Bob Dylan to Finally Receive Nobel Prize

This is What’s Trending Today. Many people were surprised when the Swedish Academy announced last October that American singer Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize in Literature. The academy said it chose Dylan because he “created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” After the announcement, the Nobel committee did not hear from Dylan for a long time. Some people openly wondered if he would accept the prize. But in December, Azita Raji, the United States’ Ambassador to Sweden, accepted it for him. Raji read Dylan’s acceptance speech at a dinner in Stockholm. Dylan wrote: “If someone had ever told me that I had the slightest chance of winning the Nobel Prize, I would have to think that I'd have about the same odds as standing on the moon.” American singer Patti Smith attended the award ceremony. She performed Dylan’s classic song “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.”  People still did not know, however, when Dylan would accept his Nobel Prize medal and diploma. Now, the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, Sara Danius, says the performer will get them this weekend while he’s in Sweden. She left a message on the academy’s blog. Dylan still has one more duty if he wants to collect the last part of his prize. Each Nobel Prize winner receives a payment for over $900,000. But they need to give a “Nobel Lecture.”  Danius wrote that the academy’s members expect Dylan to send in his lecture on video at some point. Bob Dylan is performing in northern Europe through May. And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. His report was based on information from Reuters. George Grow was the editor. What do you think Bob Dylan will speak about for his Nobel Lecture? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   slight – adj. very small in degree or amount odds – n. the possibility that something will happen : the chance that one thing will happen instead of a different thing classic – adj. used to say that something has come to be considered one of the best of its kind medal – n. a document which shows that a person has finished a course of study or has graduated from a school diploma – n. a document which shows that a person has finished a course of study or has graduated from a school blog – n. a website on which someone writes about personal opinions, activities, and experiences lecture – n. - a talk or speech given to a group of people to teach them about a particular subject

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Britain Officially Starts Withdrawal from European Union

  British Prime Minister Teresa May has officially started the process for Britain to leave the European Union (EU). May sent a letter to European Council President Donald Tusk on Wednesday. The move put Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon into effect. The treaty is an international agreement on which the EU is based. Article 50 deals with how a member country can withdraw from the organization. May’s letter noted the historic nationwide vote on EU membership last year. It said the British people had not voted to “harm the European Union or any of the remaining member states.” The letter went on to say that Britain wanted the EU to succeed and explained that the election result was an effort to “restore national self-determination.” By informing the EU of its decision, Britain now starts two years of negotiations between the two sides. Talks on security, business, defense, health, the environment and other issues are expected to be complex. The process started on June 23, 2016, when Britons decided in a close referendum vote to leave the EU. Then-prime minister David Cameron had promised to hold the referendum, but had campaigned for Britain to stay an EU member. Cameron resigned after the vote. Some observers say the vote’s outcome resulted partly from feelings that the EU government was taking too much control away from British citizens. People in London and Scotland voted to stay in the EU, while other areas supported a British exit, commonly called “Brexit.” Little agreement on how long Brexit will take Few Britons and political observers agree on what Brexit will mean for Britain and its partners. Jo Murkens of the London School of Economics says most people do agree the process will be disorderly and take more than two years. He said, “The effect of European Union law is all pervasive from constitutional-level questions to the regulation of bananas and cucumbers. So, it is a mammoth task that will not be negotiated within two years. It will take a decade or decades to give full effect to EU withdrawal.” One day before May invoked Article 50, London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan called on European leaders not to punish Britain. He said that London would remain an important city, especially as a financial center, after Brexit. He said, “The truth is that London will always remain a key partner for Brussels and every European nation long after Brexit is resolved.”  Khan warned against a bad Brexit deal. He said such an agreement would cut off the EU from its only truly international financial center and risk losing financial services companies to New York, Singapore and Hong Kong. London’s mayor also said the “perfect gesture of goodwill” would be for the government to guarantee that EU citizens would remain in Britain. Seliq Khan is the first Muslim mayor of a major western city. He has launched a campaign bringing attention to how London continues to welcome foreigners and businesses. I’m Jonathan Evans.   Luis Ramirez reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   referendum – n. when the people of a country or state vote on a particular law or issue pervasive – adj. existing in every part of something mammoth – adj. very large gesture – n. something said or done that shows a feeling or attitude exit – n. the act of going away or leaving; a way out outcome – n. result restore – v. to re-establish determination – n. the act of deciding something firmly

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Indonesian Tax Amnesty Program Set to End Friday

  About 10 percent of Indonesians are registered taxpayers and only about one million report their taxes to the government. That is not a lot for the world’s fourth most populous country. Indonesia is home to almost 260 million people. The comparatively small number of taxpayers might be one reason for Indonesia’s growing budget deficit. In the summer of 2016, the government launched a program to increase uncollected tax revenue. It offered to forgive individuals who were late or failed to make tax payments if they paid their taxes. The amnesty program was aimed at wealthy Indonesians who keep some of their money and investments overseas. It is set to end on March 31. The program, however, has been criticized by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Indonesian labor unions and other groups. They say it does not punish tax evaders enough and it is unfair to other taxpayers. Tax amnesty program could increase revenue Asmiati Malik is an economics researcher at the University of Birmingham in England. She says the money from the amnesty program could reduce Indonesia’s budget deficit by a large amount. “It could do so by as much as 70 percent: from $23 billion to $8.2 billion,” she said. The Jakarta Post newspaper reported earlier this month that up to 4,000 people were signing up for the program every day in March. The Directorate of Taxation says that more than three million Indonesians became new taxpayers over the past year. The new taxpayers include business people in the Indonesian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Many signed up for the tax amnesty program this year. Yustinus Prastowo is with the Center for Indonesia Taxation Analysis. He says the amnesty program offers good reasons for people to take part and return money from overseas. “Two huge benefits of the amnesty program for taxpayers now are the low interest rate and the abolition of tax debt,” he said. If they bring their financial assets back to Indonesia, individuals will be charged between two and 10 percent interest. That is in place of the business or personal income tax rates, which can reach 30 percent. Those signed up for the program must promise to keep their assets in Indonesia for three years. Many wealthy Indonesians keep money in places with low taxes, such as nearby Singapore. Reports say Indonesia has recovered more money from its tax amnesty experiment than other countries, such as India and Germany. A goal: increase those participating in taxation “The major issue is that the number of taxpayers who joined the amnesty program is still low,” noted researcher Asmiati Malik. She said about 700,000 people joined the program, but that “is only 2.2 percent of those eligible.” She thinks many more Indonesians could be added to the list of those being taxed. She called for a tax policy designed to increase participation in both the amnesty program and taxation in general. Indonesia is expected to join the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as a full member in September. When it does so, the country will share its tax information internationally. That means it will be able to find out details of Indonesian citizens’ assets in other countries, such as Singapore and the Cayman Islands. On Monday, the Directorate General of Taxation announced it would give “special attention” to very wealthy Indonesians who had not yet registered for tax amnesty. But political unrest could hurt efforts to get the wealthy to repatriate money from overseas. In November and December, there were protests against Jakarta’s governor, a Chinese Christian. Yustinus Prastowo said political and ethnic unrest are reasons investors keep money out of the country. OECD remains critical The OECD, however, has been critical of Indonesia’s tax amnesty plan. Philip Kerfs is an advisor for the OECD’s Centre for Tax Policy and Administration. He told Bloomberg news that amnesty programs are “unlikely to deliver benefits that exceed their true costs.” Kerfs added that these programs might hurt tax revenue over time and efforts to get people to pay taxes. Groups opposed to the program say it lets Indonesians ignore the law. I’m Mario Ritter.   Krithika Varagur reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   Revenue –n. money that is paid to a business, organization or government Evaders –n. people who avoid something repatriate –v. to bring back into a country assets –n. someone or something of value amnesty –n. the act of not punishing a group or permitting them to go free

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Samsung Launches Long-Awaited Galaxy S8

Samsung has launched its much-awaited new smartphone, the Galaxy S8. The device was introduced during a media event Wednesday in New York. The launch came after Samsung was forced to recall millions of its troubled Note 7 devices last year. Samsung’s chief of mobile operations, D.J. Koh, began the event by admitting the company had faced a “challenging” year. One filled with “valuable lessons and hard decisions.” But he said the launch marked an important new beginning. “Today, I’m excited to show you a new phone that extends our heritage of great innovation and stunning design.” Samsung launched two versions of the new phone – the Galaxy S8 (14.7 cm), and the slightly larger Galaxy S8+ (15.75 cm). The company said one of the most exciting features of the S8s is what it calls the Infinity Display. This end-to-end design gets rid of a structured edge, resulting in curving on all sides. The frame has also been reduced on the new phones, giving more room for the display. Also, the S8 does not have a separate home button – a virtual home button is built into the display. Samsung’s senior vice president, Justin Denison, explained the process behind the latest design.        “In other words, we’ve redesigned the smartphone from the inside out – to unbox the screen and unleash its infinite potential.” Samsung also gave the world its first look at a new voice assistant named Bixby. The service uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology comparable to offerings by Google, Apple and Microsoft. This allows voice to control many device actions. The company said users can take photos of books, food or other products and Bixby will automatically search and bring up information on them. The S8s include a higher quality 8 megapixel camera in front, with a 12 megapixel one in the back. Samsung also launched a new virtual reality camera, called Gear 360, which can support the highest quality video, 4K. The new phones come with iris and facial recognition technology that the company says lets users unlock a device just by looking at it. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ will be available for pre-order beginning March 30 and will begin shipping to the U.S. on April 21. Prices have not yet been announced. Samsung issued a worldwide recall of its popular Galaxy Note 7 devices last September after repeated overheating problems. A company investigation found the overheating was linked to batteries that caused some devices to catch fire. Samsung stopped production and recalled at least 2.5 million phones worldwide, costing the company at least $5.3 billion. This week, the company said it plans to sell some refurbished Note 7 phones with new batteries that passed new safety tests. Some parts from recalled devices will also be used in future phones. The decision came after environmental group Greenpeace and others had urged Samsung to come up with a plan to recycle the troubled devices.  Samsung is still working on plans for how and where the refurbished devices will be sold. But the company said they would not be for sale in the United States or India. I’m Bryan Lynn.   Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from the Associated Press, Reuters and other sources. Hai Do 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   heritage – n. traditions, beliefs, etc. that are part of a group of nation innovation – n. new idea device or method stunning – adj. very attractive, beautiful curve – n. smooth, rounded, without edges frame – n. basic structure holding other things inside virtual – adj. existing on computers or the internet unleash – v. allow something to happen suddenly or unexpectedly iris – n. the colored part of your eye recall – n. – a request by a company for people to return a product because it has a defect or problem refurbish – v. repair or rebuild  

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March 29, 2017

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

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Google Maps Tool Lets Users Share Their Location with Friends

An update to Google Maps contains a handy tool that lets users share their location with friends. No more need to let someone know that you are going to be late. Using the new Google Maps update “Share Your Location,” friends can track your route and know when you will arrive. What share your location does When you share your location using Google Maps, your friends can follow where you are in real time. Your location on the map will change as you move. Users can share their location for a limited period of time that they choose. Or they can set it to share their location until it is turned off. The Google Maps app will let you know when you are sharing your location so you do not forget to turn it off. This tool works with iPhone and Android, and also on computers. Even if you have an iPhone and your friends have Android phones, you can share your location with them using Google Maps. You can even send your location to people who do not have a smart phone. If they use a computer, they can see where you are on the Google Maps website - provided you have shared your location with them. You can send your location to anyone in your list of Google contacts. You can also share your location with someone who is not in your contact list. Just send them a link. You can share your location with as many people as you want. Sharing your route If you are using Google Maps to navigate, you can send your route in addition to your location. That way your friends will know the way you are going and see when you are expected to arrive.                               Share your location video A video from Google shows how location sharing can be used to plan a surprise party. The host and guests can follow each other to know when everyone has arrived at the party. The person who is bringing the guest of honor can share their location so others will know when to prepare for the surprise. How to use share your location in Google Maps After the app has been updated you can begin to share your location with others using Google Maps. You must have the Google Maps app to use this feature. This app comes standard on Android phones. If you have an iPhone, you can download the Google Maps app for free at the iTunes App Store. After you have downloaded the app, log into your Google account. Open the app and tap the blue dot that shows where you are. A menu will show. Tap "Share Location" then choose which of your contacts you would like to share your location with and for how long.           Next, tap "Share" to begin sharing your location. An icon will appear as long as your location is being shared.                               How to share your route When you are using Google Maps on your phone to navigate, tap the "More" button at the bottom of the screen. Then tap "Share trip" and choose which people to share your trip with and for how long. You can choose to share your route for a specific time period or until you arrive at your destination. What else you need to know You can turn off sharing your location at any time. Even if you have set a time period for sharing your location, you can cancel it whenever you want. Google has not given a date for this update to be available. The announcement simply said it is "coming soon." I’m Caty Weaver.   Carolyn Nicander Mohr wrote this report for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. Are you interested in sharing your location with your friends using Google Maps? When would you use this new feature? Share your thoughts in the Comments Section below or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   handy - adj. very useful or helpful location - n. a place or position track - v. to watch or follow the progress of (someone or something) route - n. a way to get from one place to another place real time - n. the actual time during which a process or event occurs navigate - v. to find the way to get to a place when you are traveling​ icon - n. a small picture on a computer screen that represents a program or function  

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Million-Dollar Coin Stolen from Museum in Berlin

  This is What’s Trending Today. The Bode Museum in Berlin, Germany is known for its collection of 540,000 rare coins. As of this week, however, it is down to 539,999. The collection’s largest coin has been stolen. The giant coin weighs 100 kilograms and is 53 centimeters wide. The Royal Canadian Mint produced the coin. It is known as “Big Maple Leaf.” The face value of the coin is $1 million. But experts say it may be worth up to $4 million because its gold is so pure. It was loaned to the museum in 2010. The museum kept the coin behind bulletproof glass. But, thieves managed to break the case. Berlin police believe the thieves climbed in through a window at the back of the museum. The window is next to train tracks. Police say the thieves used a ladder to reach the window, dropped into the museum, broke the case and took the coin. Since the coin was so large, police are looking for a group of suspects. They say the break-in happened early Monday morning, when trains were not operating. They believe the thieves were in and out of the museum in just 25 minutes. The police have not said if there is security video of the crime. People on social media say the robbery seems like something you would see in a movie. Others are questioning how the thieves got such a heavy coin out of the museum. One person guessed that the thieves must all be weightlifters. Others want to know what they will do with the coin, since they can’t sell it. And of course, they cannot use it in a vending machine to buy a snack, one Twitter user joked.  Experts think the thieves may try to melt the coin into smaller pieces and try to sell the gold. 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 will happen to the coin? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   vending machine – n. a machine that you put money into in order to buy food, drinks, cigarettes, etc. snack – n. a small amount of food eaten between meals face value – n. the value that is printed or shown on something (such as a coin or bill)

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Three Methods to Improve Your Presentations

  Giving a presentation can be a scary task. It can be even more worrisome when the presentation is not in your native language. You may forget the English words for what you want to say. Or, like a lot of people, you may get nervous. But, the good news is there are many tools you can use. Learning these tools can help you become a confident and effective presenter – even in English! Anna Uhl Chamot, a retired professor at George Washington University, developed a way of teaching language learners. Called CALLA, the method explains how to use learning strategies to understand academic language and content. Learning strategies are thoughts and actions that help people learn better, or perform tasks effectively. CALLA stands for Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach. Think of these strategies as tools that will make presentations easier and more enjoyable – for the presenter and the audience. Many of the CALLA strategies are useful for giving a presentation in your second language. But Chamot says three are especially useful: Planning, Monitoring and Self-Evaluation. Let’s start with planning. Learning Strategy #1: Planning Planning involves everything you do to prepare and practice before giving your presentation. This includes deciding what your main ideas are and making notes of the points you want to make. Chamot emphasizes that having a good understanding of your subject is very important. This understanding makes it possible to talk about your topic fluidly and confidently during your presentation. After deciding on main ideas and notes, some people even like to write out every word they’re going to say. “I know a lot of learners, and I mean not just learners of English but people in general, even native speakers, feel that they want to write out everything they’re going to say. This gives them some comfort.” If you do this, Chamot says, once you are satisfied with the wording, then it’s time to reduce those words to very, very short notes. During the planning period, you will also prepare your visuals, such as on PowerPoint, Prezi or some other program. Chamot recommends that each visual only have a few bullets of your points and very few words on it. Or, even better is if you have only images or easy-to-see graphics and no words. For example, if you are giving a presentation about things to do during summer in Washington, D.C., your visual might be an image of something exciting that takes place in that season: That next step of planning is practice. Chamot says practicing is the most important step because it will help remind you of the points that the short phrases on your visuals represent. Practice saying what you want to say about each visual. The more you verbalize everything you want to say, the easier it will be to talk comfortably about the points. Practicing will also help you avoid doing two things: reading from your notes or memorizing any part of your presentation. When you practice, do so in front of another person, or a few people. Even your electronics can help you, Chamot says.  “Use a friend or a family member as your audience or/and practice in front of a mirror, looking at yourself, and turn on your smart phone and record yourself. Then you can listen to what you really sound like.” And, as you practice, visualize being in front of the real audience. “Imagine in your head the audience, see all those faces and expressions and imagine that they’re there right in front of you.” Chamot also recommends a tactic that can quickly get any audience interested and helps to decrease the nervous feeling: ask your audience a question. For example, if your topic is summer activities in Washington, D.C., you might ask a question like, “How many of you have ever gone to an outdoor concert in Washington, D.C.?” Asking a question also makes a presentation more like a two-way conversation and less like a lecture. When you spend time preparing and practicing, you gain confidence and comfort and will feel less worry on presentation day. Learning Strategy #2: Monitoring The next strategy is monitoring. Monitoring is watching, listening to, or checking something for a special purpose over a period of time. You should monitor yourself at two different points: during your practice sessions and during the actual presentation. During Practice: To monitor during practice, Chamot says make a list of questions to ask yourself. “Some examples are: ‘Did I state my topic and objectives at the beginning?’ ‘Did I provide some examples and details for each main idea?’ ‘Did I restate the topic and conclusions at the end?’” A big part of developing comfort in front of a group, she says, comes from the effort you put into practicing. If you practice enough, you will not need to monitor much during the actual presentation. During the Presentation: When you’re in front of the real audience, monitoring can help you quickly observe issues and find solutions.  “One of the most important things to monitor is: ‘Am I nervous?’ ‘What can I do about it?’ One of the things about monitoring is that, when you’re monitoring your performance, you notice problems and it allows you an opportunity to try to solve those problems.” Chamot says, if you realize you’re feeling nervous, a good learning strategy to use is Self-Talk: mentally telling yourself you are going to do well. “Like, ‘I really worked hard on this. I know my PowerPoint looks good. I’m going to take a deep breath. And I have practiced so much. I know I can do this.’” And, if you forget English words during your presentation, you can use the strategy called Substitution: choosing different words to say what you want to say. Other questions to keep in mind while you’re giving your presentation are: “Am I speaking too fast or too slow?” “Am I looking at my audience?” “Am I smiling from time to time?” Learning Strategy #3: Self-Evaluation That brings us to Self-Evaluation, our third learning strategy. In Self-Evaluation, you examine how well you did. The main difference between monitoring and self-evaluation is when it happens. Self-evaluation takes place after each practice session and after your actual presentation. Chamot suggests making a list of questions for these two evaluation periods. For after your practice sessions, include questions such as: “Did I look at the audience enough?” “How much more do I need to practice?” and “How well did I do?” And, for after the actual presentation, ask yourself, “What did I do well?” and “What do I need to improve?” The CALLA method says understanding what strategies work well for you is important. That is especially true when you evaluate a time you did something well. Those strategies that helped you do well are the ones you want to use again. Giving a presentation in your second language can indeed be frightening. But, if you have a strong understanding of your subject and use these helpful tools, it will become easier and easier to speak in public! I’m Alice Bryant. And I’m Bryan Lynn.   Alice Bryant wrote this story for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. __________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   task - n. a piece of work that has been given to someone; a job for someone to do retired - adj. not working anymore; having ended your working or professional career bullet - n. a large dot in a document, book, etc., that brings attention to separate pieces of information in a list phrase - n. a group of two or more words that express a single idea but do not usually form a complete sentence verbalize - v. to express something in words evaluate - v. to judge the value or condition of someone or something in a careful and thoughtful way

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Death Rates Rising for Middle Age Whites with Little Education

A new study from Princeton University economists says white middle-aged Americans without college educations are dying at higher rates.  Professors Anne Case and Angus Deaton wrote the study. It finds that men and women older than 45 but younger than retirement age are dying from what one expert calls "deaths of despair." These include deaths from suicide, drug overdose or alcohol-related diseases.  They say this is caused by the loss of middle-income jobs for those without a college degree. The economists also say that fewer job opportunities have created other problems for this group. The researchers say they are more likely than those with college degrees to be unemployed, unmarried or suffer from poor health. "This is a story of the collapse of the white working class," Deaton said in an interview. "The labor market has very much turned against them." The study continues research in 2015 that first documented an increase in deaths among middle-aged whites.     A sharp increase in “deaths of despair” Case and Deaton found that since 1999, white men and white women ages 45 through 54 have suffered from a sharp increase in "deaths of despair." These include suicides, drug overdoses, and alcohol-related deaths, such as liver failure. Case and Deaton say in their study that there is a relationship between rising death rates and changes in the job market since the 1970s. They said that men without college degrees are less likely to receive better pay over time, a trend "consistent with men moving to lower and lower skilled jobs." Other research has found that Americans with only high school educations are less likely to get married or buy a home. They are also more likely to get divorced if they do marry the study says. "It's not just their careers that have gone down the tubes, but their marriage prospects, their ability to raise children," said Deaton. "That's the kind of thing that can lead people to despair." Angus Deaton won the Nobel Prize in economics in 2015 for using surveys to study how people spend their money and to learn more about their behavior. White Americans are the most affected The issues identified by Case and Deaton may be causing a change in the trend of improving life expectancies. However, the researchers say it is not clear why these problems are affecting whites more than African-Americans or Hispanics.  Case and Deaton note that many Hispanics are in a much better situation than their parents or grandparents, who were born in another country. This could create a greater sense of optimism.  The professors also added that African-Americans may have become more resilient to economic difficulties because they have a long history of suffering problems in the job market. The researchers also noted that a life expectancy division among people with different education levels is growing. While death rates for middle-aged whites without a college degree are rising, the Princeton professors say the rates for whites with a college education are falling. These trends, the researchers say, are found across the United States. West Virginia and Kentucky are reportedly most affected.  However, areas such as the state of Maine, the city of Baltimore and eastern Washington state also appear to show the trends identified in the study. The research also found these trends exist in rural areas, in small cities and in some large urban areas. Case and Deaton say death rates for middle-aged people in Europe with limited education are falling. And they add that this is the case in most countries. Case and Deaton also note that government programs to help people with disabilities are not responsible for the increase in middle-aged deaths. Some of these programs, the researchers say, are permitting more Americans to stop working. They say that social programs in Europe usually provide more benefits than the ones in the U.S. And the researchers say Europe has not seen a similar increase in middle-aged deaths. Case and Deaton say that changing these trends could take years. To help prevent middle-aged deaths, they say, doctors should cut back on providing opium-based pain drugs to patients. The study was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States. It also appears on the website of The Brookings Institution, a public policy organization. I’m Phil Dierking   Christopher S. Rugaber wrote this story for the Associated Press. Phil Dierking adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. Are these trends found in your home country?  We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   demographic - n. the qualities such as age, sex, and income of a specific group of people​ despair - n. the feeling of no longer having any hope​ epidemic - n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people​ gone down the tubes - to fail completely overdose - n. an amount of a drug or medicine that is too much and usually dangerous​ resilient - adj. able to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens​

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Will High Cost of Small Loans Hurt Cambodians?

The Cambodian government has ordered a limit on interest rates on small loans. The decision comes before local elections are set to take place in June. The 18 percent limit on the microfinance industry interest rates takes effect on April 1. Microfinance businesses operate in many developing countries. They accept deposits and provide small loans to people in the developing world. In Sokai is a 32-year-old Cambodian garment worker. She recently received a microfinance loan of $5,000. She must repay it within four years. “I borrowed $5000 and I bought chickens, built the house, and my husband bought a boat, fishing nets and other items,” she said. She will pay interest at a rate of 22 percent a year. The new legislation will not reduce her loan payments because the law has not yet taken effect. Her loan is considered large for the Cambodian microfinance industry. Seventy percent of microfinance industry, of MFI, loans are under $500. Sokai had not heard of the new law. But it has caused a lot of concern among the private microfinance businesses in Cambodia. Small loans more costly to provide, lenders say Microfinance loans are usually for less than one year. Their interest rates are very high -- 30 percent or more. Microfinance industry supporters say this is necessary because the costs of servicing small, risky loans are higher. The high cost of the loans has not reduced demand, however. Cambodia’s microfinance industry is growing quickly. In 2015, there were 1.5 million depositors and more than two million borrowers. MFIs are in every province of the country of 15 million people. Almost all the loans go to people living outside Phnom Pehn, Cambodia’s capital. Most borrowers are women. The new law comes before local elections in June. A national vote is to take place in the middle of 2018. Supporters of the new law say the limit is meant to protect Cambodians from paying high rates. Lawmakers also want to increase access to Cambodia’s financial system. Borrowers often use their land or home as a security for the loan. They can lose their property if they are unable to pay. Interest rate limits are not unusual. Many countries have them. But, the World Bank says they are becoming less popular. Some industry observers, however, say the law limiting interest rates will have a negative effect. Stephen Higgins is with Mekong Strategic Partners. The company gives business advice. “Ideally we shouldn’t have this cap. The interest rates in Cambodia for these small loans, they’re actually amongst the lowest in the world. And people forget that.”  Higgins says the cost of lending for small loans is high. He says microfinance businesses need to charge a 30 percent interest rate for a $500 nine-month loan to make a small profit. Opponents of the limits say microfinance businesses may stop offering loans. That, they say, will force rural people to go to moneylenders who charge much higher interest rates. The Cambodia Microfinance Association (CMA) is a non-profit organization based in Phnom Penh. It supports microfinance businesses. It says its members will need to reduce costs and become more efficient in order to survive. Mey Kalyan is an economist and adviser to the government. He supports the law. He says it will help protect small farmers from agriculture-related debt. He says that farmers who take out high interest loans of 30 percent or more struggle to make a profit. CMA chairman Hout Ieng Tong says at least some CMA members will still offer small loans. But it is unclear whether the new interest rate limit will hurt deposits in microfinance businesses or will drive borrowers to higher-cost moneylenders. I’m Mario Ritter.  And I'm Ashley Thompson.   Robert Carmichael and Khan Sokummono reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted it for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   cap –n. a limit on something microfinance industry –n. businesses that provide banking services like taking deposits and providing small loans to people with little income  

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FBI Has Long History Investigating US Presidents

  Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey recently confirmed an investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 United States elections. Comey said his agency is studying possible links between Russian officials and the election campaign of then presidential candidate Donald Trump. He said U.S. intelligence had already found the Russian government took steps to influence the vote, with the goal of helping the businessman get elected. Trump has been office for over two months. His administration has denied that he or members of his campaign team were in contact with Russian officials before the election. Comey told a congressional committee the FBI was still exploring possible ties between Trump’s supporters and Russia. He promised that investigators would “follow the facts wherever they lead.”    The FBI carries out investigations for the Justice Department, which is responsible for enforcing laws and administering justice. Some investigations involve other government agencies or officials. There have been examples of the FBI investigating possible crimes by U.S. presidents. Nixon and Watergate One of the most famous cases was the Watergate scandal, which led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974. Two years earlier, five men were arrested for breaking into the offices of the Democratic Party. The break-in took place at the Watergate building in Washington, D.C. During an investigation of the break-in, U.S. lawmakers learned that Nixon had set up recording equipment in the White House. They discovered that discussions between the president and his aides had been recorded. In the recordings, Nixon was heard ordering officials to tell the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to lie to the FBI in an effort to block the investigation. Several people working for Nixon went to jail for their involvement in the Watergate scandal. Nixon himself faced possible criminal charges and an impeachment from office. On August 8, 1974, he went on national television to announce he would resign the next day. “I have never been a quitter. To leave office before my term is completed is abhorrent to every instinct in my body. But as president, I must put the interests of America first.”         ​Newspaper reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncovered and documented the Watergate scandal. The two based their stories on a government official whom they did not identify in their reports. They instead called him “Deep Throat.” The identity of Deep Throat was kept secret for more than 30 years. In 2005, the unidentified source finally came forward. It was Mark Felt, who had served as the number two man in the FBI during the Watergate years. In a book, Felt said he understood that some people would always think he was wrong for secretly providing information to the reporters. But he added, “The bottom line is that we did get the whole truth out, and isn't that what the FBI is supposed to do?” J. Edgar Hoover The White House tapes showed that before Watergate, Nixon considered removing the longest-serving director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover. Hoover led the FBI for 48 years – working for eight different presidents - from 1924 until his death in 1972. Hoover is credited with turning a new, small agency into an international leader in law enforcement and national security. But he was criticized for aggressively using surveillance to collect information on private citizens and government officials. In some cases, he gave presidents damaging personal information about their political opponents.   During the 1940s and 1950s, Hoover’s leadership was criticized for going too far in campaigns against American communists and supporters of Nazi Germany. Later, he was seen as having little interest in protecting civil rights. Many police departments had failed to investigate crimes targeting blacks and other civil rights workers in the 1950s and 1960s. During the 1960s and early 1970s, the FBI was criticized for some of its investigations related to civil rights and Vietnam War protests. In 1975, a Senate committee found that FBI officials had acted wrongly or illegally a number of times. Four years after Hoover left office, Congress passed a law limiting FBI directors to a single term of 10 years – a rule still in place today. U.S. presidents choose FBI directors and can also remove them. Here are some notable cases of FBI investigations involving former presidents. ​ Ronald Reagan - Iran-Contra This involved secret U.S. weapons sales to Iran during the 1980s. Ronald Reagan’s administration used money from the sales to help rebels trying to overthrow the Nicaraguan government. At the time, American weapons sales to Iran were banned. The FBI investigated several members of the administration for their part in the arms sales. Reagan himself denied knowing that money was being diverted to the Contra rebels. Several officials were indicted and charged. They included Deputy National Security Advisor John Poindexter and his aide, Oliver North. ​ Bill Clinton – Whitewater When Bill Clinton was president, he and his wife Hillary were investigated for wrongdoing in connection with a real estate investment in Arkansas. The project, known as Whitewater, eventually failed and some partners in the deal were accused of fraud and other wrongdoing. The scandal led to several investigations carried out by U.S. agencies, Congress and a special prosecutor. House and Senate committees ended final hearings on Whitewater in 1994, clearing all members of the Clinton administration who had been investigated.   Bill Clinton – Paula Jones & Monica Lewinsky In 1994, Paula Jones, a former Arkansas state employee, brought a sexual harassment case against President Clinton. A special prosecutor investigated her accusations. The case was eventually settled out of court for $850,000. Even though Clinton settled the case, he did not admit wrongdoing or apologize to Jones. During the Jones investigation, a special prosecutor discovered Clinton’s relationship with Monica Lewinsky, a White House volunteer. Clinton publicly denied having sex with Lewinsky. But later he was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives for lying about the relationship. In 1999, the Senate acquitted Clinton of all charges. He went on to complete his second term in office. ​ George W. Bush – CIA Leak When George W. Bush was president, several members of his administration were accused of illegally leaking the identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame. After she was named by a newspaper reporter, Plame said her safety was threatened and her career destroyed. Plame’s husband had publicly criticized Bush’s policy on Iraq, so the White House was accused of retaliating by leaking Plame’s identity. In the end, a man who had worked for Vice President Dick Cheney, Lewis “Scooter” Libby, was convicted of lying to federal agents investigating the case. I'm Anne Ball. And I’m Bryan Lynn.   Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English. His report was based on reports from the Associated Press, VOA News and other sources. George Grow 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   scandal – n. damage to image; an apparent moral or ethical violation impeachment - n. the charging of an official of a crime while in office abhorrent – adj. causing or deserving strong dislike or hatred instinct – n. a natural desire to want to act in a particular way divert – v. – v. take something from one place for use somewhere else indict - v. formally decide to put someone on trial for a crime real estate – adj. having to do with buildings, home or land leak – v. give (secret information) to someone so it becomes known to the public retaliate – v. do something bad back to someone who did something bad to you  

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