Welcome to Learning English, a daily 30-minute program from the Voice of America.

I'm Katie Weaver.

And I'm Mario Ritter Jr.

This program is designed for English learners.

So we speak a little slower and we use words and phrases especially written for people learning English.

Coming up on the show, we have reports from Jill Robbins and John Russell.

Brian Lynn brings us the science report.

And we close the show with the lesson of the day.

But first...

As the price of fuel increased greatly in Ethiopia earlier this year, Ogachu Sileshi decided to buy an electric vehicle, or EV. The decision follows government efforts to slowly remove gas-powered vehicles from the roads.

Months later, Seleshi is not sure whether it was the right decision.

He now faces an uneven supply of electricity and a lack of parts for repair.

He told the Associated Press that imported parts from China are costly, and few mechanics

are able to fix such cars, and the resale value of such cars is poor.

Seleshi's problems are like those of many in Ethiopia. In January, the East African country became the first in the world to ban imports of non-electric private vehicles.

The decision eased pressure on the government's use

of limited foreign currency to lower the cost of fuel. In early October, Ethiopia's government

raised the price of fuel by up to 8% as part of a plan to slowly end fuel subsidies in Africa's

second most populous country. Officials say more than 100,000 electric cars are imported into the country

each month, and the government hopes to increase that number by 2030.

By that time, the country's new dam on the Nile River is expected to produce electricity at full power.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiyah Ahmed said earlier this year that the Grand Renaissance

...