Turkey Strengthens Border with Syria

  Turkey says it is taking steps to strengthen its border with Syria. But some experts are unsure if the country will take strong action against the Islamic State terrorist group. Some of Turkey’s Western allies do not know if the country is part of the problem or part of the solution in the fight against the militants. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter was in Turkey this week. He urged its leaders to secure the border with Syria. Carter said that is the most important step Turkey can take in the fight against the Islamic State group. Earlier this month, Turkey placed the border with Syria under emergency rule. Semih Idiz publishes his opinions about politics in a Turkish newspaper. He says the decision shows that international pressure on Turkey is working. He says the policy change happened because “there is a lot of pressure from the West -- from (Turkey’s) closest allies -- (that the) border must be sealed.” He writes that many people will ask why the border wasn’t sealed sooner. Late last month, Turkey shot down a Russian warplane along the Syria-Turkey border. Russian defense officials claim that Turkey is involved in illegal oil trade with the Islamic State group. They said top Turkish officials -- including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and members of his family -- are involved in the trade. But they have not offered evidence. Erdogan rejected the accusations. But Russian President Vladimir Putin said oil controlled by the Islamic State and other terrorist groups enters Turkey. He said the Russian plane was shot down to protect “the security of these oil supply routes to Turkey.” The U.S. has also rejected the accusations. American officials have called on Turkey to close a 98-kilometer section of its border with Syria. President Barack Obama says the Islamic State group transports foreign fighters and ships “fuel for sale that helps finance their terrorist activities.” Reports say Turkish forces are cooperating more with Western forces. Earlier this week, a Syrian man was detained after he was suspected of planning an attack on an American government target in Turkey. But some experts are not convinced that Turkey is serious about fighting the Islamic State group. Atilla Yesilada works at Global Source Partners, a research group in Turkey. He says “the flow of jihadis and supplies towards (the Islamic State group) has lessened because of stricter border controls.” But he says nothing has been done to attack the group’s large network. He says the country's ruling party -- the AKP -- must attack the group’s supporters and recruiters in Turkey. He says those who gather money for the group must also be attacked. But he says he is “afraid AKP is unwilling to take that step, (because) it’s going to involve” a large number of its conservative members. I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise.   Dorian Jones in Anakara reported on this story for VOANews.com. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   seal - v. to prevent someone from going into or through (an area or place) recruiter - n. a person who works to find suitable people and convince them to join a company, an organization, the armed forces, etc.

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Trending Today: #2015in5words

#2015In5Words The American comedy program @midnight asked people on its Thursday evening show to describe 2015 in five words. By Friday morning, the hashtag #2015in5words was trending in the U.S. on Twitter and Facebook. Many on Twitter turned to the release of the new Star Wars movie for inspiration. Twitter user Eric Cortes tweeted: “Star Wars made it better.” And Twitter user Tony Posniaski tweeted about his 2015: “Waited forever for Star Wars.” Of course, others on Twitter remembered different 2015 events. Many tweets contained the famous song line from Adele’s newest album: “Hello from the other side.” Hutch Harris posted the song line along with a photo of a raccoon behind a glass door. The post has been retweeted over 1,000 times. Some remembered the viral “Black or Gold?” dress debate of 2015. Many responses centered on the rise of Donald Trump as a presidential candidate. Others remembered more serious events of 2015, such as mass shootings and other violence in the United States. Twitter user @RiepTide1999 wrote: Guns. Same troubles, different towns.” ​But, Twitter user @JordanJDaley may have summed up 2015 best: Where did the year go? ​ And that's What's Trending Today. How would you describe your 2015 in 5 words? Leave us a comment! _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   viral - adj. related to an image, video, advertisement, etc., that is circulated rapidly on the Internet sum up - phrasal verb. to tell information using fewer words

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Take A Holiday Walk Through Washington

Can’t get to Washington, D.C. for the holidays? Luckily, we did the walking for you. Let’s head out on this holiday tour. The National Botanic Garden is a living plant museum, designed to show how important plants are to humankind. Built in 1820, it is also one of the oldest places in North America. During the holidays, the central Garden Court displays beautiful Christmas trees and foliage, or plants. The centerpiece displays models of famous Washington buildings made from branches, moss and flowers. Another beautiful spot is Union Station, Washington’s main train hub. It is one of the busiest train stations and shopping destinations in the country, visited by more than 40 million people a year. Its restaurants and shops sit under soaring ceilings and glassy marble floors. The historic train station was built in 1907 and designed by famed Chicago architect David Burnham. The entrance has a classic design and triumphant arches. And do not miss the charming toy train set, modeled on an American town from the 1940s. The National Gallery of Art has one of the finest art collections in the world. The rotunda, or domed ceiling, features a statue of the Roman god Mercury atop a splashing fountain. Some of the greens used to decorate the fountain were grown in the National Gallery’s 10 greenhouses.  The West Garden Court has a bubbling fountain called “Cherubs Playing With a Swan,” made by French artist Jean-Baptiste Tuby. It is the setting for many holiday concerts. The East Garden Court, beautifully decorated with pale pink poinsettias, has a fountain by French artist Pierre Legros. Afterward, head downstairs to the Cascade Café for an espresso, gelato or a glass of wine. Sit and watch the water cascading, or falling against a glass wall. To head to the East Gallery, take the moving sidewalk through a dazzling diode-lit tunnel, created by artist Leo Villareal. It will deliver you to the modern wing of the museum, designed by Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei, decorated for the holidays. Finally, we close with a quieter but no less important spot on our trip, Arlington National Cemetery. Arlington is where America buries its military and their family members. And it is important to remember them at this time of year. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   foliage - n. the leaves of a plant or of many plants​ destination - n. a place to which a person is going or something is being sent​ triumphant - adj. resulting in victory or success​ charming - adj. very pleasing or appealing: full of charm​ dazzling - adj. to cause (someone) to be unable to see for a short time​ ​

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December 18, 2015

A look at the best news photos from around the world.

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US Announces $2 Billion Arms Sale to Taiwan

The United States announced an arms deal with Taiwan Wednesday that includes ships, vehicles and assorted weapons. The arms deal – worth nearly $2 billion - includes U.S. military equipment built in the 1970s. The Taiwanese will receive two navy frigates, amphibious assault vehicles and missiles. After the announcement, China voiced its opposition with the deal. The Chinese called for a meeting with a high-ranking U.S. diplomat. China also threatened to impose sanctions on U.S. firms. The Chinese filed a formal diplomatic protest late Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. “The United States should be fully aware that the arms deal to Taiwan is highly sensitive and dangerous,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei. “The U.S. should abide by its commitment and stop arms sales to Taiwan.” China regards Taiwan as part of its country and views it as a rogue territory. The U.S. does not formally recognize Taiwan as an independent nation, but assists it with different types of aid.  State Department spokesman John Kirby said both Taiwan and China were kept informed and updated on the sale. He also said the U.S. will continue to improve relations with China. “We still want to work to establish a better, more transparent, more effective relationship with China in the region,” Kirby said. “We’re going to continue to work at that.” Congress has 30 days to review the arms sale. Most U.S. lawmakers approve of the deal. New York congressman Eliot Engel said the sale would contribute to peace and stability in the South China Sea. The deal comes during land and international waters disputes in the South China Sea. China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam all claim island territories in the waters.  I'm Jonathan Evans.   Jim Dresbach adapted this VOA news report for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. What will this arms sale do to Asian tensions? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or visit our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   amphibious – adj. done by soldiers who are brought to land in special boats frigate – n. a small and fast military ship sanction – n. an action that is taken or an order that is given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country or by not allowing economic aid for that country rogue – adj. used to describe something or someone that is different from others in usually a dangerous or harmful way

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VOA English Newscast: 2000 UTC December 18, 2015

From Washington, this is VOA News. I’m David Byrd reporting. President Obama has held his final news conference of the year. Speaking at the White House, Mr. Obama said law enforcement and intelligence officials are looking for ways to better monitor public communication of suspected terrorists However, the president warned there are limits to what law enforcement can do.  Mr. Obama said the government must try to strike the right balance between surveillance and civil liberties as it tries to stop terrorists from planning attacks. The president will meet with families of the victims and some of those wounded in this month's San Bernardino, California, attack later Friday.  Fourteen people died and 22 others were wounded when Syed Rizwan Farook and his Pakistani-born wife Tashfeen Malik opened fire at a holiday party.  The couple later died in a gun battle with police.  Senior officials from 20 nations are holding talks in New York on a proposed political transition to end the civil war in Syria. Diplomats from the United States, Russia, Iran and other countries that participated in previous rounds of Syria crisis talks are meeting in New York City in a hotel.  The officials are meeting for a third time to push forward an earlier agreement to implement a cease-fire in Syria so talks on a political transition could begin in the New Year. Supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad -- most notably Russia and Iran -- as well as officials from most of the Western countries that strongly oppose Assad's continued control over the country are taking part in the discussions. For more on these stories, and on President Obama news conference log on to our website. This is VOA News ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Newscast monitor –v. to watch, observe, listen, or check on surveillance –n. the act of carefully watching someone especially to prevent or detect a crime implement –v. to put into effect, to make active or effective transition –n. the change from one state or condition to another participate –v.  to be involved in, to take part in some activity

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'A Piece of Red Calico,' by Frank Stockton

Editor's note: If you are tired from doing year-end gift shopping, relax and think about the poor man in this story. Our story today is called “A Piece of Red Calico.”  It was written by Frank Stockton. Stockton was a popular writer in the second half of the nineteenth century. He wrote a large number of stories for children and other stories for adults.  Now, here is Steve Ember with Frank Stockton's "A Piece of Red Calico." I was going to town one morning when my wife gave me a little piece of red calico cloth. She asked me if I would have time, during the day, to buy her two and a half meters of calico cloth like that. I told her that it would be no trouble at all. Putting the piece of brightly colored cloth in my pocket, I took the train to the city. During the day, I stopped in at a large store. I saw a man walking the floor and asked him where I could see some red calico. "This way, sir."  And he led me up the store. "Miss Stone," said he to a young woman, "show this gentleman some red calico." "What kind of red do you want?" asked Miss Stone. I showed her the little piece of calico cloth that my wife had given me. She looked at it and gave it back to me. Then she took down a great roll of cloth and spread it out on the counter. "Why, that isn't the right kind of red!" said I. "No, not exactly," said she; "but it looks nicer than your sample." "That may be," said I, "but, you see, I want it to look like this piece. There is something already made of this kind of calico which needs to be enlarged or fixed or something. I want some calico of the same shade." The girl made no answer, but took down another roll of cloth. "That's the right color," said she. "Yes," I answered, "but it is striped." "Stripes are worn more than anything else in calicoes," said she. "Yes, but this isn't to be worn,” I said. “It's for a piece of furniture, I think. At any rate, I want perfectly plain material, to go with something already in use." "Well, I don't think you can find it perfectly plain unless you get Turkey red," she said. "What is Turkey red?" I asked. "Turkey red is perfectly plain in calicoes," she answered. "Well, let me see some." "We haven't any Turkey red calico left," she said, "but we have some very nice plain calicoes in other colors." "I don't want any other color. I want cloth to go with this." "It's hard to find low-cost calico like that," she said. And so I left her. I next went into a store a few doors up the street. I gave a salesman my sample, and asked:"Have you any calico like this?" "Yes, sir," said he. "Third counter to the right." I went to the third counter to the right. A man there looked at my sample on both sides. Then he said: "We haven't any of this." "I was told you had," said I. "We had it, but we're out of it now. You'll get that from an upholsterer, someone who recovers furniture.” I went across the street to the upholsterer's store. "Have you anything like this?" I asked. "No," said the man, "we haven't. Is it for furniture?" "Yes," I answered. "Then Turkey red is what you want." "Is Turkey red just like this?" I asked. "No," said he, "but it's much better." "That makes no difference to me," I said. "I want something just like this." "But they don't use that for furniture," he said. "I should think people could use anything they wanted for furniture," I said, somewhat sharply. "They can, but they don't," he said, calmly. "They don't use red like that. They use Turkey red." I said no more, but left. The next place I visited was a very large store. Of the first salesman I saw, I asked if they sold red calico like my sample. "You'll find that on the second floor," said he. I went up the steps. There I asked a man: "Where will I find red calico?" "In the far room to the left. Over there."  And he pointed to a distant corner. I walked through the crowds of purchasers and salespeople, and around the counters and tables filled with goods, to the far room to the left. When I got there I asked for red calico. "The second counter down this side," said the man. I went there and produced my sample. "Calicoes are downstairs," said the man. "They told me they were up here," I said. "Not these plain goods. You'll find them downstairs at the back of the store, over on that side." I went downstairs to the back of the store. "Where will I find red calico like this?" I asked. "Next counter but one," said the man, walking with me in the direction he pointed out. "Dunn, show this man red calicoes."  Mr. Dunn took my sample and looked at it. "We haven't this shade in that quality of goods," he said. "Well, do you have it in any quality of goods?" I asked. "Yes; we've got it finer."  And he took down a piece of calico, and unrolled a meter or two of it on the counter. "That's not this shade," I said. "No," said he. "It is finer and the color is better." "I want it to match this," I said. "I thought you didn’t care about the match," said the salesman. "You said you didn't care for the quality of the goods. You know you can't match goods unless you take into consideration quality and color both. If you want that quality of goods in red, you ought to get Turkey red." I did not think it necessary to answer this comment, but said: "Then you've got nothing like this?" "No, sir. But perhaps they may have it in the upholstery department on the sixth floor."  So I got in the elevator and went to the sixth floor. "Have you any red material like this?" I said to a young man. "Red material?  Upholstery department -- other end of this floor." I went to the other end of the floor. "I want some red calico," I said to a man. "Furniture goods?" he asked. "Yes," said I. "Fourth counter to the left." I went to the fourth counter to the left, and showed my sample to a salesman. He looked at it, and said, "You'll get this down on the first floor -- calico department." I went down in the elevator, and out on the street. I was completely sick of red calico. But I decided to make one more effort. My wife had bought her red calico not long before, and there must be some to be had somewhere. I should have asked her where she got it. But I thought a simple little thing like that could be bought anywhere. I went into another large store. As I entered the door, a sudden nervousness took hold of me. I just could not take out that piece of red calico again. If I had had any other kind of a cloth, I think I would have asked them if they could match that. But I stepped up to a young woman and presented my sample, with the usual question. "Back room, counter on the left," she said. I went there. "Have you any red calico like this?" I asked the saleswoman. "No, sir," she said, "but we have it in Turkey red." Turkey red again! I surrendered. "All right," I said, "give me Turkey red." "How much, sir?" she asked. "I don't know -- say fifteen meters." She looked at me strangely, but measured off fifteen meters of Turkey red calico. Then she touched the counter and called out, "Cash!" A young girl with yellow hair appeared. The woman wrote the number of meters, the name of the goods, her own number, the price, and the amount of money I gave her, on a piece of paper. She probably wrote some other things, like the color of my eyes and the direction and speed of the wind. She then copied all this into a little book. Then she gave the piece of paper, the money, and the Turkey red cloth to the yellow-haired girl. This girl copied the information into a little book she carried. Then she went away with the calico, the paper and the money. After a very long time, the girl came back, bringing the money I was owed and the package of Turkey red calico. I returned to my office, but had time for very little work the rest of the day. When I reached home I gave the package of calico to my wife. She opened it and declared, "Why, this doesn’t match the piece I gave you!" "Match it!" I cried. "Oh, no!  It doesn’t match it. You didn't want that matched. You were mistaken. What you wanted was Turkey red — third counter to the left. I mean, Turkey red is what they use." My wife looked at me in surprise, and then I told her my troubles. "Well," said she, "this Turkey red is much nicer looking than what I had. You've got so much of it that I don’t have to use the other at all. I wish I had thought of Turkey red before." "I wish from the bottom of my heart you had," said I. "A Piece of Red Calico" was written by Frank Stockton. It was adapted by Shelly Golust and produced by Lawan Davis. Your storyteller was Steve Ember. I'm Bob Doughty.  _______________________________________________________________ Words in this Story   calico - n. a light, printed cotton cloth from the bottom of my heart - idiom. sincerely, honestly recover - v. to apply a new fabric to a used piece of furniture Turkey red - n. a color that was widely used to dye cotton in the 18th and 19th century goods - n. products that are made or grown in order to be sold; things for sale upholster v. to put a covering of cloth, leather, etc., on (a piece of furniture, such as a couch or chair)  uphostery n. the cloth, leather, etc., that covers a couch, chair, etc.

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Trending Today: Brazil Briefly Blocks WhatsApp

This is What's Trending Today. A court in Brazil Thursday suspended the messaging service WhatsApp for 48 hours. WhatsApp reportedly failed to agree to the court’s order to give investigators information connected to a criminal case. More than 100 million people in Brazil use WhatsApp. Brazilians protested the suspension on social media Thursday. The Brazilian Portuguese hashtag (#Nessas48HorasEuVou) that translates to “In These 48 Hours I Will..." trended worldwide on Twitter. Twitter users joked about what they would do with their time during the next 48 hours instead of using WhatsApp. ​ Facebook owns WhatsApp. On Thursday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted about the ban in Brazil. He wrote, “We are working hard to get this block reversed. Until then, Facebook Messenger is still active and you can use it to communicate instead. This is a sad day for Brazil. Until today, Brazil has been an ally in creating an open Internet.” The 48-hour ban did not last. Later on Thursday, a judge in Brazil ordered the court to lift the suspension of WhatsApp. Brazilians celebrated on social media. And Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg did, too. He wrote, “WhatsApp is now back online in Brazil! Your voices have been heard and the block has been lifted. Thank you to our community for helping resolve this! #ConnectBrazil.” And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Ashley Thompson _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   ally - n. a person or group that gives help to another person or group reverse - v. to cause something to stop or return to an earlier state resolve - v. : to find an answer or solution to something  

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Islamic State Looks to Africa for Oil and Recruits

The United States says it is concerned about the Islamic State group attracting recruits and acquiring resources in North Africa. The forces fighting against IS in Syria and Iraq are retaking ground and oil fields. While this is seen as a success, one U.S. government official says there is concern about recruits coming from Libya and parts of Egypt. Anti-IS fighters in the northern part of Iraq are taking back territory and oil revenue. So IS looks for new sources of income. Iraq’s largest refinery was taken back from IS in October. President Barack Obama says IS has lost 40 percent of the area it  once controlled in Iraq. In Syria, IS controls about 80 percent of the oil fields. But one U.S. official says production is slow and the group is not earning as much money from oil as it once did. Oil refineries and transport trucks are targets, and oil prices are down by about half since 2014. One U.S. official says IS is “looking at the oil assets in Libya and elsewhere. But we’ll be prepared.” Libya’s oil industry has suffered since the country’s civil war started in 2011. That makes Libya a potential recruiting ground for IS. One defense official says “Libya is the next big thing for ISIL.” I’m Dan Friedell.   Carla Babb wrote this story for VOANews.com. Dan Friedell adapted it for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. Do you think North Africa is the next recruiting ground for IS? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________   Words in This Story acquire – v. to get something asset – n. a valuable person or thing recruit – n. a person who has recently joined a company, an organization, the armed forces, etc. refinery – n. a place where the unwanted substances in something (such as oil or sugar) are removed : a place where something is refined income – n. money that is earned from work, investments, business, etc. potential – adj. capable of becoming real

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Everyday Grammar: The 'Should' vs. 'Shall' Debate

For VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar. Last week in Paris, leaders from 195 countries reached a major global climate agreement. In the final hours of meetings, one little word made the difference between success and failure. Near the end of the talks, a version of the agreement contained the word shall instead of should. These two words may seem similar, but pay close attention to how they are used here in Article 4.4 of the agreement: “Developed country Parties shall continue taking the lead by undertaking economy-wide absolute emission reduction targets. Developing country Parties should continue enhancing their mitigation efforts…” In earlier versions of the agreement, the word shall in the first sentence had been should. U.S. government lawyers noticed the word change. Just hours before a final vote on the climate deal, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry phoned the French foreign minister. “We cannot do this,” Kerry told him. The change from should to shall introduced new legal and financial requirements. These requirements concerned Kerry and other U.S. leaders in Paris. The difference in meaning between these two words almost caused the first global climate agreement in 18 years to fail. If these two words could almost ruin a major global climate deal, we should probably take a closer look at them here on Everyday Grammar. This should help: Both should and shall are auxiliary verbs. Auxiliary verbs are followed by the simple form of a main verb. For example, “He should go.” In this sentence, “go” is the main verb. The auxiliary verb should has many different meanings. It is often used to express certainty or possibility. For example, “They should be here soon.” We also use should to give advice or an opinion. For example, if a friend says she is always tired, you might tell her, “You should get more sleep.” Should can also express a goal or something that is not required. Before the holidays, many Americans say, “I should lose weight.” After the large holiday meal, we say, “I should exercise more!” Should also expresses the idea that something is expected or correct. For example, “You should see the train station after you exit the Metro.” Let’s take another look at the Paris climate deal. Article 4.4 stated: "Developing country Parties should continue enhancing their mitigation efforts…” In other words, the goal of developing countries is to continue improving their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The word should does not express a legal requirement. But shall, in the case of the climate agreement, does. Shall we continue? We often use the auxiliary verb shall to indicate a promise. Often, that promise is part of a legal agreement. Article 4.4 of the Paris climate deal stated that developed countries “shall continue taking the lead by undertaking economy-wide absolute emission reduction targets.” Replacing should with shall created stronger legal requirements for developed countries than developing countries. That is why the U.S. opposed the word change. The U.S. argued that shall needed to be changed back to should. French leaders told Kerry that someone must have made a typing mistake. Hours later, delegates from 195 countries agreed to the climate deal. Kerry later said of the shall vs. should debate, “We made it crystal clear that every text up until this particular one had a different wording. So it wasn't hard for them to realize that somebody had made a mistake, and they accepted responsibility for it.” The auxiliary shall does not always have such serious effects. In the Everyday Grammar article, Six Differences Between British and American English, we learned that Brits sometimes use shall to express the future. For example, “I shall see you tomorrow.” It is similar to the verb will. And American Army General Douglas MacArthur once promised to return to the Philippines by famously saying, “I shall return.” In American English, we sometimes use shall in questions to make an offer. Shall is a more polite choice than should. For example, you might ask, “Shall I meet you after work?” But for Secretary Kerry, there was nothing polite about the word shall in the Paris climate agreement. That’s it for this week’s Everyday Grammar. We leave you with the words of American folk singer Bob Dylan. You should be able to hear the auxiliary shall in the song: Any day now, any day now I shall be released For VOA Learning English, I’m Adam Brock. And I’m Ashley Thompson. Ashley Thompson wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Jill Robbins and Kathleen Struck were the editors. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   developed country - n. a country that has fewer poor people because it has industry and can raise money  developing country - n. a country that has more poor people because it lacks industry and goods are expensive greenhouse  - adj. relating to the warming of the Earth's atmosphere that is caused by air pollution emissions - n. produced or released (such as energy or gas) from a source crystal clear - (idiomatic expression). without a doubt; very certain      

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‘Hated’ Drug Company Head Arrested by FBI

  A U.S. businessman once described as the “most hated man in America” was arrested Thursday. Martin Shkreli was arrested at his New York City apartment, said federal prosecutor Robert Capers. Shkreli, 32, heads New York-based Turing Pharmaceuticals. He and his company were criticized earlier this year after raising the price of a drug used by patients with AIDS and forms of cancer.  The price of the drug "Daraprim" increased from $13.50 a pill to $700 a pill. The drug is used all over the world, including Africa. The BBC described him as the “the worst man in America.”  After the price increase, American presidential candidate Bernie Sanders rejected a $2,700 donation from Shkreli. The Sanders campaign instead gave the money to an AIDS clinic. A spokesman for Sanders said the presidential campaign would not keep money “from this poster boy for drug company greed.” After the criticism, Shkreli agreed to reduce the price of the cancer/AIDS drug. But recent reports by Forbes and other news organizations said Shkreli has since changed his mind about lowering the price. Capers, the federal prosecutor, said Shkreli’s arrest Thursday related to his previous work as a hedge fund manager and head of another drug company. It is not related to the controversy over drug pricing, he said. Shkreli headed the drug firm Retrophin until last year. Capers said that Shkreli used that company to pay off “his own personal debts.” Shkreli owed the money to clients of MSMB, a hedge fund he ran, Capers said. Capers said Shkreli tried to make the payments seem legitimate. He did so by listing them as payments for consulting work. But Capers said no consulting work had been done. Also arrested Thursday was one of Shkreli’s attorneys, Capers said. Retrophin filed a lawsuit against Shkreli earlier this year. It had removed him as its chief executive in 2014. In the lawsuit, Retrophin said: “Shkreli used his control over Retrophin to enrich himself, and to pay off claims of MSMB investors, who he had defrauded.” Shkreli has denied the charges in the Retrophin lawsuit. Neither he nor his attorneys have commented about his arrest. I'm Jim Tedder.   This report appeared on VOANews.com. Bruce Alpert adapted the story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or share your views on our Facebook Page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story prosecutor – n. a lawyer who represents the side in a court case that accuses a person of a crime and who tries to prove that the person is guilty postor boy – n. a person who represents a human characteristic human character greed – n. a selfish desire to have more of something, mainly money hedge fund – n.  a group of investors who take financial risks together in order to try to earn a lot of money controversy – n. argument that involves many people who strongly disagree about something legitimate – n. allowed according to rules or laws consulting – adj. to give professional advice to a person, organization, or company for a fee enrich – v. to make someone rich or richer defraud – v. to trick or cheat someone      

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