Missing Booksellers Raise Fear of Lost Freedom in Hong Kong

Chinese security forces confirmed they are holding Lee Bo, one of five book publishers who recently disappeared. Lee is a small publisher of books about China and its leaders. He was last seen December 30 on his way to his warehouse. Lee publishes books that are critical of the Chinese government and detail the personal lives of government officials. These officials do not want the public knowing about their personal affairs. Until the confirmation, no one had heard from Lee for weeks. His wife received a message in early January that he was alright, according to a report by the Reuters news service. The confirmation that Lee is in China came because of an inquiry from the Hong Kong police. Gui Minhai is another missing bookseller. He was last seen in October in Thailand. But he resurfaced during a state media broadcast on Sunday. Gui says he returned to China to answer for his role in killing a student during a traffic accident over 10 years ago. In an interview with Reuters, Gui’s daughter says the allegation that her father was involved in an accident is “ridiculous.” She says she thinks her father was abducted because of his work. Two of five missing publishers have now been heard from, but questions remain about freedoms in Hong Kong. The case of the missing booksellers is important for Hong Kong because the island’s residents are supposed to have different rights and protections than people who live in China. Those rights are part of Hong Kong’s “Basic Law” which provides freedom from arbitrary arrests and the right to elect a chief executive for the island. Albert Ho is a member of the Hong Kong Democratic Party. He says the disappearances of Lee and other publishers is a problem. “It is very threatening to the Hong Kong people, because it is related to the basic personal safety and the security of the city. It is much more than a question of political development or democratization. It concerns whether any Hong Kong citizen is vulnerable to being taken away or kidnapped.” The disappearances prompted protest marches earlier in January. They also resulted in some Hong Kong bookstores removing the contested books from their shelves. William Nee works with the human rights organization Amnesty International. He says the government in Hong Kong needs to do more to be sure the territory’s rights are protected. “You know, the government needs to continue over the long run to be very vigilant in ensuring that the rights guaranteed in the Basic Law are actually implemented.” I’m Dan Friedell.   Shannon Van Sant wrote this story for VOANews.com Dan Friedell adapted it for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. Do you think the missing booksellers in Hong Kong are being silenced? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   abduct – v. to take (someone) away from a place by force allegation – n. a statement saying that someone has done something wrong or illegal executive – n. a person who manages or directs other people in a company or organization contest – v. to make (something) the subject of an argument or a legal case : to say that you do not agree with or accept vigilant – adj. carefully noticing problems or signs of danger vulnerable – adj. open to attack, harm, or damage      

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English @ the Movies: 'Put Your Foot Down'

This English @ the Movies phrase is "put your foot down." It comes from the funny movie "Inside Out," about a young girl and the emotions inside her head. At one point, her dad gets so mad, he ends up having to put his foot down. What does that mean? Find out.

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January 21, 2016

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

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subtract (verb)

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American Concerts Available Worldwide

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra will be performing works by Georges Bizet Friday morning. You might enjoy classical music and like to attend the performance, but live far away from America’s Motor City. On Saturday, the GoGo group Curtis Johnson & The Band Eternity is performing at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. If you live overseas, going to that show is probably out of the question. But there is a solution! These and other concerts are available “live” on the Internet. You can hear them in real time with an electronic device. Both performances will be available on the World Wide Web. They are part of a growing number of concerts broadcast on computers, tablets and smart phones. These digital concerts are known as live-streaming. Technology expert Michael Antonoff says better and less costly equipment is making it easier for performers and theaters to offer music "live" online. The quality of the sound and video images are improving all the time, he says. A few years ago, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra experienced hard times, similar to its home city’s financial problems. The orchestra even had to cancel its 2010-2011 season because of a bitter labor dispute. After the dispute ended, the group started offering concerts online. Those online concerts now have as many as 40,000 viewers per show. People in 100 nations are watching. “It is a huge part of our increasing global reach,” said Eric Woodhams, director of digital initiatives at the Detroit Symphony. He said it also increases donations to the orchestra. Some concerts are done from fine arts centers. The Kennedy Center has been offering live webcasts of its daily, free 6 o’clock concerts since 1999. Other performers sing from their living rooms, using a small camera or two and several microphones to capture their songs. But it does take some getting used to, especially the lack of a live audience. “The first time we played, the lack of reaction was somewhat weird, but you quickly get used to it,’’ said Graydon James of Toronto’s Young Novelists. “You finish the song and there's a moment of quiet, then you start chatting again.” People show their appreciation by leaving comments in the space provided. After a recent webcast concert by California singer-songwriter Marina V. ((Verenikina)), people offered these comments:  “Wow,” “Great song,” “You killed it,” and “Standing ovation.” Many livestream concerts charge between $2 and $10 to watch. Many are free or let people choose how much to pay. People can add “tips” for the performers – much like someone might leave extra money for a server at a restaurant. “People can be surprisingly generous and streaming services now have interesting perks you can add in to the experience,” says James of The Young Novelists. “We've done things like say give us a tip of $5 or more and we'll play a cover song you request.” On New Year’s Eve, many people at Washington’s Kennedy Center were dancing to the modern jazz tunes of Michael Mwenso & the Shakes. Mwenso urged people watching at home to join in the dancing. But performers cannot see whether their online followers are dancing, cheering or falling asleep. For international performers, Kennedy Center officials see a jump in online viewership from the home countries of the performer. There is hometown pride when an artist is performing at one of America’s best-known concert venues, says the Kennedy Center’s Garth Ross. At a recent Kennedy Center concert, a performer said he was so happy that his disabled mother back in California could watch his performance. It is not just music being streamed on the web. On December 10, the producer of the musical “Daddy Long Legs” put the show on the web free of charge. It was the first live webcast of a New York musical. Over 150,000 people from 135 nations watched, producer Ken Davenport said. In other words, it would take his musical 2.7 years of sold out performances to draw that many people. Davenport said the webcast provided the “word-of-mouth” that smaller theaters like his, “need to get noticed.” Popular sites streaming live concerts and other events include:  https://www.stageit.com, http://ift.tt/1Nuv2c4 and http://livestream.com. I'm Jim Tedder   Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Who would you like to see perform online? Have you ever watched an online concert and, if you did, what did you think?​ Write to us in the Comments section or share your views on our Facebook Page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   classical – adj. relating to music in a European tradition that includes opera and symphony and that is generally considered more serious than other kinds of music solution – n. something that solves a problem concert – n. a public performance of music electronic – adj. operating through the use of many small electrical parts performance -- n. an activity (such as singing a song or acting in a play) that a person or group does to entertain an audience digital – adj. showing the time with numbers instead of with hour and minute hands viewer – n. a person who watches a show on television, or online global – adj. worldwide audience – n. a group of people who gather together to listen to something, such as a concert or play appreciation – n. a feeling of being grateful for something generous – adj. freely giving or sharing money and other valuable things pride – n. a feeling of happiness that you get when you or someone you know does something good  

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VOA English Newscast: 2000 UTC January 20, 2016

  From Washington, this is VOA News.       I’m Dave DeForest reporting. An attack in Pakistan: A gun and bomb attack on Bacha Khan University in the Pakistani town of Charsadda Wednesday left at least 20 people dead and many wounded. A military spokesman says 18 students and two university staff are among the dead. Troops gunned down four attackers. There are conflicting statements from the Taliban about its involvement in the attack. Afghan officials say a suicide car bomb near the Russian Embassy in Kabul has killed at least seven people. Police say the attack targeted a minibus carrying the production staff of an Afghan television channel. Several employees of Tolo TV are among the dead. The Taliban claimed responsibility for that attack. Falling oil prices, China's economic slowdown, and a pessimistic outlook for the overall global economy this year has sparked another selloff on stocks on global markets. U.S. indexes fell 3.4 percent or more in Wednesday's afternoon trading. Stocks in Germany, France and Britain dropped. Markets closed down in Asia. A United Nations delegation flew to Burundi Wednesday to urge the government and the opposition to begin talks before it is too late to avert a catastrophe. It is the second time the Security Council has sent a delegation to the country in less than a year -- a clear indication of its growing concern about the escalating bloodshed. U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power is a part of the group. “They cannot let it become business as usual, when you wake up in the morning and there is a corpse on the street as you try to get to work. And that is what is starting to happen in Burundi. The election-related violence has killed at least 439 people since April. This is VOA News. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This News   staff – n. employees or workers gunned down – v. shooting and killing someone television channel – n. television station pessimistic – adj. having or showing a lack of hope outlook – n. a set of conditions that will probably exist in the future overall – adv. as a whole or in general global – adj. of or involving the whole world sparked – v. setting off a burst of activity indexes – n. measurements that show the value or quality of something catastrophe – n. a horrible disaster indication – n. a sign or expression of something escalating – v. becoming worse or more severe bloodshed – n. violence corpse – n. a dead body   We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. ​

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Bomb Threats Empty Schools in 7 States

Police are investigating threats against dozens of schools this week in seven U.S. states. Searches failed to find bombs or other dangers. Threats were called in to at least 26 schools in New Jersey on Tuesday. Most were to schools in suburbs of New York City, police said. Other threats were called in Tuesday to schools in Maryland, Iowa, Massachusetts, Delaware, Arizona and Florida. Wednesday brought more bomb threats to schools in Delaware and Arizona. The threats come at a time polling shows Americans worried about terrorist attacks. New Jersey police officials said voices on the threatening phone calls sounded altered by computers. The calls were traced to Bakersfield, California, police said. At Clifton High School, a voice mail warned of a bomb. A separate call warned of a “mass shooting” at the school later on Tuesday, said Sgt. Robert Bracken of Clifton Police Department. The responses to the threats varied, according to news reports. Some schools moved students to other buildings while officials searched the threatened schools. In New Jersey, some students said they waited outside their schools for an hour or more without coats in below freezing temperatures. Other schools closed for the day. And some kept students “locked down” in their classrooms. In New Jersey, police used dogs trained to smell explosives. Police and school officials said Tuesday they could not say if most threats came from a single group or person. They also said they did not know the reason threats were made. Some police said some calls appear the work of “copy cats.” Copy cats are people who repeat an action taken by somebody else. Last month, threats were made to school administration offices in New York City and Los Angeles. Emails warned of attacks on multiple schools in the two cities. Los Angeles officials decided to close their schools that day, but New York City officials kept schools open. No bombs were found. Los Angeles and New York are the largest school districts in the United States. The threats are making some students and parents nervous. NBC 4 TV News in New York reported some students said they decided not to return to school Tuesday after the “all clear” signal was given because they remained afraid. Last month, President Barack Obama observed the third anniversary of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. A lone gunman killed his mother and then drove to the school where he killed 20 first graders and six educators. In Virginia, Prince William County school and police officials met Monday with parents to discuss recent bomb threats at four county high schools. Insidenova.com reported that officials told parents most people planning school shootings “do not advertise shootings.” “We have to take the threat seriously, but we also have to balance our approach so that we’re not scaring the kids,” said Police Lieutenant David Burghart, according to Insidenova.com But a school official told parents they should tell their children to report any threats they hear about from classmates or others. I'm Jonathan Evans.   Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. His report was based on police and media reports. Kathleen Struck was the editor. Share your comments below or on our Facebook page.​ _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story suburb – n. a town or other area where people live in houses near a larger city alter – v. to change something or someone voice mail – n. a message left on a telephone answering device response – n. something that is done as a reaction to something else vary – v. different responses to the same problem locked down -- v. to be kept in place dozens - n. large numbers of people or things polling - n. an activity in which many people are asked questions in an effort to get information about what most people think about something according - adv. as stated by or in coats - n. an outer piece of clothing that keeps a person warm or dry​

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Celebrity Pulls Driver from Burning Car

This is What’s Trending Today. Actor Jamie Foxx won an Academy Award for playing singer Ray Charles in the film “Ray.” Foxx is famous for his work in movies, his jokes in stand-up comedy routines and even for recording songs. And on Monday, Foxx added another honor to the list. He saved a man from a burning car. Thirty-two-year-old Brett Kyle drove a truck off the road in front of Foxx’s home in California. The truck hit a ditch and reportedly turned over several times. The truck caught fire and Foxx ran out of his home to help. He pulled the driver out of the truck and to safety. Kyle was taken to the hospital for treatment of serious injuries. He also was arrested for drunken driving. Foxx met with the man’s father on Tuesday. The story was one of the top trending items on Twitter Wednesday morning. People had only good things to say about Foxx for doing a good deed. And Foxx added a photo to Instagram. It shows him hugging Kyle’s father. Foxx wrote: “This is all that matters. That a man, a son, a brother's life was spared last night.” And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Have you ever done a good deed? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   spare – v. to not destroy or harm (something) ditch – n. a long narrow hole that is dug along a road, field, etc., and used to hold or move water deed– n. something that is done : an act or action comedy routines – n. presenting a series of jokes as part of a performance hugging – v. to put your arms around someone as a way of showing love or friendship drunken driving - expression. to be arrested for driving after drinking alcohol

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Students, Teachers Dead in Attack in Pakistan

Four attackers used guns and bombs to kill at least 21 students and teachers Wednesday morning at Bacha Khan University in northwest Pakistan. Officials say many more were wounded. Police say the four attackers entered the university in Charsadda at around nine in the morning and began shooting students and teachers. Students and university workers told a VOA correspondent at the university that some of those killed or wounded were both shot and stabbed. Police official Saeed Wazir Khan said at least two of the attackers were suicide bombers. A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban denied responsibility for the attack. Mohammad Khorasani said the group does not target non-military organizations. But earlier, a Taliban commander in the area said he sent the four attackers to the university. A Pakistani military spokesman said troops killed the four attackers and took control of the university. About 3,000 students attend the university. Charsadda is about 50 kilometers from the provincial capital, Peshawar. In December 2014, militants linked to the Pakistani Taliban attacked a school in Peshawar and killed 150 people, most of them children. I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise. Reporters Ayesha Tanzeem and Ayaz Gul prepared stories on the attack for VOANews.com. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted their stories for 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   spokesman - n. a person who speaks for someone else or for a group provincial - adj. of or concerning a province (an area outside the capital or a city)

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Cameron Calls for Female Immigrants to Learn English

British Prime Minister David Cameron has called for women immigrants to Britain to learn English within 30 months or be deported. The plan targets Muslim women joining their husbands already in Britain. Cameron said his plan would help Muslim women immigrants who spend most of their time at home. Cameron wrote Monday that 190,000 Muslim women speak poor English and 38,000 Muslim women speak no English, although they have lived in Britain for years. Their lack of English socially isolates them, he said. Cameron said his plan will help all migrants. Critics said he was “singling out” Muslims. Cameron said people who do not speak English often live apart from British society. He said they are more likely to be radicalized. He said he believes his plan will help keep the country safe. He says there is no connection between a lack of English and being radicalized. But, he said, “if you are not able to speak English, not able to integrate, you may find, therefore, you have challenges understanding what your identity is and therefore you could be more susceptible to the extremist message.” He said the government will spend more than $28 million for English classes for migrants. The classes would focus on immigrant woman living in isolated communities. The government said classes would take place in homes, schools and community centers. Travel and childcare costs would be paid. The government says the plan would take effect in October. Female immigrants must pass an English test within two-and-a-half years of their arrival, or face removal from the country. That threat would remain even if they have children in Britain. No plans are in place to remove migrants who fail the test. But officials said the government may refuse to extend visas or could deny the immigrants permission to stay in the country permanently. Andy Burnham is a senior member of the opposition Labor Party. He called the plan a “simplistic, headline-driven approach to extremism (that) risks unfairly stigmatizing a whole community, thereby making the problem worse.” He said all women -- religious or secular -- should be helped to learn English, not just Muslim women. Burnham noted that the government had cut spending on English-language classes in 2011. The Ramadhan Foundation, a Muslim group, also criticized Cameron. It said very few of the 3 million Muslims in Britain are extremists. It said the best way to fight terrorism “is to build support (with) Muslims and support the work done across the country,” not denigrating Muslims. But Naz Shah, a Muslim and a Labor member of parliament, supports the plan. Shah noted that “too many children…are starting school with no English because it is not spoken at home." He says that has an effect on their learning ability because “education starts in the home.” I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise. This story was curated from WashingtonPost.com, HeraldScotland.com, newsweek.com, theguardian.com, inquisitr.com and thetimes.co.uk. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   deported - v. expelled from a country radicalized - v. causing someone to become more extreme therefore - adv. for that reason thereby - adv. because of those words or that action isolated – adj. separate from others single out – v. to treat or to speak about (someone or something in a group) in a way that is different from the way you treat or speak about others integrated – adj. allowing all types of people to participate or be included; not segregated susceptible – adj. easily affected, influenced, or harmed by something (often + to) approach – n. a way of dealing with something; a way of doing or thinking about something; the act of speaking to someone for some purpose (such as to ask a question or make a request) stigmatize – v. to describe or regard (something, such as a characteristic or group of people) in a way that shows strong disapproval denigrate – v. to say very critical and often unfair things about (someone)

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VOA Talks With Astronauts in Space

VOA's Anne Ball interviews U.S. astronaut, Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut, Flight Engineer Mikhail Kornienko on the International Space Station on Wednesday

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