Difficulty: Intermediate
United Kingdom
Rishi Sunak arrives at 10 Downing Street for the first time as Prime Minister, and speaks to the people.
Difficulty: Intermediate
United Kingdom
Rishi Sunak concludes his first speech made as a serving U.K. prime minister, outlining the priorities for his new government at a difficult moment in the country’s history.
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
President Donald Trump has tested positive for Covid-19. At little over a month until the general elections, this news has prompted a lot of uncertainty and raised a great many questions.
Difficulty: Intermediate
United Kingdom, USA
More than 800 million people around the world use the social media video platform TikTok. However, some governments around the world are concerned that the Chinese-owned app allows the Chinese government to access people's data.
Difficulty: Intermediate
United Kingdom, USA
The European Union says it will begin shipping arms to Ukraine. This is the first time in its history that it has supplied arms in a conflict.
Difficulty: Intermediate
United Kingdom
President Vladimir Putin has put Russia's nuclear forces on high alert. The theory is that the possibility of mutually assured destruction is the strongest of reasons not to press the button. But the pressure is mounting.
Difficulty: Intermediate
United Kingdom, USA
Strict water restrictions come into force for millions of people in California as the US west coast continues to experience a crippling drought.
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
Boris Johnson is the UK's new prime minister. Known as "BoJo" among his supporters, he's one of the UK's most recognizable politicians. He's a charismatic, and sometimes controversial figure. Johnson started his career in journalism, but was fired from The Times for making up a quote. He was elected as a Member of Parliament in 2001.
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
Whenever faced with a conflict of interest between their profits and our safety and security, Facebook shows scant regard for honesty and ethics. So says former high-level Facebook employee Frances Haugen, who hit the headlines with this exposé of the social media giant.
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen calls for government action and full transparency as she rejects Facebook’s claim that privacy issues prevent it from sharing research data.
Difficulty: Beginner
United Kingdom
What's happening with Brexit? In Parliament, Labour MP Karl Turner makes a curious analogy between debating an important bill and choosing a sofa. Turner said MPs required more time to debate "this incredibly important bill," adding that Nikki da Costa, the PM's legislative adviser, had suggested the House needed at least four weeks to consider the legislation.
Difficulty: Intermediate
United Kingdom
Even though Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he does not want a delay, he confirmed he would set aside the bill until speaking further with the EU. He thanked the House of Commons for their assent.
Difficulty: Intermediate
United Kingdom
Opposition MPs react after parliament voted against Boris Johnson's extremely tight Brexit bill timetable, which the government said was necessary to reach the prime minister’s target of leaving the EU on October 31st.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Canada, New Zealand, USA
New Zealand's prime minister Jacinda Ardern has declared the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy essential workers. Here's a round-up of some feel-good news stories of how people are getting through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Australia
Christmas falls during Australia's summer, when it's quite hot in certain areas of the country. Therefore, it makes sense of Santa Claus to take a jet ski rather than a sleigh, especially in this event to raise money for underprivileged children.
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