1. After years in captivity Colombia's military says it has rescued 15 hostages, among them former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and three US military contractors. They were kidnapped in 2002.

2. Police are looking into whether drugs fueled a killing rampage in Illinois and Missouri. Nicholas Sheley was arrested yesterday. He's suspected of killing eight people from a toddler to a 93-year-old all by what police are calling "blunt force trauma" to the head.

3. Three people are dead and another 45 wounded after a Palestinian man plowed an enormous construction vehicle through a busy Jerusalem street. He was later shot dead by security officers.

4. Some call it the fairway, others call it the carpet. It's green algae that covers a third of the sea off the city of Qingdao where Olympic teams are training. But officials promised that all 19 square miles of the competition area will be cleared by the start of the games.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1.captivity [uncountable]n.

when a person or animal is kept in a prison, cage etc and not allowed to go where they want

2.fuel[transitive]v.

to make something, especially something bad, increase or become stronger

3.rampage n.

a course of violent, riotous, or reckless action or behavior

4.toddler [countable]n.

a very young child who is just learning to walk

5.blunt force trauma

What is blunt force trauma?
Blunt force trauma is kind of an umbrella term. It is non-specific but sufficient enough to put on a death certificate. However, it can take many forms. Blunt force trauma is caused by a blunt object striking some part of the body. The blunt object may be a bat, wrench, hammer, floor, dashboard, etc. The typical signs of blunt force trauma include lacerated major blood vessels or aorta, lacerated or crushed organs, hematoma, crushed or severed spinal cord or fractures of the skull. Any one of these injuries is sufficient to cause death.

While automobile accidents and accidental falls represent the greatest causes of blunt force trauma, this type of injury is also present in a wide variety of homicide cases when gunshot wound is not the cause of death. Most homicides involving blunt force trauma result from the victim being struck in the head or neck with an object such as a hammer, fireplace poker, flower vase, etc. In these cases the bones of the skull or neck are fractured in one or more places by the velocity of the blow. Blunt force trauma can also occur if the victim has been severely beaten with an object or with fists. In these cases the injuries are generally to internal organs like the kidneys, liver, spleen, etc.

6.fairway[countable]n.

the part of a golf course that you hit the ball along towards the hole

7.algae [uncountable]n.

a very simple plant without stems or leaves that grows in or near water