Shadowing Practice: US China Talks Begin | Filipino Senate in Lockdown | Prolonged Russian strikes on Kyiv - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Good evening.
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Good evening.
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The US and Chinese presidents appear to have put their differences aside today in Beijing,
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meeting for what was a largely cordial first day at their highly anticipated summit.
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Xi Jinping told Donald Trump they should be partners rather than rivals,
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and that cooperation would benefit both of them.
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But with less than 24 hours left until the US president is due to apart,
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there are still no signs of any major breakthroughs.
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Everybody knows what Donald Trump likes.
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Less clear was if China would be willing to deliver it.
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It did.
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Sent out to receive him,
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Vice President Hang Zheng, a higher ranking official than on his last visit,
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but one who's largely a figurehead,
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seen by some as a sign China is choosing symbolism over substance.
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All of it designed to make this moment easier.
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The two presidents finally face-to-face at the Great Hall of the People.
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Inspecting a military honour guard and greeting a contingent of cheering children before the real work began.
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Donald Trump making little reference to the animosity of the last year.
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Say it to everybody, you're a great leader.
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Sometimes people don't like me saying it,
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but I say it anyway because it's true.
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It's an honour to be your friend and the relationship between China
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and the USA is going to be better than ever before.
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And quick to signal his priorities.
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We have the greatest businessmen,
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the biggest, and I guess the best in the world.
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We have amazing people and they're all with me,
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every single one of them,
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And they look forward to trade and doing business,
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and it's going to be totally reciprocal on our behalf.
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President Xi's tone far more circumspect.
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Can we, in the interest of our world,
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of our two peoples, and the future of humanity,
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build a brighter future for our bilateral relations?
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These are the questions vital to history,
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to the world, and to the people.
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They are the questions of our times that you and I need to answer as leaders of major countries.
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They spoke behind closed doors for two hours,
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twice as long as expected.
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President Xi saying China's door will open wider to American businesses,
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before Beijing announced it would renew export licenses for hundreds of American beef processing plants.
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Next stop, the Temple of Heaven.
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This is where Chinese emperors used to pray for a good harvest.
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Today, both leaders are looking for the same thing and recognising they'll likely need each other's help to find one.
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And our international correspondent, Claudia Farhat,
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joins us now from Taipei.
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Good evening, Claudia.
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We witnessed there plenty of pleasantries at the summit today,
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but it sounds like Taiwan was a point of contention at that closed-door meeting.
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Absolutely.
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Janice, Donald Trump was very eager to keep the focus on trade,
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but China made it very clear,
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very quickly, that its top priority was Taiwan.
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It was really interesting to see
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that the first thing Chinese state media reported out of
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that closed-door meeting was that President Xi had told President Trump that if the issue of Taiwan was managed well,
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then the US and China could go on to have good relations.
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But he said if it wasn't,
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it could lead to a dangerous situation and,
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in his words, even bring them into conflict.
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We were anticipating ahead of this summit
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that President Xi was going to ask Donald Trump to delay weapons deals or even dial down future weapons deals to Taiwan.
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We don't know how Donald Trump responded to that request if it was indeed made today,
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but for Taiwan's part it came out incredibly quickly after
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that announcement from Chinese state media
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and said it had been speaking with Washington in the lead up to the summit
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and had its assurances that it would continue to have its support.
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Well, plenty of people watching.
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So what's next for Presidents Trump and Xi?
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In a couple hours' time,
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they will be sitting down for a state banquet in Donald Trump's honour.
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Then tomorrow, there will be a tea ceremony between them
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and then a working lunch for the two leaders before Donald Trump heads off.
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So they still have a little bit of face time together, the two leaders.
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But so far, we haven't really seen much in the way of firm commitments.
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Yes, there was that announcement on American beef,
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but we know there was a lot more on the agenda coming into this summit.
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Their trade war, for example,
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rare earth minerals, semiconductors, and even the war in the Middle East.
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And those issues we haven't heard so much about yet.
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So while yes, Donald Trump will no doubt be happy with the very warm welcome he received in Beijing,
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unless something changes in the next 24 hours or so,
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Janice, he might be heading home tomorrow without the big deal he no doubt would have been hoping for.
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Let's find out.
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Thanks so much.
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That's our reporter there, international correspondent Claudia Farhart, updating us from Taipei.
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The Philippines president has called an emergency meeting after gunfire forced the country's Senate into lockdown.
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Shots rang out in the building,
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but authorities are yet to reveal who fired them and why.
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It's widely thought to be connected to a senator facing arrest over international criminal court charges.
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A burst of gunfire triggers scenes of panic.
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The security officials scramble to secure the Senate building.
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A media pack huddled together caught up in the chaos.
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Witnesses say more than a dozen shots were fired.
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Marines in fatigues taking control of the scene.
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The Philippines president says the shootout is still under investigation.
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Calling for calm as anti-riot police surrounded the complex.
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The thing to do now is to tell our people all to calm down
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and we will get to the bottom of this.
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Senator Ronald De La Rota,
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wanted by the ICC, is believed to remain hauled up inside.
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The one-time police chief is accused of orchestrating former President Rodrigo Duterte's deadly war on drugs.
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Duterte himself now in The Hague's custody.
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Security vision from Monday shows Dalarosa escaping into the Senate with federal agents in pursuit.
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Hours before, he'd expressed fears his arrest was imminent.
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Branding the charges of crimes against humanity politically motivated.
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We are under no obligation to carry out such a waratabur.
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It's been a week of more high political drama in the Philippines.
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Vice President Sara Duterte now facing a Senate trial after being impeached for the second time in the country's lower house.
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The government has since insisted no order was issued for the arrest of Dalarosa,
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a staunch Duterte ally.
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The president is now seeking an urgent meeting to address the security scare.
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Tom Steiner, SBS World News.
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A series of Israeli strikes across Lebanon have killed at least 12 people,
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including two children, on the eve of a third round of US-mediated talks between the two countries.
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Attacks between the Israeli military and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants have continued in spite of a ceasefire in place since April 16.
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The resort town of Jiyah on Lebanon's sun-kissed Mediterranean shores,
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now the site of Israel's latest drone attack.
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This was one of three vehicles struck on the main highway south of Beirut,
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an area well beyond the main conflict zone between Israel and Hezbollah.
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The Israeli military hasn't commented on these strikes,
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but has said it was attacking Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
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The situation there, captured by this civil defence crew,
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while searching for survivors after an attack on the town of Toul on Monday,
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during what is supposed to be a ceasefire.
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Israel has issued evacuation orders for a further nine villages in Lebanon's south,
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where it intends to hit Hezbollah targets.
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The militant group announcing its own fresh attacks on Israeli forces.
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The UN warning its monitoring force there coming under increased threats from military activity.
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Including the increased use of drones,
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which has resulted in explosions in and around their bases,
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and that puts peacekeepers at risk.
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As Israel and Lebanon enter another round of talks,
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growing fears over the ceasefire with Iran.
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Prime Minister Netanyahu revealing he secretly visited the United Arab Emirates during the fighting,
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leading to what he called a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the UAE.
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The Gulf country denying the visit ever happened,
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but Tehran's response was swift.
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Foreign Minister Aragchi describing it as unforgivable collusion.
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Elsewhere, the UK has deployed one of its warships to the region as part of a push from 40 other countries,
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including Australia, to secure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
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The, quote, defensive mission, dependent on the conflict coming to an end.
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Taisa Kuzi, SBS World News.
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Russia has launched mass drone and missile attacks on Ukraine's capital,
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injuring over 30 people according to local authorities.
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Explosions were heard across the capital early on Thursday morning.
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The head of Kyiv's military administration said ballistic missiles and drones struck residential buildings in six districts of the city.
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It happened hours after a rare daytime Russian attack on Kyiv
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which involved more than 800 drones and killed at least six people.
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Speculation of a formal leadership challenge against UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is again mounting,
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this time from Health Secretary Wes Streeting.
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Possibly as early as today,
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the fate of the Prime Minister has cast a shadow over the state opening of Parliament.
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The main ceremonial event of the parliamentary calendar offering a brief moment of relief for Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
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My Lords, pray be seated.
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The King unveiling new laws planned for the next year.
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My ministers will support measures that maintain stability and control the cost of living.
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During the House of Commons debate that followed,
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the opposition leader was quick to suggest the Prime Minister might not be around long enough to implement the measures.
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This is a highly unusual moment.
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The Prime Minister is in office but not in power.
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Everyone is trying to pretend it's alright.
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It's not alright.
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The PM attempting to win over his colleagues with what he calls a radical plan to change the country.
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This King's speech gives us the strength we need,
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the economic security, energy security and national security to control our future in a chaotic world.
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But speculation over a leadership challenge is not going away.
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Hours before the King's speech,
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Starmer's health secretary Wes Streeting was seen entering number 10 Downing Street and leaving less than 20 minutes later,
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neither side revealing what was said,
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although there were some theories.
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Do you want the job or not?
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There's no point in him giving me dirty looks.
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We all know what he's been up to.
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We all know.
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According to Labor Party rules,
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a leadership contest can be triggered if a candidate has the support of 81 MPs,
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that is 20% of the parliamentary party,
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then requiring 50% of first preference votes to win.
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The sitting leader would automatically qualify for the ballot vote.
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No Labor PM has ever faced a formal leadership challenge from their MPs.
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Jasmine Cassis, SBS World News.
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Iran's top diplomat has arrived in India to meet his counterparts at the two-day BRICS foreign ministers meeting.
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SBS News international correspondent Aaron Fernandez has the latest from New Delhi.
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India is the current chair of the BRICS organisation
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and is hosting this foreign minister's meeting ahead of the annual summit later this year.
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BRICS is a group of developing nations and emerging economies led by Brazil,
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Russia, India, China and South Africa that aims to coordinate economic
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and security policy on key global issues broadly as a counterbalance to the United States.
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This summit will undoubtedly be dominated by the war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
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Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Arachie arrived here in New Delhi overnight.
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Tehran wants to see BRICS take a united stand and jointly condemn the United States and Israel.
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But that's unlikely to happen.
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One reason is that the United Arab Emirates is also a member of BRICS
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and is on the opposite side of this war to Iran.
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The UAE has close strategic ties with both the US
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and Israel and it hosts major US military bases and has been the target of Iranian missile and drone strikes.
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So building a consensus at this BRICS summit and releasing a joint statement
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that condemns one side over the other will be difficult, if not impossible.
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More likely what we will hear is a general call for an end to the war
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but we will see how these talks progress over the next two days.
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Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is also expected to attend the meeting.
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He arrived here in Delhi overnight.
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But China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is not.
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He is expected to remain in Beijing during the visit by the US President.
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Thank you.
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will enhance your English speaking practice by analyzing a summary of an important international summit between the US and China. This discussion will help you understand diplomatic language, improve your listening skills, and become familiar with key phrases used in formal settings. By the end of this lesson, you will gain insights into how global leaders communicate and how to express cooperation and relations in English.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Put aside differences - to ignore disagreements for the sake of cooperation.
- Cordial - warm and friendly manners.
- Symbolism over substance - the choice of representation rather than real, meaningful action.
- Reciprocal - a mutual exchange that provides benefits to both parties.
- Build a brighter future - create a more positive and successful relationship.
- Major countries - influential nations that play significant roles in global affairs.
- Closed-door meeting - a private discussion not open to the public or media.
- Contention - a point of disagreement or conflict.
Practice Tips
To effectively use the shadowing technique while practicing with this video, focus on the following tips:
- Speed and Tone: The speakers in this transcript maintain a formal and measured tone. To enhance your IELTS speaking practice, try to mimic their pace and intonation to develop a similar level of fluency.
- Repeat in Real-Time: As you listen, pause frequently to repeat phrases in real-time, similar to how you would engage in english speaking practice with a partner. This will help you improve your pronunciation and confidence.
- Focus on Key Phrases: Pay particular attention to the key vocabulary listed above. Use these phrases in your practice to better understand their context and application in conversation.
- Record Yourself: After shadowing, record your own speech using some of the phrases and vocabulary from the lesson. This will help you evaluate your progress and refine your speaking skills.
- Daily Practice: Integrate this content into your daily routine to develop your speaking abilities consistently. Engage in shadow speech as often as possible to build your fluency and comfort level with English dialogues.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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