In this English language podcast we talk about ping pong.
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Streetwise English

SWE22 I Love Ping Pong!

If you have a bad experience at a restaurant or hotel, what do you do? Do you tell the staff? Do you ask them to apologize — maybe even ask them to give you something for free?

Or do you maybe just say nothing, go online, and write a bad review about the place? Then others might see your review, and decide to go somewhere else.

If you're in Italy, however, soon you may not be able to leave a bad review without being able to prove that you had a bad experience.

In a new law being proposed by the country's government, review websites like TripAdvisor will need to make sure that the people leaving reviews have actually visited the places they're reviewing.

The law, which would be the first of its kind in Europe, would require reviewers to be verified with an ID, and show proof that they had been to the place not more than two weeks before their review.

It's already against the law to leave fake reviews in Italy, but it's not always easy to know which reviews are fake. This law would make sure that the reviewer has, at least, visited the place.

The law would also let businesses ask for bad reviews to be removed after two years if they can show that the problem mentioned in the review has been fixed.

The idea is to protect businesses and make sure reviews are honest — which also means people like influencers won't be able to be paid to leave positive reviews.

In fact, many people who agree with the law believe it should extend to all social media, not just review websites, because with so many influencers being paid by companies online, it's not always easy to know which reviews are honest.

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Leaving a Review in Italy? You May Need to Prove It's True

In an executive order signed on January 20, President Donald Trump instructed the US attorney general to pause enforcement of the US ban on TikTok for 75 days while his administration decides the platform's future.

US officials and lawmakers have long been concerned that TikTok's ownership by the Chinese company ByteDance poses a threat to national security. Under a federal law passed in Congress last year and upheld by the Supreme Court last week, ByteDance was required to sell the platform to an approved buyer by January 19 or face a nationwide ban.

On the evening of January 18, a few hours before the ban took effect, TikTok became unusable for US users. But it came back online the following day, after Trump said on social media he would order the ban to be paused.

However, Trump's order could face legal challenges because he does not have the power to overturn a law that Congress has passed and the Supreme Court has upheld.

Nevertheless, Trump's order will buy time for ByteDance and TikTok to figure out their next move.

Trump has proposed terms in which the US would have a 50% stake "in a joint venture" with ByteDance, but it was unclear how this would work.

Trump has also not addressed whether he will allow ByteDance to keep controlling the algorithm that controls what users see on TikTok. The algorithm is maintained by ByteDance engineers in China and is one of the main concerns among supporters of the law.

After the law was passed last year, ByteDance fought a legal battle against it for months. ByteDance and TikTok have not said whether they are willing to cut ties with each other within the new 75-day extension period.

On January 21, Trump was asked whether he's installed the app on his phone. The US government has banned it from federal devices due to concerns it could lead to spying by Chinese intelligence agencies.



Trump Pauses US TikTok Ban for 75 Days

Spain has said it wants to introduce a tax of up to 100% on property purchases for anyone from outside the European Union (EU) who is not a resident in the country.

That could mean a lot of potential buyers from places like Asia, the UK and the US being priced out of the market.

And that's exactly the idea.

Many Spaniards have said that they can't afford to buy property because of the number of homes being bought by foreign buyers.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez recently shared the plan, saying that in 2023, 27,000 apartments and houses around Spain were bought by people from outside the EU.

He said these buyers didn't purchase the homes to live in, but to make money from them.

Spain is a popular vacation destination for people around the world, and many like to buy holiday homes for themselves.

But other buyers put their properties on the short-term rental market, using sites like Airbnb.

This has meant that there are fewer homes for local people to buy. The shortage of properties in popular areas has seen prices increase, with many locals unable to afford higher prices.

Sánchez also said he wants to increase taxes on landlords who rent their properties with companies like Airbnb.

However, the prime minister's plans may not become law; for now they're just ideas.

British people who spoke to the BBC after hearing the news weren't happy with these plans.

Michele Hayes from Manchester, who has been looking at properties in Spain, said: "How many working Spanish people want to live in holiday homes in these tourist areas anyway?"

Spain Considers 100% Tax for Foreign Property Buyers

After 15 months, three Israeli hostages have left Hamas captivity as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold on the morning of January 19.

Dozens of Palestinian prisoners also walked free from Israeli jail as the skies above Gaza and Israel were silent for the first time in over a year, stirring modest hopes for ending the Israel-Hamas war.

The ceasefire deal, with an initial phase lasting six weeks, calls for the entry into Gaza of 600 trucks carrying humanitarian relief daily. Over the course of the deal's first stage, 33 Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity in Gaza will also be released in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Many Israelis stayed glued to TV screens to glimpse the three hostages — Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher — being released as militants handed them over to the Red Cross on a packed street in Gaza City.

In videos released by the Israeli government, the women were seen weeping and hugging family members. Damari raised a bandaged hand in triumph.

The military said she lost two fingers in the Hamas-led militant attack on October 7, 2023, that killed over 1,200 people and resulted in the abduction of some 250 others.

Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, crowds flooded the streets around 1 a.m. on January 20 as white buses carrying 90 Palestinian detainees — all women or teens — exited the gates of Ofer prison.

Fireworks erupted, and several men climbed atop one of the buses to raise Hamas flags.

All of those being released had been detained for what Israel called offenses related to its security, from throwing stones and promoting violence on social media to more serious accusations such as attempted murder.

Khalida Jarrar, one of the freed detainees, told The Associated Press: "There's this double feeling we're living in, on the one hand, this feeling of freedom, that we thank everyone for, and on the other hand, this pain, of losing so many Palestinian martyrs."


Gaza Ceasefire Brings Exchange of Prisoners and Hostages

Reducing the time we spend on our smartphones outside of work could help improve satisfaction and motivation in the workplace, according to a new study.

Spending less time on our phones doing non-work tasks like scrolling social media or watching videos could also have an impact on our mental health, researchers said.

A research team from Germany wanted to find out about easy ways companies could improve the motivation and well-being of their employees.

Almost 280 volunteers were put into four groups.

For one week, people in the first group reduced their daily smartphone use by one hour.

People in the second group didn't change their smartphone use, but did 30 minutes more exercise per day.

Participants in the third group did both of these things. And the fourth group didn't make any changes at all.

The volunteers took surveys about their work satisfaction, motivation and mental health before starting the experiment. They took the surveys again after the experiment ended, and then again two weeks later.

The researchers found that participants in both of the groups that reduced their smartphone use saw significant improvements in their mental health and workplace satisfaction. People in these groups also felt that their work-life balance was better.

And those in the first three groups — including the exercise-only group — all said they felt a greater sense of control over their lives.

The researchers said companies could think about encouraging employees to make small changes like these to their daily lives. When employees are happier at work, they're likely to be more productive, they added.

And the good thing for companies is that there's no cost to encouraging changes like these!