Shadowing Practice: Laos alcohol poisoning charges expected; Every driver's worst nightmare | Today Show Australia - Learn English Speaking with Video
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From Nine News, this is your news today.
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Good morning, this is your news today, streaming on Nine Now and on YouTube.
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We begin in Melbourne where the families of two young women
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killed in a methanol poisoning in Laos are outraged over the charges expected to be laid against those allegedly responsible.
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Let's go live to Christina Hearn.
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Chris, good morning.
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Charles, good morning.
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It is expected that officials in Laos will announce later today the findings of their investigation.
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Those allegedly responsible are only expected to be hit with two charges
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and they are producing a hazardous substance and also running a business illegally.
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Collectively, those charges carry a maximum one year in jail and a fine of $1,600.
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It is not expected that murder or manslaughter charges will be laid.
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Understandably, this has devastated and infuriated the families of Bianca Jones and Holly Morton Bowles,
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Both young women from Melbourne were killed in November 2024 in a mass methanol poisoning in a backpackers in Laos.
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Mark Jones, who is the father of Bianca, said he is disgusted by those charges.
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And Charles, he wants Anthony Albanese to intervene.
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We will speak to those families later in the program.
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Chris, thank you.
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Two men and a woman are in police custody this morning after a dramatic arrest in Sydney's west, with police also seizing a car from the property.
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Live now to Sarah Stewart with more.
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Sarah, good morning.
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Good morning to you, Sylvia.
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That's right, those two men and one woman were arrested last night in pretty dramatic scenes in Maryland.
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From around 5.30, police surrounded that home with bear cats on the ground and polaire from above on a speaker.
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They ordered those people to come out of the property.
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They did so with their hands in the air.
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They were taken into custody where they remain this morning.
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A short time after that, police also seized a white Porsche from the back of the property.
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That was taken away on the back of a truck.
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It is currently being examined at the moment.
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Police are investigating if that car is linked to another incident that happened in Sydney a couple of days ago.
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We are expecting police to release more details this morning, Sylvia.
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Sarah, thank you.
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Donald Trump is set to make a primetime speech later today with reports the president will revisit his claims
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that the 2020 election was rigged.
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While the exact content of his speech is yet to be confirmed, Trump told media earlier this week that voting would be discussed.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has awarded outgoing UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer with the Ukrainian Order of Freedom,
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the highest award for a foreign person.
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The recognition comes during his final visit to Kiev as Prime Minister
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before Andy Burnham is expected to take over the top job on Monday.
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Millions of people in the US are facing dangerous air quality as more than 100 wildfires burn across Canada.
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Smoke has drifted into major cities like Chicago, Detroit, New York and Boston, causing concern for people who have difficulty breathing.
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A US pilot is being investigated after a low flyover caused chaos on a beach in Florida. That is a buzz.
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Let's go live to our US correspondent Reid Butler.
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Good morning, Reid.
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Charles, it's enough to make you want to spit out your waterfront pina colada.
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These beach crowds would have felt it in their bones when the US Navy's elite Blue Angels flew
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terrifyingly close during an air show in Florida.
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Certainly frightening.
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Witnesses say it whipped up a mini tornado on the beach, sending tents and chairs and towels and sand flying.
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US Navy's flight demonstration squadron is investigating,
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saying the flyover was too low for standard operations in this kind of air show.
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No-one was injured, though, and, Charles, you get the feeling the spectators loved it.
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Memorable story to tell, Reid.
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Thank you.
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King Charles has found a royal remedy for England's World Cup heartbreak, a pint.
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His Majesty managed to laugh about the loss while pulling a beer during a visit to a pub.
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Maybe it's a good day to drown a few sorrows.
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Live now to Mimi Becker in London.
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Sylvia, it was a quip from the King acknowledging the disappointment that many England fans are still feeling today.
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His Majesty lightening the mood at a brewery visit today.
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He was accompanied by Queen Camilla, the pair marking 250 years of that brewery in Dorset.
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They also met with representatives from local charities and the King was also introduced to an owl.
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Now, separately, Princess Anne is currently touring overseas and she's in Thailand where she's met with the country's Prime Minister.
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It's been 40 years since she was there in Thailand.
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And the Royal Family have also posted video of her meeting a robot in South Korea a couple of days ago.
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The pair managed to shake hands, but the Royal Family, waiting for that vision, the Royal Family have joked, but can it curtsy, Sylvia?
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One more trick for the robots to learn, Mimi, thank you.
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Now to what could be every driver's worst nightmare.
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Six mini roundabouts surrounded by one almighty traffic circle.
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What is going on here?
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Known as the Magic Roundabout, don't know about that.
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It's located in the English town of Hemel Hempstead and has confused drivers, young and old, since 1973.
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One man posted his tour of the roundabout online and people were stumped.
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Here we go.
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So ready for this?
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Yeah, no, you're going to turn left.
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Oh, I am.
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So roundabout, mini roundabout people look at this okay here we go
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so yeah just here's the first roundabout there it is take a left all right okay
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so then get in the right get in the right yeah yeah now turn right on this one yeah
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there you go this roundabout yeah a little right on
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that one okay now on this one yeah keep going then
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take a right again I've got a headache just trying to figure
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that out on paper the roundabout may make sense
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but many say once there it feels like every driver for themselves that looks like carnage to me, Charles.
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I'd love to see Americans tackle it on the wrong side of the road as well, just to make it really confusing.
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Well, from South East Queensland to the globe, a blockbuster action thriller will soon hit our big screens featuring some very familiar places.
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I want to get out of the car.
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I know we can't get out of the car right now.
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I want to get out of the car.
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Well, you said you wanted to get out.
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Let's go live to Andrew Crullers in Brisbane.
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Good morning, Charles.
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Well, for years, Hollywood has been coming here to shoot things, but making us pretend we're somewhere else like Chicago or Miami.
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But now, Runner completely flips the script.
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So it stars Alan Richson and Owen Wilson.
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And it follows them as a former soldier has to race
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against time to get a life-saving liver transplant to a little girl driving between Brizzy and the Gold Coast, all while being chased by a ruthless cartel.
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And while they may be the stars, Queensland certainly steals the show.
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There's plenty of familiar places, the Kangaroo Point Cliffs, the Gold Coast Highway, and all of this drops in cinemas come September, Charles.
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Andrea, thank you.
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It is official.
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Melbourne is now the most expensive city in the world to buy beer and cigarettes.
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The cost of both items has skyrocketed by 90% over the past decade.
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Out of 69 cities, Melbourne leads the rankings on the so-called Oasis Index for the price of five beers
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and two packs of ciggies, totaling $159, which is more than double what it would cost you in New York City.
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I wonder everyone in Melbourne is moving to Brisbane.
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Well, have you ever been polite, but it's somehow backfired?
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Well, this girl's basic decency to say thank you may take the cake literally.
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She gave what she thought were careful instructions to the bakery, making her brother's birthday cake.
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The baker took the words a little too literally.
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Take a look.
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I got my brother a birthday cake he's just turned 17 and
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when I requested the cake in the like little message down
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below I said can you please write happy birthday Brandon thanks
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so much um they took that way too literal they wrote happy birthday Brandon thanks
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so much that is the last time I am being polite
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and saying thank you
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because what the hell it does just look like she's saying
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thanks to her brother at least I didn't put the delivery address on it.
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It was no harm no foul for the brother he commented online saying the cake was great.
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I mean I'm sure she has plenty to thank her brother for as well while she's at it.
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Yeah sure maybe not, maybe it's the other way around.
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Your relationship goes that way doesn't it.
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You're spot on.
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Okay quick look now at the weather for your Friday morning and a mostly sunny day is on the way for Melbourne, Adelaide and Darwin.
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The news isn't as good for Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Perth though with showers on the way, temperatures hovering around 20 degrees.
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Why Practice Speaking with This Video?
This video is a goldmine for english speaking practice because it mirrors real-world conversations—fast-paced, varied, and packed with everyday news updates. Whether you’re learning to discuss current events, ask follow-up questions, or summarize information, the dialogue here trains you to keep up with natural speech flow. Plus, the mix of formal (police reports, political updates) and casual (descriptions of a beach incident) language helps you adapt to different contexts. It’s perfect for shadowspeak—repeating phrases aloud to match tone and rhythm—since the speakers use clear, conversational intonation.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
Let’s break down key structures to boost your skills:
- "It is expected that...": This phrase is used to report future events based on information, e.g., "It is expected that officials will announce findings." Practice it to sound confident when sharing predictions.
- "Linked to another incident": The past participle "linked" here connects two events, showing relationship. Use this structure to explain connections, like "The car is linked to a theft."
- "Causing concern for people who...": This relative clause adds detail about who is affected. Try it: "Smoke is causing concern for people who have asthma."
These phrases are common in news and daily talk, making them essential for shadow speak practice.
Common Pronunciation Traps
The video has tricky words that test your english pronunciation. Watch out for:
- "Methanol" (meh-THAH-nol): Don’t rush the "th" sound—hold it slightly to avoid mixing up with "methyl."
- "Polaris" (poh-LAIR-eez): The stress is on the second syllable; misplacing it can make it hard to understand.
- "Zelenskyy" (zeh-LEN-skee): The final "y" is soft, not a long "ee" sound. Listen closely to mimic the correct rhythm.
Using a shadowing site to repeat these words will help you master their flow. Remember, practice makes perfect—even small tweaks in pronunciation can make a big difference in being understood.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are outraged · is expected · are only expected |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has devastated · has awarded · has drifted |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.