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The informative easy to read introduction to world news

January 8, 2015
American English edition
Issue Number 240
In this issue
New bedbug solution?
Most Earth-like world
South Koreas chaebol
Japans declining population
New Year celebrations
Passenger plane accident
Smallest monitor lizard
Sailors, rickets and the Mary
Rose
Lithuania and the eurozone
Consumer Electronics Show
Bushfires in Australia
Whale genes and ageing
UNESCOs International Year
of Light
The Ezadeen, a crewless ship, with 450 migrants on board, near the coast of southern Italy (Icelandic Coast Guard)
PEGIDA demonstrations in
Germany

MEDITERRANEAN MIGRANT GHOST SHIPS Legion of Honor refusal

On January 1, coast guards in southern
Italy received a radio message. The mes-
sage was from a woman. She was one of
450 people on board an old cattle trans-
port ship. The woman said we are alone
and we have no one to help us. Called
the Ezadeen, the ship was heading for the
Italian coast.
A few days before, Italian coast guards
took control of another old cargo ship.
This one, called the Blue Sky M, was five
miles (eight kilometers) from the coast of
southern Italy. After unsuccessfully try-
ing to make radio contact, a coast guard
helicopter was sent to the ship. Several
coast guard officers were lowered onto
the deck. On the ship were 800 migrants:
men, women and children. All were from
Syria. Most had not eaten for several days.
Nor had they had anything to drink.
It looked as if the captain and crew
were missing. They seemed to have
Combat mission ends
abandoned the ship. Yet, before they Frog reproduction surprise
did, the ships autopilot had been set. Mercury and Messenger
The Blue Sky M was continuing to sail Maya decline explained?
straight towards the rocky coastline. The Glossary Crossword and
coast guards had difficulty disconnecting Wordsearch Puzzle
the autopilot. However, they managed to
stop the ship before it hit the rocks. The
coast guards then sailed the ship, with all Learning
the migrants on board, to Gallipoli, an English as a
Italian port.
Other coast guard officers landed on foreign
the Ezadeen. The ship was 25 miles (40 language?
kilometers) from the Italian coast. The
captain and crew had left. Like the Blue
Sky M, all those on board were Syrians. Newsademic.com
They too were hungry and thirsty. The
Ezadeen was towed into Corigliano Cal- Recommended
abro, another port in southern Italy.
As they had no captains or crews, reading
the Italian officials said that the Blue for
Sky M and the Ezadeen were ghost
ships. There have been problems with EFL and ESL
January 8, 2015 Newsademic.com American English edition page 2

migrants trying to cross the Medi- to patrol the southern part of the rescues still have to be done by Ita-
terranean Sea for a number of years. Mediterranean Sea. They called it lys navy and coast guard.
The Italian navy and coast guard Mare Nostrum. This is a Roman The migrants on the Blue Sky M
have rescued thousands of them in name for the Mediterranean Sea. and the Ezadeen did not travel to
other parts of the Mediterranean. In Latin it means Our Sea. Last North Africa. Both ships sailed from
However, these migrants have year the Italian navy rescued around Turkey. The Blue Sky M set out from
used small open boats. The ghost 170,000 people from small boats. Istanbul, Turkeys largest city. Many
ships are new. They have not been However, at least 3,500 others are of those on the Ezadeen boarded the
seen before. believed to have drowned. Most of ship in Mersin. This port is in south-
Small boats full of migrants fre- those rescued were taken to camps ern Turkey.
quently sail from the coasts of Libya in Sicily and other parts of Italy. Italian officials said that the Syr-
and Tunisia, in North Africa. ians on the ghost ships were
These migrants come from very different from the mi-
places like Eritrea, Somalia, grants who come from Libya
Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and ITALY and Tunisia. The Syrians were
Libya. Most want to get away Istanbul better dressed. Many spoke
Gallipoli
from fighting in their countries. Corigliano
TURKEY
good English. The Syrians
Calabro
The migrants believe that they Sicily said that they had to pay be-
Mersin
will be able to improve their MALTA tween $4,000 and $8,000 for
lives and get good jobs in Eu- Lampedusa SYRIA
a place on one of the ships.
Mediterranean Sea
TUNISIA
ropean Union (EU) countries. Therefore the traffickers, who
Many migrant boats, which organized the ships, must have
set out from North Africa, try made a lot of money. Its not
to land on Lampedusa or Mal- LIBYA
known if they are Turkish
ta. Lampedusa is one of a group of The Mare Nostrum operation or Syrian.
small islands called the Pelagie Is- was expensive. The Italian govern- The Syrian migrants wanted to
lands. Even though they are not far ment wanted other EU countries to get away from whats happening
from Tunisia, the islands belong to send navy ships to the Mediterra- in their country. The war in Syria
Italy. Lampedusa has a population of nean. It argued that illegal migrants began four years ago. The fighting
about 6,000. The island of Malta is a are a problem for all EU members, is between the Syrian army, which
separate country. Like Italy, it is one not just Italy and Malta. However, supports the government, and sev-
of the EUs 28 member countries. officials from other EU countries, eral opposition groups. Tens of
If the boats get to Lampedusa or such as Britain, criticized the Mare thousands of people have been
Malta their passengers may eventu- Nostrum operation. They said that killed. Millions of Syrians have
ally be allowed to live and work in rescuing migrants and taking them had to leave their homes. Many
an EU member country. to Italy is wrong. It just encourag- have crossed borders into Lebanon,
After arriving in Libya or Tuni- es more to make the dangerous sea Turkey, Iraq, and Jordan. In these
sia, the migrants have to find a boat. crossing. The only way to solve the places they live in tents in huge
Criminal gangs in these countries problem, they claim, is to arrest refugee camps.
charge large amounts of money to the people smugglers in Tunisia Everyone who was on board the
take them to Lampedusa or Mal- and Libya. Blue Sky M and the Ezadeen were
ta. These gangs are called people The Italian government decided taken to camps in separate parts of
smugglers, or people traffickers. to end the Mare Nostrum operation Italy. All will probably be given per-
The small boats they use are usu- three months ago. An EU force took mission to stay. If so, they might be
ally overloaded. Most are old and over. Called Triton, it is made up of able to move to other EU countries.
in need of repair. There is always a a few ships and helicopters. These As this group of Syrians reached
danger of them sinking. come from several EU countries. Italy, some people are now predict-
Two years ago, Italian navy com- The Triton force only patrols near ing the arrival of many more ghost
manders set up a special operation to the Italian coast. Therefore large ships.
January 8, 2015 Newsademic.com American English edition
NEW BEDBUG TRAPS
A team of scientists in Canada claim
to have found a way of getting rid
of bedbugs. Their research has taken
five years. The scientists have cre-
ated a special mixture of chemicals.
These are used to entice, or lure,
bedbugs into a trap, or small box.
The trap can then be destroyed, or
disposed of.
Bedbug
The chemical mix is made up of
six pheromones. Animals and in-
sects (such as bedbugs) release these
chemical compounds. They affect
the behavior of other organisms of
the same species. The team discov-
ered that a pheromone called hista-
mine was important. When added to
the mixture, it encourages the insects
to stay inside the traps. Histamine is
also found in human blood.
Bedbugs (Cimex lectularius)
can be up to 0.2 (five millimeters
inches) long. They feed on human
blood. The insects are see-through,
or transparent, before they bite and
feed. They can therefore be diffi-
cult to spot. Once they have filled
themselves with blood, bedbugs are
a pinkish-brown color.
The small insects will live in
beds, mattresses, carpets, behind
wooden walls, and in cushioned
parts of sofas and chairs. Its thought
that people traveling to different
places or countries spread the bugs.
Female bedbugs lay about six
eggs a day. This is between 300 and
500 in their lifetime. The insects feed
only once every five to ten days. If
they cannot find a human, bedbugs
are able to hide away for over a year.
Some people react to bedbug bites
more than others. The area around
the bite swells up. It becomes very
red and itchy.
Over 70 years ago bedbugs were a
problem in the U.S. and Europe. DDT,
an insect-killing pesticide, or chem-
ical, was developed in the 1940s. It
killed many types of insect including
bedbugs. DDT seemed to have solved
the problem. Many people thought
that bedbugs had disappeared.
Later, it was discovered that DDT
could be harmful to humans. It was
also shown to be bad for other ani-
mals, plants and insects. DDT was
banned in many parts of the world
in 1972. Over the last 20 years, the
number of bedbugs in countries, such
as the U.S., has greatly increased. If
bedbugs are found in a building, it is
very difficult to get rid of all of them.
Some researchers think that the in-
sects have developed a resistance to
certain new pesticides.
Doctor Regine Gries demonstrating how she lets
the bedbugs feed (Simon Fraser University)
The scientists who have created
the new trap work at a Canadian
university. Doctor Regine Gries and
Professor Gerhard Gries (two of the
three-member team) are husband
and wife. They set up many exper-
iments to work out which chemical
compounds to use in the traps. For
these tests about 1,000 bedbugs
page 3
were kept in several containers.
They had to be fed.
Dr. Gries agreed to be the host.
By placing an open container against
her forearm, the insects could feed
on her blood. Unlike her husband,
Dr. Gries only gets tiny rashes from
bedbug bites. During the last five
years she has been bitten at least
180,000 times.
After a blood meal, bedbugs shed
their skins. These empty skins are
called cuticles. The team discovered
that the insects release histamine in
their cuticles and faeces, or waste.
These collect where the insects hide.
The histamine then tells other
bedbugs to stay in these places. This
is because they are safe and food
is not far away. This explains why
histamine encourages the insects to
remain in the traps.
The team has successfully test-
ed their new traps in several build-
ings in the city of Vancouver. The
scientists now plan to work with
a Canadian company to make, or
mass-produce, them. The bedbug
traps can then be sold in shops.
MOST EARTH-LIKE PLANET
Kepler is a space observatory, or
space telescope. It has recently dis-
covered eight new planets. All circle,
or orbit, stars in far away solar sys-
tems. Three are within whats known
as the habitable zone. Scientists
say that one of them is the most
Earth-like world ever discovered.
NASA (National Aeronautics and
Space Administration) launched Ke-
pler in 2009. The space observatory
was named after the famous Ger-
man mathematician and astronomer,
Johannes Kepler (1571 1630). It
was specially designed to search for
exoplanets. These are planets that
January 8, 2015 Newsademic.com American English edition
orbit a star outside of our own Solar
System. Exoplanets are also known
as extrasolar planets. The first one
was discovered in 1995.
There are several ways of de-
tecting exoplanets. Kepler uses
the transit method. If an exoplanet
passes in front of a star, it blocks a
small amount of its light. Therefore,
when seen from a certain angle, the
star dims, as the exoplanet moves in
front of it. Then, when the exoplanet
has passed, or completed its transit,
the star gets brighter again. So stars
that are seen to dim and get brighter
again may have one or more exo-
planets circling them.
If Kepler records one of these
stars, the information is sent to
a team of astronomers. They use
powerful telescopes on the Earth to
check if the star has exoplanets. If
it does, the astronomers calculate
how far they are from their star, or
sun. They also try to find out if the
exoplanets are made of rock or gas.
Artists impression of an exoplanet in a far away
solar system orbiting its star, or sun (NASA)
There are two types of planets:
gas planets and rocky planets. In our
own Solar System, Mercury, Venus,
Earth, and Mars are all rocky planets.
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Nep-
tune are made mainly of gas. Scien-
tists are interested in rocky planets.
For rocky planets to be Earth-like
they need to orbit their sun at a
certain distance.
Scientists believe that for life
to exist there probably has to be
liquid, or flowing, water. So for an
exoplanet to have life, it cannot be
too far from its sun. If it were far
away it would be very cold. Any
water would be frozen. Alternative-
ly, if the exoplanet were close to its
sun, it would be very hot. Any water
on it would have turned to steam
and disappeared.
Artists impression of Kepler (NASA)
For life to exist on a rocky exo-
planet, it needs to be in the habitable
zone. This is not too far from its
sun and not too close. In our Solar
System, the Earth is in the habitable
zone. Mercury and Venus are closer
to the Sun and therefore very hot.
As it is farther away from our Sun,
Mars is much colder than the Earth.
Some people call the habitable
zone the Goldilocks zone. This
name comes from the well-known
fairy tale. In the story Goldilocks
enters a house in which three bears
live. She finds three bowls of por-
ridge. The father bears porridge
is too hot to eat; the mother bears
porridge much too cold. Goldilocks
eats the baby bears porridge. She
does this because it is just right, or
not too hot and not too cold.
The exoplanet that the research-
ers believe is most Earth-like is
called Kepler 438b. It takes 35 days
to go around its star. Learning more
about Kepler 438b will be diffi-
cult. This is because it is 470 light
years from the Earth. A light year
is the distance light travels in one
year. (The speed of light is roughly
page 4
186,400 miles (300,000 kilometers)
per second.)
Keplers latest discoveries mean
that the space telescope has now re-
corded 1,004 exoplanets.
SOUTH KOREAS CHAEBOL
On December 30, Heather Cho was
arrested in Seoul, the capital of South
Korea. She is accused of delaying an
international flight and assaulting
two of the aircrafts crew. What Ms.
Cho did has angered many people
in South Korea. They believe that it
highlights the bad behavior of fam-
ilies who run the countrys chaebol.
In South Korea, chaebol (pro-
nounced chay-bol) are large con-
glomerates, or groups of companies.
Some of the best known include:
Samsung, LG, Hyundai, SK Group,
Kumho Asiana, and Hanjin. Most
chaebol are public companies. This
means that people can buy and sell
the companies shares, or stock.
However, unlike public companies
in most other countries, many chae-
bol are still controlled by members
of the families who founded them.
In 1950, North Korea invaded
South Korea. This led to the Korean
War, which lasted for three years.
During the war the United Nations
(U.N.), with mainly American mil-
itary forces, supported the South.
China helped the North. The war
ended in a truce. No peace treaty has
ever been signed.
After the war much of South Ko-
rea was in ruins. Over the next 30
years South Koreas leaders worked
to improve the countrys economy.
Several companies were encour-
aged to set up large factories. They
would then make things that could
be exported, or sold, to people in
other countries. The government
January 8, 2015 Newsademic.com American English edition
helped these companies in several
ways. One was to provide large in-
expensive loans. These companies
became the chaebol. Over time they
got much bigger and more powerful.
The population of South Korea
is about 51 million. The country has
few natural resources. Yet, during
the last 30 years, it has achieved
many things. South Korea now has
the worlds 14th largest economy.
The chaebol are one of the main
reasons for the countrys economic
success. Today, some of the worlds
biggest electronics, shipbuilding and
construction companies are South
Korean. Samsung (the name means
three stars) is the largest chaebol.
It is responsible for about 17% of the
countrys total economic output.
Heather Chos Korean name
is Cho Hyun-ah. Her father is the
Hanjin chaebols chairman. This
chaebol owns Korean Air. Ms. Cho
was one of the airline companys
senior bosses. At the beginning of
December she traveled on a Korean
Air flight. The plane flew from New
York City, in the U.S., to South Ko-
rea. Before the aircraft took off, Ms.
Cho became very angry.
A crew member, or flight atten-
dant, gave Ms. Cho a packet of nuts.
Ms. Cho, who was sitting in first class,
said that the nuts should be served in
a bowl. After shouting at several crew
members, she told the pilot to taxi
back to the airport. The pilot obeyed.
There, Ms. Cho told one of the crew
members to leave the plane. The flight
then took off about 30 minutes late.
A few days later several news-
papers wrote about the incident.
Many people criticized Ms. Cho and
Korean Air. Ms. Chos father was
forced to apologize. He said that his
daughter would no longer work for
the company.
Some people in South Korea
dislike the chaebol. These people
believe that they are too big and con-
trol too many industries. Ms. Chos
outburst, they argue, is an example of
the bad behavior of the families who
run these powerful companies.
JAPANS SHRINKING POPULATION
On January 1, health officials in Ja-
pan made an announcement about
the countrys birth rate. They said
that births in 2014 were at a record
low. The number of babies being
born has now fallen in each of the
last four years. Many people believe
that Japans declining birth rate will
cause difficulties in the future.
In 2014, there were just over
one million newborn babies in Ja-
pan. This was about 9,000 less than
the year before. During the last 12
months about 1.27 million Japanese
people died. Therefore, in 2014
the countrys population shrank by
about 270,000 people.
The population of Japan reached
128 million in 2010. This was its
highest ever total. If the birth rate
continues to drop, some researchers
believe that the population will fall
to 107 million by 2040. Then, ten
years later, or in 2050, it will drop
to 97 million.
Japanese men and women often
live to a very old age. The countrys
life expectancy is one of the high-
est in the world. On average women
live for 86.6 years and men 80. As
the birth rate goes down, the per-
centage of older people in the coun-
try increases. Today, about 25% of
page 5
the population is 65 or over. In 2060
this figure is expected to be 40%.
In recent years some junior and
senior schools have had to close.
School buildings have been turned
into old peoples homes. Many
younger people who lived in the
countryside have moved to cities. In
some villages over 70% of the peo-
ple are elderly.
An aging population can cause
economic problems. When peo-
ple get older they retire. As they
age, more qualified healthcare
workers will be needed to look
after them. The government has
to pay for much of this extra
healthcare. Therefore, when the
number of elderly people increas-
es, the government has to spend
more money.
The government gets money
from the taxes workers pay. Yet,
in Japan, because of the shrinking
birth rate, the number of workers
will decrease. So the total amount of
money people pay in taxes will also
decrease. Large Japanese compa-
nies may also have problems. This
is because it will become harder to
find enough workers. Some Japa-
nese companies are now spending
large amounts of money trying to
develop robots.
City street in Japan
Experts say that there are a num-
ber of reasons why Japanese women
are having fewer babies. Childcare
and looking after children has be-
come very expensive. The number
January 8, 2015 Newsademic.com American English edition
of younger people getting married is
decreasing. Couples who do marry
are choosing to do so at a much later
age. An increasing number of wom-
en are deciding to work for more
years than they used to.
Some people say that the govern-
ment has to encourage people to have
more children. For example, younger
couples with children could pay less
tax. The government could also help
with the cost of childcare. The only
other way to stop the falling birth rate
is immigration. This means allowing
many people from other countries
to live and work in Japan. Yet, most
Japanese people are not thought to
favor this type of immigration.
Japan is not the only country with
a low birth rate and aging population
problem. Others include: South Ko-
rea and Taiwan, and several eastern
European countries, such as Poland
and Slovakia.
NEW YEAR BEGINS
Many cities around the world orga-
nized large firework, or pyrotechnic,
displays on the night of December
31, and the early hours of January
1. These were held to celebrate the
New Year, or the start of 2015.
As it circles the Sun, the Earth
spins on its axis. This is an imagi-
nary line that runs from the North
to the South Pole. The Earth com-
pletes one rotation, or spin, every
24 hours. This means that sunrise, or
the start of each day, moves around
the globe as it rotates.
The International Date Line is
another imaginary line. It divides
the Pacific Ocean. When you cross
this line, the date changes. If you
are on the west side and cross it
going east, you go from today
to yesterday. If you cross it the
other way, you leap from today
to tomorrow.
Pacific island countries to the west
of the line, like Kiribati and Samoa,
were the first to celebrate the New
Year. People living on islands to the
east of the date line, such as Hawaii,
were among the last to welcome the
arrival of 2015. The Hawaiian Is-
lands are a part of the U.S.
The first big cities to celebrate
the start of 2015 were Auckland and
Sydney. These are the largest cities
in New Zealand and Australia. Both
organized big pyrotechnic shows.
Sydney has a large harbor. Around
1.5 million people gathered around
the sides of the harbor to watch the
huge firework display.
In Tokyo, the capital of Japan,
thousands of helium filled balloons
were released into the night sky.
There was a bad accident in Shang-
hai, Chinas second biggest city.
Tens of thousands of people went to
the waterfront to see a light show.
A stampede began and many were
crushed. Thirty-six people died. The
following day, Xi Jinping, Chinas
president, ordered an investigation.
All the citys other New Year cele-
brations were canceled.
famous ball drop. A large crystal
New Year fireworks in Sydney, Australia
There was a huge pyrotechnic,
laser and LED display in Dubai.
This is the main city in the United
Arab Emirates (UAE). The display
was centered on the Burj Khalifa.
At 2,716 feet (828 meters), it is the
tallest building in the world.
page 6
Moscow, the Russian capital,
was the first large European city
to welcome the New Year. There,
fireworks lit up the Kremlin and
St. Basils Cathedral. The Kremlin
is a large old fortress. Today, it is
the home and offices of the Rus-
sian president. In Berlin, Germanys
capital, the celebrations took place
around the Brandenburg Gate. This
well-known landmark is in the city
center. Over 300,000 people crowd-
ed into the Champs-lyses in Paris,
the capital of France. The Champs-
lyses is a famous wide street in
the citys center.
The Burj Khalifa building during Dubais New
Year firework display (Daniel Cheong)
In London, the capital of Brit-
ain, the parliament building has a
tall clock tower. The clocks large
bell is called Big Ben. Traditionally,
people in central London count Big
Bens chimes as it strikes midnight.
The pyrotechnics started just after
the last chime. In New York City, in
the U.S., people gathered in Times
Square. There, they watched the
ball on top of a building is released
at one minute to midnight. The ball,
which is attached to a pole, or mast,
takes 60 seconds to get to the bot-
tom. Then the fireworks began.
Astronauts on the International
Space Station (ISS) claimed to have
had 16 New Year celebrations. The
ISS circles the Earth at a height of
roughly 248 miles (400 kilometers).
January 8, 2015 Newsademic.com American English edition
It travels at 17,500 miles (28,164
kilometers) per hour. The astro-
nauts were directly above a part of
the Earth where it was midnight 16
times.
PASSENGER PLANE CRASH
On December 28, an Indonesia
AirAsia passenger aircraft crashed
into the sea. The plane was flying
from Surabaya, Indonesias second
largest city, to Singapore. On board
were 155 passengers and seven crew
members. All died.
The airline company was set up
in 1999. At first, the company used
a different name. It changed to Indo-
nesia AirAsia about ten years ago.
The airline operates domestic routes
between a number of Indonesian
cities. The companys internation-
al flights go to and from Australia,
Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.
Indonesia AirAsia has a good safe-
ty record. None of its planes have
crashed before.
The aircraft took off from Sura-
baya airport early in the morning.
The flight was expected to take
about two hours. Not long after
take off, the pilot spoke on the ra-
dio. He asked air traffic controllers
for permission to turn left. He ex-
plained that he wanted to avoid a
large storm that the plane was fly-
ing towards. The controllers agreed.
Then, the pilot asked if his plane
could climb higher. This request
was refused. This was because other
planes in the area were flying above
the Indonesia AirAsia aircraft. Soon
afterwards the aircraft disappeared
from the controllers radar.
Within a few hours a search and
rescue operation began. Indonesian
navy ships and air force planes be-
gan looking for wreckage or any
other sign of the plane. Officials
were sure that the aircraft had
crashed into the Java Sea and not on
land. The Java Sea is between the
Indonesian islands of Borneo, Su-
matra and Java. However, because
of bad weather, it was difficult to
carry out the search.
Floating wreckage from the plane
was not found until two days after
the plane went missing. By this time,
many other countries had offered to
help. Ships from Singapore, Malay-
sia, Australia, and the U.S. sailed to-
wards the suspected crash site. Russia
sent a large team of military divers.
Indonesia AirAsia passenger plane
Some bodies were found. How-
ever, floating wreckage and items
from the plane were spread over
a wide area by the winds, waves,
tides, and currents. Nearly all the
planes passengers were from Indo-
nesia. Officials told their relatives
that the bodies of everyone on the
flight would be recovered.
The Java Sea is not very deep.
On January 7, the aircrafts tail was
found on the seabed. Once the other
parts of the plane are located, they
can all be brought to the surface.
There are many shipwrecks in this
part of the Java Sea. These might
make it harder to find some bits of
the aircraft. Several wrecks date
back to a large naval battle in 1942.
This took place during the Second
World War.
All passenger aircraft carry two
devices called black boxes. (These
page 7
devices are colored orange. This
color makes them easier to find.)
Black boxes record the pilots con-
versation and how different parts of
the plane are operating. The devices
are designed to withstand crashes,
fire and seawater. Finding the black
boxes is important. Information re-
corded on them should help inves-
tigators find out what caused the air
accident.
NEW LIZARD
A new type of lizard has been caught
in Australia. It is the worlds smallest
species of goanna. Goannas are also
known as monitor lizards. There are
many goanna species. At least 25 of
them are found in Australia.
Goannas vary greatly in size.
The recently discovered species is
nine inches (23 centimeters) long. It
weighs only 0.6 ounces (16 grams).
The largest monitor lizard in Austra-
lia is the perentie. This lizard can be
up to 6.6 feet (two meters) in length.
In Australia, most goannas prefer to
live in grassland and open wood-
land. However, a few species are
found in deserts, or near water and
swampy areas.
Dampier Peninsula monitor (R. Ellis)
Different types of monitor lizards
are different colors. All are covered
in scales. These can be green, black
or brown. Goannas that live in des-
ert areas are a yellowish-red. As
well as their body color, some spe-
cies are covered in stripes, circles
January 8, 2015 Newsademic.com American English edition
or dots. These shapes are a type of
camouflage. When the lizards stay
very still, they are difficult to see.
Goannas are carnivores, or meat
eaters. They swallow their prey
whole. What they eat depends on
the lizards size. Larger ones feed
on small mammals, birds, eggs, and
other lizards. Those that live near
water can catch fish. Smaller goan-
nas eat mostly insects. Many types
of monitor lizard also feed on dead
animals. Like snakes, the lizards
have long forked tongues. These
quickly move in and out of their
mouths. Their tongues are able to
collect scent, or smells, in the air.
Goannas use their tongues to find or
sense their prey.
When threatened the lizards make
a hissing sound. As they make this
noise, the lizards inflate flaps of skin
around their throats. Their bite can
be painful. The lizards saliva is be-
lieved to contain some poison. Goan-
nas have very sharp claws. These are
used for climbing trees and digging
underground tunnels and nests.
Monitor lizards spend most of
the time on their own. They mate
in the spring and summer months.
Females produce between three and
11 eggs. These are usually laid in an
underground nest. Some species lay
their eggs inside termite mounds.
Goanna eggs may not hatch for over
260 days. After the young lizards
come out of their eggs, they have to
look after themselves.
The new small species of goanna
was found in the Kimberley region
of northwest Australia. It was dis-
covered in an area called the Damp-
ier Peninsula. Local wildlife experts
believe that this is probably the only
place where it lives. Its been named
the Dampier Peninsula monitor.
The new lizard is being kept in a
local museum. Its been nicknamed
page 8
pokey. Those looking after the built. The ship was made from the
small lizard have fed it on insects wood of at least 600 large trees. It
and cat food. They say that it is very was also one of the first warships to
active and wants to spend most of carry heavy guns, or cannons. These
the time digging. Because of its were made from iron and bronze. In
small size, some scientists have de- times of war 450 sailors and soldiers
scribed the new goanna as an evo- would have been on the ship.
lutionary marvel.
MARY ROSE AND RICKETS
A new type of laser has been used
to study 500-year-old human bones.
The bones come from English sailors.
They were on board a ship called the Picture of the Mary Rose
Mary Rose. Experts believe that bone
diseases in living people could now During Henry the Eighths reign
be detected with this type of laser. the English fought a number of wars
against France. In 1545, a French
invasion force of around 130 ships
crossed the English Channel. About
80 English ships, including the Mary
Rose, sailed towards them. The sea
battle took place near Portsmouth.
During the battle the Mary Rose
suddenly sank. No one knows why.
The ship was making a turn. Some
think that there was a powerful gust
of wind just as the Mary Rose turned.
Then, as the ship leaned over, sea-
water flooded into open gun ports.
Remains of the Mary Roses wooden hull, in the
Portsmouth museum (Mary Rose Trust)
These are the holes in the sides of old
navy ships through which the can-
The Mary Rose was built in nons fired. The ship may have been
Portsmouth, a city on the south coast overloaded. If so, the gun ports would
of Britain. The ship was launched in have been close to the seas surface.
1511. Then, Henry the Eighth (1491 When making the turn, the ships gun
1547) was king of England. His ports should have been shut.
family name was Tudor. The period Only 35 of those on board the
of English history during Henrys Mary Rose survived. Henry the
reign and the reigns of his father, Eighth watched what happened
Henry the Seventh, his son, Edward from a nearby castle. Even though
the Sixth, and his two daughters, the English lost one of their biggest
Mary and Elizabeth, is known as ships, they won the sea battle. The
the Tudors. The Mary Rose is of- French invasion failed.
ten described as a Tudor warship. In 1836, several fishermen dis-
At that time, the Mary Rose was covered the wreck of the Mary Rose
one of the biggest warships ever by accident. Their nets had become
January 8, 2015 Newsademic.com American English edition
caught on some of the ships timbers.
The wreck was rediscovered in 1971.
About one-third of the wooden hull
remained. This was buried in mud.
The mud contained the bones of those
who drowned. It was also full of thou-
sands of items that were carried on the
ship. The remains of the ships hull
were brought to the surface in 1982.
It can now be seen in a specially built
museum in Portsmouth. Many of the
items found in the wreck are also dis-
played in the museum.
Some of the sailors on the Mary
Rose had deformed leg bones. The
bones are an unusual shape. The
laser study showed that these sail-
ors had rickets in their childhood.
Nowadays, in wealthier countries,
this disease is unusual. It is caused
by a poor diet. People get rickets if
the have a lack of calcium and vi-
tamin D. Calcium is found in dairy
products (such as milk, cheese and
yogurt) and some green vegetables.
Our skin produces vitamin D when
it is exposed to the Sun.
The new laser was able to exam-
ine the sailors leg bones without
causing any damage. In the future
it may be possible to use this infor-
mation to test if young children in
poorer countries are suffering from
the same disease.
LITHUANIA JOINS EUROZONE
On January 1, people living in Lith-
uania began using a new currency.
Lithuania is the latest European
Union (EU) member to switch to
the euro. Also known as the single
currency, the euro is now used by
19 nations. Together these countries
are often called the eurozone.
All European countries used
to have their own currencies. In
1992, most EU members signed an
important agreement, or treaty. Part
of this treaty was about a new sin-
gle currency. The members agreed
to use the same type of money (lat-
er named the euro) within the next
ten years. The first euro coins and
banknotes were introduced on Jan-
uary 1, 2002.
Lithuania
The 19 eurozone countries
Then, not every EU country was
allowed to change to the euro. Only
those that met certain financial, or
monetary, standards could adopt
the single currency. Most of these
countries, including France and
Germany, opted to use the euro.
However, Britain and Denmark
decided to keep their own curren-
cies. Since 2002 a number of other
countries have joined the EU. Some,
such as Malta, Cyprus, Slovakia,
Estonia, and Latvia have joined
the eurozone.
Lithuania is one of the Baltic
States. These three small European
countries are close together. Esto-
nia and Latvia are the other two.
Lithuanias population is roughly
three million. About 500,000 Lithu-
anians live in Vilnius, the countrys
capital city.
At the end of the Second World
War (1939 1945) the Baltic States
were occupied by Russia. They then
became part of the Russian-led So-
viet Union. From 1945 until 1991,
page 9
Russias communist leaders con-
trolled all three countries.
Each of the Baltic States became
independent nations in 1991. This
was after the Soviet Union began
to break up. All three joined the
EU in 2004. Lithuania is the last of
the three to adopt the euro. Estonia
joined the eurozone in 2010. Latvia
began using the single currency 12
months ago.
Lithuania used the litas before
the Second World War. As part of
the Soviet Union, the Russian ruble
was the official currency. Howev-
er, when the Soviet Union broke
up there was a shortage of rubles
in Lithuania. The government in-
troduced a temporary currency
called the talonas. Only notes were
produced. Yet, many Lithuanians
did not like this currency. The
banknotes were small and printed
on inexpensive paper. Their design
included animals native to Lithu-
ania, such as gray wolves and the
European bison. People nicknamed
the banknotes zoo tickets.
Lithuanias new euro coins
In 1993 the litas replaced the tal-
onas. As the country is now in the
eurozone, Lithuania has used four
different currencies in the last 25
years. The Lithuanian government
made the decision to change to the
euro some time ago. In recent years,
some countries that use the single
currency have had (or are still hav-
ing) financial difficulties. These
include: Greece, Portugal, Ireland,
Italy, and Spain. Some people blame
these problems on the euro. Now,
January 8, 2015 Newsademic.com American English edition
Lithuanian newspaper reports say
that about half of the population
would like to keep the litas.
One side of euro coins all look
the same. Yet, each eurozone coun-
try selects its own designs for the
coins other, or flip, sides. For all
its euro coins Lithuania has chosen
the Vytis symbol. This is Lithua-
nias coat of arms. Most European
countries, as well as many cities
and old universities in Europe, have
a coat of arms. They are used as
official symbols.
The Vytis is a knight on horse-
back. He is holding a shield and a
sword. The wording Lietuva (the
countrys name in Lithuanian) and
the date 2015 (the year it began us-
ing the euro) are also on this side of
the coins.
INTERNATIONAL CES
At the beginning of each year thou-
sands of people from all around
the world attend the International
Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
This large three-day event is held
in the city of Las Vegas, in the U.S.
Electronics companies use the show
to introduce and display their new
designs and products. This years
CES began on January 6.
In the past, some of the worlds
most famous and best-selling elec-
tronic devices (often called gadgets)
were first introduced at the CES.
Some examples are: cell phones,
DVDs (Digital Video Discs) and
HDTV (High Definition Television).
The first CES was held in 1967.
Several electronic items that are
now rarely used were first intro-
duced at the show. In 1970 the
videocassette recorder appeared
for the first time. The compact disc
player was unveiled in 1981. These
devices became very popular. Hun-
dreds of thousands were sold. Yet,
now, both have been replaced with
newer gadgets.
When the first CES was held
nearly 50 years ago it attracted
17,000 visitors. About 200 compa-
nies displayed their products. Now-
adays, over 3,000 companies, from
many countries, launch their new
products or inventions at the CES.
Visitor numbers are over 150,000.
This years exhibition hall was two
miles (3.2 kilometers) long.
Many of the larger companies
that make televisions, computers,
cell phones, and cameras were at
the show. Some arranged special
stage events to launch their new
designs and inventions. In recent
years, more and more car making
companies have stands at the show.
This year Toyota showed off its new
Mirai car. It uses hydrogen gas in-
stead of gasoline. Toyota, which is
based in Japan, is one of the worlds
biggest carmakers. The name of its
new hydrogen-powered car means
the future in Japanese.
Audis new driverless car was on
display. Audi is a German company.
Audi calls its self-driving technol-
ogy Piloted Driving. To demon-
strate this technology Audi arranged
a special event. Just before the CES
began, one of Audis cars drove
from San Francisco to Las Vegas.
This is a distance of 550 miles (885
kilometers). The car traveled the en-
tire distance without a driver.
page 10
Some of the worlds most suc-
cessful technology companies no
longer go to the CES. Firms such
as Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and
Google usually arrange the launch
of their own new products. These
companies bosses believe that their
new devices and gadgets get more
attention if they are unveiled in
this way.
CES exhibition hall
Most of the larger technology
companies at the show were from
Asia. These included Huawei and
ZTE from China, Samsung and LG,
from South Korea, and Panasonic
and Sony from Japan. Several Asian
companies introduced new types of
curved televisions and smartphones.
Samsung and LG had new laun-
dry units on display. The Samsung
device can move clothes soaking
in a sink to a washing machine. It
does this without dripping water on
the floor.
There are often some unusu-
al gadgets displayed at the CES.
This year, one was a belt. As you
sit down, it automatically loosens.
Then, when you stand up it gets
tighter again. Another company dis-
played a new type of music speaker.
It levitates, or floats in the air, above
its own base. Another unusual in-
vention was a roller skate-like gad-
get called Rollkers. When strapped
to their shoes, a persons walking
speed can increase to seven miles
(11 kilometers) an hour.
January 8, 2015 Newsademic.com American English edition
AUSTRALIAN BUSHFIRES
Hundreds of firefighters have been
trying to control a large wildfire near
the city of Adelaide, in Australia.
The fire began on January 3. Local
officials said that it was the worst
wildfire in this part of the country
for nearly 30 years.
In Australia the forests are of-
ten called the bush. This is why
wildfires in the country are known
as bushfires. These fires are not un-
usual in summer months. The bush
is very dry at this time of year. This
summer the weather has been hot-
ter than normal in south Australia.
Temperatures of 100F (38C) have
been recorded in Adelaide.
Bushfire in Australia
When bushfires start, winds
can blow burning embers high
into the air. These can start other
fires where they fall to the ground.
Large bushfires are very difficult
to put out, or extinguish. Usual-
ly firefighters just try to control
them until they eventually die out.
Rainy weather can also help to
extinguish bushfires.
One way firefighters in Australia
try to control fires is called back
burning. To stop the flames spread-
ing or joining with other fires they
deliberately set fire to some parts of
the bush. These deliberate fires are
then carefully controlled. When the
bushfire reaches these areas they be-
gin to die down. This is because there
is nothing left to catch fire, or burn.
One reason bushfires can spread
so quickly in Australia is because
of the countrys eucalyptus forests.
There are many types of eucalyptus
trees. Most are native to Australia,
where they are often called gum trees.
Eucalyptus trees have evolved,
or adapted, to survive in a bushfire.
Their bark peels off in long strips.
On the ground there are many dead
eucalyptus leaves. Even a small
spark can cause them to catch fire.
The flames quickly spread to the
peeling bark and then to the leaves
at the top of the trees.
Eucalyptus leaves contain a
type of oil. This is flammable. So it
catches fire easily. Once the leaves
start burning, the flames quickly
spread from tree to tree. Gum trees
are often called gasoline trees.
This is because of the way they help
to spread bushfires.
After a bushfire is out, eucalyptus
trees have an advantage over other
types of trees. New buds quick-
ly sprout from under their burned
bark. On the ground, heat from the
fire makes their seeds open. Gum
trees grow very quickly in soils that
contain a lot of ash. After a bushfire,
eucalyptus trees can soon outgrow
all other types of trees and bushes.
After the bushfire began near Ad-
elaide, people living close by were
told to leave their homes. The fire
burned an area of 46 square miles
(120 square kilometers). Thirty-eight
houses and over 100 farm buildings
were destroyed. Many sheep and cat-
tle died. At one stage, the perimeter
or edge of the fire was 148 miles (238
kilometers) long. Special planes were
used to drop water on the flames.
Other bushfires are now burning
in the country. One is about 186
miles (300 kilometers) from the city
of Melbourne. Another is near Perth,
in the western part of Australia.
page 11
BOWHEADS AND OLD AGE
Working separately, teams of re-
searchers in the U.S. and Britain
have both mapped the genome of
the bowhead whale. Bowheads
are believed to be the worlds lon-
gest-living mammal. In the future,
the researchers work could be used
to help humans live for longer.
Bowhead whale (NOAA)
Bowhead whales are found
around the Arctic Ocean. Unlike
many other whale species, they
do not migrate for long distances.
Adults are about 66 feet (20 meters)
long. They can weigh as much as
100 tons. Bowheads have large bony
heads. Like other marine mammals,
they need to come to the surface to
breathe. Bowheads can stay under
water for about 40 minutes. If sea
ice is above them, the whales use
their large heads to break through it.
In the past whale hunters killed
thousands of bowhead whales. The
animals were hunted for their oil,
meat and blubber. Hunting most
large whales, including bowheads,
was banned over 25 years ago.
However, native people in northern
Canada, Greenland and Alaska (a
part of the U.S.) are allowed to kill
a certain number of bowheads each
year. Today, there are believed to be
about 25,000 bowhead whales in
Arctic waters.
It was thought that a bowheads
lifespan was about 70 years. This is
normal for large whales. However,
January 8, 2015 Newsademic.com American English edition
old spearheads, made from jade,
slate and ivory have been found
in some recently killed bowheads.
These weapons have not been used
for at least 150 years. In 2007, a
bowhead whale was caught off the
coast of Alaska. An explosive har-
poon was discovered deep in its
blubber. American whale-hunters
used these types of harpoons 120
years ago. Nowadays, scientists
think that bowheads can live for be-
tween 150 and 200 years.
Each living thing has its own
genome, or genetic codes. The ge-
nome, which is made of DNA, is
made up of thousands of genes.
These control different characteris-
tics in living things. For example,
certain genes are responsible for the
color of a persons eyes and hair.
The researchers in Britain com-
pared the bowheads genes with those
from minkie whales. These whales,
which are much smaller, live for about
50 years. Two genes in animals are
known to have something to do with
their lifespan. From the comparison
with minkie whales, the researchers
discovered that the bowheads lifes-
pan genes have a mutation. Therefore,
at some time in the distant past, these
genes changed, or mutated.
The researchers believe that
these mutations explain why bow-
heads live for so long. They suspect
that the mutated genes lessen the
possibility of illnesses, such as can-
cers and heart disease. The mutated
genes also help to repair DNA. The
American researchers discovered
the same gene mutations.
A few other animals may have
these long life genes. A type of bat
found in Russia has a lifespan of 40
years. This is much longer than all
other bat species. The naked mole
rat is another long-lived animal. It
comes from east Africa. Naked mole
rats live for about 30 years. This is
ten times longer than other mice of
a similar size.
The British researchers now
hope to experiment with the bow-
head whales long-life genes. They
plan to put them inside mice. The re-
searchers will then be able to see if
the mice live longer. The genes may
also protect the mice from diseases
like cancer.
If these experiments are success-
ful, the researchers want to test the
effects on humans. They could do
this with drugs that change genes al-
ready in the body. Alternatively, the
whale genes could be planted inside
human cells. The cells would then
be put back into patients.
INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF LIGHT
The United Nations (U.N.) has desig-
nated 2015 as the International Year
of Light and Light-based Technolo-
gies. During the next 12 months (or
IYL2015) special events are to be held
in many countries. These include: lec-
tures, conferences, exhibitions, light
displays, and competitions.
IYL2015 has been organized by
UNESCO (United Nations Educa-
tional, Scientific and Cultural Orga-
nization). The opening ceremony is
on January 19 and 20. It will take
place at UNESCOs headquarters in Cairo, which is now the capital of
Paris, the capital of France.
The organizers say that one pur-
pose of IYL2015 is to emphasize
the importance of light-based tech-
nologies. These technologies are
page 12
now used in many ways. They are
becoming more and more important
for energy production, education,
communications, and healthcare.
Artist representation bust of Ibn al-Haytham by
1001 Inventions for UNESCOs IYL2015
Some people describe light as
one of the most important elements
of our existence. Light is needed for
life. For example, plants use light
energy to make their own food. This
process is called photosynthesis.
Plants use sunlight to change carbon
dioxide and water into starches and
sugars. These are stored within the
plant and used when needed.
One reason for choosing 2015
as the International Year of Light is
a famous book. Called The Book of
Optics, it was printed 1,000 years
ago. Optics is the study of sight and
the behavior of light. An Arab schol-
ar called Alhazen (also known as Al
Hasan Ibn al-Haytham) wrote the
book. Alhazen was born in Basra. To-
day, this city is in modern-day Iraq.
Alhazen was a mathematician,
scientist, astronomer, and philos-
opher. He spent most of his life in
Egypt. Alhazen was interested in
light. His work changed the way in
which people thought about vision,
light and the eye. Alhazen was also
one of the first to use experiments
January 8, 2015 Newsademic.com American English edition
to test his ideas, or theories. His ex-
periments are described in his book.
Around 300 years ago, Sir Isaac
Newton showed that white light is
made up of different colors. Newton
was a British scientist and mathe-
matician. In the early 1900s, Max
Planck and Albert Einstein were
the first to understand that light was
both a wave and a particle. Both
men were German physicists. Lat-
er, Einstein became an American
citizen. In 1960, Theodore Maiman,
an engineer and physicist from the
U.S., invented the laser. Around this
time, scientists began to use a new
word: photonics. Photons are parti-
cles of light. Photonics is the science
of making, controlling and detecting
light particles.
Much of the electromagnetic
spectrum cannot be seen by humans.
(The spectrum is made up of: gamma
rays, X-rays, ultraviolet light (UV),
CANADA
USA
Hawaii GUATEMALA BELIZE
This map shows countries to which news stories refer in this issue. Visit www.newsademic.com for more detailed world maps.
page 13
visible light, infrared, microwaves, on bridges, which cross the Rhine
and radio waves.) Yet both visible River, were also turned off.
and invisible light waves are now a
daily part of our lives. If there were
no understanding of photonics, many
of todays important devices would
not exist. Some examples are: bar-
code scanners, DVD players, special
medical equipment, laser cutters, re-
mote sensors, solar panels, and even
the internet.
UNESCO hopes that IYL2015
Anti-PEGIDA demonstration in Munich
will make people more aware of light
and how light-based technologies The citys authorities said that
can make the world a better place. they had done this as a warning.
They believe that an organization
called PEGIDA is an extremist
PEGIDA PROTESTS group. The authorities wanted to stop
people joining a PEGIDA protest in
On the evening of January 6, the Cologne. Switching off the lights,
lights that illuminate Colognes fa- they explained, was a way of telling
mous cathedral were switched off. people not to support PEGIDA.
Cologne is one of Germanys largest PEGIDA is an acronym. In En-
cities. Street lamps in the city and glish it means Patriotic Europe-
UK LITHUANIA
GERMANY
FRANCE
ITALY SOUTH
TURKEY KOREA
SYRIA AFGHANISTAN CHINA JAPAN
UAE
SINGAPORE
INDONESIA
AUSTRALIA
January 8, 2015
ans Against the Islamization of
the West. It is an anti-immigration
movement. PEGIDA is a new orga-
nization. Its first protest was held in
the city of Dresden two months ago.
Only a few people attended. How-
ever, the organizers have been ar-
ranging weekly protests in Dresden
on Monday evenings. On January 6,
about 18,000 people took part. The
protests have now spread to several
other German cities.
Cologne Cathedral (Rolf Heinrich)
People who attend PEGIDA pro-
tests believe that too many Muslims
are moving to Germany. They want
this to stop, or the numbers reduced.
PEGIDA supporters claim that other
European countries, such as France,
have a similar problem. They insist
that they are not racists. If nothing is
done, they argue, Islam will begin to
overwhelm the German and Europe-
an way of life.
The growing number of people
attending PEGIDAs weekly demon-
strations and protests has surprised
most German politicians. In a recent
speech, Angela Merkel, the German
chancellor, said that PEGIDA sup-
porters have hatred in their hearts.
Most German newspapers have
Newsademic.com American English edition
criticized the protests and those who
take part.
Around 200,000 asylum seek-
ers have moved to Germany in the
last 12 months. This is more than
any other European country. Most
of them come from Syria and Iraq.
Fighting has been going on in both
countries for many years. The Syr-
ian governments army has been
fighting against several opposition
groups. In Iraq, the war is against
a well-armed militant organization
called the Islamic State.
Asylum-seekers are people who
apply to move to another part of the
world. They believe that their home
countries have become too danger-
ous. Some are given permission
to go and live in another country.
Others cross borders illegally. Most
asylum-seekers are seeking a better
life in a more wealthy, or devel-
oped, country. These people are also
called economic migrants. Be-
cause of whats happening in Syria,
Iraq and several other Arab nations,
the United Nations (U.N.) has asked
European countries to accept more
asylum-seekers.
On January 6, many count-
er-demonstrations were held in
Germany. People who disagree with
PEGIDA arranged them. In Berlin,
Germanys capital city, about 5,000
counter-demonstrators stopped a
smaller PEGIDA protest from tak-
ing place. In cities such as Stuttgart,
Muenster, Hamburg, and Cologne
there were large anti-PEGIDA ral-
lies. Several large German com-
panies switched off their lights to
show their opposition to PEGIDA.
A German newspaper recently
completed a survey. It asked 1,000
people a question. Would they at-
tend a PEGIDA protest if it were
held close to their hometown?
Around 13% said yes.
page 14
LEGION OF HONOR
The Legion dhonneur is Frances
highest award. It is given to peo-
ple for deeds, or acts, that have
helped or benefited France. French
presidents and their advisors select
the people who are to receive the
award. Traditionally, a list of those
chosen for the Legion dhonneur
is released on January 1. This year,
Thomas Piketty was one of them.
After hearing the news, Mr. Piketty
said that he would refuse to accept
the award.
The Legion dhonneur (Legion
of Honor) dates back over 200
years. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769
1821) introduced the award. He
was a military and political leader.
Napoleon ruled France from 1804
to 1814, and again for around three
months in 1815. When he took over
in 1804, Napoleon crowned himself
Emperor of France.
Thomas Piketty (Sue Gardner)
Napoleon led his large army to
many victories in Europe. He was fi-
nally defeated at the Battle of Water-
loo in 1815. Napoleon was captured.
He was exiled to the remote island of
Saint Helena, in the Atlantic Ocean.
He died on the island aged 51.
Napoleon used the Legion of
Honor to reward brave and success-
ful soldiers. The award is still given
to soldiers and military commanders.
However, nowadays, many non-mil-
itary people are awarded the Legion
of Honor. They include: politicians,
January 8, 2015 Newsademic.com American English edition page 15

authors, painters, movie directors, problems. These, he says, could training camps in Afghanistan. The
scientists, historians, musicians, and threaten how democratic govern- U.S. demanded that al-Qaeda lead-
business leaders. ments are elected. One way of cor- ers in Afghanistan be handed over.
Mr. Piketty is an economics pro- recting the problem, Mr. Piketty After the Taliban refused, an Ameri-
fessor. In 2013 he published a book suggests, is for all countries to in- can force invaded.
called Capital in the Twen- troduce a similar new tax. However, the American-led forc-
ty-First Century. Over 1.5 Only the very rich would es did not defeat the Taliban. Most
million copies have been have to pay this tax. Not all Taliban fighters moved to southern
sold. This is a very large economists agree with what mountainous areas near the Paki-
number for a book about Mr. Piketty says. stani-Afghan border. Other nations
economics. Many politi- People who are award- offered to help the U.S. Many, but
cians and people who work ed the Legion of Honor are not all, of those that sent troops to
in government have read it. not always French. In recent Afghanistan were NATO members.
Several well-known econo- years, for example, some Australia and New Zealand are exam-
mists say that it is the most former American soldiers, ples of non-NATO countries whose
influential book written on or veterans, have been giv- soldiers fought in Afghanistan.
the subject for many years. en the award. This is be-
The book is about cause they fought in France
wealth (money) and income during the Second World
inequality (the gap between War (1939 1945).
rich and poor). It is nearly Legion of Honor This years list for the Le-
1,000 pages long. Mr. Piketty states gion of Honor included 691 people.
that inequality is not an accident. Mr. Piketty is not the first person to
Instead, he believes that capitalism refuse the award. Yet it is unusual for
can make it worse. Capitalism is an someone to do so. Mr. Piketty said
economic and political system. In that he did not believe that it is up Ceremony marking the end of the American and
NATO combat mission in Afghanistan
a capitalist society private owners to the state (or government) to decide
control most of the trade and indus- who is honorable or not. NATO stands for North Atlantic
try. They do this to make money, or Treaty Organization. It was set up a
a profit. The opposite of capitalism few years after the end of the Second
is communism or socialism. In a MISSION ENDS IN AFGHANISTAN World War (1939 1945). By that
socialist society the government has time, the Russian-led Soviet Union
control over larger and more im- On December 28, a special ceremo- and the U.S. (together with its allies
portant industries, or companies. ny was held in Kabul, the capital of in Western Europe) were enemies.
In his book Mr. Piketty says that Afghanistan. It marked the end of In recent years, many Eastern Euro-
income inequality gets worse when the American and NATO combat pean nations have joined the NATO
countries economies do not grow. mission in the country. (Combat is alliance. These countries, such as
So, when this happens, the rich get another word for fighting between Poland, Romania, Hungary, and
richer and everyone else gets poor- soldiers or armed groups.) This mis- Bulgaria, were once part of the So-
er. In recent years there has been sion began when the war in Afghan- viet Union. They became indepen-
little economic growth in many istan started. dent nations when the Soviet Union
countries. In Europe and the U.S. In 2001, the U.S. led an inva- began to break up in 1991.
records show that the income gap sion of Afghanistan. This was af- Today NATO has 28 member
has increased during this period. ter a militant Islamic group, called countries. Its headquarters is in
Mr. Piketty argues that capitalism al-Qaeda, attacked the U.S. Then, Brussels, the capital of Belgium.
does not correct this inequality. the Taliban controlled Afghanistan. A secretary-general leads the
Mr. Piketty believes that increas- Under Taliban rule, all Afghans had organization. Jens Stoltenberg is
ing income inequality could lead to obey strict Islamic laws. The Tal- NATOs current leader. He is a for-
to riots and other serious social iban allowed al-Qaeda to operate mer prime minister of Norway.
January 8, 2015
NATO countries agree to send
military forces if another member
is attacked. Therefore NATO mem-
bers sent troops to Afghanistan
because of al-Qaedas attack on
the U.S. All non-American foreign
troops in Afghanistan were part
of a military force known as ISAF
(International Security Assistance
Force). ISAF included soldiers
from at least 50 different countries.
In 2010 there were about 100,000
American and 40,000 ISAF troops
in Afghanistan.
The American and ISAF troops
helped to train a new Afghan army
and police force. Now Afghanistan
has its own security force. This is
made up of 350,000 Afghan soldiers
and police.
Several years ago Barack Obama,
the president of the U.S., declared
that all American troops would
leave Afghanistan by the beginning
of 2015. NATO member countries
and other nations then said that they
would do the same.
Ashraf Ghani, president of Afghanistan, and NATO
secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg (NATO)
During the last 12 months Ameri-
can and ISAF forces have been hand-
ing over their bases to the Afghan
army. Now only Afghan forces are
fighting the Taliban. Around 13,500
foreign troops (mostly Americans)
will stay in Afghanistan. They will
continue to train and support the Af-
ghan army. These remaining troops
are expected to leave within the next
two years.
Newsademic.com American English edition
Over the last 13 years around
3,500 foreign troops were killed in
the fighting. Just over 2,200 were
from the U.S. Since Afghan forces
took over, the number of deaths has
been much higher. Around 5,400
Afghan soldiers and police have
died in Taliban attacks in the last 12
months. So far, the war in Afghani-
stan is thought to have cost at least
$700 billion.
Many political and military lead-
ers in the U.S. and NATO countries
claim that the combat mission was
a success. Yet others disagree. They
think that the U.S. and its allies have
been beaten. This is because the Tal-
iban were never defeated. After the
ceremony in Kabul, Taliban lead-
ers declared that they had won the
war. During the ceremony Ashraf
Ghani, Afghanistans new president,
thanked all foreign troops who have
served in Afghanistan.
FROG SURPRISE
An international group of herpetol-
ogists have made a surprising dis-
covery. They have recently found
a type of frog that gives birth to
live tadpoles. No other species of
frog is known to do this. Herpe-
tologists are scientists who study
frogs, other types of amphibians and
reptiles. The new frog lives on the
island of Sulawesi, which is a part
of Indonesia.
There are over 4,000 different
species of frog. The amphibians live
on every continent except Antarcti-
ca. Most frogs are found in places
with warmer tropical climates. Some
live in water, others on land and
several species are found in trees.
Frogs are carnivores, or meat-eat-
ers. They mainly feed on insects.
Some frogs also eat tiny fish and
page 16
some small animals, such as spiders
and earthworms.
Many frog species lay their eggs
in water. Large numbers of their
eggs are called frogspawn. As the
females lay their eggs, the males
fertilize them with their sperm. This
is known as external fertilization.
Later, tadpoles hatch from the fer-
tilized eggs. These then gradually
change into frogs.
Limnonectes larvaepartus tadpoles (Jim McGuire)
Not all frogs start life as tad-
poles. A few species in Africa give
birth to tiny live frogs. These baby
frogs are called froglets. The species
that produce froglets are known as
direct developers. These types
of frogs usually live on moun-
tains or in other places far away
from water.
The new frog species has been
given the Latin name Limnonect-
es larvaepartus. The name means
marsh swimmer that gives birth
to larvae. The creatures belong to
a rare Asian group of fanged frogs.
Their fangs are not sharp teeth. The
males have two fang-like projec-
tions, or extensions, on their lower
jaws. These fangs are used for
fighting against other males.
The frogs only grow to about 1.6
inches (four centimeters) in length.
They weigh less than 0.2 ounces
(five grams). Males are even small-
er than females. Both are a gray or
brown color. The frogs live in the
January 8, 2015 Newsademic.com American English edition
rainforest. Their preferred habitat
seems to be puddles or very small
streams.
This species of frog was first seen
about ten years ago. It was thought
that it gave birth to tadpoles. Yet
no one had managed to record this.
This is what the group of scientists
set out to do. When they found some
of the frogs, an American scientist
picked one up. He thought that it was
a male. The frog then surprised him
by giving birth to over 20 tadpoles,
as he held it in his hand. This was
the first time that this has ever been
recorded. No other frog is known to
produce live tadpoles.
Limnonectes larvaepartus, male (left) and Unlike the Earth, Mercury is not
female (right) (Jim McGuire) tilted on its axis. So sunlight never
Even though the scientists have shines into the craters around the
recorded the birth of the tadpoles, planets north and south poles.
one mystery still remains. Eggs
inside the female frog have to be
fertilized. Yet, so far, the scientists
have not seen how this internal
fertilization is done. Discovering a
new species of frog is not uncom-
mon. However, finding one with
a new way of reproducing is very
unusual.
MESSENGER AND MERCURY
An unmanned American spacecraft,
or space probe, has been orbiting, or
circling, Mercury since 2011. The
probe will run out of fuel within the
next two months. Scientists now be-
lieve that they can keep the spacecraft
flying for at least another four weeks.
The space probe is called Messen-
ger. NASA (National Aeronautics and
Space Administration) launched the
probe in 2004. Messenger has com-
pleted a survey of Mercurys surface.
In December, NASA asked people to
suggest names for five of the planets
recently discovered craters.
Of the Solar Systems eight plan-
ets, Mercury is the smallest. It is also
the one nearest the Sun. The planet
is named after a Roman god, or de-
ity. Mercury was believed to speak
with all the other deities. Therefore,
for Romans, Mercury was the mes-
senger to the gods.
It takes 88 days for Mercury to
go around the Sun. As the planet has
almost no atmosphere, any heat is
quickly lost. This explains Mercurys
wide range of temperatures. During
the day (as the planet is close to the
Sun) it is four times hotter than boil-
ing water. Yet, at night, temperatures
can be colder than -148F (-100C).
Mercurys north pole (NASA)
Messenger took seven years to get
to Mercury. The probe did not go di-
rectly to the planet. If it had done so,
Messenger would have been difficult
to slow down. The Suns gravity
would make it go faster and faster. To
stop this happening, Messenger first
traveled around the Earth and then
twice around Venus. Finally, it went
three times around Mercury. After
page 17
this the spacecraft gradually moved
into a regular orbit.
Over the last three years Mes-
senger has been photographing and
recording Mercurys surface. NASA
scientists have created detailed maps
from this information. These maps
even show what many of the surface
rocks are made of. The spacecraft
has also measured Mercurys mag-
netic field and discovered ice on the
planet. The ice is in craters near the
planets poles.
Artists impression of Messenger (NASA)
As Messenger circles Mercury,
its orbit gradually gets lower. Fuel is
then burned to push the spacecraft
back to a greater height. The fuel
tanks are pressurized by helium gas.
The spacecrafts fuel is about to run
out. When it does, the scientists plan
to burn the gas. The engines were
not designed to use helium. Yet the
scientists are sure that it will work.
The gas should keep the probe in or-
bit for an extra month. Then, some-
time in March, Messenger will crash
into Mercury.
Around 370 craters on Mercury
have already been named. Most have
the name of a famous artist, author
or composer. For example, one cra-
ter is called Beethoven (a German
composer) and another Hemingway
(an American writer). Therefore any
suggestion for the five unnamed
craters must be an artist, author or
composer. NASA will send a list of
January 8, 2015 Newsademic.com American English edition page 18

possible names to the International hole in the ground. It may take with trees and plants. Some cities
Astronomical Union (IAU). rainwater many millions of years to have been rediscovered. One of the
The IAU is based in Paris, the create a large underground void. Yet best-known is Tikal, in Guatemala.
capital of France. Its members are a sinkhole collapse can happen in a Experts believe that several large
astronomers. The IAU is the orga- few minutes or hours. Maya cities are still hidden in the
nization that decides on the names thick Central American rainforests,
of all stars, planets, asteroids, and or jungles.
comets, as well as any features on The scientists took samples of
their surfaces. layers of sediment at the bottom
of the Great Blue Hole. Normal-
ly, this part of the world has many
GREAT BLUE HOLE tropical storms. These bring large
amounts of rain. The rain wears
A team of scientists has been study- away, or erodes, the volcanic rocks.
ing sediment, or deposits, at the bot- These contain titanium, a hard sil-
tom of the Great Blue Hole. This is ver-gray metal. Tiny bits of titani-
a large submarine sinkhole off the um are washed into rivers and out
Maya city of Tikal
coast of Belize. The teams research to sea. There, they slowly sink to
may help to explain what happened The Great Blue Hole near Belize the seafloor.
to the Maya civilization. is around 984 feet (300 meters) wide The seas around Belize are shal-
and 407 feet (124 meters) deep. It was low, so sediment is easily moved or
created many thousands of years ago. disturbed. However, as its so deep,
Then, this part of the world was dry this does not happen at the bottom of
land. Later, the level of the sea rose the Great Blue Hole. Therefore, tiny
and the sinkhole was submerged. bits of titanium in sediment layers
Historians think that the Maya civ- inside the sinkhole are like a rainfall
ilization, or culture, first began thou- chart. This goes back many thou-
sands of years ago. The Maya people sands of years. The sediment record
lived in Central America in what is shows that by 800 CE there was a
Great Blue Hole
now Guatemala, the southern part severe lack of rainfall in this part
Sinkholes are found in many of Mexico, Belize, parts of Hondu- of Central America. The drought
parts of the world. They differ in ras, and El Salvador. The Maya were seems to have lasted for about 200
size. Sinkholes usually form where believed to be at their most powerful years. The scientists work suggests
there are certain types of rock un- between 250 CE and 1000 CE. How- that a lack of water is the likely rea-
der the ground. Most are found ever, more recent studies have shown son for the Maya cultures decline
above limestone rocks. Rainfall that their culture declined and then and collapse.
lands on the ground. It then seeps collapsed around 800 CE.
through the soil. As it does this, the The Maya built many stone Newsademic.com
water absorbs carbon dioxide from buildings, temples and pyramids. Editor: Rebecca Watson
rotting vegetation. This makes it They had an impressive knowledge
slightly acidic. Acidic water will of the planets, the stars and how the American Editor: Chris Tarn
dissolve limestone. Sun appears to move across the sky. Acknowledgements:
As the rock slowly dissolves, The Maya had a complicated calen- News story photographs by gettyimages
large underground caves, or caverns, dar. It marked time in cycles, called
For further details about Newsademic
can form. Eventually the top of this baktuns. Each baktun was rough-
underground space, or void, can- ly 394 years long. Their system of and subscription prices visit
not support the soil or sand above. writing used symbols called glyphs. www.newsademic.com
When this happens it collapses. On After the civilization collapsed,
Newsademic 2015
the surface, this looks like a large Maya cities became overgrown
January 8, 2015 Newsademic.com American English edition page 19

ISSUE 240 INSTRUCTIONS: Complete the crossword. The answers are

highlighted in orange in the news stories. There are 25

GLOSSARY PUZZLE
words highlighted and you need 20 of them to complete the
crossword. Once you have solved the crossword go to
the word search on the next page
1 2

5 6 7 8

10

11 12

13

14

15

16 17

18

19

ACROSS
1 Verb Attract or encourage a person, organization or
animal by offering a reward or advantage
4 Noun A word formed from the initial letters of other words,
often used as a shortened way of referring to something
5 Noun (Plural) Pieces of wood that can be used for
building
10 Noun A sudden, rushed movement of a large number
of people or animals, usually in panic
12 Verb Left with no intention of returning to something
13 Adjective Describes a person, group or organization
that has strong views and takes severe actions
14 Adjective Having great effect on someone or something
16 Noun The power of a living organism not to be harmed
by germs or disease
18 Verb Not protected or covered up
19 Noun Heavy spear fired from a gun to attach ropes to
something, used to catch whales
DOWN
2 Noun (Plural) Substances formed by joining two chemical
elements together
3 Noun A boundary line, or the area just inside the boundary
6 Verb Changed, usually in reference to an organisms genes
or chromosomes
7 Noun An economic and political system where private
owners, and not the government, control most of the trade and
industry.
8 Noun Colored patterns, on skin, fur or clothes, that make an
animal, plant or person difficult to see because they blend into
the surroundings
9 Verb Given an official name, title or purpose
11 Noun Received something that helps or an advantage
12 Noun A union of two or more groups that support each other
15 Noun A person who buys goods or services for his or her
own use
17 Verb Sent away from a country as a punishment
January 8, 2015 Newsademic.com American English edition page 20

ISSUE 240 INSTRUCTIONS: Find 19 of the 20

crossword answers in the word search.

GLOSSARY PUZZLE CONTINUED

Words can go vertically, horizontally,
diagonally and back to front. After
finding the 19 words write down the
20th (or missing) word under the puzzle.

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ISSUE 239 ANSWERS

1 2 N A T I O N A L I S T S F R O Q L T
I N S P I R E D
3 4 O O O V G W G U A R D I A N S X E R
L D D
5 6 I G I P J Y T B D U R G W O A Y R I
L D C O M E D Y I
T R N T M C E T D E I F I R U P S B
U I D S
7 8 9 10 A A U A A H C P E X B E S P O K E U
G U A R D I A N S S C I T T
N B N J M R T N L L W Z V G O I R T
E T C O C R I I M F J Y G T D N B Z L H N N E M A
11 12
C C R R E N O V A T I O N M E Z E T Z Z S K O A N O P V H C R
13
C O N F L U E N C E A I F T B G I X P B A J E M U I I I Z I K H O I
N S T M I I U U R C O Z U S F C T L T T V Q I L N E
14
D S P U R I F I E D O T I C N O Q T R O N E A L E A Y C Z D S
15
E S I O N E N A S S T H U A M E I C E D I M V O V E R
16 17
E M B A R G O N A N R R H I S A R E D G I L Q A J K M O C M W
N L N T T E I D R S D I Z D R E C E S S I O N N T

E V I I V E Y C Y F Z E H T G Z C G J W M G E R
18
N P N D D I S T I N G U I S H Y D R
D A N A T I O N A L I S T S
G O Q F I Y J H H H T E G A V L A S
G N L V
19 20 C O N F L U E N C E L F T S J S T Z
E S T U A R Y B E S P O K E
D
I N S P I R E D