Learning English from the News

The US-Israel war with Iran continues. The US military says it has "eliminated" 16 Iranian mine-laying ships in the area.
Iran continues its strikes across the region, including in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait. People in Tehran have told BBC News Persian about heavy strikes and powercuts. Meanwhile, three commercial ships have been damaged by "unknown projectiles" in the area.
Find full subtitles for this episode at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2026/260311
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The US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Saturday, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Since then, at least 1,097 civilians have been killed in Iran, says a human rights organisation based in the US.
The US and Israel are continuing to carry out air strikes in Iran, and Iran has responded by firing missiles at Israel and other countries in the region with links to the US. Iran has hit military targets, but it has also hit airports and other civilian sites like luxury hotels and shopping malls.
The lack of detail in US President Donald Trump’s plan has been criticised by politicians in the US congress.
Find a transcript and worksheet at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2026/260304
Try Our World in English - BBC documentaries adapted in simple English: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/our-world-in-english
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Nemesio Osegura Cervantes – known as 'El Mencho', head one the most important criminal organisations in Mexico, was killed by Mexican security forces on Sunday. Following his death, violence erupted across a number of Mexican states leading to the death of at least 74 people and over 9,500 troops have been deployed across the country in response to the violence. President Claudia Sheinbaum has said that normality has returned, but several foreign governments are still warning against travel to some states.
Find a transcript and worksheet at:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2026/260225
Try Our World in English - BBC documentaries adapted in simple English:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/our-world-in-english
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Learn language from the news headlines about this story. Two years after opposition politician Alexei Navalny died, European scientists have tested samples from his body. They say they believe he was killed by a poison found in frogs. Russia denies it killed Navalny and says he died of natural causes, but UK foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said there was no innocent explanation for the poison being found on Navalny’s body.
Find a transcript and worksheet at:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2026/260218
Try Our World in English - BBC documentaries adapted in simple English:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/our-world-in-english
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People in Montana, US worry that they will lose the land the makes the place special.
Nearly half of all the land in the American west is owned by the federal government. Some people want to change that and sell the land to build houses and businesses.
But in Montana, a western state known for wide open spaces and cowboys, lots of people rely on the government land. They worry that their cowboy way of life is under threat.
In this short documentary, we meet Brud Smith, who owns a farm in Montana, and hear about how the place is changing.
Transcript and vocabulary:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/our-world-in-english/260213
This programme is based on the documentary The real Yellowstone: A battle for the cowboy way of life from Assignment on the BBC World Service. The original programme was reported by Ellie House and produced by Josephine Casserly. Find more about Assignment here https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p002vsn0