Ted: Welcome back to Babbel News – English Only! I’m Ted, language expert here at Babbel, bringing you the news about recent events in English, sourced from Reuters. It’s a great way to stay informed, improve your listening skills, and learn some new vocabulary, all at the same time!

When listening to the stories, don’t worry about understanding every single word. Just try to get the main idea. To help you out, I’ll introduce the topics of each story at the beginning of the episode, and then explain some important words and phrases directly before you hear each clip. Don’t forget, you can always go back and listen again if you miss anything. And why not read along while you listen? Seeing the words and hearing them at the same time makes understanding much easier! If you’re interested, you can find the link to the transcript in the episode description.

And now, our topics for today. First up we have a story about fishermen protecting sea turtles in the Philippines. After that, you’ll hear about a sport that has recently become very popular in the country of Rwanda: street tennis.

Now, try to find a comfortable, quiet place with no distractions. Ready to start? Then let’s go!

Let’s take a look at some of the words you’re going to hear in the first story. First up is “poacher”, a person who hunts or fishes illegally, in this case, for sea turtles. Next is “to be at the forefront”, to have the leading or most important position in a particular activity. Then we have “conservation”, the action of protecting the natural environment and wildlife. You’ll also hear the word “pristine”, an adjective meaning clean and fresh, or like new. See if you can find out what is “pristine” in this story! Another important word to understand is “endangered”, which describes an animal species that is in serious danger. And our last word from this story is “rampant”, and it means that something bad is out of control. If you hear any other words you don’t know, look them up in a dictionary after listening! Now, let’s hear more about these turtles!

Reuters: These turtle protectors used to be turtle poachers. Filipino fishermen are now at the forefront of conservation on the beaches of the northern Philippine province of La Union. 
 
Armed with torches and pails, Jessie Cabagbag and his family hunt every night for sea turtle eggs. He can spot nesting sites easily, having learned from an early age how to track the reptiles and their eggs, which many residents in the town would typically eat or trade. 
 
“Because life was so difficult back then, the sea turtles were the easiest target for our daily meals because there weren’t that many fish to catch, so our folks would usually feed us the meat and eggs when we were young.” 
 
Now, Cabagbag’s egg-poaching days are over. He and fellow volunteers now use their hunting skills to help marine turtle conservation efforts here in La Union, whose pristine beaches serve as nesting sites for the endangered olive ridley turtles. 
 
Once they spot a female turtle, they tag and release the animal, overseeing its safe return to the ocean. It's all done under the umbrella of nonprofit CURMA, which is leading the conservation program here and conducting training for locals. 
 
“In 2009 there was a nest that emerged just here in front of the house. So it was the first time for us to see sea turtles and you know, we were very excited so we researched about them, and it was through the research that we found out that this is actually a nesting site for them, and at that time poaching was very rampant. Fast forward to today, and it’s our 12th season and 98% of our patrollers are former poachers.” 
 
While Cabagbag still relies on fishing as his primary source of livelihood, he also receives monetary perks from CURMA for finding sea turtles or eggs. 
 
"I am overwhelmed with joy, especially when I find the eggs myself. Whenever they release the new turtle hatchlings in our site I am truly proud. Even our neighbors, they appreciate what I do because it's not easy. I am happy that I get to contribute to the conservation of the sea turtles."

Ted: Ready for the vocabulary from the next story about street tennis in Rwanda? Here we go! Our first word, “bustling”, means very busy or full of activity. Another is “thoroughfare”, a main road in a city or town. Then we have the verb “to catch up”, which you’ll hear in the past form “caught up”. In the context of this story, it means to become comfortable or familiar with something, but later than other people. After that comes “affordable”, something that doesn’t cost a lot of money. And to finish, there’s the phrase “quick reflexes”. If you have quick reflexes, you can move or react very fast, a necessary skill for playing street tennis. Now it’s time for the story, which brings us to Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali!

Reuters: On a road that might usually be bustling with traffic, Eric Muhawenimana is playing tennis. More specifically, "street tennis" – a game introduced in Rwanda last year. 
 
On car-free days, local authorities in the capital Kigali turn thoroughfares into mini courts. 
 
"At the beginning it was very complicated to us because we didn't know much about rules of playing but we caught up now, and now we're familiar with it." 
 
The introduction of the sport was inspired by a partnership with the government of Barbados following a visit to the East African country in November. 
 
Rwandan sports officials say the game is very affordable and can be played by anyone, provided they have the space. Smaller courts mean players need quick reflexes. 
 
Muhawenimana says it can get tiring, but that it's easy to ask a teammate to take over. Plus, he says, it's great fun.

Ted: So, that’s all for today, listeners! I hope you enjoyed the stories and learned something new. If you didn’t understand everything on your first listen, you can go back and listen again. It’s always easier the second time. Try it, and you’ll see! Thanks for listening, and see you next week for another episode of Babbel News – English Only!