News Words: Renovation

What do you think the meaning of renovation is? Find out with News Words.

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Turkish Election Officials Reject Calls for Referendum Re-Vote

  Election officials in Turkey have rejected all objections to last Sunday’s special election on presidential powers. They will not honor calls for a new vote. Turkish citizens voted on a proposal to amend the constitution and expand the powers of the president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Officials say 51 percent of voters supported the plan, while 49 percent opposed. The constitutional amendments give Erdogan the ability to create a powerful presidency from the current parliamentary system of government. The amendments end the office of prime minister as well as the official neutrality of Turkey’s president. They let the president lead a political party, declare states of emergency and set the national budget. Critics have argued the amendments are almost like creating an elected dictatorship. The election results have led to protests in Istanbul and other cities. Protesters say some voters marked more than one ballot in the referendum. Demonstrators are also unhappy with the decision by Turkey’s Supreme Election board during the vote to accept ballots without an official stamp. Under Turkey’s election law, all ballots and the envelope they are placed in have to have an official stamp -- a measure to prevent cheating. On Wednesday, hundreds of people demonstrated on the Asian side of Istanbul. The area is home to many opponents of the president. Some protesters shouted, “Erdogan a thief, Erdogan a murderer." “The vote was unfair,” said one woman. “We don't want one-man rule. We just want democracy for everyone.” Similar protests were held across Istanbul. The demonstrations were smaller than Monday, when thousands took to the streets. Demonstrations were also held in other cities, including Ankara. In general, Turkish security forces have stayed away from the protesters. Troops have powers to stop demonstrations, under rules announced after a government overthrow attempt failed last July. Usually those powers are used to control anti-government protests. Early Wednesday, security forces carried out raids across Istanbul. Turkey’s state-operated news agency says 19 people were detained for reportedly using the results of the constitutional referendum to organize “unauthorized demonstrations.”   Growing numbers of videos and photographs reportedly taken during the referendum have appeared on social media. Some are said to provide evidence of vote-stuffing. Many pictures are from Turkey’s mainly Kurdish southeast. Much of the area has increased security as armed forces battle supporters of the Kurdish separatist group PKK. In recent weeks, the pro-Kurdish party HDP urged voters to reject the amendments. Yet, several areas where the party usually has strong support recorded a large number of ‘yes’ votes in the referendum. The HDP and the main opposition CHP, or Republican People’s Party, have refused to recognize the election results. Both groups had called on the election board to cancel the results. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim pushed back on Wednesday. He told reporters, “It is unacceptable for the main opposition party not to acknowledge results which the public has already acknowledged." [On] Wednesday night, a member of CHP said his party plans to go to Turkey’s top court to overturn an election board decision on the referendum. The board’s members ruled in a 10-to-one vote in support of the election results. Mehmet Hamidi Yakupoglu is the Republican People’s Party’s representative to the electoral board. He said the CHP won’t give up on voters who opposed the changes. He said the party’s next stop is Turkey’s constitutional court and, if it is unsuccessful there, then the European Court of Human Rights. The Associated Press reported his comments. I’m John Russell. And I'm Jonathan Evans. Dorian Jones reported on this story for VOANews.com. George Grow adapted his report for Learning English. His story includes information from the Associated Press and the Reuters news service. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   unauthorized – adj. without permission; not approved by officials stamp – n. a piece of paper placed on a document envelope – n. a paper container, often used to hold a letter acknowledge – v. to recognize the rights or value of something referendum – n. an event in which the citizens of a country vote for or against a proposal on a given issue vote-stuffing – n. the custom of one person marking more than one ballot during an election  

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April 19, 2017

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

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Future of Air Travel: Electric Planes and Flying Cars

  Major airplane manufacturers are now moving to develop the future of flight with electric planes and personal flying vehicles. Boeing is one of those companies. It recently invested in Zunum Aero, a company working to build electric aircraft for commercial flights. Zunum is based in the northwestern U.S. state of Washington. It says it is hoping to revolutionize air travel by cutting flight times and greatly reducing costs. By the early 2020s, the company plans to operate electric aircraft to carry 10-15 passengers on trips up to 1,100 kilometers. It says the cost of such flights could be as low as $25 each way. Zunum noted on its website that while America has more than 13,500 airports, 97 percent of all air traffic goes through just 140 larger hubs. By traveling through smaller airports, passengers can greatly reduce door-to-door travel time and avoid long security lines. JetBlue was another major company to invest in Zunum. The head of JetBlue’s investment group, Bonnie Simi, said Zunum fits the airline’s desire to “seek new technologies to change the game.” She praised the company for developing “quiet, environmentally-friendly aircraft” for sustainable travel. Zunum’s planes will be powered by two large engines at the back. The aircraft will be “hybrid-electric,” meaning they rely mostly on battery power, but also burn fuel when needed. The goal is to eventually fly fully electric planes, although most experts believe this could take many years. This is because battery technology still has a long way to go to provide long-lasting power, but not be too heavy for the aircraft. European-based Airbus is also working to develop electric and hybrid aircraft for short trips. The company’s E-Fan project is experimenting with electric propulsion engines. These engines would turn clean-burning hydrogen fuel into electricity. Earlier this year, Airbus announced plans to test a self-flying air taxi to transport people in the sky above busy city streets. Officials in Dubai said they would launch a pilotless air taxi sometime this year. Airbus is also working on future self-driving personal flying vehicles. The company provided a first look at its concept car, called Pop Up, at the Geneva Motor Show last month. The fully electric vehicle is designed to be used on the ground and in the air. Passengers ride inside a capsule that connects to a wheeled base to be driven on the street. The capsule can also be picked up by a drone-like flyer to transport passengers in the air. It is not known how long it will take before Airbus is ready to start selling its Pop Up vehicle. But company officials said the technology could become a reality within 5-10 years.  Other companies have released plans to release flying cars a lot sooner than that. Slovakia-based engineering company AeroMobil is preparing to show the world its latest model this week. The flying vehicle was designed to fully operate as both a car and aircraft. It runs on a hybrid engine that burns gas. The vehicle has wings that collapse for driving. Driver and pilot licenses will be required to operate the vehicle. AeroMobil is showing the car at the Top Marques auto show in Monaco. No launch date or prices have been announced, but the company says it will be taking pre-orders this year. I’m Bryan Lynn.   Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English. 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   hub – n. airport or city through which airlines send most of their flights sustainable – adj. able to be used without being completely used up or destroyed hybrid – n. something formed by combining two or more things propulsion – n. force that pushes something forward concept – n. created to test or show an idea or design capsule – n. small container that can be separated from other pieces  

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How Not to Use Google Translate

This is What’s Trending Today. Late-night television host Jimmy Fallon loves to sing. He has a number of funny skits on his show related to singing. For example, he often asks famous singers to do impressions of other singers. He uses a “Wheel of Musical Impressions." The guests are given a song, and a singing style. Once, Alicia Keys was asked to sing “The Alphabet Song” in the style of Adele. Another time, Celine Dion did the classic song “Frere Jacques” as if she were Cher. On a recent show, Fallon and actress Anne Hathaway warned against using translation services and websites like Google Translate for song lyrics. Fallon said that he translated the words to some popular songs from English into Hungarian and back into English using Google Translate. He and Hathaway had some fun singing the translated lyrics. The songs Fallon chose to translate were “Can’t Feel My Face” by The Weeknd, “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor and “Just Give Me a Reason” by Pink and Nate Ruess. “Can’t Feel My Face” became “My Front is Not Felt.” “I Will Survive” became “I Will Be Punctual,” and “Just Give Me a Reason” turned into “Only Tell Me Grounds.” Fallon was not the first person to do this kind of skit. People on social media reminded Fallon fans that a singer named Malinda Kathleen Reese has been making similar YouTube videos for a long time. Her videos are called “Google Translate Sings.” In one of her videos, she translated Adele's song "Hello." The song's opening line, "Hello from the other side," became "Greetings from overseas." And that’s What’s Trending Today.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. Do you often use Google Translate? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   host – n. a person (especially a man) who is entertaining guests socially or as a job skit – n. a short, funny story or performance translate – v. to change words from one language into another language lyric – n. the words of a song impression – n. an imitation of a famous person that is done for entertainment  

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Japan Proposes Overtime Limit to Fight ‘Death from Overwork’

Japan’s government has proposed new limits on the amount of overtime employees can work. The restrictions would cap overtime to 100 hours per month and 720 hours per year. The plan is supported by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the reforms are expected to eventually be approved by parliament. The government has said the overtime limits aim to fight what the Japanese call “karoshi,” or death from overwork.    Japan’s business culture has a long history of demanding that employees work many hours of overtime. An online survey last year also found that most Japanese workers only take about half the number of vacation days they are given. The dangers of long working hours were highlighted by the 2015 death of an employee at Japanese advertising company Dentsu. The 24-year-old female employee committed suicide after complaining to family about the long hours she had to work. Public outrage over the woman’s death led to the resignation of Dentsu’s CEO last January. The company’s new chief has pledged to obey all labor laws and carry out reforms to protect the health and safety of employees. Michael Cucek is with Temple University’s Japan Campus. He says efforts by the Japanese government to improve conditions for workers are seen as a good thing. However, he and some Japanese activist groups believe the proposed limits are too high to truly make life better for employees. “The number is absurd - that in a single month, one can have 100 hours of overtime, is simply a ridiculous number.” ​ A government report said last year that about one in five Japanese companies have employees who work such long hours that they are at serious risk of death. The report found that nearly 23 percent of companies had some employees working over 80 hours of overtime a month. Medical officials have noted a greater possibility of death from work among people working at least 80 overtime hours per month. The survey also showed that about 21 percent of Japanese employees work an average of 49 or more hours each week. That number compares to 16 percent of American, 13 percent of British and 10 percent of French employees. Cucek says the woman who killed herself while working at Dentsu is an example of how work isolates many Japanese workers. “She was living not at home, but in a corporate dormitory. So there was never anybody to talk to. Never any way of her breaking out of the environment where ‘you must work, you must work, you must work,’ was being pressed upon her.” He said he hopes new overtime rules will send a clear message to Japanese companies that they can no longer demand an environment leading to employee health problems and death. I’m Bryan Lynn.   Bryan Lynn adapted this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from VOA News, 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   cap – n. limit placed on something outrage – n. extreme anger or shock absurd – adj. very silly or foolish ridiculous – adj. extremely silly or unreasonable dormitory – n. large room with many beds where people sleep  

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Malaysia Airlines to Track Its Planes in Real Time

Malaysia Airlines says it will soon become the first airline to use a worldwide real-time satellite tracking system on its planes. The announcement came three years after a Malaysia Airlines plane, flight MH370, disappeared on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. A two-year search followed, covering an area from Southeast Asia to the coast of Africa. Neither the plane nor any of the 239 people it carried were found. Malaysia Airlines says it plans to use a new space-based tracking system developed by the company Aireon. The system will be ready in 2018. Current tracking systems send signals from airplanes to land-based stations. As a result, planes can be lost over the ocean, as was the case with flight MH 370. The new system will send signals from airplanes to satellites providing global coverage. It uses existing data from planes, so it does not require any changes to aircraft. Don Thoma is head of the U.S.-based Aireon. He said in a statement, "Real-time, global flight tracking, anywhere on the planet will further its safety goals, by allowing Malaysia Airlines to track its aircraft anytime, anywhere.” The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) plans to establish a 15-minute standard for normal flight tracking, and more frequently in case of emergency, by November 2018. Reuters reported that Qatar and Malaysia airlines will begin receiving data for testing this summer. The report said they will be able to use it globally next summer. I’m Jonathan Evans.   Hai Do adapted this story from Reuters news reports. Caty Weaver was the editor ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   allow - v. to permit someone to have or do something frequently - adv. happening often  

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China Plans to Create Large Development Zone

  China’s government plans to create an economic zone that it hopes will become a center for technology. Chinese President Xi Jinping recently announced plans for the project. It would turn a huge underdeveloped area southwest of Beijing into a modern and technologically advanced zone. The Xiongan New Area will be about three times the size of New York City when completed. It is expected to become like Shenzhen -- a modern, high-tech city that acts as a bridge between Hong Kong and mainland China. Xi said that the zone will create growth for places like Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei. China’s North has long been less of an economic force and innovator than the south. But now, officials are trying to reshape the capital to create new models of growth. But critics say state-led plans for development, rather than letting market forces decide, will fail. In fact, soon after the plans for Xiongan were announced, problems quickly began. Stock prices of companies in the area rose sharply when the plan was announced. But officials halted trading for those stocks for several days last week. When trading was permitted to restart on Monday, the share prices of many companies dropped sharply. When the plans were announced last month, housing prices in the area rose sharply. Officials then quickly stopped all housing development projects, including home improvements. State media report the central government has begun to develop a “high-quality master plan” for Xiongan. But people who live in the area, property companies and possible investors and homeowners are not sure what is happening. Some people say that although the plan was announced just recently, there has been uncertainty for months. One farmer spoke to VOA: "The rumors were already starting to fly last year. “We don’t know what’s going on. At first you couldn’t plant crops and now you can’t build. This is not normal.” On the internet, some people say they believe the government is trying to control property values so it will not have to pay a lot for home demolitions. It is not clear how long restrictions on property in the area will stay in effect. Li Jie is managing director of North China for the real estate company Colliers International. Li says, "It seems that the government is extraordinarily determined to apply the ban permanently. In Xiongan, there will be no residential development by private companies and no residential units."  Li says Colliers believes the Xiongan New Area will be different "from the rest of the country, where the real estate industry has an important part in economic growth." Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli recently said large property development will not be permitted in Xiongan. It is not clear what officials will do with already finished developments or projects still being built. A VOA reporter recently visited sales offices of some large developments in the area. All of them had signs that said property sales had been cancelled. People who live there say the rise of housing prices will make it even more difficult for them to buy a home. Some said they may be forced to move away from the area. One woman was asked about the new development area. “After hearing the plan, all I wanted to do is cry. I haven’t been able to sleep or eat for days. I’ve worked half a lifetime and now I have to throw it all away.”  On the internet, many people strongly oppose the plan for the new development zone. Businessman and blogger Ren Zhiqiang wrote a long commentary that was removed from a Chinese social media website. In the message, he said the market decides what cities are created and where -- not the government. Ren wrote, “An unwillingness to accept these differences and competition, and instead use administrative power to force the creation of a unified city, will inevitably fail.”  The central government has suggested that some offices could be moved from Beijing to Xiongan. There is talk that schools, universities and non-essential government departments will be moved to the zone. There are also reports that state-owned companies will be forced to move there. But many people say that is not likely to happen. One Hong Kong-based website said the new zone is an important part of Xi Jinping’s legacy and part of efforts to support his “Chinese Dream.” The site said if the zone is properly developed, it could reduce the effect of issues such as overpriced property, pollution and a large gap between China’s rich and poor. I’m Jonathan Evans.   VOA Correspondent Bill Ide reported this story from China. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted his report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   zone – n. an area advanced – adj. developed or modern innovator – n. someone or something that does things in new ways uncertainty – n. something that is unknown rumor – n. an unconfirmed statement or report demolish – v. to break to pieces; to destroy inevitable – n. something that is considered sure or unavoidable legacy – n. something left from the past or from a person of the past gap – n. a wide difference in something; a lack of balance

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Google, Pinterest Have New Ways to Search Images

Google and Pinterest each have new ways to search using images. Both companies believe that people who search images may want more than just a picture of the exact item searched. Many people might seek more general information related to what is in a photo. People want to see similar images. If you find a piece of clothing you like in images, for example, you may want to see more of the same style. Or, maybe you are searching images of prepared food. You may want the recipes connected to the pictured dish. If you are searching for a travel setting, maybe you would like to see images of similar places. Google and Pinterest now have ways to seek such additional information. These new features might inspire you with ideas, as well as provide direct answers. New image search features Google has two new features for its image search, both of which help you find related items. These new features from Google, Similar Items and Style Ideas, are related to fashion and available on mobile devices. Pinterest also has new features that help you use images to find information. Pinterest Lens lets you use your phone's camera and photos on your phone to search for information. Pinterest also added an image search feature to its Chrome extension to help you get information. Google Similar Items Google Image Search recently added a new way to search images. Now, when you search an image, you can search for "Similar Items." This is designed to help users find items of a similar style, which may help inspire fashion ideas. The Similar Items feature works when you do a Google Image Search using an Android device, and on the Google website for mobile. You can use it on iPhone and iPad by going to google.com in the Safari app, but it will not work in the Google app on those devices. By the end of 2017 Google will be adding Similar Items to Image Search on other platforms. This feature was announced last week and, for now, is very limited in the kinds of items you can search for. Similar Items will work with searches for handbags, sunglasses, and shoes. More items will be added soon, including other fashion items as well as home and garden items. Google Style Ideas Google also has a new feature called "Style Ideas." When you do a Google Image Search for a fashion item, Style Ideas can suggest accessories to go with that item. Search results will provide photos that show how it looks in the real world. For example, if you are searching for a pair of shoes, Style Ideas can show you dresses and handbags to go with those shoes. You also may see images of people wearing the shoes.   Like Similar Items, Style Ideas works when you do a Google Image Search using an Android device, and on the Google website for mobile. You can see Style Ideas on iPhone and iPad by going to google.com in the Safari app, but not in the Google app on those devices. Pinterest Lens The Pinterest app for iPhone and Android has been updated with a new feature called Pinterest Lens. This lets you search for pins using the camera on your phone or tablet. Pinterest Lens works worldwide with phones that are set to the English language. To start using Pinterest Lens, open the Pinterest app, then tap the magnifying glass icon. Tap the red camera icon to take a photo of the object you want to search.   The app will try to identify the object and show you related pins. You can also choose keywords to guide the app towards pins you want to see. You can use Pinterest Lens with food to get ideas for recipes,                           with colors to get ideas for decorating,                           and with places to get ideas for travel.                           Pinterest Lens also lets you use photos already on your phone. Tap the photo icon in the top right corner of the screen to use photos you have already taken. Pinterest Lens is in beta, meaning it is still being tested. It does not recognize every item, but should improve the more people use it. Pinterest related image search Pinterest has added a new feature to its extension on Chrome to help you search images to find related pins. If you use Chrome and have the Pinterest extension, you will see a search icon that will let you find related pins. You will also see a Save button that lets you pin a photo to Pinterest. ​ When you click the search icon you will see a list of keywords and pins that are related to the items in the photo. But the results do not take you to the Pinterest website. Instead, they open a new window with related pins and keywords. If you click on a pin you will be taken to the Pinterest site           I’m Caty Weaver.   Carolyn Nicander Mohr wrote this report for VOA Learning English. Catherine Kelly Weaver was the editor. Do you search using images? Do you like having more ways to search using images? Which of these new ways to search using images would be the most useful for you? Share your thoughts in the Comments Section below or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   item - n. an individual thing recipe - n. a set of instructions for making food​ feature - n. an interesting or important part, quality, ability, etc.​ inspire - v. to give (someone) an idea about what to do or create extension - n. a software program that adds features to an Internet browser accessory - n. something added to something else to make it more useful, attractive, or effective​ update - v. to change (something) by including the most recent information​ pin - n. an image on Pinterest keyword - n. a word that is used to find information in a piece of writing, in a computer document, or on the Internet​ beta - n. a version of a product (such as a computer program) that is almost finished and that is used for testing

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America's Presidents - John Tyler

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April 18, 2017

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

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