レアジョブ英会話 Daily News Article Podcast

A high-tech breakthrough could speed up the restoration of centuries-old paintings using a digital mask. Scientists say the method, tested on a 15th-century work, took hours instead of months, and leaves the original untouched. The method, published in Nature on June 11, uses a digitally printed mask to repair damaged images. Researchers tested it on a 15th-century oil painting that had suffered heavy damage. Instead of months of cleaning, analysis and touch-ups, this process took just three and a half hours. It works by digitally reconstructing the missing parts of the painting. That digital image is then printed onto a color-accurate...

At VivaTech in Paris, artificial intelligence is taking center stage, reshaping how global brands in fashion and beauty create, sell, and connect. An AI-powered scanner, developed in collaboration with Danish imaging specialists Rigsters and creative agency OKCC, captures detailed visuals that are transformed into highly realistic 3D models. These models are then processed using generative AI, with the aim to automate the creation of digital assets, enabling luxury brands to generate tailored content for online retail, advertising and social media, while remaining true to their brand identity. Louis Vuitton is part of the LVMH group, which stands for Moët H...

WhatsApp said that users will start seeing ads in parts of the app, as owner Meta Platforms moves to cultivate a new revenue stream by tapping the billions of people who use the messaging service. Advertisements will be shown only in the app's Updates tab, which is used by as many as 1.5 billion people each day. However, they won't appear where personal chats are located, developers said. "The personal messaging experience on WhatsApp isn't changing, and personal messages, calls and statuses are end-to-end encrypted and cannot be used to show ads," WhatsApp said in a blog post. It's a big...

A New York man is laying claim to the record for most consecutive hours playing golf—a 35-hour stint on a course on Long Island that began early evening of June 8 and ended early morning of June 10. Kelechi Ezihie initially planned to play 24 hours to set a Guinness World Record, only to learn hours into his effort that a British golfer had played for 32 straight hours on a course in Norway at the end of May. His sister had called him after seeing the 32-hour record while searching the internet, he said. Surprised but determined, he plodded on through rain, fa...

It turns out our furry best friend might be our sleep enemy. Lots of pet owners let their animals sleep on the bed with them, which usually disrupts sleep. But many would say it's worth it. And researchers don't necessarily disagree. Melissa Milanak, a professor at the Medical University of South Carolina specializing in sleep health, said most people at her clinic say their pets disturb them often at night. "You can't say that hands down, it's bad for every single person, but there is a lot out there saying it negatively impacts your sleep," she said. Generally speaking, having...

The head of Japan’s meteorological agency dismissed widespread rumors of a major earthquake in Japan this summer as unscientific and a “hoax,” urging people not to worry because even the most advanced science still cannot predict any quake or tsunami. “At the moment, it is still impossible to predict an earthquake with specific timing, location or its magnitude,” Japan Meteorological Agency Director General Ryoichi Nomura told reporters. “Any such prediction is a hoax, and there is absolutely no need to worry about such disinformation.” Nomura was referring to rumors in Hong Kong and other Asian cities that a major earthquake or...

As the owner of a marina, Kate Gervais is used to seeing boats in the water. But for the last couple of days, she's been seeing them in the air. The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) used one of its firefighting helicopters to haul abandoned boats off an uninhabited island in the southernmost reaches of Puget Sound, where the vessels had come to rest after drifting with the currents, and fly them to the mainland to be deconstructed later. With 14 vessels removed, it was the agency's largest operation of its kind, officials said. "It was a very, very weird...

Inside a bakery at a New Jersey Walmart, Melissa Fernandez assembles and decorates cakes. “The Cupcake Bouquets are number one right now. It’s the biggest seller,” said Fernandez. “So it’s twelve cupcakes set up to look like a flower bouquet.” Across the country, cake decorators at the nation's largest retailer collectively decorated more than a million cakes during the May and June graduation season. Fernandez promotes her skills on social media. A TikTok of her making the cupcake bouquet has almost half a million views. Fernandez said, “Well, TikTok helps me to stay up to date. A lot of trends that...

From the ruins of war to the pages of Marvel and DC, Croatian artists have built stories as powerful as the ones they illustrate. They have now built a reputation within the popular world of comic books. Few fans are aware that some of these iconic characters originate from a small Balkan nation with a limited comic book market of its own. For years, Croatian illustrators have quietly made their mark at top publishers like Marvel and DC Comics, crafting the visual worlds of heroes known and loved by millions. It’s an unlikely success story born not in flashy st...

To attract the brightest minds to America, President Donald Trump proposed a novel idea while campaigning: If elected, he would grant green cards to all foreign students who graduate from U.S. colleges. "It's so sad when we lose people from Harvard, MIT, from the greatest schools," Trump said during a podcast interview in June 2024. "That is going to end on Day One." That promise never came to pass. Trump's stance on welcoming foreign students has shifted dramatically. International students have found themselves at the center of an escalating campaign to kick them out or keep them from coming, as...

Amazon has pledged to beef up the fight against fake reviews, Britain’s competition regulator said after an investigation into whether big online platforms are doing enough to crack down on phony online ratings for products and services. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it secured the “undertakings” from Amazon, after getting a similar agreement earlier this year from Google to clamp down on rogue reviews plaguing the internet. The company promised to strengthen its existing systems for fighting fake reviews. It will also tackle catalog abuse, which involves sellers boosting star ratings for a product by hijacking good review...

The third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) opened June 9 amid rising pressure for nations to turn decades of promises into real protection for the sea. The weeklong summit came as just 2.7 percent of the ocean was effectively protected from destructive, extractive activities, according to the ocean advocacy nonprofit Marine Conservation Institute. That's far below the target agreed upon under the global “30x30” pledge to conserve 30 percent of land and sea by 2030. Atop this year’s agenda was a diplomatic race to ratify the High Seas Treaty. Adopted in 2023, the treaty would, for the first time, allow nations to establish marine protec...

Digital price labels, which are rapidly replacing paper shelf tags at US supermarkets, haven’t led to demand-based pricing surges, according to a new study that examined five years’ worth of prices at one grocery chain. But some shoppers, consumer advocates and lawmakers remain skeptical about the tiny electronic screens, which let stores change prices instantly from a central computer instead of having workers swap out paper labels by hand. Social media is filled with warnings that grocers will use the technology to charge more for ice cream if it’s hot outside, hike the price of umbrellas if it’s rainin...

More than 1,000 people gathered in a scenic Minneapolis neighborhood for an annual ritual—the sharpening of a gigantic No. 2 pencil. The 20-foot-tall (6-meter-tall) pencil was sculpted out of a mammoth oak tree at the home of John and Amy Higgins. The beloved tree was damaged in a storm a few years ago when fierce winds twisted the crown off. Neighbors mourned. A couple even wept. But the Higginses saw it not so much as a loss, but as a chance to give the tree new life. The sharpening ceremony on their front lawn has evolved into a community spectacle that dr...

A cheap, eco-friendly flooring system is helping to improve health and bring down construction costs in Uganda. The clay-based earthen floors use local earth instead of cement, helping to reduce carbon emissions, and when replacing traditional mud floors, help reduce dust as well as disease-causing pests. The Ugandan company racing to install it is EarthEnable, which specializes in this sustainable, affordable system. The flooring is a better option than more rudimentary materials used by those living in poverty, which tend to attract a lot of dust and pests that can damage health. “In the villages, people use cow dung to ma...

Everything from rusty typewriters to vintage cameras can be found at anthropologist Aditya Vij’s home in New Delhi. In an age of new technology and innovative products, walking into his home is like stepping into a time machine. Vij is an avid collector of artifacts, and over the decades, the self-proclaimed “history hunter” has gathered thousands of items that span centuries and documented their relevance and the impact they have had on society. Each collectible he has salvaged feels like a victory against time, Vij says, underscoring his belief that maybe one individual’s attempts can quietly resist their erasure...

Snack food maker Mondelez International is suing the Aldi supermarket chain, alleging the packaging for Aldi's store-brand cookies and crackers "blatantly copies" Mondelez products like Chips Ahoy, Wheat Thins and Oreos. In a federal lawsuit filed in Illinois, Chicago-based Mondelez said Aldi's packaging was "likely to deceive and confuse customers" and threatened to irreparably harm Mondelez and its brands. The company is seeking monetary damages and a court order that would stop Aldi from selling products that infringe on its trademarks. Aldi didn't respond to messages seeking comment. The U.S. branch of Aldi, which is based in Batavia, Illinois...

If more tennis players find themselves breathing easier, it might just be thanks to Carlos Alcaraz. The four-time Grand Slam champion has often worn a nasal strip in matches since last season and the sport’s other athletes took note. After all, if Alcaraz finds something useful on the court, their thinking goes, maybe it makes sense to give the adhesive bands a shot. Once associated with Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice and soccer stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, the bands, which essentially look like a Band-Aid worn across the bridge of the nose, are popping up on...

In Japan’s spiritual heartland, tradition meets craftsmanship in miniature form. Artisans in Ise are preserving centuries-old shrine-making by handcrafting sacred replicas for modern homes. At the family-run factory Miyachu, the craftsmen produce Ise no Shinden—miniature shrines that faithfully replicate the main sanctuary of Ise Jingu, known for its unique construction technique called Yuiitsu Shinmei-zukuri. Its simple architectural design is said to have originated from ancient raised-floor granaries. The wooden structure is built with Hinoki cypress trees without using any nails, employing a traditional joinery method. Another distinguishing feature is a thatched roof made of Susuki grass, which craftsmen at M...

A three-year exercise program improved survival in colon cancer patients and kept the disease at bay, a first-of-its-kind international experiment showed. With the benefits rivaling some drugs, experts said cancer centers and insurance plans should consider making exercise coaching a new standard of care for colon cancer survivors. Until then, patients can increase their physical activity after treatment, knowing they are doing their part to prevent cancer from coming back. “It’s an extremely exciting study,” said Dr. Jeffrey Meyerhardt of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, who wasn’t involved in the research. It's the first randomized controlled trial to show a reductio...

A jury convicted a woman who sneaked onto a flight from New York to Paris without a boarding pass by slipping past security and airline gate agents at John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport last year. The short trial of Svetlana Dali concluded with a guilty finding on a stowaway charge by jurors in federal court in Brooklyn. Jury selection and opening statements were both held on May 20, and Dali took the stand on May 21. The judge did not immediately set a sentencing date. Dali faces up to six months in prison, according to her sentencing guidelines. To date, she...

The City of Greater Geelong is converting the municipality's green waste into compost, which is then used to grow produce at the botanical gardens. This produce is donated to a local social supermarket to help feed those in need. Every month, Hamdieh Mohmmadi buys food from this Geelong social supermarket by exchanging vouchers for groceries. “We save money for electricity, fuel and gas and home and kids,” explains Mohmmadi. Each year, across 57 of Victoria's 79 councils, around 750,000 tons of organic material are collected from green bins. By turning green waste into compost locally, the City of Greater Geelong is leading the way...

The beauty of the Scottish islands in the UK is world-renowned. The unspoiled nature of the islands is what draws many tourists here, but for some locals on Shetland, the sheer weight of visitors is beginning to take a toll. It’s putting pressure on local services such as transport and leaving residents unable to access other amenities. Many are fully aware of the financial benefits the visitors from the cruise ships bring, but it's a double-edged sword. The ships are a constant presence, and residents believe a balance needs to be struck. The Scottish government says it’s considering givi...

From arm stretches to gentle Pilates, a group of pensioners in Croatia are keeping active well into their later years. At the heart of it all is 95-year-old fitness trainer Djurdja Vukovic—still leading the way, and showing no signs of slowing down. Twice a week, she guides elderly women through a mix of light aerobics, stretching and Pilates—movements she’s honed herself over more than five decades. A former pharmaceutical engineer, Vukovic’s passion for movement began in 1964. She says she has made friendships that have endured beyond the gym. “For me, I found a haven here. … Because it’s not jus...

No Mow May encourages homeowners to stash the lawn mower each spring and let flowers and grass grow for pollinators and water retention. And if your neighbor’s lawn already looks like a wildflower field most of the time, it could be more intentional than passersby might assume. The movement has expanded to “Let It Bloom June” and the fall version: “Leave the leaves.” Conservation and horticulture groups say year-round low-mowing while selectively leaving native plants to grow can save huge amounts of drinking water and lead to lasting and impactful ecological changes. The movement is popularized by groups such as Plantli...

Two border collies named Hercules and Ned have quite the spacious office at West Virginia's busiest airport. The border collies and their handler make daily patrols along the mile-long airfield to ensure birds and other wildlife stay away from planes and keep passengers and crew safe. Hercules is also the chief ambassador, soaking in affection from passengers inside the terminal while calming some nervously waiting to board a flight at West Virginia International Yeager Airport. Chris Keyser, the dogs' handler and the airport's wildlife specialist, said preventing a bird from hitting a plane "can make a difference for someone's life."...

Mayor Eduardo Paes issued a decree in mid-May establishing new rules for the city’s waterfront, saying he wants to preserve urban order, public safety and the environment, as well as promote peaceful relations between tourists and residents. The new measures came into force on June 1, and they outlaw food and drink sales, chair rentals, loudspeakers and even live music in kiosks without official permits. Also, beach huts are only allowed to have a number rather than the often-creative names many are currently known by. Some have welcomed the move to tackle what they perceive as chaotic activity on the be...

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 wher...

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...

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 durabil...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 it...

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...

With Utah’s first-in-the-nation ban on fluoride in public drinking water having taken effect May 7, dentists who treat children and low-income patients said they’re bracing for an influx of tooth decay among the state’s most vulnerable. Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed the law against the recommendation of many dentists and national health organizations who warned removing fluoride would harm tooth development, especially in young patients without regular access to dental care. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. applauded Utah for being the first state to enact a ban and said he plans to direct the Centers for Di...

House Republicans want to set aside up to $5 billion a year for scholarships to help families send their children to private and religious schools, an unprecedented effort to use public money to pay for private education. The proposal, part of a budget reconciliation bill released in May, would advance President Donald Trump’s agenda of establishing “universal school choice” by providing families nationwide the option to give their children an education different from the one offered in their local public school. Nearly all households would qualify except those making more than three times the local median income. Supporters of private school...

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum described as "unfair" the decision by the Trump administration to suspend imports of Mexican beef cattle for 15 days due to the detection of screwworm in shipments. Sheinbaum, who has spent the past few months scrambling to offset tariff threats by U.S. President Donald Trump, said she hoped the suspension would not result in another economic blow for her country. "We do not agree with this measure," she said at her press conference. "The Mexican government has been working on all fronts from the very first moment we were alerted to the screwworm." The U.S...