Live · Sep 12, 2026

Vol. 12 · Nº255Saturday Edition

Learn English with attitude

Current Affairs English

Nothing is normal — question everything

§ 01

Listen to the full report

Audio

0:00 · playedremaining 0:00

§ 02

Audio Word Matching

2 sets

Want a vocabulary drill from this episode? Finish the Audio Quiz to unlock the transcript — the gap-fill drill is underneath it.

§ 03

Audio Quiz

9 questions

§ 04

Audio Transcript

+ gap fill

Locked

Finish the Audio Quiz to read the transcript.

Answer all the audio questions to read the text of the audio.

Quiz progress

0 of 9 answered

§ 05

Audio Grammar

4 forms

§ 06

Audio Discussion

5 questions

Discussion Questions

How real-time discussion works

Share your thoughts and get personalised feedback on your English
Real-time feedback helps improve your grammar, vocabulary, and critical thinking
You can reply and continue the conversation on each question
Real-time requests are limited per hour to ensure fair usage

01

The audio claims that Brazil "finally found its spine" under Lula. Do you think it's fair for a country to be described this way? What does it really mean for a nation to stand up for itself on the world stage?

02

The report says Israel's Mossad had infiltrated Brazil's intelligence agency during the Bolsonaro era. Why do you think a foreign intelligence service would want to be inside another country's government? What does this kind of infiltration tell us about how global politics really works behind the scenes?

03

Many countries depend on the U.S. dollar for international trade. If more nations start using the Chinese Yuan or other currencies instead, how do you think that could change the balance of power in the world? Would that be a good thing or a bad thing for ordinary people?

04

The speaker compares the petrodollar system to a "mandatory protection racket." Do you think this is a fair comparison? Can you think of other systems in the world — economic or political — that could be described in a similar way?

05

The audio has a very strong and opinionated tone — the speaker clearly takes Brazil's side. Do you think it's possible to talk about international politics in a completely neutral way? Should journalists or commentators always try to be neutral, or is it sometimes better to take a clear position?

§ 07

Personal Notes

Auto-saved