Search The Website!

Contents: Dutch Ship Still Ablaze After Four Days Tour de France: Who Won? Quote/Word of the Day Today's only news is that a Dutch cargo ship is still burning after lighting on fire on Tuesday. One crew member has died in the blaze, but the rest have been rescued. The ship was carrying over 3,000 cars, and many people suspect electric vehicles to be the cause of the fire. At first, the crew members state that they tried to put out the fire, but it kept spreading. After they had been rescued, firefighters leapt into the scene and are still trying to put out the blaze. Officials say that the ship is still not safe enough to send a team in to salvage the cars that are left, and many are pointing the blame at EVs. Electric vehicles can easily catch fire due to the battery, and any kind of leak could start a massive blaze within minutes if it is among other EVs and gas-powered vehicles. Thankfully, no oil has leaked into the ocean due to the fire, and other boats are being directed around the flaming cargo ship to avoid incidents. Lastly, Sunday was the last day of Tour de France, the famous bike race! To figure out the winner (and some more information/stats), check out this article by Mihir Gupta! Quote of the Day (BrainyQuote): With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now. (Ralph Waldo Emerson) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Disavow- Disavow is a formal word meaning “to deny responsibility for.” A closely related second meaning is “to refuse to acknowledge or accept.”

Contents: Crane Collapses in New York City Typhoon Takes Aim at China After Battering Taiwan Tour de France: Who Won? Quote/Word of the Day Twelve people were injured in a dramatic crane collapse in New York City on Thursday, after the crane burst into flames. The crane was carrying about 16 tons of concrete to place onto the building it was working on when the operator spotted some smoke coming out of it. The arm of the crane soon became loose, and smashed into a nearby building before crashing to the ground moments later. Video footage shows the crane arm support giving out and the arm hitting a nearby glass tower, and then hanging from the top of the main structure. However, it broke free a few seconds later and fell to the ground, injuring nine civilians (which include construction workers) and three firefighters. Officials say that the fire weakened the crane arm's cabling, which caused it to break off from the rest of the crane. The street was quickly shut down and the fire was put out before any other damage, but a considerate amount of debris was scattered around the block. Thankfully, firefighters and police arrived at the scene quickly, treating any injuries and cleaning up the mess as fast as possible. On another note, Typhoon Doksuri is now impacting China after smashing Taiwan these past few days, with immense winds of 120 mph. Storm surge, strong winds, heavy rain, and flooding has knocked out power in many areas of Taiwan, with the rain sending flash floods through numerous cities and towns. The typhoon formed in the Pacific and passed by the Philippines, doing some serious damage to the northern section of the island country. Then, it moved onto the southern part of Taiwan, dumping heavy rain and bringing winds strong enough to blow a roof off of a house. Finally, it is hitting China's Fujian province, which is located in the southeastern corner of the East Asian country. The storm surge and winds will definitely be an issue, but the rain is the largest concern. Flash floods can wipe out entire villages in minutes, and they can wash away a year's worth of crops. The rain will quickly inundate areas with poor drainage systems, and could be life-threatening if it gets bad enough. Lastly, Sunday was the last day of Tour de France, the famous bike race! To figure out the winner (and some more information/stats), check out this article by Mihir Gupta! Quote of the Day (BrainyQuote): Laziness may appear atrractive, but work gives satisfaction. (Anne Frank) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Plaintive- Something (usually a sound) that is described as plaintive is expressive of sorrow or suffering.

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the armistice between North and South Korea, after a brutal war over territory killed over 3 million people The armistice was signed on July 27, 1953, and over 82,500 Chinese and North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) chose to return home, while about 50,000 POWs stayed in South Korea or traveled to other democratic nations. Now, let's dive into today's news. Contents: United States Federal Reserve Hikes Interest Rates Again Skittles Announces Crazy New Limited Edition Flavor Tour de France: Who Won? Quote/Word of the Day The United States Federal Reserve has announced yet another interest rate hike (a quarter percentage point) in an attempt to curb inflation, bringing the rates to a 22-year high. However, they have hinted that their last rate could come somewhere around September-November, so many Americans are very optimistic about how the rates could finally stop increasing. Due to sky-high inflation in the US, the Federal Reserve has been slowly raising rates to stop people from taking big loans, which will slow down the economy. In turn, this curbs inflation, which had been reaching unprecedented levels and was getting out of hand. Thankfully, the hikes are expected to stop soon, which could provide a relief for Americans with large loans. On another note, we have some crazy news for Skittles fans: a limited edition, new flavor is coming out! However, it is not one that would be expected- mustard. Skittles, the candy company, has worked with America's top-selling mustard brand, French's, to create mustard-flavored Skittles! Why exactly? On August 5, the US celebrates National Mustard Day, which Skittles is honoring by creating a flavor for it. The candy will have the tangy, mustard flavor with Skittles' signature chewy texture, plus a completely yellow coloring and package. It is very hard to get, though. You can only buy the limited edition flavor at the stops along the route of French's Mustard Mobile, which will visit the American cities of Atlanta (July 31), Washington DC (August 2), and New York City (August 5). The only other way to get the packages is to win them online. Visit this website to find out more! Lastly, Sunday was the last day of Tour de France, the famous bike race! To figure out the winner (and some more information/stats), check out this article by Mihir Gupta! Quote of the Day: Your beliefs don't make you a better person. Your behavior does. (Shukhraj Dhillon) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Stoic- Stoic describes someone who shows very little emotion especially in response to a painful or distressing situation.

NEW Contents: Canadian Wildfire Smoke Strikes Again Trader Joe's Announces Recall After Some Cookies Discovered to Contain Rocks Tour de France: Who Won? Quote/Word of the Day Smoke from the infamous Canadian wildfires is picking up again, with over 885 active wildfires burning across almost every single territory and province. The out-of-control wildfires are the worst in Quebec, Alberta, British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories, but the wildfire danger is the worst in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Northwest Territories. The smoke is spilling over into the United States yet again, with the air quality in the cities of Chicago, Minneapolis, and Detroit some of the worst in the world over the past few days. However, despite the thousands of firefighters fighting the flames, the blazes show no sign of letting up. On another note, the popular American grocery store, Trader Joe's, has announced a recall on their Almond Windmill Cookies with sell by dates of 10/19/23 to 10/21/23 or their Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies with sell by dates of 10/17/23 through 10/21/23. The cookies have been recalled because they have been discovered to contain rocks, and Trader Joe's has told consumers to definitely not eat them- rocks are not exactly the ideal ingredient in a cookie! Lastly, Sunday was the last day of Tour de France, the famous bike race! To figure out the winner (and some more information/stats), check out this article by Mihir Gupta! Quote of the Day (BrainyQuote): I never think of the future - it comes soon enough. (Albert Einstein) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Null- Null is a technical term. In law it is commonly used in the phrase "null and void" to describe something that has no legal or binding force. Null also has several zero-related meanings, including "amounting to nothing," "having no value," "having no elements," "having zero as a limit," and "of, being, or relating to zero."

Today, we have a boatload of news for you, so let's dive in. NEW Contents: Big Changes to Twitter: They've Arrived! Barbieheimer: Smashing Box Office Expectations Swimming World Championships: Breaking Records Tour de France: Who Won? Quote/Word of the Day As previously mentioned in yesterday's daily update, Elon Musk's big changes to Twitter have arrived. Twitter has been rebranded as X, and the famous blue bird logo has become the letter X. Also, x.com now redirects to twitter.com, and Twitter's parent company has become X Corp. In the social media company's headquarters in San Francisco, workers began removing the logo and name from the building. They managed to remove the first six letters of the name before being stopped by the police for "performing unauthorized work." Additionally, the massive blue bird logo was removed in the HQ cafeteria, and 'X' logos were projected across the building as the changes arrived sooner than expected. However, the changes are not just to the logo and name. Musk says that he plans to turn X into more than a social media network; it will feature other things like banking, shopping, and more. Unfortunately for Musk, this has not become very popular with the public. Twitter was founded in 2006 and introduced their blue bird mascot in 2010- since then, Twitter has become a "cultural phenomenon" (as quoted by some users), and even a verb! Now, after 13 years, we are saying goodbye to the famous, familiar blue bird, and saying hello to X. How will the change go? Only time will tell. On another note, the "Barbie" movie has smashed box office expectations, bringing in a whopping $155 million on its opening weekend. It has been the biggest weekend so far this year, beating Marvel Studios' "Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3" and Sony Animation's "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," and is expected to take the spot of the second-highest grossing movie of 2023 (after the Super Mario Bros. Movie, which made over $574 million after its debut on April 5). "Oppenheimer" also made its debut on the same day, bringing in an estimated $80.5 million in the US and Canada and another $94 million overseas. All in all, the dubbed "Barbieheimer" ended up earning a massive $337 million globally over the weekend, blasting past any other box office records for 2023. Also, American swimmer Michael Phelps' long-standing world record for the fastest swimming time for 400 meters was smashed on Sunday by a 21-year-old French swimmer, Leon Marchand. He beat Phelps' time by a huge 1.34 second margin, and was congratulated and given his gold medal by Michael Phelps himself. Marchand completed the 400 meters individual medley in 4:02.50 at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukoka, Japan, and dethroned Phelps after he had held the record for 21 years. Meanwhile, in the womens' championships, Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus also set a world record in the 400 meters freestyle with a time of 3:55.38, smashing the previous record by exactly seven-tenths of a second (set by Canada's Summer McIntosh four months ago). Lastly, Sunday was the last day of Tour de France, the famous bike race! To figure out the winner (and some more information/stats), check out this article by Mihir Gupta! Quote of the Day: You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. (Zig Ziglar) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Evince- Evince is a formal word that means "to display clearly." Someone who evinces an attitude, emotion, quality, etc., shows it clearly.

At least 15 people are dead and 19 others are still missing after a ferry sunk in Indonesia, injuring many more. About 40 people were onboard the ship when it sank off the coast of the island of Sulawesi, and a thorough investigation is in process to discover what caused the accident. On another note, Elon Musk is making another big change to Twitter, and it is not one that consumers like. Twitter is now officially being rebranded as 'X,' and the famous blue bird logo will soon become the letter X. Musk spent a lot of time tweeting about it in the past few days, and x.com now redirects to twitter.com, as per the new changes. The name isn't surprising, though, as Elon Musk has a long history with the letter X. His space exploration company, SpaceX, involves the letter, and he started a company in his earlier years named x.com, which then evolved into what we know as PayPal. However, there is still some speculation over what will become of the popular verb that refers to posting on Twitter, tweeting, and whether it will still be used after the switch. Lastly, Sunday was the last day of Tour de France, the famous bike race! To figure out the winner (and some more information/stats), check out this article by Mihir Gupta! NEW Upcoming Events (only on Sundays, gives events for the entire week): Shark Week- a week where the Discovery Channel airs lots of shark-related content (Sunday, July 23 to Sunday, July 30) World Hepatitis Day (Friday, July 28) World Conservation Day (Friday, July 28) International Day of Friendship (Sunday, July 30) Quote of the Day: Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold. (Maurice Setter) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Corollary- Corollary is a formal word that usually refers to something that naturally follows or results from another thing. It can also be applied to a thing that incidentally or naturally accompanies or parallels something else. In logic, it refers to a proposition inferred immediately from a proved proposition.

A heatwave has been scorching many areas recently, but the latest to take a hit is the eastern European country of Greece. In fact, this has been Greece's longest heatwave on record, and it shows no sign of letting up. A massive wildfire has forced thousands of people to evacuate on the island of Rhodes as the heat continues, and the smoke is suffocating the area as well. Over 30,000 people have been evacuated, and Greek officials have reported that at least three hotels have been damaged. The western side of Greece is also suffering from fires, and the smoke has also reached the capital of Athens, unfortunately. On another note, one man is dead and 48 others are injured after a mystery explosion in downtown Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa. The suspected gas explosion blew roads right off the ground and sent cars and vans flying multiple meters into the air. Officials are still investigating the situation, so there may be more to come in future updates. Lastly, for information/stats about Tour de France, check out this article by Mihir Gupta! Quote of the Day: The people who are crazy enough to believe they can change the world are the ones who do. (Steve Jobs) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Illustrious- Illustrious describes a person or deed that is highly admired and respected.

Today's only news is that violence continues on in Russia and Ukraine as Ukraine's grain warehouses across the southern part of the country took a big hit for the fourth day in a row. Russia first- controversially- announced that it would be cutting off the critical grain deal that allows Ukraine to safely export grain out of the Black Sea. In retaliation, Ukraine bombed the vital bridge connecting the Crimea peninsula to the Russian mainland. The peninsula was annexed in 2014 by Russia from Ukraine, and has been in its control since. Russia aims to cut off Ukraine's ability to export grain to the world, which could severely impact pricing globally. The missile strikes on southern Ukraine, including the port city of Odesa, have destroyed tons of crops, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Putin of trying to "destabilize the global food market." Lastly, for information/stats about Tour de France, check out this article by Mihir Gupta! Quote of the Day: Life is like a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving. (Albert Einstein) Word of the Day: Turbulence- Turbulence is a word that describes great commotion or agitation.

Smoke continues to affect air quality in both the United States and Canada as over 880 wildfires burn in the North American country. Officials say that of those 880, about 580 of them are out of control, with the most severe wildfires located in British Columbia, Alberta, Northwest Territories, Ontario, and Quebec. However, the areas currently most at risk are Northwest Territories, British Columbia, and Alberta, while Ontario and Quebec are at low risk. Two firefighters have died so far while battling the blazes, and thousands of people have been forced out of their homes. Over 24 million acres have been burned, and firefighter crews from all over the US are also going into Canada to help out. This wildfire season has been the worst in over 40 years, and it is on track to become the country's worst in history if they are not stopped. However, firefighters will also need some luck and the help of Mother Nature to stop these unpredictable, raging wildfires. On another note, Tropical Storm Calvin is approaching Hawaii, provoking a state of emergency for over 1 million people on the Big Island. Calvin is expected to mainly affect the south side of the island, dumping between 4 and 8 inches of rain and up to 10 inches in some spots- along with some strong winds. Landslides are also a concern on the tall volcanoes, and flash flooding could also be an issue. Thankfully, the storm has not intensified too much, is fast-moving, and is expected to stay a tropical storm. Lastly, for information/stats about Tour de France, check out this article by Mihir Gupta! Quote of the Day (BrainyQuote): We all have ability. The difference is how we use it. (Charlotte Whitton) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Dauntless- Someone or something described as dauntless is incapable of being intimidated or subdued, or in other words, fearless.

The world's largest office building has just opened, and it is larger than the US Pentagon. The building is over 6.6 million square feet and is located in Surat, India- where over 90% of the world's diamonds are cut. The Surat Diamond Bourse has completed the construction and officially opened the 15-story complex with 9 rectangular buildings connected to the 'spine' of it. It is built on over 35 acres of land and accommodates over 67,000 people, with 125 elevators which travel at about 3 meters per second. Also, the new headquarters for SDB has earned a platinum rating from the Indian Green Building Council, as it uses over 50% less energy than the maximum allowance. The United States Pentagon held the world record for largest office building for 80 years after it was completed in 1943, being built on 29 acres of land and has over 6.5 million square feet of floor space. However, this new building in Surat has just pipped it, making the Indian state of Gujarat home to the world's largest office building. Meanwhile, flooding continues to plague the region as an extremely rainy monsoon season hits northern India. The banks of the Yamuna River have been overflowing the past few days, but the water levels reached the Taj Mahal in the city of Agra for the first time in 45 years on Tuesday. Another area that has been particularly hard-hit is the Indian capital city of Delhi, which houses over 33 million people in its metropolitan area. Floods have inundated the entire first floors of many houses and stores, and cars have been completely submerged into the water. However, the rain shows no sign of stopping, and global warming will just make extreme weather events like this more common in the future. Lastly, for information/stats about Tour de France, check out this article by Mihir Gupta! NEW Quote of the Day: Logic will get you from Point A to Point B. Imagination can take you anywhere. (Albert Einstein) NEW Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Glom- To glom is to take or get something. Glom is most often used in the phrase “glom on to” to refer to taking something for your own use, becoming strongly attached to or associated with someone or something, or becoming aware of something.