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1. The United Arab Emirates-based company that was sent to take over port operations in 6 major U. S. ports has agreed to a broader review before taking over operations. The move comes amid concerns from Congress about the deal.
2. The captors of kidnapped American journalist Jill Carroll set Sunday as the day for their demands to be met, or they said Carroll would be killed. Carroll disappeared from a Baghdad street on January 7th while working for the Christian Science Monitor.
3. Investigators in Texas are trying to find out if a powdery substance found at the University of Texas, Austin, is ricin. A student found the substance in a dormitory but more tests need to be done to determine if it is the deadly poison.
4. Crowds gathered in New Orleans for a muted Mardi Gras this year. People lined famous Bourbon Street, packed with bars and restaurants, and caught some of the beads being thrown down from balconies along the street buildings. The party is considered a significant achievement, organized just 6 months after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast.
WORDS IN THE NEWS
1. muted :adj.
subdued and understated
e.g. The speech received only a muted response from the unions.
2. Mardi Gras :noun [C usually singular]
the day before the beginning of Lent, which is celebrated in some countries with lots of music, colourful costumes and dancing in the streets
3. bead :
a small coloured often round piece of plastic, wood, glass, etc.
e.g. She wore a string of green glass beads around her neck.
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