第八篇 Samsung galaxy-note-7

We may finally know why Samsung's Galaxy Note 7s 'exploded'

After exploding phones, fireproof boxes, lawsuits and open letters, Samsung has reportedly finished its investigation into what went wrong.

It's been one of the most discussed technological failures of 2016, but as the dust settles around Samsung's recalled Galaxy Note 7 smartphone, one question remains: what actually went wrong with the phones?

Samsung may finally have the answer.

The company has, according to The Investor, ended its investigation as to what caused the flagship phones to explode and has submitted its findings to the regulatory bodies, inluding the Korea Testing Laboratory and UL, an American safety organisation.The findings have not been made public yet but third-party investigators have been investigating the cause of the phone's fires too.

A manufacturing engineering company, Instrumental, thinks it has found the error, or errors, affecting the flagship phone.

According to Instrumental's teardown of the device, the Note 7's battery didn't have enough physical room for error. Samsung made the battery thinner, removing thickness margins, meaning the separators between the positive and negative layers may have been too thin, increasing the chance of these elements touching and sparking.In addition, Instrumental pointed out that when batteries charge, chemical processes cause the lithium to migrate and the battery to "mechanically swell". Usually, around 10 per cent extra space is required to compensate for this, but the battery in the Note 7 entirely filled its pocket. This increased the risk of 'explosion'.

The design wasn't completely reckless, though. Instrumental noted that the battery sits within a CNC-machined pocket, which will protect it from being affected by other internal components. "Looking at the design, Samsung engineers were clearly trying to balance the risk of a super-aggressive manufacturing process to maximise capacity, while attempting to protect it internally," said Instrumnetal's engineers.

http://www.wired.co.uk/article/galaxy-note-7-issues-what-happened

Structure of the Lead：

Who-no given

What-exploding phones

How-Samsung has reportedly finished its investigation into

Where-no given

Why-no given

When-no given

Keywords:

failures  故障

flagship  旗艦

 regulatory 監管

thickness  厚度

 margins  邊距

 lithium  鋰

     

第七篇 Islamic State

Islamic State retakes parts of Syria’s historic Palmyra

Syrian activists say the Islamic State re-entered the historic city of Palmyra in central Syria on Saturday, pushing back the Russian-backed Syrian army that expelled the group only nine months ago in a highly publicized campaign.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that the Islamic State, also known as ISIL or ISIS, "entered Palmyra on Saturday and now occupies its northwest. There is also fighting with the army in the city center," Al Jazeera reports. The observatory says the militants reached the city’s Tadmor Hospital and its strategically located wheat silos.

The activist-run Palmyra Coordination Collective also reports militants seized the city’s military warehouse and its northern and western neighborhoods after taking several government positions, oil fields, and strategic hilltops in the surrounding countryside in a rapid three-day campaign, the Associated Press reports.

When the Islamic State took control of Palmyra in July 2015, it destroyed several of the city’s famed ancient Roman monuments and executed its archaeological director.

The new advances by the group contrast sharply with its defeats in territory it held in Iraq as part of the self-proclaimed caliphate that straddles two countries. Iraqi troops, aided by a U.S.-led coalition, have pushed the militants out of key cities in Iraq and retaken much of Mosul, the group's last major stronghold in Iraq.

The fight in Palmyra comes one day after U.S.-led coalition forces announced U.S. warplanes destroyed a fleet of 168 oil tanker trucks near the ancient city in the largest such strike against the terror group's finances this year.

More than 20 aircraft were used to destroy the tanker trucks. The oil in the trucks was worth about $2 million, according to a statement.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/12/10/islamic-state-militants-re-enter-syrias-historic-palmyra/95257038/

Structure of the Lead：
who- Islamic State
what-pushing back the Russian-backed Syrian army
where- historic city of Palmyra
why-not given
How-not given 
When-only nine months ago

Keywords:
 expelled  驅逐
campaign  運動
Observatory  天文台
strategically  戰略上
executed  執行
archaeological  考古

第六篇 Barack Obama visit Cuba

Barack Obama: 'Change is going to happen in Cuba'

President Barack Obama is in Cuba for a historic three-day visit to the island and talks with its communist leader.
He is the first sitting US president to visit since the 1959 revolution, which heralded decades of hostility between the two countries.
Mr Obama said change would happen in Cuba and that Cuban President Raul Castro understood that.
The two leaders met to talk about trade and held a joint news conference.
Mr Castro denied that there are political prisoners in Cuba, telling journalists to "give him a list" and then they would be released "tonight".
He also defended Cuba's record on human rights and pointed to problems in the US.
"We defend human rights, in our view civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights are indivisible, inter-dependent and universal," Mr Castro said.
"Actually we find it inconceivable that a government does not defend and ensure the right to healthcare, education, social security, food provision and development."
Mr Obama said the trade embargo would be fully lifted in Cuba, but he could not say exactly when.
"The reason is what we did for 50 years did not serve our interests or the interests of the Cuban people," he said.
For decades, the US and Cuba were engaged in a bitter stand-off, triggered by the overthrow of US-backed Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista by Communist leader Fidel Castro in 1959.
The US broke off diplomatic relations and imposed a trade embargo.
But President Obama undertook two years of secret talks which led to the announcement in December 2014 that the two countries would restore diplomatic relations.
Since then, there have been a series of symbolic moments, such as the first formal meeting of Presidents Obama and Castro at a regional summit in Panama and the opening of embassies in Havana and Washington DC.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-35856126
Structure of the Lead：
who-President Barack Obama
what-visit to the island and talks with its communist leader.
where-in Cuba
why-for a historic three-day visit
How-not given
When-not given
Keywords:
 communist 共產
 heralded 先驅
indivisible 不可分割
inconceivable 不可思議

diplomatic  外交