The latest updates from the British Council Podcast website. For the audioscript, see the Podcast and Listening page.

Four Lebanese people talk about their country.

A report on binge drinking in the UK.

Ryan Geertsma and Ruby Jones share the story of a family separated by war and conflict. With the help of the ICRC, Irene Famulak and Wssewolod Galezkij found each other again.

Could you play cricket if you could not see the ball? Ruby Jones and Marina Santee introduce us to cricket players who play without sight!

Rebekah Schipper and Joshua Leo look at one of the world's worst industrial accidents: the gas leak at a Union Carbide factory in Bhopal India.

How many blondes does it take to milk a cow?

Five - one to hold the udder, and four to lift and the cow up and down.

Informally labeled the "pain ray," the Active Denial System (ADS) is a non-lethal weapon being developed by the US military. Designed for use in crowd control operations, the ADS emits electromagnetic radiation that excites water molecules in the epidermis, causing an intensely painful burning sensation. Though the device does not actually burn the skin, its effect is said to feel similar to a hot light bulb being pressed against it. How long do these painful effects last?

DEFINITION: (noun) A situation that is so difficult that no progress can be made.
SYNONYMS: dead end, deadlock, stalemate, standstill.
USAGE: The board members reached an impasse in the negotiations and took a break to get coffee and donuts.

If something turns turtle, it turns upside down.

Stop paying attention

To have his path made clear for him is the aspiration of every human being in our beclouded and tempestuous existence.