English Time with Yves

  The morning of 13 February 2017 was like any other at Kuala Lumpur’s hectic international airport terminal so it would have been easy to miss a lone North Korean man, clad in a blue polo shirt and jeans, heading to check into his flight to Macau. As he ambled past a column, a backpack slung over one shoulder, a woman approached him and wiped an oily substance on his face before disappearing, her unusual actions caught on CCTV. Moments later, another woman came from behind and covered his eyes with her hands. She then slid them down over his mouth, quickly apologised and walked away. Less than 20 minutes later the man was dead , the victim of an assassination carried out with the nerve agent VX, one of the most deadly chemical weapons in the world. The traveller was Kim Jong-nam, half brother of  Kim Jong-un  and one-time heir to the North Korean leadership who had since fallen out of favour with his powerful family. As the attack was carried out, in scenes that ...

Humans may not be the only ones to use grammar and vocabulary to speak and communicate. Scientists believe dolphins also use words and sentences to speak to each other. We have known for a long time that dolphins can communicate. New research suggests that this communication is similar to the conversations humans have. Scientists say the clicks, whistles and other sounds that dolphins make appear to be sentences that let the sea creatures send messages to each other. The dolphins use their language to identify themselves, have relations with other dolphins, and do things together. Scientists say that one day, we may be able to understand dolphin language and talk to dolphins. Researchers at the Karadag Nature Reserve in Crimea made the discovery that dolphins had their own language after recording two Black Sea bottlenose dolphins. The dolphins were named Yasha and Yana. The scientists noticed that one dolphin listened to what the other was saying and then replied. Lead researcher ...

  Authorities in Hawaii are proposing a ban on the popular tourist activity of swimming with dolphins off the Hawaiian coast. The dolphins have served as a magnet for tourists over the past few decades. However, federal officials say the increasing tourism is harmful to the dolphins because they are supposed to be resting and socializing. The National Marine Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration proposes to prohibit swimming with, or approaching within 50 metres of, Hawaii's spinner dolphins. That would put an end to many tour group activities, which involve sailing alongside the creatures in a boat and snorkeling with them. Ann Garrett, a spokeswoman for the National Marine Fisheries Service, said she didn't think the ban would have a big impact on the tourist trade in Hawaii. Ms Garrett said: "We think that by identifying 50 metres as the minimum distance, there still can be a viable tourist industry in Hawaii." Tour operators di...

  Scientists say they have had a "conversation" with a whale. They also say the chat could help them to one day talk to aliens. The scientists are from the University of California, the Alaska Whale Foundation, and SETI (Search for Extra-terrestrial Intelligence). The three organizations teamed up and spoke to a humpback whale named Twain. They spoke to her in "humpback language" for 20 minutes. Their conversation took place after the scientists sent a "contact call" into the ocean off the coast of Alaska. Twain heard the call and responded. She swam to the research boat and chatted. SETI said it was the first ever communication between humans and humpback whales. The scientists say their conversation with Twain was not a deep one. Professor Brenda McCowan said it was more like a series of greetings. Whales use contact calls to let other whales know where they are. The scientists made the same call 36 times over a 20-minute period. Each time, Twain respo...