Category: Life Style

Qatar’s 12-year journey as World Cup host has 1 month to go

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Read time : 5 mins

Level : Advanced

FILE – FIFA President Gianni Infantino, left, and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani shake hands before the 2022 soccer World Cup draw at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center in Doha, Qatar, Friday, April 1, 2022. The first World Cup in the Middle East is only one month away. Qatar has been on an often bumpy 12-year journey that has transformed the nation. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer

GENEVA (AP) — The first World Cup in the Middle East is one month away, nearing the conclusion of an often bumpy 12-year journey for Qatar that has transformed the nation.

Qatar has faced skepticism about how it persuaded FIFA to vote for the country in 2010; criticism of how migrant workers were treated building stadiums and tournament infrastructure; and derision from the soccer world for changing the dates from the traditional June-July period to November-December.

The small Arab country jutting out into the Persian Gulf has overcome all of that, as well as hostility from neighboring states who imposed a three-year economic and diplomatic boycott that ended in January 2021.

On Nov. 20, the biggest tournament in soccer will finally get started a couple hours after sunset at the 60,000-seat Al Bayt Stadium — a new venue north of Doha built for the World Cup. The maroon-and-white clad national team from the host country will open a tournament that has come to define the gas-rich emirate’s image against the team from Ecuador — probably.

All 64 games over the course of 29 days involving 32 teams will be held in the Doha area, with many more shows and cultural events planned for a soccer-led party in the conservative Muslim society. Continue reading

In Brazilian Amazon, a 1,000-mile voyage so people can vote

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Read time : 3 mins

Level : Intermediate

A worker carries an electronic ballot machine at a polling station during general elections in Lago de Catalao, Amazonas state, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Edmar Barros)

By EDMAR BARROS and FABIANO MAISONNAVE undefined

MANAUS, Brazil (AP) — In most democracies, citizens go to the polls. But in Brazil’s sparsely populated Amazon region, the polls often go to the voters.

Most people in the vast rainforest live in urban areas, but thousands reside in tiny villages several days from the nearest city by boat. Amazonas, Brazil’s biggest state, is triple the size of California yet has only about one-third the population of greater Los Angeles. More than half its cities can’t be reached at all by road, and some are hundreds of kilometers from the state capital, Manaus.

Logistics pose a challenge even in Manaus, a sprawling municipality of 2.2 million people. On Saturday, The Associated Press accompanied election workers setting up a voting place in the Bela Vista do Jaraqui community, a three-hour boat trip from the city. Continue reading

What the war in Ukraine means for Asia’s climate goals

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Read time : 4 mins

Level : Advanced

FILE – Tourists ride horses near Wind turbines on the grassland in Zhangbei county, in north China’s Hebei province on Aug. 15, 2022. China, currently the top emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, aims to reach net zero by 2060, requiring significant slashing of emissions. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL and SIBI ARASU Associated Press

NEW DELHI, India (AP) — The queues outside petrol pumps in Sri Lanka have lessened, but not the anxiety.

Asanka Sampath, a 43-year-old factory clerk, is forever vigilant. He checks his phone for messages, walks past the pump, and browses social media to see if fuel has arrived. Delays could mean being left stranded for days.

“I am really fed up with this,” he said.

His frustrations echo that of the 22-million inhabitants of the island nation, facing its worst ever economic crisis because of heavy debts, lost tourism revenue during the pandemic, and surging costs. The consequent political turmoil culminated with the formation of a new government, but recovery has been complicated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the consequent upending of global energy markets.

Europe’s need for gas means that they’re competing with Asian countries, driving up prices of fossil fuels and resulting in what Tim Buckley, the director of the thinktank Climate Energy Finance, refers to as “hyper-inflation … and I use that word as an understatement.” Continue reading

‘A servant queen’: World pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

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Read time : 4 mins

Level : Advanced

The Sydney Opera House is illuminated with a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in Sydney, Australia, Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and a rock of stability in a turbulent era for her country and the world, died Thursday, Sept. 8 after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

By ANDREW MELDRUM Associated Press

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Across the globe, the death of Queen Elizabeth II has prompted reflections on the historic sweep of her reign and how she succeeded in presiding over the end of Britain’s colonial empire and embracing the independence of her former dominions.

Tributes to the queen’s life have poured in, from world leaders to rock stars to ordinary people — along with some criticism of the monarchy.

It was in Cape Town, marking her 21st birthday in 1947, that the then-Princess Elizabeth pledged that her “whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”

The British empire soon crumbled, but Elizabeth managed to maintain a regal — if ceremonial — position as the head of the Commonwealth, the 54 nations of mostly previous British colonies.

“The Queen lived a long and consequential life, fulfilling her pledge to serve until her very last breath at the age of 96,” Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, said Friday. “She was an exemplary leader of the kind seldom seen in the modern era.” Continue reading

9 Words You Should Never Use To Describe Yourself on Your Resume

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Read time : 3 mins

Level : Intermediate

9 Words You Should Never Use To Describe Yourself on Your Resume

By Laura Berlinsky-Schine

You toil over your resume, adding the right keywords, the best descriptions, and the perfect examples. But hiring managers typically only spend a few seconds glancing through it, on average.

You have limited space – and time – to make yourself stand out. And you may be unknowingly wasting it – if you’re using these words and phrases.

9 Words To Avoid on Your Resume

1. Go-Getter

It sounds nice enough, but the go-getter doesn’t say anything that descriptive about you. Sure, you’re hardworking and have goals, but chances are, so does everyone else applying for the job. Similar words, such as intelligent and proactive, also convey very little about your drive and just show that you have a healthy self-perception. And saying it isn’t going to make you stand out.

It’s best just to eliminate it. Alternatively, give a concrete example of a time you went above and beyond. Continue reading

Winning lottery jackpot is lucky for some, tragic for others

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Read time : 4 mins

Level : Intermediate

FILE – Powerball lottery winners David, left, and Erica Harrig, of Gretna, Neb., speak during an interview at the law office of their attorney Darren Carlson in Omaha, Neb., on Dec. 13, 2013. (Kent Sievers /Omaha World-Herald via AP, File)

By ANITA SNOW Associated Press

Dave and Erica Harrig stayed true to their values when they won a lottery jackpot of more than $61 million in 2013. It made all the difference.

The couple from Gretna, Nebraska, a community on the outskirts of Omaha where Dave Harrig now is a volunteer firefighter, allowed themselves to buy a new home, some vintage automobiles and a few ocean cruises after they both quit their jobs.

But nine years later, they still live much as they always did, remaining in their community, keeping up with church, family and friends, and teaching their children to work hard to make a living despite any financial windfall that might come their way.

Many other winners haven’t been as lucky, suffering personal setbacks and lawsuits or becoming the victims of scams. The latest winner of a big jackpot came Friday, when a single ticket sold in Illinois matched the numbers for a $1.337 billion Mega Millions prize. Illinois is among the states where winners of more than $250,000 can choose to not reveal their names. Continue reading

5-letter word for fun? Hasbro & NYT create Wordle board game

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Read time : 2 mins

Level : Intermediate

A Wordle game is seen on a mobile phone, Friday, July 15, 2022, in Boston. Hasbro Inc. and The New York Times, which owns Wordle, announced Thursday that Wordle: The Party Game will be available for purchase in North America in October. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

By MARK PRATT Associated Press

The company that makes some of the world’s most iconic board games including Scrabble, Monopoly, and Clue is developing a new one based on Wordle, the obsessively popular digital word-guessing game.

Hasbro Inc. and The New York Times — which purchased Wordle earlier this year — announced Thursday that Wordle: The Party Game will be available for purchase in North America in October, with preorders already being accepted. Continue reading

Some schools build affordable housing to retain teachers

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Read time : 4 mins

Level : Advanced

A view from the third floor of the courtyard, of a new housing complex for Jefferson Union High School District teachers and education staff, in Daly City, Calif., Friday, July 8, 2022. The school district in San Mateo County is among just a handful of places in the country with educator housing. But with a national teacher shortage and rapidly rising rents, the working class district could serve as a harbinger as schools across the U.S. seek to attract and retain educators. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

By JANIE HAR Associated Press

DALY CITY, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco Bay Area high school teacher Lisa Raskin moved out of a cramped apartment she was sharing with a roommate and into her own place this month, paying a deeply discounted $1,500 a month for a one-bedroom with expansive views within walking distance to work.

It was once an impossible dream in an exorbitantly priced region hostile to new housing. But her employer, a 4,000-student school district south of San Francisco, was the rare success story in the struggle to provide affordable housing and in May, it opened 122 apartments for teachers and staff.

“I have a sense of community, which I think is more valuable than anything else,” the 41-year-old San Francisco native said. “More districts really need to consider this model. I think it shows educators that they value them.”

The Jefferson Union High School District in San Mateo County’s Daly City is among just a handful of places in the country with educator housing. But with a national teacher shortage and rapidly rising rents, the working-class district could serve as a harbinger as schools across the U.S. seek to attract and retain educators. Continue reading

Super League clubs face UEFA in soccer’s big legal match

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Read time : 4 mins

Level : Advanced

FILE – A man walks by the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, Oct. 5, 2015. A group of top soccer clubs face Champions League organizer UEFA in court on Monday, July 11, 2022, for a legal match that risks the biggest upheaval in European soccer for more than 25 years. The Super League project failed at launch 15 months ago but the company formed by the 12 rebel clubs — now led by Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus — has brought a case to the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File)

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer

GENEVA (AP) — A group of top soccer clubs face Champions League organizer UEFA in court on Monday for a legal match that risks the biggest upheaval in European soccer for more than 25 years.

The Super League project failed at launch 15 months ago but the company formed by the 12 rebel clubs — now led by Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus — has brought a case to the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg.

Judges from 15 of the 27 EU member states will hear arguments over two days with a majority of those national governments supporting UEFA.

The clubs will accuse UEFA of alleged abuses of market dominance with control of soccer competitions that breach European law. Continue reading

Japan eases foreign tourism ban, allows guided package tours

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Read time : 2 mins

Level : Intermediate

(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japan on Friday eased its borders for foreign tourists and began accepting visa applications, but only for those on guided package tours who are willing to follow mask-wearing and other antivirus measures as the country cautiously tries to balance business and infection worries.

Friday is the first day to start procedures needed for the entry and arrivals are not expected until late June at the earliest, even though airport immigration and quarantine offices stood by for any possible arrivals.

The Japan Tourism Agency says tours are being accepted from 98 countries and regions, including the United States, Britain, China, South Korea, Thailand and Singapore, which are deemed as having low infection risks. Continue reading