Trump to Nominate Former Federal Prosecutor as FBI Director

  American President Donald Trump says he will nominate a former federal prosecutor as head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or FBI. The president made the announcement Wednesday morning on the online news and social networking service Twitter. Trump said his nominee will be Christopher Wray, who once represented the government in court.   Trump dismissed FBI director James Comey last month. The former official is to meet with a committee of the United States Senate Thursday. The committee is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Christopher Wray led the Justice Department's Criminal Division from 2003 to 2005m during the presidency of George W. Bush. Wray led investigations into cheating by businesses at a time when Comey was deputy attorney general. He also supervised a task force of prosecutors and FBI agents. The group was created to investigate financial wrongdoing at Enron Corporation. The company failed in 2001. Several Enron officials were jailed for their involvement in the case. Wray is now a criminal defense attorney and a partner at the law offices of King & Spalding. He recently represented New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, an ally of Trump, during an investigation of traffic delays at the George Washington Bridge. Christie and his aides were accused of plotting to close parts of roads leading to the bridge for political purposes. Two Christie aides were found guilty of the charges. Prosecutors say the aides took the action to hurt a New Jersey official who refused to support the governor. I'm Phil Dierking.   This story appeared on VOANews.com. George Grow adapted the report for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   prosecutor – n. a lawyer in a criminal case online – adj. connected to or involving a computer or telecommunications system task – adj. of or related to giving someone or something a job to do attorney – n. someone who is legally appointed to represent someone or something

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Tehran Attacks

On Wednesday, attacks on Iran’s parliament and the tomb of its revolutionary leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 40.

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June 7, 2017

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

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Harvard Cancels Admissions Offers Over Social Media Behavior

  Harvard University says it has canceled offers to admit at least 10 students after it found they exchanged offensive memes on social media. The university’s student newspaper, The Harvard Crimson, reported the move on Monday. The Crimson reported that the individuals connected through the Harvard College Class of 2021 Facebook group. It said they traded memes and messages with a private Facebook group, which was set up last December. Those memes included images making fun of sexual abuse, racial minorities and the deaths of children. For example, one student in the private group called the imagined hanging of a Mexican child “piñata time,” The Crimson noted. Others made jokes about the Holocaust, Germany’s systematic killing of Jews and others during World War II. A Harvard spokeswoman did not comment, saying the university does not discuss the admission of individual students. The university tells accepted students that an offer of admission can be canceled for a number of reasons. They include behavior that “brings into question (student) honesty, maturity or moral character." What happened? The Harvard Class of 2021 Facebook group had about 100 members. Later, some of them then created the smaller, private Facebook group. They shared the offensive images and messages in this group. In April, Harvard officials sent letters to some of the members, asking them to explain their offensive posts. The students were told the school was reconsidering its offer of admission. The admissions office also said the students should not attend Harvard’s freshmen visiting event in April, the Crimson reported. About a week later, at least 10 were told their offers were canceled, the newspaper said. Jessica Zhang was a member of the larger Facebook group, Class of 2021. “A lot of students were excited about forming group chats with people who shared similar interests," she told The Crimson in an email. She said the group began because “someone posted about starting a chat for people who liked memes.” Zhang told The Crimson she did not post in the smaller group. Cassandra Luca told the student newspaper that some members of the Class of 2021 group had suggested a group that posts more "R-rated" memes. Luca will also start taking classes at Harvard later this year. Luca said the founders of the smaller group required students to first post shocking memes to the main group if they wanted to join the smaller group. “They were like, ‘Oh, you have to send a meme to the original group to prove that you could get into the new one,’” Luca said. Neither Zhang's nor Luca's offers of admission were canceled. A student whose admission was canceled said the office asked the students to share with them all of the memes they sent to their private group. This student spoke under the agreement that reporters would not use their name. Right or wrong? Some students, such as Luca, were unsure how they felt about the university's decision, she told The Crimson. She said that if the students had threatened someone with harm, it would be a reason to cancel their admission offer. But Zhang agrees with the school's decision. She told The Crimson that she respects the school's decision because "those actions really spoke about the students' true characters." This is the second year that Harvard officials have dealt with students sharing offensive messages on the Internet. Last year, students from the Class of 2020 shared racist and sexist jokes in an unofficial Group Me chat. School officials released a statement saying the messages were unacceptable.  Harvard is one of the nation's top universities. It accepted only 5.2 percent of the nearly 40,000 students who applied for the Class of 2021. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   meme - n. an amusing or interesting picture or video that is spread widely through the Internet chat / chat group - n. a group of people who communicate regularly via the Internet, usually in real time but also by email. piñata - n. a decorated container filled with candies, fruits and gifts that is hung up at parties or celebrations and hit with a stick by children until it is broken and the things inside it fall out The Holocaust - n. the killing of millions of Jews and other people by the Nazis during World War II moral - adj. concerning or relating to what is right and wrong in human behavior R-rated - adj. (informal use) not meant to be seen by children under the age of 17

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Canadian Man Cuts Grass in Front of Tornado

This is What’s Trending Today. A tornado can be a dangerous weather event. It is often described as “violent” and “destructive.” Tornadoes are known for their strong, fast-moving winds. They can kill people and destroy buildings. Sometimes the winds create what is called a funnel cloud. The cloud moves quickly along the ground, striking down and pushing away whatever it hits. When a tornado is nearby, people are advised to go inside a building and down to the basement or hide in the strongest part of the structure. But recently, one man thought he could still get some outdoor work done even when a tornado was nearby. Theunis Wessels of Alberta, Canada would not get inside his home, even when his daughter asked him to. Wessels said he had to cut the grass growing around his house because there were too many activities planned for the weekend. So his wife, Cecilia, came outside to ask him to come in. He would not, so she took a photograph and shared it on Facebook. Cecilia Wessels wrote “my beast mowing the lawn with a breeze in his hair.” The photo captured the imagination of many people on social media. Some added words or pictures to her photo and posted the new version online. One person wrote: “life in Canada summed up in one picture.” Another wrote: “this is all of us getting through 2017.” On her own Facebook post, Cecilia Wessels described her husband as “the Chuck Norris of lawn mowers.” Norris is famous for his action movies. His long career was helped in 2005 when people started writing funny “Chuck Norris Facts.” The funny “facts” have him doing impossible things. One of them was “Chuck Norris beat the sun in a staring contest.” Cecilia said she was not too worried about the tornado. She was just taking a photo to show her parents in South Africa. That is when many people became concerned for Theunis Wessels’ safety. But Theunis said he knew about the bad weather, but the photo made the tornado seem much closer than it actually was. And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell wrote this story for VOA Learning English based on information from the Canadian Press. George Grow was the editor. What do you think of the photo of the man mowing the lawn with a tornado nearby? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.   __________________________________________________________   Words in This Story funnel – n. a device shaped like a hollow cone with a tube extending from the point, used to pour a liquid into a narrow opening basement – n. the part of a building that is partly or completely below the ground beast – n. an animal mow the lawn – v. to cut grass with a machine or a sharp edge breeze – n. a light wind to sum up – v. to describe or show the most important parts or qualities of someone or something in a simple way stare – n. to look at someone or something for a long time often with your eyes wide open  

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Improve Your Focus with the Pomodoro Technique

  If you are like many language students, you might have a problem with procrastination. Perhaps you are slow to do homework or study for a test. Maybe you do not like to study or you become distracted while studying. Whatever the case may be, learning how to focus can help you have more useful study sessions. What are some ways to help you stop procrastinating? In this Education Report, we will explore one method to help you focus: the Pomodoro technique. What is the Pomodoro technique? Francesco Cirillo created the Pomodoro technique in the 1980s. Cirillo was a college student at the time. He used a timer shaped like a tomato to help him focus on his school work. Pomodoro is the Italian word for the fruit, by the way. The technique works like this: you set a timer for 25 minutes and work on a task until the timer rings. Take a short break - around five minutes - then re-set the device. After several 25-minute study sessions, you should take a longer break – anywhere from 15-30 minutes, writes Cirillo. Cirillo suggests recording the number of Pomodoro sessions you complete. He also suggests getting organized and planning for future study sessions so that you can complete the most important work first. The important point of this method is to help you focus and stop postponing work. Procrastination and Language Learning Procrastination, says Dr. Barbara Oakley, is one of the biggest issues in language learning. Oakley is the creator of the most popular Massive Open Online Course, or MOOC, in the world. The class is called "Learning How to Learn." Oakley, a professor of engineering, also has years of experience in language learning. She studied Russian and worked as a translator on a ship when Russia was part of the Soviet Union. The Pomodoro technique, she says, is the best way to help overcome procrastination.   The technique goes beyond just setting a timer, adds Oakley. She notes the importance of turning off anything that might distract you while studying, such as a cell phone. Also, the important part about the technique is to train your brain to enjoy learning. Oakley explains that you should treat yourself after focusing for 25 minutes: "And when you are done, give yourself a little reward. Listen to a song you like, or get up and move around or chat – you know, just some kind of reward. And that reward will help wire your brain so it more enjoys the actual process of learning." What can you do? The next time you have to study give the Pomodoro technique a try. Set a timer for 25 minutes and try to focus as much as possible during that time period. Then give yourself a reward for your hard work. Maybe get yourself something to eat or drink. You can find free timers on the Internet. They can help you with the Pomodoro technique. Or you can use an old-fashioned timer. The tool you choose to use is not important. What is important is that you avoid distractions and train your mind to enjoy learning. Give the Pomodoro technique a try, and let us know how it works for you. I'm John Russell.   John Russell wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   procrastinate – v. to be slow or late about doing something that should be done; to delay doing something procrastination – n. the act of being slow or late about doing something that should be done. distracted – adj. unable to think about or pay attention to something; unable to think clearly about something focus – v. to direct your attention or effort at something specific task – n. a piece of work that has been given to someone; a job for someone to do session – n. a period of time that is used to do a particular activity

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World’s First Solar-Powered Refugee Camp Opens in Jordan

  Energy from sunlight is now providing electricity to Syrian refugees at a camp in Jordan. The Azraq camp is the first in the world to completely operate on clean energy, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency, or UNHCR. The new power center uses hundreds of panels to collect energy from the sun. The solar power plant cost about $10 million to build. The money came from the IKEA Foundation, a program that directs IKEA’s efforts to help people living in poverty. The Swedish company donated one euro to the UNHCR each time someone purchased certain lighting products. The power plant began operating in the middle of May. It currently serves about 20,000 Syrian refugees living in shelters. There are plans to expand the service to all of the camp’s 36,000 refugees by early 2018. Until only recently, people living there only had small solar lanterns to light up their living spaces. They also had very few ways to keep shelters and food cool. In January, Jordan’s power system began providing electricity to some of the camp’s residents. Now, the new solar plant will save the refugee agency about $1.5 million a year on fuel costs. U.N. officials say the savings can be used to pay for other much-needed assistance. ​ Kelly Clements is Deputy High Commissioner of the UNHCR. She says the solar plant marks a great turning point in the lives of the refugees. “It means lighting for safety, for protection at night, for some cool – in terms of a fan on a hot summer’s day - or some heat in the winter during the cold months.” Refugee Farhan Nazzal says having reliable electricity gives his family more individual freedom. “Before electricity, we could not come and go as we please. At sunset we would be confined to our homes. Now that we have electricity, we can go to our neighbor’s house, enjoy the evening, or our neighbors can come over. It is more enjoyable, we have fun and are happier.” Another refugee, Anas Ahmed, said the solar power now gives his children a way to study with the lights on. A fan also helps cool the area. He says electricity also helps the family in many other ways.   “We also have a fridge now, so we have cool water and can preserve our food. And a washing machine. I previously had to transfer water and my wife would wash clothes by hand. It's a lot easier for her now." Setting up the power plant also provided jobs for about 50 refugees. They were trained and employed to build and set up the solar panels. They may even be able to use their new skills to find work outside the camp. I’m Bryan Lynn. Faith Lapidus wrote this story for VOA News.com. Bryan Lynn adapted her report for Learning English, with additional material from the Associated Press, Reuters and the UNHRC. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story according – adv. as stated by or in solar – adj. of or related to the sun panel – n. a hard, flat surface used to cover something lantern – n. light source small enough to be carried fan – n. device used to move air through an area to make it cooler reliable – adj. able to be trusted to successfully do something confined – adj. very small fridge – n. device used to keep food and drinks cool and fresh preserve – v. keep something in its original state or in good condition  

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Alcohol Increases, Exercise Decreases Breast Cancer Risk

  Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. Hundreds of thousands of new cases are identified worldwide every year. Now, one of the largest cancer prevention studies of its kind has reported some sobering findings. Just one alcoholic drink a day can increase the risk of developing breast cancer. But, the researchers also found there are things people can do to reduce their risk. The American Institute for Cancer Research did the study. It examined 119 past studies involving 12 million women. 260,000 of them had breast cancer. Anne McTiernan was the lead writer of the report. McTiernan is with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington. She said the research showed a connection between drinking alcohol and increased risk of breast cancer in 10 studies involving 4,000 women. The women were of childbearing age and had developed breast cancer. The study found that the women who drank about 10 grams of alcohol a day had a five percent increased risk of breast cancer. Although five percent seems like a small amount, the study's chance of mistake was very low, said McTiernan.   Another group of studies involved 35,000 women who were post-menopausal and had developed breast cancer. “We found that there was a nine percent increased risk of drinking that same amount of alcohol, an average of 10 grams a day of alcohol. Again, a small glass of wine, eight ounce(s) of beer, one ounce of hard liquor.” McTiernan said the World Health Organization considers alcohol to be a carcinogen – a substance that can cause cancer. It contains a liquid called acetaldehyde, which damages DNA. Investigators also found ways to lower risk. They say forceful exercise, such as running or fast bicycling, decreased the risk of breast cancer. Young women who were the most physically active had about a 17 percent decrease. A 10 percent decrease was found for post-menopausal women who took part in similar exercise. Moderate activity, such as walking and gardening, was found to reduce the risk of breast cancer by 13 percent in the most active women compared to the least active. There was also evidence that eating a non-starchy, plant-based diet lowers the risk. However, that does not mean people must eat only vegetables, McTiernan said. “It just means eating a lot of fresh vegetables and fruit: making sure most of the vegetables are non-starchy, not potatoes; eating dairy products because they are high in calcium and they have some benefit on their own.” McTiernan said eating a diet with lots of fruits and vegetables can help women keep their weight down. That is important, since being overweight can increase an older woman's breast cancer risk. The Institute says one in three breast cancer cases in the U.S. could be prevented if women cut alcohol from their diets, stayed physically active and kept a healthy weight. The American Institute for Cancer Research is part of the World Cancer Research Fund, which collects and studies information from around the world on cancer prevention. I'm Alice Bryant.   VOA's Jessica Berman reported this story. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.    ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   sobering - adj. making you feel serious and thoughtful childbearing - adj. a word describing the process of giving birth to children post-menopausal - adj. having gone through the time in a woman's life when blood stops flowing from her body each month DNA - n. a substance that carries genetic information in the cells of plants and animals — often used before another noun gardening - n. taking care of plants in an area of ground where they are grown starchy - adj. a substance that is found in certain foods, such as bread, rice and potatoes diet - n. the food that a person or animal usually eats benefit - n. a good or helpful result or effect

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Trump Will Not Block Former FBI Director's Senate Testimony

  Aides to President Donald Trump say he will not stop James Comey from speaking to members of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday.   Comey is the former head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Committee members want to question him about his talks with Trump before the president ordered his dismissal. President Trump had been considering whether to say their discussions should be kept secret under the legal doctrine of “executive privilege.” In the past, other presidents have claimed executive privilege to keep their discussions with top aides secret. But if Trump had tried to do so with Comey, it would have caused many people to think that the administration was trying to hide information about the Russia investigation. And political observers believe courts would not have supported Trump’s claim. Presidential spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters the Trump administration wants a quick and complete examination of the facts. Political observers say Comey’s statements to the committee could harm the president. Russian Involvement in 2016 elections? Comey was leading the FBI investigation of Russian involvement in the 2016 elections at the time of his dismissal. He was also investigating possible illegal contacts between Trump campaign workers and Russian interests. The Russians are accused of helping Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, defeat the Democratic Party’s candidate, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Speaking to a reporter, the president said he was thinking about the investigation into Russian involvement when he decided to dismiss the FBI director. Comey was in the fourth year of a 10-year term as head of the country’s top criminal investigative agency. Trump has often criticized the FBI and congressional investigations of possible Russian interference in the election. He has accused Democratic Party activists of using reports of Russian involvement to explain Clinton’s loss in the elections. A few days after Comey’s dismissal, people close to him told reporters that he kept detailed notes of his meetings with the president. They say Trump asked during one of the meetings for Comey to promise he would be loyal to him. They said the FBI director would not do so. Investigation of Michael Flynn People close to Comey also said Trump asked him to stop the investigation of Michael Flynn. Flynn, a retired Army general, served for just 24 days as Trump’s national security adviser before being fired in February. U.S. eavesdropping showed Flynn had lied to Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. before Trump took office in January. People close to Comey said Trump asked the FBI director to stop his investigation of Flynn the day after Flynn was dismissed. The same people have told American media that Comey believed Trump was trying to pressure him in an unacceptable way. Observers say Comey will probably be asked if that is true when he speaks to the Senate committee. Independent Investigation The Department of Justice named a former FBI director -- Robert Mueller -- to lead a criminal investigation of the possible illegal contacts between Trump aides and Russians. That investigation has just begun. Trump opposed the decision to open such an investigation. In addition to Mueller’s investigation, the Senate Intelligence Committee and three other congressional committees are studying whether Russia interfered with the election. The investigations were launched after U.S. intelligence agencies said that Russians attacked the computers of the Democratic National Committee last year. They said the Russians were trying to damage Clinton’s presidential campaign. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said there is no evidence of Russian involvement in the election.   I’m Anne Ball. VOA’s Ken Bredemeier and Wayne Lee wrote this story from Washington. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted their 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   doctrine – n. a statement of government policy; a set of ideas or beliefs that are taught or believed to be true fire – v. to dismiss (someone) from a job eavesdrop – v. to listen secretly to what other people are saying  

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Report: Worldwide Terrorism at All-Time High

  A new study shows that deaths and material costs from terrorism have risen sharply worldwide. The study estimates the “economic impact of violence” on the world economy in 2016 at $14.3 trillion. The Institute for Economics and Peace released the latest Global Peace Index (GPI) last week. The institute is the idea of Australian businessman Steve Killelea. The group says it seeks to develop understanding of social and economic actions that lead to peace. Researchers were asked to study 23 separate indicators to rate levels of peace in 163 countries around the world. All the measures were related to the domestic and international conflict, safety and security, and each nation’s level of militarization. The researchers say the world became a little more peaceful over the past year. They noted an improvement in six of nine areas, with South America registering the largest improvement. Yet world peace has been deteriorating over the past 10 years, they said. This trend, they warned, reverses long-term improvements since the end of World War II. Report: terrorism on the rise The new report says the number of terrorist incidents has risen nearly 200 percent since 2011. That includes an increase in deaths that resulted from terrorism in the 35 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Since 2007, deaths from terrorism have increased by more than 900 percent in OECD countries. Terrorism-related deaths were reported in the past year in 23 of the countries, including Denmark, France, Sweden, and Turkey. Terror attacks took place in many areas, including the French city of Nice, Brussels, Belgium and Orlando, Florida. U.S. effect The United States fell 11 places in the GPI to number 114. The researchers say the country has experienced an increase in political division. They also noted an increase in the rate of murders in several major American cities. The report estimated the cost of violence in the U.S. was equal to $2.5 trillion. That number represents almost nine percent of all U.S. economic activity. Michelle Breslauer is with the Institute for Economics and Peace. She spoke to VOA on Skype. “Now even though peace globally is improving, we have seen declines, for instance in the U.S. The Middle East and North Africa region continues to deteriorate, and there’s an increasing level of inequality between the most peaceful and least peaceful countries. That means there’s a bigger gap in peacefulness around the world.” Terrorism and conflict The report ranked Syria as the least peaceful country in 2016 because of terrorism and the ongoing civil war in that country. The Middle East and North Africa area was rated the least peaceful area in the latest report. It said conflict in the Middle East had reached historic levels. The report noted, “battle deaths from conflict are at a 25-year high, and the number of refugees and displaced people are at a level not seen in 60 years.” Most terrorist activity took place in five countries. They are Iraq, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria, and all ranked near the bottom of the latest list. At the top of the index, Iceland ranked as the world’s most peaceful country. New Zealand and Portugal followed in the list. I’m Dorothy Gundy.   Marissa Melton and Jesusemen Oni reported this story for VOANews.com. Mario Ritter adapted their report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   impact – n. a result trend – n. a general direction of change deteriorate – v. to get worse indicators – n. numbers or other information used to show the presence or absence of something statistics – n. numbers that represent information such as how much or how often something happens reverses – v. to cancel or undo

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June 6, 2017

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

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