Concerns Mount About Separatist Violence in Northeastern India

By Steve Herman New Delhi 28 May 2007

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Merchants in Assam, in northeastern India, are staging a strike to protest a recent wave of fatal bombings and the inability of authorities to prevent attacks. VOA's Steve Herman reports from New Delhi on the violence that has been blamed on separatists in Assam.

Many shopkeepers lowered their shutters in the markets of Guwahati on Monday to protest a series of bombings in the capital of Assam. Business organizations called for the day-long strike to demand an end to the attacks blamed on separatists and to protest the inability of police and India's government to halt the violence.

Woman weeps as she looks at victims of explosion in Gauhati, 26 May 2007

On Saturday, a powerful bomb placed in a motorized rickshaw next to a maternity hospital tore through a market, killing seven people and injuring 30. It was the latest in a series of deadly explosions and other violent acts blamed on Assam separatists.

Assam's chief minister Tarun Gogoi told reporters in Guwahati on Sunday that the attacks are leading Assam "to the verge of devastation." He says the recent violence has already hindered development of the resource-rich state.

"It has definitely slowed down our progress, no doubt of it. But we're determined to deal with the situation, also because this terrorism will push Assam backward," he said. "It will lead to both the destruction of Assam, it will completely (ruin) the future of our students and create an unemployment problem more and more."

The chief minister, from the governing Congress Party, urged the leading separatist group, the United Liberation Front of Assam, known as ULFA, to halt the attacks and return to what he called "the national mainstream."

In the meantime, paramilitary forces have been sent to Assam because of fears of more bombings.

Indian media quote ULFA leader Jiten Dutta as taking responsibility for Saturday's explosion and warning of more attacks in coming days.

A cease-fire between ULFA and the Indian government collapsed last year.

Police say they shot dead two ULFA members in the Assamese capital during what they described as a fierce gun battle hours after Saturday's blast.

Authorities also say they discovered and defused a large bomb Saturday that was hidden inside a lunch box on a crowded passenger train headed for the area.

The recent attacks are seen as an attempt to intimidate non-Assamese living in the state and to rally support from the indigenous population, who are more closely related to Burmese and Chinese than to the Indian majority.

The separatists began one of India's longest-running insurgencies in 1979 and have used bases in Bangladesh, Bhutan and Burma across the porous border. The militants contend India's government does little for the Assamese while exploiting the region's tea crop, natural gas and other resources.

Venezuelans Protest Shutdown of Private TV Station

By Brian Wagner Caracas 28 May 2007

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Venezuela's replacement of a popular opposition television station with a new state-backed network drew fierce criticism that President Hugo Chavez is curtailing democratic freedoms. Demonstrators, including university students, gathered at several locations in Caracas Monday after Radio Caracas Television ceased broadcasting and was replaced with a new state-funded channel. Venezuelan security forces have fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters. Injuries were reported. In Caracas, VOA's Brian Wagner reports angry crowds protested across the capital Monday.

The state-backed Venezuelan Social Television began operations shortly after midnight, occupying the same frequency used by Radio Caracas Television. Communications officials had ordered the private station to hand over control for its transmitting equipment, after refusing to renew RCTV's public broadcasting license.

The new station's inaugural broadcast included traditional Venezuelan song and dance and a statement from the station's president, Lil Rodriguez.

Rodriguez says Venezuela has emerged as a self-respecting nation and now it has a new resource to broadcast messages of dignity for the nation and its people.

Promotional material for the new station said programming will include news, sports, soap operas and documentaries aimed at embracing pluralism and cultural diversity in the nation. Some of the programs broadcast Monday included cartoons and documentaries about rural areas and farming projects in the nation.

RCTV executives have condemned the decision to remove the private station from public airwaves and have vowed to challenge the move in the courts. Critics held marches late Sunday outside the National Telecommunications Commission to oppose the government's decision. Police said 11 officers were injured in clashes with protesters.

Demonstrators in Caracas protest government's closing of Radio Caracas Television, 28 May 2007

RCTV employees and university students staged protests Monday in parts of the city to criticize what they say is an attack on free speech. Bank worker Marycel Montiel said she joined one protest to denounce the authoritarian policies of President Chavez.

Montiel says the closing of RCTV is an affront to free speech in Venezuela, and compared it to measures taken in Cuba. She says the Venezuelan people do not want the nation to become another Cuba; they want freedom.

The European Union's German presidency Monday expressed concern about the government's failure to hold and open competition for the TV license and said it expects Mr. Chavez to uphold freedom of speech.

Supporters of television station Radio Caracas Television, RCTV, protest in Caracas, 26 May 2007

Meanwhile, Information Minister Willian Lara warned of possible legal measures against other media outlets for alleged political attacks on the government. In a press conference, Lara accused U.S. broadcaster CNN and Venezuelan cable network Globovision of using video images to create subliminal messages and false information. He says officials may file lawsuits in Venezuelan courts and abroad against the broadcasters.

Globovision chief Alberto Federico Ravell rejected the charges as ridiculous and baseless.

US, Iran Affirm Common Goals in Iraq During Rare Talks

By Barry Newhouse Irbil, Iraq 28 May 2007

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Rare talks between Iran and the United States have concluded in Baghdad, where U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker said officials on both sides affirmed they share common policies aimed at a future stable and democratic Iraq, but he also insisted Iran stop supporting insurgent militias. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from Irbil that as the talks concluded, a bomb blast in Baghdad killed at least 19 people and wounded some 46 others.

Nouri al-Maliki (file photo)

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki opened the talks by saying he was confident Iran and the United States have the will to reach common ground in their Iraq policies.

Maliki says Iraqi officials would participate in the meeting not as a mediator between the two sides, but as a principal party in trying to direct the dialogue in a positive direction.

After nearly four hours of talks, U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker said Iranian and U.S. officials agreed on the broad principles that guide their policies for a democratic and peaceful Iraq.

U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, right, and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Kazemi Qomi, left, attend a meeting at the Iraqi Prime Minister's office in Baghdad, 28 May 2007

"We also made it clear from the American point of view that this is about actions, not just principles," he said. "I laid out for the Iranians a number of our direct specific concerns about their behavior in Iraq."

Ambassador Crocker said U.S. officials accused Iran of carrying out actions that oppose its stated goal of securing Iraq, such as training and providing weapons to insurgent militias that undermine the Iraqi government. He said the Iranian delegation, led by Ambassador Hassan Kazemi Qomi, did not respond to the allegations.

No Iranian representatives spoke at the news conference following the talks, but Ambassador Crocker was asked about the concerns they had raised.

"The Iranians did not go into any great detail," he said. "They made the assertion that the coalition presence was an occupation and that the effort to train and equip the Iraqi security forces had been inadequate to the challenges faced."

Ambassador Crocker said U.S. officials responded by saying coalition forces are in Iraq by invitation of the Iraqi government and under U.N. Security Council authority and the United States has spent billions of dollars training Iraqi security forces.

The ambassador also said Iran had proposed setting up a "trilateral security mechanism" among Iraq, Iran and the United States. He did not provide details on the proposal and said it would be studied by officials in Washington.

In Tehran on Monday, Iran's foreign minister said the best way to end the sectarian fighting in Iraq would be an immediate pullout of U.S. forces.

The talks in Baghdad were a rare meeting between high-ranking Iranian and American officials. The United States broke off diplomatic ties in 1979 following the seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran. Ambassador Crocker described Monday's meeting as "businesslike" and focused exclusively on the security situation in Iraq. He said Iranian officials did not raise the issue of five detained Iranians held in U.S. custody.

The ambassador said the Iraqi government proposed another similar meeting among representatives of the three countries. He said U.S. officials would consider the invitation after they receive it.

VOASE0528_Science In the News

28 May 2007

A New Report says Arctic Sea Ice is Melting More Quickly Than Scientists Had Thought
Also on SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, experts say a big, but rare cat is close to disappearing from the wild. We also tell about broken bones and how to treat them.

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VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I'm Barbara Klein.

VOICE TWO:

Amur leopard

And I'm Steve Ember. On our program this week, we will tell about a new study of the Arctic Ocean. We will also tell about a big cat that animal experts say is close to disappearing from the wild. And, we will talk about broken bones and how to treat them.

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VOICE ONE:

A new report says sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is melting more quickly than expected. American scientists say the ice is melting even faster than computer programs had estimated.

The scientists work for the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado. Results of their study were reported on Geophysical Research Letters, a website of the American Geophysical Union.

Scientists know that climate change has a major effect on the Arctic Ocean partly because sea ice is disappearing. They also know that areas of open seawater are expanding. Such areas are known to take in sunlight and increase temperatures. Scientists say this has helped to cause the loss of the Arctic's ice cover.

VOICE TWO:

For the study, the American scientists compared eighteen computer programs with observations made by satellites and other instruments. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change used the computer programs to prepare its two thousand seven estimates of climate change.

The computer programs gave estimates of the amount of ice in the Arctic Ocean in the month of September. September is when the Arctic has the least ice, after the warm, summer months. The computer estimates suggested an ice loss of two and a half percent for every ten-year period between nineteen fifty-three and two thousand six.

Newer studies of the Arctic have used information gathered by aircraft, satellites and ships. This information showed a loss of September ice cover of almost eight percent for every ten-year period between nineteen fifty-three and last year. This means the ice is disappearing about thirty years faster than the computer programs estimated.

VOICE ONE:

The scientists say the programs might not have recognized the full effect of increased carbon dioxide and other gasses in Earth's atmosphere. They say their study suggests the gasses may have more of an effect than had been thought.

Climate change is causing Arctic sea ice to disappear faster than computer programs had suggested

The study also measured the amount of ice lost in the Arctic in March. That is when the most Arctic sea ice is present. It showed the loss of ice in March is much less than the loss in September. Yet the computer estimates were wrong about how much. The new report says the March loss was almost two percent for every ten-year period between nineteen fifty-three and two thousand six. That is three times more than the loss suggested by the computer programs.

Study organizers say their findings confirm that the Arctic's ice cover is melting…and that this is happening faster than had been thought. They also say the study shows that summer sea ice in the Arctic may disappear much earlier than scientists had expected.

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VOICE TWO:

Animal experts say one of the world's most beautiful and rare kinds of big cat is close to disappearing from the wild. A study earlier this year found that only about thirty Amur leopards still live free. The cats are also called Far Eastern leopards.

Recently, their numbers decreased by one. An unidentified person shot a female Amur, then beat her to death. The animal's body was discovered last month in the Barsovy National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Russia.

An official of the World Wildlife Fund, Darron Collins, said this was the third such killing in the area in the past five years. Mister Collins said the death of even one adult female is a huge loss for the endangered cat. He noted that the killing reduces the possibility for cubs, or young.

VOICE ONE:

It is not clear how many Amur leopards still live free. One population count was performed in February and March. Wildlife expert Dmitry Pikunov supervised this study. It found evidence of seven to nine males. The study identified three to seven females without cubs. Four leopards were identified as females with cubs. In all, five or six cubs were recorded. Six to eight animals could not be identified.

Researchers counted the Amur leopards by following the marks of their feet in the snow. The study involved thirty-five workers from three organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund. The Wildlife Conservation Society and the Pacific Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Science also took part.

Counts performed seven years ago and three years ago showed higher leopard totals. Officials say about one hundred of the animals are needed for survival.

VOICE TWO:

Most of the land where the Amur leopard once lived was in China. New roads and climate change there threatened the animals. So did hunters who kill big cats for their body parts.

The surviving cats live in southwest Primorye. That area is near the border between Russia, China and North Korea.

The director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Russia program organized an earlier count of Amurs. Dale Miquelle says the leopards should be counted in more modern ways. This would include use of radio, camera traps, and genetic testing.

Mister Pikunov says adult Amurs need about five hundred square kilometers with good forests to survive. He said they also need a large and continuing supply of animals like deer for food. He believes the answer to saving the Amur leopard is for governments to provide protected spaces for wildlife.

About three hundred Amur leopards live in zoos around the world.

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VOICE ONE:

Have you ever suffered a broken bone? The medical term for a broken bone is a fracture. But there are different kinds of fractures. A single fracture is when a bone is broken in just one place. You may have heard the term hairline fracture. This is a single fracture that is very small, like the width of a hair. A complete fracture is when the bone comes apart.

When a bone is broken in more than two places or gets crushed, the name for it is a comminuted fracture.

Still another kind is a bowing fracture. This happens with a bone that bends but does not break. It happens mostly in children.

Have you ever heard of a greenstick fracture? This is when a bone is bent and breaks along only one side, like a young stick of wood.

Another kind of break is an open or compound fracture. This is when the bone breaks the skin. This is very serious. There is both bone damage and a risk of infection in the open wound.

VOICE TWO:

A lot of things happen as the body reacts to an injury like a broken bone. You might suddenly feel lightheaded. You might also feel sick to your stomach.

People who are seriously injured can go into shock. They might feel cold and unable to think clearly. Shock requires immediate medical attention.

But while broken bones can be painful, they are generally not life-threatening. Treatment depends on the kind of fracture. A doctor takes X-rays to see the break and sets a broken bone to make sure it is in the correct position.

Severe breaks may require an operation to hold the bone together with metal plates and screws.

VOICE ONE:

Next, a person usually gets a cast put around the area of the break. Casts are usually worn for one to two months. The hard bandage holds the bone in place while it heals.

In some cases, instead of a cast, a splint made of plastic or metal will be placed over the area to restrict movement.

Doctors say broken bones should be treated quickly because they can restrict blood flow or cause nerve damage. Also, the break will start to repair itself, so you want to make sure the bone is lined up correctly.

Bones need calcium and vitamin D to grow and reach their full strength. Keeping your bones strong with exercise may also help prevent fractures.

Wearing safety protection like elbow pads and leg guards during activities is a good idea. If you think these might be restrictive, try a cast.

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VOICE TWO:

This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Nancy Steinbach, Caty Weaver and Jerilyn Watson. Brianna Blake was our producer. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Barbara Klein. You can read and listen to this program on our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week at this time for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

VOASE0528_Agriculture Report

28 May 2007

United States Urges Chinese To Accept New Rules for Food Safety
American and Chinese officials deal with food safety issue at trade talks.

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This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

The United States has urged China to accept new safety rules for its food and drug exports. American officials said the rules would include a new list of Chinese exporters.

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns and Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt made the statements. They spoke the day after high-level trade talks between the two nations.

Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi, left, with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson at US-China Strategic Economic Dialogue in Washington, 22 May 2007

The Americans met last week in Washington with a Chinese delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi.

The United States Food and Drug Administration said inspectors rejected more than one hundred shipments of food imports from China during April alone. The inspectors rejected them for being unclean or containing harmful substances.

China has a lot to lose if people fear its food and drugs. The nation earns an estimated thirty billion dollars yearly in food and drug exports. Companies in the United States would also suffer. For example, American companies depend on China for large amounts of apple juice.
Last week, United States health inspectors began examining toothpaste from China. The government acted after tubes of the teeth-cleaning substance were sent to Panama and the Dominican Republic. The toothpaste was found to contain diethylene glycol, a deadly chemical. But no deaths linked to the toothpaste have been reported.

In recent months, wheat flour produced in China for use in pet food sickened or killed many dogs and cats in the United States and Canada.

Critics of Chinese imports suspect that Chinese companies placed the industrial chemical melamine in the wheat flour to increase the amount of protein.

Worries increased when chicken, fish and pork in the United States were also found to contain melamine. The animals got the melamine in their feed. The chemical is used to make plastics and fertilizers. It is not meant for human food.

There also have been incidents of bad effects from foods made and used inside China. For example, a number of babies died because of falsely marked baby milk. Earlier this month, China announced new measures to make food companies improve conditions.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jeri Watson. You can read scripts and download audio from our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.

VOASE0527_Development Report

27 May 2007

Are the World’s Institution Lenders Ready to Reform?
Both the African and Asian Development Banks discussed reforms at their yearly meetings this month. But, one expert believes the two lenders must reform differently because they serve completely separate parts of the world.

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This is the VOA Special English Development Report.

May 17, 2007: Delegates at the yearly meeting of the African Development Bank in Shanghai, China.

The African Development Bank held its yearly meeting in Shanghai, China earlier this month. The bank’s chief economist announced the economic growth rate in Africa is expected to reach six percent this year. This is the highest in twenty years. Foreign demand for natural resources, especially oil, has helped create the growth.

Dennis de Tray is vice president of the Center for Global Development in Washington, D.C. He says that six percent economic growth in Africa is good. But he says long-term development on the continent will be a problem for generations.

Mister de Tray led a working group last year that provided independent advice to the bank’s shareholders and its president, Donald Kaberuka. The Rwandan economist took over leadership of the African bank in two thousand five. Ten years earlier, the economic security of the African Development Bank had been in question. It was almost out of money.

Mister de Tray says needed reforms at the African bank are different from reforms announced at a meeting of the Asian Development Bank. That bank met earlier this month in Kyoto, Japan. Mister de Tray believes the Asian Development Bank is facing an identity crisis. The countries receiving the most money are becoming established nations with rich resources. As a result, loans from the Asian Development Bank are unnecessary. Yet, Mister de Tray says there is a small group of countries in Asia still developing, including Laos and Cambodia. These countries will continue to need assistance from the Asian Development Bank.

He says the African Development Bank is in the middle of a continent that will need development aid for years to come. Some countries have gained success. But many others are still trying to create continued development that does not harm the environment. The African Development Bank is doing a better job serving its member countries, Mister De Tray says. But, he believes the bank still has a long way to go to reach a level of success.

Mister De Tray thinks that reforms needed within all of the world’s international banks are related. And, over the next year, he predicts a debate about how the system works.

And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jill Moss. You can read and download audio of Special English programs at our web site, voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Shep O'Neal.

VOASE0527_This Is America

27 May 2007

Remembering Troops Who Died, and Worrying About Those About to Be Sent Into Harm's Way
In North Carolina, a wife and mother of soldiers thinks about her family, and Iraq: "I just got one man home safe and, now, here goes the other one."

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VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Faith Lapidus

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. Memorial Day two thousand seven is our subject this week.

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VOICE ONE:

Personal sacrifice and service to a nation might seem like the last things Memorial Day is about.

For lucky workers, the holiday means the freedom of a three-day weekend, the traditional start of the summer travel season. For many businesses, the Memorial Day weekend means a time to lower prices to get more people to come in.

Cameron Dostie of Fort Campbell Kentucky places memorial stones on the grave of his father at Arlington National Cemetery. Sergeant First Class Shawn Dostie was killed in Iraq in 2005.

Yet, across America, Memorial Day still holds meaning as a day to remember the men and women who have died in military service.

This is the fifth Memorial Day since the start of the Iraq war. More than three thousand four hundred American troops have died in Iraq since March of two thousand three. About four hundred have died in Afghanistan since military operations began there in October of two thousand one.

VOICE TWO:

Cities and towns across the United States hold Memorial Day events. And while the holiday has a serious meaning, the observances often include family entertainment in addition to events like military parades.

In Fayetteville, North Carolina, the Glory Days celebration includes a bicycle race, an apple-pie eating competition and music. Fayetteville has a strong connection with the military. The city is neighbors with the Army base at Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base.

VOICE ONE:

Ann Zetterstrom is a retired Army captain. Her plans for Memorial Day include attending a ceremony at Freedom Memorial Park in Fayetteville. She says she has been very much looking forward to this holiday with her family.

Her husband, Erik, is a lieutenant colonel in the Army. This will be the first Memorial Day that he spends with their two-year-old daughter, Britta. He returned home in February after twenty-two months in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ann Zetterstrom says it is a great relief to have her husband home safely. She thinks it is easier to be the one deployed, even in harm's way, than to be the one waiting and worrying, she says. But she knew what she was signing up for when she married another soldier.

Being the mother of a soldier, however, is a different story. Her son, Brian, is a lieutenant in the Army. He is currently stationed in Germany. But he is preparing for deployment to Iraq in the fall.

His mom supported his interest in military service. But, she says, "I just got one man home safe and, now, here goes the other one."

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A Navy officer visits a grave at Arlington National Cemetery. Flags are placed on the graves in honor of Memorial Day.

VOICE TWO:

On May twentieth, a ceremony called a "Time of Remembrance" took place on the grounds of the Washington Monument. The event brought together more than three thousand family members and friends of service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The children of those service members received a Gold Medal of Remembrance. The event also recognized families of those killed in military service throughout American history.

This was the second year that the ceremony has been held. It was established by the White House Commission on Remembrance.

VOICE ONE:

In the year two thousand Congress passed a law to establish a National Moment of Remembrance on Memorial Day. The law asks Americans wherever they are to stop for one minute at three o'clock in the afternoon in an act of national unity.

Yet Congress created some disunity when it moved Memorial Day to the last Monday in May to create a three-day weekend. That happened under a nineteen seventy-one law, the National Holiday Act. Some people support a campaign to return Memorial Day to its traditional day of observance -- May thirtieth.

Memorial Day began as a way to remember soldiers killed in the Civil War. On May thirtieth, eighteen sixty-eight, flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The war to prevent the Confederate states of the South from leaving the Union was fought from eighteen sixty-one to eighteen sixty-five.

VOICE TWO:

Arlington National Cemetery is a military burial ground but also a final resting place for people of national and historical importance. Each year more than four million people visit the cemetery. It is located in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington. Next to the cemetery is the Pentagon, the Defense Department headquarters.

Part of the tradition of an American military funeral is the playing of a bugle call known as taps. Taps is also played at Arlington and other burial grounds during ceremonies on Memorial Day.

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VOICE ONE:

The Washington capital area has a number of military memorials.

At the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, people look for the names of family members or friends. The memorial lists the names of more than fifty-eight thousand Americans who were killed or declared missing-in-action.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, known as the Wall, opened in nineteen eighty-two. Two black, shiny stone walls, each about seventy-six meters long, are set into the earth. They meet to form a wide V.

Many visitors leave flowers or personal remembrances. To copy a name, they rub a pencil on paper over the letters cut into the stone.

Nearby is a statue of three soldiers. They are looking toward the names. Another statue honors the service of women in the war.

The Vietnam War ended in nineteen seventy-five. Many soldiers coming home faced the anger of Americans who opposed the war. So a Vietnam veteran named Jan Scruggs organized an effort to remember those who never returned. The result is the Wall.

VOICE TWO:

Near the Vietnam memorial is the Korean War Veterans Memorial. It opened in nineteen ninety-five.

The Korean War lasted from nineteen fifty to nineteen fifty-three. The memorial honors those who died and those who survived. "Freedom Is Not Free" is the message cut into the wall above a Pool of Remembrance. There are listings of the numbers of American and United Nations forces killed, wounded, captured or missing, more than two million in all.

Boy Scout Ricky Bischoff places flags for Memorial Day at Long Island National Cemetery in New York

On one side of the Korean War Veterans Memorial is a stone walkway. It lists the names of the twenty-two countries that sent troops to Korea under United Nations command. On the other side is a shiny stone wall. Sandblasted into the wall are images from photographs of more than two thousand five hundred support troops.

There are statues of nineteen soldiers who look like they are moving across a battlefield. The statues are gray and lifelike, although a little bigger than life size. Artist Frank Gaylord made them out of stainless steel. They capture the eye and the imagination.

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VOICE ONE:

The newest of the major memorials in Washington is the National World War Two Memorial. It opened in two thousand four between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument on the National Mall.

The memorial is a large, open area built of bronze and granite. In the center, at ground level, is a round pool. Water shoots from a circle of fountains in the middle.

Around the pool are fifty-six stone pillars. They represent each of the American states and territories at the time of the war, plus the District of Columbia.

On two tall arches are the names of where the fighting took place. One says Atlantic; the other says Pacific. The United States entered the war after Japan bombed the naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December seventh, ninety forty-one.

Sixteen million men and women served in the American military between nineteen forty-one and nineteen forty-five. More than four hundred thousand of them never came home.

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VOICE TWO:

Our program was written by Caty Weaver and produced by Mario Ritter. Internet users can find archives of transcripts and audio files of our programs at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Faith Lapidus. We hope you can join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

Bush Calls on Americans to Remember Members of the Armed Forces

By Marissa Melton Washington 26 May 2007

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President Bush, 24 May 2007

President Bush has called on Americans to rededicate themselves to the cause of freedom, as the nation remembers its war dead on this Memorial Day weekend. Marissa Melton reports from Washington.

In his weekly radio address, President Bush urged Americans to honor those who have given their lives in service to the nation as well as those who are defending freedom around the world today. He told the story of Sergeant David Christoff of Ohio, a U.S. Marine who enlisted immediately following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

"Asked why he made the decision to serve, David said: 'I don't want my brother and sister to live in fear,'" he said.

Mr. Bush said Christoff earned a medal for wounds suffered in street battles in the Iraqi city of Fallujah, and later requested a second tour in Iraq because he believed there was a job to finish there. Christoff died in Anbar province a year ago. But Mr. Bush said, even in death, Christoff found a way to express his concern and support for his fellow soldiers.

"When his family received his belongings, his mother and his father each found a letter from David. He asked that they pray for his fellow Marines and all those still serving overseas," he said.

A flag placed by a Boy Scout sits in front of a World War II soldier's head stone at Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale, New York, 26 May 2007

Mr. Bush said on Memorial Day, celebrated Monday, the nation will honor Christoff's request by praying for those serving overseas and their families and loved ones. He said Memorial Day is a time for Americans to rededicate themselves to freedom's cause. He said it is also a time to pay tribute to Americans from every generation who have given their lives for freedom.

In the Democrats' radio address, former Marine Elliott Anderson, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, said he was proud to serve his country but that he and some of his fellow service members oppose U.S. involvement in Iraq.

"I know I speak for many of my friends overseas when I say that the best way to honor the troops is to responsibly end our involvement in Iraq's civil war," he said.

President Bush is spending Memorial Day weekend at Camp David, the presidential mountain retreat near Washington. Before he left Friday, he presented five Purple Heart medals to wounded service members at the National Naval Medical Center. Monday, he returns to the nation's capital to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.

Nigeria's Ogoni People Resist Oil Companies

By Nico Colombant Ogoniland, Nigeria 26 May 2007

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Market women share anti-oil company feelings

In Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta, one area, Ogoniland in Rivers State, resists oil production. Residents there say oil companies refuse to meet their demands to redistribute wealth and protect the environment. VOA's Nico Colombant reports.

Young men walking along roads in Ogoniland stare menacingly at those they consider outsiders, thinking they may be from oil companies.

Dutch-based oil conglomerate Shell stopped operations here in the mid 1990s, amid an international uproar over the execution of anti-oil Ogoni activist Ken Saro-Wiwa by the military government.

Godwin Dumnu, an unemployed father of three, is one of many in Ogoniland who say they will not give up fighting for fair treatment, whatever the consequences. "The Ogoni people demand their bill of rights. When Shell refuses to give us our rights then we will stop them from operating on Ogoni land. Unless they are agreeing to comply with us and do the Ogoni bill of rights, they should develop our youth, and our communities, our area," he said.

Ogoni people want no more drilling wanted here at this abandonned drilling area

Oil insiders say Shell is trying to resume production in Ogoniland. Nigerian authorities have warned the company they may revoke their prospecting license in the area due to inactivity.

Dumnu warns the government and Shell not to do anything without the permission of the Ogoni people. "If the federal government just signs a contract with Shell and they do not give us our rights, there will be trouble. Everybody, every youth, they will not be happy," he said.

Shell officials refused to comment, saying they did not have time to speak to reporters.

Youth activist Ledum shows latest oil spill

A youth leader, Atu Ledum, says the Ogoni have a tradition of non-violence, but that frustration is growing. He points to an area that recently went up in flames after a Shell pipeline burst. There is no production here, but pipelines taking oil from nearby areas still criss-cross Ogoni land. "There was a spillage recently here. There was no clean-up. Shell company just sent people to come and stop the spillage and the light (fire). There was light (fire) burning all over here," he said.

Ledum says when a Shell team came to do a clean up, angry youths nearly rioted. "When they saw the Shell people coming to stop the light (burning), they thought they were coming to drill oil again, which the Ogoni people do not want them to drill, not until they settle the problems at hand," he said.

There is commotion, but little business being done at this vegetable market in B. Dere, another main town of Ogoniland.

Here as elsewhere, Saro-Wiwa is remembered. Speaking in the Gokana language, a market woman says he was a good person, because he asked Shell to pay compensation for environmental degradation.

Making mats Ogoni style

In the town of Wiiyaakara, while she weaves some mats, Deekor Fepea explains in the Khana language, she would accept the return of oil companies if they guaranteed development. In this small area of about one million people, at least five languages are spoken. Fepea says Ogonis feel marginalized.

But an old fisherman, Friday Ototoh, a father of 18, says he was much happier before oil production started here in the late 1950s, causing pollution in waterways.

He says there was less jealousy and anger, and many more fish in the creeks.

VOASE0527_People In America

26 May 2007

Ella Fitzgerald, 1917-1996: She Was America's First Lady of Song
Critics said she raised the American popular song to the level of art.

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ANNOUNCER:

Now, the VOA Special English program, People in America. Today, Shirley Griffith and Steve Ember tell about the jazz singer, Ella Fitzgerald. She was known as America's first lady of song.

(MUSIC: "How High The Moon")

VOICE ONE:

Ella Fitzgerald

The year was nineteen thirty-three. The place was New York City. Ella Fitzgerald was sixteen years old. She had entered a competition at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. She was going to dance. But she had just watched two dancers perform. They were better dancers than she.

So, instead of dancing, she sang a song called "Judy. " People watching the competition urged her to sing another song. She did. She won first prize - twenty-five dollars.

That competition at the Apollo Theater changed Ella Fitzgerald's life forever. Band leader Chick Webb was watching the competition. He hired Ella to sing with his band. He taught her about singing in public. He even showed her what kind of clothes to wear. In three years, she had her first hit record, "A-Tisket-a-Tasket":

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Ella Fitzgerald was born in the southern city of Newport News, Virginia in nineteen seventeen. Her father left soon after her birth. Her mother took Ella and moved to New York City. Ella's mother died when Ella was fifteen years old.

The next year, Ella started singing with Chick Webb's band. She stayed with Chick Webb until he died in nineteen thirty-nine. Ella kept his band together after he died until World War Two started. Then most of the band members joined the armed forces. While she was with the band, Ella recorded almost one hundred fifty songs.

VOICE ONE:

Ella Fitzgerald was greatly influenced by the experimental music of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. It was called be-bop. She used be-bop rhythms in her singing. In nineteen forty-five, she recorded the song "Flying Home," using the be-bop method known as "scat". In scat, the singer's voice sounds like another instrument in the orchestra. Critics say it was the most influential jazz record of the time.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

In nineteen forty-nine, jazz musician Norman Granz invited her to join his band. It was with his band in Berlin, Germany in nineteen sixty that Ella sang a famous song in a very different way. A man asked her if she knew the song "Mack the Knife. " Ella said she had heard it a few times but the band did not have the music for it. She said she would try to sing it anyway. This recording shows how she continued to sing "Mack the Knife" when she did not remember the words. The people listening loved it.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Norman Granz later became her manager. He started a new recording company just for her. It was his idea for Ella to record the now famous series of record albums called the “Songbooks." On each record, she sang works of a different songwriter.

She recorded songbooks of the music of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Duke Ellington, Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen. Critics say the best songbook is Ella singing the songs of George and Ira Gershwin. Ira Gershwin reportedly said: "I never knew how good our songs were until I heard Ella Fitzgerald sing them. Here, she sings the Gershwin song, "I Got Rhythm":

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Ella Fitzgerald also appeared in movies and on television. She became popular internationally. She performed in concerts around the world sometimes forty weeks a year. She also recorded for different record companies.

In the nineteen sixties, she began to sing more modern songs such as those written by the Beatles and Burt Bacharach. But she was not very successful with that kind of popular music. She returned to jazz in Nineteen seventy-three, again with Norman Granz. She also began performing with symphony orchestras.

VOICE ONE:

Ella Fitzgerald was married two times. Both marriages ended in divorce. She raised three children who were not her own.

Ella lived quietly in Beverly Hills, California. Throughout her life she was a very private person. She wanted to be known only for her music. Her friends included members of the Duke Ellington band, Count Basie's band, and singers like Sarah Vaughn and Peggy Lee.

Ella Fitzgerald began to have health problems during the nineteen seventies. She had the disease diabetes which caused problems with her eyes. She had a heart operation in nineteen eighty-six. In nineteen ninety-three, the effects of diabetes led to operations to remove both her legs. She died June fifteenth, nineteen ninety-six.

VOICE TWO:

People around the world loved Ella Fitzgerald's joyful singing. Critics said she had raised the American popular song to the level of art.

She won many awards. She received the National Medal of the Arts and a Kennedy Center Honor for lifetime work. The University of Maryland named a performing arts center for her.

Ella Fitzgerald's wonderful voice lives on in her two hundred fifty albums. She won thirteen Grammy awards given each year for the best recordings. Her last Grammy was for the nineteen ninety record: "All That Jazz":

(MUSIC)

ANNOUNCER:

This Special English program was written by Nancy Steinbach. The announcers were Shirley Griffith and Steve Ember. I'm Sarah Long. Listen again next week for another People in America program on the Voice of America.

VOASE0525_In the News

25 May 2007

Bush Wins on Iraq Bill, but Democrats Promise to Renew Fight
Congress approves a war spending bill without any withdrawal date. Also, lawmakers debate an immigration bill, and continue hearings into Justice Department dismissals.

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This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

This week in Washington, Congress approved a war spending bill that President Bush

said he would sign. There was debate on an immigration bill. And hearings continued into why the Justice Department dismissed eight federal prosecutors last year.

The Iraq spending bill was approved Thursday after majority Democrats dropped their demand to set a date for a troop withdrawal. But the bill does threaten to cut economic aid if the Iraqi government fails to make progress on political and security reforms.

Democrats say they will renew their fight for a withdrawal plan in the next war-financing bill.

The one just approved contains one hundred twenty billion dollars in spending. Ninety-five billion of that will pay for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan through September. Billions will go to unrelated projects at home.

Also included in the bill is the first increase in almost ten years in the federal minimum wage. Many of the lowest-paid workers are immigrants. And on Monday the Senate opened debate on an immigration bill.

Supporters of immigration reform, including President Bush, say the bill is needed to help fix a broken system. An estimated twelve million immigrants are in the United States illegally.

Proposals include stronger border security, a temporary worker program and a path for undocumented workers to become legal.

One proposal would create two-year renewable visas for foreign temporary workers. On Wednesday the Senate voted to cut the proposed number of temporary workers in half, to two hundred thousand a year.

Some groups say the bill would separate families of immigrant workers. Labor unions worry that the bill would create a new class of poorly paid migrants with few legal protections. Employers are divided over proposed changes that could also affect highly skilled foreign workers. And some critics say the bill would reward people who entered the country illegally.

The Senate is expected to end debate on the immigration bill in the middle of June. At that time senators could take a rare no-confidence vote in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales over the Justice Department dismissals.

On Wednesday a committee in the House questioned a former Gonzales aide who worked with the White House. Monica Goodling said she "crossed the line" by bringing political considerations into some hiring decisions at the department. But she said she had only a limited part in the replacement of United States attorneys.

Democrats said her statements raised new questions about dismissals that they suggest were made for political reasons. But a Republican lawmaker said there were no surprises and no evidence of corruption.

Democrats and some Republicans want Alberto Gonzales to resign. President Bush says he supports him and hopes Congress will move quickly to finish hearings that he calls "political theater."

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, written by Brianna Blake. I'm Steve Ember.

Pentagon Says China Working to Project Power Farther

By Al Pessin Pentagon 25 May 2007

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The U.S. Defense Department has issued its annual report on China's military capability, citing continuing efforts to project Chinese power beyond its immediate region and to develop high-technology systems that can challenge the best in the world. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says some of China's efforts cause him concern. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.

The report says "China is pursuing long-term, comprehensive transformation of its military forces" to enable it to project power and deny other countries the ability to threaten it.

The report says China's short-term focus is on preventing Taiwan from becoming independent, and preventing the United States from helping Taiwan in any cross-straits confrontation.

But it says China is also developing weapons systems designed to protect its access to resources, particularly oil, and to compete in long-range, modern warfare with increasingly sophisticated missiles, aircraft and ships, including possibly aircraft carriers. The report says the modernization is based partly on purchases, especially from Russia, but also on increasingly capable domestic military industries.

It says China is also developing the capability to compete in outer space and systems that could attack other nations' computer networks and communications capabilities. China was widely condemned for using an anti-satellite weapon to destroy one of its own satellites in January.

Robert Gates, 24 May 2007

Defense Secretary Robert Gates would not say which of China' military moves cause him concern, but at a news conference on Thursday he indicated he is worried about China's continuing refusal to provide detailed information about its defense capabilities. The report says secrecy is part of China's basic defense strategy.

"We wish that there were greater transparency, that they would talk more about what their intentions are, what their strategies are," said Gates. "These are assessments that are in this publication. It would be nice to hear first hand from the Chinese how they view some of these things."

In the past, China has criticized these annual Pentagon reports, which are required by congress. But Secretary Gates says the report does not exaggerate or attempt to paint China's growing capabilities as a threat.

"I think it's a realistic appraisal of the Chinese view of their own security needs and what their strategies are," said the defnese secretary. "It paints a picture of a country that has steadily devoted increasing resources to their military, that is developing some very sophisticated capabilities."

One area of ambiguity involves China's defense budget, which is officially $45 billion this year, a nearly 18 percent increase over last year. The Pentagon report says China's real defense spending is likely double or triple that figure.

The report also says China's longstanding pledge not to be the first to use nuclear weapons is becoming 'ambiguous,' as Chinese experts debate how to use their growing missile capabilities.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (l) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Peter Pace speak with reporters at a Pentagon media roundtable, 24 May 2007

But the top U.S. military officer, General Peter Pace, who visited China in March, says China's current intentions are not the most important thing for him. He says the U.S. military needs to plan based on China's growing capabilities, which could be put to a variety of uses in the future.

"The most important thing from my perspective is for the United States military to stay well out ahead of any potential adversary, so that we are properly prepared should somebody's intent change to deal with that threat when it arises," he said.

The Pentagon report on China's military capability also notes that Chinese leaders have cooperated with the United States on a variety of issues, including North Korea's nuclear arsenal, and that China has a growing interest in global stability as it pursues economic development.

But the report also says China has demonstrated an increased willingness to work with rogue states and countries with poor human rights records, if those countries can help China reach its goals. It also says China has sold military technology to some countries in order to secure deals on fuel purchases.

The report calls China's efforts to modernize its forces and military doctrines "impressive," and it says there is an emphasis on what China calls "active defense," which the report's authors say means developing a preemptive strike capability, and using it if Chinese leaders feel it is necessary. The report says the concept also involves increasing China's ability to use military coercion, without actually using force.

At the same time, the report also expresses concern about potential miscalculation by Chinese leaders of their own military strength that could lead to unnecessary conflicts.

And the authors are also concerned that Chinese leaders could respond to internal dissent by launching a foreign military adventure in order to appeal to feelings nationalism and restore domestic stability. It says China's Communist Party leaders have "a deep rooted fear of losing political power" that shapes their strategic outlook and drives many of their decisions.

Burmese Opposition Leader Aung San Suu Kyi to Remain in Detention

By Ron Corben Bangkok 25 May 2007

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Burma's military leaders have extended their detention of Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi for another year, despite growing international pressure. Government sources say Burmese officials visited her residence Friday and read out the extension of her term. Ron Corben reports from Bangkok.

Aung San Suu Kyi (May 2002 file photo)

For weeks, there have been renewed international calls for the release of Burma opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The calls came from fellow Nobel Prize laureates, past and current world leaders, and human rights groups. The U.S. government has said that she should be freed and Burma should implement political reforms quickly.

The head of the National League for Democracy has been detained continuously since May 2003, when she was taken into custody after a pro-government mob attacked her supporters while she was visiting rural Burma. She has spent 11 of the past 17 years in confinement.

Debbie Stothardt, spokeswoman for the rights group the Alternative ASEAN Network, says the government fears releasing Aung San Suu Kyi could lead to unrest from her many supporters, and from rising public anger over the country's economic problems.

"The regime is definitely not releasing Aung San Suu Kyi. But it's not because of international pressure, it's because of their own fear of what could happen if Aung San Suu Kyi is released and there's a national uprising against them," said Stothardt.

Naing Aung, a former Burmese student leader and democracy rights advocate, says the government will detain Aung San Suu Kyi until a new constitution - now being drafted - is completed.

"The military regime doesn't want to have any dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi and they don't think that they need to talk to solve their problems together," he said.

Politicians from the Association of South East Asian Nations have demanded that regional governments push Burma to free more than 1,100 political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi.

Kraisak Choonhavan, a former Thai senator and rights advocate, says the ASEAN politicians have worked hard at raising the issue.

"We have been very diligent in persevering for the release of all political prisoners in Burma, and our agenda has been very, very consistent with our principles, but this extension of the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi is absolutely unacceptable, absolutely unacceptable," he said.

Stothardt of the Alternative ASEAN Network says rights groups will continue to work for change in Burma.

"We need an increase in domestic and international pressure on this regime so finally they have no choice but they have to release Aung San Suu Kyi and they have no choice but to democratize," said Stothardt.

The country has been under a military government since 1962. The National League for Democracy won a landside victory in elections in 1990, but the military refused to acknowledge the results. The government has promised general elections after a new constitution is drafted, but there is no indication of when that will be.

US Disappointed Over Failure of Bosnia Reform Talks

By David Gollust Washington 24 May 2007

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Bosnia-Herzegovina

The U.S. State Department is expressing disappointment over the failure by key leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina to make progress on government reforms in three days of U.S.-brokered talks in Washington. U.S. officials say the stalemate is blocking the Balkan country's prospective membership in the European Union and NATO. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

Officials here are using unusually blunt terms to express their displeasure over the continuing impasse in U.S.-mediated reform talks between the Bosnian Serb and Muslim leaders.

Haris Silajdzic, leader of the country's Muslim community, and prime minister Milorad Dodik of the country's ethnic-Serb entity the Republika Serbska, spent three days behind closed doors with senior State Department officials in a new U.S. push for constitutional reforms.

The Bush administration had hoped to conclude an agreement to unify the ethnically-separate police forces of the country's two mini-states, one led by Serbs and the other by Muslims and Croats, and to at least make progress on a streamlined central government.

But a written statement issued at the close of the meetings late Thursday by State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey expressed disappointment that the two leaders had failed to reach agreement on the issues.

Casey said by failing to overcome the differences, the sides are making it impossible for Bosnia and Herzegovina to proceed on a path of full integration into Euro-Atlantic structures.

Casey said the leaders must work within the framework of the 1995 Dayton peace accords to resolve their issues, and live up to their obligations to the country's citizens for a stable and prosperous future.

U.S. participants in the talks included Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicolas Burns, Assistant Secretary for Europe and Eurasia Dan Fried, and the U.S. Ambassador in Sarajevo Douglas McElhaney.

In a VOA interview, McElhaney said the United States will not halt its mediation efforts though no new talks are in immediate prospect. He declined to apportion blame, and said both sides need to compromise. "We thought we had a good chance of coming to agreements and I think a lot of people were very optimistic. This doesn't mean however that we're somehow or another going to walk away from the issues involved here. We're going to continue to push this forward, and we're going to have to remind people, as we reminded Mr. Dodik and Mr. Silajdzic, that you can't do anything today in Bosnia and Herzegovina without compromising. And the compromise was not there," he said.

Ambassador McElhaney said it is virtually impossible under the country's current political structure to get anything done on the national level, and he said unifying the police is a fundamental condition for Bosnia reaching a stabilization and association agreement with the EU.

The statement issued here said Undersecretary Burns stressed the importance of halting the nationalist rhetoric that has characterized the Bosnian political environment for the past year.

In an appearance earlier Thursday at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, Silajdzic accused the ethnic-Serb side of wanting to make the divided status-quo a permanent solution, though he said he remained hopeful of an agreement in the near future.

Before leaving for Washington, Mr. Dodik reiterated his party's stand that Bosnia should become a federation of three ethnically-based units, one Serb, one Muslim and the other Croat.