Use the news to keep up to date!

News on-demand

One easy way to keep your English up to date is to regularly read, listen to and watch news bulletins. Probably you are aware of the news broadcasts in your own home location, so your knowledge of the context and background will help you when attempting the English version.

If you don’t have much time, then the BBC‘s one minute international news could be perfect for you. The bulletin on their website usually contains three or four different news items. Needless to say, the speed of delivery can be quite fast and there are no subtitles, so it’s good for training your listening skills! The content of the bulletins changes during the day, so it is usually up to date. Another useful feature is that you can experience a variety of British regional accents as there seems to be a wide variety of newsreaders.

The BBC video is a recording (so you can stop,  restart and listen again), but what about live news?

Live news from around Europe

UK-based Sky News offers a live streaming service. Try it out!

The BBC World channel is often part of cable/satellite packages, as is euronews. From its HQ in Lyon, France, the channel streams live news with reports and commentary in a variety of British accents. Reports are broadcast regularly (currently every 30 minutes), so if you miss something the first time around, it will doubtless reappear the next time around. If you watch euronews as part of a cable/satellite TV or TV bundle, you can change the language in your TV’s audio settings.

Looking for an American accent?

CNN may be part of your cable or satellite TV package. If not, you can access the website and select which edition (US or International) you prefer. On the web, live streaming is also available on the ABC website.

Or perhaps you’re planning on visiting Australia?

Try out the on-demand 90 second news bulletin provided by ABC news Australia.

What else?

For financial news, there are some specialist channels broadcasting free over the Internet or also via cable/satellite. Watching Bloomberg is free and you can also select a region-based stream via their website – Europe or US.

Do you know of any other news streams? Just let me know. Happy viewing!