Security Summit Focuses on N. Korea, Terror Threat

U.S. President Barack Obama opened his final nuclear security summit in Washington on Thursday, expressing concerns over North Korea's nuclear weapons development and the possibility of dirty bombs from terrorists. Ahead of the summit, Obama met with South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss the North Korean nuclear threat in the region. He said, "One of the topics now most on our minds is the issue of North Korea and we are united in our efforts to deter and defend against North Korean provocations" North Korea nuclear threat On Thursday, The Washington Post published an opinion article from President Obama. He wrote, “The international community must remain united in the face of North Korea’s continued provocations, including its recent nuclear test and missile launches. The additional sanctions recently imposed on Pyongyang by the United Nations Security Council show that violations have consequences.” The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution earlier this month to impose tough new sanctions on North Korea. The sanctions are meant to punish North Korea for its recent nuclear and long-range missile tests. The resolution will need China’s cooperation since 90 percent of North Korean trade goes through China. The U.S. has been asking China to use its influence to limit North Korea’s nuclear activities. Rose Gottemoeller is an Under-Secretary of State. She said on Wednesday that the cooperation between the U.S. and China has been "very, very good." "China joins with us in a very strong and intense focus on ensuring good, solid implementation of the U.N. Security Council resolution, which, as many of you know, places strong constraints on North Korea's ability to continue to conduct commerce across its borders, whether by sea, air or land," said Gottemoeller. The U.S. and South Korea have also been discussing the deployment of a missile defense system, called THAAD. It stands for Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense. The missile system is to protect South Korea from the North’s nuclear threat. China has opposed the deployment since it would also give the U.S. radar coverage over Chinese territory. U.S.-China relations U.S.-China relations, however, are complicated with maritime disputes in the South China Sea. China has launched major construction projects in the South China Sea for the past two years. It has claimed sovereignty over a large part of the sea. China has built new artificial islands, airport runways and buildings, ignoring claims from Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. Recently, China has deployed a radar system and an advanced surface-to-air missile system on Woody Island. The island is part of the Paracel Islands, also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam. While the U.S. does not claim any territory in the South China Sea, it has been sending warships through the disputed water near the Spratly and Paracel islands. China has called U.S. operations in the South China Sea “provocative behavior.” But both countries have avoided any escalation of tensions. Terror threat Leaders at the summit are especially concerned about the security of nuclear materials and facilities in countries such as Pakistan. On Easter Sunday, a terrorist attack in Lahore killed more than 70 people. The Brussels terrorist attacks on March 22 showed how dangerous terrorist groups like the Islamic State have become. After the attacks, Belgium has put armed guards at its nuclear facilities. Sharon Squassoni is an expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. She said while progress has been made to secure nuclear materials, “there is still material out there and the material that we’re talking about is highly enriched uranium.” The U.S. says the world has 2,000 metric tons of highly enriched uranium and separated plutonium in civilian and military programs. Ben Rhodes is the White House Deputy National Security Adviser. He said, “We know that terrorist organizations have the desire to get access to these raw materials and their desire to have a nuclear device.”   Ken Bredemeier and Mary Alice Salinas reported on this story for VOANews.com. Hai Do adapted their reports for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   provocation - n. an action or occurrence that causes someone to become angry or to do something consequence - n. something that happens as a result of a particular action or condition implementation - n. the action of beginning to do or use something

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Some New Words for VOA's Word Book

Some big news today here at VOA Learning English. We are adding new words to our 1,500-word Word Book. The first edition of the Word Book came out in 1962. Every now and then, we update it. Some words are added and some are taken away. We only decided to add these words after careful thought. We think they will be useful as your English improves. Here are the Word Book’s new words. Dadgum Running latte Hangry Have you ever used these words or heard them before? In case you have not, here is what they are and how to use them. Dadgum is a word used to express dissatisfaction or anger. For example, if you are hanging a picture on the wall and hit yourself with the hammer, you could yell: “dadgum it!” Sometimes coffee drinkers are said to be running latte. A latte is a coffee drink made with hot milk. The delicious drink is spelled l-a-t-t-e. Sometimes, you might have to stop for one on your way to work. When the coffee stop delays your arrival you can say “I ran latte.” Hangry is used to describe a person who is hungry and angry because of it. Hangry people are sometimes hard to be around until they get something to eat. You will be hearing these words in our news and feature programs. We urge you to use them also in your expanding English vocabulary. Caty, wait, there’s a new expression to add to the word book. What is it, Dan? It’s APRIL FOOLS! Ugh! Today is April Fools’ Day. It is a day when people in many countries play fun tricks on each other. Some historians think the day goes back thousands of years to ancient Rome. These words we just mentioned, they’re real. But they are informal. They are not yet in the Learning English Word Book. But you can find hangry in the Oxford Dictionaries’ website. We hope you enjoyed our little joke. And that you have a great April Fools’ Day. I’m Dan Friedell. And I’m Caty Weaver.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. Did you play a prank or a joke on someone today? Tell us about it in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. __________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   informal– adj.  having a friendly and relaxed quality delicious– adj.  a very pleasant taste  

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Instagram Launches 60-Second Videos

  This is What’s Trending Today… The media-sharing application Instagram will soon have 60-second videos. Instagram announced its plan to have longer videos earlier this week. Currently, Instagram has a 15-second video time limit. The company said that the time people have spent watching videos on the application increased by more than 40 percent in six months. It also said that the longer video feature will be available to some users immediately. The feature will be available to everyone in the coming months. ​ Instagram again will permit iPhone users to join together clips from different videos on their phones. The feature is similar to Vine videos or Snapchat’s Stories. Snapchat announced a new video-chatting feature on the same day that Instagram announced its plan for longer videos. Experts say that video is the next big step in social media. Instagram’s parent company, Facebook, says its users worldwide watch more than 100 million hours of video each day. Longer Instagram videos will help the company better compete with sites like YouTube. And that’s What’s Trending Today. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   chat - v. to talk over the Internet by sending messages back and forth in a chat room parent company - n. a company that owns or controls another company

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Palmyra May Be in Better Condition Than Expected

When the Islamic State militants blew up the Temple of Bel in the ancient city of Palmyra in August 2015, experts feared they would destroy many important artifacts from the first century. UNESCO considered the 2,000-year-old temple one of the most important buildings of the World Heritage ancient city. The UN called the destruction of the ancient temples and tombs in Palmyra a war crime. Syrian forces, backed by Russian airstrikes, took back control of Palmyra. Now that the city is open, experts say the artifacts are in better shape than many predicted. They say up to 80 percent of the ancient ruins in Palmyra have survived. Maamoun Abdulkarim is the Syrian antiquities director. He was able to investigate the 2,000-year-old ruins for the first time after Syrian forces recaptured the city in late March. The Islamic State militants held the ancient city for about 10 months He said many artifacts, columns, arches and statues have survived. But there is damage to surrounding streets, baths and fences. The faces of some statues were chiseled away. Abdulkarim and a group of experts are looking to restore the ancient structures. He said to Al-Jazeera, "We know the area centimeter-by-centimeter - all we need is the help of the international community." Looking for international help In Italy, a former culture minister, Francesco Rutelli, said the artifacts could be restored using three-dimensional, or 3-D, printing. The technology can help re-create damaged structures. Roger Michel is an American expert from the Institute for Digital Archaeology in Great Britain. Michel promised that he would show a Temple of Bel arch recreated from a 3-D printing in April. ​Michel said to The Guardian, “my intention is to show Islamic State that anything they can blow up we can rebuild exactly as it was before, and rebuild it again and again.” Michel explained that 3-D printing can use the same combination of materials – sand, water and sodium bicarbonate – that ancient builders used to build the temple. It can even use dust left over from buildings destroyed by IS. One problem the experts will face is the lack of detailed source material like 3-D images. But they say some of the information can come from two-dimensional photographs. There is already some video shot by drones and photographs made by satellites. But many of the sites are not yet accessible because of land mines and traps left by IS fighters. Amr Al Azm is a Middle East History and anthropology professor in Ohio and used to work for the antiquities department in Syria. He sees a difficult task ahead. “The Arch of the Triumph — may be repairable because there is more of it left, lying around close by. The Temple of Bel is going to be far more challenging,” he said. I’m Dan Friedell.   This story was first reported by VOANews.com. Dan Friedell adapted the story for Learning English. Additional information came from The Guardian and The New York Times. Hai Do was the editor. Do you think experts will be able to restore Palmyra? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   temple – n. a place for prayer tomb – n. a burial place restoration – n. the act or process of returning something to its original condition by repairing it, cleaning it, etc. drone – n. an aircraft without a pilot on board dimension – n. the length, width, height, or depth of something : a measurement in one direction (such as the distance from the ceiling to the floor in a room) chisel – v. to cut or shape (something) with a chisel

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New Drones Could Improve Weather Predictions

Scientists are developing unmanned planes -- called drones -- that can gather weather information from the atmosphere. The drones could help weather experts improve their predictions. Meteorologists say their weather forecasts would be more accurate if they had information from many parts of the atmosphere. They already place satellites, drones and balloons at different altitudes. And they use radar and gather information from devices on towers. But that information only helps experts predict weather conditions for the next few days. It does not help predict changes in the next few hours. This is very important where sudden, violent storms happen. So scientists at Oklahoma State University are developing new drones to gather information from more parts of the Earth’s atmosphere. This will help forecasters improve predictions about local weather conditions. Jamey Jacob is an aerospace engineer and a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Oklahoma State University. He leads the university’s Unmanned Systems Research Institute. He and other scientists at the university are developing small drones that do not cost a lot of money but can fly for hours, gathering information from many atmospheric levels. He spoke to VOA on Skype. “Oklahoma is a really good, good example, because even though we're already a very weather-dynamic state, Oklahoma only has two balloon launches a day -- one at dawn and one at dusk -- from a single location in the state, and that's where all the weather forecasting information comes from. So that data is really sparse, and it’s difficult for meteorologists that are developing these forecasting models to get a very good idea about how that weather is changing from these very limited number of data points.” Phillip Chilson is a professor of meteorology at Oklahoma State University. He says the drone program should give researchers a low-cost way of understanding storms better, and improve computer-based forecasting. The scientists have developed a round drone that can fly, hover, roll on the ground and then take off again. These abilities are needed for a drone to fly in storms. Professor Chilson says the drone can measure atmospheric conditions, send live video to forecasters, and help search for people hurt in storms. He spoke to VOA on Skype. “Our real goal is to try to develop systems that really, I don't want to say replace but there may be that possibility of replacing weather balloons, but currently augmenting them -- so, increasing the capabilities.” Researchers say they still have a lot of work to do before the drones are ready. That includes making sure the drones know how to stay away from other planes. They say it could be two years until a drone can safely examine Earth’s lower atmosphere.  I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise.   VOA's Science and Technology Correspondent George Putic reported on this story. 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 visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   drone – n. a plane or other vehicle that flies and does not have a pilot in it meteorologist – n. a scientist who studies the atmosphere and weather forecast – n. a statement about what you think is going to happen in the future accurate – adj. free from mistakes or error altitude – n. the height of something (such as an airplane) above the level of the sea dynamic – adj. always active or changing dawn – n. the time of day when sunlight first begins to appear dusk – n. the time when day changes into night and the sky begins to get darker sparse – adj. present only in small amounts; less than necessary or normal data point – n. facts or information used usually to calculate, analyze or plan something (usage note: data is plural in form but is used with both plural and singular verbs) hover – v. to float in the air without moving in any direction scope – n. the area that is included in or dealt with by something capability – n. the ability to do something augment – v. to add something to (something) in order to improve or complete it

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English @ the Movies: 'Pick A Fight'

"Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" is about two action super-heroes. Batman and Superman end up in a fight. Our English @ the Movies phrase we are talking about is "pick a fight." What do you think that means? Listen and find out.

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Changing Prepositions With 'Provide'

English learners know that prepositions can be difficult to master. There are 94 one-word prepositions in English, and about 56 prepositions with two or more words, called “complex prepositions.” This adds up to 150 chances to make mistakes. We cannot, of course, explain the small differences between all 150 prepositions here. We can, however, provide you with a few explanations of different prepositions that use one particular verb: provide. Provide (someone) with: When provide is followed by an indirect object, English speakers use the preposition “with.” Providing (someone) with something means to give something wanted or needed. Here is an example sentence, written by U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama: “Room to Read provides girls with scholarships that cover the cost of housing, food, and books.” In this sentence, “girls” is the indirect object and “scholarships” is the direct object. Provide for:   Another preposition with the same verb is “provide for.” “Provide for,” in general, means to make whatever is necessary for someone available to him or her. We often use this expression when we talk about parents providing for their family.  In a VOA Learning English story about a Cambodian-American filmmaker, we used the preposition in this way: “She says changes such as migration away from rural areas are allowing more women to find work and provide for their families.” This preposition can also be used in other ways. “Provide for” can mean to make it possible for something to happen in the future. For example, in our story about water shortage in California, we wrote, “They say it [California] needs to find a way to provide for the growing need for water.” Provide (something) to/for:   When “provide” is followed by a direct object, English speakers can use the prepositions “to” or “for.” Provide (something) to/for (someone) means that you deliver or give something to someone. For example, “The company provides health insurance to all of its employees.” “Health insurance” is the direct object and “employees” is the indirect object. In this example, we also could have said “The company provides health insurance for all of its employees.”   Both of these sentences are correct, but it is more common to use “provide (something) for” than “provide (something to)” someone. The expression using “to” is rather new to American English, according to the Internet application Google Ngrams. Google Ngrams is an app that shows general changes in English usage by searching all the words in Google’s digital books. The graph on Ngram for “provide (something) to” shows it was hardly ever used before 1960. Compare that to the Ngram graph for “provide (something for).” The expressions appear more often. The expressions also appeared much earlier, around 1920. They were used then almost as often as they are used now. Understanding English prepositions can be difficult, even for native speakers! But we hope that we have been able to provide assistance to all of our listeners and readers. I’m Kelly Jean Kelly. Jill Robbins wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   prepositions - n. a word or group of words that is used with a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to show direction, location, or time, or to introduce an object direct object - n. a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase which indicates the person or thing that receives the action of a verb indirect object - n. a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that occurs in addition to a direct object after some verbs and indicates the person or thing that receives what is being given or done      

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Pakistan Detains More than 200 Suspected Militants

  Police and security forces have arrested more than 200 suspected Islamist militants after a suicide bombing in Lahore on Sunday. The attack took place at a crowded public park in the capital of Punjab, the most populous province of the country. At least 72 people, many of them Christians celebrating Easter, were killed. Twenty-nine children were among the dead. More than 300 people were wounded. Tuesday, the provincial law minister told reporters that more than 5,000 people were detained. He said they later released all but 216 people. Police and special counter-terrorism units have taken part in many raids across Punjab. Pakistani officials said intelligence agencies and troops also carried out raids against suspected “sleeper cells” and “terrorist hideouts” in several cities of Punjab. Jammaatul Ahrar, a group that once was part of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the bombing. It said the suicide attacker targeted Christians. A spokesman promised that the group would carry out more attacks in Punjab. The threat caused officials to temporarily close all of the public parks in the province. The spokesman also threatened to attack local media. “Everyone will get their turn in this war, especially the slave Pakistani media. We are just waiting for the appropriate time,” the spokesman said on the social networking site Twitter. The Easter Sunday bombing was the deadliest attack in Pakistan since a raid by militants on a school in Peshawar in December 2014. Almost 150 people were killed, most of them children. The Pakistani Taliban and groups linked to it have attacked the government for more than 10 years. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the attacks. I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise.   Reporter Ayaz Gul in Islamabad wrote this story for VOANews.com. 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 visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   park - n. a large area of public land Easter - n. religious holiday when Christians celebrate the return of Jesus after his execution unit - n. group appropriate - adj. right for some purpose or situation  

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News Words: Tears of Joy

This news word is not something you speak. It is an emoji.

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Terrorism Threat Is Focus of Nuclear Summit

Terrorists getting nuclear material to make bombs will be discussed among world leaders at this week’s Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C. It isn’t just the deadly March 22 terrorist attack in the Belgium capital. It is also reports from Belgium officials that two brothers who carried out suicide attacks at the Brussels airport tried to get nuclear materials. The two – Khalid and Ibrahim el-Bakraoui -- placed a camera near the home of a nuclear researcher in Belgium. Officials suspect they were monitoring the man to obtain material that makes a more powerful bomb. Jane Harman is director of the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. She said leaders from 53 nations who will attend the summit should focus on three major issues. “The threats aren’t one size fits all,” Harman said during a nuclear summit preview this week. “We have to keep our eyes on great powers like Russia. We have to watch regional pariahs like Iran and North Korea, and ensure that terror groups never get their hands on nuclear materials as (the Islamic State), so we read, hoped to in Belgium.” Harman said the concern is that Islamic State, or other terrorist groups, could set off a “dirty bomb.” A dirty bomb uses conventional explosives, such as dynamite, mixed with radioactive materials. The Washington nuclear summit runs Thursday and Friday, March 31 and April 1. The White House released a brief Tuesday, saying that a terrorist attack using nuclear material would “create political, economic social and psychological havoc.” Ben Rhoades is Obama’s deputy national security adviser. “We have seen ample proof that terrorist organizations like (Islamic State) have no regard for innocent human life or international norms, and that only redoubles the need for us to have effective international nuclear security approaches,” he said Wednesday. One nation that will not be represented at the summit is Iran. Kelsey Davenport of the Arms Control Association told VOA that Iran’s participation would have provided a chance to build on last year’s nuclear deal. The deal required Iran to remove enriched uranium and take down nuclear-making equipment. But Davenport said Iran “is not providing adequate assurances that its nuclear activities are protected against acts of nuclear terrorism.” Previous nuclear summits have worked to reduce the number of nations with nuclear arms. The White House says 14 countries and Taiwan have eliminated all nuclear materials from their countries since 2010. That includes Ukraine and Japan. More countries with nuclear weapons would create an “arms race,” said Daniel Pinkston, a lecturer in international relations with Troy University in Seoul. “It would be extremely damaging and plays right into the hands of the hardliners,” such as North Korea. I'm Bruce Alpert.   Brian Padden and Barbara Slavin reported on this story for VOANews.com. Bruce Alpert adapted their reports for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or share your views on our Facebook Page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story regional – adj. an accent that occurs in a particular place pariah – adj. a nation that is hated and rejected by people dynamite – n. a powerful explosive that is often used in the form of a stick radioactive – adj. having or producing a powerful and dangerous form of energy, called radiation ample – adj. having or providing enough or more than enough of what is needed proof – n. something which shows that something is true or correct approach – n. a way of dealing with something participation – n. to take part in an activity or event with others hardliner – n. someone who takes a rigid, uncompromising position.

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March 30, 2016

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

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