Guns not firing.
War silver lining?

🧠 Vocabulary challenge​
​
Which of these is the meaning of the word 'outlast'?

(A) to endure, or continue longer than something
(B) to repair, or give new life to something
(C) to reject or exclude
(D) to act quickly and skilfully

​
(answer at bottom of email)

3 big stories…

1. EU approves loan.

The European Union has approved a €90 billion loan for Ukraine, after it had previously been blocked by Hungary. This money is expected to provide two-thirds of Ukraine's financial needs for the next two years. There's more detail in today's episode.

2. Ceasefires continue.

Just before the ceasefire with Iran was supposed to end, US President Donald Trump announced that it would be extended, without saying for how long. On Thursday, Trump also announced that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to extend their ceasefire.

3. Generational smoking ban.

The United Kingdom has banned the sale of tobacco products to anyone born after 1st January 2009, meaning that future generations will never be able to buy smoking products. The only country in the world to have already enacted this law is The Maldives, where people born after 2007 cannot buy tobacco products. New Zealand passed a similar law, but then repealed it.

… and one you might have missed.

In Kenya, over a thousand workers lost their jobs after Meta stopped working with their employer - a content moderation reviewing company. A few weeks ago some of the workers told Swedish newspapers that they had reviewed intimate footage, recorded using smart glasses, which they thought that people didn't know was being recorded, or didn't know was being sent to Meta.

🔍 Find the Synonym:​
​
Somewhere in the "3 big stories", find a synonym for the word "overturned".

Graph of the week

United States President Trump's approval ratings are at an all-time low according to multiple opinion polls, from various agencies. The war on Iran and conflict with the Pope appear to have resulted in even lower approval ratings recently. This graph shows a timeline of Reuters opinion polls, starting from Trump's first full day in office, January 21st 2025. The flat lines at the end are because in both of the most recent polls, in March and April, the same percentages of people disapproved (62%) and approved (36%) of Trump's presidency.

🌍 World news question:​
​
Which country, which for decades has had strict laws that stopped virtually all exports of weapons, has recently relaxed those laws, and has made plans to sell weapons and defence equipment to countries like Australia and the Philippines?

Quote of the week:

- Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada

SEND7 Supporter's corner:

• Read today's podcast transcript and vocabulary list
• Play today's world news quiz ​
• Use Wednesday's worksheet​

If you enjoy the podcast and would like to have access to all of our transcripts, vocabulary lists, worksheets, world news quizzes and more, you can become a supporter at send7.org/support. We give 10% of our profit to highly effective charities.

Stephen’s view:

There is an expression in English that you might know, but I'll explain it anyway; every cloud has a silver lining. It means that every bad situation brings something good with it, even if it isn't immediately obvious.

The war in the Middle East has caused great misery, particularly in Iran, where many people have died, but also all around the world as disruptions to fuel supplies have disrupted people's lives.

It might seem insensitive to look for a silver lining to war, but this silver lining could actually be something that truly benefits us in the long-term - a renewed focus on renewable energy.

Since the war started, demand for roof-installed solar panels has doubled in Europe according to Reuters. In the UK, sales of heat pumps have risen 51%, according to Octopus Energy. French car sales company Aramisauto has said that sales of electric vehicles have almost doubled through its platform since the war started.

So, on the personal level, it is clear that people are taking the change to renewables into their own hands. But governments are doing it too. For example, Pakistan, where renewables generate about half of electricity, has said since the war started that in the next decade this will rise to 90%.

While we are distracted by wars, artificial intelligence, and the president of the United States arguing with the Pope, it is easy to forget that climate change is a problem that is not going away. The silver lining of this war might be that we, and our governments, are pushed into making 'greener' decisions, albeit* only for practical reasons.

Have a great weekend.
Stephen

P.S. albeit here means "even if it's"

P.P.S. Click 'reply' and send me a message. I will reply, albeit slowly!

ANSWERS

(don't look until you've answered all three questions!)

🧠 VOCABULARY CHALLENGE : (A) Outlast means "to endure, or continue longer than something".

🔍 Find the synonym : A synonym for "overturned" is "repealed" (in the UK smoking ban paragraph)

🌍 World News question : Japan.

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