Stories in English

Improve your listening and vocabulary with English lessons about current events and trending topics

A bowl of cottage cheese with fruit on top

High protein is the newest grocery-store fad

June 5, 2025:

High-protein foods and supplements have gone mainstream, moving beyond gyms and into everyday grocery carts. From cottage cheese to high-protein soda, food makers are cashing in on the trend. But not all sources are created equal, and nutrition experts urge caution with processed, protein-enhanced foods.

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The house where the movie "Home Alone" was filmed — 780

anarchosyn; CC BY-SA 2.0; via Wikimedia Commons

How books and movies get their foreign-language titles

June 2, 2025

Book and movie titles often change dramatically in translation, and the reasons go beyond simple language differences. Local publishers and distributors choose titles based on cultural context, marketing strategy, and artistic goals—resulting in everything from literal translations to poetic rewrites and puzzling name changes.

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Skeleton of a dire wolf found in modern-day California — 779

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Did scientists revive an extinct wolf or just create a look-alike?

May 29, 2025

A biotech company in Texas has created three wolf pups using DNA from extinct dire wolves and modern gray wolves. While the company claims this is the first-ever de-extinction, many scientists say the result is not a true dire wolf, but a synthetic animal that only resembles the original species.

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The interior of "Our Lady of the Airways" chapel in Boston's Logan International Airport — 778

TUFKAAP; CC BY-SA 4.0; via Wikimedia Commons

Airport chapels offer calm, comfort, and even weddings for those in transit

May 26, 2025

Many major airports around the world have chapels or prayer rooms—some interfaith, some religion-specific—offering travelers and employees a quiet place for reflection, prayer, or emotional support. These spaces, first created mainly for airport staff, now serve religious and non-religious visitors alike, helping people find peace in stressful moments.

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A selection of popular Stories from our archives

Everyone in South Korea will take a year or two off their ages this year

South Korea scraps its unique age and everyone gets a year or two younger

July 20, 2023

New 'age' brings the country into alignment with how other countries calculate age

South Korean pop culture is spreading around the globe.

A wave of Korean culture is crashing over the world—and it’s amazing

May 21, 2020

From pop music to cosmetics (and now sports) Korean culture is everywhere

A view of a Japanese pagoda with mountains in the distance on a clear day

Family comes first: Japan to restore traditional family-name-first convention

January 23, 2020

Japan originally put the given name first as a way to integrate with Western cultures

Shimin Gu (GFDL 1.2 or GFDL 1.2), via Wikimedia Commons

Chinese pilot hailed as a hero after windshield blows out mid-air

May 28, 2018

Emergency at 32,000 feet

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A professional videographer holding a gimbal — 777

Creative cinematography adds to the power of Netflix’s ‘Adolescence’

May 22, 2025

Each hourlong episode is just a single take, with no cuts or edits

Warren Buffett with Barack Obama in the White House in 2011 — 776

The White House from Washington; DC; Public domain; via Wikimedia Commons

How Warren Buffett became one of the world’s most famous investors

May 19, 2025

The 94-year-old billionaire will step down from his role as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway

The Parliament building in Ottawa, Canada — 775

Mark Carney led Canada’s Liberal party to an improbable comeback

May 15, 2025

Former central banker pledged to stand up to Trump on economy and security

The Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, is the former home of the Dalai Lama — 774

The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists in exile

May 12, 2025

The 89-year-old lives in northern India and will be the first Dalai Lama to die outside Tibet

How LinkedIn became a place to share, not just network

May 8, 2025

How does the Catholic Church choose a new pope?

May 5, 2025

Tall buildings made of wood? It’s possible with mass timber

May 1, 2025

Le Creuset celebrates 100 years of colorful cooking

April 28, 2025

Updates: Daniel Kahneman, decision-making expert, chose assisted dying

April 24, 2025

Updates: Astronauts come home after 9 months in space; running records fall

April 21, 2025

Frosting, flavor, and flair: How Crumbl cookies became a social media sensation

April 17, 2025

Whiplash after Trump imposes and then pauses new tariffs

April 14, 2025

The great top sheet debate: Bedding essential or outdated extra?

April 10, 2025

Microsoft retires Skype, the app that changed voice and video calling

April 7, 2025

Co-living brings the ‘sharing economy’ home

April 3, 2025

All about tariffs: what they are, who pays them, why they exist

March 31, 2025

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