Winemaker Matthieu Finot

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Athena Zhe: Creating Art on Human Bodies

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Trump Uses Twitter to Defend Call with Taiwan President

  Some people in China welcomed the election of businessman Donald Trump as president of the United States. They believed he would negotiate deals helpful to both countries. But President-elect Trump’s decision to speak directly with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen led the Chinese government to protest to the U.S. ambassador in Beijing. Some Chinese officials said the telephone call between Trump and Tsai violated America’s 1979 pledge of support for a one-China policy. Since then, the U.S. has not had official contact with Taiwan’s government.  Tsai told a small group of U.S. reporters Tuesday that she did not sense a major change in U.S. policies toward Taiwan. "One phone call does not mean a policy shift," Tsai said. Trump has used social media to defend his decision to speak with Taiwan’s president.  On Twitter, the president-elect criticized some of China's policies. He wrote that China devalued its money to make it harder for American businesses to sell goods in the country. He said the Chinese government continues to heavily tax U.S. exports to China. And he said the Chinese military is expanding its presence in the South China Sea, all without asking the United States, in his words, “if it was OK.” Mark Toner is a spokesman for the U.S. State Department. He said the Chinese government called the U.S. ambassador to China on Saturday to protest Trump’s contact with Taiwan’s president. Toner also defended America’s “one China policy,” which has been in effect for 37 years. “It’s allowed us to develop relations – frankly, closer relations with Beijing and also to deepen our unofficial ties with Taipei,” Toner said. The policy also provides economic and security benefits to the United States, he said.  Wang Dong is a political science professor at Peking University. He said Trump’s tweets may be all about improving his negotiating position with the Chinese government. Trump has said he sometimes uses strong words to help him negotiate better deals later. But Wang said Trump may also be following the opinions of some Republican Party activists who want the U.S. government to take a harder position with China. The Washington Post and Wall Street Journal both reported that the telephone call between Trump and Tsai was planned weeks ago by Trump aides. “And I think that gives us reason to be worried about U.S.-China relations going forward,” Wang said. “There (has) been too much wishful thinking and overly optimistic expectations about Donald Trump and China and I think now, people have to come back to reality.” John Bolton served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush. Bolton said the United States needs to deal with what he called China’s “aggressive and belligerent claims” in the South China Sea. He is reportedly under consideration for a diplomatic position with the Trump administration.    On  Tuesday, a Republican Party official arrived in Taiwan for a week-long visit. The official, Stephan Yates, is the party’s chairman in the state of Idaho. Yates said he is not carrying any messages from Trump to Tsai. But he said that China should respect the “political reform and democratization of Taiwan,” as President-elect Trump has. Jeffrey Bader was the lead adviser on China for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2011. He now works at the John L. Thornton China Center, part of the Brookings Institution research group. Bader said Trump’s phone call with the Taiwan leader raises concerns about his foreign policy skills. “There are serious risks posed by his failure to take briefings by government professionals,” Bader said. He added that Trump “appears to have little respect” for the possible damage to longtime U.S. security interests. I’m Ashley Thompson. And I'm Caty Weaver. William Ide and Nike Ching reported on this story for VOANews.com. Bruce Alpert adapted their reports for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   pledge – n. promise shift - n. to move to a different position frankly - adv. speaking candidly optimistic - adj. expecting good things to happen belligerent - adj. angry and aggressive pose - v. to create a possible problem briefing - n. people with expertise providing information to someone

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December 6, 2016

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

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Japan's Abe to Visit Pearl Harbor; Will Not Apologize for Attack

  Japan says Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will not apologize for his country’s 1941 attack on United States forces when he visits Pearl Harbor, Hawaii later this month.   Wednesday marks the 75th anniversary of the attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. Japanese warplanes dropped bombs that sunk the battleship USS Arizona. They also damaged or destroyed 20 other ships and 164 planes. More than 2,300 Americans were killed. The attack led to the American entry into World War II. The day after the attack, Congress declared war on Japan. The war ended after the U.S. military dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese city of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The two attacks killed more than 210,000 people. Six months ago, Barack Obama became the first U.S. president to visit a memorial to the bombing in Hiroshima while still in office. Tuesday, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga, said the prime minister will visit Pearl Harbor on December 26th and 27th. He said Abe’s visit is designed “to show his commitment towards the future and to never repeat the tragedy of the World War, as well as to send a message of reconciliation between the U.S. and Japan." Abe’s visit will be the first by a Japanese leader since the attack. Matthew Linley is a professor in the Department of International Programs at Nagoya University. He said that Abe and his supporters consider the visit a sign that the two countries now have strong relations. “This is also seen within Japan as -- especially for Abe and his supporters -- as being kind of a final conclusion of the post-war period. For Japan, the post-war period, many of them feel that relations now are completely normalized between the two countries. And that, even though it was of course controversial for President Obama to visit Hiroshima and controversial for Prime Minister Abe to visit Pearl Harbor, I think especially within Japan there’s a lot of support for Prime Minister Abe to make this visit. "But the main point that the media seems to be making is that this is a good move, but it’s tied to a number of, of different things. One thing is of course the Donald Trump incoming presidency -- Japan really wants to create a good relationship with Donald Trump because Japan is very worried about China and the South China Sea and North Korea’s missile program. Because Trump made some critical comments of Japan and the US-Japan alliance during the campaign, Japan is very concerned about trying to create good relation(s) with the United States and all eyes I think are on the Trump administration coming forward.” Linley noted that Abe was the first foreign leader to meet with Trump. The two spoke in New York last month. During the campaign, Trump criticized Japan and other nations where the U.S. military has troops. He said they should be paying more for the security the troops provide. Grant Newsham is a senior research fellow at the Japan Forum on Strategic Studies. Newsham says “Trump’s statements while he was a candidate suggesting that Japan was not doing enough for its defense and not paying enough for the services of U.S. forces really frightened the Japanese government.” “Since Mr. Trump has been elected -- to the Japanese population and the Japanese government’s great surprise -- the Japanese government has really been scrambling to try and build some sort of relationship with Mr. Trump. They didn’t think he would win.” This week, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced plans to return to the Japanese government almost 4,000 hectares of land in Okinawa used for military training.  I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise.   VOA Reporters Chris Hannas, Victor Beattie and Jeff Custer reported this story from Washington. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted their reports for Learning English. George Grow 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   reconciliation – n. the act of causing two people or groups to become friendly again after an argument or disagreement commemorate – v. to do something special in order to remember and honor (an important event or person from the past) atrocity – n. a very cruel or terrible act or action

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How Will Europe’s Populist Movements Change the EU?

  As populist movements grow in Europe, it remains unclear how they will affect the European Union. Italy is the latest country to vote against its leadership. On Sunday, Italian voters rejected constitutional reforms proposed by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. About 60 percent of voters rejected the reforms in a nationwide referendum. Renzi actively campaigned for the measures. He made it clear that if they were not approved, voters would be rejecting his government. Renzi accepted responsibility for the loss and offered his resignation on Monday.   The proposals were meant to simplify Italy’s government, centralize power and reduce corruption. One measure would have turned the elected Senate into a much smaller, appointed body. Renzi’s government has supported pro-European Union policies. His defeat energized other Italian parties, including the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and anti-immigration Northern League. However, some observers say the referendum vote cannot be seen as a direct result of populist movements, such as the election of Donald Trump in the United States. Ben Wellings is an expert on the E.U. at Monash University in Australia. He told VOA that while the Italian result was not helpful to Europe, the E.U. will clearly survive. “We’re not suggesting that Italy is in any way going to leave the European Union or even the Euro zone. So it’s an unwanted element of instability, but I think the European Union will see this one through.” Peter Eltsov is a political expert at the National Defense University in Washington. He says he thinks the rise of populist movements in Europe could give Russia a chance to expand its influence there. “You have a sense that Russia supports those either right-wing politicians or left-wing politicians. But mostly politicians who are skeptical of the European Union, who would like to leave the E.U., who would support the lifting of sanctions from Russia.” Eltsov notes that Russian banks have provided financial support to political movements in Europe. He said the leader of France’s National Front, Marine Le Pen, received a large campaign loan from a Russian-backed bank. France will hold a presidential election next year, and Eltsov said many experts think Le Pen could win. “If she wins in France, it's my prediction it’s going to be the end of the European Union.” He added that in addition to financing some European politicians, Russia is using propaganda to increase its influence in the continent. Countries that may be vulnerable to such propaganda could be Greece, Italy, Spain and Bulgaria, he said. Eltsov said Russia may also use its financial and political influence to try to weaken the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. He said this could involve trying to get some members to leave the alliance or stop efforts to join it. I’m Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English. The story was based on VOA News reports from Zlatica Hoke, Jamie Dettmer, the Associated Press and Reuters. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   referendum – n. a direct vote in which people cast ballots to decide on a specific issue or policy element – n. a particular part of something skeptical – adj. doubting that something is true vulnerable – adj. easily attacked physically or emotionally right-wing – adj. the conservative side of a party or group left-wing - adj. the liberal side of a part or group  

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Cameroon Denies Security Forces Abused Protesters

  The government in Cameroon says its security forces did not abuse protesters during demonstrations in two areas last month.  Students, teachers, and lawyers in English-speaking parts of the country were protesting the influence of the French language. A government official told VOA that Cameroon’s military acted with restraint during the demonstrations, and showed respect for international rules on human rights. Government spokesman Issa Tchiroma said the government is investigating the protests and the actions of military officers. He noted that if the government finds evidence of wrongdoing, it will take corrective action to punish the violators. He also said that Cameroon will not accept any attempts to ruin the country's hard-earned national unity.  The spokesman said he was reacting to a statement by the United States. He said the State Department released the statement on November 28. The State Department expressed concern about the deaths, injuries and damage that resulted from protests in the capitals of Cameroon's Northwestern and Southwestern regions. U.S. ambassador Michael Hoza expressed concerns over the violence. He met with Cameroon's president Paul Biya and explained that the United States respects Cameroon’s history of acceptance of diversity. “…And both President Biya and I agreed that dialogue is the future for Cameroon. We know that there are many discussions and we are certain that Cameroon's people will find solutions and they have to live together in tolerance as they have for many, many years." Cameroon has two official languages: English and French. English speakers make up about 20 percent of the population. Cameroon’s constitution says that English and French should be equally important. However the protesters say the two languages are not treated equally. English-speaking lawyers say some judges working in English-speaking areas have trouble speaking the language. Another issue is that the French-speaking regions operate under French civil law, but the English-speaking areas are based on English common law.  Teachers have said that the government continues to send teachers that only speak French to English-speaking parts of the country.  Some students in those areas are worried that they will not be able to get good jobs after they finish school. I’m Phil Dierking. Reporter Moki Edwin Kindzeka in Cameroon wrote this story for VOANews.com. Phil Dierking adapted his report for Learning English with additional sources. ­­­­­George Grow was the editor. How do you feel education can influence children? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   dialogue – n. a discussion or series of discussions that two groups or countries have in order to end a disagreement diversity – n. the quality or state of having many different forms, types, ideas, etc. solutions – n. something that solves a problem spokesman – n. someone who speaks for or represents a person, company, etc.

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Refugees Improve English Skills While Waiting for Resettlement

  For many refugees around the world, boredom is a fact of life. While the United Nations High Commission on Refugees – or UNHCR – works on resettling them, they wait. And wait. And wait. They cannot work, enroll in a school or travel. In 2014, several Hazara refugees in Indonesia found a way to spend their time. They created an informal school for children: the Refugee Learning Center, or RLC. Asad Shadan is one of the founders of the RLC. He left Afghanistan after the Taliban threatened his family. Shadan says that starting the school was a difficult process: "We asked the UNHCR to help us with some kind of educational program for three months, but after getting no response, we decided to just go for it and started a class on our own with 18 kids." The school's website describes how the local and international community came together to help it grow. An Australian couple paid the rent for the school. Parents gave $2.50 each to pay for carpet, whiteboards and other teaching materials. Women in the community volunteered to teach. The program, originally an informal class, has grown into a six-room school with classes for adults and children. The program, Shadan explains, grew quickly. "Within six months we had 100 children enrolled, and now we have 200 students and 16 teachers. It gives all of us something to do." Thanks to donations over the past couple of years, RLC now has a library, English classes and an indoor football league. Politics For years, Indonesia has hosted refugees. It is part of a transit route for refugees and migrants going to Australia. But, Shadan says, “the Indonesian government pretends that we don't exist.” Indonesia has never signed the UN Refugee Convention, and it offers no formal rights to asylum seekers and refugees. In addition, the Australian government's 2013 decision to cut the number of refugees it admits – in addition to turning away ships carrying migrants – has created a backlog of refugees in Indonesia. The UNHCR reports currently almost 14,000 refugees and asylum-seekers live in Indonesia. Around half of these come from Afghanistan. Building skills for the future While waiting for resettlement, the students at RLC are trying to build skills. They like to think about the future. "What we want to avoid is that, once resettled, we don't have any skills, or that kids have been wasting their formative years of their education," says Shadan. Although English is not the native language of the refugees, many speak English very well. "We have a lot of time to practice," jokes Shadan. Some of the refugees are being resettled, but very slowly. Masoma Faqihi, a 20-year-old, said her family of six have finally received approval to go to the U.S., after more than three years in Indonesia. "I like teaching at the school here but I'm just about done with school for myself, I think," she said. "I heard you can do anything in America, though, so really, I want to be a makeup artist. Wish me luck." I'm John Russell. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. Krithika Varagur wrote this story for VOA News. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   boredom –  n.  the state of being tired and annoyed resettle – v. to begin to live in a new area after leaving an old one donation – n. something (such as money, food, clothes, etc.) that you give in order to help a person or organization migrant – n. a person who goes from one place to another especially to find work backlog – n. a large number of jobs that are waiting to be finished 

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New Amazon Store Lets Customers Avoid Long Lines

  This is What’s Trending Today… The online marketer Amazon is opening a new kind of store. It is one where people do not have to wait in long lines to buy a product. Instead, the buyers pay using their smartphones. The new store is in the American city of Seattle, Washington. It is called Amazon Go. It sells products that are normally found in a grocery store. What you will not find, however, are long lines and cashiers exchanging money. Customers must have a smartphone, an Amazon account, and a program on their smartphone: the Amazon Go app. The app makes a list of everything that customers plan to buy from the store. After customers have finished shopping, they can simply leave. Amazon says that because its new store does not require as many employees, the prices of goods will remain low. The company has been working on creating the store for four years. #AmazonGo became a trending topic this week on social media. One person on Twitter published a photograph of himself waiting in a very long line at a grocery store. He wrote, “I cannot wait for Amazon Go. Longest queue in history.” But, it may be some time before Amazon Go stores open up in other areas. Even the Seattle store is still only open to Amazon employees. The company plans to open that store to the public in early 2017. And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Jill Robbins.   Ashley Thompson adapted this VOA News report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ________________________________________________________________   Words in This Story   account - n. a record of money that has been paid and money that has been received cashier - n. a person whose job is to take in or give out money in a store, bank, etc. queue - n. (British) a line of people who are waiting for something shopping - n. he activity of visiting places where goods are sold in order to look at and buy things (such as food, clothing, etc.) customer - n. someone who buys goods or services from a business grocery store - n. a store that sells food and household supplies

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South Korea, Japan Join United Nations in Punishing North Korea

  South Korea and Japan are adding to recent international punishment against North Korea for its nuclear testing programs. Japanese and South Korean officials announced the sanctions Friday. They are in response to North Korea’s threat to strike back against new United Nations sanctions announced earlier. The United Nations announced new sanctions against North Korea on Wednesday. The punishments came in response to North Korea’s test of a nuclear device on September 9. China, North Korea’s main trading partner, and Russia agreed to the U.N. action. North Korea’s vice foreign minister Han Song Ryol spoke to foreign diplomats in the nation’s capital, Pyongyang. He said the new U.N. sanctions are “an abuse of power” and violate his country’s “right to self-defense,” according to the Associated Press. Earlier, North Korea warned it will respond to the UN sanctions. It did not say what the response would be. The sanctions announced Friday by Japan and Korea are mostly symbolic. Trade between the two nations and North Korea is largely non-existent because of sanctions already in place. South Korea’s new sanctions ban North Korea from engaging in financial dealings with top aides to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Japanese officials said Friday they will bar ships that have traveled to North Korea from using Japanese ports. Japan said it will also freeze holdings of groups and individuals connected to North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. On Wednesday, the United Nations Security Council approved new sanctions without any opposition.The sanctions largely target North Korea’s coal exports. Coal is the country’s largest source of income. United States State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the new sanctions will cut North Korea’s coal exports by more than 60 percent. “None of these sanctions are directed and nor do we seek to punish the people of North Korea who indeed are long-suffering under the current regime,” Toner said. He added that the sanctions target North Korea’s ruling class who he said are responsible for North Korea’s bad behavior. I’m Jonathan Evans. VOA News reported on this story for VOANews.com. Bruce Alpert adapted this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   sanctions - n. actions taken to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country symbolic - adj. relating to or being used as a symbol indeed - adv. without any question regime - n. a form of government  

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Trump Still Using Twitter to Speak Out on China, Other Issues

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump says he would not be tweeting as much if he got fairer news coverage. But he wrote on Twitter, Monday, that he did not know if “that will ever happen.”     Trump has been busy on Twitter in recent days. Among other subjects, he wrote about his telephone call with Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen. Their discussion broke diplomatic norms. For more than 30 years, U.S. presidents have avoided direct contact with Taiwan’s leaders in support of the government’s one-China policy.   Last week, Trump said on Twitter that he plans to stop the Obama administration’s move to normalize relations with Cuba, unless Cuba gives the United States “a better deal.”   ​His comments came after the death of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro. It was not the first time Trump and his advisers said a Trump administration might end President Barack Obama’s two-year efforts to improve ties with Cuba. But it was the first time the next U.S. leader announced a major foreign policy decision on social media. Twitter has been Trump's chosen social media network to express his opinions -- both as a presidential candidate and, more recently as he forms his administration. Trump will be sworn-in as president on January 20, 2017. Trump Still a Twitter Regular Also last week, Trump expressed on Twitter his position about a move to recount ballots from the U.S. presidential election. Former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein asked for the vote recount in three states. Trump, a businessman, was the Republican Party’s candidate. He said on Twitter that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote because of millions of illegal votes. Clinton was the candidate of the Democratic Party. She now leads the popular vote by 2.5 million ballots. In his tweets, Trump said there was "serious voter fraud" in Virginia, New Hampshire and California -- all states won by Hillary Clinton. He also attacked the cable news network, CNN. State election officials, both Republican and Democratic, have rejected Trump's claim. Trump won enough states to enjoy a large lead in America’s Electoral College. Members of the Electoral College are set to meet on December 19 to officially elect the next president. All signs point to Trump winning, even with the vote recounts. Trump's supporters say they enjoy reading his comments on Twitter. At his campaign events, people praised Trump for “telling it like it is.” Trump Says Tough Talk Leads to Better Negotiating Trump has defended his strong language. Taking strong positions, he said, is part of his negotiating style to get better deals. But some diplomats say his strong words on Twitter and elsewhere could lead to misunderstandings, or worse. Aaron David Miller was a Middle East negotiator for three different U.S. administrations, Democratic and Republican. He is now a vice-president at the Wilson Center, a research-policy center based in Washington, D.C. “We’ve never really confronted a potential like this before -- certainly not in the administrations I’ve worked for,” Miller said. Kellyanne Conway directed Trump’s presidential campaign. She told CNN television on Sunday that no decision has been made on how much Trump will tweet once he is president. Conway told CNN that Trump believes Twitter and Facebook provide him with a good way to talk directly to people. She said his tweets and Facebook posts reach 25 million people or more. But it can be hard to express positions on major issues in the 140 characters permitted by Twitter. Kathleen Hall Jamieson is a communications expert at the University of Pennsylvania. She said that discussing important policy issues on Twitter increases the risk that the president elect’s message might not be understood. Tweets by U.S. Leaders Not New Twitter is not an altogether new way of communicating for presidents. Barack Obama was the first U.S. president to take office in the age of social media. He has used Twitter, Facebook and other social networks.  But Obama’s Twitter account, like that of many world leaders, is operated by his top aides. The president himself only rarely issues personal statements on Twitter.   I’m Ashley Thompson.   William Gallo reported on this story for VOANews.com. Bruce Alpert adapted his story and did additional reporting for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. What do you think of President-elect Trump's use of Twitter and social media? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   norms - n. standards of proper or acceptable behavior network - n. a group of organizations that provide similar services style - n. a particular way in which something is done, created, or performed confront - v. to challenge someone in a direct and forceful way potential - n. a chance or possibility that something will happen certainly - adv. without doubt post - n. to make information or opinions known to people characters - n. the number of letters and spaces

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