IN THE news: reading Comprehension

Berlin’s Vote to Take Properties from Big Landlords Could be a Watershed Moment (The Guardian)

Read all about Berlin's recent referendum vote to expropriate thousands of apartments, in this advanced-level English article from the Guardian

Brazil Protesters Denounce Bolsonaro Over COVID Crisis (Al Jazeera)

Read this intermediate-level article from Al Jazeera about protests in Brazil against president Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the corona pandemic. The article includes vocabulary explanations and related conversation questions.

Amazon Workers in Alabama Vote Against Forming Company’s First Union (The Guardian)

Amazon has won a victory in its hard-fought campaign to stop workers at an Alabama warehouse forming the company’s first union, in a tough blow for the US labor movement

Germany: Collective Deportation of Tamils to Sri Lanka Met With Outrage (Info Migrants)

Twenty-four Tamils have been deported from Germany to Sri Lanka. Citing the danger returnees face, a refugee support organization and a Catholic priest condemned the action

Malcolm X Family Demands Reopening of Murder Investigation (BBC News)

The daughters of assassinated US black civil rights leader Malcolm X have requested that the murder investigation be reopened in light of new evidence

Algeria to Collect 1 Million Signatures for Bill Criminalising French Colonialism (Middle East Monitor)

Algerian MPs have started a petition to call on the government to enact a law to criminalise the French colonial occupation of the country

More Than 5,000 Protesters Arrested in Russia (DW)

Police have detained over 5,100 people in Russia and used unprecedented security measures to try and stop the protests

Argentina Legalises Abortion (DW)

Women in Argentina will now have the right to terminate pregnancy up to 14 weeks. The Senate vote is an important development for abortion rights in Latin America.

Federal Judge Orders Wisconsin to Provide Transition Care to Trans Inmate (them)

A judge has ruled that a trans inmate in Wisconsin should receive gender-affirming medical care.

Ella Kissi-Debrah: Nine-Year-Old is First Person in the UK to Have Air Pollution Listed on Death Certificate (iNews)

For the first time ever in the UK, a coroner has ruled that air pollution made a ‘real contribution’ to Ella’s death in 2013

Oklahoma Elects a Non-Binary Black Muslim Millennial to The State House (LGBTQ Nation)

27-year-old Mauree Turner unseated an incumbent and cruised to victory to become the first Muslim individual elected in Oklahoma.

Poland Protesters Tussle with Police After Abortion Ruling (euronews)

Poland's constitutional court has ruled that abortions due to birth defects are unconstitutional