【187-191】Immigrant Activists Say No to DNA Tests

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*【187】AS IT IS

Immigrant Activists Say No to DNA Tests

July 01, 2018

FILE - An immigrant child looks out from a U.S. Border Patrol bus leaving the U.S. Border Patrol Central Processing Center in McAllen, Texas, June 23, 2018.

When kidnappers attacked a woman on a Guatemala City street and seized her baby daughter, DNA testing came to the rescue.

The tests helped reunite the girl with her mother after the baby was left at a religious center with no identification.

DNA testing has also helped connect legally adopted children with their biological parents and immigrants in the United States with their families.

Now the technology is being used to bring together families separated at the U.S. border with Mexico.

However, activists working for migrants say that using genetic tests in this way creates technical, legal and even moral problems.

Leading migrant rights groups have been rejecting offers by companies to donate testing supplies for free.

Missing children

Genetic tests have helped an organization called DNA-Prokids reconnect more than 1,000 children with their families in Mexico, Nepal and several other countries. They also reconnected the mother with her kidnapped daughter in Guatemala City.

Jose Lorente, a professor at the University of Granada in Spain, started the organization. Lorente said he was moved by the children he saw on the streets in cities around the world. Many were victims of trafficking and had parents who were looking for them.

Lorente said he hopes to set up a worldwide network of DNA testing laboratories to help children everywhere.

"This is a way to send a message to people trafficking children," he said. "The message is, from now on, it is not going to be so easy to steal and traffic a child because he or she will be immediately identified."

A view inside the U.S. Customs and Border Protection detention facility shows children at Rio Grande Valley Centralized Processing Center in Rio Grande City, Texas, June 17, 2018.

Border tests

Lorente said DNA tests could help make sure that children coming across the U.S.-Mexico border are not being trafficked.

U.S. officials already use such tests to confirm that immigrants seeking to join family members in the United States are related.

Genetic testing led the U.S. State Department to suspend a program for refugees in 2008. At the time, officials identified suspected cases of cheating in the government’s family reunification program. They tested about 3,000 people, mainly from Somalia, Ethiopia and Liberia. They confirmed a parental connection in less than 20 percent of the cases.

The program restarted in 2012. It now requires a DNA test to prove that an adult and child are related.

New technology could permit those tests to be done at the border in as little as 90 minutes. Currently, law enforcement agencies are examining DNA tests that can connect a person in police detention to a detailed computer listing of known criminals. The same technology could be used to test migrants.

Thermo Fisher Scientific has offered to donate $1 million worth of its testing technology to help reunite families separated at the border.

Two ancestry companies, 23andMe and MyHeritage, also offered to donate their genetic tests to the effort. Both companies normally sell their products to persons interested in family history.

Concerns over privacy

Yet migrant rights organizations are concerned about privacy. Fernanda Durand is with the migrant rights group CASA. She is worried that the government could use migrants' genetic information later without their approval.

Normal DNA testing can only dependably identify parent-child and siblingrelationships. In refugee situations, activists say, it is not unusual for someone other than a child's biological parent to care for them, especially when a parent has been killed or detained.

Ancestry companies' tests can find much more genetic information than normal DNA tests, and can identify wider relationships. But they can also provide more sensitive information, including health data. These tests also are not certified for this purpose by the organization that oversees DNA testing labs.

23andMe and MyHeritage say they are concerned about privacy and will offer the tests only to legal aid groups working with migrant families.

However, those groups are still not 100 percent sure of the services.

Jennifer Falcon is with the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services. She noted that separating parents from their children is bad enough. She added that you cannot solve one civil rights abuse by creating another possible violation of their privacy.

I’m Phil Dierking.

Steve Baragona wrote this story for VOANews.com. Phil Dierking adapted his story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

Do you think DNA testing should be used to reunite migrant families? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

adopt - v. to take a child of other parents legally as your own child

certify - v. to say officially that something is true, correct, or genuine

DNA - n. a substance that carries genetic information in the cells of plants and animals — often used before another noun

migrant - n. a person who goes from one place to another especially to find work

network - n. a system of lines, wires, etc., that are connected to each other

sibling - n.a brother or sister

*【188】 AS IT IS

Trump Praises Foxconn, Criticizes Harley-Davidson

July 01, 2018

President Donald Trump tours a Foxconn facility, June 28, 2018, in Mt. Pleasant, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump traveled to the American state of Wisconsin last week to attend a groundbreaking ceremony for a factory.

The factory is being built in an old farming community called Mount Pleasant. The Taiwan-based technology company Foxconn Technology Group will use the plant.

Trump joined Foxconn President Terry Gou, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and other officials at the ceremony on Thursday. Many people expressed hope that the $10 billion project will help the state’s economy.

Trump described the company’s plans for a high-tech center as “the eighth wonder of the world.”

The president’s visit came as he criticized Harley-Davidson, one of Wisconsin’s leading manufacturers.

Harley-Davidson

The company recently said it will move some of its production overseas because of a European Union (EU) decision. EU officials announced plans for a 31 percent tariff on motorcycles made in the United States. The EU said it approved the new tax to answer Trump’s decision to place tariffs on foreign-made aluminum and steel.

The Harley-Davidson announcement angered the president. Trump expressed his displeasure on the Twitter social messaging service.

"Harley-Davidson should stay 100% in America, with the people that got you your success…I’ve done so much for you, and then this. Other companies are coming back where they belong! We won’t forget, and neither will your customers or your now very HAPPY competitors!" Trump wrote.

-t1-

Harley-Davidson had no immediate comment on the president’s tweets.

Phil Levy says other U.S. companies are likely to follow Harley’s lead and move some of their operations overseas. Levy is with the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Illinois.

“We are likely to see more such business moves as the administration expands its protectionist policies,” Levy said. He added that Harley-Davidson has little choice but to move with market conditions.

In Wisconsin, many people think raising taxes on steel and aluminum imports will hurt the state. One study last week found that more than half of those questioned – 55 percent – feel this way. Only 29 percent think the tariffs will help the economy. The Marquette University Law School reported the findings.

“The state pretty solidly is doubtful about tariffs,” said Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette Law School survey.

FILE - President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence meet with Harley Davidson executives and Union Representatives on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Foxconn deal

Last July, Trump stood with Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan to announce Foxconn’s decision to build the huge plant in the state. Ryan is speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. The factory is being built in his home district.

The deal included more than $4 billion in tax breaks from state and local governments. Foxconn promised to create more than 13,000 jobs. It said the average worker would earn about $50,000 a year.

Governor Walker and other politicians have said they hope Foxconn will create a high-tech center much like California’s Silicon Valley.

However, a local newspaper, The Sentinel Journal, recently reported that Foxconn has changed its plans for the factory. It said the company had promised a “Gen 10.5” factory, a term for a factory that creates large television screens from large pieces of glass. Instead, the company admitted it is building a “Gen 6” factory, a much smaller and less costly plant that uses smaller pieces of glass.

Foxconn said it still plans to build a “Gen 10.5” factory in the coming years.

Tim Sheehy, president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, continues to support the deal.

"What Wisconsin can control here is the ability to take a step forward in transforming our economy with an investment in one of the best digital technology players in the world,” he said.

President Donald Trump, along with Terry Gou, founder and chairman of Foxconn, and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, participate in the Foxconn Technology Group groundbreaking ceremony for its LCD manufacturing campus, in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, U.S.

The deal between Wisconsin and Foxconn involves a lot of money. The company was promised $764 million in local subsidies and a $140 million electric-power expansion paid for by power company customers. It was also promised road improvements worth about $100 million and $3 billion in state tax credits.

That $3 billion will end up being money paid to Foxconn since Wisconsin requires no taxes on manufacturing profits.

State taxpayers could be paying about 13% of the cost of the factory project and 17% of the wages for Foxconn’s Wisconsin employees through 2032. The jobs subsidy amount is equal to more than $200,000 per job.

Trump’s support for Foxconn and anger at Harley-Davidson has put Scott Walker in a difficult position. How can the Wisconsin governor continue to work with motorcycle manufacturer without appearing to contradict the president?

Walker, who owns a 2003 Harley-Davidson Road King, released a statement last week.

“Governor Walker believes there should be no tariffs or trade barriers as the president stated earlier this month at the G7 summit,” it read.

I'm Susan Shand

Susan Shand wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

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Words in This Story

tariff - n. a tax on goods coming into or leaving a country

doubtful - adj. uncertain or unsure about something

screen - n. the part of a television or computer that you look at when you are using it

transforming - v. to change (something) completely and usually in a good way

digital - adj. using or characterized by computer technology

subsidy - n. money that is paid usually by a government to keep the price of a product or service low or to help a business or organization to continue to function

customer - n. someone who buys goods or services from a business

contradict - v. to say the opposite of (something that someone else has said)

summit - n. a meeting or series of meetings between the leaders of two or more governments

*【189】AS IT IS

‘Space Kingdom’ Seeks Citizens for Life beyond Earth

July 01, 2018

Asgardia's Head of Nation Igor Ashurbeyli listens to a children's choir during the inauguration ceremony of Asgardia's first Head of Nation in Vienna, Austria June 25, 2018. (REUTERS/Lisi Niesner)

Anyone who wishes to truly get away from life on Earth may want to consider becoming a citizen of Asgardia. The nation hopes to build a permanent settlement on the moon.

Asgardia was founded in 2016. Its organizers say it has about 200,000 citizens. It also has a constitution and an elected parliament. Asgardia’s leader is Igor Ashurbeyli. He is a Russian engineer, computer scientist and businessman. He was inaugurated June 25.

Asgardians have big plans. They want to build up a population of 150 million people within 10 years. They also plan to operate space ships in outer space where humans can live permanently.

Ashurbeyli gave his first speech as president to several hundred people in Vienna, Austria. In the speech, he said “This day will certainly be recorded in the annals of the greatest events in the history of humankind.”

He added, “We have thus established all branches of government. I can therefore declare with confidence that Asgardia – the first space nation of the united humankind – has been born.”

Asgardia is named after Asgard, a world in the sky in the ancient mythology of Northern Europe.

Organizers say Asgardia has citizens who now live in more than 200 countries. A person can become a citizen online for free.

Asgardians say they want to interest the 2 percent of the world’s population that is “most creative.”

Ashurbeyli said he wants to have satellites providing worldwide Internet access in five to seven years. He also wants space ships operating in 10 to 15 years, and to establish a permanent settlement on the moon within 25 years.

Asgardians now pay a yearly membership fee of about $125. The nation plans to collect taxes on businesses and private income. But it says those taxes will be kept very low.

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Jonathan Evans adapted this story based on a report from Reuters. Mario Ritter was the editor.

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Words in This Story

inaugurate – v. to introduce someone, such as a newly elected official into a job or position with a formal ceremony

annals –n. historical records

mythology – n. the myths of a particular group or culture

*【190】AS IT IS

South Korean Businesses Again Look to North's Joint Industrial Center

July 01, 2018

The Kaesong industrial complex in North Korea is seen from the Taesungdong freedom village inside the demilitarized zone April 24, 2018. South Koreans who owned businesses at the complex want to be able to see conditions there to plan for easing of sanctions. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A group of South Korean businesses are interested in visiting an industrial center they once operated jointly with North Korea. The group wants to see the condition of the center in North Korea in preparation for a possible reopening. As diplomatic activity with North Korea is increasing, hope for restarting operations has grown.

Yoo Chan-geun is vice-chairman of the Corporate Association of the Kaeson Industrial Complex.

He said the business owners need to learn if they will be able to make repairs or they will need to buy new factory equipment. The information will help them plan.

The Kaesong complex is 54 kilometers northwest of Seoul near the border between the two Koreas. More than 54,000 North Koreans worked there when it was operational. The center was closed in 2016 after a North Korean nuclear test.

North Korean workers sew items at a factory of a South Korean-owned company at the jointly-run Kaesong Industrial Complex, in Kaesong, North Korea, 2013. Many products that were made at the complex are banned under UN sanctions.

At the time, the administration of former South Korean President Park Geun-hye had said money from the center was going to North Korea’s banned weapons programs. The administration estimated that 70 percent the $100 million in yearly pay and sales went to the North’s nuclear and missile programs. Workers’ pay went directly to the government in Pyongyang rather than to the workers themselves.

The current administration of President Moon Jae-in has continued with the closure order.

Additionally, the United Nations banned joint financial projects with North Korea. Other U.N. sanctions banned the export of many goods that had been produced by some Kaesong companies, including clothing.

Owners of Kaesong businesses have not been able to return to the complex since its closure. They have been told reopening the center depends on the lifting of U.N. sanctions.

Yoo said, “Our government has consistently stated that it is impossible to reopen the Kaesong Industrial Complex while under the sanctions against North Korea, and we have not heard anything different from it.”

The South Korean government has said economic involvement with North Korea would be limited to research and development while sanctions remain in place.

Railways a possible starting point

Recently, the two Koreas held talks on improving the North’s railroads. The goal would be to link North Korean railroads with the Chinese and Russian railroad systems to support trade throughout Asia and Europe.

Moon reportedly presented North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un with a $35 billion railroad plan in April when they met in Panmunjom.

American officials say that sanctions will remain in place until North Korea makes enough progress toward denuclearization. Kim Jong Un promised at the meeting with Moon to end his country’s nuclear program. Kim repeated the promise when he met with American President Donald Trump in Singapore on June 12.

American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to travel to Pyongyang soon. There he is to work out the details of North Korea’s agreement to end its nuclear weapons program. In exchange, the U.S. is expected to offer security guarantees and economic help while easing sanctions.

I’m Mario Ritter.

Brian Padden reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted it for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

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Words in This Story

sanction – n. measures taken by countries to force other nations to obey international law, usually by limiting trade or finance

consistently –adv. behaving in the same way

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

*【191】AS IT IS

In Vietnam, Beer Is Big Business.

July 01, 2018

FILE - Men drink Sabeco's Saigon beer at a roadside restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam, Nov. 29, 2017. (REUTERS/Kham)

In Vietnam, beer is big business.

Young people fill large, newly built beer halls for drinks after a long day. Foreigners are launching small businesses and making their own beer in the country. Foreign companies from Heineken to Sapporo hope the Vietnamese market will drive their sales growth. At the same time, some investors are looking for the chance to buy Sabeco, Vietnam’s top beer producer.

Beer seems to be popular nationwide, but the government is getting worried. Now government officials are considering ways to restrict advertising for beer.

The Ministry of Health has proposed a measure that would limit ads for beer, which it fears could soon become a threat to public health. The rules would ban roadside signs for beer, ads in films, on shows with children, and on social media.

Vietnam already bans ads for hard alcohol. But in countries that ban ads for beer and drinks known as spirits, drinking is 11 percent lower than in countries that mainly focus on hard alcohol. That information comes from Tran Thi Trang, deputy director of the Ministry of Health’s legislation department.

"Every year, the alcohol companies spend trillions of dong on advertising and marketing,” she was reported as saying. She added that beer manufacturers would not spend so much money if the ads truly failed to bring people to their products. Her comments appeared on the government’s news website.

FILE - A man drinks Sabeco's 333 beer at a restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam, Dec. 18, 2017.

Excited about beer

It is because of the fact the Vietnamese have developed a new love of beer that the Health Ministry proposed the restrictions on advertising.

In Vietnam, alcohol-related enjoyment is very old – from people who made their own rice wine to the American soldiers who loved 33 Beer, a locally made product, during the Vietnam War.

But today is different, as Vietnamese citizens in peace time have the growing wealth and freedom to drink beer into the early morning. Beer often costs less than a bottle of water.

Policymakers worry that as the drinking culture increases, so will Vietnam’s rates of alcohol-related health problems and drunk driving. The World Health Organization says the country already has a large number of cases of hepatitis B, the main cause of liver cancer.

Industry’s objections

“Beer and alcohol production play an important role in the development of the economy and society, noted Nguyen Van Viet, chairman of the Vietnam Beer, Alcohol, and Beverage Association.

Yet the WHO estimates that damage linked to alcoholic drinks can cost a country anywhere from 1.3-12 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). GDP is a measure of all the goods and services produced in a country over a 12-month period.

FILE - Bottles of beer move along a production line at a factory of Saigon Beer Corporation (Sabeco) in Hanoi, Vietnam, June 23, 2017.

Officials aim to balance those costs with the benefits of beer to the economy, investment, and trade. Even Australia credits its beer-related exports whenever officials speak of improved trade with Vietnam, where it has become the biggest supplier of wheat and other products required to make beer.

Regan Leggett is the executive director for thought leadership at Nielsen, which released a report in March on discretionary spending in Vietnam and four other countries. He said beer and treats are not just fun, but represent the way the local economy is growing.

Beer is big business, and some Vietnamese are concerned new restrictions could affect the number of visitors. Trang, however, is not worried.

"If visitors come to Vietnam just because their country controls alcohol use, and Vietnam does not,” then Vietnam needs to rewrite its policies because drinking is an international practice.

I’m Susan Shand.

Ha Nguyen reported this story for VOA News. Susan Shand adapted the story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

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