Learning English from the News

8:07

Young people's mental distress is real, according to...

Learning English from the News ·

2026/09/30

An independent review into mental health has found a rise in mental distress among children and young people, with anxiety, depression, self-harm and eating disorders among the most common issues.Head of the review, Professor Peter Fonagy, says that accusations that young people are overly sensitive are wrong. He says it is now “harder to be young” due to challenges such as economic and employment uncertainty and problems caused by social media.Some are unsure about the new data as some of the

en

8:53

AI and trade: Will US and China agree?

Learning English from the News ·

2026/09/23

US President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping will meet in a summit at the White House this week for the first time since 2023, following on from a President Trump’s visit to China earlier this year in which a truce was agreed.Before the truce was agreed, both the US and China had imposed high tarrifs on products coming in from the other country. The truce will end in November and many experts say that the two countries will try to extend their truce and make more agreements on

en

8:25

Humans could lose control of AI systems, AI boss says

Learning English from the News ·

2026/09/16

Head of Anthropic, Dario Amodei, published an essay explaining how he feared that humans could lose control of AI systems. Following recent hacking incidents Amodei said that it is possible that AI systems could attempt to take over the entire internet.Meanwhile, AI experts have raised fears that AI systems could decide in future to kill all humans. These experts have said that the risks include: cyberattacks, biological warfare and disruption to economies.These statements have been criticised. Some

en

8:24

Man survives longest ever pig kidney transplant

Learning English from the News ·

2026/09/09

A transplanted pig kidney has worked inside a patient for a record nine months. Learn about this news story in simpler English with Becca and Phil.Get a worksheet for this episode to practise the vocabulary: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2026/260909Learn more English about the topic of health here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/topics/healthSign up to our weekly newsletter here for more ways to improve your English:

en

8:39

Nepal recovering from impact of flash floods

Learning English from the News ·

2026/09/02

More than 1,000 people have been confirmed dead after last week’s flash floods on the border of Nepal and Tibet, according to Nepal’s disaster agency.Almost 4,000 people are still missing. Rescuers are trying to reach hundreds of workers who have been trapped in a large network of tunnels at hydropower sites.Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah said on Monday that 279 people had been rescued from the sites.A key cause of the deadly floods is thought to be a glacier collapse in the Himalayas. A

en

8:34

AI hacking other companies by itself, causing...

Learning English from the News ·

2026/08/26

AI has been hacking other companies during tests, causing fears over safety. There’s been a series of hacks by AI software in recent months. A hack is when secure technology is broken into in order to steal data or cause disruption.The AI hacks have occurred during testing of security systems which have gone wrong. For example, in July, the company OpenAI said its AI models hacked a company called Hugging Face. OpenAI said it lost control of the models during a security test.Many people are

en

7:58

Meta on trial

Learning English from the News ·

2026/08/19

Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has gone on trial, accused of breaking state and federal laws around child privacy. The trial is expected to last around six weeks.The lawsuit has been filed by 29 US states, representing more than two thirds of the country's population. This is the largest of a number of lawsuits against Meta relating to child safety.This trial may require a payout of $200 billion in damages from Meta if they lose the case and the court could also force the

en

9:23

Europe's first solar eclipse since 1999

Learning English from the News ·

2026/08/12

Many parts of Europe will experience a solar eclipse, when the Moon blocks the light from the Sun, on Wednesday evening. It will be the first in Europe since 1999.Total eclipses are rare events but in the next few years, there will be a few. Following this summer's eclipse there will be a total eclipse in Egypt next August, and a third in Australia and New Zealand in July 2028.Looking directly at the Sun can damage your eyes, even during an eclipse. You can wear special eclipse glasses which block

en

8:19

Ceuta migrant crisis

Learning English from the News ·

2026/08/05

Around 60,000 migrants swam around the border from Morocco into Ceuta, part of Spain. Spanish officials said almost all those who reached the enclave have now returned, but at least 72 migrants died attempting the journey. Many EU leaders called for an urgent meeting, asking for the end of policies that could encourage illegal migration. But Spain says the problems in Ceuta are not caused by its immigration policies, and that Ceuta is not part of mainland Spain, so there was never a security threat

en

7:50

The end of PlayStation discs

Learning English from the News ·

2026/07/30

New PlayStation games will no longer be released on discs from January 2028, the gaming giant has announced. It’s owner Sony said that games will still be able to be bought in shops, but they would come with a digital code. There has been criticism of the announcement from some gamers online. But Sony says it has to adapt to consumer trends and a growing preference for digital downloads over physical discs. Learn English from the headlines about this story with Pippa and Georgie.For the full

en

8:23

Do people trust the news?

Learning English from the News ·

2026/07/22

Trust in news around the world is the lowest it's ever been since annual reports began in 2015.The 2026 Digital News Report, published by the Reuters Institute suggests that public trust in the news it at 27%, three points down from last year.For the first time, social media and video networks are, on average, more popular than both TV and news websites and apps as sources of news. The use of AI chatbots for news is also growing quickly.Learn English from the headlines about this new study.Test what

en

8:02

Is coffee good for your brain?

Learning English from the News ·

2026/07/15

New studies suggest that coffee can help our brain in many ways - one of which is preventing memory diseases such as dementia. Learn English from headlines about this new research.Test what you've learnt with a free worksheet about this episode:https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2026/260715Subscribe to our newsletter to get weekly tips and updates: https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u178220599If learning English from the news is useful for your studies, you should

en

7:52

Taylor Swift wedding

Learning English from the News ·

2026/07/08

Taylor Swift has married American football player Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Hear about this news story in simpler English and learn interesting vocabulary from the news headlines. Test what you've learnt with a free worksheet about this episode: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2026/260708Subscribe to our newsletter to get weekly tips and updates: https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u178220599If learning English from the news is

en

7:42

Venezuela earthquakes: Search for survivors continues

Learning English from the News ·

2026/07/01

The search for survivors continues after two strong earthquakes hit Venezuela. Hear about this news story in simpler English and learn interesting vocabulary from the news headlines. Test what you've learnt with a free worksheet about this episode: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2026/260701Subscribe to our newsletter to get weekly tips and updates: https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u178220599If learning English from the news is useful for your studies, you

en

7:49

Keir Starmer resigns as UK prime minister

Learning English from the News ·

2026/06/24

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has resigned. It's likely former Manchester mayor Andy Burnham will replace him. Hear about this news story in simpler English and learn interesting vocabulary from the news headlines. Test what you've learnt with a free worksheet about this episode: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2026/260624Subscribe to our newsletter to get weekly tips and updates: https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u178220599If you enjoy learning English from

en

8:21

US-Iran peace deal

Learning English from the News ·

2026/06/17

The US and Iran have agreed on an initial deal to end the war between their two countries. Hear about this news story in simpler English and learn interesting vocabulary from the news headlines.Test what you've learnt with a free worksheet about this episode: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2026/260617Subscribe to our newsletter to get weekly tips and updates: https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u178220599If you enjoy learning English from the news, you should

en

8:45

World Cup excitement and concern

Learning English from the News ·

2026/06/10

The 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico is the biggest ever. But concerns surrounding the cost of tickets, the impact of international politics and immigration policies, security, extreme heat and sustainability could also make it the most controversial ever. Learn English from the news headlines with Pippa and Georgie.Get a free worksheet for this episode to practise what you've learnt:

en

8:55

El Niño: What to expect

Learning English from the News ·

2026/06/03

The World Meteorological Organization said this El Niño is likely to strengthen over the rest of 2026, driving more extreme weather around much of the globe. El Niño is the name for a natural climate event where sea water temperatures rise in the Pacific Ocean near the equator. It creates unusually hot and stormy weather. Several forecasts from national weather agencies suggest it could end up as one of the strongest ever recorded – a possible so-called ‘super’ El Niño. Learn about this story and

en

9:40

Is social media 'the new smoking'?

Learning English from the News ·

2026/05/27

A group of senior doctors in the UK compare the harms of social media to smoking, not because it has the same physical health impacts, but because they believe it’s an important health issue that people need to take seriously. Learn about this story and learn some vocabulary from the headlines with Pippa and Georgie. Get a free worksheet for this episode to practise what you've learnt: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2026/260527. We have lots of

en

8:38

Deadly Ebola virus spreads

Learning English from the News ·

2026/05/20

An Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo was announced by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday. Ebola is a serious disease caused by a virus caught from wild animals and is usually found in certain parts of Africa. It spreads from person to person when you come in to contact with infected body fluids, such as blood, urine and vomit.Officials in Uganda reported that the deadly disease had spread in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The total ⁠number of suspected

en

All Episodes

Similar Podcasts

Edutainment Learning

Ralph Krauss

Daily Facts

Amalia Dupray and Montgomery Jones.

Les dents et dodo

BFMTV

Education Futures

Svenia Busson & Laurent Jolie

Out In The Hall

NHSA