Comey Says Trump Lied

James Comey says he believes he lost his job as head of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation because of its investigation of Russian involvement in the 2016 elections. Comey served as the FBI’s director until last month. Then President Donald Trump ordered his dismissal.  Comey met with a U.S. Senate committee Thursday. He accused Trump of not being truthful when he said he fired Comey because FBI agents no longer trusted his leadership and that the agency was in disarray. "Those were lies, plain and simple." Comey went further then he did in written testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee. Those written statements were released on Wednesday. In the earlier testimony, the former FBI director said he and the president spoke about Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Comey said Trump told him that he hoped he would drop an investigation into Flynn’s possible connections to Russian officials. Comey remembered the president saying, “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go.” He also said that Trump told him during a private White House dinner: “I need loyalty. I expect loyalty.” That was troubling, Comey said, because the FBI is supposed to operate independently of the president. Separately, Trump’s personal lawyer, Mark Kasowitz, denied that the president ever demanded loyalty from Comey. But he said Comey’s testimony confirmed the president “was not under investigation as part of any probe into Russian interference” with the 2016 elections. After testifying for about 2 1/2 hours, Comey met in private with committee members. They said he would be asked about issues related to “classified” information that could not be discussed in public. Is Hope the Same as an Order? Idaho Senator James Risch is a member of the committee and, like Trump, belongs to the Republican Party. Risch asked Comey if hoping that something would be done is the same as ordering him to take action. Comey said it is different when the U.S. president makes the request. “This is a president of the United States with me alone, saying I hope this. I took it as, this is what he wants me to do.” Comey said he was so concerned with one-on-one discussions with the president that he decided to follow up the meetings by writing reports on what was discussed. “I knew there might come a day when I might need a record of what happened not only to defend myself, but to protect the FBI,” he said. Comey said he was “honestly concerned" that the president "might lie about the nature” of their meetings. Comey said he had given his reports to Robert Mueller, a former FBI director who last month was appointed to lead an independent federal investigation. Mueller is exploring possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russian interference in the U.S. election. Earlier, Comey had said the Russian interference with the vote was done to hurt the candidacy of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She was the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate. Asking a Friend to Release Information Comey told the Senate committee about his actions after being fired. He said he asked a friend to give one of his reports about his meetings with Trump to a reporter. Comey said he hoped the information might lead to the appointment of a special prosecutor. On May 17, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein did exactly that, appointing Mueller to the position of special counsel. Trump Lawyer Criticizes Comey’s Leaks Kasowitz, Trump’s lawyer, criticized Comey’s statement that he had asked a friend to give information about his talks with Trump to a reporter. Kasowitz said there are people in government, in his words, “attempting to undermine this administration with selective and illegal leaks of classified information and privileged communications.” “Comey has now admitted that he is one of the leakers,” Kasowitz said. Last month, Trump commented on his conversations with Comey. He tweeted that Comey “better hope there are no tapes of their conversations.    “Lordy, I hope there are tapes,” Comey told the Intelligence Committee. California Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat, asked Comey a question that Republicans have been raising since his firing. If he felt that Trump’s requests were wrong, Feinstein asked, “why didn’t you stop and say, ‘Mr. President, this is wrong?” “It’s a great question. Maybe, if I were stronger, I would have. I was so stunned by the conversation that I just took it in. The only thing I could think to say, because I was playing in my mind -- 'cause I could remember every word he said - I was playing in my mind what should my response be. That’s why I carefully chose the words.” The former FBI director would not say if he thought Trump could be charged with a crime. “That's Bob Mueller's job to sort that out,” he said. At the White House, Trump administration official Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked about Comey’s statement that Trump had lied about his firing. “No, I can definitively say the president is not a liar,” she said. “It’s frankly insulting that that question would be asked.” President Trump has often taken to Twitter to criticize the Russian investigation. He did not do so during the hearing on Thursday. But his son, Donald Jr., did. He criticized Comey for saying his father was ordering him to stop investigating Flynn, when it was just a request. “Knowing my father for 39 years when he 'orders or tells' you to do something there is no ambiguity, Donald Trump Jr. said. “You will know exactly what he means."   I'm Bruce Alpert And I'm Anne Ball.   Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. His report was based on stories from VOANews.com, the Associated Press, Reuters and other sources. 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     disarray - adj. a confused or messy condition plain - adj. easy to see or understand further - adv. to a greater degree or extent testimony - n. something that someone says especially in a court of law while formally promising to tell the truth probe - n. an investigation bar - n. a place where alcoholic drinks are served classified - adv. information that is supposed to be kept secret from the public leak - n. providing information that was not previously known to a reporter privileged - adj. conversations that are supposed to remain private sort that out - phrase, determine what the facts are definitely - adv. certainly the case    

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North Korea Launches Missiles after South Korean Decision on Anti-Missile System

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has called on North Korea to stop testing missiles after the North’s latest missile launch. Moon urged North Korea to immediately halt what he called “its nuclear and missile provocations.” Early Thursday, North Korea launched missiles from an area near Wonsan, a city on its eastern coast. They traveled about 200 kilometers to the east and landed in the sea. The office of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said they appeared to be short-range cruise missiles. A spokesman for the office said the launch seemed to be a test designed to answer recent United States naval exercises in the region. However, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff noted that the test did not violate United Nations Security Council restrictions because the missiles did not travel high enough. Those restrictions ban high-altitude missile and nuclear weapons development. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga, said there was no reason for Council members to consider the latest test. “The government has dealt with actions of North Korea based on responses of the international community. However, we don’t think this (missile launch) is something we need to protest against,” he said. The secretary said the missiles did not reach Japan’s exclusive economic zone, which extends about 370 kilometers from the Japanese coast. Additional THAAD deployment delayed The launches took place one day after the administration of President Moon Jae-in suspended additional deployment of an American anti-missile system. A presidential aide said an environmental study was required by law before additional deployment could take place. The study could take two years. Two rocket launchers have already been deployed to South Korea as part of the THAAD anti-missile system. The study delays the deployment of an additional four launchers. The postponement comes after reports that the defense ministry failed to inform Moon of the additional deployments. He suspended a deputy defense minister for his part in bypassing the president’s office. On Thursday, the Defense Ministry did not comment on the THAAD issue because of an investigation into the deployment’s approval. During the South Korean election campaign, Moon called for a detailed study of the THAAD anti-missile system agreement with the United States. The deployment of the system went forward as then-President Park Geun-hye faced removal from office over accusations of corruption. China has opposed the THAAD missile deployment on the Korean Peninsula. The Chinese government considers it a threat. The state-operated Global Times said Wednesday that the delay in the additional deployment could ease tensions between China and South Korea. Chinese officials reportedly have cancelled tourist trips to South Korea and taken other economic measures against the South to show their displeasure. Bruce Bennett is a defense expert with the RAND Corporation research group. He told VOA that the latest missile launch might show new capabilities for North Korea’s missile program. However, he said they presented little threat to U.S. forces in East Asia. Currently, the U.S. military has deployed two aircraft carrier strike groups to the area. The strike groups include the carriers USS Carl Vinson and the USS Ronald Reagan. I’m Mario Ritter. Brian Padden reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted his report for Learning English. His story includes material from VOA’s Chris Hannas, Kenneth Schwartz and Victor Beattie. George Grow was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story provocations – n. something done to cause an intense or angry reaction region – n. a part of a country or the world separated in some way from others exclusive – adj. not shared; available to only a few people altitude – n. height; the highest point of something bypass – v. to go around or avoid something altitude – n. height above the earth’s surface capability – n. the ability to do something We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

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NASA Welcomes New Class of Astronauts

  This is What’s Trending Today... The United States named 12 new astronauts this week. The astronauts will work for NASA, the American space agency. The astronaut class of 2017 includes doctors, scientists, engineers, pilots and military officers. Seven are men and five are women. The youngest is 29 years old. The oldest is 42. Vice President Mike Pence officially welcomed the group during a ceremony Wednesday at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Pence offered congratulations from President Donald Trump. He said the president is “firmly committed to NASA’s noble mission, leading America in space.” More than 18,300 people applied to become astronauts. NASA says they contacted the space agency during a short application period that began in late 2015. That is more than double the record number of 8,000. The earlier record was set in 1978, when the agency was preparing for the first launch in its space shuttle program. The 12 new astronauts will join 44 astronauts already with NASA. The last time the space agency launched astronauts from American soil was 2011, when the space shuttles were retired. Since then, NASA has depended on the Russian space program to get Americans to the International Space Station. However, that could change next year. After two years of training, the new astronauts could travel to the space station or fly beyond the moon in NASA’s Orion spacecraft. But the space agency would depend on private businesses for rockets and other equipment. SpaceX and Boeing are building capsules to carry astronauts to the space station and back. Those vehicles could be ready for use as soon as next year. A launch engineer and top official with SpaceX, Robb Kulin, is among the 12 new astronauts. “Hopefully, one day, I will actually fly on a vehicle that ... I got to design,” he said. Kulin and his classmates may be in for a long wait, however. Some members of the class of 2009 have yet to launch. This is NASA’s 22nd group of astronauts. The first group, the Mercury 7 astronauts, was chosen in 1959. Three hundred fifty Americans have been chosen to become astronauts. Requirements include U.S. citizenship; college degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics; and at least three years of experience or 1,000 hours of piloting jets. I’m Caty Weaver. ___________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story committed - adj. willing to give your time, energy, etc., to something noble - adj. having, showing, or coming from personal qualities that people admire (such as honesty, generosity, courage, etc.) mission - n. a task or job that someone is given to do apply - n.  to ask formally for something (such as a job, admission to a school, a loan, etc.) usually in writing

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Indian Film about Sisters Is Huge Hit in China

  An Indian movie about two sisters has become a huge hit in China. The Hindi language film, called “Dangal,” has earned almost $170 million in China since its release there on May 5. It is the highest grossing non-Hollywood foreign film released in China. China is the world’s second-largest movie market after the United States. But it imports very few foreign films that do not come from U.S. production companies. Much has been written about why “Dangal” has enjoyed such big success in China. Critics say one reason is the film’s star and producer, Aamir Khan. He is famous in India’s Bollywood film industry. Two of his earlier films were also big hits in China.    Khan’s popularity was clear after he got more than 600,000 followers on the Chinese social media service Sina Weibo within two months of joining. But he is not the only reason the film strongly connects with moviegoers across China. Media observers and social media posts have noted how it shows similarities between patriarchal systems in China and India. It also deals with issues related to the treatment of girls and women. Dangal is based on the true story of a man who enjoyed the sport of wrestling. He competed as a wrestler, but never could achieve his lifelong dream: winning a gold medal. As a father, he wanted his son to win the medal. But his wife only gives birth to daughters. So he eventually decides to train them to be world-class wrestlers. The movie is more serious than many Bollywood productions. Most tell happy love stories and include colorful music and dance performances. Edward Chan is a professor of sociology at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He says the strict approach to parenting in the film is something people in China can easily relate to. “I think the father role portrayed by the movie in India is quite similar to the culture, especially the traditional culture in China.” Tansen Sen, a professor at the City University of New York, agrees. He said the film’s parent-child issues are well understood in China, along with the interest in sports. China’s Xinhua news agency said the film’s messages about gender roles and education reforms had “struck a chord with many Chinese parents." Aamir Khan told a magazine he never imagined the movie would be such a big success in China. ​ ”They have embraced a film with a different language, from a different country and it has connected to them, emotionally. Creative fields don’t have any barriers.” The Chinese government-supported Global Times newspaper noted that some movie critics in China did not like “Dangal”. Most of the criticism was tied to the fact that the father in the film was forceful in pushing his daughters to become wrestlers.  The newspaper said the film also led to debates over feminism in China; specifically, whether modern day girls should completely reject the values of a patriarchal society. I’m Bryan Lynn.   Saibal Dasgupta reported this story for VOA News.com. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for Learning English, with additional material from 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   wrestler – n. person who competes in the sport of wrestling gross – v. amount of money earned before taxes and other costs patriarchal – adj. controlled by a man strict – adj. not allowing rules to be broken portray – v. describe someone in a particular way strike a chord – v. do something to cause people to agree with embrace – v. gladly accept something feminism – n. belief that women should have the same equal rights and opportunities as men  

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Adventures with Adverbials: Part 1

  From VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar. The 1954 American film On the Waterfront helped make actor Marlon Brando a star. Brando played the main character, a dockworker named Terry Malloy. In the film, Malloy meets face-to-face with a gangster at a seaport. The two men fight in front of many dockworkers. The fight is terrible, and it lasts a long time. You may not realize it, but describing this fight scene can teach you a lot about the structure of the English language. In fact, telling about this fight scene can show you how to use adverbial prepositional phrases. Do not be frightened. This report will be much less painful than the hard punches thrown by Marlon Brando's character! What are adverbials? Adverbials are words or terms that give information about time, place, reason or the way something is done. They answer questions like How often? Where? Why? When? They are traditionally defined as modifiers of verbs. Adverbials take several shapes – adverbs,* verb phrases, and subordinate clauses, for example. Today, we begin our report on adverbials with one of the most common adverbial structures: the prepositional phrase.** Adverbials Adverbials are important because they can change or amend almost any of the basic sentence patterns in English. In other Everyday Grammar stories, we explored five common sentence patterns that form the basic structure of many sentences in English. You can read about these patterns on our website. Adverbials are one of the reasons that sentences are longer than the basic sentence structures. Adverbials add more information to a sentence.   One of the most useful ways to include more information is to add a prepositional phrase. The Prepositional Phrase A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends in a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase. Prepositional phrases generally have two parts: the preposition and the object of the preposition.     Learning and understanding prepositions is important. Of the 20 most commonly used words in English, eight are prepositions. The object of the preposition is often a noun phrase – a group of words that acts like a noun in a sentence. Do not worry - all of this sounds much more complex than it actually is! Think back to the movie from the beginning of the story, On the Waterfront. On is a preposition. The Waterfront is the object of the preposition.   The name of the film, On the Waterfront, is an example of a prepositional phrase. Putting together prepositional phrases English often puts together groups of prepositional phrases to make sentences longer. Now consider this sentence that tells about the fight scene in On the Waterfront: Terry Malloy fought. Do you remember how we told you that adverbials give information about place, time, or reason?  If you wanted to describe the fight scene from the movie, you could add a prepositional phrase to tell where Terry Malloy fought. Terry Malloy fought (where?) on the Waterfront. You can add a second prepositional phrase to tell about how long he fought. Terry Malloy fought (where?) on the Waterfront (how long?) for three hours. Then, you could add another prepositional phrase if you wanted to tell about when he fought. Terry Malloy fought (where?) on the Waterfront (how long?) for three hours (when?) on Saturday. Now, you do not want to include too many prepositional phrases in a sentence. That might confuse, or lose, your reader. However, you can still see that you can build a long sentence from a simple starting point such as "Terry Malloy fought". You can move adverbial prepositional phrases Adverbial prepositional phrases are fun because you can move them to different places in the sentence. Moving adverbial phrases lets you emphasize or highlight different words in the sentence. There is one general rule you should remember: You can move time phrases easier than other kinds of prepositional phrases. This idea is not as complex as you might think. Consider our example: Terry Malloy fought on the Waterfront for three hours on Saturday. You can move the phrases to say this: For three hours on Saturday Terry Malloy fought on the Waterfront.   You see that the phrases have moved, but the sentence has all of the same words -- and it still has the same meaning! Or you could say this: On Saturday Terry Malloy fought on the Waterfront for three hours. In these two examples, the phrases that tell about time are in the front of the sentence. English speakers usually do not put the ‘location’ or ‘place’ adverbial phrase at the beginning of the sentence. You might read a sentence like this, but it is not as common: On the Waterfront Terry Malloy fought ​ for three hours on Saturday.   This sentence could be used in poetry or writing. However, it has a more artistic feel to it. In general, English speakers do not speak this way. So, what are the advantages of adverbials? Recognizing and understanding adverbials will help you with your speaking and writing. You can use adverbials to play up certain words in the sentence – a common strategy in political speeches, for example. Adverbial prepositional phrases can be difficult, but learning how to recognize and use them will help improve your writing and speaking skills. They will also help you on your next English test, too!   I’m Jill Robbins. I'm John Russell. And I'm Alice Bryant.   John Russell wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. *There are several types of adverbials. One common type is the adverb. Adverbs modify verbs; the easiest to recognize are the –ly adverbs, such as suddenly, quietly, or nervously. You can read more about these types of adverbs here: http://ift.tt/2cYGQLa **Prepositional phrases can modify verbs or nouns. When they are acting as adverbials, they are modifying a verb. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story character – n. a person in a story or play; a person who does funny or unusual things gangster – n. a member of a criminal group scene – n. a part of a play or movie in which a particular action takes place phrase – n. a group of two or more words that express a single idea but do not usually form a complete sentence prepositional phrase – n. A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends in a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase – n. a group of words that acts like a noun in a sentence adverbial prepositional phrase – n. a prepositional phrase that modifies or describes a verb

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News Words: Mindfulness

This week's news word can help improve your work.

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Love of Life by Jack London, Part Three

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Documents Suggest Russia Tried to Attack US Voter Registration Records

  A 25-year-old American is the first defendant in a criminal case involving leaked government documents since Donald Trump became president. Reality Leigh Winner has been charged with removing secret documents from a United States government office. The Justice Department said Winner was arrested last Saturday. It said she was working for a government agency in the state of Georgia.  A document provided by an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said she admitted to printing secret intelligence reporting and sending it to a news website. The court document said Winner had email contact with a news website, which it did not name. Media organizations reported that officials with knowledge of the case said the secret documents were given to The Intercept. On the same day charges were announced against Winner, The Intercept published a report it said was based on top-secret documents from the National Security Agency (NSA). The report said the documents showed Russian military intelligence tried to attack U.S. voter registration systems before the 2016 elections. The Intercept reported the NSA documents showed that Russian hackers spent months trying to gain access to computers used by local election officials. The effort reportedly involved techniques designed to trick people into unknowingly providing login information that hackers can then use. The website said the first targets were companies that provide local governments with software programs for organizing voter registration records. Later attacks were reportedly aimed at local election officials themselves in the days leading up to the November 8 vote. It is unclear how successful the reported attacks were. The Intercept said an NSA investigation "does not draw conclusions about whether the interference had any effect on the election's outcome." The U.S. intelligence community found in a report in January that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered an influence campaign to target the U.S. elections. The report said Russia’s goal was to undermine trust in the election process. Russia also wanted to harm candidate Hillary Clinton's chances of winning against now-President Donald Trump, the report said. Russian officials have repeatedly denied that their country took steps to interfere in the election. But Putin recently said that Russian "patriots" with no ties to the government may have been involved in hacking. The FBI and several congressional committees are currently investigating the issue. The investigations are exploring whether Trump or any of his team may have worked with Russian intelligence officials during the campaign. Trump has dismissed the claims as "fake news" and sought to direct attention on leaks about the issue to the media. I’m Ashley Thompson.   Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from VOA News, 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   hack – v. secretly get access to the files on a computer or network in order to get information and/or cause damage print – v. produce written material or pictures using a machine technique – n. way of doing something using special knowledge or skill undermine – v. make weaker or less effective patriot – n. someone who loves their country and is proud of it collude – v. secretly work with others to do something, especially illegal or dishonest fake – adj. not real or true access – n. the right or permission to use  

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Dubai Gets Its First Robot Cop

  If you are in Dubai you may notice a robot police officer sharing the street with you. Your first thought might be, "Have I walked into a movie set?" The answer is no. That robot is Dubai's newest police officer. The robot has a touch screen instead of a weapon. The robot will be employed mostly at shopping centers and other places popular with visitors. The robot's face has eyes but no mouth or nose. It stands 165 centimeters tall and weighs 100 kilograms. If the robot works well, Dubai says 25 percent of its police force could be robotic by 2030. The robot cop was officially presented at Dubai’s Gulf Information and Security Expo and Conference in May. ​ Mohammed Elnakib, a telecommunications manager, was surprised when he was met with a "Hi, Mohammed!" from the robot cop. Elnakib said, "It was creepy but it is also the future. Then I realized it had read my name tag. This will be a fantastic addition because everything is moving towards doing more with fewer people." The rolling robot reported for duty on the streets of Dubai. ​ The police hope the robots will make life easier for the people of Dubai. Khalid Al Razooqi is Director General of Smart Services at the Dubai Police. He said the robot can help the public all day every, every day, and that “it won’t ask for any sick leave or maternity leave." What the robot cop can do The robot cannot make arrests. But it can recognize faces and compare them to photographs on a criminal database. It can also sense emotions. People can use the robot's touch screen to do things like report a crime, pay fines and report lost or found things. They can also ask how to get somewhere. The robot can salute and shake hands with people. So far, the robot can speak in Arabic and English. It soon will learn other languages such as Russian, Chinese, French and Spanish. In addition to having a touch screen, the robot has a camera that can live-stream video to a police command center.   ​This video shows what the Dubai robot cop can do: The future Dubai has plans to add other kinds of robots to its police force. Within two years, the city plans to deploy a three-meter-tall robot that can run up to 80 kilometers an hour. The Dubai government says the machine would be the world's largest robot. A human police officer will be able to sit inside and control the robot. It will be able to lift heavy objects. The city also plans to use an egg-shaped robot to supervise parking areas and ticket traffic law violators. I’m Caty Weaver. Do you like the idea of robot cops? Would you use one? Do you think robot cops will make the world safer and more convenient? Share your thoughts in the Comments Section below or on our Facebook page.   Carolyn Nicander Mohr wrote this report for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.  _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   touch screen - n. a type of screen on a computer which shows options that you can choose by touching the screen cop - n. police officer tag - n. a small piece of cloth, paper, metal, etc., that is attached to something and that has information written on it fantastic - adj. extremely good maternity - adj. relating to the time when a woman gives birth to a baby database - n. a collection of pieces of information that is organized and used on a computer salute - v. to give a sign of respect to (a military officer, flag, etc.) by moving your right hand to your forehead live-stream - v. transmit or receive live video and audio coverage of (an event) over the Internet

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US Calls for Reform of the UN Human Rights Council

  The United States Ambassador to the United Nations has warned that the U.S. might withdraw from the U.N. Human Rights Council. Nikki Haley spoke Tuesday at the opening of UNHRC’s three-week meeting. She said the Council needs to make reforms. If that happens, she said, the U.S. might remain a member. “I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in front of this body on an issue that we believe is very important – respect for human rights. As you know, the United States is looking carefully at this council and our participation in it. We see some areas for significant strengthening.”. Haley criticized the Council for what she called a double standard on Israel. She noted that the group had never approved a resolution condemning Venezuela for human rights violations. Yet, she said, in March the Council passed five resolutions against Israel. She described those resolutions as “biased.” Haley said the UNHRC actions against some countries, and not others, hurt its credibility. She said the group must deal with what she called its “chronic anti-Israel bias.” The U.S. has long argued that the UNHRC treats reports of rights violations differently in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip than in other places. Even critics of Israeli policies say the country is more closely observed for human rights than other countries. They note that serious and systematic human rights abuses in all other countries, such as North Korea, Syria, Eritrea, Iran, Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi are examined under the same item 4 on the agenda. Israel, however, is dealt with alone as item 7. But other experts say that the U.S. can only blame itself for UNHRC operations it does not agree with. They say the U.S. lost its influence in the Council after it boycotted the group for three years under President George W. Bush. The U.S. rejoined the Human Rights Council in 2009 during President Barack Obama’s administration. Are reforms possible? The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra-ad al-Hussein opened the Council meeting. He called for “the end of the occupation” of the Palestinian territories. He said “the Palestinians deserve freedom, as all peoples do.” And, he added, “the Israelis also deserve freedom.” John Fisher, is an official with Human Rights Watch in Geneva. He said reform would help the council. In a statement, he said any steps to improve membership standards would strengthen the Human Rights Council. Jamil Dakwar is the director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Human Rights Program. He criticized the U.S. human rights record, noting its efforts to ban travel to the U.S. from six Muslim-majority countries. He also criticized its policies on illegal immigrants. He said the U.S. should deal with its own human rights issues. Venezuela the target of rights criticism Haley, the 29th U.S. ambassador to the U.N., also strongly criticized Venezuela at an event later Tuesday. She said the government of President Nicolas Maduro was starving and repressing its citizens. Haley noted the more than 60 anti-government protesters killed in the country since April, along with thousands injured and detained. She said more than 300 civilians have been charged in Venezuelan military courts. Venezuela’s ambassador to the U.N. said the U.S. is responsible for such violence. The Venezuelan opposition, however, welcomed Haley’s remarks. It called for Venezuela to protect human rights or lose its place on the council. A lawmaker in the National Assembly, Juan Requesens, asked the international community for support. He called for restrictions against human rights violators. I’m Mario Ritter. Lisa Schlein reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted it for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   participation –n. taking part in some activity, movement or plan double standard –n. treating on group with one set of rules and another group with a different set of rules biased –adj. showing unfairness to a group credibility –n. the ability to have others believe what you say We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

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Deaf Singer Impresses TV Judges

  This is What’s Trending Today. Mandy Harvey is a 29-year-old singer from the American state of Florida. She suffers from connective tissue disorder. She lost most of her ability to hear when she was 18. As a child and during her teenage years, Harvey was a singer. But she stopped singing for a time after she went deaf. But she decided to start singing again after she learned how to feel a song’s beat through the wooden floor of a stage or theater. She uses visual aids to make sure her musical instruments are tuned correctly and she is singing in the correct pitch. Harvey is now a professional singer. But until Tuesday night, not many people in the United States had heard of her. That changed when she appeared on the television show “America’s Got Talent.” The show has four judges who watch people perform and decide if they should continue in the competition. Different versions of the “Got Talent” show are seen around the world. Mandy Harvey appeared on stage with a small instrument: a ukulele. A sign language interpreter stood next to the judges. One of the judges, Simon Cowell, asked Harvey about the condition that caused her to go deaf. Then she got ready to perform. She sang a piece she wrote, called “Try.” Harvey said: “After I lost my hearing, I gave up. But I want to do more with my life than just give up.” Cowell said: “Good for you,” and clapped his hands loudly.   As she was singing, one camera cut away to capture images of people in the theater. Many were seen crying. At one point, everyone stood up and cheered. By Wednesday afternoon, a video of Harvey’s performance had been played 46 million times. Why? Shortly after she finished singing, Cowell smiled, and said “Mandy, I don’t think you’re going to need a translator for this.” And he reached over and hit a button that released golden confetti into the air. That meant Harvey automatically moved on to the final part of the talent competition. Cowell said, “I’ve done this a long time, and that was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen and heard.” Thousands of people wrote about the performance on Facebook. Many wrote that Harvey’s performance was inspiring, and they will not give up on anything they want to do, either.   And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. What do you think of the deaf singer? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.   ____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   visual – n. something you look at (such as a picture, chart, or film) that is used to make something more appealing or easier to understand pitch – n. the highness or lowness of a sound tune – v. to adjust (a musical instrument) so that it makes the correct sound when played talent – n. a special ability that allows someone to do something well interpreter – n. a person who translates the words that someone is speaking into a different language translator – n. a person who changes words written in one language into a different language confetti – n. small pieces of brightly colored paper that people often throw at celebrations (such as weddings and parties) inspire – v. to make (someone) want to do something : to give (someone) an idea about what to do or create automatically – adj. something done involuntarily professional – adj. of or related to a job or the workplace

from Voice of America http://ift.tt/2r3flWY
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