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1. Pope Benedict used his first Easter message as pontiff to touch on 2 sensitive subjects facing world leaders. Speaking from the Vatican, he called on countries to use diplomacy to defuse nuclear crises, and also prayed that Palestinians would one day have their own state.
2. Iraqi leaders have again stalled in their efforts to form a unity government. Today, they postponed a parliament session after they failed to agree on a prime minister.
3. Aruban authorities say they've made an arrest in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. The Alabama teen was last seen May 30th. Authorities would not give the name of the person arrested, but do say the individual is 19 years old and has the initials G.V.C.
4. Those waiting until the last moment to do their taxes are running out of time. For most of the country, tomorrow was the deadline to have returns in the mail. However, because Monday is a holiday in Massachusetts, some in the Northeast can wait until Tuesday to fill out their forms.
WORDS IN THE NEWS
1. touch on :phrasal verb
to mention a subject briefly when speaking or writing about another subject:
e.g. The talk was about educational opportunities for adults, and the speaker also touched upon sources of finance.
2. defuse :verb [T]
to make a difficult or dangerous situation calmer by reducing or removing its cause, or to prevent a bomb from exploding:
e.g. The two groups will meet next week to try to defuse the tension.
3. stall :verb
to delay taking action or avoid giving an answer in order to have more time to make a decision or obtain an advantage:
e.g. She says she'll give me the money next week but I think she's just stalling (for time).
4. initial : noun [C usually plural]
the first letter of a name, especially when used to represent a name:
e.g. He wrote his initials, P.M.R., at the bottom of the page.
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