レアジョブ英会話 Daily News Article Podcast

Naqi Rizvi loves the “absolute freedom” he feels on the tennis court.

The 34-year-old blind tennis champion is on a mission to not only raise awareness but also elevate the sport into the Paralympics.

The London resident, fully blind from the age of 7 because of congenital glaucoma, only took up the sport a decade ago and is now the No. 1-ranked men's player in the world for his category.

Also an avid runner, Rizvi has completed two marathons, and although jogging with a guide is great, tennis offers more.

On a tennis court, I have absolute freedom because I know where the boundaries are. No one needs to tell me which way to turn. I don’t need to have a cane or anything of this sort, he told The Associated Press during a practice session at the National Tennis Center in southwest London.

The rules are basically the same as mainstream tennis, just with smaller dimensions and a slightly lower net. Tactile lines are taped onto the court so players like Rizvi can feel the boundaries. Depending on the level of visual impairment, you are allowed up to three bounces of the ball. The foam ball contains a bell so players can audibly track it.

Rizvi didn't even know that tennis was an option until he visited Metro Blind Sport in London a decade ago. He was hooked right away.

I can almost assure you that if you did a survey of blind and partially sighted people, he said, the majority of them wouldn’t have any idea because it’s not televised, it’s not in any other mainstream events, so how are people supposed to find out?

Rizvi noted that there's not much financial backing in the sport. There's no prize money at tournaments, and players often fund their own travel.

Unless you obviously have the visibility and the money behind it, it’s really hard, he said. Governing bodies need to take a more active role and try and give parity to all forms of disability tennis, not just the ones that have made it big, like wheelchair tennis, for example.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Bees are an essential part of our food chain, with more than three-quarters of global crops depending on pollinators. A new report for World Bee Day has highlighted emerging threats that mean the insects could struggle to survive.

Without them, most of our crops would not grow. But the humble bee has been on the decline for decades.

Pesticides and climate change have taken much of the blame for that downward trend.

If the decline in pollinators continues, we are going to see significant food insecurity, because the amount, the quality and the quantity of yield will reduce. But also, pollination plays a huge role in the nutritious value. So, micronutrients in the food are dependent on having good pollination. So not only will we have a reduction in the food quantity that we eat, the quality will also be seriously affected, says the report's co-author, Deepa Senapathi, who is head of the Department of Sustainable Land Management at the University of Reading.

Experts identified the top 12 new threats facing bees. Some relate to pollution—artificial light at night has reduced flower visits by nocturnal pollinators by 62 percent. Antibiotic pollution in hives could be affecting bee behavior, such as reducing how often they forage for flowers.

Pesticides, air pollution and microplastics also made the list. We talk about how pollution is a big issue, right? But what we may not really focus on is the actual specifics of what type of pollution. So, for example, diesel and exhaust fumes, for instance, when they pollute the air, they can also disrupt pollinator plant interactions. So, the bees may not be able to kind of identify their best foraging resources. If there's heavy metal pollution in the water or the soil, that may impact behavior of bees. It may even impact their reproductive success survival, says Senapathi.

Other problems facing bees are more frequent and fierce wildfires destroying habitats, which can't recover quickly enough afterwards.

The report titled Emerging Threats and Opportunities for Conservation of Global Pollinators was commissioned by Bee:wild, a global campaign to save pollinators.

World Bee Day is May 20.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Charlie Chaplin, Miss Piggy, grand opera spectacles and circus clowns—countless Showtime-inspired sand sculptures are emerging from the sand at the Hundested Sand Sculpture Festival in northeast Denmark.

Launched in 2012 as a creative way to put the small seaside town of 8,000 on the tourist map, the Hundested Sand Sculpture Festival is now in its fourteenth year.

Organizer Christian Warrer says, with so much going on in the world that is “not to laugh about,” they chose to explore a “funny” theme like Showtime. The sculptors have just days to complete their sandy masterpieces, but the festival runs till late October, so durability is key.

The annual event, which opened to visitors on May 23, attracts every year an array of top international sand sculptors, from Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Italy, Latvia, the UK, the United States and more.

Sixteen international artists are attending this year, most crafting two sculptures over the course of a fortnight.

Italian sand sculptor Michela Ciappini, from Bologna, is finishing this graceful figure of an elderly woman mid-dance.

“I imagine that now the very important person is the old generation who represent their entire life and actually our roots. So, I give them the dance and the freedom and the attention,” explains Ciappini.

Elsewhere, British sand sculptor Nicola Wood is finishing this Picasso-esque strongman-themed sand sculpture.

“I've just taken all the elements of a strong man, a woman, and pieced them all back together in a Picasso style, using his iconic parts,” she explains. “The weights, the strong arm, the bit of leopard print, some circus stripes, some circus lettering.”

Wood says sand sculpting has evolved a lot over the past 20 years.

“People are really testing the limits of sand. They're testing its capabilities. The texture, the strength of it. People are really taking it somewhere,” she adds. “People are pushing those boundaries and using sand to tell different stories and to make political messages. That's something that has definitely increased and evolved.”

Over 60,000 visitors are expected to gaze on these daring creations over the festival’s six-month run.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Spain has ordered Airbnb to block more than 65,000 holiday listings on its platform for having violated rules, the Consumer Rights Ministry said.

The ministry said that many of the 65,935 Airbnb listings it had ordered to be withdrawn did not include their license number or specify whether the owner was an individual or a company. Others listed numbers that didn't match what the authorities had, it said.

Spain is grappling with a housing affordability crisis that has spurred government action against short-term rental companies.

In recent months, tens of thousands of Spaniards have taken to the streets protesting rising housing and rental costs, which many say have been driven up by holiday rentals on platforms like Airbnb that have proliferated in cities like Madrid and Barcelona and many other popular tourist destinations.

Enough already with protecting those who make a business out of the right to housing, Consumer Minister Pablo Bustinduy told reporters.

Airbnb said that it would appeal the decision. Through a spokesperson, the company said it did not think the ministry was authorized to rule on short-term rentals—and that it had utilized an indiscriminate methodology to include Airbnb rentals that do not need a license to operate.

Last year, Barcelona announced a plan to close down all of the 10,000 apartments licensed in the city as short-term rentals by 2028 to safeguard the housing supply for full-time residents.

The ministry said it had notified Airbnb of the non-compliant listings months ago, but that the company had appealed the move in court.

Spain's government said Madrid's high court had backed the order sent to Airbnb. Bustinduy said it involved the immediate removal of 5,800 rental listings from the site. Two subsequent orders would be issued until the nearly 66,000 removals are reached, he said.

Spain's government said the first round of affected properties was located across the country, including in the capital, Madrid, as well as in the regions of Andalusia and Catalonia, whose capital is Barcelona.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Midway while sailing across the Pacific with just his cat named Phoenix, Oliver Widger reflected on why he thinks his many followers—more than a million on TikTok and Instagram—are drawn to his story of quitting his 9-to-5 job and embarking on a journey from Oregon to Hawaii.

“The world kind of sucks and, like, I don’t think I’m alone in how I felt with my work,” Widger, 29, told The Associated Press via Zoom. “You can be making $150,000 a year and you still feel like you’re just making ends meet … And I think people are just tired of that and working really hard for nothing and want a way out.

People are inspired by someone who found a way out, said Widger, who is among a growing number of people who have undertaken such voyages in recent years.

Being diagnosed four years ago with a syndrome that carried a risk of paralysis made him realize he hated his job as a manager at a tire company. He heard about people who sailed from California to Hawaii and decided that was the life for him.

He abruptly quit his job with “no money, no plan” and $10,000 of debt.

He liquidated his retirement savings, taught himself to sail mostly via YouTube and moved from Portland to the Oregon coast, where he spent months refitting the $50,000 boat he bought.

Now, Widger is harnessing the power of social media to fund his round-the-world sailing dream.

Since he set sail in April, followers have been tuning into his “Sailing with Phoenix” social media posts to view videos of him and his feline first mate battling the waves and bouts of seasickness, enjoying dazzling sunsets, recounting tricky boat repairs or just reflecting on life at sea.

He credits it all to his neck issue, which “shook up my world and it changed my perspective on everything.” He also hopes he can be an inspiration for anyone who's in a rut.

“Everything I’ve done I thought was impossible,” Widger said. “Sailing around the world is such a ridiculous dream. Whatever your dream is, just go, just do it.”

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

After a wildfire decimated a California high school's newsroom, destroying its cameras, computers and archived newspapers spanning six decades, one of the first offers of help that its journalism adviser, Lisa Nehus Saxon, received came from the other side of the country.

Claire Smith, founding executive director of Temple University's sports media center, had known Lisa Nehus Saxon since they helped carve out a place for women journalists in Major League Baseball more than 40 years ago. They'd supported each other through the days of being barred from locker rooms, and now, with much of Palisades Charter High School damaged, Smith wanted to be there for her friend again.

I just thought, 'What can we do? How can we help with healing?' Smith said.

Smith traveled from Philadelphia to deliver the result of that offer: a university paper featuring the high school students' articles.

Across nearly a dozen pages, the insert showcased articles on price gouging in the rental market after the wildfire and the school returning to in-person lessons, along with poignant firsthand accounts of losing everything to the fire. There were also poems and hand-drawn pictures by students from Pasadena Rosebud Academy, a transitional kindergarten through eighth-grade school in Altadena, California, that was destroyed in the fire.

Wildfires in January ravaged the Los Angeles area, wiping out nearly 17,000 structures, including homes, schools, businesses and places of worship.

The Palisades high school, made up of about 3,000 students in Los Angeles, saw about 40% of its campus damaged and had to move temporarily into an old Sears building. Nehus Saxon estimated that around a quarter of its newspaper staff members lost their homes, with some forced to move out of the community and switch schools.

This project, she and Smith said, was a way to give students a project to focus on after the tragedy while also providing them a place to tell a larger audience the experience of their community.

Smith said she thought the project would be healing for the students, but also give them something that they could hold in their hands and, when they grow up, show their children and grandchildren.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Thai officials said they seized 238 tons of illegally imported electronic waste from the United States at the port of Bangkok, one of the biggest lots they've found this year.

The waste, which came in 10 large containers, was declared as mixed metal scrap but turned out to be circuit boards mixed in a huge pile of metal scrap, said Theeraj Athanavanich, director-general of the Customs Department. It was found in a random inspection.

A U.N. report last year said electronic waste is piling up worldwide. Some 62 million tons of electronic waste were generated in 2022 and that figure is on track to reach 82 million tons by 2030, the report said. It said only 22% of the waste was properly collected and recycled in 2022 and that quantity is expected to fall to 20% by the end of the decade due to higher consumption, limited repair options, shorter product life cycles, and inadequate management infrastructure.

Theeraj said Thai authorities are looking to press charges, including falsely declaring imported goods, illegally importing electronic waste and planning to return the waste to its country of origin.

“It’s important that we take action on this kind of goods,” he said. “There are environmental impacts that are dangerous to the people, especially communities around factories that might import these things for processing, then recycling.”

Electronic waste creates huge health hazards. Many components are laden with lead and mercury, cadmium and other toxins. Recyclers are after gold, silver, palladium and copper, mainly from printed circuit boards, but lax controls mean that facilities often burn plastics to release encased copper and use unsafe methods to extract precious metals.

Thailand passed a ban on the import of a range of electronic waste products in 2020. The Cabinet in February approved an expanded list of the banned waste.

Sunthron Kewsawang, deputy director-general of the Department of Industrial Works, said officials suspected at least two factories in Samut Sakhon province, which borders Bangkok, are involved in importing the waste.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Nebraska is the first state to receive a federal waiver to ban the purchase of soda and energy drinks under the benefit program for low-income Americans, long known as food stamps.

The move, announced by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, would affect about 152,000 people in Nebraska enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which helps families pay for groceries.

There's absolutely zero reason for taxpayers to be subsidizing purchases of soda and energy drinks, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said in a statement. SNAP is about helping families in need get healthy food into their diets, but there's nothing nutritious about the junk we're removing with today's waiver.

Six other states—Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Indiana, Iowa and West Virginia—have also submitted requests for waivers banning certain foods and drinks or, in some cases, expanding access to hot foods for participants, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The push to ban sugary drinks, candy and more from the SNAP program has been a key focus of Rollins and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Rollins called the move a historic step to Make America Healthy again.

Details of Nebraska's waiver, which takes effect January 1, weren't immediately available. Anti-hunger advocates criticized it, saying it adds costs, boosts administrative burdens and increases stigma for people already facing food insecurity.

The waiver ignores decades of evidence showing that incentive-based approaches—not punitive restrictions—are the most effective, dignified path to improving nutrition and reducing hunger, said Gina Plata-Nino, a deputy director at the Food Research Action Center, a nonprofit advocacy group.

SNAP is a roughly $100 billion program that serves about 42 million Americans and is run by the USDA and administered through states.

The program is authorized by the federal Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, which says SNAP benefits can be used for any food or food product intended for human consumption, except alcohol, tobacco and hot foods, including those prepared for immediate consumption.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Potters from around the world showed off their latest creations at Ceramic Art London, the largest high-end ceramics show in the UK. Returning to the capital for its 21st year, more than 6,000 people were expected to visit to see some of the best ceramic creations on sale.

Everywhere you look are beautiful ceramic creations, from functional vases, sculptural pieces, and abstract forms.

One of the most striking artists to display this year was Lucy Baxendale, whose interactive display of fantastical monsters impressed the visitors. This friendly-looking ceramic tree monster has a surprise—if you dare to stick your hand inside its mouth (don't worry, he doesn't bite!). By tickling the tonsils at the back of the monster's throat, another head prints out a poetic and inspirational receipt for visitors to consider.

Baxendale, originally from Durham in the northeast of England, explains, Yeah. If you put your hand into the monster's mouth, it will print you out something that you can take away. And my hope is that that kind of spreads out into the world and maybe inspires something else.

All of the riddle-like receipts were written by Baxendale, and she collaborated with her father (an electrical engineer) to produce her piece.

What would a broken vase dream about? Sketch the cracked pieces and reassemble them into something new, said one receipt.

A show visitor from Peru was blown away by the tree monster and said it was, Super fun. I think this is amazing. Because behind the complicated work and the kind of like graffiti, tattoo kind of work, you find something very soft.

Ceramic Art London is organized each year by the Craft Potters Association of Great Britain and continues to grow in size and importance. It ran from May 9 to 11 at London's Olympia.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

With its warm temperatures and intricate history, the Moroccan capital Rabat is seeing growth in its luxury tourism sector, with five new luxury hotel projects under construction. One hotel boss says they’re seeing an increase in guests from Asia, particularly Taiwan.

Once the former palace of Sultan Moulay Slimane during the 18th century, then a military hospital from 1912, this grand property is now the Four Seasons Hotel Rabat.

Spanning two hectares, the hotel boasts an architectural design that reflects Moroccan heritage. The hotel's buildings preserve design elements dating back to the sultan's era, such as carefully carved wooden ceilings.

“The goal is to attract the largest number of international tourists,” says Noureddine Sridi, a regional tourism delegate in Rabat.

The hotel has 200 rooms and suites. Some lucky guests may even get to sleep where a sultan once slept.

“We are very proud of the history of the place … the team is all aware of what it used to be and share the history of the place with all the guests checking in,” says general manager Gregory Viaud.

Some 23 kilometres from Rabat, in Harhoura, the Conrad Rabat Arzana Hotel overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. General manager Jean Yong Pittion says they’re seeing an increase in guests from Asia, particularly Taiwan.

In particular, Taiwan, for example, there's a tour operator and they show a great interest to Morocco, looking for a new destination, something new that a lot of people are actually looking at now.

And regional tourism delegate Noureddine Sridi says guests don't just visit Rabat for the luxury, they're looking for a slice of rich history too.

“The goal is to discover Rabat through its history, as it offers them a range of historical monuments, such as the Hassan Tower, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, the Chellah site, the Oudayas, and the old city,” he says.

Morocco, whose beaches, exotic cities and pristine mountains are popular among Europeans, relies on tourism for about seven percent of its GDP.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.