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McKinsey and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have created a new partnership called the Amazon McKinsey Group (AMG). 

This group combines McKinsey’s business strategy with AWS’s cloud and AI technology. Many companies want to use AI and automation but struggle to get real results. AMG aims to solve this by using one integrated team to handle everything from the first plan to the final setup. They want to help large companies achieve outcomes worth $1 billion or more. 

Big Three consulting firms (McKinsey, BCG, and Bain) are known to be "CEO factories." Today, 36 of the top 500 U.S. companies are led by their ex-consultants—about 50% more than a few years ago.

While some leaders have struggled (Starbucks & Nike), data shows that companies run by former consultants generally perform better. Since 2010, firms run by ex-consultants saw a 677% return for shareholders, beating the S&P500 average of 584%.

In the late 1990s, Japan was a global leader in technology. However, twenty years later, its digital world feels stuck in the past. While Japan’s physical engineering—like its famous bullet trains—is still world-class, its digital services are often frustrating. Many tasks still require paper forms, fax machines, and physical stamps (hanko).

AI is changing how consulting firms like McKinsey & Company work and how they get paid.

After winning two medals at the Paris Olympics, Manu Bhaker encouraged students in India to consider sport as a career. She emphasized that sport offers a lot of experience and personal growth, which makes it a fulfilling and beautiful career. Bhaker also mentioned that sport involves a lot of challenges but it's important to learn from them and keep fighting to achieve your dreams.

Smartphones are now part of the global earthquake detection system. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) and Google developed an early warning system using data from seismometers and smartphones. Most smartphones have accelerometers that measure vibrations, which can help detect earthquakes quickly.

It was Koichi Takahashi's dream to create a sustainable society through recycling and regeneration. His dream came true when he built a company that turns food waste into high-quality pig feed. In his company, Japan Food Ecology Center, Takahashi made use of the popular Japanese practice, "fermentation".

Alain Delon, one of the most exceptional actors of all time, passed away at the age of 88 on the 18th of August after a few years of poor health. He was known for compelling performances in almost 90 films during his career. The French President, Emmanuel Macron, described the actor as someone who "played legendary roles and made the world dream". 

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have been on the International Space Station (ISS) since the 5th of June. They were supposed to return to earth after eight days but their Boeing's Starliner spacecraft suffered helium leaks and thruster issues.

Disney is expanding its cruise business by adding a new ship in Tokyo. The new ship will go on it's first trip in 2029. Families with children will be able to enjoy Disney activities and characters on the ship.

Currently, Disney has five ships and this ship will be similar to Disney Wish. It will carry 4,000 passengers and it's expected to cost between $600 and $2,000 per person.

Watch this video and discuss it with your teacher.

Japan's population has been decreasing for the last 15 years. In 2023, it dropped by more than half a million to 124.9 million because of low birth rates and high death rates. However, foreign residents increased by 11% to more than 3 million.

The government has tried to increase birth rates by allocating a $34 billion budget for childcare incentives. This is because many young Japanese are unwilling to marry or have children. 

Skateboarding became a part of the Olympics for the first time in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Amazingly, Japan's skateboarding team won three Olympic gold medals that year. After this, skateboarding became very popular in Japan.

The team is now bigger and ready to compete in this year's Paris 2024 Olympics*. As a result of their commitment, the young athletes have successfully blended traditional techniques with innovative styles.

The 19 year-old Japanese gymnast, Shoko Miyata will no longer be competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics as she was sent home for smoking and drinking alcohol. Not only is this a violation of the team's code of conduct, but it also goes against Japan's legal drinking age of 20.

Watch this video and discuss it with your teacher.

 

On July 1, 2024, Greece introduced a six-day workweek to reduce labour shortages and eradicate unpaid overtime. This law applies to industrial facilities and 24/7 services but it excludes tourism and food services.

While Greece sees this as a positive step, employee relations experts around Europe argue that the long working hours and inadequate rest will affect work-life balance and productivity. This decision is also quite a surprise because other European countries want to implement shorter workweeks.

Photographer Miles Astray submitted a human-made image "Flamingone" in an AI competition and won. Unfortunately when the organizers realized his photo was not AI generated, they disqualified him. Astray wanted to highlight the importance of questioning the authenticity of photos, videos and audios.

Following his disqualification, Astray had this to say, "I couldn’t live the life I’m living without technology, so I don’t demonise it, but I think its often a double-edged sword with the potential to do both good and harm.

Finland is known as the world's happiest country. The country has a unique work culture which makes going to work enjoyable! Framery, a Finnish manufacturing company is one of the many companies that builds this work culture by making these five phrases a part of their daily work ethic:

Moshitora, a Japanese word that had slipped into the background has re-emerged as Donald Trump returns to the campaign trail. The word moshitora which means "what if Trump", was first used during the 2016 election. It reflects Japan's concerns about the implications of a potential second Trump term for US-Japan relations. 

The story that had taken many twists and turns since March finally came to an end as Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud. He admitted that he stole nearly $17 million from the baseball star to cover illegal gambling debts.

Mizuhara also confessed that he evaded tax of more than $1million in 2022. He is yet to be sentenced, but it's said that he is likely to spend about 30 years in prison for bank fraud, and additional time for tax fraud​.