Today's Headlines:

Turkey's rise in C-section births

Opera for babies

Surfing dogs in California

Transcript:

Around the globe, caesarean section rates have increased dramatically. In Turkey, more than half of babies are born by C-section - the highest rate in the world. That's despite introducing a law five years ago, making elective caesarean sections a punishable offense. The rising age of first-time mothers and multiple births resulting from IVF treatment are often blamed for forsaking the natural birth route. But with increasing awareness about its benefits for healthy mothers, most Turkish women these days hope to give birth naturally.

This is opera for beginners. A shorter show, a more succinct storyline and a chance for the audience to move around. All required when you're not yet two. Welcome to BambinO, the latest show from Scottish Opera aimed fairly and squarely at babies. So far the show has been a big hit at festivals and on tour, not to mention with audiences big and small.

Dogs that'll do anything to please their owners have been proving it in style at the World Dog Surfing Championships in California. They've been jumping onto surfboards and attempting, much like humans do, not to fall off. These pups were competing to be top dog at the competition, which drew a crowd of humans, dogs and even humpback whales.

Words and phrases and definitions:

elective
voluntary

forsaking
stop using; giving up

fairly and squarely
completely; totally

top dog
(here) the winner; the best

Exercise:

Use one of the words or phrases from Lingohack to complete each of these sentences. Note that you may have to change the form of a word or phrase to complete the sentence correctly.

elective / forsaking / fairly and squarely / top dog

1. When Pele was on the football field, he was ______ and no one could beat him.

2. The blame for the school's broken window lies ______ with the children.

3. A hospital spokeswoman said the shortage of beds could lead to the cancellation of some ______ surgery, and that patients would be notified if their operation were cancelled.

4. Tony needed a career change and decided to ______ teaching for a job in journalism.

Answers:

1. When Pele was on the football field, he was top dog and no one could beat him.

2. The blame for the school's broken window lies fairly and squarely with the children.

3. A hospital spokeswoman said the shortage of beds could lead to the cancellation of some elective surgery, and that patients would be notified if their operation were cancelled.

4. Tony needed a career change and decided to forsake teaching for a job in journalism.