Russia, Ukraine See Red Over Coca-Cola Message

The red-and-white logo for Coca-Cola is quickly recognized by people around the world. It uses those colors in advertising and promotional messages. Here’s a message about “Back to the Future Day” in October 2015. It uses those iconic colors and logo. Here’s another promotion around Daylight Saving Time. So when Coca-Cola posted a message to VKontakte, Russia’s most popular social network, it included a map of Russia. And it was only expecting good will. But the map did not include the contested Crimean peninsula in the Black Sea. It also did not include two islands. And Coca-Cola’s social media followers let the company know. Russia says the Crimean peninsula belongs to it. Russians complained that the map was not accurate. So Coca-Cola re-drew the map, including the missing islands and peninsula. The company wrote “The map has been corrected! We hope you will understand,” along with an apology. But then people from Ukraine got upset. Ukraine says the Crimean peninsula belongs to it. Ukrainians wrote posts on social media with the hashtag #BanCocaCola. So many people were upset about this, that the Ukraine embassy in Washington discussed the map with Coca-Cola and the State Department. The conversation elicited an official apology letter from Coca-Cola’s chief public affairs officer. “We clearly missed the mark with this holiday greeting,” it said. I’m Dan Friedell.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. His report was based on stories in The New York Times and The Guardian. 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   contest – v. to challenge, question, push back, disagree elicit – v. to get a response peninsula – n. a piece of land that is almost entirely surrounded by water and is attached to a larger land area complain – v. to say or write that you are unhappy, sick, uncomfortable, etc., or that you do not like something iconic – adj. something widely known logo – n. a symbol that is used to identify a company and that appears on its products

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Everyday Grammar: Pronoun I and Me

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Davos Explores World's Pressing Issues

From VOA Learning English, this is In The News. Falling oil prices are one reason leading measures of world stock markets have dropped in value this year. Yet a United States government official says low oil prices are helping people worldwide. Treasury Security Jack Lew spoke this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Oil is one of many issues the forum’s delegates are talking about. Crude oil now is priced below $27 a barrel on the world market. Lew said that means consumers "have more money in their pockets," to buy products they need or to improve their own finances by paying down debt or saving money. He noted that low oil prices do not have "to be bad for the overall global economy." Once a year, political and business leaders, activists and others gather in Davos for talks on issues that beyond economics. This year, another major issue was concern over China’s economic slowdown. Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund, said poor communication by Chinese economic managers has worried investors. She said questions about the value of the Chinese currency, the renminbi, are at the center of current fears about the country's economy.  Feng Xinghai, the vice-chairman of China's securities regulator, reacted to her comments. He said, "We have to be patient because our system is not structured in a way that is able to communicate seamlessly with the market." Jack Lew said the slowdown in Chinese economic growth, the other main factor in falling stock prices, was not a surprise. But he said it shows China needs to press ahead with a "long and difficult transition" to change its economy. That means the country should redirect its attention from exports to a more consumer-driven economy. China this week said its economy grew by 6.9 percent in 2015. That was its slowest growth in 25 years. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden also spoke at Davos. He called for a fairer share of the gains resulting from progress in technology. He spoke days after the non-profit group Oxfam reported that the world's 62 richest people own as much wealth as half of the rest of the world. Biden called for the end of offshore tax shelters for the rich. He also urged political and business leaders to create economic opportunities for more people. Biden asked, "Will we end up creating more of a two-tier society than exists today?" High-level technology received a lot of attention at Davos because of a robot attendee. HUBO is the South Korean humanoid robot. It won the DARPA Robot Challenge last year. The robot showed its ability to walk and operate tools. And the Internet of things, electronic devices connected wirelessly by the Internet, was identified as a rapidly developing field. Delegates also talked about three dimensional printing and even implanting phones in the body. These technologies are seen as driving what has been called the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Not all of the meetings deal with business. Queen Rania of Jordan said short-term solutions can lead to long-term problems. She appealed to rich countries to create a special economic zone for refugees from Syria. Syrian refugees now make up 20 percent of Jordan’s population.   On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry praised the work of the international coalition fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. He promised the militant group would be defeated. Kerry also said the best way to ensure peace in the Middle East is to work toward a negotiated political settlement in Syria. And that’s In The News. I’m Mario Ritter. This story includes material from reports by VOA’s Ken Bredemeier and Zladica Hoke. Mario Ritter adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   offshore – adj. located in a foreign country or territory two-tier – adj. having two levels or two different groups barrel – n. the standard measurement of oil consumers – n. someone who buys good and services opportunities – n. chances to do or accomplish something DARPA --​ n. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, a U.S. agency that invests in technologies for national security rapidly – adj. quickly three-dimensional – adj. having length, width and height

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Is There a Ninth Planet in Our Solar System?

Scientists said they have found evidence of a giant planet far out in our solar system. In a statement, the California Institute of Technology – Caltech -- said this planet travels a strange “highly elongated orbit in the distant solar system.” The discovery was made by two researchers at Caltech: Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown.  They used mathematical modeling and computer simulations to find the planet. So far, there have not been any direct observations of the planet.  “My jaw hit the floor,” said astronomer Mike Brown, the moment he realized there might be a ninth planet. The scientists said it would take this planet 10,000 to 20,000 years just to make one full orbit around the sun. The new planet, called “Planet Nine” has a mass about 10 times the size of Earth.  If they are right, the newly found planet would be the ninth planet in our solar system.  Pluto had been called the ninth planet until 2006, when it was renamed a “dwarf planet.” Actual confirmation of a ninth planet would be very big news. “This would be a real ninth planet,” Brown said in the statement. “There have only been two true planets discovered since ancient times, and this would be a third. It’s a pretty substantial chunk of our solar system that’s still out there to be found, which is pretty exciting.” It is believed that the planet orbits, or travels, around the sun from a great distance. The planet Neptune’s average distance to the sun is about 4.5 billion kilometers.  But “Planet Nine,” could be 20 times farther away from the sun than that. While they did not get a picture of “Planet Nine” yet, the scientists say they are using the biggest—and best -- telescopes on Earth to try to find “Planet Nine.” They are also working on fine-tuning their computer simulations.  They want to find out more about “Planet Nine’s” orbit, and its impact on the outer part of our solar system.  Brown and Batygin reported their findings in the Astronomical Journal. They say that this new planet is so large that there should be no doubt that it is a true planet, once they confirm it. Robert Massey is with the Royal Astronomical Society in London.  He told AFP that planets have been predicted before, and then were not found. But, he said the work of these researchers is definitely worth following up. “It would be a really exciting thing to find. At the moment it’s simply a prediction.” I’m Anne Ball.   Rick Pantaleo reported on this story for VOANews.com. Anne Ball adapted this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. What do you think we might find on another planet? Write to us in the Comments section and on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   solar system –n. our sun and the planets that move around it elongated –adj. stretched out orbit –n. path of one body as it moves around another simulation –n. something made to  look or behave like something else so it can be studied fine-tuning –v. to make small changes to improve the way something works

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Scientists Find Most Ancient Evidence of War

British scientists say they have found the oldest known evidence of war. Researchers discovered the remains of 27 people near Lake Turkana in northern Kenya. Scientists say they believe the remains are from a Stone Age culture of about 10,000 years ago. The so-called Nataruk fossils show signs of a violent attack. The dig also uncovered weapons including arrows, clubs and stone blades. The scientists published a paper on their findings in the journal Nature. Marta Mirazon Lahr was the lead investigator. She is a paleoanthropologist at the University of Cambridge in Britain. She wrote that the victims were people who hunted, fished and gathered plants for food. She described the 10,000-year-old battle in which they were killed as a “brutal” attack. One skeleton was found with a blade of volcanic glass still stuck in his head. A woman in late pregnancy appeared to have been bound by her hands and feet. Our species arose 200,000 years ago in Africa. Many experts had thought war did not begin until humans started to form settled communities. But the Nataruk people were nomadic hunter-gatherers of an earlier period. So, scientist Lahr says, the findings “raise the question of whether warfare has been part of the human experience for much longer than previously thought." The remains found included 21 adults and six children. Most of the children were younger than 6. I'm Anne Ball.   Jim Dresbach adapted this story for Learning English from Reuters news report. Caty Weaver 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   Stone Age – n. the oldest period in which human beings are known to have existed: the age during which humans made and used stone tools club – n. a heavy usually wooden stick that is used as a weapon​ blade – n. the flat sharp part of a weapon or tool that is used for cutting​ paleoanthropologist – n. a researcher of the origins and predecessors of the present human species, using fossils and other remains​ brutal – adj. extremely cruel​ nomadic – adj. of, or relating to, a group of people who move from place to place instead of living in one place all the time

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Stranded Cuban Migrants Arrive in US

The first of thousands of Cuban migrants stranded in Costa Rica have entered the United States. As many as 8,000 Cuban migrants have been stuck in Costa Rica for several months. They traveled from their homes to Ecuador through Colombia and Panama, and into Costa Rica. Nicaragua then denied the migrants entry. The migrants left Cuba for the United States. They said they feared that they would miss the opportunity to seek asylum in the U.S. Recently improved relations between the U.S. and Cuba could end a policy that gives Cubans asylum rights if they arrive by land. U.S. and Central American leaders reached an agreement in December. The deal permits the migrants to be flown from Costa Rica to El Salvador, before being taken to the U.S.-Mexico border by bus. The migrants arrived in Miami Sunday, after 180 of them first crossed the U.S.-Mexico border last week at Laredo, Texas. The plan will be reviewed by the Central American governments before it is expanded to allow the other Cubans to leave for the U.S. Officials estimate it will take 28 airplane flights to get all of the Cuban migrants to El Salvador. I'm George Grow.    VOANews.com reported on this story. Ashley Thompson adapted this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section and on our Facebook page.  ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   asylum – n. protection given by a government to someone who has left another country in order to escape being harmed

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These Models Make Money Hand Over Foot

Gisele Bundchen, Cindy Crawford and Kate Moss are some of the super-models of the fashion world.  But there are other highly paid models whose faces you’ve never seen. These people work in “body parts modeling,” a specialized area of the modeling business. You have probably seen their beautiful hands, exquisite feet or fabulous earlobes in advertisements for elegant gloves, designer shoes or expensive earrings. “Parts models are in huge demand from companies who want the perfect hands, legs, feet or other body parts to advertise their product,” writes Vanessa Helmer, a modeling expert, in a blog on modeling.about.com. Hands, feet and legs are the most requested body parts for both men and women models. But, Helmer notes, if you have beautiful eyes, hair, earlobes, lips or teeth, you can market those, too. It is quite a profitable business. Forbes.com reported that top parts models earn around $1,000 per day for TV commercials, and between $2,000 to $5,000 a day for print work. A female parts model with great legs and feet can earn about $75,000 a year – and even more in New York City, which is home to major advertising agencies.   If a modeling agency represents you and finds you modeling work, the agency will take a commission ranging from 10 percent to 20 percent, reports Jobmonkey.com.       As with super-models in the fashion world, there are top-of-the-line parts models who get high fees. An example is Ellen Sirot, one of the highest-paid hand and foot models in the U.S. She appeared on a TV show called “The Big Idea,” hosted by Donny Deutsch. Sirot said the very highest-paid hand models can earn as much as $10,000 a day, but “feet modelling doesn’t pay as much because there aren’t as many foot jobs.” Top foot models can earn from $500 to $2,000 per hour, she added. It is not enough to have beautiful hands and feet. You have to be able to “act” with them, too, said Sirot. You need those parts to show emotions and feelings to successfully sell a product. During a photo shoot, feet may need to act “like they’re getting a chill up the spine,” in order to create the right message for a particular product, she explained. To succeed in this area of modeling, you have to keep your hands or feet in exquisite shape. Sirot said she wears shoes one size too big to protect her feet. She said she never wears high heels or pointy shoes – except when she’s modeling. Nicki Donohoe, age 37, is a hand, foot and leg model in Great Britain. She told the Daily Mail that she goes to great lengths to protect them. She wears cotton gloves when she leaves the house -- even when she’s sunbathing. And she moisturizes her hands and feet “up to 10 times a day to keep her fingers and toes in tip-top condition.” Donohoe does about two body-part modeling jobs a week and has appeared on television ads around the world. The former makeup artist told the Daily Mail that being a body parts model is “the hardest work of any job I’ve ever had.”   I’m Mary Gotschall.                  Mary Gotschall wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. Do you have an opinion about this topic? Let us know what you think in the Comments section below, or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   fashion – n. the business of creating and selling clothes in new styles exquisite – adj. very beautiful or delicate fabulous – adj. very good earlobe – n. the soft part of the ear that hangs down from the bottom  commercial – n. an advertisement on radio or television commission – n. an amount of money paid to an employee for selling something spine – n. the row of connected bones down the middle of the back : backbone moisturize – v. to add moisture to (something, such as a person's skin)

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One Percent of US Visitors Overstayed Visas

About 1 percent of visitors to the United States who arrived by air or sea last year overstayed their visas, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Tuesday. About 45 million visitors came to the U.S. between October 1, 2014 and September 30, 2015. Some were business or pleasure travelers in the U.S. with visas that expired with time. Others were in the U.S. under a program that reviews them in advance. DHS said that by September 30, 2015, about 416,500 had not left the U.S. Another 66,500 people stayed past their leave dates, but later left the U.S. The number of visitors who overstayed in the U.S. was lowest among 38 countries that are part of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). VWP allows some travelers into the United States for tourism or business for 90 days or less without a visa. Countries with the highest rates of visitors who did not leave were Djibouti, Bhutan, Burkina Faso and Afghanistan. The report did not include numbers of visitors that entered by land, especially visitors from Canada and Mexico. More than 200 million people entered the U.S. at land border crossings in 2015. The department says it will try to include them in future reports. The report did not include the kind of visas recorded in the survey. DHS says it would like the report to review more F, M and J visas. An F1 visa allows non-immigrant students into the U.S. M1 visas are issued to students who are working in the U.S. or training for a job. J visas are issued to students in exchange programs. Congress passed new rules in December that tighten the waiver program. Any citizen from Iran, Iraq, Syria or Sudan -- or anyone who traveled to one of those countries in the past five years -- is not eligible for a waiver and must get a visa to enter the U.S. I’m Jim Dresbach.   The VOA News staff reported on this story for VOANews.com. Jim Dresbach adapted this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section and on our Facebook page.  ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   expired - v. ended reviewed - v. examined; studied advance - n. forward movement; progress in the development of something waiver – n. an official document indicating that someone has given up or waived a right or requirement issued - v. giving something in an official or public way ​

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English in a Minute: In the Spotlight

Some American English expressions like to be at the center of attention! What do you think "in the spotlight" means? Watch this week's English in a Minute to find out!

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Nearly 19,000 Iraqi Civilians Killed in Two Years

The United Nations says that nearly 19,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed in the fighting with Islamic State militants in the past two years. In addition to the 18,800 civilians deaths, the United Nations report says another 36,000 were wounded between January 2014 and October 2015. The report includes interviews from victims, survivors or witnesses of violations. Ravina Shamdasani is a U.N. human rights spokesperson. She says the numbers do not fully represent what is happening in Iraq. The report only includes the number of people directly killed by violence. It does not include many others who have died from lack of access to food, water or medical care. UN blames Islamic State U.N. observers blame most of these deaths on Islamic State militants. They say victims include those seen as being opposed to the terror group’s rule. Victims have included government civil servants, doctors and lawyers, journalists and tribal and religious leaders. The report says women and children are subject to sexual violence and sexual slavery. The report finds that people judged by Islamic State's self-appointed courts face punishments, such as stoning and amputations. It details examples of public executions. The examples include shootings, beheadings, burning people alive and throwing people off of buildings. Crimes against humanity The U.N. spokesperson says some of the incidents are war crimes and crimes against humanity.  She says the Islamic State targets ethnic and religious minorities. The U.N. finds pro-government forces also are guilty of human rights violations. It says it has received reports of unlawful killings and other abuses by those forces. The U.N. report notes some of these incidents may have been actions against supposed Islamic State supporters.   Lisa Schlein reported on this story for VOANews.com. Ashley Thompson adapted this story for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   spokesperson - n. a person who speaks for someone else or a group access - n. a way of getting at or near someone or something journalists - n. news reporters; media workers amputate – v. to cut off (part of a person's body)   We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section and on our Facebook page. ​

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Major Snowstorm Covers Eastern US

Up to 85 million people are in the path of a major snow storm along the East Coast of the U.S. Hundreds of thousand are without power and thousands more are stranded.

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