English Newscast: 1900 UTC, Tuesday, November 3, 2015

From Washington, this is VOA News. I’m Frances Alonzo reporting. Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi Tuesday dismissed as "propaganda" claims by Islamic State insurgents that they brought down a Russian jetliner that crashed in the Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people aboard. He said, "When there is propaganda that it crashed because of ISIS, this is one way to damage the stability and security of Egypt, including its image." He made the comments to BBC. He said that the area is under the full control of the Egyptian government. A rare cyclone slammed into southeastern Yemen bringing with it strong winds, heavy flooding and causing massive damage. Cyclone Chapala made landfall Tuesday in Muklalla packing winds of up to 130 kilometers an hour. Residents say the storm submerged cars and knocked out power. No reports of injuries were reported. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed support for boosting Turkmenistan's economic prospects as he visited Tuesday on the final leg of a five-nation tour of central Asia. He said to the Turkmenistan President, "We could do more together to help your people develop some of the skill sets necessary in this modern economy.” He also said the U.S. did not want to see a struggle for influence with China and Russia in which one country has to win and others lose. European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini met with Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo Tuesday. At a news conference in the Egyptian capital, she called on Libyan "decision makers" to respond to the needs of their people and do more to protect against the Islamic State group. Libya has been split between an Islamist-backed government based in Tripoli and an internationally recognized government in the country's east. Iraqi Shi'ite politician Ahmad Chalabi, a key proponent of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, died Tuesday at the age of 71. Iraqi media say he suffered a heart attack at his home in Baghdad.  Edward Yeranian reports. As head of the influential Iraqi National Congress, Chalabi used ties with the Bush administration to lobby for U.S. military action in Iraq. Information presented by Chalabi about former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s alleged weapons of massive destruction was used to support the campaign to launch the U.S. invasion that toppled his regime. Chalabi, who spent part of his life in the United States where he studied at the University of Chicago and M.I.T., went on to play a minor political role in Iraq where he was most recently head of the Iraqi parliament’s finance commission. Edward Yeranian, for VOA News, Cairo. A prosecutor Tuesday sought a murder conviction against Oscar Pistorius before South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal, saying a lower court erred in acquitting the athlete of the charge for killing his girlfriend, instead convicting him of culpable homicide. If convicted of murder, Pistorius would face a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison as South Africa no longer has the death penalty. Germany’s Volkswagen, which is already reeling from news that it had cheated on U.S. tests for nitrogen oxide emissions says an internal investigation has found new problems. They’re called “unexplained inconsistencies” in the carbon dioxide emissions from 800,000 vehicles. The company warned Tuesday that it estimated the possible economic risks at approximately two billion euros due to this new problem. It did not say which vehicles were affected. I’m Frances Alonzo in Washington.   _______________________________________________________ Words in the News insurgent - n. a person who fights against an established government or authority submerge - v. to make (someone or something) go under the surface of water or some other liquid proponent - n. a person who argues for or supports something regime - n. a particular government conviction - n. the act of proving that a person is guilty of a crime in a court of law reel - v. to be very shocked, confused, and upset  

from Voice of America http://ift.tt/1iBN0h4
via IFTTT

US: Heat Flash Detected at Time of Russian Plane Crash

  United States officials said Tuesday a U.S. military satellite detected a heat flash before a Russian airplane crashed over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. The Metrojet A-321 crash happened on October 31, killing 224 people on board. That included 17 children. Investigators have not announced the cause of the crash. Experts told U.S. reporters that the heat flash could point to a catastrophic event on the airplane, such as a bomb, a fire, or an engine explosion. They also said the heat flash could have been from aircraft parts hitting the ground. Officials said they do not believe a missile hit the aircraft. Investigators in Egypt have started their examination of the flight recorders recovered from the crash site. Russian officials say the cockpit voice and flight data recorders received only “minor” damage. One investigator said early inspection showed the plane was not struck from the outside. The investigator also said the pilot did not make a distress call before the plane disappeared from flight controllers’ radar. Russia has sent about 100 experts to help Egyptian officials search for the remains of victims and the aircraft debris. On Tuesday, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi dismissed claims by the Islamic State that it brought down the airplane. He called the claims “propaganda” meant to “damage the stability and security of Egypt.” The Metrojet crash happened about 20 minutes after the plane took off from the Sharm el-Sheikh airport. The plane was traveling to St. Petersburg, Russia. Several airlines have said they will stop flying over the Sinai peninsula for safety reasons.   This article was written by VOANews.com. Ashley Thompson adapted it for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story:   detect - v. to discover or notice the presence of (something that is hidden or hard to see, hear, taste, etc.) catastrophic - adj. terrible; disastrous cockpit - n. the area in a boat, airplane, etc., where the pilot or driver sits debris - n. the pieces that are left after something has been destroyed  

from Voice of America http://ift.tt/1LOW8cS
via IFTTT

How Well Does Your Country Speak English?

For VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report. The world’s English continues to improve, says a newly released study. The report, called the EF English Proficiency Index, is a yearly report card on the English level of adults in 70 countries. Sweden leads the world, while Libya is last. EF, a private education company, produced the report. The average level of adult English proficiency is up. But not all countries are improving. A few are even getting worse.   Europe Europe leads the rankings. It is no surprise that Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway take the top four places. These countries have excellent public education systems and native languages that are structurally similar to English. In almost every country surveyed, women speak much better English than men. But in the northern European countries, the gender gap is very small. France is the exception in Western Europe. Its English proficiency is much lower than its neighbors. The French take great pride in their national language. The report says France’s poor performance could be due to a “cultural aversion” to English.  France ranks below less-developed countries Indonesia, Ukraine, and Peru. Turkey has the lowest English proficiency in Europe. Its ranking has gone down since 2012. The report says Turkey’s emphasis on grammar and memorization discourages students. But with its young population, it could improve quickly if it took the right education reforms. Asia In Asia, China has slipped 10 places since last year. Part of this drop is because the survey added three countries. The other reason is that seven Latin American countries showed more improvement than China. Minh Tran is EF’s Director of Research and Academic Partnerships. He says China has made great progress over the past 10 years and the overall trend is still positive. But he says China will have to change the way it teaches English if it wants to reach a higher level. “They’ll need to significantly improve teacher quality and put a strong focus on a communicative approach, right? Because, often in China, students are still learning English to pass a test, and not yet to learn English to communicate. So that is perhaps the next step for China.” China’s neighbors continue to invest heavily in English education. Singapore, Malaysia, and India have the highest proficiency in the region. As former British colonies, these countries have long histories of using English, especially in higher education. “English fever” continues in South Korea, where people spend more money on English education than any other place in the world. But South Korea’s average English level is not improving. South Korean public schools “fail to teach English at a high level,” the report says. Vietnam has improved slightly since last year. Thailand and Cambodia remain at very low proficiency, despite their strong tourism industries. Latin America On the other side of the Pacific Ocean, Latin America has shown slow improvement over the past eight years. Most of the gains are among young people. But the overall adult English level is still low. Argentina is the first and only Latin American country to rank as “high proficiency” on the survey. The report says teacher quality is a major problem across the region. Young people who can speak English can make far more money in fields outside of teaching. Brazil has shown some improvement, but it still does not have enough competent English speakers in its workforce, the report says. In preparation for the 2016 Olympics, the government is offering free English lessons to 150,000 tourism professionals. Last year, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said the government will invest $690 million USD in English education. Some of the money will be used to train 12,000 teachers and help pay for private English lessons for 40,000 professionals. Middle East and North Africa In contrast to the rest of the world, English ability is going down in the Middle East and North Africa. Youth unemployment is high throughout the region, even among college graduates. The United Arab Emirates, with its large multinational work force, ranks better than its neighbors. However, it still has low proficiency. Education has suffered because of violence and instability in Iraq, Yemen, and Libya, where English levels are very low. Syria was not included in the survey. The Gulf kingdoms of Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia have very low English proficiency despite their wealth. The survey did not include sub-Saharan African countries. Methodology The EF English Proficiency Index is based on the online test scores of 910,000 adults in 70 countries. The results do not reflect the entire population of a country. The report is based on data from people who took an EF online English test in 2014. How does your English compare? You can take one of the tests used in the survey. It is called the EFSET, and you can take it online for free. I’m Jill Robbins. And I’m Jonathan Evans. How did your country rank on the survey? Do you agree with your country’s ranking? Write to us in the comments section. Adam Brock wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Jill Robbins and Kathleen Struck were the editors.   Words in the Story proficiency – n. the state of being good at doing something structurally – adv. relating to the way something is built or organized gender gap – n. the difference in opportunities, status, attitudes, etc., between men and women aversion – n. a strong feeling of not liking something communicative approach – n. an approach to language teaching that emphasizes interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal of study. colony – n. an area that is controlled by or belongs to a country and is usually far away from it competent – adj. having the necessary ability or skills : able to do something well or well enough to meet a standard

from Voice of America http://ift.tt/1KWAjEa
via IFTTT

Erdogan’s Party Winner in Turkish Elections

  Turkish elections on Sunday returned a majority to the Justice and Development Party (AKP), led by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. AKP is Turkey’s socially conservative party. It claimed nearly 50 percent of the vote, and won 316 seats of the 550-member parliament. For AKP to gain a majority, 276 seats had to be won. The Republican People’s Party (CHP) took 25 percent of the vote. Security was high in Turkey during the election. More than 385,000 police patrolled the streets for the nine hours of voting. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu asked for unity late Sunday. He called for citizens to prepare for “a new Turkey in which politics are normalized.”  Tensions were high before the election. President Erdogan’s government clashed with pro-Kurdish leftists, feminists and nationalist Kurds. Sunday’s results sparked protests in southeastern Turkey’s mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir. Government security forces fired tear gas at protesters in southeast Turkey. Erdogan responded with a message to the Kurds in the southeast that “violence cannot coexist with democracy.” The liberal pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) along with the CHP will be seated in the assembly. The victory came five months after AKP lost its majority in parliament.  The party held that majority for more than 10 years. I'm Mario Ritter. Jim Dresbach adapted this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. _____________________________________________________ Words in This Story feminist – n.  someone who believes that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities What do you think about the Turkish election results? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and on our Facebook page.

from Voice of America http://ift.tt/1Mfzmwb
via IFTTT

US 'Advisors' to Syria Frustrates Anti-Assad Rebels

  Tensions and frustrations were high as the United States said it would send forces into Northern Syria to fight Islamic State. The frustration came from the Free Syrian Army (FSA), the Syrian National Coalition and Sunni Arab rebels attempting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The groups say they are upset with the U.S. government’s lack of communication with them. The U.S. announced it would send military special forces – fewer than 50 of them – to Syria to fight against Islamic State. Rebel commanders with the FSA say they were not told of the U.S. decision. A top FSA commander told VOA in an email that “I don’t have any idea about the sending of U.S. soldiers to Syria.”   FSA leaders said they learned of the U.S.’s plans from reporters after the news was announced in Washington, D.C. The Syrian National Coalition also complained of the U.S. strategy in Syria.  SNC vice-president Nagham al-Ghadri said “from the beginning of the revolution until now, there is always an excuse why the U.S. is not supporting us more.” Al-Ghadri said the main goal in Syria should be getting rid of Assad. She said “ISIS will be easy to get rid of when Assad is removed. Our to-do list is: No. 1, [against] the regime and to get rid of Assad and No. 2, ISIS.” Other Syrian factions were upset when the Americans said the Kurdish YPG – an offshoot of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) – is its most trusted partner on the ground in Syria. The U.S. has increased arms supplies to FSA. But FSA is upset at the U.S. for not supplying anti-aircraft missiles. I'm Jonathan Evans. Jamie Dettmer reported on this story for VOANews.com. Jim Dresbach adapted this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. Do you live in Syria or the Mideast? Tell us what you think about the U.S. sending advisors to Syria. Please comment on this page or on our Facebook page.  _________________________________________________________ Words in This Story frustration – n. a feeling of anger or annoyance caused by being unable to do something e-mail – n. a system for sending messages from one computer to another computer factions – n. a group within a larger group that has different ideas and opinions than the rest of the group We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section and on our Facebook page.  ​

from Voice of America http://ift.tt/1KWuJBI
via IFTTT

Angry Men Win Friends and Influence While Angry Women Lose

Angry men appear to gain influence in a group, but angry women lose influence, according to a new study. Researchers from Arizona State University (ASU) published their findings in the journal Law and Human Behavior.  Jessica Salerno is a psychologist and was co-author of the study. The findings suggest that “women might not have the same opportunity for influence when they express anger,” she said. The study found that when men expressed their opinion with anger, participants rated them as more believable. But when women expressed anger, they were viewed as more emotional and, thus, less convincing. In other words, a man could benefit from using anger in power and persuasion. A woman, however, could be ignored or hurt by her group if she expressed anger. The study was based on the responses of 210 students. They were shown testimony and photographs online from a real murder trial. A man had allegedly murdered his wife. The students were asked to decide if the man was guilty or not. Before making their decision, the students discussed the case online with five jurors. But these were not real jurors: They were computers generating responses and comments back to the students. Some of the fake jurors had male identities. Others had female identities.     Some male jurors were angry about the verdict. When this happened, the students reacted by doubting their own decisions about the case. Confidence in their responses on the verdict “dropped significantly,” said the study. But, when female jurors seemed angry, the student participants “became significantly more confident in their original verdicts,” the study found. The study could have wider importance. “Our results have implications for any woman who is trying to exert influence on a decision in their workplace and everyday lives,” said Salerno. This includes governing bodies, task forces and committees. She added that in a political debate, a female candidate might have less influence if she shows anger. An example is the 2016 Democratic presidential race. “This might explain why Bernie Sanders is able to freely express his passion and conviction, while Hillary Clinton clearly regulates her emotions more carefully,” concluded Salerno.  In the entertainment world, actor Jennifer Lawrence recently wrote that women and men in Hollywood are treated differently when expressing their opinions. “All I hear and see all day are men speaking their opinions,” she wrote. “And I give mine in the same exact manner, and you [would] have thought I said something offensive.” I’m Mary Gotschall.      Matthew Hilburn reported on this story for VOANews.com. Mary Gotschall adapted this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. Have you ever felt misunderstood when you spoke up for yourself? Please leave a Comment and post on our Facebook page.  ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story psychologist – n. a scientist who specializes in the study and treatment of the mind and behavior opportunity – n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done participant – n. a person who is involved in an activity or event implications – n. a possible future effect or result — usually plural exert – v. to cause (force, effort, etc.) to have an effect or to be felt passion – n. a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something conviction – n. a strong belief or opinion ​

from Voice of America http://ift.tt/1Q4kB1y
via IFTTT

Major World Sports Championships Decided

Two world championships were decided this weekend on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean. In England, the Rugby World Cup was decided. In New York, the baseball season saw its final pitch. More than 80,000 spectators watched New Zealand win the Rugby championship 34-17 over rival Australia. The match was held Saturday at the famous Twickenham Stadium near London. It was the second-straight world title for New Zealand. Fans call the team All Blacks because of their black uniforms. A day later, the baseball World Series came to a close with a win by the Kansas City Royals over the New York Mets. The game went into “extra innings,” similar to overtime in other sports. In the World Series, the first team to win four games claims victory. The Royals won four of the first five games played with the Mets. Kansas City last won in 1985. The Rugby World Cup opened September 18, when England defeated Fiji. Forty-eight matches and six weeks later, New Zealand won the title. Going into the tournament, the All Blacks were ranked No. 1 in the world. The Associated Press news service called the two title runs by New Zealand “one of the most dominant eras in rugby history.” Every tournament like this has a “favorite,” or the team expected to win. The tournament also has an “underdog,” or team less likely to win. But the underdog often becomes a sentimental favorite. It is a team to root for if you do not have another favorite. This year in the Rugby World Cup, the “underdog” team was Japan. Coming into the tournament, Japan was ranked 13th in the world. But after an impressive showing in the group stage of the tournament, Japan moved up three places to 10th. Aside from the championship game itself, the match that created the most buzz came when Japan defeated world No. 3 South Africa 34-32. The Associated Press called it “the biggest shock in Rugby World Cup history.” South Africa was a two-time World Cup champion. Japan had only ever won one match in the World Cup before that game. Japan hoped to advance to the elimination stage of the tournament for the first time ever. But before the “Brave Blossoms” played their final game of the tournament, they were eliminated in a tie-breaker. Rugby could become the hot sport in Japan. A record 25-million Japanese television viewers watched the team defeat Samoa on October 3. In the baseball championships, the playoff tournament started with 10 teams in early October. Less than a month later, the Kansas City Royals were the winners. The Royals were once one of baseball’s best teams. They made the playoffs seven times in 10 years, starting in 1976. They won the World Series in 1985. Ahead of the series, many experts expected the Mets pitchers to overpower the Royals hitters. But that was not the case. Kansas City scored 27 runs in five games. Salvador Perez, the Royals’ Venezuelan catcher, was named most valuable player. The Royals were trailing 2-0 for most of the decisive game. They scored twice in the top of the ninth inning to force extra innings. Kansas City manager Ned Yost said he never had any doubt his team would find a way to win on Sunday night. "And for us to go into the ninth inning down two, you know, it never entered my mind that we were gonna not going to score two, or three to take the lead at that point. For our guys to go out and find a way to score two at that point, we felt great. And we’ve said it all along: If we can tie the game late in the game, we love our bullpen. We feel like our bullpen is going to be able to hold the fort until we find a way to score. Again it’s just a team that never quits, never panics, they just find ways to win baseball games." In an interesting scheduling quirk, the Royals and Mets will play each other to start next season. They face off on Opening Day, April 4, 2016. I’m Jonathan Evans. Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. Did you watch the Rugby World Cup or the World Series? What did you think? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section or on our Facebook page.   ________________________________________________________________   Words in This Story   buzz – n. excited talk about something tie-breaker – n. something (such as an extra period of play or an extra question) that is used to decide a winner when a game, contest, etc., has ended with a tied score era – n. a period of time that is associated with a particular quality, event, person, etc. quirk – n. something strange that happens by chance score – v. to get points, goals, runs, etc., in a game or contest sentimental – adj. based on, showing, or resulting from feelings or emotions rather than reason or thought trailing – v. to be behind in a race or competition underdog – n. a person, team, etc., that is expected to lose a contest or battle championship – n. an important competition that decides which player or team is the best in a particular sport, game, etc. spectator – n. a person who watches an event, show, game, activity, etc., often as part of an audience tournament – n. a sports competition or series of contests that involves many players or teams and that usually continues for at least several days elimination – n. the act or process of removing something or someone      

from Voice of America http://ift.tt/1WusVvU
via IFTTT

World Will Be Watching Myanmar’s Elections

Myanmar will hold elections November 8. It will be the first general election in 25 years for the country, also known as Burma. A nominally civilian government took power in 2011. But the armed forces remain firmly in control of the political process. Aung San Suu Kyi heads the main opposition party, the National League for Democracy. She has called on international observers to become actively involved in the election process. The European Union says it will have 30 long-term observers in Myanmar during the election. The EU said it will deploy more than 60 short-term observers across country. The American-based Carter Center also is sending election observers. The National League for Democracy won 43 seats in parliamentary by-elections in 2012. The party won the general elections in 1990, but the country’s military rulers ignored the results. This week, an NLD campaign rally in Yangon was attacked, leaving a local lawmaker and two other men injured. Officials said several men armed with knives attacked the gathering. The attack is likely to raise fears of violence before the general election. On Thursday, a United Nations human rights investigator called for the elections to be inclusive, free and credible. U.N. Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee expressed concern that universal rights, such as freedom of expression, assembly and association, have been restricted. She also noted religious discrimination. She said that many Muslim voters and candidates have been barred from the election. Yanghee Lee said the largest number of excluded candidates is from Rakhine State. Among voters, she says, nearly 800,000 people who had the right to vote in the 2010 and 2012 elections are not permitted to vote this year. She said they were told their temporary registration documents are no longer accepted. This includes many people of Chinese or Indian ancestry, but mainly Rohingya from Rakhine State. More than 100,000 Muslims from the Rohingya minority have been living in camps after religious violence in Rakhine State. Tens of thousands of Rohingya are believed to have fled the country by boat.  Earlier this year, President Thein Sein canceled the voting rights of all Rohingya. United States officials say the government in Myanmar has promised the vote will be free and fair. U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes met with reporters in Yangon last week. He spoke about his meetings with Myanmar officials, political parties and civil society groups. Rhodes said he was satisfied with the answers he was given at those talks. He said the U.S. government is hopeful the election results will be honored. But he warned the government will be forced to re-examine its position if the results are not respected. “Clearly that would represent a step backwards. And we would have to make assessments about, you know, our policies and our engagement in response to something like that.” I’m Mario Ritter. This story was based on reports from VOA’s United Nations correspondent Margaret Basheer and reporters Katie Arnold, Khin Soe Win and Thengi Lynn. George Grow adapted their reports for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story nominally – n. existing as something in name only; supposedly rally – n. a political meeting or gathering credible – adj. good enough to be believed or trusted universal – adj. available for everyone; existing or true at all times or places assembly – n. the act of meeting with other people association – n. having ties with an organized group of people excluded – adj. prevented or barred assessments – n. making judgments or opinions about something engagement – n. involvement with something or someone response – n. answer or in reaction We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

from Voice of America http://ift.tt/1H4fRq3
via IFTTT

VOA English Newscast: 2000 UTC November 2, 2015

From Washington, this is VOA news…I'm Dave DeForest reporting Russian airliner crash in Egypt not due to pilot error. Senior officials at Metrojet have ruled out any technical failure or human error from the airline, blaming "external" reasons for the plane crash that killed all 224 people aboard. Metrojet deputy director for aviation Aleksander Smirnov says the plane was damaged in a way that did not allow it to continue to fly. He said the only way to explain the crash is (what he called) "some kind of external action." Turkish elections Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the world should respect his Justice and Development Party's victory in a parliamentary election Sunday.  He said the people of Turkey have voted for stability. Mr. Erdogan's remarks were an apparent reference to the Western media's often critical coverage of his government's policies, which they say stifled criticism. Kerry in Kazakhstan U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev Monday that the United States is appreciative of his support for nuclear non-proliferation and the fight against Islamic State insurgents. The top U.S. diplomat stopped in the Kazakh capital of Astana as part of his four-day tour of former Soviet states in central Asia.  UN Condemns Attack; Praises Somali Army The United Nations Security Council has condemned Sunday's attack by Somali militant group al-Shabab on a Mogadishu hotel.  That attack left at least 12 people dead, including the owner of the hotel, a military commander and two lawmakers. The council praised the response by Somalia's army, which killed all of the attackers, and stated that "terrorism in all its forms and manifestations" is one of the most serious threats to global peace. This is VOA News. US Mission in Syria The White House says U.S. special operations troops sent to Syria will not be there to engage in raids or combat. White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said the troops are intended to be a force multiplier that will allow for those on the front lines of the fight against ISIL to better their efforts to take the territory back.  But he admitted that U.S. troops "may have to engage the enemy." China on One-Child Policy; New Laws China's top family planning authority says the country's one-child policy will continue to be implemented until new rules allowing couples to have two children go into effect. The announcement by the National Health and Family Planning Commission contradicts remarks by officials in Hunan province who told a local newspaper that those currently pregnant with a second child would not be punished. China has started to implement a new set of revised criminal laws that include punishments for Internet users for what the government calls "starting rumors through the web." According to the new law effective November 1, when netizens pass on what’s called "false information" via Weibo and other social media outlets, or post messages that (quoting now) "fabricate false danger, disease, disaster, or police information" on forum boards, they can be prosecuted and sentenced to up to 7 years in prison. Meeting of Asian Leaders South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have agreed to quickly resolve a decades-long dispute over Korean women forced to serve as sex slaves during Japan's occupation of the Korean peninsula in the first half of the 20th century. The two leaders made the promise during a bilateral summit in Seoul Monday, their first since Abe took office in 2012 and Park in 2013.  New Atarctic Ice Study A new study of ice formation in Antarctica could challenge conventional wisdom that the continent is losing ice. An article says satellite data shows the ice sheet in Antarctica gained 112 billion tons of ice. I’m Dave Deforest in Washington.

from Voice of America http://ift.tt/1LN6Xfv
via IFTTT

Introvert or Extrovert. Which one are you?

Officials Say ‘External Reasons’ Brought Plane Down

Technical failure and human error did not cause Flight 7K9268 to crash, say senior officials at Metrojet. But if they do know what caused the crash, they are not saying. The Russian Metrojet plane disappeared from radar on Saturday over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula about 20 minutes after it took off. It had reached a high altitude, officials said. It was flying from a vacation town in Egypt to St. Petersburg, Russia. The plane broke apart in the sky, officials said. All 224 people on board died. Nearly all the passengers were Russian tourists. Three Ukrainians were also among the dead. The crash was the worst in Russia’s flying history. Emergency crews have recovered both the plane's black boxes. The boxes record flight data and pilot communications. The information on the black boxes has not yet been released. Airline says the plane and crew are not to blame A top Metrojet official rejected the idea that a 2001 repair to the plane's tail could have caused the crash. However, poor repairs to older planes have caused similar crashes.  No technical failures could cause a plane to break up in the air, Metrojet’s deputy director told reporters in Moscow. "The plane wasn't flying, it was falling," Aleksander Smirnov said. Smirnov pointed out that the crew lost total control. No one on the plane called for help. He said the crew did not make a mistake.  Smirnov said the only way to explain the crash is "some kind of external action." But Russian government officials say it is too early for the airline to know if technical failure or human error might have caused the crash. Terrorism? The New York Times newspaper noted that Russia recently sent troops into Syria. Those troops defend President Bashar al-Assad and attack his opponents. They also attack the terrorist group, Islamic State. That military action has made some call for a global jihad against Russia. Militants who say they are linked to the Islamic State claim they shot down the plane. But aviation and military experts say they believe the group does not have missiles that could reach the plane's altitude of 9,100 meters. James Clapper, the U.S. director of national intelligence, said Monday that "we don't have any direct evidence of any terrorist involvement yet'' in the crash. But he noted that the Islamic State group has a significant presence in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.  A spokesman for Russian president Vladimir Putin said officials were considering all ideas about what might have caused the crash. That included a terrorist attack, he said. Meanwhile, investigators continue to examine the crash site and gather information. And, some airlines – including Air France, Lufthansa, Emirates and Qatar Airways – say they will stop flying over the Sinai Peninsula for safety reasons.  I’m Caty Weaver. Daniel Schearf reported on this story for VOANews.com. Kelly Jean Kelly adapted this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. What do you think brought down Flight 7K9268​ and why? Does this make you afraid to fly? Please leave us a comment or post to us on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story external – adj. coming from outside aviation – n. the business or practice of flying airplanes, helicopters, etc. altitude – n. the height of something (such as an airplane) above the level of the sea

from Voice of America http://ift.tt/1NNraT9
via IFTTT