NATO disintegrating.
Mexico sinking.

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

(A) an escape, or the act of escaping
(B) the start or spread of something harmful, such as disease or violence
(C) a success, often in business or a career
(D) a sudden release of expression, such as through shouting

​
(answer at bottom of email)

3 big stories…

1. Not COVID.

The spread of hantavirus on a cruise ship near Cape Verde has caused three deaths and at least eight other infections. The World Health Organization has insisted that this is not the start of a pandemic, although people who came into contact with infected people should isolate for 6 weeks. More detail in Tuesday's and today's episodes.

2. NATO disintegration.

The United States announced that it would withdraw 5,000 soldiers from Germany, where there are about 38,000 deployed. This seems to have been in response to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz saying that the US was being "humiliated" by Iran last week. Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk spoke about the danger of the 'disintegration' of NATO.

3. Ukraine attacks.

Russia launched its deadliest attacks on Ukrainian civilians this year over the last few days, with dozens killed and hundreds injured across all parts of Ukraine. Ukraine has continued to hit oil refineries in Russia and a Ukrainian drone hit an apartment building in Moscow just 6 kilometres from the Kremlin.

… and one you might have missed.

Mexico City is sinking, according to NASA and other researchers. They say that Mexico City is moving downwards by over a centimetre a month because of building heavily on clay-rich soil, and because of using too much nearby water.

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

Graph of the week

There are signs that the United Kingdom's traditional two-party system is over, after more than a year of the far-right Reform party leading polls, and the Green party coming second in some recent polls. Both the governing Labour party and the Conservative party lost councillors in local elections yesterday (although votes are still being counted). In the opinion poll below, in which people were asked who they would vote for in a general election, the Greens and the Conservatives were tied for second place, with Labour in fourth. Although the percentages for the SNP (Scottish National Party) and PC (Plaid Cymru) appear small, they are actually big enough to win most of the seats in Scotland and Wales, respectively.

🌍 World news question:​
​
The island country of Cape Verde has been in the news this week, because of the spread of hantavirus on a cruise ship, which was docked there while people were receiving medical treatment. Can you describe where Cape Verde is?

Quote of the week:

- Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (on X / Twitter)

SEND7 Supporter's corner:

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

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Stephen’s view:

This is the 11th newsletter, and the 11th opinion piece that I have written, but it is the first one about my own country - the United Kingdom.

Actually, I'm going to contradict something that I just wrote in the "graph of the week" section.

I wrote "there are signs that the United Kingdom's traditional two-party system is over"; and there certainly are signs of that, with the rise of Reform on the right, and the Greens on the left. There have been a series of articles in the media about the fall of Labour and the Conservatives recently.

But I am sceptical that this momentum for Reform and the Greens will continue until 2029, when the next general election will probably be held.

One reason is that by 2029, Reform will no longer be only seen as a party of outsiders, or a party of protest. By 2029, they will have held hundreds, possibly thousands, of council seats, and will have control of many councils, including my home county of Kent, where there have already been reports of chaos and infighting between Reform councillors.

Another reason is that one of the major motivating factors for people choosing Reform is the decades-old complaint that immigration is too high. Current signs are that immigration levels are falling and will continue to fall, including the widely reported crossings from France to England in small boats.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is very unpopular now, but I think that if he is able to point to significantly lower migration numbers by 2029, then this could help him.

Finally, US President Donald Trump is extremely unpopular in the UK - one poll in March showed that only 14% of Britons view him positively. Reform leader Nigel Farage is close to Trump and has often promoted similar politics to Trump's. I think that in a general election campaign other parties, including Labour, are likely to use this against Reform - particularly in 2029 when they don't have to worry about how Trump will react to being portrayed negatively!

A lot can change in three years.

Have a great weekend.
Stephen

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ANSWERS
​

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

​
🧠 VOCABULARY CHALLENGE : (B) Outbreak means "the start or spread of something harmful, such as disease or violence".

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🔍 Find the synonym : A synonym for "remove" is "withdraw" (in the NATO paragraph)

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🌍 World News question : You should have either said that Cape Verde is "in the Atlantic Ocean" or "west of Africa".

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