The weekly newsletter, from the daily podcast.SEND7 is for people who want to stay informed about the world, and improve their English at the same time.
🧠 Vocabulary challenge Which of these is the meaning of the word 'arson'?
(A) a stock of weaponry, especially artillery (B) the deliberate setting of fire to property (C) the legal act of taking ownership of land (D) being powered by the sun
(answer at bottom of email)
3 big stories…
1. Venezuela earthquake
On Wednesday evening there were large earthquakes in northern Venezuela. Hundreds have been declared dead; however this number is expected to continue to rise into the thousands. More information in today's episode.
2. Europe heatwave
Large parts of western and central Europe are experiencing extremely high temperatures. Switzerland and the UK have reported their hottest ever temperatures for June and France recorded its hottest day ever. Western Europe should be slightly less hot over the next few days, however, central Europe will get hotter.
3. UK Prime Minister Resigns
Sir Keir Starmer has been under pressure to resign for months, but finally announced his departure on Monday, days after Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham won a seat in parliament. Burnham is almost certain to become Prime Minister, as no other candidates have put themselves forward for the Labour leadership.
… and one you might have missed.
A few weeks ago I wrote about how close Peru's presidential election was - with a difference of less than 0.01% of votes between right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori and left-wing candidate Roberto Sanchez. Now, with 99.9% of votes counted, Fujimori has been declared the winner, with 50.12% of votes. Sanchez has said he doesn't recognize the result.
🔍 Find the synonym: Somewhere in the "3 big stories", find a synonym for the word "exit".
Statistic of the week
Most people in the UK want to rejoin the EU, according to hundreds of opinion polls. This line graph from a wikipedia page on potential re-accession of the UK to the EU shows that the number of people who answer that they would like to rejoin the EU has grown over the last few years, and is regularly over half, while the number of people responding that the UK should stay out of the EU has fallen to an average of around 35%.
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.
If you have any questions about being a SEND7 supporter, just reply to this email!
Stephen’s view:
The last three newsletters were written in Spain, where myself, my wife and baby were staying with my mother-in-law. We got back to the UK yesterday - but the temperature is the same here in Canterbury as it was on the Spanish coast - 33 degrees.
And yet somehow, it seems worse here. When we were in the airport leaving Spain, I didn't even think about the heat, probably because it was air-conditioned. But arriving at London Stansted Airport yesterday was horrible - it was like a massive greenhouse. Everyone was sweating as they waited to go through passport control and baggage collection.
The UK isn't prepared for these temperatures. But we have to be.
This isn't just the new normal. The next few decades will be hotter than this.
Are we able to adjust our thinking, our infrastructure and our lifestyles to match this reality?
Have a great weekend. Stephen
P.S. If you are in an area hit by the heatwave, how are you coping with the heat?
P.P.S. Please forward this email to someone you know who has an upper-intermediate to advanced level of English, and is interested in the world! I will thank you, and hopefully they will thank you too!
ANSWERS
(don't look until you've answered all three questions!)
🧠 VOCABULARY CHALLENGE : (B) Arson means "the deliberate setting of fire to property".
🔍 Find the synonym : A synonym for "exit" is "departure" (referring to Starmer's resignation)
🌍 World news question : Most opinion polls show the Reform party ahead.
Simple English News Daily is the podcast. This is the email newsletter. www.send7.org 600 1st Ave, Ste 330 PMB 92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2246 Unsubscribe · Preferences
The weekly newsletter, from the daily podcast.SEND7 is for people who want to stay informed about the world, and improve their English at the same time.
A Very British By-Election The weekly newsletter from the daily podcast. 7 minutes to read. Issue #24Listen to SEND7 on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Pocket Casts, and more… The sun’s glowing corona is visible above a 'Toro de Osborne' silhouette in La Rioja, Spain, during the total solar eclipse. 🧠 Vocabulary challengeWhich of these is the meaning of the word 'dilute'? (A) to remove something from a document or system (B) an argument or disagreement (C) to make something dirty or harmful...
Stephen's view on Ceuta The weekly newsletter from the daily podcast. 6 minutes to read. Issue #23Listen to SEND7 on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Pocket Casts, and more… Personal belongings float off El Tarajal beach in Ceuta, Spain, after thousands of migrants crossed from Morocco. 🧠 Vocabulary challengeWhich of these is the meaning of the word 'judicious'? (A) Changing moods or decisions suddenly and unpredictably (B) Showing wisdom and careful thinking before acting (C) Relating to...
A Debt of Dignity The weekly newsletter from the daily podcast. 5 minutes to read. Issue #22Listen to SEND7 on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Pocket Casts, and more… Two “Likweli” monkeys, a newly discovered monkey species, sit on a tree branch in Lomami National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo. 🧠 Vocabulary challengeWhich of these is the meaning of the word 'complicity'? (A) Difficult to understand, complex (B) Obligatory, required (C) Following rules or requests (D) Involved in a...
