December 13, 2016

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

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Bombings, Arrests in Turkey as Government Battles Opponents

  Officials in Turkey say police have detained over 500 people since Monday because of their suspected ties to Kurdish militants. Members of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), parliament's second largest opposition group, are reported to be among the detained. Police launched raids across the country after a group called the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons claimed responsibility for two bomb attacks. Turkish officials accuse the group of having ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is banned in the country.   The bombs exploded late Saturday near a sports center in Istanbul. The explosions killed at least 44 people and wounded more than 150 others. Officials say the blasts targeted security officials. The government has often accused the HDP of being an extension of the PKK. The top HDP official was among those arrested in Ankara. Other leaders of the party, the second largest opposition group in parliament, are in jail over reported ties to the PKK. The bombings come after months of fighting between Turkish forces and Kurdish militants. The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons claim the bombings were meant to answer state violence in the southeast, reported the Associated Press. Amnesty Report Last week, the rights group Amnesty International published a report criticizing Turkey for displacing up to half a million people. Amnesty International's report focused on Diyarbakir, the main city in the country's southeast. It described months of fighting between the PKK and Turkish security forces in the Sur district. The writer of the report, Andrew Gardner, said that many people were forced from their houses with very little warning. He noted that in some cases, children have not been able to go to school. The report claims 24,000 people in Sur were forced from their homes and about 2,000 properties have been destroyed. Under international law, Amnesty says, the government must let people return home. Turkish Government Response The mayor of Sur was accused of supporting terrorism, and was removed from office. Bilal Ozkan, the state-appointed replacement, said in October that the government would respect the right to return. "Our duty is to fix the infrastructure and give it back to the people here. The owner of Diyarbakir is its inhabitants, the owner of Sur are its inhabitants. There is definitely no plan for pushing our citizens further away," Ozkan said. The Amnesty report said that the Turkish government has taken control of over 60 percent of the Sur district under emergency legislation. Gardner said there is little evidence that the government plans to honor its promise to let the local population return. The bombings in Istanbul mean that a quick return for the district’s inhabitants is even less likely.   I’m John Russell. Aline Barros, Isabela Cocoli and Dorian Jones reported on this story for VOANews.com. Additional information from AP and Reuters was used. John Russell adapted these reports for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   displace -- v. to force (people or animals) to leave the area where they live​ focus – v. to direct your attention or effort at something specific infrastructure – n. the system of roads and other public services in a country or state inhabitants – n. people who occupy a place for a long period  

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Trump Chooses ExxonMobil Chief as Secretary of State

  U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Rex Tillerson as his secretary of state -- the top cabinet position. Tillerson currently serves as Chief Executive Officer at the Texas-based oil company ExxonMobil. In a statement, Trump said the businessman’s experience operating a major company will help him lead the State Department. “His tenacity, broad experience and deep understanding of geopolitics make him an excellent choice for secretary of state. He will promote regional stability and focus on the core national security interests of the United States,” Trump said. Tillerson has no experience as a diplomat, but his company has business relationships with governments in many countries, including Russia. Trump says those contacts should serve Tillerson well as America’s top diplomat. In Trump’s words, “a great advantage is he knows many of the players and he knows them well. He does massive deals in Russia.” Tillerson has reached major agreements with Russian companies for the exploration and production of oil and natural gas. These deals led Russian President Vladimir Putin to give Tillerson his country’s Order of Friendship in 2013. Earlier this year, Tillerson said he has known Putin since 1999 and has a “very close relationship with him.” The ExxonMobil chief has strongly criticized American limits on trade with Russia. These measures have forced him to cancel some projects that would have been profitable for his company. Political observers say Tillerson’s ties with Russian officials may cause some members of the United States Senate to question his appointment. While American presidents can appoint members of their cabinet, the Senate must approve the nominees before they can serve. The Constitution gives the Senate this power. On Sunday, John McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Tillerson’s relationship with Putin is “a matter of concern.” Marco Rubio, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a Tweet about Tillerson: “Being a friend of Vladimir is not an attribute I am hoping for from a secretary of state.” Relations between the United States and Russia have worsened in the past week after publication of intelligence findings. U.S. intelligence agencies found that Russia was involved in the theft of emails from Democratic Party officials. Some political observers believe the theft influenced the 2016 presidential election. Trump has said repeatedly that he wants to improve relations with Moscow. On Monday, Russia praised Tillerson. It said he is “highly professional.” I’m Ashley Thompson.  VOA’s Zlatica Hoke and Steve Herman reported this story. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted their reports 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   tenacity – n. the act of being very determined to do something geopolitics – n. the study of how geography and economics have an influence on politics and on the relations between nations regional – adj. parts of the world focus – v. to direct your attention or effort at something specific core – n. the most important or basic part of something attribute – n. a quality or feature that someone or something has  

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China Seeks Recognition as Market Economy

  China just marked 15 years since it became a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). But on Monday, China launched a complaint at the WTO. Chinese officials are protesting the way the United States and European Union calculate prices for exported goods in trade disputes with their country. China joined the WTO on December 11, 2001. On Sunday, part of China’s agreement with the trade group came to an end. Chinese officials say this means the nation, led by the Chinese Communist Party, should have market economy status, also known as MES. The term MES means that trade partners would have to accept prices reported by China’s exporters. For the past 15 years, China’s trade partners have used what are called “surrogate prices.” These prices are believed to take the real cost of Chinese exports into consideration. This may include government assistance that makes prices lower. Market economy status makes it harder for other countries to punish a WTO trade partner with high tariffs. However, the European Union, the United States and some other countries do not agree that China should be given MES. Japan and India also are unlikely to immediately consider China a market economy. Concerns about selling products below the cost of production China’s economy is slowing now after expanding for about 25 years at a rate of 10 percent or more. This year, the world’s second largest economy is expected to grow by less than seven percent. China considers market economy status important to its efforts to increase or at least support trade levels. But many experts say China heavily supports state-owned businesses by letting them cut prices and “dump” goods in foreign markets. The word dumping describes selling exports for a lower price than they are sold in their home market or below the cost of production. Scott Kennedy is director of the Project on Chinese Business and Political Economy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. He says, “The most neutral judge of whether China is complying with its WTO commitments is the WTO.” Out of 24 trade disputes, Kennedy says, decisions have been reached in 16. Of those cases, he notes, China has lost 13. However, a recent editorial in the Communist Party’s “People’s Daily” said it is not an issue of letting China receive market economy status. The newspaper said it is the “obligation of the EU and other WTO members” to give China MES. Free trade less popular around the world The disagreement over China’s position in the WTO adds to growing concerns about free trade around the world. Ideas that some people consider protectionist have been voiced in Europe. They became widely reported after Britain voted to leave the European Union. U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has also threatened to place heavy import taxes on some Chinese goods. Eli Friedman is an associate professor at Cornell University’s Industrial and Labor Relations School. He says the possibility of protectionist measures in the West could be really bad news for China’s exporters. He says, “Many countries are now looking to China to push forward on free trade—an agenda that is increasingly unpopular among voters globally.” The WTO is expected to release more information about China’s recent case in the coming days. I’m Mario Ritter. Bill Ide and Saibal Dasbupta reported on this story for VOANews.com. Mario Ritter adapted their reports for Learning English with additional material from the Reuter news service and the WTO. George Grow was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   complaint –n. a formal statement of dissatisfaction seeking to correct a problem calculate –v. to get a general idea about the value, size or cost of something status – n. the state, rank or position of something when compared to something else surrogate – n. a person or thing that takes the place of another tariffs – n. taxes placed on imports or exports obligation – n. something that is not voluntary but required globally – adj. of or related to the world

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Voter Expectations for Trump Up Since Election

  Americans are more hopeful about how well Donald Trump will perform as the president of the United States than they were during the recent election campaign. But their opinions are less positive than they were for other presidents-elect in the past. This information comes from the Pew Research Center, a Washington-based research group. Researchers spoke to over 1,500 adult Americans for the study. Pew found that 35 percent of those questioned believe Trump will be a good or great president, while 18 percent said he will be average. Thirty-eight percent said he will be poor or terrible. Pew said the opinions about Trump are far better than they were during the election campaign. Trump, a businessman, defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the presidency. He is set to be sworn-in as America’s 45th president on January 20, 2017. According to Pew, 41 percent of Americans approved of the job Trump has done in explaining his policies and plans for his presidency. Pew said 40 percent of Americans approved of Trump’s choices to serve in his cabinet. That survey took place days before he made some of his most recent cabinet picks, including Secretary of State.  Pew also said 71 percent of Americans approved of Barack Obama’s cabinet choices after his election in 2008 and before he took office. It said 58 percent approved of George W. Bush’s cabinet choices before he was sworn-in as president in 2001. People nominated to serve in the cabinet must be approved by the U.S. Senate, one of two houses of Congress. Pew’s report suggests that Trump has a long way to go to persuade Americans he is ready to be their president. According to Pew, only 37 percent of voters said that Trump is well qualified to be president. Sixty-five percent said that he is reckless and has poor judgement. Sixty-eight percent said he is not likeable. Most Americans Know Election Results A large majority of Americans know about the election results, Pew reported. Nearly 8 in 10 voters know Trump won the most Electoral College votes. Seven in 10 know Clinton won the most individual votes in the 2016 election, Pew said. When voters go to the polls, they make their choice for president. But, in reality, they are electing their state's representatives to the Electoral College. In all but two states, the candidate who wins the popular vote in a state gets all of the state’s Electoral College votes. In two states, Nebraska and Maine, some Electoral College votes are chosen based on congressional districts. In those states, the candidate who wins a majority of a congressional district gets that district’s Electoral College vote. The Electoral College will meet on Monday, December 19, to officially choose the next president. Trump is expected to become the fifth person to be elected president, while losing the popular vote. Some people opposed to Trump are urging members of the Electoral College not to vote for him as president -- even if their state’s voters gave most votes to him. But it appears the anti-Trump effort will fail. Clinton’s top political adviser is supporting calls by some members of the Electoral College to get an intelligence briefing. The members want to know more about what U.S. intelligence officials say was Russian inference with the presidential campaign. “The bipartisan electors' letter raises very grave issues involving our national security,” said Clinton adviser, John Podesta. “Electors have a solemn responsibility under the Constitution and we support their efforts to have their questions addressed.” The last person elected president while losing the popular vote was Texas Governor George W. Bush. He was elected president in 2000, but lost the popular vote to then-Vice President Al Gore by over 500,000 votes. Hillary Clinton is now leading Donald Trump in the popular vote by about 2.7 million ballots, according to the Cook Political Report. I’m Alice Bryant.   Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page. ____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   positive - adj. thinking that a good result will happen survey - n. an activity in which many people are asked a question or questions in order to gather information about what most people do or think about something  reckless - adj. not showing proper concern about the possible bad results of your actions according -  adv. as stated by or in district - n. a territorial division; an area bipartisan - adj. relating to or involving members of two political parties grave - adj.  requiring or causing serious thought or concern solemn - adj. very serious address - v. to give attention to something

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Iran Air Signs $16 Billion Plane Deal with Boeing

  Iran’s main air travel company Iran Air has signed an agreement with American manufacturer Boeing to buy 80 passenger airplanes. The two companies announced the $16.6 billion deal Sunday after a signing ceremony in Iran’s capital,Tehran. The agreement calls for Boeing to provide 50 737 planes and 30 777 aircraft to Iran Air over the next 10 years. Boeing said the first planes would start arriving in 2018. It is the biggest agreement to be signed between an Iranian and American company since Iran’s revolution in 1979. Iran had previously been barred from buying planes from U.S.-based Boeing because of economic sanctions against the country. The U.S. government approved the deal in September. The approval was the result of an international nuclear agreement signed by Iran and six world powers in July 2015. The agreement eased restrictions on Iran in exchange for limits on Iran’s nuclear program.   The U.S. House of Representatives voted last month to block aircraft sales to Iran possibly affecting the Boeing deal. The measure must still pass the Senate. U.S. President Barack Obama has said he will veto the bill if it reaches his desk before he leaves office on January 20. Boeing said in a statement the deal would “support tens of thousands of U.S. jobs” directly related to production of the planes. Iran’s transport minister said the agreement represented a “historic” day for Iran. He added that the deal would create 8,000 jobs in Iran. The official indirectly noted the incoming administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. “We hope that despite changes in the U.S. administration, the country will remain loyal to its commitments,” he said. During his campaign for president, Trump strongly criticized the nuclear agreement. He called it a “disaster” and the “worst deal ever negotiated.” Trump also threatened to end the deal if elected president. The president-elect recently criticized Boeing for “out of control” costs related to another contract. Boeing has an agreement to build new airplanes for the president, known as Air Force One.   “Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!" Trump tweeted. The U.S. Air Force has agreed with Boeing to build two new Air Force One planes expected to go into service by 2024. The deal for the Air Force One contract is expected to cost about $3 billion, but costs have reportedly been rising. In response to Trump, Boeing said in a statement that it was currently under contract with the Air Force for $170 million for the project’s first phase. It said that amount would be spent “to help determine the capabilities of these complex military aircraft.” “We look forward to working with the U.S. Air Force on subsequent phases of the program allowing us to deliver the best planes for the president at the best value for the American taxpayer,” the statement said. Boeing is not the only defense company that Trump has criticized. On Monday, the president-elect said the “cost is out of control” on the F-35 fighter jet program of aerospace company Lockheed Martin. The $400 billion program has been called the most costly in the history of the U.S. Defense Department. I’m Anne Ball. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   sanctions – n. restrictions imposed on a country as a way to try to get it to obey international laws phase – n. stage or period that is part of a longer period subsequent – adj. happening after something else deliver – v. take something to a person or place  

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Are You Standing in Line to Buy a Hatchimal?

  This is What’s Trending Today. Do you know someone who is looking for a Hatchimal? If you do not, you probably will soon. Hatchimals are popular gifts for children this holiday season. A Hatchimal is a small, soft toy that comes inside a plastic egg. The owner is supposed to care for the egg, holding it in their hands and keeping it warm. After a while, the toy will break open holes in the surface. Hatchimals are able to move and light up. They can also play simple games and repeat sounds made by the owner. Hatchimals arrived in stores across the United States in October. Since then, Americans have been buying them as holiday gifts for children. Each one sells for about $60. But some people predicted the plaything would be a trendy gift this year. Those wise investors purchased several Hatchimals. They are now re-selling them at three or four times the price. A lot of parents who hope to buy the playthings as gifts are not happy about that. There are stories of parents sleeping outside of stores that claim to have Hatchimals for sale, only to find out that very few are actually available. A news reporter collected stories from over the weekend. One New York woman reportedly waited outside a store from 11:30 at night until 8 the next morning. She was the seventh person in line. The store let the people in front of her buy two toys each. The store only had 12 for sale, so she missed out. The woman said her 8-year-old child will not be happy this Christmas. Many people are reacting to reports that writer Sara Gruen bought $23,000 worth of the toys. Gruen wrote the popular novel “Water for Elephants.” She bought 156 Hatchimals. She is selling them to raise money for the lawyers representing a man she said is in jail for a crime he did not commit. Some people are reacting on social media to the stories. One woman in Manchester, England posted on Facebook in November. She said the toy was not worth the money, and once her children played with her gift for a few hours, they did not want to play with it again. Her post was forwarded almost 80,000 times and attracted over 40,000 responses. Another mother left a comment saying her son was bored with the toy after a while. She said she plans to make him remember Hatchimals the next time he says “Mom, I need that toy.” And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Lucija Millonig.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Are you hoping to buy a Hatchimal? Let us know in the comments section. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   trendy – adj. currently popular or fashionable bored – v. to make (someone) tired and annoyed by being uninteresting or too much the same  toy – n. a child’s plaything novel – n. a written work that is usually long and complex, and deals with a series of events attract – v. to pull or move toward someone or something  

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December 12, 2016

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

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US Democratic Party Looks to the Future

  Donald Trump’s election as president of the United States came as a shock to many Democratic Party activists. Now, Democrats are considering what the party did wrong and what its future might be. Most Democrats -- and even some Republican Party activists -- believed Hillary Clinton would win the election last month. The former Secretary of State was the Democrats’ presidential candidate. But Republicans, under businessman Trump, won the presidency and kept control of the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. It will be two years before Democrats can try to take control of Congress. John Fortier works at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C. He says the Democrats must now decide how they will oppose the policies of Trump and the Republicans. “Where does the party go? Is it a party that really looks to some of its more progressive figures -- (Massachusetts Senator) Elizabeth Warren and others who would lead the party or (Vermont Senator) Bernie Sanders (who) would lead the party in a more left direction -- or would they go in a direction more like you saw from Hillary Clinton, which is somewhat more in the middle of their party?” Political observers say most working-class Americans voted for Donald Trump. In a recent speech, Senator Bernie Sanders said Democrats must find a way to persuade working-class Americans to vote for Democratic candidates again. “There are millions of people today, working-class people, middle-class people, low-income people, who are living in despair.” Many Democrats believe Trump and his supporters will cancel parts of the Affordable Care Act. The act, known as Obamacare, is one of President Barack Obama’s top legislative measures. Democrats also believe the Republicans will reduce taxes on businesses. Chuck Schumer of New York is the new leader of the Democrats in the Senate. He has said the party is ready to oppose Trump’s policies. But he says Democrats may cooperate with the future president on issues like spending on roads or other infrastructure. Such spending is popular with Democrats because they believe it provides jobs for many people. The party must also prepare for elections in 2018, in which many more Democratic senators will seek re-election than Republicans. Many of the Democrats are from states that Trump won in the 2016 election. Tim Ryan is a Democratic congressman from Ohio. He was unsuccessful in his attempt to replace longtime California congresswoman Nancy Pelosi as top Democrat in the House of Representatives. Like Sanders, Ryan is worried about how to get Americans to vote for Democrats. He spoke after losing his campaign to remove Pelosi. “And I believe it in my heart that if we are gonna win as Democrats, we need to have an economic message that resonates in every corner of this country.” Almost one-third of the Democrats in the House voted for Tim Ryan. New York Congressman Joseph Crowley was not one of them. But he agreed with Ryan that, in Crowley's words, “Democrats are the party with ideas and a vision -- but we need to do a better job of connecting with people on the ground who made it clear they weren’t listening or couldn’t hear what we had to say.” Because Clinton was defeated, the Democrats do not have a national leader. Some experts believe Barack Obama may work on energizing the party after he leaves the White House. Obama said recently that Democrats must continue to keep their promise of ensuring economic fairness. “So there are gonna be a core set of values that shouldn't be up for debate -- should be our North Star. But how we organize politically, I think, is somethin' that we should spend some time thinkin' about.” Trump won the northern states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. All three states had voted for a Democrat in every presidential election since 1992. This year, many white working-class voters in those areas voted for Trump. Political commentator Fred Barnes spoke about the U.S. president-elect on VOA’s “Issues in the News” program. “And he did something that I thought Republicans were gonna maybe never be able to do, and that is win Pennsylvania, win Ohio, win Michigan and win Wisconsin -- the Rust Belt, the industrial belt, where there's so many working-class people, a number of them out of work, but, but still an awful lot of 'em.” Trump had success with voters who felt ignored by the Democratic Party. Rebecca Thoeni of Iowa voted for Democratic candidates for many years. But last month, she voted for Trump. Theoni told the Associated Press that “Trump got out there and showed he was serious about keeping jobs. He explained things in layman’s terms. That’s what changed me.” Many people in America’s Upper Midwest said similar things. Fortier says Democrats should be successful in the future because of the predicted continuing growth in the non-white population. In the months to come, Congressional Democrats will have to decide on what issues they will oppose Trump, and on which ones they will work with him. Maryland Senator Ben Cardin, a Democrat, recently told VOA that the party will not support Trump on his economic, civil rights and immigration policies.  I’m Caty Weaver. And I'm Dan Friedell.   VOA Correspondent Jim Malone reported this story from Washington. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted his report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   infrastructure – n. the basic equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) that are needed for a country, region, or organization to function properly resonate – v. to have particular meaning or importance for someone; to affect or appeal to someone in a personal or emotional way (usually + with) corner – n. area (often used figuratively) core set of values – expression beliefs North Star – expression (often used figuratively) a bright star that can be seen in the sky in northern parts of the world when you look directly toward the north; unifying principle industrial belt – n. expression an area of the United States where many factories are located layman’s terms – n. in simple language that anyone can understand diversity – n. the state of having people who are different races or who have different cultures in a group or organization

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Executions Are Down, but Debate over Death Sentence Continues

  The United States is expected to execute fewer people in 2016 than any year in the past 25 years. So far this year, 19 people have been put to death for their crimes nationwide. That is down from 28 last year, and 98 in 1998. Those numbers come from the Death Penalty Information Center, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. The death penalty is sometimes called the ultimate punishment. The question of whether it should be used as punishment continues to divide Americans. Supporters say that people found guilty of horrible crimes should get the ultimate punishment. They believe the death penalty will act as a deterrent. By deterrent, they mean it might cause a person to decide against killing someone. But opponents argue that a moral society does not put people to death. They say when an innocent person is found guilty of a crime, there is no way to fix the mistake if that person already has been executed. The arguments on both sides can be very emotional. Fighting for Death Penalty After Daughter’s Murder Marc Klaas lost his daughter Polly in 1993. The 12-year-old was taken from a party, raped, and then murdered. Before her murder, Marc Klass opposed the death penalty. But now he believes it is punishment that should be available for the worst crimes -- killing a child, killing police officers or killing more than one person. “The whole idea that somebody like Richard Allan Davis, the guy that murdered my daughter, would be in a position, after his extensive criminal history, to even get his hands on my child, is absolutely preposterous. And apparently, the only way that can be stopped is through his execution.” Klass noted that Davis once said he gets sexual pleasure in prison from thinking about tying up his past victims. “Now, that tells me that the guy that murdered my child is sitting in his cell on death row, re-victimizing her on a daily basis. And the only way that re-victimization will ever cease is the day that he ceases to exist. And I think that her memory and her spirit deserves better than the consideration he has given her…”   Davis has been jailed on death row in California since 1996. Death row is the part of a prison that houses people sentenced to die. None of the over 700 people now on death row in California have set execution dates. A Toronto Mom Meets Texas Death Row Inmate Bri-anne Swan is a singer-songwriter, wife, and mother of two. She lives in Toronto, Canada. Swan opposes the death penalty on moral grounds. Two years ago, she began sending letters to Ramiro Gonzales. He is jailed on death row in the American state of Texas. He was sentenced to die after he admitted killing 18-year-old Bridget Townsend in 2001. Gonzales asked Swan to come to Texas and witness his execution, which was set for August. She agreed and decided to make the visit, even when the execution was delayed. Swan and Gonzales talked for 10 hours. She said there was sadness on the last day of her Texas visit. Both Swan and Gonzales knew the next time she might see him would be the day of his execution, she said. Swan wrote to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, asking him to stop the execution. When Gonzales killed Bridget Townsend, he was 18, addicted to drugs, “dealing with the loss of his beloved aunt and years of sexual abuse by a male relative,” Swan said. Today, she told Abbott, he is a “gentle and kind man who has a deeply spiritual life.” Gonzales did a terrible thing at 18, “but he is not that person today,” she added.   Death Penalty Gets Vote in 3 States Voters in three states -- California, Nebraska and Oklahoma -- voted last month to permit use of the death penalty for some crimes. Thirty one states give courts the right to sentence prisoners to death. Nineteen states do not permit the death sentence. More Americans support the death penalty than oppose it -- 49 percent for and 42 percent against. That information comes from the Pew Research Center. But the percentage is down 7 percent from last year, and way down from the 1990s, when 80 percent of the U.S. population supported the death penalty, Pew said. Robert Dunham is executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center. He opposes the death penalty. Dunham said a good number of people have been sentenced to death, despite strong questions about their guilt. He said there also appears to be racial bias. Blacks who kill whites are more likely to face the death penalty than other people found guilty of murder. Michael Rushford is president of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation. He supports the death penalty. Without the threat of execution, he said, it is very difficult to stop murderers from killing again or attacking their guards. People already serving life sentences know that, without the death penalty, courts cannot increase their sentences -- no matter what they do, Rushford said. I’m Jill Robbins. And I'm Bruce Alpert.   Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   ultimate - adj. most extreme multiple - adj. more than one extensive - adj. large in number absolutely preposterous -- adj. very foolish, without any merit apparently - adv. used to describe something that appears to be true daily basis - happening everyday cease - v. stop addicted - adj. unable to stop using a harmful substance bias – n. a personal and sometime unreasoned judgment

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Garlic: The Key to a Long Life?

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. Garlic is one of the most common cooking ingredients around the world. Many dishes in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas use this strong-flavored vegetable. Garlic is similar to other bulb-shaped plants, including onions, chives, leeks and scallions. But garlic is special. For centuries, people have used garlic not only for cooking, but also for medicine. Medicinal garlic throughout time Researchers at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Cornell University studied the medicinal use of garlic throughout history. They found references to garlic in ancient texts from Egypt, Greece, Rome, China and India. For example, in ancient Greece and Rome, people considered garlic an aid to strength and endurance. The original Olympic athletes in Greece ate garlic to improve their performance. The ancient Romans fed garlic to the soldiers and sailors. Workers who built the pyramids in Egypt ate garlic. In fact, this is a theme throughout early history -- workers eating garlic to increase their strength. But why is garlic such a healthy food? The short answer is that garlic creates a gas called hydrogen sulfide. At first, hydrogen sulfide does not seem very healthy. In fact, it is toxic and flammable. It smells like rotten eggs. But it does an important job in our bodies. Hydrogen sulfide relaxes blood vessels. Relaxing blood vessels, in turn, allows more oxygen to travel to the body’s organs. It lowers high blood pressure and protects the body against cardiovascular disease. “Cardio” relates to the heart and “vascular” relates to blood vessels. Some researchers in China have gone so far as to call hydrogen sulfide the key to a longer life. So many studies on garlic! In a 2007 study, researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham studied how garlic increased hydrogen sulfide and how that, in turn, affected red blood cells. David Kraus led that study. At the time, he was an associate professor in the university’s Departments of Environmental Health Sciences and Biology. He and his team performed their study on rats. They found that when garlic compounds changed into hydrogen sulfide in the vascular system, the gas caused the muscles to relax. In their report, the researchers wrote, “This relaxation is the first step in lowering high blood pressure and gaining heart-protective effects.” They found that these healthy effects are closely linked to the hydrogen sulfide produced from garlic compounds interacting with red blood cells. In 2013, scientists were finally able to see this process happen. Chemists Alexander Lippert of Southern Methodist University in Dallas and Vivian S. Lin discovered how to observe this process in living human cells. In a Science Daily news release, Lippert explains that they “made a chemical probe that reacts and lights up when live human cells generate hydrogen sulfide.” Lippert’s real-time video features live human cells making hydrogen sulfide. Their discovery has opened the door to more research into the health benefits of garlic and the production of hydrogen sulfide in the body. In a 2015 experiment at Penn State University, researchers injected a solution that would create hydrogen sulfide in the arms of healthy young adults. They wanted to see what hydrogen sulfide would do to a small area of blood vessels. The initial findings are that hydrogen sulfide widened blood vessels, which then increased the flow of blood. These researchers plan to continue their research. They published their findings in The Journal of Physiology. Older garlic may be even healthier But let’s leave the laboratory and go to the kitchen. Don’t throw out older garlic that has sprouted. You may have thought that garlic growing light green sprouts was past its prime or old and on its way to the trash bin. But not so fast. Scientists have reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that this older garlic has even more properties that are good for our bodies than fresh garlic. When researchers tested garlic that had sprouted for five days, they found it had higher antioxidant activity than fresher bulbs of garlic.     Also, to get the full effect of garlic’s health benefits, do not add it to food or cook with it immediately. Cutting, crushing or mincing garlic releases the healthy compound found in the vegetable. But heating the garlic or adding it to other ingredients prevents the release of this healthy compound. So cut or crush or mince the garlic, and let it rest by itself for a couple minutes.    So, are there any downsides to garlic? Well, the same reason garlic is good for us and good in dishes -- that strong sulfur odor -- is the same reason it gives us bad breath. But there might be a cure for that, too. Yet another study found that eating an apple or lettuce after eating garlic cuts down on the strong garlic smell on one’s breath. And that’s the Health & Lifestyle report. I’m Anna Matteo. In the Comments Section, share how you use garlic in your cooking. Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.  ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   endurance – n. the ability to continue an activity for a long period toxic – adj. containing or being poisonous material flammable – adj. capable of being easily lit and of burning quickly   cardiovascular – adj. of, relating to, or involving the heart and blood vessels probe – n. an usually small object that is inserted into something so as to test conditions at a given point initial – adj. of or relating to the beginning  sprout – n. to send out new growth past its prime – figure of speech beyond the most useful or productive period antioxidant – n. a substance that limits oxidation or chemical reactions caused by oxygen, peroxides, or free radicals

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