Episode notes
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 company to make changes to its products. Meta denies the allegations saying that it removes child…
Learning English from the News
by BBC Radio · English · Learning
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…
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2 Sep 2026 · 9 min
Nepal recovering from impact of flash floods
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 glacier is a large area of dense ice. Learn more about this story with Georgie and Phil. For…
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26 Aug 2026 · 9 min
AI hacking other companies by itself, causing security fears
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 concerned about the recent hacks because AI has been able to get out of control and do things its…
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12 Aug 2026 · 9 min
Europe's first solar eclipse since 1999
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 out most of the light so you can look at the Sun safely. Learn more about this story with…
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Ceuta migrant crisis
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 to other EU countries. Learn English about this story with Pippa and Georgie. For more…
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30 Jul 2026 · 8 min
The end of PlayStation discs
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7 Oct 2026 · 7 min
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30 Sep 2026 · 8 min
Young people's mental distress is real, according to the head of a new review in the UK
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23 Sep 2026 · 9 min
AI and trade: Will US and China agree?
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16 Sep 2026 · 8 min
Humans could lose control of AI systems, AI boss says
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 have said that the fears are exaggerated while others have suggested that AI companies are…
