Japanese school 'forces girl to dye hair black'
31st October - "Easier"
An 18-year-old girl in Japan is suing her local government after her school told her to dye her hair black.
Australian Deputy PM disqualified over dual citizenship
29th October - "Harder"
Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has been disqualified from his governmental position because he held dual citizenship.
UAE will train a million people in coding
27th October - "Easier"
The United Arab Emirates is starting a new programme to teach a million people computer coding.
China ends ban on smelly cheese
25th October - "Harder"
China has reversed an import ban on several types of cheese that get their flavor (and distinctive smell) from bacteria.
Pollution is the world's biggest killer
23rd October - "Easier"
A new study has found that pollution is now the world's biggest killer. One in six deaths worldwide is because of pollution.
Big rise in self-harm among girls
21st October - "Harder"
There has been a steep rise in reports of self-harm among young teenage girls.
Potato shortage causes 'chipocalypse'
19th October - "Easier"
Potato chip lovers in New Zealand could be in for a big shock. New Zealand is facing a possible potato shortage in the next few months.
World's 'most useless' airport opens
17th October - "Harder"
The first scheduled commercial airplane has landed on the remote British island of St Helena in the middle of the South Atlantic.
Baby talk is a world language
15th October - "Easier"
A new study has found that mothers all over the world speak to their babies in the same way.
Women stranded at airport after cosmetic surgery
13th October - "Harder"
Three Chinese women were left stranded at a South Korean airport after immigration officials said their passport photos did not match their faces.
Study finds why children don't eat their greens
11th October - "Easier"
Everyone knows that many young children don't like eating their greens. A new study may have an answer about why this is.
Airline boss promises pilots bonus to keep flying
9th October - "Harder"
The boss of Europe's biggest low-cost airline has promised better pay to stop pilots leaving the company.
Nobel chemistry prize for molecule photos
7th October - "Easier"
The 2017 Nobel Prize in chemistry has gone to three scientists for their work on photographing molecules.
Catalonia workers strike for independence
5th October - "Harder"
A general strike in Spain's region of Catalonia on Tuesday brought large parts of Barcelona to a standstill.
Austria bans full-face veils
3rd October - "Easier"
A new law in Austria means there is now a ban on full-face veils.
Carrying the shopping makes over-65s stronger
1st October - "Harder"
There is new advice for older people to keep their strength up and live longer – carry your own shopping.
Botanic gardens 'best hope' for saving plants
29th September - "Easier"
Scientists say that many of the world's plants are in danger of dying out – of becoming extinct.
"Catastrophic" sleep is killing people, says scientists
27th September - "Harder"
New research shows that many people are not sleeping enough and that this is having a serious impact on health.
London bomber buys bomb parts from Amazon
25th September - "Easier"
U.K. police have said a man who put a bomb on a London subway train bought most of the parts for the bomb online.
Hotel opens in Taiwan just for gamers
23rd September - "Harder"
A new hotel in Taiwan has opened to cater to the needs of gamers.
Today's teenagers growing up more slowly
21st September - "Easier"
A new study says today's teenagers are growing up more slowly than previous generations.
Bald men are more attractive and confident
19th September - "Easier"
According to new research, men who are bald or going bald should not worry about their looks.
Written zero 500 years older than scientists thought
17th August - "Harder"
Scientists from Oxford University in England have discovered that the written use of the zero is 500 years older than previously thought.
Rohingya in humanitarian crisis, says UN
15th September - "Easier"
The United Nations has said Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar are facing a "catastrophic" humanitarian situation.
Cambridge University may end handwritten exams
13th September - "Harder"
The world-renowned Cambridge University is considering abolishing handwritten exams after 800 years.
New mummies found near Luxor, Egypt
11th September - "Easier"
Archaeologists in Egypt have found a tomb that has three mummies inside it. The ancient tomb is over 3,500 years old.
Hurricane Irma slams into Caribbean
9th September - "Harder"
A record-breaking hurricane is causing death and destruction as it passes through the Caribbean and heads towards the U.S. state of Florida.
Putin warns of 'global catastrophe' over N Korea
7th September - "Easier"
Vladimir Putin has warned that the crisis over North Korea could cause a "planetary catastrophe".
16 million children in need in South Asia floods
5th September - "Harder"
UNICEF has warned that an estimated 16 million children are in urgent need of life-saving support in the South Asia floods.
Why do people yawn?
3rd September - "Easier"
A new study from Nottingham University in the UK has found that yawning is contagious.
Irish TV station 'forced' to use Queen's English
1st September - "Harder"
Staff at Ireland's national broadcaster RTE are angry at being told to pronounce words according to the Queen's English.
New device can smell bombs and diseases
30th August - "Easier"
A Nigerian engineer and neuroscientist has created a revolutionary new computer that has artificial intelligence (AI).
Floyd Mayweather wins richest fight in boxing history
28th August - "Harder"
Floyd Mayweather has won what was billed as the fight of the century, and the richest fight in boxing history.
Google will check to see if you are depressed
26th August - "Easier"
The search engine Google will soon start a service that lets people check their mental health online.
Chile stops mining project to save penguins
24th August - "Harder"
The government of Chile has rejected plans for a billion-dollar mining project because it would disrupt marine life.
Jews in UK want to leave because of hate crimes
22nd August - "Easier"
Many Jews in Britain want to leave the country because of an increase in anti-Semitism hate crimes.
Binge-watching television causes sleep problems
20th August - "Harder"
New research shows that binge-watching television can adversely affect your health.
Man buys 5,000 people noodles for finding engagement ring
18th August - "Easier"
A Chinese businessman treated 5,000 people to a free bowl of noodles.
Smiley face emojis could hurt your career
16th August - "Harder"
New research suggests that using smiley face emojis in work emails could jeopardize your career.
Man swims to work every day to beat traffic
14th August - "Easier"
A German man has started swimming to work after he got fed up with commuting.
Trump fires up North Korea nuclear tensions
12th August - "Easier"
U.S. President Donald Trump has given North Korea another warning over its plans to fire its weapons.
Nano-chips may heal organs with one touch
10th August - "Harder"
The medical world sees another example of science fiction coming true.
Loneliness is becoming a big danger to health
8th August - "Easier"
New research suggests that loneliness and social isolation may increase the risk of dying early by 50 per cent.
Charity warns against uploading photos of children
6th August - "Harder"
A child protection charity is urging parents to ask their children for permission before uploading photos of them.
New NASA job – to protect Earth from aliens
4th August - "Easier"
America's space agency NASA has an exciting new job opening to protect Earth from aliens.
Man paints own 'no parking' lines outside his house
2nd August - "Harder"
A man in New Zealand has taken road traffic safety into his own hands. He illegally painted yellow parking-restriction lines on the road outside his house.
Mobile phone ban while crossing roads in Honolulu
31st July - "Easier"
Honolulu in Hawaii has become the first major American city to ban pedestrians from walking across the road while looking at mobile phones.
Debate over US military transgender policy
29th July - "Harder"
President Donald Trump's desire to ban transgender people from serving in the USA military has already run into problems.
London police given 1,000 acid attack kits
27th July - "Easier"
Police officers in London have been given 1,000 special kits to deal with acid attacks.
Alternate history of Singapore wins comics Oscars
25th July - "Harder"
A Singaporean graphic novelist has won three of the comic industry's equivalent of the Oscars.
Girl, 5, fined for selling lemonade
23rd July - "Easier"
A five-year-old girl in London was fined $200 by a local government in London for selling cups of lemonade.
Mechanic works 75 years to break record
21st July - "Harder"
An airline worker in the USA has broken the world record for the world's longest-serving airline mechanic.
Dirt is good for babies
19th July - "Easier"
It seems like common sense to most parents to make sure their baby is always in a clean place.
Water bears will survive until the Sun dies
17th July - "Harder"
A new study has revealed that a tiny, water-dwelling creature is likely to live until the end of the Earth.
House dust could make us fat
15th July - "Easier"
Scientists say house dust could make us fat. They say that people should keep their house clean if they want to avoid putting on weight.
Coffee drinkers may live longer
13th July - "Harder"
There is potentially good news for coffee lovers. Drinking three or more cups of coffee a day may help people live longer.
Scientists say life on Mars would be difficult
11th July - "Easier"
Scientists have discovered new things about the atmosphere and environment on Mars.
People now snorting chocolate to get high
9th July - "Harder"
A company in the USA has launched a chocolate powder that it says people can snort to get high.
Volvo will start making only all-electric cars
7th July - "Easier"
The car company Volvo has said it will start making all-electric cars. All new cars it makes from 2019 will have an electric motor.
Bank of England staff to go on strike
5th July - "Harder"
Workers at the United Kingdom's central bank, the Bank of England, have voted to stage a four-day strike.
Starbucks opens coffee shop with tatami in Kyoto
3rd July - "Easier"
Starbucks has opened a new coffee shop in Japan's ancient capital of Kyoto. It is unlike any other Starbucks in the world.
Great Barrier Reef valued at $42.5 billion
1st July - "Harder"
Australia's world-famous Great Barrier Reef has been assigned a monetary value for the first time.
World Food Prize goes to Nigerian banker
29th June - "Easier"
The president of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, has won the 2017 World Food Prize.
See the links below for earlier lessons.
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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