VOA慢速英語：美古重建外交關(guān)系

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The United States and Cuba have re-established full diplomatic relations. It is the first time in 54 years that each side officially recognizes the other.

Early Monday morning, the flag of Cuba was raised at the headquarters of theState Department in Washington. The Cuban flag joined the flags of the othercountries that have relations with the United States.

The re-establishment of ties is not without its critics. U.S. Senator MarcoRubio has said there has not been enough discussion of human rights inCuba. Mr. Rubio belongs to the Republican Party.

USSecretary of Defense visits Israel

U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter is in the Middle East. He is talking withAmerican allies about the international nuclear deal with Iran. He is alsoexpected to talk about the fight against the Islamic State militant group.

Mr. Carter is in Israel, and plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu on Tuesday. The prime minister strongly opposes the agreementwith Iran. He has called it an “historic mistake.”

Later, the defense secretary is to travel to Saudi Arabia for meetings with KingSalman. Mr. Carter says he will talk with the king and his defense chief aboutlimiting what he called “Iranian aggression” in the area. He will also talk withthe Saudi leaders about how to stop the Islamic State.

Afghan police: US-led airstrike killed Afghan soldiers

Police in Afghanistan say American helicopters mistakenly attacked an Afghansecurity position Monday morning. At least eight Afghan soldiers were reportedkilled and several others wounded.

The attack happened in Logar province, 50 kilometers east of the capital,Kabul.

The provincial police chief told reporters that the correct target was about akilometer away, in the same area as the Afghan security position.

Explosionnear Turkey-Syria border kills 27 people

Turkey’s Interior Ministry says a terrorist attack has killed at least 27 peopleand wounded nearly 100 in the town of Suruc, near the Syrian border. Theministry said the number of dead could increase.

Suruc is near the Syrian city of Kobani, an area where Kurdish forces arefighting Islamic State militants.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the explosion resulted from acar bomb that targeted Kurdish forces. Kurdish officials said the explosionwas part of a military operation to remove weapons left by Islamic Statefighters.

Former ruler of Chad tried for crimes against humanity

A special court in Senegal began hearing evidence against the former ruler ofChad on Monday. Hissene Habre is charged with crimes against humanity.

The former president and his lawyers say the court does not have the powerto judge him. They also said they would not take part in the trial. But officialsforced Mr. Habre to attend the hearing on Monday.

The court is expected to hear from 100 witnesses during the trial.

Rights groups and a Chad government committee accuse the formerpresident of being responsible for more than 40,000 political killings. Mr. Habreled the country between 1982 and 1990. In 1990, he was ousted by Chad’scurrent leader, Idriss Deby, and fled to Senegal.

Japanese company apologizes for using US soldiers as slave laborers

Officials from Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation have apologized for thecompany’s use of American prisoners of war as slave laborers during WorldWar II.

Company official Hikaru Kimura apologized to 94-year-old former prisonerJames Murphy during a public ceremony Sunday in Los Angeles, California.Earlier, he apologized to Mr. Murphy privately.

James Murphy was one of about 900 prisoners of war who were forced towork in company-owned mines and industrial centers during the war. He saidhe and others had waited 70 years for the apology.

About 12,000 American prisoners of war were used as slave laborers by theJapanese government and private companies. Thousands of them died. TheJapanese government has apologized for using the Americans as forcedlaborers. The apology by Mitsubishi is the first ever by a Japanese company.

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Words in The News

relations – n. understandings or ties between nations

deal – n. an agreement

mistakenly– adj. accidentally; doing something by accident

explosion – n. the violent release of energy after something breaks up

humanity – n. all people

apologize(d)– v. to express regret or sorrow