April 25, 2016

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

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Chernobyl, Risky Still, Thirty Years Later

  Tuesday marks the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, the world’s worst nuclear accident. The effects of the disaster are still felt today. On April 26, 1986, a reactor exploded at a nuclear power center in the town of Chernobyl, in what was then the Soviet republic of Ukraine. The reactor caught fire, and it released huge amounts of radiation. Many emergency workers died. Soviet officials ordered 116,000 people living around the power plant to leave the area. Another 220,000 were forced to leave later as the “death zone” -- the nuclear contamination area -- expanded.     Recently, Associated Press reporters visited the edge of the contamination zone in Belarus. They found that milk from a dairy farm there contains radioactive isotopes. The isotopes give off radiation -- and can harm people and other living things. Tests found that the milk contains radioactive isotope levels at least 10 times higher than the country’s food safety limits. The farm was about 45 kilometers north of the former Chernobyl nuclear plant. The dairy farmer said his cows produce milk for a local factory, called Milkavita. It produces Parmesan cheese that is sold mostly in Russia. Milkavita officials rejected the AP laboratory results as “impossible.” They said their own tests show that radioactive isotopes in their milk supply are well below safety limits. Belarus President Alyaksandr Lukashenka said Monday that cleaning up the radioactive fallout from the nuclear accident has been a “major and pressing task” for his country for 30 years. Possible danger is nearby Scientists are warning that it is possible a new disaster could be hiding in forests around the closed power plant. Canadian scientist Timothy Mousseau is a leading expert on the Chernobyl disaster. He told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that forest fires could send clouds of toxic radioactive material up into the skies over Europe. Mousseau said two acts of suspected arson caused “large fires” around Chernobyl over the past year. The fires burned a long time, but they “weren’t particularly hazardous in terms of radioactivity.” He added that a third fire last year burned through part of the ‘red forest,’ which was the most contaminated part of the area. This fire was small, and contained quickly. But, he said, it is the kind that can “do serious harm if it had spread much more.” Mousseau explained that the radioactivity in the woods would go back up into the atmosphere. Depending on which way the wind was blowing, and whether it was raining or not, it could land somewhere else. His and other research into the Chernobyl accident suggests that the toxic cloud from a major fire could carry different kinds of radioactive materials across Europe.  At the time of the accident 30 years ago, he said, a huge cloud from the fire at Chernobyl rose into the atmosphere. This allowed radioactive material, in his words, “to be transported for thousands of miles.” Now the risk has increased, partly because of rising temperatures on Earth’s surface. In addition, dead leaves from plants, fallen logs or dry grass could catch on fire.   "This dead organic matter on the surface of the soil is highly radioactive," Mousseau said. When it dries out, it becomes a possible fire threat, and provides the fuel for large and dangerous forest fires. While it has been 30 years since the Chernobyl nuclear accident, it has been only five years since Japan’s deadly Fukushima-1 plant disaster. Other nuclear disasters The first big hit to nuclear power came at the end of March 1979. That is when a new reactor in the American state of Pennsylvania partially melted down. There was no evidence of health issues tied to the accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant. But it started the debate about the safety of nuclear energy that continues around the world today. People ask whether splitting atoms to create energy is a safe, effective and economical way to get electricity to our cities. There are about 400 reactors working in 31 countries. More than 60 are being built in 15 countries. The Fukushima disaster will take a century to cleanup and cost hundreds of billions of dollars. Nuclear power was not used in Japan for nearly two years, but two reactors were restarted there last year. The debate over nuclear power continues in the island nation. Japan depends on imports for about 90 percent of its main energy needs. Those against nuclear power usually support the use of “green” power, like wind and solar power. But the supporters of nuclear power say it is safe, and more effective than wind or solar. Adding to peoples’ concerns over nuclear power is the fact that experts still do not agree on how many people lost, or will lose, their lives because of the Chernobyl accident. Fewer than 100 emergency workers died from the radiation. The World Health Organization warned years ago that Chernobyl would cause 4,000 additional deaths. But the environmental group Greenpeace ordered a study that shows, in the end, 93,000 people could die. The town of Chernobyl still is home to about 3,000 people. They continue to work on decommissioning, or closing down, the plant. They are only permitted to stay in the area for 14 days to reduce their risk of radiation exposure. Scientists say the nuclear exclusion zone will not be safe enough for humans to live there for another 20,000 years. Yet in one part of the area, a few hundred people who were evacuated have come back to live. Many of the residents are older adults. Ukrainian officials quietly let them stay there. The residents grow their own food, even with the warnings that food could be affected by the radioactive material. It appears some people who were sent away after the accident just wanted to be back home. I’m Anne Ball. Anne Ball adapted this story for Learning English based on reports from VOA’s Steve Herman, Henry Ridgwell, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Associated Press and the Reuters news service. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and visit us on Facebook. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   contamination –n. made unfit for use by undesirable elements radioactive isotopes –n. any one of different forms in which the atoms of a chemical element can occur—that have been exposed to radiation fallout – n. the radioactive particles that are produced by a nuclear explosion and fall through the atmosphere task – n. a job for someone to do toxic – adj. containing poisonous substances arson -n. when a person sets a fire to cause damage

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Remembering African Music Great Papa Wemba

Music lovers are remembering one of Africa’s greatest musicians. The Congolese music star Papa Wemba died on Sunday after collapsing at a music festival in Ivory Coast. He was 66. The cause of death was not immediately known. Papa Wemba was a major force in African music for over 40 years. He is known around the world as the king of Congolese rumba. Wemba was born in 1949 in what was then known as the Belgian Congo. His given name was Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba. He began his career singing in religious choirs. He was known for being able to sing high notes. He rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s. At the time, he performed with the band Zaiko Langa Langa in the city of Kinshasa. The group produced a series of hits involving a guitar-based mix of Latin and African music. Papa Wemba had fans across Africa and Europe. He worked with other music stars, including former Genesis lead singer Peter Gabriel. Gabriel featured the king of Congolese rumba on his Secret World tour in the 1990s. The Congolese culture minister called Wemba’s death “a great loss for the country and all of Africa.” I’m Dan Friedell.   VOANews.com reported this story. Dan Friedell adapted the report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Were you a fan of Papa Wemba? What will you remember about his music? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story feature – v. to have or include (someone or something) as an important part choir – n. a group of singers especially in a church festival – n. an organized series of performances fan – n. a person who likes and admires someone (such as a famous person) or something (such as a sport or a sports team) in a very enthusiastic way

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US Candidates Plan to Stop Trump from Winning Nomination

  Two U.S. presidential candidates will work together and try to stop Donald Trump from becoming the Republican Party’s presidential nominee. On Sunday, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Ohio Governor John Kasich announced a joint plan to defeat Trump in three states. The businessman has been leading in the race for the Republican presidential nomination since February 9, when he won the New Hampshire primary. Former senator and secretary of state Hillary Clinton has won the most delegates in the race to become the Democratic Party’s candidate for president. Barack Obama has served two four-year terms as president. That is the most permitted under the U.S. Constitution. Obama will leave office in January. Some political observers thought Trump would not be successful in his campaign for the Republican nomination. But he has won primaries and caucuses in many states. He now controls the largest number of delegates to the party’s nominating convention. That meeting will take place in July. However, many top Republican officials do not like Trump. His positions on immigration and foreign policy are different from those of many Republicans. Some officials worry that Trump will not support the party’s positions. But with less than three months before the convention, Trump is the only candidate with a chance to win the majority of delegates needed to become the Republican nominee. Both Cruz and Kasich have each said many times that Trump will hurt the Republican Party if he is the nominee. They believe if he is nominated, the Democratic party’s nominee -- who many experts believe will be Clinton -- will easily win the election in November. On Sunday, Cruz and Kasich announced their plan to stop Trump from winning enough delegates to win the nomination. Representatives from each campaign announced that Kasich will let Cruz try to win the presidential primary in the Midwestern state of Indiana. That primary will take place on May 3. Indiana has 57 delegates. The winner of the primary will get 30 of them. The rest will be given to the winner in each of the state’s nine congressional districts. Recent public opinion surveys showed that Trump has the support of 39 percent of likely Republican voters in Indiana. Cruz has 33 percent, and Kasich has 19 percent. If some of Kasich’s supporters vote for Cruz, he could easily beat Trump and win most of the state’s delegates. The Cruz campaign said the agreement with Kasich is designed to ensure that the Republican nominee is someone who can unite the party. “Having Donald Trump at the top of the ticket in November would be a sure disaster for Republicans. Not only would Trump get blown out by Clinton or (Vermont Senator Bernie) Sanders, but having him as our nominee would set the party back a generation,” Cruz campaign manager Jeff Roe said. During the campaign, Trump has repeatedly criticized the Republican Party as being unfair to him. He said the effort by Cruz and Kasich to work together to deny him the nomination is “sad.” “Because of me, everyone now sees that the Republican primary system is totally rigged. When two candidates who have no path to victory get together to stop a candidate who is expanding the party by millions of voters -- all of whom will drop out if I am not in the race -- it is yet another example of everything that is wrong in Washington and in our political system,” Trump said. In exchange for not campaigning in Indiana, Kasich was promised that Cruz would not campaign in the Western states of Oregon and New Mexico. Twenty-eight delegates will be chosen in Oregon on May 17. Twenty-four delegates will be chosen in New Mexico on June 7. “Our goal is to have an open convention in Cleveland, where we are confident a candidate capable of uniting the party and winning in November will emerge as the nominee," the Kasich campaign said. Both the Cruz and Kasich campaigns said they will compete against one another in the other states that have yet to choose delegates. If a majority of Republican delegates do not vote for Trump as the nominee on the first election of the convention, there will be a second vote. The party’s rules permit the delegates that Trump won during the primaries and caucuses to choose another candidate -- or vote for Trump again. This means Cruz or Kasich, or even someone who stopped campaigning or never campaigned, can be chosen by the delegates as the party’s presidential nominee. Chris Hannas reported this story for 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. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   convention – n. a large meeting of people who come to a place for (usually) several days to talk about their shared work or other interests or to make decisions as a group ensure – ​v. to make (something) sure, certain, or safe top of the ticket – expression the presidential candidate; the top candidate rig – adj. to control or affect (something, such as a game or election) in a dishonest way in order to get a desired result emerge – v. to become known or regarded as something  

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Obama Sending More US Forces to Syria

  President Barack Obama said on Monday he would send 250 soldiers to Syria to help local forces fight against the Islamic State. The deployment will increase American forces in Syria to around 300. Most of the new 250 U.S. forces will be U.S. Army Green Berets. About 50 American forces are already in Syria since 2015. Obama told an audience at a trade fair in Hannover, Germany, the forces will “not be leading the fight on the ground.” The president said the forces will provide training and will assist local troops to “keep up this momentum” in the fight against IS. Obama also urged Europe and NATO allies to do more in the fight against Islamic State. “This remains a difficult fight and none of us can solve this problem by ourselves,” he said. Stephen Zunes is a regional expert from the University of San Francisco. He told VOA the deployment could be viewed as mission creep in both Syria and Iraq. "At the same time, given that Obama has had a pretty cautious approach in terms of U.S. military involvement in Syria, it could be an indicator that the initial troop deployment has been successful, and that it is an indication, in his mind at least, that additional U.S. forces could actually advance the cause of defeating ISIS and strengthening local forces that are fighting them. I’m Jim Dresbach.   Jim Dresbach adapted this story for Learning English with reporting from VOA, the Associated Press and Reuters. 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   momentum – n. the strength or force that allows something to continue or to grow stronger or faster as time passes Green Berets – n. U.S. Army personnel trained to organize, instruct, supply, and supervise indigenous forces engaged in guerrilla warfare and counterinsurgency operations, and to themselves conduct unconventional warfare logistics – n. the things that must be done to plan and organize a complicated activity or event that involves many people NATO – n. also known as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, it is an organization of countries that have agreed to provide military support to each other. It includes many European countries as well as the U.S. and Canada. cautious– adj. careful about avoiding danger or risk approach– n. a way of dealing with something or a way of doing or thinking about something indicator– n.  a sign that shows the condition or existence of something ISIS– n. stands for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and is an extremist militant group. Also known as ISIL and Islamic State    

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Economic Growth Could Increase Child Labor in Myanmar

After 50 years of economic isolation, observers fear that Myanmar children might be forced to work before they can complete schooling in a booming economy. The Southeast Asian country, also known as Burma, has one of the worst records for child labor of any country. Many children work every day to earn money for their families. Tun Min is 16 years old. He uses his boat to deliver fish to a market near Yangon. He earns about $8 a day. He hopes his life will one day be better. “My wish is to become a trader in the fish market. I need some money to become a fish trader. Then, I can earn more money.” Tun Min left school when he was 12 because his mother was sick and his family needed money. Experts say about twenty percent of children in Myanmar between the ages of 10 and 17 work instead of going to school. They work in factories, tourism and many other businesses. They work in cities and in rural areas. Foreign investors are helping Myanmar’s economic growth. And with a growing economy there is an increase in the need for workers. Some rights activists say they are worried that children will be forced to work to help keep the economy strong. May Win Myint works for the National League for Democracy, the country’s leading political party. “If we cannot solve this problem, there will not be any development in our country because the children will be the people serving the country in the future. They need to be educated to do that.” Children younger than age 13 are not permitted to work in shops or factories in Myanmar. If they do work, they may only do so for up to four hours a day. But experts say businesses do not obey the law, and the government does not punish them for ignoring it. Human rights groups and child protection activists want the country to put in place stronger laws and work harder to keep children in school. Michael Slingsby works for the UN Development Program. “I think it should be a priority area, but needs to be combined with positive policies. If you try to ban child labor, there's a danger that you drive it underground and people (will) still continue to work very young, but do it in a less open way.” At the San Pya fish market in Yangon, Reuters news agency observed girls and boys as young as nine cleaning fish and loading trucks during the 12-hour long overnight shifts recently. Hla Myint has a 15-year-old son working at the market. He said, “I don’t want my son to do this kind of hard labor.” From the bamboo hut close to the river that he called home, he added, “Whatever they say they would do, or give us, it will never reach here.” I’m Mario Ritter.   VOA Correspondent Zlatica Hoke reported this story from Washington. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for VOA Learning English, using additional materials from the Reuters news agency. 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   underground – adv. in or into a place that is hidden or secret;  out of the view of the public

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WHO: Drowning Among Top Causes of Death in Children

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. The World Health Organization (WHO) says drowning is among the top five causes of death for children under the age of 15. The United Nations agency also found that boys and girls living near open water sources, such as ponds and irrigation ditches, are especially at risk. How serious is the problem in Asia? Other studies have shown that, on average, drownings kill at least one child every 15 minutes somewhere in Asia. Children in Asia are especially at risk in extreme heat during the summer and during the monsoon or rainy season. Monsoon rains have already begun in western Asia. Heavy rains in Pakistan recently were blamed for killing around 100 people, including women and children. The Asia-based group Alliance for Safe Children says drowning rates in developing countries are 10 to 20 times higher than those in developed countries. The Alliance’s survey found that Bangladesh has the highest rates of child drownings: almost 17,000 a year. Vietnam followed Bangladesh with more than 11,500 child drownings a year. In Thailand, about 2,600 children drown each year. Thailand's Disease Control Department recently reported that more than 10,000 children drowned from 2006 to 2015. That number represents a rate of 10 drownings a day. In China, information for most provinces is not available. But in Jiangxi province alone, the Alliance discovered evidence of more than 4,600 child drownings a year. That is also a rate of 10 deaths every day. What can help? Bill Kirby of Australia won a gold medal as a swimmer in the 2000 Olympics. He now leads swimming classes and training programs in Asia, mainly in Indonesia and Malaysia. Kirby told VOA that governments and swimming organizations can work together to campaign for improved water safety. "One of the first steps is actually to create a national body that looks after water safety, whether it be like [Australia's] Royal Life Saving or a Swim Australia or whatever it is -- that can actually get a lot of stakeholders together, get some government funding and promote water safety.” Kirby adds that swimming associations in Asia need to be better organized. "I think, one of the things with the  Asian countries, they’re still yet to be as organized as the swimming associations or swimming bodies are like in the Western world, which probably had more time to be organized and have had government funding and they see the importance of it.” He adds that this is especially important in areas that experience what he calls “massive” flooding. He uses the word downpour to mean heavy rainfall. "Massive flooding whether it's in Pakistan at the moment or I know in [the Indonesian capital of] Jakarta every year or every two years, they have such big floodings where all the waste goes into the waterways and they have a massive downpour and it floods, creating more opportunity for kids to drown.” Officials in Thailand have called on parents to teach children how to swim. They are also asking parents to keep a close watch on their children, especially during what they call the "risky" period: between the middle of the day and sunset. The World Health Organization and others are urging countries to push for water safety and survival skills. The WHO says measures should include making barriers to control access to water; providing safe childcare for very young children away from water sources; teaching water safety and rescue skills. The WHO adds that governments need to guarantee safe boating and rules for passenger boat services. It warns that governments also need to improve flood risk management. I’m Anna Matteo. Ben Corben wrote this from Thailand for VOA News. Anna Matteo adapted it for Learning English. George Grow edited the story. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   stakeholder – n. one who is involved in or affected by a course of action association – n. an organized group of people who have the same interest, job, etc. massive – adj. large in amount or degree : very severe downpour – n. a sudden heavy rain   The following video shows Baby Miles who was trained by instructors at a U.S.-based company that teaches infants and young children water survival skills. ​ Words in This Video to turn your back - idiomatic expression to no longer be involved in or paying attention to something

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Cleveland Settles Tamir Rice Case for $6 million

This is What’s Trending Today: The relatives of Tamir Rice will receive a $6 million settlement from Cleveland, Ohio. Rice was 12 years old when he was killed by police officers in November 2014. Rice was playing with a toy gun in a park. The police thought it was real. Rice, an African-American, became one of the symbols of the Black Lives Matter social justice campaign. The movement highlighted a number of young black men and women who were killed by police officers in recent years. Michael Brown was killed by officers near St. Louis, Missouri in the summer of 2014. Freddie Gray died while in custody of the Baltimore, Maryland police in the spring of 2015. The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter was one of the most important trending topics of 2015. The social justice movement continues to be part of the political conversation in the U.S. as the presidential election gets closer. A grand jury decided not to charge the police officers who killed Rice with a crime. They concluded that the use of deadly force against Rice was justified. They said the officer did not know if the gun was real. The decision generated more protests in Cleveland. Rice’s family filed a “wrongful death” lawsuit against the city and the police officers shortly after Rice was killed. A judge announced the decision to award $6 million to Rice’s family on Monday. Lots of people had something to say about it on social media. #TamirRice was one of Twitter’s top hashtags on Monday. Many people reacted to one part of the settlement. It says the city does not have to accept responsibility for doing something wrong. One person  wrote “the settlement [with] #TamirRice is infuriating.” Another, Devin Lamar, wrote “I'm glad #TamirRice family is getting $6 million from the city of Cleveland, but it'd be a lot cheaper to just train police not to shoot us.” Cerece Rennie Murphy wrote, “no amount of money could ever make this right.” While many people have sympathy for Rice and his family, others think it is time for the people behind the Black Lives Matter movement to take action. One of those critics is President Barack Obama. During his visit to London over the weekend, Obama was asked about racial profiling. He turned his attention to Black Lives Matter during his answer. Obama said “[when] elected officials or people who are in a position to start bringing about change are ready to sit down with you, then you can’t just keep on yelling at them.” He continued, saying “the value of social movements and activism is to get you at the table, get you in the room, and then to start trying to figure out how is this problem going to be solved.” And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. What do you think about the Tamir Rice settlement? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. __________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   racial profiling – n. the act of suspecting a person of a crime because of their skin color, religion or ethnic background justified – adj. something that is right or reasonable grand jury – n. a group of people who look at the evidence against someone who has been accused of a crime in order to decide if there should be a trial

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How America Elects: General Election Day

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High Demand from Investors for Special US Visas

The number of people from other countries -- especially China -- who want to invest in the United States in exchange for a permanent resident visa reached its highest level in 2015. The program is known as EB-5 or Employment-Based Fifth Initiative. It was created in 1990 during the presidency of George W. Bush and supported by both major political parties. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services says the program gives permanent resident status to those who invest at least $1,000,000 in a new project “that will create or preserve at least ten full-time jobs in the United States” within about two years. The agency says a foreign citizen needs to invest just “$500,000 if the (project) is in a targeted employment area,” which includes some rural areas and areas with high joblessness. Critics of the program say much of the investment takes place in wealthy cities like Dallas, New York and Washington. The USCIS reported there were 17,691 requests for EB-5 visas in 2015. In 2013 there were 6,554 requests. Experts say the reason for the sharp increase last year is rich people were worried that the program would be cancelled. But in December, it was extended for 10 months. The USCIS told Congress that an estimated “$8.7 billion has been invested into the U.S. economy through the EB-5 program since October 1, 2012.” It estimates “35,140 jobs have been created for U.S. workers through foreign investment via the EB-5 program.” The Wall Street Journal newspaper recently reported that more than 80 percent of the EB-5 visas are given to Chinese investors. The newspaper reports many investors are given two or three visas and use them to give family members permanent resident status. Without the program, many of them would have to wait many years before they could legally enter and live in the U.S. The U.S. State Department reports some Chinese citizens who have asked for visas without taking part in the program have been waiting since 2001. Questions raised on the visa program In 2014, The Washington City Paper reported that Chinese take part in the program not to make money but to be able to educate their children in the United States. Another reason, the paper reported, “is the ability to own private property, which can be difficult in China.” The Government Accountability Office reported last year that some people who have asked for or been given an EB-5 visa might have lied about where they earned their money. The GAO report said some of the money that is invested in job-creating businesses may come from the “drug trade, human trafficking or other criminal activities.” The report said the USCIS should increase its efforts to prevent and find fraud in the program and should ask people who are applying for an EB-5 visa to give more information. It also said USCIS should study the program to see how many new jobs are created. USCIS said it agreed with the GAO recommendations. Republican Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa is a frequent critic of the program. He recently told The New York Times “it’s no secret that the program has long been riddled with corruption and national security vulnerabilities.” Last week, he led a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that investigated the reported abuse of the “targeted employment area” part of the program. Senator Dianne Feinstein is a Democrat from California. She has said “I don’t believe that America should be selling visas and eventually citizenship.” And she said “The right to immigrate should not be for sale.” Senator Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont, has supported the EB-5 program since it began. But he recently called for major changes.   In a statement, he said “fraud and abuse cannot be tolerated, no matter where it occurs. Even when there is no indication of fraud, the incentives that Congress created to direct EB-5 investment to underserved areas are regularly abused. Given the significant problems plaguing this program, I will continue to push for meaningful reform. Without reform, I believe the time has come for the program to end.” Carolyn Lee is an attorney and managing partner at the EB-5 group at the Miller Mayer law firm in Ithaca, New York. The firm says it has helped raise more than $3 billion in EB-5 funding for projects in at least eleven American states. It has helped investors gain more than 5,000 visas. It has been involved with the program for 20 years. She told VOA “there’s no question that the program can be improved.” She says Congress needs to watch the program more closely, and she said background investigations should be more thorough. But she disagrees with Senator Feinstein that the program sells visas and citizenship to rich people. “I don’t think it is quite fair to characterize it in that way. We confer immigration benefits based on a number of factors. The policy goal that is furthered with this program is U.S. economic growth,” she said. She says visas and citizenship are “an asset, an ideal, almost sacred. What do you want to give for this national asset?”  I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise.   Christopher Jones-Cruise reported this story with information from The Wall Street Journal, The Washington City Paper and The New York Times newspapers, Fortune magazine and USCIS.gov. 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   status – n. the official position of a person or thing according to the law via – preposition by means of (a person, machine, etc.); by using (something or someone) riddle – v. to fill (something) with something that is bad or unpleasant -- usually used as “riddled with” incentive – n. something that encourages a person to do something or to work harder plague – v. to cause constant or repeated trouble, illness, etc., for (someone or something) background – n. the experiences, knowledge, education, etc., in a person’s past characterize – v. to describe the character or special qualities of (someone or something) confer – v. to give (something, such as a degree, award, title, right, etc.) to someone or something -- usually + on or upon

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‘Morality Police’ Formed in Iran

Iran has a new “morality police” unit to observe its citizens. Tehran’s police chief Hossein Sajedinia said the 7,000 officers – male and female – will make sure women follow Islamic dress codes. They will also stop dangerous driving and noise pollution, he said. Some in Iran consider popular music to be a form of noise pollution. The new police unit appears to be aimed mostly at women. It is enforcing laws that require women to cover their hair and bodies. According to the U.S. State Department, women of all religious groups in Iran are expected to follow “Islamic dress” rules in public. That includes covering their hair and wearing loose clothing that fully covers the body. Members of the “morality police” will not wear police uniforms. This allows them to watch people without showing they are part of the police. Iran’s police chief said morality officers will not take action themselves. Instead they will give information – such as license plate numbers – to regular police who will follow up on reported violations. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani criticized the announcement, according to the BBC and Foreign Policy.com. The president promised during his election campaign to give people more freedom. Rouhani said government’s “first duty” is to “respect dignity” and allow people to express their “personalities.” The announcement also drew criticism on social media. “Big Brother is watching you,” one person wrote on Twitter. BBC reported some people created a phone app to report locations of “morality police” so women can avoid them. An app is a computer program on phones and computers that allow people to get information, music or other material. I'm Mario Ritter.   Golnaz Esfandiari reported on this story for Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty. Bruce Alpert adapted this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or share your views on our Facebook Page. ____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   unit – n. a group that is a part of something larger dress code – n. rules for what people can wear uniforms – n. special kind of clothing that is worn by all the members of a group or organization dignity – n. the quality of being worthy of honor or respect personality – n. the set of emotional qualities, ways of behaving, that makes a person different from other people

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