US Military Dog Awarded Top Honor for Bravery

A British animal charity has given its top award for bravery to a U.S. military service dog. Lucca, a German shepherd, completed six years of active service with the United States military in Iraq and Afghanistan. The U.S. Marines say Lucca protected many American and allied troops. She reportedly saved thousands of lives by identifying explosives with her nose. The 12-year-old dog and her handler, Marine Gunnery Sergeant Christopher Willingham, traveled to London this week. There, they received the British People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) Dickin Medal for bravery in battle.     “Her uncanny bravery in the face of adversity, both on and off the battlefield, proved to be an invaluable asset,” said PDSA Director General Jan McLoughlin. Lucca is now retired from the military. But her final mission was an important one. In March 2012, Lucca discovered a 14-kilogram roadside bomb in Afghanistan. She continued the search and a second bomb exploded. Her left front paw was destroyed. She suffered burns to her chest. Her leg had to be removed. But she did make a full recovery. Her move from her duties as a military dog to just a dog of leisure has been uneventful. “She enjoys just being a dog,” Willingham said. He added that Lucca just enjoys taking life easy and laying on a couch. I’m Jim Dresbach.   Henry Ridgwell wrote this report for VOANews.com. Jim Dresbach adapted his report for Learning English. George Grow 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   charity – n. an organization that helps people in need handler – n. a person who trains or controls an animal uncanny – adj. strange or unusual in a way that is surprising or difficult to understand adversity – n. a difficult situation or condition battlefield – n. a place where a battle is fought asset – n. a valuable person or thing mission – n. job or work; duty leisure – n.  time when you are not working; time when you can do whatever you want to do

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English in a Minute: Deer in the Headlights

Have you ever felt like a "deer in the headlights?" Find out what this surprising expression means in this week's English in a Minute!

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Pope Urges Church to Welcome Divorced, Remarried Catholics

Pope Francis has called on the Roman Catholic Church to welcome divorced and remarried Catholics without making changes to the church’s teachings. The Vatican released a 256-page document from the pope on Friday. The document, called “The Joy of Love,” discusses family life for the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics. Pope Francis is urging local clergy to accept divorced Catholics and those who re-marry in civil ceremonies on a case-by-case basis. He said that the church’s teachings on marriage should not be the final word. The document said, “a pastor cannot feel that it is enough simply to apply moral laws to those living in ‘irregular’ situations, as if they were stones to be thrown at people’s lives. This would bespeak the closed heart of one used to hiding behind the Church’s teachings.” Gay Catholics, however, said the pope had failed them. The document welcomed gays in the Roman Catholic church but repeated its opposition to same-sex marriage. "He has ignored submissions and appeals by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Catholics," said Peter Tatchell, a British gay rights advocate. "Gentler words do not assuage Vatican opposition to gay equality." Last October, the Pope met with 270 Catholic bishops to discuss family issues and church teachings on homosexuality, marriage and divorce. The new document was a sign of Francis' call for the church to be more forgiving with “imperfect” Catholics. The biggest issue at the synod meeting last year was whether the church should offer Communion to divorced and remarried Catholics. Church teaching says that a remarried person must receive an annulment of an earlier marriage to take part in Communion. In an annulment, Catholic clergy rule that the earlier marriage was invalid, in violation of church law. Conservatives oppose any change to the church’s teaching. Liberals want to look at each marriage on a case-by-case basis. They support creating a path that could lead them to take part in major religious ceremonies. Francis changed church law last year to make it easier to get an annulment. On Friday, he said the opposition from conservatives was in conflict with Jesus' message of mercy. "In thinking that everything is black and white, we sometimes close off the way of grace and of growth and discourage paths of sanctification which give glory to God," he said. "Let us remember that a small step in the midst of great human limitations can be more pleasing to God than a life which appears outwardly in order but moves through the day without confronting great difficulties." The Rev. James Bretzke, a Boston College theologian, said the document will help clergy to welcome divorced and civilly remarried Catholics back to the church. He said, "Pope Francis does not outlaw that, whereas John Paul II specifically outlawed (it).” Mark Brumley has published the writings of retired Pope Benedict XVI. He said Francis' attention to morality "doesn't mean this is a free pass to do whatever you want." He said the document tries to navigate the difficult path of supporting church teaching while letting the civilly remarried to participate in the life of the church. "It's a very tricky thing," Brumley said. I’m Mario Ritter.   Hai Do wrote this story for Learning English. The information was based on reports from VOANews.com and the Associated Press. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   divorce – v. to legally end a marriage case-by-case - adj. considering each case individually apply - v. use submission - n. something that is submitted gentle - adj. kind and quiet imperfect - adj. having mistakes or problems synod - n. a formal meeting of church leaders grace - n. a state of being pleasing to god navigate - v. to find the way to get to a place  

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Mossack Fonseca: Law Firm Behind 'Panama Papers'

For nearly 40 years, a law firm in Panama helped drug dealers, criminals, corrupt politicians, sports stars and billionaires avoid paying taxes. A group of investigative journalists said the Mossack Fonseca law firm has helped people from more than 200 countries and territories hide their money. Those named include 12 current and former world leaders. Among them are the prime ministers of Iceland and Pakistan, the president of Ukraine and the King of Saudi Arabia. Others are family members of Chinese leaders, associates of the Russian president, Mexican drug gang leaders, people linked to terrorist groups and Iran and North Korea, and FIFA officials. The Mossack Fonseca law firm was created in Panama in 1986 when Jurgen Mossack -- who was born in Germany in 1948 -- and Ramon Fonseca -- who was born in Panama in 1952 -- combined their two law firms. Mossack Fonseca is a global company that provides legal services and helps rich people and companies manage their money. It creates and operates companies in Switzerland, Britain, Hong Kong, the British Virgin Islands and Malta. It also operates in the American states of Nevada and Wyoming. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, or ICIJ, said the firm is one of the largest providers of these services. The journalists group reported that the firm “has more than 500 employees and collaborators in more than 40 offices around the world, including three in Switzerland and eight in China.” The ICIJ said the firm earned more than $42 million in 2013. After the release of the leaked documents known as the “Panama Papers,” Mossack Fonseca said it acted responsibly and obeyed international laws. In a statement, the firm said “the companies we incorporate are not being used for tax evasion, money-laundering, terrorist financing or other illicit purposes.” But the firm said “we regret any misuse of our services and actively take steps to prevent it.” The firm told The Washington Post newspaper that it follows “both the letter and spirit” of financial laws, which it notes are different throughout the world. It said that in almost 40 years of operation it has never been charged with criminal acts. Ramon Fonseca told the French news agency AFP that the leaking of the information is “a crime, a felony. Privacy is a fundamental human right that is being eroded more and more in the modern world. Each person has a right to privacy, whether they are a king or a beggar.” In an hour-long interview on the WhatsApp messaging service, Mr. Fonseca said “at the end of this storm the sky will be blue again and people will find that the only crime is the hacking” of the firm’s documents, The New York Times newspaper reported. The newspaper also reported that in an email to Mr. Fonseca and others in the firm, Mr. Mossack blamed the firm’s employees in London for not investigating the backgrounds of people the firm helped. He said they were “not doing their due diligence thoroughly, (or maybe none at all).” The ICIJ is a non-profit group based in Washington, DC. More than a year ago, the ICIJ was given 11.5 million documents taken from the law firm. The group did not tell who gave it the documents or why. It worked with the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung and more than 100 other news organizations -- including VOA Zimbabwe -- to create the reports. Putting money in banks in other countries is not always illegal. But the ICIJ says “the documents show that banks, law firms and other(s)…have often failed to follow legal requirements that they make sure their clients are not involved in criminal” acts, illegal tax avoidance or political corruption. Michael Hudson is a senior editor at ICIJ. He told VOA “this is really the shadow side of our global economy -- the money that flows around mostly unchecked, undetected. You can’t say in every single case that someone is doing something wrong, or that they’re hiding improper practices. But it certainly raises lots of questions about transparency when you have politicians, and especially top leaders of countries, moving their holdings offshore and using offshore entities to obscure what they’re doing.” I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise.   Christopher Jones-Cruise wrote this story for VOA Learning English based on information from VOA News, The New York Times and the ICIJ. Hai Do 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   money-laundering – v. to put (money that you got by doing something illegal) into a business or bank account in order to hide where it really came from illicit – adj. not allowed by law; unlawful or illegal erode – v. to gradually destroy (something) or to be gradually destroyed by natural forces (such as water, wind or ice); often used figuratively, as in this article due diligence – n. research and analysis of a company or organization done in preparation for a business transaction (as a corporate merger or purchase of securities) firm - n. a business organization or office gang - n. a group of criminals; a group of young people whose members do illegal things together manage - v. to direct; to supervise collaborator - n. a person who works jointly on an activity or project incorporate - v. to include something as part of something else; to set up a business beggar - n. someone who asks others for money or help interview - n. a meeting at which information is gathered background - n. information required to fully understand a problem or situation unchecked - v. unstopped transparency - n. the quality of state of being open or honest  

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#ResignCameron Rises after 'Panama Papers'

This is What’s Trending Today… People on social media are demanding that a second European leader resign this week. They are talking about British Prime Minister David Cameron, after his father was named in the newly-released “Panama Papers.” With more than 125,000 tweets, the hashtag #resigncameron trended worldwide on Twitter Thursday and Friday.​ Cameron’s father, Ian, was a stockbroker who died just after his son became prime minister. Ian Cameron was among the long list of people identified in the Panama Papers. Their names were among the 11 million documents leaked from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca. The documents provide details about over 200,000 offshore bank accounts. The papers show how rich people, public officials and their families hid their investments and avoided paying taxes. David Cameron said on Thursday that he profited from an offshore fund set up by his father. He denied any wrongdoing, however. "I want to be as clear as I can about the past, about the present, about the future because, frankly, I don't have anything to hide," Cameron told Britain’s ITV.   The prime minister said his family owned shares in Blairmore Holdings, a Bahamas-based company. The shares were worth about $42,000. He said he sold them in 2010, just months before becoming Britain’s leader. David Cameron also told ITV that he paid all the "normal" income taxes on the profits from the sale. But some people are not happy with his explanation. Many on social media demanded that Cameron step down as prime minister. They say he hid wealth to avoid paying British taxes.   The Panama Papers already forced Iceland’s Prime Minister, Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, to resign from office. The documents showed that his wife owns a company in the British Virgin Islands that has $4 million in claims against Iceland’s collapsed banks. On Monday of this week, thousands of protesters gathered outside Iceland’s Parliament to call for his resignation. Gunnlaugsson resigned the next day. And that’s What’s Trending Today. I'm Dan Friedell.   Ashley Thompson adapted this story for VOA Learning English from VOA News reports. George Grow was the editor. ____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   stockbroker - n. an individual whose job is to buy and sell shares of stock for other people offshore - adv. overseas; outside the country fund - n. investments that are used for a special purpose income - adj. money that is earned from work, investments and or businesses ​

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English @ the Movies: 'So Long'

Our English @ the Movies phrase is from the movie "The Secret Life of Pets." This is a funny cartoon movie about pets and what they do when their owners leave. The phrase is "so long." Does this have anything to do with measuring? Listen and find out.

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The Cask of Amontillado

by Edgar Allan Poe Our story today is called "The Cask of Amontillado." It was written by Edgar Allan Poe.  Here is Larry West with the story. Storyteller:  Fortunato and I both were members of very old and important Italian families. We used to play together when we were children. Fortunato was bigger, richer and more handsome than I was. And he enjoyed making me look like a fool. He hurt my feelings a thousand times during the years of my childhood. I never showed my anger, however. So, he thought we were good friends. But I promised myself that one day I would punish Fortunato for his insults to me. Many years passed. Fortunato married a rich and beautiful woman who gave him sons. Deep in my heart I hated him, but I never said or did anything that showed him how I really felt. When I smiled at him, he thought it was because we were friends. He did not know it was the thought of his death that made me smile. Everyone in our town respected Fortunato. Some men were afraid of him because he was so rich and powerful. He had a weak spot, however. He thought he was an excellent judge of wine. I also was an expert on wine. I spent a lot of money buying rare and costly wines. I stored the wines in the dark rooms under my family's palace. Our palace was one of the oldest buildings in the town. The Montresor family had lived in it for hundreds of years. We had buried our dead in the rooms under the palace. These tombs were quiet, dark places that no one but myself ever visited. Late one evening during carnival season, I happened to meet Fortunato on the street. He was going home alone from a party. Fortunato was beautiful in his silk suit made of many colors: yellow, green, purple and red. On his head he wore an orange cap, covered with little silver bells. I could see he had been drinking too much wine. He threw his arms around me. He said he was glad to see me. I said I was glad to see him, too because I had a little problem.   "What is it?" he asked, putting his large hand on my shoulder. "My dear Fortunato," I said, "I'm afraid I have been very stupid. The man who sells me wine said he had a rare barrel of Amontillado wine. I believed him and I bought it from him. But now, I am not so sure that the wine is really Amontillado."   "What!" he said, "A cask of Amontillado at this time of year.  An entire barrel? Impossible!" "Yes, I was very stupid. I paid the wine man the full price he wanted without asking you to taste the wine first. But I couldn't find you and I was afraid he would sell the cask of Amontillado to someone else. So I bought it." "A cask of Amontillado!" Fortunato repeated. "Where is it?" I pretended I didn't hear his question. Instead I told him I was going to visit our friend Lucresi. "He will be able to tell me if the wine is really Amontillado," I said. Fortunato laughed in my face. "Lucresi cannot tell Amontillado from vinegar."   I smiled to myself and said "But some people say that he is as good a judge of wine as you are."   Fortunato grabbed my arm. "Take me to it," he said. "I'll taste the Amontillado for you."   "But my friend," I protested, "it is late. The wine is in my wine cellar, underneath the palace. Those rooms are very damp and cold and the walls drip with water."   "I don't care," he said. "I am the only person who can tell you if your wine man has cheated you. Lucresi cannot!" Fortunato turned, and still holding me by the arm, pulled me down the street to my home. The building was empty. My servants were enjoying carnival. I knew they would be gone all night. I took two large candles, lit them and gave one to Fortunato. I started down the dark, twisting stairway with Fortunato close behind me. At the bottom of the stairs, the damp air wrapped itself around our bodies.   "Where are we?" Fortunato asked. "I thought you said the cask of Amontillado was in your wine cellar." "It is," I said. "The wine cellar is just beyond these tombs where the dead of my family are kept. Surely, you are not afraid of walking through the tombs. He turned and looked into my eyes. "Tombs?" he said. He began to cough. The silver bells on his cap jingled. "My poor friend," I said, "how long have you had that cough?"   "It's nothing," he said, but he couldn't stop coughing.   "Come," I said firmly, "we will go back upstairs. Your health is important.You are rich, respected, admired, and loved. You have a wife and children. Many people would miss you if you died. We will go back before you get seriously ill. I can go to Lucresi for help with the wine." "No!" he cried. "This cough is nothing. It will not kill me. I won't die from a cough."   "That is true," I said, "but you must be careful." He took my arm and we began to walk through the cold, dark rooms. We went deeper and deeper into the cellar.   Finally, we arrived in a small room. Bones were pushed high against one wall. A doorway in another wall opened to an even smaller room, about one meter wide and two meters high. Its walls were solid rock. "Here we are," I said. "I hid the cask of Amontillado in there." I pointed to the smaller room. Fortunato lifted his candle and stepped into the tiny room. I immediately followed him. He stood stupidly staring at two iron handcuffs chained to a wall of the tiny room. I grabbed his arms and locked them into the metal handcuffs. It took only a moment. He was too surprised to fight me. I stepped outside the small room. "Where is the Amontillado?" he cried. "Ah yes," I said, "the cask of Amontillado." I leaned over and began pushing aside the pile of bones against the wall. Under the bones was a basket of stone blocks, some cement and a small shovel. I had hidden the materials there earlier. I began to fill the doorway of the tiny room with stones and cement. By the time I laid the first row of stones Fortunato was no longer drunk. I heard him moaning inside the tiny room for ten minutes. Then there was a long silence.   I finished the second and third rows of stone blocks. As I began the fourth row, I heard Fortunato begin to shake the chains that held him to the wall. He was trying to pull them out of the granite wall. I smiled to myself and stopped working so that I could better enjoy listening to the noise. After a few minutes, he stopped. I finished the fifth, the sixth and the seventh rows of stones. The wall I was building in the doorway was now almost up to my shoulders.   Suddenly, loud screams burst from the throat of the chained man. For a moment I worried. What if someone heard him? Then I placed my hand on the solid rock of the walls and felt safe. I looked into the tiny room, where he was still screaming. And I began to scream, too. My screams grew louder than his and he stopped. It was now almost midnight. I finished the eighth, the ninth and the tenth rows. All that was left was a stone for the last hole in the wall. I was about to push it in when I heard a low laugh from behind the stones.   The laugh made the hair on my head stand up. Then Fortunato spoke, in a sad voice that no longer sounded like him. He said, "Well, you have played a good joke on me. We will laugh about it soon over a glass of that Amontillado. But isn't it getting late. My wife and my friends will be waiting for us. Let us go." "Yes," I replied, "let us go." I waited for him to say something else. I heard only my own breathing. "Fortunato!" I called. No answer. I called again. "Fortunato!"  Still no answer. I hurried to put the last stone into the wall and put the cement around it. Then I pushed the pile of bones in front of the new wall I had built. That was fifty years ago. For half a century now, no one has touched those bones. "May he rest in peace!"

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April 8, 2016

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

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‘Eye in the Sky' Looks at Drone Strikes

Should the life of one innocent be sacrificed to save many others? That is the thematic question of director Gavin Hood’s new film. "Eye in the Sky."  The movie is set in 2015. The United States and Britain are set to carry out a joint drone attack. They aim to kill a terrorist before he carries out a suicide bombing that could kill many people. The thriller follows the drone operation which is about to strike a terrorist cell in Nairobi, Kenya. Officials are faced with moral questions as an innocent civilian enters the area where the missile is expected to strike. Military officials in different parts of the world watch video of the target area provided by a tiny spy drone. They observe as a Briton-led group of terrorists prepares for a major suicide attack in Nairobi. The officials consider moving from their capture-only drone operation to a deadly one. The military and political debate over the decision delays action and that worries Helen Mirren’s character, Colonel Katherine Powell. She is the leader of the joint military operation. Time is running out. The situation becomes even more complex after a child enters the drone target area. Colonel Powell watches from London. She is ready to kill the terrorists. Her goal, as she sees it is to prevent a possible terrorist massacre. But others consider the political and diplomatic results of such an attack. One character describes the weight of the military decision simple. He says “If they kill 80 people, we win the propaganda war. If we kill one child, they do.” No easy answers Gavin Hood says "Eye in the Sky" shows that there are no easy answers when it comes to drone warfare. “Will you sacrifice, will you definitely take one innocent life in order to possibly prevent the loss of 80 lives? What if there were five innocent lives close to this kill zone? What if the estimate of the loss of life (by the terrorists) was only 20? What if it was 2,000?" he asks. The filmmaker hopes "Eye in the Sky" will generate discussions among his audiences on the human, political and strategic costs of drone warfare. “If you are not there and you are only attacking from the sky, how [do you expect] the local population to respond?” he asks. Hood says his film is imaginary but the story was fully researched. "We spoke to people from all areas. From the military lawyers, who were involved in this, to drone pilots, to military intelligence officers. He said a real drone pilot was permanently on set to make sure that everything was correct. Real life dilemmas Along with Helen Mirren, the late actor Alan Rickman plays the sharp but cool under fire Lt. General Benson.  Aaron Paul is the emotional drone pilot Steve Watts. Together they successfully communicate the message of "Eye in the Sky" -- that as exact as drone missiles might be, they are still guided by often conflicted human beings.   In Gavin Hood’s words, “there are military people who seriously question the use of the drone and there are people within the military who think it is the best thing that ever happened." Gavin Hood says the debates we see dramatized in “Eye in the Sky” are very much like the debates happening in real war rooms, and elsewhere in the real world. I’m Marsha James.   We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and visit us on Facebook. _________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   thriller – n. a novel, movie or theatrical production that is exciting; a story full of exciting action, mystery or suspense cell – n. a small group of people who work together secretly as part of a larger organization or group massacre – n. the violent killing of many people zone – n. an area that is different from other areas cool under fire – expression of calm at a time of threat or unease

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VOA English Newscast: 1200 UTC April 8, 2016

  From Washington, this is VOA News.       I’m Steve Karesh reporting. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has launched a series of talks with Iraqi officials on Friday during a one-day visit to Baghdad to underscore U.S. support for the government as it addresses security, economic and political challenges. “This is obviously a very critical time here in Iraq and the region, and you and I have been working on a lot of different issues over the past few years. So it’s good to come and be able to visit…” That is Kerry speaking with Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari.  He will also meet with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Kurdistan regional government Prime Minister Nechrivan Barzani. In addition to showing U.S. support for the government, Kerry is also expected to discuss the multi-national coalition's ongoing support for Iraqi-led efforts to defeat Islamic State, said State Department spokesman John Kirby, ahead of the trip. Kerry's visit comes as Iraqi-led forces push to re-take the northern city of Mosul, which fell to Islamic State militants in 2014. A group of 45 Pakistani migrants has reached Dikili, in Turkey, making the short trip from a migrant camp on the Greek islands where they were staying. At least two activists were arrested for trying to prevent the Turkish vessel from leaving. A second group of migrants is expected to arrive in Turkey later on Friday. Greek authorities say none of the migrants sent to Turkey have applied for asylum in the EU. Myanmar has begun releasing political prisoners, as promised by ruling party leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Thursday. Families had begun gathering at prisons since Aung San Suu Kyi's announcement, awaiting word of their loved ones. She said amnesties would be granted as part of the celebration of the Buddhist New Year. From Washington, this is VOA News. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Newscast   underscore – v. to show the importance of something addresses – v. to deal with; to give attention to challenge – n. a difficult problem; something that is hard to do obviously – adv. clearly critical – adj. involving or using careful judgment about something region – n. an area multi – prefix. More than two; many ongoing – v. continuing to exist or happen ahead – adv. or adj. in or toward the front; before migrant – n. someone who moves from one place to another, usually for economic reasons vessel – n. a ship or boat applied – v. requested amnesty – n. a pardon; a decision to free a prisoner or group of prisoners   We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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April 7, 2016

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

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