VOA English Newscast: 1900 UTC April 6, 2016

From Washington, this is VOA news… I'm Dave DeForest reporting EU officials move to make the migrant return process fair and humane: European Union officials are pledging that there will be "no automatic return" for the migrants before the migrants are given a chance to apply for asylum. The announcement follows angry protests by international human rights activists who have been accusing the EU of denying migrants the basic rights of refugees to seek asylum.   NATO is preparing to step up its response to threats from the Islamic State group and from Russia. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said He says that NATO is not seeking confrontation with Russia nor a cold war.  He told VOA NATO is implementing the biggest reinforcement to its collective defense since the end of the Cold War in response to the new security environment. Dutch voters are going to the polls to vote on whether to back a European Union free trade agreement with Ukraine. The referendum is nonbinding, but it will be an important measure of EU support.  It comes just three months before British voters cast ballots on whether to remain in the European Union. Dutch opponents of the EU agreement say its ultimate goal is to bring Ukraine into the bloc.  Supporters say the agreement would aid economic development on both sides and improve human rights in Ukraine. A Panamanian law firm says the 11.5 million documents leaked from its offices this week about offshore bank accounts were stolen by hackers, not divulged by an insider. Ramon Fonseca is one of the founders of the Mossack Fonseca firm. He says he has ruled out an inside job.  This is VOA news. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story automatic –adj. do as though by a machine, without thought or consideration deport –v. to force a person to leave a country confrontation –n. a serious, angry disagreement or fight between groups implement –v. to begin to do something, to put a plan into motion referendum –n. a popular vote on a single question nonbinding –adj. an agreement that does not have the force of law bloc –n. a group of people or countries connected by a treaty or agreement divulge –v. to tell, to reveal

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Myanmar Creates New Post for Aung San Suu Kyi

  Myanmar's parliament has created a new position for the head of the newly elected ruling party, Aung San Suu Kyi. Lawmakers voted Tuesday to establish the position of State Counselor. The effort to make her the country's de facto top leader was launched last week. It was the first legislative act of the new parliament. Aung San Suu Kyi stated during the election campaign last year that she would hold a position “above the president.” She is also Myanmar’s Foreign Minister and Minister of the President's Office. However, the Nobel Peace Prize winner is barred by the constitution from being president because her children are foreign nationals. Military representatives hold 25 percent of the seats in parliament under the constitution set up by the former military government. They say the new position is unconstitutional. But the legislation passed easily because Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy, holds a majority in parliament after the November 2015 election. President Htin Kyaw is a close ally of Aung San Suu Kyi. He must now sign the legislation officially creating the position into law. Earlier this week, Aung San Suu Kyi met with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi. He congratulated Myanmar on its newly established civilian government. He also promised that China would pursue projects that would help both countries. China is the largest foreign investor in Myanmar and an ally of the former military government. However, China has been criticized for pursuing large-scale projects, such as a huge dam in northern Myanmar and a gas pipeline through Rakhine state. Critics say the projects are bad for the environment and exploit Myanmar, which is also known as Burma. After their meeting Tuesday, neither foreign minister said whether they discussed these controversial issues. They said only that they had discussed issues to improve bilateral economic and trade relations. I’m Mario Ritter.   VOANews.com reported this story. The story was produced in collaboration with VOA’s Burmese language service. It was adapted for Learning English by Mario Ritter. George Grow was the editor. What are your thoughts about Myanmar’s political developments? Let us know in the comments section. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   de facto – n. existing, but not by official rule or law pursue – v. to try to get something or reach a goal, to seek to get something done exploit – v. to use, sometimes in a way that is unfair controversial – adj. of or related to a public dispute or debate bilateral – adj. between two sides

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Find Your Best Place to Live

Some people can live wherever they want. But all of us can dream. Perhaps you want to move somewhere else and make a change. Maybe you just want to shake things up a little.  Some jobs let us live almost anywhere. Today many positions require only an Internet connection. If you want to find the perfect place to live, you might spend weeks doing research on cities around the world. Or you could use the Teleport website. It is set up to help you discover the best place for you. The website’s developers once worked for Skype. Teleport helps you search for places to live based on personal preferences – your own likings and dislikes. Teleport may help you decide where to go or dream about where to move some day. It can also make you better appreciate – and value -- the area where you are living now. Using Teleport To get started, go to the Teleport website and create an account. Users can choose from among different preferences to find the best city for them to live in. The search for ideal cities is based on you telling Teleport what is important to you. The site gives 20 categories to choose from. The groupings include: Cost of living Job market Climate Language Pollution Safety Traffic and Internet speed No city will likely be a perfect match for you. One issue or another might influence the website’s results. But Teleport can show you which cities are the best, based on your preferences. Teleport lists over 150 places. If an area is not listed, you can vote to add it to the site. Start by completing the Personal Data information. You tell Teleport where you are living now, the kind of job you have, your monthly earnings and budget requirements. You will be asked to list the earnings and budget requirements in United States dollars or other currencies, such as euros, British pounds, and Chinese yuan. This might seem like a lot of personal information to share with strangers. But Teleport says it does not share the information with others unless the account holder agrees, the website is sold, or when required to by law. The site also says it may contact the account holder for marketing purposes, but the person can stop its emails at any time. With Teleport’s help, you can decide whether you want to live in an area that has a higher or lower cost of living than where you live now. Or choose a place with costs similar to your current location. Within each preference are choices for you to identify. For example, under Traffic you can let Teleport know how much you hate traffic and how you like to travel: by car, public transportation, riding a bicycle and/or walking. The housing choices are limited. You will have a choice of either a one- or three-bedroom rental home. But the results will give you a general idea of housing costs in cities. If a category is not important to you, do not mark any of the choices within that preference. Results Teleport uses the information to create a bar graph showing you a list of your ideal cities. The picture has colors showing you how closely matched each preference is for that city. If the results do not show areas where you would like to live, you may want to change the preferences. You can also remove whole continents where you do not want to live. If you have chosen Living Costs as one of your preferences, you will see a column to the right of the bar graph. The column shows how much more or less each city will cost you to live in, compared to where you live now. You can see the relative cost of living in each city in your chosen currency. If cost of living is your most important consideration, use the Best Budget tab at the top of the page to see cities rated in order of their costs. Search If you are interested in living in a city that did not make the list based on your preferences, you can search for it on Teleport. Enter the name of the city and the site will show you information about living there. Compare Cities Use the Compare Cities tool to see two cities side-by-side and compare places to live. You can see which of the two cities will best meet your needs. Teleport will show you how both cities compare to your preferences and cost of living. You can also compare issues such as weather and the average pay for your job. Under the Score Data section, you can see how each city compares to where you live now. Teleport App Teleport is also available as a free app for: Teleport for iPhone and iPad Teleport for Android I’m Marsha James.   Carolyn Mohr wrote this report for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.   Your Thoughts Have you ever wondered where your ideal city is? Which preferences are most important to you? What do you think your ideal city is? Share your thoughts in the Comments Section below or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   preference - n.  something that is liked or wanted more than another thing appreciate - v. to be grateful for (something) account - n. an arrangement in which a person uses the Internet or e-mail services of a particular company match - n. two people or things that are suited to each other currency - n. the money that a country uses location - n. a place or position rental - n. something that can be rented category - n. a group of people or things that are similar in some way column - n. a group of printed or written items (such as numbers or words) shown one under the other down a page budget - n. an amount of money available for spending that is based on a plan for how it will be spent  

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US Sends Two Guantanamo Prisoners to Senegal

The United States sent two Libyans from its detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to Senegal earlier this week. U.S. State Department officials called the move a “humanitarian resettlement.” “The United States is grateful to the government of Senegal for its humanitarian gesture and willingness to support ongoing U.S. efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility,” the Defense Department said. The Libyans were identified as Salem Abdu Salam Ghereby and Omar Khalif Mohammed Abu Baker Mahjour Umar. They had been jailed at the detention center 14 years without facing charges. Both men were opponents of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Khalif was captured in Karachi in early 2002. Ghereby was detained in late 2001 along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. President Barack Obama is working to close the Guantanamo Bay prison before he leaves office next January. Republican members of Congress oppose the closing. The U.S. military has used the prison to hold terror suspects since the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington. The detainees started arriving in January 2002. In all, 779 prisoners have been held at Guantanamo Bay. More than 100 detainees have been resettled in 26 countries. One detainee has been freed. Another is serving a life sentence in prison after standing trial in the United States.   Jim Dresbach adapted this VO news story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. Should the Gitmo prison be closed? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   grateful – adj. thankful; feeling or showing kindness gesture – n. a movement, usually one to express an idea or meaning

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Twitter to Broadcast American Football Games

The social media service Twitter has won the rights to broadcast Thursday night U.S. National Football League (NFL) games. Twitter will live stream the 16 games online next season. The games will also be broadcast on television. National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell made the announcement Tuesday morning on Twitter. "This fall Thursday Night Football will be streamed live...so fans will see more of this," Goodell tweeted. The league offered the games to many other companies, including Facebook, Amazon and Verizon. Verizon is in the last year of a sponsorship deal with the NFL. The league makes about $250 million dollars per year from the deal. The exact terms of the NFL deal with Twitter were not available. But, Twitter reportedly did not offer the most money of the bidders. Roger Goodell said there is a huge number of NFL related messages on Twitter during football games. He says the organization wants to tap into that audience. He said, "Twitter is where live events unfold and is the right partner for the NFL as we take the latest step in serving fans around the world live NFL football." Pivotal moment Twitter’s stock value has decreased by more than 66 percent over the past year. As a result, investors have been pressuring Twitter to increase profits. Twitter shares rose by more than 3.5 percent in value after news spread about the company’s deal with the NFL. Twitter’s success is also measured by the number of active monthly users. Twitter has not had similar growth trajectory compared to the other social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. The NFL is hoping to reach new advertisers and viewers with the Twitter deal. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said the agreement, "is about transforming the fan experience with football." I'm Marsha James.   The Associated Press reported this story. Marsha James adapted it for VOA Learning English. Cay Weaver was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   stream – v. transmit or receive (data, especially video and audio material) over the Internet as a steady continuous flow sponsorship – n. an arrangement in which a sponsor agrees to give money to someone or something bidder – v. a person or group that offers to pay (a particular amount of money) for something that is being sold audience – n. the people who watch, read, or listen to something tap into – expression to gain access to trajectory – n. to describe a process of change or development that leads toward a particular result   We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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Helen Clark Reaches for Top UN Post

  Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark says she is a candidate to become the first woman secretary-general of the United Nations. Clark is among eight candidates for the office, according to the New York Times. Four are men; four are women. Clark, 66, served as the prime minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008. As prime minister, Clark was wildly popular. She increased the minimum wage in New Zealand, offered student loans at zero interest, and signed a trade agreement with China. She started out growing up on a farm and became the first in her family to go to college. She starred in a Travel Channel tour of New Zealand, leading viewers around her country. She introduced the world to New Zealand with a televised mountain climb, a bungee jump off a bridge, and an overnight camping trip. She was also a guest star of a soap opera in New Zealand, called Shortland Street. Clark is a big user of social media. Her Twitter page,  @HelenClarkUNDP, has more than 119,000 followers. In 2009, she was voted the greatest living New Zealander in a New Zealand Herald poll. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key called Clark a “proven leader” and added that “her entire life has been dedicated to foreign policy. That’s been her area of great passion and interest.” She has been the top official in the United Nations Development Program since 2009. Clark said she would try to reform the U.N. She wants the world body to refocus its efforts stopping civil wars and extremists. The other women being considered are: Irina Bokova of Bulgaria; Natalia Gherman of Moldova, and Vesna Pusic of Croatia. More candidates could be added during the next few months. Many members of the U.N. are advocating for the secretary-general position to go to a woman. Russia wants the next U.N. secretary-general to come from Eastern Europe, according to VOA News. The U.N. General Assembly will conduct public hearings for the candidates next week. The new secretary-general will take over for Ban Ki-moon. He will step down in December after serving two five-year terms. I’m Dorothy Gundy.   The staff at VOA News wrote this story. Jim Dresbach adapted this story for Learning English and VOANews.com. Kathleen Struck was the editor. Do you think Helen Clark would make a good secretary-general of the United Nations? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or visit our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   dedicated – adj. having very strong support for or loyalty to a person, group or cause passion – n. a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something hearings – n. meetings or sessions at which evidence and arguments about a crime, complaint or issue are presented to a person or group who will have to decide on what action should be taken advocate – v. to support or argue for a cause, person or a policy soap opera – n. a television program that has continuing stories about the daily lives and problems of a group of people

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Iceland Leader Resigns after 'Panama Papers' Release

The prime minister of Iceland, Sigmunder Gunnlaugsson, resigned Tuesday. On Monday, thousands of protesters had gathered outside the Icelandic Parliament to call for his resignation. The opposition grew after a report that he and other world political and business leaders used their power and wealth to avoid paying taxes. The group Consortium of Investigative Journalists looked at 11 million documents belonging to Mossack Fonseca, a law firm in Panama. The firm helps companies and wealthy people set up foreign businesses to avoid paying taxes. A computer hacker got the documents from the firm’s network. The reporters found nearly 130 current and former government leaders across the world, wealthy business owners, performers and sports stars used the Panamanian law firm to avoid paying taxes. One report said a musician friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin had accounts with the law firm. The musician’s name is Sergei Roldugin. The BBC said some records show Roldugin made hundreds of millions of dollars in profits. But another document shows that may not be the case. The document said the company is protecting the identity of “the ultimate beneficial owner,” the BBC reported. It does not say if the “beneficial owner” is Putin, or someone else. A reporter who researched the offshore accounts said only a minority are illegal. Reporter Will Fitzgibbon said the problem is more about “what is allowed by the laws of countries where these companies are created.” He is one of the reporters looking at the law firm’s records.  The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) works on stopping tax evasion. It was surprisingly upbeat about the leaked documents. Almost all governments are now working together to avoid tax evasion, said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria. But an exception is Panama, where the Mossack Fonseca law firm is based. “Panama is the last major holdout that continues to allow funds to be hidden offshore from tax and law enforcement authorities,” Gurria said. Panama’s President Juan Carlos Varela called for an investigation. The consortium’s reporting shows people investing in offshore companies. Investments were made by the prime ministers of Iceland and Pakistan, the King of Saudi Arabia and children of the presidents of Azerbaijan, it said. The consortium said 33 people and companies accused by the United States of illegal business opened offshore accounts with the Panamanian law firm. The charges against the 33 include doing business with Mexican drug lords, terrorist organizations and two nations under international sanctions -- North Korea and Iran. Among those found to have offshore accounts were former top government leaders of Georgia, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Sudan, Abu Dhabi, and Ukraine. In India, the Associated Press said 500 people were connected to offshore accounts. They include Indian superstars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan. India’s Finance Minister said those who did not declare illegal overseas assets by last year’s deadline would face “extremely costly” penalties. In France, President Francois Hollande said the leaked documents are “good news” because it will help the government recover money hidden in offshore accounts. And in Australia, officials said they are investigating more than 800 wealthy residents for possible tax evasion related to off-shore accounts. On Tuesday, Mossack Fonseca said it obeys all laws. “The facts are these: while we may have been the victim of a data breach, nothing in the illegally obtained cache of documents suggests we’ve done anything wrong or illegal,” it said in a statement. I'm Caty Weaver.   Chris Hannas reported on this story for VOANews.com. Bruce Alpert adapted this 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   scandal – n. an occurrence in which people are shocked and upset because of behavior that is morally or legally wrong\ account – n. a record of money that has been paid and money that has been received firm – n. a business organization hack – v. to secretly get access to the files on a computer or network in order to get information stars – n. the most important people in a movie, play, concert or sporting event. ultimate – adj. greatest or most extreme beneficial – adj. producing good or helpful results or effects consortium – n. a group of people who agree to work together journalists – n. people who collect, write and edit news stories for newspapers, magazines, television and radio evasion – n. to avoid doing something, such as paying taxes holdout – n. someone who is refusing to go along offshore – adj. foreign data – n. information, often from a computer breach –n. which someone is able to get secret information cache – n. a group of things that have been hidden in a secret place because they are illegal or have been stolen

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Why Women Join Islamic State

Jaelyn Young seemed both excited and frightened about what her life would be like when she joined the Islamic State in Syria. Twenty-year-old Young is a former high-school cheerleader and a chemistry student at Mississippi State University. She shared her feelings on social media with people she thought were Islamic State recruiters. They were actually United States FBI agents. Young admitted guilt March 30 to conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State. She had planned to travel with a male friend, 22-year-old Muhammad Dakhlalla, to Syria to join the Islamic State. He admitted guilt to a similar charge on March 11. A report by the organization New America says 1-in-7 of the 4,500 Westerners who joined the Islamic State or other Sunni militant groups are women. Young recently converted to Islam and is the daughter of a police officer. The U.S. Justice Department released some of her conversations with the FBI agents. One exchange explains that Dakhlalla got his passport and that her passport was due to arrive over the weekend. She explains that most people she knows do not approve of the Islamic State. But Young says she and Dakhlalla “know this is the true Khalifa.” Khalifa refers to the Islamic caliphate promised by the Islamic State. Still, Young is worried about traveling from Turkey to Syria. She messages the person she believes is an Islamic State contact, but is really an FBI Agent. She and Dakhlalla don’t know Turkey “very well.” “I haven’t even traveled outside U.S. before,” she says. She asks if she will “be with people that speak English” when she arrives in Syria. Young also discusses her skills in math and chemistry and says she and Dakhlalla hope to treat the wounded. Dakhlalla, whom she met at Mississippi State University, appears to be a big influence. Young says on social media that they were married in June 2015. “He says a lot of Muslims are caught on their doubts of Islamic State bc (because) of what US media says and he wants to assure them the US media is all lies when regarding Dawlah,” she writes. Dawlah is another word for Islamic State. Young and Dakhlalla were arrested last August at a Mississippi airport. The FBI said that is where they planned to start their long trip to Syria. Arie Kruglanski is a professor at the University of Maryland who has studied why people join terrorist groups. “They do so because joining the fight and defending the ‘caliphate’ would bestow upon them a sense of meaning and significance,” he told VOA. “Other women are attracted to the traditional role of women that ISIS promises and their role in supporting ‘real’ heroes and bearing their children, the future fighters for Islam.” Some women and girls who joined the Islamic State drew news coverage. Twins Zahra and Salma Halene left their home in the United Kingdom two years ago. They were 16 when they traveled to Syria. New reports from the United Kingdom said they married Islamic State fighters, both of whom were killed in fighting. Recent reports offer seemingly conflicting information. Some stories said they were trying to escape and return to the UK. Another said they had tried to get family members to join Islamic State. The New America report offers some examples of women trying to join Islamic State. Three teenage girls from Colorado were stopped in Germany on their way to join the Islamic State. Their fathers reported them missing. Shannon Conley, 19, also of Colorado, was arrested after federal officials say she arranged to travel to Syria to join a foreign fighter she had met online. Hoda Muthana, 20, of Alabama made it to Syria and was assigned to recruit more Islamic State members online. Brigitte Nacos is an expert on terrorism and mass media at Columbia University in New York. She says there is no single profile for girls and young women who try to join the Islamic State. Some are leaders and others are followers. She adds that there are warnings for women, even within the propaganda posted on the online Islamic State magazine, Dabiq. She posted this report from the magazine about responsibilities of the wife of an Islamic State fighter: “Every sister should know that when her husband wants to marry another woman, it’s not obligatory for him to consult her, not to seek her permission, not to try and appease her.” The author writes that it is also fine for an Islamic State fighter to take a child bride.   Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA 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   recruiter – n. someone who fines people to join a group or company conspire – v. to secretly plan with someone to do something that is harmful or illegal caliphate – n. an area containing an Islamic head of state assure – v. to tell someone that it will be okay regarding – prep. relating to something bestow – v. to give something to a person significance – adj. the quality of having notable worth or influence attract – v. to cause someone to choose to do or be involved in something obligatory – adj. required by a law or rule consult – v. to ask for the professional opinion appease – v. to make someone pleased or less angry by giving or saying something desired  

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VOA English Newscast: 1400 UTC April 5, 2016

  From Washington, this is VOA News.      I’m Frances Alonzo reporting. Azerbaijan and Armenian separatist authorities in the Nagorny Karabakh region reached an agreement Tuesday to end four days of fierce fighting over the disputed territory, according to Azerbaijan. The country's defense ministry said in a statement after a similar announcement by separatist authorities in Karabakh that "military actions were halted as 0800 GMT on Tuesday." The latest development comes as Azerbaijan said Tuesday that 16 of its troops had been killed in the past two days during fighting with Armenian-backed separatists.  The African National Congress has given President Jacob Zuma the support he needs to survive an impeachment vote called after South Africa's top court ruled he breached the constitution. Parliament will later Tuesday debate and vote on a motion to remove Zuma from office after a constitutional court ruled last week that the president failed to uphold the constitution by ignoring an order to repay some of the $16 million in state funds spent on renovating his private home. Syrian peace talks will likely resume in Geneva on April 11. However, (Syrian) regime negotiators will arrive several days later after the completion of parliamentary elections in the country, according to the UN Tuesday. Meanwhile, Syrian state media and an activist group say militant shelling of a predominantly Kurdish neighborhood in Aleppo has killed at least nine people. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday's shelling came amid clashes between militants that included members of al-Qaida's branch in Syria and Kurdish fighters. The activist group says nine people were killed. The state SANA news agency says the rocket attack on Sheik Maqssoud neighborhood killed 14. This is VOA News. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This New authorities – n. officials region – n. an area according – v. to give something to someone or something; to bring into agreement GMT – n. short for Greenwich Mean Time (also known as UTC or Universal Time) transaction – n. a business deal backed – adv. supported impeachment – adj. of or related to a process in which an official is accused of wrongdoing breached – v. violated motion – n. a measure uphold – v. to support or defend fund – n. money or financing renovating – v. to fix or repair resume – v. to begin again after stopping regime – n. a form of government meanwhile – adv. at the same time predominantly – adj. largely amid – prep. in the middle of; surrounded by branch – n. a part of a government or organization; a part of a tree We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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Japan’s Yen Gains in Value against US Dollar

The Japanese yen has risen to its highest value in relation to the United States dollar in one and one half years. The yen is increasing in value on foreign exchange markets; yet Japanese finance officials have supported policies aimed at limiting its rise. The appreciating value of the yen could hurt Japan’s efforts to increase inflation in the country. Some experts think rising prices could strengthen economic growth in the world’s third largest economy. Japan’s money has traded at about 111 yen to one U.S. dollar in recent days. The yen has also risen in value against other major currencies, including the euro. The yen’s value has increased almost nine percent on foreign exchange markets this year. That is the biggest increase among the Group of 10 industrial countries during that period. The group includes Belgium, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. The Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States are also members. The Group of 10 has agreed to cooperate on economic and monetary issues with the International Monetary Fund. Japanese officials have said they may be willing to take additional measures to fight the rising value of the yen. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the government is closely watching changes in foreign exchange values. The governor of Japan’s central bank, Haruhiko Kuroda, has repeatedly said that the Bank of Japan may cut interest rates it controls. Demand for widely traded currencies like the yen often increases when stock prices drop. That can cause the value of such currencies to rise on international markets. However, the Bloomberg News service reports that the currencies of commodity-exporting countries like Australia and South Africa have dropped in value. Such countries sell a large amount of agricultural products and unprocessed minerals to overseas buyers. The Bank of Japan is seeking to raise inflation to a target rate of two percent a year. The bank has increased the amount of money available to private Japanese banks. The Bank of Japan also has set a negative interest rate for the money commercial banks hold with it. Both moves are meant to encourage banks to lend more to businesses and individuals. However, Japan’s rate of inflation remains near zero percent. That can be a sign of limited demand for goods and services. The Swiss franc has also increased in value against the U.S. dollar. That increases the cost of the country’s exports and may hurt Switzerland’s economic competitiveness. The president of Switzerland’s central bank said his bank’s policy of negative interest rates has been “indispensable” for limiting the rising value of the franc. I’m Mario Ritter. This story was based on reports from the Reuter news service and Bloomberg News. Mario Ritter adapted the information for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words and Their Stories   encourage – v. to make someone or some group more likely to do something indispensable – adj. extremely important, cannot do without appreciating – adj. to increase in value currencies – n. money that a country uses for financial transactions

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Successful Debate Is Like Building a House

From VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report. As an English learner, you want to be able to understand and to discuss a subject. You want to have the ability to express your opinions, and to support that opinion with a clear argument. You can learn these skills by learning how to debate. What is debate? In everyday conversation, Americans use the word debate to talk about discussions among people. When people debate, they give their own opinions about a topic. Another use of the word debate describes a more formal discussion. Debaters work on a team to convince a judge that their opinion about a topic has more value than the opposite side’s opinion. The National Speech and Debate Association says that students of debate research both sides of a topic. They “learn to think critically about every argument that could be made on each side.” Debate as a democratic skill Debate is part of the tradition of forensics started in Ancient Greece. The Greeks thought that, in a democracy, people needed to have certain skills. These skills included speaking in public in favor of an opinion, and providing evidence to support one’s opinion. The Greeks supported the development of these skills by holding contests. Western education today continues the tradition with competitions between debate teams. A debate contest traditionally has this structure: Teams agree to debate a resolution, a statement, such as “Nuclear power should be banned.” One team is the affirmative team, in support of the resolution. One is the negative, against the resolution. Each team gives an argument for or against the resolution. Then each team asks questions about the other team’s argument. After answering the questions, each team makes more statements to support their argument. Finally, they summarize the arguments. In a classic debate, teams may take 12 turns, in which one member of the team speaks. If you have never seen this kind of debate, you can imagine that it is a difficult activity, even for native English speakers. Another approach to teaching debate Professor Charles LeBeau teaches English and debate in Japan. He says that many English teachers in Japan did not think their students could take part in a debate. The teachers had no experience with debate, and they thought it was too difficult for their students. Instead, they focused on teaching presentation. “There is a huge gap between presentation, which is mostly a one-way experience, and then we have something on the other end of the spectrum, which is discussion. The problem with discussion is that there is no real clear, exacting format.” Mr. LeBeau says that most “people mistake debate as being mostly a speaking skill.” But debate is a more natural kind of discussion than what happens in those classrooms. That is because debate requires understanding the other person’s opinion. “The nice thing about debate is debate leads towards a more natural discussion. ... First, I give my position and then you give your position, and then I would address each of the points in your position and comment on them. And then you would have the opportunity to address each point in my position and comment on it.” Building a strong argument Charles LeBeau wrote a book with Michael Lubetsky called, “Discover Debate,” to help teachers understand a simpler way to teach debate. The method depends on creating a kind of visual aid known as a graphic organizer. The visual aid reflects the way we talk about critical thinking and developing an argument. Mr. LeBeau says: “I think that an easy way to visualize the metaphor is as if it’s a house; a house has a roof, and it usually has some sort of pillars or supports, and then there is a concrete foundation.” Students work with the idea of building their argument just like they would build a house. They would draw their house on paper or a whiteboard and list: The focus of the discussion or the debate is the roof. The reasons and arguments are the “pillars” to support the roof. The data, numbers, examples, and expert opinions provide the concrete foundation. The house metaphor helps students who have not experienced a debate in their own culture. It gives students a way to plan what they will say to support their message. As many nervous speakers know, having a visual aid is very helpful when speaking in public in a second language. “In a sense, they are presenting the house, they are giving the audience a tour of the house. It’s not just a bunch of words. There is something concrete and visual that is the center the debate."    In Part Two of our series next week, we will introduce the kind of debate topics that work well for English learners. Mr. LeBeau will also introduce tips for organizing a debate in a large class and judging arguments. In Part Three, we will explain the reasons for learning to debate in business as well as the academic world. We will discuss how debating gives students a better understanding of Western culture and lets students practice critical thinking. For the VOA Education Report, I'm Jill Robbins. And I'm Jonathan Evans.   Dr. Jill Robbins wrote this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   convince – v. to cause (someone) to believe that something is true​ critical thinking - n. the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment.​ forensic - adj. belonging to, used in, or suitable to courts of law or to public discussion and debate affirmative - adj. saying or showing that the answer is “yes” negative - adj. expressing denial or refusal; saying the answer is “no” summarize - v. to tell (information) again using fewer words classic – adj. used to describe something that has been popular for a long time graphic - n. a picture, drawing, or graph used as a decoration or to make something (such as magazine article) easier to understand metaphor n. an object, activity, or idea that is used as a symbol of something else  Now it’s your turn. Have you studied debate in school? What do you think about the value of debating skills? 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