Breaking News English

Lessons from Mar 2015 - Jun 2015

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"Easier" = Level 0, 1, 2 and 3 (CEFR A2 - B1).
"Harder" = Levels 4, 5 and 6 (CEFR B1 - C2).

Disney bans selfie sticks at theme parks
30th June - "Easier"
Disney will ban selfie sticks at all of its theme parks around the world from July the 1st. The entertainment giant has become...

Holland ordered to cut greenhouse gases
27th June - "Harder"
A court in Holland has ordered the Dutch government to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least a quarter by 2020....

Taylor Swift pulls album from Apple Music
24th June - "Easier"
The U.S. pop star Taylor Swift has removed her best-selling album '1989' from Apple Music.

Online shoppers fooled by fake reviews
21st June - "Harder"
A consumer watchdog in the UK has reported that many Internet sites are full of fake reviews. ...

Jurassic World breaks box office record
18th June - "Easier"
The movie Jurassic World has broken box office records around the world. It is the first movie to make more than $500 million...

Zimbabwe's new currency is U.S. dollar
15th June - "Harder"
The central bank of Zimbabwe scrapped the country's national currency on Friday and started using the U.S. dollar....

Mobile phones in class lower test scores
12th June - "Easier"
There is bad news for students who like to use their mobile phones while they study. New research shows that students...

Sitting may be dangerous for your health
9th June - "Harder"
If you spend most of your days sitting at school, work, at a computer or stretched out on a couch at home, you may be....

India bans Maggi noodles in Delhi
6th June - "Easier"
India has banned one of the world's best selling brands of instant noodles. The noodles are the brand...

Beijing introduces tough smoking ban
3rd June - "Harder"
A tough new smoking ban has been introduced in China's capital city Beijing. It coincides with World No Tobacco Day....

Blatter boss of FIFA for 4 more years
31st May - "Easier"
Sepp Blatter has been re-elected as the president of FIFA. The 79-year-old beat his only rival...

Overtaking a big risk on the road
28th May - "Harder"
A new survey in Britain shows that one in seven drivers has had to take evasive action because of their own risky overtaking....

Farmers help ease water problems in California
25th May - "Easier"
The U.S. state of California is going through the worst drought in its history. Water supplies are now at dangerously low levels.

Record airbag recall
22nd May - "Harder"
Authorities in the USA are recalling a record 34 million cars because of safety concerns over the airbags fitted in them....

Prince Harry calls for return of military service
19th May - "Easier"
Britain's Prince Harry has called for the return of military service. This is when young people have to spend a year or two in the army...

Young Brits on Internet 27 hours a week
16th May - "Harder"
A new survey in Britain reveals that young people spend over 27 hours a week online. This figure has trebled......

Babies make husbands lazier
13th May - "Easier"
New research suggests that husbands do not do their fair share of work around the house. A study from the Ohio State University says that men who do an equal share of...

Spanish football suspended indefinitely
10th May - "Harder"
Lovers of Spanish football are in shock over the sudden suspension of all games in the country from May 16. This means...

Britain's new princess named Charlotte
7th May - "Easier"
Britain's Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have named their newborn baby daughter. The two royals are better known...

Aid struggling to reach needy in Nepal
4th May - "Harder"
A week after the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal, the full extent of the disaster is still coming to light....

Bullied kids at higher risk of mental health problems
1st May - "Easier"
A new study says that children who are bullied by other kids could have mental health problems when they are adults.

We need to prepare for the Internet of Things
28th April - "Harder"
A top technology analyst has warned that the world might not yet be ready for what is called the Internet of Things....

NZ PM in ponytail-pulling problem
25th April - "Easier"
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key could be in trouble after he pulled the ponytail of a waitress in a café.

Europe under fire for refugee policy
22nd April - "Harder"
The organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the European Union (EU) to act immediately on the refugee situation in the Mediterranean Sea....

60 is the new middle age, not 50
19th April - "Easier"
For the past 100 years, people believed middle age to be around 50 years old. This is when we start to grow 'old'.

High heels cause arthritis and damaged knees
16th April - "Harder"
Shoes with high heels are the fashion choice for many women around the world. However, a new study proves that wearing high heels...

Castro and Obama in historic handshake
13th April - "Easier"
Relations between the USA and Cuba took a step towards becoming more normal on Friday when the leaders of the two countries shook hands.

U.N. calls for help for Yarmouk
10th April - "Harder"
he United Nations has made a plea for humanitarian access to the besieged Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in the suburbs of Damascus....

More British people fixing their own teeth
7th April - "Easier"
People in Britain can now repair their own teeth. They can buy special dental kits in supermarkets to fix fillings and repair caps and crowns.

Jay Z restarts music streaming brand
4th April - "Harder"
Rapper Jay Z has restarted a music subscription site to provide a new kind of streaming service....

Arab League agrees to make Arab "army"
1st April - "Easier"
The Arab League has agreed to make a joint Arab "army" that could have 40,000 special troops. It will be a little like NATO.

World airlines change cockpit rules
29th March - "Harder"
Airlines across the world have begun putting in place requirements for two crew members to always be present in the cockpit. ...

London drivers face idling fine
26th March - "Easier"
Drivers in central London will soon face a $30 fine if they sit in traffic without turning off their engine.

600 students expelled for cheating
23rd March - "Harder"
Authorities in India's Bihar state have expelled around 600 high school students for cheating in their 10th grade examinations....

Money makes you a bad person
20th March - "Easier"
A researcher has made a report that says having a lot of money makes you a bad person.

Japanese government to play matchmaker
17th March - "Harder"
Japan's government is going to play Cupid in an attempt to encourage more couples to have babies. ...

BBC Top Gear star 'punches' producer
14th March - "Easier"
BBC Television has suspended one of its biggest stars for reportedly punching a producer.

Sportswear maker accused of sexism
11th March - "Harder"
An Indonesian sportswear manufacturer has had to apologise for a label on its merchandise that people deemed sexist....

U.S. circus to end use of elephants
8th March - "Easier"
One of the largest circus companies in the USA will soon no longer have performing elephants as part of its shows.

China tops US at box office for first time
5th March - "Harder"
China's box office takings have beaten those in the USA for the first time ever. China's movie theatres are now the world's most lucrative....

Cut music to an hour a day
2nd March - "Easier"
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is worried that 1.1 billion teenagers and people in their twenties and early thirties are damaging their hearing by listening...

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Lessons were produced every day between Nov 2004 and Dec 2005.
Lessons were produced at "easier" and "harder" levels between Apr 2005 and Aug 2006.
Podcasts started in Apr 2005.

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