HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE ECONOMIST ON CHIPS CEI

The Economist this week Highlights from the latest issue ________________________________________ The Economist this week Highlights from the latest issue ________________________________________ WHO CAN LIVE WITHOUT DOMPUTERS NOWADAYS ? EVEN IF YOU DOBN T HAVE ONE, THEY HAVE YOU ________________________________________ Edward Carr Deputy editor The Economist was founded 182 years ago to further the cause of free trade. But even we acknowledge that some goods are special—and few more so than semiconductor chips. Entire industries depend on them. Weapons systems are built around them. And in the contest between America and China to dominate artificial intelligence they could be the difference between victory and defeat. Less understood is that chips also pose a fiendish test for proponents of industrial policy. Their manufacture is a marvel of specialisation, complexity and globalisation. Under those conditions, intervening in markets is prone to fail. What is America to do? Our cover leader this week begins with the parable of Intel. Despite lavish subsidies, America’s chipmaking champion is in grave trouble. An attempt to attract world-beating TSMC to spread from its base in Taiwan is faring better. However, although stronger chipmaking at home will make America more resilient, vital parts of the supply chain will continue to exist abroad. What’s more, TSMC’s factories in Taiwan will remain the single source of the best semiconductors for years to come. With something as important as chips, even the world’s biggest economy cannot afford to shut itself off from the world. highlights from the economist on chips ________________________________________ Edward Carr Deputy editor The Economist was founded 182 years ago to further the cause of free trade. But even we acknowledge that some goods are special—and few more so than semiconductor chips. Entire industries depend on them. Weapons systems are built around them. And in the contest between America and China to dominate artificial intelligence they could be the difference between victory and defeat. Less understood is that chips also pose a fiendish test for proponents of industrial policy. Their manufacture is a marvel of specialisation, complexity and globalisation. Under those conditions, intervening in markets is prone to fail. What is America to do? Our cover leader this week begins with the parable of Intel. Despite lavish subsidies, America’s chipmaking champion is in grave trouble. An attempt to attract world-beating TSMC to spread from its base in Taiwan is faring better. However, although stronger chipmaking at home will make America more resilient, vital parts of the supply chain will continue to exist abroad. What’s more, TSMC’s factories in Taiwan will remain the single source of the best semiconductors for years to come. With something as important as chips, even the world’s biggest economy cannot afford to shut itself off from the world.

PARENTAL LEAVE PROGRAMS WHAT ARE THEY DO THEY EXIST IN YOUR COUNTRY ? MONICA FUIN

Global parental leave turns 1 year Jul 4, 2025 3:27 PM CEST Watch One year ago, Sandvik began rolling out its global parental leave program, offering 14 weeks of leave with 90 percent of base pay to all employees. The benefit has become a success and is now implemented in 54 countries. Sandvik launched this gender-neutral benefit to offer new parents the opportunity to bond with their baby, and to promote work life balance and employee well-being. The worldwide implementation is now complete – an important milestone truly worth celebrating. “To be successful as a company, we believe it is crucial for us to attract, retain and develop our employees,” said Sandvik President and CEO Stefan Widing at the time of the launch. “With this benefit, we can improve work-life balance for new families and people whose families are growing, and that is import to be an attractive employer.” Positive response to the parental leave program One year after the launch, the parental leave benefit has been implemented in 54 countries and 105 employees have submitted leave applications. Canada, Australia, and India are the countries with most applications and 79 percent were submitted by male employees. The global parental leave has been very well received by employees. Stories from employees around the world “Parental leave gave me the opportunity to bond with my son and to help my wife, for example by cooking nutritious meals for her. Taking care of a baby is a tough job – but I love it! Overall, this experience taught me to be patient," says Haijiang Feng, Quality Professional, China. “One key lesson I learned during this period was the importance of being present and fully engaged with my family. ” “The time away from work allowed me to appreciate the small moments and understand the significance of a supportive family environment,” says Criziel Adzuara, Field Service, Philippines. “Being able to be truly present during the first three months of my son's life was wonderful. I will 100 percent recommend it to others,” says Christobal Alessandro Giordano, Parts & Pricing Planner, Chile. Parental leave podcasts Supporting families worldwide with new global parental leave benefit In this podcast episode, Nidhi Gokhale, Head of HR at Sandvik Manufacturing Solutions, highlights the new global parental leave benefit of Sandvik and how it supports employees across the globe. Supporting families worldwide with new global parental leave benefit A researcher’s perspective on parental leave In a new episode of the Meet Sandvik podcast, Dr. Richard Petts, professor of sociology at Ball State University and an expert in parental leave policies, joins to discuss the new global parental leave benefit of Sandvik. A researcher’s perspective on parental leave Do we have your dream job? We offer career opportunities in many different job areas worldwide. View all available jobs here.

GREENLASH from THE ECONOMIST

DEAR MATES ANA , OUR TEAcher told us to include any news on THE ENVIRONMENT I founbd this update and I ll share it with you MARIANA ALZUA B2 Read in browser JULY 31ST 2025 The Economist this week Highlights from the latest issue ________________________________________ ________________________________________ Edward Carr Deputy editor Welcome to what, in house, we have started to call e-week—when we produce a digital-only edition. Aptly for a paper- and ink-saving issue, the focus of this week’s edition is on the environment—in particular, the growing objection to policies designed to force down emissions of greenhouse gases. Many proponents of this “greenlash” do not believe that the strict net-zero targets are in their interest, or that they will bring benefits to anyone else. Some think they are being taken for chumps, paying good money to meet bad targets while businesses and people elsewhere are belching out carbon. Seeing an ever-more-powerful China emitting more than Europe and America combined makes resentful Western voters seethe. Our leader argues that, in the face of immovable politics, climate policy should instead focus on the art of the possible. That may sound flat. But a politics of new possibilities can put climate policy on a more sustainable footing, as well offering hope. E-week dishes up plenty of fare for readers to enjoy. Our cover package includes pieces on energy in America and Europe, as well as the once-greenwashing global firms that now pursue greenery in stealth mode—a phenomenon called “greenhushing”. We also have coverage of Iran after the bombing, the short war between Cambodia and Thailand, LVMH in crisis and the late Tom Lehrer. If you subscribe to The Economist you can enjoy all of this and more in our updated and improved app.

I.E.L.T.S. UNDERSTANDING ECONOMICS WHAT ARE BONDS .

STUDENTS OFTEN HAVE TO DEAL WITH ARTICLES ON ECONOMIC ISSUES AND THEY GET BOGGED DOWN SOMETIMES THEY DON T CLEARLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THE MAIN ISSUES ARE ABOUT THEY DON T THINK THAT THEY HAVE TO DO WITH THEM . THAT THESE ISSUES ARE FOR ECONOMISTS TY H E Y A R E N O T THEY DEFINHITELY AND ASSUREDLY HAVE TO DO WITH ALL OF US CITIZENS IN OUR FRIDAY CLASSES ON AUGUST 3RD AND 4TH FRIDAY AT 6.30 PM WE WILL BE EXPLAINING THESE ISSUES IN SIMPLE ENGLISH THEY ARE GOOD DISCUSSIONS FOR ALL OUR STUDEN TS THAT IS WHY WE CEI S TEACHERS HAVE DECIDED TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU

EARLY READING WILL EASE YOUR DISCUSSIONS IF YOU CHOOSE TO PARTICIPATE CEI S TEACHERS Faith and credit By German Lopez Investors consider U.S. Treasury bonds one of the safest investments in the world. But lately, they haven’t looked so safe. Their value has gyrated up and down. A previous fluctuation appeared to worry President Trump so much that he called off most of the tariffs he announced on “Liberation Day.” Bonds are basically I.O.U.s from the federal government. When the government needs more money — say, because it spends more than it collects in tax revenue — it sells bonds with the promise that it will pay buyers back with interest. If you bought a 30-year Treasury bond for $1,000 at today’s rate, you’d get back around $2,500 by 2055. The market for these bonds is opaque. Descriptions of it can sound as if someone is reading the glossary of an economics textbook. But as Trump’s reaction suggests, the bond market really matters, and it’s worth taking the time to understand it. Here’s what you need to know. What decides bonds’ worth? In short, demand. When people don’t want to buy bonds, the government has to entice them with the promise of higher interest rates — a bigger payout. And when people are hungry for bonds, the government can lower interest rates and still find buyers. Much of this depends on trust. Some people buy bonds expecting them to pay off over 30 years. They have faith that the federal government will be able to make good on the investment in three decades. U.S. bonds have been considered one of the safest assets in the world because the United States always pays its debts (even if it does so by selling more bonds). Why are bonds volatile now? Chaos: Investors want certainty when they put money into something; otherwise, they could lose it all. But Trump’s erratic approach to tariffs — he proposed, then delayed, new levies against the European Union over the weekend, for instance — makes U.S. policy feel very uncertain. So investors are losing faith in the government and now see bonds as more of a gamble. Debt: Another problem is that the United States already owes more than $36 trillion. By 2032, it will have more public debt as a share of the economy than it did after the Great Depression and World War II. At the same time, Republicans in Congress are trying to pass a budget bill that would add trillions more to the debt. Investors are asking: Can the government really repay all of that? Sources: Congressional Budget Office (historical); Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (projections) | By The New York Times The nightmare scenario That loss of trust could lead to a debt crisis. Bond buyers don’t all agree on a specific level of debt that goes too far and tips the nation into a crisis. But one day, investors may conclude that the government can’t pay its lenders. Then comes a spiral: People stop buying bonds, the government has to raise interest rates to find new buyers and then it owes even more money. Suddenly, the debt becomes truly unsustainable — too expensive to maintain or pay off. When might investors stop believing in America’s future? Nobody knows; it’s largely about feelings. But the bond market and its gyrations are clear warnings that the United States is on the wrong track.

2024 UK ELECTIONS

https://election2024.electoral-reform.org.uk/

CENSORSHIP by Eliana frenk

" I DON T WANT MY ENEMY TO KNOW WHAT HE WILL USE TO ATTACK ME " WHAT DO YOU THINK ? By German Lopez Good morning. We’re covering a lesser-known side of Chinese censorship — as well as emails to government employees, the pope’s health and a book to read. Marvel Rivals Marvel Chinese influence Marvel Rivals is one of the biggest video games in the world. Since its launch in December, more than 40 million people have signed up to fight one another as comic book heroes like Iron Man and Wolverine. But when players used the game’s text chat to talk with teammates and opponents, they noticed something: Certain phrases, including “free Hong Kong” and “Tiananmen Square,” were not allowed. While Marvel Rivals is based on an iconic American franchise, it was developed by a Chinese company, NetEase Games. It has become the latest example of Chinese censorship creeping into media that Americans consume. You can’t type “free Tibet,” “free Xinjiang,” “Uyghur camps,” “Taiwan is a country” or “1989” (the year of the Tiananmen Square massacre) in the chat. You can type “America is a dictatorship” but not “China is a dictatorship.” Even memes aren’t spared. “Winnie the Pooh” is banned, because people have compared China’s leader, Xi Jinping, to the cartoon bear. The restrictions are largely confined to China-related topics. You can type “free Palestine,” “free Kashmir” and “free Crimea.” Why does all of this matter? Video games are not just sources of entertainment; they are also social platforms. Every day, hundreds of millions of children and adults log on to games like Fortnite, World of Warcraft and, yes, Marvel Rivals to play together and hang out. For many young people, these games are as social as Facebook or X. China’s video game industry is growing. As it does, the country’s authoritarian leaders are setting the terms of how these social platforms work. Growing problem In Shanghai. Hector Retamal/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images China’s market, with hundreds of millions of potential customers, has long enticed game developers. But companies have to play by China’s rules to get in, and that means accepting censorship. (Other industries, including movies and sports, have faced similar challenges.) Until recently, this censorship mostly appeared in the Chinese versions of Western-made games. China deemed the military shooter PUBG too violent, so its developers reworked it. When someone shoots and kills another player in the Chinese version, the victim doesn’t exactly die; he kneels and waves goodbye before vanishing. As China’s game developers have grown and gone international, however, they’ve also exported their style of censorship. Last year, the Chinese developer Game Science released Black Myth: Wukong. It was a hit with Western audiences, and it became the first Chinese-made game to be nominated for game of the year at the Game Awards, the industry’s equivalent to best picture at the Oscars. But before the game’s release, a company affiliated with Game Science told people streaming the game that they should avoid talking about certain topics, including “feminist propaganda” and Covid. The problem stands to get worse. As China’s economy grows, Western developers will have greater incentives to release games there. China’s game industry is taking off and will continue to export games. Chinese publishers, such as the conglomerate Tencent, have also bought Western developers, and the Chinese government could push them to censor their games, too. Player pushback In some cases, consumers have pushed back against censorship. In 2019, the American developer Blizzard suspended a player from Hong Kong and revoked his prize money after he said, “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” at a competitive event. Many fans saw the punishment as Blizzard bowing to censorship so it could continue to sell games in China. The fans started a boycott and canceled subscriptions to Blizzard games. Members of Congress spoke out. Blizzard eventually reduced the player’s punishment and returned his prize money. Chinese developers are insulated from this kind of public criticism. But Western companies like Blizzard aren’t. With Marvel Rivals, Disney licensed its intellectual property for the game. Microsoft allows the game on its Xbox consoles. The Valve Corporation, based in Bellevue, Wash., hosts the game on Steam, the biggest marketplace for computer games. In that sense, the responsibility for censorship is shared by China’s leaders and the Western companies that play along. Related: I recommend reading The Times’s exploration of Metroidvanias, a video game genre that leverages mysterious, mazelike settings to evoke feelings of discovery and progression. THE LATEST NEWS Trump Administration • Elon Musk ordered federal workers to send an email detailing their accomplishments last week or lose their jobs. Some agencies, including the F.B.I. and the State Department, told employees to hold off. • At CPAC, President Trump celebrated his firing of federal workers and his attempt to purge the government of his political enemies. • Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, fired the top lawyers for the Army, Navy and Air Force. • Maine is facing a federal investigation after it refused to comply with Trump’s executive order banning transgender athletes from women’s sports. Its governor told Trump, “See you in court.” German Election • Germany is holding national elections today. Polls show the Christian Democratic Union, a center-right party, with a comfortable lead. Read what to know. • The nationalist, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party could finish second. A surge in youth support has helped elevate it. More International News Pope Francis at the Vatican last month. Andreas Solaro/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • Pope Francis, 88, is in critical condition but had a restful night, the Vatican says. Catholics around the world prayed for his recovery. • Israel delayed the release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners. It wants Hamas to commit to free hostages from Gaza without “humiliating ceremonies.” Both sides accused the other of violating the cease-fire agreement. • Austria is using geothermal energy to heat homes to wean itself off Russian natural gas. Other Big Stories

FOR OUR TEACHERS TO BE : A HISTORIC VIEW OF METHODS

DEAR TRAINEES If you have come across this web page it is probably because you want to train to become a teacher of ENGLIS as a SECOND LANGUAGE We will be working on the implications of each method that has been tired through times we will be saying why they worked or they didn t In the meantime , read this web page and send us your comments from your personal experience https://eflcafe.net/the-journey-through-time-a-historical-overview-of-english-language-teaching-methods/