Egypt jails famous belly dancer for immorality
30th June - "Easier"
A famous Egyptian belly dancer has been put in prison.
Heaviest ever sumo wrestler gives diet advice
28th June - "Easier"
The world's heaviest ever sumo wrestler has given health advice to other wrestlers.
Arctic Circle sees highest-ever temperatures
26th June - "Harder"
Temperatures in the Arctic Circle hit an all-time record on Saturday, with the mercury topping 38ยบ Celsius.
Air bridges open to allow more people to travel
24th June - "Easier"
More air bridges are opening to allow more people to travel
Climate crisis threatens future of global sport
22nd June - "Harder"
Climate change will threaten global sports events over the next three decades.
Man fined $560 for farting at police
20th June - "Easier"
A man in Austria has been fined for farting loudly in front of police.
Free rice ATMs installed on Vietnam's streets
18th June - "Harder"
A Vietnamese entrepreneur has come up with an ingenious idea to help hungry people in Vietnam.
Three baby ducks hatch from supermarket eggs
16th June - "Easier"
A woman received a big surprise when the duck eggs she bought from a supermarket hatched.
UK economy shrinks by 25 per cent
14th June - "Harder"
The UK economy has suffered its worst economic performance since a mini ice age over 300 years ago.
Statue of Belgian King taken down after protests
12th June - "Easier"
A statue of a former Belgian king was pulled down by anti-racism protestors.
China and India agree to peace over border
10th June - "Harder"
China and India have agreed to resolve a border dispute that was a worrying source of tension between them.
Black Lives Matter protests take place worldwide
8th June - "Easier"
Black Lives Matter protests have taken place around the world.
Scientists discover the world's cleanest air
6th June - "Harder"
Scientists have discovered what they believe to be the cleanest air on Earth.
The Ford Mustang Mach 1 car is back
4th June - "Easier"
The U.S. motor vehicle manufacturer Ford Motor Company is bringing back its legendary Mustang Mach 1 car.
African Union condemns killing of George Floyd
2nd June - "Harder"
The killing of George Floyd in the city of Minneapolis on May the 25th has reverberated across the world.
No screaming in Japanese amusement parks
31st May - "Easier"
Visitors to Japan's amusement parks should not scream on rollercoasters to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Cuckoo completes epic 12,000km migration
29th May - "Harder"
A cuckoo has just completed one of the longest migrations ever recorded by any bird.
Woman wins $1 million Picasso in charity raffle
27th May - "Easier"
A woman in Italy has suddenly become the owner of a Pablo Picasso painting.
Car rental group Hertz files for bankruptcy
25th May - "Harder"
The car rental company Hertz has filed for bankruptcy protection in the US.
Crucible - Amazon's first major PC game released
23rd May - "Easier"
The online retail giant Amazon has released its first ever big-budget PC game.
UK colleges told to be truthful about online lessons
21st May - "Harder"
A regulatory body has warned universities and colleges to be honest about online lessons.
Bored penguins visit art museum
19th May - "Easier"
A group of penguins became a tour group for the day when they visited an art museum.
How Venus fly traps developed a liking for meat
17th May - "Harder"
New research sheds light on how carnivorous plants like the Venus fly trap developed a taste for meat.
Twitter employees can work at home forever
15th May - "Easier"
The boss of Twitter has told many of his employees that they can work from home forever if they want to.
Saudi Arabia to triple VAT to support economy
13th May - "Harder"
Saudi Arabia is going to triple the rate of the value added tax (VAT) it imposes on goods and services.
Over 19,000 pieces of stolen artwork found
11th May - "Easier"
Police from around the world have worked together to find lots of missing art.
Scientists say cold air rises
9th May - "Harder"
A study has found that there are circumstances in which cool air rises.
Giant hornets reach North America
7th May - "Easier"
There are some scary insects in this world. Few of them are as scary and as venomous as the Asian giant hornet.
Game of Thrones star smashes weightlifting record
5th May - "Harder"
The Game of Thrones actor Hafthor Bjornsson has set a world weightlifting record by lifting 501kg.
Aquarium asks people to video-call lonely eels
3rd May - "Easier"
An aquarium in Japan is asking people to help a group of eels that are getting lonely.
Sahara was most dangerous place in Earth's history
1st May - "Harder"
A team of paleontologists has uncovered what they believe was the most dangerous place in the history of the Earth.
Google Meet video conferencing platform improved
29th April - "Easier"
Google has improved its video conferencing platform Meet to be able to compete with other platforms.
Doctors warn against disinfectant as coronavirus cure
27th April - "Harder"
Doctors around the world have issued strong warnings for people not to use disinfectant to treat coronavirus.
New Netflix subscribers surge during pandemic
25th April - "Easier"
Netflix has more than doubled the number of new subscribers it thought it would get this year.
New York allows online lockdown weddings
23rd April - "Harder"
The governor of New York has signed a special order permitting people to get married online.
People want a different life after lockdown
21st April - "Easier"
Only nine per cent of Britons want life to return to normal after the coronavirus outbreak is over.
99-year-old man raises $25 million for health service
19th April - "Harder"
A 99-year-old war veteran in the UK has raised over $25 million for the country's health service.
50,000-year-old piece of string found
17th April - "Easier"
Archaeologists have discovered the oldest piece of string ever found.
U.K. leader thanks nurses for saving his life
15th April - "Harder"
The leader of the U.K. has thanked his country's National Health Service for saving his life.
1991 was the best year for music
13th April - "Easier"
A UK radio station conducted a survey and found the best year for music was 1991.
Paris bans daytime exercise
11th April - "Harder"
Paris has banned people exercising outdoors during the day to try and stem the surge in the number of infections.
COVID-19 could cut wildlife trade
9th April - "Easier"
The trade in wildlife could be greatly cut after the coronavirus pandemic has finished.
Manga exhibition is British Museum's biggest show
7th April - "Harder"
A manga exhibition proved to be the most popular show at the British Museum in 2019.
U.S. to encourage use of face masks
5th April - "Easier"
The USA could soon be encouraging Americans to wear face masks or scarves.
Computer translates brainwaves into sentences
3rd April - "Harder"
Scientists may soon be able to interpret what someone is saying simply by analysing their brainwaves.
Astronaut pee could help build moon bases
1st April - "Easier"
A new kind of concrete could be made with moon dust and the urine passed by astronauts.
Scientists find out why dogs' noses are cold
30th March - "Harder"
Scientists think they have found out why a dog's nose is cold.
Italy mayors scold people not following lockdown
28th March - "Easier"
Mayors across Italy are taking direct action to make sure people follow lockdown rules.
Numbers of black rhino on the rise
26th March - "Harder"
Conservationists have quiet cause for celebration over a rise in the numbers of the African black rhino.
WHO says young people also at risk from COVID-19
24th March - "Easier"
The World Health Organization (WHO) is warning young people all over the world that they are also at risk from COVID-19.
Canadians start 'caremongering' trend
22nd March - "Harder"
The word 'caremongering' started trending after acts of kindness in Canada.
The end of New York's pay phones
20th March - "Easier"
The end is coming for New York's public pay phones.
Louis Vuitton to make emergency hand sanitiser
18th March - "Harder"
Luxury goods maker Louis Vuitton will start making sanitiser to help fight the COVID-19 virus.
Coronavirus puts 50 million tourism jobs at risk
16th March - "Easier"
The coronavirus pandemic could cut up to 50 million jobs worldwide in the travel and tourism industry.
Sports events cancelled, COVID-19 fears over Olympics
14th March - "Harder"
The global spread of COVID-19 is playing havoc with sports events worldwide.
Amazon starts selling cashier-less technology
12th March - "Easier"
The online retail giant Amazon will start selling its cashier-less technology to any store or retail outlet that wants it.
Panic buying sparks toilet paper shortages
10th March - "Harder"
People worldwide have been emptying supermarket shelves of toilet paper over coronavirus fears.
Men start washing hands because of coronavirus
8th March - "Easier"
The spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus has made more men wash their hands more often, especially after going to the toilet.
Half of world's beaches could disappear by 2100
6th March - "Harder"
Rising sea levels could see the demise of half of the world's beaches by the end of this century.
Parents angry as COVID-19 shuts schools for a month
4th March - "Easier"
Japan and Hong Kong have closed their elementary, junior-high and high schools until April.
George Clooney 'saddened' over child labour links
2nd March - "Harder"
The Oscar-winning actor and director George Clooney has spoken about allegations of child labour.
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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