Current Affairs: English News, Beyoncé, Olympics, Rosetta

Benefits of Following News in English

Nowadays, many things can be said about this topic. In fact, there are many different opinions, and it is a very common discussion. People don’t agree easily, but you cannot deny that it is an interesting topic.

Reading the newspaper and watching news programs in English are excellent ways to build vocabulary and be aware of public opinion in other countries. Reading articles about your own country in English newspapers can leave you very surprised because the perspective is often very different. On the Internet, you can easily access news sources in English.

Staying abreast of current affairs is also a great source of conversation topics, both in meetings with friends and chats over the Internet with friends who speak English.

Beyoncé Knowles: Music Icon Profile

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles was born in Houston, Texas, on September 4th, 1981. She is the eldest daughter of Tina and Mathew Knowles and has a sister, Solange.

Her musical career started at the end of the 90s. She is a singer, composer, dancer, fashion designer, and actress. She was the main voice in the group Destiny’s Child. Her first album as a soloist was Dangerously in Love. It was a very successful album which won five Grammy awards in 2004.

Her fifth album, Beyoncé (2013), is an innovative album containing seventeen videoclips.

I chose this singer because I love her voice and I think that she is one of the best singers in the history of music.

Security Concerns for Winter Olympics

In recent years, there have been several attacks in Russia. Many of them are caused by Islamic militant groups operating in Chechnya. Doku Umarov was the leader of such groups. He expressed intentions to attack the Winter Olympics Games (likely referring to Sochi 2014). Mr. Putin stated that terrorists would not disrupt Russia’s Winter Olympics. A special security zone was set up around the host city along the Black Sea coast and 40 kilometers inland.

Rosetta Spacecraft Comet Mission Update

Rosetta is an unmanned spacecraft which was launched ten years prior to its awakening from hibernation (launched in 2004). Inside the spacecraft, there is a small lander called Philae. This lander was designed to attach itself to a speeding comet. A comet is made of ice and dust and orbits the Sun. For several months, Rosetta moved towards the comet (Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko) at high speeds, eventually reaching its target.