26th June 2014

British English edition

Issue Number 226
In this issue
Fishing spiders
Offensive in North Waziristan
Longest and shortest days
New World Heritage Sites
Famous tusker killed
Ceasefire in eastern Ukraine
Egypt, news reporters
sentenced
Lost Persian army legend
explained
Cave rescue in Germany
Mystery on Titan
World Refugee Day
Emperor penguins adapt
Dinosaurs and mesotherms
Aleutian Islands earthquake
Big echidna search
Amazons new smartphone
President re-elected in
Colombia
Berlins House of One
Ocean Conference
Glossary Crossword and
Wordsearch Puzzle
ISIS picture showing some of its fighters moving through a town in Syria
Each week, Iraqs prime minister, Nouri
al-Maliki, speaks to, or addresses, the
Iraqi people on live television. When he
spoke on 25th J une he talked about the
crisis in the country. In recent weeks
large areas of Iraq have been seized by a
militant Sunni Muslim group called ISIS.
Many blame the prime minister for
Iraqs problems. Mr al-Maliki leads a
Shia political party. His critics say he fa-
vours Shia Muslims over Iraqs other re-
ligious and ethnic groups. These include
Sunni Muslims and Kurds. Mr al-Maliki
and his close followers say this is not
true. Many people are worried that the
sectarian conflict in Iraq will now spread
to other parts of the Middle East.
The divide between Sunni and Shia
Muslims dates back to the death of the
Prophet Muhammad nearly 1,400 years
ago. All Muslims believe that Muham-
mad was Gods messenger. Some people
describe him as the founder of Islam.
When Muhammad died there was a
disagreement about who should lead the
Muslim nation. Sunnis believed that this
person should be chosen or elected. Shi-
as wanted the leadership to pass to one of
Muhammads relatives.
Of all the Muslims in the world about
85% are Sunnis. Large numbers of Shia
Muslims live in Iran and southern Iraq.
Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, and Bahrain
also have big Shia communities.
ISIS was formed in northern Syria
a few years ago. It is believed to have
around 15,000 well-armed men. Its fight-
ers wear black and often cover their faces.
ISIS stands for the Islamic State of Iraq
and the Levant (it is also known as ISIL).
The Levant is a name used to describe
the area around the eastern part of the
Mediterranean Sea. Recently there have
been many reports of ISIS brutality. Its
ISIS AND T HE BAT T LE F OR IRAQ
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leaders encourage suicide bombings
and order frequent executions.
For the last two years ISIS has
been part of an insurgency in Syr-
ia. There, it occupies the northern
part of the country. In Syria several
armed groups, including ISIS, are
fighting against the Syrian army.
The army supports Syrias presi-
dent, Bashar al-Assad. The armed
groups are fighting to overthrow the
president and his government.
The leaders of ISIS say they do
not recognise countries like Iraq and
Syria. They plan to set up a new Sunni
Islamic state. This, they claim, will
cover a large part of the Middle East.
Everyone within this state would have
to follow very strict religious laws.
TURKEY
JORDAN
SYRIA
IRAQ
IRAN
SAUDI
ARABIA
Baghdad
Mosul
I
r
a
q
i
K
u
r
d
i
s
t
a
n
O Area controlled by ISIS
In 2003 the USA invaded Iraq.
Then, Saddam Hussein was the
Iraqi leader. He had controlled the
country for over 20 years. Saddam
Hussein and most of the people who
worked for him were Sunnis. The
leaders of the USA claimed that Iraq
was developing WMD (Weapons of
Mass Destruction). They believed
that the Iraqi leader would use these
weapons to threaten or attack other
countries in the Middle East.
George W Bush, the American
president at that time, decided to
launch an invasion. The govern-
ments of several other countries
such as the UK, Australia and Po-
land agreed to help. The invasion
was successful and the Iraqi army
was quickly defeated. Saddam Hus-
sein was captured. A court decided
that he was guilty of crimes against
the Iraqi people. He was sentenced
to death.
Many people in the USA and the
UK are still unhappy about the in-
vasion and occupation of Iraq. They
believe that it was illegal under in-
ternational law. No WMD, which
was the original reason for the war,
were ever found.
After the invasion, fighting broke
out between different Iraqi militant
Shia and Sunni groups. In 2006
the USA organised elections and
Mr al-Maliki became Iraqs prime
minister. The American and other
foreign troops in Iraq helped to train
a new Iraqi army and police force.
By mid 2009 many foreign soldiers
had left Iraq. There were plans for
several thousand American troops
to stay. However, Mr al-Maliki ar-
gued against this. At the end of 2011
all the remaining American troops
returned to the USA.
A few weeks ago a large ISIS
force entered northern Iraq from
Syria. Within a few days it captured
Mosul, Iraqs second largest city.
This is a Sunni area of Iraq. Local
Sunni tribes and former Saddam
Hussein supporters helped the ISIS
fighters. Most Sunnis in this part
of Iraq dislike Mr al-Maliki. They
claim that he and his government
treat all Sunnis unfairly.
Thousands of Iraqi soldiers were
near Mosul. Yet most fled, or ran
away, when the ISIS fighters arrived.
The soldiers left behind most of their
American-made military equipment,
weapons and ammunition. The ISIS
fighters then advanced to several
towns that are within 80 kilometres
(50 miles) of Baghdad.
The northwest of Iraq is a Kurd-
ish area. Under Saddam Hussein the
Iraqi Kurds were very badly treated.
Today this area, which is known as
Iraqi Kurdistan, is still part of Iraq.
Yet the Kurds have their own prime
minister and make many of their
own decisions. The Kurds also have
their own army. Called the Pesh-
merga, it is a well-trained and well-
equipped military force.
After the Iraqi soldiers fled, the
Peshmerga quickly occupied sev-
eral parts of northern Iraq, including
the city of Kirkuk. The Kurds have
always claimed ownership of these
places. Many of Iraqs oilfields are
in this part of the country. So far
ISIS fighters and the Peshmerga
have not attacked each other.
Some reports say that ISIS now
plans to attack Baghdad. Thousands
of young Iraqi men have volun-
teered to fight against ISIS. Nearly
all are Shia Muslims. They were
given weapons and then sent to the
north of Baghdad to stop the ISIS
advance. The leaders of Iran have
offered to help. Some Iranian sol-
diers are now believed to be in Iraq.
Mr al-Maliki has asked for Amer-
ican assistance. Barack Obama, the
president of the USA, says he will
not send large numbers of Ameri-
can troops back to Iraq. Yet, on 25th
J une, over 100 American military
advisors arrived in Baghdad. These
men are expected to help Iraqi army
commanders. They may also be used
to pass information about possible
targets to American fighter planes.
The leaders of other nearby
countries, such as J ordan and Saudi
Arabia, are worried about what is
happening in Iraq. All say ISIS must
be defeated. For many years the
USA and Iran have been enemies.
Surprisingly, if the leaders of both
countries want to prevent the break-
up of Iraq, they may have to work
together.
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page 3
SPIDERS AND FISH
Two scientists from Switzerland and
Australia have recently completed
a study of certain types of spiders.
Nearly all spiders feed on insects.
However, the scientists say that
a surprising number of them also
catch and eat fish.
Spiders are also called arach-
nids. This name comes from the
Ancient Greek word for spider.
People who have arachnophobia are
scared of spiders. In Greek phobia
means fear.
There are thought to be around
43,600 different types of spiders.
All spiders have eight legs, but they
differ in size. The smallest have a
body length of only 0.37 millimetres
(0.015 inches). One of the biggest is
called the Goliath birdeater. These
spiders are found in South America.
They have a leg span of 25 centime-
tres (9.8 inches).
The scientists gathered informa-
tion on all spiders that have been re-
corded catching fish. These spiders,
they say, can be found everywhere
in the world except Antarctica. The
place with the most fish-eating spi-
ders is Florida, in the USA.
The fish that these spiders eat are
small. Most are between two and six
centimetres (0.8 and 2.4 inches) long.
Yet, on average, the fish are up to 4.5
times the arachnids weight and 2.2
times the length of the spiders bodies.
The spiders that catch fish are
semi-aquatic. They live around small
streams, ponds and swamps. A few
can swim and some are able to walk
on water. Insects that can be seen sit-
ting or walking on water are held up
by surface tension. This is like a thin
skin on the waters surface.
Spiders that were recorded catch-
ing fish included wolf spiders, nurs-
ery web spiders, wandering spiders,
and long-legged water spiders. All
are whats known as hunting spi-
ders. Hunting spiders catch their
prey without using a web. One type
of wandering spider is able to swim
underwater for about 20 minutes.
Spider with fish in Ecuador (Ed Germain)
Most fish-eating spiders do not
go into the water. They stay by the
waters edge. Here they use their
back legs to hold onto a stone or
plant. Their front legs can then be
positioned just above the water. If
a small fish comes close enough,
the spider grabs it with its front
legs. The spider then bites the fish.
The fish is killed or paralysed by
the spiders venom. After this the
spider drags the fish away from
the water.
Spiders eat fish in the same way
that they eat insects. They do not
have teeth so spiders are unable to
chew and eat solid things. Instead
they cover their prey with enzymes.
These turn their food into a liquid,
which the spiders then suck up.
Many living things have enzymes
that help to digest, or break down,
food. However, these normally
work inside the body.
Semi-aquatic spiders do not only
eat fish. Most of the time they feed
on insects. The scientists suspect
that these spiders catch fish for spe-
cial reasons. Fish contain a lot of
protein. This protein could be use-
ful for female spiders during mating
periods, as they need to be healthy
at this time.
NORTH WAZIRISTAN OFFENSIVE
On 24th J une officials from the
United Nations (UN) announced
that over 400,000 people have re-
cently left their homes in North Wa-
ziristan. The officials say that many
others may decide to leave. All are
trying to get away from fighting be-
tween a militant Islamic group and
Pakistani government forces.
The militant group is called
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). It
is also known as the Pakistani Tali-
ban. The TTP is based in North Wa-
ziristan. This is a mountainous re-
gion next to Pakistans border with
Afghanistan. This part of Pakistan is
often called the Tribal Areas.
Pakistans prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, and
Barack Obama, president of the USA
The TTP was founded in 2007.
Even though the Taliban from Af-
ghanistan and the TTP have similar
ideas, they are separate organisa-
tions. The leaders of the TTP say
that they want to set up an Islamic
state in Pakistan. Everyone living
within this state would have to obey
very strict religious laws. In recent
years the TTP has carried out many
bombings and shootings in different
parts of Pakistan. These include Is-
lamabad, the countrys capital.
Pakistan is a parliamentary de-
mocracy. The elected members of
the countrys parliament select the
president. The parliament is made
up of the Senate and the National
Assembly. The countrys president
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page 4
is the head of state. Yet he or she has
few powers. It is the prime minister
who runs the country. Normally, this
person leads the political party with
most seats or elected members in
the National Assembly.
Arabian
Sea
North Wazi ri stan
INDIA
AFGHANISTAN
PAKISTAN
Isl amabad
Bannu
Karachi
There was an election in Paki-
stan last year. Nawaz Sharifs party,
called the Pakistan Muslim League
(PLM-N), got the most seats. So
Mr Sharif became Pakistans new
prime minister. Before the elec-
tion Mr Sharif said he would offer
to hold peace talks with the TTP, if
he won.
J ust before these talks began the
TTPs leader was killed. He died in
an American drone (or unmanned
aircraft) strike. The American gov-
ernment insisted that he had or-
ganised attacks against some of its
military convoys. These were trav-
elling from Pakistan to Afghanistan.
Peace talks with other TTP leaders
and Pakistani government officials
eventually started last February. Yet
no agreements were made.
At the beginning of J une, ten
heavily armed men attacked the
airport in Karachi. Karachi is Paki-
stans biggest city and its airport is
the busiest in the country. Pakistani
soldiers surrounded the airport. A
gun battle started. Eventually, the
ten attackers were killed. All were
members of the TTP. During the
attack the armed men killed 36 air-
port workers and set fire to a num-
ber of airport buildings.
Two weeks after the Karachi
airport incident, Pakistani air force
planes began attacking TTP bases in
North Waziristan. The government
then launched a large ground assault.
Military commanders are calling
this offensive Operation Zarb-e-Azb
(Sword of the Prophet). It includes
30,000 soldiers and helicopter gun-
ships. Some people say the TTP will
retaliate. They now expect an increase
in TTP attacks on Pakistani cities.
Most of the people who have
left their homes in North Waziristan
have gone to the nearby city of
Bannu. Reports say that others have
crossed the border into Afghanistan.
The military offensive in North Wa-
ziristan is expected to last for sev-
eral months.
MIDSUMMER AND MIDWINTER
For people living in the northern
hemisphere, 21st J une was the
longest day of 2014. This day is
known as Midsummer or Midsum-
mers day. For those in the southern
hemisphere the day was Midwinter,
or the years shortest day.
It takes the Earth one year to go
around, or orbit, the Sun. As it orbits,
the Earth spins on its axis. This is an
imaginary line. It runs through the
centre of the Earth from the North
Pole to the South Pole. The Earths
axis is at an angle of 23.4 degrees.
So different parts of the Earth get
different amounts of sunlight as it
goes around the Sun. This explains
the seasons and the differing hours
of daylight and darkness throughout
the year.
The Earths northern and southern
hemispheres tilt, or angle, towards
the Sun at different times of the year.
When a hemisphere tilts away from
the Sun the weather is colder and
the days are shorter. When the same
hemisphere tilts towards the Sun, the
opposite happens. The weather is
warmer and the days are longer.
Many people call Midsummers
day the summer solstice. Its true
that this solstice happens around
the time of the longest day. Yet the
solstice is really an exact moment
in time. If you were standing at the
North Pole, the summer solstice is
the moment you see the Sun reach-
ing its highest point in the sky. At
the same time it is the winter sol-
stice in the southern hemisphere.
As the date of the summer sol-
stice gets closer the Sun can be seen
to rise higher and higher at midday.
After the summer solstice the mid-
day Sun gradually moves lower. The
days get shorter and shorter until the
winter solstice arrives. After this the
days gradually get longer again.
People gather at Stonehenge, in the UK, on
Midsummers day, as Sun rises over Heel Stone
The name solstice comes from
two Latin words, sol (or sun) and
sistere (which means to stand still).
In the northern hemisphere the sum-
mer solstice is on 20th or 21st J une
and the winter solstice takes place
on either 21st or 22nd December.
In the southern hemisphere it is the
other way round. The summer sol-
stice is in December and the winter
solstice in J une.
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page 5
The Earth does not complete an
orbit of the Sun in an exact number
of days. This is why the solstice is
not always on the same day each
year. There are 365 days in one year.
Yet one complete orbit takes rough-
ly 365.25 days.
Nowadays most countries use
the Gregorian calendar (also known
as the international calendar). This
calendar is adjusted every four years
by adding an extra day, or 29th Feb-
ruary. (However, there are three
such years in every 400 years when
an extra day is not added.) The years
that have 366 days are called leap
years. The last leap year was 2012.
The next one is 2016.
As the Earth takes about 365.25
days to go around the Sun, each sol-
stice happens about six hours later
than the previous years solstice.
This year, in the northern hemi-
sphere, the summer solstice was on
21st J une. Yet in 2016, or the next
leap year, it will jump back to
20th J une. This is because Febru-
ary will then have 29 days instead
of 28.
It is known that many ancient
cultures and civilisations were
aware of Midsummer (or the sum-
mer solstice). For example, the An-
cient Egyptians, the Inca in South
America, and the Aztecs in Mexico
all designed some of their buildings
to align, or line up, with the sunrise
on Midsummers day.
One of the most famous of these
sunrise alignments is at Stone-
henge, in the UK. There, on Mid-
summers day, from the middle of
the ancient stone circle, it is possi-
ble to see the sun rise over the Heel
Stone. The Heel stone is just outside
the main ring of stones. Nowadays
thousands of people gather at Stone-
henge to watch the sunrise on Mid-
summers day.
NEW WORLD HERITAGE SITES
The World Heritage Committee
held its annual meeting in Doha,
the capital of Qatar, between 15th
and 25th of J une. Each year the
committee announces which sites
in the world have been added to its
World Heritage list. The meeting
was hosted by Sheikha Al-Mayassa
bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani.
She is the sister of the Emir, or
Qatars ruler.
The World Heritage Committee
is part of UNESCO (United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization). One of UNESCOs
jobs is to protect and look after cer-
tain places in the world. These are
sites that are important for histori-
cal, cultural or natural reasons.
Any government can ask for
a special place, or site, in its own
country to be put on UNESCOs
World Heritage list. The UNESCO
World Heritage committee then de-
cides whether it should be included.
Uluru (or Ayers Rock) in Australia
World Heritage Sites are places
that UNESCO believes need special
protection. Countries that apply to
have a site on the World Heritage
list must agree to provide money to
look after it. They must also promise
not to do anything that will threaten
the site. If it is listed as a World
Heritage Site, UNESCO will give
the country some extra money each
year. This money has to be used to
safeguard and protect the site.
Most World Heritage Sites are re-
lated to human culture. Many are old
buildings. For instance, the Pyramids
of Giza, in Egypt, are a World Herit-
age Site. The Statue of Liberty, in New
York City, in the USA, is another.
Replica of one of the prehistoric paintings in the
Chauvet-Pont-dArc Cave, in France
Other World Heritage Sites are
natural sites. These are ecologically
important. An example of a natural
site is Uluru (also known as Ayers
Rock). This is a large sandstone rock
formation in Australia. Another natu-
ral site is Mount Fuji. This is a vol-
cano in Japan. Its last eruption was
just over 300 years ago. Mount Fuji
is also Japans highest mountain.
At the end of the meeting the
committee confirmed that 26 cultur-
al and natural sites had been added
to the World Heritage list. One was
an ancient Inca road system. The
Inca civilisation was centred on
modern-day Peru. Spanish explor-
ers and soldiers destroyed this civi-
lisation after they arrived in South
America about 500 years ago. The
Inca roads are specially constructed
pathways. The pathways go through
high mountains, forests and deserts
in six different countries.
Another new cultural site is the
Chauvet-Pont-dArc Cave, in south-
ern France. It was discovered in
1994. The caves entrance had been
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page 6
hidden by a rock fall. This happened
about 23,000 years ago. Many of the
caves walls are covered in pictures
of prehistoric animals. They include
bison, bears, wild cats, and rhinos.
The pictures are at least 30,000
years old. They are the oldest known
examples of human art.
To protect the paintings only a
few people are allowed in the cave.
A museum is now being built near
by. It will display replicas, or cop-
ies, of the pictures in the cave.
There are now 1,007 World Her-
itage Sites in 161 different countries.
Italy has the most. Many of the Ital-
ian sites are very old buildings. The
country with the most natural sites
is Australia.
FAMOUS ELEPHANT KILLED
On 13th June the Tsavo Trust re-
leased a statement. It confirmed that
a large elephant called Satao was
dead. The elephant, the statement
read, was killed by a poisoned ar-
row. Its tusks were then removed.
The Tsavo Trust is a wildlife con-
servation organisation that is based
in Kenya.
Satao (Tsavo Trust)
Satao was a large African bull,
or male, elephant. The animal was
whats known as a tusker. These
big bull elephants have very long
tusks that almost reach the ground.
Sataos tusks were about two meters
(6.6 feet) long.
African elephants are the worlds
largest land animals. They are often
associated with wisdom and intelli-
gence. The saying an elephant never
forgets shows the popular belief that
they have long memories. Elephants
have been seen doing things that in-
telligent animals, such as dolphins
and some primates (apes), are known
to do. These include showing grief
when a member of the group dies,
using tools, and helping to look after
the babies of others.
Elephant herds are made up al-
most entirely of female elephants.
The only males are youngsters.
When male elephants become adults
they live on their own. The herds
leader is known as the matriarch. The
other elephants in the herd act on the
matriarchs instructions. For in-
stance, the matriarch might decide to
move to a new place to find food and
water. The others then follow. Adult
elephants have no natural predators
(apart from human hunters).
In Kenya and several other Af-
rican countries criminal gangs kill
elephants. They do this for the ani-
mals ivory tusks. People who un-
lawfully kill wild animals are called
poachers. Ivory is worth a lot of
money. A large elephant tusk can be
sold for tens of thousands of dollars.
Ivory is popular in countries such
as China, Thailand, J apan, and the
Philippines. Traditionally, in these
places, ivory is carved to make
works of art, handicrafts and fam-
ily seals. Most of this ivory comes
from Africa.
Nowadays killing elephants in
Africa is illegal. It is also against the
law to buy ivory that has come from
Africa. However, officials in African
countries have found it difficult to
stop the poaching. Trying to patrol or
police the large wildlife parks where
many elephants live is difficult. Last
year at least 20,000 African elephants
were killed for their ivory.
Satao was believed to be about
45 years old. The elephant was one
of the largest in the world. Because
of the danger of poaching, officials
from the Tsavo Trust and the Ken-
ya Wildlife Service (KWS) often
tracked Satao. Usually, the elephant
stayed in the same part of a wildlife
park. Yet a few weeks ago the ani-
mal moved to a different area where
poaching is more common.
Some time ago a filmmaker spent
a few weeks following Satao. He said
that the elephant seemed to deliber-
ately move from bush to bush. The
filmmaker said he was sure that the el-
ephant was doing this to hide its tusks.
If true, Satao may have been aware of
the danger of ivory poachers.
NEWSCAST
EXPENSIVE LYRICS Four old sheets
of handwritten paper have just sold
at an auction for US$2 million
(1.2 million). On the pieces of pa-
per, written in pencil, are the words,
or lyrics, of a very famous song.
Many words have been crossed out
and rewritten. The song is called
Like a Rolling Stone. Bob Dylan,
the well-known American musi-
cian, scribbled the words down in
a hotel room in 1965 when he was
24 years old. Each sheet of paper
still has the hotels name printed at
the top. Like a Rolling Stone tells
the story of a woman who has eve-
rything. Then, her world suddenly
changes. She has nothing and no
money. The song ends with the
words Like a complete unknown /
Like a rolling stone. Bob Dylan is
now 73. The person who sold the
lyrics bought the pieces of paper
from him many years ago. It is not
known who the new owner is.
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page 7
CEASEFIRE IN UKRAINE
On 20th J une, Petro Poroshenko,
Ukraines new president, ordered a
one-week-long unilateral ceasefire.
This was part of his plan to end the
fighting in the east of the country.
The conflict is between government
forces and armed groups or separa-
tists. Three days later the separatists
leaders also declared a ceasefire.
Ukraines president, Petro Poroshenko
Normally two opposing sides
will agree to a ceasefire at the same
time. A unilateral ceasefire is when
one side decides to stop fighting
without demanding that the other
side do the same.
Ukraine used to be part of the Rus-
sian-led Soviet Union. It became an
independent country in 1991. This
was when the Soviet Union started
to break up. However, many ethnic
Russians live in the eastern part of
Ukraine. Most of these people use
Russian as their first language.
Problems began in Ukraine at the
end of last year. Many people joined
street protests in Kiev, the coun-
trys capital city. They were angry
with Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraines
president. Mr Yanukovych refused
to sign a trade agreement, or deal,
with the European Union (EU). He
said a different trade deal would be
arranged with Russia instead.
Most people who live in western
Ukraine would like their country to
work more closely with EU mem-
ber countries. Many are anti Russia.
Yet, most Russian-speaking people
in the east are pro Russia.
The street protests in Kiev be-
came bigger and bigger. Some of
the governments security forces
began to shoot at the demonstrators.
Groups of protesters then took over
government buildings. Mr Yanuko-
vych fled the country and went to
Russia. After he left, the protesters
set up a new temporary government.
Many Russian-speaking people
were unhappy about what had hap-
pened. Mr Yanukovych was demo-
cratically elected. It was wrong,
these people said, to remove an
elected leader in this way. Vladimir
Putin, the president of Russia, in-
sists that Ukraines new temporary
government is unlawful. He de-
clared that Russia was prepared to
protect all Russian-speaking people
in Ukraine.
Russian as a native language:
< 5% 5 - 24% 25 - 75% > 75%
Kiev
UKRAINE
Crimea
RUSSIA
BELARUS
ROMANIA
M
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L
D
O
V
A
P
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L
A
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D
Black Sea
Luhansk
Donetsk
Pro Russian groups in a part of
Ukraine called Crimea organised
a referendum. People could vote if
they wanted Crimea to be part of
Ukraine or Russia. Most voted to
join Russia. Mr Putin then agreed
that Russia would take over, or an-
nex, Crimea. This angered the lead-
ers of many other countries such
as the USA, the UK, Germany,
and France.
Armed groups then started to
take over government buildings in
Donetsk and Luhansk. These are two
Russian-speaking parts of Ukraine
next to the border with Russia. These
groups are called separatists. This is
because they want Donetsk and Lu-
hansk to be separate countries or to
join Russia. The temporary govern-
ment sent military forces to eastern
Ukraine to oppose the separatists.
Fighting then broke out.
A presidential election was held
one month ago. Mr Poroshenko
won. He had been a member of the
Ukrainian government before. As
well as Ukrainian he speaks Russian
and English. Mr Poroshenko is also a
successful and wealthy businessman.
When Mr Poroshenko was
elected, Mr Putin said he would be
happy to work with him. After Mr
Poroshenko ordered a ceasefire,
Mr Putin advised the separatists
to do the same. Many people hope
the ceasefire means a solution to
Ukraines problems can be negoti-
ated. However, others suspect that
both sides may find it difficult not
to break the truce.
JOURNALISTS SENTENCED IN EGYPT
On 23rd J une the judge in charge of
a court in Egypt announced a con-
troversial ruling. He declared that
three television news reporters, or
journalists, were guilty of support-
ing a banned organisation called
the Muslim Brotherhood. The three
men, who work for the Al-J azeera
Company, were given seven to ten
year prison sentences.
Al-J azeera (which means The
Island) is a television network
based in Qatar. It broadcasts news
and other television programmes in
both Arabic and English. The net-
work started broadcasting in Arabic
in 1996. It launched its English lan-
guage news channel ten years later.
Al-J azeeras television broadcasts
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page 8
are popular in many Middle Eastern
and other Arab countries.
Officials from Al-Jazeera say they
want to present world news in a more
balanced way. They believe that news
broadcasts from the USAs CNN and
the UKs BBC are biased. This means
they take sides, or their news reports
from some countries are not neutral.
Al-Jazeera also does more reporting
from poorer developing countries.
Its officials claim that CNN and the
BBC often ignore these places.
A news reporter protests against the prison
sentences given to the journalists in Egypt
Before Al-J azeeras English
language news channel opened it
recruited, or hired, several well-
known news reporters. They used
to work for CNN or the BBC. Most
people think Al-J azeera did this to
show their non-Arab viewers that
their reports could be trusted.
The Muslim Brotherhood is both
a religious and political organisa-
tion. It exists in many Arab coun-
tries. In 2011, Hosni Mubarak was
forced to stand down. He had been
Egypts president for 30 years. The
army took over and elections were
organised. While Mr Mubarak was
in charge the Muslim Brotherhood
was banned in Egypt.
In the elections for Egypts par-
liament the Muslim Brotherhood
did well. The organisations candi-
date for the presidential election,
Mohammed Morsi, won. How-
ever, many Egyptians disliked the
way that Mr Morsi governed the
country. They were also unhappy
about some religious laws that Mr
Morsi planned to introduce. About
12 months ago there were huge anti-
government street protests in Cairo,
Egypts capital city.
Because of the street protests,
General Sisi, the head of the army,
decided to take control. Mr Morsi
and other Muslim Brotherhood
leaders were arrested. All are now
in prison. After Mr Morsis arrest,
General Sisi announced a new ban
on the Muslim Brotherhood.
General Sisi appointed Adly Man-
sour as the countrys temporary lead-
er. Another presidential election was
held four weeks ago. General Sisi
left the army a few months before the
vote. This was so he could stand for
president. There were only two can-
didates and Mr Sisi won easily.
At the end of last year, the three
Al-Jazeera journalists were arrested
in Cairo. One is an Egyptian born
Canadian, who used to work for
CNN. Another is a former BBC jour-
nalist from Australia. The third man
is from Egypt. He previously worked
for a Japanese newspaper company.
The three journalists were accused
of supporting the Muslim Brother-
hood. The authorities also claim that
they reported incorrect or false news,
which favoured the banned organisa-
tion. The three men insist that this is
not true. Its known that Qatars lead-
ers helped the Egyptian government
when Mr Morsi was in power. Some
people suspect that this is why the
Egyptian authorities arrested the Al-
Jazeera journalists.
News reporters in many other
countries are angry about the ver-
dicts. The day after the judges
announcement people in several
countries took part in silent protests.
Some stood outside news and televi-
sion offices. They stuck tape over
their mouths and held signs saying
journalism is not a crime. The tape,
they said, represented being unable
to speak or no press freedom. Lead-
ers from many countries, including
the USA, Canada, Australia, and the
UK complained. All said the prison
sentences were unjust.
On 24th June, Mr Sisi, Egypts
new president, said that he would not
interfere with the judges ruling.
CAMBYSES THE SECONDS LOST
ARMY
An archaeologist from a university
in the Netherlands thinks he may
have solved an ancient mystery. Pro-
fessor Olaf Kaper believes that he
now knows what happened to the
lost army of Cambyses the Second.
An old legend says that this army
disappeared in a part of the Sahara
Desert around 2,500 years ago.
Cambyses was a Persian king.
The ancient Persian Empire was cen-
tred on modern-day Iran. Cambyses
is believed to have died in 522 BCE.
Historians say he may have been
murdered or killed in an accident.
19th-century picture of the desert sandstorm
and the lost army of Cambyses the Second
A few years before his death,
Cambyses invaded Egypt. There his
armies fought against an Egyptian
force led by a pharaoh called Psam-
tik the Third. The two armies met at
a place called Pelusium, which is on
the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
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Cambyses won the battle and Psam-
tik was captured. The Egyptian
pharaoh was taken back to Persia
where he was eventually killed.
Before the Battle of Pelusium,
Cambyses had sent an army of
50,000 men to capture the Siwa Oa-
sis. This was an Egyptian religious
site far out in the desert. This oasis is
near the modern-day border between
Egypt and Libya. Today this part of
the Sahara is called the Libyan De-
sert. The army never returned. Leg-
end says that all the Persian soldiers
were buried by a huge sandstorm.
Dakhla Oasis
The legend of the lost army and
the sandstorm comes from Hero-
dotus (484 425 BCE). He was an
Ancient Greek historian. Herodotus
wrote down historical accounts af-
ter speaking to people in Egypt and
the other places he visited. Modern
historians believe that some, but
not all, of Herodotuss writings are
historically correct. When Herodo-
tus was in Egypt he was told that,
many years before, a Persian army
was buried by a desert sandstorm.
So this is what he wrote.
In the past many people believed
what Herodotus had written. In the
1920s and 1930s several explor-
ers travelled to the Libyan Desert.
They searched for the remains of
the lost army. If the soldiers were
buried in sand, they believed that all
their equipment would still be there.
However, none of the expeditions
found anything.
Professor Kaper says that he nev-
er believed the sandstorm story. He
has been working at a place called
the Dakhla Oasis. This oasis is in a
different part of the Libyan Desert.
Recently, Professor Kaper man-
aged to decipher the text on some
ancient temple blocks. The text was
about a person called Petubastis the
Third. He was a local military leader
when the Persians invaded Egypt.
The text also shows that the Dakhla
Oasis was a military stronghold at
that time.
Professor Kaper now believes
that the lost army was not sent to
the religious site. Instead, he thinks
it was ordered to attack the Dakhla
Oasis. Then, an Egyptian force, led
by Petubastis, surprised the Persian
army in the desert and defeated it.
Later, after the Battle of Pelu-
sium, Petubastis recaptured some
parts of Egypt. He was then declared
to be Egypts new pharaoh. By this
time Cambyses was dead and Dar-
ius had become the Persian king.
Darius forces in Egypt defeated
Petubastis and his followers.
Professor Kaper believes that the
defeat of the lost army was embar-
rassing for Persia. Later, rulers such
as Darius invented the story about
the sandstorm. This was because
they did not want others to know that
a Persian army could be beaten.
CAVE RESCUE
On 19th J une a rescue team man-
aged to finally bring an injured man
out of a cave in Germany. It had tak-
en a team of over 700 rescue work-
ers, from several countries, nearly
12 days to get J ohann Westhauser to
the surface.
Mr Westhauser, who is 52 years
old, is an expert caver, or speleologist.
He was one of a group of expe-
rienced cavers who discovered
the Riesending cave in 1995. (In
German Riesending means Big
Thing.) The entrance to the cave is
on top of a mountain near Berchtes-
gaden, in southern Germany. This
city is close to Germanys border
with Austria.
Inside the Riesending cave
There are 19 kilometres (12
miles) of passageways inside the
cave. Several are long vertical
shafts. Other horizontal parts are so
narrow that it is very difficult for a
person to get through.
Mr Westhauser and two other
cavers planned to explore some of
the farthest parts of the cave. On
8th J une, when deep underground,
he was hurt in a rock fall. Mr West-
hauser was hit on the head. Even
though he was wearing a helmet
Mr Westhauser had a serious brain
injury. The accident happened one
kilometre (3,300 feet) below the
mountain top or cave entrance. One
caver left to get help. The other
stayed with Mr Westhauser.
It is very cold and wet in the
cave. There was therefore a danger
of Mr Westhauser getting hypother-
mia. This is when someones body
temperature becomes dangerously
low. It took the person who went
to get help 12 hours to reach the
entrance. He returned to the cave
with a doctor. However, before
they got to the place where the ac-
cident happened, the doctor had to
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turn back. He was suffering from
exhaustion and claustrophobia, or
fear of enclosed spaces. Another
doctor from Switzerland finally got
to Mr Westhauser two days after
the accident.
By this time a rescue team was
being organised. Experienced cave
and mountain rescue teams arrived
from Austria, Croatia, Italy, and
Switzerland. They were taken to the
top of the mountain by helicopter. A
flat area had to be made before the
helicopter could land. The Swiss
team brought a special stretcher.
The first part of the cave is a
180-metre (590 foot) vertical drop.
This part is nicknamed the chimney.
The rescue teams entered the cave to
set up ropes and rest areas. Mr West-
hauser was strapped into the stretcher.
Special padding was used to make
sure that his head could not move.
Very slowly the rescuers began
to pass the stretcher back through
the cave. Where the passageway is
very narrow it took many hours to
go a short distance. In several places
the only way to get through was to
put the stretcher in a vertical posi-
tion. In another part of the cave Mr
Westhauser and the stretcher were
wrapped in waterproof material.
This was because they had to pass
through a waterfall.
The rescuers frequently changed
places. This meant each person did
not have to spend too long under-
ground. Eventually, the stretcher
was pulled up through the chimney
and out of the caves entrance. Be-
fore this happened Mr Westhausers
eyes were covered. After spending
a long time in the dark, a persons
eyes can be damaged by bright light.
A helicopter then took him to a
nearby hospital. Mr Westhauser had
been underground for 11 days, ten
hours and 40 minutes.
TITANS MAGIC ISLAND
An object that appeared on one of
Saturns moons and then vanished
has puzzled scientists in the USA.
The scientists have nicknamed the
mystery object Titans magic island.
Titan is the biggest of Saturns
62 moons, or natural satellites. The
large moon is unusual. This is be-
cause, other than the Earth, Titan is
the only planet or moon in the Solar
System that is known to have a liq-
uid on its surface.
Titan is about one and a half
times the size of the Earths Moon.
Titan is the second largest moon in
the Solar System. (The biggest is
Ganymede, which is one of J upiters
many moons.) By volume Titan is
even larger than the planet Mercury.
It is also the Solar Systems only
moon with clouds and a thick, hazy
atmosphere. The atmosphere on Ti-
tan is mostly nitrogen. Its clouds are
made of methane and ethane.
Picture of Titan taken by Cassini (NASA/ESA)
Like the Earth, Titan has rivers
and lakes. Yet these do not contain
water. Titans rivers, lakes, seas
and even its rain are liquid hydro-
carbons. These include methane,
ethane and propane. On the Earth
these hydrocarbons are gases, which
can easily catch fire. They are liq-
uids on Titan because it is so much
colder. Titans surface temperature
is around -180C (-292F). There is
water on Titan, but it is frozen and
hard as rock.
Before and after picture of Ligeia Mare on Titan
highlighting the magic island (NASA/ESA)
In 1997 the USAs space agency
(NASA) and the European Space
Agency (ESA) launched an un-
manned spacecraft, or probe. Called
Cassini-Huygens, it was designed to
study Saturn and some of its moons.
The space probe was named after
two astronomers. They studied the
stars and planets around 320 years
ago. Cassini was French and Huy-
gens came from the Netherlands.
After flying around J upiter,
the spacecraft finally reached Sat-
urn about three years ago. It then
separated into two parts. One part,
Huygens, travelled to Titan. After
passing through Titans atmosphere
it landed on the moons surface.
Meanwhile Cassini has continued to
orbit Saturn and some of its moons.
Over the last 12 months Cassini has
flown past Titan several times. Dur-
ing these fly-bys the space probe
sent photographs and other informa-
tion about Titan back to NASA and
the ESA.
Cassini confirmed that Titan has
large seas, lakes and rivers. Titans
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three largest seas were named after
the Kraken, Ligeia and Punga. These
are all mythical figures or beasts.
The second largest liquid area is
the Ligeia Mare (mare is Latin for
sea). This sea is about the same
size as Lake Superior, which forms
part of the border between the USA
and Canada.
The magic island appeared in the
Ligeia Mare. An object about 19
kilometres (12 miles) long and 9.5
kilometres (six miles) across was in
a photograph taken by Cassini. Yet
when the spacecraft returned and
took another photograph about two
weeks later, the object was gone.
The scientists then checked previ-
ous photographs. The magic island
was not on these either. So the ob-
ject must have appeared and then it
disappeared again.
The scientists do not know what
the magic island is. They say it could
be a floating iceberg-type object. Oth-
er possibilities are bubbles coming up
from the bottom of the sea, or waves.
These, the scientists say, could look
like an island when seen from high
above Titans surface.
WORLD REFUGEES
World Refugee Day was on 20th
J une. The United Nations (UN) first
designated this date as World Refu-
gee Day in 2000. Each year, on this
day, the United Nations High Com-
missioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
issues a report. It contains informa-
tion about refugees such as total
numbers and which countries they
come from.
Refugees are people who have
had to leave their homes because it
is too dangerous to stay. They may
be in danger of persecution or phys-
ical harm. This could be for several
reasons. Examples are: race, nation-
ality, religion, or for being part of a
particular social or political group.
Many refugees decide to cross
borders and move to nearby coun-
tries. Most then have to live in tents
in large camps. Often these refugee
camps are organised and run by the
UNHCR. Other types of refugees
are people who are forced to move
to another part of their country.
These refugees are known as inter-
nally displaced people.
Aerial picture of Syrian refugee camp
Asylum-seekers are also includ-
ed in the UNHCRs annual refugee
report. These can be people who
have applied to move to a different
country. Another type of asylum-
seeker is a person who tries to enter
another country illegally. Many of
these people do this because they
are seeking a better life in a more
wealthy, or developed, country.
These refugees are also called eco-
nomic migrants.
An international organisation
was first set up to help refugees in
1944. Its job was to take care of
the millions of people in Europe
who were displaced dur-
ing the Second World War
(1939 1945). After the
war this organisation be-
came part of the UN. A few
years later the UNHCR
was formed. Where there
are refugee problems the
UNHCR helps by providing shel-
ter (mainly tents), food, water, and
medical treatment. In the past the
UNHCR has twice been awarded
the Nobel Peace Prize. The first
time was in 1954 and the second
in 1981.
Today, the main reasons for peo-
ple becoming refugees are wars,
conflicts and local fighting. Other
reasons include drought and food
shortages. The UNHCR says eventu-
ally refugees should be able to return
to their homes in their own countries.
Yet the organisation also believes no-
body should ever be forced to return
if it is not safe to do so.
The UNHCR reports that the to-
tal, or overall, number of refugees is
now 51.2 million. This is about six
million more than 12 months ago. It
is the first time that the number has
been over 50 million since 1945, or
the end of the Second World War.
Of these 51.2 million about 33 mil-
lion are internally displaced people.
The UNHCR says that the war in
Syria is the main reason for the in-
crease in refugees. This war started
three years ago. Since then around
2.5 million Syrians have crossed
the countrys borders into Lebanon,
Turkey, Iraq, and J ordan. Another
6.5 million are internally displaced
in Syria. Other countries with
large numbers of refugees are Af-
ghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, and the
Central African Republic (CAR).
Nearly all CAR refugees are women
and children.
The country that is looking after
the most number of refu-
gees compared to its own
population is Lebanon. In
Lebanon, for every 1,000
Lebanese people there are
178 refugees. J ordan is next
with 88 refugees per 1,000
people.
Antnio Guterres is the head of
the UNHCR. He is from Portugal.
Mr Guterres says the best way to
r- th
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reduce the number of refugees is to
end existing wars and stop new ones
from starting.
MOVING PENGUINS
Emperor penguins live in large groups
called colonies. It was thought that
the penguins always returned to the
same spot to breed. However, Ameri-
can researchers say that penguins are
now moving to other places, or even
different colonies.
Emperor penguins
Emperor penguins are found only
on the Antarctic continent. The tem-
peratures where they live can be as cold
as -50C (-58F). The penguins are the
only warm-blooded animals that stay
in Antarctica during its very cold win-
ter months. Adult penguins are around
122 centimetres (48 inches) tall. They
feed on tiny crustaceans, called krill.
The penguins catch these in the cold
waters of the Southern Ocean.
Emperor penguin colonies are
usually many kilometres from the
coast. After the females lay their
eggs they walk to the sea. The male
emperor penguins stay in their colo-
nies. They incubate, or look after,
the eggs during the winter months.
When it gets very cold the penguins
huddle tightly together to keep
warm. During this time the females
feed in the sea.
After the eggs hatch, the females
return with food for the newly born
chicks. By this time the males have
not eaten for over 100 days. Once
the females have returned, the males
then walk back to the sea to feed.
As the penguins gather together
in large numbers in one place their
excrement, known as guano, dark-
ens the colour of the white snow.
These dark guano patches can be
seen in satellite pictures. Scientists
can use the patches of guano to try
to work out how many emperor pen-
guins are in each colony.
Previous studies showed that em-
peror penguins were philopatric. This
means that they return to the same
place to breed and lay their eggs each
year. In recent years scientists wor-
ried that warming temperatures and
melting ice would affect the pen-
guins. It seemed that some colonies
were getting smaller and smaller.
The scientists presumed that this was
because fewer and fewer penguins
were able to survive.
The latest study suggests that this
is not true. The researchers think the
penguins are now adapting to global
warming and climate change. If
their colony becomes less habitable,
they will all move to a new place.
Alternatively, some penguins from
one colony might leave and join a
different one. It is not known if this
is a recent change in their behav-
iour, or if they have always moved
around in this way.
Over the last three years the re-
searchers recorded six colonies
where none of the penguins returned
to breed. They also found a number
of new colonies. The researchers
say that the penguins in the new col-
onies must have come from some-
where else.
In the past many people have wor-
ried that the number of emperor pen-
guins was declining. The new study
seems to show that this is not happen-
ing. It also suggests that emperor pen-
guins will be able to adapt to warmer
temperatures in Antarctica.
WERE DINOSAURS MESOTHERMS?
Palaeontologists (or scientists who
study fossils) have been trying to
find an answer to an important ques-
tion for many years. Were dinosaurs
warm-blooded or cold-blooded? A
group of researchers from the USA
have recently completed a study that
suggests dinosaurs were neither.
Mammals and birds are endo-
therms, or warm-blooded creatures.
Fish, amphibians and reptiles are
cold-blooded, or ectotherms. The
word endotherm comes from two
Greek words. These mean within
and heat. Ectotherm is outside
and heat.
Warm-blooded animals (such as
humans) control their body temper-
ature. They are able to keep it at the
same level whether the outside tem-
perature is hot, warm or cold. Body
temperature in healthy humans is
around 37C (98.6F). Some food
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page 13
This map shows countries to which news stories refer in this issue. Visit www.newsademic.com for more detailed world maps.
USA
UK
UKRAINE
SYRIA
SWITZERLAND
QATAR
PERU
PAPUA
NEW GUINEA
PAKISTAN
OMAN
LEBANON
KIRIBATI
KENYA
ITALY ITALY
IRAQ
IRAN
GERMANY
EGYPT
CUBA
COLOMBIA
AUSTRALIA
Hawaii
Alaska
eaten by warm-blooded animals is
used to produce heat energy. Most
endotherms have some form of in-
sulation. This reduces heat loss. Ex-
amples of this insulation are feath-
ers, fur and layers of fat.
Cold-blooded animals cannot
control their body temperature. This
means it changes with the tempera-
ture around them. They have little
insulation, so heat can be easily lost
or absorbed. It is not unusual to see
cold-blooded animals, such as liz-
ards and snakes, lying in the sun to
warm up. Others will need to hide
in the shade or lie in cool water to
cool down.
Being warm-blooded has sev-
eral advantages. Endotherms are
able to survive in a wider range of
temperatures. Most cold-blooded
animals need to avoid temperature
extremes. Warm-blooded animals
can be active in all temperatures.
Ectotherms become very slow when
their surroundings get too hot or
too cold.
However, one disadvantage of
being warm-blooded is that it takes
a lot of energy to keep a steady body
temperature. This means warm-
blooded animals need to eat a large
amount of food to create extra body
heat. So endotherms must always
have a good food supply.
Warm-blooded animals have
a higher metabolic rate. This is a
chemical process that takes place
inside all living things. It controls
growth, energy production and the
removal of waste. One researcher
gave an example of how this differs
between endotherms and ectotherms.
He explained that if people ate sand-
wiches all the time they would have
to eat five every day to survive. Yet
a reptile of a similar size could sur-
vive by eating two sandwiches in one
week. Cold-blooded creatures do not
have to eat so much because their
metabolic rate is much slower.
Dinosaurs are normally thought
of as being large reptiles. So, many
people think that they must have been
cold-blooded. However, modern-day
birds are now known to be the clos-
est living relatives of certain types of
dinosaur. Birds are warm-blooded.
The researchers worked out how
fast different types of dinosaurs
grew. They did this by studying their
bones. These have growth rings,
similar to those that trees have. A
warm-blooded animal that grows
quicker than a cold-blooded one has
a faster metabolic rate. The speed of
growth was then compared to liv-
ing creatures. From this information
the researchers calculated the dino-
saurs metabolic rates.
The researchers say their study
seems to show that dinosaurs were
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page 14
not cold-blooded. Nor were they
warm-blooded. Instead, the research-
ers believe that dinosaurs were in
between. If true this means dino-
saurs were mesotherms (Greek for
intermediate and heat). In todays
world there are not many meso-
therms, but they do exist. Some ex-
amples include certain types of shark,
leatherback turtles and tuna fish.
These creatures have some control of
their body temperature. Yet, unlike
endotherms, their body temperatures
can go up and down.
ALEUTIAN EARTHQUAKE
There was a powerful undersea
earthquake near Little Sitkin Island
on 23rd J une. The earthquakes
magnitude was 7.9. Nobody lives on
Little Sitkin. It is one of the Aleutian
Islands in the northern part of the
Pacific Ocean.
The Aleutians are a long string,
or chain, of islands. They are part of
Alaska, which is one of the USAs
50 states. The Aleutians form a
curved line between Alaska and the
Kamchatka Peninsula. This large
peninsula is part of Russia. There
are 14 larger islands and 57 smaller
ones. The bigger islands are all vol-
canic. Earthquakes in this part of the
world are not unusual. Since 1900
there have been 26 earthquakes with
a magnitude of at least 7.0 near Lit-
tle Sitkin Island.
Most of the Aleutian Islands are
uninhabited. The local people who
live on some bigger islands are
known as Aleuts. (They are also
called the Unangan people.) The
earthquake shook buildings in Adak.
This is one of the larger Aleutian Is-
land towns. Around 350 people live
there. Shaking was also felt in the
villages along the island chain.
Earthquakes occur because the
surface of the Earth, known as the
crust, is made up of huge pieces
called tectonic plates. The plates
float on the mantle, a layer of hot
liquid rock beneath the crust. The
edge of one plate can slide over or
under another. The edges can also
move apart or push into each other.
Any of these movements can create
very strong vibrations or tremors,
known as earthquakes.
Satellite picture of Little Sitkin Island
The Aleutians mark the boundary
where two different tectonic plates
meet. Here the Pacific plate is slowly
sliding under the North America plate.
It moves about 59 millimetres (2.3
inches) each year. This movement
creates huge pressure. One tectonic
plate does not easily slide underneath
another. So, every so often a large
area of rock will suddenly break. This
is what caused the earthquake.
Near these meeting places, or
plate boundaries, magma often rises
to the surface. This is very hot liq-
uid rock from deep underground.
When it reaches the surface, the hot
liquid rock cools and forms volca-
noes. This explains why most of the
Aleutian Islands are volcanic. The
central part of Little Sitkin Island is
a large volcano.
The Aleutians are part of what
scientists call the Ring of Fire. This
is a horseshoe-shaped line running
around the edge of the Pacific Ocean.
Along it a number of tectonic plates
meet and bump into each other.
Tsunamis can happen when an
earthquake causes a large area of
seabed to suddenly move up or
down. This can displace a huge
volume of seawater. If it does, the
movement creates a tsunami, or a
huge surge, or series of surges, of
water. Tsunamis can be many kilo-
metres long. The front of the surge,
A
le
u
tia
n
Is
la
n
d
s
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page 15
or wave, increases in height as it
gets closer to the coast.
The recent earthquake triggered
a tsunami alert, or warning. People
in Adak and several other places left
their homes and moved to higher
ground. However, when the waves
arrived they were only a few centi-
metres high.
HUNT FOR BIG ECHIDNA
Researchers have begun a search in
a part of Australia. They are hoping
to find an unusual creature. Until
recently this creature was believed
to have died out in the country thou-
sands of years ago.
Long-beaked echidna
Both short- and long-beaked
echidnas are found in Papua New
Guinea (PNG). In PNG, the long-
beaked one (called the western
long-beaked echidna) is an endan-
gered species. Until now scientists
believed that only short-beaked
ones lived in Australia. This was
because the long-beaked echidna
was thought to have died out around
5,000 years ago. Their fossilised
bones have been dug up. Also, in
some parts of Australia, there are
ancient cave pictures of them.
Echidnas are mammals. Yet
they are different from almost all
other types of mammals. Mammals
give birth to live young. However,
echidnas dont do this. Their young
hatch from an egg that is laid by the
females. Only one other mammal,
the platypus, does a similar thing.
Platypuses are only found in Aus-
tralia. Echidnas and platypuses are
the worlds only monotremes, or
mammals that lay eggs.
Short-beaked echidna
Short- and long-beaked echidnas
differ. For example, the short-beaked
ones eat ants and termites. Long-
beaked echidnas feed on worms and
insect larvae. Short-beaked echid-
nas are about 38 centimetres (15
inches) long. They weigh around
three kilograms (6.6 pounds). The
long-beaked ones are bigger. They
can weigh over 16 kilograms (35
pounds) and grow to a length of
one metre (3.3 feet). Both types are
nocturnal, so they are more active
at night. Each is covered in spines.
They also have sharp claws, which
they use for digging.
Recently a curator from the
Smithsonian Museum, in the USA,
visited the UK. She spent some time
in a museum, in London, the UKs
capital city. In a drawer of old mu-
seum specimens she found the skull
and skin of a long-beaked echidna.
A tag seemed to show that it had
been found in Australia in 1901. In
addition, some years ago, a 90-year-
old indigenous Australian woman
talked to a scientist. The woman
remembered hunting for both short-
and long-beaked echidnas when she
was a young girl.
Researchers in Australia are
now sure that some long-beaked
echidnas still live in a part of West-
ern Australia. The DNA from the
two types of echidnas, they say,
is very different. The animals are
thought to have evolved separately,
or diverged, between 15 and 20 mil-
lion years ago.
The researchers say catching
or photographing a long-beaked
echidna may be difficult. They have
been collecting echidna scats, or
droppings. These are being tested
to see if any of them contain long-
beaked echidna DNA. However,
the researchers admit that the big-
ger echidnas could still be living
in Australia even if no evidence of
their existence is found.
AMAZONS SMARTPHONE
On 18th J une the Amazon Company
organised a special presentation in
Seattle, in the USA. This is where
the company has its headquarters.
Amazon is the worlds largest online
retailer. At the presentation, J eff Be-
zos, the companys boss, introduced
Amazons first mobile phone.
Called the Fire Phone, people in
the USA will be able to buy it at the
end of July. The new smartphone has
been designed to compete with mo-
bile phones made by Apple and Sam-
sung. Apple is an American company
and Samsung (which means Three
Stars) is from South Korea.
One of the differences between
the Fire Phone and other smart-
phones is its screens display. There
are four cameras around the edge
of the screen. These are designed to
track the owners head. The phone
then uses this information to change
or alter the image displayed on the
screen. This creates a 3D (three-di-
mensional) effect. Amazon calls this
dynamic perspective.
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page 16
Before starting Amazon, Mr Be-
zos worked for a large finance com-
pany in New York City. He became
interested in the internet and decided
to set up an online store. He moved
to Seattle where the Amazon Com-
pany was founded in 1994. At first
Mr Bezos was not sure which prod-
uct to sell. He decided on books. Mr
Bezos says he chose the companys
name for two reasons. One was be-
cause it began with the letter A. The
other was that (Mr Bezos thought)
the Amazon was the biggest river
in the world and he wanted to cre-
ate the biggest online store in the
world. (Nowadays the River Nile
in Africa is judged to be longer than
the River Amazon.)
It took the company about six
years to make a profit. Around this
time Amazon began to sell other items
and not just books. Now the company
has large warehouses in many differ-
ent countries. These are often near
airports. Amazon calls its warehouses
fulfilment centres. These centres are
where all the items the company sells
are kept. They are also the places
from which the items are sent, or dis-
patched, to Amazons customers.
Jeff Bezos holding Amazons new smartphone
Amazon makes money in several
ways. It charges other companies to
place advertisements on its website. It
also keeps a small amount of the price
of everything it sells. Other compa-
nies used to make all the items listed
on the Amazon website. However,
this changed in 2007. Then, Amazon
launched its own Kindle eReader. A
few years later the company began
selling its Kindle Fire tablet. Earlier
this year Amazon also introduced a
TV set-top box. This can be used to
watch films and previously broadcast
television programmes.
Apple makes its own operating
system for its smartphones. How-
ever, most other smartphone makers,
such as Samsung, LG, another South
Korean company, and HTC, from
Taiwan, use the Android operating
system. Google makes this software.
Amazons new phone also uses An-
droid. Yet its Android operating sys-
tem has many modifications.
The Fire Phone has been de-
signed to increase the number of
things people buy from Amazons
online store. A feature called Firefly
can recognise more than 100 mil-
lion items. If the phone is pointed at
an item it will display the page on
Amazons website where it can be
bought. Some shop owners say they
are worried about the new phone.
They fear that Firefly will increase
whats now known as showroom-
ing. This is going to a shop to look
at an item and then buying it online
for a lower price.
ELECTION IN COLOMBIA
A run-off election for the president
of Colombia took place on 15th
J une. The following day the coun-
trys electoral commission, or the
organisation in charge of the elec-
tion and vote counting, officially an-
nounced the results. It declared that,
with almost 51% of the votes, J uan
Manuel Santos had been re-elected
for another four years.
J ust over 50 years ago a conflict
began in Colombia. The fighting is
between Colombian government
forces and a militant group called
the Revolutionary Armed Forces
of Colombia (known as Farc). Two
years ago Mr Santos agreed to peace
talks with Farc leaders. These be-
gan in Oslo, the capital of Norway.
The talks are now taking place in
Cuba. Many people hope that the
two sides will finally agree to end
the fighting.
Colombias president, Juan Manuel Santos
The election on 15th J une was
a run-off. Colombia has a rule that
says a person must get over 50% of
the votes to win a presidential elec-
tion. This is similar to many other
countries that have presidential sys-
tems of government. If nobody gets
more than 50% then a second round,
or run-off, is held. The two candi-
dates who got the highest number of
votes take part in the run-off.
The presidential election was held
on 25th May. There were five candi-
dates. Mr Santos and scar Ivn Zu-
luaga got the highest number of votes.
In the run-off Mr Santos got 50.95%
and Mr Zuluaga 46.02%. In Colombia
people are able to choose not to vote
for either candidate. About 3% did so.
Mr Santos and Mr Zuluaga
disagree about the peace talks, or
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page 17
negotiations, with Farc. So, many
Colombians probably voted for the
person who they thought was propos-
ing the best way to end the conflict.
Farcs leaders disagree with the
system of government in Colom-
bia. They want to set up a commu-
nist state. Over the years the group
has carried out many bombings and
shootings in towns and cities. These
include Bogot, the countrys capital
city. One of the groups tactics has
been to kidnap, or capture, people
and hold them hostage. Many of
the hostages have been government
officials and soldiers from the Co-
lombian army. Farc then demands a
ransom, or payment, for their release.
In the past Farc made a lot of
money from making and selling
cocaine, an illegal drug. This mon-
ey was then used to buy weapons.
Cocaine comes from the coca plant
that grows in the Colombian jungle.
Today its thought that about 43% of
all the cocaine in the world comes
from Colombia.
Cocaine from Colombia is unlaw-
fully smuggled into other countries,
especially the USA. The American
authorities want to stop this illegal
drug trade. In the past they gave
money and weapons to the Colom-
bian government. These were to be
used in the fight against Farc.
It is estimated that around
220,000 people have been killed
since the fighting began. Thousands
of others have had to leave their
homes because of the violence. Sev-
eral years ago, Farc controlled large
areas of Colombia. Yet in recent
years the group has had a number of
setbacks, or defeats.
Its now thought that Farc has
roughly 8,000 well-armed fighters.
This, Colombian officials say, is
about half the number the group had
ten years ago. Farcs leaders now
operate from secret bases hidden
deep in the countrys forests.
Mr Santoss peace plan means
that Farcs leaders would not be im-
prisoned. They would be allowed to
set up a political party and take part
in future elections. Mr Zuluaga in-
sists that this is too lenient. He wants
Farcs leaders to be punished. So
they would have to spend a number
of years in prison. Mr Santos claims
the election results show that most
people in the country agree with his
peace plan.
HOUSE OF ONE
Three local religious leaders have
announced a plan to construct an
unusual building in Berlin, the
capital of Germany. Their project is
called the House of One. Others
have nicknamed the proposed build-
ing the wonder of Berlin.
Artists impression of the completed House of
One in Berlin (house-of-one.org)
The three men are a J ewish rabbi,
a Protestant, or Christian, pastor and
a Muslim imam. The House of One
is to be a large single building. In-
side will be a synagogue, a church
and a mosque. It will be the first
building in the world where people
who follow these three religions can
all pray at the same time.
The entrance to the House of One
will lead into a large hall or com-
mon area. A person will have to walk
through this area to go to the syna-
gogue, church or mosque. Therefore
people from each of the three faiths
will be able to meet and talk with
each other. The synagogue, church
and mosque will be the same size. Yet
the shape of each is to be different.
The pastor, rabbi and imam holding the House
of Ones first bricks (house-of-one.org)
The J ewish faith, Islam and
Christianity are all monotheistic
religions, or faiths that worship one
God. Each originates in the Holy
Land. This is an area in the eastern
part of the Middle East, which in-
cludes J erusalem. These three reli-
gions are also known as Abrahamic
faiths. Abraham was a person who
is thought to have lived about 4,000
years ago. For Muslims, Christians
and J ews, he is an important reli-
gious figure.
The House of One will be built
near the centre of Berlin. There used
to be a large old church on this site.
It was badly damaged during the
Second World War (1939 1945).
Later, officials in what used to be
East Germany decided to knock it
down. In 2009 archaeologists dis-
covered an ancient graveyard in the
area. A decision was made to build
a new church on the site. Then, the
Christian pastor had an idea for a
multi-faith building.
After the Christian pastor spoke
to the J ewish rabbi and Muslim
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page 18
imam they agreed. The three men
then found a company of architects
to design the unusual building. The
architects studied different church-
es, synagogues and mosques. They
say there are many similarities.
For example, in some parts of the
world churches have been turned
into mosques. Many years ago large
mosques in Spain became Christian
cathedrals. Whats more a mosque
does not have to have a minaret and
a church does not need a tower.
Building work is expected to cost
43.5 million (34.75 million). The
money is to be raised from donors.
People are being asked to pay for
one or several bricks. Each costs 10
(8). Construction will start as soon
as the first 10 million (8 million)
has been collected. Recently, to mark
the start of the House of One project,
the pastor, imam and rabbi were each
given one symbolic brick.
OUR OCEAN CONFERENCE
A special meeting was organised by
government officials in the USA.
Called Our Ocean Conference,
it was held on 16th and 17th J une.
Government officials, scientists,
environmentalists, and business
people from 80 different countries
attended the two-day meeting.
Most of the discussions were
about sustainable fishing, marine
pollution and ocean acidification.
Many parts of the worlds oceans
are currently over-fished. This
means not enough fish are left to
breed to increase the overall num-
bers. Sustainable fishing means
catching only a certain amount of
fish. The ones that are caught can
then be replaced by younger fish as
they become adults.
Coral reef (NOAA)
Plastic items that have been
thrown away cause some of the
worst ocean pollution. Over time,
this floating plastic gradually breaks
down into smaller and smaller bits.
Tiny floating pieces of plastic
cause two big problems. One is that
fish and birds, especially those that
feed at the surface of the ocean,
can easily swallow them. The sec-
ond problem is that the pieces of
plastic attract toxic, or poisonous,
chemicals that have been dumped or
washed into the ocean. The floating
plastic acts like a sponge: it attracts
and soaks up the chemicals. Seawa-
ter around the plastic then becomes
toxic. Fish and birds that eat the
small bits of plastic can be poisoned.
Scientists say the worlds oceans
are becoming more acidic. The cause
is believed to be extra carbon dioxide
(CO
2
) in the atmosphere. Most of this
extra CO
2
comes from burning fossil
fuels such as oil, gas and coal. Oceans
absorb some of the carbon dioxide in
the air. This makes the seawater more
acidic. Therefore, the more CO
2
in
the atmosphere the more acidic the
oceans become. This acidification
can badly affect coral reefs.
In 2009 the American govern-
ment set up a large marine sanctuary
in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Called the Pacific Remote Islands
National Marine Monument, it cov-
ers an area of 199,480 square kilo-
metres (77,020 square miles). This
sanctuary, which is not far from Ha-
waii, is divided into several areas.
Each is around a remote island, reef
or coral atoll. All of these places
are controlled by the USA. Within
these areas fishing is restricted
and undersea drilling for oil and
gas banned.
During the conference Barack
Obama, the president of the USA,
made an announcement. He said
that he planned to increase the size
of the Pacific Remote Islands Na-
tional Marine Monument to just
over two million square kilometres
(780,000 square miles). This would
make it the largest protected area in
the world. Mr Obama says that all
fishing is to be banned in the en-
larged area.
The president of Kiribati, Anote
Tong, was at the conference. Kiri-
bati is a Pacific island nation. It
is made up of over 30 coral atolls
spread out over a large area of the
Pacific Ocean north and south of the
Equator. Mr Tong declared that there
would be a ban on all commercial
fishing around the Kiribati islands.
This ban will start at the beginning
of next year.
Newsademic.com
Editor: Rebecca Watson
Acknowledgements:
News story photographs by gettyimages
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ISSUE 226
GLOSSARY PUZZLE
INSTRUCTIONS: Complete the crossword. The answers are
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words highlighted and you need 20 of them to complete the
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1 2 3
4 5 6
7
8
9 10
11
12
13
14 15 16
17 18
19
20
ACROSS
2 Adjective Describes something imaginary, fictional, or not
real
4 Noun A protected area for birds, sea creatures or animals
10 Verb Given an official name, title or purpose
11 Verb React to someones action to harm or upset you by
doing something to hurt them back
13 Noun When a group of people tries to take control of its
country by force
15 Verb Discussed with others in order to reach an
agreement
17 Adjective Not very strict, merciful or tolerant
18 Verb Become different or went in a different direction
19 Adjective Describes something that is meaningful
because it represents something else
20 Verb Suddenly disappeared
DOWN
1 Noun Something, usually a covering, used to stop heat
from escaping
3 Adjective To do with business or buying and selling things
5 Noun (Plural) Methods used to gain something or achieve
an advantage
6 Noun The appearance of height, width and depth in a
drawing or painting
7 Adjective Likely to cause arguments
8 Adjective Being between two other similar things or levels
9 Adjective Strongly supporting a particular group or sect
12 Verb To discover the meaning of something, especially a
code
14 Noun An island made up of a circular coral reef that
surrounds a lagoon
16 Noun A large attack
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ISSUE 226
GLOSSARY PUZZLE CONTINUED
INSTRUCTIONS: Find 19 of the 20
crossword answers in the word search.
Words can go vertically, horizontally,
diagonally and back to front. After
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20th (or missing) word under the puzzle.
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A A G Z L Z C H E T Z T N O R Y H V
I B C C Q H Q H O D S E Y Q E B A I
S T N I M L G L E U G C G D H E J T
R N J N H K L H L O S N I S P M V C
E E R W Y T S K T S C X X T I X V E
V I T Z L I Y I M S O N R I C J C P
O N I A N D A M A X R L U N E A K S
R E X A L T H N F Y G B C S D T T R
T L V V E I C A C M D J E U O D U E
N W D D E T A N G I S E D L D Y Y P
O Z F S U A E T V F R K N A L U M P
C V B A A G F E E S O A B T P Y U C
F M R B R V R J H U I I T I B T I N
J Y W U M G S X Q F C I L O B M Y S
C D S B E R R H I J Q D I N R F N O
A N S D R N A I R A T C E S W L G X
I N T E R M E D I A T E Z T H L J H
MISSING WORD ANSWER =
I
S
S
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2
2
5

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W
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S R O V C F K H A G G R E P V V K N
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R S T T D W P O K Z S S I J G B N F
T S R C U O T M B K U A O G O L E F
N A E E P F R L O L O J L T V E P A
O C S L J L S R A C I F A I W C S C
C R E G B Y I C O X B N X F V C U S
M E D E J H I N H C I H Q D D A S T
Z B Y N J G O T T C H N N Y T H S C
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E F Y L M C I L B S M L D G C A G L
F D O Q E R X R S N A R N M M W X A
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