1600 UTC Hourly Newscast for April 20 2016

From Washington, this is VOA News.     I’m Frances Alonzo reporting. U.S. President Barack Obama is in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, Wednesday. He is there for a summit meeting with King Salman and his fellow Gulf Arab leaders. During his two-day visit at the gulf summit Thursday will include leaders from Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. During a photo op earlier today, President Obama personally thanked the Saudi King for hosting the summit... “The American people send their greetings, and we’re very grateful for your hospitality, and not just for this meeting, but also for hosting the GCC-U.S. summit…” The President hopes to focus discussions on the fight against jihadist groups and efforts to end wars in Syria and Yemen. Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter and his Gulf Arab counterparts did meet in Riyadh Wednesday to discuss ways to counter Iranian influence and fight the Islamic State group. Secretary Carter spoke at a news conference afterwards. “We have made important strides in providing the GCC nations with critical defense equipment -- over $33-billion worth since last May, including over 66,000 precision-guided munitions to support urgent GCC operational requirements, such as the counter ISIL campaign.” You can read more details on the president’s visit at VOANews.com. The UN refugee agency said Wednesday that it feared around 500 migrants from Africa had drowned in the Mediterranean after witnesses said their overcrowded boat sank. The UNHCR spokeswoman said in a statement that survivors from Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia and Egypt were rescued from a small boat. This is VOA News. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Newscast   summit – adj. of or related to a meeting or series of meetings involving two or more leaders fellow – adj. belonging to the same group of class photo op – n. short for photo opportunity; a situation in which photographs can take pictures of famous people hosting – v. to organize or lead an event grateful – adj. feeling or showing thanks hospitality – n. friendly treatment of visitors; the act of providing food or drinks to people focus – v. to direct attention at something jihadist – adj. of or relating to Muslims who actively support a jihad, a war against unbelievers meanwhile – adv. at the same time counterpart – n. someone or something that has the same job as another counter – v. to oppose or fight afterwards – adv. later stride – n. a long step critical – adj. expressing criticism or disapproval precision-guided – adj. programmed to hit a target, while causing little other damage munition – n. short for ammunition ISIL – n. short for the militant group called the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (also called the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS) migrant - n. someone who moves from one place to another, mainly for economic reasons ​ We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section

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Trump Clinton Win in New York Move Closer to Nominations

  Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton won big victories in New York State’s presidential primary election on Tuesday. Trump, a billionaire businessman, and Clinton, the former secretary of state, each extended their leads in the race for the Republican and Democratic nominations. Trump earned close to 60 percent of the vote in the Republican primary and almost all of New York’s 95 delegates. Ohio Governor John Kasich won 25 percent of the votes, while Texas Senator Ted Cruz had 15 percent. In the Democratic primary, Clinton defeated Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, 58 percent to 42 percent. She won 135 of New York’s 247 delegates to the party’s convention this summer. In her victory speech, Clinton tried to unite her campaign with Sanders and his supporters. “To all the people who supported Senator Sanders, I believe there is much more that unites us than divides us,” Clinton said. Trump spoke to his supporters Tuesday night. He said he is the only Republican with enough support to win the party’s nomination. “We don’t have much of a race anymore,” he said. “It’s really nice to win the delegates with the votes.” Trump has won a total of 845 delegates. Cruz and Kasich are hoping he does not receive the 1,237 delegates required for Republican presidential nomination. If Trump does not receive a majority of delegate votes, an open convention is possible. In an open convention, delegates can vote for any candidate. For the Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton has a total of 1,887 delegates. A candidate needs 2,383 to win the Democratic nomination. Over the next week, the candidates are expected to spend much of their time in the northeastern states. Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Maryland will hold primary elections on April 26.   Chris Hannas wrote this story for VOA News. Jim Dresbach adapted his story for Learning English. Additional information came from the Associated Press. George Grow was the editor. What do you think about the Trump and Clinton victories in New York? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   primaries – n. elections in which members of the same political party run against each other for the chance to be in a larger and more important election billionaire – n. a rich person who has at least a billion dollars or pounds Republican Party – n. a political party in the United States Democratic Party – n. a political party in the United States open convention – n. a party convention at which delegates are free to vote for the candidate of their choice    

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Religious Leaders Support UN Climate Agreement

More than 200 religious leaders say they support the climate change agreement negotiated in Paris last year and want it to be put into effect quickly. This Friday -- Earth Day -- world leaders will sign the agreement at United Nations headquarters in New York City. The religious leaders joined in prayer Monday at a religious center at the UN. They released a statement that urged countries to quickly sign, approve and enforce the Paris Climate Agreement. The statement was sent to the General Assembly President to be given to UN member states. The agreement will take effect after 55 countries, representing at least 55 percent of total greenhouse emissions, have approved the treaty. Many studies have linked carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to climate change. Fletcher Harper is an Episcopalian clergyman. He also leads a coalition of different religious groups called GreenFaith. GreenFaith helped organize the gathering of religious leaders at the UN. Harper says the leaders’ campaign has the support of almost 5,000 people and 90 groups worldwide. “The statement reflects that we must regard the Earth as a gift, not just as a commodity that can be bought or sold, but as a gift that must be cherished and protected not only for short-term economic gain, but for the long-term protection of life. These are fundamental moral and religious values that are shared by traditions across the world.” Kiran Bali leads the United Religions Initiative, an interfaith group that works in 94 countries. “For many of us, we are seeing the problem across the world -- drought, food shortages, extinction of species. I feel that this is a human and a spiritual failure and I’m here to ask for everybody to unite, to come together as people of faith who believe in the values of oneness and respect, environmental stewardship and really save our planet, save our earth.” Fletcher Harper believes religious leaders can have an influence on the climate policies and actions of many countries. “We have a chance to, to transform the cultures of the world, and by transforming the cultures, transform politics so that government leaders understand that they absolutely must take dramatic action on climate change now.” I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise VOA’s Rosanne Skirble reported this story from Washington. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it 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: http://ift.tt/1MS0jbF ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   emissions – n. something sent out or given off reflect – v. to show (something); to make (something) known commodity – n. something that is bought and sold cherish – v. to feel or show great love for (someone or something) fundamental – adj. forming or relating to the most important part of something drought – n. a long period of time during which there is very little or no rain extinction – n. the state or situation that results when something (such as a plant or animal species) has died out completely stewardship – n. the activity or job of protecting and being responsible for something  

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Vietnamese Immigrant's First Book Wins Pulitzer Prize

  A first-time novelist, Viet Thanh Nguyen, has won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. He won the prize for his book, “The Sympathizer.” The Pulitzer judges described Nguyen’s book as an immigrant’s story told through the voice of “a man of two minds, and two countries…” The book is set in both Vietnam, where the author was born, and the United States, where he was raised. Critics have praised “The Sympathizer” as an exciting spy story with emotional depth and humor. It tells about a group of South Vietnamese army officers who escape to the United States at the end of the Vietnam War. Among them is a captain who is secretly loyal to the Viet Cong. He reports to Viet Cong officials about the group and their lives in Los Angeles. Nguyen told the Los Angeles Times that “The Sympathizer” is a “confession from one Vietnamese to another.” Nguyen came to the United States with his family in 1975 when he was very young. They lived for several years in a refugee camp in Pennsylvania. They settled in San Jose, California. Nguyen studied at the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a doctorate in English. Nguyen is now a professor of English and American studies and ethnicity at the University of Southern California. He has published three non-fiction books and some short stories. The writer told the L.A. Times that it was important to him when the writers Toni Morrison and Jhumpa Lahiri won Pulitzers. He called their wins landmarks for writers of color and Asian-American writers. Nguyen said Morrison’s work influenced his choice to write for, in his words, “people who are intimate to me, and not to think that I was writing for a white audience first." He told the University of Southern California News, “I see myself as part of a larger movement of writers of color, of Asian-American writers who have collectively been trying so hard to bring different voices and perspectives to American audiences and have often felt overlooked or marginalized in different ways.”  Viet Thanh Nguyen is not the first person to win a Pulitzer for a first novel. But, it is a rare event.  The Associated Press won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for public service for its reporting on abuse in the Southeast Asian seafood industry. AP reporters investigated the mistreatment of workers in Southeast Asia who helped supply seafood to American supermarkets and restaurants. The reporting helped free 2,000 slave laborers. Other 2016 Pulitzer winners include the poetry prize for “Ozone Journal” by Peter Balakian and the drama prize for the musical “Hamilton.” This is the 100th yearly awarding of the Pulitzer prizes. Newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer established them in 1917. Columbia University in New York City awards the prizes. I’m Caty Weaver. We want to hear from you. Post your message in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

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Will US Let Some Undocumented Immigrants Stay?

About 10 million undocumented immigrants live in the U.S. Because they are not registered with authorities, undocumented immigrants often hide from the government. For example, they do not pay taxes, and they cannot apply for driver’s licenses, jobs that require a work permit, or loans to buy houses. If they are discovered, undocumented immigrants can be deported – in other words, sent back to their home countries. But this week, the U.S. Supreme Court is considering whether to allow some undocumented immigrants to stay for a limited period and apply to work legally. The Court’s decision will affect only undocumented immigrants who meet three criteria: those who have not been found guilty of a crime; those who have been in the U.S. for the past five years or more; and those who have a child who was born here or lives here legally. About 4 million undocumented immigrants meet those criteria. What could happen? The Supreme Court will announce its decision this summer, probably in June. The case revolves around a program called DAPA. It stands for “Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents.” President Barack Obama approved the program two years ago. One of the goals of the program was to keep families together. It also aimed to bring more people into legal work. People who support DAPA say the program can greatly reduce the fear undocumented immigrants feel.   A six-year-old girl named Sophie Cruz spoke outside the Supreme Court building. She was born in the U.S., but her parents are here without documents. That means the government can force her parents to leave the country – and their daughter – at any time.  “I ask the judges to protect us children and all immigrants,” Sophie Cruz said.  A representative from a teacher’s group also spoke. Cesar Moreno Perez said teachers know what happens when children come to school with fear: “Fear that their parents are not going to be home. Fear for themselves that they are going to be picked up on their way home.” If the Supreme Court decides the DAPA program is legal, the government will protect approved undocumented immigrants. Those immigrants will receive a social security card, permission to work in the U.S., and a promise that they will not be forced to leave for three years. At the end of three years, approved immigrants may apply again for the program. What is the argument against DAPA? Lawyers arguing against DAPA say the program is not legal. President Obama approved DAPA, but Congress never agreed to it. Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress usually makes the laws, and the president’s administration makes sure the laws are followed. One of the Supreme Court justices, Anthony Kennedy, said of the DAPA program, “The president is setting policy and Congress is executing it. It seems upside down.” However, the Constitution does allow the president to make an executive order. Those orders have the force of law, but they do not have to be approved by Congress. Future presidents may change an executive order. President Obama said he approved DAPA because Congress has failed to improve the U.S. immigration system. The state of Texas – along with 25 other states – are challenging Obama’s executive order in the Supreme Court. They say Obama does not have the power to do so much to change the country’s immigration laws. Lower courts have agreed with the challengers. DAPA is currently frozen – or, not active – because previous judges have decided it is not legal. What will the Supreme Court decide? The Supreme Court includes nine justices; however, one justice recently died, leaving eight people on the Court. As a result, the DAPA case could end in a four-to-four tie. A tie is especially possible because four justices usually follow a more liberal way of thinking, and four usually follow a more conservative way of thinking. If the case ends in a tie, the DAPA program will remain frozen, and undocumented immigrants will continue to risk being deported. The Supreme Court could also decide not to decide. In other words, they could say that Texas and the other states do not have the right to sue in federal court. If the Supreme Court throws out the case, Americans and politicians will have made no further progress on the question of undocumented immigrations. I’m Katheen Struck.   Kelly Jean Kelly wrote this story for Learning English, with contributions from VOA reporters. Hai Do was the editor.   _______________________________________________________ Words in This Story   deport - v. to force a person to leave a country throw out - phrasal verb, refuse to consider

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Chinese Military Plane Lands on Disputed S. China Sea Island

  China says a military airplane landed on one of the country’s man-made islands earlier this week in the South China Sea. The plane was on patrol Sunday when it received an emergency call to land on Fiery Cross Reef, Chinese media reported. It said the plane was told to remove three construction workers who were injured. The workers were flown to Hainan Island, where they received medical treatment. The man-made island has a 3,000-meter long runway for aircraft. Construction workers completed the runway last year. Test flights by commercial airlines started in January. Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said the United States has serious concerns about China’s actions in the South China Sea. He said that other Asian countries have expressed their concerns about China’s actions, both publicly and privately, to U.S. officials. China claims much of the South China Sea. Several other nations, including the Philippines and Vietnam, have competing claims. I’m Pete Musto. VOANews.com reported this story. Jim Dresbach adapted the 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   patrol – n. the act of walking or going around or through an area in order to make sure that it is safe reef – n. a long line of rocks or coral or a high area of sand near the surface of the water in the ocean runway – n. a long strip of ground where airplanes take off and land

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Ecuadors President: Earthquake Recovery to Cost Billions of Dollars

  Ecuador’s President says billions of dollars will be needed to help the country rebuild from the powerful earthquake last Saturday. The earthquake killed at least 413 people and injured more than 2,500. Thousands of people were left homeless. President Rafael Correa visited the northeastern town of Portoviejo Monday to see some of the damage. Portoviejo and the nearby cities of Manta and Pedernales were among the areas that suffered the greatest damage in the earthquake.   The government says it will take loans from several international organizations, including the World Bank, to pay for its rescue and recovery efforts. Ecuador is a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The economy of the small, South American country is in recession because of low oil prices on international markets. A United States government agency announced Tuesday that it will send two teams to Ecuador. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will deploy one team to assist the government by studying the country’s damage and needs. A second team will work with the United Nations to help organize international rescue activities. USAID has promised to donate at least $100,000 for supplies. The U.N. Children’s Fund reported Tuesday that the earthquake damaged 119 schools, affecting at least 150,000 children. Search-and-rescue crews have launched an effort to find survivors trapped in the wreckage of buildings destroyed in the earthquake. Three people were rescued from the wreckage of a shopping center in Manta after being trapped for 32 hours.  Thousands of soldiers and police have been deployed throughout Ecuador to provide temporary shelters and food. And aid workers from many nations -- including Spain, Peru, Cuba, Bolivia and Venezuela -- have arrived to help. I’m Jonathan Evans.   This story first appeared on VOANews.com. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it 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: http://ift.tt/1MS0jbF ​  

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Iran Vows to Defend Mideast from Terrorism Zionism

The president of Iran promised to defend Muslim countries against terrorism and Israel, in a national speech on Sunday. President Hassan Rouhani made the speech during a National Army Day parade. Rouhani also said Iran’s neighbors should not feel threatened by a show of military power. Rouhani offered aid to other Islamic countries and said its military power is for defense. “If tomorrow your capitals face danger from terrorism or Zionism, the power that will give you a positive answer is the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said. Zionism is political support for the creation and development of a Jewish homeland in Israel. Rouhani praised fellow Iranians who are helping in Syria and Iraq to fight Islamic State terrorists. Since its revolution in the late 1970s, Iran has had conflicts with its neighbors. They fought Iraq for nearly eight years starting in 1980. Saudi Arabia has been Iran’s recent rival. The two countries support opposite sides in the Syrian and Yemeni civil wars. Iran displayed its weapons in the parade. The weapons included Russian-made S-300 air defense missiles. Iran also showed off its tanks, submarines and short-range missiles. I’m Jim Dresbach.   The Associated Press contributed to this article. Jim Dresbach adapted this story for Learning English and VOANews.com. 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   Zionism – n. political support for the creation and development of a Jewish homeland in Israel

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Success In Debating and Business

  Over the last few weeks we discussed a method for teaching debate to English learners. Debate is a valuable way to practice communicating. It can also bring long-lasting rewards outside the classroom, especially for people working with Western businesses. Communicating Western-style The main activity of debate is presenting one's opinion and supporting it with evidence, such as statistics or facts. It is a way of persuasive communication – of making someone believe what you are saying. Charles Lebeau helped create the "Discover Debate" method. He says debate is important to understanding how people communicate in Western business. Successful debaters learn how to give their opinion, reasons and support. "What we are trying to do is to develop a kind of thinking or approach to discussion and how to interact with someone else’s opinion, rather than brush their opinion aside and say, “well yes, but this is what I think." Debate skills are also important in selling a product, he says. In that situation, the judges are the customers. "So on Monday, for example, one company may come in and present their case to the customer and they'll make as strong a case as they can. On Tuesday, the next day, another company will come in and present their case to the customer. Usually the party that can present the strongest case wins." He adds that people use persuasive communication in meetings, too. Three or four people may present ideas. Then, they attack or support each other's arguments. "I think this way of approaching presenting opinions and responding to opinions, is very important for English speaking. In Japan, we don't really do that, we don't respond to a person point by point. In English-style meetings, we do do that and Japanese participants need to do that in an English style meeting in order to be successful." Critical thinking Debate also strengthens critical thinking. In other words, it helps students learn to ask questions and try to understand someone's reasons and evidence. Mr. Lebeau points out that successful debaters learn to listen carefully to what other people are saying. Then, they look for the weak points in someone else's opinion or argument. He says debate teaches a systematic way of questioning. Broadening one's perspective Successful debaters also learn to think from someone else's point of view. Mr. Lebeau says debate can help broaden the mind. "There's an expression in English: don't criticize another person before you have walked in their shoes. I think the wonderful thing about debate is, it puts us in another person's shoes." For example, students in a debate might argue the topic "soccer is a better sport than baseball." A student may have to argue in favor of soccer, even if he or she does not really think soccer is better than baseball. But the student will have to explain why soccer is an interesting sport and present the viewpoint of soccer fans. The exercise will offer a way of thinking the student may not have normally had. Debate can improve one's thinking and language so much that it brings benefits to a student's life and career. Professor Lebeau tells a story about teaching debate to new employees at Toshiba. One young woman came up and asked, "Do you remember me?" She had been his student in a Debate and Presentation class at her university. She said the class improved her English skills so much that she had been able to get a good job in the company.  She is living evidence of the benefits of learning to debate. I'm Jill Robbins. Dr. Jill Robbins wrote this story for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   persuasive - adj. able to cause people to do or believe something; able to persuade people critical thinking - n. analyzing and evaluating an issue in order to form a judgment broaden - v. to make something wider or more general Now it's your turn. Do you have any experience with learning to debate? What did you find were the benefits? Write to us in the comments section.

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Gymnast from India Makes History

This is What’s Trending Today… For the first time in history, a woman gymnast from India will compete at the Olympics. Dipa Karmakar won rights to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games during a Test Event last weekend. The test event was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The games officially open in Rio on August 5. Karmakar is 22 years old. She is from the Indian state of Tripura. She qualified for the Olympics by finishing among the top 33 individual gymnasts at the Test Event. Karmakar is also the first gymnast from India -- male or female -- to reach the Olympics in more than 50 years. Her historic performance has made her a trending topic on Facebook and Twitter. Supporters on social media praised and congratulated her. ​ ​ Even Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about Karmakar’s performance. Speaking on Tuesday, Modi said, “Dipa has made India proud and brought glory to its name. First time, a daughter from the country has been selected in gymnastics…” Also during the Test Event, the women’s gymnastics team from Romania failed to qualify to the Rio Olympics. Romania placed seventh at the Test Event’s team competition. Only the top four teams at the event qualified to the Olympics. Eight other teams qualified to the Olympics at last year’s World Championships. Romania has won a medal in team gymnastics in every Olympics since 1976. That was the year Romanian Nadia Comaneci received the first ‘Perfect 10’ in Olympic history. And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Ashley Thompson. Ashley Thompson adapted this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   gymnast - n. a person who performs various physical exercises on special equipment as part of an athletic competition gymnastics - n.  a sport in which athletes are judged on how well they perform various physical exercises on special equipment qualify - v. to do the things that are required to become a member of a team or to be allowed in a competition glory - n. public praise, honor, and fame

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Castaways Get HELP

  After their small boat turned over, three men swam to a small island in the Pacific Ocean. They used the leaves and branches of palm trees to spell the word HELP hoping someone could see them. Just like in a movie, a U.S. Navy airplane spotted the castaways on a small island in Micronesia a week later. The island is close to Guam, a U.S. territory in the Pacific. The flight crew searching for the men used a camera that can read heat signals to discover that they might be on the island. The men had started a fire, hoping to be found. The pilot flew around the island and discovered the word spelled on the beach. When the plane was close enough, the men ran out from some trees and started waving their orange life vests. The plane flew close to the ground more than once, and tipped its wings to show the men it knew they were there. The crew also threw a smoke signal into the water. The Navy airplane reported the castaways’ location to the U.S Coast Guard and a boat from a nearby island left to pick the men up. Lieutenant Commander John Harkins said he and his crew celebrated when they found the men, because they did not think they would find them. The Associated Press news service reports the men arrived home safely and were not injured. I’m Dan Friedell.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English based on reporting by the Associated Press. Hai Do was the editor. What would you do if you were stranded on a small island in the Pacific Ocean? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ___________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   castaway –n. a person who is left alone in a place (such as an island) as a result of a storm, shipwreck, etc.  

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