1900 UTC Hourly Newscast in English

From Washington, this is VOA News.     I’m Dave DeForest reporting. Brazil's political crisis deepens: The speaker of the lower house of Congress invalidated a vote last month that would launch an impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff. Interim Speaker Waldir Maranhao said the new vote would be taken on whether to impeach the 68-year-old leader. It is not clear why he annulled the earlier vote. A Mexican judge has ruled that drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman can be extradited to face charges in the United States. Mexico's federal court authority announced the approval of the extradition request Monday, but the final decision lies with the foreign ministry. Guzman's lawyers can appeal the decision. A British reporter was ordered by state authorities to leave North Korea. Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, along with his producer and cameraman, were detained Friday at the Pyongyang airport as they tried to leave the country.  The BBC says Wingfield-Hayes had recently been detained for allegedly "insulting the dignity" of the country in the run-up to the recent party congress. An alliance backing mainstream candidates is claiming victory in Lebanon's first round of local elections. Members of the Beirut list, an alliance backed by former prime minister Saad Hariri and other senior politicians, announced they had won all 24 seats in the Beirut municipality. Municipal elections were held in Beirut and the eastern Bekaa Valley. Sunday's elections were the first in Lebanon since 2010. The government has postponed parliamentary elections, citing security concerns linked to the conflict in neighboring Syria. Three other rounds of voting will take place in other parts of the country in the coming weeks.  This is VOA News.   We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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Myanmar Wants US to Stop Calling Minority Group ‘Rohingya’

  A Myanmar government official says the country wants the U.S. Embassy to stop using the term “Rohingya” to refer to the nation’s mainly Muslim minority. The official, Myanmar’s permanent secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Aung Lin, spoke to VOA on Wednesday. He said Myanmar would prefer that the U.S. Embassy no longer use the term because it is not helpful to the government. Myanmar’s government claims that those calling themselves Rohingya are Bengalis who entered the country illegally. But the U.S. Ambassador to Myanmar, Scot Marciel, said during a press conference last week that the United States does not plan to stop using the term. He said communities all over the world should be able to choose for themselves what name they are called. “The normal U.S. practice and the normal international practice is that communities anywhere have the right, or have the ability to decide what they are going to be called. And normally when that happens, we would call them what they asked to be called. It’s not a political decision, it’s just a normal practice.” The name “Rohingya” was chosen by the mainly Muslim minority itself. Members are mostly based in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state. Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist country, has been criticized for its treatment of the Muslim minority. Many Rohingya people are not given citizenship and are denied other basic human rights. Nationalists in Myanmar criticized the U.S. Embassy after it issued a statement of condolence for a recent accident during which as many as 40 Rohingya drowned. The victims were killed while traveling to a market and a hospital from a camp for internally displaced people in Rakhine state. The embassy statement linked the accident to restrictions on basic services in the state. It said the restrictions can lead community members to risk their lives in search of better living conditions. Some foreign observers had expressed hope that the plight of the Rohingya community might improve after Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s party took power last month. But others noted that neither Aung San Suu Kyi nor her National League for Democracy party gave clear signs that policies would change regarding the Rohingya people. U.N. agencies estimate one-tenth of the Rohingya population has fled Myanmar since 2012, when an outbreak of religious violence left more than 200 people dead. I’m Bryan Lynn. Steve Herman reported on this story for VOANews.com. Bryan Lynn adapted this story for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly 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   practice – n. something that is regularly done, often as a habit, tradition or custom predominantly – adv. mainly; for the most part condolence – n. an expression of sympathy displace – v. to force people to leave their homes, especially due to war, persecution or natural disaster plight – n. a dangerous, difficult or unfortunate situation outbreak – n. a sudden increase of fighting or disease  

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North Korea Expels BBC Journalists

North Korea has expelled a group of BBC reporters, apparently because the country was unhappy with their reports. The BBC’s Tokyo correspondent, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, was detained Friday. His cameraman and producer were also detained as the group was about to leave North Korea. The BBC reported that Wingfield-Hayes was interrogated by North Korean officials for eight hours and made to sign a statement. The team remained in Pyongyang before flying to Beijing on Monday.    The BBC reporters were in North Korea before the Workers’ Party Congress meeting in Pyongyang. They were also following a delegation of Nobel Prize winners who were visiting the country. The team later joined about 130 other foreign reporters covering the Workers’ Party Congress. The event is the biggest political convention to be held in North Korea in 36 years But the reporters covering the congress were kept away from party officials attending the meeting. The reporters also were closely monitored by North Korean representatives. The party congress has tried to show unity and support for the policies of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Among those policies are development of both the economy and nuclear weapons. During the congress, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un declared his country was a nuclear state. However, he said North Korea would not use nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty is violated. Kim said he is willing to consider normalizing ties with countries that have been hostile to North Korea in the past. Experts said the North Korean leader did not offer any serious new proposals for reducing international tensions over the country’s nuclear program. South Korea’s Defense Ministry rejected Kim’s assertion that North Korea is a nuclear power. “It is a consistent position of us and the international community that we do not recognize North Korea as a nuclear state,” said a defense ministry spokesman. He said that Seoul will continue to push efforts to make North Korea give up its nuclear program through sanctions and pressure. The United Nations placed strong new sanctions on North Korea in March for its latest nuclear test in January and a rocket launch earlier this year. Korea expert Bruce Bennett from the RAND Corporation told VOA the North does not need nuclear weapons for its defense. Bennett pointed out that North Korea did not have nuclear weapons for many years after the end of the Korean War in 1953. He said during that time, it was not attacked by the United States.  He also warned that once North Korea starts with a small number of nuclear weapons, that number could keep growing. “If they have more than a few, they’re not purely defensive, they’re starting to field an offensive capability. And that’s bad news for North Korea because they may eventually push the U.S. to do something about it.” Bennett added that North Korea lacks credibility on the nuclear issue because it has broken agreements and shared nuclear technology with other countries. Another expert, Bong Young-shik from the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, doubts the commitment made by Kim Jong-Un at the congress. “I think that proposal needs to be weighed to see if it carries any significance, or it is just cover for the sake of proposing to the world that the North Korean regime might be interested in a reduction of tension.” I’m Mario Ritter.   Brian Padden and Victor Beattie reported on this story for VOANews.com. Youmi Kim in Seoul also contributed to the report. Bryan Lynn adapted this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and post on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   apparently – adv. according to what you have heard or read, or to the way something appears interrogate – v. to ask somebody a lot of questions over a long period of time, sometimes in an aggressive way monitor – v. to watch closely or keep track of sovereignty – n. complete power to govern a country assertion – n. a statement that you strongly believe something to be true sanction– n. an official order that restricts trade or contacts with a country significance – n. the importance of something, especially when it has an impact on something in the future  

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Chaos in Iraq Puts Fight Against IS at Risk

The United States is expressing concern about the rising political unrest in Iraq. The Obama administration is concerned about how the unrest will affect the fight against the self-declared Islamic State group. Recently, protesters raided the Green Zone in Baghdad. The Green Zone is the protected area of Iraq’s capital where foreigners live and work. Sheikh Sabah took part in the protests. “This is what we want,” he said. “If there are no reforms the whole government should be replaced.” Shi’ite clergyman Muqtada al-Sadr sent the protesters to the Green Zone to pressure the Iraqi government. The government led by another Shi’ite, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. This is just one example of divisions within the country. James Jeffrey served as the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq under President Barack Obama. He says from the U.S. position, there is probably about a 60 percent chance that Iraq will stabilize, at what he calls, the same level of  dysfunctionality. The United States has supported Abadi’s effort to build a central government across different religious groups. The hope is that a stronger government will help Iraqi and local forces beat back Islamic State forces. But with the rising disorder and trouble, President Obama is urging the Iraqi government to move quickly. "It's up to the Iraqi people to determine the government that they form. We do think, however, that it is vital for the health and stability of Iraq that the cabinet and the makeup of government is finalized and stabilized. And we've been urging them to get the job done." With a weak government, Jeffrey says, U.S. officials should not depend on the Iraqi government to successfully face the militant group. That is, unless Washington is willing to do more militarily. Jeffrey says the U.S. should continue fighting against the IS militants. He adds, if the Iraqi government falls apart, then there other groups, like the Kurds and local Sunni tribes, which the U.S. military can turn to and train. The Iraqi army and local forces have made gains in recent months with the help of U.S. airstrikes and military trainers. But the growing U.S. military presence comes at a cost. A member of the U.S. armed forces was killed Tuesday near the city of Mosul. He was part of a U.S. military effort to help Christian and Kurdish fighters against IS forces. The Obama administration has predicted that Iraq and local forces, backed by the coalition, will recapture Mosul by the end of the year. But observers say the political unrest will not help in the fight to defeat the extremists. While IS has lost about 40 percent of the territory it once held in Iraq, it still keeps control of large areas. I’m Anne Ball.   Mary Alice Salinas wrote this story for VOANews.com. Anne Ball wrote it for Learning English. 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   stabilize – v. to be still or right; to stop going up or going down dysfunctional – adj.  having poor and unhealthy behaviors and attitudes; confused and without direction  

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Philippines Considers Another Marcos for Vice-President

In the Philippines, voters will elect a new president today. They also will elect a vice president -- the country’s second highest position. One of the leading candidates for vice president is the son of former President Ferdinand Marcos.  Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is currently a member of the Philippine Senate. His political campaign has called for finding real solutions to the country’s problems. During a recent campaign stop, the 57-year-old candidate told a crowd near Manila Bay that he takes the office of vice president very seriously. “We’re not just all talk,” he said. “It’s not just slogans. It’s not just destroying and fighting with our opponents.” Marcos has also told supporters that he wants to achieve unity, for all to live as one. “This is the only way I see that our people can once again feel their lives are renewed and progressing,” he said. His father, the former president, was accused of plundering billions of dollars and violating the human rights of citizens. Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was ousted in a “people power” rebellion in 1986. At the time, his political opponents accused him of trying to steal an election from another candidate. After several days of protests, the dictator went into exile in the American state of Hawaii, where he died three years later. Today, his son, who calls himself “Bongbong,” is very popular in the Philippines, even if his family’s name is linked to a turbulent time. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has so far been at the top or tied in national opinion surveys. His strongest support has generally come from people who lived under his father’s rule. Dennis Pareja is a cargo ship employee and a supporter of the candidate. He said the Oxford-educated Marcos would be a good choice for the country’s overseas workers. “This is not a ‘like father, like son’ situation,” Pareja said. “He’s different from his father. Bongbong has learned the lessons and will not repeat that.” Marcos told reporters at a gathering of workers that no one can change the past. “The past is the past, so we are looking to the future. That’s what’s getting us the support,” he said. Marcos was asked whether his family should say it is sorry for alleged abuses committed during his father’s rule. He has repeatedly said he would not apologize for things he did not do. Another supporter of Marcos Jr. is Roly Alvarez, who was 17 years old when the candidate’s father declared martial law in 1972. She said life was “beautiful” back then, and she longs for the days when crime was low. Another supporter, Josh Lim of Manila, said Filipinos need to do research to find the real reasons why the country’s wealth collapsed in the 1980s. “Many people said that we are number two to Japan during Marcos’ time. And well, it is sad that our history, the Philippine history, was distorted by the yellow people, yellow propaganda, if you’re aware of that.” Josh Lim was talking about the Aquino family. Former president Corazon Aquino made a yellow ribbon and yellow-colored clothing a sign of the restoration of democracy in 1986. Bonifacio Ilagan is the head of a movement aimed at preventing Marcos from becoming vice president. Ilagan said he plans to keep campaigning against the candidate. “I don’t think our country deserves a leader who lies, who keeps stolen money, and who cannot recognize right from wrong.” Observers say that while Marcos seems to be leading his six main vice presidential opponents, his levels of support have remained flat for the past four months. In recent weeks, Leni Robredo, the candidate of the Liberal Party, has slowly moved up in the polls, edging past Marcos by one or two percentage points. I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise.   Simone Orendain reported this story for VOANews.com from Manila. Bryan Lynn adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   poll – n. the process of voting in an election solution – n. the means of solving a problem or dealing with a situation achieve –v. being successfully in reaching a desired goal or objective renew – v. to continue to an activity or event after an interruption plunder – v. to steal goods from a place or people, usually by force turbulent – adj. characterized by conflict, disorder or confusion alleged – adj. said to have happened, but not yet proven martial law – n. a law imposed by a military-backed government restoration – n. the act of returning something to a former owner, place or condition

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Study: Plants May Help Women Live Longer

  Living among trees, plants and flowers can fill your life with beauty. And if you are a woman, it can also help you live longer. Researchers found that women who live in homes surrounded by plants appear to have lower death rates than women who live in areas with less greenery. Researchers at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health reported the finding. Peter James is a research associate in the school’s Department of Epidemiology. An epidemiologist is an expert in how disease spreads and how it can be controlled. James and his team looked at information from one of the largest and oldest investigations of women’s health: the Nurse’s Health Study. The Nurse’s Health Study began 40 years ago and expanded in 1989. It now has information on nearly 200,000 women. For the new study, the Harvard team looked at the mortality rates of more than 100,000 women between the years 2000 and 2008. Then the researchers compared the mortality rates of these women to the greenery around their homes. To determine the amount of trees and other vegetation, researchers examined satellite images. The researchers considered other risk factors – things such as the age of the women, their economic status, race and ethnicity. They also looked at whether or not the women smoked. The study found that the mortality rate among women who lived in the greenest spaces was 12 percent lower than those from the least green areas. Peter James said he and his team were surprised to find such a strong link between high vegetation levels and low mortality rates. He adds they were also surprised to find how high levels of plant life can affect a woman’s mental health. The study suggests that living among vegetation -- trees, flower and other plants -- lowered levels of depression. Researchers say women in greener areas spent more time with other people, exercised more and were less exposed to air pollution. One of the biggest effects of greenery appeared to be a lowered risk of respiratory disease and cancer. Here are some numbers. The study found that women living in areas with the most greenery had a 34 percent lower rate of dying from a respiratory disease and a 13 percent lower rate of dying from cancer. James says that it is common knowledge that vegetation helps the environment in many ways. But, he adds, the new findings suggest ways for city planners, landscape architects and policymakers to grow even healthier living areas. I’m Anna Matteo.     VOA News reporters wrote this story. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   mortality – n. the number of deaths that occur in a particular time or place vegetation – n. plants in general : plants that cover a particular area epidemiology – medical n. the study of how disease spreads and how disease can be controlled satellite – n. a machine that is sent into space and that moves around the earth, moon, sun, or a planet risk factor – n. something that increases risk; especially : something that makes a person more likely to get a particular disease or condition landscape architect – n. a person whose job is to plan and create large outdoor spaces such as gardens, parks, etc.  

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Amazing Amazon Hides Atlantic's Coral Reef

  Scientists studying the area where the Amazon River meets the Atlantic Ocean were in for a surprise. Under the muddy, dark Amazon River water was a large number of undiscovered reefs with colorful sea fans, coral, plants, fish and very big sponges. It was one of the biggest surprises in modern ocean science. Most ocean reefs need sunlight to exist. On their boat that day in 2012, they carried a hand-drawn map that suggested maybe a large set of reefs sat just below them. Brazilian scientist Rodrigo Moura of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, brought the map. He had read about the possible reefs in a 1977 research paper. He lowered a dredging machine into the muddy water.  Oceanographer Patricia Yager was there too. With others, she leaned over the boat’s edge, waiting to see what Moura would bring up from the bottom. They did not expect much. "But we were very excited about the possibility, and of course he brings up the most amazing animals I have ever seen, at least in this part of the world. They were colorful, coral, sponges, fish, brittle stars, all kinds of things I could not have imagined in my wildest dreams, lived underneath this river plume.” The team was studying the area where the Amazon River flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Where these waters meet, the world’s largest river moves out across the top of the ocean, spreading out like a fan. Yager teaches oceanography at the University of Georgia in the U.S. She explains that the water from the river stays separate from the ocean as it moves across it, covering the ocean with its dark and muddy water. The reefs sit hidden in the ocean, about 50 meters below the surface of the water, says Yager. “And so it is not being bathed in the river plume itself. It’s far below, in the very salty ocean, so the fresh water is not touching the reefs, they’re in salty ocean water.”     The reefs run from the French Guiana border to Brazil’s Maranhao state, covering about 9,500 square kilometers.   Yager says she was surprised to find coral reefs below the dark muddy water. “You can’t look down and see them like other reefs, they’re quite deep.  And then on top of that, the water, the surface layer of the water is very dark and turbid, so yeah, you can’t see them from the surface, that’s why we didn’t know they were there.” She says that she was taught that coral needs sunlight to survive.  And yet, here were coral in the lowlight of this area and they were just fine. Some of the reefs do get sunlight for part of the year. She says in the areas that get less light, the living creatures are less dependent on photosynthesis. Some of the coral reefs stand 30 meters high. They are home to lobster, red snapper fish and very big sponges. But the area does not have as many different kinds of animals as some of the other well-known reefs around the world, like Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. On their trip in 2012, the team only had a short time to find and explore their surprising discovery. The Brazilian scientists went back to the reefs in 2014 to do more studies of the reefs. Recently they published their findings in the journal Science. Yager says they plan to keep studying the area. One day, they would like to use they would like to use submersibles—vehicles used under water, to explore the reefs.  “It would be really nice to not have to dredge this system to understand it, because of course that is a very destructive method.  I would rather go down with cameras and look at it instead of destroying it.” She says discovering these reefs is an example of how little is known about the oceans, and how important exploration is. “We need to be open to discoveries,” she says. News about the reef comes when there is more bad news about the problems of coral bleaching in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Scientists warn the bleaching is due to warming waters, and it is very damaging to the coral. Yager says it might help to study how these Amazon reefs survive with less sunlight. Maybe, she says, scientists can find ways to help the other reefs suffering around the world. But the Amazon reefs face their own threats. Companies want to drill for oil near the reefs. If they go forward, Yager warns, those large-scale operations could damage the reefs. I’m Anne Ball.   Anne Ball wrote this story. Hai Do 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   reef – n. a group of rocks or coral or sand ridge at or near the surface of water coral – n. a hard material formed on the bottom of the sea by the skeletons of small creatures dredging – v. the act of removing mud from the bottom a river (or lake, etc) in order to search for something oceanographer – n. a person who studies oceans plume – n. the area where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean and fans out on top of the ocean water photosynthesis – n. the process where plants turn water and carbon dioxide into food when the plant is exposed to light destructive – adj. something that causes a very large amount of damage bleaching – n. the harmful process when coral losing their color—turning white— due to stress, because of warming waters  

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US Military Christens Self-driving Warship

  The U.S. military introduced a warship on Thursday that can direct itself and be used to hunt enemy submarines. The American technology is a major upgrade in robotic warfare against Chinese and Russian navies. The 40-meter-long vessel is named Sea Hunter. Sea Hunter does not carry weapons. It is powered by two diesel engines. The ship reaches speeds of 27 knots. It can sail on the ocean's surface for two or three months — without a crew onboard to control it. The ship is very efficient. It operates at a fraction of the cost of the Navy's manned ships.  “This is the first time we've ever had a totally robotic, trans-oceanic-capable ship,” said Deputy U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Work. He added that he hoped such ships might be operating in the Western Pacific within five years. Sea Hunter arrives during a time of high tension in the western Pacific and the South China Sea. China is expanding its submarine fleet. U.S. aircraft carriers, submarines and unmanned warships are critical to America's military power in the western Pacific. "We're not working on anti-submarine [technology] just because we think it's cool,” said Peter Singer, an expert on robotic warfare. “We're working on it because we're deeply concerned about the advancements that China and Russia are making.” The U.S. military says it hopes Sea Hunter, once it is tested at sea, could head to the U.S. Navy's Japan-based 7th Fleet to continue testing. The ship's projected daily operating cost is less expensive than if it were staffed with a crew. The daily operating cost is $15,000 to $20,000. The Navy said $20 million went into building Sea Hunter. "You now have an asset at a fraction of the cost of a manned platform," said Rear Admiral Robert Girrier, the Navy's director of unmanned warfare systems. The ship is about to undergo two years of testing at sea. Test runs will confirm if Sea Hunter can use radar and cameras to avoid other vessels. The tests include exercises to check that it can follow rules and standards for operating. During the christening ceremony in Portland, Oregon, Work raised the possibility of positioning weapons on Sea Hunter. He stressed that even if the United States decided to put weapons on robotic vessels such as Sea Hunter, any decision to use offensive lethal force would be made by humans. “There's no reason to be afraid of a ship like this,” Work told reporters at the ceremony. I’m Bryan Lynn. 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   upgrade – n. to make something better by including the most recent information or improvements diesel – n. a type of engine that uses diesel fuel rather than gasoline and that is used especially in large vehicles  aircraft carrier – n. a military ship that has a large deck where aircraft take off and land christening – n. the official ceremony in which something, such as a ship, is named

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Documentary Explores Conditions at Australian Detention Camps

  A documentary film about Australia’s asylum policy opened in Melbourne last Thursday. “Chasing Asylum” explores the tragedy found at detention centers that Australia operates on islands in the South Pacific Ocean.  The media is barred from the camps on the island nation of Nauru and on Manus in Papua New Guinea. But filmmaker Eva Orner said she wanted to find a way to tell the truth about them. “It has been said that we are committing torture, that we are breaking all of our obligations under the Refugee Convention, and yet it continues,” Orner said. “So I set about to show audiences what it looks like and what their taxpayer dollar is paying for.” The movie includes secretly recorded footage from inside the centers.  It documents the stories of some detainees. Orner described the conditions at the centers as horrific. “We are the only country in the world to detain children indefinitely. Women, men, children are there. Women and children have been sexually abused. Two men have died - actually, three men have died.” On May first, a 21-year-old Somali refugee was severely injured when she set herself on fire at the center on Nauru. Orner described making “Chasing Asylum” as one of the hardest projects of her life. But she said it is important the world knows how Australia is treating detainees in the centers. Orner said she hopes her film will push Australians to demand an end to the camps. Officials from Australia have defended the camps. They say the camps are deterrents to migrants. They say they also save lives because they stop refugees from risky ocean travel. Last month, Papua New Guinea’s Supreme Court declared the detention center at Manus Island unconstitutional and illegal. Prime Minister Peter O’Neill said it will close. I’m John Russell. Phil Mercer wrote this story for VOA News. Jim Dresbach adapted this story for Learning English and VOANews.com. Caty Weaver 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   documentary – n. a movie or television program that tells the facts about actual people and events obligation – n. something that you must do because of a law, rule or promise footage – n. scenes or action recorded on film or video audience – n. the people who attend a performance indefinite – adj. not certain in amount or length deterrent – n. something that makes someone decide not to do something  

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Smart Home Camera Recognizes Faces

A French company has designed a camera that recognizes faces and tells people if a stranger has entered their home. Many homes now have security cameras that tell owners if someone has entered. But the cameras do not know if the person is a family member, friend, delivery person or a criminal. But a new camera made by a company named Netatmo has facial recognition software that can tell parents at work that their children have returned from school, or that a package has been delivered to their home. It can also tell them if a stranger has entered their home. Janina Mattausch is a product marketing manager for Netatmo. “Current security cameras are not that smart. So, they can tell you if something is moving but they don’t necessarily know if it’s a human being or, ah, if it’s your kids -- they don’t know the difference, so they will alert you all the time.” When family members enter a home, the smart camera “recognizes” them and sends information to the owner’s smartphone. The owner can choose to see the video then or later. But if an unknown person enters a home, the camera will send the owner an alert that will cause an alarm to sound on the owner’s smartphone.  That is what happened recently to a smart home camera owner named Damien. He lives in Paris. “On a Friday I was at work, attending a big monthly meeting when my phone vibrated. At first I told myself ‘Oh, it must be a wrong alert, maybe I have to do some adjustments’ -- but the notification on my phone was telling me that there was a movement in my flat and also a face that the app did not recognize.” He watched the video and was very surprised by what he saw. “I saw a person I did not know with his shoes on, which is totally forbidden in my apartment. I was watching it live on video. So I felt totally frozen, stupefied. I asked a colleague to take me back home as fast as possible and I called the police on the way.” Damien showed the video of the intruder to the police. The criminal was found later that day. He was sentenced to nine months in jail. I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise. VOA Correspondent Zlatica Hoke reported this story from Washington. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for VOA Learning English. 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   alert – v. to give (someone) important information about a possible problem, danger, etc.; to warn (someone) facial recognition – n. the ability to recognize different faces vibrate – v. to move a device back and forth or from side to side with very short, quick movements adjustment – n. a small change that improves something or makes it work better flat – n. (Chiefly British, European) an apartment typically on one floor app – n. abbreviation for “application,” a computer program that performs a particular task (such as word processing) forbidden – adj. not permitted or allowed frozen – adj. to become unable to do or say anything stupefy – v. to shock or surprise (someone) very much; to cause (someone) to become confused or unable to think clearly intruder – n. a person who enters a place illegally

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Everyday Grammar: Causative Make

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