Dutch railway to compensate Holocaust victims
30th June - "Easier"
Holland's national railway company is going to compensate victims of the Holocaust.
Kim Kardashian West angers Japan over 'kimono'
28th June - "Harder"
Kim Kardashian West has angered people in Japan after launching a new line of lingerie called 'Kimono Intimates'.
Team sport training best for all-round fitness
26th June - "Easier"
Training as part of a sports team is the best way to improve all-round fitness.
Zero-carbon power bigger than fossil fuels in UK
24th June - "Harder"
The UK is being powered more by zero-carbon fuels than fossil fuels.
'Cat-fox' found in France could be new species
22nd June - "Easier"
Wildlife experts have discovered an unusual animal that they believe could be a new species - a 'cat-fox'.
Facebook to launch a global crypto-currency
20th June - "Harder"
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to unveil details to create a new global crypto-currency.
Smartphone use could be changing shape of our skull
18th June - "Easier"
Scientists say that smartphones are changing the shape of people's skulls.
Tensions over oil-tanker attacks in Gulf of Oman
16th June - "Harder"
Tensions are rising in the Middle East over the latest attacks on oil tankers.
Anger as work starts on Machu Picchu airport
14th June - "Easier"
The world-famous Inca site Machu Picchu in Peru is going to get an airport.
Drones used to battle tortoise-killing ravens
12th June - "Harder"
Drones are flying to the defence of tortoises that are being killed by ravens in California's Mojave Desert.
23 million men married before they were 15
10th June - "Easier"
UNICEF has issued a report estimating that 115 million boys and men were married as children.
China's Huawei will build Russia's 5G network
8th June - "Harder"
The Chinese technology company Huawei will set up Russia's 5G communications network.
Cartoon character ban could come to candy bars
6th June - "Easier"
Candy and chocolate manufacturers in the UK may have to stop using cartoon characters on their products.
Scientists puzzled by flashes on the moon
4th June - "Harder"
Scientists across the world are puzzled as to why there are flashes appearing on the surface of the moon.
WHO says burnout is a medical problem
2nd June - "Easier"
Burnout has been defined by the WHO as a medical problem.
Anger at TV show with big age difference couples
31st May - "Harder"
A TV channel is under fire for one of its programmes that follows the lives of couples with a big age difference.
Scientists hope to find cure for snakebites
29th May - "Easier"
Scientists are hoping to find a universal cure for snakebite.
Alabama state sued over abortion bill
27th May - "Harder"
Two high-profile groups in the USA have filed a lawsuit to challenge the near-total abortion ban in the state of Alabama.
Japanese city asks tourists to stop 'sand graffiti'
25th May - "Easier"
A city in Japan is having a problem with sand graffiti.
Billionaire to pay off student debt for class of 2019
23rd May - "Harder"
University students receiving their diplomas at a college in the USA got the surprise of their lives.
Over a million call for Game of Thrones re-make
21st May - "Easier"
Over a million viewers of the Game of Thrones TV show signed a petition to get the final season to be remade.
Parents risk jail for raising children as vegans
19th May - "Harder"
Doctors in Belgium have stated that raising children on a vegan diet is "unethical" and should be a criminal offence.
San Francisco bans facial recognition software
17th May - "Easier"
San Francisco has become the first city in the USA to ban facial recognition software.
Doctors give better care in the morning
15th May - "Harder"
The quality of medical care you receive from doctors could depend on the time of the day you visit a hospital.
Cuba starts rationing food and other products
13th May - "Easier"
Cuba's government has announced that it is starting the rationing of food and other basic products.
Online store slammed for selling Auschwitz skirts
11th May - "Harder"
An online store has come under a storm of criticism for selling items with images of Auschwitz.
Garbage collectors start library with abandoned books
9th May - "Easier"
Garbage collectors in the Turkish capital Ankara are recycling the books they find in the trash.
Breakthrough in bio-printing of new body organs
7th May - "Harder"
Scientists say they have greatly advanced the possibility of being able to reproduce the body's organs via the use of 3D printing.
Japan university to hire non-smoking staff only
5th May - "Easier"
A university in Japan has said it will no longer hire teachers who smoke.
Could a friendly beluga whale be a spy?
3rd May - "Harder"
A professor at a university in Norway believes a beluga whale found in the Arctic Ocean could be a spy.
Japan has a new emperor
1st May - "Easier"
A Japanese emperor has abdicated for the first time in more than 200 years.
Anti-vaxxers blamed for 300% rise in measles
29th April - "Harder"
UNICEF has reported that measles cases worldwide have surged by 300% in the first three months of 2019.
Premier League footballers earned $3.7bn last season
27th April - "Easier"
Football players in the UK's Premier League clubs were paid over $3.7 billion last season.
Police arrest 1,000 Extinction Rebellion protestors
25th April - "Harder"
The police in London have arrested more than 1,000 protestors in the past week.
At least 207 die in Sri Lanka blasts
23rd April - "Easier"
At least 207 people have been killed and 450 hurt in separate explosions in Sri Lanka.
Hero dad saves baby son from wild dingo
21st April - "Harder"
A father in Australia is being hailed as a hero after saving his baby son from the jaws of a wild dingo.
One billion dollars promised to rebuild Notre Dame
19th April - "Easier"
People have donated over one billion dollars to help rebuild the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.
Japan starts nuclear fuel removal from Fukushima
17th April - "Harder"
Japan has started removing fuel rods from the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Name of new Star Wars movie announced
15th April - "Easier"
There is good news for fans of the Star Wars movies. There will be another episode. It will be the ninth film.
Astronomers release first ever photo of black hole
13th April - "Harder"
Astronomers have taken the first ever photograph of a black hole. It is located in a far, distant galaxy called M87.
Hidden camera in hotel room films family
11th April - "Easier"
A family from New Zealand had a shock when they found a hidden camera in their hotel room.
Hip-hop is the best music to mature cheese
9th April - "Harder"
Scientists have discovered that different genres of music affect the way cheese matures.
Huge 'Mission Jurassic' dinosaur dig to start
7th April - "Easier"
This year will see one of the world's biggest ever dinosaur digs. Paleontologists from across the globe will go to a special site.
Saudi capital city to get $23 billion makeover
5th April - "Harder"
Saudi Arabia's government has announced it will invest a whopping $23 billion in a massive makeover for its capital city, Riyadh.
Japanese women rebel against high heels
3rd April - "Easier"
Women across Japan are fed up with having to wear high-heeled shoes to work.
Passwords to be replaced by Web Authentication
1st April - "Harder"
It looks like login usernames and passwords are set to be replaced by a more secure system called Web Authentication.
Europe's cars to have speed limiters
30th March - "Easier"
All new cars sold in Europe from 2022 will have technology to limit their speed.
Paper books better than e-books for bedtime stories
28th March - "Harder"
A new study shows that paper books are better than e-books for bedtime reading.
Head teacher has to clean school toilets
26th March - "Easier"
Head teachers at schools in the UK do not have enough money to pay for cleaners or canteen staff.
Balloons deadliest plastic for seabirds
24th March - "Harder"
A study discovered that balloons were the deadliest kind of plastic for seabirds.
Business suits and ties worn less and less
22nd March - "Easier"
More and more companies around the world are telling staff they do not need to wear a suit and tie.
Cheaper rail tickets for Germany's women
20th March - "Harder"
Women in Germany will be able to enjoy cheaper rail travel on Monday.
Anger over Christchurch video on social media
18th March - "Easier"
People are angry because the video of the massacre at a mosque in Christchurch is still on social media sites.
Boeing grounds 737 Max aircraft worldwide
16th March - "Harder"
Aircraft manufacturer Boeing has grounded the entire global fleet of its 737 Max aircraft.
Inventor of World Wide Web says it must change
14th March - "Easier"
The inventor of the World Wide Web said he was worried about how people are using it.
Dog walking can be harmful for older people
12th March - "Harder"
New research shows that taking the dog for a walk can have its downsides for seniors.
Finland's government resigns
10th March - "Easier"
Finland's entire government has resigned. It wanted to pass some laws on social welfare and healthcare reform.
Kylie Jenner becomes world's youngest billionaire
8th March - "Harder"
Entrepreneur, social media star and model Kylie Jenner has become the world's youngest self-made billionaire.
Scientists gave mice night vision
6th March - "Easier"
Would you like to be able to see in the dark? One day this might be possible.
Satellites launched to provide worldwide Internet
4th March - "Harder"
A company has successfully launched its first satellites in a project aimed at delivering "affordable" Internet access to every corner of the globe.
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.
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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