Opportunity Cost

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

(A) when a country becomes more nationalistic, or isolationist
(B) the replacement of a government by military force
(C) obtaining nationality, or citizenship
(D) the process of returning someone to their own country

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(answer at bottom of email)

3 big stories…

1. Europe heatwave

There is an ongoing heatwave across Western Europe. Some countries have broken records for the highest ever temperature for the month of May; 29 degrees in Ireland, 33 in Andorra, 33.5 in Luxembourg, 35 in the UK, 37 in France and 40 in Portugal. More detail in Wednesday's episode.

2. Senegal infighting

When Ousmane Sonko was not able to run to be president in 2024, because of a prison sentence, he selected his friend Bassirou Diomaye Faye to run instead of him. After winning the election, Faye chose Sonko as his Prime Minister. Two years later, the two have fallen out, and Faye has fired Sonko. However, Sonko's popularity with the public is still clear, as there were protests in support of him after he lost his job, and parliament has voted to make him its new speaker - the third most powerful job in the country.

3. Firing despite ceasefire

The United States fired at Iranian missile launching sites and mine-laying boats earlier this week. Yesterday, Iran said that it had targeted a US base in Kuwait. Despite this, both sides have said that a ceasefire is continuing.

… and one you might have missed.

... because it happened just after recording Friday's episode. A Russian drone hit an apartment block in Romania, injuring two people. Russian drones have crashed in Romania several times over the last few years, but this is the first time that one has caused injuries. President Nicosur Dan said that it was the "most serious security incident" in Romania since the start of the war.

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

Graph of the week

Breaking temperature records is the new normal. This month, many European countries have recorded their hottest ever May. Currently, the hottest year ever globally was 2024, with 2025 and 2023 in second and third place. Scientists say that this record is almost certain to be broken again before 2030. The chart below shows 6 different climate organizations' measurements of the same thing - the rise in average surface temperature of the planet, compared to pre-industrial levels (before 1850).

🌍 World news question:​
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Jenson Huang, the CEO of the world's most valuable company, said that the company would invest 150 billion dollars a year in Taiwan. What is the company?

Quote of the week:

- Pope Leo XIV

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• Use Wednesday's worksheet​

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Stephen’s view:

Last night, my wife and I were in London, and we went to dinner. Just being the two of us together is quite special these days, as we have a 1-year-old child. But there was another peculiar thing - we were eating outside at 9pm, and it was 26 degrees.

Choosing to sit outside for dinner in the evening is something I used to associate with being in the Mediterranean for a Summer holiday, however, the reality is that this is the new normal for the UK. Wearing shorts in the evening in London in May will be normal for the rest of my life.

As much as I enjoyed being outside to eat last night, I have to note that this change is not good. Global warming has already severely disrupted our world, and the disruptions will increase for the foreseeable future. The World Health Organization estimates that global warming will cause an extra 250,000 deaths per year until 2050.

In the most simple terms, opportunity cost means that doing one thing stops you from doing another thing. Choice A means that you can't do choice B.

The opportunity cost of having to spend time, energy and money on war and political drama is not having the time, energy and money to spend on climate change.

Have a great weekend.
Stephen

P.S. Send me a sentence with opportunity cost and I will tell you if it's correct!

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

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🧠 VOCABULARY CHALLENGE : (B) Repatriation means "the process of returning someone to their own country".

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🔍 Find the synonym : A synonym for "support" is "popularity" (in the Senegal paragraph)

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🌍 World News question : Nvidia

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