Zimbabwe’s President ‘Confined to Home’ after 37-Year Rule

The president of Zimbabwe is reported to be “confined to his home” after the country’s military seized power. South African President Jacob Zuma said in a statement that he spoke to President Robert Mugabe early Wednesday. Mugabe has led Zimbabwe for 37 years. Zuma’s statement said that the longtime president told him he was confined to his home, but fine. The South African leader added that his country “is also in contact with the Zimbabwean Defense Force.” The military action follows Mugabe’s dismissal of his vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa. The dismissal appeared to position his wife, Grace Mugabe, as Zimbabwe’s next leader. Robert Mugabe has been in power for 37 years, since the country gained independence in 1980. At the age of 93, he is the world’s oldest head of state. His wife is 51. Grace Mugabe is unpopular among some Zimbabweans. And Mnangagwa has support from Zimbabwe ’s military. The head of the military warned that he would “step in” unless Mugabe stopped removing Mnangagwa supporters from his ZANU-PF party. On Tuesday, armed soldiers and tanks took up positions around the capital, Harare. Not a takeover, army claims Major General Sibusiso Moyo is a spokesman for the military. In a speech on state television Wednesday, he said the military is targeting “criminals” around Mugabe and, in his words, “this is not a military takeover.” The general confirmed that the military is holding Mugabe and his wife. He added, “Their security is guaranteed.” Moyo also said that “as soon as we have accomplished our mission, we expect that the situation will return to normalcy.” South African President Zuma said he was sending his ministers of defense and state security to meet with Mugabe and the military. Zuma said he hopes Zimbabwe’s army will respect the constitution and that the situation “is going to be controlled.” I’m Jonathan Evans.   Hai Do wrote this report for VOA Learning English. His report was based on stories from VOANews.com, the Associated Press and Reuters. George Grow was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   confine - v. to keep a person in a place accomplish - v. to succeed in doing something mission - n. a specific task or duty  

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Fewer New International Students Attending US Colleges

  For the first time in 12 years, the number of new international students attending American colleges and universities has dropped. That information comes from the 2017 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. The report is a project of the Institute of International Education, a not-for-profit group in the United States, and the U.S. Department of State. The findings were released on Monday. The Open Doors report has been documenting international student exchanges at American colleges and universities since 1954. The 2016-2017 school year marked the second year in a row that over a million international students attended the schools. This time, the number of new international college students was about 10,000 less than a year earlier. That represents an almost three percent decrease from the 2015-2016 school year. The latest Open Doors report did note a record year, with the largest number of international college students in the U.S. to date. But separately, the Institute of International Education noted a drop in the number of internationals seeking admission for the current school year. The average decrease, at almost 500 colleges and universities, was seven percent. Allan Goodman is the president of the institute, also known as the IIE. He said the main reason for the decrease is economics. The cost of higher education nationwide has been rising over the past 30 years. Goodman noted that the United States faces greater competition than ever to provide top quality education. “Countries and multinational employers around the world are competing to attract top talent,” he said at a press conference Monday. “As more countries … implement national strategies to attract them, the competition … will only intensify.” Goodman also noted cuts to several programs that sent many international college students to the U.S. in the past. For over 10 years, the government in Saudi Arabia spent billions of dollars so that its citizens could study in other countries. But in 2016, falling oil prices led the government to make cuts to that program. This resulted in a 14 percent decrease in the number of Saudi Arabian college students coming to the United States last year. Earlier this year, Brazil’s Ministry of Education announced plans to cancel a similar program. Started in 2011, the program helped send over 100,000 university students overseas to study the sciences. The new report noted that the number of Brazilians attending American colleges and universities dropped by about 32 percent. However, some experts argue it is not just economics that are affecting the decrease in international students. Philip Altbach directs the Center for International Higher Education in the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. Last year, he predicted a decrease in the number of international students coming to the U.S. His predictions were published in several opinion pieces. So why is the United States suddenly less appealing? Altbach thinks the policies and behavior of President Donald Trump are partly to blame. And he believes those policies and actions could lead to fewer international students in the years to come. “The US is seen as an unwelcoming country in the ‘age of Trump,’ Altbach told VOA. “This is combined with both the perception and … the reality that it is more difficult to obtain a US visa than it used to be. … The US remains the strongest … system in the world … but negative forces grow ever stronger.” In the first month of his presidency, Trump announced a temporary ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens of several Middle Eastern countries. And in September, he announced an expansion of that ban to include other countries, such as Venezuela and North Korea. Altbach adds that the rise of racist incidents at American colleges and cities does not improve the way the world looks at the United States. One example took place three months ago at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. White nationalists clashed with opponents near the school’s grounds. One woman and two male law enforcement officers were killed. As the 2017-2018 school year began, several other schools reported finding racist images or messages on their campuses. Recent violent attacks, like the mass shooting in Las Vegas in October, only add to the fears of international students and their parents, says Altbach. But Marianne Craven argues that politics and other issues are not the only influences on peoples’ decisions to study in the United States. Craven is the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Academic Programs for the State Department. She says that international students are much more concerned with the future an American education can offer them. “Students make their choices of where to study with their long-term goals and career plans in mind,” Craven told VOA. She added “These are very personal decisions by students and their families. Craven says the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs plans to continue building friendly relations between the U.S. and other countries. It plans to do so through educational, cultural, sports, and professional exchanges. The number of people attending events designed to publicize American higher education in other countries remains strong, Craven adds. While the United States may be facing a decrease in the number of new foreign college students, Canada is becoming more appealing. Between 2008 and 2015, the total number of international students at Canadian colleges and universities increased by about 92 percent. A decrease in the number of international college students at American colleges and universities could affect the U.S. economy. The Department of Commerce reports that internationals students added about $39 billion to the economy last year. I’m ­Pete Musto. And I'm Jill Robbins.   Pete Musto reported this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. How has the view of the United States and its higher education system changed in your country in the last five years? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   in a row – idm. following one after another attract – v. to cause someone to choose to do or be involved in something talent – n. a person or group of people with a special ability to do something well implement – v. to begin to do or use something, such as a plan strategies – n. a careful plan or method for achieving a particular goal usually over a long period of time perception – n. the way you think about or understand someone or something obtain – v. to gain or get something, usually by effort negative – adj. harmful or bad racist – adj. used to describe the poor treatment of or violence against people because of their race campus(es) - n. the area and buildings around a university, college, school professional - adj. done or given by a person who works in a particular​ job or industry publicize – v. to cause something to be publicly known

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US Changes Definition for High Blood Pressure

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. Recently, two leading heart organizations changed the definition of what it means to have high blood pressure. Because of this change, the number of Americans with high blood pressure jumped from 32 percent to 46 percent. Doctors at the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology now classify anyone with a blood pressure reading of 130 over 80 as having high blood pressure. Before, the cutoffs for high blood pressure had been a top number of 140 and a lower number of 90. Health experts at the website Science Daily say blood pressure is defined by two numbers. The top number, called systolic, represents the force with which your heart pumps blood into the blood vessels. The bottom, called diastolic, is a measure of the resistance to the blood flow in the body's blood vessels. The American Heart Association says the new guidelines are designed to help people take steps to control their blood pressure earlier. High blood pressure can cause heart disease and stroke – the two leading causes of death in the world. The new guidelines set blood pressures in these categories: Normal Blood Pressure: Under 120 over 80 Elevated Blood Pressure: Top number 120-129 and bottom number less than 80 High Blood Pressure / Stage 1: Top number of 130-139 or bottom number 80-89 High Blood Pressure / Stage 2: Top number at least 140 or bottom number at least 90 High blood pressure around the world A 2016 study by the World Health Organization and hundreds of scientists found that the number of people in the world with high blood pressure had reached 1.13 billion. However, the study defined high blood pressure as 140 over 90. Should they adopt the new guidelines, the number of people with high blood pressure worldwide will most likely increase. Scientists at Imperial College London led the study and looked at blood pressure measurements from nearly 20 million people from the years 1975 to 2015. In this study, they found that the number of people with high blood pressure nearly doubled in 40 years. Researchers found that over half of the world's adults with high blood pressure lived in Asia. Around 226 million people in China have high blood pressure, along with 200 million in India. This study also found that in 2015 people in South Korea, the USA and Canada had the lowest high blood pressure rates in the world. With the new U.S. guidelines, the U.S. ranking in the world could change. The researchers from Imperial College London published their findings from the study in the January 2017 edition of the medical journal The Lancet. Does this mean more medication is necessary? Health experts are warning people to not rush to medication to lower their high blood pressure. They advise that there are many lifestyle changes a person can make to effectively keep their blood pressure at a healthy level. Regular exercise and losing weight can lower your blood pressure. In some people, making changes in diet can make a big difference. Eating more fruits, vegetables, fish, beans, nuts and seeds can help. Eating less sodium and drinking less alcohol can also help. And that’s the Health & Lifestyle report. I’m Anna Matteo.   Anna Matteo wrote this report with information from the American Heart Association and Science Daily. Hai Do was the editor. ​ _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   classify – v. to arrange (people or things) into groups based on ways that they are alike : to consider (someone or something) as belonging to a particular group systole – n. the contraction of the heart by which the blood is forced onward and the circulation kept up : systolic – adj. systolic blood pressure – medical noun the highest arterial blood pressure of a cardiac cycle occurring immediately after systole of the left ventricle of the heart — called also systolic pressure; diastole – n. the dilatation of the cavities of the heart during which they fill with blood : diastolic – adj. diastolic blood pressure – medical noun the lowest arterial blood pressure of a cardiac cycle occurring during diastole of the heart — called also diastolic pressure resistance – n. a force that slows down a moving object (such as an airplane) by going against the direction in which the object is moving category – n. a group of people or things that are similar in some way edition – n. the form or version in which a text is published

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FBI Says Hate Crimes Rose Again in 2016

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says hate crimes rose across the United States in 2016 for the second year in a row. An FBI study released Monday reports there were 6,121 hate crime incidents last year, an increase of 4.6 percent from 2015.   It was the first time since 2004 that U.S. hate crimes rose two years in a row. In 2015, hate crimes increased by seven percent. The largest group of victims, 58 percent, were targeted because of race or ethnicity, the report said. Rising hate crimes were reported against several groups including Arabs, Muslims, Jews, blacks and transgender people.   About 50 percent of these hate crimes were done because of anti-Black bias. Nearly 21 percent involved anti-White bias, while 10 percent were anti-Hispanic or Latino crimes, the report said. About 3 percent resulted from anti-Asian bias, while nearly four percent of victims were American Indian or Alaska Native. About one percent involved anti-Arab crimes. Among hate crimes involving religion, the report said 54 percent were anti-Jewish, while 25 percent were anti-Muslim.   Nearly 18 percent of reported hate crimes were based on the sexual orientation of victims. Of these 1,218 incidents, 63 percent involved anti-gay bias against men. The FBI has been gathering hate crime data since 1992. The agency’s numbers are based completely on voluntary reporting from police agencies across the U.S. Therefore, the reports are widely believed to underreport the actual number of hate crimes. In releasing the new report, the FBI said hate crimes remain the “number one investigative priority” of its Civil Rights Division. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has also promised to make hate crimes a main focus of the Justice Department. Sessions said Monday the Justice Department is awaiting a full agency report on what steps to take to improve. The report is expected to suggest ways to better train investigators and prosecutors and improve collecting methods for hate crime data. In a statement, Sessions said his agency will seek to make sure individuals “can live without fear of being a victim of violent crime based on who they are, what they believe, or how they worship.” I’m Bryan Lynn.   Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from VOA News, the Associated Press and the FBI. 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   hate crimes – n. crimes motivated completely or in part by a bias against race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, etc. incident – n. an event, especially one that is bad or unusual bias – n. belief that a group of people, ideas, etc. are better than others transgender – adj. of or relating to people who feel that their true nature does not match their sex at birth orientation – n. a person’s feelings, interests, or beliefs priority – n. something that is more important than other things worship – v. to show respect for god by praying or attending religious services  

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Freedom House: Governments Suppressing Speech Online

Around the world, freedom on the internet appears to be breaking down. Some governments have suspended their mobile internet service or added restrictions on live video streaming. And governments are paying writers to put pro-government stories on the World Wide Web. These are some of the findings in a new report by Freedom House, a non-profit group that measures democracy and freedom around the world. Freedom House examined internet freedom in 65 countries over a 12-month period, starting in June of 2016 and continuing through last May. Those nations are responsible for about 87 percent of all the people online. Those users are connected to the internet, a computer, or a computer network. The report noted internet freedom decreasing in nearly half of the 65 countries. Ukraine, Egypt and Turkey had the greatest one-year losses of freedom. China remains the world’s worst abuser of internet freedom, followed by Syria and Ethiopia, the report said. Sanja Kelly directs the Freedom on the Net project at Freedom House. She said the decline of internet freedoms happened as more people go online and use the internet to support democracy and human rights. Kelly said “One of the reasons why we are seeing greater restriction is precisely because some of the leaders … have discovered the power of the internet.” They are trying to come up with new methods to suppress that, she said. “Suddenly the governments start taking note and we start seeing propaganda actions,” she said. Governments in Zambia and Gambia have suspended mobile service connections to the internet, mainly around elections. “Shutting down the internet is such a blunt message,” she said, adding that “It really signals the government is willing to take it to the next level.” Some other findings of the report: -Online efforts to manipulate voting affected elections in 18 countries. -Governments in 30 countries supported misleading online information, using tools such as false news websites and paid commentators. Last year, it was 23 countries. -Half of internet shutdowns involved mobile phone service. Most happened in areas with ethnic or religious minorities. In October 2016, the Ethiopian government suspended mobile networks for nearly two months as part of a state of emergency during anti-government protests. Belarus stopped mobile service to prevent live streaming images from reaching large numbers of people. Bahrain has a law that bars news websites from using live video. -In 30 countries, there have been physical reprisals taken against people for their online statements. That number is up from 20 countries a year earlier. Until recently, China and Russia were the main users of some of these online suppression methods. Now other governments are starting to act the same way, Sanja Kelly explained. Kelly added that she believes China and Russia are showing non-democratic governments ways to control the internet. I’m Susan Shand.   Michelle Quinn reported this story for VOANews.com. Susan Shand adapted her report for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   decline - v. to become lower in amount or less in number blunt - adj. saying or expressing something in a very direct way that may upset some people manipulate - v. to deal with or control (someone or something), usually in an unfair or selfish way mobile – adj. with an ability to be moved; changeable in appearance or purpose streaming – n. playing continuously as audio or video material is sent to a computer or electronic device over the Internet reprisal – n. punishment; something done to hurt or punish someone else

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Scientists Find Oldest Wine-making Evidence in Georgia

  This is What’s Trending Today... The United States, France and Germany may be the top three wine-drinking countries in the world, but Georgia can now claim to be the country where wine-making began. And, it turns out, humans have been making and enjoying the alcoholic drink for a lot longer than we had thought. Scientists this week announced the discovery of the oldest-known evidence for wine-making. Researchers found pieces of 8,000-year-old containers used to make wine. The remains were found at two sites about 50 kilometers south of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. The findings show that wine-making occurred earlier than previously known in the South Caucasus area. Before now, the oldest evidence had come from pottery from the Zagros Mountains in northwestern Iran, dating to 5400-5000 BC. The oldest of the newly discovered remains dated to about 5980 BC.  The jars measured about 80 centimeters tall and 40 centimeters wide. They were gray, some with simple drawings of grapes and of a man dancing. The researchers published their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. David Lordkipanidze is director of the Georgian National Museum, which helped pay for the research. He said large jars called qvevri -- similar to the ancient ones -- are still used by winemakers in Georgia today. Researchers performed biochemical tests on the jars to find small amounts of wine substance that the pottery had absorbed. University of Pennsylvania’s Patrick McGovern is a biomolecular archaeologist. He found evidence of several kinds of acid that indicate brewing involving the Eurasian grape.   The pottery was found at the site of two ancient villages, once home to about 60 people. The villagers harvested wheat, raised animals and used simple tools made of bone and volcanic glass. This is not the earliest sign of any alcoholic beverage. Evidence was found in China of an alcoholic mix of rice, honey and fruit from about 7000 BC. And that’s What’s Trending Today.   Reuters news agency reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.  _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   wine - n. an alcoholic drink made from the juice of grapes pottery - n. objects (such as bowls, plates, etc.) that are made out of clay usually by hand and then baked at high temperatures so that they become hard jar - n. a clay container that has a wide opening absorb - v. o take in (something, such as a liquid) in a natural or gradual way acid - n. a chemical with a sour taste that forms a salt when mixed with a base archaeologist - n. a person that studies archaeology -- the science that deals with past human life and activities by studying the bones, tools, etc., of ancient people grape - n. a green, dark red, or purplish-black berry that is used to make wine or is eaten as a fruit  

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November 14, 2017

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

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Let's Teach English: Examples of Classroom Management

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Bill Gates Gives $100 Million to Fight Alzheimer's Disease

  This is What’s Trending Today… Billionaire Bill Gates has made a $100-million investment to help researchers find a cure for Alzheimer’s. The brain disease causes people to slowly lose their memory and mental abilities as they grow old. Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, said Monday he has given $50 million to the Dementia Discovery Fund. The London-based fund aims to bring business and government together to seek treatments for the brain-wasting disease. Another $50 million will go to start-up groups working in Alzheimer’s research, Gates said.   The money is a personal donation and not from his charitable organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. “Bill Gates” trended worldwide on social media Monday. ​ Dementia, of which Alzheimer’s is the most common form, affects close to 50 million people worldwide. It is expected to affect more than 131 million by the year 2050, the Alzheimer’s Disease International group says. “It’s a huge problem, a growing problem, and the scale of the tragedy - even for the people who stay alive - is very high,” Gates told the Reuters news agency. Despite many years of research, scientists have not found a treatment that can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s. Current drugs can do no more than ease some of the effects.   But Gates said he is hopeful that treatments can be found, even if they might still be more than 10 years away. Gates’ usual health focus is on helping fight infectious diseases in poorer countries. He said Alzheimer’s became his mission partly for personal reasons, and partly because it has been so difficult to find effective treatment. Some men in his family have suffered from Alzheimer’s, he said. In a blog post about the investments, Gates wrote, “I know how awful it is to watch people you love struggle as the disease robs them of their mental capacity. It feels a lot like you’re experiencing a gradual death of the person that you knew.”  And that’s What’s Trending Today… I’m Ashley Thompson.   Reuters reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.   _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   dementia - n. a mental illness that causes someone to be unable to think clearly or to understand what is real and what is not real fund - n. an amount of money that is used for a special purpose start-up - adj. a new business charitable - adj. done or designed to help people who are poor, sick, etc. scale - n. the size or level of something especially in comparison to something else capacity - n. the ability to do something : a mental, emotional, or physical ability gradual - adj. happening in a slow way over a long period of time

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Foods for Better Mental Health

  From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. There is an old saying: “You are what you eat.” When you eat the right foods, you feel better physically. But what you eat can also make you feel better emotionally and mentally. American Leslie Korn is a mental health expert. She has been treating people for trauma and depression for more than 40 years. Korn noticed that some of the foods her patients were eating seemed to affect their mental health. She noted that eating foods like dark chocolate, sweet potatoes, eggs and cherries seemed to lower pain levels and ease signs of depression in the patients. She likens the human body to an automobile – a car that needs the right fuel to run. "I think about our body in some ways like a car engine. We need to give it the right fuel. And each of us have a need for a particular combination of proteins, and carbohydrates and fats." Leslie Korn was so sure of what she observed in her patients that she wrote about it. Her book is called “The Good Mood Kitchen: Simple Recipes and Nutrition Tips for Emotional Balance.” In it, she explains the importance of specific foods -- like fats. "The brain is made up of fat. It's made up of chemicals that talk to each other and that are lubricated by the fat in order to communicate across the synapses, and contribute to our ability to focus, to apply attention and to lift our mood.” She adds that the United States military is studying the effects of Omega 3 fatty acids on human health. These fatty acids are mainly found in fish oil. But they are also in some vegetable oils and foods like walnuts. Korn said that researchers suspect Omega 3 fatty acids are helpful not only in treating depression and anxiety, but also for suicide prevention. “Indeed, there is some very good research going on in the military looking at the role of Omega 3 fatty acids for not only treatment of depression and anxiety, but also for suicide prevention." Wild salmon is rich in these fatty acids, and Korn includes easy directions for cooking salmon. Baked Wild Salmon Sprinkle sea salt and a little olive oil on the salmon and place it on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees, then place it under the broiler for at least 5 minutes. Keep an eye on the salmon. It should be pink on the inside. However, the health website Prevention notes that all fish contain mercury – some more than others. America’s National Resource Defense Council warns that even small amounts of mercury can interfere with brain development. To avoid mercury, experts suggest eating wild Pacific salmon, shrimp, farmed catfish and haddock or smaller fish, such as sardines and anchovies. These all contain Omega 3s, but are low in mercury. But eating healthy fats is not enough. Korn says we also need to eat foods that break down the fat. She suggests eating dark green vegetables. "For example, if your liver and your gallbladder isn't working, you can't break down the fats that are then absorbed into the blood stream and then support brain function. What we know is that the greens, in particular the bitter greens, help us digest fats and send those fats to the brain where we need it." Those vegetables are part of what Leslie Korn calls the "Brainbow" diet. Many health experts say we need to eat a rainbow of foods -- in other words, vegetables of all colors. She adds the letter “b” for “brain,” meaning this diet is good for the brain. "I call this the "Brainbow" diet because the colors in food represent different nutrients. And so your orange, and kind of yellow foods provide lots of vitamin A, and lots of vital nutrients. The variety of greens are very good for our digestion. Your purple foods and your red foods are very anti-inflammatory. Those are beets and are eggplants and are berries." The "Brainbow" Food list also includes: Red foods: red cabbage, radishes, watermelons Orange foods: carrots, sweet potatoes, oranges, pumpkins Yellow foods: lemons, bananas Green foods: kale White foods: garlic, onion, nuts Every country, she notes, has specific foods that are good for mental well-being. In her book, she provides directions on how to prepare them. For example, plantain is a popular food in India, Mexico and countries in Africa and the Caribbean. Korn lists steps for making Plantain Soup. "Plantain are a large banana, very starchy and a little bit of sweet. And I add some lemon and butter and chopped onion and garlic. And you make it with either a vegetable broth or a chicken broth. And then you add coconut milk and blend. And then I top it with a cilantro, a Chinese parsley, garlic, and grated orange peel and lime juice." Leslie Korn reminds us that it is just not about the food. Once you have made a treat designed to improve your emotional health, it is important to slow down and enjoy the meal. And that’s the Health & Lifestyle report. I’m Anna Matteo.   Faiza Elmasry reported this story for VOANews.com. Anna Matteo adapted her report for Learning English. George Grow edited the story. _______________________________________________________________ Quiz Now, test your understanding by taking this short quiz. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   trauma – n. a disordered psychic or behavioral state resulting from severe mental or emotional stress or physical injury specific – adj. special or particular : clearly and exactly presented or stated : precise or exact lubricate – v. to make smooth or slippery synapse – n. the point at which a nervous impulse passes from one neuron to another anxiety – n. fear or nervousness about what might happen rainbow – n. a curved line of different colors that sometimes appears in the sky when the sun shines through rain vital – adj. extremely important

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South Korea Says North Shot at Soldier Trying to Defect

North Korean soldiers shot at and wounded another soldier who was crossing the border between the North and South. The South Korean military said Monday the soldier was trying to defect in the Joint Security Area of the Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ. North Korean soldiers have crossed the border to defect at times. But it is rare for a North Korean soldier to defect by crossing the DMZ. North and South Korean soldiers stand meters away from each other. The North Korean soldier left from a guard post at the northern side of Panmunjom village to the southern side of the village. He was shot in the shoulder and elbow and was taken to a South Korean hospital, said the South’s Defense Ministry. It was not immediately known how serious his injuries were or why he decided to defect. South Korean troops found the injured soldier south of the border after hearing the sound of gunfire. South Korean troops did not fire at Northern soldiers, a South Korean Defense Ministry official said. The defection came at a time of heightened tension over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. North Korea has normally accused South Korea of enticing its citizens to defect, something the South denies. Panmunjom and other DMZ areas are guarded by hundreds of thousands of troops from North Korea and the United Nations Command. The command includes troops from the United States and South Korea. The area is a popular stop for visitors from both sides. American presidents often visit the DMZ during their trips to South Korea. President Donald Trump planned to visit the DMZ during his visit to South Korea. But bad weather prevented his helicopter from landing near the border area. It is estimated that about 30,000 North Koreans have defected to South Korea since the end of the Korean War in 1953. But most of them travel through China. In 1998, a North Korean soldier fled to the South through the DMZ, but there have been few incidents in recent years. Earlier in 1976, North Korean soldiers with axes and knives attacked a group of soldiers in the DMZ, killing two American soldiers and injuring five South Korean soldiers. The U.S. then flew nuclear-capable B-52 bombers toward the DMZ as a warning to North Korea. In 1984, North Korean and U.N. Command soldiers exchanged gunfire after a Soviet citizen defected by sprinting to the South Korean side of the village. Three North Korean soldiers and one South Korean soldier died in the gunfire. I’m Jonathan Evans.   Hai Do adapted this story for Learning English based on AP news reports. Mario Ritter was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   defect –v. to leave a group or country and go to another one that is a competitor or enemy entice –v. to attract someone by offering something or showing something that is appealing or interesting    

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