#EqualPayDay Brings Attention to Wage Differences

This is What’s Trending Today… Tuesday was National Equal Pay Day in the United States.  The day is designed to bring attention to wage differences between American men and women. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that in 2014, women were paid 79 cents for every one dollar that men earned. Equal Pay Day marks how far into the calendar year women must work to earn the pay that men earned last year. The Census Bureau reported that the average salary for an American woman with a full-time job is $39,621. In comparison, the average salary for a man who works full-time is $50,383. On social media, the hashtag #EqualPayDay trended worldwide. President Barack Obama gave an Equal Pay Day speech on Tuesday. He said that, “the pay gap between men and women offends our values as Americans.” Obama also noted the pay differences in the world of professional soccer. ​ Last month, members of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team brought a wage discrimination case to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The difference in pay was sizeable. Each player on the Men’s National Team earns $263,320 a year if the team wins 20 “friendly” matches. Each player on the Women’s National Team earns $99,000 a year if the team wins those 20 matches. The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team has won three World Cup championships. The U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team has never won a World Cup title. One Twitter user joked, “I don't support equal pay in US Soccer. Our women's team won the World Cup three times, so they should be getting *lots* more than the men.”   Naturally, some jobs require equal pay for men and women. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton posted a video on Twitter Tuesday of a young girl asking her, “Do you think when you’re president you’ll be paid as much as if it were a man?” Clinton’s answer? “This is one of the jobs where they have to pay you the same. But there are so many examples where that doesn’t happen.” And that’s Trending Today. I’m Ashley Thompson. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   salary - n. an amount of money that an employee is paid each year offend- v. (formal) to be against what people believe is acceptable or proper ​

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Obama: My Worst Mistake

  Ousting Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi without a strategy for what followed was his worst mistake, says President Barack Obama. In 2011, NATO-led forces ousted the Libyan dictator. After that, Libya fell into chaos and turmoil. Obama said his administration failed “to plan for the day after” Gadhafi was ousted. However, he said, taking action in Libya to protect civilians from Gadhafi’s forces was “the right thing to do.” Gadhafi was captured and killed months after the United States and European nations began air attacks. The country was left in chaos. Militias took control, and two competing parliaments and governments were formed. Libya became a place migrants used to get to Europe. This helped worsen Europe’s immigration crisis. A unity government supported by the United Nations is in the capital Tripoli. But neither of the country’s two competing parliaments has announced support for a peace agreement. Obama said Libya is now a “mess.” On Monday, Obama’s spokesman Josh Earnest noted that in a speech in September 2015 to the U.N. General Assembly, Obama said “our coalition could have and should have done more to fill a vacuum left behind.” Earnest said the president believes the United States and other nations have not given Libya the help it needs to become stable. The president asks “about what situation will prevail and what sort of commitments from the international community will be required after” military action has been ordered by the president, Earnest told reporters. Obama said his greatest accomplishment during his more than seven years in office was saving the economy from collapsing. The 2008 and 2009 economic recession was the worst in the United States since the 1930s. Millions of people lost their jobs and were unable to pay their home loans. Since then, the economy has improved, and the jobless rate is much lower. Obama said the best day of his presidency was in 2010, when Congress approved national health care reforms that came to be called Obamacare. The program has given health insurance to millions of people who did not have it. Obama said the worst day of his presidency was in late 2012, when he visited the small town of Newtown, Connecticut, two days after a gunman killed 20 students and six teachers at an elementary school. Obama leaves office in January. I’m Bruce Alpert.   VOANews.com reported this story. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   chaos – adj. complete confusion and disorder; a state in which behavior and events are not controlled by anything vacuum – n. a situation created when an important person or thing has gone and has not been replaced accomplishment – n. something done or achieved successfully    

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Boko Haram Use Children as Suicide Bombers

The African militant group Boko Haram is increasingly using children to carry out suicide bombings. The United Nations says 44 children were involved in Boko Haram suicide attacks last year. Only four children were used in such attacks in 2014. The information comes from the UN Children's Emergency Fund, known as UNICEF. A UNICEF report said that 20 percent of Boko Haram suicide bombers were children. The youngest was thought to be eight years old. The militant group has sent children to carry out attacks in crowded markets and religious centers. The children sometimes do not know they are carrying explosives. The boys and girls are rarely considered as a threat by police or security forces. Over the past two years, UNICEF said, Cameroon alone has recorded 21 suicide attacks involving children. Nigeria has 17 such attacks, while Chad has two. The report was released on the second anniversary of Boko Haram’s kidnapping of 276 girls from Chibok in northern Nigeria. Among those, 219 are still missing. Women and girls freed from Boko Haram say the militants used them as sex slaves or forced them to assist in the group’s operations. Boko Haram’s seven-year campaign of violence has killed 20,000 people and displaced more than 2 million others.  The group set out to establish its version of Islamic law in northern Nigeria. That has included launching war on Western education. Human Rights Watch reported Tuesday that Boko Haram has killed 611 teachers since 2009. Attacks have destroyed or led to the closure of over 2,000 schools.    This story was published on VOANews.com. Jim Dresbach adapted the story 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    

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North Koreans Defect to South Korea

South Korea says a high-ranking North Korean military officer defected to South Korea last year. South Korea’s defense and unification ministries made the announcement Monday in Seoul. The unification ministry deals with issues between the rival Koreas. That includes bringing families together from both sides. The unidentified officer is a colonel in North Korea’s military. He worked in North Korea's General Reconnaissance Bureau and is said to be the highest-ranked officer to defect from the North.  The bureau conducts spying activities against South Korea, including cyber attacks. The agency also is blamed for the 2010 torpedo attack against a South Korean naval ship. Forty-six sailors were killed in that attack. North Korea denies it carried out the attack.             The announcement Monday comes days after South Korean officials said that 13 North Koreans recently arrived in the South. They say the North Koreans were working at a state-owned restaurant in a foreign country and defected as a group. That would make it the largest group defection since 2011.                                                                    In a separate incident, a North Korean diplomat stationed in an African country defected with his family to the South last year. More than 29,000 North Koreans have defected to the South since the end of hostilities in the Korean War.  The numbers have declined since Kim Jong Un took over as leader in 2011. I’m Mario Ritter.   Richard Green reported this story for VOANews.com. Mario Ritter adapted his report for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. Please let us know what you think in our Comments and on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   defect – v. to leave a country, political party or organization and go to another one reconnaissance – n. a military activity in which soldiers find out information enemy forces cyber attack – n. an attack on computer systems meant to steal information or to damage or deny access to computer systems torpedo – n. a kind of explosive device that can be fired and travel underwater to strike ships

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VOA English Newscast: 1500 UTC April 12, 2016

From Washington, this is VOA News.      I’m Frances Alonzo reporting. Secretary of State John Kerry will promote the benefits of two trade pacts championed by the Obama administration during a Tuesday speech to government, civic and policy leaders in Los Angeles. The State Department says Secretary Kerry will address national security opportunities of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. That is a landmark free trade deal among 12 Pacific Rim countries, and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, which is an agreement being negotiated between the U.S. and the European Union. Ministers from those (Pacific Rim) countries signed an agreement in February, but it still needs U.S. congressional approval. In Yemen, a suicide bomber detonated explosives near a football stadium in the port city of Aden Tuesday, killing at least four people.  Eight others were wounded.  And the attack appears to have targeted young men lining up to register for the military. The country's ceasefire is generally holding, despite what U.N. spokesman (Stéphane) Dujarric calls "pockets of violence." Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led Arab coalition trying to drive them out agreed on a truce ahead of another U.N. round of sponsored peace talks set for next week in Kuwait. Mark Toner is a U.S. spokesman: "This cessation of hostilities is crucial for the people of the Yemen, who have suffered from over a year of fighting and a massive humanitarian crisis, which has resulted in over 80 percent of the population requiring some form of emergency assistance." More than 6,200 people have been killed in the past 13 months of conflict. And the World Health Organization says yellow fever has killed 21 people in Congo. The organization said Monday that 151 people had been affected by the disease. VOA News. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This New promote – v. to help something grow or develop benefit – n. good or helpful effects or results pact – n. agreement; treaty champion – v. to speak publicly or fight in support of someone or something speech – n. spoken expression by someone makes in front of a group of people address – v. to speak to opportunity – n. a likely combination of events, time and place; a chance for greater success landmark – adj. of or related to a very important event stadium – n. a sports center despite – prep. without being prevented by someone or something pocket – n. a small area of something ahead – adv. or adj. in the front; to or toward the place where one is going sponsor – adv. supported; organized cessation – n. stoppage; suspension crucial – adj. extremely important We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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How Will Sanctions Affect North Koreans?

Human rights organizations are supporting the latest international measures aimed at restricting North Korea’s nuclear program. Yet the economic sanctions could make life more difficult for many North Koreans who already live in poverty. Phil Robertson is with Human Rights Watch, a non-profit rights group. “I think that the whole idea of pressure on North Korea is something that is important because it actually makes the government recognize that it can no longer live outside international law...” Robertson is deputy director of the Asia division at Human Rights Watch. Sanctions and human rights linked The United Nations Security Council adopted the latest sanctions after North Korea tested a long-range rocket in February 2016. One month earlier, North Korea carried out its fourth nuclear test. The sanctions set up trade and financial restrictions on North Korea to cut off financing to its nuclear and missile programs. But the U.N. measure failed to identify a 2014 U.N. resolution to refer North Korea to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity. It also ignored a U.N. human rights report that documented abuses, including political prisons, killings, enslavement, torture and rape. The human rights measure has not been brought to a vote in the Security Council because North Korean allies China and Russia would veto it. The United States and China worked together on developing the international sanctions. China most likely opposed bringing attention to the human rights violations because of criticism of its own rights record. When the Council approved the sanctions on March 2, Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, did link the two issues. She accused North Korea of caring more about expanding its nuclear weapons program than “growing its children.” The U.S. recently announced new sanctions against North Korea. They note the North’s human rights abuses as justification for the punitive measures. Humanitarian consequences of sanctions Some human rights advocates argue that humanitarian hardships caused by the sanctions are unavoidable. They say international action is needed to pressure the North Korean leadership to end its repressive ways. Choi Yong-sang is with the Network for North Korean Human Rights in Seoul. He said, “The sanctions from the international community will have an economic impact on North Koreans, but on the other hand the North Korean regime will clearly feel the impact as well.” The new U.N. measures could affect many North Koreans. Workers in the mining industry will likely suffer from the U.N. ban on the export of North Korean minerals. There are, however, humanitarian exceptions in the resolution that permit the trade of coal and iron not linked to government organizations. There are also restrictions that ban North Korean banking activity and identify a number of individuals and organizations linked to the North’s nuclear program. These restrictions could have a chilling effect on possible donors and investors. The U.S. unilateral sanctions could target anyone connected to the North Korean labor export program that earns billions of dollars. Most of that money reportedly goes to the North Korean government. In February, South Korea closed the Kaesong Industrial Complex. The move put over 54,000 North Korean employees out of work. Yet the U.N. resolution states that it is “not intended to have adverse humanitarian consequences for the civilian population of the DPRK.” A possible food shortage remains a major concern The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported in February that the North Korean people are already suffering a significant food shortage. The FAO said North Korea needs 440,000 tons of food from overseas this year. Yet international donors have only provided 17,600 tons so far. North Korea’s state media recently warned that the sanctions may cause another “arduous march.” That expression refers to the famine in the 1990s that is said to have killed over 3 million people. Most private South Korean aid programs for the North have been suspended because of the recent sanctions and tensions between the two sides. The Eugene Bell Foundation provides tuberculosis medicines to North Koreans. The group was blocked last month from bringing medicines to the North because of new South Korean unilateral sanctions. South Korea, however, did later make exceptions for humanitarian aid, and the medications did get through. Human rights activists support providing aid to innocent people in North Korea. These people are caught in the middle of the international dispute. But in the past, North Korea accepted the aid and used it for political purposes. Many countries, including the United States and South Korea, suspended assistance programs years ago. Phil Robertson has called for a close watch of aid. “Our view on humanitarian aid is that we don’t agree to have restrictions on humanitarian aid and we do support, for instance, support for food aid and other basic humanitarian materials for North Korea, but we believe also that these need to be strictly monitored.” Yet Choi Yong-sang says it is unclear if finding out how aid is given out is possible. “If the international community can closely inspect the distribution process, it can assist the people without helping the regime, but we are not sure if North Korea would accept such a condition.” The growth of private markets could ease the effects of the sanctions for many North Koreans. Since the 1990s, the people have become less dependent on the Communist government for their daily needs. But as the tighter sanctions are enforced, the more likely it is that ordinary North Koreans will experience greater economic pain than the leadership in Pyongyang. I’m Mario Ritter.   Brian Padden reported this story for VOANews.com. Mario Ritter adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Do sanctions work? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments and post on our Facebook page, thank you.  ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   adopt – v. to agree to, to accept punitive – adj. as punishment advocate – n. someone who speaks for another, someone who supports a person, group or cause unilateral –adj. describing action taken by only one side significant –adj. important, notable arduous – adj. very difficult, very hard sanction - n. a threatened punishment for disobeying a rule or law impact - n. effect; result DPRK - abbreviation short for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea

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VOA English Newscast: 1500 UTC April 11, 2016

From Washington, this is VOA News.      I’m Joe Palka reporting. Mr. Kerry visits Hiroshima… “This was a display that I will personally never forget. I don’t see how anyone could forget…” John Kerry says he is "deeply moved" and "honored" to be the first U.S. Secretary of State to visit Hiroshima, Japan, a city devastated after the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb near the end of World War II. Mr. Kerry spoke after visiting a World War Two peace memorial. "It is a stunning display. It is a gut-wrenching display. It tugs at all of your sensibilities as a human being. It reminds everybody of the extraordinary complexity of choices in war, and of what war does to people - to communities, to countries, to the world." Secretary Kerry was speaking toward the end of the annual two-day G-7 ministers meeting. Group of Seven heads of state will meet in Hiroshima next month. President Obama will become the first American leader to visit the city. The UN's envoy for Yemen welcomed today the cessation of hostilities, which just went into effect. The truce is between the Yemeni government and the Saudi-led coalition backing the Houthi rebels, who seized control of Yemen's capital in 2014.  All are pledging to support the ceasefire. It comes ahead of peace talks scheduled for April 18 in Kuwait. Russian news reports say the Syrian military is preparing a major operation with the Russian air force to regain control of the northern city of Aleppo. Aleppo -- Syria's one-time economic capital, parts of which now lie in ruins -- has been divided into occupation zones since 2012, with rebel groups in some areas, while other locales are still under government control. Meantime, London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least 35 people were killed yesterday in fighting on several fronts south of Aleppo. From Washington, this is VOA News. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This New display – n. an action or performance at which shows clearly that you have some ability, feeling or quality; an event at which something is done to inform people devastated – v. destroying much or most of something; causing great damage or harm stunning – adj. very surprising or shocking gut-wrenching – adj. causing great emotional or mental pain tugs – v. pulls extraordinary – adj. very unusual or different from what is considered normal; extremely good UN – abbreviation. short for United Nations envoy – n. a government representative who deals with another government cessation – n. stoppage; suspension pledging – v. promising ahead – adv. or adj. in the front; to or toward the place where one is going scheduled – v. planned; appointed for a fixed time zones – n. areas We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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CIA Director Says No More Waterboarding

The CIA will not use waterboarding to get information from a detainee anymore. Waterboarding is a method that has been described as torture. It is used to force prisoners to give information. Usually, the detainee is held down on a board, and water is poured on a cloth covering his face. It makes a person feel like they are drowning. John Brennan, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, says the CIA would not use waterboarding even if a future president ordered the method to be used. “Absolutely, I would not agree to having any CIA officer carrying out waterboarding again," he said in an interview with NBC News. Part of the interviewed aired Sunday. Brennan said he would not use the tactics “because this institution (the CIA) needs to endure,” or last. It was part of a program the CIA used after the 2001 terror attacks. Waterboarding was done by CIA employees to get information from terror suspects. They hoped to force suspects to reveal information about possible future attacks against the U.S. President Barack Obama banned the techniques in 2009, calling them torture. The U.S. Senate released a report in December 2014 criticizing the CIA’s use of the harsh techniques. They include waterboarding; mock, or fake, executions; ice baths; sexual threats; and other methods used against captured al-Qaida members and other militants. The Senate report said the interrogations using these methods did not produce any intelligence that saved lives. But after the report’s release, Brennan said that the interrogations had produced intelligence that helped stop attack plans and capture terrorists. There has been much criticism of waterboarding in the U.S. Critics say the so-called “enhanced interrogation techniques” are torture.  Others defend the program, saying it was necessary for national security.  Former Vice President Dick Cheney served under former President George W. Bush. Cheney said they kept the country safe from more attacks.  Jose Rodriguez ran the interrogation program for the CIA. He said information obtained through the interrogations helped capture Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Mohammed calls himself the architect of the September 11 attacks — the person who planned the attacks. He remains a detainee at the U.S. military detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. President Obama had said he would close the prison during his presidency. The U.S. government has tried to bring some detainees to trial. But legal analysts say that is made more difficult because some of the prisoners had been subjected to enhanced interrogations, including waterboarding. Two U.S Air Force psychologists designed the CIA’s program. Now they are facing a lawsuit filed for three suspected terrorists who were detained, but never charged with crimes. The ACLU, the American Civil Liberties Union, brought the suit last October, saying the psychologists took part in torture sessions that were “unlawful and its methods barbaric.” The case is moving through the courts. The use of waterboarding is also talked about in the current presidential race. Last month, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he would "use every legal power" to stop terrorists, but would not order the military or others to violate the law. Earlier, he supported going "tougher than waterboarding."  His closest challenger in the Republican race is Senator Ted Cruz. He said in February he would bring back "whatever enhanced interrogation methods" are necessary to keep the country safe.” I’m Anne Ball.   This story first appeared on VOANews.com. Anne Ball adapted the story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. What's your opinion on waterboarding and interrogation? Write to us in the Comments section and on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   interrogation - v. to question someone to get information reveal - v. to make something known harsh - adj. tough or severe technique -n. the way of doing something using special knowledge tactic - n. a carefully planned action or policy barbaric - adj. very cruel interview - n. a meeting at which an individual provides information

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Nigerian-American Teen Gets Into 8 Ivy Colleges

For the second time in two years, all eight Ivy League schools have offered admission to a teenager from Nigeria. Augusta Uwamanzu-Nna is in her final year at Elmont High School in Long Island, New York. She is at the top of their game, academically speaking. Few Americans are able to get accepted into every one of the Ivy League schools. The eight are Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University and Yale University. In addition, the teenager was accepted at four other schools in the United States. They are Johns Hopkins University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York University, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The 17-year old is valedictorian of her high school class. She has a grade point average of 101.6. In a press release, Uwamanzu-Nna credits her success to the ideals of the town of Elmont, New York, her supportive parents and her teachers. She said she is “elated” and “thankful”. Last year, Harold Ekeh from Elmont Memorial High was accepted for admission at all eight Ivy League schools. He chose to attend Yale University after having a total of 13 schools to choose from.    Ekeh was born in Nigeria and came to the United States when he was 8 years old. Uwamanzu-Nna is the daughter of Nigerian immigrants. She was a finalist in the 2016 Intel Science Talent Search for her research on cement. Researchers say her findings could help prevent underwater oil rigs from breaking apart. She plans to seek a science-related study program in college. Uwamanzu-Nna has yet to make a decision on what school she will attend. But with her admission to 12 schools guaranteed, the decision is sure to be a difficult one. I’m Marsha James.   VOANews.com reported this story. Marsha James adapted the story for Learning English. Additional information for her report came from CNN and Fox News. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section and on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   at the top of game – idiom. doing one’s best; doing the best one can do academically – adj. relating to to education and scholarship valedictorian – n. the student who has the highest grades in a graduating class and who give a speech at graduation ceremonies elated – adj. very happy and excited  

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Boston Newspaper Explores Trump Presidency

This is What’s Trending Today. The Boston Globe is one of the most famous newspapers in the United States. On Sunday, The Globe made news when it published a special front page. The special page was dated one year in the future. It had a series of reports about what might happen if businessman Donald Trump is elected president. The page was not the first page of the newspaper. It was the first page of a section called “Ideas,” home to commentary and criticism. The newspaper published articles with names including, “Deportations to Begin,” “Markets Sink as Trade War Looms,” and “Bank Glitch Halts Border Wall Work.” The articles were designed to get Americans thinking about what might happen if Donald Trump wins the U.S. presidential election. The stories were The Boston Globe’s predictions of what might happen a year from now during a Trump presidency. The Globe is one of the most respected newspapers in the country. It was in the news for its investigative reporting in 2002 about the abuse of children by Roman Catholic clergymen. The series won the Pulitzer Prize in 2003, the top award for U.S. journalism. The story about the investigation was turned into the movie “Spotlight.” The movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture earlier this year. On Sunday, the newspaper’s editors explained in an opinion piece why they put together the special front page. They said the stories take Donald Trump at his word. They said the articles are predictions of what might happen if Trump acted on his campaign promises. One story said the leading measure of U.S. stock prices would drop almost 7,000 points in only three weeks if Trump ordered taxes on imports from Mexico and China. Another story lists all the ways his plan to expel over 11 million illegal immigrants would harm life in the United States. It said the deportation plan would cost $400 billion and require more than 900,000 immigration control agents. Those were the big stories. There were smaller stories, too. One story noted Trump’s comment last year about killing family members of fighters with the self-declared Islamic State group. It predicted that U.S. soldiers would question an order to kill the family members of terror suspects. Thousands of people posted messages on The Globe’s Facebook page. ​One person wrote, “Well, if the goal of this was to fuel the Trump fire of support... The Globe will have accomplished that!” Another wrote: “Thank you to the editorial staff at The Boston Globe. Wake up, America.” Donald Trump was unhappy with the newspaper’s creation. “Did you see that story?” he asked. “The whole front page — they made up a story, they pretended Trump is the president, and they made up the whole front page. It’s a make-believe story, which is really no different from the whole paper. I mean, the whole thing is made up. And I think they’re having a big backlash on that one.” And That’s What’s Trending Today I’m Dan Friedell.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. What is your prediction for what the United States will be like if Donald Trump becomes president? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   glitch – n. an unexpected and usually minor problem loom – v. to appear in a large, strange, or frightening form often in a sudden way journalism – n. the activity or job of collecting, writing, and editing news stories for newspapers, magazines, television, or radio editor – n. a person whose job is to edit something article – n. a piece of writing about a particular subject that is included in a magazine or newspaper deport – v. to force (a person who is not a citizen) to leave a country pretend – v. to act as if something is true when it is not true backlash – n. a strong public reaction against something section – n. a part of a newspaper, play or book

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Kerry 'Deeply Moved' on Hiroshima Visit

  John Kerry said he was “deeply moved" and "honored” to visit Hiroshima, Japan on Monday. United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, near the end of World War II. An estimated 140,000 people died in that bombing. The meeting included a tour of a World War II memorial to victims in Hiroshima.  “It was a stunning display,” said Kerry, after visiting Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. “It is a gut-wrenching display. It tugs at your sensibilities as a human being," he added. Speaking of the U.S. alliance with Japan, Kerry said, “My visit to Hiroshima has a very special meaning about the strength of the relationship and the journey we have traveled together since the difficult time of the war.” The secretary of state was asked if President (Barack) Obama will visit Hiroshima when he attends a G-7 leaders’ summit in Japan in May. Kerry said he hoped that one day the president of the U.S. would be among those who visited the city. He added that Obama had expressed an interest in visiting, but did not know if the president’s schedule would permit it during his upcoming trip to Japan. Nuclear proliferation and disarmament however were important themes during discussions. Kerry commented at the end of a two-day meeting with other Group of Seven, or G7, foreign ministers. He was joined by foreign ministers from Germany, Italy, Britain, Canada, France as well as Japan. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida hosted the ministers’ meeting. He was asked if Japan would seek its own nuclear weapons as suggested by U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Kishida answered, “For us to obtain nuclear weapons is completely inconceivable.” The foreign ministers released a joint declaration in Japan calling for a world without nuclear weapons.  The so-called Hiroshima Declaration discussed the security situations in Syria and Ukraine. It also noted North Korea's repeated violations of bans on its nuclear and missile tests. On Sunday, the seven ministers discussed issues including the regional problems posed by China's increasing presence in the South China Sea.  They also discussed North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.    Pam Dockins and Victor Beattie reported this story for VOANews.com. Mario Ritter adapted their reports for Learning English. Kathleen Struck edited the story. Have you been to Hiroshima? Do you know its history? Please leave a Comment below this story and post on our Facebook page, thank you.  ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   gut-wrenching – adj. causing great emotional pain inconceivable – adj. something that cannot be imagined

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