Is social media 'the new smoking'?

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

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/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

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 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

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

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/environmentMaybe you want to practise some other skills? Have a look at our skills page: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/skills

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

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 recordGet 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_2026/260520Develop your reading, writing, listening and speaking skills on our website here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/skills

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_2026/260513Navigate 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

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

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_2026/260429Learn about all our podcasts here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/podcasts