This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. President Barack Obama has begun his second year in office. The forty-fourth president, and first African-American president, was inaugurated last January twentieth.

BARACK OBAMA: "Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real, they are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this America, they will be met."

Those challenges included an economic downturn, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and a promise to reform the health care system.

This is the VOA Special English Economics Report. China says it has passed Germany and become the world's top exporter. Exports totaled more than one trillion dollars last year. That was down from two thousand eight, but about thirty billion more than Germany.

China's influence in the world has increased with its fast-growing economy. The United States remains the largest economy. China is third and gaining on Japan.

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report. Florida, in the southeastern United States, is called the Sunshine State. It grows more oranges than anyplace except Brazil. But Arctic air has damaged some Florida oranges and other crops in recent days, and killed fish at tropical fish farms.

The unusually long period of cold weather has shown how even warm climates can sometimes freeze over. But protecting plants and trees in the garden may not be too difficult if you follow a few suggestions.

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. Yemen is the poorest Arab nation. Poverty can help breed extremism -- al-Qaida is a growing concern for the Yemenis. But the government also faces an armed rebellion in the north and a separatist movement in the south.

In Sanaa, fears of an al-Qaida attack led to temporary closures this week of the American, British and French embassies. Yemeni officials say they have increased protection of foreign interests in the capital. They have also sent thousands of troops to Arhab and other areas to battle the local al-Qaida group.

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. Think of your family or friends. How well would those relationships work without trust -- or with a broken trust?

Recently, Forbes magazine declared Tiger Woods the first athlete to reach one billion dollars in career earnings. That includes winnings, appearances, product endorsements and more.

The Associated Press just voted him "athlete of the decade." But more than half the votes arrived before his private life hit the news.