Learning English from the News

Cuba was receiving a third of its oil from Venezuela until a US operation removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, in January. No fuel had entered the country in three months and the capital, Havana, has seen blackouts of up to 15 hours a day.
Protests in Cuba come as a reaction to electricity blackouts and shortages of food, fuel and medicine, which have been worsened by a US blockade on oil. This has affected hospitals, public transport, education, rubbish collection and heavily impacted Cuba’s economy.
It’s been reported that the protest began peacefully but grew more destructive as people started throwing rocks and starting fires. Five people have been arrested in the central city of Moron over the weekend after destroying Communist office buildings.
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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
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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.
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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
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