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Our top stories of 2019

In this special edition of News Review, we bring you the biggest stories of the year and wish you a happy 2020!

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• Notre Dame fire
• Greta Thunberg's UN speech
• Climate change: Rich countries must pay for poor

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The stories

Notre-Dame fire under control
Senior fire officers in Paris say the blaze that's devastated Notre-Dame is now under control. The spire and roof of the medieval cathedral, one of the world's great religious landmarks, have been gutted. But the main structure, including the two towers, has been saved. A fireman has been badly injured.

Greta Thunberg's UN speech
Teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg says: "People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are at the beginning of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!"

Climate change report: rich must pay for poor
A study of how the world can adapt to climate change says the richest countries must invest billions of dollars to safeguard livelihoods, coastal cities, food and water supplies. The analysis has called for investment in early warning systems for storms and high tides and climate-resilient urban infrastructure.

Key words and phrases

priceless
so valuable that it cannot be priced

• Thieves managed to enter the museum but no priceless artwork was stolen.
• This is the last photo we ever took together. It's priceless to me.

death stare
look of hatred aimed at a person

• She gave her boss a death stare then announced she was quitting.
• Rob gave Neil a death stare after he took the last biscuit.

pay off
succeed and bring benefit

• If you study hard now, it will pay off later. You'll get a good job and have a good life.
• My investment was a bit of a gamble, but it really paid off. Now I'm a millionaire!

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