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If you're looking for an intermediate English podcast, LanguaTalk is ideal for listening to news in slow English. It'll be perfect for you if you have a lower-intermediate level (B1), but can also help A2 and B2 learners. The podcast is free and you can find interactive transcripts on our cutting-edge software, Langua. We've created this podcast using AI.
Welcome to LanguaTalk news. Our first story comes from Ukraine, where officials report that Russia has launched missile attacks on the capital city, Kyiv, and the country's second largest city, Kharkiv. The attack injured several people and damaged residential buildings and a gas pipeline. Seven people were hurt in Kyiv, where air defense systems are working to repel the attack. In Kharkiv, the mayor said there have been multiple explosions. One residential building was hit, trapping people under the rubble. A gas pipeline was also reported to be on fire due to the attack, with children among the injured. Russia has not yet commented on the situation.Still in Ukraine, the leaders of Poland and Ukraine have promised to resolve political issues that have affected their important wartime alliance. During his first visit to Ukraine as Prime Minister, Poland's Donald Tusk pledged support to Ukraine in the ongoing conflict with Russia. However, relations between the two countries have been strained recently due to protests by Polish truckers and disputes over Ukrainian grain exports to Poland. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stressed the importance of addressing these issues, given the common threat from Russia.In the United States, the Supreme Court has given Border Patrol agents permission to remove razor-wire fencing along the Texas-Mexico border. This decision, which was split 5-4, pauses a lower court ruling that stopped federal agents from disturbing the fencing. The fence was put up by Texas officials to prevent illegal border crossings, and its removal has caused controversy.Moving on to the Philippines, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has announced that the government will not cooperate with the International Criminal Court's (ICC) investigation into a brutal anti-narcotics campaign. The ICC rejected an appeal by Manila last July and resumed an investigation into thousands of killings during former President Rodrigo Duterte's 'war on drugs'.In economic news, good news for Burundi as the International Monetary Fund, or IMF, projects the country's economy to grow by 4.3% this year. This is a significant increase from the 2.7% growth in 2023. The expected growth is due to better performance in agriculture, particularly tea and coffee farming, which the country heavily relies on.In China's Yunnan province, a landslide has taken the lives of 11 people, with dozens more reported missing. Rescue workers are struggling with freezing weather and unstable soil conditions, making the use of large machinery impossible.Back in the United States, a leading airline anticipates financial losses in the first quarter of the year due to the grounding of Boeing 737 Max 9 jets. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded 171 of these planes after a door broke off during a flight.In Japan, the space agency Jaxa is hoping to rescue its Moon lander, the Slim spacecraft, after it was shut down just three hours after landing on the Moon. In the finance sector, the US cryptocurrency company, Terraform Labs, has declared bankruptcy after their TerraUSD and Luna tokens crashed in May, causing a loss of $40 billion. The co-founder, Do Kwon, is in jail in Montenegro for forging documents and defrauding investors.In cinema news, the nominations for the 2024 Oscars are due to be announced following a successful year for film. Movies like Barbie and Oppenheimer have dominated the box office. Our final story today is from the United Kingdom, where some children with cancer are being treated with a new, less toxic drug called blinatumomab, or "blina". One of the first to try it is 11-year-old Arthur, who has blood cancer.Thanks for listening to LanguaTalk news!