South Korean Golfer Hits a Strike at Bowling Alley

  This is What’s Trending Today. Minju Kim is a young golfer from South Korea. Recently, she posted a number of photos of herself playing in California on Instagram. She even posed for a photo with professional golfer Adam Scott of Australia. Kim is not yet a famous player. She works as a golf teacher in South Korea. However, she has almost 15,000 followers on Instagram. Those followers and many golf fans around the world are reacting to a trick shot video she posted the other day. It already has over 40,000 views on her Instagram page, and other media organizations have posted it, too. It is a video of Kim hitting a golf ball while in a bowling alley. She drives the ball towards the pins, and knocks them all down. In bowling, that is called a “strike.” Golf.com posted the video on its Facebook page, and in less than a day, it had almost 600,000 views. The same video on Golf Digest’s Instagram page was played over 100,000 times. Some people think the video is great. They say it combines their two favorite sports. One Facebook commenter proposed it as a way for his friend to get a better bowling score. Golf Digest suggested the new sport could be called “gowling.” The video does have its critics. People are saying it is not real. They think the golf ball is not heavy enough to knock down the bowling pins. They also say the video is edited to show the pins falling down, but it is not clear that Kim hits them with the golf ball. On Facebook, Mark Brennan wrote: “everyone knows this is fake, right?” Kim took another shot and one pin remained. The next part of the video showed a close-up of a third shot knocking down the 10th pin, for what is called a “spare” in bowling. And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. Do you think Kim’s bowling-alley golf shot was real? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   drive – n. to hit or kick (a ball or puck) with a lot of force or speed edit – v. to prepare (a film, recording, photo, etc.) to be seen or heard : to change, move, or remove parts of (a film, recording, photo, etc.) fake – adj. meant to look real or genuine but not real or genuine

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March 30, 2017

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

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World's Oldest Spacewoman Sets Spacewalking Record

American Astronaut Peggy Whitson set the world record on Thursday for most spacewalks ever made by a woman.  She set the record while floating out of the International Space Station to set up a new parking spot for commercial crew capsules. SpaceX and Boeing are building the capsules. It was the eighth spacewalk of Whitson’s career.  A spacewalk is when an astronaut performs a task or mission while outside of their spacecraft in space. Whitson and her spacewalking partner, station commander Shane Kimbrough, took the spacewalk in order to complete work on the space station’s docking port.  Kimbrough disconnected the port during a spacewalk last Friday and then flight controllers in Houston moved it to a new location Sunday.  For Thursday’s spacewalk, the astronauts needed to hook up important heater cables to the docking port. They also needed to install shields to protect against strikes by micrometeorites. The port will serve as the second of two docking ports for the future SpaceX and Boeing crew capsules. An unexpected turn of events The mission did not go completely as planned, however. During the spacewalk, the astronauts lost one of the important cloth shields needed for the space station. NASA says it is not yet clear who let the shield go or how it floated away. The shield is to be attached to the station or astronauts at all times. Each shield weighs about 8.2 kilograms. When unfolded, the shields are about 5 kilometers thick, NASA says. The astronauts did report that the three remaining shields were successfully installed. Breaking records Midway through Thursday's spacewalk, Whitson was set to break another record. She beat the current time record for total spacewalking time by a woman. The record was 50 hours and 40 minutes. It was held by former space station resident Sunita Williams. Williams will be one of four NASA astronauts who will make early test flights of the SpaceX Crew Dragon and Boeing Starliner capsules. The first flight of these capsules could take place as early as next year. Whitson, who is 57, has been in orbit since November. She is the world’s oldest and most experienced spacewoman. This is her third stay at the space station. She has spent more than 500 days off the planet. That is more days than any other woman. Whitson is set to return to Earth in June. But she may stay in space for an extra three months, until September. NASA is hoping she can return to Earth then on an extra seat in the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. It is expected to launch next month and return in September. I’m Phil Dierking   This story was originally written by Marcia Dunn for the Associated Press.   Phil Dierking adapted this story for VOA Learning English.   Ashley Thompson was the editor. Have you ever set a record?  We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   astronaut – n. a person who travels in a spacecraft into outer space​ capsule – n. a small part of a spacecraft that is separate from the rest of the spacecraft and that is where people live and work​ commercial – adj. related to or used in the buying and selling of goods and services​ micrometeorites – n. a micrometeoroid that has entered the earth's atmosphere.​ spacewalk – n. a task or mission performed by an astronaut outside a spacecraft in space​ spacecraft – n. a task or mission performed by an astronaut outside a spacecraft in space​

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News Words: Integration

Learn the meaning of integration with News Words.

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US First Lady Honors International Women of Courage

  United States first lady Melania Trump has recognized 13 women activists with the State Department’s Women of Courage Award. Trump said the women being honored had shown strength in the face of great danger. "These honorees on the stage with me have fought for their rights and for the rights of others. Each battle forces, such as governments, the courts, gender bias, terrorism, war and corruption, and were willing, in each moment, to face harsh penalties including imprisonment and death." The award is called the Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award. The winners have shown support of peace, justice, human rights, gender equality and empowerment of women at personal risk. More than 100 women from 60 countries have received the awards since it was established in 2007. An international group of women receive recognition The women being honored come from countries around the world. This year’s winners include Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, known as “Mother Mushroom,” of Vietnam. The environmental activist and blogger has been in prison since October 2016. The state department has called for Quynh’s immediate release since her detention. State Department spokesperson Grace Choi told VOA, “We believe that international recognition for her courage and advocacy will help bring attention to her work to address corruption and promote human rights in Vietnam.” Natalie Ponce de Leon was attacked with acid in Colombia three years ago. She used the attack to help pass a law in January of 2016 increasing punishments for people who use chemical agents in attacks. Major Aichatou Ousmane Issaka was one of the first women to join the army in Niger in 1996. She was honored for causing people to think about the issue of gender in conflict areas. Veronica Simogun of Papua New Guinea was in the U.S. for the first time. She was honored for her campaign to protect women from violence related to their gender. Simogun told VOA, “I am fighting for equality, gender justice in my country.” She added, “Women’s voices need to be heard, and there should be equality for women and children.” Other recipients include Bangladeshi activist Sharmin Akter who fights early and forced marriages. Two African rights activists are Malebogo Molefhe of Botswana and Rebecca Kabugho, a political and social activist from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The deputy director of the Organization for Women’s Freedom in Iraq, Jannat Al Ghezi, was among those honored. So was Cindy Arlette Contreras Bautista who started and directs the group Not One Woman Less in Peru. Sister Carolin Tahhan Fachakh is a member of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (F.M.A) group in Syria. From Turkey, Saadet Ozkan received recognition for her education and gender activism. And human rights activists Sandya Eknelygoda of Sri Lanka and Fadia Najib Thabet of Yemen also received the award. The award ceremony was held Wednesday. Now the women will travel to several American cities for individual International Visitor Leadership Programs. Afterwards, they will again gather in Los Angeles, California, to discuss cooperation in improving the lives of women and girls everywhere. The event was one of the rare public appearances by the wife of U.S. President Donald Trump who has been in office for a little more than two months. I’m Jill Robbins. And I'm Mario Ritter. Nike Ching reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted it for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   gender –n. related to the state of being male or female bias –adj. favoring one side over the other

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US Officials Worry Budget Cuts Could Hurt Aid Efforts

With over 20 million people nearing starvation in four countries, the United Nations (UN) is asking for $5.6 billion in emergency aid. For now, UN members have only offered about 20 percent of that amount. Officials say the world is facing one of the biggest humanitarian crisis since the end of World War II. The UN’s International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has declared a famine in northeast Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen. A famine means that a very large number of people are starving because of food shortages. The United States provides about 28 percent of the world’s humanitarian aid, the most of any nation. But some warn of large cuts if the U.S. Congress approves a Trump administration proposal. It calls for a cut of about $50 billion in the State Department budget. The State Department oversees foreign assistance programs. The Republican Party controls both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Top Republicans in the House and Senate say Congress is likely to reject the big cuts in foreign aid proposed by the president. New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith, a Republican, is chairman of a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee. He said his goal is to get more U.S. aid to help starving people. Pregnant women suffering from famine may be too weak to survive pregnancy, Smith said at a subcommittee hearing this week. If they survive, he said, their children are likely to be “stunted,” meaning well short of normal weight and height. That makes them more at risk of disease, and people in a weakened condition have a more difficult time surviving, UNICEF officials said. They added that 22 million children are hungry, sick and unable to attend school in the four countries. World counts on United States Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland is on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a member of the Democratic Party. Cardin said he is concerned President Trump has not spoken publicly about the starvation crisis and has proposed cuts in foreign aid. “If the U.S. is not in the leadership, the international community is not going to respond,” Cardin said. Senator Bob Corker, a Republican from Tennessee, chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He predicted Congress will not approve the big cuts in foreign aid proposed by President Trump. But he said action is needed immediately to deal with the starvation crisis, long before a new budget is passed. “We understand that people today as we sit here are dying. What is it that we can do right now today to help try to meet the needs over the next two weeks?” Corker said at a hearing last week. Gregory Gottlieb is with the U.S. Agency for International Development. He told Corker that if his agency received more flexibility on rules for food aid, it could feed an additional five million people a year. Nancy Lindborg is president of the U.S. Institutes of Peace, an independent, federal office. She said a lot of the starvation in the four nations facing famine is a product of war and other conflicts, not food shortages. Lindborg said armed groups are killing livestock, destroying food supplies and closing down markets. On March 16, one reporter asked Budget Director Mick Mulvaney if the proposed budget cuts will cause, in their words, “some of the most vulnerable people on Earth to suffer?” Mulvaney said that Trump is following up on his campaign promise to put America first. “The President said specifically hundreds of times -- you covered him -- I'm going to spend less money on people overseas and more money on people back home. And that's exactly what we're doing with this budget,” Mulvaney said. I’m Ashley Thompson.   Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. His report was based on VOANews.com, the Associated Press and other sources. 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   respond - v. to say or write something as an answer to a question or request flexibility - n. able to change or to do different things livestock - n. farm animals such as cows and that are kept, raised, and used by people vulnerable - adj. people at risk specifically - adv. in a definite and exact way

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Red Bull Heir Avoids Legal Action after Crash

In 2012, the driver of a Ferrari, an expensive Italian sports car, hit a motorcycle police officer in Bangkok, Thailand, dragged him along the road and fled. A trail of brake fluid led investigators to the home of one of the country’s richest families. The car belonged to Vorayuth Yoovidhya. His grandfather co-found the Red Bull energy drink company. Forbes magazine estimates the family’s net worth is around $10 billion. The first reports said a family employee had been driving the car, which was heavily damaged -- its windshield shattered. After top officers visited the house, Vorayuth, who was 27 at the time, went to the police station with his father. The Yoovidhyas paid $15,000 bail at the police station and Vorayuth went home. Almost five years later, Vorayuth has avoided legal action against him. The statute of limitations on some of the charges against him – will end this year. Government lawyers have ordered Vorayuth to court to hear the charges against him, but he has not appeared. His lawyer has given different reasons for the absence, including sickness and involvement in international business deals. Enjoying family’s wealth Many people thought Vorayuth was hiding in Thailand or overseas, living a quiet life and hiding his identity when in public. But the Associated Press news agency reports that the Thai man is not hiding. It found that, within weeks of the accident, Vorayuth was out in public enjoying his family’s wealth. AP says he often flies around the world on company airplanes, attends car races, and drives around London in a costly sports car. The AP says it tracked him easily by reading social media messages. Reporters for the news agency found Vorayuth and his family on vacation in Luang Prabang, Laos, at a $1000 a night hotel. The reports say the family ate at a costly restaurant, visited temples and swam in the hotel pool before flying home to Bangkok. The lawyer for the Yoovidhya family did not answer Associated Press requests to talk to Vorayuth. Police officer was first to leave family’s farm Police Sergeant Major Wichean Glanprasert was the victim of the hit-and-run. It happened in the morning of September 3, 2012 on one a main road in Bangkok. The youngest of five children, Wichean was the first in the family to leave the family’s coconut and palm farm. He paid for his parents’ care until they died. He helped his sister, who had cancer. He had no children, but planned to pay for his brother’s children to attend college. Vorayuth’s lawyer met with Wichean’s family. They accepted a payment of about $100,000. In exchange, they agreed not to demand that Vorayuth face criminal charges. Comronwit Toopgrajank was the head of Bangkok’s police department when the accident happened. Many people believed Vorayuth’s wealth and his family’s power would keep him from being punished. But Comronwit promised the driver would be punished. “We will not let this police officer die without justice, believe me,” Comronwit said. “The truth will prevail in this case. I can guarantee it.” But when Comronwit retired in 2014, Vorayuth had not been punished. Comronwit now says “I am disappointed.” A culture of impunity Critics say the lack of progress in the case shows that rich people in Thailand are not held responsible for violating the law. The country has struggled with the rule of law for many years. Chris Baker is a British historian. He and his Thai wife have written a lot about inequality, wealth and power in Thailand. He said he is not surprised that Vorayuth has not been tried. “There is most certainly a culture of impunity here that big people -- which means, roughly, people with power and money -- expect to be able to get away with a certain amount of wrongdoing,” he said. “This happens so often, so constantly, it is very clearly part of the working culture.” Vorayuth is not the only child of a rich family who has not been punished for a suspected crime. Last year, the son of a rich Thai businessman was speeding in his car when he hit a smaller car. The crash killed two graduate students. No legal action has been taken. In 2010, a 16-year-old daughter of a rich former military officer crashed her car into another vehicle, killing nine people. The girl was sentenced to two years but did not go to prison. She was instead ordered to do community service. The strong ties between money, power and politics in Thailand have led to government overthrows and violent protests. In 2006, a billionaire prime minister was found guilty of corruption. He avoided jail by living outside of Thailand. In 2011, his sister came to power. The military removed her from office. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha is a former commander of the Thai Army. He says he will fight corruption and crime. But the lack of action against Vorayuth and other rich people make it difficult for Thais to believe him. Police spokesman Col. Krissana Pattanacharoen said his agency has done everything it is able to do to charge Vorayuth. And the agency has told Vorayuth’s lawyers that he must appear at the prosecutor’s office on Thursday, March 30. “I am not saying it is a case where the rich guy will get away with it,”' said Krissana. “I can’t answer that question. But what I can answer is, if you look at the timeline here, what we did, by far there is nothing wrong with the inquiry officers who are carrying out the case.” Pokpong Srisanit is a law professor at Thammasat University. He says the situation is “not normal,” but appears to be legal. He says Thai law is flawed by the statute of limitations. If enough time passes between a crime and the legal action to deal with it, people can escape punishment. I’m Jonathan Evans. And I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.   The Associated Press news agency reported this story from Bangkok. John Smith adapted the report for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   trail - n. marks, signs, ... left behind by someone or something brake fluid - n. oil used in device to slow or stop a vehicle shatter - v. break into many small pieces bail -n. money given to a court to allow a prisoner to leave jail and return later for a trial statute of limitation - n. a law that states the amount of time that must pass before a crime can no longer be punished prevail - v. to win, especially in a long or difficult contest disappointed - adj. sad, unhappy rule of law - n. a situation in which the laws are obeyed by everyone impunity - n. freedom from punishment roughly - adv. not exactly but close in meaning constantly - adv. happening all the time inquiry - n. request for information flawed - adj. having a mistake, fault or weakness

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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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