India Celebrates 50th Anniversary for Rice That Prevented Famines

  Back in 1966, a farmer named Nekkanti Subha Rao planted a new variety of rice in the southeastern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The rice plant is called IR8. It was the creation of scientists at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines. Scientists created the IR8 variety by combining a tall rice plant from Indonesia and a shorter version from China. IR8 was the world’s first highly productive rice. It is credited with having prevented famines and providing food for millions of people. Agricultural experts say IR8 rice is partly responsible for the Green Revolution, which began in the 1940s and continued through the 1960s. During this period, farmers increased their use of man-made fertilizers and pesticides, and irrigation systems to water crops. Food production sharply increased and helped prevent widespread hunger. India and the International Rice Research Institute have been celebrating the 50th anniversary of IR8 rice, which became known as “miracle rice.” Farmer Rao, now 80 years old, remembers his surprise when he harvested a shocking 7.5 tons of rice on every hectare. “Never before,” he said. “Every farmer feeling very, very, very happy, happy. 100 percent success.” Many Asian countries struggled with food shortages in the 1960s and 1970s. IR8 and other varieties that followed helped increase rice production in Asia by 200 percent. The increase helped prevent widespread hunger. “It transformed agriculture,” said Dr. Nafees Meah, the institute’s representative for South Asia. He said the Green Revolution prevented the food crises that happened in those years. “It saved millions of lives.” After India, IR8 rice was planted in other Asian countries, such as the Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia, where rice is the main food for most people. Agriculture experts say that the plant’s shorter length made IR8 rice stronger and less likely to fail before harvest time. And, it took less time to grow compared to local rice. So, farmers could plant more than one crop on the same land.​ Recalling the Green Revolution Even with the rise in food production, the Green Revolution also led to some long-term troubles. As The New York Times reported, crops such as IR8 rice required heavy use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. This method of agriculture left behind chemical pollution, noted U.S. News & World Report magazine. It also used up a lot of soil nutrients, and eventually led to soil depletion. So, farmers needed more and more fertilizer, according to National Public Radio (NPR). Crops like IR8 also needed more water than natural rainfall offered, so farmers had to irrigate the soil and build wells, NPR noted. In India, this caused the groundwater to sink as much as one meter each year. This “package of practices” was costly, especially for poor farmers. Many of the farmers used credit to buy the products and services, but could not pay back their loans. So, they went into debt, lost their land, and were forced to move to crowded cities to find work. After they left, richer farmers bought their land. There was very little work on the larger farms because farmers began turning to tractors and other modern equipment. So, human labor decreased, creating high rural unemployment in some areas. Widespread planting of only one or two varieties of rice also reduced biodiversity. In the long-term, this can lead to the spread of disease among plants. Feeding a growing world The methods used during the Green Revolution saved nearly one billion people from starvation, according to the New York Times. However, experts are divided on whether the lasting results are more good than bad. Today food security is still an issue, and not just for Asia. At the same time, malnourishment continues to affect millions of poor people on the continent. And everywhere, farmers are dealing with issues resulting from climate change. Rod Wing is an American scientist at the International Rice Research Institute. He says developing new kinds of rice with more nutrients but less of a harmful effect on the environment can reduce our dependence on gases linked to climate change. The problem, he says, is that the rice must require less water, fertilizer, and pesticides. In recent years, new kinds of rice that are more resistant to dry weather and floods are showing promising results in eastern India and Bangladesh, a country where floods used to cover or wash away crops. A genetically engineered variety of rice has been developed to improve Vitamin A levels. Lack of Vitamin A kills many children under the age of five. In addition, researchers are developing crops that keep blood sugar lower and release energy slowly. But the challenge of productivity that IR8 rice fueled remains, noted Wing. “The big question is…how are we going to feed three more billion people on the planet by 2050?” And while some farmers are experiencing larger harvests, they continue to battle other problems. The cost of growing the rice is “very, very high now. Labor cost is high,” said farmer Rao. I'm Bryan Lynn. And I’m Alice Bryant. Anjana Pasricha reported this story for VOANews.com. Alice Bryant adapted her report 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   variety - n. a particular kind of person or thing pesticide - n. a chemical that is used to kill animals or insects that damage plants or crops transform - v. to change something completely - and usually in a good way depletion - n. to use most or all of something important; to greatly reduce the amount of something irrigate - v. to supply something (such as land) with water by using artificial means (such as pipes) tractor - n. a large vehicle used to pull farm equipment biodiversity - n. the existence of many different kinds of plants and animals in an environment malnourishment - n. lack of proper nutrition climate change - n. a change in global climate patterns caused by an increase in carbon dioxide resulting from the use of fossil fuels (coal and natural gas)

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Report: China Put Weapons on South China Sea Islands

  China appears to have added weapons to man-made islands it built in the South China Sea, an American-based research group says. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) says the weapons include anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems. The center published new satellite images to support its findings. The group said it has been studying construction on the islands – which are part of the Spratly Islands - since June and July. The Spratly Islands are made up of many small islands,known as islets, coral reefs, and other land formations in the South China Sea. China, Taiwan and Vietnam each have claimed much of the area and its natural resources. Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei also claim parts of the waterway.   China created the man-made land formations in the Spratlys in recent years by building up sand on top of coral reefs. The development was denounced by the United States and other nations that have territorial claims in the area. China has built long airstrips, lighthouses and radar facilities on the islands over several years. Gregory Poling is director of the center’s Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI). He predicted that China will continue military-related construction on the islands. “What we're seeing is the most important critical infrastructure going in for air and for defense,” he said. “Pretty soon I expect that we'll see deployment of combat aircraft.”   The apparent addition of arms to the islands shows that China is serious about defending them “in case of an armed contingency in the South China Sea," CSIS experts wrote in a report. China's Defense Ministry released a statement Thursday on its website. It said the construction was "mainly for civilian use.” But it added that “necessary military installations” used for defensive purposes “are legitimate and lawful." At the State Department, spokesman John Kirby responded to a question about the new report. “There should be no need for militarization of these man-made features. And we’re going to continue to make that case at every possible turn.”  In the Philippines, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana expressed concern at the new report. “If true, it is a big concern for us and the international community who uses the South China Sea lanes for trade,” he said. Reuters news service reported his comments. In the past, the Philippines has objected strongly to Chinese action in disputed areas of the South China Sea. But President Rodrigo Duterte has recently taken a softer position and moved to strengthen ties with China. A top U.S. military official said Wednesday the United States will not soften its opposition to Chinese expansion in the South China Sea. “You can count on America now and into the future,” said Admiral Harry Harris Jr., head of the U.S. Pacific Command. Harris was speaking at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, Australia. “We will not allow a shared domain to be closed down unilaterally no matter how many bases are built on artificial features in the South China Sea…We will cooperate where we can, but we will be ready to confront where we must.” China’s land reclamation projects in the South China Sea have been larger than similar efforts by other countries with claims in the waterway. I’m Bryan Lynn.   Steve Herman reported this story for VOANews.com. Bryan Lynn adapted it for Learning English, with additional material from the Associated Press and Reuters. 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   critical – adj. extremely serious or dangerous contingency – n. an event that might happen in the future legitimate – adj. something considered correct or accepted domain - n. an area of land unilaterally – adv. done without approval from others artificial – adj. not natural, created or made to look real confront - v. oppose or challenge someone in a direct way  

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Executions on the Rise in Some Nations

  Twenty-five countries executed 1,634 people in 2015. That is the highest number of executions worldwide in 25 years. The information comes from the rights group Amnesty International. Three countries -- Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia -- carried out 89 percent of the executions last year, the group said. The numbers do not include executions in China. Amnesty International said it believes the Chinese government executes thousands of people every year. But the exact number cannot be learned because the government keeps that information secret, Amnesty said. Death Sentence Back in Pakistan In 2014, Pakistan resumed non-military executions after a terrorist attack on a school in Peshawar. The attack killed 144 people, mostly children. Last year, Pakistan executed 326 people for terrorist activities and other crimes, Amnesty International said. It said people tried and found guilty of murder and blasphemy were also put to death. Blasphemy is speaking or acting against the established religious beliefs. Death Sentence Bill Before Philippines Congress The Congress in the Philippines is considering President Rodrigo Duterte’s proposal to re-establish the right to execute criminals. His plan would permit executions for crimes such as murder, rape, kidnapping and drug offenses. When Duterte campaigned for the presidency, he promised to lead a war on crime, particularly drug crimes. He also said he would bring back the death penalty. Executions were banned in 2006 by then-President Gloria Arroyo. Even without the death penalty, the Philippines National Police said Monday that nearly 6,000 people were killed as part of the government’s “war on drugs.” The National Police said that 2,086 people were killed in police operations and 3,841 in vigilante killings over the past six months. On Monday, President Duterte said that when he was mayor of the Philippines city of Davao he shot criminal suspects himself. Opposition to the killings and the proposed return of the death penalty is coming from the Roman Catholic Church. About 86 percent of the Philippines’ 100 million residents are Catholic, according to the Asia Society’s Center for Global Education. Catholic Archbishop Socrates Villegas said that the killing of people by the government goes against the church’s teachings. The United Nations said that, as of 2014, 160 nations had banned the death penalty. In the past two years, Bangladesh, Fiji, Madagascar and Suriname stopped executions, the UN reported. Executions Down in United States In the United States, 20 people have been put to death for their crimes in 2016, the lowest number in 25 years. The number comes from the Death Penalty Information Center, a non-profit organization. Death penalty supporters say that people found guilty of horrible crimes should be put to death. They believe the sentence will act as a deterrent. By deterrent, they mean it might cause someone to decide against killing someone else. But opponents argue that a moral society does not put people to death. They say sometimes innocent people are found guilty of crimes. Once a person is executed, such mistakes cannot be fixed, death penalty opponents say. 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   resume - v. to begin again after stopping offense - n. a criminal act particularly - adv. more than usual encourage - v. to make someone more determined, hopeful, or confident vigilante – n. a person who is not a police officer but who tries to catch and punish criminals  

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News Words: Underestimated

In this week's News Words, we hear from a Syrian refugee who settled in the Netherlands.

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From Aleppo: “This May Be My Last Video”

  This is What’s Trending Today: “This may be my last video.” That was the message that Lina Shamy sent out on Monday in a Twitter video from Aleppo, Syria. Shamy is a supporter of the Syrian rebels fighting against President Bashar Al-Assad. In her video message, she asked for the world to protest against the attacks by Assad’s forces and his allies. Her message has been retweeted more than 30,000 times. She was not alone. Many other people posted videos of what they thought could be their last communication from Aleppo. Shootings and explosions can be heard in the background. Many had the same message. “This may be my last call.” “Final message … I am very surprised I am tweeting right now and still alive.” “Farewell #Aleppo.” The messages came out this week as fighting started again in Aleppo following a short ceasefire. Russia and Turkey worked to make the ceasefire agreement. It was meant to let civilians and rebels leave the city freely and safely. Buses were waiting to take people away. Turkey said it would set up temporary shelters for up to 80,000 refugees fleeing Aleppo. Officials on both sides of the conflict blamed each other for breaking the ceasefire agreement. Russia said the rebels attacked Syrian government positions. Turkey said that government forces attacked first. A human rights group in Syria said airplanes bombed the small section of Aleppo still controlled by those opposing Assad. The United Nations said it received a report saying soldiers fighting for Assad killed 82 civilians on Monday. Lina Shamy herself continues to post messages and videos on Twitter. On Wednesday, she again urged her followers around the world to “do something.” And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. What do you think about the news this week from Aleppo? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________   Words in This Story   farewell – n. an act of leaving  

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Technology to Bring Out the Christmas Spirit

    Christmas is December 25. Many people celebrate the holiday around the world with special food, music and gift exchanges. But the holiday can also be very busy and difficult. Sometimes it is hard to get into the spirit of Christmas. What can you do? Turn to tech! Apps, websites, videos, music and more can help create a festive mood and spread the cheer! RACK - Random Acts of Christmas Kindness Nothing spreads good cheer better than helping others. Start a holiday tradition with Random Acts of Christmas Kindness, or RACK. RACKing does not have to be costly; the best gifts are often those that take the most thought and no money at all. For inspiration, check out ​Pinterest RACK boards and RACK pins. This RACK Pinterest board has pins including RACKS for the elderly, kids and more. Also check out RACK webpages to get ideas for helping others. Baton RougeMoms.com has one. Another, the Still Being Molly website, has a free RACK Advent calendar to download. The calendar is filled with ideas to spread cheer: RACK Advent Calendar 2016. And, the Kiddie Matters website has 30 ideas for random acts of kindness you can do with children. Virtual Tour of Santa’s House Real estate website Zillow has a virtual tour of Santa's house at the North Pole. Head to Santa's House on Zillow and click on the video to see where Santa lives.   The page includes information that can be found on Zillow pages about real houses, like age and number of rooms. You can also look at photos of the inside. Santa's house is not for sale, but you can still take the tour!   Holiday Music Holiday music can get you in a jolly spirit. The Christmas Radio app can help you find seasonal songs. You can choose tunes from more than 100 Internet radio stations and add favorites to your Spotify playlists. The app also lets you choose favorite themes and background colors. Fall asleep to Christmas music with the sleep timer. Music genres include Christmas Pop, Rock, Classical, Instrumental, Jazz and Smooth. The app is free with in-app purchases available. Christmas Radio Christmas Radio is available in the Google Play store. The World Radio Stations Christmas iPhone and iPad App is a free app that broadcasts in ten languages from 97 radio stations around the world. Search for music by language or by genre, such as jazz, classical or music for children. World Radio Stations Christmas is available in the iTunes App Store. Spotify Spotify is filled with Christmas playlists. Search for "Christmas music" to find playlists or create your own. Here is a Christmas music Spotify playlist to get you started: PNP Santa Video Each year the PNP website lets users create a free video with their gift wish lists for Santa. The videos are fun for children and adults. They can include the name of the person, the gift they want, photos, and whether they have been naughty or nice. Head to the PNP website to create a Santa video or download the PNP Santa app to create a video from a phone or tablet. To create the video, add a photo of yourself or someone else. Then add information about what you or they would like as a Christmas present. PNP will use it to create a personal video for free in just about one minute. After you create a video you can share it with others via Facebook and email.     Christmas Facebook Stickers Fans of Christmas and Facebook stickers will enjoy adding Christmas stickers to their Facebook messages. Add stickers such as Charlie Brown Christmas to messages you send on the Facebook website or in the Messenger app.                       Use the free stickers in Facebook messages to help your friends find the holiday spirit themselves!   I’m Dorothy Gundy. And I’m Rick Hindman. Carolyn Nicander Mohr wrote this report for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.   Do you use tech to get into the holiday spirit? Have you tried any of these websites, apps or other tech tools? Do you have any holiday tech you recommend? Share your thoughts in the Comments Section below or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   spirit - n. the force within a person that is believed to give the body life, energy, and power festive - adj.  cheerful and exciting :suited to a celebration or holiday mood - n. the way someone feels : a person's emotional state Advent - n. the period of time beginning four Sundays before Christmas​ virtual - adj. existing or occurring on computers or on the Internet jolly - adj. full of happiness and joy : happy and cheerful theme - n. the particular subject or idea on which the style of something is based genre - n. a particular type or category of literature or art broadcast - v. to send out (signals, programs, etc.) by radio or television naughty - adj. behaving badly — used especially to describe a child who does not behave properly or obey a parent, teacher, etc.

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Vietnam Moves Away From Trans-Pacific Partnership

  The election of Donald Trump as president of the United States has caused Vietnam to look for new trade deals. Vietnam wants to support exports to keep its economy strong if the U.S. Congress fails to approve the planned U.S.-led Trans Pacific Partnership. President-elect Trump also has been highly critical of the trade deal, known as the TPP. Now, Vietnamese officials are taking steps to keep their country’s factories from being hurt if the TPP is not put in place. Vietnam’s economy has been dependent on the export of manufactured goods since the 1980s. Last year, Vietnam’s economy grew 6.7 percent. Because the future of the TPP is unclear, observers say, Vietnamese trade officials are seeking markets for their country’s manufactured goods. These markets include China, Russia and the European Union.   Twelve nations agreed to the TPP trade deal. Trump has said he will try to remove the United States from the agreement, which was signed in February after 10 years of negotiations. The nations that are a part of the TPP represent 40 percent of the global economy. Four of the 12 nations, including Vietnam, are in Southeast Asia. Experts believe Vietnam would have been one of the nations that gained the most from the agreement. But Vietnamese officials have worried since the middle of this year that the U.S. Congress would not approve the agreement before its time limit ends in February 2018. Oscar Mussons advises international businesses for the Dezan Shira & Associates company in Ho Chi Minh City. He said, “I think they were already aware the TPP wouldn’t work out. I think Vietnam already has lots of free trade agreements signed.” Experts believe the TPP would have increased the size of Vietnam’s economy, which is now about $193.6 billion. Trade deals permit exporters to pay lower tariffs or even avoid them when shipping goods into a country that is a trade partner. International companies that own factories in Vietnam include Intel, Samsung Electronics and major Japanese carmakers. Vietnam exports an estimated $29.9 billion in goods to the United States. That is more than it exports to any other country. American companies want to expand their operations in Vietnam because their Chinese operations are becoming increasingly costly. But about a month after the TPP trade agreement was signed, financial experts in Vietnam began to predict that the U.S. Congress might not approve it. In August, a group led by the Vietnamese deputy prime minister decided to delay the country’s approval of the deal until other countries do so. Its next chance to approve the deal will come early next year. Vietnam and the EU completed negotiations on a trade deal this year. In October, Vietnam joined the five-member, Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union. The agreement gives Vietnam access to a market of 181 million people. Vietnam also is part of 16 free-trade deals, including agreements signed by Southeast Asia’s 10-member ASEAN trading group of countries. ASEAN has agreements with China, India and Japan. Louie Nguyen started and is the editor of the news website VietnamAdvisors. He believes Vietnam will begin to pay more attention to trade agreements with smaller markets. “I think the fact that Vietnam has not ratified the TPP is one indication. It would make sense that they would be sending out trade groups doing research in markets that are less competitive,” he said. Vietnam is also likely to be part of the Chinese-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. The trade deal would include India. Neither China nor India is part of the TPP. Experts say it will take several years for negotiations to be completed. They consider the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership China’s answer to the TPP. Fiachra MacCana leads research at the stock trading company Ho Chi Minh City Securities. MacCana says many people are disappointed that the TPP seems to be headed for defeat, but few are surprised. He says another trade deal will be negotiated that will easily take the place of the TPP. MacCana says Vietnam’s economy will be affected if the TPP does not go forward, but it will not be hurt too much. I’m Mario Ritter.  Correspondent Ralph Jennings reported this story from Taipei. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted his report for Learning English. Mario Ritter 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   tariffs – n. taxes placed on imports or exports access – n. a way of getting into or taking part in an activity or place ratify – v. to make an agreement or treaty official by signing or voting on it indication – n. something that serves as a sign or points out something competitive – adj. able to compete; able to do as well or better than others at some activity or in some competition  

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US Looks Into Possible Russian Interference in U.S. Election

After years of political disputes, President Barack Obama and top United States congressional leaders have found something on which they can agree. The two sides believe there should be an official investigation of suspected Russian attacks on American computers and whether they influenced the 2016 presidential election. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Paul Ryan, have expressed support for such an investigation. “The Russians are not our friends,” McConnell said. Ryan said an investigation by the House should not make anyone question Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election. But Ryan said foreign interference in a U.S. election is “entirely unacceptable.” He called possible involvement by Russia “especially problematic.” On Monday, Obama said he had ordered a complete examination of possible Russian cyberattacks. “The reason I have called for a review is really to just gather all the threads of the investigations, the intelligence work that has been done over many months so that the public and our elected representatives going forward can find ways to prevent this kind of interference from having an impact on the elections in the future.” Obama spoke on the Comedy Central television program, The Daily Show. The Central Intelligence Agency found that Russia interfered late in the election campaign to help Trump win the presidency. Trump has dismissed that CIA report. Experts said Russians attacked the computer systems of both the Republican and Democratic Party national committees. But they say the Russians targeted embarrassing emails involving the Democrats and their presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton. These emails were given to the Wikileaks organization, which published them on its website. Democrats in Congress want to study the possibility of Russian involvement in the election separate from the investigation ordered by the president. Delaware Senator Chris Coons is a Democrat. Coons told VOA he is happy that congressional leaders from both parties have called for both public and private investigations. “I’ve heard evidence that convinces me that at the highest level the Russian government was directly involved in trying to influence the outcome of our election,” Coons said. “I think it is a shocking action by the Russian government and something that deserves close consideration, action and response.” Coons also said that the reports of Russian involvement in the election raise “questions about President-elect Trump’s ties to Russia because he refused to ever disclose his taxes during the course of the campaign.” Earlier this week, Democratic Senators Benjamin Cardin, Dianne Feinstein and Patrick Leahy called for the creation of an independent investigation. Trump has suggested the Democrats only want an investigation because they are unhappy that he won the election. Trump has repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin. Some members of the U.S. intelligence community believe Trump does not understand that Russia is a threat to U.S. national security. I’m Anne Ball.  VOA Correspondents Wayne Lee and Michael Bowman reported this story. 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 threads - n. an ideas, feelings, etc., that connect the different parts of something (such as a story)​ impact - n.  a powerful or major influence or effect​ embarrass -​ v. to make (someone) feel confused and foolish in front of other people​ convince -​ v.  to cause (someone) to believe that something is true​ outcome -​ n. something caused by an activity or process​; result response -​ n. something that is done as a reaction to something else​ disclose -​ v. to make (something) known to the public​    

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December 14, 2016

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

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Students Use 'One Minute Mysteries' to Solve Problems

Educational book series presents mysteries for students to solve with math and science skills.

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West African Countries Ban "Dirty Diesel"

  On December 1st, five West African countries agreed to stop importing “dirty” fuel from Europe. Dirty fuel is the name for diesel fuel that has a high amount of sulfur. Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Ivory Coast will join seven other African countries that have already suspended imports of the product. The imports will not stop immediately. Ghana plans to halt them in March 2017. The other countries will stop accepting dirty diesel next July. Pollution and Health Problems Emissions from dirty fuel make air pollution worse. The emissions also may be partly to blame for health problems. Studies have linked them to asthma, lung cancer, and stroke. Millions of deaths every year are blamed on air pollution. Health officials say children are especially likely to be hurt by poor air quality. United Nations, or U.N. officials have praised the new agreement. But they say that Africa has a long way to go to meet air quality rules in other areas. Jane Akumu works on transport issues for the U.N. Environment Programme. She explains that diesel emissions, especially from large vehicles, help create black carbon – the second most important climate pollutant. Black carbon comes from the incomplete burning of oil or other fossil fuels. Europe, Akumu adds, now uses cleaner diesel. But some traders are able to sell dirty diesel to Africa by mixing it with other fuels with higher sulfur levels. Much of the dirty fuel exported to Africa is said to come from The Netherlands. Future plans for cutting emissions Three countries in Southern Africa could agree to ban dirty diesel next year. Akumu says low-sulfur diesel fuels should not cost more than other fuels. Even with progress being made, she adds, there is still more work to be done: "I think the next step would be to look at the kind of vehicles that are coming into these countries. So, we've been partnering with countries to introduce cleaner fuel. But the ultimate objective is actually to combine the cleaner fuels and the cleaner vehicles to have vehicle emission standards, which are still lacking in Africa." Akumu notes that Africa imports many older, used vehicles. The average age of a car in Ghana, she says, is 14 years. According to U.N. Environment, "A combination of low sulfur fuels with advanced vehicle standards can reduce harmful emissions by vehicles by as much as 90 percent." I'm John Russell. Joe De Capua wrote this story for VOANews.com. John Russell adapted his report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   sulfur – n. a yellow chemical element that has a strong, unpleasant odor when it is burned and that is used in making paper, gunpowder, medicine, etc. emission – n. the act of producing or sending out something (such as energy or gas) from a source incomplete – adj. not complete introduce – v. to bring into play; to lead or bring in, usually for the first time standard – n. something set up as a rule for the measure of quality, amount of value

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