U.S. companies end ties with gun group NRA
27th February - "Harder"
An increasing number of companies are announcing plans to sever ties with the USA's National Rifle Association.
Airbnb enters luxury travel market
25th February - "Easier"
The online accommodation booking company Airbnb is going upmarket. It is moving into the luxury travel market.
NASA spacesuits with built-in toilet
23rd February - "Harder"
Fashion designers and clothing experts are wondering how a new suit might change their industry.
Black Panther movie breaks box office records
21st February - "Easier"
The new superhero movie Black Panther is breaking box office records. It is the highest moneymaking debut ever for a February film.
Household items as bad as cars for pollution
19th February - "Harder"
Everyday household items such as toothpaste, deodorant and perfume contain volatile compounds that help to cause pollution.
Woman thrown off plane for shouting at crying baby
17th February - "Easier"
A passenger on a flight in the USA was asked to leave the airplane because she complained about a crying baby.
American woman wakes up with British accent
15th February - "Harder"
An American woman has been diagnosed with the rare Foreign Accent Syndrome after waking up with a British accent.
Early humans were bad at drawing
13th February - "Easier"
An early species of humans who lived between 120,000 and 35,000 years ago were not as good at drawing as early modern humans.
Parents anger at $730 Armani school uniforms
11th February - "Harder"
Parents of a Tokyo elementary school are up in arms at being asked to pay $730 for their child's school uniform.
Monaco running out of space for millionaires
9th February - "Easier"
The tiny city-state of Monaco on France's Mediterranean coastline is having problems finding space for rich people.
Earth's magnetic poles are about to flip
7th February - "Harder"
Scientists have warned of the potential threat from Earth's magnetic poles flipping upside down.
Chinese women spend $30 million on virtual boyfriends
5th February - "Easier"
Chinese women are spending over $30 million a month on a dating app on which the partners are virtual boyfriends.
All New York prisoners to get free tablet computer
3rd February - "Harder"
All prisoners in the U.S. state of New York are to be given free tablet computers.
Japan makes banana with peel you can eat
1st February - "Easier"
Banana farmers in Japan have created a special technique for growing bananas with a peel we can eat.
Polish climbers in heroic Himalaya rescue
30th January - "Harder"
A team of elite mountain climbers from Poland made a hazardous night rescue on the 8,126-meter-high Nanga Parbat mountain in the Pakistani Himalayas.
'Nutella riots' in France after 70% price cut
28th January - "Easier"
There have been crazy scenes in supermarkets across France. Shoppers have been fighting and punching each other to buy jars of the hazelnut spread Nutella.
Centipedes eat animals 15 times their size
26th January - "Harder"
Centipedes use venom that packs a serious punch that can cause rapid paralysis and death in insects and small animals.
Japanese tourists call police over rip-off restaurant bill
24th January - "Easier"
Four Japanese tourists are very angry after a restaurant in Venice, Italy charged them €1,100 ($1,350) for a steak dinner.
Adolescence now lasts from 10 to 24
22nd January - "Harder"
Scientists have changed their estimation of when adolescence ends and adulthood starts.
Two Koreas to share flag for Winter Olympics
20th January - "Easier"
South and North Korea have agreed to use the same flag at next month's Winter Olympics.
Spain to replace USA as second most popular tourism location
18th January - "Harder"
Spain is set to replace the USA as the world's second most popular tourist destination.
Writing a to-do list may help you sleep faster
16th January - "Easier"
Scientists have an idea that could help us get to sleep faster. All you need is a pen and paper and write a to-do list.
Trump calls immigrant nations 'sh*thole' countries
14th January - "Harder"
US President Donald Trump has caused outrage worldwide after he reportedly made racially charged comments.
Bangkok street-food chef says no to international cooking honour
12th January - "Easier"
A street-food seller in Bangkok wants to give back a top international chef's award.
Nearly 600 volunteer to be absent father
10th January - "Harder"
A school in the USA asked for 50 male volunteers to substitute for absent fathers in an event called "Breakfast with Dads".
Japan's $3,000 wagyu beef bento lunch box
8th January - "Easier"
The new Tottori Wagyu Complete Cow bento box contains 4.5kg of beef and costs $3,000.
Online deliveries clogging up city streets
6th January - "Harder"
The huge surge in the popularity of online shopping is creating chaos on the streets of our cities.
Hollywood women fight sexual harassment
4th January - "Easier"
Over 300 women in Hollywood have joined together to fight sexual harassment.
2018 to be a great year
2nd January - "Harder"
The year 2018 is just days old, but already there are indications it will be a great 12 months.
2017 was UK's greenest energy year ever
30th December - "Easier"
The United Kingdom is doing a lot to increase its use of renewable energy. It is moving away from fossil fuels.
Certain smells take you back to your childhood
28th December - "Harder"
Scientists have found out why certain smells recall feelings of nostalgia and can recall distant memories.
Too much gaming is mental health issue
26th December - "Easier"
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that too much gaming is officially a mental health problem.
Singing in groups could make you happier
24th December - "Harder"
Researchers have found that singing in groups could have positive effects on reducing anxiety and depression.
'Selfieccino' is the new art in making coffee
22nd December - "Easier"
A cafe in London has started a personalized way of making coffee. It is a new form of barista art called the "selfieccino".
You are what you eat, say scientists
20th December - "Harder"
Scientists have cast new light on the effects our diet has on our mental health.
New plants can produce light in the dark
18th December - "Easier"
Scientists have created plants that glow in the dark. They are hoping to produce plants that can light up our lives.
Mysterious space object could be monitoring us
16th December - "Harder"
Scientists believe there is a possibility that aliens are listening to us on Earth.
Social media 'destroying how society works'
14th December - "Easier"
A former Facebook executive has said social media is doing great harm to society around the world.
Video of starving polar bear goes viral
12th December - "Harder"
A video of a starving and emaciated polar bear collapsing in Canada's wilderness has gone viral on the Internet.
Scientists find a bone from Santa Claus
10th December - "Easier"
Scientists from Oxford University in the UK believe they have found a bone that belonged to Santa Claus.
Trump says Jerusalem is Israel's capital city
8th December - "Harder"
Donald Trump has announced that the USA officially recognizes that Jerusalem is the capital city of Israel.
UN horror at slave trade in Libya
6th December - "Easier"
The United Nations boss has said he is horrified by reports of slavery in Libya.
Environmentalists call for worldwide ban on glitter
4th December - "Harder"
Scientists are highlighting the damage that glitter does to our seas, oceans and environment.
South Korea government to help people in debt
2nd December - "Easier"
South Korea is going to write off the debts of as many as 1.6 million people. The government wants to help people on low incomes.
Soft, robotic muscles 1,000 times stronger
30th November - "Harder"
Scientists from two of the USA's elite universities have pioneered a new method of creating artificial muscles.
France to try and end violence against women
28th November - "Easier"
French President Emmanuel Macron has started a new project to try and bring an end to violence against women.
Light pollution is taking away night's darkness
26th November - "Harder"
The amount and brightness of light from towns and cities around the world is at a high level.
Man to take rocket trip to show Earth is flat
24th November - "Easier"
An American scientist is going to try and prove his belief that the Earth is flat.
UK Queen celebrates 70th wedding anniversary
22nd November - "Harder"
The United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 70th wedding anniversary on Monday
Thousands call for Zimbabwe's Mugabe to resign
20th November - "Easier"
Thousands of people are in the streets of Zimbabwe asking for President Robert Mugabe to resign.
Apology after Japanese train leaves 20 seconds early
18th November - "Harder"
The operators of Tokyo’s Tsukuba Express line apologized for one of its trains leaving 20 seconds too early.
Millions more have high blood pressure
16th November - "Easier"
Millions more people around the world have high blood pressure.
Where do bugs like to live in your house?
14th November - "Harder"
Scientists have discovered where bugs most like to live in your house.
Lip-syncing video app sells for $1 billion
12th November - "Easier"
A Chinese media company has bought the hugely popular social video app musical.ly for $1 billion.
Malaria breathalyzer test could help millions
10th November - "Harder"
Scientists have developed a breathalyzer to test people for malaria.
Screen time before bed is bad for children
8th November - "Easier"
New research shows that it is bad for children to watch TV, tablet or mobile phone screens before bedtime.
Australia broadband network under attack from birds
6th November - "Harder"
Australia's high-speed, state-of-the-art broadband network is under attack from thousands of birds.
Hong Kong's poor live in homes smaller than prison cells
4th November - "Easier"
A new study shows that some poor people in Hong Kong live in tiny homes.
New Zealand to ban foreign home buyers
2nd November - "Harder"
New Zealand's government has announced a ban on the purchase of homes by foreigners.
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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