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Today's topic is "Manhattan Opens Its Highest Outdoor Observation Deck"

Opened on March 11, the Edge at 30 Hudson Yards is the highest outdoor observation deck in the Western Hemisphere, and the fifth highest in the world.

30 Hudson Yards is 387 meters high, making it the second tallest office building in New York City after One World Trade Center.

Located on the building's south and east sides, the Edge is 345 meters – or 100 stories – above the ground, 24 meters long, and has a glass floor in its center. The 2.7-meter walls are also made of glass, offering panoramic views of the city.

The elevator takes just 52 seconds to arrive at the 100th floor, where guests will also find a champagne bar.

"The view is really amazing," said Fransina Gutierrez, 31, from Ecuador, speaking to New York Post. "I've been waiting for this for a long time. I study architecture. I'm impressed," she said.

This is just one of several buildings at Hudson Yards, a complex built by the Hudson River on Manhattan's west side. At $25 billion, it's the most expensive real estate development in US history.

Manhattan is home to many famous observation decks. One World Trade Center has a three-story observation deck on floors 100 to 102, but it is all indoors. The highest observation deck at the Empire State Building is on the 102nd floor. And while the Rockefeller Center observation deck is outdoors, the highest level is only 70 stories high.

Tickets to the Edge cost $36 online, or $38 at the door. It is normally open from 8 a.m. to midnight, but due to coronavirus concerns, it has closed until April 13.

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Today's topic is "Tokyo Ends Smoking in Most Restaurants"

Japan has been called a "smoker's paradise," but that's starting to change. From April 1, a new law in Tokyo, which was passed in June 2018, bans smoking in most bars and restaurants around the city.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government's local law is stricter than a national law that was passed a month later, and also began on April 1, 2020.

The laws were passed to help prepare for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Olympics, which have now been delayed until 2021 due to the coronavirus, have been "tobacco-free" since 1988.

The national law bans smoking in schools, hospitals, government offices, and on public transport. Bars and restaurants may only let people smoke in special rooms, where food and drinks are not served.

However, if a bar or restaurant is smaller than 100 square meters, it can put up a sign banning anyone under the age of 20 and continue to allow people to smoke inside. The national law also lets people continue to smoke in cigar bars, private homes and hotel rooms.

The Tokyo law doesn't allow smoking in any restaurants or bars that have employees, no matter how small they are, except in smoking rooms. However, bars and restaurants that are owned and run by individuals or families, with no employees, can still allow people to smoke.

According to Japan's health ministry, 17.8% of Japanese adults smoked in 2018, with about three to four times more men smoking than women. That's down from 19.5% of adults smoking in 2010.

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Today's topic is "Students in Nepal Required to Take Yoga Classes"

According to The New York Times, Nepal is about to be the first country in the world to require all students between fourth and eighth grade to take yoga classes. The change will happen at the start of the 2020 school year.

Giriraj Mani Pokhrel, head of education in Nepal, told the newspaper, "Yoga is our ancient science. We want students to learn it, and we think this is the right time." The government hopes the yoga classes will improve exercise and health across the country.

"Yoga has really helped me care for myself," said Abhiyan Bhatta, a 15-year-old student in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal. He said the yoga classes at his school helped him with the knee problems he'd had for years. "I have healed my pain," he said.

Schools all around the world offer yoga classes. In India, where yoga started, some schools require students to study yoga. In the United States, some schools make time for students to practice breathing and exercises to reduce stress.

However, not everyone in Nepal thinks it's a good idea. Yoga is connected to the religion of Hinduism, and words like "Om," which is a special sound in Hinduism, are used when doing yoga. Some Muslims in Nepal think it will force students to practice Hinduism.

But Ganesh Bhattarai, head of Nepal's Curriculum Development Center, says religion isn't part of the yoga classes, and students don't have to do things they are uncomfortable with, like saying "Om."

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Today's topic is "The Best Ways to Study at Home"

If you usually like to work in cafés and libraries, having to study at home might be difficult. So here are some ways to help you focus at home.

Follow a schedule

Having a clear plan for your day will help keep you from getting distracted. Try making a list of the things you want to get done each day and when you will do them to help you focus. But make sure you also plan breaks – the longer you go without a break, the worse you get at what you're doing. Some research has found that you should take a 17 minute break for every 52 minutes of work done.

Have a study area

Don't try to study in places you normally use to have fun or rest, like the couch or bed. Choose somewhere bright, and try to make it nice, maybe by adding some plants. If you have an area that you only use for study, it'll be easier to focus and you'll be able to take better breaks by leaving the area when you're not studying.

Get out of the house and exercise

Studies show that exercise can help your brain work better. If you can, getting out in the sun and fresh air isn't just a good way to take a break, but it's been shown to be good for your health and concentration too. If you can't leave the house, there are still plenty of ways you can get some exercise at home.

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Today's topic is "Japan Declares State of Emergency"

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has declared a month-long state of emergency for Tokyo and six other prefectures to protect against the spread of the coronavirus.

However, the move is only a stay-at-home request – not an order – and those who ignore it will not be penalized.

The COVID-19 outbreak is now spreading rapidly, threatening people's health, their daily lives and the economy, Abe said. The state of emergency will last until May 6.

"The most important thing is for each one of us to change our activity," Abe said. He urged everyone to reduce contacts with others by 70-80% for one month.

Abe had been under pressure to declare a state of emergency to get people to better follow social distancing rules as concern increases over the number of cases without any known contact with other patients.

The announcement followed a sudden rise in new cases in Tokyo.

Abe's government is thought to have delayed declaring a state of emergency out of fear for how it might hurt the economy. But as fear of the pandemic has grown, the public and medical experts have increasingly supported taking more drastic action.

The state of emergency includes a stay-at-home request, guidance to schools on temporary closures, and requests to close nonessential businesses and to cancel or postpone events.

Takahide Kiuchi, an economist at Nomura Research Institute, said in a recent report that a state of emergency could cause consumer spending to fall nearly 2.5 trillion yen, or $23 billion, leading to a 0.4% drop in Japan's annual GDP.

Abe's government also announced that it will provide 108 trillion yen ($1 trillion) to help protect businesses and jobs.

Earlier, Japan had attempted to reduce infections by closely watching clusters of cases and keeping them under control, rather than doing massive testing as was done in South Korea. That strategy appears to be failing given the sharp rise in cases not linked to previous known infections.

As in many places, there are fears over shortages of hospital beds and critical care units for patients with severe symptoms.

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Today's topic is "Why Air Pollution Has Decreased Due to Coronavirus"

In an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus, a third of the world's population has gone into lockdown, meaning most people must stay at home, and many aren't going to work. That means fewer people driving cars, fewer factories running and less power being generated. As a result, less pollution is being released into the air.

Air pollution caused by the emission of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in eastern and central China was 10-30% lower in January and February compared to the same months in 2019, according to NASA. A report from Carbon Brief said that China's carbon dioxide (CO2) levels have also fallen, with a 25% reduction in February 2020 compared with February 2019.

Most man-made CO2 and NO2 comes from burning fossil fuels for things like transport and power.

The Chinese government said that there were 21% more "good quality air days" in Hubei province in February compared to February 2019. Wuhan, home of the first coronavirus patient, is the capital of Hubei province, and the first Chinese city to be locked down due to the coronavirus.

Other parts of the world, including Europe, the US and India, are also seeing less pollution.

In Europe, Italy has been hit hardest by the coronavirus. Its capital city, Rome, has seen between 26% and 35% less NO2 compared to 2019.

New York City, the hardest hit city in the US, has seen less CO2 and methane (CH4), and half as much carbon monoxide (CO) in March compared to last year, according to Professor Róisín Commane from Columbia University. Other parts of the US, like California and Washington, have also seen less NO2.

At midnight on March 25, India started the world's largest lockdown, asking its population of 1.3 billion to stay home for at least 21 days. Just two days later, on March 27, India's capital city, New Delhi, had NO2 levels that were 71% lower than a week before.

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Today's topic is "10 Times More Americans Over 65 Now Use Marijuana"

A new study has found that 10 times more Americans over 65 are now using marijuana than in 2006.

In 2006, 0.4% of Americans over 65 had used marijuana in the last year. By 2015 that number was 2.9% – and it became 4.2% by 2018.

Since 1996, 31 US states have changed their laws to let people use marijuana as medicine. And since 2012, 11 states and the District of Columbia have allowed adults to use marijuana for any reason.

According to Gallup, the number of American adults using marijuana has increased from 7% in 2013 to 12% in 2019. However, the number was already 11% by 2015, and it has changed little since. In states where marijuana has been legalized, some studies have even shown that young people now use it less than before.

But older people are using marijuana more – especially those with diabetes, people with mental health problems, and those who drink alcohol. Women, married people, richer people, and those with a university degree are also using it more.

Carol Collin of California is over 70 and started using marijuana two years ago. "I'm doing this to sleep and provide pain relief and I find it works," she told CNN. "I wouldn't have done it if it was illegal."

Dr. Benjamin Han, one of the study's authors, worries that older people might fall over after using marijuana, or that it might make some health problems worse. For example, he told CNN that marijuana may be dangerous for people who recently had heart attacks. It may also be dangerous if mixed with other medicines.

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Today's topic is "Tokyo Olympics Postponed to 2021"

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that the 2020 Summer Olympics will be postponed as the coronavirus shuts down daily life around the world.

The IOC said the Tokyo Games "must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020, but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community."

IOC President Thomas Bach and Japan's Prime Minister Abe Shinzo spoke on the phone on the morning of March 24. They, along with officials from the IOC and Japan's organizing committee, agreed to make the decision.

Other Olympics – 1916, 1940 and 1944 – have been canceled because of war, but none has ever been postponed.

The decision comes as a relief to the 11,000 or so potential Olympic athletes who no longer have to train under near-impossible conditions.

One reason the IOC took longer to make the decision was because it wanted to figure out logistics. Many of the arenas, stadiums and hotels are under contract for games to be held from July 24 to August 7. It's possible to change those arrangements, but it will be expensive. Tokyo has already spent a reported $28 billion on the games.

For weeks, it was becoming increasingly clear that it would no longer be possible to start the games on July 24. Olympic committees in Canada and Australia were saying they either would not, or could not, send a team to Tokyo in July. World Athletics and the three biggest sports in the United States – swimming, track and gymnastics – were also calling for the games to be postponed.

As recently as March 22, the IOC was saying it would take up to four weeks to reach a decision. Four weeks ended up being two days.

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Today's topic is "AI Cameras Catch Drivers on Phones in Australia"

On December 1, the Australian state of New South Wales started using artificial intelligence (AI) cameras to catch people using mobile phones while driving.

For the first three months, drivers caught using their phones will only get a warning letter. After that time, they will get a fine of $235 – or $312 if they are near a school.

The cameras work day and night, and in any kind of weather. When a camera sees someone who is probably using a phone while driving, the photo is checked by a government worker. People will usually find out about their fine within a week, and they will be able to see their photo.

The cameras were tested from January to June, 2019. During that time, 8.5 million vehicles were checked, and more than 100,000 drivers were caught using their phones.

In New South Wales, it is illegal to hold and use a mobile phone while driving. Drivers can only make or receive voice calls if they don't need to use their hands or look at their phones.

Bernard Carlon of New South Wales’ Center for Road Safety said the cameras could prevent around 100 serious crashes over five years. He also said that a survey found 80% of people supported use of the cameras.

Transport for New South Wales said that since 2012, 13 people have been killed and 243 people have been injured in crashes because a driver was using a mobile phone. It also said the state is the first place in the world to use this kind of technology.

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Today's topic is "Remote Work Not Possible Without Trust, Employers Say"

Remote working is gaining momentum at small businesses in the US. It's hard to find definitive statistics on how many people work remotely, but Gallup's most recent survey in 2016 showed that 43% of employees worked remotely in at least some capacity, up 4 percentage points from 2012.

But even as remote working grows, business owners find managing offsite employees involves more than videoconferencing and messaging apps like Slack.

Owners say a remote operation can't work without trust between a boss and employee. Tyler Forte is CEO of Felix Homes, which is based in Tennessee and has employees in California. He used to check on his staff all the time, but "over time, you develop trust with the employee," he says.

"People have this idea that if you have a remote team, they won’t work," says Emma Rose Cohen, CEO of Final Straw, a maker of reusable straws. "It's the opposite – if you hire the right people, they're self-starters, and self-starters are often people who work too much."

She watches for signs that any of her 15 employees are spending too much time on the job, and when they tell her they feel stressed, Cohen says it's time to take a break.

But remote work is a bad fit for some employees because they can feel disconnected from co-workers. That can be countered to some extent through messaging channels that allow everyone to contribute to a fun discussion. Cohen, for example, has chats for specific topics like pets or podcasts.

Jazmine Valencia has seven employees: three in her Los Angeles office, three in New York and one in Chicago. Her remote staff can feel left out when the onsite team discusses issues.

"I have to over-communicate and make sure everyone is on the same page," she says.

Nicolas Vandenberghe's company has 42 employees in 15 countries. His business makes software to help companies manage meetings – but when he needs a serious brainstorming session, he flies staff to where he is so they can meet in person.

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