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VOA NEWS

February 16, 2020

This is VOA news. I'm David Byrd.

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One day after meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Defense Secretary Mark Esper says a truce agreement between the United States and the Taliban is not without risk but looks "promising." We get more from AP correspondent Ben Thomas.

"It looked very promising ...."

Defense Secretary Mark Esper says it would involve a seven-day halt to Taliban attacks before signing.

"... that means taking some risk ...."

Peace talks between the Taliban and Afghanistan's government will begin within ten days of the signing.

"We can only be governed in a democratic system ...."

President Ashraf Ghani says as long as Afghanistan remains democratic, the Taliban is not much of a threat.

"I think the society is being immunized against that type of radicalism because if the Taliban is at support, why would they be so afraid of the elections."

It all could lead to an 18-month-phased withdrawal with U.S. forces.

Ben Thomas, Washington.

Diplomats from countries that lost citizens when Iran shot down a Ukrainian airliner pressured Tehran's foreign minister for more cooperation on the investigation Saturday. The ministers met with Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

Canadian Foreign Minister François-Philippe Champagne said that they had pressed for swift compensation for families.

"We pressed Iran on the need for swift compensation to be provided to the families of the victims in accordance with international standards."

Of the 176 victims, 57 were Canadian citizens along with Ukrainians, Swedes, Afghans, Britons and Iranians.

Canada and its allies are pushing Tehran to release the black boxes from the doomed 737 plane so the data can be analyzed in France.

The incident took place January 8, the same day Tehran launched missile attacks against U.S. barracks in Iraq in retaliation for the U.S. killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad.

Iran has said the shootdown was a mistake.

Human Rights Watch on Saturday urged Europe's defense officials to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to put an end to the humanitarian crisis in Syria's Idlib province.

Kenneth Roth is the director of Human Rights Watch. "It's time for Europe to start exercising that ??? and to insist that there will be severe consequences if Putin precedes in authorizing this blood bath in Idlib."

Hundreds of thousands of civilians are scrambling to escape a widening multifront assault on rebel-held areas of Idlib by Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces who are supported by Moscow.

Roth criticized what he called the shockingly little attention dedicated to the ongoing crisis in Syria at the Munich conference.

I'm David Byrd, VOA news.

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ARTS & CULTURE

Valentine's Traditions: Korea, Wales, Argentina and the US

February 14, 2020

Children play with red balloons that are part of Valentine's day decorations at a shopping mall in Iraq's northern city of Mosul on February 13, 2020. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP)

The United States celebrates Valentine’s Day each year on February 14. Images of hearts are everywhere, as are red roses and boxes of chocolates to give to that special person. You could say that “love is in the air.”

Many other countries celebrate Valentine’s Day, too, each in their own way. Here is a look at four countries’ Valentine’s Day traditions.

South Korea: three is a charm

For South Koreans, Valentine’s Day happens in three parts: February 14, March 14 and April 14.

On February 14, women traditionally give men gifts of chocolate to show their affection. One month later, on a holiday known as White Day, men show their thanks by giving women a sweet gift. The name “White Day” comes from the mostly outdated custom of giving white-colored gifts.

And, let’s not forget Black Day on April 14. Single people who did not get gifts on February 14 or March 14 often gather on Black Day to eat Jjajyangmyeon noodles with black bean sauce.

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Wales: land o’ love spoons

Unlike many European countries, Wales does not celebrate Saint Valentine. It has its own Saint of Love. Her name is Saint Dwynwen. The Welsh holiday is called St. Dwynwen’s Day and takes place on January 25.

The traditional romantic gift on this day is a love spoon. Beginning in the 17th century, Welsh men carved beautiful wooden spoons as a representation of their love for that special person in their lives. Each pattern has a different meaning. For example, horseshoes mean good luck; keys represent the key to a man’s heart; and wheels are a sign of support.

Today in Wales, love spoons are also given at weddings, births and other celebrations.

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Argentina: a week of sweets

Argentina celebrates Valentine’s Day in February, but also gives a whole other week to love in July. They call it Sweetness Week. If you kiss someone, they have to give you a sugary treat.

Sweetness Week started in 1989 with a candy company called Arcor. They made an advertisement called “Candy for a Kiss.” The idea was to give the company’s chocolates and other candies in exchange for a sweet kiss on the cheek. The campaign had a stronger effect than the company expected -- it led to a new holiday!

Every July, couples who take part give each other candies and kisses all week long.

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United States: female friends

Finally, we turn to the United States.

Galentine’s Day, February 13, began as a made-up holiday on an American television show, Parks and Recreation. In one part of the show in 2010, the show’s main character, Leslie Knope, said Galentine’s Day is about “ladies celebrating ladies.” So, the day is a celebration of friendship between women.

Today, women use the holiday as a time to go out and have fun with female friends, co-workers or family members, or to show their love for personal female heroes.

-t4-

On Galentine’s Day in 2020, for example, Michelle Obama thanked her girlfriends who support her through life’s ups and downs.

I'm Jill Robbins.

And I'm Alice Bryant.

Alice Bryant and Jill Robbins wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

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Words in This Story

affection – n. a feeling of liking and caring for someone or something

saint – n. a person who is officially recognized by the Christian church as being very holy because of the way he or she lived

spoon – n. an eating, cooking or decorative tool that has a small shallow bowl attached to a handle

pattern – n. a repeated form or design especially that is used to decorate something

key – n. a small device that is used to open a lock on a door

character – n. a person who appears in a television show, story, book, play or movie

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ASK A TEACHER

How Can I Improve My English Pronunciation? (Part 2)

February 14, 2020

Ask a Teacher - How can I improve my pronunciation? (Part 2)

Many people write to us here at VOA Learning English with this question:

Question:

How can I improve my English pronunciation?

Answer:

Last week on our program, we talked about setting realistic goals. That means, you do not have to sound exactly like a native English speaker. You can keep your accent and still communicate clearly. We also talked about learning the rhythm of English.

Today we will talk about three things you can do to sound more like a native speaker.

Watch and listen to yourself

A good place to start is to watch and listen to videos and other programs recorded in English.

For example, choose a story from our website. Listen to the recording while looking at the words. Make a note of any words you think may be hard to say, and then say them aloud. Play the audio again and read along. Then record yourself reading it slowly and clearly. Listen to your recording. Are you speaking loudly enough? As an English speaker, speaking more slowly than you normally do and speaking loudly with confidence can make it easier for others to understand you.

Take 'Selfie Videos'

You can also learn how to improve your pronunciation by taking selfie videos. Record a few sentences. Watch the video and ask yourself: Is my voice loud enough? Did I say all of the words clearly? Next, ask an English-speaking friend to listen, or try reading the story for a friend.

Listen to your dictionary

Our final piece of advice is to listen to recordings from an online dictionary. Try using a dictionary app, like the Merriam-Webster Learners’ Dictionary, which gives you the correct pronunciation in an audio file.

Click on the small picture

(it looks like a speaker) to play the sound of the word.

You can also use a website like Google Translate. Type in a word, then click on the small picture to hear the pronunciation.

If you click it a second time, it will play more slowly so you can hear each part of the word clearly.

What else do you do?

Now you have heard our suggestions for sounding more like a native English speaker. What do you tell your friends about improving your pronunciation? Write to us and tell us your own advice. Our email is [e-mail]

And that’s Ask a Teacher!

I’m Jill Robbins.

Dr. Jill Robbins wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

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Words in This Story

pronunciation – n. the way in which a word is said

accent – n. a way of saying words that is common among the people in an area or country

rhythm – n. a regular, repeated order of sounds or movements

confidence – n. a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something

file – n. a collection of computer data or other information stored in an electronic device

click – v. to press or strike a button on a control device

type – v. to write something on a computer or typewriter

Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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