The world’s first hydrogen-powered trains have begun running in Germany. They began carrying passengers Monday in Germany’s northern Lower Saxony state. The new trains will run 100-kilometer trips and can travel up to 140 kilometers an hour.
A French railroad company called Alstom built the two trains. Teams in Germany and France cooperated on the project, which was supported by the German government. The new train model, called the Coradia iLint, signals the beginning of efforts in Germany and other nations to move away from pollution-producing diesel trains.
Hydrogen trains vs. diesel trains
The Coradia iLint is designed to run on non-electrified train lines with low levels of noise. It uses a process that combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electrical power. If the system produces more energy than the train needs at that time, it can store the extra energy in batteries. The only emissions are water and steam.
A single tank of hydrogen can run a Coradia iLint train for about 1,000 kilometers. This is very similar to the distance a diesel-powered train can run on with a single tank.  
Hydrogen-powered trains cost more than diesel trains to build. But Alstom officials say the operating costs are much lower. The company plans to provide another 14 Coradia iLint trains to Lower Saxony by 2021.
The head of railroad operations in the area, Carmen Schwabl, praised replacing diesel trains with hydrogen. She said the move was an important first step in using clean-burning technologies to reach climate protection goals.
Schwabl added: “We also do this because about 120 diesel trainsets in our vehicle pool will reach the end of their lifetime within the next 30 years, meaning we will have to replace them. The experience gained with this project helps us find a sustainable and practical solution.”
Officials say the area’s many wind turbines will produce part of the energy to create the hydrogen to power the trains.
Alstom says several other European countries have also expressed interest in developing hydrogen train systems. France has already said it wants its first hydrogen train to be operating by 2022.
I’m Bryan Lynn.
Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.
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Quiz
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Words in This Story
battery – n. device that produces and can store electricity
emission – n. something released into the air, such as a gas
sustainable – adj. able to be used without being completely used up or destroyed
practical – adj. suitable or useful for a situation
turbine – n. large machine that produces power by using gas, steam, etc. to turn a wheel(2018/09/20 07:05)

 
The leaders of North and South Korea say they have agreed to turn the Korean peninsula into a “land of peace without nuclear weapons and nuclear threats.”
The agreement was announced Wednesday on the second day of talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. They spoke to reporters after meeting in Pyongyang.
At the meeting, North Korea announced plans to invite international observers to watch the closing of its missile testing center and launch area at Dongchang-ri.
North Korea also offered to close its main nuclear center at Yongbyon, but on one condition. In exchange, the North said it was seeking “corresponding measures” from the United States. It is not yet clear what those measures would be.
South Korean President Moon traveled to the North Korean capital on Tuesday for his third meeting this year with the North Korean leader. Moon is seeking to break an impasse in negotiations to end the North’s nuclear weapons program.
The two leaders signed a joint statement on Wednesday. In addition, military representatives signed a document stating steps to ease military tensions between North and South. That document called for, among other things, setting up buffer zones in places where the two militaries could come into conflict.
Also, Kim Jong Un said he would visit Seoul in the near future. Moon said the visit is expected to take place before the end of 2018.
In Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed approval of the latest developments, calling them “Very exciting!” on Twitter.
Concerns over sanctions
North and South Korea have announced a number of joint economic projects, including plans to build roads and railways. However, some Korea watchers believe that some of the new agreements could violate United Nations sanctions on North Korea.
Days before the meeting in Pyongyang, the U.S. government ordered sanctions to punish a company based in China, its top official and a company linked to Russia.
The goal of the economic restrictions is to force the North Korean government to negotiate an end to its nuclear weapons and missile programs. The U.S. and Japan say those programs are a direct threat to them.
Members of the U.S. Congress and some experts say there has been no clear sign that North Korea plans to denuclearize.
Harry Kazianis is an expert in defense studies at the Center for National Interest in Washington, D.C. He said the sanctions remain in place and are a major issue. But first, “Kim needs to make major progress toward denuclearization,” he said.
President Moon will travel to New York next week for the United Nations General Assembly. Moon said he looked “forward to North Korea and the United States resuming their dialogue.” He is expected to meet with President Trump on September 24.
Moon added that South Korea would continue its part in supporting talks between the U.S. and North Korea. The aim, he said, is that the sides will “hold another summit as soon as possible and find a middle ground to reach an agreement.”
Also on Wednesday, the two Koreas announced that they would seek to jointly hold the 2032 Summer Olympic Games. They also said they would work closely together in preparation for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
I’m Mario Ritter.
Mario Ritter adapted this for VOA Learning English. His report was based on reports from VOA News, the Associated Press and Reuters. George Grow was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.​
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Words in This Story
 
peninsula –n. a piece of land that is almost entirely surrounded by water and but is attached to a larger land area
corresponding –adj. having the same characteristics as something else; matching something else
impasse –n. a situation in which no progress seems possible
buffer zone –n. an area that keeps two things separated
sanction –n. an action taken to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country
resume –v. to begin again after stopping
dialogue –n. a discussion or series of discussions that two groups or countries have in order to end a disagreement
summit –n. a meeting or series of meetings between the leaders of two or more governments(2018/09/20 06:59)

 
After graduating from high school, many young people are excited to go off to college. But not all. Some may want to skip college and jump right into a business.
That was the case with John Cronin from Long Island, New York. He did not dream of going to college. He dreamed of going into business with his father. But they did not know what kind of business.
John Cronin told Money magazine that he thought about starting a food truck. But, there was one problem. Neither he nor his father can cook.
After some thinking, the father-son team decided to go into business making a product the younger Cronin loves: socks!
Mark, John’s father, says his son has always loved colorful, wild socks. So, they created John’s Crazy Socks Company.
The younger Cronin explains what he loves about his work.
"I want to sell crazy socks. Why socks? Because it's fun; it's colorful. I like to be creative, and I want to see wonderful things here.”  
(Mark) "You're a talented guy!"
(John) "Yes, I am."  
John was born with Down Syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes learning disabilities and developmental delays. But that has not stopped him from gaining major success in the business world.
Since launching John's Crazy Socks, father and son have been crazy busy making crazy money. But their business also helps others with disabilities.   
“We've been able to create 35 jobs —18 of those are held by people with differing abilities. We've raised over $135,000 for our charity partners.”
The father and son divide the duties of the business.
John works on sock design but he is also the face of the company. This means he represents the company on its advertising used to help sell the product and on the packaging of the product. Mark takes care of the books, managing money, supplies and hiring.
John and Mark try to make each sock purchase personal. So, they hand-carry orders to customers in the Long Island area. But for those who live farther, John sends a personal note with each order he sends.
(Mark) "What's our mission?"
(John) "Our mission is to spread happiness."
(Mark) "Our customers are happy. We have over 10,000 online reviews — 96 percent of those are five-star reviews — and we've done a lot of work, a lot of business. We've shipped over 115,000 orders and earned over $4 million in revenue."
Five percent of John's profits goes to the Special Olympics. The company also gives to the National Down Syndrome Society and the Association for Children with Down Syndrome.
John Cronin is living his dream; spreading happiness, one pair of crazy socks at a time.
I’m Anna Matteo.
Faiza Elmasry reported this story for VOA News. Anna Matteo adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.
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Words in This Story
 
skip – v. to pass by or leave out
sock – n. a knitted or woven covering for the foot usually worn under shoes and extending above the ankle and sometimes to the knee
crazy – adj. very strange or unusual : very much : with a lot of energy and speed
talented – adj. a person or group of people with a special ability to do something well
charity – n. the act of giving money, food, or other kinds of help to people who are poor, sick, etc.
mission – n. a task that you consider to be a very important duty
review – v. an act of carefully looking at or examining the quality or condition of something or someone : examination or inspection
revenue – n. money that is made by or paid to a business or an organization(2018/09/20 06:58)

 
The Indian government has approved a measure to help enforce a top court decision on a centuries old Muslim custom. The approval came after the government failed to get Parliament to act on the decision.
A year ago, the high court ruled against the custom of triple “talaq.” The court found that it was unlawful for Muslim men to end a marriage by simply saying a single word three times. It ruled this violated the constitutional rights of Muslim women.
Many of India’s 170 million Muslims follow the Muslim Personal Law for family disputes. The laws include giving men permission to end their marriages by saying the Arabic word for divorce - “talaq” - three times. The word can be said anytime and anywhere, even as part of a telephone call or text message.
The government will have another six months to get parliament’s approval for the new ordinance to become law. For now, Indian officials can use the measure to take legal action against suspects.
Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that nearly 22 countries, including Pakistan and Bangladesh, have banned the custom. He appealed to the opposition to approve the Muslim Women Protection of Rights on Marriage Bill.
India’s Muslim Law Board had told the court that they did not like the custom, but it opposed any court interference in religious issues. The board’s members asked that the subject of triple talaq be left to the Muslim community. But several Muslim activists condemned the position of the Law Board.
After the Supreme Court decision, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government proposed a bill that would criminalize the custom. The bill was approved in December by the lower house of Parliament, where Modi’s party has a majority. But it has yet to be approved by the upper house, where the opposition has the majority.
The main opposition Congress party is opposing the bill because of the three-year prison sentence for the offenders. It wants a less severe sentence.  It also wants a parliamentary committee to discuss the issue to find a compromise. 
In India, triple talaq has continued because of laws that give Muslims, Christians and Hindus permission to follow religious laws in marriage and other family issues.
While most Hindu personal laws have been changed over the years, Muslim laws have been left to religious leaders and are rarely changed.
I’m Susan Shand.
The Associate Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted the AP story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
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Words in This Story
 
instant - adj. becoming something very quickly
ordinance – n. a regulation made by the government
divorce - n. the ending of a marriage
triple – adj. three times
 (2018/09/20 06:56)