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78 我参加你的婚礼 I Went To Your Wedding
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AS IT IS
Rights Group Calls on Europe to Accept More Refugees
January 23, 2019
Migrants off the coast of Libya wait on an inflatable boat for rescue by the nongovernmental organization Proactiva Open Arms.
The human rights group Amnesty International has criticized several European countries for blocking migrant rescue ships from their ports.
Amnesty International called the situation “shameful.”
The group said Europe’s migrant policy was putting lives in danger at sea and also in the country of Libya.
Most asylum seekers leaving Africa appear to be leaving from Libya.
The rights group made its statement after a migrant rescue ship was permitted to unload people in Malta after spending 19 days at sea. Almost 50 migrants were on the ship. Several European ports had refused it entry.
Matteo De Bellis of Amnesty International said the problem is the result of Europe’s decision to let Libya deal with border security.
De Bellis said that non-governmental organizations, or NGOs, are operating the rescue ships. But they face hard choices.
He said, “The only thing that the Libyan coast guard can tell the NGOs is to go back to Libya and disembark people there. But it is forbidden by international law to disembark people in a place where they are going to be exposed to torture.”
Many European countries have ended their rescue efforts in the Mediterranean Sea. Now aid groups have stepped in.
Many southern European countries say it is unfair that, under EU law, they must take in the refugees.
De Bellis said, “There is no mechanism enabling European government, European states, to share responsibility among them for the assistance of those asylum seekers.”
Spain recently blocked the ‘Proactive Open Arms’ rescue ship from leaving port. Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Salvini praised the action.
Salvini said, “If the European Union and the other European countries will follow up words with actions, Europe will be rescued. But if words will not be followed by actions, Europe doesn’t exist.”
The EU has said the flow of migrants to European countries has fallen by 92 percent from its highest levels in 2015.
Amnesty International said this means that concerns about migration causing problems in Europe are false.
De Bellis said there are constituencies that believe Europe is “under siege” from migration.
Several EU member states now have anti-immigration governments making it unlikely that the EU will agree on refugee limits any time soon.
I’m Caty Weaver.
Henry Ridgwell reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted it for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.
_____________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
disembark –v. to leave a ship or airplane
forbidden –adj. not permitted
mechanism –n. a process or system used to produce a particular result
enable –v. to make something possible
constituency –n. a group of people who live an vote in an area
AS IT IS
US Supports Opposition Leader, Venezuela Expels Diplomats
January 23, 2019
Juan Guaido, head of Venezuela's opposition-run congress, declared himself interim president until new elections can be called in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has broken diplomatic relations with the United States. He has given American diplomats 72 hours to leave the country.
The action came following a statement released by U.S. President Donald Trump, in which he recognized Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president.
Maduro told a crowd of supporters at the presidential palace Wednesday: “Before the people and nations of the world, and as constitutional president.....I’ve decided to break diplomatic and political relations with the imperialist U.S. government.”
Opposition leader claims presidency
Guaido declared himself interim president Wednesday before tens of thousands of cheering anti-government demonstrators in Caracas.
“Today, January 23, 2019, I swear to formally assume the powers of the national executive as president in charge of Venezuela,” Guaido told the crowd.
Guaido is the leader of the opposition-controlled Venezuelan National Assembly. He said under Venezuela’s constitution, he would assume power until new elections are called.
Guaido declared himself president just two weeks after Maduro began his second six-year term. Many Venezuelans believed the election should not be recognized because Maduro banned his opponents from running against him.
The United States immediately recognized Guaido as interim president and said it would push for the restoration of democracy.
In a statement, Trump said, “The people of Venezuela have courageously spoken out against Maduro and his regime and demanded freedom and the rule of law.” Trump ruled out military actions against the Maduro government but added, “All options are on the table.”
Throughout the day thousands of Venezuelan protesters filled the streets of Caracas to demand President Maduro leave office. The country is suffering from a severe economic crisis.
Large crowds waved flags and called “Get out Maduro” in the country’s largest demonstration since 2017.
“Venezuela is reborn on the streets today, searching for freedom and democracy,” Guaido said on Twitter.
Pro-government demonstrators dressed in red in support of Maduro were also marching in the capital. They shouted “traitors” at anti-government protestors when the two sides faced each other on the street.
The demonstration comes after a week that saw a small military revolt, fires set during protests in poor neighborhoods and the brief arrest of Guaido. He was pulled from a car just over a week ago by intelligence agents, but was quickly released after international criticism.
Protest seen as test for opposition
The protest is seen as a test of Guaido’s ability to unite Venezuela’s opposition parties. He and his followers have appealed to the military and the poor to move their loyalties away from President Maduro’s socialist government. The protest takes place on a historic date for Venezuelans — the anniversary of the 1958 coup that removed military dictator Marcos Perez Jimenez.
In the days leading to Wednesday’s protest, the 35-year-old opposition leader traveled around Caracas to attend outdoor meetings. He told the crowds that Maduro must go if democracy will return to Venezuela.
Speaking on Monday from the top of a college building, Guaido cried: “We are tired of this disaster. We know this isn’t a fight of a single day but one that requires lots of resistance.”
A crowd of students answered with shouts of “Freedom!” and “Get out, Maduro!”
Maduro does not come from the military like former president Hugo Chavez. But he has tried to control the military by placing generals in important jobs, such as the head of the country’s oil company. Maduro has also appeared in uniform at a military meeting with Gen. Vladimir Padrino Lopez, the defense minister.
Guaido has been sending his message to Venezuela’s military, which holds a lot of power in Venezuelan politics.
On Monday, a small military revolt took place, but the government quickly ended it. Venezuelans showed their support for the revolt by protesting in the streets until the police pushed them back.
Retired Maj. Gen. Cliver Alcala is a former aide to Chavez and now in exile. He said the opposition has found sympathy with the military’s lower ranks that are suffering from the same financial problems as regular Venezuelans.
Asked about his former troops, Alcala said, “hunger is the only thing that can devourfear of the government.”
I’m Susan Shand.
The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.
_______________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
interim - adj. used or accepted for a limited time
imperialist - n. one who believes in a policy or practice by which a country increases its power by gaining control over other areas of the world
assume - v. to take over
restoration - n. to put back to a previous state
courageously - adv. without fear
traitor – n. one who betrays his country
coup - n. to overthrow a government
devour – v. to completely take over
regular – n. normal or usual
AS IT IS
The Hunt for the Next Dead Sea Scrolls
January 23, 2019
In 1947, locals first found the Dead Sea Scrolls in caves near the city of Jerusalem. The scrolls contain ancient religious writings, some more than 2,000 years old.
Now, in the cliffs above the Dead Sea, archaeologists are digging higher and deeper into hundreds of unexplored caves. They are hoping to find more parchments – and they are racing against antiquities robbers.
The writings are on animal skin, known as parchment, and old paper, called papyrus. They describe Jewish society and religion before and after the time of Jesus.
Oren Gutfeld, an archaeologist at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, said, “In the last few years we noticed new pieces of scrolls and parchments arrive on the black market. It drove us to return to the caves.”
In 2017, his team discovered remains of storage jugs in an unexplored cave, known as 52B, at Qumran. But any scrolls they may have held were missing.
At about 200 meters above the level of the Dead Sea, the cave is higher than where the scrolls were first found in 1947. It is not known whether the cave may have been a good hiding place.
Toward the back of the cave, volunteers sift through buckets of dirt in a narrow tunnel that could extend about 10 meters.
“People thought there was nothing left to find...there just wasn’t incentive to do this,” said Randall Price. He is a professor at Liberty University, a Christian college in the United States that helped fund the exploration. Price said 52B did not appear on previous explorations and could bring some secrets.
Lost treasures
In the narrow streets of Jerusalem’s Old City, Eitan Klein checks on dealers to make sure their goods are in an official registry and are not being traded on the black market. He is the deputy director of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
In late 2016, the authority recovered part of a piece of papyrus from the 7th century B.C. with the word “Jerusalem.” The papyrus had been taken from a cave by antiquities robbers.
Klein said, “The assumption is that there are still artifacts inside the caves waiting to be found. The question is, who will discover them?”
In 1952, archaeologists also found what became known as the Copper Scroll in Qumran. Unlike other scrolls written on parchment or papyrus, this was a list of 64 hiding places for gold and valuables, etched on copper.
Hebrew University’s Gutfeld said the treasure referred to what may be from the ancient Jewish temple in Jerusalem. In 2006, his team found two man-made tunnels near Qumran that he believes matched a description of the Valley of Shadow in the Copper Scroll.
One of the tunnels, about two meters high, extended 125 meters underground. No treasure was found, but Gutfeld promised to continue searching in new spots.
He said, “I’m not a treasure hunter. I’m an archaeologist. We hope to find any hint or relationship to what we know from the text of the Copper Scroll.”
New discoveries could also help solve the debate over who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls.
I'm Jonathan Evans.
Hai Do adapted this story for Learning English based on a report from Reuters. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.
Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
_____________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
cliff - n. a high, steep surface of rock, earth, or ice
sift - v. to separate or remove (something) by using a sifter or sieve
incentive - n. something that encourages a person to do something or to work harder
etch - v. to produce a pattern or design by using a powerful liquid to cut the surface of metal or glass
antiquities - n. objects from ancient times
registry - n. a place where official records are kept
assumption - n. something that is believed to be true or probably true but that is not known to be true
temple - n. a building for worship
AS IT IS
Pelosi: No State of the Union in the House for Trump
January 23, 2019
Trump speaking to reporters in the Roosevelt Room of the White House and U.S. House Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) addressing the United States Conference of Mayors 87th Winter Meeting in Washington, U.S., January 23, 2019.
The longest government shutdown in U.S. history is guaranteed to continue at least a bit longer.
On Wednesday, Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, wrote to President Donald Trump that she will not permit “the President’s State of the Union address in the House Chamber until government has opened.”
She added, “Again, I look forward to welcoming you to the House on a mutually agreeable date for this address when government has been opened.”
-t1-
The State of the Union was to take place January 29.
The letter came just hours after Trump, a Republican, dismissed Pelosi’s earlier suggestion that the speech should be delayed or simply sent in as a written copy. The president called the speech his “Constitutional duty.” He added there were no “security concerns” for the event.
Trump ended his letter by saying, “It would be so very sad for our Country if the State of the Union were not delivered on time, on schedule, and very importantly, on location!”
The U.S. Constitution states that the president “shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union.” America’s first president, George Washington, established the tradition with his first yearly speech to Congress on January 8, 1790.
Washington made the speech in person in the Senate Chamber of Federal Hall in New York City. The city was the temporary seat of government at the time. The second U.S. president, John Adams, also gave his yearly speeches in person.
But Thomas Jefferson, the nation’s third president, chose to send his messages to Congress in writing. That began a tradition that lasted over one hundred years.
In 1913, President Woodrow Wilson personally addressed a joint session of Congress. And the tradition would become known as the “State of the Union” under President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
By tradition, the House and the Senate must pass a resolution for a joint session of Congress to hear the president’s State of the Union. With her letter, Pelosi officially ended any chance for Trump to deliver the speech next week in the House of Representatives.
When asked for his reaction to Pelosi’s letter, Trump blamed the Democrats for the government shutdown. He added: “This will go on for a while. Ultimately, the American people will have their way, because they want to see no crime.”
The partial U.S. government shutdown began on December 22, 2018. It started because Trump asked for $5.7 billion in the federal spending plan to build a wall on the nation’s southern border with Mexico. The president said he would not sign any spending bills without money for the wall.
The Republican-controlled Senate is expected to consider two spending bills to reopen the government. One bill has the money for the wall and one does not. But both bills are not expected to receive the required 60 votes. The Democratic-controlled House has so far refused to give Trump the money.
Pelosi stated firmly, “We’re not doing a wall” and called the plan immoral.
About 800,000 federal government workers have been forced to stay at home or continue working without pay. Trump is now considering other places where he could deliver the speech.
Hai Do wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.
Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
_____________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
location - n. a place or position
ultimately - adv. at the end of the process, period of time, etc.
immoral - adj. evil or wrong
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