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News Roundup: Afghanistan Bombs, New Governor, & Tortoise Hunting

Bombs Explode as Countries Race to Get Out of Afghanistan

There were two explosions near the airport in the Afghanistan capital of Kabul yesterday. The explosions killed over 75 people, including at least 13 members of the US military.

Thursday’s explosions are believed to have been caused by a terrorist group called Islamic State. This group is an enemy of both the US and the Taliban, the group which took control of Afghanistan on August 15.

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There were two explosions near the airport in the Afghanistan capital of Kabul yesterday. The explosions killed nearly 75 people, including at least 13 members of the US military. Above, a hospital in Kabul after the explosions.

Since the Taliban took control of the country, the Kabul airport has been an incredibly busy place. Countries which have been helping the Afghan army fight the Taliban for the last 20 years have been racing to get their citizens, and Afghans who have helped them, out of the country.

As part of a ceasefire agreement signed in 2020, the US and its allies agreed to leave the country by August 31. The Taliban has rejected requests to extend this deadline.

Roughly 1,000 Americans are still believed to be in Afghanistan, along with around 10,000 Afghan people who helped them. The US says efforts to get these people out of the country won’t stop on August 31.

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The Kabul airport (above) has been an incredibly busy place. Countries have been racing to get their citizens, and Afghans who have helped them, out of the country. The explosions have made a difficult situation even more complicated and dangerous.

The explosions, and the possibility of future terrorist threats are making a difficult situation even more complicated and dangerous.

Kathy Hochul Becomes New York’s First Female Governor

On Tuesday, Kathy Hochul became the first female governor of New York State. Ms. Hochul replaced Ex-Governor Andrew Cuomo, who stepped down on Monday.

Mr. Cuomo resigned following a detailed report accusing him of mis-using his position and power. Mr. Cuomo was accused of treating women in ways that weren’t appropriate or respectful.

The news changed the way people viewed Mr. Cuomo, who had become extremely popular by encouraging people in the early days of the coronavirus  pandemic.

Kathy Hochul is ceremonially sworn in as 57th Governor of the State of New York.
On Tuesday, Kathy Hochul became the first female governor of New York State. Ms. Hochul says she wants people to “believe in their government again”. Above, Ms. Hochul being sworn in.
(Source: NY Senate Photo [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons.)

Ms. Hochul says she wants people to “believe in their government again”. For now, Ms. Hochul will simply finish out Mr. Cuomo’s term, but she has already announced that she will run for governor again in 2022.

There are now nine female governors in the US, including Ms. Hochul. That ties the record for the most US female governors – a record that was first set in 2004.

Scientists Film Giant Tortoise Hunting Young Bird

Though giant tortoises are known generally as plant-eaters, a scientist in Seychelles now has proof on video that in some cases these slow animals can hunt and kill other animals for food.

A giant tortoise in Seychelles hunts a young noddy tern.
Though giant tortoises are known generally as plant-eaters, a scientist in Seychelles now has proof on video that in some cases these slow animals can hunt and kill other animals for food. Last year, Anna Zora filmed a giant tortoise hunting a young noddy tern (above).
(Source: Anna Zora, Frégate Island Foundation, via Cell.)

Anna Zora works on Frégate Island in the Indian Ocean. Her job is to help protect the animals and the environment on the island. In July of last year, she filmed a giant tortoise slowly closing in on a young noddy tern. As the tortoise came closer, the tern walked back down the log it was standing on.

At the end of the log, the tern pecked at the tortoise, but then the tortoise reached out and bit its head. A few minutes later, the tortoise ate the bird whole. “It was horrifying and amazing at the same time,” said Justin Gerlach, one of the scientists who reported on the event.

A giant tortoise in Seychelles hunts a young noddy tern.
The tortoise slowly chased the bird to the end of the log and then bit its head before swallowing it whole. The discovery has surprised scientists, who didn’t expect the tortoises to hunt. Now the scientists are wondering what other animals the tortoises might eat.
(Source: Anna Zora, Frégate Island Foundation, via Cell.)

The discovery has surprised scientists, who didn’t expect the tortoises to hunt. Now the scientists are wondering what other animals the tortoises might eat.

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