Learning English from the News

Learn the language you need to understand news stories in English. Every week we discuss one big news story and the vocabulary in the headlines that will help you understand it.

Radio,379 episodes

Episodes

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El Niño: What to expect
A new phase of El Niño weather pattern could begin in a few weeks, the UN has warned.
03 Jun 2026,8 mins
Is social media 'the new smoking'?
Why are senior UK doctors comparing the harms of social media with smoking?
27 May 2026,9 mins
Deadly Ebola virus spreads
An Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo has been announced.
20 May 2026,8 mins
Hantavirus ship evacuated
Learn about world news and improve your English at the same time
13 May 2026,7 mins
Iran war puts global food production at risk, says fertiliser boss
Learn about the impacts of the Iran war on global food production with Neil and Georgie
06 May 2026,8 mins
Trump shooting attempt
An attempt to shoot US President Donald Trump took place during a press event
29 Apr 2026,8 mins
Mass shooting at Mexican pyramids
A lone gunman attacked tourists at Mexico's historic Teotihuacan pyramids.
22 Apr 2026,8 mins
Hungary election landslide
Peter Magyar is elected as new prime minister of Hungary.
15 Apr 2026,9 mins
Artemis II takes humans further from Earth than ever before
Astronauts on Artemis II are on their way back to Earth after travelling around the Moon.
08 Apr 2026,8 mins
US Court: YouTube and Meta built addictive platforms
Kaley took Meta and YouTube to court in Los Angeles and won $6m in damages
01 Apr 2026,8 mins
Our World in English: Fighting child marriage through football
In Rajasthan, India, Munna is playing football to avoid getting married young.
27 Mar 2026,13 mins
Earth ‘pushed beyond its limit’ UN warns
Learn about the news in language you can understand
25 Mar 2026,8 mins
Cuba protests: millions without power
Protests in Cuba after electricity blackouts and shortages of food, fuel and medicine.
18 Mar 2026,8 mins
Global impact of US-Israel war with Iran
The US-Israel war with Iran is impacting economies around the world.
11 Mar 2026,8 mins
US-Israel war with Iran
Learn the language you need to understand news stories in English.
04 Mar 2026,7 mins
Violence after Mexican drug leader killed
Learn the language you need to understand news stories in English.
25 Feb 2026,8 mins
Russia killed opposition leader Alexei Navalny with frog toxin, UK says
Two years after Navalny died, European scientists have tested samples from his body.
18 Feb 2026,8 mins
Our World in English: The battle for the cowboy way of life
People in Montana, US worry that they will lose the land the makes the place special.
13 Feb 2026,12 mins
Bad Bunny's Super Bowl show
Bad Bunny's Super Bowl half-time show was the first ever to be almost entirely in Spanish
11 Feb 2026,7 mins
Women secretly filmed with new tech
Men are secretly filming women and then posting these videos online to make money.
04 Feb 2026,8 mins
Doomsday Clock: Highest ever disaster risk
Experts have warned that the world is the closest it has ever been to disaster.
28 Jan 2026,8 mins
Greenland: Trump clashes with allies
US President Trump's latest comments about Greenland have led to criticism.
21 Jan 2026,8 mins
Iran protesters killed
More than 2,400 people have reportedly been killed after a government crackdown.
14 Jan 2026,8 mins
US seizes Venezuelan president Maduro
The US military have arrested the Venezuelan president. Learn news vocabulary.
07 Jan 2026,8 mins
2025: The year's big news stories
Neil and Pippa look at some of the biggest headlines from the year
31 Dec 2025,8 mins
Japan bans baby names like Pikachu and Kitty
Japan changes the law to stop parents giving their children names considered strange.
24 Dec 2025,8 mins
Australia teen social media ban
Australia's social media ban for under-16s has started.
17 Dec 2025,7 mins
Our world in English: Love in a warzone
Adela falls in love and moves to Kharkiv in Ukraine. Adapted from a BBC Eye documentary.
15 Dec 2025,11 mins
Syria: One year since Assad's fall
It's one year since Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad was forced to leave the capital.
10 Dec 2025,9 mins
Deadly fires in Hong Kong investigated
Hong Kong leader orders investigation into deadly fires which killed at least 151 people
03 Dec 2025,8 mins