Samsung Galaxy Note 7 explosions blamed on "aggressive" design           第8週      三星手機爆炸

Who: Samsung

When:  Earlier this year 

Where: Manufacturing engineering company
Why: Battery explosions
How: Performed a teardown of the device

Samsung is having some trouble identifying what went wrong with the Galaxy Note 7, which earlier this year was recalled due to a high number of battery explosions, but someone else believes they have the answer. Manufacturing engineering company Instrumental has performed a teardown of the device, and found that the battery simply did not have enough physical room for error.

The problem had more than one factor, the teardown found. A phone battery is made up of positive and negative layers, with separators to keep them from touching and sparking. In order to streamline the size of the battery and maximise space, these separators may have been too thin. Moreover, Samsung made the battery thinner, removing thickness margins.

When batteries are charged, they swell a little. Around 10 percent extra space is required, but the battery entirely filled its 5.2-millimetre-deep pocket, with very little space around the edges. Add the normal pressures of day-to-day handling, and the risk of explosion goes up.

“Looking at the design,Samsung engineers were clearly trying to balance the risk of a super-aggressive manufacturing process to maximize capacity, while attempting to protect it internally,” the teardown reads. “Samsung took a deliberate step toward danger, and their existing test infrastructure and design validation process failed them.”  When batteries are charged, they swell a little. Around 10 percent extra space is required, but the battery entirely filled its 5.2-millimetre-deep pocket, with very little space around the edges. Add the normal pressures of day-to-day handling, and the risk of explosion goes up.

“Looking at the design,Samsung engineers were clearly trying to balance the risk of a super-aggressive manufacturing process to maximize capacity, while attempting to protect it internally,” the teardown reads. “Samsung took a deliberate step toward danger, and their existing test infrastructure and design validation process failed them.”

Location:http://www.cbsnews.com/news/galaxy-note-7-explosions-caused-by-aggressive-design/

Keywords:
recalled:召回
battery explosions:電池爆炸
teardown:拆卸
device:設備
error:錯誤
layers:層
separators:分離器
streamline :流線型
maximise:最大值
infrastructure:基礎設施
validation process:證實過程
manufacturing:製造業

Nice truck attack: French police arrest eight more suspects                第7週  尼斯恐攻

Who: The French authorities
When: In Bastille Day

Where: At French

Why: Not given

How: Not given

French authorities have made eight new arrests in connection with the Bastille Day truck attack in Nice that left 86 people dead, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office.

The suspects detained on Monday were French and Tunisian, the office said, and had links to the attacker, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, who ploughed a 19-tonne truck down the Promenade des Anglais and into a crowd that had gathered for a 14 July firework display.

All eight men were arrested in the south-eastern Alpes-Maritimes region, which includes Nice.

At least five people already face preliminary terrorism charges in the attack, and are accused of helping Lahouaiej-Bouhlel obtain a pistol and providing other support. It was not immediately clear what the men arrested this week are suspected of.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack. French authorities say Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a Tunisian with French residency, was inspired by the extremist group’s propaganda, but they say no evidence has been found that Isis orchestrated the attack.

France remains under a state of emergency after the Nice killings and Isis attacks on Paris last year. The interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, said on Tuesday that the threat to France was higher than ever. He said about 300 people had been arrested in investigations into extremist networks so far this year, according to his office.

Also on Tuesday, authorities detained two boys, 14 and 17, in an investigation into a hoax hostage alert at a Paris church, the prosecutor’s office said. The false alarm on Saturday prompted a big police deployment and activation of an app-based terrorism alert system. A 16-year-old detained on Monday remains in custody.

The government is seeking financial compensation from the perpetrators for wasting security services’ time and money, and scaring the public unnecessarily.

Location:https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/20/nice-truck-attack-french-police-arrest-eight-new-suspects

Keywords:

authorities:當局

Bastille Day:法國國慶日

Tunisian:突尼西亞人

ploughed:著手進行

Alpes-Maritimes:阿爾卑斯濱海省

pistol:手槍

extremist group:極端組織

interior minister:內政部長

hostage:人質

custody:監禁

Japan earthquake: Powerful new tremor in Kumamoto   熊本地震 第6週

Who: Not given

When: In the middle of the night
Where: The southern Japanese city of Kumamoto

Why: Not given

How: A more powerful earthquake has rocked 

A more powerful earthquake has rocked the southern Japanese city of Kumamoto in the middle of the night, a day after an earlier tremor killed nine people.

The magnitude-7.3 quake hit at a depth of 10km (six miles) at 01:25 on Saturday (15:25 GMT on Friday) in Kyushu region. At least three people died and hundreds were injured.

In one town near the coast, the city hall has been so badly damaged there are fears it could collapse. A hospital has been evacuated because it is no longer safe.

Thousands of people have fled on to the streets and into parks - where they are huddled under blankets looking dazed and afraid, our correspondent says.

But there are numerous reports of people trapped inside buildings, including at least 60 inside an old people's home.

That quake sparked a huge tsunami and nuclear meltdown at a power plant in Fukushima.

Most of those who died in Thursday's quake were in the town of Mashiki where an apartment building collapsed and many houses were damaged.

More than 1,000 people were injured.


Some 40,000 people had initially fled their homes, with many of those closest to the epicentre spending the night outside, as more than 130 aftershocks had hit the area.


Location:http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36059487

Key words:

magnitude-7.3 quake :震級7.3
Kyushu:九州
evacuated:疏散
huddled:擁擠
tsunami:海嘯
nuclear meltdown:核能外洩
power plant:發電廠
Fukushima:福島
Mashiki:益城町
epicentre:震央

Elon Musk spacex rocket landing

Spacex火箭著陸  第5週

Who:The epic rocket

When:April 8
Where:Not given

Why:Humanity's march out into the cosmos
How:Landing SpaceX

The epic rocket landing SpaceX pulled off today (April 8) is a big step forward in humanity's march out into the cosmos, company founder and CEO Elon Musk said.

SpaceX managed to land the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket on a robotic "drone ship" in the Atlantic Ocean during the successful launch of the company's uncrewed Dragon cargo capsule toward the International Space Station from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station this afternoon.

The first-of-its-kind touchdown is an important milestone in SpaceX's quest to develop completely reusable rockets, which Musk has said could revolutionize spaceflight by reducing launch costs by a factor of 100. 

"I think it's another step toward the stars," Musk said during a post-launch press briefing today. "In order for us to really open up access to space, we've got to achieve full and rapid reusability. And to be able to do that for the primary rocket booster is going to [have] a huge impact on cost."

SpaceX has landed a Falcon 9 first stage once before, bringing the booster back on dry land at Cape Canaveral during a satellite launch this past December. But today's touchdown was the first successful drone-ship landing after four near-misses; similar attempts in January 2015, April 2015, January 2016 and March 2016 ended with the rocket hitting the drone ship but then toppling over and exploding on its deck.

"The rocket landed instead of putting a hole in the ship or tipping over, so we're really excited about that," Musk said today.

SpaceX would ideally like to land all of its rockets on terra firma, because doing so streamlines the testing and reflight processes significantly. But boosters on certain missions cannot carry enough fuel to make it all the way back to land, so it's important to be proficient at ocean landings as well, Musk said.

Location:http://www.space.com/32520-spacex-rocket-landing-step-to-stars-elon-musk.html

Key words:

cosmos:宇宙
uncrewed:鬆開
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station:卡納維拉爾角空軍基地
milestone:里程碑
spaceflight:宇宙飛航
terra firma:穩固地基
streamlines:流線

Leonardo DiCaprio

李奧納多 第四周  

Who:Leonardo DiCaprio 

When:In 1998

Where:Not given

Why:To support organizations and initiatives dedicated to securing a sustainable future for our planet.

How: He created the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation.

Leonardo DiCaprio is an actor, environmentalist and philanthropist.

In 1998, he created the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation to support organizations and initiatives dedicated to securing a sustainable future for our planet. Since that time, Leonardo has built longstanding relationships with some of the great leaders and thinkers on the planet, staying continually engaged and active on the most pressing issues we face – climate change, access to clean water, protecting biodiversity, oceans conservation and disaster relief.

In addition to WWF, Leonardo sits on the board of several organizations dedicated to these issues including the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Global Green USA and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). Over the last 12 years, Leonardo has worked strategically to shift public awareness on key issues.

Through his foundation, Leonardo has produced a number of media projects that communicate the urgency of the issues to the public, including two short web films Water Planet and Global Warning, which have been viewed by people around the world. He dedicated half of his website (www.leonardodicaprio.org) to environmental news and content and is now building his social media channels in an effort to reach the public more directly.

In 2007 (after 4 years of development), he released his first feature length documentary, The 11th Hour, a hard hitting and inspiring film that features over 50 of the worlds leading experts on environmental issues and the exciting solutions that can save our planet and humanity.

DiCaprio is an award-winning actor and a three-time Academy Award® nominee, starring in movies such as Inception, Blood Diamond and the Oscar®-winning Best Picture, The Departed. In addition to his acting work, DiCaprio created his own production company, Appian Way. Under the Appian Way banner, he wrote, produced and narrated the acclaimed environmentally themed documentary The 11th Hour.

Location:http://www.worldwildlife.org/leaders/leonardo-dicaprio

Key words:

environmentalist: 環保大使

 philanthropist: 慈善家

 oceans conservation: 海洋保護

disaster relief: 賑災

Natural Resources Defense Council : 自然資源保護協會

International Fund for Animal Welfare:國際愛護動物基金會

 Water Planet: 水行星

Global Warning: 全球暖化

Academy Award®: 學院獎

Oscar®: 奧斯卡獎

Charlie Hebdo: Gun attack on French magazine kills 12

Who:Gunmen 
When:Not given 
Where:At French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo 
Why:Not given
How:An apparent militant Islamist attack.

Gunmen have shot dead 12 people at the Paris office of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in an apparent militant Islamist attack.


Four of the magazine's well-known cartoonists, including its editor, were among those killed, as well as two police officers.


A major police operation is under way to find three gunmen who fled by car.


President Francois Hollande said there was no doubt it had been a terrorist attack "of exceptional barbarity".


It is believed to be the deadliest attack in France since 1961, when right-wingers who wanted to keep Algeria French bombed a train, killing 28 people.


The masked attackers opened fire with assault rifles in the office and exchanged shots with police in the street outside before escaping by car. They later abandoned the car in Rue de Meaux, northern Paris, where they hijacked a second car.


Witnesses said they heard the gunmen shouting "We have avenged the Prophet Muhammad" and "God is Great" in Arabic ("Allahu Akbar").


The number of attackers was initially reported to be two, but French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve later said security services were hunting three "criminals". He said that Paris had been placed on the highest alert.


French media have named the three other cartoonists killed in the attack as Cabu, Tignous and Wolinski, as well as Charlie Hebdo contributor and French economist Bernard Maris.


The attack took place during the magazine's daily editorial meeting.
At least four people were critically wounded in the attack.


Location:http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30710883


Key Words:

satirical magazine:諷刺雜誌
barbarity:野蠻
assault rifles:突擊步槍
hijacked:被劫持
Prophet Muhammad:先知穆罕默德
highest alert:最高警戒

European refugee problem

Who:Migrants and refugees
When:Not given
Where:Middle East and Africa
Why:Pushed by civil war and terror and pulled by the promise of a better life
How:Not given

Europe is experiencing one of the most significant influxes of migrants and refugees in its history. Pushed by civil war and terror and pulled by the promise of a better life, huge numbers of people have fled the Middle East and Africa, risking their lives along the way.


More than a million migrants and refugees crossed into Europe in 2015, compared with just 280,000 the year before. The scale of the crisis continues, with more than 135,000 people arriving in the first two months of 2016.


Among the forces driving people to make the dangerous journey are the conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. The vast majority - more than 80% - of those who reached Europe by boat in 2015 came from those three countries.


Poverty, human rights abuses and deteriorating security are also prompting people to set out from countries such as Eritrea, Pakistan, Morocco, Iran and Somalia in the hope of a new life in somewhere like Germany, Sweden or the UK.


But as European countries struggle with the mass movement of people, some have tightened border controls. This has left tens of thousands of migrants stranded in Greece, raising fears of a humanitarian crisis.




Location:http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-24583286



Key words:
influxes of migrants and refugees: 移民和難民的湧入
deteriorating security:安全日益惡化
tightened border controls:加強邊境管制

US Lawmakers Meet With Aung San Suu Kyi, Speak Out on Myanmar Sanctions


Who:Aung San Suu Kyi and U.S lawmarkers
Where:In U.S
When:On Thursday 
 How:To lift economic sanctions on the country formerly known as Burma.



U.S. lawmakers met Thursday with Myanmar’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and expressed mixed reactions to President Barack Obama’s intention to lift economic sanctions on the country formerly known as Burma.


Aung San Suu Kyi held separate talks with prominent House and Senate members of both parties at the Capitol. Sanctions played prominently in the discussions, according to several lawmakers who spoke with VOA afterward.


“The message was clear, that Burma’s a different country today than it was when those sanctions were imposed,” said Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee.


Cardin stressed that America’s attention is still needed in Myanmar, but that U.S. influence can be exerted more with carrots than sticks.

“There is a continued role for the United States, but it’s going to be in a much more positive way,” he said.

“The president acted unilaterally [lifting sanctions] in a way that was unfortunate,” said Republican Cory Gardner, chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific. 

“There are a number of concerns with military involvement and crony business operatives participating in illicit activities that warrant continued sanctioning."

“We should make sure that the military doesn’t have access to ways to enrich itself, as it has been for decades, and to make sure that we continue to provide leverage against the bad actors who have created so much difficulty for the people of Burma,” Gardner added.

Location: http://www.voanews.com/a/suu-kyi-meets-with-congressional-leaders-after-talks-with-obama-on-lifting-sanctions/3510132.html

Key words: 

VOA( Voice of America) : 美國之音

carrots than sticks:軟硬兼施

unilaterally [lifting sanctions]:單方面貿易制裁

illicit activities :非法活動