Nobel Peace Prize Goes to Anti-Nuclear Weapons Group

  A group seeking an international ban on nuclear weapons has won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize.   The Norwegian Nobel Committee is giving the prize to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, or ICAN. The head of the committee, Berit Reiss-Andersen, made the announcement on Friday. She said, "We live in a world where the risk of nuclear weapons being used is greater than it has been for a long time." The Nobel committee said ICAN won for its work to bring attention to the catastrophic humanitarian effects of any use of nuclear weapons. The statement also praised the group for “its ground-breaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons." ICAN describes itself as a coalition of non-government groups in more than 100 countries. It began in Australia and was officially launched in Vienna in 2007. ICAN’s main goal is to support enactment of a United Nations treaty banning nuclear weapons. The treaty was approved in New York on July 7, 2017.  The agreement, however, did not include nuclear powers, such as Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. The peace prize announcement comes as U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened Iran and North Korea over their nuclear activities. President Trump told the U.N. General Assembly last month that he may be forced to "totally destroy" North Korea because of its nuclear program.  U.S. officials now say Trump is likely to decertify the international nuclear agreement with Iran. He has called the agreement the "worst deal ever negotiated." The president is expected to announce his plans in a speech next week. The officials expect him to say the deal is not in the U.S. national interest. This would not cancel the 2015 agreement, but instead return it to Congress. Lawmakers would then have 60 days to decide whether to re-establish sanctions that were suspended under the agreement. A decertification could possibly lead to talks on renegotiating the deal, although Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said that is not under consideration. I’m Caty Weaver.   VOANews.com reported this story. George Grow adapted the report for Learning English. His story includes information from the Associated Press and the Reuters news agency. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   catastrophic – adj. of or relating to a terrible disaster prohibition – n. an order to stop; a ban decertify – v. to withdraw from sanction – n. an action that is taken to force a country to obey international law  

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What It Takes: Coach (K) Mike Krzyzewski

  00:00:02    OPRAH WINFREY: "Hattie Mae, this child is gifted," and I heard that enough that I started to believe it. 00:00:08    ROGER BANNISTER: If you have the opportunity, not a perfect opportunity, and you don't take it, you may never have another chance. 00:00:14    LAURYN HILL: It all was so clear. It was just, like, the picture started to form itself. 00:00:19    DESMOND TUTU: There was no way in which a lie could prevail over the truth, darkness over light, death over life. 00:00:27    CAROL BURNETT (quoting CARRIE HAMILTON): “Every day I wake up and decide, today I'm going to love my life. Decide.” 00:00:34    JOHNNY CASH: My advice is, if they're going to break your leg once when you go in that place, stay out of there. 00:00:40    JAMES MICHENER: And then along come these differential experiences that you don't look for, you don't plan for, but boy, you’d better not miss them.   00:00:52    ALICE WINKLER: This is What It Takes, a podcast about passion, vision, and perseverance. I’m Alice Winkler. On each episode of What It Takes, we play you a conversation from the Academy of Achievement’s vault, a conversation with someone phenomenal, someone who's overcome obstacles to make history, someone with stories to tell, whether scientist, musician, world leader, or sports legend.   00:01:19    On this episode, that someone is Mike Krzyzewski, or as he is more affectionately known, “Coach K.” And yes, Krzyzewski starts with a K, for those of you who wouldn’t know a free throw if it hit you in the end zone.   00:01:33    ANNOUNCER: Bam! Mike Krzyzewski becomes the first Division I men's coach to win 1,000 games!   00:01:45     ALICE WINKLER: No one has achieved more in college basketball than Mike Krzyzewski. No one. As of this podcast, he's won five national titles as head coach of Duke University's Blue Devils, a position he’s held for over three decades. He’s also won three Olympic gold medals, so far, with the USA Men’s National Team, and two FIBA gold medals.   00:02:11     That's the International Basketball Association. The list of “firsts” and “mosts” in Coach K’s bio is a long read. The cornerstone of his success, he said in this 1997 interview...   00:02:24     MIKE KRZYZEWSKI: The relationships I have with my players are the most important things. It's the most important aspect of my job, and I’m selfish about this. I want to know that I’ve had a positive impact on that young man's life, but I also want him to know that he has an impact on my life. Relationships are not one-way. I think coaching is confused at times as being an arrow that only goes to a player. Those players send arrows back to you, and that's where a relationship is developed.   00:03:00     I don’t make a player. When they go on that court, they're — even though I'm coaching, they're alone out there. In fact, they're in their underwear. I mean, they wear shorts, and they're exposed. They have to know that they can do it. Now, am I there for them? Yeah. But they have to know that they do it, and I tell them, I say, "I'm impressed with how you can do that."   00:03:24    The other thing that I think is really important for kids to understand is that, like, when I come into a locker room before a game, people might anticipate, if they don't know sport that well, that, "Oh, you know, we're going to win one for this, and we're going to do it for Duke, and we're going to” — that's not always the case. Sometimes I go into that locker room, and I'm afraid. And then, all of a sudden I look at Bobby Hurley, or I look at Steve Wojciechowski, or Grant Hill, or kids who've played for me, and I see in their eyes anticipation.   00:03:57     I see ambition. I see a glaze, and all of a sudden I say, "Holy mackerel! I’ve got a chance to coach these guys tonight."   00:04:06     ALICE WINKLER: He also sees in their faces a bit of himself. A little personal background here: Mike Krzyzewski was born into a first-generation Polish family in Chicago. His father was an elevator operator; his mother, a cleaning woman. When he was a kid, he says, he wasn’t much of a books person. He preferred to learn by doing, and he had, by his own description, “ants in his pants.” When he found basketball, he said, it wasn’t just a way to channel his energy, and it wasn’t just something he was pretty good at. It became a piece of him.   00:04:44     MIKE KRZYZEWSKI: I liked that. You know? I liked that, well, here’s Mike, he’s a basketball player, and that connection was good. It helped me have confidence in other areas because it wasn't just Mike. It was Mike who's also a good basketball player, and so I worked at it, and I really liked it. It became a friend. When I had troubles, I’d go out — you can — with basketball, you can do it by yourself, too, so you'd go out and shoot, and you'd fantasize.   00:05:13     You have a — you know, your imagination could run wild, and I always won in my imagination. I always hit the game-winning shot, or I hit the free throw, or if I missed, there was a lane violation, and I was given another one. And it helped me become a much more confidant person, and it was much more than a game to me, and always has been.   00:05:35    ALICE WINKLER: But it was just a game to Mike Krzyzewski's parents.   00:05:39     MIKE KRZYZEWSKI: At that time, we were in a Polish community in the inner city of Chicago. I was the youngest of a bunch of cousins. Polish families are real big, with cousins and aunts and uncles, and my older brother, who is twice as big as me — he's about 6'6", 250, didn't play sports because being in the band or doing — those were things that you did. They were not frivolous. Playing sports was somewhat frivolous, but I liked it, and I rebelled a little bit and wouldn’t go to music lessons and things like that but would go and play ball.   00:06:14    And then they learned to love it because they saw how much it impacted on me in a positive sense. I had a really bad temper when I was growing up, and sport helped me channel that temper into more positive acts.   00:06:32     ALICE WINKLER: When his parents eventually came around, they embraced the teachers and the coaches who worked with Mike on his game. In high school, there was one coach in particular who had an enormous influence on his life and, to this day, his own approach to coaching — someone who told him he was better than he thought he was, someone who pushed him.   00:06:55     MIKE KRZYZEWSKI: His name was Al Ostrowski, and he wasn't even a former basketball player, and had not — he was a younger guy. He was in his twenties, but he really believed in me. He was the first person who taught me not to be afraid of failure. You know, he'd tell me to shoot 25 times a game. I said, "No, I can't do that. Everyone will hate me." "You do it, and you — " you know, even though I didn’t do that all the time, he kept pushing me to get — to be better, and — he saw me — if success or talent were on floors, maybe I saw myself on the fifth floor.   00:07:33     He always saw me on the 20th floor, and as a result, I climbed more floors when I was with him, and I've tried to use that in my way of teaching. And he even helped me choose West Point to go to school, where I was afraid of that, and he felt that that would give me many more floors in my building. And he was right.   00:07:57     ALICE WINKLER: There was another teacher Mike Krzyzewski especially remembers, a teacher who had absolutely nothing to do with sports but who gave him fundamentals he still relies on as a coach. Her name was Sister Lucinda, a nun at the all-boys Catholic school he attended. Sister Lucinda showed him respect, taught him sensitivity to others, and gave him a code of ethics. Because of her, he told the Academy of Achievement, he considered becoming a priest.   00:08:28     Obviously, he chose a different path, but in his own way, Coach K has dedicated his life to ministering to young people — mind and spirit, as well as body. Now take a moment here and picture a post-game TV interview with a major sports figure basking in the glory of victory. The big shout-out is almost always saved for Mom, and so it is with Coach K.   00:08:53     MIKE KRZYZEWSKI: The person who’s inspired me the most my whole life is my mom, because she taught me commitment. You know, we're not — we weren’t dirt poor, but we weren’t real rich or anything, and I would always have what I needed. And I would look in her closet, and she'd have two dresses, and she taught me to be outside of yourself, to get outside of yourself, and to connect with — to be committed to somebody.   00:09:24     And it's the same thing that I try to teach, but my mom, throughout my life, has been the person that I have always looked up to, and she never went to high school. She — in an all-Polish way, she said, you know, "Mike, I went to eighth grade twice because the teacher liked me." And she had a very — she had great self-effacing humor and loved life. And my mother, when I used to come back in Chicago in recruiting, I'd always stay with her.   00:09:56    My dad passed away when I was a senior at West Point, and I’d come back. We had already been on TV, and we'd just be sitting there late at night, and she'd say, "Mike, how did — why — how is it you?" — you know, and she wasn't knocking me. It was just that our group of people wasn't supposed to be able to do that. And I would always tell her, I said, "Ma, because of you. And it's because of you." She was a remarkable, remarkable lady.   00:10:30     ALICE WINKLER: So Mike Krzyzewski had a belief in himself fostered by his high school coach, an ethical compass care of Sister Lucinda, and the gift of commitment and humility from his mom. So where did his legendary leadership qualities come from? Gail Eichenthal, who conducted this interview for the Academy of Achievement, asked him that question. Those, it seems, he came by naturally.   00:10:56     MIKE KRZYZEWSKI: I knew I was a leader, because everybody — I always organized things. When I grew up there weren’t, in the city, little leagues. Parents worked all the time. They didn’t have time to then take their kids out to play baseball and football and all that. And we understood that as kids, so when we went to a playground, we congregated at a schoolyard, and then, if you had ten people, twenty, six, somebody had to organize, and I was always organizing them.   00:11:31    Not that I thought I was better, but I felt that the game couldn’t start unless I organized it. That may sound so arrogant, but I really — I believed that, and I would try to impose my will all the time in those types of settings, because I found that if you didn't, people would just stand around and do nothing. So I knew that I had that. The other thing I knew I had is that I had a high level of competitiveness. I hated to lose.   00:12:06     And at times, I did probably ugly things, you know what I mean? With my temper and throwing stuff and all that. But I knew that I had those two things, the leadership and a high level of competitiveness, and some of my friends would tell me that. "Well, let's wait until — " At that time I was called Mickey. "Hey, let's wait until Mick comes," or "Mickey will” — you know — “will show us what to do." And it's still something that I think I do now.   00:12:34     I think I lead and I teach, and if we win basketball games from doing that, then that’s great.   00:12:41     ALICE WINKLER: Winning basketball games? Not a problem for Coach K. His original ambition was to become a high school teacher and coach, but he was so good that Bobby Knight, who he’d played under at West Point, hired him as an assistant coach at Indiana. He then got an offer to be head coach at West Point and was finally lured to Duke University, where he has stayed put since 1980. Duke attracts top tier athletes who are also top tier students. Coach K says he loves the depth of these kids, but there are unique challenges.   00:13:17     MIKE KRZYZEWSKI: I’m fortunate, now that I coach at Duke University, and we've won a lot. I have some kids who don't — haven't failed that much, but then when they get to college, they’re going to fail, and I think that’s the thing that I can help them the most with. You know, let them fall down. Let me pick them up so that I can develop that relationship where we can do it quicker, you know. And they're not destroyed by it, and I'm going to do some things that put them in tough situations, because they're not going to develop fully by just me patting them on the back or saying, "You're a good boy, and you can do that."   00:14:00     You know, because we're not only trying to build good habits. Sometimes we're trying to destroy bad habits, a bad habit being the fear of failure. I'm going to knock the heck out of fears. Fear of looking stupid. Do you know how many kids don't want to do something because they're afraid of looking stupid to their peers? And that when they do fail, like, that looks stupid, or there comes a time where they start protecting instead of extending.   00:14:33    How do you destroy that? Is there a book on that? Is there one — is there a pill that you take? It's different in every individual.   00:14:43     ALICE WINKLER: As someone who leads by example, Coach K doesn’t often fear failure himself, but he had a revelation during his team’s fifth trip to the Final Four: perhaps he had gotten a little too comfortable with his team’s failure to grab the championship title.   00:15:01     MIKE KRZYZEWSKI: To reach the Final Four is like, you're in “la-la land,” you know? You've achieved. You’ve got to have your stamp of approval. Well, my team — my 1986 team did that the first time. Then we did it in '88, '89, and '90, but we did not win the national championship, and I feel that, because of achieving at a high level, I rationalized somewhat at a moment where maybe I could have pushed my team a little bit more.   00:15:34    So in '91, when we did win it — for the first time, we won it — that was the biggest obstacle to me, was so that we made it and we were playing in Nevada, Las Vegas, and they had won 45 in a row, and it was almost like it would be okay to lose. Everybody would say, "Well, that would be all right," and I was most proud of that game because it was the first — not the first time, but maybe the most significant time that, as a leader, I helped my group overcome rationalization at the highest level.   00:16:12     And when we beat them and then beat Kansas for the national championship, it was an amazing accomplishment, for me. I didn't care — everyone was saying, "Boy, you won the national championship," but for me, it was amazing because we got over that final hurdle. Or I did, as a leader and a teacher, and now I know how to do that, and I thought it helped me the next year when we won it a second time.   00:16:37     ALICE WINKLER: Mike Krzyzewski says he didn’t let himself enjoy the first win. He was too focused already on the next year and on the question he often returns to: "What floor of success are we on? Can we go even higher?" Coach K relies on the power of metaphors and carefully chosen words. He says they can sometimes make the difference between winning and losing.    00:17:03     MIKE KRZYZEWSKI: I even played a game, a mind game, a word game, with myself, where — after you win, people the next year will say, "You’re defending your national championship," and I prohibited the use of the word “defend.” What I said for that team, I said, "We’ve already got the national championship for that year. We’re going to pursue." And sometimes the difference between “defend,” “protective,” “pursue,” “go after,” I think, was the difference in us winning it the second time.   00:17:40    Now you might ask, "Well, why didn’t you win it the third time?" And I probably didn’t do as good a job of coming up with those words, or someone else did a better job of coming up with their words and talent than I did, but it’s interesting what the human mind can do. That and good players. You need some good talent.   00:17:59     ALICE WINKLER: Oh yeah, good players, but Coach K quickly reminds us that the individual talents of the individual players, no matter how great, are secondary to the team.   00:18:09     MIKE KRZYZEWSKI: Teamwork is the beauty of our sport, where you have five acting as one, and you become selfless, and the — and you're — even though we want huge individual egos, our collective ego is unbelievable, and the ability of people to throw themselves into that situation, I think is remarkable. It's becoming more and more remarkable as people become so vested in their own interests.   00:18:41     And the ability to give and connect with others, to me, is the single most important thing that we teach. And then the quality that we need to teach the most is trust, to be honest with one another, so that — like, I have a rule on my team: when we talk to one another, we look at each other right in the eye, because I think it's tough to lie to somebody. You give respect to somebody. It's you that I'm talking to right now. And as the result, I know that there are going to be times on that bench where there are two seconds to go or where a kid's having a bad game, and I’ve got look at him and say, "Look, you're playing horrible, but you're not horrible. Now get your head going," and whatever words I might use, and “I believe in you.”   00:19:31     And I may not even say it that way. It might be two seconds, and we have to connect. If we haven't done the work beforehand, you can't wait until those two seconds to do it. Like, I speak on — to a lot of groups about — and with business groups, a lot of them ask about crisis management. "What do you do if — " I say, "Well, the main thing you do with crisis management is trust one another." "Well, how do you get that?" Wow. It takes awhile, you know, but being honest with one another is the very first and most important step.   00:20:04     And so you have to have that trust developed before the crisis. If you — now, if you haven't had it up to that time and you have a crisis, then maybe you can use that crisis — you're going to probably lose during that time, but maybe you can use that as something that will mold your group together, as long as when those things happen you have a thing called collective responsibility. Everybody wants collective responsibility when you win, or a lot of people want individual responsibility during that time.   00:20:38    When you fail, all these fingers are pointing, and I have a thing where I say there — like, the five fingers on your hand, a basketball team, if you can get them all together — we have a fist analogy, and you can — and you start going — like, that's how we — I want you to play. If when we lose, I say, "You didn’t do a good job," there's no fist, so now we're punching like that.   00:21:07     Collective responsibility is the saying — is saying, we lost. Why did we lose, and how can we get better? If we can do that, it's an amazing thing that happens. And with my thing, though, is that it'll happen, and then in March or April, it ends. The — I have a life expectancy of a team from — of about eight months, and then the next year it's a whole new team.     00:21:35     ALICE WINKLER: Coach K’s favorite example of trust, connection, and collective responsibility aligning into the perfect fist of teamwork is the regional final between Duke and Kentucky in 1992. Probably not surprising, if you're a basketball fan, since it is widely considered the single best college basketball game in the history of the sport. In overtime, with 2.1 seconds left in the game, Kentucky scored, moving into the lead 103 to 102.   00:22:09    ANNOUNCER: How did he find the courage to take that kind of shot?   00:22:16     MIKE KRZYZEWSKI: The shot that put us behind was a bank shot, right from straight on, and you don't do that. People don't shoot bank shots, so, to me, it was a little bit of a lucky shot, and so I was — I didn’t want to lose that way.   00:22:30    ALICE WINKLER: Coach K was pissed. He called a timeout. As his players approached him on the bench, he threw down a towel. It might as well have been a gauntlet.   00:22:41     ANNOUNCER: Two point one seconds left. No team has repeated as NCAA champions since UCLA did it in 1973. Will the dream die here for Duke?   00:22:57     MIKE KRZYZEWSKI: And so I used my anger properly. I met my team, and I told them, "We’re going to win," and I looked into their eyes. Then when they sat on the bench, I looked at them again. I said, "We are going to win," and then I felt we were connected. And then I asked Grant Hill — instead of telling him what to do, I asked Grant Hill, I said, "Grant, can you throw the ball 75 feet?"   00:23:25     And he said, "Yes, I'll throw it," and by saying it already, I think he had already done it. In fact, if you had interviewed him now, he would say, "Well, I gave my word that I was going to do it." I asked Christian Laettner, "Christian, if we bring you up, will you — can you catch?" And he says, "Coach, if Grant throws it, I'll catch it." And all of a sudden there was that — some people would call it bravado or cocky talk, but we had gone from walking off the court scattered, mentally and physically, to now, a minute-and-a-half later, to believing that we were going to win.   00:24:03     And everybody interacted in that — like, Laettner's remark there was like, "Yeah, come on! We'll do it." And Grant threw it, and Christian caught it, and he shot it, and he hit it, and we won.   00:24:15     ANNOUNCER: There's the pass to Laettner. Puts it up! Yes!   00:24:23    ALICE WINKLER: There aren't really any big accolades left for Coach K to win — no prizes, no honors — but Coach K says for him, that was never really the point.   00:24:35     MIKE KRZYZEWSKI: My goals are not to win a national championship. My next big challenge is my next team. What will these kids bring to me? Even the guys who I've had who’ve played for me before, who will they be when they left me in April and came back to me in October? It's amazing what — how will I be able to react to who they are now? And how will I be able to try to put them together to mold a unit that will best make use of their talents?   00:25:07     That, to me, is what I do, and then if people want to watch us do that and get excited about it, then that’s great. I don’t coach for the fans. At Duke University, we have a beautiful cathedral, and in the cathedral there's an altar — and there are a lot of wood carvings, and it's just amazing — and I have to think whatever man or woman, or both, did those things, that if they were just sitting by a lake, making something, that they would make that as good as the one in the altar, because they did it for themselves.   00:25:50     Their standards were so good, and then they allowed other people to share it. That’s how I try to coach my team.   00:25:57    ALICE WINKLER: That's Mike Krzyzewski, head coach of Duke University's Blue Devils, as well as the U.S. Men's National Basketball Team. He is the most successful college basketball coach in history; though, I think I can actually hear fans of John Wooden out there shouting at me through their mobile devices, "But Coach Wooden won a record 10 national championships over a 12-year span at UCLA!" Don't worry, the Academy of Achievement has a fantastic interview with the Wizard of Westwood as well, and we'll be posting that episode sometime during March Madness.   00:26:34    Meanwhile, if your heart lies in the East and you can't get enough of Mike Krzyzewski, otherwise known as Coach K, go to achievement.org. There are extra video excerpts from this interview you've been listening to, and, of course, there are lots of other inspiring stories and life lessons on What It Takes from the Academy of Achievement. So subscribe, send links to your friends, tweet, post reviews, let us know how we're doing. Thanks for listening. I'm Alice Winkler.   00:27:06    Tremendous thanks, as always, to the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation for making What It Takes possible.   END OF FILE

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October 6, 2017

A look at the best news photos from around the world

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English @ the Movies: 'Stand A Chance'

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The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe, Part Four

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U.S. Defense Secretary: For the First Time, Afghan Military Fully Involved in Conflict

United States Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has announced that, for the first time, the Afghanistan military is fully involved in the war with Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Mattis spoke with members of the U.S. Senate this week about the Trump administration’s Southeast Asia strategy. He said, “For the first time in 16 years, we have all six Afghan army corps on the offensive at the same time.” Mattis admitted that the Afghan forces have taken heavy losses in the fighting. But he said they are suffering fewer losses than they did last year. The decrease in losses could be a sign suggesting that the forces are improving their combat abilities, he said. Trump administration strategy Mattis also noted that under President Trump, international forces have launched more airstrikes against enemy forces than in any other year since 2012. One reason is because restrictions preventing strikes on insurgents beyond a certain distance from American or Afghan forces have been lifted. The Trump administration announced its new Afghanistan strategy in August. The plan added about 3,000 American troops and additional NATO coalition partners to the Afghan fight. Most of those troops will advise and assist Afghan forces. “Afghan special forces that have our trainers, they have won every time they fought the enemy,” said Mattis. “Those without have not won.” He added that American and NATO airstrikes will let Afghan forces be “bolder” in combat. “When they go into the fight, no longer will they worry about the high ground,” Mattis stated. “Having fought in mountainous country, it’s unpleasant to have the enemy above you … NATO airstrikes overhead denies the enemy ever having the high ground." Still not enough? But the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Joseph Dunford, told lawmakers at the hearing that the progress that has been made is still not enough. He said military pressure from Afghanistan and its international partners is not close to bringing a “successful political solution.” Dunford argued that the international effort must be “long-term,” taking at least six or seven years. That is the time required to fully train the Afghan air force to fight the enemy forces in the country. Republican Senator and Vietnam prisoner of war John McCain has also criticized the lack of progress in Afghanistan. He said, “After 16 years, should the taxpayers of America be satisfied that we are still in a stalemate? I don’t think so.” McCain was talking about a comment the top commander on the ground made earlier this year. U.S. Army General John Nicholson asked for more troops to help break what he called the “stalemate” in America’s longest war. Mattis said that political reconciliation with the Taliban is still the goal. As long as the Taliban stops killing people, lives by the Afghan constitution and breaks with international terrorists there will be no more conflict, he added.​ Other powers The United States’ new Afghan strategy aims to focus on the major powers in the area, including India, China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan. For example, U.S. leaders want Pakistan to prevent terrorists from using their territory to escape pressure in Afghanistan. Mattis said this week that places where terrorists feel safe must be removed. Otherwise keeping the area in good condition will be "highly difficult." Members of Congress also asked Chairman Dunford about the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence Agency, or ISI. Dunford told the Senate committee that it was "clear" that the ISI has connections with terrorist groups. So far, the U.S. has been working alone to push Pakistan toward removing its areas that are safe for terrorists. But Dunford suggested that America should use the nearly 40 nations of the coalition in Afghanistan to do so. Also it should ask other powers in the area, such as China and India, to better urge Pakistan to do more to fight terrorism, he said. Mattis expressed concern that Russia is also acting in ways that work against the coalition's fight to defeat the Afghan Taliban and al-Qaida. “If there's an opportunity to, you know, poke us in the eye, they'll do it,” Mattis said. “Even if it's against their own interest.” I’m Alice Bryant. And I’m Pete Musto.   Carla Babb reported this for VOA News. Pete Musto adapted it for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. What do you think the best action the United States can take in Afghanistan is? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story strategy – n. a careful plan or method for achieving a particular goal usually over a long period of time corps – n. a large military group consisting of two or more divisions airstrike(s) – n. an attack in which military airplanes drop bombs insurgent(s) – n. a person who fights against an established government or authority certain – adj. used to refer to something or someone that is not named specifically bolder – adj. less afraid of danger or difficult situations than before stalemate – n. a contest, dispute, or competition in which neither side can gain an advantage or win reconciliation – n. the act of causing two people or groups to become friendly again after an argument or disagreement opportunity – n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done poke – v. to push your finger or something thin or pointed into or at someone or something

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China Orders North Korean Businesses to Close

China has ordered all North Korean-owned businesses in the country to close by early January. The decision supports sanctions placed by the United Nations on North Korea for its continued development of nuclear weapons and missiles. The move was announced in late September. It is expected to sharply limit the flow of money to North Korea. China’s commerce ministry said that North Korean companies -- including joint operations with Chinese companies --must close within 120 days of September 11. That is the date the U.N. resolution was approved. The decision is expected to affect about 100 restaurants operated by North Koreans. About one fourth of them are in Beijing. U.S. President Donald Trump will travel to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines from November 3 to November 14. Last week, the Trump administration released a statement on the trip. It said, “The president’s engagements will strengthen the international resolve to confront the North Korean threat and ensure the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” Trump will take part in meetings with leaders in the area. He is expected to talk about trade and the North Korean nuclear threat. US seeks China's help in dealing with North Korea U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Chinese leaders last weekend. He called on the ruling Chinese Communist Party to take steps to limit oil supplies to North Korea. He also pressured officials to put in place all parts of U.N. Security Council sanctions. U.S. officials say that North Korea will lose almost all of its export income if restrictions on trade in textiles, coal and some metals are enforced. About 90 percent of North Korea’s foreign trade is with China. The United States believes China’s support is necessary to pressure North Korea to ends its nuclear program. U.S. officials have praised recent actions by China. Trump recently said China had ordered its banks to stop dealing with North Korea. No public announcement, however, appears to have been made by China. Wu Fei is a senior fellow at the Charhar Institute, a Chinese public diplomacy and international relations research group. Wu says there may be limits to the pressure sanctions can place on North Korea. Wu says North Korea has “no industrial products to speak of, and their harvest is pretty much gathered in now. Their demand for basic resources will be pretty low for the next six months or so.” Wu adds that North Korea’s need for outside resources is limited. “They don’t rely on the outside world for much, and that includes China. North Korea wants to show the rest of the world how independent it is; this is the impression they want to create,” he says. He believes North Korea can wait for six months before they must negotiate. Chinese reporter Xu Xiang said public opinion in China is beginning to change. He said Chinese increasingly do not support North Korea. Xu said, “This policy of opposing the U.S. and supporting North Korea: What have we gotten in return for the blood spilled by our fathers’ generation [in the 1950-1953 Korean War]?” Xu also said Chinese are saying, “All it’s done is turn the Kim dynasty into even worse bandits than they were before. As Chinese citizens, we feel pretty unsafe.” But Xu said China does not believe it can solve the North Korean nuclear crisis. Ran Bogong is a retired professor from Toledo University. He says the ruling Chinese Communist Party is still hoping to force North Korea to make changes. “China is hoping now to force Kim Jong Un into making some kind of compromise vis-à-vis the U.S.,” Ran said. “The U.S. and China need to work closely to ensure that when Trump visits, there is some kind of definite result. Neither Beijing nor Washington wants to see the North Korean issue create further conflict between them.” I’m Mario Ritter. This story was reported by Lin Ping and Yang Fan for the Mandarin Service of Radio Free Asia and by the RFA’s Cantonese Service. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the RFA reports for Learning English. Mario Ritter 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 sanction –n. measure put in place to cause a country to obey international law, usually by limiting or banning trade engagements –n. Meetings or events that someone plans to attend resolve –v. to find an answer to a problem verifiable –adj. able to be proven true or correct dynasty –n. a family that rules over a country for a long period of time bandits –n. outlaws who steal from travelers vis-à-vis –adv. in relation to, face to face with

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English Writer Kazuo Ishiguro Wins Nobel Prize in Literature

  Kazuo Ishiguro, the Japanese-born English writer, has won the 2017 Nobel Prize in Literature. The Swedish Academy made the announcement Thursday in Stockholm. Sara Danius, the academy’s secretary, praised the work of Ishiguro. She said, “He’s a very interesting writer in many ways.” “If you mix Jane Austen and Franz Kafka, then  you have Ishiguro in a nutshell.” Danius described him as “one of the most exquisite novelists in our time.” His best-known work is “The Remains of the Day,” which was published in 1989. It tells of a man who worked as a butler, the main male servant in the home of a rich person. He looks back on a life in service to the wealthy. The book deepens into a darker story of the repressed emotional and social environment of 20th-century England. The work earned Ishiguro the Man Booker Prize in 1989. The 1993 film version of “The Remains of the Day” starred Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards. The choice of Ishiguro for the Nobel Prize marked a return to traditional literature following two years of unconventional choices by the Swedish Academy. Last year, the literature prize went to American singer and songwriter Bob Dylan. In 2015, it went to Svetlana Alexievich of Belarus, an investigative journalist. Ishiguro was born in Nagasaki, Japan. He moved with his family to Britain when he was five years old. Although he did not return to Japan until he was in his 30s, Japanese characters were important in his first two novels: “A Pale View of Hills” and “An Artist of the Floating World.” The writer will receive $1.1 million in prize money for winning the literature award. I’m Jonathan Evans. The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ___________________________________________________________________   Words in This Story   exquisite - adj. finely done or made unconventional - adj. very different from the things that are used or accepted by most people : not traditional or usual butler - n. the main male servant in the home of a wealthy person journalist - n. a person who has the job of collecting, writing, and editing news stories for newspapers, magazines, television, or radio

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Good and Nice: Common Adjectives with Many Uses

  The 2014 film Whiplash tells the story of a young man who wants to be a great jazz musician. He has a music director who often says cruel things to him. At one point in the film, the music director makes this statement to the young man: There are no two words in the English language more harmful than "Good Job.'' Today's report will be much nicer than the lines of the film suggest. We will not be learning about mean music directors (at least, not today). Instead, we will talk about two very common adjectives: the words "nice" and "good." We will show you how Americans use these words in everyday speech. We will also show you how they are used in social situations. But first, we have to give you a few definitions. What are adjectives? Adjectives are words that help describe or provide information about nouns. Speakers generally use adjectives before a noun or after a non-action verb. Such verbs are sometimes called linking verbs. In everyday speech, Americans often use the adjectives "good" and "nice." These words have a positive, but inexact meaning. Here are two examples: She is a good person. He is a nice man. In the examples, the adjectives "good" and "nice" come before a noun – the words "person" and "man." These are pleasant, respectful ways to describe people. Not very good and not very nice Americans use the adjectives "good" and "nice" in other ways. They use them in a few common expressions. Terms like "not very nice" and "not very good" are generally used to describe people and their behavior. These indirect expressions show an undesirable or bad opinion, but they have a softer meaning than direct speech does. Consider our next example. Listen to this exchange that two students might have: 1: Have you finished your math homework? 2: No, I'm not very good at math. 1: Well, the teacher doesn't help much... 2: Yeah, he gave me an F on the last test. He told me my grade in front of the entire class… that wasn't very nice of him... In this example, you heard two uses of not very + an adjective: not very good and not very nice. Americans often use these expressions in place of direct language. Instead of saying "I'm not very good at mathematics," the student could have said, "I'm bad at math." Instead of saying, "that wasn't very nice of him…," the other student could have said, "that was a mean thing to do." The two speakers used "good" and "nice" in indirect expressions because they are considered to be more polite. Social Uses of Good and Nice Susan Conrad and Douglas Biber are experts on English grammar. They say English speakers often use "good" and "nice" for social reasons. They use these words to give praise, express approval, and show appreciation. They also use them to show a positive reaction. We are not able to give you examples of all of these uses. However, we can show you how Americans use them in a few situations. #1 Good and nice – Expressions that give compliments on possessions or achievements. Speakers often use "good" and "nice" in expressions that praise people for their possessions or successes. A friend might comment on your new shoes by saying, for example, "Those are nice shoes. Where did you get them?" Or a teacher might congratulate a student by saying, "You did a very good job on the test." Think back to the film Whiplash. You heard the music director tell his student: 'There are no two words in the English language more harmful than "Good Job.'' By saying that the words 'good job' are harmful, the music director means that words of praise are bad. He believes that true artists will never become disheartened – no matter how mean people are to them! #2 Showing approval for ideas Another use of good is to show approval of an idea. One speaker presents an idea and another speaker reacts in an approving way by saying, "Good idea," for example. In an office, a supervisor might tell an employee, "That's a good idea. I like that." Friends eating at a restaurant, for example, might say the following words: 1: Do you want dessert? 2: Sounds good to me! Here, the second speaker is showing approval at the first speaker's idea – getting something to eat after the meal. This is an easy-going, friendly way to agree with another person. What can you do? The next time you are watching a film or listening to music in English, try to find examples of "good" and "nice." Ask yourself how the speakers use these words. Do they have a social use? Are they replacing direct speech that might be considered rude or uncultured? Learning how to use good and nice can be difficult. But with hard work and effort, you will make good progress. I'm John Russell. And I'm Dorothy Gundy. 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. _____________________________________________________________ Words in the Story cruel – n. causing or helping to cause suffering : terrible and unfair appreciation – n. an ability to understand the worth, quality, or importance of something : an ability to appreciate something positive – adj.  thinking about the good qualities of someone or something inexact – adj.  not completely correct or precise : not exact polite – adj. having or showing good manners or respect for other people grammar – n. the set of rules that explain how words are used in a language dessert – n. sweet food eaten after the main part of a meal rude – adj. not having or showing concern or respect for the rights and feelings of other people : not polite

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Cambodian Opposition Leader Urges Action to ‘Save Democracy’

  A Cambodian opposition lawmaker says she fled the country to avoid arrest. She accuses the government of continuing a campaign of repression against her party’s leadership. Mu Sochua told Reuters news agency she decided to leave Tuesday after learning she might be arrested. It is not clear where she has gone. Monday, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen warned of strong action against any politicians linked to a treason case against opposition leader Kem Sokha. Sokha leads the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). He was charged with treason and detained. Cambodian officials accuse Sokha of planning to overthrow the government.  ​CNRP officials accuse Hun Sen of ordering the arrest of its leaders and taking steps to prevent the party from operating. Hun Sen is a member of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP). The 65-year-old ruler has led the country for 32 years. A general election is planned for next July. The CNRP says almost half of its opposition party lawmakers have either left Cambodia or are in jail. A recent legislative amendment permits the government to end political parties for national security reasons. Mu Sochua wrote Wednesday in a note to The Associated Press, “The situation is very serious and has direct impact on 2018 elections.” She continued, “I no longer feel safe inside the country. My voice needs to be heard inside and outside.” She told Reuters she thinks the international community needs to act to “save democracy” in Cambodia. She said, “The time for statements has passed. It’s time for sanctions, targeted sanctions. Also suspension of technical aid to the government of Cambodia.” The lawmaker suggested sanctions could include visa restrictions on top Cambodian officials. But she added that any restrictions should not target the exports of clothing. Those exports – most of which are sent to the U.S. and European Union – provide work for hundreds of thousands of Cambodian workers. In answer, a government spokesman said there was no reason for any country to place sanctions on Cambodia. “This is a sovereign state and it will protect its sovereignty,” the spokesman said. He said he could not comment on possible future arrests because they are handled by the judiciary.   Human rights groups say Hun Sen’s government uses its control over the judicial system to frighten its political opponents and activists. The U.S. State Department reported in 2016 of major human rights problems in Cambodia. Phil Robertson is deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch. He commented on the situation in a statement released Wednesday.  He said if CNRP leaders are forced out of Cambodia before next year’s election, it would, in his words, “effectively mean the death of Cambodian democracy.” He said no one doubts that Hun Sen can order immediate violence by the military and police. In his words, Hun Sen, “controls all the levers in Cambodia’s kangaroo courts. The 2018 election is going to be neither free nor fair under these circumstances.” I’m Bryan Lynn.   Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from VOA News, the Associated Press, Reuters and Radio Free Asia. Caty Weaver 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 impact – n. the effect a person, event or situation has on someone or something sanction – n. action taken to make a country obey a rule or law sovereign – adj. having independent power to govern judiciary – n. all the judges in a country doubt – v. to be unsure about something lever – n. device used to control something kangaroo courts – n. a court that uses unfair methods or is not a proper court of law circumstances – n. facts or events that make a situation the way it is  

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October 5, 2017

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

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