20180501VoaLeb:
(1)Islamic State Claims Responsibility for Kabul Bombings
(2)Irrawaddy Dolphin Numbers Increase on Mekong River
(3)Smartphone Use May Lead to Addiction, Loneliness, Depression
(4) The Making of a Nation(no script)
(1)Islamic State Claims Responsibility for Kabul Bombings
Security forces run from the site of a suicide attack after the second bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, April 30, 2018. A coordinated double suicide bombing hit central Kabul on Monday morning, (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini)
The Islamic State (IS) militant group has claimed responsibility for two suicide bombings in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul.
The Associated Press reports that the suicide bombers killed at least 25 people, including nine Afghan journalists. At least 45 other people were reported wounded.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty said three of its journalists were among those killed.
The Afghan Journalist Safety Committee, a local group, strongly condemned the bombings. They are being described as the deadliest attacks ever on media workers in Afghanistan.
Afghan officials and witnesses said the first bomb exploded in central Kabul during the early morning hours, when many people were going to work. They said a bomber riding a motorbike caused the explosion near an office of the National Directorate of Security, the country’s intelligence agency.
When rescue workers and media crews gathered in the area minutes later, a second attacker who looked like a journalist caused his bomb to explode. A Kabul police official told VOA that the second explosion caused most of the casualties.
“We condemn in the strongest terms possible the cowardly attacks in Kabul by two suicide bombers that killed and injured Afghan forces and innocent Afghan citizens,” said American General John Nicholson. He commands United States forces and NATO’s non-combatant operations in the country.
Hours after the attack in Kabul, unknown gunmen killed an Afghan journalist working for the British Broadcasting Corporation in the border city of Khost.
A short time later, the Afghan Taliban released a statement. The group denied involvement in the attacks in both cities.
Media workers coming under attack
Worsening security conditions across Afghanistan have added to the difficulties facing journalists. At least 15 journalists were killed there in 2017, many in targeted attacks on the media.
In a report last week, the group Reporters Without Borders accused the Taliban and Islamic State militants of using terror to create what it called “information black holes.”
In some parts of Afghanistan, it said, the Taliban forced the media to pay taxes that were likened to payments made to free kidnap victims from captivity.
The report said, “Many governors and local officials are meanwhile unable to accept the principle of media independence, and the police and military have been implicated in several cases of violence against journalists."
In other news, Afghan officials said a suicide car bombing killed at least 11 people in southern Kandahar province. That attack wounded 16 others, including five Romanian soldiers. An area police spokesman told VOA the attack targeted foreign forces. He added that those killed were all students at a nearby religious school.
NATO later confirmed the vehicle-born explosive device wounded eight of its service members.
In addition, several Afghan police and Afghan civilians were either killed or wounded in the explosion, the alliance said in a statement.
American General John Nicholson was reported as saying, "Our thoughts and prayers are with those wounded, and with the innocent Afghans whose lives were needlessly taken from them by the enemies of Afghanistan."
I’m Jonathan Evans.
Ayaz Gul reported this story for VOANews.com. George Grow adapted his report for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.
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Words in This Story
journalist – n. a writer or reporter of the news
casualty – n. someone who is hurt or killed during an attack or incident
cowardly – adj. lacking bravery; of or involving being afraid
combatant – n. fighter; attacker
principle – n. a goal or ideal
implicate – v. to link; to suggest
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(2)Irrawaddy Dolphin Numbers Increase on Mekong River
FILE - An Irrawaddy dolphin, also known as the Mekong dolphin, swims in the river at Kampi village in Kratie province, 230 km (143 miles) northeast of Cambodia, March 25, 2007.
The number of Irrawaddy dolphins in one part of the Mekong River has increased for the first time tin 20 years.
The dolphins, however, still face serious threats to their survival. They are considered critically endangered marine mammals in their native Southeast Asia.
The Cambodian government and a major wildlife group reported the population increase earlier this week.
Cambodia’s Fisheries Administration and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) released results of a 2017 count of freshwater dolphins along a 190-kilometer part of the Mekong. The survey area stretches from Kratie in Cambodia to the Khone Falls in Laos. Observers reported finding about 90 dolphins. That is a 15 percent increase over an estimate of 80 made in 2015.
The dolphins are found in only two other freshwater rivers: the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar and the Mahakam River on the Indonesian part of Borneo Island.
Eng Cheasan is the director-general of Cambodia’s Fisheries Administration. He described the dolphins as a “living national treasure.” He added that efforts to save the rare animals would continue.
“We will continue our conservation efforts to rebuild its population by eliminating all threats to the survival of the species,” he said.
Although the increase during the latest count is good news, the number reported in the Mekong is only half of the 200 found during the first population count in 1997. Surveys are carried out every two to three years.
Seng Teak is the WWF director for Cambodia. He told reporters in Phnom Penh that the dolphins still face threats from illegal fishing methods, increasing boat traffic and new dam projects.
He said the biggest threat for the marine mammals is to get caught in gillnets, large traps which are held in place through the use of floats and weights.
Seng Teak said several thousand meters of illegal fishing nets had been seized and many fishermen arrested.
The most recent survey showed hopeful signs for the long-term survival of the dolphins. More baby dolphins, called calves, have been reported and deaths are down. The study found that 32 dolphins have been born in the area during the past three years.
Seng Teak said efforts by the WWF, the government, the tourism industries and local communities have made a difference.
“After years of hard work, we finally have reason to believe that these iconic dolphins can be protected against extinction,” he said.
The WWF says the dolphin is an important sign of the health of the Mekong River environment. Dolphin watching and ecotourism is an important business for communities on the river. Some people living in Cambodia and Laos consider the animals holy.
I’m Mario Ritter.
Mario Ritter adapted this AP story for VOA Learning English with additional material from the WWF. George Grow was the editor.
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Words in This Story
marine –adj. having to do with the sea
mammal – n. a warm-blooded animals that provides milk to its young
conservation –n. describing activities related to the protection of plants, animals and natural resources
species –n. a specific kind of plant, animal or other life that is able to reproduce itself
eliminate – v. to end; to remove from consideration
survey –n. an activity involving gathering information, usually from people, about something
tourism –n. traveling to a place for pleasure, the industry of providing for people who do this
iconic –adj. something that is a symbol, or sign that represents something larger
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(3)Smartphone Use May Lead to Addiction, Loneliness, Depression
In 2012, South Korea’s government estimated that 2.55 million people are addicted to smartphones. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.
Nearly 2.4 billion people around the world used a smartphone in 2017. By the end of 2018, more than a third of the global population will be using a smartphone.
Those numbers -- from Mobile Marketing Magazine -- sound great, don’t they? More people will have more information at their fingertips.
However, smartphone technology can be a double-edged sword.
On the one hand, it sends us unlimited amounts of information. We don’t have to wait. Our devices ring, ping, vibrate and light up with the latest news from family, friends and around the world.
On the other hand, this immediate access to information may become an addiction. And it may make some people feel lonely, anxious and depressed.
These findings are from a 2018 study from San Francisco State University and have been published in NeuroRegulation.
Erik Peper and Richard Harvey are both health education professors at the university. They led the study.
In a statement to the press, the two professors claim that “overuse of smart phones is just like any other type of substance abuse.”
Peper explains that smartphone addiction forms connections in the brain that are similar to drug addiction. And these connections form slowly over time.
Also, addiction to social media may affect our emotional state.
The two professors asked 135 university students about their smartphone use and their feelings. They found that “students who used their phones the most reported higher levels of feeling…lonely, depressed and anxious.”
Peper and Harvey do not blame users for their technology addiction. They blame the “tech industry’s desire to increase corporate profits.” As Peper writes, “More eyeballs, more clicks, more money.”
The researchers warn that workers in the technology industry know how to manipulate our brains and turn us into addicts.
But the researchers also suggest ways to fight back.
They say that we can train our brains to be less addicted to our phones and computers.
Erik Peper suggests turning off push notifications and other such alerts on our phones. These instant announcements excite the same pathways in our brains that once warned us of dangers in our environment. But instead of warning us of a large predator looking for dinner, we are alerted to a sale on shoes or the fact that a friend from high school is eating a hamburger in Las Vegas.
More often than not, our devices share unimportant information as if our lives depended on it. Our brains see the notices the same way. And that is a problem. So, just turn them off.
The researchers also suggest taking control of when and where you answer a text or email. You do not need to answer them all. And you certainly don’t need to answer them as soon as you get them.
They also suggest setting limits on the time you spend on social media. If you want to catch up with friends on Facebook, set aside a small amount of time to it. Schedule periods of the day to focus on important tasks and do not allow technology to interfere.
Two of Erik Peper’s students share ways they have changed their use of technology.
One student, Khari McKendell, closed his social media accounts. He says he still calls and texts people. But he adds that he wants to spend most of his time with his friends in person, not online.
Another student, Sierra Hinkle, says she has stopped wearing headphones while she is out. She says this makes her more aware of her surroundings. And when she is with friends at a bar or restaurant, they all put their phones in the center of the table. The first one to touch a phone buys everyone a drink.
Hinkle says that she and her friends aim to use technology in ways that are useful, but that don’t “take away from real-life experiences.”
And that’s the Health & Lifestyle report. I’m Anna Matteo.
How you use technology. Do you feel your use of technology is healthy and balanced? Or do you feel it is becoming an addiction? Let us know, in the Comments Section,
Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly edited it.
Words in This Story
double-edged sword – n. something that has both good and bad parts or results
ping – n. computer term to send a usually brief message (such as a text message) or notification to a person's phone
vibrate – n. to move back and forth or from side to side with very short, quick movements
access – n. a way of being able to use or get something
addiction – n. a strong and harmful need to regularly have something (such as a drug) or do something (such as gamble)
anxious – adj. afraid or nervous especially about what may happen
neurological – n. the scientific study of the nervous system and the diseases that affect it
alert – v. to make (someone) aware of something
push notification – n. computer term A push notification is a message that pops up on a mobile device. App publishers can send them at any time; users don't have to be in the app or using their devices to receive them.
clicks – n. computer term the act of selecting something on a computer screen by pressing a button on a mouse or some other device
manipulate – v. to deal with or control (someone or something) in a clever and usually unfair or selfish way
excite – v. to increase the activity of (something, such as nerve tissue) : a chemical that excites [=stimulates] the nerve cells in the brain
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