
joints of meat
parts of an animal where two bones join
lollipop
flavoured sweet on a stick
veterinarian
doctor who treats animals
treats
tasty snacks
lemurs
animals similar to monkeys
sweltering
extremely hot
fuelled
fed
High in the Dolomites of northeastern Italy, Italian researchers chipping away at rocks formed more than 200 million years ago found two miniscule mites and a fly preserved in tiny drops of amber. Highly-magnified photographs of the creatures show the mites, in particular, to be perfectly preserved. At 230 million years old, they're about 100 million years older than the oldest previous find of their kind.
The bugs probably fed off the leaves of the tree in whose resin they were eventually preserved. Researchers say the discovery shows the mites' ability to adapt to changing evolutionary conditions. For film lovers, though, it has striking echoes of the Stephen Spielberg blockbuster, Jurassic Park, in which a team of scientists use the DNA of a mosquito preserved in amber to recreate dinosaurs with predictably terrifying results.
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chipping away at
knocking off bits of (rocks)
miniscule
very very small
preserved
maintained in its original state
magnified
close-up
resin
sticky flammable organic substance
adapt
adjust, cope with
striking echoes
close similarities
predictably
expected
Just outside the athletes' village, a room which is a hive of activity. Paralympians need reliable equipment. This is where they come when a vital piece of apparatus breaks during competition. A quick fix can mean the difference between success and failure. Technicians are busy welding wheelchairs and filing running blades. The most common repair is for punctured tyres. And nobody, no matter how complex the problem, is turned away.
Russell Pizzey manages the workload. Wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby present his biggest challenges. Those sports involve lots of contact, and in rugby especially the players try to smash each other to bits.
Russell Pizzey, from Ottobock:
They definitely come in on quite a number of visits. Not just one visit only, and again it's depending on the game, the amount of impacts they take during that game. So again we can see big repairs to wheels, let alone the frames.
London is the 12th Paralympics for Ottobock, the company which runs the workshop. The athletes don't pay a thing, and so far at these Games those representing more than 120 countries have sought its help.
They've been frantically busy ever since they opened their doors at the Olympic Park, and they say the figure of nearly 2,200 repairs, which were carried out in Beijing, is set to be surpassed.
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a hive of activity
a busy place
vital
absolutely necessary
complex
complicated
workload
the amount of work that comes in
challenges
difficulties
sought
looked for
frantically
madly or hurriedly
surpassed
exceeded
Nebraska farmer Jeremy Leech is happy to be harvesting his corn this year. In 2011 he spent around $7,500 on herbicides that completely failed to stem the weeds strangling his crops.
To overcome the problem of resistance, Dow Agrosciences are now seeking a licence to plant a new type of GM that has resistance to Roundup, and another older chemical called 2,4-D. 2,4-D is best known as a component of Agent Orange, a defoliant sprayed extensively during the Vietnam war. But farmers like Jeremy Leech are worried that if the new GM is overused, weeds might well become resistant to it as well.
Jeremy Leach, farmer:
I think 2,4-D will work fine but I’m afraid, nervous, of what’s going to happen, four or five years down the road now if we keep using 2,4-D like we’re going to have the same problem we are now with Roundup.
Dow are likely to get the go-ahead to plant the new GM next spring. But, surprisingly, the company stresses that chemicals alone won't beat the weeds. As well as sprays, they say, growers now need to incorporate older weed control techniques often used by organic farmers.
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harvesting
gathering
herbicides
toxic chemicals used to kill weeds
to stem
to stop or restrict
resistance
ability of an organism to protect itself
seeking
applying for
a component
a part of
defoliant
chemical that removes the leaves from trees and plants
extensively
over a wide area
get the go-ahead
be allowed to start
incorporate
include
It's just a scrap of papyrus paper, no bigger than a credit card. It has on it lines of writing in the Coptic language and their message is potentially sensational. They quote Christ as having made a reference to having a wife. Of course, this flies in the face of traditional belief, and Professor Karen King, who's just revealed the text to the world, says it does not prove that Christ did indeed have a wife. But she says it is an indication that some early Christians believed that he did.
Professor Karen King:
"This fragment is not evidence for the marital status of the historical Jesus. Rather, it's evidence that there was a controversy going on in the 2nd century among Christians about whether they should marry or remain celibate. And it's in this context that the question about whether Jesus was married or not was raised for the first time."
So far, experts have agreed that the text is authentic, that it really is as old as it looks. But there's disagreement on the meaning. One Bible scholar argues that the word ‘wife’ could be used here to describe a figure who was only a domestic servant; someone who just cooked and cleaned, and wouldn't be what we would regard as a wife in the life of Christ.
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papyrus paper
paper made from the papyrus plant
sensational
surprising or shocking
flies in the face of
goes against or contradicts
fragment
small part of something
celibate
not married
authentic
real and genuine
scholar
person who studies a particular subject in depth
figure
person
There is an expression which is commonly used in parts of Asia and the Arab world, suggesting that marrying a first cousin is a match made in heaven. Mazar - not his real name - is a British Pakistani, and married to his first cousin. Two of Mazar's five children are severely ill with matching health problems, which also run in his extended family, who live in northern England. He says the majority of his relatives followed the same marriage tradition.
"When she was born she had liver disease. When she had her first liver transplant, that got rejected. Then she had a second liver transplant while she was still there. And then my son was born and he had exactly the same problem."
General practitioner Dr. Rizwan Alidina from Birmingham says the practice has been common for centuries, as a means to preserve family wealth. He does not believe, however, in passing legislation - banning traditions observed by a specific group of people. He's an advocate for the power of education.
"If you go down the legislation route, you get non-engagement, but if you actually start looking at educating and being able to give informed consent choices… because, remember, that these people getting married are adults."
Even though the infant mortality rate within the Pakistani community is high, the risk of developing other severe illness is even higher, indicating that a healthier future should perhaps come from within.
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first cousin
the child of your aunt or uncle
a match made in heaven
a perfect combination of two people
severely ill
extremely sick
transplant
operation where a new organ is put into the body
rejected
not accepted by the body
to preserve
to keep, to maintain
legislation
laws
advocate for
supporter of
non-engagement
lack of participation or acceptance (of a rule)
infant mortality rate
the number of babies and children that die each year
Matchday at the San Paulo stadium in Naples: a cauldron of footballing passion and spiritual home to 60,000 dedicated Napoli supporters. But a vast banner unfurled at the team's last home game hinted at a darker side to Neapolitans' love of football. "Tickets online," it read. "Never!" The message was the work of a group of diehard Napoli ultras.
The reason for their opposition to online ticket sales is simple: some ultras, long-linked with the local Camorra crime syndicate, make a killing out of buying up batches of tickets, then selling them on to eager fans for up to three times their face value. Online sales could help put an end to that.
The scam was highlighted last season when tickets went on sale for Napoli's Champions League match against Chelsea. Camorra-backed thugs bullied their way to the front of the queue, leaving many fans empty-handed, after a 12-hour wait for the chance to see their heroes in action against the London club.
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cauldron
pot used for boiling liquid
spiritual home
a place people feel they belong
unfurled
spread out
diehard
very committed to a cause
ultras
extremely enthusiastic fans
make a killing
earn a lot of money
eager
keen
face value
the advertised price
thugs
violent or aggressive people
empty-handed
unsuccessful (at acquiring something)
I'm standing opposite, arguably, the most famous terrace of 18th century houses in the world. I can see the black shiny door of number 10 and next door number 11. Yes, I'm in Downing Street, of course. I've been drawn here because there's been much reporting of a fight between the occupants. No, not David Cameron and George Osborne, we think they're still pretty good friends, or, at least, as friendly as any politicians can ever be with each other. It's their cats, who were captured on camera fighting.
Freya, that's Mr Osborne's cat, was photographed giving the feline equivalent of a left hook to Larry, that's Mr Cameron's pussy. To be fair, there have been rumours of tensions for some time. Larry, who was brought as a stray to Downing Street to deal with a mouse problem, has seemed, well, fairly indifferent to the job and, reportedly, took nine weeks to catch his first rodent. Last month, Larry is reported to have simply dozed on a chair as mouse ran across the Prime Minister's office, to the frustration of Mr Cameron.
So, is feisty Freya making a move to become Downing Street's top cat? Asked about relations between the two cats, a spokeswoman for the Prime Minister said they co-exist, but insisted she was not "going to get into commenting on the adventures of our feline friends in Downing Street". Shame, could be interesting.
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occupants
people who live in a place
captured on camera
photographed
feline
cat
left hook
swinging punch with the left hand
tensions
strained relationships
stray
homeless animal
indifferent
not bothered about something
dozed
slept lightly
frustration
annoyance
feisty
energetic and troublesome
The television set in the living room used to rule the entertainment choices of generations of British children. But that's no longer the case, at least not according to the latest annual survey of young people's media habits, carried out by the British media regulator, Ofcom.
The survey found that 12 to 15 year olds spent equal amounts of time watching TV and going online - 17 hours a week on average for each medium. And asked which media device they most valued, teenagers rated their mobile phone above the family TV set. Smart phone ownership among teenagers was found to have doubled in just 12 months.
The survey paints a picture of an increasingly tech savvy younger generation, with even very young children confident about, and familiar with, a wide variety of digital devices. The survey says the take up of digital technologies is faster among teenagers than the general population.
It also comments on the popularity of text messaging, especially among girls. Teenage girls typically send 30 or more text messages a day, 35% more than boys do. Ofcom says the findings highlight the challenges parents face in keeping up with children's use of technology in order to protect them.
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the case
the situation
habits
regular practices or activities
media regulator
organisation that oversees the lawful and fair running of mass communication companies
medium
type of technology
valued
treasured or cared about
paints a picture
shows evidence
tech savvy
confident and knowledgeable in using technology
devices
gadgets
typically
on average
the challenges
the difficulties
This was an independent project at University College London. For six months, researchers captured London's twittersphere, as sent by GPS telephones and tablets, and used a computer programme to identify which languages they were in; that's 3.3 million tweets in a total of 66 languages. 92.5% were in English, but the fascinating detail comes in the analysis of the non-English portion.
The biggest presence was of Spanish language tweets, followed by French, Turkish, Arabic, Portuguese and German. The map created also shows where in London the tweets were sent. The pre-eminence of Spanish tweeting may, in part, be due to the recent influx of young Spaniards seeking work, as well of course as London's resident Latin American population. That French was the next most tweeted language reflects the fact that there are an estimated third of a million French people living in London, but also that they're often younger and more likely to be Twitter users.
Less obvious languages which registered included Basque and Haitian Creole. Early research seemed to throw up a large amount of Tagalog, the language of the Philippines. But it turned out the computer programme was wrongly identifying text-friendly terms such as 'ha ha ha' and 'lol, lol, lol'.
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twittersphere
people using the social networking site, Twitter, in a particular place
GPS (Global Positioning System)
satellite technology
tablets
small, portable computers
portion
part, percentage
pre-eminence
dominance, surpassing all others
influx
arrival of large numbers
estimated
approximate
to throw up
to reveal
wrongly
incorrectly
lol
'text language' for 'laughing out loud'
Any comic book fan can tell you that when Superman came to Earth as a refugee from the Planet Krypton, saving lives and foiling the plots of evil madmen would be his main day job. But there was also the question of how to keep his alter ego, Clark Kent, occupied, and when the character first came out in print, his creators decided that he would be a newspaper journalist. Very handy, if you want to be the first to know about major catastrophes.
But now the mild-mannered reporter is going solo. DC Comics, which publishes the Superman stories, says that Clark Kent will walk out of his job at the Daily Planet, protesting that hard news has given way to too many soft 'entertainment' stories. It's a scenario that real reporters - and their readers and listeners - might recognise. What kind of stories do the public really want - showbiz gossip, or the latest discussions from the UN? DC Comics has hinted that Clark Kent might even go the way of many journalists and become a blogger, in an effort to get his own, non-super views across to a wider audience. But for fans who think that this is all getting a little bit too much like grim reality, don't worry. In a nod to the changing media landscape of the 1970s, Clark temporarily ditched his notebook for a camera, becoming a cable TV presenter. But he never forgot his real calling - saving the planet.
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refugee
person who has been forced to leave their country (in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster)
foiling
preventing
alter ego
secondary or alternative personality
catastrophes
events causing great and often sudden damage or suffering
scenario
hypothetical situation
grim reality
unpleasant things in real life
a nod
recognition
ditched
got rid of
The ship's mooring is wintry cold. Nothing, though, compared to Antarctica. Temperatures can hit minus 90 celcius. And Sir Ranulph will be skiing the 2000 miles.
On the ship's bridge, the 68 year old says he hopes to raise millions for charity, and conduct scientific research. The team of six must be self-sufficient, so they're taking bulldozers to drag their living quarters and supplies.
Sir Ranulph Fiennes: "The vehicles, I would think, personally, are a bigger potential problem than the people. Minus 80 could be… damage to lung tissue when you're breathing in when you're skiing. But, in the vehicles, you have got steel, you've got rubber, which don't like minus 70, never mind when they're towing everything that they have to tow."
Can he do it? Even Britain's most acclaimed living explorer says he just doesn't know.
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mooring
the place where a boat is secured, or moored
temperatures
measurements of heat
bridge
platform from which a boat is steered
conduct
carry out
self-sufficient
relying only on themselves to survive
drag
pull behind
living quarters
rooms to sleep in
lung tissue
cell material which forms part of the lungs
towing
pulling using a vehicle
acclaimed
praised publicly
Britain finished third in the gold medal table at the London Olympics. The target is for the country to become the first host nation to improve on its tally at the following Games. And so UK Sport, which divides up the cash available to individual sports, has increased its funding to five hundred and sixty two million dollars, a rise of eleven per cent. But those sports which underperformed in 2012 have seen their allowance go down. Liz Nichol is the Chief Executive of UK Sport:
"We're very confident that the system can be even better in Rio. We're very confident there is more medal-winning potential to come. And so we're setting out with a very ambitious goal, we want to be the first nation in recent history to be more successful in both the Olympics and the Paralympics post hosting."
In this century Australia, Greece and even China failed to match their medal count in the years after they staged the summer Olympics. Britain has a no-compromise approach to investment. It means the likes of cycling, rowing and boxing, which delivered in London, get a financial windfall. But the amount set aside for swimming, which failed to meet expectations, has been slashed by six and a half million dollars. And there are four sports - basketball, handball, wrestling and table tennis - which will receive no money at all. Meanwhile, Paralympic sports were given a huge boost; their pot of cash has been swollen by 43%.
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target
aim, goal
tally
number
underperformed
did not do as well as expected
allowance
amount of money given
confident
sure, full of belief
ambitious
requiring a lot of effort
staged
hosted
windfall
unexpected gain
slashed
cut significantly
swollen
increased
Klaus Friedrich, the zoo's veterinarian, says making these meat-flavoured treats is part of their strategy to cool the animals down: "The animals get bored, like children, so they find new ways - how to prepare the ice. So sometimes you put the ice in a bucket of water, and you put a string inside, and you hang this on a tree or you hide it somewhere. There are different ways to give this food and these ice creams... So they like it a lot."
The smaller animals, like lemurs, are fed pieces of watermelon and special ice cream, while the monkeys are given bamboo canes filled with yoghurt and frozen fruit. Italy is suffering from its worst drought in ten years, caused by a high-pressure system that's bringing hot air from Africa to Europe. Spain is also sweltering, while the heatwave has fuelled forest fires in the Greek island of Chios and the north-east of Bosnia.
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Vocabulary
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code red
emergency
nicknamed
known as
scorches
heats or burns
joints of meat
parts of an animal where two bones join
lollipop
flavoured sweet on a stick
veterinarian
doctor who treats animals
treats
tasty snacks
lemurs
animals similar to monkeys
sweltering
extremely hot
fuelled
fed
High in the Dolomites of northeastern Italy, Italian researchers chipping away at rocks formed more than 200 million years ago found two miniscule mites and a fly preserved in tiny drops of amber. Highly-magnified photographs of the creatures show the mites, in particular, to be perfectly preserved. At 230 million years old, they're about 100 million years older than the oldest previous find of their kind.
The bugs probably fed off the leaves of the tree in whose resin they were eventually preserved. Researchers say the discovery shows the mites' ability to adapt to changing evolutionary conditions. For film lovers, though, it has striking echoes of the Stephen Spielberg blockbuster, Jurassic Park, in which a team of scientists use the DNA of a mosquito preserved in amber to recreate dinosaurs with predictably terrifying results.
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chipping away at
knocking off bits of (rocks)
miniscule
very very small
preserved
maintained in its original state
magnified
close-up
resin
sticky flammable organic substance
adapt
adjust, cope with
striking echoes
close similarities
predictably
expected
Just outside the athletes' village, a room which is a hive of activity. Paralympians need reliable equipment. This is where they come when a vital piece of apparatus breaks during competition. A quick fix can mean the difference between success and failure. Technicians are busy welding wheelchairs and filing running blades. The most common repair is for punctured tyres. And nobody, no matter how complex the problem, is turned away.
Russell Pizzey manages the workload. Wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby present his biggest challenges. Those sports involve lots of contact, and in rugby especially the players try to smash each other to bits.
Russell Pizzey, from Ottobock:
They definitely come in on quite a number of visits. Not just one visit only, and again it's depending on the game, the amount of impacts they take during that game. So again we can see big repairs to wheels, let alone the frames.
London is the 12th Paralympics for Ottobock, the company which runs the workshop. The athletes don't pay a thing, and so far at these Games those representing more than 120 countries have sought its help.
They've been frantically busy ever since they opened their doors at the Olympic Park, and they say the figure of nearly 2,200 repairs, which were carried out in Beijing, is set to be surpassed.
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a hive of activity
a busy place
vital
absolutely necessary
complex
complicated
workload
the amount of work that comes in
challenges
difficulties
sought
looked for
frantically
madly or hurriedly
surpassed
exceeded
Nebraska farmer Jeremy Leech is happy to be harvesting his corn this year. In 2011 he spent around $7,500 on herbicides that completely failed to stem the weeds strangling his crops.
To overcome the problem of resistance, Dow Agrosciences are now seeking a licence to plant a new type of GM that has resistance to Roundup, and another older chemical called 2,4-D. 2,4-D is best known as a component of Agent Orange, a defoliant sprayed extensively during the Vietnam war. But farmers like Jeremy Leech are worried that if the new GM is overused, weeds might well become resistant to it as well.
Jeremy Leach, farmer:
I think 2,4-D will work fine but I’m afraid, nervous, of what’s going to happen, four or five years down the road now if we keep using 2,4-D like we’re going to have the same problem we are now with Roundup.
Dow are likely to get the go-ahead to plant the new GM next spring. But, surprisingly, the company stresses that chemicals alone won't beat the weeds. As well as sprays, they say, growers now need to incorporate older weed control techniques often used by organic farmers.
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harvesting
gathering
herbicides
toxic chemicals used to kill weeds
to stem
to stop or restrict
resistance
ability of an organism to protect itself
seeking
applying for
a component
a part of
defoliant
chemical that removes the leaves from trees and plants
extensively
over a wide area
get the go-ahead
be allowed to start
incorporate
include
It's just a scrap of papyrus paper, no bigger than a credit card. It has on it lines of writing in the Coptic language and their message is potentially sensational. They quote Christ as having made a reference to having a wife. Of course, this flies in the face of traditional belief, and Professor Karen King, who's just revealed the text to the world, says it does not prove that Christ did indeed have a wife. But she says it is an indication that some early Christians believed that he did.
Professor Karen King:
"This fragment is not evidence for the marital status of the historical Jesus. Rather, it's evidence that there was a controversy going on in the 2nd century among Christians about whether they should marry or remain celibate. And it's in this context that the question about whether Jesus was married or not was raised for the first time."
So far, experts have agreed that the text is authentic, that it really is as old as it looks. But there's disagreement on the meaning. One Bible scholar argues that the word ‘wife’ could be used here to describe a figure who was only a domestic servant; someone who just cooked and cleaned, and wouldn't be what we would regard as a wife in the life of Christ.
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papyrus paper
paper made from the papyrus plant
sensational
surprising or shocking
flies in the face of
goes against or contradicts
fragment
small part of something
celibate
not married
authentic
real and genuine
scholar
person who studies a particular subject in depth
figure
person
There is an expression which is commonly used in parts of Asia and the Arab world, suggesting that marrying a first cousin is a match made in heaven. Mazar - not his real name - is a British Pakistani, and married to his first cousin. Two of Mazar's five children are severely ill with matching health problems, which also run in his extended family, who live in northern England. He says the majority of his relatives followed the same marriage tradition.
"When she was born she had liver disease. When she had her first liver transplant, that got rejected. Then she had a second liver transplant while she was still there. And then my son was born and he had exactly the same problem."
General practitioner Dr. Rizwan Alidina from Birmingham says the practice has been common for centuries, as a means to preserve family wealth. He does not believe, however, in passing legislation - banning traditions observed by a specific group of people. He's an advocate for the power of education.
"If you go down the legislation route, you get non-engagement, but if you actually start looking at educating and being able to give informed consent choices… because, remember, that these people getting married are adults."
Even though the infant mortality rate within the Pakistani community is high, the risk of developing other severe illness is even higher, indicating that a healthier future should perhaps come from within.
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first cousin
the child of your aunt or uncle
a match made in heaven
a perfect combination of two people
severely ill
extremely sick
transplant
operation where a new organ is put into the body
rejected
not accepted by the body
to preserve
to keep, to maintain
legislation
laws
advocate for
supporter of
non-engagement
lack of participation or acceptance (of a rule)
infant mortality rate
the number of babies and children that die each year
Matchday at the San Paulo stadium in Naples: a cauldron of footballing passion and spiritual home to 60,000 dedicated Napoli supporters. But a vast banner unfurled at the team's last home game hinted at a darker side to Neapolitans' love of football. "Tickets online," it read. "Never!" The message was the work of a group of diehard Napoli ultras.
The reason for their opposition to online ticket sales is simple: some ultras, long-linked with the local Camorra crime syndicate, make a killing out of buying up batches of tickets, then selling them on to eager fans for up to three times their face value. Online sales could help put an end to that.
The scam was highlighted last season when tickets went on sale for Napoli's Champions League match against Chelsea. Camorra-backed thugs bullied their way to the front of the queue, leaving many fans empty-handed, after a 12-hour wait for the chance to see their heroes in action against the London club.
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cauldron
pot used for boiling liquid
spiritual home
a place people feel they belong
unfurled
spread out
diehard
very committed to a cause
ultras
extremely enthusiastic fans
make a killing
earn a lot of money
eager
keen
face value
the advertised price
thugs
violent or aggressive people
empty-handed
unsuccessful (at acquiring something)
I'm standing opposite, arguably, the most famous terrace of 18th century houses in the world. I can see the black shiny door of number 10 and next door number 11. Yes, I'm in Downing Street, of course. I've been drawn here because there's been much reporting of a fight between the occupants. No, not David Cameron and George Osborne, we think they're still pretty good friends, or, at least, as friendly as any politicians can ever be with each other. It's their cats, who were captured on camera fighting.
Freya, that's Mr Osborne's cat, was photographed giving the feline equivalent of a left hook to Larry, that's Mr Cameron's pussy. To be fair, there have been rumours of tensions for some time. Larry, who was brought as a stray to Downing Street to deal with a mouse problem, has seemed, well, fairly indifferent to the job and, reportedly, took nine weeks to catch his first rodent. Last month, Larry is reported to have simply dozed on a chair as mouse ran across the Prime Minister's office, to the frustration of Mr Cameron.
So, is feisty Freya making a move to become Downing Street's top cat? Asked about relations between the two cats, a spokeswoman for the Prime Minister said they co-exist, but insisted she was not "going to get into commenting on the adventures of our feline friends in Downing Street". Shame, could be interesting.
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occupants
people who live in a place
captured on camera
photographed
feline
cat
left hook
swinging punch with the left hand
tensions
strained relationships
stray
homeless animal
indifferent
not bothered about something
dozed
slept lightly
frustration
annoyance
feisty
energetic and troublesome
The television set in the living room used to rule the entertainment choices of generations of British children. But that's no longer the case, at least not according to the latest annual survey of young people's media habits, carried out by the British media regulator, Ofcom.
The survey found that 12 to 15 year olds spent equal amounts of time watching TV and going online - 17 hours a week on average for each medium. And asked which media device they most valued, teenagers rated their mobile phone above the family TV set. Smart phone ownership among teenagers was found to have doubled in just 12 months.
The survey paints a picture of an increasingly tech savvy younger generation, with even very young children confident about, and familiar with, a wide variety of digital devices. The survey says the take up of digital technologies is faster among teenagers than the general population.
It also comments on the popularity of text messaging, especially among girls. Teenage girls typically send 30 or more text messages a day, 35% more than boys do. Ofcom says the findings highlight the challenges parents face in keeping up with children's use of technology in order to protect them.
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the case
the situation
habits
regular practices or activities
media regulator
organisation that oversees the lawful and fair running of mass communication companies
medium
type of technology
valued
treasured or cared about
paints a picture
shows evidence
tech savvy
confident and knowledgeable in using technology
devices
gadgets
typically
on average
the challenges
the difficulties
This was an independent project at University College London. For six months, researchers captured London's twittersphere, as sent by GPS telephones and tablets, and used a computer programme to identify which languages they were in; that's 3.3 million tweets in a total of 66 languages. 92.5% were in English, but the fascinating detail comes in the analysis of the non-English portion.
The biggest presence was of Spanish language tweets, followed by French, Turkish, Arabic, Portuguese and German. The map created also shows where in London the tweets were sent. The pre-eminence of Spanish tweeting may, in part, be due to the recent influx of young Spaniards seeking work, as well of course as London's resident Latin American population. That French was the next most tweeted language reflects the fact that there are an estimated third of a million French people living in London, but also that they're often younger and more likely to be Twitter users.
Less obvious languages which registered included Basque and Haitian Creole. Early research seemed to throw up a large amount of Tagalog, the language of the Philippines. But it turned out the computer programme was wrongly identifying text-friendly terms such as 'ha ha ha' and 'lol, lol, lol'.
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twittersphere
people using the social networking site, Twitter, in a particular place
GPS (Global Positioning System)
satellite technology
tablets
small, portable computers
portion
part, percentage
pre-eminence
dominance, surpassing all others
influx
arrival of large numbers
estimated
approximate
to throw up
to reveal
wrongly
incorrectly
lol
'text language' for 'laughing out loud'
Any comic book fan can tell you that when Superman came to Earth as a refugee from the Planet Krypton, saving lives and foiling the plots of evil madmen would be his main day job. But there was also the question of how to keep his alter ego, Clark Kent, occupied, and when the character first came out in print, his creators decided that he would be a newspaper journalist. Very handy, if you want to be the first to know about major catastrophes.
But now the mild-mannered reporter is going solo. DC Comics, which publishes the Superman stories, says that Clark Kent will walk out of his job at the Daily Planet, protesting that hard news has given way to too many soft 'entertainment' stories. It's a scenario that real reporters - and their readers and listeners - might recognise. What kind of stories do the public really want - showbiz gossip, or the latest discussions from the UN? DC Comics has hinted that Clark Kent might even go the way of many journalists and become a blogger, in an effort to get his own, non-super views across to a wider audience. But for fans who think that this is all getting a little bit too much like grim reality, don't worry. In a nod to the changing media landscape of the 1970s, Clark temporarily ditched his notebook for a camera, becoming a cable TV presenter. But he never forgot his real calling - saving the planet.
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refugee
person who has been forced to leave their country (in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster)
foiling
preventing
alter ego
secondary or alternative personality
catastrophes
events causing great and often sudden damage or suffering
scenario
hypothetical situation
grim reality
unpleasant things in real life
a nod
recognition
ditched
got rid of
The ship's mooring is wintry cold. Nothing, though, compared to Antarctica. Temperatures can hit minus 90 celcius. And Sir Ranulph will be skiing the 2000 miles.
On the ship's bridge, the 68 year old says he hopes to raise millions for charity, and conduct scientific research. The team of six must be self-sufficient, so they're taking bulldozers to drag their living quarters and supplies.
Sir Ranulph Fiennes: "The vehicles, I would think, personally, are a bigger potential problem than the people. Minus 80 could be… damage to lung tissue when you're breathing in when you're skiing. But, in the vehicles, you have got steel, you've got rubber, which don't like minus 70, never mind when they're towing everything that they have to tow."
Can he do it? Even Britain's most acclaimed living explorer says he just doesn't know.
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mooring
the place where a boat is secured, or moored
temperatures
measurements of heat
bridge
platform from which a boat is steered
conduct
carry out
self-sufficient
relying only on themselves to survive
drag
pull behind
living quarters
rooms to sleep in
lung tissue
cell material which forms part of the lungs
towing
pulling using a vehicle
acclaimed
praised publicly
Britain finished third in the gold medal table at the London Olympics. The target is for the country to become the first host nation to improve on its tally at the following Games. And so UK Sport, which divides up the cash available to individual sports, has increased its funding to five hundred and sixty two million dollars, a rise of eleven per cent. But those sports which underperformed in 2012 have seen their allowance go down. Liz Nichol is the Chief Executive of UK Sport:
"We're very confident that the system can be even better in Rio. We're very confident there is more medal-winning potential to come. And so we're setting out with a very ambitious goal, we want to be the first nation in recent history to be more successful in both the Olympics and the Paralympics post hosting."
In this century Australia, Greece and even China failed to match their medal count in the years after they staged the summer Olympics. Britain has a no-compromise approach to investment. It means the likes of cycling, rowing and boxing, which delivered in London, get a financial windfall. But the amount set aside for swimming, which failed to meet expectations, has been slashed by six and a half million dollars. And there are four sports - basketball, handball, wrestling and table tennis - which will receive no money at all. Meanwhile, Paralympic sports were given a huge boost; their pot of cash has been swollen by 43%.
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target
aim, goal
tally
number
underperformed
did not do as well as expected
allowance
amount of money given
confident
sure, full of belief
ambitious
requiring a lot of effort
staged
hosted
windfall
unexpected gain
slashed
cut significantly
swollen
increased