VOA English Newscast: 1400 UTC January 15, 2016

  From Washington, this is VOA News.      I’m Steve Karesh reporting. An official in Sierra Leone confirms that a corpse has tested positive for the Ebola virus, this just a day after the World Health Organization declared an end to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. WHO spokesman Tarek Jasarevic says that the teams are taking appropriate action on the ground to prevent further spread of the disease. “There are teams on the ground from the Ministry of Health, supported by international partners. And right now there is work being done to see, to trace contacts obviously, to see who could have been exposed and to make sure that all necessary measures are being done to stop this flare-up as soon as possible.” On Thursday, the World Health Organization announced an end to the Ebola virus outbreak in Liberia, meaning all three countries at the epicenter of the West African outbreak were considered Ebola-free. Witnesses in Somalia's Gedo region say al-Shabab militants attacked an African Union military base Friday near the town of El-Adde, some 60 kilometers south of regional capital, Garbaharey. Witnesses tell VOA the attackers rammed at least four cars filled with explosives into the main gates of the southern Somali base. The blasts were followed by heavy gunfire between the attackers and Kenyan soldiers. Casualty numbers can not be independently verified. Al-Shabab says it has killed more than 60 Kenyan troops. Deputy Gedo Governor Mohamed Hussein Isaak tells VOA that at least 40 Kenyan soldiers were killed. The African Union mission in Somalia, known as AMISOM, confirmed the attack but refused to give details. Residents say al-Shabab has taken control of the town and surrounding areas. This is VOA News. _______________________________________________________________   Words in This Newscast corpse – n. a dead body; human remains positive – adj. completely sure that something is true or correct outbreak – n. a sudden start or increase of fighting or disease spokesman – n. a man who speaks for or represents something or someone else appropriate – adj. right for some purpose or situation trace – n. a sign of evidence of some past thing exposed – adj. not protected or covered flare-up – n. a sudden development or outburst of something epicenter – n. center; the part of the earth’s surface that is directly above the place where an earthquake starts regional – adj. of or related to a local area rammed – v. hit; struck gate – n. an opening in a wall or fence casualty – n. a person who is hurt or killed during a war or in an accident verified – v. confirmed deputy – adj. an assistant who helps the leader of an organization mission – n. a job that someone is given to do resident – n. someone who lives in a given area   We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. ​

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French Jews Debate Wearing Skullcaps

A knife attack in France that injured a Jew has started a debate about wearing head coverings that show a person is Jewish. “Even if we don’t wear one, we’ll always be attacked,” Israel Nessim told VOA near a synagogue -- a Jewish religious center -- in Paris. “We’ll always be recognized as Jews,” he said. Jewish men who are religious wear a head covering called a kippah, yarmulke or skullcap. On Monday, a school teacher in Marseille who was wearing a kippah was attacked. The attacker was a Kurdish teenager who claimed to support the Islamic State terrorist group. Zvi Ammar, a leader in the Jewish community in Marseille, said Jewish men and boys should not wear the kippah “until better days.” Other French-Jewish leaders urge boys and men to continue wearing a kippah. They include the country’s top Jewish religious leader and the head of a national Jewish group. Philippe Zribi is a Jewish butcher in Paris. He does not wear a kippah. But he says “I believe people should be able to wear what they want. We need to terrorize the terrorists, not be terrorized by the terrorists.” Jews in other countries are debating whether to stop wearing skullcaps. Last year, the leader of a Jewish organization in Germany said Jewish men should stop wearing the kippah in areas where many Muslims live. About 500,000 Jews live in France. A study by the group Human Rights First reported a sharp increase in anti-Semitic attacks in 2014. And it said more than 7,200 French Jews had moved to Israel that year. I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise.   Lisa Bryant reported on this story from Paris. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted her story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. What do you think about increased violence against religious people? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   kippah; yarmulke – n. a small, round head covering that is worn by some religious Jewish men skullcap – n. a small, round cap that sits on top of the head and that is worn by religious Jewish men and Catholic clergymen butcher – n. someone who cuts and sells meat in a shop, or kills animals and prepares their meat to be eaten anti-Semitic – adj. feeling or showing hatred of Jewish people  

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January 14, 2016

A look at the best news photos from around the world.

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'Spotlight' on 2016 Oscar Nominees

The survival epic “The Revenant” and the science fiction tale “The Martian” are among the top nominees for Academy Awards this year. The Oscar nominations were announced early Thursday in Beverly Hills, California.​ “The Revenant” and “The Martian” are among the eight nominated for best motion picture. The others include “Mad Max: Fury Road,” the latest in the Australian series of post-apocalyptic drama, and “Bridge of Spies,” based on a true story of spying during the Cold War. Best actor nominees Leonardo DiCaprio, star of “The Revenant,” and “The Martian” lead Matt Damon will compete for the best actor Oscar. The two also face Bryan Cranston in his portrayal of the Hollywood writer and title character of “Trumbo.” The Academy also honored Eddie Redmayne with a best actor nomination. He plays a transgender person in “The Danish Girl.”  Actor Michael Fassbender is also up for the award for playing the Apple company founder Steve Jobs in the movie of the same name. Best actress nominees Best actress nominees include Cate Blanchett for “Carol,” a story of a romance between two women, and Jennifer Lawrence for “Joy.” Lawrence plays the real inventor and successful businesswoman Joy Mangano. Actor Brie Larson is also nominated for her role as a mother held captive with her child for years in the film “Room.” Oscar nominees for supporting performances include Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams for “Spotlight.” The film is based on the true story of the journalists who uncovered the child sex crimes in the Catholic Church. Rooney Mara was nominated for “Carol,” Tom Hardy for “The Revenant,” and Christian Bale is up for his part in “The Big Short.” Sylvester Stallone is also nominated for “Creed” in which he returns as the boxer, now trainer, character Rocky Balboa. Honored directors and the ignored Nominees for best director include George Miller for “Mad Max: Fury Road,” Alejandro Inarritu for “The Revenant,” and Tom McCarthy for “Spotlight.” As always, there were snubs. Ridley Scott did not make the list of best directors, although his film “The Martian” was honored with several nominations. Michael Keaton failed was not nominated for his supporting role in “Spotlight.” And Johnny Depp’s starring role as the true-life gangster Whitey Bulger in “Black Mass” was not recommended for an award. African-Americans were once again notably missing. Among the surprising omissions was director F. Gary Gray for the hip hop story “Straight Outta Compton.” Foreign language nominees This year's foreign language nominees include the Arabic-language “Theeb” from Jordan. It is about a Bedouin boy who travels with a British officer through the Arabian desert during World War I. Hungarian entry “Son of Saul” is a Holocaust drama. “Embrace of the Serpent,” from Colombia, is about an Amazon healer. Denmark is represented with “A War,” which tells of Danish soldiers in Afghanistan.  The final nominee, “Mustang,” is a French film set in Turkey. It tells the story of five orphaned sisters. And the Oscar goes to... The Oscars are considered the top award in the American movie industry. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present the awards in a televised ceremony February 28 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. I’m Jim Tedder.   VOA’s Mike O’Sullivan reported this story from Los Angeles. Caty Weaver adapted it for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. Did you see any of the nominated movies? What are your thoughts about the group? Let us know in the Comments section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   post-apocalyptic – adj. of, relating to, or involving conditions following terrible violence and destruction Cold War – n. the nonviolent conflict between the U.S. and the former U.S.S.R. after 1945 revenant – n. one that returns after death or a long absence romance – n. an exciting and sometimes short relationship between lovers journalist – n. someone who has a job collecting, writing, and editing news stories for newspapers, magazines, television, or radio snub – n. the act of ignoring (someone) in a deliberate and insulting way gangster – n. a member of a group of violent criminals omission – n. something that has not been included or done : something that has been omitted

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Trending Today: Oscars, Alan Rickman, and the Powerball

  This is What’s Trending Today… #Oscars The nominations for the year’s Academy Awards have been announced. “The Revenant” led the way, with 12 Oscar nominations.The film is an 1820s-era drama about a man trying to survive in the wild after a bear attack. "The Revenant" will compete with "Mad Max: Fury Road," "The Big Short," "Bridge of Spies," "Brooklyn," "The Martian," "Room" and "Spotlight" for best picture. On social media, talk was about the lack of diversity among the nominees -- for the second straight year. All of the actors and actresses nominated where white. On Twitter, the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite reappeared. The hashtag first appeared last year, when nominees were also said to lack diversity. ​ ​Will Smith, who stars in football drama "Concussion," and Idris Elba from "Beasts of No Nation" were among the black actors who were not nominated.  Both films had received positive reviews. Reginald Hudlin, who will produce the Oscars ceremony on February 28, said ignoring black actors is “tragic.” Alan Rickman dies British actor Alan Rickman has died after a battle with cancer. He was 69 years old. In recent years, he was most well-known for playing Professor Snape in the Harry Potter films. Rickman won a Golden Globe and an Emmy during his career. He was famous for playing Hollywood villains, but he also starred in films such as “Love, Actually” and “Truly Madly Deeply.” On social media, actors and fans remembered Rickman. Daniel Radcliffe starred alongside Rickman as Harry Potter.  He wrote on his Google Plus page that Rickman was “undoubtedly one of the greatest actors I will ever work with.” Harry Potter author JK Rowling tweeted: "There are no words to express how shocked and devastated I am to hear of Alan Rickman's death. He was a magnificent actor and a wonderful man.” ​#Powerball winners The record-breaking $1.5-billion Powerball lottery has a winner. Or three. Powerball announced winners in three states: Tennessee, California, and Florida. The identities of the winners have not been released. But on social media, people are already claiming to be Powerball winners. Instagram user Erik Bragg posted a photo of himself holding a lottery ticket with Wednesday night’s winning numbers. The photo received almost 95,000 likes and 74,000 comments. Most commenters said that he was not an actual winner. And, he is not.   Bragg was not the only fake winner on social media. Many other people on Instagram and Twitter posted similar photos.   The Washington Post even published an article Thursday that explains how to know if the lottery tickets posted on social media are fake. And that’s What’s Trending Today. I'm Ashley Thompson. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   era - n. a period of time diversity - n. the state of having people who are different races or who have different cultures in a group or organization tragic - adj. involving very sad or serious topics lottery - n.  a way of raising money for a government, charity, etc., in which many tickets are sold and a few of the tickets are chosen by chance to win prizes fake - adj. not true or real  

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Series of Explosions Spread Terror in Jakarta

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a bomb and gun attack Thursday in Indonesia’s capital. The attack left at least seven people dead, including a Canadian and an Indonesian. Twenty other people were wounded. Officials said all five attackers were killed. A news agency linked to Islamic State says the attacks took place in an upscale neighborhood in central Jakarta. Earlier, an Indonesian national police spokesman said a group allied with the Islamic State was probably responsible for the attacks. He said the attackers likely wanted to copy the terror attacks in Paris two months ago. The Jakarta police chief, Tito Karnavian, named an Indonesian in Syria as being responsible. “All leaders of Islamic State in Southeast Asia are competing to be the regional chief. That’s why (Indonesian fighter) Bahrun Naim plotted this attack,” he said. The violence began with a series of explosions on Thursday morning. Six blasts were reported near a shopping center, hotels and embassies. Gun battles between militants and police took place throughout the day. By late afternoon, officials said the attack had ended. "This is a very popular shopping area with restaurants and office buildings," said Frans Demon, a VOA Indonesian Service reporter in Jakarta. He also said the bombs exploded not far from a United Nations office, the presidential palace and the U.S. Embassy. The embassy will remain closed on Friday, as a precaution. The president of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, called the attacks “acts of terror.” He told the country not be afraid and asked for calm. In November, Indonesian officials received a threat from Islamic State about a bomb attack in Jakarta. Before Thursday’s attacks, the last attack against foreigners in Jakarta was a hotel bombing in 2009. I’m Mario Ritter. VOA correspondent Steve Herman reported on this story. Jim Dresbach adapted this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story upscale – adj. relating to something that is costly or pricey regional – adj. affecting, of or serving a given area blasts – n. explosions shopping – adj. of or relating to a place where goods are bought and sold precaution - n. a safety measure We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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Philippines Offering 8 Military Bases to US

  The Philippines agreed to allow the United States to operate eight military bases within the country. The announcement came as the U.S. and Philippines were given legal permission this week to move forward with a 2014 defense agreement. The U.S. Defense Department said the United States will be able to use the eight bases to house U.S. troops and other personnel. The United States will be able to move jet fighters and warships to the eight locations, according to the Defense Department. Philippine and U.S. officials said moving forward with the agreement will keep China from blocking access to the South China Sea. The announcement drew immediate criticism from China. Among the facilities that the United States will be allowed to use is Clark Air Base, according to Philippine officials. Clark was built and operated as a U.S. base on the island of Luzon until it was handed over to the Philippines in 1992. The U.S. pulled troops and equipment out of the Philippines then, as well. The pull out came after the Philippines refused to renew leases for American bases. The United States is also looking to use its former Naval Base Subic Bay. Officials said talks on that are continuing. The 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement has been on hold because of a court challenge. But the Philippines Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled the agreement is constitutional, allowing it to move forward. U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said the return of U.S. troops to the Philippines will help keep the South China Sea open to commerce. “The United States has indicated our intention to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, whether it be the South China Sea or anywhere else around the world,” Carter said during a meeting this week with Philippine officials in Washington. An editorial this week in China’s official Xinhua News Agency said the U.S.-Philippines agreement will “only escalate tensions and undermine peace and stability in the region.” The editorial said the Philippines “appears to be now turning to Uncle Sam to back its ambition to counter China.”   Since the United States left the Philippines more than 20 years ago, China has increased operations in the South China Sea. Tensions have been high lately over China’s building of runways on seven artificial islands. China built the islands on disputed South China Sea reefs. “Our security interests are becoming increasingly intertwined,” said Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin. China claims control over most of the South China Sea. But there are conflicting claims by the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei. I'm Mario Ritter.   Nike Ching wrote this report for VOANews.com. Bruce Alpert adapted this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   allow - v. to permit; to let personnel – n. the people who work for a particular company or agency handed over v. to give up something commerce – n. activities that relate to the buying and selling of goods and services indicate – v. to show that something exists or is true intention – n. the thing that you plan to do or achieve escalate – v. to become worse or to make something worse or more severe tension – n. a state in which people, groups, countries, etc., disagree with and feel anger toward each other undermine – v. to make something or someone weaker or less effective stability – n. the quality or state of being stable ambition – n. a particular goal or aim intertwine – v. when two countries are moved to closer together We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or share your views on our Facebook Page.

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English @ the Movies: 'Cooked Up'

Here is a scary thought. What if dinosaurs were brought back to life? They have been gone a long time from our planet, but in the movie "Jurassic World," they are back. Wonder what it means if something is "cooked up?" Listen, and find out.

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Turkey Claims It Has Killed 200 IS Fighters

Turkish forces have killed 200 Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has announced. The retaliation responds to a suicide bomb attack that killed 10 German travelers in Istanbul this week. Fifteen people were hurt in the bombing, including Germans. The New York Times newspaper reports citizens of Norway, Peru and South Korea were also wounded. Davutoglu said Turkish forces attacked numerous Islamic State terrorist group targets along its border with Syria and near a Turkish camp in northern Iraq. They used artillery and tanks in the attacks, which were carried out within the past two days. He said if necessary, Turkey would also launch air attacks against the group. And he said Turkish forces will pressure the Islamist fighters until they leave the border areas. However, Turkey’s war planes have not flown in Syrian air space since late November, when a Turkish pilot shot down a Russian fighter jet. Separately, Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala said seven people have been arrested for taking part in the planning of the attack. He said three of them are Russian citizens. The attack happened in Sultanahmet Square, a popular tourist area. Turkish officials say the attack was carried out by a 28-year-old Syrian member of the Islamic State terrorist group. They said Nabil Fadli had recently entered Turkey from Syria as a refugee, but he was not on any Turkish lists of suspected terrorists. The interior minister said 36,000 people from 124 countries are banned from entering Turkey. Over the past few days, Turkish forces have detained more than 70 people suspected of being members of the Islamic State terrorist group. It is not known if any of them are linked to the suicide bombing in Istanbul. I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise. VOA News Writer Ken Bredemeier wrote this story. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it into VOA Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   retaliate – v. to do something bad to someone who has hurt you or treated you badly; to get revenge against someone respond – v. to do something as a reaction to something that has happened or been done tourist – n. a person who travels to a place for pleasure  

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VOA English Newscast: 1400 UTC January 14, 2016

  From Washington, this is VOA News.        I’m Ira Mellman reporting. There is a claim of responsibility for a terrorist attack today in Indonesia. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for Thursday's coordinated bomb and gun attack in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta that left seven people dead, including all five attackers. The violence began with a series of explosions in the middle of the morning in an area near a shopping center, luxury hotels, embassies, and other office buildings. In total, six blasts were reported. At least one of those blasts occurred close to a Starbucks coffee shop frequented by foreigners. The coffee chain later said it closed all of its locations in Jakarta as a security precaution. Here is VOA Indonesian Service reporter Frans Demon. “They (the attackers) using grenades, but some say that they may also use suicide bombs near the Starbucks café. But the grenades they throw to the police.” By late afternoon, authorities declared the attack over, saying all five militants were killed. Two other people, a Canadian and an Indonesian, were also killed, according to police. Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim majority nation, has been the target of several terrorist attacks, most notably the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, most of them foreign tourists. Before Thursday, the last attack against foreigners was a twin hotel bombing in Jakarta in 2009. Jakarta has long been warning about the threat of recruitment by Islamic State and other extremist groups. Hundreds of Indonesians are believed to have left to fight with Islamic State in Syria and in Iraq. Make sure you follow all the latest developments on this story and all else on our website. You can find it at voanews.com. This is VOA News. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Newscast   coordinated – adj. organized shopping – adj. of or related to a place where goods and/or services are sold luxury – adj. very rich, desirable or costly blasts – n. explosions occurred – v. took pace frequented – v. visited chain – n. a group of businesses usually under a single ownership locations – n. places precaution – n. something that is done to prevent possible harm or trouble grenades – n. small bombs cafe – n. a small restaurant where simple meals and drinks are served afternoon – n. the middle of the day authorities – n. officials tourists – n. people who travel to a place for fun or pleasure twin – n. one of two persons or things that are closely related recruitment – adj. of or related to adding new members to a population or group   We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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Have You Perfected the Perfect Tenses?

Editor’s note: This is the third episode of four-part series on verb tenses. Be sure to listen to part one and part two first. For VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar. Today we are going to talk about the perfect verb tenses. Perfect tenses generally focus on how a past action affects the present.For example, “I have already eaten.” The suggestion is that the speaker is not hungry. Perfect verb tenses are the most difficult for English learners. The term “perfect” can be confusing. What does grammar have to do with not making mistakes? When you are talking about grammar, perfect has a different meaning. It comes from the Latin word perfectum, which means “complete.” The most important thing to remember is the perfect tenses always refer to completed actions. If you get confused, try replacing “perfect” with “completed” and the time relationship should become clearer. PERFECT TENSES It had already snowed before I left.   Had + past participle verb I have driven in snow many times.   Have/has + past participle verb   It will have snowed 6 inches by the end of the day. Will have + past participle verb     Present perfect We will start with the present perfect. You form the present perfect using has or have followed by a past participle verb. For example, “I have seen Star Wars.” The use of the present perfect here gives us three pieces of information. First, it tells us that the event is finished. Second, it tells us that the exact time of the action is unknown or unimportant. Third, it suggests that the experience of seeing Star Wars has some effect in the present. One of the most difficult distinctions for English learners to make is the difference between the simple past and present perfect. Remember, when there is a specific time, you use the simple past. In the sentence “I saw Star Wars last night,” the adverb last night is a specific time. You cannot say “I have seen Star Wars last night.” But, you could say, “I have seen Star Wars before” or “in the past” or “three times.” You should also use the present perfect to refer to a repeated action in the past. For example, “I have taken that test four times.” The exact time of each action is not important. You can also use the present perfect to describe an action that did not happen, using the adverb never. “I have never traveled outside of my country” and “I have never smoked in my entire life.” Something that did not happen the past, like not traveling and not smoking, can also have an effect in the present. The adverbs never, already, yet and so far are common in the present perfect. Adverbs are often the best indicators of which verb tense to use. Past Perfect Now let us look at the past perfect. The past perfect describes an activity that was finished before another event in the past. For example, “She had already had a baby before she graduated.” To form the past perfect, use had followed by a past participle verb. For the second action, use before or by the time followed by the simple past verb. Imagine you were at a New Year’s Eve party, but you fell asleep before midnight. You could say, “I had already fallen asleep before the New Year came.” You can use the past perfect to talk about how an experience from the distant past relates to an experience from the more recent past. For example, “The soldier wasn’t scared because he had already been in battle before.” In other words, battle was not a new experience for the soldier. If the time relationship is clear, you can choose between the past perfect and the simple past. “My grandfather passed away before I was born,” has the same meaning as “My grandfather had passed away before I was born.” The past perfect just emphasizes that the first action was completed before the second action. Future perfect Let us move on to the future perfect. Use the future perfect when you know that one future action will be completed before another future action. For example, “I will have graduated from college before my little brother graduates from high school.” The future perfect has very limited use because we rarely know a future sequence of events with any certainty. When it is used, the future perfect usually refers to major life events that are planned years in advance. And those are the three perfect tenses. Join us next week on Everyday Grammar for an explanation of the perfect progressive tenses. I’m John Russell. And I’m Ashley Thompson. Adam Brock wrote this story for Learning English. Jill Robbins and Kathleen Struck were the editors. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story participle - grammar. a form of a verb that is used to indicate a past or present action and that can also be used like an adjective adverb - grammar. a word that describes a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or a sentence and that is often used to show time, manner, place, or degree indicator - n. a sign that shows the condition or existence of something scared - adj. afraid of something 

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