レアジョブ英会話 Daily News Article Podcast

Opponents of smoking got a breath of fresh air as Parliament passed a bill that will put cigarettes out of reach for future generations.

“The end of smoking, and the devastating harm it causes, is no longer uncertain—it’s inevitable,” Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said after a decades-long campaign in favor of approved legislation.

Children born after December 31, 2008, will be banned from ever buying cigarettes under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

The legislation that needs approval by King Charles III—a formality—before taking effect will also allow the government to regulate tobacco, vaping, and nicotine products, including flavors and packaging.

It is currently illegal to sell cigarettes, tobacco products, or vapes to people younger than 18. But most youths today will continue to face a ban on their entire life as the minimum age to buy cigarettes rises each year.

The passage gives the U.K. one of the toughest anti-smoking measures in the world. The law is similar to one New Zealand lawmakers passed in 2022, but that was repealed by a subsequent government.

The number of people who smoke in Britain has declined by two-thirds since the 1970s, but some 6.4 million people—or about 13% of the population—still smoke, according to official figures.

Authorities say smoking causes some 80,000 deaths a year in the U.K., and remains the number one preventable cause of death, disability, and poor health.

“Children in the U.K. will be part of the first smoke-free generation, protected from a lifetime of addiction and harm,” Health Secretary Wes Streeting said.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Alva Palosaari Sundman scoured the racks of secondhand clothes in Stockholm for hours in search of the right pair of pre-owned jeans. The 24-year-old art student was among hundreds of people attending an annual clothing swap at a community center in Sweden's capital. They exchanged their own clothes to shop for others. Similar events drew thousands across the country to reduce the environmental cost of clothing production.

Palosaari Sundman said she enjoyed seeing others pick out the clothes she'd brought. It's like, 'Oh, OK, it gets a new life with this person,' she said. It just feels a bit more humane.

The U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) cites fast fashion as a major player in environmental damage, producing up to 10% of the world's carbon emissions. Discarded clothes gorge landfills that scar landscapes in developing countries, and the plastic fibers used to make cheap fabrics pollute oceans. To produce a pair of jeans, for example, roughly 2,000 gallons (7,571 liters) of water is required, UNEP has said.

Sweden's clothing swap initiative began in 2010 and has grown. Last year, some 140,000 people participated in 140 swap events and took home more than 44,000 pre-owned items.

Sweden is often seen as environmentally advanced, but the reality is more nuanced. Clothing consumption contributes to roughly 3% of a Swede's total emissions, according to Mistra Future Fashion, a research institute.

Swedes last year were banned from throwing away clothes in the regular trash in a European Union bid to boost recycling. But the measure backfired when municipalities' collection sites were overwhelmed, leading to stockpiles of unused textiles, and the government reversed part of the rule in October.

The swap events are organized by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation. Its chair, Beatrice Rindevall, said each Swede throws away around 9-10 kilograms (20-22 pounds) of clothes.

Swedes, on average, buy around 25 new items of clothing per year, according to the society, and 90% of items in wardrobes are never used. We have to be more careful, and we have to think about our consumption, said Cecilia de Lacerda, one of the society's volunteers in Stockholm.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

It’s never been so expensive for Americans to buy a steak or hamburger, but cutting those costs requires ranchers like Stephanie Hatzenbuhler to raise more cattle—and that's not an easy ask.

For a host of reasons, Hatzenbuhler and other ranchers across the country are reluctant to grow the national herd—now its smallest in more than 75 years—and until they do so, demand will outweigh supply, and beef prices will likely remain high.

Adding cattle makes sense for some ranchers, but others are struggling to stay afloat with the cattle they have, Hatzenbuhler said.

Hatzenbuhler will make her choices as cows give birth to about 700 calves this spring on her family's Diamond J Angus ranch on more than 2,000 wind-swept acres west of Bismarck, North Dakota. Does she opt to increase her herd, or does she offset the new arrivals by selling an equal number of cattle to meat processors?

The national herd size isn't the only factor that determines what beef costs at the grocery store. Still, the dwindling number of cattle is a key reason the average price of all uncooked ground beef in the U.S. was $6.86 per pound in March, 3 cents off the record high set in February, according to federal statistics. That price in March is up nearly 48% from March 2021.

The U.S. cattle herd reached a high of 132 million head in 1975, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and that figure has gradually fallen to 86 million this year.

Thanks to changes in cattle genetics and feeding techniques, ranchers now produce far more meat from each head of cattle, so despite the much smaller herd, the country's beef production hit a record 28.4 billion pounds in 2022, said Tim Petry, a North Dakota State University livestock marketing specialist. About 26 billion pounds of beef are expected in 2026.

About 2.5 billion pounds of beef were exported to other countries in 2025, and the tight remaining supply, along with the high demand, has caused record prices.

Ranchers acknowledge the higher prices, but they face plenty of challenges weighing against growing herds, especially from drought.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

A new phrase is spreading across social media—“Londonmaxxing.”

Part meme, part mindset, it describes a growing trend among influencers and young professionals who are rediscovering the city, leaning into its contrasts, and pushing back against more negative narratives about life in the British capital.

For travel creator Candace Salters, an American who now lives in London, documenting her experiences online as Candace Abroad, the idea is rooted in curiosity. It’s about taking a different route through the city, she says, and allowing yourself to stumble across “hidden gems.”

I think it's about having curiosity with London and rebirthing your curiosity about the city, going and taking a route to a place that you probably wouldn't normally take to discover a hidden gem along the way. London is such a city of contrast. You can go from a historic landmark one second to looking at modern skylines in the next, even in the same breath. And I think that is one of the things that makes the city incredible, says Salters.

That juxtaposition—old and new, global and local—has long defined London.

But the recent rise of “Londonmaxxing” comes at a time when the city has also been the subject of more critical online discourse, with some portraying it as unsafe, expensive, or in decline. Salters sees the trend as a response to that.

I feel like Londonmaxxing is the antidote to a lot of negative stereotypes that London has, she says. I think it's easy to paint London as just a place that is gloomy, and you go and work, and you live, and that's it, which I find crazy because London is arguably one of the best cities in the world. And so, I think it's kind of reclaiming the beauty that London has.

London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has also embraced the phrase—even referencing “Londonmaxxing since 2016” in his social media bio.

He says the trend reflects something organic, driven not by institutions but by Londoners themselves.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

A humanoid robot that won a half-marathon race for robots in Beijing ran faster than the human world record in a show of China's technological leaps. The winner from Honor, a Chinese smartphone maker, completed the 21-kilometer (13-mile) race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, according to a WeChat post by the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as Beijing E-Town, where the race kicked off.

That was faster than the human world record holder, Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, who finished the same distance in about 57 minutes in March at the Lisbon road race. The performance by the robot marked a significant step forward from last year's inaugural race, during which the winning robot finished in 2 hours, 40 minutes, and 42 seconds.

But the competition, which was held alongside a race for humans, wasn’t without hiccups—one robot fell flat at the start line, another bumped into a barrier.

Du Xiaodi, Honor's test development engineer, said his team was happy with the results. Du said its robot design was modeled on outstanding human athletes, with long legs of about 95 cm (around 37 inches), and was equipped with what he called a powerful liquid-cooling system, which was largely developed in-house.

“Looking ahead, some of these technologies might be transferred to other areas. For example, structural reliability and liquid-cooling technology could be applied in future industrial scenarios,” he said.

While it will still take time to achieve widespread commercialization of humanoid robots, spectators were already impressed by the robots. Sun Zhigang, who had been in the audience last year, watched this year’s race with his son. “I feel enormous changes this year,” Sun said. “It’s the first time robots have surpassed humans, and that’s something I never imagined.”

Wang Wen, who came with his family, said robots seemed to have stolen much of the spotlight from human runners in the event. “The robots' speed far exceeds that of humans,” he said. “This may signal the arrival of sort of a new era.”

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Running the Boston Marathon is tough enough without having to jostle your way from Hopkinton to Copley Square.

So this year, race organizers turned to an expert in crowd science to help them manage the field of more than 32,000 as it travels the 26.2 miles (42.195 kilometers) through eight Massachusetts cities and towns.

“There are certain things that we can’t change—that we don’t want to change—because they make the Boston Marathon,” said Marcel Altenburg, a senior lecturer of crowd science at Manchester Metropolitan University in Britain. “Like, I’m a scientist, but I can’t be too science-y about the race. It should stay what it is because that’s what I love. That’s what the runners love.”

The world’s oldest and most prestigious annual marathon, the Boston race, was inspired by the endurance test that made its debut at the inaugural modern Olympics in 1896—itself a tribute to the route covered by the messenger Pheidippides, who ran to Athens with news of the Greek victory over the Persians in Marathon. After sharing the news— “Rejoice, we conquer!”—Pheidippides dropped dead.

Organizers of the Boston race would prefer a more pleasant experience for their runners, even as the field has ballooned from 15 in 1897 to as many as 38,000 to meet demand for the 100th edition in 1996. It has settled at around 30,000 since 2015.

As the race grew, it tested the limits of the narrow New England roads and the host cities and towns, which are eager to reopen their streets for regular commutes and commerce as quickly as possible.

“It would be kind of great someday to be able to grow the race a little bit more,” race director Dave McGillivray said. “The problem with this race is that it’s about two things: time and space. We don’t have either. … So, we’re trying to be innovative.”

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

The government-owned corporation that delivers mail in Canada is taking steps to stop home delivery. Canada Post is initiating talks with 13 communities to begin converting about 136,000 addresses from door-to-door delivery to community mailboxes, a standalone unit with designated space for each of the multiple residences it serves. It is the first step in a move that will end home delivery for about four million addresses over the next five years.

It's a process that can take six to nine months from beginning to end, Canada Post spokesman Jon Hamilton said in an interview. Nothing will happen right away, Hamilton said. Canada Post will work with city planners and neighborhoods to determine the best locations for community mailboxes.

Hamilton said of the 17.6 million addresses Canada Post currently serves, 75% already have some form of centralized delivery. Some people use community mailboxes or a post office box, while others live in an apartment or condominium.

Hamilton said eliminating home delivery would save Canada Post about $400 million Canadian ($291.96 million) a year. It has been facing staggering financial losses. Canada Post said in November its losses in the first nine months of 2025 topped $1 billion Canadian ($731 million).

Hamilton said Canada Post would not lay off workers due to the delivery changes. This will reduce the number of letter carriers. They will have work, but it will be elsewhere, he said. Canada Post currently employs around 60,000 people.

The process to end home delivery is beginning after meetings with union officials, the corporation said in a statement.

A resident of one of the affected communities said losing her home mail delivery wouldn't be an issue. It won't actually bother me at all, said Liane Beadon, 44, who lives in North Vancouver, British Columbia, and works remotely from home. I think it's a smart move in order to preserve having mail delivery and keeping costs low for Canadians.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

The smell of rotten eggs permeates Steve Egger's Southern California home, especially at night, as the nearby Tijuana River foams up with sewage from Mexico before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. Egger, 72, says he and his wife have frequent headaches and wake up daily congested and coughing up phlegm. Their home is outfitted with a hospital-grade air filtration system that cycles the air every 15 minutes.

Since 2018, more than 100 billion gallons (378,541,178 cubic meters) of raw sewage laden with industrial chemicals and trash have poured into the Tijuana River, according to the International Boundary and Water Commission. The river traverses land where three generations of the Egger family once raised dairy cows. The United States and Mexico signed an agreement last year to clean up the longstanding problem by upgrading wastewater plants to keep up with Tijuana’s population growth and industrial waste from factories, many owned by U.S. companies.

In the meantime, tens of thousands of people are being exposed to the sewage. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said during a February visit to San Diego that it will take about two years to resolve one of the nation’s worst and longest-running environmental crises, which affects a largely poor, Latino population.

Raw sewage doesn’t just smell bad. It emits hydrogen sulfide, a toxic gas that can erode neurons in the nose and trigger asthma attacks. It can cause headaches, nausea, delirium, tremors, cough, shortness of breath, skin and eye irritation, and even death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its long-term health problems are only starting to be understood.

There is no federal safety standard for hydrogen sulfide except for workers at sites where the risk is extreme, such as wastewater treatment plants or manure pits. A few states set their own standards decades ago, but these are outdated. A California bill under consideration would require the state's 56-year-old standard to reflect the health risks of the gas. In Texas, lawmakers are also considering updating its law.

Even if the California bill passes, the new standard would likely not be developed until 2030.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

The owner of home shopping network pioneer QVC, which for years garnered the attention of millions of TV viewers looking for a deal on baubles and housewares, is planning to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

A filing about imminent bankruptcy protection by parent company QVC Group, which also owns HSN, formerly the Home Shopping Network, arrives as long-running TV shopping networks struggle to adapt to the rapid shift by consumers now tuning in to livestreams on TikTok, or online marketplaces like Shein.

According to an annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said that it intends to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas after reaching a restructuring agreement with creditors.

Its goal is to emerge from bankruptcy protection before the summer is over, but the West Chester, Pennsylvania, company warned that its access to funding is difficult to predict. It noted significant fees and other costs in connection with the preparation for the bankruptcy protection.

QVC Group has attempted to revive flagging sales for some time, which in 2024 were down almost 30% compared with its peak of more than $14 billion in 2020. Shares in QVC Group, which went for over $900 a decade ago, were trading for less than $3 a few weeks ago.

Founded in 1986 by Joseph Myron Segel, QVC, which is short for Quality Value Convenience, built a following primarily of women aged 50 and older, according to Lawrence Duke, a clinical professor of marketing at Drexel University's LeBow College of Business. He said in a blog post that QVC benefited from repeat purchases by its base of viewers. But that group has aged and is shrinking, he noted. And competition has increased substantially.

Consumers have increasingly dropped cable subscriptions and look less and less to scheduled programming, Duke said. Such programming has been replaced by live platforms such as TikTok Shop, where consumers can buy products touted by influencers with tens of thousands of followers on Instagram and YouTube. Low-cost marketplaces like Shein and Temu are also commanding more attention, Duke wrote.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

President Donald Trump, as part of his campaign pitch to “make America affordable again,” promised to cut Americans’ electricity bills by at least half. But it hasn’t worked.

“You're getting $1,300 to $1,500 bills for electric. And West Virginia has decided that they're going to run on coal for at least 2040,” said Caitlin Ware, a pastor at Sandyville United Methodist Church.

And many in West Virginia are now facing utility costs surpassing rents and mortgages. Anthony Crihfield Jones, owner of the overstock retail shop, JCD Bargain and Trading, pays “$1,218.67, yeah, for one building,” he said.

Electricity has increased 4.8 percent in February nationwide, and piped natural gas prices rose 10.9 percent compared with a year earlier, outpacing overall inflation. “You don't have a choice when it comes to electric and water. And so, you know, you can't decide to just not have electric for that month,” said Ware.

Many downtowns across the country have struggled to bounce back since the pandemic. And the rising electricity prices have made it impossible for some small businesses to survive. “We're seeing businesses lock up, you know, businesses are closing,” said Ware.

Heather Santee’s local bakery, in Ravenswood, West Virginia, was among those that did not survive the brutal winter and high electric bills.

“I try to stay so positive. And look toward the future, you know, and bigger plans. But sometimes it's just so sad, you know, walking down there, seeing it,” said Santee, who closed her shop on February 12.

“I was getting ready, like I had a bunch of stuff made up and everything, and was getting ready for Valentine's Day because holidays were $700 to $1,000 days. So, I would have had the money if I could have just got two days. Just two days,” she said.

But coal remains king in West Virginia, a state that relies on aging coal-powered electric plants more than any other.

It is an outlier nationwide because of its resistance to adopting cleaner, cheaper sources of energy such as natural gas, nuclear power, and renewables like wind and solar.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.