Vino go riding a Bangladeshi court sentenced 7 members of an Islamist group to death on Wednesday for plotting a 2016 attack which killed 22 people Reuters David Doyle has details the 7 men convicted on Wednesday were accused of involvement in plotting the attack they belong to D'Amato much ahead in Bangladesh a group that seeks to establish Urrea rule in the predominantly Muslim country one of those on trial was acquitted and the defense lawyer said the 7 convicted men would appeal. The 2016 attacks shocked the nation of 160000000. And on the businesses including the vital government export sector and foreign investors and the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Bangladesh has cracked down on militant groups in a bid to preserve its image as a moderate Muslim nation following the cafe siege police raided hideouts killing dozens of militants suspected of involvement and arresting hundreds more writers David Doyle the us government reported moderate economic growth over the 3rd quarter a piece said Donohue has detailed the 2 point one percent annual rate increase in the gross domestic product between July and September exceeds the government's initial estimate and is fueled by consumer spending and defies the global economic slowdown and threats of a trade war with China the economy started the year with a strong $3.00 g.d.p. Rate but the momentum is slipping many analysts worry growth is slipping in the current October to December quarter to a $1.00 annual rate or less as business investment weakens further but the experts aren't worried in part because of optimism a trade deal will be reached soon with China and Donahue Washington for more on these stories and the rest of the day's news be sure to visit v.o.a. News dot com I'm David Bird v.o.a. News. It really doesn't matter whether President Trump signs the bill or not oh this economist says the u.s. Will most likely make the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act the law this is Thursday the 28th of November this is below a Asia I'm a rebel minted washee did also have some of the victims of the slaughter of some migrants in the u.k. Are returned to Vietnam this is Thanksgiving in the United States will explore how many years celebrating and we continue our series of reports on what it each bit is all about in this country it all comes your way on today is below a Asia. One of the few bipartisan measures to appear before the u.s. Congress of late has been passage of the hunt concubinage Rights and Democracy Act the almost unanimous vote in both the u.s. House and Senate required the u.s. Government to impose sanctions against Chinese and Hong Kong officials responsible for human rights abuses in Hong Kong and require the United States State Department and other agencies to conduct an annual review to determine with the changes that Hong Kong's political status meaning its relationship with mainland China justified changing the unique favorable trade with Asians between the u.s. In Hong Kong the measure is now before President Donald Trump he faces what appears to be a difficult decision for him on one hand he expresses support for Hong Kong Prostascint others at least most of them on the other he says his negotiators are close to agreement with China on an initial agreement on trade joining us on v.o.a. Asia is Jeff mooted former assistant trade representative for China in the Obama administration and now president of China moon strategies and I'll see he joins us via Skype Jeff tell us more about the b. U.s. Power what the u.s. President is facing. But he's facing a dilemma of his own creation Unlike his predecessors President Trump introduced the art of the deal where he has brought unrelated issues into the trade discussions in order to gain leverage and so she Jinping is now returning the favor by trying to bring unrelated issues into the trade dispute here previously we would just say this is not about trade we're not going to talk about it having said that it really doesn't matter whether President Trump signs the bill or not if he does not sign it if he does nothing after 10 days it becomes law under the u.s. Constitution if he vetoes it Congress will almost certainly override him and Ted Cruz when the conservatives and others have openly Stretton that their Congress passed the bill by almost unanimous consent only one person to sent it so Congress is certainly going to vote this in and he's going to have to face the consequences with regard to the trade war no matter what she Jinping will need also faces a dilemma of his own creation and that is that he and the Chinese government have promoted a false narrative for many months now that the u.s. Government is behind the protests the elections of course over the weekend prove that that's not true but he has created this expectation that he may strike back at the United States after all this time and so he's trying to use the trade wars props an instance where he can show that he's taking resolute action on this and in addition to gain some negotiating leverage I think in the end what's going to happen is that this will not significantly affect the trade war that the trade war is important enough to both countries that they need to find a resolution it's causing enough damage to both economies and the agreement that they are about to reach is quite frankly modest enough it doesn't even address the main issues in the trade where it's modest enough. That they should and can reach it and it will be modestly helpful. Both countries if they do so so I think she Jinping will find a way to respond to the u.s. In a way that doesn't involve the tree war but nonetheless expresses some kind of just pleasure and President Trump needs to help him try to find that kind of a solution to this impasse to the Chinese have to find a way to save face or do they have one. I think they do need to find a way to save face because it's all about the nature of the conflict over Hong Kong flu or the Chinese Hong Kong is about sovereignty and reassuming sovereignty after what they call a century of humiliation for the us this is about human rights I mean that's something quite different i'm so for China I think this is actually a much more important issue on his much more important issue than the trade war is so they will need to have to find some way to save face and frankly their policy has been failing for many months and they're looking for a way to shift blame also for that to see and they have sort of created the narrative that the United States is the place where that plane should be shifted if this chapter number one and he reported trade agreement does it go through or how much is that going to accomplish how much further do the 2 sides have to go. Well there will be important for the u.s. Because farmers are hurting and they will according to the president received $40.00 to $50000000000.00 in sales of u.s. Agricultural products the from the Chinese perspective they need to buy their recalled Traill goods that are on the table here. They say they need the soybeans they need the pork and the other things are there so this is entirely in their interests to do this the question is over tariffs how much tariffs will be affected and that's probably one of the final sticking points here however those issues are important and getting a deal would be a very good saying but the entire u.s. T.r. Complaint that was filed a year and a half ago is not addressed in this agreement we're not talking about the practice of forcing mandatory trade you know 20 ensures or subsidies or cyber hacking or other regulations that are overbroad and tilt the playing field we're not talking about wow a we're not talking about a variety of emerging issues and regulations that are not coming up they're going to hamper trade so there is an awful lot that's going to be left on the table the question in my mind is you know it has been so incredibly difficult to reach this agreement which touches on all the easy issues so will they really ever be able to get to the more difficult issues and I think that it's more likely it's not likely that they will actually get to those what they're calling phase 2 issues by the time of the election next year well without that a happening what happens as far as China's relationship bed China's ideas about what to do about Hong Kong. Well Hong Kong is a set really is a separate issue from the from the Trade Agreement and Hong Kong the real problem here is preserving autonomy in Hong Kong China committed in 1004 in the joint statement with Britain that it would preserve on consequently autonomy and at the time of the reversion joint the basic. Law also reinforces that the u.s. Hong Kong Policy Act $102.00 also reinforces all Kong autonomy The question is whether independent of the trade situation whether China will grant Hong Kong the autonomy that it promised or whether it will continue to reduce that autonomy everyone agrees that China has sovereignty or Hong Kong everyone agrees that the formula going forward is one country 2 systems the question is whether China will allow that 2nd system to have the autonomy that it promised 20 years ago but one has to think that Beijing there's not one of the other key elements where. Of course not and I think that you see that in the way that they've been trying to manage it they have been trying to manage it without resorting to those kind of tactics and I think that they and they've also been trying to manage it locally although there has been somewhat of a Chinese presence now coming into the 4 states that's out there I don't think that's a result that anyone is looking for I think everyone's trying to avoid that but I'm I think a lot of people are hoping that China will listen to the message that was sent last weekend in the Hong Kong just reflections and perhaps moderate or not increase the pressure that it's putting on the young people thank you Jeff moon. These are among the top Asia headlines you'll find right now at v.o.a. News dot com analysts say a provocative North Korean artillery exercise near its border with the South may represent a step that campaigned to try and force the United States to when what it sees as hostile policies ahead of itself expired year and deadline a special anti-terrorism tribunals in Bangladesh has sentenced 7 members of a band to Islamize militant group together for plotting an attack on a restaurant in Dhaka on which 22 people mostly foreigners were killed. As search for pro-democracy protesters still hiding in Hong Kong's call the technique University came up empty on Wednesday as academic authorities prepared to clean up following in the year 2 weeks siege of the campus you're listening to v.o.a. Asia. The bodies of some of the Vietnamese who died when human traffickers carried them by truck to ng them last month were repatriated to their homeland Wednesday and have been taken to their families a piece Charles Ledesma has more the bullies of some of the victims found in a British truck being repatriated to Vietnam the bodies of 16 of the $39.00 Vietnamese who died when he when traffic was carried them by truck to England last month have been flown back to their homeland and of being taken to their families one father of an 18 year old victim says he had been informed by a local government official that his son's remains were big time Wednesday along with 6 other victims the man told the a.p. I'm devastated but I'll be happy to have him back with us soon I'm. Happy now in Asia a roadside bomb in northern Afghanistan demolished a civilian vehicle Wednesday evening killed. Thing at least 15 civilians and injuring 2 others prevention official said the victims including women the children were on their way to attend a wedding party stay up to date with v.o.a. You're listening to the video a Asia thanks. We can take you know how many new refugees in America experience culture shock when they 1st arrive in the United States many have to deal with a new language culture and even holidays but several refugees can play a big role in helping new arrivals adapt to life in the u.s. One example is the Ethiopian community center which hosts the Thanksgiving meal every year for new refugees the away is not the is has more on the about. To be. Even fun uni and I've been a few days in United States at Thanksgiving get together and maybe as following is this my Irish dance performance does anyone paying scheming Carnegie aims to help if you G.'s I just to life and the many cultures in America they too pick community hosted diskette sitting just out type Washington d.c. That if you just come most people want to own countries like Syria Iraq Afghanistan and Pakistan today leaving jail about to Thanksgiving back to an all of the deep bad as they say the Afghans coming in this part d. I like Thanksgiving I get everybody everyone was here and I think it's good for I'm going to copy born everything the give rise to the kiss especially meaningful for Bob I do. 48 to go to escape winds in his homeland my background as a refugee and that means a lot sooner because I look around and I see a lot of different. Faces and. I got very emotional 40 years ago adduced like was pulled off 10 inches when he started his school life in the United States the Ethiopian community development council head pop and what he said to him were Genia But again those are see in the Trawniki the entire community and. To introduce. So that would be a need to know. Someone in tears simply to help people feel come I love to welcome new people to our community and to bring an end except everyone and I wanted to share our Thanksgiving is to sit down and bring families from all over the place together to share a meal. Many say they are thankful to have tried to be a trial date homelands but also hope one did they will be to United to be dead loved ones my brothers in Nigeria I'm not sample for you as that is sometimes i get sad and I think about it but you know I would love for him to come here and join me here chant Austin if he's real when you lose Arlington. Coming up Pardon me said the turkey you're listening to v.o.a. Asia. Way a judge is going to do it or follow was a v.o.a. Asia for developing stories in Asia perhaps close to you our Twitter feed also has updates on programmes you can hear and see with links to easily find a real way Asia also follow radio programme hosts feel way Stevenson and feel a moment feel a way h. Or Twitter were always online for you. This news from the away Ajab David historic 1st Pakistan Supreme Court Wednesday raised questions about the legality of extending the term of the army chief sending shock waves through a country that has been ruled by the military for more than half of that 72 year existence at which the new There is considered the most political history. This is . Us President Donald Trump has followed our White House Thanksgiving tradition by pardoning butter the turkey and his alter it bread the president also out of his own tradition of cracking jokes while granting clemency to the poultry White House cars to other cars spotted Patsy you want to swear up as the story. I wish. I here by drink you a full. And complete. Andrea White House tradition President Donald Trump Card and butter the turkey and his alternate bread from their fate of being served at Thanksgiving dinner wonderful and Trump cracked jokes about impeachment noting that the Brits have been raised to remain calm under any condition which will be very important because they've already received subpoenas to appear it out of shifts basement on Thursday in last year's pardon Trump also reference congressional investigations on presidential action even though peas and carrots have received a presidential pardon I have warned them that House Democrats are likely to issue them both subpoenas in 2017 Trump joked that he would not overturn the pardon given by his predecessor President Barack Obama I have been informed by the White House Counsel's Office that cater and Todd's pardons cannot under any circumstances be revoked thank is not the 1st president to. Be satire. Recently been taking a series of executive actions but don't require congressional approval. Well here's another not surprising since in these events president get to lighten up and show who they are as a person and White House historian Matthew Castello President Trump is also aware of you know things in the press and how he's covered so I think he sees that as an opportunity then to sort of you know tease and make fun of some of those things pardoning turkeys has been a presidential tradition since George h.w. Bush in 1989 but the custom has earlier roots in 865. Abraham Lincoln pardon the turkey from the Christmas dinner in 863 John f. Kennedy decided to spare one from his Thanksgiving table and in 1987 Ronald Reagan pardoned Charlie as he deflected questions about the Iran Contra scandal. To Turkey the president and. The pride of the White House to spend a holiday at his Beauregard. At the White. This newsbreak from b.o.h. Government Wednesday Roberta's the plan on the glide phosphate then delayed the a position the other chemicals used in agricultural. Produce a form of industry an international trade. A. Donald Trump faces a process that could end with his removal as president of the United States impeachment hearings underway now in the House of Representatives represent the beginning part of what is prescribed by the u.s. Constitution in today's installment of American impeachment be always the British explains one of the more vague aspects of an impeachment high crimes and misdemeanors. There is just one mention in the us Constitution about the criteria for impeaching and removing a present article choose Section 4 of the Constitution reads The President shall be removed from office on impeachment for and conviction of treason bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors treason and bribery are specific crimes but those last 4 words high crimes and misdemeanors provoke the most debate the phrase comes from British law putting impeachment of high level public officials beyond statutory laws it was an important feature because one of the things the framers of the Constitution really wanted to make sure is that they didn't have another King Constitution signer an interpreter Alexander Hamilton said the nature of impeachment is political necessary for offenses that stem from what he called the abuse or violation of some public trust nearly 2 centuries later congressman and a future president Gerald Ford who became president in 1904 after Richard Nixon quit before potentially being impeached said an impeachable offense is whatever the majority of the House of Representatives considers it to be at a given moment in history it doesn't have to be necessarily a crime in the crime and the law books. If you if You could hear the next segment of Professor read issues that diatribe actually his explanation tomorrow at the same time polluted streams in West Virginia may prove an unexpected source of key minerals used in modern tech for a mobile phones through military hardware the only Steve Bera go to take a look roughly 4000 kilometers of West Virginia streams are from pollution called acid mine drainage so all the sand around here has that orange cast to it so it gets a lot of iron balls in Kev each It's the West Virginia University Water Research Institute he says water draining from the region's old coal mines turns the streams that color it's as acidic as vinegar and it kills fish in insects 100 percent fatal . As a 2nd spread bad. Sim cabbage has spent the last 30 years trying to clean up acid Mindtree an inch but he. Discovered that treating it produces an unexpected bonus so when you treat it as a mind drainages the thing you do is you raise the ph of the water and you also oxidize a chemical a that causes the transition metals the fall out of solution. But it turns out that's also where the rare earth elements rare earth elements make some key modern tech work like the magnets in wind turbines and cell phone speakers if you're using a conventional iron magnet in your. Would be like a brick for example. Fighter jets night vision gear and other military hardware rely on rare earths but most of the u.s. Supply comes from China that's a problem when the 2 countries are in a trade war scarcity is not the problem with rare earths Despite the name coal and other minerals contain them but in very low concentrations they dissolve in acid at a new acid mine drainage treatment plant nearby Steve Arizona v.o.a. News outside Morgantown West Virginia. You have been listening to v.o.a. Asia thanks for being with us thanks to our director Tracy Carter Nelson Lopes is at the controls on managing editors Diane gallon our team consist of Jim Stevenson key player and enter in terms of how young you can I'm I remembered in Washington have a wonderful day and happy Thanksgiving. With the. Welcome to learning English a daily 30 minute program from the Voice of America I'm Jonathan Evans and I'm Ashley Thompson this program is aimed at English learners so we speak a little slower and we use words and phrases especially written for people learning English. Today on the program you will hear from Katie Weaver and and ball later we will present our American history series The Making of a nation but 1st. Countries have delayed action for too long and needed to make deep cuts in their greenhouse gas emissions now if they do not they risk missing the agreed targets for limiting climate change United Nations officials told reporters Tuesday anchor Anderson as the head of the u.n. Environmental program she made the appeal old just days before government officials had too much dread for the yearly climate change meeting. We need quick wins to reduce emissions as much as possible and 2020 Anderson said her agency just released its yearly emissions Gap report the report showed that the amount of gases going into the atmosphere was the highest ever last year even though most countries have promised to reduce them scientists believe a 7.6 percent drop in greenhouse gas emissions each year for the next 10 years what prevented many of the worst outcomes of climate change those outcomes include the loss of nearly all coral reefs and most Arctic sea ice even a lower target would require any missions decrease of 2.7 percent each year between 2020 and 2030 the un e.p. Sad cut the c.m.a. Anova is with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change She told the Geneva news conference the world is facing a climate emergency it cannot be solved by governments alone 2020 is our last best chance the head of the World Meteorological Organization said worldwide temperatures could rise by 3 to 5 degrees Celsius in the next 100 years if nothing is done to stop rising emissions it is worth recalling that the last time the Earth experienced that level was 3 to 5000000 years ago w.m.o. Secretary general Petit Tala said He added that at that time sea levels were as much as 19 meters higher than now. Un released a separate report last week that looked at 10 fossil fuel producing countries Researchers found those governments are planning to produce nearly double the amount of fossil fuels by 2038 then they should to meet the Paris agreements target what countries are saying about to supply doesn't add up with what they're saying about reducing emissions said report to co-author Michael Lazarus he is a senior scientist at the Stockholm Environment Institute the report includes the United States the country claims to be reducing emissions even as its oil and gas businesses are growing the report also looked at countries that are considered cooperative like Norway Norway continues to drill for oil in the North Sea officials appealed to governments that have already set their targets to see if they can do more they insisted that end histories like power transport building and shipping can find ways to lower their remissions as well experts agree that the longer countries continue to use fossil fuels the more a temperature increase will become certain but the sooner countries take steps to stop the pending on gas coal and oil the more warming will be prevented in the long term. Bright colorful wall of art is making over a once dark uninviting passage under Tahrir Square in Baghdad Iraq we want a nation not a prison is the message of one painting of a man breaking free from jail another reads plant a revolution and you will harvest a nation that painting shows a hand making a victory sign above the heads of protesters some of the messages are angry look at us Americans this is all your fault declares war on the sodden tunnel has become an art space representing Iraq's massive anti-government activists movement along its walls young artists draw murals portraits and messages that examine the country's tortured past and the country they hope to create for their future above the tunnel toher Square is the center of the protest movement thousands of people occupy the square making it seem like a small city itself security forces and protesters clashed every day nearby the troops used tear gas bullets and small sound bombs to prevent protestors from crossing the Tigris River. On the other side is the so-called Green Zone the headquarters of Iraq's government took tux 3 wheeled motorised transport often travel back and forth through Saadoun tunnel taking wounded protesters to hospitals the tunnel they took took and the square are some of the symbols of the largest protest movement in Iraq's history the demonstrations began October 1st the activists were angry about corruption unemployment and a lack of basic services now they are demanding new leadership young protesters both men and women crowd the tunnel the activist talk take selfie pictures and pass the time pictures on the walls mock Iraqi politicians other paintings honor the took took and the protestors one image shows a woman with an Iraqi flag painted on her cheek she holds up her arm in a sign of strength it is a recreate of the famous American we can do it propaganda poster high dollar Mohammad said he and a group of other medical students are partly responsible for the miracles they saw the tunnel walls as a perfect medium to send a message to those who do not trust the protestors He said We are life makers not death makers he said. We decided to draw simple paintings to support our protester brothers and to express our message which is a peace message many of the murals carry calls for peace a free Iraq and an end to sectarianism in one painting a little girl cries declaring they killed my dream man some and religious clothing stand behind her another shows an Iraqi protester wearing a helmet its message in Arabic reads in the heart is something that cannot be killed by guns which is the nation nearby is written in English all what I want is life Yahia Mohammad praises the pictures that surround him in the Saturn tunnel every time I look at them I am hopeful that the revolution will not and the 32 year old said adding this tunnel gives me hope I'm Katie Weaver. A California high school student recently took top honors at a worldwide Science Competition Geoffrey Chan won the breakthrough junior challenge Prize in science earlier this month the prize comes with $250000.00 that chair and can use for college. The aim of the breakthrough junior challenge is to influence young people so they will think creatively in science and mathematics students ages 13 to 18 produce short videos which explain a complex science or math subject in an interesting way the 17 year old Chan was chosen over 14 other finalists from the United States Canada and India the judges included several well known scientists and educators among them were Solomon Khan founder of Khan Academy writer Lucy Hawking and former astronaut Scott Kelly Branco Mala verve avoid ditch 18 of Peru won the challenges popular vote contest he received more than 16000 likes shares and positive reactions for his video on cryptography you can watch it and the other videos on the breakthrough Facebook page in his prize winning video on You Tube Geoffrey Chan talks about neutrinos this. Is a neutrino. You can't see or feel them but every 2nd each of us I'm bombarded by showing them Chan explains neutrinos are particles that are smaller than an add on. He talks about how they can be used in astronomy Chen says they can help astronomers look at cosmic events neutrino Schon amazing next step in human discovering if you know it will find things he says the small particles may provide information about the earliest days of the universe it's definitely really incredible to have one and I have a hard time believing it Chen told San Francisco television station k g o I'm really grateful to be in an environment that promotes science I think our school does a really good job of that Chen is in his final year at Burlingame high school he will share prizes worth a total of $400000.00 with his school and science teacher while he gets the 250004 college his teacher Heather Johnson will receive $50000.00 she helped him launch an environmental science club for students his school will get a new science laboratory valued at $100000.00. The competition was open to students from around the world more than 11000 students competed in the 2019 competition there were 2 rounds of judging the 1st by fellow students followed by decisions made by a group of judges the 30 semifinalists competed in the popular vote contest on Facebook people were invited to vote for their favorite semifinalists work by liking sharing or posting a positive reaction during the 15 day competition the 30 videos reached more than 500000 people on the Breakthrough Prize Facebook page Sol Khan the founder of Khan Academy partnered with the Breakthrough Prize Foundation he praised Chan's science video Jeffrey is a natural science communicator Khan said he artfully explains a complex topic and makes it easier to understand we're proud to support Jeffrey and all the other bright minds who participated in the contest a California newspaper The Daily Journal said the competition combined Chan's 2 great interests astronomy and filmmaking the high school senior told the paper that filmmaking is one of the most interesting ways to give an idea to an audience. Chen also said he hopes to continue combining his interests as he studies environmental technology in college he wants to work on climate change videos made by the breakthrough junior challenge finalists have been added to the Khan Academy website I'm a on ball. Welcome to the making of a nation American history in video a special English the battle between the north and the South spread in the summer of $1861.00 union soldiers fought prone Southern rioters in the streets of Baltimore and St Louis a confederate supporter shot and killed a young officer from the north train soldiers from both sides fought in the mountains of western Virginia so far though the fighting had not claimed many lives but very soon the battle would become fierce Frank Oliver and Jack White still continue the story of the American Civil War They all general who commanded the Union forces Winfield Scott did not want to rush is man into battle Scott believed it would be a long war he planned to spend the 1st year off it getting ready to fight he had an army of thousands of men and it would get much larger in coming months. But this army was not trained his soldiers were civilians who knew nothing about fighting a war General Scott needed time to make soldiers of these men he also needed time to organize a supply system to get to his forces the guns bullets food and clothing they would need without supplies his army could not fight very long there were many in the North however who thought Scot was too careful it was true they said that union forces were untrained but so were those of the South and the Confederacy supply problems were even greater than those of the Union the south that much less industry and fewer railroads it could not produce as much military equipment and it could not transport supplies as easily as the North could in the early months of the war Jefferson Davis the Confederate president did not even have guns enough for the men in his army those who demanded immediate action expected a short war they said Scott should take the army and March to Richmond they were sure that if Union forces seized the Confederate capital the southern rebellion would end Northern newspapers took up the cry on to Richmond political leaders began pressing for a quick northern victory. Public pressure forced They army to act. For more than a month General Irvin the doll had been building a Union Army in Northern Virginia just across the Potomac River from Washington he had more than $30000.00 men at bases in Arlington and Alexandria late in June McDonnell received orders March against the Confederate army general Pierre Beauregard Beauregard had 20000 soldiers at the Nasa's junction a railroad village in Virginia less than 50 kilometers from Washington McDowell planned to move on Manassas Junction July 9th but was delayed for more than a week he planned the attack carefully McDonnell was worried that another large Confederate force west of molasses junction might join Beauregard's army this force led by General Joe Johnston was in the Shenandoah Valley near Harpers Ferry Virginia across from Harpers Ferry in Maryland was a Union Army almost twice the size of Johnston's it was ordered to put pressure on Johnston's force to prevent it from helping Beauregard General Beauregard received early warning from Confederate spies that dull would attack much of his information came from a woman Mrs Rose O'Neill green. And this is Green how a widow was an important woman in Washington she knew almost all the top government officials and she had friends in almost every department of the government the beautiful Mrs Green how we also had some very special friends one was Senator Henry Wilson of Massachusetts 8 was chairman of the Senate Committee on military affairs another special friend was Thomas Jordan a Confederate colonel in Beauregard's army Jordan asked Mrs Green hollow soon after the war started to be a spy for the South she agreed and sent much valuable information about Union military plans. Early in July she sent word to Beauregard that he would be attacked soon she also sent a map used by the Senate Military Affairs Committee showing halde the Union Army would reach the masses junction then on the morning of July 16th Mrs Green wrote a 9 word message she gave it to a man to carry to Beauregard the Confederate general received it that evening it said order given for McDowell to March upon my masses tonight Beauregard sent a telegram to Richmond he told the Confederate government that Mick dull was on the way he asked Johnston's 10000 men force in the Shenandoah Valley join him for battle he was told to expect Johnston's help. But Johnston's army was threatened by a large union force that entered Virginia from Maryland led budge eneral Robert Patterson the Union troops moved toward the smaller Confederate force they were not really interested in fighting Johnston but they did want to prevent him from reaching Beauregard Johnston knew he could not defeat Patterson so he decided to trick him while most of his army withdrew and prepared to join Beauregard Johnston sent a small force to attack Patterson's Army Atterson believed Johnston was attacking with all his troops he stopped moving forward and prepared to defend against what seemed to be a strong Confederate attack by the time the trick was discovered Johnston and most of his troops were at Manassas general McDonnell's he would Union army left Arlington on the afternoon of July 16th it was a hot day and the road was dusty The March was not well organized and the men travelled slowly they stopped at every stream to drink and watched the dust from their faces. Some of the soldiers left the road to pick fruits and berries from bushes along the way to some of those who watch this army pass the lines of soldiers and bright clothes looked like a long circus parade most of these men had not been soldiers long their bodies were soft and they tired quickly it took them 4 days to travel the 45 kilometers to Centerville the final town before bull run. The battle would start the next morning Sunday July 21st. The road from Washington was crowded early Sunday morning with horses and wagons bringing people to watch the great battle hundreds of men and women watched the fight from the hill near Centerville below them was bull run but the battleground was covered so thickly with trees that the crowds saw a little of the fighting they could however see the smoke of battle and they could hear the sounds of shots and exploding shells from time to time union officers would ride up the hill to report what a great victory their troops were winning. In the 1st few hours of the battle Union forces were winning McDowell had moved most of his men to the left side of Beauregard's army they had tacked with artillery and pushed the Confederate forces back it seemed that the Confederate defense would break some of the Southern soldiers began to run but others stood and fought. One Confederate officer trying to prevent his troops from moving back pointed to a group led by General t.j. Jackson of Virginia look he shouted There is Jackson standing like a stone wall fight like the Virginians the Confederate troops refused to break. The fighting was fierce the air was full of flying bullets the newsman wrote the whole valley was boiling with Dost and smoke a Confederate soldier told his friend Them Yankees are just marching up and being shot to Hell neither side would give up than a large group of Johnston's troops arrived by train and joined in the fight suddenly Union soldiers stopped fighting and began pulling back General McDonnell and his officers tried to stop the retreat but failed their man wanted no more fighting the fleeing Union soldiers threw down their guns and equipment thinking only of escape many did not stop until they reached Washington it was a bitter defeat but it made the north the recognize the need for a real army one trained and equipped for war President Abraham Lincoln gave the job of building such an army to General George McClellan. And that's our program for today listen again to morrow to learn English 3 stories from around the world Jonathan Evans and I'm Ashley Thompson. This is v.o.a. News David for the death toll from Tuesday's earthquake in Albania continues to rise a correspondent Charles Dillard asthma reports defense ministry says the death toll from quake keeps rising and some 650 people all declared injured rescuers are still digging through rubble in search of survivors the quake with a magnitude of $6.00 brought down several apartment blocks in the city of duress and the town close to the epicenter their residence that intense and calls in a soccer stadium as powerful aftershocks from the earthquake continued. As the New York based Human Rights Watch claims that it has damning evidence that shows the Turkish backed Syrian National Army is engaging in summary executions pillaging seizure of properties and preventing the return of people to their homes Human Rights Watch sites evidence that the s. And executed prisoners seized the homes of local Kurds and engaged in indiscriminate shelling of civilians it also says social media postings or videos put up by the militia appear to show the execution of women prisoners last month Turkish forces and the s. And a launched an offensive in northeast Syria against a Syrian democratic forces which are made up mainly of the Kurdish militia the why p.g. Ankara considers the wipe e.g. a Terrorist group but the militia was a crucial ally of the United States effort against the Islamic state Turkey has vehemently denied any intention that it is seeking demographic changes in Syria but the latest findings by Human Rights Watch can only add to questions over Turkey's plans for a safe zone and mass return of Syrians For more visit our website this is v.o.a. News. Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Wednesday rejected what he called interventionism after u.s. President Donald Trump said he was working to designate the Latin American countries drug cartels as terrorist organizations giving no garage has details Mexican president and dress Man Well Lopez Obrador hit back at the u.s. On Wednesday.