Press review

Press review about the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen and welcome to my press review about the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache.

I was reading the article” Austria’s far-right vice chancellor resigns after video sparks corruption scandal” written by Andy Eckardt on Saturday the May 18^th and published on the internet website www.euronews.com. It deals with the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache.

I thought you might be interested in this article, because the next elections will take place on 26 May and Strache will no longer be eligible as Chancellor due to his speedy and short-term resignation.

Basically, the article states that he was illegally involved in a "political assassination" and allegedly showed a meeting between Strache, another party official and a woman who pretended to be the niece of a Russian oligarch in Ibiza.

The author mentions that the meeting took place months before the elections.

In it, Strache seems to tell the woman that she can expect lucrative construction contracts if she buys an Austrian newspaper and supports the Freedom Party.

What surprised me most was that Strache resigned so spontaneously before the elections and that he was politically involved in an illegal assassination.

It is also said that this video has obviously been taken illegally and therefore appropriate legal actions will be taken.

In my mind it is not surprising that such a video of Heinz Christian Strache exists as he has never been known to be a very reputable politician. However, the fact that this leak happened so shortly before the elections, although the video had been taken a long time ago, shows that whoever staged all of it wanted to damage Strache and the FPÖ (freedom party of Austria) as much as possible.

What do you think about Strache's exit and what do you think will be the impact on the upcoming election?

resignation	Rücktritt
Vice-Chancellor	Vizekanzler
sparks	auslösen
eligible	geeignet
due	Anteil
assassination	Attentat
allegedly	angeblich
lucrative construction contracts	Lukrativer Bauauftrag
Appropriate	angemessen
leak	Abzweig

News

Political will to fight climate change is fading, 

warns UN chief

Political will to fight climate change appears to be fading, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned.

Speaking in New Zealand, Mr Guterres praised the country for measures it had undertaken to combat climate change.

European Parliament

Hi guys!

Today I'm going to tell you something About the European Parliament. 

The European Parliament is the Parliament of the European Union. The European Union is a federation of states, an association of European states. This club has a parliament, which is a meeting of 751 people who can pass laws. Laws are important rules that the member states of the European Union must adhere to.

Who votes for the European Parliament?
Every five years there is a European election. Some Members of Parliament may lose their seat there. Some of them are elected again, others not. In this way, new deputy keeps coming to Parliament.
All citizens in a state that is a member state of the European Union are allowed to vote. The exact rules are different from state to state. Each voter gets a piece of paper on which he can tick the party he/she likes. The more voters vote for a party, the more members of parliament they get.

How does the parliament work?
In total, the European Parliament has 751 members. They come from the 28 countries that make up the European Union. Each meet in a building in the French city of Strasbourg. Parliament elects a president who takes care that the meetings are going well.

What can the European Parliament do?
The European Parliament adopts directives and other rules. However, Parliament cannot decide on it alone: ​​a proposal only becomes law if the Council of Ministers agrees. The Council of Ministers consists of the governments of the member states. Furthermore, Parliament cannot propose a law itself. Only the European Commission can do that. This is a kind of European Government.

I hope you have been able to find out something new About the European Parliament.

Yours

Andi!

Tourism in New England

Tourism in New England

Hi guys!

In our last English hour, we talked about New England who is defined as the six states of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

Most of the area retains a rural charm and low population, is well-travelled and has a thriving tourist industry.

The 6 states of New England:

Maine 

Known for its seacoast fishing villages, wooded and remote interior, and stunning vistas such as those found in Acadia National Park. 

Vermont 

The fall foliage Vermont is not-to-be missed, while during the rest of the year the state offers a rural charm unique in America.

New Hampshire 

A fiercely independent state that offers the rugged White Mountains, idyllic lakes, and a handful of ocean resorts. 

Massachusetts 

The birthplace of America's revolution, home to the Pioneer Valley, the vacation hotspot of Cape Cod, and the always-interesting city of Boston. 

Rhode Island 

The smallest state in the United States, but has many miles of coastline and islands, and home to Providence and Newport. 

Connecticut 

Home to Hartford and the Knowledge Corridor, Mystic Seaport, the restaurant and nightlife scene in downtown New Haven, the rural countryside of the Litchfield Hills and the north-eastern Quiet Corner, the Maritime Aquarium, and two major Native American casinos.

If I could choose, I would travel to Massachusetts and Maine.

I want to visit both sites of Massachusetts to compare the differences. I want to go to Beacon Hill, to the New England Aquarium for Whale Watching and sport matches e.g. baseball, basketball and hockey. Also, I would like to go White Water Rafting.

In Maine, I want to chill on beaches, discover wildlife and eat some special food at Lobster Festivals.

In which of the 6 states would you like to travel and what would you do and visit there?

Yours Andi!

Order Phrases

If you would like to revise offer phrases, use the following link

Oh Danny Boy - Irish Traditional

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ppdB6JX99Q

Basically, I think this song is not so bad, but there are better versions than this “Irish Traditional” with the singing of a woman.
"Oh Danny Boy" is sung by a woman, so I think it's about a young couple. The man must go to war in another country; therefore they have to go their separate ways for a long time.

UNESCO world heritage sites from each continent
Asia	Ujung Kulon
The Ujung Kulon National Park on the southwestern tip of the island of Java was Indonesia's first national park. The great importance results from the species richness of the animal world, in particular the Java rhinos living there and the largest lowland rainforest on Java as well as the surrounding marine fauna.
Africa	Fasil Ghebbi
Fasil Ghebbi is a fortified town in the Gonder region of Ethiopia and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the city was the residence of the Ethiopian Emperor Fasilidas, who built a residence for the rainy season. His successors continued to expand the city and palace.
North America	Independence Hall
Independence Hall is the building where both the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted. It is now the centerpiece of the Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
South America	Churches of Chiloé
The Churches of Chiloe in Chile's Chiloe Archipelago are a unique architectural phenomenon in the Americas, and one of the most prominent styles of Chilota architecture.
Europe	Vlkolinec, Slovakia
Vlkolínec, situated in the centre of Slovakia, is a remarkably intact settlement of 45 buildings with the traditional features of a central European village.
Australia	Ningaloo Coast
The Ningaloo Coast is a World Heritage Site located in the North west coastal region of Western Australia. The 705,015-hectare heritage listed area is located approximately 1,200 kilometres north of Perth, along the East Indian Ocean.
Antarctica	Nothofagus
This beautiful plant is convincing in all respects. With it‘s protruding side branches the Antarctic Beech shows a conspicuous and bizarre growth. Their fresh green leaves reach a size of three centimeters. Striking is the strongly wavy shape of the leaves. In autumn they turn into a beautiful green or yellow. As a solitary tree, this tree offers in the garden. With a final height of about ten meters, he is an impressive resident of the garden.

The Vlkolinec, Slovakia

I would like to visit the village Vlkolínec, because it looks very interesting and old-fashioned.

Vlkolínec, situated in the centre of Slovakia, is a remarkably intact settlement of 45 buildings with the traditional features of a central European village. It‘s the region’s most complete group of these kinds of traditional log houses, often found in mountainous areas.

In this village historical traditions, houses, habits and craftwork are preserved until today. The number of inhabitants today isn‘t more than twenty. It‘s a picturesque village because it‘s one of ten Slovak villages which has been granted a status of a folk architecture reservation, because the village is untouched and has preserved historical monuments from 15th century. Typical house consisted of pitvor - the typical corridor in the house, stall, chamber, main room and barns.

The historical atmosphere is revived also by the well in the center of the village. It used to be the only source of drinking water for the inhabitants.

Yours

Andrea