Amazon Go: First Store with No Money or Lines

  The American company Amazon has launched a store that does not require you to stand in a checkout line or someone to process your payment. You simply need an app on a mobile device, such as a smartphone. People with the app can enter the store, choose the products they want and then leave the store with them. The company opened its first Amazon Go store this week in the state of Washington, after more than a year of testing. You first need to download the Amazon Go app -- a computer program that helps you gain entry to the store. Once inside, hundreds of cameras and electronic sensors follow people’s movements and record all the products chosen. The products are then placed in the app’s virtual shopping cart. In other words, the app remembers everything chosen by the customer. If you decide against buying one or more products before leaving the store, the software automatically removes those items from its memory. The system is powered by artificial intelligence or  AI technology. At the end of the visit, the customer just walks out of the store with all the desired products. Payment is made automatically through the app, which is linked to the buyer’s credit card. The first Amazon Go is a small food market, selling mainly ready-to-eat products and drinks. It sits on the first floor of Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle. “It’s such a weird experience,” shopper Lisa Doyle told the Associated Press after trying out the new store. “Because you feel like you’re stealing when you go out the door.” Another visitor, Paul Fan, said he tested the technology by turning off his smartphone, taking some products and then putting them where they did not belong. He said the app was not fooled and still recognized all the correct items. Peter Gray told the Associated Press he usually makes purchases online to avoid store crowds. Gray said he was pleased with the new shopping experience. “Just being able to walk out and not interact with anyone was amazing,” he said. Even though there is no need for cashiers to take payments, Amazon Go does employ workers. Some prepare food, while others refill product supplies and assist customers. Gianna Puerini is vice president of Amazon Go. She told Reuters it is the first time this kind of computer technology has been used in a store setting. “If you look at these products, you can see they’re super similar,” she said of two nearly exact Starbucks coffee drinks sitting next to each other. One had light cream added, while the other was coffee with no cream or sugar. But the technology learned to tell them apart. Amazon has yet to announce plans for additional Go stores. Last year, the online marketer bought U.S.-based Whole Foods Market, giving the company 470 stores. But Amazon said it has no immediate plans to add the same technology to the larger and more complex Whole Foods markets. Other companies are also working to create artificial intelligence-powered stores. One of them is Standard Cognition, a startup company in California. The company has developed technology that works like that of Amazon Go. It uses machine vision cameras to follow customers’ movements. The goal is the same – to let shoppers walk into a store, choose desired goods, and leave without going through a checkout line. But Standard Cognition seeks to sell its artificial intelligence system to businesses for use in their own stores. Aipoly is another California startup developing camera-powered computer vision technology. Aipoly’s website says its products can create “fully autonomous markets.” The system “combines the understanding of human activity in real-time with the movement and interaction of objects,” the site said. In addition to providing customers a checkout-free experience, the technology can also follow the movement of all company products. Aipoly says the AI data can help businesses – both big and small – continuously follow their full inventory of products. Another company has taken the self-service shopping idea one step further – by making the stores autonomous and movable. Wheelys, a Swedish company, sells movable coffee stands worldwide. It also invented Moby Mart, a small market on wheels. The AI-powered Moby Mart is about the size of a small bus. It offers products found in 24-hour markets, such as milk, fruits and medicine. People gain entry to the store through an app. It also uses cameras to observe the movements of people and products. The developers say they created Moby Mart to be a self-driving vehicle that can be called to certain areas through an app. The vehicle has its own solar panels to power the electrical engine. The service has already been tested in China. And the company says on its website it plans to launch Moby II sometime in 2018. I’m Bryan Lynn.   Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English. His story was based on reports from Amazon, 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 visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ QUIZ _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   checkout – n. a place in a store where people pay for goods or services virtual shopping cart – n. computer software that lists all of the products to be bought automatically – adj. largely done by a machine artificial intelligence – n. the ability of computers to copy human behavior, such as making decisions or offering suggestions credit card – n. a small plastic card that is used to make purchases online – adj. connected to a computer or telecommunications system weird – adj. very strange amazing – adj. very surprising, great autonomous – adj. taking part in an activity separately from other things inventory – n. a supply of goods stored in one place  

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Syria, Russia Accuse US of Lying about Chemical Weapons Attacks

  Syria and Russia say the United States has lied about chemical weapons attacks in the Syrian conflict as a way of blocking efforts to end the fighting. A Syrian foreign ministry source condemned what it called “lies and allegations” by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. SANA, Syria's state-operated news agency, reported the Syrian official’s comments. Separately, a Russian diplomat said that whenever progress is made in peace efforts, the United States releases "unverified reports" of chemical weapons attacks in Syria. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov spoke to the Interfax news agency. Those comments came a day after the United States and NATO launched a campaign to stop the use of chemical weapons in Syria. The alliance noted Russia’s protection of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government. "The recent attacks in East Ghouta raise serious concerns that Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian regime might be continuing its use of chemical weapons against its own people," Tillerson said. He spoke at a conference in Paris. Tillerson said at least 20 people were killed Monday in what is believed to be a chlorine gas attack in East Ghouta, an area controlled by rebels near Damascus. The U.S. official said that Russia must accept responsibility for the East Ghouta attack as well as other attacks because of its involvement in Syria. Tillerson was among the diplomats who launched the International Partnership against Impunity for Use of Chemical Weapons on Tuesday. More than 20 nations agreed to a commitment to share information on fighting the use of chemical weapons worldwide. The secretary of state said Russia's failure to stop the use of chemical weapons in Syria raises questions about its commitment to resolving the conflict. "At a very minimum, Russia must stop vetoing and at least abstain from future (United Nations) Security Council votes” about Syria, Tillerson said. In November, Russia vetoed plans to finance an independent and technical group created by the Security Council. The group, known as the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM), was set up to investigate those responsible for chemical weapons attacks in Syria. The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said the Russian veto sent a message to the world that “chemical weapons use is acceptable” and no one will be held accountable. Her comments were in a statement released on Tuesday. Turkey's offensive in the northern Syrian community of Afrin was also discussed at Tuesday's talks in Paris. Tillerson met there with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. On Monday, during a stop in London, the secretary of state said the United States is "concerned" about the offensive against U.S.-supported Kurdish YPG fighters in Syria. Turkish military operations on Monday attempted to push the Kurdish militia out of the Afrin area. The militia controls parts of northern Syria and has been successful in the fight against Islamic State militants. Turkey considers the YPG to be a terrorist organization. Turkish officials have linked it to the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party, which has fought for Kurdish self-rule in Turkey. On Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Le Drian expressed his concern about Turkey’s military operation in Afrin. "I had the opportunity to tell my Turkish colleague that this offensive worries us," Le Drian said. He added he understood Turkey’s concerns about border security, but asked for ‘restraint.’ Turkey shelled Afrin after the U.S.-led coalition said it would form a Kurdish-led, 30,000 member militia to help with border security in northern Syria. The U.S. government later said it was not creating a border force and the goal was to improve security in liberated areas. I'm Susan Shand.   Susan Shand adapted this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   source – n. someone or something that provides what is needed allegation – n. a claim or accusation unverified – adj. unconfirmed regime – n. a form of government commitment – n. a promise to do or give something abstain – v. to choose not to do or have something minimum – n. the lowest in a set of numbers; the smallest amount restraint – n. control over one’s behavior opportunity – n. a chance of progress or forward movement

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Angola’s New President Promises to Kill Corruption

  Angola’s new president, João Lourenço, has been in the news since taking office four months ago. Lourenço has made a number of moves, such as dismissing high-level officials. He says the moves are part of his campaign promise to fight corruption and rebuild the country’s economy. In December, he removed Isabel dos Santos, a daughter of former President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, from her job as head of Angola’s oil company. Earlier this month, the new president ousted Jose Filomena dos Santos, the son of the former president, as head of the nation’s $5 billion sovereign wealth fund. The program is meant to support growth, economic conditions and social development across the country. Angola watchers say Lourenço's actions are meant to fuel an economy that has long depended on oil exports and foreign investment. Alex Vines works for the London-based Chatham House research group. He says the president has earned a nickname by dismissing top officials. Vines likens him to “The Terminator,” the killer cyborg played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1984 film. The dos Santos family expected change after Lourenço became president, Vines told VOA. “…What none of the family, I think, recognized was that change would come so quickly,” he said. Vines thinks that has to do with the fact that Angola could not support the sort of business model that happened in the last years of the dos Santos presidency. “They’ve been removed out of their positions much more quickly than anybody would have imagined; hence, the nickname for João Lourenço in Angola now, which is 'The Terminator.'" ‘He had to do it’ Paula Roque, another Angola watcher, is based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Unlike others, she is not yet willing to give the new president too much credit as a reformer. She told VOA the dismissals are important, but he had to do it. “You can’t run a country, you certainly can’t reform an economy, without taking the lead or the control, of the revenues. And the oil company was certainly one of them. The sovereign wealth fund was created for rainy days, and Angola’s certainly going through a crisis.  So he really didn’t have much of an option but to do what he did.” But the changes are far from a complete ouster of the country’s top leadership. Observers and anti-corruption groups have estimated that the dos Santos family still controls billions of dollars worth of government resources. Paula Roque said that in reality, Isabel (dos Santos) still controls the diamond industry in Angola. "So it goes much deeper than just having key positions that we know of. We’re talking about holding companies, shell companies, we’re talking about the use of state resources to invest in private enterprises." ‘The tip of the iceberg’ Rafael Marques de Morais is an Angolan-based anti-corruption campaigner. He believes Lourenço’s moves only serve to direct attention away from his lack of an economic plan. “The president’s children were only the tip of the iceberg, and he only dealt with the tip of the iceberg,” he told VOA from Luanda, Angola’s capital. “And now people are realizing he has not terminated the iceberg, but just broke some ice. I think at this point that people are realizing that this is just a show, because he doesn’t have a clear economic policy.” Economists have, however, praised the government’s recent moves, like the announcement last week that Angola would repay its $5 billion debt by 2019. But Lourenço has also been criticized by anti-corruption activists for defending the nation’s former vice president. Manuel Vicente is accused of offering money to a Portuguese judge when he served as head of Angola’s state-operated oil company. Angola gained independence from Portugal in 1975. Vicente’s corruption trial began this week in Lisbon. Portuguese officials have has refused to move the case to Angola. The officials have said they don’t believe he will be fully investigated if he comes back home. I'm Jonathan Evans.   Anita Powell reported this story for VOANews.com. George Grow adapted her report for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   sovereign fund – n. a state-owned investment program cyborg – n. a person whose body contains mechanical or electronic devices; a bionic human being revenue – n. earnings, especially money earned by a company or organization option – n. a thing that may be chosen resource – n. a supply of money, property or other materials shell company - n. a company without active business operations iceberg – n. a large piece of ice that is floating in open water   We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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China Campaigns Against Hip-Hop Artists

­ China’s censors have a new target in a widespread campaign on popular culture: hip-hop. The popular competition television show “Rap of China” helped spread interest in the music among Chinese young people. Hip hop artists Wang Hao, known as “PG One” and Zhou Yan, known as “GAI” are the two winners of the show. The government has acted against them in recent weeks for bad behavior or producing material not in agreement with Communist Party values. GAI was removed from the hit show “The Singer” last week. Hip-hop still is a new music in China. The campaign against it demonstrates a broader restrictiveness on popular culture. Chinese leadership is looking for ways to control possible openings for youthful dissent. Beijing is willing to use popular culture to shape public opinion. Last year, before it opened the five-yearly Communist Party National Congress, officials connected with new rap artists. Officials agreed to support their work on the condition that it demonstrate party values. PG One recently was forced to apologize for lyrics, which critics said were insulting to women and called for the use of recreational drugs. The official Xinhua news agency wrote that PG One “does not deserve the stage,” and that “we should say ‘no’ to whoever” provides a platform for such messages. Other official media and companies quickly removed the rapper’s music from most online sites. Chinese officials are taking similar action against a wide expanse of pop culture, from video games to performance art. PG One, Vava and Hunan TV could not immediately be reached for comment. GAI, who tried to make his act more acceptable to the Communist Party did not answer requests for comment. The Chinese internet company Sina reported Friday that the government had said immoral and vulgar material, including hip-hop - and even images of tattoos, should not be broadcast. The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television did not answer a request for comment Monday. Other campaigns against pop artists This is not the first time Chinese musicians have experienced official interference. In 2015, China’s culture ministry banned 120 songs - mostly rap - for “promoting obscenity, violence, crime or threatening public morality.” In July last year, Beijing’s Municipal Bureau of Culture barred Justin Bieber from performing in China. It said it acted because past performances there had created “public dissatisfaction.” A month later, organizers seeking to bring Grammy Award-winning artists to China said they would only accept artists with a "positive and healthy image.” Li Yijie is a rapper with government-supported band Tianfu Shibian. He said that censors were not rejecting all hip-hop but that some businesses, TV stations and people “had lost confidence in hip-hop.” “Maybe local television stations think it is too sensitive to run hip-hop shows now,” he said. I'm Caty Weaver.   Caty Weaver adapted this story for Learning English based on Reuters news reports. ­­Hai Do was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   censor - n. a person who examines books, movies, letters, etc., and removes things that are considered to be offensive, immoral, harmful to society, etc. recreational - adj. of a drug: used for pleasure instead of for medical purposes​ deserve - v. used to say that someone or something should or should not have or be given something​ stage - n.  a place or area of activity in which the things that happen are watched with great interest by many people​ platform - n. something that allows someone to tell a large number of people about an idea, product, etc.​ vulgar - adj. not having or showing good manners, good taste, or politeness​ promote - v. to help (something) happen, develop, or increase​ obscenity - n. offensive language and/or behavior​ confidence - n. a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something​

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Artificial Intelligence Beats Humans in Major Reading Test

  Machines equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) have performed better than human beings in a high-level test of reading comprehension. Two natural language processing tools received higher test scores than humans in recent exams. One of the tools is a product of the American software maker Microsoft. The other was created by the Chinese online seller Alibaba Group. Alibaba reported its success earlier this month. The company said that a deep-learning model developed by its Institute of Data Science of Technologies was the first to beat a human score in the reading comprehension test. The test is called the Stanford Question Answering Dataset. It was developed by researchers at Stanford University in California. The test has over 100,000 questions and answers. They are based on information found in over 500 stories from the Wikipedia website. The answers to all the questions come from the reading material. The AI-powered machines were tested on whether they could provide exact answers to the questions after processing large amounts of information.  Alibaba said its deep neural network model received an “Exact Match” score of 82.44 on the Stanford test. Microsoft reported that a team at Microsoft Research Asia had a score of 82.65. It said the human score on the same questions and answers was 82.304. Microsoft and Alibaba were tied for first place on a list of the top performers on the Stanford test. Many research organizations also appeared on the list – all with scores below 82. Luo Si is the chief scientist for Alibaba’s Institute of Data Science of Technologies. Luo said it was a “great honor” for his group to be part of such a technological milestone. He noted that researchers have made great progress in the area of machine reading and comprehension over the past year. “We look forward to sharing our model-building methodology with the wider community and exporting the technology to our clients in the near future,” he added. Alibaba said it has already used its reading comprehension model in different parts of its business. For example, the company is using machines to answer many incoming telephone calls from customers. The company says in the future, the technology could enable machines to guide visitors through museums or provide advice to medical patients. Microsoft said its success in the reading test marks an important development for artificial intelligence and its reading capabilities. Microsoft said it has already used its AI methods in its Bing search engine and the Cortana digital assistant.   The company said in a blog post that it believes the technology will lead to easier, more natural communication between people and machines in the future. As machine reading and comprehension technology continue to develop, computers will be able to study and process large amounts of text quickly, Microsoft said. The machines could then provide people with very specific details from the information in an easy, understandable way. Ming Zhou serves as assistant managing director at Microsoft Research Asia. He said the reading test results were truly an important milestone in the development of AI. But he noted that, overall, people are still much better than machines at understanding the complexity and nuances of language. “Natural language processing is still an area with lots of challenges that we all need to keep investing in and pushing forward,” Zhou said. “This milestone is just a start.” I’m Bryan Lynn.   Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ QUIZ ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   artificial intelligence - n. the ability of a machine to reproduce human behavior comprehension – n. the ability to understand something score – n. the number of points received in a test or game software – n. programs for a computer or computer system online – adj. connected to or available through a computer or telecommunications system milestone – n. an important point in the progress or development of something customer – n. someone who buys goods or services from a business museum – n. a building where interesting or valuable objects are shown to the public capability – n. the ability or power to do something nuance – n. a slight difference in meaning or appearance.  

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Trump to Attend Davos Meeting, Trade Likely a Top Issue

International trade is likely to be, again, a main issue for political and business leaders at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland. American President Donald Trump plans to attend the meeting in Davos this week. He is the closing speaker at the meeting. An administration spokeswoman said the president would seek to “promote his policies to strengthen American businesses, American industries and American workers.” Trump is expected defend his administration’s trade measures. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave this year’s keynote speech. The India leader said his country’s economy would more than double in size by the year 2025 while fighting climate change. Trade measures a main concern China is sending a delegation of more than 130 people including a top economic advisor Liu He. Last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping attended. He warned against protectionism and trade disputes. At the time, Xi said that “a trade war will only lead to suffering on both sides.” Tao Ran is an economist at the Brookings Institution, a research group in Washington. He said China’s Liu will seek to get the U.S. to limit trade actions against his country. “I think what Liu He will do is (try) to persuade the U.S. from imposing more trade actions against China,” he said. Recently, the U.S. has drawn criticism for the decision to place taxes on imported washing machines and solar panels. The move largely affects South Korea and China. The move follows a finding by the U.S. International Trade Commission. Trade officials said that those imported products were a “cause of serious injury to domestic manufacturers.” The U.S. is seeking to place a 20 percent tax on imported washing machines in the first year. South Korea says the import taxes violate World Trade Organization rules. South Korean companies Samsung and LG would be hard hit by the import taxes on washers. A 30 percent tax on imported solar cells is also being sought. China is a major manufacturer of solar equipment. The import taxes on both kinds of products are planned to decrease in the second and third years. Indian leader warns of threats to globalization India’s Prime Minister Modi praised his country’s fast economic growth. India has one of the world’s fastest growing economies. It is the world’s largest democracy and currently the second most populated country. Modi said India would greatly increase its use of renewable energy to reduce the effects of climate change. But Modi said he also was concerned about moves to increase barriers to trade that threatened globalization. He added that, “the solution to this worrisome situation against globalization is not isolation.” In his speech, the Indian leader called climate change a major threat. He added that developed countries needed to provide developing nations, like his own, with more money for new technologies. The World Economic Forum, a Swiss nonprofit organization, holds its main yearly meeting each January. I'm Mario Ritter. Bill Ide reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted it for VOA Learning English with additional materials from Victor Beattie, AP and Reuters. Caty Weaver was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   keynote –adj. a main speech given at a gathering usually at the beginning protectionism –n. helping businesses of one’s own country by placing trade barriers on products from other countries impose –v. to cause something to affect a person, group or process solar panels –n. devices that change sunlight into electricity domestic –adj. in one’s home country globalization –n. to cause trade and other social issues to involve the whole world isolation –n. the state of being separated from others We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

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People Slowly Return to Former Rebel Stronghold of Homs

  Sumaya Bairuty is a 38-year-old English teacher who lives in the city of city of Homs, Syria. Each week, she passes destroyed buildings and huge sand barriers as she goes to visit her parents in a neighborhood once held by rebels. Bairuty works in Damascus, but spends two days with her parents in Homs each week. They live alone in an apartment that has recently been repaired, but the area is heavily damaged and very few people are left. Rebels and many civilians withdrew from the central part of the city in May 2014. Bairuty’s brother, Rabih, was killed in the rebel-held province of Idlib in 2015. She said, “That was the biggest loss. Neither the house nor the work or any other thing was as painful as losing Rabih.” The family home is in the center of the city formerly held by rebels. Cars cannot drive in the neighborhood because the streets remain severely damaged from shelling. The nearest area with stores and clear streets is a 20-minute walk away. Bairuty said her said her family has lived in eight different places since the beginning of the Syrian conflict seven years ago. The family fled Homs when rebels first took control of the city. They moved to Damascus, but returned one year later. Since then, they have rented several apartments. After they moved into their most recent apartment, the United Nations helped them with repairs. The family installed new windows and doors and filled holes in the walls. A brother’s story Three years ago, Bairuty’s younger brother was almost 18. He wanted to move to Turkey to find a job and avoid required military service. The family spoke to relatives in a rebel-held village in Idlib who promised to help him move to Turkey. Bairuty and her mother, Tamador Shilar, said the relatives informed extremists about Rabih. The militants belonged to a group, Jund al-Aqsa, which has been linked to the Islamic State. The relatives told the militants that Rabih was a government supporter. Within a few days, the young man was placed on trial by members of the group. They sentenced him to death for supporting the government. They also said they wanted to punish his oldest sister, who teaches at a government-run school. Weeks later, the family received Rabih’s identity cards and belongings through a taxi driver who operates between rebel-held Idlib province and Homs. A letter said he was killed because he did not join the “holy war” against the government, Bairuty said. Shilar grieved that she has lost a son so unfairly. “He was unjustly treated by the dogs,” she said. Bairuty’s father said they are lucky to have a home. He noted the family now gets 12 hours of electricity every day and two hours of water service. He can walk for 30 minutes to reach a market to buy food. Slowly people are returning to Homs No Western countries have said they are willing to help finance Syria’s reconstruction. The government is rebuilding an old marketplace. It also is repairing places of worship such as some of the city’s old churches and the famous Khaled bin al-Waleed mosque. However, most neighborhoods are still in ruins. Homs governor Talal Barazi told the Associated Press about 21,000 families have returned. About 30 percent of the city’s population before the war have returned or remain. Residents are slowly coming back. They use their own money or United Nations assistance to repair their homes enough to be lived in. Bairuty’s father hopes to find work once reconstruction begins. The 70-year-old has been a builder most of his life. But he worries about the lack of transportation in the area. Shilar is worried that the city will not recover even if it is rebuilt. “The city needs a lot of effort to be alive again…It is not only the buildings (that are damaged) but also our souls,” she said. I’m Mario Ritter.   Mario Ritter adapted it for VOA Learning English from an Associated Press story. Caty Weaver was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   apartment – n. a usually rented room or set of rooms that is part of a building and is used as a place to live install – v. to put in place and make ready for use grieve – v. to feel or show deep sadness reconstruction – n. a period of rebuilding mosque – n. a building that is used for Muslim religious services resident – n. someone who lives in a particular place soul – n. the spiritual part of a person that is believed to give life to the body and in many religions is believed to live forever We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

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Russian-Linked Twitter Accounts Not Done with US Government Shutdown

The United States government was operating normally on Tuesday. Yet it did not seem a few hours earlier as if Russia was done trying to publicize the nearly three-day long government shutdown. U.S. President Donald Trump signed a bill to pay for federal government operations Monday night. The measure will guarantee financing for federal agencies through February 8. But as lawmakers and the Trump administration reached an agreement, Twitter accounts linked to Russian operators were busy. They continued to post hashtags seemingly aimed at publicizing America's political divisions. As of 0300 hours Universal Time (UTC) on Tuesday, the hashtag #schumershutdown had been used 535 times in the past 48 hours. That number came from Hamilton 68, a website that follows about 600 Twitter accounts. At the same time, the site reported the top trending hashtag was #schumersellout. Hamilton 68 reported that its use increased by 4,800 percent over the same 48-hour period. Both hashtags are named after Charles Schumer, the leader of the Democratic Party in the U.S. Senate. Schumer agreed to the compromise spending bill with Republican lawmakers. But at first, he refused to support any spending bills without getting a deal on another issue. He wanted to protect "Dreamers," undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, from possible deportation. Among those using #schumershutdown on Monday was U.S. Vice President Mike Pence. President Trump's son, Donald Trump, Jr., also used the hashtag late Monday. The hashtag #schumersellout began trending on Twitter Monday. It appeared in 19,700 tweets as of 0300 UTC on Tuesday. Among those using it was the Michigan Republican Party, which tweeted, "Schumer Sells Out the Resistance #SchumerSellout," and a link to an opinion piece in The New York Times newspaper. The Hamilton 68 website made clear that hashtags like #schumershutdown or #schumersellout are often not created by the Russian-linked accounts. Instead, they often take the hashtags created by Twitter users who are not necessarily linked to Russia and try to expand them to help support existing divisions. The website said other top hashtags being heavily supported by the Russian-linked accounts included "#releasethememo", "#Syria", "#nodaca", "#wethepeople" and "#Russia". #ReleasetheMemo, which the Russian-linked accounts tweeted 480 times Sunday and Monday, saw their heaviest usage late last week. At that time, the accounts tweeted the hashtag more than 3,000 times. It also gained popularity among Twitter users, including some members of the U.S. Congress. They pushed a committee of the House of Representatives to release a report written by the committee's chairman, Republican Devin Nunes. They argued the report proved the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice are unfair. Both government agencies have been investigating possible ties between Russia and aides to Trump’s 2016 presidential election. U.S. intelligence officials and lawmakers from both parties have warned Russia is continuing to try to interfere in U.S. politics. Russia has denied the accusation. "They're trying to undermine Western democracy," Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told the Aspen Security Forum this past July. Congressmen “are worried or should be worried about it," Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Richard Burr warned last month. He added that only the uninformed would believe the Russians are not trying to affect the next U.S. elections. I'm Dorothy Gundy.   Jeff Seldin reported this story for VOANews.com. Susan Shand adapted his report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   shutdown – n. to close for business hashtag – n. a word or phrase preceded by the symbol # that classifies or categorizes the accompanying text (such as a tweet) trend - v. a way of behaving, proceeding, etc., that is developing and becoming more common deportation – n. to force a person who is not a citizen to leave a country tweet – v. a posting made on the social media website Twitter account – n. a record of money received or paid out; a deal in which a person uses the internet or email services of a service provider undermine – v. to make (someone or something) weaker or less effective usually in a secret or gradual way  

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January 22, 2018

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

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The Shape of Water Leads with 13 Oscars Nominations

The small-budget film, The Shape of Water, had earned 13 Oscar nominations, including one for best picture – the most of any 2017 film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the award nominations in Los Angeles, early Tuesday morning. Eight other films were nominated for best picture including other small-budget projects like Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and Lady Bird. Three Billboards received a total of nine nominations. The big-budget World War II movie, Dunkirk, came next with seven nominations, including best picture. The other candidates for the top academy award are Get Out, The Post, Darkest Hour, Call Me By Your Name and Phantom Thread. Greta Gerwig, who directed Lady Bird, became the fifth woman nominated for best director. And Get Out director Jordan Peele was the fifth black director so honored. Rachel Morrison, director of photography for the movie, Mudbound, made history as the first woman ever nominated for an Oscar in cinematography. Meryl Streep, received her 21st Oscar nomination for her work in The Post. She plays former Washington Post newspaper publisher Katharine Graham. Streep has won three Oscars, one fewer than Katherine Hepburn. Christopher Plummer received a best supporting actor nomination for his part in All the Money in the World. Plummer replaced Kevin Spacey who was removed from the movie after accusations of sexual wrongdoing. Plummer was added to the film in reshoots little more than a month before the film’s release. Winners will be named at the Academy Awards ceremony March 4 in Hollywood, California. More than 30 million people are expected to tune in for the live television broadcast of the event. Last year, the broadcast ended with an envelope mix-up that led to La La Land being wrongly announced as the best picture winner. Officials quickly corrected the mistake as presented the award to makers of the film Moonlight. This year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has barred those who handle the envelopes from using cellphones or social media during the show. I’m Jonathan Evans.   ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE NOMINEES Timothee Chalamet, Call Me by Your Name Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel, Esq.   ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE NOMINEES Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri   ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE NOMINEES Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water Frances McDormand, Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri Margot Robbie, I, Tonya Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird Meryl Streep, The Post   ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE NOMINEES Mary J. Blige, Mudbound Allison Janney, I, Tonya Lesley Manville, Phantom Thread Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water   CINEMATOGRAPHY NOMINEES Blade Runner 2049, Roger A. Deakins Darkest Hour, Bruno Delbonnel Dunkirk, Hoyte van Hoytema Mudbound, Rachel Morrison The Shape of Water, Dan Laustsen   FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM NOMINEES A Fantasic Woman, Chile The Insult, Lebanon Loveless, Russia On Body and Soul, Hungary The Square, Sweden   BEST PICTURE NOMINEES Call Me by Your Name Darkest Hour Dunkirk Get Out Lady Bird Phantom Thread The Post The Shape of Water Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri   Hai Do adapted this story for Learning English based on AP news reports. Caty Weaver was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   cinematography - n. the art, process or job of filming movies    

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US Government To Reopen After Three Day Shutdown

The United States Congress has voted to reopen the federal government three days into a partial shutdown. President Donald Trump is expected to sign the temporary funding bill soon. Late Monday, members of the House of Representatives voted for the bill approved earlier in the day in the Senate. The bill permits spending for government operations through February 8. The bill had been held up in the Senate. Democratic Party lawmakers had demanded that the legislation include protections for undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children. They are known collectively as “Dreamers.” Republican Party senators refused the demand. Instead, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promised that the Senate would open debate on immigration issues in the coming weeks. Those issues would include the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program of protections for Dreamers. President Trump ended DACA in September. "So long as the government remains open, it would be my intention to take up legislation here in the Senate that would address DACA, border security, and related issues as well as disaster relief, defense funding, health care and other important matters," McConnell said. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer praised the action. "While this procedure will not satisfy everyone on all sides, it's a way forward," he said. "We expect that a bipartisan bill on DACA will receive fair consideration and an up-or-down vote on the [Senate] floor." I’m Caty Weaver.   VOANews reported this story. Hai Do adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. ____________________________________________________________ Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. Words in This Story funding - n. an amount of money that is used for a special purpose​ procedure - n. a series of actions that are done in a certain way or order : an established or accepted way of doing something​ bipartisan - adj. relating to or involving members of two political parties​ intention - n. the thing that you plan to do or achieve : an aim or purpose​

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