【325-327】Somali Refugee Wins Primary Election for US Congress

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AS IT IS

South Korea Plans to Start Railway Project With North Korea This Year

August 15, 2018

South Korean President Moon Jae-in delivers a speech during a ceremony marking the 73rd anniversary of liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul on August 15, 2018. South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on August 15 his rare visit to Pyongyang next month will be a "bold step" towards ending the decades-old war with the nuclear-armed North. / AFP PHOTO / Jung Yeon-je

South Korea President Moon Jae-in says his government plans to begin a new railroad project with North Korea this year.

However, Moon also said economic cooperation with North Korea is linked to that country’s denuclearization.

Moon made the comments during a speech on Wednesday celebrating the liberation of Korea at the end of World War II. He said the reconnection of railroads and roads is the start of “prosperity” for the two Koreas. He also said work would begin this year.

Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to work toward increased economic cooperation when they met in April. That meeting took place in the village of Panmunjom in demilitarized zone (DMZ) of the inter-Korean border. At the Panmunjom summit, Kim also agreed to work toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The South Korean president helped bring about the historic summit in June between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore. At that meeting, Kim repeated his commitment to denuclearization.

However, since the summit in June, the U.S. and North Korea have not been able to reach agreement on the denuclearization issue. The U.S. insists that North Korea completely disarm its nuclear and missile weapons before it receives any economic concessions.

North Korea wants economic concessions after each step of the denuclearization process.

Sanctions enforcement

Currently, international sanctions put on North Korea for its nuclear and ballistic missile tests do not permit a major railway project.

The joint Korean railway project to link South and North Korea with high speed train service is estimated to cost $35 billion. It would provide North Korean industries an overland rail connection to China, Russia and even Europe.

The international sanctions stop 90 percent of all trade with North Korea and most international finance.

President Moon did not explain how he would get past the sanctions to proceed with the railway project.

This week, U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris repeated the Trump administration’s position. He said denuclearization must come before the sanctions are eased.

“Sanctions will remain in place,” said Harris during a speech at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy in Seoul. He added that the North must take strong actions toward denuclearization.

The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday that no official meetings are planned between the U.S. and North Korea, but that informal talks continue.

Economic ties

Moon said that improved relations between the two Koreas will aid progress in denuclearization.

Moon also said that renewed economic ties could generate $149 billion for North Korea over 30 years. And joint economic projects, like the Kaesong industrial center which closed in 2016, could bring thousands of jobs to the North.

Moon is to visit Pyongyang in September to hold another summit with Kim.

Peace treaty

The South Korean president also said he supported a peace declaration to officially end the Korean War. Fighting stopped in 1953 with an armistice agreement.

South Korean media have said that the U.S., South Korea, China and North Korea may release a peace statement in September. Such as announcement could take place at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York City.

North Korea has called for a peace declaration before moving forward with nuclear talks. The U.S., however, wants denuclearization progress first.

I’m Susan Shand.

This story was reported by VOA’s Brian Padden and adapted for Learning English by Susan Shand. It was edited by Mario Ritter.

Words in This Story

prosperity – n. the state of being successful usually by making a lot of money

commitment – n. a promise to do or give something

concession – n. the act of giving up something or doing something in order to reach agreement

sanctions – 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

ballistic missile - n. a weapon that is shot through the sky over a great distance and then falls to the ground and explodes

armistice – n. an agreement to stop fighting

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AS IT IS

Somali Refugee Wins Primary Election for US Congress

August 15, 2018

Ilhan Omar addresses supporters after her historic primary election victory to represent Minnesota's 5th District in the U.S. Congress in Minneapolis, Aug. 14, 2018.

Minnesota State Representative Ilhan Omar became a major party’s candidate for the state’s 5th District in the United States Congress.

Omar won the Democratic Party’s primary election for the area on Tuesday.

She is seeking to become the first refugee from Africa to gain a seat in the U.S. Congress.

A simple message

The 35-year-old politician spoke at the University of Minnesota’s Hubert Humphrey School of Public Affairs before Tuesday’s vote.

“I am a millennial with student debt,” she said. “And a renter,” she added, someone who is not ready, or cannot yet afford, to buy a home.

It was a simple but effective message. She was born in Somalia and wears a hijab on her head. However, Omar said that she was still like the many young, progressive and liberal voters whose support she needs to get elected.

It was the same message that helped her make history two years ago in her election to the Minnesota state House of Representatives. Her campaign says there was a 37-percent increase in the number of voters in that election.

Khalid Mohamed is a 25-year-old Somali American. He said, “Before Ilhan, I think a lot of us didn’t know what type of government we had, but now that she was elected, a lot of us started paying attention.”

He added, “She represented us at the state level and we saw how productive she was.”

Mohamed is just one of tens of thousands of Somali Americans who voted for Omar in Tuesday’s primary election.

Ilhan Omar addresses supporters after her historic primary election victory to represent Minnesota's 5th District in the U.S. Congress in Minneapolis, Aug. 14, 2018. (Photo: K. Farabaugh / VOA)

Building a coalition

Omar hopes to follow Keith Ellison’s path. Ellison is the first Muslim American elected to Congress. He currently represents the same Minneapolis Congressional District that Omar is competing in. But, Ellison is leaving Congress to run for the Minnesota Attorney General’s office.

Larry Jacobs is a University of Minnesota Professor. He said, “Around America it might seem odd that one of the whitest states in the country would be sending its second Muslim to Congress…But not so in Minnesota.”

Minnesota is home to the largest number of Somali refugees in the United States.

Jacobs said their votes are only part of Ilhan’s success. He said the Somalia community is not a large voting group. It even split its votes between Omar and another Somali candidate. What Omar has been able to do, Jacob’s said, has been to build a coalition that includes politically liberal voters and people who believe the Democratic Party needs to become more diverse.

FILE - In this Jan. 3, 2017, file photo, State Rep. Ilhan Omar takes the oath of office as the 2017 Legislature convened in St. Paul, Minn. Omar is the nation's first Somali-American to be elected to a state legislature.

Omar is the Democrat’s Assistant Minority leader in the Minnesota House of Representatives. She has opposed the separation of families by officials at the U.S. border. She also has criticized the so-called “Muslim Ban” of the administration of President Donald Trump.

Speaking at her primary election victory party, Omar said, “In my last race I talked about what that win would mean for that eight-year-old girl in that refugee camp.”

Like Omar, many people in Minnesota’s Somali Muslim American community are refugees. They hope Omar’s election represents a chance to change public opinion about their religion and situation.

Mohamed believes that Omar’s election sends a message of hope to not just to a religious community, but to all of Africa.

"It sends a message to everyone from Africa… that you might be a refugee…but you have rights, and you can be whoever you want as long as you put the work in,” he said.

Observers say Omar has a good chance of winning in the general election in November.

I’m Ashley Thompson.

This story was originally reported by Kane Farabaugh for VOANews.com Phil Dierking adapted this story for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

Are there members of any minority community that you would like to see elected to office? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

afford - v. to be able to pay for (something)

encourage - v. to make (someone) more determined, hopeful, or confident

hijab - n. a head covering worn in public by some Muslim women.

millennial - n. a person who was born in the 1980s or 1990s

type - n. a particular kind or group of things or people

odd - adj. strange or unusual

progressive - adj. using or interested in new or modern ideas especially in politics and education

diverse - adj. different from each other

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AS IT IS

UN: Ecuador Struggling to Deal With Venezuelan Refugees

August 15, 2018

A Venezuelan refugee family rests outside a makeshift camp before going out to find any kind of work in Quito, Ecuador, August 9, 2018.

The United Nations refugee agency is increasing its efforts in Ecuador to help the government deal with a large number of people from Venezuela.

The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) seeks to protect and assist refugees around the world.

UNHCR officials say more than 500,000 Venezuelans have entered Ecuador through the Colombian border this year. That is about 3,000 refugees entering the country each day.

The UNHCR reports that number has increased to more than 4,000 people a day arriving in the first week of August. The government of Ecuador declared a state of emergency last week in several areas in an effort to deal with the growing refugee problem.

William Spindler is a UNHCR spokesman. He said the agency supports Ecuador’s decision, which permits it to use additional resources to deal with the problem. He also said that the number of people leaving Venezuela “is one of Latin America’s largest mass population movements in history.”

Spindler said the refugees walk for days or even weeks in dangerous conditions before reaching Ecuador. He said many are then forced to beg or seek other ways to survive.

He noted that about 20 percent of refugees are in need of special protection and assistance. He said, “Women and girls represent 40 percent of the new arrivals and face serious risks of sexual violence.”

Spindler added that most Venezuelans entering Ecuador do not end their travels there. Instead, they continue on to Peru and Chile. He said the UNHCR is increasing its emergency services.

The agency will provide Ecuador with technical assistance, such as screening and registering the refugees. He says agency workers will identify those Venezuelans in need of special protection and aid.

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Lisa Schlein reported this story for VOA News. Jonathan Evans adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

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