April 5, 2017

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

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In Silicon Valley, Experts Help International Groups Grow

The smell of smoke from cooking fires has stayed in the memory of Ravindra Sunku. While growing up in Hyderabad, India, Sunku smelled too much oil and wood burning in his neighborhood. His neighbors were just cooking their meals. But, years later, he wondered if his neighbors developed lung disease from breathing smoke from the cooking fuel. Now, he is doing something about it. Sunku is a director at a technology company in Silicon Valley. An area south of San Francisco Bay, Silicon Valley is home to many of the biggest and best known technology companies in the United States. Recently, Sunku used his technology skills to help BURN Manufacturing, a Kenyan company that makes stoves that burn less fuel. It hopes to make people healthier and to reduce the cutting of forests for firewood.    Sunku recently told VOA that the cook stoves could have saved the lives of people in his childhood community in India. Sunku volunteered to help the Kenyan company through RippleWorks, a program in Silicon Valley. RippleWorks connects technology experts with groups around the world that have humanitarian goals. RippleWorks has helped 28 projects and it plans to help 40 more this year. The program chooses companies that work on improving education, healthcare, clean energy technology and access to financial services. RippleWorks has helped companies like NeoGrowth, a company in Mumbai, India, that provides loans to small businesses. It has also helped Zoona, a company that provides financial services to people in countries such as Malawi and Zambia. In Mexico City, RippleWorks has connected a technology marketing expert with Cignifi, a company providing credit to customers through mobile phones. RippleWorks identifies a specific problem for companies it helps. Then, it joins the company with an expert who has dealt with that problem before. RippleWorks manages the project and sets up weekly video-conference meetings. Doug Galen is the co-founder and CEO of RippleWorks. He says the secret to his organization’s success is: managing projects to make sure everyone is doing their duties. RippleWorks helped Ravindra Sunku work with BURN Manufacturing. Tech experts help solve growth problems Sunku came to the United States to attend school in Oklahoma. There, he received a master’s degree in industrial engineering. He worked in a metal factory near Los Angeles before moving to the San Francisco area to develop computer programs. In California, he worked and raised a family. He also volunteered in his community. The work involved building a playground and filling bags of food to help the hungry. Then, through RippleWorks, he volunteered to work for six months with BURN Manufacturing. Sunku did not have go to Kenya. He used video conferencing and other technology to communicate with the company. Since 2013, BURN Manufacturing has provided 250,000 cook stoves to African families. BURN Manufacturing has grown quickly, with a factory, employees, products and customers since its start. It needed technology to manage information about things like sales, pay for employees and supplies. Once a week, Sunku arrived at work in San Francisco early in the morning for a video conference with BURN’s chief financial officer and general manager. He also volunteered for three hours on the weekend: two hours on BURN projects and one hour with the RippleWorks project manager. He helped BURN choose software. He also helped them develop processes for hiring technical help in Nairobi. After he saw that the managers were taking his advice, he found the job satisfying. The final part of Sunku's work with BURN was a trip to Nairobi. He was able to take the trip because his job gives workers unlimited time off. Sunku is director of information technology at StitchFix, a web company that makes clothing selections using technology. “I never thought someone like me, originally from India who moved to the U.S. and has been in this country for more than 30 years, would make a contribution to Africa," he said. I’m Phil Dierking. And I’m Alice Bryant.   Michelle Quinn reported this story for VOA News. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. __________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   access - n. a way of getting near, at, or to something or someone master’s degree - n. degree that is given to a student by a college or university usually after one or two years of additional study following a bachelor's degree video conference - n. A video conference uses technology to create visual connection between persons in separate places playground - n. an outdoor area where children can play that usually includes special equipment, such as swings and slides customer - n. someone who buys goods or services from a business

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Memoji App Turns Selfies Into Emojis

If you are a fan of emojis, you might enjoy Memoji. The new app turns photos of faces into emojis. If your friends are fans of emojis, you can turn their photos into emojis, too. But if your friends are not fans of emojis, you can still turn their photos into emojis. Maybe then they will learn to like emojis! Memoji is a free app for iPhone that turns photos of faces into emojis. The app lets users choose from 11 different emojis, including happy, sad, cool, love, and even a rainbow unicorn. A Memoji app for Android is in development.​ Memojis can be saved as photos, GIFs and videos. The app lets users save these to their phone and share them on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and other social media sites. Users also can send them directly to their friends in Facebook Messenger, text messages and email. How to use memoji To use Memoji, first download it free from the iTunes App Store. Open the app and give it permission to access your photos. Tap the photo icon in the upper left corner of the screen.                             Choosing a photo Choose from photos on your phone that show faces. The app does not recognize all face photos. If the app does not recognize a face in the photo you choose, try a different photo. The app only recognizes photos of human faces. If you try to use a photo of your dog or cat, you will get a message that suggests you try again with a human face. You can have fun with photos of friends using Memoji. ​ If you choose a photo of a group of friends, only one face in the photo will get the emoji. Turning the photo into an emoji Under the photo you will see the 11 different emojis you can use. Swipe through to choose your favorite. Tap on the emoji to add it to the face in the photo. You can choose from: Laugh until you cry Angry Kiss Devil Laughing Sad crying Rainbow unicorn Feeling ill Love Sad Cool After you tap the emoji, the face in the photo will change according to the emoji you choose. The face moves to a smile, frown or something else. An image might be added such as tears, sunglasses, or a unicorn horn. For some emojis the facial expression changes without an image being added.                 Keep tapping different emojis until you find one you like. Saving and sharing the memoji When you have chosen your favorite Memoji, you can save it and share it with others. Tap the arrow icon in the upper right corner of the screen. You will see choices of format for saving the image as a GIF, video or image. GIF may be the most fun, but you can choose based on how you want to share the Memoji.                 After you choose the format, sharing and saving options will appear on the screen. You can save the image to your phone, share it to your social media accounts, add it to a text or email message, assign it to a contact and more. A label that gives credit to the app is included in the lower right corner of the image or video. As of now, the app does not let you remove the label. I’m Caty Weaver.   Carolyn Nicander Mohr wrote this report for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. Do you like emojis? Will you try Memoji? Which emoji is your favorite? Share your thoughts in the Comments Section below or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   emoji -n. a small digital image or icon used to express an idea, emotion, etc., in electronic communication unicorn ​-n. an imaginary animal that looks like a horse and has a straight horn growing from the middle of its forehead​ GIF ​-n. an animated image generally meant to convey an emotion or state of mind access -v. permission or the right to enter, get near, or make use of something or to have contact with someone icon ​-n. a small picture on a computer screen that represents a program or function​ swipe ​-v. move one's finger across a screen to activate a function​ ill -adj.  not well or healthy : sick or unhealthy smile ​-n. an expression on your face that makes the corners of your mouth turn up and that shows happiness, amusement, pleasure, affection, etc. frown ​-n. a serious facial expression that usually shows anger, displeasure, or concentration​ tear ​-n. a drop of liquid that comes from your eyes especially when you cry​ sunglasses ​-n. glasses with dark lenses that protect the eyes from the sun​ format ​-n. the way in which information is stored in a computer file option ​-n. the opportunity or ability to choose something or to choose between two or more things​ label ​-n. a word or phrase that describes or identifies something or someone​  

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What Is This ‘Filibuster’ Americans Are Talking About?

This week, the U.S. Senate will vote on whether to accept Donald Trump’s nomination for the Supreme Court. The president has asked Congress to approve federal judge Neil Gorsuch, who is 49 years old. If he is approved, Gorsuch will fill the position that has been open since February 2016, when Justice Antonin Scalia died. Under the U.S. Constitution, the president nominates Supreme Court Justices, and Congress decides whether to approve them. If Gorsuch is approved, he will be permitted to stay on the Court for the rest of his life, and to help determine the meaning of the country’s laws -- including on disputed issues related to guns and abortion. He would restore the 5-4 conservative majority before Scalia’s death. In the days leading up to the Senate’s decision, many people are arguing about the vote. Two words especially are coming up: filibuster and nuclear option. Democrats, who in general do not support Gorsuch, are threatening to filibuster. And Republicans, who support him, are threatening to use the nuclear option. But what do these words mean? The filibuster A filibuster is a way of delaying a vote. The political party with the smaller number – or minority – in Congress can use it to prevent lawmakers from voting. The filibuster has been part of Senate rules since the 1800s. Historically, senators filibustered by speaking for many hours -- often overnight -- to block votes. For example, during the 1930s Senator Huey Long of Louisiana spoke against bills he said favored the rich over the poor. Once he talked for 15 hours, the Senate Historical Office says. Long filled the time by reading from William Shakespeare’s plays and sharing his favorite food recipes. Now, senators do not usually talk continuously to filibuster. Instead, they insist that the majority party come up with 60 votes to end debate and schedule a vote. If the majority party falls short of 60 votes, the vote is blocked. Democrats, who are in the minority party in the Senate, say they will filibuster the vote on Gorsuch. The nuclear option But Republicans who want Gorsuch to start hearing cases right away are preparing to counter the Democrats’ move. Under Senate rules, lawmakers can stop a filibuster. If 60 out of the 100 senators agree, debate can be stopped and a vote scheduled. But Republicans do not have the 60 votes to stop the Democrats’ filibuster. Only 52 of the lawmakers are Republicans and not enough Democrats will support their move to stop the filibuster. And that explains why Senate Republicans say they will use the “nuclear option.” In this case, the phrase means to change a rule in the Senate. Republicans will move to change a rule that would allow a simple majority of senators to end debate and schedule a vote. A rule change only requires a majority vote. Why is it called the nuclear option? This change in Senate rules was first described as the “nuclear option” back in 2003. The reason: Some compared a difficult political situation in the Senate to the Cold War between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union. It was said that nuclear deterrence -- that both nations had enough nuclear weapons to destroy the other -- meant neither country was likely to attack the other. Gregory Koger teaches political science at the University of Miami in Florida. As was the case with the Soviet Union and the U.S., Koger said, Democrats and Republicans know the party that approves the “nuclear option” will pay a price. For Republicans, it will come when Democrats reclaim the Senate majority and are able to confirm Supreme Court justices with a simple majority. Koger said the Senate has long worked on the common belief that “nobody gets everything they want,” and that compromise is needed to get things done. A vote to end the filibuster for Supreme Court judges, he said, “signals the end of that way of doing things.” Why are we in this situation? The current fight over the Gorsuch nomination goes back to the Obama administration. Republicans blocked votes on many judicial and administration nominees from President Barack Obama, a Democrat, particularly in his second term. Senate Democrats responded by changing Senate rules in 2013. No longer would 60 votes be needed to end a filibuster against judicial nominees and top positions in the government. But the filibuster remained available for Supreme Court nominations -- a rule Senate Republicans are ready to change this week. Republicans took over the Senate majority from Democrats in 2015. And in 2016, Republican leaders refused to hold hearings or vote on Obama’s final nominee for the Supreme Court, Judge Merrick Garland. Republican leaders said the choice should go to the next president. And now Trump, a Republican, is president. Less than two weeks after taking office, he chose Gorsuch for the Supreme Court. I'm Bruce Alpert. And I'm Dorothy Gundy.   Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly 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   restore - v bring back recipe - n. a set of instructions for making food counter - v. to say something in response to something that another person has said phrase - n. a group of two or more words that express a single idea but do not usually form a complete sentence deterrence - n. developing a lot of military power so that other countries will not attack your country particularly - adv. more than usually

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Sometimes It Pays to Disobey

A respected American university will award a cash prize for breaking rules. But the disobedience must be for a good purpose.

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Trump Talks Tough on China Ahead of Meeting with Xi

  U.S. President Donald Trump is set to meet with Chinese president Xi Jinping this week for talks expected to focus on trade and North Korea. The meeting will be held Thursday and Friday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in the southern U.S. state of Florida. Difficult trade talks Trump was highly critical of China during his presidential campaign and has continued to make strong statements in office. He has accused China of unfair trade practices and undervaluing its currency. Chinese officials have said they do not want a trade war to break out over possible changes in U.S. trade policies. Last week, Trump tweeted that his upcoming meeting with Xi would be “a very difficult one.” He said the U.S. “can no longer have massive trade deficits and job losses.” This is in keeping with the president’s pledge after taking office to put “America first” in many policies, including trade and foreign affairs.   White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer noted several other “big problems” between the U.S. and China. He cited Chinese activities in the South China Sea and the North Korean nuclear dispute. “There are big issues of national and economic security that need to get addressed, and I think there’s going to be a lot on the table when it comes to that over the two days that they will talk.” China has warned the U.S. not to get involved in its disputes with other nations over the South China Sea. Chinese officials have also strongly condemned the deployment of the American-built THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea. The deployment came after North Korea carried out a number of missile tests.   North Korea nuclear development Many security experts believe China will have to be an important partner with Washington in efforts to make progress on North Korea. In an interview with Britain’s Financial Times newspaper, Trump noted that China has “great influence” over North Korea. While he hopes China will cooperate on North Korea, he said if Beijing is not willing to help resolve the problem, “we will.” Trump also warned that if North Korea’s fast advancing nuclear and missile capabilities are allowed to continue, “it won't be good for anyone.”   U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley urged China to take steps to show it is serious about North Korea and stop making "excuses that they're concerned, too." “They need to show us how concerned they are. They need to put pressure on North Korea. The only country that can stop North Korea is China," Haley told ABC television's This Week. Economic sanctions and international negotiations have failed over the years to persuade North Korea to stop its missile building and nuclear development. It is possible that Trump will seek a deal with Xi that involves both trade and security issues, according to Bong Young-shik, a professor of North Korean studies at Yonsei University in Seoul. “So the question is whether Washington is willing to, and able to, make concessions giving Beijing enough incentives so that the Chinese government will make a fundamental shift in its dealings with the leadership in Pyongyang.” In the Financial Times interview, Trump said trade will be the main incentive the U.S. will use in negotiations with China. Last month during a visit to South Korea, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said all options regarding North Korea were being considered, including possible military action.   James Nolt is a political and economic expert with the World Policy Institute. He says the U.S. may decide that military strikes against North Korea are an acceptable risk to maintain U.S. security. “I think that is a very plausible action because it doesn’t look necessarily warlike. It looks like a relatively reasonable response to a threat, and yet undoubtedly from North Korea it’s going to look like it’s very provocative.” Yun Sun is with the Stimson Center policy institute in Washington, D.C. She told VOA she believes China will send Xi to the United States with a “generous gift package” in hand. This package could include a large commitment for Chinese investment in building roads and bridges in the U.S. Yun said this could be a good political move for both China and Trump, who has called for major projects to create American jobs. I’m Bryan Lynn.   Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from VOA News, 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   deficit – n. amount of something that is less than the amount needed concession – n. giving in to something to reach agreement incentive – n. thing that encourages a person to do something   shift – n. change in position or direction plausible – adj. possibly true provocative – adj. causing discussion, thought or argument generous – adj. giving freely of money, time or other things commitment – n. promise to do or give something  

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Empowering Educators through Data

  The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD is working with teachers and schools to reform education through data. The OECD is over 50 years old, and has 35 member countries, including the United States. Its aim is to support policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people worldwide. The OECD’s Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, is the largest international study of 15-year-old students. More than 500,000 students from 72 countries took the test in 2016. They answered questions involving three subjects: science, reading and mathematics. The PISA results are informative, but do not always lead to improvements in the classroom. The OECD hopes to change that through a program it calls PISA4U. It hopes the program will connect teachers in different areas and lead to exchanges of what it considers “relevant best practices.” Holm Keller is heading the PISA4U initiative. He says the reasons for differences between high schools is something that teachers are best positioned to explain.  PISA4U is “aimed at empowering teachers to do what they can to substantially improve teaching outcomes in their expertise,” Keller said. “There is a lot of potential for innovation in the teaching community, but it is not always easily shared.” Through PISA4U, the OECD hopes to share information about what makes some schools perform better than others.  The initiative has two parts. The first is an online program where teachers work in groups to create resources related to their area of specialization. These online and other resources are then shared with the 4,000 teachers involved in PISA4U. The teachers are asked to study and rate the information. Afterwards, the final version of the resources will be shared online to a larger community of teachers for free. Basis Schools: managing by data Another goal of PISA4U is to study successful education models around the world. One such model, the only one being studied in the United States, is the Basis school system. It is a group of independent and charter schools that have a record of high student performance. Basis schools have receive a lot of recognition for their successes. In 2016, U.S. News and World Report magazine rated two Basis schools in Arizona as the number 2 and 3 “Best High School” in the country. The same two schools, plus another in Oro Valley, Arizona, were named as the top three U.S. charter schools.  These rankings are based on the school’s student performance on state-required tests, as well as how well their students are prepared for college. While Basis schools do have a history of success, another reason for studying them is their method of using data to inform teachers.  The Basis schools direct their programs with data from an electronic learning platform, called the Basis Educational Link and Assessment, or BELA. Mark Reford is the Chief Business Development and Brand Officer for Basis. In his opinion, the simplest way to describe BELA “is crowdsourcing curricular innovation.” At Basis schools, teachers never have a set curriculum or program of study. Instead, they are given “goals” of what subjects they need to present to students during the school year. Teachers put all the information about their classes, such as homework, study guides, or education goals, into the BELA database. With this information, school administrators are able to see teacher’s progress, which teachers have been successful, and what interesting things they are doing with their classes. That way, the administrators are able to share the information with other teachers and schools.  The database also can help teachers. Teachers can search BELA for curriculum and resource materials for their classes. School innovation BELA is not the only unusual thing about the Basis schools. According to Sean Aiken, Head of School for the Basis Independent School in McLean, Virginia, the schools have a one-of-a-kind model for teachers. At the Basis schools, students do not have homeroom teachers, but instead have separate teachers for each subject. Instead of using teachers who are considered “generalists,” the schools offer teaching positions to experts in the subject they are teaching. The idea is that whoever is teaching middle school biology should be an expert in biology. Individuals being considered for a teaching position also required to complete a teaching demo with Basis students, who provide their comments to a school administrator. That information is used in the-decision-making process. Additionally, in Basis primary schools, groups of students are asked to work with a Learning Expert Teacher, or LET, who follows the students to their classes throughout the day. The LET then meets with the subject teachers to help make sure class time is well spent for the students. A “culture of education” Basis schools are said to support a “culture of education.” School days are longer, and there are less breaks than at U.S. public schools. Advanced Placement, or AP tests are first taken in eighth or ninth grade. School work is also considered more important than sports or other extra-curricular activities. However Aiken says the main goal is to regain control of how students use their time. “Do you want to be functioning in the top 1 to 2% of the world when it comes to your critical thinking, reading, writing and science? Yes... Do you also want to win the city championship for middle school girl’s basketball?  Yes...  Those are not mutually exclusive goals.  But now we need to be even more intentional about how we are using our time,” Aiken said Although difficult at times, the Basis model appears to be working for some students. According to Sayeed Akhtar, an 11th grade student at the Basis School in McLean, the biggest difference between his and other schools was the rigor. “I think the level of academic rigor at Basis is much higher than other schools in the area… I spent about six years in another school in the area and it was kind of like a country club. I think at Basis they have a much more serious approach to academics and they are functioning just at a higher level overall in terms of their curriculum,” Akhtar said. Akhtar is currently taking seven AP classes, something he says that not many students his age are doing. But trying to meet high expectations at an early age is not easy, Aiken says. Some students find that balancing the work load at the Basis schools with other activities is difficult. Also, not all parents feel the model is right for their children, as it puts more pressure on them.  Basis schools are different, but it is their custom of using data to improve teaching that makes the schools a model of what PISA4U hopes to achieve. By sharing information, the hope is that eventually teachers around the world will have use of information on what really makes a school successful. I’m Phil Dierking. And I'm Alice Bryant.   Phil Dierking wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Do you think using data to improve teaching is effective?  We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________ Words in This Story   crowdsourcing - n. the practice of obtaining information or input into a task or project by enlisting the services of a large number of people, either paid or unpaid, typically via the Internet. curriculum - n.  data - n. the courses that are taught by a school, college, etc. database - n. a collection of pieces of information that is organized and used on a computer function - n. a collection of pieces of information that is organized and used on a computer initiative - n.  a plan or program that is intended to solve a problem​ online - adj. connected to a computer, a computer network, or the Internet​ platform - n.  a program or set of programs that controls the way a computer works and runs other programs practice - v.  to do something again and again in order to become better at it primary - adj.  most important​ resource - n. something that a country has and can use to increase its wealth​ rigor - n. the difficult and unpleasant conditions or experiences that are associated with something substantially - n.very much, or, a lot​  

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Boeing Reaches Sales Agreement with Another Iranian Airline

American airplane maker Boeing says it has reached a deal to sell 30 aircraft to an Iranian airline. The $3 billion sale of passenger aircraft is the second deal the American aerospace company has reached with an Iranian airline. Boeing announced the latest deal with Aseman Airlines on Tuesday. Last December, Iran Air agreed to buy 80 Boeing passenger planes in a deal worth $16.6 billion. The deals were made possible by an agreement signed by Iran and six world powers including the U.S. The deal limited Iran’s uranium enrichment activities in an effort to keep the country from developing nuclear weapons. In exchange, many trade and financial sanctions on Iran were lifted. In a statement, Boeing says the deal is expected to create or sustain 18,000 jobs. Boeing would look to the Office of Foreign Assets Control for approval of the sale. The office is part of the United States Treasury Department. During the campaign for president, United States President Donald Trump was strongly critical of the Iran deal. But Trump has also said creating jobs is a main concern for his administration. If the deal is approved, Aseman Airlines is expected to start receiving the airplanes in 2022 according to Boeing. I’m Mario Ritter.   Joshua Fatzick reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted it for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story airline –n. a company that owns or leases airplanes to transport people or cargo aerospace –adj. related to the industry of traveling in and above Earth’s atmosphere sanction –n. an action that is meant to force a country to obey international law usually by limiting or stopping trade and economic activity with that country

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Follow Yosemite National Park's Bears Online

This is What’s Trending Today. You can now follow the bears in California’s Yosemite National Park online. No, that does not mean the bears now all have Twitter profiles. But they are connected to the internet via satellite. They have their own website. It is keepbearswild.org. The park has about 500 bears within its borders, and last year, had over 5 million visitors. Now, about 20 bears are wearing collars with GPS trackers. You can follow their movements on a map of the park. But if you go looking for them, you probably will not find the bears. For both the safety of the bears, and people, there is a delay. The website also shows where 28 bears were hit by cars in 2016. Some of them were killed. With the collars, park rangers and wildlife scientists can keep track of the bears within the park. They can also learn some new things. For example, bear experts were surprised to learn that the bears begin mating in May. That is over one month sooner than they thought. They also found that the bears can travel up to 48 kilometers per day, and that includes climbing up steep mountains. The collars will allow park rangers to know if bears are getting too close to campgrounds. The rangers want to keep both the bears and the humans safe. The Yosemite Conservancy spent almost $300,000 on the mapping project. Frank Dean is the president of the conservancy. He says the new information about the bears should keep them safer. “People love to see the bears,” he said. “Protecting them is something we can all do.” Jesse Garcia studies black bears for the state of California. He says visitors to the park need to understand that they are in the bears’ home. “You’ve got to give them their distance and always be aware, knowing that they’re there,” he said. And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell.   Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on an Associated Press report. Hai Do was the editor. Are you worried about running into a bear someday? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   collar – n. a band of leather, plastic, etc., worn around an animal's neck GPS – n. a radio system that uses signals from satellites to tell you where you are and to give you directions to other places track – v. to follow or watch the path of (something) mate – v. of animals : to have sexual activity in order to produce young conserve – v. to keep (something) safe or from being damaged or destroyed

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Trump Donates First Paycheck to National Park Service

During his campaign for the presidency, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would not collect the yearly $400,000 presidential salary. On Monday, the president followed through with his promise. Trump gave the money he has earned so far as president to the U.S. National Park Service. The donation totaled $78,333.32. Trump is the third U.S. president to have rejected a salary. John F. Kennedy and Herbert Hoover were the others. Both were extremely wealthy men like Trump. Trump’s press secretary, Sean Spicer, announced the first of Trump’s donations during a daily press meeting Monday. Spicer presented the donation, in the form of a large check, to Interior Department Secretary Ryan Zinke. The National Park Service is part of the Department of the Interior.   Standing next to Zinke was Tyrone Brandyburg. He is superintendent at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia. Zinke said in a statement that Trump’s gift will be used to help repair national battlefields and military parks within the National Park Service. “These historic places tell the story of conflicts that helped shape our country’s history,” Zinke said. “I’m honored to help the president carry out his love and appreciation for our warriors and land.” However, critics say that Trump’s donation to the National Park Service is small compared to the amount of money that it -- and the Interior Department as a whole -- may lose under Trump’s proposed budget. His plan would cut $1.5 billion dollars from the department, or 12 percent of its total budget.   The National Park Service says it needs almost $12 billion to pay for long-needed repairs to many of its more than 400 sites. Zinke said Monday that “we’re about $229 million behind in deferred maintenance on our battlefields alone.” The National Park Service operates 25 sites that are considered battlefield parks or sites and military parks. Among the most popular is Pennsylvania’s Gettysburg National Military Park -- the site of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. More than 1 million people visit that park each year. I’m Ashley Thompson. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   salary  - n. an amount of money that an employee is paid each year​ charity​ - n.​ an organization that helps people who are poor, sick, etc.​ appreciation​ - n.​ a feeling of being grateful for something​ warrior​ - n.​ a person who fights in battles and is known for having courage and skill​ defer - v. to choose to do (something) at a later time maintenance - n. the act of keeping property or equipment in good condition by making repairs, correcting problems, etc.  

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April 4, 2017

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

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