Kashmir crisis halts flights to Pakistan
2nd March - "Easier"
Tensions are growing between India and Pakistan. Many people are worried that the two nuclear-armed countries are heading for war.
UN in record aid appeal for Yemen
28th February - "Harder"
The United Nations has launched an appeal to raise $4.2 billion in aid to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
School children go on strike for climate
26th February - "Easier"
School children around the world have been going on strike. They are unhappy that their governments are doing too little to fight climate change.
Karl Lagerfeld's cat set to inherit millions
24th February - "Harder"
News is emerging that Karl Lagerfeld's pet cat could inherit millions of dollars.
ISIS bride stripped of her British citizenship
22nd February - "Easier"
A 19-year-old woman who ran away from the U.K. to join ISIS has been stripped of her British citizenship.
Japan to recognize Ainu indigenous people for first time
20th February - "Harder"
The Japanese government has introduced a bill to recognize the country's ethnic Ainu minority group.
Going to bed early is better for us
18th February - "Easier"
Scientists have found that people who go to bed before 11pm may do better in life
Airbus to end production of A380 airplane
16th February - "Easier"
The airplane maker Airbus has announced plans to cease production of its A380 aircraft.
Dozens of polar bears invade Russian town
14th February - "Easier"
Polar bears on an island in Russia are scaring people in a small town. At least 52 polar bears have been seen.
Statue of Haile Selassie unveiled at African Union
12th February - "Harder"
The African Union has unveiled a statue of Ethiopia's Emperor Haile Selassie I.
Man sues parents for being born
10th February - "Easier"
A man in India is suing his parents because they did not ask him if he wanted to be born.
Russia planning to develop more missiles
8th February - "Harder"
Russia has responded to the USA withdrawing from an arms treaty by announcing it has plans to build more missiles.
We may be able to learn vocabulary while sleeping
6th February - "Easier"
A new study shows that we could learn vocabulary while we are sleeping.
EU angers UK by calling Gibraltar a 'colony'
4th February - "Harder"
The United Kingdom has objected to the European Union's use of the word "colony" to describe the island of Gibraltar.
Deadly polar vortex freezes mid-America
2nd February - "Easier"
Much of mid- and northeastern America is in the middle of a deadly cold snap.
China's Huawei rejects US criminal charges
31st January - "Harder"
A new diplomatic spat has broken out between China and the USA over the treatment of the technology giant Huawei.
Crocodiles moved from world's tallest statue
29th January - "Easier"
Workers in India are moving over 300 crocodiles from their home because they are too near a new tourist sight.
Slim people's genes help them stay slim
27th January - "Harder"
New research suggests that people's genes are key to helping them stay slim.
Germany thinking about speed limit on autobahn
25th January - "Easier"
Germany may put a speed limit on its world famous autobahn network of highways.
World's 26 richest as rich as poorer half of world
23rd January - "Harder"
The combined fortune of 26 of the world's richest people is equal to the total wealth of the 3.8 billion poorest people.
Fortnite more popular than TV for young people
21st January - "Easier"
The video game Fortnite is more popular than television, movies and streaming videos among young people.
Homes for sale in Italy for one euro
19th January - "Harder"
It sounds like a dream come true for anyone looking to get on the property ladder - a home for one euro.
China grows plants on the moon
17th January - "Easier"
For the first time ever, plants from Earth are growing on the moon.
Saudi teen welcomed as refugee in Canada
15th January - "Harder"
The teenage Saudi asylum seeker who fled Saudi Arabia two weeks ago has been granted asylum by Canada.
Macedonia agrees to change its name
13th January - "Easier"
The Republic of Macedonia has decided to change its name to the Republic of North Macedonia.
Mastercard removes its name from its logo
11th January - "Harder"
The world-famous credit card company Mastercard is removing its name from its company logo.
Eye tests available on your smartphone
9th January - "Easier"
There is new technology that means we may no longer need to go to the optician for an eye test.
China first to land on dark side of the moon
7th January - "Harder"
China has become the first nation ever to successfully land a spacecraft on the far side of the moon.
The USA and Israel quit UNESCO
4th January - "Easier"
The United States and Israel have officially quit UNESCO.
The year 2019 to be the best ever
1st January - "Harder"
There are reports that the year 2019 will be the best ever.
Japan chooses 'disaster' to describe 2018
28th December - "Easier"
The year 2018 is coming to an end. For some people it was a great year, and for other people it wasn't so great.
US government shutdown over border wall
25th December - "Harder"
The U.S. government will partially shut down over Christmas due to a lack of agreement the border wall with Mexico.
'Eco-warriors' blamed for UK airport shutdown
23rd December - "Easier"
A drone shut down England's second largest airport for 30 hours earlier this week.
Woman to catch up with men's pay in 200 years
21st December - "Harder"
There is still a long way to go before women achieve economic equality with men. Centuries, in fact.
Train drivers in UK earn more than pilots
19th December - "Easier"
Newspapers in England are reporting that subway train drivers get paid more than pilots, doctors, police officers and nurses.
New Sesame Street character highlights homelessness
17th December - "Harder"
The famous children's TV show Sesame Street has a new character to highlight the plight of homeless children.
Ninja to help promote tourism in Japan
15th December - "Easier"
Japan will use ninja to help boost tourism over the next few years. Ninja will help to promote the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
'Yellow Vests' protests to continue in France
13th December - "Harder"
France is experiencing social unrest it has not experienced for generations.
Japan prepares for many foreign workers
11th December - "Easier"
Japan is changing its immigration policy because it needs workers. Japan is an aging society. This means it does not have enough workers.
UAE passport world's 'most powerful'
9th December - "Harder"
The passport of the United Arab Emirates has risen to the top spot on the list of the world's most powerful passports.
Rare white reindeer photographed in Norway
7th December - "Easier"
A man from Norway has photographed a rare white reindeer calf - in time for Christmas.
Court says 'Kiwi' is not a racist term
5th December - "Harder"
A court in Australia has judged that the use of the word "Kiwi" to describe a person from New Zealand is not discriminatory.
Algeria is the new 'cradle of civilization'
3rd December - "Easier"
Scientists now believe that Algeria and not East Africa is the cradle of civilization.
UN declares reggae a world cultural treasure
1st December - "Harder"
The United Nations has officially recognized reggae as an "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity".
Work over 80 hours a week to change the world
29th November - "Easier"
Elon Musk, has said that people need to work over 80 hours per week to "change the world".
Dim the Sun to limit global warming, say scientists
27th November - "Harder"
Scientists have come up with a revolutionary new idea to save planet Earth from global warming.
DNA could decide whether you like coffee or tea
25th November - "Easier"
New research suggests that our DNA helps us to decide whether we prefer coffee or tea.
Michelle Obama's book best-selling of 2018
23rd November - "Harder"
The new autobiography penned by the former First Lady of the USA Michelle Obama has stormed to the top of the bestseller lists.
Conception to birth sculptures unveiled in Qatar
21st November - "Easier"
A new artwork has been unveiled in Doha, Qatar. The new artwork was created by the British artist Damien Hirst.
Elvis Presley gets Presidential Medal of Freedom
19th November - "Harder"
The legendary rock 'n' roll singer Elvis Presley has been posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
British Prime Minister battles to save Brexit
17th November - "Easier"
The UK Prime Minister Theresa May is battling to save the Brexit divorce deal with the European Union, and her job.
Calls for ban on sugary 'freakshake' milkshakes
15th November - "Harder"
The campaign group A health group wants to ban the 'freakshake' milkshake that is packed with 'grotesque' levels of sugar.
Posting selfies on social media can be bad
13th November - "Easier"
Using social media too much and posting many selfies have caused a rise in narcissism, according to a new study.
Colour photos to mark 100 years of end of WW1
11th November - "Harder"
New photographs have been released to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War on November 11, 1918.
Disgusting Food Museum opens in Sweden
9th November - "Easier"
The Disgusting Food Museum opened earlier this week in Malmo, Sweden.
U.S. re-imposes sanctions on Iran
7th November - "Harder"
The USA has re-imposed tough economic sanctions on Iran.
Lie detector tests at airports are coming
5th November - "Easier"
Several airports in Europe will start giving lie detector tests to passengers.
Babies of older fathers may be less healthy
3rd November - "Harder"
A study from Stanford University in the USA reports that babies of older fathers may be more likely to have health problems.
Sixty per cent of wildlife gone since 1970
1st November - "Easier"
Earth is losing wildlife at a faster rate than at any time in history. This is according to the new "Living Planet Report".
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.
2018
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2017
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2016
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2015
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2005
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