Learn the language you need to understand news stories in English. Every week we talk about one big news story and the vocabulary in the headlines that will help you understand it. And in our special Our World in English episodes, we share documentaries from around the world and across the BBC in simple English. Find more at bbclearningenglish.com Follow us at bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/followus
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 transcript and worksheet for this episode head to https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2026/260729 Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest programmes https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u178220599
Do people trust the news?
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 you've learnt with a free worksheet about this episode: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2026/260722 Subscribe to our newsletter to get weekly tips and updates: https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u178220599
Is coffee good for your brain?
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_2026/260715 Subscribe to our newsletter to get weekly tips and updates: https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u178220599 If learning English from the news is useful for your studies, you should check out 'The Listening Room' - BBC news reports with exam-style questions to help you with your listening skills: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the_listening_room
Taylor Swift wedding
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_2026/260708 Subscribe to our newsletter to get weekly tips and updates: https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u178220599 If learning English from the news is useful for your studies, you should check out 'The Listening Room' - BBC news reports with exam-style questions to help you with your listening skills: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the_listening_room
Venezuela earthquakes: Search for survivors continues
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_2026/260701 Subscribe to our newsletter to get weekly tips and updates: https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u178220599 If learning English from the news is useful for your studies, you should check out 'The Listening Room' - BBC news reports with exam-style questions to help you with your listening skills: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the_listening_room
Keir Starmer resigns as UK prime minister
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_2026/260624 Subscribe to our newsletter to get weekly tips and updates: https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u178220599 If you enjoy learning English from the news, you should check out 'The Listening Room' - BBC news reports with exam-style questions to help you with your listening skills: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the_listening_room
US-Iran peace deal
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_2026/260617 Subscribe to our newsletter to get weekly tips and updates: https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u178220599 If you enjoy learning English from the news, you should check out 'The Listening Room' - BBC news reports with exam-style questions to help you with your listening skills: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the_listening_room
World Cup excitement and concern
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: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2026/260610 . We have lots of programmes on the topic of sport to help you improve your English: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/topics/sport_and_exercise . Maybe you want to practise some other skills? Have a look at our skills page: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/skills
El Niño: What to expect
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 learn some vocabulary from the headlines with Phil 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_2026/260603 . We have lots of programmes on the topic of the environment to help you improve your English: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/topics/environment Maybe you want to practise some other skills? Have a look at our skills page: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/skills
Is social media 'the new smoking'?
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 programmes ton the topic of technology to help you improve your English: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/topics/technology
Deadly Ebola virus spreads
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 cases means that this outbreak is already one of the largest on record 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_2026/260520 Develop your reading, writing, listening and speaking skills on our website here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/skills
Hantavirus ship evacuated
All passengers have now left the Dutch cruise ship, MV Hondius after a voyage that lead to the death of three passengers from hantavirus. The virus is usually found in rats. One passenger is thought to have caught the virus while birdwatching in Ushuaia, Argentina, where the ship's journey began. 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_2026/260513 Navigate BBC Learning English content by level on our website. Find the 'easy', 'medium' and 'hard' buttons here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/ Try our series 'Our World in English' - BBC documentaries, made easier for you: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/our-world-in-english
Iran war puts global food production at risk, says fertiliser boss
Global food production is being threatened by an interruption to the supply of fertiliser, according to the boss of one of the world's biggest fertiliser producers. Fertiliser is something that farmers put on fields to help plants grow. When the United States and Israel struck Iran on 28 February, the Strait of Hormuz, which is a narrow waterway between Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, effectively shut down. About one-third of the world's fertiliser trade normally passes through the strait. Less fertiliser means less food is grown, and if there is less food available, then prices rise. The UN World Food Programme estimates that the Middle East conflict could cause 45 million additional people to experience severe hunger in 2026. Learn about the news in a level of English you can understand with Neil and Georgie. Get a free worksheet for this episode here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2026/260506 Learn about all our podcasts here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/podcasts
Trump shooting attempt
An attempt to shoot US President Donald Trump took place at the Washington Hilton hotel during the White House Correspondents' dinner. This dinner happens every year and political journalists are invited. Alongside Trump, Frist Lady Melania Trump, Vice-President JD Vance and other White House officials were rushed from the hotel ballroom after gunfire was heard. There have been two previous unsuccessful attempts to kill President Trump. Both of these happened while he was campaigning for election in 2024. Learn about the news in a level of English you can understand with Becca and Pippa. Get a free worksheet for this episode here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2026/260429 Learn about all our podcasts here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/podcasts
Mass shooting at Mexican pyramids
A lone gunman attacked tourists at Mexico's historic Teotihuacan pyramids. One person was killed and at least 13 people were injured. The shooter then killed himself. Teotihuacan is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most visited tourist attractions in the country. The attacker has been named as 27-year-old Julio Cesar Jasso Ramirez. On 20th April 1999, 13 people were killed in an attack at Columbine High School in Colorado. It has been suggested that Ramirez was inspired by this attack. Learn about the news in a level of English you can understand with Becca and Phil. Get a free worksheet for this episode here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2026/260422 Learn about all our podcasts here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/podcasts
Hungary election landslide
Péter Magyar has won a historic victory in Hungary's elections, bringing to an end Viktor Orbán's 16 years in power. Orban had been a close partner of US President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Whereas Magyar wants a better relationship with the rest of the EU and Ukraine. Almost 80% of people who could, turned out to vote, which broke records. Magyar’s Tisza party has won a huge majority, which will allow him to change both Orbán's increasingly unpopular domestic policies and Hungary’s global relationships. Learn about the news in a level of English you can understand with Georgie and Phil. Get a free worksheet for this episode here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2026/260415 Learn about all our podcasts here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/podcasts
Artemis II takes humans further from Earth than ever before
Astronauts on the Nasa spacecraft Artemis II are on their way back to Earth after travelling around the Moon. The spacecraft broke the record for the furthest distance humans have travelled into space, reaching 406,771km away from the Earth. While the crew did not land on the Moon, this is the first time humans have travelled to the Moon since 1972. Learn about the news in a level of English you can understand with Georgie and Pippa. Get a free worksheet for this episode here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2026/260408 Learn about all our podcasts here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/podcasts
US Court: YouTube and Meta built addictive platforms
Meta and YouTube have been found legally responsible for creating addictive platforms. Meta is the company that owns Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp. Kaley, known only by her first name, started the lawsuit against Meta and YouTube in Los Angeles in the US, claiming that they had negatively impacted her mental health. She received $6m in damages. Meta argued that it’s worked over the years to fight these problems and promoted safe experiences for young people. However, a separate trial in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay $375m for misleading people about the child safety of their platforms. Learn about the news in language you can understand with Georgie and Becca. Get a free worksheet for this episode here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2026/260401 Learn about all our podcasts here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/podcasts
Our World in English: Fighting child marriage through football
Though illegal, child marriage is widely practiced in India. UNICEF’s latest estimate is that 216 million girls and women in India today have been married before they turned 18. But some girls and young women are trying to resist the practice. In this short documentary, we meet Munna, who found an unusual way out of becoming a child bride - through playing football. This episode of is based on the documentary India's sportswomen playing to be seen from Assignment on the BBC World Service. The original programme was reported by Divya Arya and produced by John Murphy. Find the original programme here https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct6rcv Get our latest programmes. Subscribe to our free email newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/newsletters
Earth ‘pushed beyond its limit’ UN warns
The latest report from the World Meteorological Organization, part of the UN, shows concerning statistics around climate change. Learn about the news in language you can understand with Phil and Becca. Get a free worksheet for this episode here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2026/260325 Try 6 Minute English here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english Sign up to our weekly newsletter for more tips to improve your English: https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u178220599 Find us on social media @bbclearningenglish
