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BBC offers free English lessons via podcasts
MUMBAI: BBC World Service has anounced that English learners, wherever they are, can now access a range of BBC Learning English programmes as free podcasts. The weekly programmes, How To…, Grammar Challenge and Talk About English, which come in bite-size formats and show students how to tackle tricky aspects of the English language, are now available for downloading on demand via bbcworldservice.com/podcasts. BBC World Service English Learning head Andrew Thompson said, “A really good way to improve your English is to listen on the go to short and sharp, user-friendly tips and suggestions – and that is just what we have prepared for learners, to BBC standards of quality.” How To… is a series of practical six-minute audio programmes helping students discover and practise phrases and expressions which they can use in all kinds of situations, whether it‘s to order a meal in a restaurant or congratulate someone on their engagement. In addition to the audio programme and downloadable transcript, the units feature a guided presentation and analysis of a language structure. Each unit is accompanied by various practice activities and is wrapped up with a consolidation quiz. Each unit offers a downloadable grammar explanation, and learners are also offered English grammar practice material which features personalised feedback by language experts. Talk About English is a topical 20-minute audio programme. It features quizzes, debates, interviews and discussions with native and non-native speakers both in the studio and on location. It also offers vocabulary support, downloadable programme scripts, word facts and more. All BBC Learning English programmes can be accessed via bbclearningenglish.com.
Grammar Challenge comes in six-minute units featuring real learners in live situations grappling a tricky English grammatical structure: for example, Fatima from Iran is challenged to use the Present Perfect verb form correctly to talk about the actor Tom Cruise while Edward from France is challenged with uncountable nouns.
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With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
