Burundi Refugees Asked to Fight Their Own People

Burundi officials say refugees who fled to neighboring Rwanda are being asked now to fight against their homeland. An adviser to Burundi's president told Voice of America that Burundi has proof that the refugees were recruited into armed groups. Adviser Willy Nyamitwe say some of the recruits are children. “We have evidence that people are being trained in Rwanda,” he said. “Some persons … have been caught by the army. They revealed that they have been trained in Rwanda.” The presidential aide also said smuggled weapons come from Rwanda. Rwandan officials have denied all charges of recruitment and weapons smuggling. A report from Refugees International, a humanitarian organization that helps refugees, confirmed that armed groups in Rwanda are recruiting Burundians in refugee camps. The report mentioned that close to 80 refugees interviewed said they were asked to fight. The United Nations refugee agency says more than 93,000 Burundi citizens have fled their homeland since April. I'm Anne Ball.   Anita Powell wrote this story for VOANews.com. Jim Dresbach adapted it 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   recruited - v. to choose and appoint candidates to join an organization revealed - v. to make public; to make known to others interviewed - v. to gather information by asking someone questions smuggle – v. to move something from one country into another illegally and secretly

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Study: Men Who Do Housework Have More Sex

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. Some men may think it is not their job to help with housework. They may think that it is a woman’s job to wash clothes or clean up after a meal. But a new study shows these men may want to think again. The study found that a man who helped around the house not only has more sex with his partner; he also has a really good sex life. It is time to face facts. Women find a man washing dishes very sexy. And now there is scientific evidence to prove it. A new study suggests that men who do their share of housework have better sex lives. Matt Johnson is an assistant professor in the Department of Human Ecology at the University of Alberta. He remembered reading about an earlier study on housework. That study claimed that men who did little or no work at home had more sex. Johnson told Medical News Online that this claim does not seem to ring true. He said it does not support his experience as a couple’s therapist. In that job, he provided advice to married couples and others on personal relationships. So, Johnson helped organize the new study to re-investigate the relationship between dividing household duties and sex lives. He and the other researchers examined information about 1,338 couples. These men and women were part of a German project on relationships. For that project, researchers asked each male partner about the amount of housework they did. They asked the men what household chores they did, and whether the level of work was similar to that of their partner. The researchers looked each partner's sexual satisfaction and sexual activities rates one year later. The results showed no link between the amount of housework a man did and a couple's sex life. It was the idea of “fairness” that made the most difference. The men who thought they did a fair part of the household chores had sex more often with their partner. And both partners reported their sex life being more satisfying. So, men, get to work. Wash those dishes! Make the bed! The study did not ask why you are cleaning – just that you are cleaning. Johnson and his colleagues reported their findings in the Journal of Family Psychology. I’m Anna Matteo.   Anna Matteo wrote this piece for VOA Learning English. Her information was based on reports from several online articles, including Medical News Online. George Grow was the editor. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story ecology  - n. a science that deals with the relationships between groups of living things and their environments : the relationships between a group of living things and their environment ring true - idiomatic expression : to sound or seem true or likely chore - n. the regular or daily light work of a household or farm  

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Apollo 11 Spacecraft Lands in Your Smartphone

  Back in 1969, it was the Apollo 11 crew who flew to the moon in a spaceship. School children watched it on small black-and-white televisions. When U.S. astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin stepped foot on the moon, they were the first. Meanwhile, their fellow astronaut Michael Collins circled the moon in their spaceship, named Columbia. When Armstrong and Aldrin were done with their walk, they left the lunar vehicle on the moon. They returned to the command module, and back to Earth. That part of the spaceship is on view at the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. But, if you cannot get to Washington, soon you will be able to see Columbia on your computer or your smartphone. Digital scientists are scanning — taking pictures — of the inside of the spaceship. They are creating an online model, in three dimensions, or “3D.” By looking at these photographs, you will be able to see outer space, the way the astronauts did.  It will be like sitting in their seats. Want your very own Columbia spaceship? You will be able to print a 3D replica of Columbia. Experts say anyone can make a life-sized model. But they expect most people to make smaller models of the 320 x 400 cm (11’ x 13’) command module. The Smithsonian calls Columbia a “Milestone of Flight.” It is an important part of the Air and Space Museum collection. Scientists are using special 3D technology to scan the inside.  It is a hands-off project. They are not allowed to touch or climb inside the module. They use 5DSR cameras on long arms to take the 50 megapixel photographs. The thousands of photographs taken will be combined with 50 laser scans.  They will take in a million points to produce 6GB of data. What would it be like to sit inside Columbia and take a look around? All the images will be loaded into software that allows you to look around the module on a computer screen.  The user will be able to see the Columbia both inside and out. The Smithsonian says that the 3D technology gives the user ways to see things they cannot see at the museum. And it will give information that even the museum curators have not seen before. “With the Command Module, no one has been inside since it came into the collection,” says Adam Metallo, Smithsonian 3D imaging specialist.  “Now the information we capture can give anyone in the world a view of what it looks like inside this incredible piece of history.” A California based company, Autodesk, is working with the Smithsonian on the project. Paul Sullivan works for Autodesk. He says his company built the interactive 3D viewer just for the Smithsonian. “The 3D technology is revolutionizing museums the same way it has revolutionized architecture, engineering, gaming and Hollywood,” Sullivan says. “And the Smithsonian aims to be at the forefront of this transformation.” Autodesk also helped with the 3D display of Cosmic Buddha. Smithsonian curators say it is one of its top 10 exhibits. The digital model made it possible to see details of the sculpture in a new, and clearer, way. The same 3D scanning was done on the 1903 Wright Flyer.  Brothers Wilber and Orville Wright were the first successful pilots in flying machines.  The Wright Flyer at the Air and Space Museum is a version of the plane they first flew 255 meters in North Carolina. The museum is putting together a new display with the Apollo 11 command module. It is set to open in 2020.  But you will not have to wait that long for the virtual digital model — that one will be available on line by the middle of 2016. I’m Anne Ball.   Carolyn Presutti reported this story. Anne Ball adapted it for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. Would you want to fly to the moon? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section and on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   command module –n. the space craft the astronauts rode and lived in going to and from the moon replica –n. a copy of something curator –n. a person in charge of things in a museum view –n. something you can see incredible – adj. difficult or impossible to believe, or extremely good forefront –n. the most important part or position virtual - adj. existing on the internet

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Refugees Describe Boko Haram Terror

African refugees continue to be forced from their homes as they escape the terror of Boko Haram militants. As Nigerians and Cameroonians settle into a refugee camp in Cameroon, they are telling their stories to United Nations workers. Abubakar Salifou, 62, escaped with his wife and four children from Nigeria. He said men with weapons looted cattle and stores right before Nigerian and Cameroonian soldiers arrived.  He said soldiers carried out raids on suspected Boko Haram strongholds. The attacks by Boko Haram against Nigeria have entered Cameroon, Chad and Niger. Boko Haram has destroyed villages and killed residents. An estimated 20,000 have been killed. More than 2 million have been displaced, according to U.N. figures. Cameroon’s Minister of Youth Affairs and Civic Education said 800 people arrive every week in the northern refugee camp. The camp has a population of more than 55,000 people. About 50 babies are born in the camp each month. Michael Hoza, U.S. Ambassador to Cameroon, visited the northern Cameroon camp. He said the main goal is to defeat Boko Haram. That way, the displaced can return to their homes. “We [hope to] restore the economy,” Hoza said. “People can get back to doing what they are supposed to be doing, which is raising their families and building a bright future.” People in the camp say sanitation, healthcare and healthy food are among their top needs. I'm Jim Tedder.   Moki Edwin Kindzeka wrote this report for VOAnews.com. Jim Dresbach adapted the story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. What do you think about the refugee problem in Africa? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or visit our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   loot – v. something that is stolen or taken by force sanitation – n. the process of keeping places free from dirt, infection and disease, by removing waste, trash and garbage and by cleaning streets

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College Rankings Look at Many Factors

  From VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report. Students in the United States usually start their college search by looking at rankings. Which are best academically? Which has the most affordable tuition? It can be a difficult decision. The U.S. has many public, private and even online schools. Students can choose from two-year colleges, four-year colleges and trade schools. There are over 1,700 two-year colleges, 2,900 four-year colleges and 4,700 schools giving degrees. Choosing the right college is very important to students and their families. They look to rankings, or lists of schools, to make that choice. But rankings are not as simple as they seem. How do you rank a college? US News and World Report uses information from more than 1,000 schools to create a list of the top universities. The Princeton Review and Forbes are also well-known lists that rank schools. U.S. News and World Report measures selectivity. Selectivity means that the school accepts a small percent of applicants. Schools can pick and choose from their applicants. The applicants must have excellent academic records and very high test scores. The college rankings are determined by several factors. How well teachers are paid is one. The rate of graduation is important, too. The problem, says Jonathan Rothwell, an expert at Brookings, is that schools that are selective may benefit from better students. It does not mean that they provide the best education. Others have released rankings that measure how much money students make after graduating. For example, the Economist released college rankings in October. Because employment after graduation is uncertain, some students want to learn if their school will give them skills to find a high-paying career. Stacy Berg Dale and Alan B. Kreuge are Harvard researchers. They looked at two groups of students with similar test scores. One group could have gone to selective schools. But they chose to attend schools that were less selective. That group of students still made the same amount of money as the students who went to selective schools. This suggests that it is the student, not the school that creates the success. Jonathan Rothwell says that we do not need more ranking systems. He says we need better ones. He, too, has created a ranking system. It is called the "value-added" approach. His approach shows the contribution of the college education to student salaries. What to do about the problem? The growing number of college ranking systems suggests that students and parents demand better information about colleges. As the cost of higher education becomes too much for many students, policymakers have to deal with how to control those costs. The U.S. Department of Education says that in 2012-2013, the average cost of an education at a four-year private college was $35,074 per year. Four-year public colleges cost $17,474 on average. In 1982 to 1983, the average cost of an education at a four-year private college was $16,797. Four-year public colleges cost $7,534 on average. These numbers are adjusted for inflation. Developing a new, effective college ranking system was one of the Obama administration's important strategies for improving higher education. In 2013, the Department of Education announced a new plan for ranking colleges. It looks at the annual cost after financial aid, the school’s graduation rate and the annual salary for graduates. President Obama announced the plan: "Our first priority is aimed at providing better value for students -- making sure that families and taxpayers are getting what we pay for.  Today, I’m directing Arne Duncan, our Secretary of Education, to lead an effort to develop a new rating system for America’s colleges before the 2015 college year. I think we should rate colleges based on opportunity.  Are they helping students from all kinds of backgrounds succeed, and on outcomes, on their value to students and parents." The Obama administration's goal is to give students information to help them choose the school that is right for them – and avoid unnecessary loans, too. The Obama Administration has not released college rankings. However, in September, the U.S. Department of Education released the College Scorecard, which has information about many colleges in the U.S. It offers information about programs, schools and costs. The new college scorecard does not rank schools. Jonathan Rothwell says that the College Scorecard has weaknesses. It is based on students who took out loans or received money from the U.S. government. The scorecard also calculates students' salaries for 10 years after graduation. That may or may not be enough time to show the value of a college degree. I'm Jill Robbins.  And I'm John Russell.  John Russell wrote this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck and Hai Do were the editors. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   rankings – n. a list of people or things that are ordered according to their quality, ability, size, etc. online – adj. done over the Internet degree – n. an official document and title that is given to someone who has successfully completed a series of classes at a college or university inflation – n. a continual increase in the price of goods and services selectivity – n. choosing only the best people or things approach – n. a way of doing or thinking about something Does your country rank colleges? Are schools expensive in your country? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

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Neighbors Complain of Islands in South China Sea

  China continues to receive criticism for its efforts to control the South China Sea. In Vietnam, some well-known former government officials complained about China’s artificial islands in the South China Sea. The letter to a Vietnamese Communist Party board said the island building is part of what the officials called Chinese “expansionism.” The letter was signed by 100 people, including members of a former advisory board to the Vietnamese prime minister. Meanwhile, Admiral Scott Swift, head of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, gave a speech in Hawaii that also criticized Chinese actions in the South China Sea. Swift did not name China. But it was clear which country he was talking about. Fishermen who “trawled the seas freely for generations," he said, now face a big loss of earnings. China has not responded to the latest criticism. But it has said its actions in the South China Sea reflect China’s sovereign rights. In Masinloc, a Philippines coastal town on the South China Sea, fisherman Junick Josol spent a recent night catching only small fish to sell to local markets. The tiny fish are a far cry from the large grouper and tuna Josol used to catch. Josol said he caught the larger fish at a fertile fishing spot off the Scarborough Shoal, just west of Masinloc. But since 2012, Chinese military ships have stopped him and other fishermen from fishing off the Shoal, he said. “We would still like to fish there if only the Chinese would not shoo us away,” Josol told the Voice of America. “Of course it was a big help to our families, what we earned there. Now, it’s gone.” Josol’s struggles to make a living are mentioned in a legal case over China’s control of the South China Sea. The Philippine government brought a case complaining about Chinese control over the South China Sea to the international court at The Hague. It is not clear when the court will rule. I'm Mario Ritter.   Trung Nguyen, Libu Lu and Simone Orendain wrote this story for VOANews.com. Bruce Alpert adapted this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. We want to hear from you. Share your views in the Comments section, or tell us what you think on our Facebook Page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in this Story   complain – n. to say or write that you are unhappy artificial – adj. not natural or real trawl – v. pulling fish from the bottom of the ocean sovereign – adj. having unlimited power or authority shoo – v. to chase away    

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This Holiday Season, Don't Be A Scrooge!

Hello! And welcome to the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories. It is the holiday season in many parts of the world. Christmas is one of the most celebrated of those holidays. But even for those who do not celebrate Christmas, Christmas movies have become an American tradition.  Many fun expressions come from these movies. When Americans hear these expressions, they know exactly what they mean and the movies they come from. On today’s show, we will explore two words that come from one of the most popular Christmas stories made into a movie: “A Christmas Carol.” Writer Charles Dickens wrote “A Christmas Carol” in 1843. Ebenezer Scrooge is the main character of the story. Scrooge is one of the most famous characters in English literature. And, the English language gained two words from “A Christmas Carol.” The first is simply the character’s name: Scrooge. Ebenezer Scrooge is mean. He is unwilling to share his money and good fortune. He hates people. And he hates Christmas. In the English language, a scrooge – with a lowercase “s” – is a person who is unwilling to give to others. Others words with the same meaning are miserly and stingy. Scrooges are selfish, and not just at Christmas time or the holidays. Here is an example sentence: “Her father is such a scrooge. He will not pay for her college tuition even though he has tons of money!” That father is a first-rate scrooge! Now back to “A Christmas Carol.” At the beginning of the story, Scrooge is a cold-hearted miser who hates Christmas. Dickens describes Scrooge in this way: "The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, made his eyes red, his thin lips blue, and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice ..." How much does Scrooge hate Christmas? This passage from the book describes how much. "If I could work my will," said Scrooge indignantly, "every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart."                          This quote makes perfectly clear that Scrooge hates Christmas and all that it represents -- namely goodwill to fellow humans. Scrooges’ catchphrase in the book and in the movies is “bah humbug!” As soon as you say “bah humbug” people know which story and which character you are talking about. “Bah humbug” is usually used as a response to someone else’s Christmas cheer. For example, if someone asks you, “So, are you ready for Christmas?” and you say, “Christmas … bah humbug!” that means you are not in the Christmas spirit and are probably not going to celebrate. Anyone who says “bah humbug” is rejecting or showing disgust for Christmas. Sometimes it is said in fun. Sometimes it is not. The story of "A Christmas Carol" is one of personal change, of turning over a new leaf, to use an idiom. As the story goes, the hateful Scrooge is visited one night by three Ghosts of Christmas: Ghost of Christmas Past, Ghost of Christmas Present and Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. The ghosts educate Scrooge and the last lesson is terrifying. But it works. Scrooge greets the new morning as a generous, kind person. However, word history does not remember him that way. His name will live on to mean the exact opposite. That’s language. And that’s another Words and Their Stories. I’m Anna Matteo.   Anna Matteo wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. The song at the end of the program is Andrea Bocelli singing “God Bless Us Everyone,” from the 2009 animated version of “A Christmas Carol.” ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   misery – n. extreme suffering or unhappiness : something that causes extreme suffering or unhappiness : A popular idiom using this word is “misery loves company.” stingy – adj. not liking or wanting to give or spend money : not generous shrewd – adj. having or showing an ability to understand things and to make good judgments : mentally sharp or clever indignant – adj. feeling or showing anger because of something that is unfair or wrong : very angry disgust – n. annoyance and anger that you feel toward something because it is not good, fair, appropriate, etc. generous – adj. freely giving or sharing money and other valuable things : showing kindness and concern for others

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Route 66 California: The End of the Trail

  When Route 66 travelers cross the Colorado River into the state of California, it is easy to begin to feel like the journey is almost over. After all, California is the eighth and final state you visit. But, the end of the road in Los Angeles is still a 500-kilometer drive away. And much of that drive goes through the treacherous Mojave Desert. Eastern California’s Route 66 is broken, hot and deserted. The road passes crumbled buildings of bypassed towns. Needles is first city in California after crossing the Colorado River. It was once a major stop along Route 66 and the Old National Trails Highway. That road was built before Route 66, in 1913. Today, Needles struggles economically, like many towns along the old Route 66. Travelers on the road used to pass resorts, gold mines, oil wells, railroad stops, and ranches. But economic opportunities dried up, just like the hot desert ground. Route 66 traffic decreased. Large interstates replaced the Mother Road. Traffic decreased. Bypassed towns are common here in the Mojave Desert. Goffs, California, is one of those towns. The former mining and railroad town was the first bypassed city along Route 66. Federal planners re-routed the Mother Road from Goffs in 1931. And in the 1960s, the new Interstate 40 bypassed it, too. The town is now nearly empty. Goffs’ population is just 23 people. It serves as an example of how a disconnection from major roads can hurt a community. Goffs sits at one of the highest points in the Mojave Desert. From there, Route 66 descends to Fenner, and then on to Essex.   After a brief meetup with Interstate 40, Route 66 travels south to the town of Amboy. The remote town is easy to spot: a colorful sign that reads “Roy’s Motel Cafe” stands tall in the desert landscape. Amboy has fewer than five permanent residents. The area’s rugged scenery attracts international marketers. The desert scenery has appeared in commercials for Cadillac cars, German beer, and Levi Strauss jeans. The histories of nearby desert cities -- Ludlow, Baghdad, and Newberry Springs -- are similar to Goffs and Amboy. Once major railroad stops and supply centers for travelers, they rely now on Route 66 tourists to keep their few businesses open. The urban sprawl of Los Angeles becomes visible some 100 kilometers away from the city itself. The distant lights, haze, and increased traffic serve as reminders that the end of the Mother Road is near. The Cajon Pass connects Los Angeles' eastern suburbs and the Mojave Desert. The winding, mountainous road once served as a Native American trade route. It provides Route 66 travelers with a final sense of the open road, before the L.A. traffic jams begin far outside the city. On its way into L.A., Route 66 passes through the cities of San Bernardino, Rialto, and Pasadena. In San Bernardino, you find the site of the original McDonald’s, which is now a museum. And Rialto is home to a classic roadside wigwam motel.   And then, finally, the road enters Los Angeles. Route 66 cuts right through the heart of Hollywood. There, you can “go Hollywood” by touring a movie studio or watching a television show filming. But one activity that should not be missed is a stroll down the Hollywood Walk of Fame. More than 2,500 squares made of terrazzo, a stone mix, line the sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard. Each square has a pink star in the middle, with the name of a celebrity lettered in brass. The first star went into the sidewalk in 1960. About 30 entertainers earn a star along the Walk of Fame every year. The Walk of Fame gets especially crowded outside the TCL Chinese Theater. The business opened in 1927 as Grauman’s Chinese Theater. The unique building includes pagoda-like structures and temple bells. The Chinese Theater holds many movie premieres and other events. For many years, it was even home to the Academy Awards Ceremony, or Oscars. On the ground outside of the theater are hundreds of signatures, handprints and footprints of celebrities. They have pressed their hands and feet into wet cement. Actors and dancers perform on the sidewalk outside the theater. They might be dressed up as characters from well-known movies, like Freddy Kruger of the horror film, “Nightmare on Elm Street.”  Eduardo Lezcano moved to Hollywood from Argentina. He was dressed like recording artist Michael Jackson. And he could dance like him, too. "I come here for live and work, and looking for my dreams, you know?" Just west of Hollywood on Route 66 is another very famous neighborhood: Beverly Hills. Many celebrities live there. The neighborhood is known for its beautiful mansions hidden behind tall walls and gates. Vendors in Beverly Hills and Hollywood even sell maps to the stars’ homes. The maps guide you through the residential part of Beverly Hills. But they are not always 100 percent correct. A few more kilometers down the road, the historic Route 66 comes to its western end when the road reaches the sparkling blue Pacific Ocean. The Santa Monica Pier is the traditional end to Route 66. The pier opened in 1909. Today, the Pier includes an official sign to mark the most western point of Route 66. The sign reads “Santa Monica -- 66 -- End of the Trail.” The official sign was put up in 2009 with the help of the small business Route-66-to-Cali. The little stand on the pier sells American-made Route 66 t-shirts and other road-related products. Brian Vazquez explains how the sign came to be. "So, there was never sense of closure for people. You would just come to the end and go 'hey that's it. Let's go home.' For 83 years there was never an ending sign until we created that one. So now, there's a sense of closure for people." We celebrated the end of our two-week Route 66 journey under the sign on the Pier. We were not alone. Nearby a large group of Brazilian motorcycle riders held hands and said a prayer. Then they cheered and hugged and congratulated each other. Ednilso Gablak expressed the excitement of the group. “We just finish(ed) our dream trip. We start(ed), like 15 days ago. Well, it's kind of a dream. We saw movies; we saw on the television, magazines, saw photos. Today, we can see (on) the Internet so many videos. So I think everybody knows something about Route 66, right?” The VOA Route 66 team agrees. And for those still strangers to the Mother Road, now is a great time to motor west on the highway that’s the best. I'm Caty Weaver. And I'm Ashley Thompson. Ashley Thompson and Caty Weaver wrote this story.  Hai Do was the editor. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story treacherous - adj. dangerous or difficult to deal with rugged - adj. having a rough, uneven surface urban sprawl - n. a situation in which large stores, groups of houses, etc., are built in an area around a city that formerly had few people living in it closure - n. a feeling that something has been completed or that a problem has been solved  

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Mexican Immigration to US Lowest in 40 Years

More Mexicans are leaving the U.S. than entering, says a recent study. The report from the Pew Research Center was released as some presidential candidates talk about building a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. Not since the 1970s have fewer Mexicans entered the U.S. than returned home. The flow of Mexican immigrants into the U.S. is at its lowest since the 1990s. The author of the Pew report says there are two main reasons for the reduction of immigrants. First, the U.S. economy has been slow to recover after the recession that began around 2009. Second, the U.S. is more strictly enforcing immigration laws at the border between the two countries. A census report in Mexico says that 1 million Mexicans returned home from the U.S. in the five years leading to 2014. The U.S. census for the same period shows only 870,000 Mexicans moved to the U.S. The Pew report offers a clear warning about its statistics. “There are no official counts of how many Mexican immigrants enter and leave the U.S. each year,” it says. So the numbers are estimates, not precise numbers. The report says a growing percentage of Mexicans think life in the U.S. is not better or worse than living in Mexico. The number of Mexican immigrants living in the U.S. peaked at 12.8 million in 2007. It has declined since. More than 60 percent of the people who returned to Mexico say they wanted to be closer to family. Only 14 percent returned against their will because they were deported. There are fewer Mexicans coming into the U.S., but Mexicans still make up the largest foreign-born group in the country, at 28 percent. In the 50 years ending in 2015, 16 million Mexicans came to live in the United States. I’m ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Dan Friedell.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for VOA Learning English. His report was based on stories from VOANews.com and Reuters. Kathleen Struck was the editor. Do you think moving to the United States would offer a better life than in Mexico? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   census – n. the official process of counting the number of people in a country, city, or town and collecting information about them peak – adj. filled with the most activity statistics - n. a collection of numbers or other information strict – adj. describing a command, rule, etc., that must be obeyed  

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Three Women Get US Human Rights Award

  Three women with Muslim backgrounds have won an important international human-rights prize. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Irshad Manji and Rebiya Kadeer have been targets of violence because of their support for human rights. The Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice presented the awards in Washington, D.C. on Thursday. It called the women “fearless leaders, reformers and rebels who have been willing to defy social and cultural norms to speak out against human rights abuses.” It said the women “have faced down personal danger to stand up for the vulnerable and persecuted.” Ayaan Hirsi Ali was forced to undergo female genital mutilation in Somalia. More than 125 million females have had their genitals removed and sutured, says the World Health Organization. Most of them are younger than 15. Ali’s father forced her to marry a family member. She fled to The Netherlands where she worked as a cleaner. She became a translator and later was elected to the Dutch Parliament. She has spent years fighting for women’s rights. She says no religion or culture should be used to justify abuses against women. She said she felt responsible to say something about those who use religion as a tool for hatred, rape and killing. And she said she wanted to “do something about it in the most peaceful ways.” Death threats have not stopped her from supporting the rights of women, the foundation says. Irshad Manji was born in Uganda, but she moved to Canada at age 4. She grew up in a violent household. By the time she was 14, she was removed from an Islamic school because she asked too many questions. So, she began studying Islam without a teacher. She said her independent study helped her learn that she did not have to reject her faith to believe in freedom and rights. She has been a leader in efforts to reform Islam for many years. She has received so many death threats that the windows in her apartment are bulletproof. Muslim extremists have demanded she be executed. Manji, 46, said the award is about more than Islam. She said it is about all human beings. Rebiya Kadeer is known as the “Mother of all Uighurs.” Uighurs are a group of Muslims in northwest China. They say they have been abused by the Chinese government for many years. She grew up in rural China and was very poor. But she formed businesses and became rich.   She once held important political positions in China. But in 1999, she was arrested and charged with giving secret information to a person outside of China and jailed. Kadeer was released from prison in 2005 and moved to the United States. She is the president of the World Uighur Congress. The 69-year-old has strongly criticized Chinese officials and their treatment of Chinese-Muslims. She said, “The Uighur issue is not a Uighur problem. It is a Chinese government problem -- a situation generated by systematic denial to Uighurs of fundamental human rights and freedoms.” The award is named for U.S. Congressman Tom Lantos. He was the only survivor of the Holocaust to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He strongly supported human rights causes during almost 30 years in Congress. The Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice is a non-profit group. It has given a human rights award yearly since 2009. Among those who have been given the award are the Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama, Chinese human rights activist Chen Guangcheng and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. This is the first year it has been given to three women of Muslim backgrounds. I’m Mario Ritter. This story was reported by Alberto Pimienta in Washington. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the story into VOA 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   background – n. the experiences, knowledge, education, etc., in a person's past norm – n. standards of proper or acceptable behavior face down – expression to confront someone in a resolute or determined manner stand up for – expression to take the side of someone or something; to defend someone or something. female genital mutilation – n. the cutting, or partial or total removal, of the external female genitalia for religious, cultural or other non-medical reasons suture – v. to sew together (a cut, wound, etc.) translator – n. a person who changes words written or spoken in one language into a different language bulletproof – adj. made to stop bullets from going through systematic – adj. using a careful system or method; done according to a system Holocaust – n. the killing of millions of Jews and other people by the Nazis during World War II

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UN Security Council Votes to Restrict IS Funding

The United Nations Security Council approved measures Thursday to restrict how the Islamic State militant group raises money. The 15-nation council will expand a resolution against al-Qaida to the Islamic State group. The group has seized large areas of Syria and Iraq, and it is trying to increase its strength in Libya. Samantha Power is the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Wednesday, she told reporters “this resolution…will be a new piece of international law.” She said the resolution would require countries to do more to stop the money being sent to terrorists. Power says nations have limited the group’s funding somewhat. But she says the group still trades cultural objects and smuggles oil. She notes that the group demands money from people who live in the areas the terrorists occupy. But she says “this is a problem that we should be able to solve.” She said if an effort is made to attack the Islamic State group’s funding sources and assets “in an intensified and even more aggressive way, that is going to have a material effect on their ability” to carry out attacks. I’m Jim Tedder. VOA United Nations Correspondent Margaret Besheer reported this story. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for VOA Learning English. Kathleen Struck and George Grow were the editors. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   piece – n. an amount that is cut or separated from a larger section of something smuggle – v. to move (someone or something) from one country into another illegally and secretly assets – n. something that is owned by a person, company, etc. -- usually plural

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