Russian Parliament Rejects Anti-Gay Law

Russia’s Parliament rejected a bill Monday that would have permitted fines or jail time for homosexual acts. Rights groups have welcomed the move. But, they are also calling for a repeal of a 2013 law that they say has encouraged discrimination against non-heterosexuals. It is called the “gay propaganda” law. Communist Party lawmakers had proposed the law that was rejected. Had it passed, gay people could have been fined between $50 and $65 for public demonstrations of affection. The proposed measure described such acts as "expression of non-traditional sexual relations." It could also have led to jail time depending on where the act took place. Human Rights Watch denounced the bill. The group said the measure would have punished people for expressing their identity. It was a rare win in Russia for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexual people, also known as LGBT. Human Rights Watch's Russia Program Director in Moscow, Tanya Lokshina, praised the defeat of the measure in an email. "However,” she wrote, “the parliament has yet to repeal the 'gay propaganda' bill, which has done tremendous damage to Russia's LGBT people." The 2013 measure outlaws the "promotion of non-traditional sexual relations among minors." The law has received international criticism. Lokshina says it also has led to increased numbers of attacks on the LGBT community in Russia. Sandra is a transgender women living in Moscow. She told VOA that she was beaten in broad daylight after the law was passed. Her girlfriend called the police. Officers arrived quickly, she said, but were not willing to arrest her attackers. She said the attackers were not charged with any crime. She said the police insulted her instead. President Vladimir Putin has defended the "gay propaganda law," saying it does not ban homosexuality. The chief of Russian state media once said the hearts of dead homosexuals should be burned instead of donated. He called them “unfit to live.” LGBT activists continue their efforts for equal rights, however. Vladimir Komov, a Teachers' Union official, and engineer Dmitry Svetly are a gay couple living in Moscow. "We're openly gay," says Komov. "We're not hiding in fear," says Svetly, "For us, being open is a weapon." I’m Caty Weaver.   VOA's Moscow reporter, Daniel Schearf, wrote this story. Caty Weaver adapted it for Learning English. Are there laws against homosexuality in your country? Leave a comment or post on our Facebook page.  ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   homosexual – n. a person who is attracted to others of the same gender heterosexual – n. a person who is attracted to others of the opposite gender repeal – v. to take back gay – n. homosexual affection – n. warm feelings or fondess for something or someone LGBT – adj. an acronym for Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender minor – adj. slight, or younger

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Trending Today: OMG! #TwitterDown

This is What's Trending Today... Millions of Twitter users were unable to use the social network Tuesday, as the company suffered a major outage worldwide. Users across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and North America reported having problems. The outages prevented many users on computers and smartphones from sharing and receiving updates and other messages. Twitter users in northern Europe began to report issues Tuesday morning. Smartphone users there received the warning: “Tweets aren’t loading right now.” Several hours later, Twitter access became unavailable in the United States and Canada, at the start of the work day. A statement on the company’s Twitter page said, “We are aware of the issue and are working towards a resolution.” The on-again, off-again Twitter outages meant that the hashtag #twitterdown trended worldwide, as Twitter remained unavailable in many countries. Once users were able to access Twitter again, many posted about what they did during the Twitter outage, instead of writing tweets or checking for updates. One user tweeted: “With #twitterdown, I spent some time with my family. They seem like good people.” And that’s What’s Trending Today.  Do you have a Twitter account? Did you lose access to Twitter on Tuesday? What did you do during #twitterdown? Let us know in the Comments section and on our Facebook page! _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   outage - n. a period of time when there something (such as electricity) is not working  load - v. to cause (a program, file, etc.) to begin being used or displayed by a computer​  

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Iran Glad for Sanction Relief, But Wary of US

Iran says it welcomes the easing of economic sanctions, but will remain wary of the United States. Monday, Iran's Defense Minister called the U.S. sanctions “hostile” toward Iran. The U.S. imposed the new sanctions Sunday against five Iranian nationals and a network of companies with links to banned missile activity. The U.S. Treasury Department said five Iranians worked to get missile parts for Iran. Companies in the United Arab Emirates and China also were involved. Iran drew anger from the United States and other Western powers last year when Iran tested two ballistic missiles. Iran defended the tests as a matter of national security. President Barack Obama said the U.S. government will “vigorously” enforce sanctions against Iran’s ballistic missile program. The new sanctions come after economic sanctions were lifted which were tied to Iran’s nuclear program. Following the lifting of the sanctions, Iran announced an increase in oil production by 500,000 barrels a day. Iran currently produced 3 million barrels per day. About 1 million of the barrels are exported. I'm Marsha James.   This report was based on information from VOAnews.com. Jim Dresbach 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   network - n. a group of people or organizations that work with each other; a system of computers and other devices that are connected to each other matter - n. something that is being done or talked about wary - adj. not having or showing complete trust in someone or something 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 ballistic missile – n. a weapon that is shot through the sky over a great distance and then falls to the ground and explodes vigorously – adv. done with great force and energy

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62 People Own Most of World's Wealth

The richest 62 people on earth now have the same wealth as the poorest 3.6 billion, according to a report from Oxfam. Five years ago, the majority of wealth was in the hands of 388 individuals. As the global population increased by around 400 million people, the wealth of the poorest half of the world has fallen by 41 percent - a drop of about $1 trillion. That means more money, assets and wealth shifted to fewer people. Oxfam is an aid organization working to fight poverty and hunger around the world. The group reported that women are more affected than men by inequality. The majority of low paid workers around the world are women. Just nine of the richest 62 individuals are women, the aid group says. It said the differences between the very rich and everyone else has widened over the past 12 months. It said Oxfam predicted last year “the 1 percent would soon own more than the rest of us.” That happened a year earlier than expected, in 2015, the report said. The use of tax shelter Oxfam considers tax shelters for the wealthy the biggest problem. The group said “rich individuals and companies” hide their wealth in countries where they can pay less tax on their earnings. This is tax money that governments need “to tackle poverty and inequality.” “It is simply unacceptable that the poorest half of the world’s population owns no more than a few dozen super-rich people who could fit onto one bus,” said Winnie Byanyima, Oxfam International’s Executive Director. The report said about $7.6 trillion of individual wealth is kept in “offshore” banks. They give the wealthy a rate of return on their investments that is higher than the economic growth rate in many countries. Oxfam said taxes on the wealthiest income would add an extra $190 billion to governments every year. “As much as 30 percent of all African financial wealth is estimated to be held offshore, costing an estimated $14 billion in lost tax revenues every year,” it added. “This is enough money to pay for healthcare for mothers and children in Africa that could save 4 million children’s lives a year, and employ enough teachers to get every African child into school,” it continued. The report comes a few days before the World Economic Forum opens in Davos, Switzerland. The WEF is a non-profit organization. It invites about 2,500 business leaders, politicians, thinkers and journalists to discuss issues like world poverty and economic growth. Talk among world leaders “about the escalating inequality crisis has so far not translated into concrete action,” the report says. “The world has become a much more unequal place and the trend is accelerating. We cannot continue to allow hundreds of millions of people to go hungry while resources that could be used to help them are sucked up by those at the top.” Oxfam noted that had inequality within countries not grown between 1990 and 2010, an extra 200 million people would have escaped poverty. It said governments should “recover the missing billions lost to tax havens” to pay for healthcare, schools and other public services for the general public. Governments should move minimum wage rates “towards a living wage” and tackle “the pay gap between men and women.” Byanyima added, “The richest can no longer pretend their wealth benefits everyone – their extreme wealth in fact shows an ailing global economy. The recent explosion in the wealth of the super-rich has come at the expense of the majority and particularly the poorest people." Oxfam said global wealth was calculated by Credit Suisse Global Wealth Datebook (2013 and 2014) and Forbes’ billionaires list  published in March. Not everyone agrees with the report The Institute for Economic Affairs in London called the numbers in the report “meaningless and misleading.” Mark Littlewood, director general of the IEA, said that, “global capitalism has eradicated poverty and generated prosperity in the developing world at an unprecedented rate.” Tim Worstall, a Fellow at the Adam Smith Institute in London, and a blogger for Forbes magazine, disputed the Oxfam report. What the Oxfam report is “complaining about isn’t very important and we’ve already solved it anyway,” he said. “We don’t actually need to do anything therefore, need no public policy over something we’ve already solved. ... Global demographics are such that the global labor force is going to shrink from now on. Thus the return to labor will rise. We’re done.” I’m Jonathan Evans   The full report can be downloaded here. Kathleen Struck wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Do you have something to say about wealth, poverty and the Oxfam report? Can poverty be changed? Please leave a comment under the story and on our Facebook page.  ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   inequality -- adv. unfairness, favoritism toward one thing, a lack of fairness dozen ​-- n. 12 offshore – n. definition escalating -- v. going up or higher, increasing in height concrete ​ -- n. a building material that begins as a liquid and dries to a solid accelerating -- v. going faster, increasing in speed minimum ​-- n. the lowest or least amount prosperity ​-- n. thriving, gaining, increasing in wealth or comfort demographics -- n. the categories of a population that show  age, income, education, etc.​   

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Muslims, Christians Unite Against Boko Haram

Christians and Muslims in Cameroon offered protection to each other following five attacks on mosques by suspected Boko Haram fighters. Christians guarded mosques and Muslims protected churches after a fifth mosque was attacked by a male suicide bomber on Monday. The attack took place near Cameroon’s border with Nigeria. The development marked a change in Boko Haram operations. In the past, the terror group attacked churches, schools and markets. Now, Boko Haram is attacking mosques. Christians now stand guard during Muslim call to prayer. Most groups assist government troops against the increasing attacks by Boko Haram. The Nigerian terrorist group has been active in Cameroon for three years. Christians told VOA News they help Muslims for the well-being of the country and as a duty of faith. Cameroon officials said militants have attacked mosques after being attacked by Cameroon and Nigerians soldiers. Nearly 24 million people live in Cameroon: 40 percent are Christian, and 20 percent are Muslims. In Mozambique in Africa’s southeast, citizens are fleeing clashes between rebels and government forces. They seek asylum in neighboring Malawi, a U.N. refugee agency reported. The agency says its staff registered about 1,300 new arrivals near the Malawi-Mozambique border. More than 900 refugees are waiting to be processed. A United Nations spokesman said most of the refugees are women and children. The fighting in Mozambique started last year. A previous civil war between 1977 and 1992 forced 1 million people from Mozambique to flee to Malawi. I'm Anne Ball.   Moki Edwin Kindzeka and Lisa Schlein reported on this story for VOANews.com. Jim Dresbach adapted their stories 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   mosque – n. a building that is used for Muslim religious services church – n. a Christian religious center

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Taiwan’s Premier Offers to Resign

Relations with China are causing political waves in Taiwan after the party opposed to closer ties easily won Saturday’s elections. Taiwan’s candidate for the Democratic Progressive Party, Tsai Ing-wen, won Saturday’s presidential election with 56 percent of the vote. Tsai is the first woman to win the island’s presidency. The opposition Democratic Progressive Party, or DPP, also gained more seats in the island’s legislature than the ruling Nationalist Party. Tsai’s victory raises question about whether eight years of increased ties with mainland China will end. The DPP has opposed closer links with China and expressed support for independence. President Ma Ying-Jeou has worked to improve relations with China for years. His efforts resulted in his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Singapore last November. It was the first meeting between leaders of mainland China and Taiwan since they split after China’s civil war in 1949. China considers Taiwan part of its territory. Taiwan also has signed a number of trade deals with China. However, those efforts are thrown into doubt, and ruling party leaders are admitting a change in the public’s will. Taiwan’s premier has taken leave of his job and says he may not return. Mao Chi-Kuo expressed concern about his ability to govern after voters elected a DPP president and gave it a majority in the legislature. The premier also asked his cabinet to resign. President Ma is considering whether to give his approval to such a move. Premier Mao defended his government’s efforts to improve relations with China and economic growth in a speech to the cabinet Monday. He said public opinion has changed. He said he had approached the president to request his resignation to safeguard the work of the future government. Without his resignation, he said, important decisions would not be possible, affecting development and the people’s happiness. President Ma, however, is holding off approval of the cabinet’s resignation. He is talking with supporters of the president-elect. They are seeking government ministers that both sides agree could remain after Tsai takes office. By law, Ma can keep his current cabinet, but Taiwanese presidents often make changes after election losses. The premier’s temporary replacement has said that talks on a possible free trade deal with China would stop if the cabinet resigns. It is not clear how Tsai’s government would negotiate with China. After the election, China reasserted its consideration that the self-ruled island is part of China’s territory. It said the democratic vote would not change that “basic fact.” China has changed a great deal since the last time a DPP candidate won the presidency. China is more powerfully economically and militarily than it was in 2000. Experts say this means Tsai needs to use restraint in developing the island’s relations with its larger neighbor. But, they point out that the world is watching how China deals with difficult issues at home and near its borders. These include how it deals with dissent within China, as well as concerns in Hong Kong and conflicting territorial claims in the South China Sea. The president-elect’s campaign has said she will avoid angering China. Most experts do not expect the dispute between the mainland and Taiwan to intensify, at least before May 20. That is when President-elect Tsai takes office. I’m Mario Ritter. This story was adapted from reports by VOA's Bill Ide and reporter Ralph Jennings. Mario Ritter adapted their stories for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Worlds in This Story take leave – v. to say goodbye; to take time off restraint – n. to limit; to keep under control reasserted – v. to state or declare something more strongly; to restate

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Bulgarians Biking From Alaska to Argentina

Vyacheslav Stoyanov had dreamed of visiting America since he was a young child. Yana Melamed grew up visiting family in the United States. But she long dreamed of exploring South America. Together, they are making both of their dreams come true. On bicycles. Yana is from Bulgaria. Vyacheslav, who goes by Slav, is originally from Ukraine. He moved to Bulgaria almost 20 years ago. Last June, Slav and Yana flew on an airplane – with their bicycles -- from Sofia, Bulgaria, to Deadhorse, Alaska. The town of 25 people is one of the northernmost communities in North America. From Deadhorse, they began a 60,000-kilometer bike trip, from Alaska to Argentina. They are biking to the southernmost point in South America. “The life on two wheels, it’s something very, very exciting, and very fun actually,” Yana said. “Most of the people think it’s very hard, very tough, cycling all day with the luggage. Yes, we have the tough times. But it’s a lot of fun because we are very independent." Cycling for Recycling But their journey is not only about having fun and fulfilling their dreams. Yana and Slav call their mission Cycle4Recycle. They say the goal of Cycle4Recycle is to make people more aware of how to protect the environment and preserve natural resources. “We are not usual tourists, who are looking for landmarks." Slav and Yana call themselves researchers and explorers. Along their trip, Slav and Yana give presentations at community centers and museums. Their presentation centers on their research into recycling and consumerism in the Americas. Even the world-famous Field Museum in Chicago invited them to give a presentation on their research. “We want to share with the kids. We want to make presentations for schools. We want to make the presentations with other bikers. We don’t expect some big change from this journey. We just try to change. We begin to change ourselves to do that. And after that, we just share with other people our experience.” Life on the road On most nights, Slav and Yana camp in parks. Yana says camping gives them “the most beautiful backyard.” They always clear away trash in the park before they set up their tent and cook a meal. Sometimes, they find use for the trash they find. The Bulgarian flag that waves on the back of Yana’s bike, for example, was sewn together from pieces of fabric they found along the road. And Slav still uses a water bottle he found in Canada. “Recycling is the most important point. Because everything (is) building from oil at this moment. We want to involve people to reuse the packages, like the bottles." Even their bicycles are recycled. Yana’s bike is over 35 years old. “So, this is my bike, Villiger Trulix. And Villiger is more than 30 years old. And he's a Swiss bicycle. He's made in a time when everything was meant to last forever. That's why I'm very happy that he decided to join me in my trip." Slav calls his bicycle “Konya,” which means “horse” in Bulgarian. They bought both used bicycles for less than $200. Exchanging bread for a bed In December, Slav and Yana arrived in Washington, D.C. They had been biking for more than 10,000 kilometers. If the weather is too cold or wet for camping -- or if they just wish to sleep in a real bed -- Slav and Yana log on to WarmShowers.org. The website connects local hosts with cyclists who are on long journeys. Warm Showers is similar to Couchsurfing, but it is especially for bicyclists. The website has more than 27,000 hosts around the world. In Washington, D.C., Slav and Yana spent three days staying with Scott Macdonell, a Warm Showers host. Macdonell says he was happy to help the two bikers out.   In exchange for a free place to stay, Yana and Slav like to share homemade meals of pasta, dumplings and bread with their hosts. Yana says she and Slav learned how to make bread and pasta while biking in Alaska and Canada. “When we were up in the north, the distances between supermarkets was like 2,000 miles. We cannot carry bread or stuff. We can only carry dry food, and we have to cook it. We were forced to learn how to make bread. And now we just can’t stop doing it." Back on the road From Washington, Slav and Yana will continue their journey south toward Florida. They will travel along the East Coast Greenway. The greenway is a trail system that connects major cities in the eastern United States, from Maine to Florida. After Florida, they will head west, through the southern states of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Then, they will cross Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, following the historic U.S. Route 66. They plan to cross into Mexico from California. After that, they plan on biking through almost every country in Central and South America, on their way to Argentina. “A cycling journey ... it's very nice to explore the cities and explore the nationalities and the countries because you go slow. You can see much more. You can stop everywhere. If you look at a beautiful place, you just stop. And you can enjoy. And it's like a luggage. You can even bring your bike in the plane." ​ I’m Ashley Thompson. And I'm Caty Weaver.   Ashley Thompson wrote this report for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story        originally – adv. n the beginning: when something first happened or began journey – n. an act of traveling from one place to another; trip aware – adj. knowing that something (such as a situation, condition, or problem) exists preserve – v. to keep (something) in its original state or in good condition consumerism – n. the actions of people who spend a lot of money on goods and services approach – n. a way of dealing with something: a way of doing or thinking about something conversation – n. an informal talk involving two people or a small group of people: the act of talking in an informal way trash – n. things that are no longer useful or wanted and that have been thrown away log on – phrasal verb to start the connection of a computer to a network or system host – n. a person who is entertaining guests socially or as a job

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New US Food Advice Not to Everyone's Taste

Americans can eat eggs without feeling guilty, according to new nutritional guidelines issued by the U.S. government. A person can eat as many eggs as they like each day, the updated guidelines say. One large chicken egg has about 186 milligrams of cholesterol, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Most of that is in the yellow center, or the yolk. Older guidelines restricted cholesterol intake to 300 milligrams a day. Two eggs would be more than the daily limit. The guidelines were issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services. The government guidelines are issued every five years. It is designed to help set nutritional standards for school lunch programs and federal food aid. The new guidelines cautioned that “individuals should eat as little dietary cholesterol as possible.” In the past, guidelines have led to reduced sales and hurt agricultural markets. In 1977, the guidelines recommended avoiding cholesterol. That recommendation led to a decline in egg sales. Other tips to stay healthy included advice to limit intake of sugars to 10 percent. Saturated fat calories found in red meat, butter, cheese, whole milk and ice cream should be limited each day to 10 percent. The guidelines also suggested Americans move away from a diet full of animal protein and sodium. The guidelines promoted eating more fruits, vegetables and nuts. The government has long recommended eating breakfast each day as a way to stay fit. The latest guidelines do not recommend that breakfast is necessary. Some are critical of the new guidelines. Mayo Clinic's Dr. Donald Hensrud told Time magazine that the new recommendations do not address weight management. Hensrud also mentioned that the recommendations failed to note the positive reports of how coffee decreases the risks of diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. Harvard professor and physician Walter Willett was candid in his observations. “This is a loss for the American public, and a win for big beef and big soda,” Willett said. “The problem isn’t just that the public gets misleading, censored information, but that these guidelines get translated into national food programs. ... This then gets directly translated into unnecessary premature deaths, diabetes, and suffering … of course this goes on to mean greater health care costs for all. It is all connected.” I’m Anna Matteo.   The staff at VOA news reported this story. Jim Dresbach adapted it for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. What changes have you made in your diet? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or visit our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   cholesterol – n. a substance that is found in the bodies of people and animals yolk – n. the yellow part in the center of an egg nutrition – n. the process of eating the right kind of food so you can grow properly and be healthy sodium – n. a soft silver-white element that is found in salt, baking soda and other compounds candid – adj. expressing opinions and feelings in an honest and sincere way censor – v. to examine books, movies or letters in order to remove things that are considered to be offensive, immoral or harmful to society diabetes – n. a serious disease in which the body cannot properly control the amount of sugar in your blood because it does not have enough insulin

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Zimbabwe Denies Reports of Mugabe Heart Attack

The government of Zimbabwe is denying a report that President Robert Mugabe has suffered a heart attack. Presidential spokesman George Charamba told reporters on Thursday that the report by the website ZimEye.net was false. He said the report was published to increase the number of users, or people who visit the website, so its owners could increase their earnings. Reports that Mugabe’s health is poor are common. He will be 92 next month. He leaves the country for a long vacation every January. The president’s spokesman does not usually react to reports about the president’s health. But this time, Charamba complained about frequent reports that Mugabe has died. He said “you cannot doubt that there will be a story on the president’s alleged death every January.” Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe since 1980, when the country gained independence from Britain. He is the world’s oldest head of state. He has said he does not suffer from poor health. But last year he fell down stairs at Harare airport. And in September, he read the same speech to parliament that he had given a month earlier. His long rule and his age have created concerns about what will happen to the presidency after his death. Some experts believe Senior Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa will become president. But the president’s wife, Grace Mugabe, has been making political moves. She is the head of the women’s membership group of the ruling ZANU-PF party. I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise.   VOANews.com reported on this story . Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted for 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   vacation - n. a period when someone spends time away from home, school or business, usually for traveling complained - v. saying or writing about something you do not like frequent - adj. many times; often doubt - n. a feeling of being unsure about something alleged - adj. accused or suspected of doing something stairs - n. a series of steps that go from one level of a building to the next ​

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Join VOA LE for a Chat With Men in Space!

Where will you be Wednesday, January 20, at 14:20 UTC? Here with VOA Learning English! We'll be talking live with the astronauts now flying above us in the International Space Station! Our Science Correspondent Anne Ball will speak live with NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian Cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko. The team is conducting year-long experiments as practice for a future mission to Mars. Please tune into our live broadcast on http://ift.tt/KdYcJL to hear what these brave scientists have to say about life in space. See you then! @VOALearningEnglish @VOANews​ @StationCDRKelly @NAS

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Sierra Leone Investigates Foreign Waste Agreement

The government of Sierra Leone is investigating an agreement to import waste from Lebanon. The agreement permits the import of non-hazardous waste into Sierra Leone. It does not permit the import of toxic or dangerous materials. The agreement was negotiated by Ibrahim Ben Kargbo. He is a former minister and senior presidential aide. He was recently elected to parliament. In a statement released Monday, the government said it did not give permission to Kargbo to negotiate the deal. It said President Ernest Bai Koroma had ordered an investigation of the deal. It said it understands the health and environmental risks of toxic wastes and would not expose its citizens to such wastes. Kargbo told VOA that the agreement was part of a deal to build a fertilizer factory. He said he wrote a letter of agreement to a representative of a Dutch farm in Lebanon “who said he wanted to come here and set up a plant to manufacture fertilizer. I did inform him in that letter that if he wanted to go through the process of investing in this country, he should be very certain that, even if it is utilizing domestic waste, it should be toxic-free.” Kargbo also said he told the representative that none of the imported waste can be toxic and that the agreement had to be approved by the government. On Monday, investigators questioned Kargbo. He says he told them the letter of agreement came from his office. But he says the investigators released him because there was nothing illegal about the agreement. He says he protected his country from the import of toxic waste. He said he was only working with the Dutch company to build a fertilizer factory in his country, which does not have such a factory. Kargbo said President Koroma was not told about the agreement because it was still being negotiated. But he says the president would have been told about it. He says investors were to first meet with lower-level government officials. Then, when it was clear what the investors wanted to do, the president would be told. I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise.   VOA's James Butty reported on this story. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. Do you believe your country should permit the import of non-hazardous waste? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   hazardous – adj. dangerous or harmful toxic – adj. containing poisonous substances expose – v. to cause (someone) to experience something or to be influenced or affected by something, sometimes negatively (often + to) plant – n. a building or factory where something is made utilize – v. to use (something) for a particular purpose

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