English Of Course

Mobile phones are like friends you can’t do without. A recent study by researchers at Baylor University in the US found college students spend an average of nine hours a day on their cell phones. Women students spend 10 hours a day on the device, while men students spend almost eight hours. “That’s astounding,” says James Roberts, lead researcher of the study published in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions. “As cell phone functions increase, addiction to this indispensable piece of technology becomes a realistic possibility.” Overall, top activities in cell phone use included texting or instant messaging (see box). A […]

The European Commission has called for fresh impetus behind its stalled plans for EU-wide regulation of drones, after a string of near-misses with airplanes across Europe last year. There were more than 1,200 “safety occurrences” involving drones in Europe last year, including several involving planes, the commission, the EU’s civil service, said. On April 22, a drone passed by the wingtip of an Airbus A319 with 156 passengers as it came into land at Liverpool John Lennon Airport. In 2016 three planes narrowly missed drones near Heathrow airport, leading to calls for tougher British laws on drones. “If we don’t move […]

For many expats, moving to France conjures up images of excellent cuisine and wine. But of course, that’s only half the truth! The InterNations expat guide on moving to France provides you with useful info beyond this stereotype: on the French language, popular expat destinations, and more. Do you like the idea of moving to France, but aren’t sure where to go? The most popular expat destinations all have their own unique character, so keep reading to find out where would suit you best before you make your decision! Paris: The City of Lights Most people moving to France live […]

10 Common Grammatical Mistakes in English – And How to Avoid Them If you’re currently in the process of learning English, and you’re struggling to get to grips with our grammar, don’t take it to heart.   Misplaced apostrophes Apostrophes aren’t difficult to use once you know how, but putting them in the wrong place is one of the most common grammar mistakes in the English language. Many people use an apostrophe to form the plural of a word, particularly if the word in question ends in a vowel, which might make the word look strange with an S added […]

  The desert scrubland above the tiny, remote village of Sutherland, South Africa, has a few things that astronomers want. High elevation. Dark skies. Still air. All make for ideal observing conditions: Telescope pictures taken from Sutherland tend to be less spoiled by city lights or Earth’s turbulent atmosphere. On cloudless, moonless nights, the stars are so bright over Sutherland that a person can walk by starlight alone. Astronomy in South Africa didn’t begin in Sutherland, but it is now flourishing there. In 1820, the British set up the Royal Observatory on the Cape of Good Hope to study celestial […]

Amid new sanctions, Trump calls North Korea’s leader ‘madman’ whose regime will face new tests President Trump lashed back Friday at North Korea’s leader, calling Kim Jong Un a “madman” whose regime will be “tested like never before” amid new U.S.-imposed financial sanctions. The latest economic pressures announced Thursday come as the Trump administration seeks to build international support for more aggressively confronting the rogue nation, whose escalating nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities have reached what U.S. officials consider a crisis point. The new penalties seek to leverage the dominance of the U.S. financial system by forcing nations, foreign companies […]

In Mexico, frantic rescuers keep up search for quake survivors An army of trained rescuers and scores of volunteers carefully combed through the rubble of Mexico’s most deadly earthquake in decades on Saturday, hoping against diminishing odds to pull more survivors out nearly four days after the disaster struck. While rescue efforts at the sites of some collapsed buildings had been called off, at others sweat-drenched workers kept up a frenzied pace. The 7.1 magnitude earthquake destroyed 52 buildings in the sprawling Mexican capital early afternoon on Tuesday, leaving thousands homeless and close to 300 people dead nationwide. Apartment buildings, […]

PODCAST: Economic Tectonics Summary Who we are, how many of us there are and where we live will change the economies of the future. Africa’s population will boom spectacularly, creating a huge new workforce in countries like Nigeria. That’s a great opportunity, but one with serious risks attached. Europe will shrink. Asia is ageing. In this edition of Economic Tectonics, Ruth Alexander looks at the near future – a future we can already see, thanks to accurate statistical modelling – to find out how economic power will shift as the world’s population changes.

PODCAST: World Update Summary Jean Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, has been outlining his ambitious vision for the EU’s future but is his plan possible? Dr. Ben Margulies, an American Political Scientist teaching at Warwick University in the UK gives analysis on Mr Juncker’s plans. We also return to the border issues between the UK and Republic of Ireland because of Brexit. If Brexit negotiations go badly, the currently invisible border might have to be re-erected, with all of the dangers that poses for the peace deal that brought IRA and Ulster loyalist paramilitary violence to an end […]