Kenyan Government Stops US-Funded Election Education Program

  The government of Kenya has ended operations of a United States-funded program aimed at educating Kenyans about voting. The Kenyan government action comes just months before the East African country holds its next presidential election. Last week, Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta claimed money entering the country through the program is an attempt to influence the election. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) operated the $20 million program. The IFES is a non-governmental organization, an NGO, which supports free and fair elections around the world. The NGO receives funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Department of State. Fazul Mohamed is the executive director of the NGO Coordination Board. This is the state-run corporation responsible for regulating NGOs in Kenya. Mohamed wrote in a letter to the IFES that the Board was stopping the program. The reason he gave was the IFES is not a registered NGO and all its foreign workers are operating illegally. U.S. ambassador to Kenya Robert F. Godec said “the attempt to discredit the United States' efforts to assist Kenyans in the conduct of free, fair, peaceful and credible elections in 2017” disappointed him. Godec added the Kenyan government and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) had requested U.S. assistance. The IEBC is an independent Kenyan organization that supervises elections. Godec added that the program operated under their “careful oversight.” Also, the IFES is registered under a Kenyan law called the Companies Act, the ambassador said. This means the organization is legally able to run programs in the country. In a separate statement, the U.S. and 11 other countries said they do not provide help to one candidate or political party over another. The statement said, "the Kenyan people alone have the sovereign right to choose their leaders, and we fully respect this right.” Kenyatta is running for re-election next year. He has accused opposition leader Raila Odinga of secretly working with foreign countries to remove him from power. Kenyatta entered his office in 2013. He gained support from people who were angry over what they considered attempts by Western countries to influence Kenya’s elections. At that time, the International Criminal Court (ICC) charged Kenyatta and fellow politician William Ruto with crimes against humanity. The court in The Netherlands said the two men organized violence following the troubled elections in December 2007. Former President Mwai Kibaki claimed victory over Raila Odinga in that election. More than 1,000 people died and 600,000 lost their homes in the election violence. Kenyatta and Ruto were on different sides of the conflict but became allies after the ICC named them as suspects. They then said that the ICC charges were an attempt to help Odinga. The ICC later dropped the charges because of lack of evidence. However, the top ICC lawyer in the case said witnesses were interfered with and faced threats. I’m Pete Musto.   Tom Odula reported this story for the Associated Press news agency. Pete Musto adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. We want to hear from you. How do NGOs and other countries’ governments try to effect elections in your country? What protections do elections in your country have? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   fund(ed) – v. to provide money for something regulating – v. making rules or laws that control something credible – adj. reasonable to trust or believe disappoint(ed) –v. to make someone unhappy by not being as good as expected or by not doing something that was hoped for or expected oversight – n. the act or job of directing work that is being done sovereign – adj. having independent authority and the right to govern itself

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December 22, 2016

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

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This Robotic Device Is Small Enough to Operate on the Human Eye

A newly-built machine uses extremely small instruments to perform eye operations. The machine is reported to make fewer mistakes than doctors. Robots are already used to perform some relatively simple operations like a hysterectomy, when a doctor removes a woman’s uterus. But operating on the eye is more difficult than those kinds of surgeries. A cataract is a condition that many people develop as they get older. It makes the lens of the eye appear cloudy, making it more difficult for the patient to see. Doctors can remove cataracts through surgery. One of the difficult parts of that surgery is getting close to the lens. The doctor has to work very carefully next to the capsule of the lens, without breaking it. That is where Axsis technology comes in. Axsis is one of the smallest robots for surgical use. It is the size of a soft drink can. The robot is equipped with instruments measuring only 1.8 millimeters in length. A company called Cambridge Consultants developed the Axsis system. Chris Wagner is its head of advanced surgical systems. He says Axsis could help patients in need of corrective eye surgery. Wagner says the company’s robotics product can help with this “extremely sensitive part of the operation” of getting close to the lens without breaking it. He says with robotics, and guidance and imaging during the operation, one can see where the robot is, and see where the lens is, along with other important body parts. All of the machine’s operating parts are inside the device, he says. This is different from traditional surgical robots that operate on a long straight instrument. Wagner says the joints have been moved inside, “so no arm is swinging around… and no arm motion has to conflict with another robot arm.” Critics say cataract surgery is not very difficult, and the new machine may not be needed. But Wagner believes it shows that such small robotic devices could be used in many other ways. “I think the fact that it’s a 1.8 millimeter diameter robot that’s operating on the size scale of the eye is exciting. This just opens the door to a number of different types of procedures that you can do that previously weren’t possible.” That means the device could be used for treatments that require more attention to detail than human hands can provide. I’m Anne Ball.  VOA’s Kevin Enochs 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 surgery – n. medical treatment in which a doctor cuts into someone’s body in order to repair or remove damaged or diseased parts capsule – n. a part of the eye lens diameter – n. the distance through the center of something from one side to the other scale – n. a range of levels of something from lowest to highest; the size or level of something especially in comparison to  

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U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy Does "Koi" Dance

  This is What’s Trending Today. Have you heard this song? It is the theme song for a television show in Japan. The song is called “Koi.” And the singer is Gen Hoshino. He is one of the actors on the show. According to reports from Japan, the actors in the show dance to the song at the end of each program. The dance includes moves like tapping your shoulders and wiggling your fingers above your head. It is catching on in Japan. Its popularity is similar to the recent mannequin video challenge that spread across the United States.     Some people in Japan are posting videos of themselves doing this dance. Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu made one of these videos. He won the men’s gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Another person who made a dancing video is Caroline Kennedy, the U.S. Ambassador to Japan. She and members of her staff made a video of themselves doing the viral dance. The U.S. embassy in Tokyo posted it on Tuesday. It has already been played more than 3 million times. Caroline Kennedy is the daughter of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy. In the video, she is dressed in a Santa Claus suit. Some members of her staff are wearing Uncle Sam-style hats. Others are dressed in holiday clothing. The Japan Times wrote a story about the 90-second video. The newspaper said the embassy staff originally planned for the video to be private. But the production turned out so well they chose to post it for the world to see. A spokeswoman for the embassy said the employees practiced the moves, but not for a very long time. “We do have other work to do,” she said. And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. Have you made a video of yourself doing the dance? Let us know in the comments section. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story theme – n. the main melody that is repeated in a piece of music tap – v. to hit (your fingers, feet, etc.) against something lightly wiggle – v. to move up and down or from side to side with short quick motions catch on – v. to become popular staff – n. a group of people who work for an organization or business  

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Are You Learning the Progressive Tenses?

Editors note: This is the second of a four-part series on verb tenses. Click here to see part one.   For VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar. Today we are going to look at the progressive verb tenses. Progressive tenses express actions that are unfinished or in progress. There are three progressive verb tenses: the past progressive, the present progressive, and the future progressive. Progressive tenses are the same as continuous tenses.   past present future Progressive Verbs It was snowing when I drove to work. Was/were + -ing verb It is snowing.   Am/is/are+-ing verb It will be snowing by the time I get home. Will be + -ing verb   Present Progressive We will start with the present progressive, the most common progressive tense. You form the present progressive tense by using a form of the verb be followed by an –ing verb. For example, “I am watching a movie.” It is easy to confuse the simple present and the present progressive. What’s the difference between, “It rains in Seattle” and “It is raining in Seattle”?   “It rains in Seattle” states that it rains in general. It does not necessarily mean that it is raining at the moment of speaking. “It is raining in Seattle” means that the rain started in the past, is happening now, and will probably continue into the future. Now, at this time, and currently are common adverbs in the present progressive. The present progressive can also express a scheduled event in the future. For example, this sentence is in the present progressive: “She is starting school next semester.” The meaning here is the same as the sentence in the simple future: “She is going to start school next semester.” The present progressive and simple future (with be going to) sometimes have the same . You can also use present progressive with always to say that something disturbs you. “My neighbor is always playing loud music at night” or “I am always making mistakes with verb tenses!”   Past Progressive Let’s move on to the past progressive. The past progressive describes an event that was in progress in the past. To form the past progressive use was or were followed by an –ing verb. For example, “I was working late last night.” Sentences in the past progressive often have two actions. For example, “It was snowing when the plane landed in Denver.” Notice that the second action, landed, is in the simple past. The past progressive can also express an action in progress interrupted by a second action. “I was running when I slipped and fell” or “I was sleeping when you called.” It is possible to have two progressive actions in the same sentence if the two actions are happening at the same time. You could say, “I was sleeping when you were working”. Future Progressive The future progressive tense describes an event that will be in progress in the future. To form the future progressive tense, use will be followed by an –ing verb. For example, “I will be waiting for you when you finish work.” The future progressive can be useful when you are making plans. Imagine your friend wants you to pick her up the airport tomorrow. But you have to work. You could tell her, “I’m sorry, but I will be working when your plane gets in.” Stative Verbs There are some verbs that cannot be used in any of the progressive tenses. You would say “I own a car,” not “I am owning a car.” Own is a stative verb. Stative verbs describe unchanging conditions or situations. Stative verbs often refer to mental states such as know, realize, like, believe, understand, love, hate, appear, and exist. A few verbs have both stative and non-stative meanings. Let’s look at the verb think. “I think the book is good” is stative. The action does not change. “I am thinking about you” is progressive. It shows a temporary, changing action. Sensory verbs like see, taste, feel, smell, and hear work the in the same way. Progressive verbs are especially useful for describing changing emotional states. For that reason, they are very common in song lyrics. We will leave you with a few examples. I’m John Russell. And I’m Jill Robbins. [John Lennon]  “I was dreaming of the past And my heart was beating fast I began to lose control…” [Styx] “I’m sailing away Sail an open course for the virgin sea” [Adele]  “I'll be waiting for you when  you're ready to love me again I put my hands up I'll do everything different I'll be better to you”   Adam Brock wrote this story for Learning English. Jill Robbins and Kathleen Struck were the editors. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   stative - adj.  describes verbs that express a state rather than an action; usually relating to thoughts, emotions, relationships, senses, states of being and measurements sensory – adj. of or relating to your physical senses

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News Words: Xenophobia

This week's news words comes from two Greed words.

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December 21, 2016

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

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Millions of US Citizens Live in Territories

  Many parts of the United States were first territories with the plan that they would someday become states. Former territories include Oklahoma, which became a state in 1907; New Mexico and Arizona, which became states in 1912; and Hawaii and Alaska, which became states in 1959. But in the late 19th and early 20th century, some areas came under the U.S. government’s control without any plan for them to ever become states. Today many of these areas operate as territories under the Office of Insular Affairs in the Department of the Interior. PUERTO RICO: About 3.5 million people live in Puerto Rico. The Department of the Interior does not administer this territory. More people live in Puerto Rico than all of the other territories combined. The island has a larger land area than either Rhode Island or Delaware. If Puerto Rico were a state, it would have the 29th-largest population in the country. In a special election in 2012, a majority of Puerto Ricans said they did not want to remain a territory. But while voters clearly rejected their territorial status, it was not clear if they wanted the island to become a state, an independent country, or a country with a formal relationship with the United States. Almost three years ago, Congress approved a federally supported referendum that would pay for Puerto Rico to hold another vote to say clearly what they want. The current governor does not want Puerto Rico to become a state, so he has not taken steps to create a ballot for the referendum. U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS: The U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) is about 65 kilometers east of Puerto Rico. It is about twice the size of the District of Columbia. The USVI has three main islands: St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix. About 103,000 people live in the territory.          GUAM: American military bases occupy more than one-quarter of the island of Guam, which is about 550 square kilometers. About 161,000 people live on Guam. It is the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands, which are in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS: There are 15 islands in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The commonwealth includes all islands in the Mariana Archipelago except Guam. About 52,000 people live on the three main islands (Saipan, Rota and Tinian) in the commonwealth.  ​     AMERICAN SAMOA: About 54,000 people live in American Samoa, which has three major islands, two small islands and two coral atolls. The area covers about 199 square kilometers. That is a little larger than Washington, D.C.     American Samoa is the southernmost U.S. territory and the only inhabited territory south of the Equator. It is in the Oceania group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand.  U.S. citizens can travel to all of the U.S. territories without a passport, except American Samoa. That is because American Samoa has its own immigration agency and sets its own rules. American Samoa has its own constitution as do Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands. UNINHABITED TERRITORIES: There are eight uninhabited atoll, coral reef or island U.S. territories in the Pacific. They are Palmyra Atoll, Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll and Wake Atoll. There are three uninhabited island U.S. territories in the Caribbean: Bajo Nuevo Bank, Navassa Island and Serranilla Bank. Other countries dispute the U.S. control of some of these territories.

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American Shipbuilding Company Uses Old School Ideas to Train Workers

    The United States has lost millions of manufacturing jobs in recent years. Some American businesses have turned to robots or other machines to do manufacturing work once performed by humans. Trade agreements are believed to be another reason for the job loss. Most of these positions no longer exist. That leaves many Americans unemployed or in jobs with low pay and little chance for better wages. At the same time, some companies say they have good-paying jobs but cannot find workers with the skills needed to perform them. Many companies in other countries have apprenticeship programs to train workers, but most American companies do not. Apprenticeships often combine classroom training with practical work experience. Over a few years, a worker slowly gains the skills needed to perform complex jobs. But a large American company is using apprenticeships to develop a high-tech workforce. That company is Newport News Shipbuilding in the eastern state of Virginia. Jordan Lacy is in the first year of his apprenticeship at Newport News Shipbuilding. He is joining parts of a nuclear-powered attack submarine. “It starts as a pile of pieces. When it leaves, it is a finished unit.” Lacy has also helped build a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Newport News Shipbuilding has been training apprentices for almost 100 years in the many skills needed to build modern warships. "How about a machinist, what does a machinist do?” Lacy is also learning other skills in class. He works in the company’s shipyard a few days a week, then attends classes. He wants to learn how to design ships, not just assemble them. The Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding has more than 700 students. They are all receiving wages from the company. In other words, they are being paid to learn. Everett Jordan started as an apprentice. He is now the school’s director of education. “I think it’s an education with a purpose, really.” Jordan says combining classroom education and work-related training creates the workers the company needs. “That graduate has been down in the tanks, the bowels of these ships, they know these complex plates and assemblies, they know what it takes to be a test electrician, they’ve done it and they take that experience with them the rest of their career.” Edward Alden has written a book called “Failure to Adjust.” It tells about problems in the American workforce. He says apprenticeships are more common in Germany, Denmark and other countries than the United States. “Apprenticeships are essentially an investment by companies in their future, and in the future of their communities. And we saw over the decade of the 2000s a 40 percent decline in apprenticeships being offered by private companies.” Everett Jordan says apprenticeships could help many Americans who once worked in manufacturing positions. His school offers 19 basic programs and many advanced classes for workers who show strong skills and ability. Elise Feldt is one of his students. “I love what I do and I think the best part about it is the problem solving and having to learn and understand so much of what I’m getting into.” The shipyard has about 20,000 workers. Three-thousand of them attended the apprentice school. I’m Marsha James.   VOA Correspondent Jim Randle reported this story from Newport News, Virginia. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the story 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   practical – adj. real, as opposed to theoretical or something taught in a classroom; relating to what can or should be done in an actual situation pile – n. a group of things that are put one on top of another or in one area unit – n. a set of similar pieces of something that are attached or joined assemble – v. to connect or put together the parts of something, such as a machine bowels – n. the deep inner areas of a place adjust – v. to change in order to work or do better in a new situation        

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China Battles Worst Air Pollution of the Year

China suffered its worst air pollution of the year recently. More than 70 Chinese cities released warnings to citizens in the last few days about pollution reaching dangerous levels. The poor air quality led the government to order factories, some power plants and schools to close. But there were reports that some local officials were not obeying the orders. In one city in northern Hebei province, people wrote on social media that schools were kept open although the area had the highest pollution threat. Media reports in the central province of Henan also showed pictures of students completing school activities in the dirty open air.     State-run news agency Xinhua reported that an official in Henan province said factory production was continuing. The official said up to 4,000 factories had not stopped or limited production as ordered by the government. Records of power use at the factories showed little change in the amount of production. The Ministry of Environmental Protection said in a statement Monday that only “a small number of businesses” had not taken the bans seriously and continued operations. Driving restrictions were also put in effect and hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled in Beijing because of poor visibility.   The ministry said more than 100,000 drivers in Beijing had been fined for violating the traffic bans. The World Health Organization measures air quality by the amount of small, particles in it, known as PM2.5. Small particles of this size are easily breathed in and can damage the lungs. The WHO identifies a safe level of air quality as containing 10-25 micrograms per cubic meter of PM2.5. Beijing reached dangerous levels of more than 400 micrograms per cubic meter this week. Weather officials were predicting that nighttime winds could finally push out much of the pollution from Beijing and other cities by Thursday. ​ Ma Yongliang is a professor with Tsinghua University’s school of environment. He said temporary government restrictions will not solve the nation’s pollution problems over a long period of time. “In the long run, the pollution problem can only be eased by adjusting the country’s industrial structure, or accelerating the upgrading of [polluting] industries, so as to cut down the emission sources of pollutants,” Ma said. The professor praised the government’s efforts to reduce carbon-dioxide after an action plan was started in 2013. But the increased use of coal in winter for heating homes is still a big problem. Reducing these emissions will remain difficult for China’s government as it attempts to find cleaner energy alternatives. I’m Bryan Lynn. Joyce Huang 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 visibility – n. how far or well you can see lung – n. an organ used by people to breathe air accelerate – v. speed up emission – n. the sending of gas, heat, light, etc. into the air alternative – n. another option chosen instead of something else

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The Story Behind the Photo

  This is What’s Trending Today. You may not know the name Burhan Ozbilici. But by now, you have probably seen his photos. Ozbilici is a photographer for the Associated Press news service. And on Monday, he took pictures of the man who had just shot Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov. Karlov was attending a photo exhibition in Ankara. He later died of his wounds. The shooter has been identified as Mevlut Mert Altintas, a 22-year-old police officer. In one of Ozbilici’s photos, the shooter is pointing a finger in the air. In his other hand, he is holding the gun by his hip. He is shouting, as Karlov’s body lies on the floor near him. Photographers and media experts are calling it “the photo of the year.” People have praised Ozbilici for remaining calm enough to keep taking photos after witnessing an assassination. Ozbilici told the Associated Press many people dropped to the floor when the man showed his gun. Other people ran. But he did not. “I’m a journalist,” he said. “I have to do my work. I could run away without making any photos. ... But I wouldn't have a proper answer if people later ask me: 'Why didn't you take pictures?’” Dennis Paquin is the Associated Press’ acting director of photography. He said the image shows how often photographers face real risks. Dangerous situations can come up even in quiet places like an art gallery. Ozbilici said he only decided to attend the event at the art gallery at the last minute. “The event seemed routine,” he wrote in an Associated Press story. After the gunshots -- “at least eight of them,” Ozbilici recalled -- he found a safe space behind a wall. There, he continued taking photos. Many people have written about Ozbilici’s photos and his work. A New York Times reporter called him courageous.  One magazine editor called him “extraordinarily brave.”  On Tuesday night, Ozbilici wrote on Twitter: “Andrei Karlov, good man, rest in peace. … Thanks God … I’m alive.”  And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. What did you think of Ozbilici’s photos? Let us know in the comments section. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   assassination– n. the act of killing someone, usually for political reasons cool - adj. able to think and act in a calm way proper – adj. correct according to social or moral rules courageous – adj. very brave : having or showing courage routine – adj. done or happening as a normal part of a job, situation, or process

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