English News Weekly

This week’s ENW podcast reports on the selection of the Japanese Prime Minister after the resignation of the country’s longest-serving post-war leader. Yoshihide Suga was born to a humble strawberry farmer in the mountainous northern part of Japan. One of the quiet men of the last Japanese government Mr Suga, is believed to be a steady, if uncharismatic choice for prime minister. Why has Mr Suga won the race to be leader? What kind of prime minister will he be? ENGLISH NEWS WEEKLY will try and explain all! (PDF) Image credit: Adapted from 首相官邸ホームページ via

This week’s ENW podcast reports on how illustrations by Japan’s most famous artist, once believed lost, will now become the centerpiece of a permanent exhibition in London. Hokusai, who’s most famous artwork can be seen on the front page of this week’s ENW Podcast’s PDF, is probably the most famous exponent of the ukiyo-e style of art. Using woodblocks and simple colours Hokusai has created some of Japan’s most famous images. What is so special about these new illustrations? Why will they be in London? How were they lost? ENGLISH NEWS WEEKLY will try and explain all! (PDF) Download MP3

In this special edition podcast ENW visits four spectacular locations in the Northern Japanese city of Sapporo! (PDF) Download MP3

This week’s ENW podcast reports on a fascinating new museum that’s has just opened under the Aegean Sea. The Parthenon of Shipwrecks has been so called because it is home to a 2,500-year wreck that lies almost intact and in crystal clear water off a small Greek island. The museum is open to amateur divers and also has a comprehensive Virtual Reality option for those visitors who aren’t so keen on diving 22 metres down. What else makes this underwater museum so special? ENGLISH NEWS WEEKLY will try and explain all! (PDF) Image credit: Adapted from

This week’s ENW podcast reports on the end of an era for Hollywood as the last of the stars from the Golden Era of movies passed away this week. The rise of Hollywood, a rural outpost in Los Angeles began just after the end of World War 1. But its zenith was just the decade before World War II right up until the end of the 1950s. Hollywood movie stars were global celebrities that the world watched, read and listened to. The death, aged 104, of Tokyo-born Olivia de Havilland has brought that to a close. What does this mean? ENGLISH NEWS WEEKLY will try and explain all! (PDF) Download MP3

This week’s ENW podcast reports on a potential game changing development for sign language users around the world. The first hurdle for sign users is that anyone who doesn’t know the signals, just can’t understand what is being spoken. Secondly, there are currently, between 130-200 different sign languages used globally. Each sign language can have significant differences. This is why a glove that can translate sign language in real time to some of the most common spoken languages could be real game changer. How does it work? ENGLISH NEWS WEEKLY will try and explain all! (PDF) Download MP3

This week’s ENW podcast reports on protests that started in south- west England over statues dedicated to former slave owners. Edward Colston’s statue stood in the centre of Bristol from 1895 until it was pulled down last week. The reason was that much of the money made by Colston’s businesses in the 18th Century came from slave trading. Since the statue’s downfall other controversial monuments across Europe and the USA have come under question. Should these statues be removed? What are the consequences? ENGLISH NEWS WEEKLY will try and explain all! (PDF) Image credit: Caitlin Hobbs via

This week’s ENW podcast reports on the killing of an African- American man by a white policeman from the United States. The killing of George Floyd has sparked anger and protests both in the United States and around the world. This week ENW will try to highlight the imbedded racism that this killing has exposed and that exists in all countries. We don’t pretend that we fully understand the fury and pain of victims of racism, but we will attempt to explain why people must change. Not tomorrow. But now. (PDF) Download MP3

This week’s ENW podcast reports on the discovery of a lost tomb of one of the first Europeans to live in Japan. In 1620 William Adams died on a small Japanese island – 20 years after arriving in Japan. For nearly 400 years his tomb has been lost – until this week when it was unearthed by researchers. Why is this tomb so special? Who was William Adams? ENGLISH NEWS WEEKLY will try and explain all! (PDF) Download MP3

This week’s ENW podcast reports on an innovative idea from Berlin in Germany that hopes both get people healthy and fight the restrictions of COVID-19. The bohemian district of Kreuzberg in Berlin has introduced ‘pop-up’ bike lanes. Why? Well the aim is to allow people to commute to work or the shops without coming within 1.5 metres of each other. Has it worked? Have any other cities copied the scheme? ENGLISH NEWS WEEKLY will try and explain all! (PDF) Image credit (screenshot): Wikipedia. Download MP3

This week’s ENW podcast reports on a remarkable small village in the United States. The dwelling on Monowi on the Nebraska / North Dakota border has a population of just one person. It is the smallest legal, inhabited village in the United States. Why does it have just one person? Who lives there? What else can visitors do in the village of Monowi? ENGLISH NEWS WEEKLY will try and explain all! (PDF) Image credit (screenshot): Wikipedia. Download MP3

This week’s ENW podcast reports on a popular Japanese, and South-East Asian, cultural tradition that may be on its way out. The system of personalised seals is an important aspect of kanji culture, but as the world becomes more digital – can the custom survive? The Japanese PM, Shinzo Abe has asked his government to reduce the use of personal seals in everyday Japanese life. Why? Will it work? What problems could occur? ENGLISH NEWS WEEKLY will try and explain all! (PDF) Download MP3

This week’s ENW podcast reports an idea from a tiny North Sea archipelago to help those in COVID-19 lockdown. The Faroe Islands nestled in the North Sea between Scotland and Denmark have created a unique online virtual tool for visitors. But this website and app is a little different from most online virtual tours. Why is it different? Can it really help beat any lockdown blues? ENGLISH NEWS WEEKLY will try and explain all! (PDF) Image credit: Kristin Vang via Visit Faroe Islands. Screenshot as of 24 April 2020. Download MP3

This week’s ENW podcast reports on one of the most famous extinct animals in recent history – the Tasmanian Tiger. The last sandy-coloured, striped marsupial was thought to have died in Hobart, Tasmania in 1936. But, there is lingering belief that the ‘Tazzy Tiger’ still roams the remote, isolated forests of Tasmania. Can it really be true? What evidence exists to prove that they still live on? ENGLISH NEWS WEEKLY will try and explain all! (PDF) Download MP3

This week’s ENW podcast reports on how some people have tried to react positively to being locked down due to the COVID-19 virus. In an effort to try and stay physically and mentally healthy some people around the world have been completing ‘home marathons’. What exactly is a home marathon? How are they completed? Where are they run? ENGLISH NEWS WEEKLY will try and explain all! (PDF) Download MP3

In this special edition podcast ENW visits four wonderful locations from the scenic Austrian city of Salzburg! (PDF) Image credit: Andrew Bossi via Wikipedia CC BY 2.5. Download MP3

This week’s ENW podcast reports on troublesome news for one of Japan’s biggest companies. The huge beverage conglomerate Kirin, which owns some of the most famous drinks brands in the world, has been accused of breaking a United Nations embargo. The Japanese company has business dealings in Myanmar and are in partnership with the Myanmar military in several breweries. What has happened? How can Kirin fix it? ENGLISH NEWS WEEKLY will try and explain all! (PDF) Image credit: Taisyo via Wikipedia CC BY 3.0. Download MP3

This week’s ENW podcast reports on the anniversary of one of the best-known double acts around the world – Tom and Jerry. The animated adventures of the grey and white cat and the small brown mouse have entertained people around the world for 80 years. What are the origins of the pair? Who created them? What is the reason for their enduring popularity? ENGLISH NEWS WEEKLY will try and explain all! (PDF) Image credit: Adapted from pngimg.com CC BY-NC 4.0. Download MP3

This week’s ENW podcast reports on how the English language continues to be influenced by the Anglophone-speaking world. This week the doyen of dictionaries, the Oxford English Dictionary has published its latest edition. Included in the OEDs list of vocabulary are 29 words and phrases from West Africa. Why have these words been included? What do they mean? What are their significance? ENGLISH NEWS WEEKLY will try and explain all! (PDF) Download MP3

This week’s ENW podcast reports on what at first seems to be a crazy decision by one British man who has become the first person to swim under the South Pole! Lewis Pugh’s epic, and very cold swim, is not just for excitement – he has a more pressing reason. So, what inspired the 50-year old originally from southern England to swim in freezing waters in just a small swimming costume? ENGLISH NEWS WEEKLY will try and explain all! (PDF) Download MP3