February 6, 2018

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

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Pence Leaves Open Possibility to Meet North Korean Officials

  U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is not ruling out a meeting with North Korean officials during his trip to South Korea to attend the Winter Olympics.              Pence was asked about the possibility of U.S.-North Korea talks before leaving Monday on his six-day Asia trip. “Let me say President Trump has said he always believes in talking, but I haven’t requested any meeting,” Pence told reporters. He added, “But we’ll see what happens.” His words were very similar to comments that U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made Monday. When asked about possible talks between Pence and North Korean officials, Tillerson said “we’ll have to see what happens.” Pence spoke with reporters after visiting U.S. missile defense facilities at the U.S. Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. The base is used to monitor missile activity by North Korea and could respond to any possible attacks. The vice president said if he does meet with any North Korean officials, he will tell them their country “once and for all” must give up its nuclear weapons and missile programs. “We’ll be telling the truth about North Korea at every stop,” Pence said. “We’ll be ensuring that whatever cooperation that’s existing between North and South Korea today on Olympic teams does not cloud the reality of a regime that must continue to be isolated by the world community.”                           Pence is holding talks with officials in Japan before going to Seoul. In South Korea, Pence will meet with President Moon Jae-in. He will also visit a memorial to 46 South Korean sailors killed in a 2010 underwater missile attack blamed on the North. He will then lead the official U.S. government delegation attending the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang. The Games begin February 9. Pence wrote about his upcoming trip to the Olympics on Twitter. One goal, he said, will be to repeat a U.S. promise “to continue to isolate North Korea and ensure North Korea doesn’t use the Olympics to paper over the truth about their regime, which oppresses its own people and threatens other nations.” Fred Warmbier, the father of American student Otto Warmbier will be attending the opening ceremony as Pence’s special guest. Otto was jailed in North Korea for 17 months and died last year shortly after being released and returning to the United States in a coma. I’m Bryan Lynn.   Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from VOA News, the Associated Press and Reuters. Ashley Thompson 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   facility – n. something (such as a building or large piece of equipment) built for a specific purpose monitor – v. watch, listen to or check something for a specific purpose over time ensure – v. make sure something is done of happens regime – n. a system of government or other control, especially one people do not approve of isolate – v. to set apart or separate from others delegation – n. group of people chosen to represent a much larger group of individuals, such as an organization, nation, etc. oppress – v. to treat a group of people in an unfair way, often by limiting their freedom coma – n. a condition in which a sick or injured person cannot wake up for a long time  

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Polish President Will Sign Holocaust Law

  Polish President Andrzej Duda said Tuesday he will sign a law that would make it a crime to suggest Poles share the blame for Nazi crimes during the Holocaust. The law orders jail time or fines on anyone calling the Nazi murder of Jews during World War II a "Polish crime," or Nazi death camps "Polish death camps." Some of the worst Nazi crimes were committed in Poland. Duda said he will also ask Poland's constitutional court for an opinion on the law. Duda had called Poland a victim of Nazi terror, saying six million Poles and three million Jews were murdered by the German. He agreed that some "wicked" Poles helped the Nazis, but others, including Poland's exiled wartime government, resisted Hitler's terror. Israeli officials have voiced strong objections to the law, saying it is rewriting history. Poland has canceled Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett's Wednesday visit this week because of his recent statement about the law. "The blood of Polish Jews cries from the ground, and no law will silence it," Bennett said Monday, adding that the government of Poland canceled the visit because he spoke of “the crime of its people. He also said he was “honored.” Bennett would have been the first senior Israeli official to meet with Polish officials since the controversy over the new law started last week. Bennett said only a small number of Poles risked their lives to save Jews during the war. I’m Susan Shand.   Susan Shand adapted this story based on VOA News report. Hai Do was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   holocaust – n. the killing of millions of Jews and other people by the Nazis during World War II wicked – adj. morally bad controversy – n. strong disagreement about something among a large group of people

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Many Food Names in English Come From Africa

  On a recent program, we told you stories of English words borrowed from other languages. Today, we will tell you about words English has taken from African languages. Many of these words entered English as a result of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Joseph E. Holloway is a historian of African-American history. In his paper African Crops and Slave Cuisine, he explains the way many crops from Africa reached North America.  Slave ships carried these crops as food for enslaved Africans during the long voyage. The foods included rice and other grains, okra, yams, different kinds of beans and peanuts. And, as we will discuss today, some of the food names later became part of the English language. Yam Let’s start with the yam. The yam was the most common food fed to enslaved Africans on ships traveling to the Americas. Yams are long, starchy vegetables with white, reddish or purple flesh. What many Americans call a yam is actually a sweet potato. American supermarkets are largely responsible for the confusion; they often mark yams as sweet potatoes. The word yam is of West African origin. Two languages spoken there have similar versions of the word. In Fulani, the word is nyami and it means “to eat.” In Twi, the word is anyinam. Portuguese and Spaniards brought yams to the Americas through Guyana and Brazil. Yams later became common throughout the Caribbean. In the late 1500s, the Portuguese changed the word to inhame; the Spanish changed it to iñame. Its first usage in English was igname. By the mid-1600s, the English spelling had changed to y-a-m. And today, in Jamaican Patois – an English-based language with African influences – the word nyam still means “to eat.” Okra Another vegetable with an African name - and origin - is okra. Okra is a tall, green plant whose pods are eaten as a vegetable. It is often used in soups and similar dishes. The original word was okuru, from the Igbo language of Nigeria. Okra reached the Caribbean and the United States in the 1700s. Not long after, the vegetable was introduced in Europe.​ In the American state of Louisiana, okra has been used for centuries to thicken stews and soups. During colonial times, African, European and Native American cultures mixed to form what would become Creole culture. Today, okra is still a key part of Creole cooking, especially its most famous dish: gumbo. Interestingly, the word gumbo once meant simply “okra.” The original word was ki ngombo, from Mbundu, a language of Angola. Goober Our next food name with African origins is goober. The American English word goober once commonly meant peanut. The word was used throughout the American South in the 19th century, with the first known English usage in 1833. As Holloway’s paper explains, “Union soldiers fighting on southern soil during the Civil War found southern peanuts both tasty and filling.” They even made a song about it called “Eating Goober Peas.” The original word, nguba, is the same in two Bantu languages: Kikongo and Kimbundu*. Today, in American English, goober is rarely used to mean peanut. More often, it is used informally to mean “a foolish or simple person.” Banana The word banana is believed to come from Wolof, a West African language of Senegal, Gambia and Mauritania. In Wolof, the word is banaana. Some research also links the word to bana, from the Mande language of Liberia in West Africa. Many historians say bananas probably first grew in Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea around 6,000 years ago. Recent research shows that Africans began harvesting this fruit at least 4,500 years ago. How the fruit reached Africa from Asia is more of a mystery, although many reports say Arab traders may have brought them there. One Arabic word for finger or toe is banan. In the late 1500s, Portuguese and Spanish colonists took the fruit with them from Africa to the Americas and brought along its African name. The Portuguese began banana plantations in the Caribbean islands and Brazil.  Then, in 1633, an herbalist in Britain sold the first banana to reach Europe at his store. Jumbo Along with food names, English has borrowed other kinds of words from African languages. One example is jumbo. In English, the word jumbo is an adjective that means “very large for its type.” Today, the word can be found in many places where products are sold: supermarkets, online stores and even restaurants. In Washington, D.C., for example, Jumbo Slice is the name of a popular late-night pizza place that sells very, very large pieces of pizza. The word came into popular American usage in an interesting way. Jumbo was the name of an African bull elephant that was a zoo animal and a circus performer. Historical accounts say Jumbo was captured as a baby elephant in East Africa in 1861. His captors brought him to France and sold him to a botanical garden. He lived there in unhealthy conditions. Later, the London Zoo purchased Jumbo. He became a main attraction there. In 1882, the zoo sold him to a famous American circus. Jumbo was reportedly a very calm animal. At his largest, he stood 3.6 meters tall. After his death, his name became a synonym for “huge.” But as early as the 1820s, jumbo was a slang term used to describe a big, clumsy person, animal or thing. Language experts say the word may come from the word nzamba – a word that now means “forest” in Kongo, a language of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo and Angola. Some accounts define the word nzamba as “elephant,” though this may be an outdated meaning. Join us again soon to learn the history of English words borrowed from other languages. I’m Phil Dierking. And I’m Alice Bryant.   Alice Bryant wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. ______________________________________________________________ Quiz Now, test your understanding by taking this short quiz. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   voyage – n. a long journey to a distant or unknown place especially over water or through outer space flesh – n. the soft part of a fruit that is eaten origin – n. the point or place where something begins or is created pod – n. a long, thin part of some plants that has seeds inside peanut – n. a nut with a thin shell that grows under the ground and that can be eaten herbalist – n. a person who grows, sells, or uses herbs to treat illness circus – n. a traveling show that is often performed in a tent and that typically includes trained animals, clowns and acrobats botanical – adj. of or relating to plants or the study of plants attraction – n. something interesting or enjoyable that people want to visit, see, or do synonym – n. a word that has the same meaning as another word in the same language slang – n. words that are not considered part of the standard vocabulary of a language and are used informally in speech, especially by a particular group of people   *Kikongo is spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo and Angola. Kimbundu is a language of Angola. Both are from the Bantu language group.

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Cambodian Government Blocks Online Access to Newspaper

  Cambodia’s government has ordered internet service providers to block online access to The Cambodia Daily newspaper. In a letter dated Sept. 28, 2017, recently made public, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications ordered internet service providers to block IP addresses to the Cambodia Daily’s website. The order extended to the newspaper’s Facebook and Twitter sites. However, technology experts say these remain unblocked. The ministry did not return request for comment from Radio Free Asia, or RFA. However, internet service providers in Cambodia have confirmed to customers and the Phnom Penh Post that they had blocked access to the newspaper website. They said this block came after the government order. Nop Vy is executive director for the Cambodian Center for Independent Media. He told RFA that the government’s actions were damaging to media freedom and open access to information. “Our citizens find it necessary to receive news and information from a wide number of sources,” Nop Vy said. He added, “The more they receive news that is independent [from government control], the better they will be able to live in our society.” The Cambodia Daily was closed last year after failing to pay millions of dollars in what Prime Minister Hun Sen said were back taxes owed to the government. Around the same time, the government also suspended 20 radio stations that carried content by U.S. broadcasters RFA and Voice of America. And it banned the U.S.-funded National Democratic Institute or NDI from the country. The organization supports open government and citizen participation in democracy. Calling for sanctions On Feb. 5, Australian legislator Mark Butler asked his government to sanction Cambodia for their actions. Australia has a duty, he said, “to the Cambodian people and to our own values of democracy and freedom to oppose the anti-democratic actions in the lead-up to Cambodia’s June general elections.” Butler added that Australia had played an important role in the Paris Peace Accords. The country promised to protect and provide free and fair elections after the Khmer Rouge. In a response, Cambodia’s ruling party spokesman said the call for sanctions reflects the Australian government’s own political interests. He said that the government has obeyed the Paris Peace Accords and the rule of law. As for the organizations that had been shut down, he said, “They made their own mistakes, and must be held accountable for their actions.” I’m Phil Dierking.   This story was originally reported by Radio Free Asia.  Phil Dierking adapted this story for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. What do think is a fair reason for closing a newspaper?  We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   IP addresses - n. a unique string of numbers separated by periods that identifies each computer using the Internet Protocol to communicate over a network.​ sanction - n. an action that is taken or an order that is given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country, by not allowing economic aid for that country, etc​ society - n.  people in general thought of as living together in organized communities with shared laws, traditions, and values​ sources - n. someone or something that provides what is wanted or needed​  

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Child Experts Protest Facebook's Kids Messenger App

  Child development experts are urging Facebook to remove its new messaging app designed for kids. In a letter sent recently to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the group of experts argue that young children are not ready to have social media accounts or online relationships. Facebook launched the free Messenger Kids app in December.  The app is meant for children under the age of 13. Facebook says the app provides a way for children to chat with family members as well as friends that their parents have approved. The app does not give children their own Facebook or Messenger accounts. Instead, it is connected to a child’s parent’s account. Facebook has said the app fills “a need for a messaging app that lets kids connect with people they love but also has the level of control parents want.” But critics say the app is a way for Facebook to bring in younger users before they choose another popular social media messaging service, such as Snapchat. And they have protested Facebook’s claim that the app fills a need. The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood is based in Boston, Massachusetts. It leads a group of 100 experts, activists and parenting organizations. The group includes mental health professionals, pediatricians, educators and the children’s music singer Raffi Cavoukian. The group wrote, “Messenger Kids is not responding to a need – it is creating one…It appeals primarily to children who otherwise would not have their own social media accounts. The letter also criticized Facebook for “targeting younger children.” Facebook said on Monday that the app “helps parents and children to chat in a safer way.” It also said that parents are “always in control” of their kids’ activity. Facebook added that “there is no advertising in Messenger Kids.” App Annie is a company that studies app information. It said Messenger Kids has been downloaded about 80,000 times on Apple’s iOS devices. The app has remained in the top 40 most popular kids’ apps since its December 4 launch. That is not as high as observers had expected. ​Young children not ready for Facebook Many technology experts have questioned the effects of smartphones and social media on people’s physical and mental health -- at any age. Sean Parker, Facebook’s first president, said late last year that the social networking site abuses “vulnerability in human psychology” to make users dependent. Former Facebook employees and investors have made similar criticisms. Many children under 13 already use Facebook. Many of them also use other platforms that target younger people. This includes Instagram and Snapchat, even though these companies require users to be at least 13 years old. Those rules are based on a federal law that does not let internet companies collect personal information on children without their parents’ permission. Some companies have offered parental controls as a way of preventing young children from using their platforms. But Facebook’s new kid-centered app, with its animations and emojis, seems to be for a very young audience, says Josh Golin. He is executive director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. “It looks like something that would appeal to a 6-year-old or 7-year-old,” Golin said. Facebook said when it launched Messenger Kids that the app would not show advertisements or collect marketing information. It also said it would not transfer users to the regular Messenger or Facebook once they are old enough.  But the company did say it may give the Kids Messenger users the choice to move their contacts to the regular Messenger later. University of Michigan developmental behavioral pediatrician Jenny Radesky co-signed the group letter. She said she has never met a parent who wanted their child to begin using social media at an earlier age.  She said she believes that Facebook created the app to attract younger users. That is troubling, she said; younger children have not yet developed certain mental skills. Such skills help them control their thoughts and actions and, in Radesky’s words, “allow them to realize when persuasive technology design might be manipulating them.” I’m Phil Dierking.   This story was originally written by Matt O’Brien and Barbara Ortutay for the Associated Press. Phil Dierking adapted it for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. Do you think having a social media messaging app for children younger than 13 is good?  We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   app - n. a computer program that performs a special function​ animation - n. a way of making a movie by using a series of drawings, computer graphics, or photographs of objects that are slightly different from one another and that when viewed quickly one after another create the appearance of movement​ emoji - n. a small digital image or icon used to express an idea, emotion, etc., in electronic communication.​ manipulate - v.  to deal with or control (someone or something) in a clever and usually unfair or selfish way​ pediatrician - n. a doctor who treats babies and children​ platform - n. a program or set of programs that controls the way a computer works and runs other programs​ psychology - n. the science or study of the mind and behavior​ vulnerability - n. ways that someone is easily hurt or harmed physically, mentally, or emotionally​

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Progress Made Against Malaria at Risk

Turkey Continues Offensive in Syria, Detains Critics

Turkey says its forces have set up a military position near the Syrian city of Aleppo for the first time ever. The Turkish army described the camp as the deepest post its forces have established inside northwest Syria under a deal with Russia and Iran. The three countries say the agreement is aimed at reducing violence in the area. Also on Monday, Turkey’s government said it has detained nearly 600 critics of its military offensive in Syria. Turkish officials have repeatedly warned they would punish those opposing, criticizing or misrepresenting the offensive. Officials have named the air and ground campaign Operation Olive Branch. The interior ministry described the campaign in a statement. It said, “Since the start of Operation Olive Branch, 499 people have been detained for spreading terrorist propaganda on social media and 124 people detained for taking part in protest action.” Turkish forces launched the offensive in northwest Syria last month. The operation is directed against YPG, an ethnic Kurdish militia, in Syria’s Afrin area. The United States has provided support to the group. Turkey’s mainly pro-government media and most political parties have expressed support for the military operation. But last week, a government lawyer ordered the detention of 11 members of the Turkish Medical Association, including its chairman. The association had criticized the raid, saying, “No to war, peace immediately.” The group said that all of the doctors had since been released on probation. It reported their release on the social media network Twitter. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticized opponents of the military intervention in Syria as “traitors.” The Turkish government considers the YPG militia a terrorist group. It says the milita is tied to the Kurdistan Workers Party, which has fought against the army in Turkey’s southeast for more than 30 years. Turkey’s deepest movement yet into Syria Turkey’s announcement of the military post came six days after a large number of military vehicles came under attack near Aleppo and had to pull back. Under the deal with Iran and Russia, Turkey agreed to set up 12 observation posts in Idlib and neighboring provinces. However, violence has not decreased under the agreement. In December, the Syrian army, working with Iranian-supported militias and Russia aircraft, launched an offensive in Idlib province. The Syrian civil war has lasted nearly eight years and driven 11 million people from their homes. Hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have been killed in the fighting. I’m Mario Ritter.   The Reuters news agency reported these stories. Mario Ritter adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   probation – n. a period of time when a person who has made a mistake or committed a crime is permitted to stay out of jail although they are watched traitor – n. someone not loyal to their own country association – n. an organization or group We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

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SpaceX's New Rocket Ready for First Flight

SpaceX’s huge rocket makes its first launch this week. It will leave from the same launch pad that sent men to the moon almost 50 years ago. The rocket, called the ‘Falcon Heavy’, could be launched as early as Tuesday. When it does, it will be the most powerful working rocket in use today. The Falcon Heavy represents an important moment for the private space company created 16 years ago by Elon Musk. The rocket will be capable of lifting extremely large satellites into orbit and sending spacecraft to the moon, Mars and beyond. The rocket already has several customers, including the U.S. Air Force. “I can’t wait to see it fly and to see it fly again and again,” said the Southwest Research Institute’s Alan Stern. He’s the lead scientist for NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, which recently flew by Pluto. Cape Canaveral, the launch location, has not seen this kind of excitement since the last space shuttle flight in 2011. The city expects huge crowds for the afternoon launch from Kennedy Space Center. Visitor center tickets for the best viewing, called “Feel the Heat” and “Closest Package,” sold out quickly. The Heavy is capable of delivering 63,800 kilograms of cargo to low-Earth orbit, nearly 26,700 kilograms to high-Earth orbit, and smaller cargo to Mars and Pluto. But for its first flight, the rocket will carry Musk’s red Tesla Roadster automobile. In addition to SpaceX, he runs the electric car maker Tesla. “Red car for a red planet,” Musk tweeted in December, when announcing the surprise cargo. New rockets usually carry blocks of steel or other heavy material instead of true cargo. But Musk felt that was “extremely boring.” The rocket is intended to continually orbit around the sun, wide enough to pass by Mars. The car will be playing the song “Space Oddity,” by the musician David Bowie New business era for space travel NASA officials said the Falcon Heavy is the latest evidence of the Kennedy Space Center’s transformation into a multi-user spaceport. This is a change after many years of launching the space agency’s space shuttles. Besides Space X, NASA is building its own Space Launch System, or SLS, mega-rocket. And Blue Origin, led by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, is also developing a big, reusable orbital-class rocket The Heavy Falcon costs around $90 million, which is still cheaper than the larger SLS rocket being built by NASA. It is expected to cost over $1 billion a flight. In 2010, SpaceX became the first private company to launch a spacecraft into orbit and then safely guide it back to Earth, something only large governments had done. Two years later, SpaceX became the first commercial supplier of the International Space Station. Now the company wants to have the first commercial crew launch. Retired NASA historian and Smithsonian curator Roger Launius warned that SpaceX has “a long history of overpromising,” although eventually succeeding. The Heavy’s first flight, for example, has been delayed for years. Musk has admitted the rocket proved harder to build than he thought. He has also been warning for months the rocket might not make it higher than the launch tower. However, Launius says he is happy for anyone who creates a successful rocket, and will congratulate Musk if he succeeds. I’m Phil Dierking.   Marcia Dunn reported this story for the Associated Press. Phil Dierking adapted the story for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. Would you pay to ride a rocket to space?  We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story afternoon - n. the middle part of the day​ cargo - n. something that is carried from one place to another by boat, airplane, etc.​ customer - n. someone who buys goods or services from a business​ cheap - adj. not costing a lot of money​ commercial - adj. related to or used in the buying and selling of goods and services​ curator - n. a person who is in charge of the things in a museum, zoo, etc.​ deliver - v.  to take (something) to a person or place​ intend - adj.  to plan or want to do (something) ​ location - n. a place or position​ package - n.  a group of related things that are sold together for a single price​ pad - n. a flat area on the ground where helicopters can take off or land​ spacecraft - n. a vehicle that is used for travel in outer space​ spaceport - n. a base from which spacecraft are launched.​ tower - n. a tall, narrow building or structure that may stand apart from or be attached to another building or structure​ transformation - n. a complete or major change in someone's or something's appearance, form, etc.​ viewing - n. the things that can be seen from a particular place​

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Winter's Tragic Effects on Syrian Refugees in Lebanon

  Safe from the violence in Syria, Hussein Hassan now fears his children face another threat – the icy water that floods their shelter in Lebanon. Hassan and his 11-member family fled conflict near their village near Deir ez-Zour two months ago. They are now among the refugees who have to deal with Lebanon’s winter weather in tents. “We are afraid of the cold weather and afraid our children will get sick,” he said. “Our lives are as nothing. We have nothing but fear. Fear from illness, from the rain, and there is nothing to keep warm with.” Of one million refugees registered in Lebanon, an estimated 250,000 Syrians live in tent camps across the country. Many, like Hassan, live in the Bekka Valley, where winter temperatures sometimes drop below freezing. A storm last week showed how helpless the refugees are when faced with freezing conditions. The amount of money available to help them is shrinking. Bitter memories Rains beat against the temporary home of Hassan and his family. Some of the rainwater passed through holes in the cloth, while other water landed outside, but then spread along the ground and into the tent. “The wood broke and we were flooded. We had to go to our neighbors,” said Hassan as he described the collapse of the tent’s roof. In front of him, some clothing and bedding were completely wet. Following months of relatively mild weather, the storm showed just how cold winter can be in Lebanon’s central valley. Some Syrians are spending their seventh year in camps like this one. Shrinking savings Outside Hassan’s home, children ran through muddy, flooded passages on a cold day. Nearby, Zahra Hamad, mother of 10 children, wondered how much longer she could keep their tent warm. Her family sleeps in the only room that doesn’t leak. They keep warm with a diesel-fueled heater in the center of the room. The family has used the heater every winter for the past four years. It costs 7 dollars a day to operate – an amount she does not always have. Over time, her savings have shrunk to nothing, and it is difficult to find work at this time of the year. Jobs for refugees are seasonal and difficult to find. “Sometimes it is better outside than inside, things get so bad,” Zahra Hamad said. “There used to be aid…but now there is no wood…nothing,” she said. Problems The non-governmental organizations and agencies that help refugees are also facing problems. As the Syrian conflict continues, it is difficult for them to get the money they need. The Lebanese government refuses to make the refugee camps official. It is afraid that letting Syrians become members of Lebanese society could change Lebanon’s political and social balance. So these camps continue to be built without government oversight. The United Nations refugee agency has received just $143 million of a requested $228 million for its winter program. UN spokesman Scott Craig says the agency faced very difficult problems because it had to choose who should get the aid and who would not. Craig told VOA there is little difference between a family whose problems are serious and a family whose problems are severe. Tragic results It is not just in the camps that winter has affected the refugees. On January 19th, a group of 30 to 35 Syrians were trying to cross Lebanon’s closely guarded border when a snow storm hit. Sixteen of the Syrians died. In a room on the second floor of Bekka Hospital, Mishaan al Abed looks at the images on his phone. He saw a picture of his six-year old daughter, Hiba. She was wearing a white coat and looking up at the camera. The next image showed several bodies lying in the snow after the storm. He found it on social media while waiting for information about his family as they tried to cross the border. Six members of his family including his wife, his mother and little Hiba were among the dead. His other daughter, three-year-old Sarah, survived. She lay on a hospital bed, her face marked with frostbite scars. Abed says he was frightened when he heard his family planned to try to cross the border, but “they had to do it,” he said. He was already living in Lebanon at the time, and waiting for his family to arrive to start a new life. “If we could move somewhere where there isn’t any wars maybe she will forget,” he said, “but she has lost her mother…God help them.” I'm Susan Shand.   John Owens reported this story for VOA. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   tent – n. a temporary shelter that is made of strong cloth (such as canvas or nylon) and used outdoors illness – n. sickness or disease roof – n. a top or covering muddy – adj. relating to or involving soft, wet dirt diesel - n. a kind of fuel oversight – n. supervision; the act or job of directing work that is being done

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US Lawmakers Nominate Hong Kong, Serbian Activists for Nobel Prize

  American lawmakers have nominated three leaders of Hong Kong’s 2014 pro-democracy movement for the Nobel Peace Prize. A group of 12 legislators sent a letter to the Nobel nominating committee in Oslo, Norway recognizing 21-year-old Joshua Wong, 24-year-old Nathan Law and 27-year-old Alex Chow. The letter said the men should be awarded the prize “for their peaceful efforts to bring political reform and self-determination to Hong Kong.” The three activists led tens of thousands of people in what became known as Hong Kong’s “Umbrella Revolution” beginning in September 2014. The demonstrations – which protested a Chinese government decision to restrict fully free elections in Hong Kong - shut down parts of the city for 79 days. The lawmakers’ letter also nominates the pro-democracy movement itself for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize award. The letter was signed by four Democrats and eight Republicans, including former Republican presidential hopeful Senator Marco Rubio. The protests were considered illegal by Chinese and Hong Kong government officials. All three of the nominated activists spent time in jail in connection with their roles in the movement. Wong is currently out on bail awaiting an appeal on a contempt of court conviction. The charge against him relates to police attempts to clear a major highway at the end of the protests. The pro-democracy movement had made major improvements to peace “by actively seeking to safeguard the future of Hong Kong,” the letter said. It added: the efforts come at a time when “Beijing has taken steps to undermine Hong Kong’s long-cherished autonomy.” “While the democracy movement in Hong Kong faces tremendous opposition from the Chinese Communist Party and the Hong Kong government, these young leaders have continued their fight to improve the welfare of Hong Kong,” the letter said. China criticized the lawmakers’ decision to nominate the protest leaders. In a statement Friday, the foreign ministry urged the legislators to “stop meddling” in Hong Kong and Chinese government activities. The statement also repeated China’s view that the 2014 protests were “illegal.” The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced in December. Nomination for Serbian activist Two other U.S. lawmakers nominated a Serbian activist for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize. The nomination went to Natasa Kandic, who founded a not-for-profit group that documents human rights violations that followed the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. Mississippi Republican Senator Roger Wicker and New York Democratic Representative Eliot Engel wrote the nomination letter. Kandic is widely credited with providing United Nations war crimes tribunal officials with important evidence on Serbia's role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of Bosnian Muslim men and boys. Her documentation of atrocities carried out by Serb military commanders in the 1990s led to prosecutions of Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and his military commander, Ratko Mladic. The letter says awarding Kandic the Nobel Prize would help support continued recovery efforts from the conflicts of the Western Balkans. "This recognition would further the cause of peace and reconciliation in this and other troubled regions of our world," the lawmakers wrote. I’m Bryan Lynn.   Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from Radio Free Asia, the Associated Press, Reuters, VOA’s Serbian Service and other sources. Hai Do 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   self-determination – n. the right to choose government leaders bail – n. an amount of money given to a court to let a prisoner to leave jail and return later for a trial contempt – n. speech or behavior that does not show proper respect to a court or judge undermine – v. make someone weaker or less confident cherish – v. to feel or show great love for autonomy – n. the power or right of a country, group, etc., to govern itself welfare – n. the state of being happy, healthy, or successful meddle – v. to try to influence people or change things that are not your responsibility atrocity – n. very cruel or terrible actions reconciliation – n. the act of causing people or groups to become friendly again after an argument or disagreement  

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