#News of the world [Pre-intermediate] - By Cate - 18/05/2026

A quick glance at what's happening on Mother Earth 🌍

No country will remain untouched 😎
No celebrity or politician will remain safe 😅
Put on the earphones  🔈
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Improve your English 🔥

Ps: Cate rocks 🤘

Transcript

·       Hello, Cate here and welcome back to NEWS OF THE WORLD!

In World News…

A hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius is being closely watched by health officials.

An American and a French passenger have tested positive after returning home. Another American passenger showed mild symptoms.

Three passengers have died — a Dutch couple and a German woman.

More than 90 people have left the ship, while others remain on board.

Hantavirus is usually carried by rodents. Symptoms include fever, tiredness, muscle aches and breathing problems.

The World Health Organization says the risk of a major outbreak is low but monitoring and isolation continue.

Business News

Apple has chosen John Ternus as its new chief executive.

He will replace Tim Cook on 1st September after Cook led the company for 15 years.

Ternus has worked at Apple for 25 years and has helped develop products including the iPhone, iPad, AirPods and Apple Watch.

Under Cook, who didn’t come from a product or hardware background, Apple became one of the world’s most valuable companies.

Experts say choosing a hardware leader could mean Apple wants more innovation, especially as competition in artificial intelligence grows.

The challenge now is finding the company’s next big idea.

Entertainment

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have settled their legal dispute over the making of It Ends With Us.

Lively accused Baldoni of misconduct and of trying to damage her reputation. He denied the claims and filed a counter-lawsuit.

The case revealed private messages and created a lot of attention in Hollywood.

Now both sides have reached an agreement before the trial.

In a joint statement, they said the film remains important to them and that workplaces should be safe and respectful.

The settlement means both can now move forward. If you haven’t seen the film, I recommend it.

Sport

Ahead of the French Open in Paris, players are talking about pressure away from the court.

Top names including Jannik Sinner have raised concerns about prize money and fairness. They will receive a lower percentage of the tournament revenue than in 2024.

For them, it is not only about money. It is also about feeling respected.

Fans usually see the matches and the trophies. But behind every performance there is preparation, expectation and pressure.

It is a useful reminder that great performance depends not only on talent, but also on support, environment and feeling valued.

Self-development

In Transactional Analysis, drivers are habits that often appear when we feel stressed.

Be Strong means handling everything alone and hiding feelings.
Try Hard means always pushing and struggling.
Be Perfect means wanting everything exactly right.
Hurry Up means rushing decisions, conversations and tasks.
Please Others means putting other people first to avoid conflict.

At work, this might look like staying late, checking emails again and again, rushing meetings, or saying yes when you are already overloaded.

The inner belief can sound like “I’m only OK if I do this.”

A good tip is to notice what is happening and pause.

Ask yourself: “What do I really need right now?”

Sometimes the best response is slowing down, asking for help, or accepting ‘good enough’.

Well, that’s all from NEWS OF THE WORLD for now. I hope you challenge your drivers today, and I’ll talk to you soon! Take care!