VOA慢速英语2015 IS在巴尔米拉罗马剧场处决20人（在线收听）

Islamic State Executes 20 in Palmyra Roman Theater IS在巴尔米拉罗马剧场处决20人

A Human Rights group says that the Islamic State militants have executed 20 people in the ancient Roman theater in Palmyra, a UNESCO World heritage site. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the militant group accused the men of working with the Syrian government and shot them.

The militant group captured Palmyra on May 21. It has executed more than 200 people in the city. 

Syria’s antiquities director Mamoun Abdulkarim told Agence France-Presse that the killings are a sign of "the group's barbarism and savagery against the ancient monuments of Palmyra.

Heat wave kills 1,100 in India

A heat wave in India has killed more than 1,100 people in the southeastern states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

An official from the Meteorological Department in the city of Hyderabad said the heat wave is the worst in nearly 10 years. Many cities in India have set new high temperature records. 

High temperatures are common in India in May and June. But dry winds in the past week have intensified heat. Many workers and homeless people could not get inside soon enough to escape the heat.

Rick Santorum to run for president

Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum launched his second campaign for the White House on Wednesday. He joins a crowded group seeking the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.

Mr. Santorum made the announcement at a manufacturing plant in Pennsylvania. He represented the state in both the House and the Senate from 1991 until 2007.

In his first presidential campaign in 2012, Mr. Santorum surprised people with an early win in the Iowa caucus. He won 10 more state caucuses and primaries before losing to Mitt Romney, the party's nominee.

Words in the News

 antiquities – n. objects from ancient times

intensify – v. to become stronger or more extreme : to become more intense

plant –n. a building or factory where something is made

caucus – n. a meeting of members of a political party for the purpose of choosing candidates for an election