African Union Peacekeepers Take Up Duties in Somalia

By Alisha Ryu Mogadishu 02 May 2007

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In the Somali capital, Mogadishu, several days of calm have allowed some African Union peacekeepers from Uganda to move out of their barracks for the first time since their arrival in March. From Mogadishu, VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu has this report.

Africa Union (AU) troops patrol a street in Mogadishu, 01 May 2007

African Union troops in white armored personnel carriers rumbled through neighborhoods near the Mogadishu Airport Wednesday morning, giving many Somalis their first glimpse of the 1,400 Ugandan peacekeepers.

Some of the peacekeepers were reported sent to the outskirts of the city to protect campsites of tens of thousands of Somalis displaced during three months of vicious fighting between Somali insurgents and Ethiopian troops, who are backing the transitional government.

Other peacekeepers remained on stand-by inside a dilapidated compound in a strategic area of Mogadishu, known as Kilometer Four.

The troop commander in the area, Lieutenant Michael Okelokengo, tells VOA that because the peacekeepers are still assessing the security situation after clashes in Mogadishu ended five days ago, his men have not yet conducted extensive patrols in the city.

"At the moment, we do not go much into patrols because of the situation as it used to be," he said. We just do our observations and at times, small patrols."

A European Union security advisor recently criticized the Ugandan peacekeepers for failing to act in preventing the deaths of nearly 1,500 Somali civilians in the worst fighting the capital has seen in nearly two decades.

But supporters say the peacekeepers had little chance to intervene because they, too, have been the target of near daily attacks since they arrived in Mogadishu two months ago.

Anti-Ethiopian and anti-government insurgents, including Islamist fighters, welcomed the Ugandans with a mortar barrage. Continuing attacks forced the peacekeepers to largely confine themselves to the area around the airport.

The Ugandan troops, who have a six-month mandate, expect at least 6,500 more peacekeepers from several African Union member states to back them up.

But those troops have not arrived, placing most of the burden of securing Mogadishu on Ethiopian troops, whose mandate is to protect the transitional government. They are unlikely to withdraw from Somalia until the African Union peacekeepers are fully deployed.

On Monday, a top Ugandan commander cautioned the Somali government against declaring victory over the insurgents. He says they have merely gone into hiding and have not been defeated.

Indian Conservationists Question Plan to Repopulate Empty Tiger Reserve

By Steve Herman New Delhi 02 May 2007

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Tourists and guides preparing to enter tiger preserve

The tiger is India's national symbol, but it is getting difficult to spot the animal in its native habitat. The country now finds itself in the embarrassing position of having tiger reserves without any tigers. VOA Correspondent Steve Herman reports from New Delhi on the state of the Indian tiger and a controversial plan to relocate some of the big cats.

Sightings of tigers in their natural habitat in India are becoming more infrequent every year. Ranthambhore National Park, in the state of Rajasthan, is one of the best places to see the tigers. That has made it a popular tourist attraction bringing much needed revenue to the rural area.

Mother and cubs at Ranthambhore National Park

Other tiger reserves are not so lucky. In the Sariska Reserve, also in Rajasthan, the tourists have vanished because no tigers have been spotted there since November 2004. Humans are blamed for wiping out Sarika's tiger population.

In response, the Ministry of Environment and Forests plans to take some tigers from Ranthambhore to repopulate Sariska. The head of the Ministry's Project Tiger, Rajesh Gopal, endorses the idea.

"We can very well afford to translocate a few spillover tiger cubs in the prime age group from geographically distant areas within the tiger reserve, Ranthambhore itself, for Sariska," he said. "We can do that."

But the response from many conservationists is "don't do that."

They argue that any tigers moved from Ranthambhore face peril because 10,000 people live inside the Sariska Park. They include villagers who see the tiger as a threat to their animals, and poachers who sell tiger skins and other body parts, believed to have medicinal and aphrodisiac powers, on the thriving black market across the border in Nepal and China.

Valmik Thapar

One of India's best known tiger lovers, conservationist Valmik Thapar, says the plan to relocate a few of the park's villages will not save the endangered animal.

"If they don't want to go and none of them leave then you cannot relocate tigers because tigers and people don't co-exist," said Thapar. "The tiger salivates when it looks at the four-legged creatures that people in villages have, which are cows and buffaloes. There is conflict then between man and tiger, always has been for centuries."

Tiger conservationists lament that no one in India's government has the fierce commitment to saving the animal as did former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. She cracked down on tiger hunting and the fur trade and initiated the first nine reserves under Project Tiger, which she kept free of political interference.

The current overseer of Project Tiger, Gopal, refutes the critics.

"The Tiger Task Force came up with a set of urgent recommendations which are being implemented upon," said Gopal. "These are being monitored at the highest level of the government. So I don't see in any manner that the interest has diminished or the efforts have reduced."

Unarmed ranger in tiger preserve

But the numbers demonstrate otherwise. When Mrs. Gandhi was assassinated in 1984, there were an estimated 4,000 tigers across India. Now the official number is about 3,500 with some conservationists, such as Thapar, claiming the actual total is likely to be half that figure.

"There's a complete failure of governance. And the tiger will end up being, in another three to four years, it'll come down to a population of maybe 500 or 600. And then the world will start to shout - a bit late in the day," he said.

Those who are supposed to protect the tiger find themselves literally outgunned by poachers. There are too few guards to adequately patrol the vast expanses and they do not carry guns.

Sujoy Banerjee

Former forestry official, Sujoy Banerjee, who directs the species conservation program in India for the World Wildlife Fund, says policy should focus on apprehending the kingpins of the organized tiger trade.

"There is a need for more concerted action against the big poachers rather than actually the small ones because the small ones will eventually die out themselves because they won't have a market, they won't be able to sell," he said.

India is a major source for the tiger parts trade, with Interpol estimating that illegal wildlife products in total generate $12 billion a year worldwide.

With that sort of money in play, conservationists say India's tigers remain in serious danger.

International Court Issues First Darfur Arrest Warrants

By Lauren Comiteau Amsterdam 02 May 2007

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The International Criminal Court in The Hague says it has issued arrest warrants for a Sudanese government minister and a Janjaweed militia leader suspected of committing war crimes in Darfur. But as Lauren Comiteau reports from Amsterdam, the Sudanese government says it will not turn over the two men.

Ahmad Muhammed Harun

The arrest warrants name Ahmad Harun, Sudan's humanitarian affairs minister, and Janjaweed militia leader Ali Muhammad Ali Abd al-Rahman - also called Ali Kushayb.

The ICC's chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocamo asked judges to issue warrants for the two men earlier this year, after concluding an almost two-year investigation into the Darfur conflict. The United Nations estimates that some 200,000 people have died during the four-year conflict and two million more have fled their homes.

The two men are wanted for 92 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The charges include torture, rape and murder. The alleged crimes, all against civilians, took place in four towns and villages in western Darfur between 2003 and 2004. In issuing the arrest warrants, judges said there are "reasonable grounds to believe" that both men knew of the crimes and either encouraged them or, in the case of Ali Kushayb, personally participated in them.

Before becoming humanitarian minister, Ahmad Harun was Sudan's interior minister and had responsibility, as head of the Darfur security desk, for recruiting and funding the Janjaweed militia. The militia is accused of helping the Sudanese Armed Forces attack villages believed to be loyal to rebel forces.

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court accuse Harun of providing funds to the Janjaweed and implementing policies that led to mass rape and mass murder against people who were known not to be participating in the conflict. Prosecutors also allege that Haroun personally delivered weapons to the militia group, and that he publicly stated that, as head of the Darfur security desk, he had the authority to kill or pardon anyone he chose in Darfur for the sake of peace and security.

As for Kushayb, the Janjaweed militia leader, prosecutors call him the "colonel of colonels." They say he commanded thousands of Janjaweed militia in Western Darfur and personally participated in attacks, including inspecting a group of naked women before they were tied to trees and raped. He is also accused of the execution of 32 men whose bodies were later found in the bushes.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo (file photo)

The court's chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, says that now that arrest warrants have been issued, Sudan must respect them and arrest the two suspects. But a top official Sudanese official said Wednesday his country will not hand over the men to a court it does not recognize.

Justice Minister Mohammed Ali al-Mardi says his government is willing and able to try all perpetrators of offenses in Darfur, and for that reason the ICC has absolutely no right to assume any jurisdiction. The court and the U.N. Security Council disagree.

VOASE0502_The Making of a Nation

02 May 2007

1968 in America: a Year of Social Unrest and a Presidential Election
President Lyndon Johnson had decided not to seek another term, so the Democrats nominated Hubert Humphrey. The Republican candidate was Richard Nixon.

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VOICE ONE:

This is Stan Busby.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Rich Kleinfeldt with THE MAKING OF A NATION -- a VOA Special English program about the history of the United States.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Nineteen sixty-eight was a presidential election year in the United States. It was also one of the saddest and most difficult years in modern American history. The nation was divided by disputes about civil rights and the war in Vietnam.

VOICE TWO:

March 31, 1968: Lyndon Johnson announces a bombing halt in Vietnam and his decision not to seek re-election

President Lyndon Johnson had helped win major civil rights legislation. Yet he had also greatly expanded American involvement in the war in Vietnam. By early nineteen sixty-eight, it was almost impossible for him to leave the White House without facing anti-war protesters. Johnson wanted to run for another four-year term. But his popularity kept dropping as the war continued. He understood that he no longer had the support of a majority of the people. In March, he announced that he would not be a candidate.

VOICE ONE:

One reason Johnson decided not to run was a senator from Minnesota, Eugene McCarthy. McCarthy competed against Johnson in several primary elections. The primaries are held months before a political party holds its presidential nominating convention. Delegates to the convention often are required to vote for the candidate their party members chose in the primary. Thousands of college students helped the McCarthy campaign before the primary election in New Hampshire. They told voters all over the state that their candidate would try to end the war. McCarthy received almost forty-two percent of the votes in New Hampshire. Johnson received less than fifty percent. For a president in office, the vote was an insult.

VOICE TWO:

Robert Kennedy, left, with his brother, President John F. Kennedy

After McCarthy's success, Senator Robert Kennedy of New York decided to enter the campaign, too. He was a brother of president John Kennedy, who had been murdered in nineteen sixty-three. Robert Kennedy had served as Attorney General, the nation's highest legal officer, in his brother's administration. Many people were pleased when Robert Kennedy announced his decision. They liked his message. He said: "I run to seek new policies to end the bloodshed in Vietnam and in our cities. I seek to lessen the differences between black and white, between rich and poor, between young and old, in this country and around the world."

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

On April fourth, nineteen sixty-eight, the nation's top civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, was shot to death in Memphis, Tennessee. Robert Kennedy spoke about king's death to a crowd of black citizens.

ROBERT KENNEDY: "What we need in the United States is not division. What we need in the United States is not hatred. What we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love and wisdom. And compassion toward one another. And a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black."

VOICE TWO:

No words, however, could calm the anger of America's black community. Martin Luther King had led the civil rights movement with peaceful methods. Yet his death led to violence in almost one hundred-thirty cities in America. Soldiers were called to crush the riots. Hundreds of people were killed or injured. After the riots, another man decided to campaign for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party. The new candidate was Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Traditional Democrats supported him.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

The primary elections continued. Eugene McCarthy and Robert Kennedy tried to show how different they were. Many voters, however, saw little difference between their positions on major issues. Both men opposed the war in Vietnam. Both sought social reforms. Both sought improvement in civil rights in America. Kennedy defeated McCarthy in primaries in Indiana and Nebraska. McCarthy defeated Kennedy in Oregon. The next big primary was in California. Kennedy said that if he did not win this important contest, he would withdraw. He won.

VOICE TWO:

Perhaps Robert Kennedy might have won his party's nomination for president. Perhaps he might have defeated the Republican Party candidate in the national election. The nation would never know. Kennedy made his California victory speech at a hotel in Los Angeles. As he was leaving the hotel, he was shot. He died a few hours later. The man who shot him was Sirhan Bishara Sirhan. He was a Palestinian refugee. He said he blamed Robert Kennedy for the problems of the Palestinians.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

The nation's two major political parties held their nominating conventions in the summer of nineteen sixty-eight. The Republicans met first. It was soon clear that Richard Nixon would control the convention. Nixon had run for president in nineteen-sixty. He lost to John Kennedy. Eight years later, he won several primary elections. He was a strong candidate to win the Republican nomination again. The other candidates were Ronald Reagan, governor of California, and Nelson Rockefeller, governor of New York. On the first ballot, Nixon got more than two times as many votes as Rockefeller. Reagan was far behind. Most of the delegates then gave their support to Nixon, and he accepted the nomination. The delegates chose the governor of Maryland, Spiro Agnew, to be their vice presidential candidate.

VOICE TWO:

The convention of the Democratic Party was very different from the convention of the Republicans. The Democrats were the party in power. Protests against the war in Vietnam were aimed at them. Thousands of anti-war protesters gathered in the city of Chicago during the political convention. The city's mayor, Richard Daley, had ordered the police to deal severely with all protesters. Many of the young people were beaten. Much later, the federal government ordered an investigation. The report said that the riots in Chicago were a result of the actions of the police themselves.

VOICE ONE:

Inside the convention building, the delegates voted for their presidential candidate. They did not choose the man who had done so well in the early primary elections, Eugene McCarthy. Instead, they chose the more traditional candidate, Hubert Humphrey. For their vice presidential candidate, they chose Edmund Muskie, a senator from Maine.

VOICE TWO:

The two men running for president, Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey, supported American involvement in Vietnam. Yet during the campaign, both spoke about finding ways to end the conflict. Both also spoke about finding ways to end social unrest in the United States. Many voters saw little difference between the two candidates. About six weeks before election day, public opinion studies showed that the contest was even.

VOICE ONE:

Nixon's major problem was his past. He had made enemies during his early political life. These people now tried to renew public fears about his record as a man who made fierce, unjust attacks on others. Vice President Humphrey's major problem was that he was vice president. He had to defend the administration's policies, even the unpopular ones. If he said anything that was different, another member of the administration intervened.

VOICE TWO:

Once, for example, Humphrey said the United States would stop dropping bombs on north Vietnam. But President Johnson did not act for a month. He gave the order to stop only four days before the election. Later, Humphrey said the delay harmed his campaign so badly that he could not recover from the damage.

VOICE ONE:

Richard Nixon campaigns in 1968

On Election Day, Richard Nixon won -- but not by much. He received a little more than forty-three percent of the votes. Hubert Humphrey received just a half a percent less. Nixon was about to become president.

It was the position he had wanted for a long time. It was to be a presidency that would change American government for years to come.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This program of THE MAKING OF A NATION was written by Jeri Watson and produced by Paul Thompson. This is Rich Kleinfeldt.

VOICE ONE:

And this is Stan Busby. Join us again next week for another VOA Special English program about the history of the United States.

VOASE0502_Education Report

02 May 2007

Choosing a Student Exchange Program to Come to the US
Part 35 of our Foreign Student Series looks at programs for high school and college students.

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This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

We continue our Foreign Student Series this week with two questions that we received. Anatolii Artamonov, a university student in Ukraine, would like to know about student exchange programs in the United States. Anatolii would especially like to know about the one called Work and Travel USA. And fifteen-year-old Betty Xu in China wants to know about a program called ASSE.

ASSE is the American Scandinavian Student Exchange. This program was established in Sweden in nineteen seventy-six to organize exchanges with the United States. It expanded to include students in Norway, Denmark and Finland.

Today ASSE organizes international exchanges for high school students in thirty-one countries. The students live with a family and attend school for a year.

Other programs also offer high school students a chance to come to the United States. These include AFS, Youth for Understanding and the Program of Academic Exchange, or PAX.

For college students, there are programs like the International Student Exchange Program, or ISEP. This is a group of almost three hundred colleges in thirty-nine countries. ISEP is an independent organization that was supported by the United States government until nineteen ninety-six.

ISEP is a true exchange program. That means two students from different countries trade places for a semester or a year.

Work and Travel USA is also for college students. But this program is not for those who want to study in the United States. It provides international students with the chance to work for up to four months while exploring American life.

The State Department says they generally work in hotels, restaurants and amusement parks but may also work for other employers. An organization called CIEE administers this program. It says students must understand that the money they earn from their work may not be enough to pay all of their costs.

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. Our Foreign Student Series on higher education in the United States is available online, with helpful links to Web sites, at voaspecialenglish.com. Our series offers all kinds of information and advice for international students who want to attend an American college or university.

To send us e-mail, write to special@voanews.com, and please be sure to include your full name and where you are from. I'm Faith Lapidus.

Something about release and the UEFA Champions League

VOASE合辑已做了四个月了，VeryCD很快就把PoEnglish的发布帖整理出来了
http://lib.verycd.com/2007/02/07/0000138789.html
谢谢VeryCD对PoEnglish的信任，同时要夸赞VeryCD版主手很勤快，祝你们劳动节快乐！
还有正在下4月合辑的驴子，分流共享也是劳动！劳动光荣！也祝你们劳动节快乐！

今天VOA News有一篇 D*a*l*a*i L*a*m*a 的报道，我没有贴。
我对他是没有好感的，本人是坚决维护国家领土完整。
但我还是主张言论自由。鉴于国内的互联网的一些问题，就没贴了。

不说这些不爽的事，今晚有个消遣的好活——

the UEFA Champions League




相信比赛会非常精彩，就连PoEnglish这样的标准伪球迷都抑制不住翘首以盼的兴奋劲，偶去买啤酒喽

迎51！最新4月合辑发布！

4月合辑制作完毕，包括2007年4月的全部内容，Words and Their Stories的内容也收录其中。
源的地址（需安装 eMule，复制到地址栏）是：
ed2k://|file|VOASE0704.iso|399147008|BB73525F3EB781B34EE303CF2F7A239E|h=GIEFE5QIMDS5OQVOTOODOQ6JJDJSEL5Q|/

放假在家的朋友们，骑上驴子快搬阿！

Iraq Funding Bill Vetoed by Bush

By Scott Stearns White House 01 May 2007

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President Bush has vetoed more than $124 billion worth of funding for wars in Afghanistan and Iraq because the measure includes a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns has the story.

President Bush speaking at the White House, 1 May 2007

President Bush says opposition demands to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq by October would embolden the enemy.

In a nation-wide address moments after vetoing the spending bill, the president called it a prescription for chaos and confusion.

"I believe setting a deadline for a withdrawal would demoralize the Iraqi people, would encourage killers across the broader Middle East, and send a signal that America will not keep its commitments," said President Bush. "Setting a deadline for withdrawal is setting a date for failure. And that would be irresponsible."

Because the measure passed the House and Senate by close votes, it is highly unlikely opposition Democrats can find the two-thirds majority to over-ride this veto.

Still, Democratic leaders sent the doomed legislation to the White House Tuesday to show their opposition to what Senate majority leader Harry Reid says are U.S. troops mired in the middle of an open-ended civil war.

Senator Harry Reid (left) and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi

Reid says the president now has the obligation to explain how he will responsibly end the war, and Democrats will work with him.

"But if the president thinks that by vetoing this bill he will stop us from working to change the direction of the war in Iraq, he is mistaken," said Harry Reid.

A public opinion poll by CBS News and the New York Times says more than 70 percent of Americans disapprove of how the president is handling the war. Two-thirds of those surveyed support setting a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

President Bush says he wants U.S. troops out of Iraq as well, but only when the government there is better able to handle its own security.

Mr. Bush vetoed the legislation on the fourth anniversary of his much-publicized appearance on the deck of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln under a banner which read: Mission Accomplished. At the time, he told sailors that they had freed Iraq and made America more secure.

"Major combat operations in Iraq have ended," he said. "In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed."

Fewer than 200 Americans had been killed in Iraq when the president spoke four years ago. The death toll now is over 3,000.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino says the United States and its allies did prevail in terms of toppling the Iraqi army and Saddam Hussein. She accused Democrats of a trumped-up political stunt that is the height of cynicism for delaying the bill until this fourth anniversary of what has come to be known as the Mission Accomplished speech.

The president meets Wednesday with Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate to talk about how to move forward on new legislation to pay for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

US, Japan Press North Korea on Nuclear Agreement

By David Gollust State Department 01 May 2007

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Senior U.S. and Japanese cabinet members Tuesday called on North Korea to immediately fulfill its part of the February six-party agreement on its nuclear program. The issue figured heavily in Washington talks Tuesday involving Rice, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and their Japanese counterparts. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, second from right, gestures during a news conference at the State Department in Washington 1 May 2007

North Korea is now more than two weeks overdue in fulfilling commitments under the nuclear agreement, and both the United States and Japan are signaling impatience.

Pyongyang was to have shut down its main reactor complex with 60 days of the March 13 agreement, under which North Korea committed to eventually scrapping its entire nuclear program, including weapons, in exchange for energy aid and other benefits.

But it has not yet closed the Yongbyon reactor, citing problems in collecting $25 million in frozen funds from a Chinese bank that had been sanctioned by the United States as a conduit for illicit North Korean financial activity.

Wrapping up talks involving herself, Gates, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso and Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma, Rice said the allies - both parties to the six-nation talks - want to see immediate North Korean action.

She said the process of freeing the North Korean money was more complicated than anyone had expected, but that the implementation process is not open-ended.

"We are going to continue to consult," she said. "We don't have endless patience. We do recognize that North Korea has continued to publicly affirm its obligation under the February 13 agreement, and to affirm its intention to carry through. We expect them to do so."

Ms. Rice did not say what would happen if the impasse continues.

However last weekend at a Camp David meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, President Bush said if the North Korea fails to make the right choice, there is a strategy to assure that pressure initially applied to that government becomes greater.

North Korea entered into the February nuclear deal a few months after being hit with strict U.N. Security Council sanctions for the nuclear test it conducted last October.

On other issues, Rice, Gates and their Japanese counterparts pledged to make steadfast progress on the sweeping agreement reached last year to realign U.S. forces in Japan in order to reduce the burden American bases pose to the country's population.

A U.S. Marine Corps air station is being moved from next to a busy city in Okinawa to a more remote location, and several thousand Marines are being shifted from Okinawa to Guam, a U.S. Pacific territory.

A joint statement issued here called the U.S.-Japanese security relationship the bedrock of Japan's defense and the keystone of peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region.

It said North Korean provocations, including its nuclear test and missile launches last year, were stark reminders of the importance of transforming the U.S.-Japan alliance to ensure its continued effectiveness.

The statement also said it is a strategic objective of the two countries to encourage China to conduct itself as a responsible international stakeholder, to improve the transparency of its military affairs, and to maintain consistency between its stated policies and its actions.

Foreign Minister Aso reiterated concern over China's anti-satellite test in January, the first known test of a satellite-killer system in 20 years.

Defense Secretary Gates welcomed the Japanese decision, also in January, to elevate its defense agency to the status of a full ministry.

He said the move is a reflection of the importance Japan places on making a positive contribution to global peace and security.

Liberia's May Day Marked by Strike at Firestone Tire Company

By Nico Colombant Dakar 01 May 2007

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As workers around the world mark May Day, in Liberia, a strike is ongoing at the rubber plantations of the Firestone tire company, highlighting long standing problems between the country's biggest private employer and its workforce. VOA's Nico Colombant has the story from Dakar, with additional reporting by Prince Collins in Monrovia.

Billboard of Firestone, Liberia's biggest private employer

Angry workers at Firestone have clashed several times with police during a strike now entering its second week.

A protest leader, Ida Collins, expressed her dismay.

Several others were arrested. Protest leaders are asking for their release, as well as higher salaries and the removal of a top manager.

James Makor, a Monrovia human rights activist, says Firestone, a subsidiary of Japanese tire giant Bridgestone, has also prevented the establishment of a union independent of management.

"Firestone will do everything to suppress workers on grounds that they do not want rapid change into their system," he said. "They want their people to remain silent so they can use them as much as they want to, to maximize their own systems."

Firestone gets rubber the traditional way at its plantation in Liberia

Firestone has been operating in Liberia since 1926. It has repeatedly been accused by international labor groups of shoddy treatment of its workforce.

"Firestone when it started, there was a virtual agreement between it and the government of Liberia to recruit workers, illiterate workers from the interior, more or less on a forced labor basis, and the modifications have been minimal," explained Byron Tar, a former government official.

Information Minister Laurence Konmla Bropleh says that with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf now at the helm of Liberia it is not business as usual.

"The workers cannot be subjected to dehumanizing conditions, that is one aspect of it. The other aspect is how is management [is] treating them in terms of their employment circumstances," he said.

"The Ministry of Labor, and Ministry of Agriculture, are at the current moment working with Firestone to make sure these various concerns are hammered out and that the proper solutions have been in the interest of workers, yet understanding the Firestone investment needs to be protected. But we will not protect the Firestone investment at the detriment of the Liberian workforce," he added.

But some Liberian lawmakers, like Dave Kumeh, believe the government should be more pro-business and prevent any outbreaks of violence by workers.

Children of Firestone workers in Liberia also go to work

"When the investors know that we are operating here in confusion, in the midst of violence, and what not, definitely they will not be encouraged to come here, to improve our economy, to bring about development, to bring about jobs, and facilities and what not," said Kumeh.

Firestone's concession agreement was renegotiated during Liberia's post-war transitional period, but is being reviewed again.

The government is also looking into complaints chemicals from the plantations are causing serious environmental degradation to local waterways.

Officials from Firestone refused requests to be interviewed for this report. They have said they are continually striving to improve the conditions of the workforce and deny wrongdoing.

Olmert Faces Pressure to Resign Following Lebanon War Report

By Robert Berger Jerusalem 01 May 2007

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There is political turmoil in Israel after an official probe issued a damning report on the government's handling of last year's war in Lebanon. As Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, Israel's embattled leader is in the hot seat.

Israeli PM Ehud Olmert during a swearing in ceremony for incoming Israeli Police Commissioner David Cohen, 01 May 2007

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is facing mounting pressure to resign, after an official inquiry harshly criticized his handling of the Lebanon war. The five-member commission accused Mr. Olmert of a "severe failure in judgment, responsibility and caution."

The Prime Minister suffered a further blow when Cabinet Minister Eitan Cabel quit.

"Ehud Olmert must resign," Cabel said. "I cannot sit in a government headed by Ehud Olmert."

Cabel is a member of the Labor Party, the senior coalition partner in the government. Some members of Mr. Olmert's own Kadima party are also calling for his resignation, though most are standing behind the Prime Minister. Cabinet Minister Avi Dichter.

Dichter praised Mr. Olmert for the way he led the country in the months after former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a sudden, massive stroke in January of 2006.

Nevertheless, Mr. Olmert is taking the blame for Israel's failure to deal a knockout blow to some 5,000 Hezbollah guerrillas during a 34-day air and ground assault on Lebanon. The report said he acted hastily by going to war after Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid. It said he did not have a detailed military plan and did not ask for one.

"There were mistakes and failures...and they will be fixed," Mr. Olmert said. "But to resign, he added, would be inappropriate."

The Israeli public sees things differently. A poll shows that 69 percent believe Mr. Olmert should resign.

VOASE0501_Health Report

01 May 2007

Discovery Could Ease Blood Shortages in Hospitals
Researchers test an easier way to make 'universal' blood out of other types.

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This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

Scientists may have found a way to reduce shortages of type O blood. Type O is the kind of blood that hospitals most often need. What the researchers are testing is an easier way to make type O blood out of other kinds of blood.

Health worker collects freshly donated blood

There are four main blood types. Most people are born with one of these four: type A, type B, type AB or type O.

Type O is known as the universal blood type. It can be safely given to anyone. So it is commonly used when a person is injured or sick and has to have a blood transfusion.

Type O is the most common blood group. But the supplies of it available in hospitals and blood banks are usually limited. This is because of high demand. Type O blood is used in emergencies when there is no time to identify the patient's blood type.

Giving A, B or AB to someone with a different blood type, including O, can cause a bad reaction by the person's defense system. Their immune system can reject the blood. This immune reaction can be deadly. For example, people may die if they receive transplanted organs from someone with the wrong blood type.

The difference between blood types is related to whether or not red blood cells contain certain kinds of sugar molecules. These molecules are found on the surface of the cells. They are known as antigens. These antigens are found with type A, B and AB blood but not with type O.

More than twenty-five years ago, scientists found that the antigens could be removed to create universal-type cells. They could be removed with chemicals called enzymes. But large amounts of enzymes were required to make the change.

Now, a report published in Nature Biotechnology describes two formerly unknown bacterial enzymes. The scientists say these enzymes remove the antigens more easily. To find these enzymes, the researchers examined more than two thousand five hundred kinds of bacteria and fungi.

Doctor Henrik Clausen of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark led the study. He worked with researchers from France, Sweden and the United States.

The next step, they say, is to complete safety tests. The team is working with the American company ZymeQuest to test the new method. If it meets safety requirements and is not too costly, it could become a widely used life-saving tool to increase the supply of universal blood.

And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Brianna Blake. For more health news, go to voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.

VOASE0501_Explorations

01 May 2007

Discoveries Throw New Light on Stonehenge, but Mysteries Remain
Researchers find the remains of an ancient community at nearby Durrington Walls. The discovery shows Stonehenge did not stand alone.

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VOICE ONE:

I'm Barbara Klein.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember with Explorations in VOA Special English. Today we tell about new discoveries near Stonehenge, the famous ancient circle of stones in southern England.

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VOICE ONE:

For thousands of years, the circle of ancient stones called Stonehenge has been one of the most mysterious places on Earth. Scientists say Stonehenge has stood in England for at least four thousand years. Millions of people from all over the world have visited the ancient monument.

Stonehenge is the best known of a number of such ancient places in Britain. It stands on the flat, windy Salisbury Plain, near the city of Salisbury, England. Early Britons built Stonehenge from bluestone and a very hard sandstone called sarsen. Experts believe the builders of Stonehenge knew about design, engineering and sound. These ancient people did not have highly developed tools. But they built a huge monument of heavy stones.

VOICE TWO:

Some of the monument's standing stones have lintel stones on top. The lintels lie flat on the standing stones. Most of the stones of Stonehenge stand in incomplete formations of circles. They differ in height, weight and surface texture. One of the largest stones weighed about forty thousand kilograms. Some stones are more than seven meters high. Other broken stones lie on the ground.

Work on Stonehenge may have started as early as five thousand years ago. Scientists believe it was completed over three periods lasting more than one thousand years. Archeologists have studied Stonehenge for many years. For centuries, people have questioned the meaning of the stones.

VOICE ONE:

A woman celebrates the winter solstice at Stonehenge last December 22

Now, archeologists have discovered remains of an ancient village that may have been home to the workers who built Stonehenge. People from the village also may have used the huge monument for religious ceremonies. The discovery of the village helps confirm an important theory about Stonehenge.

The huge monument did not stand alone. Stonehenge may have been part of a larger religious complex. The theory also proposes that people held events in the village and at Stonehenge to celebrate the change of seasons and honor the dead.

The scientific process of radiocarbon dating found that the village is about four thousand six hundred years old. The archeologists believe the inner circle of Stonehenge was also built at about that time. The timing led them to believe that the people of the village could have built Stonehenge.

VOICE TWO:

Durrington Walls

The scientists found the remains of the village about three kilometers from Stonehenge. Archeologists from the Stonehenge Riverside Project made the discovery in and around an area called Durrington Walls. Scientists believe Durrington Walls was an ancient community with hundreds of people. It included a larger version of Stonehenge made of wood and earth.

Mike Parker Pearson was the main archeologist for the Stonehenge Riverside Project. Mister Parker Pearson said placing the plan of Stonehenge over that of the wooden structure at Durrington Walls proves the great similarity of design.

VOICE ONE:

The team of researchers discovered the remains of several houses. Mister Parker Pearson says his team found remains of stone tools and bones of humans and animals in the houses. The researchers also found jewelry and broken clay containers. The large amount of animal bones and pottery suggested that the people might have been taking part in a celebration. The floors had marks that showed where fires had been built.

Julian Thomas of Manchester University discovered the remains of two houses that were separated from the others. They lacked all the objects and remains found in the other houses. Mister Thomas said religious leaders might have lived in the two houses. Or the houses might have been religious centers. Study of the area is far from finished. As many as twenty-five or thirty houses may be found in and near Durrington Walls over time. The Stonehenge Riverside Project will last several more years.

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VOICE TWO:

Researchers believe that no people ever lived at Stonehenge. So the village might have provided places to stay for the people attending celebrations at Stonehenge. Many scientists believe the early people gathered in the area to mark the change of seasons -- the winter and summer solstices.

The winter solstice takes place when the sun reaches its most southern point. It is the shortest day of the year. The summer solstice happens when the sun reaches its most northern point. It is the longest day of the year.

VOICE ONE:

The researchers also found a stone road near Durrington Walls. The road is about thirty meters wide. It goes to the Avon River. A similar road goes from Stonehenge to the same river. Mister Parker Pearson said Stonehenge and the Durrington Walls area had many similarities.

For example, Stonehenge was in line with the sunset during the winter solstice. The wooden structure at Durrington Walls was in line with the sunrise that same day. The road from Stonehenge to the Avon River was aligned with the sunrise during the summer solstice. The road from Durrington to the Avon was in line with that day's sunset.

VOICE TWO:

Mister Parker Pearson said he believes the discoveries show that Durrington and Stonehenge may have represented the living and the dead. The temporary wooden circle at Durrington represented life. The permanent stone monument at Stonehenge represented death.

Mister Parker Pearson said he believes that the ancient people had celebrations at Durrington. Then they went down the road and placed human remains or dead bodies in the Avon River. The river carried the remains downstream to Stonehenge.

The people traveled by boat to Stonehenge. There they burned and buried the remains of the dead. Scientists have found evidence of funeral fires near the Avon River not far from Stonehenge. Earlier discoveries produced burned remains at Stonehenge. And the Stonehenge Riverside Project uncovered burned remains of about two hundred fifty people.

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VOICE ONE:

Joshua Pollard of Bristol University and his team discovered a sandstone formation that marked an ancient burial area. They found a sarsen stone almost three meters long. It was lying in a field next to the Avon River, about three kilometers east of Stonehenge. The scientists say it had been standing upright, like the stones that form the main structure of Stonehenge.

They also found partly burned remains of two people buried next to the stone. And they found stone tools, clay containers and a rare rock crystal. Mister Pollard said the crystal possibly came from as far away as the Alps mountains.

VOICE TWO:

Today, the work of the Stonehenge Riverside Project is increasing knowledge about ancient life in Britain. The research team says there is evidence from old maps and ancient sources for other similar monuments near Stonehenge and connected to it. Another theory says that people from other areas in Europe traveled to Stonehenge for the observances held there.

Some day, researchers may be able to tell the whole story of the ancient village and the stone and wood monuments. But until that day, Stonehenge and its ancient partners are keeping many secrets.

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VOICE ONE:

This program was written by Jerilyn Watson. It was produced by Mario Ritter. I’m Barbara Klein.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Steve Ember. You can read scripts and download audio on our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for Explorations in VOA Special English.

VOASE0430_Science In the News

30 April 2007

Stopping Bird Flu by Spreading Knowledge About Protective Steps
Third in a series of reports on deadling with the threat from avian influenza.

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VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I’m Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

Health officials in Kuwait bury hundreds of chickens earlier this year after several cases of bird flu were confirmed

And I’m Bob Doughty. Today we present the third in a series of reports about the disease bird flu. In this report, we will tell how people can protect themselves and their families from the disease.

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VOICE ONE:

The World Health Organization says the world is closer to a pandemic of the influenza virus than at any time since nineteen sixty-eight. In a pandemic, the flu virus would spread quickly to large numbers of people in many countries. Right now, a deadly bird flu virus is not spreading among people very easily. But that could change. The W.H.O. and other health organizations believe people can help stop the spread of bird flu if they have more information about the disease.

VOICE TWO:

By the end of March, one hundred seventy people had died of bird flu in twelve countries. Vietnam had a very high number of deaths at first. But the country has had no human cases of bird flu since late two thousand five.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says animal health officials in Vietnam have been able to prevent the virus in farm birds from spreading to people. Part of the reason is better communication at all levels about the causes and prevention of bird flu.

VOICE ONE:

Most bird flu cases in human beings have resulted from people touching infected farm birds, such as chickens, ducks or turkeys. Last year, for example, bird flu killed three members of a family in Egypt. They lived in the same house. All three persons had helped to kill and clean infected ducks.

The Egyptian government has offered important advice for people who work with live birds. The government says protection from bird flu comes partly from knowing how to recognize the disease and strong prevention efforts. It says protection also results from stopping the spread of the virus, and informing health officials when you suspect bird flu.

VOICE TWO:

In many countries, chicken and other farm birds are an important part of the diet. Farm bird sales are important to the economies in these countries. So some governments have organized campaigns to tell people to continue eating well-cooked chicken.

Some health officials and governments have had problems when they attempt to give advice about bird flu. When bird flu is reported in a country, the government usually announces how people can prevent the disease in their own families. Other announcements say it is safe to eat chicken and eggs as long as they are completely cooked. Yet people often do not follow the rules about preventing bird flu. For example, they may stop eating chicken and eggs. A writer in The Scientist magazine noted recently that people’s feelings sometimes are stronger than the facts.

VOICE ONE:

In Africa, many families keep chickens and other birds near their homes. Many people buy live chickens from markets. So everyone could be at risk.

Here is the best information about ways to protect yourself and your family from bird flu. First, children and women who are pregnant should stay away from farm birds. Children like to play with birds and other animals, but they are not careful about what they touch. Children should not play with birds or gather their eggs.

Do not swim in or use water that may have been used by birds. Heat any of this water to a very high temperature before drinking it or using it for cooking.

Wear protective clothing on your body and hands when working with farm birds. Remember to clean your shoes or feet before going in the house. Keep birds away from areas where people eat or sleep. In fact, it is best not to bring farm birds into the house at all.

VOICE TWO:

It is also important to follow rules of good health and cleanliness when preparing and eating meat or eggs from farm birds. Keep the meat of birds that have not been cooked away from other foods. After cutting uncooked meat, use soap and water to wash hands, knives and cutting surfaces. If possible, use a strong cleaning agent like bleach.

Be sure that meat and eggs from farm birds are completely cooked before eating them. The yellow and white parts of the egg must be cooked until they are solid. Freezing or keeping meat cold will not kill the bird flu virus. Only complete cooking will kill the virus.

VOICE ONE:

You can also protect farm birds from bird flu. When buying chickens, keep them away from the birds you already have for at least two weeks. Cover the water your birds drink so that it is not used by wild birds. Clean the areas where farm birds stay. As soon as a bird looks sick, remove it from the area. If you take birds to the market and bring some of them home, temporarily keep them away from your other birds.

Owners of farms also can take preventative steps. They should not borrow equipment from other farms. If vehicles enter your farm, wash the wheels so they cannot bring in dirt that might contain the bird flu virus. When you return from a market, wash the boxes or containers that were used to carry farm birds.

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VOICE TWO:

You need to know the signs of bird flu in a chicken or duck. Birds will appear tired and refuse to eat. The skin around a bird’s head may become blue. The head and legs may become larger. Birds infected with bird flu may produce more waste than usual. They usually make very few eggs and may die suddenly. The shells of their eggs may be very soft.

Prevent the spread of bird flu by putting dead farm birds into closed containers or bags. Do not throw dead birds into lakes, rivers or other waterways. Do not eat or sell any part of a bird that has died from disease. Bury dead farm birds or their body parts far away from homes and farms.

It is important to report dead birds to animal health officials as soon as possible. If there is bird flu in your area, do not visit other farms or let visitors come to your farm.

VOICE ONE:

There are also rules for hunters and people who work with birds for sport. Wash your hands completely when touching birds used for sport or wild birds. Do not touch any of the bird’s blood or body fluids. Cover your nose and mouth when cleaning areas where birds have been fighting.

If you hunt birds, do not use dogs. Dogs can become infected with the bird flu virus when they carry infected birds. Do not hunt wild birds in areas where there have been cases of bird flu. When you are cleaning birds you have killed, cover your nose, mouth and hands. Be sure to wash your hands and all your tools after you are finished.

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VOICE TWO:

What happens if you follow all these rules and someone in your family gets sick? How will you know if it is bird flu? People who could be infected with the bird flu virus will have difficulty breathing. They may have a very high body temperature, an eye infection and pain in their throat or muscles.

If someone you know has these problems, care for the person without touching him anymore than you need to. Do not sleep in the same room with a person who may have bird flu. Take the person to a doctor as soon as possible.

VOICE ONE:

There are medicines that can help make the bird flu sickness less severe. Scientists are working to make a medicine to protect against bird flu. There are some such vaccines for farm birds. Last month, American health officials approved a vaccine that offers some people protection against bird flu. But scientists are working to develop a more effective vaccine.

VOICE TWO:

Finally, it is important to find good ways to share information about bird flu. For example, a group of parents in Indonesia started their own campaign to educate other parents. A leader of the group said too many families do not have televisions to see announcements from the government. So the group organized a four-hour program in a local school. One parent said she wanted to share the information she learned so that there would be no more bird flu deaths in Indonesia.

Another leader said the group wants to educate workers who collect waste and people who sell goods on city streets. She said these people could talk to other people and help spread information about the disease. As one school official has noted, more people will die if public knowledge about bird flu is lacking.

VOICE ONE:

This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS program was written by Karen Leggett. Brianna Blake was our producer. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Bob Doughty. Join us again next week at this time for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

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