India Mourns Bollywood Star Sridevi

  This is What’s Trending Today…. Thousands of mourning fans paid their respects Wednesday to one of Bollywood’s biggest stars, Sridevi Kapoor. The actress drowned in a hotel bathtub February 24 in Dubai, where she was attending a wedding. She was 54 years old. Sridevi’s body was flown home from Dubai to Mumbai on Tuesday night and taken to a private club. By early Wednesday, tens of thousands of sad and shaken fans had formed a line outside the club for their chance to honor her. One mourner named Prashant said he arrived in the early morning. He told the Associated Press he had seen all Sridevi’s movies.  Prashant held a small collection of flowers. “No matter how long I have to wait, I will wait. I’ll wait until I’m able to pay my respects,” he said. Inside the club, the actress’s body was placed on a raised surface. The room held many flowers. Her husband, producer Boney Kapoor, and daughters stood by the body as fans and friends walked past in respect. Fans also lined the roads to watch as the vehicle carrying her body to the passed on its way to the funeral. Sridevi’s body was covered with an Indian flag. She was cremated with state honors. Sridevi appeared in more than 300 movies, beginning as a child actor in south India. She appeared in her first Bollywood production in 1978. She starred in many hit films, including 1987’s Mr. India, in which she played an investigative reporter. Sridevi’s involvement in a film could make it a blockbuster. She commanded top earnings as a result. In 1997, she married Kapoor, a producer on many of her films. She took a break from making films for many years while she raised her two daughters. She returned to work in 2012. She appeared in “English Vinglish,” in which she played a quiet housewife who decides to learn English to fit in more with her family. In 2017, she starred in “Mom,” playing a woman seeking vengeance for the rape of her stepdaughter. Over the last few years, Sridevi had been preparing her older daughter, Janhvi Kapoor, for her first Bollywood film. The movie is set for release later this year. And that’s What’s Trending Today. I'm Ashley Thompson.   This story is based on an Associated Press report and a VOA report by Anjana Pasricha​. Ashley Thompson adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   bathtub - n. a large and long container in which people take baths or showers club  - n. ​a business that provides entertainment (such as music, dancing, or a show)​ cremate  - v. ​to burn (the body of a person who has died)​ blockbuster  - n. ​something that is very large, expensive, or successful vengeance  - n. ​the act of doing something to hurt someone because that person did something that hurt you or someone else    

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Warm Air Above the Arctic Freezes Europe

  Scientists say “extreme” warm air high over the Arctic Ocean this week is melting sea ice and sending very cold air to Europe. And they say such strange weather may become more common as temperatures continue to rise worldwide. The effects of the warming are clear on Greenland’s north coast, where scientists have recorded 61 hours of temperatures above 0 degrees [Celsius] in 2018. That is a record for a place normally frozen at this time of year. And across the Arctic region, temperatures are now 20 degrees Celsius above the average. But far to the south, a rare snow storm struck Rome, Italy, on Monday. "Warm Arctic, cold continent"  Scientists have suspected for more than 40 years that disappearing sea ice in the Arctic Ocean could make areas to the south colder. Climate scientists even use the phrase “warm Arctic, cold continent.” Ruth Mottram is a climate scientist at the Danish Meteorological Institute. “It’s never been this extreme,” she said. Lars Kaleschke is a professor at the University of Hamburg in Germany. He told Reuters that it is unclear how often these warming periods will take place. “The question is whether this weather will happen more often. This is just one event so it’s hard to make a causal relationship,” he said. Over time, as sea ice melts, more ocean is being exposed. This releases more heat into the atmosphere. The warmer air may, in turn, change the flow of air currents high in the atmosphere called the jet stream. Nalan Koc is research director at the Norwegian Polar Institute. He said that the jet stream becomes “wavier, meaning that colder air can penetrate further south and warmer air further north.” The World Meteorological Organization, the U.N. weather agency, says the cold weather in Europe is being caused by a “sudden stratospheric warming” above the North Pole. This has forced colder air south. Arctic ice disappearing Ice in the Arctic Ocean is at its lowest recorded levels for late February. The U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center says about 14 million square kilometers of the ocean is currently covered with ice. That is about one million square kilometers less than the long-term average. Scientists have used satellites to observe Arctic ice for more than 30 years. The head of the United Nations Environment Programme, Erik Solheim, says the weather shows that the earth’s climate is warming. “What we once considered to be anomalies are becoming the new normal,” he told Reuters. Temperatures rising Scientists want to know if the Arctic weather is being driven by human activities or natural forces. Satellite temperature measurements only date back to the late 1970s. The warming temperatures are already causing problems. On the Norwegian island group of Svalbard, temperatures are more than 13 degrees Celsius higher than the long-term average. Svalbard is home to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a center aimed at saving plant genetic material for future generations. The seed vault is located there partly because of Svalbard’s low temperatures. But unusually warm temperatures could threaten the collection. Mottram, of the Danish Meteorological Institute, said Europe’s winters have actually become less severe, although this year’s temperatures appear low. “It’s not actually that cold. It’s just our perceptions have shifted from a normal winter,” she said. I’m Mario Ritter.   Mario Ritter adapted it for VOA Learning English from a Reuters report and other sources. Ashley Thompson 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   causal –adj. having to do with a cause jet stream –n. a strong current of fast wind traveling above the earth in one direction penetrate –v. to go through or into something or someplace stratospheric - adj. relating to the upper layer of the Earth's atmosphere anomaly –n. something that is not expected or unusual perceptions –n. the way a person thinks about a something or someone  

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Can Arming Teachers Prevent School Shootings?

  President Donald Trump has called for arming teachers as a way to stop school shootings.  His comments came after the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida on February 14. A 19-year-old gunman killed 17 students and teachers at Stoneman Douglas High School. The shooter used an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle that was bought legally. Since the shooting, Trump has also suggested he may support some new measures to limit guns. One measure would ban anyone under 21 years old from buying a firearm. Another would aim to make it harder for mentally ill people to buy a gun. Trump took to Twitter to explain his reasoning for wanting to arm teachers. “History shows that a school shooting lasts, on average, 3 minutes. It takes police & first responders approximately 5 to 8 minutes to get to the site of crime. Highly trained, gun adept, teachers/coaches would solve the problem instantly, before police arrive. GREAT DETERRENT!” Last week, Trump met at the White House with survivors of the Parkland shooting – as well as state and local officials from Florida – to discuss school safety. “I think we need hardened sites. We need to let people know, you come into our schools, you’re going to be dead. And it’s going to be fast.” Teachers criticize the proposal Trump’s proposal to train some teachers to be armed in the classroom was criticized by organizations representing teachers. The National Education Association, or NEA, represents 3 million educators working at U.S. public schools and colleges. Becky Pringle is vice president of the NEA. She is also an eighth grade science teacher. “I just cringed when I heard the president's proposal, as did so many educators across this country. I tried to imagine having the responsibility of teaching these children the wonders of science and being held responsible for making life and death decisions with a loaded firearm.” The American Federation of Teachers – which says it represents 1.7 million teachers – also criticized the plan. It said the clear message from its membership – even those who own guns - was that educators “don’t want to be armed, they want to teach.” The superintendent of Broward County Public Schools – the district where the shooting happened - said he is “totally against arming teachers.” Robert Runcie said educators already have a difficult job and giving them weapons would just make it harder. Florida’s Republican Governor Rick Scott has also said he opposes the idea of giving guns to teachers. But he did call for increased security at schools, including a plan to put a trained police officer in every Florida school by the start of the fall 2018 school year. Pringle says she understands the concerns of officials and parents who want to make schools more secure. But she says the NEA supports “common sense gun reform” to help prevent mass shootings. She says Trump and other elected officials who favor armed teachers have not spent enough time with educators and students. “So this is what we're doing. And this is what we wish the president would do - and others in positions of power would do, and that is listen to our students. That's what we're doing. We're listening to our students and they are rising up and they're not backing down and they're being very clear about what will make them feel safer in schools.” Pringle was talking about student activists, in Florida and other states, who have responded to the shooting by holding protests and demanding stronger gun laws. One of those students is Sofia Hidalgo – a 15-year-old student at Albert Einstein High School in the state of Maryland. She joined a demonstration last week in front of the White House. She says the young activists realize that the same kind of tragic shooting could also happen at their schools. “I think that once we realized that this could happen to us, as well, that it was time for us to make our voices heard to ensure that it never happens again, because this is a serious tragedy.” Hidalgo says her school has armed police officers and this makes her feel safer. The school also carries out drills to practice how to react to violence and other serious situations. But she does not think arming teachers would help solve the problem. “By arming the teachers you’re just distributing even more guns. And this is not the solution that we need. We need to be restricting the sales of guns, not increasing them. And by arming the teachers, you're trying to fight fire with fire and that’s not a solution.” Some schools already have armed teachers Several U.S. states already allow teachers to be armed in schools. One of them is Texas. Steve Clugston is the Superintendent of the Callisburg Independent School District, in Callisburg, Texas. He says one reason the district decided to allow armed teachers was because the area does not have its own police department. This is the case in dozens of school districts in small communities across Texas. If a shooting happens in these areas, Clugston says, police officers likely could not reach the school quickly enough. Armed teachers must first have a license to carry a handgun in Texas. Educators in the Callisburg district receive training from experts in shooting and gun safety. They also complete drills in the schools on how to react to a variety of live shooter situations.   As he sees it, Clugston said school violence is no different than a situation in which a family is being attacked inside their home. “Somebody is trying to kick in that door and threatening to kill everybody in that room. At that particular moment, there's not many people that don't wish they had a gun to protect themselves at that particular time.” Clugston says he believes arming teachers works as a deterrent to violence by sending a clear message to would-be attackers. His district places large signs in front of all its school buildings warning that armed teachers and employees are on the property. “We're going to use whatever force is necessary to protect our people. When you look at a lot of these active shooters, they tend to target that soft target. We're going to let them know we're not a soft target.” Clugston says the reaction to the district’s program from parents and community members has been “100 percent positive.” Identify troubled students In the Parkland, Florida attack, suspected shooter Nikolas Cruz was a former student known by school officials to have a troubled past. The school safety debate has also centered on ways to identify students who could be at risk for future violent behavior. One group seeking to make a difference is the not-for-profit Educator’s School Safety Network. It offers safety training programs aimed at preventing school violence. Amanda Klinger is director of operations for the organization. She says the group also provides educators with tools to identify, assess and manage certain students who may pose a threat. “This is something educators are asking for. Educators aren't asking to be armed with guns. But they are asking to be armed with education and training and the empowerment to be able to do some of these things to keep kids safe in their schools.” She added that teachers are often the best people to identify students that could become threats. But many lack the needed skills and tools to effectively do this. “We have a fact-based investigative approach, where you have a multidisciplinary threat assessment team. And they're looking at who should we be concerned about? How concerned should we be? And then what are we going to do about it?” Klinger says her group attempts to arm teachers with the tools to recognize signs of trouble early on, before students begin showing violent behavior. This way, teachers and administrators can decide on the best intervention to prevent future tragedies. I’m Dorothy Gundy. And I'm Bryan Lynn.   Bryan Lynn reported 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. ______________________________________________________________ Quiz ​______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   adept – adj. good at doing something deterrent – n. something that makes someone decide not to do something cringe – v. feel disgust or embarrassment, sometimes by also showing the feeling by a movement of the face or body ensure – v. make certain that something is done or happens drill – n. an exercise done to practice certain skills or procedures practice – v. to do something again and again in order to become better at it distribute – v. give or deliver to people assess – v. make a judgment about (something)​ empowerment – n. the process of gaining freedom and power to do what you want or to control what happens multidisciplinary – adj. involving two or more subject areas

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Double Arm Transplant Gives Former US Soldier a New Life

  American John Peck lost his arms and legs in an explosion in Afghanistan in 2010. But unlike others who suffer such a loss, Peck does not have prosthetic arms. Doctors instead performed a successful double arm transplant operation on Peck. The retired Marine Corps Sergeant is now learning to use his replacement arms at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland. As Peck learns to use his new arms, he thinks about the family that donated the arms of their dead son. “You know the first few minutes I was happy. But then I started to think about, you know, my emotions started to change, and it changed to the point where I was more...I was upset. Like I was, you know, I knew that somebody died and it wasn’t about me at that minute, it was about the individual that lost their lives.” Transplant operations are not new, and many patients are helped by transplanted organs. John Peck says his situation is different. “So like an organ transplant is different. Like, they cannot see inside of their body, but every day I look down, I'm like, 'Ah, hey!  This is somebody else's hand or this is somebody else’s elbow that I am moving back and forth.' But I don’t see it as, you know…it’s just weird, just part of my norm now...” Peck wore prosthetics before doctors gave him the replacement arms. The change has been hard, but physical therapists like Annemarie Orr says he is making progress. “John and I have been working together for about, what is it, John? A year, a year and a half, and so the progress has been huge, I mean, in terms of the rate of motion in his arms and strength and his ability again, to be more independent with his daily activities… Physical therapy assistant Alyssa Olsen is also working with Peck. “In the time that we have started working together, we are pushing to, progressing to using his hands more and more and more, and he’s getting function back. At Walter Reed, there are many patients who lost their arms or arms on the battlefield. Most receive prosthetics, but Peck agreed to try the transplant. Not everyone thinks transplants are a good idea because of the possibility that the body may reject another person’s limb. Patients like Peck must take up to 30 pills a day to stay healthy and stop medical complications. “It was worth it, it was worth it to me. I have goals. I want to be independent. I want to be able to do things for myself.” The operation took 16 hours and involved nearly 60 doctors and medical specialists. It has given John Peck a new life. I'm Susan Shand.   Yahya Albarznji reported this story for VOANews.com. Susan Shand adapted the report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   transplant – v. to perform a medical operation in which a body part from one person is put into the body of another person therapist – n. someone specializing in treating others with a physical or mental condition complication – n.  something that makes something harder to understand, explain, or deal with prosthetic – adj. an artificial device that replaces a missing or injured body part upset – adj. angry elbow – n. the joint of an arm function - n.  the action for which something is used pill – n. a small, rounded object that contains medicines or vitamins complication – n. a secondary disease or condition developing at the same time as the central health problem

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Norway to Invest Millions to Improve Arctic Seed Vault

  Norway has announced it will spend 100 million Norwegian crowns, or $13 million, to make improvements to a special seed vault in the Arctic.  The Norwegian government built the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in 2008 to store seed samples of the world’s crops and plants. The vault serves as a natural deep freeze, and is meant to protect important genetic material in case of a major man-made or natural disaster.  It holds seed varieties of crops from around the world, including corn, rice and grains. The vault received its one-millionth seed sample on February 26, its 10th anniversary. It has the ability to hold about 2.5 billion seeds in total. The vault is located on an island about 1,000 kilometers from the North Pole. The samples are buried deep below a mountain. Svalbard was chosen as the site of the seed bank, in part, because of the area’s permafrost – a thick layer of soil that stays frozen throughout the year. It makes for excellent underground cold storage. But in late 2016, the permafrost began to unexpectedly melt. This caused water to flow into the entrance of the vault tunnel. Officials said the seeds were never in danger. However, the event raised concerns about the need to better protect the samples. Norway’s Agriculture Ministry said improvements to the vault will include a new entry tunnel. They also include construction of a service building for emergency power and cooling units and electrical equipment that might send heat through the tunnel. Jon Georg Dale is Norway’s minister of agriculture and food. He announced the plans. He said they will help the vault continue to be a secure storage area. “It is a great and important task to safeguard all the genetic material that is crucial to global food security,” he said. The Svalbard vault acts as a backup to many of the world’s seed banks. In 2015, researchers took out seeds from the vault to help build seed collections in Lebanon and Morocco. Those sites were set up to protect materials from an important seed bank in Aleppo, Syria, which was damaged by violence from the country’s civil war. The seeds were re-grown and returned to the Svalbard vault last year. Dale said such efforts show “that the seed vault is a worldwide insurance for food supply for future generations.” I’m ­Pete Musto.   Pete Musto adapted this story for VOA Learning English using Reuters news reports and other materials. Ashley Thompson was the editor. We want to hear from you. What other major plans do you think the world’s governments should make to prepare for huge disasters? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   vault – n. a locked room where money or valuable things are kept sample(s) – n. a small amount of something that gives you information about the thing it was taken from varieties – n. particular kinds of people or things underground – adj. located or occurring below the surface of the earth tunnel – n. a passage that goes under the ground or through a hill construction – n. the act or process of building something unit(s) – n. a machine or part of a machine or system that has a particular use safeguard – v. to make someone or something safe or secure crucial – adj. extremely important insurance – n. protection from bad things that may happen in the future

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Partial-dose Yellow Fever Vaccine Effective in Emergencies

  A new study suggests that partial doses of the yellow fever vaccine can help protect communities against the disease. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. It found that individuals given a one-fifth dose of yellow fever vaccine developed enough antibodies to protect them against infection. Erin Staples was one of the writers of a report on the study. She says this is good news in places where the vaccine is in short supply. "That was the encouraging thing, that this can be done as a potential way — when there's supply limitations on the vaccine — to help potentially control an outbreak." Staples works for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is an agency of the United States government. Yellow fever is a serious problem in parts of Africa, as well as Central and South America. People get the disease from infected mosquitoes. The term “yellow” in the name describes the yellow coloring of some patients’ skin. The World Health Organization says a small number of patients develop severe health problems and about half of them die within seven to 10 days. Staples noted that in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, health workers had to use partial doses of the yellow fever vaccine in 2016. At that time, the vaccine was in short supply. The World Health Organization suggested a one-fifth dose based on some experiments performed in Brazil. Staples said many experts wondered if a partial dosage would be effective against the disease. She noted that nearly 8 million people were targeted for vaccination in the city of Kinshasa. "It worked in small cohorts, in a well-controlled clinical trial situation. But when you go to do this large scale in the field, does it work?" The partial amount proved effective. Ninety-eight percent of people tested had protective antibodies to the virus one month after being vaccinated. In Brazil, more than 350 people have become sick with yellow fever since late last year. Vaccine supplies remain in short supply. Health officials have launched what they are calling the largest-ever partial-dose mass vaccination campaign. The goal is to vaccinate nearly 24 million people. Each person is being given a one-fifth dose of the yellow fever vaccine. Staples says the new research offers hope. "I think that's very encouraging for the short term, immediate control. We still need some information about how long immunity will last." A full dose of yellow fever vaccine provides lifelong protection against the disease. Researchers will continue to study how long people who received partial doses are protected. I’m Jonathan Evans.   Steve Baragona reported this story for VOA News. Jonathan Evans adapted his report for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in this Story   antibody – n. a substance produced by the body to fight disease dose – n. the amount of a medicine, drug, or vitamin that is taken at one time encouraging – adj. causing a hopeful feeling outbreak – n. a sudden increase in the number of cases of a disease cohort – n. a friend or someone you know clinical – adj. related to a place where medical treatment is provided scale – n. the size of something, especially when compared to something else  

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February 27, 2018

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

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The Top Oscar-Related Google Searches

This is What’s Trending Today… The 90th Academy Awards are less than one week away. The event, also known as the Oscars, will take place March 4 in Hollywood, California. More than 30 million people are expected to watch the live television broadcast of the event. Ahead of the ceremony, people are getting to know this year’s nominated films and stars. Although this year’s event takes place in March, search interest in the Oscars usually peaks in February. The search engine Google recently created a special page that shows the most popular Oscar-related searches. Here is a look: Lead Actress Nominees Of the five women nominated for the best lead actress Oscar, Margot Robbie is getting the most attention, Google says. The search engine reports the Australian actress makes up 36 percent of Google searches among the five nominees. Robbie played American figure skater Tonya Harding in the film I, Tonya. Robbie also produced the film, which received three Oscar nominations. Yet many experts believe Robbie will not win. They say Frances McDormand of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is likely to take home the Oscar. In the film, McDormand plays Mildred Hayes, a woman filled with anger over the unsolved rape and murder of her daughter. McDormand received 8 percent of Google searches. English actress Sally Hawkins comes in with 5 percent of Google searches, the least of the five women nominated for the award. She stars in The Shape of Water, a fantasy film directed by Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. The film earned 13 Oscar nominations, the most of any film this year. Saoirse Ronan stars in another of the year’s top films, Lady Bird. It received nine Oscar nominations. Ronan received 24 percent of the Google searches, just behind Meryl Streep. Streep earned the nomination this year for her work in Steven Spielberg’s political thriller The Post. Streep has already won three Oscars and has been nominated a total of 21 times. Lead Actor Nominees Among the men nominated for Best Actor, Denzel Washington and Timothee Chalamet can each claim more than 30 percent of Google searches. Chalamet received the nomination for his leading role in the coming-of-age story Call Me By Your Name, while Washington earned it for Roman J. Israel Esq. But many movie experts say ​Gary Oldman is the most likely winner. He has earned critical praise for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in The Darkest Hour. Oldman brought in just 11 percent of Google searches.   The other two nominees -- Daniel Day-Lewis and Daniel Kaluuya -- each come in with 13 percent of total searches. They are nominated for their work in the historical drama The Phantom Thread and the horror movie Get Out, respectively. Kimmel returns Another popular person on Google is this year’s host Jimmy Kimmel. He also hosted last year’s event. That is when presenters Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty famously announced La La Land instead of Moonlight as the Best Picture winner. After the mistake was corrected, Kimmel told television viewers, “I promise I’ll never come back” to host another Oscars. But Kimmel will be back. On Google, popular Kimmel-related searches no longer mention last year’s Oscar mix-up. Instead, they include questions like, “How old is Jimmy Kimmel?” and “How tall is Jimmy Kimmel?” Best Picture Top Google Searches While we won’t know this year’s Best Picture winner for a few more days, Google has published a list of the most-searched Best Picture winners of all time. The top five are: Titanic Gladiator The Godfather Forest Gump Moonlight And that’s What’s Trending Today. Ashley Thompson wrote this report for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.  _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   peak - v. to reach the highest level fantasy - n. something that is produced by the imagination : an idea about doing something that is far removed from normal reality thriller - n. a novel, movie, etc., that is very exciting : a story full of exciting action, mystery, adventure, or suspense coming-of-age- n. the time when a person becomes an adult horror - adj. intended to cause feelings of fear or horror portrayal - n. the way in which an actor plays a character  

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Hong Kong Catholics Criticize Possible China-Vatican Deal

  Members of Hong Kong’s Roman Catholic community are worried about a possible deal between the Catholic Church and China’s leaders. Many Catholics are unhappy with the church’s recent efforts to set up relations with the Chinese government at a time when it continues to silence critics. In the nearly 70 years since its establishment, the People's Republic of China has never had diplomatic ties with the Vatican. One reason is the Vatican's tradition of appointing bishops around the world. The mainland Chinese leadership considers this interference in the country.  China's Catholics have been permitted to attend religious services under a government-supervised organization called the Patriotic Catholic Association. As part of its duties, the government officially names church leaders, some of which have been quietly approved by the Vatican.  The Vatican leadership considers religious services administered in the patriotic church unacceptable. But the government's tight control of the group has led many observant Catholics to go elsewhere. Some have turned to an "underground" Catholic church. The Chinese government says the underground church is illegal. Its members have been arrested and treated unfairly. However, the members see themselves as true followers of the church. Critics say an agreement between the Vatican and the Chinese government would enable the Vatican to operate more openly in China. But they fear it would give China greater control over the church's decisions.  Hong Kong Catholics condemn Cardinal Joseph Zen is the retired bishop of Hong Kong. In recent weeks, he has criticized any deal that would permit Chinese control over the church as "evil." News reports have said the agreement would legalize the government-appointed bishops and force those in the underground church to retire. The reports say Pope Francis would have the final word on the approval of bishops. Zen has voiced concern that the Chinese government would only name bishops loyal to the communist leadership. "It's something important for the whole church, this attitude of fidelity and disrespect [of] our faith. … It's a very serious matter to disregard centuries of doctrine," Zen said. "They want everybody to come into the open and obey the government. They never say how they would deal with bishops in the underground. It's obvious what they are going to do… They will not only eliminate bishops, but in some dioceses have no bishop, but some kind of [government] delegate." Vatican officials have asked Catholics for time to work out details on the agreement. In Hong Kong, several Catholics have also said the move comes at a time when the Chinese government has grown more forceful under the leadership of President Xi Jinping. On Sunday, China's ruling party announced it would end presidential term limits. Under the proposal, Xi could serve the rest of his life as president. During his first five years in office, Xi's policies have attacked economic corruption as well as the work of human rights lawyers, labor organizers and investigative reporters. ​Losing moral and spiritual appeal In December, the Vatican asked two bishops in the underground church in China to give their duties to men approved by the government. In the past, the Vatican had said that both men had been appointed illegally by the government. Government critics see this as an unusual interference, even violation, of the church's power. They are also concerned about signs that the government has restricted religious customs, such as orders that followers not bring children to worship. News of the Vatican's negotiations led several professors to launch a petition against any agreement that would give control of the church to the Chinese government. More than 2,000 people have signed the document. "We think the Catholic Church has appeal (for) the Chinese people exactly because it has refused to compromise with the Chinese authority," said Joseph Cheng Yu-shek, one of the organizers of the petition. He added that "…If the Vatican makes a compromise with Beijing, the Catholic Church loses that moral and spiritual appeal. And it doesn't benefit the church." I’m Phil Dierking.   Suzanne Sataline reported this story for VOAnew.com. Phil Dierking adapted her report for VOA Learning English. George Grow as the editor. Do you think It’s okay to let the Chinese government have more control of the church in China, in exchange for more open religious practice?  We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   attitude – n. the way you think and feel about someone or something bishop – n. an official in some Christian religions who is ranked higher than a priest and who is usually in charge of church matters in a specific geographical area diocese – n. the area that is controlled by a bishop in a Christian church doctrine – n. a set of ideas or beliefs that are taught or believed to be true eliminate – v. to get rid of something fidelity – n.  the quality of being faithful to your husband, wife, or sexual partner Vatican – n. the government of the Roman Catholic Church

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February 26, 2018

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

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Smoking Rates Around the World

  From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. “Tobacco is the only legal drug that kills many of its users when used exactly as intended by manufacturers.” That is the first sentence of the World Health Organization’s 2015 global report on smoking trends around the world.   Smoking around the world       On its website, the World Health Organization says that in 2015, over 1.1 billion people smoked tobacco. The organization also states that while tobacco use is decreasing in many countries, it “appears to be increasing in WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region and the African Region.” The WHO lists on its websites these three important facts about tobacco use: Tobacco kills up to half of its users. Tobacco kills more than 7 million people each year. More than 6 million of those deaths are from direct tobacco use. Around 890, 000 non-smokers die from second-hand smoke. Nearly 80% of the world's more than 1 billion smokers live in low- and middle-income countries. In 2016, the World Bank report “The global state of smoking in 5 charts,” said that from 2000 to 2015 smoking rates went up in 27 countries. The report said most of them were low and middle-income countries. The report added that in Indonesia, the rate went up by almost 30 percent. It said more than 70 million people smoke in Indonesia. The WHO says there is a “tobacco crisis.” Experts say that if we do nothing to change this trend, the number of people who die from tobacco each year worldwide will rise to 8 million by 2030. The article also states that in every country, the smoking rates for men are much higher than those for women. U.S. smoking rates at historic low The American Lung Association (ALA) says fewer Americans smoke cigarettes now than before tobacco control policies were established. In its yearly report, the ALA says smoking rates among adults and teens are at historic lows. It says a little more than 15.5 percent of American adults, and eight percent of high school students, smoke cigarettes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. also researches smoking rates. It says the rates in the U.S. decreased from 20.9 percent in 2005 to 15.5 percent in 2016. Connie Graffunder is director of the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health. She says "more people are quitting, and those who continue to smoke are smoking less." However, CDC research also shows that almost 38 million American adults still smoke. And the American Lung Association says tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke affects some groups and areas of the United States more than others. Thomas Carr is the Director of National Policy for the American Lung Association and writer of its 2018 report, The State of Tobacco Control. Carr says smoking rates are close to 30 percent or higher among poor people, less educated people, Native Americans and some other ethnic groups. Carr says that "the tobacco industry advertises more to some of these groups." He adds that often there are more tobacco products available in stores in low-income areas. Teenagers are more likely to smoke if their friends or parents smoke. Studies show that most people who smoke start before they are 18. Some start as young as age 11, according to The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Carr calls it a childhood disease. "It starts in your teens and then once you're hooked, you can't get off of it." What can countries do to stop people from smoking? The American Lung Association advocates for the U.S. government to make buying tobacco products for those under age 21 illegal. The group says this would lead to a drop in the number of young smokers. The ALA says if middle and high school students cannot get cigarettes, they are less likely to start smoking. To date, five states in the U.S. -- California, Oregon, Maine, Hawaii and New Jersey -- have raised the age to 21. The WHO says that there are other things countries can do to limit tobacco use. Experts at the WHO experts say studies show that anti-tobacco advertisements can reduce the number of children who smoke. This is especially true if the advertising uses picture warnings on the packaging. The WHO adds that bans on tobacco advertising can reduce the use of tobacco products. Higher taxes can also lower the number of people who use tobacco. This is especially true with young and poor people. The CDC says smokers die, on average, 10 years earlier than non-smokers. And that's the Health & Lifestyle report, I'm Anna Matteo.   Anna Matteo wrote this story for Learning English with additional reporting from Carol Pearson. Caty Weaver was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ QUIZ __________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   intend – v. to have in mind as a purpose or goal manufacturer – n. a company that makes a product second-hand smoke – n. tobacco smoke that is exhaled by smokers or is given off by burning tobacco and is inhaled by persons nearby income – n. money that is earned from work, investments, business, etc. trend – n. a general direction of change : a way of behaving, proceeding, etc., that is developing and becoming more common exposure – n. the fact or condition of being affected by something or experiencing something : the condition of being exposed to something advertise – v. to make the public aware of something (such as a product) that is being sold hooked – v. addicted to a drug : usually used with “on” : She is hooked on cigarettes. advocate – v. to support or argue for (a cause, policy, etc.)

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