Wednesday 8th October 2025. France political crisis. Israel Hamas war. Thailand floods. Germany stabbing. Brazil free transport?...

Simple English News Daily in 7 minutes.World news in easy, clear language, for English learners, people with English as a second language, and people who want to know the most important stories as quickly as possible.Today: VE day celebrations in Europe. Smallpox anniversary. 4 million COVID19 infections worldwide. Tanzania receives miracle cure. Malawi upholds election annulment. Australia relaxes lockdown. Cambodia discovers turtle.Transcript available here: send7.org/transcripts

8 Maj 20207min

Simple English News Daily in 7 minutes.World news in easy, clear language, for English learners and people with English as a second language.Friday 8th May 2020. Transcript available here: send7.org/transcripts

7 Maj 20207min

Simple English News Daily in 7 minutes.World news in easy, clear language, for English learners and people with English as a second language.Thursday 7th May 2020. Transcript available here: send7.org/transcripts

6 Maj 20207min

Simple English News Daily in 7 minutes.World news in easy, clear language, for English learners and people with English as a second language.Wednesday 6th May 2020. Transcript- Note: The transcript may not be complete, because of a lack of space. Also, it may contain errors, and does not include external audio. From next week, full transcripts will be available. -AsiaIndia will repatriate tens of thousands of its citizens. 190000 Indians currently stuck in other countries will be brought back to India in the next few weeks. Many are manual labourers working in the Middle East. India saw its biggest rise in confirmed cases of COVID19 yesterday, bringing the total to 46000.In Tajikistan, the minister for health has been fired, after a fast rise in coronavirus cases. Tajikistan did not confirm any case of COVID19 until last week, but has suddenly confirmed 300 cases and 5 deaths.In the Philippines the biggest TV channel has been closed down by the government. ABS CBN has been repeatedly attacked by President Rodrigo Duterte. According to Reporters Without Borders, journalists in the Philippines often suffer harassment, and, sometimes violence.  Australia and New Zealand are in talks to restart travel between them. Yesterday New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke about the benefits of creating a ‘trans-Tasman bubble’ AfricaUganda has extended its lockdown but has relaxed some measures. Yesterday in Kampala many businesses were open, but there was less movement than usual.Sudan criminalized Female Genital Mutilation last week. However, women’s rights activists say that there is still a long way to go to stop the practice. Activists say that the tradition will be difficult to stop, as almost 9 out of ten girls and women have had FGM performed on them. It is now punishable by 3 years in prison to remove any part of female genitalia. South Africa has started trials of the BCG vaccine to fight coronavirus. The vaccine is primarily used against tuberculosis. South Africa and Egypt have the most confirmed COVID19 cases in Africa, both having over 7000 cases confirmed, however, South Africa’s testing rate is 5 times better than Egypt’s.How has the pandemic affected your town or city? Send your whatsapp audio message to +44 7307 872 842, with your name and locationEuropeThe UK became the country with the highest number of confirmed COVID19 deaths in Europe yesterday, passing Italy. Over 30,000 deaths have now been confirmed in the UK, the second highest in the world after the United States.The UK and the USA have stated that cyber attacks have taken place on laboratories investigating vaccines. They have suggested the possibility of either China or Russia trying to hack laboratories. British foreign secretary Dominic Raab spoke about this yesterday…Airlines are suffering greatly from a lack of travel . Virgin Atlantic and Ryanair are cutting 3000 jobs each, and British Airways will cut 12000 staff. South African Airways collapsed this week. Argentina has officially stopped all internal and external flights. World passenger traffic is down 90%.And in the AmericasDonald Trump yesterday promised a COVID19 vaccine by the end of 2020. He also said that China made a ‘horrible mistake’ by covering up the original outbreak of COVID19…In Peru over 50,000 COVID19 cases have been confirmed. It has the second highest number of confirmed cases in South America after Brazil, however Peru’s number is likely to be more accurate than most other South American countries. Peru’s rate of testing is almost ten times higher than Brazil’s. In Chile, scientists have prepared a test that could help diagnose COVID 19 - by the sense of smell. The aroma test kit, developed in the Catholic University of Santiago, will not

5 Maj 20207min

Simple English News Daily in 7 minutes.World news in easy, clear language, for English learners and people with English as a second language.Tuesday 5th May 2020. Transcript- Note: The transcript may not be complete, because of a lack of space. Also, it may contain errors, and does not include external audio. From next week, full transcripts will be available. -COVID19 deaths pass 250,000 worldwide. Total recoveries are 1.2 million.Starting in the Americas…In the United States daily deaths from coronavirus may reach 3000 by June. That’s according to predictions of the Trump administration. At the moment, there are 120,000 confirmed cases, and an average of 1,600 deaths a day. However, new models show that there will probably be 200,000 cases by June, and 3000 daily deaths.In Venezuela, the government claims to have stopped an invasion. President Maduro said that they had killed 8 men and captured two, saying that terrorists had entered the country from Colombia. An ex-soldier from the US confirmed that they were trying to invade Venezuela. The situation continues.AsiaJapan has extended its state of emergency until 31st May. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that Japan’s rate of infection was not low enough to stop restrictions.Bangladesh had its worst single day for COIV19 yesterday, with 688 new cases, bringing the total over 10,000In Iran mosques will be allowed to open with social distancing measures. Active cases of COVID19 are at the lowest they have been since March.In India, there have been riots in the Gujarati city of Surat. Migrant workers say that they were promised transport to their hometowns, hundreds or thousands of kilometres away, however, protesters say that they are stuck in Surat.In Vietnam schools have reopened. They were closed for three months. Despite sharing a border with China, Vietnam has reported less than 300 cases of COVID19, and no deaths.Jordan has lifted its 7 week lockdown, and Malaysia and  Thailand have stopped some restrictions. Thai restaurants will be able to serve one person per table and cannot serve alcohol.-World leaders have pledged 7.4 billion euros for vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments for COVID19. The virtual meeting was hosted by the European Union and included leaders from all around the world, however the United States, Russia and India did not attend. EU commission president Ursula Von Der Leyen said that pledging 7.4 billion euros, showed “the true power of unity and of humanity”…Dr Tedros Adanhom of the World Health Organization reminded world leaders of the importance of sharing treatments equally. He said that we cannot accept a world in which some people are protected but others are left exposed….AfricaThe World Health Organization have warned that Madagascar’s herbal tonic is not a cure for coronavirus. It has already been sold to Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania In Kenya thousands of people lost their homes because of floods last week. It is expected that over a hundred people died in the floods that also effected Uganda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Nigeria is easing its 5-week lockdown. In Lagos and Abuja many people returned to work yesterday, however there was less traffic than usual. Nigeria’s Medical association South Africa is also slowly reopening. Around 1 and a half million people returned to work yesterday, however the government has asked people to continue to work from home if they can.Egypt, Tunisia and Rwanda have also begun to relax their lockdowns. How has the pandemic affected your town or city? Send your whatsapp audio message to +44 7307 872 842, with your name and locationEuropeIn France, a hospital has found that a man had COVID 19, in December. W

4 Maj 20207min

Simple English News Daily in 7 minutes.World news in easy, clear language, for English learners and people with English as a second language.Monday 4th May 2020. Transcript- Note: The transcript may not be complete, because of a lack of space. Also, it may contain errors, and does not include external audio. From next week, full transcripts will be available. -AmericasBrazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has caused controversy by attending an anti-democratic protest. The demonstration called for the closing of congress and the supreme court. Brazil ‘s health ministry has told people to stay at home because of coronavirus, but yesterday Bolsonaro shook hands and embraced his supporters. 7,000 Brazilians have now died, and over 100,000 people are confirmed to have the virus, however, real numbers are probably much higher, as testing rates in Brazil are very low.United States secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, says that there is ‘enormous evidence’ that COVID19 started in a laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan…Pompeo did not given any evidence. Most scientists say that COVID19 was not man made, and has an animal origin.AfricaThe Prime Minister of Cote D’ivoire, Gon Coulibaly has been transported to France for medical checks. The Prime Minister has been in self isolation since March, because of possible exposure to coronavirus. Testing kits in Tanzania are said to be faulty. President John Magufuli says that some imported tests showed positive results incorrectly. The president said that they tried one test on a goat and it showed a positive result.Madagascar has started exporting a herbal tea that it claims is a treatment for coronavirus. The tea has been sent to Equatorial Guinea and to Guinea Bissau. President Magufuli of Tanzania has also expressed interest in buying the tea. The World Health Organization say that there is no cure for coronavirus.How has the pandemic affected your town or city? Send your whatsapp audio message to +44 7307 872 842, with your name and locationAsiaOn the border between North and South Korea, guns were fired yesterday. Seoul said that they believe that a North Korean soldier fired accidentally. Yesterday Donald Trump tweeted that he was glad that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un was well.Afghanistan may have a much higher number of COVID19 cases than previously thought. Random testing in Kabul showed a third of people tested had the disease. Many Afghanis who were living in Iran, returned to Afghanistan because of COVID19. These workers may have brought the virus into Afghanistan.Russia recorded its highest daily rise in confirmed cases of COVID19 yesterday. 10,600 new cases were confirmed, bringing a total of 135,000. In Moscow, one in 50 people are expected to have the virus.In Europe Some European countries have reported their lowest number of deaths in over a month. Italy reported 174 deaths yesterday, the lowest toll since lockdown began on 10th March. Spain announced 164 deaths on Sunday, the lowest number for one day in 6 weeks. France reported 166 deaths, the lowest in 5 weeks. France will stop parts of its lockdown on 11th May. Serbia will end its lockdown next week, as the infection rate has fallen greatly.UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has admitted that he came close to death from coronavirus. The Prime Minister said that he needed ‘litres and litres of oxygen’, while in hospital, and that it was 50/50 decision of whether or not to put him on a ventilator. Johnson left hospital a month ago, and had a son last week.Belgian people have been told to eat more chips. There has been an oversupply of potatoes in the country, as cafes and restaurants are closed. Belgium is famous for the popularity of chips, often served with mayonnaise. Algerian singer

3 Maj 20207min

Simple English News Daily in 7 minutes.World news in easy, clear language, for English learners and people with English as a second language.Sunday 3rd May 2020. Transcript- Note: The transcript may not be complete, because of a lack of space. Also, it may contain errors, and does not include external audio. From next week, full transcripts will be available -Sunday 3rd May 2020In Russia, the mayor of Moscow has said that 1 in 50 of Moscow residents could have coronavirus. COVID 19 arrived in Russia in January, however, cases remained relatively low until recently. The infection has spread quickly in the last three weeks, with 9,600 new cases yesterday. There are now 125.000 confirmed cases in Russia. The Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has the virus, and president Vladamir Putin has been working from home for over a monthThe government of India has made it obligatory for all workers to use a tracing app. All public and private sector employees must use the app, which will alert people if they have been close to a person with COVID19. The government say that people’s privacy is protected, as all data remains anonymous. Also in India islamophobia has been rising due to misinformation about the coronavirus. Social media has blamed Muslims for spreading the virus, and there has been a rise in attacks on muslims.Today is press freedom day. The United Nations have stated the importance of allowing journalists to do their job without fear. UN secretery General Antonio Guterres says that good journalism,science and analysis are necessary to fight misinformation and conspiracy theories…Malaysia has been criticised for detaining hundreds of refugees in efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus. Authorities said that 586 illegal migrants were arrested in Kuala Lumpur, including Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. The UN have described this arrest as ‘counter-productive.’Singapore will relax its restrictions on the 12th May, after a 2 month lockdown.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been seen in public for the first time in months. There were rumors that the dictator was sick, however he was shown on state media yesterday.How has the pandemic affected your town or city? Send your whatsapp audio message to +44 7307 872 842, with your name and locationIn Somalia people have reported many unexplained deaths in the capital Mogadishu. It is possible that these deaths are related to COVID 19. There are only 670 confirmed cases in Somalia, however, there is almost no testing in the country.In Venezuela over 40 prisoners have died in a riot. The prisoners were trying to escape when a fight began between prisoners and guards. In Brazil some prison guards were kept hostage by prisoners yesterday, in the city of Manaus. Prison riots have been recorded across the world recently, in Argentina, Peru, Venesuela, Brazil, Sierra Leone, Honduras and Iran. These are often related to prisoners being scared of contracting COVID 19. In Argentina over one thousand prisoners have been released early, to stop the spread of coronavirus. Residents of Buenos Aires have protested, bashing pots from their balconies, to show that they disagree with releasing prisoners early.In the United States 66,000 people have now died of COVID19. New York has been the epicentre with 24,400 deaths. New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo says that the state is not ready to reopen… In Spain, adults were allowed to go outside for exercise for the first time since March.  Restrictions are being lowered in Spain, which has been on lockdown for 7 weeks. From Monday it will be compulsory to wear masks on public transport. Coronavirus has had a positive effect on the world’s climate.  Global greenhouse gas emissions are estimated to fall by 8% in 2020. The largest recorded dr

2 Maj 20207min

Simple English News Daily in 7 minutes.World news in easy, clear language, for English learners and people with English as a second language.Saturday 2nd May 2020. Transcript- Note: The transcript may not be complete, because of a lack of space. Also, it may contain errors, and does not include external audio. -  US President Trump has claimed he has seen evidence that the coronavirus started in a Chinese laboratory. President Trump said that he believed that the virus began at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. This is despite US intelligence agencies saying that COVID 19 was not manmade or genetically modified. The World Health Organization have dismissed President Trump’s claim. Dr Michael Ryan of the World Health Organization, said that scientists were sure that the virus has a natural origin…The American food and drug administration has approved the use of drug remdesivir to treat coronavirus. The FDA say that it is not a cure but may help in some cases.Canada has banned 1500 types of gun. This decision comes two weeks after Canada’s worst mass shooting, when 22 people were killed in Nova Scotia. Yesterday, Prime Minister Justin Treadeau said that there is no use for these weapons in Canada…The government will buy back the illegal guns from people who already own them.The parliament of Bolivia say that presidential elections must take place within 90 days. There should have been elections on May 3rd, however they were delayed by the interim government because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Bolivian parliament is controlled by the socialist movement, of ex-president Evo Morales. After disputed elections last year, Morales has been in Argentina. AfricaMali has released the results of parliamentary elections. Ruling party Rally for Mali gained the most seats but did not win a majority. Only 23% of Malians voted, after threats of attacks from Al-Qaeda and Islamic State in the Sahara.In Nigeria, the president of the Humanist Association has been arrested. Mubarak Bala often criticizes religion. His friends are worried that he has been transported to Kano state, which practices Sharia Law. Sudan has criminalized Female Genital Mutilation. According to the UN, FGM has been performed on almost 9 out of 10 Sudanese women and girls. Removal of any part of female genitalia, will now be punishable by 3 years in prison. AsiaIn Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to extended the state of emergency by a month. The Japanese island of Hokkaido reinstated lockdown after a quick rise in new infections. Japan’s confirmed COVID 19 cases are 14’000, however, testing rates in Japan are low. Japan’s economy is struggling, and unemployment is rising.In India all districts in the country will be classified as Red, Orange or Green to start a new phase of lockdown. In all areas, including the green zones, schools, cinemas, malls, gyms and restaurants remain closed. In orange zones there are further restrictions on public transport and and private vehicle use is limited. In red zones all public transport will not function and extra restrictions apply.Malaysia will allow most businesses to open on 4th May. Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin spoke to Malaysians yesterday, telling them that the 6 week lockdown was successful in slowing the rate of infection.EuropeIn Ireland a meat factory is the centre of a coronavirus outbreak. The Rosderra meat plant in Tipperary closed after 120 workers tested positive for COVID 19.A Pakistani journalist has been found dead in Sweden. Sajid Hussain was granted political asylum in Sweden last year, after receiving death threats in Pakistan for reporting on human rights. Pakistan is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. French President Emmanuel Mac

1 Maj 20207min