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So you want a salary increase? Who doesn't? But do you pronounce 'increase' with the stress on the first syllable in, or the second syllable crease? The answer depends on whether you're using increase as a noun or a verb... And that's the subject that Neil and Catherine are talking about in this 6 Minute Vocabulary programme.

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Have you ever been in a group of friends and everyone laughs, but you didn’t understand the joke?

In this episode of our new series, Georgie and Hanan talk about understanding humour and making people laugh when speaking English.

With Peruvian performer Pepa Duarte.

WATCH – Find Georgie’s videos with tips to improve your speaking here https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/beating_speaking_anxiety/humour-video

TRANSCRIPT – Read along with this podcast and learn useful vocabulary https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/beating_speaking_anxiety/humour-podcast

NEWSLETTER – Sign up to our email newsletter to hear about our latest lessons and programmes https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u178220599

In Christopher Nolan’s 2010 blockbuster Inception, Leonardo DiCaprio’s protagonist is paid to implant an idea into a target’s subconscious. If you look the film up, its genre is listed as being ‘science fiction’ - but could that soon have to be revised? Dream engineering is an experimental new field - with scientists, dream researchers and engineers pursuing the goal of influencing our thoughts as we sleep. For some, the idea holds the promise of a bright future, with benefits for our memories, creativity and wellbeing. On the other hand, though, the ethical issues it causes amid the unregulated world of an emerging technology have led to warnings of a future where our very dreams could be for sale. In The Dream Makers, Anand Jagatia investigates the fascinating potential and developing concerns over what the future of dream engineering could hold.

Also, weight loss jabs, puberty blockers trial & MLA pay

Violence has broken out in several cities across Mexico hours after the military confirmed it had killed one of the country's most feared drug lords - known as El Mencho. The leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel was shot in a dawn raid and died from his injuries. Also: Students in Iran have staged a second day of anti-government protests to honour those killed in last month's deadly crackdown. US secret service agents have shot dead a man who broke into President Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate with a shotgun. Greenland and Denmark reply "no thanks" to Donald Trump after he said he was sending an American hospital ship to "take care" of people in Greenland. Ukraine's President Zelensky tells the BBC President Putin has already started what amounts to World War Three - but Kyiv is keeping it contained. The grande finale of the Winter Olympics in Verona. All the latest from the BAFTAs, where the American film, One Battle After Another, has picked up several awards. The bones of St Francis of Assisi have gone on public display to mark 800 years since his death. And an annual folk festival dating back to the 15th century has been taking place in Belgium ... but without its longstanding tradition of drinking tiny live fish from an antique cup.

The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight.

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Jason Gilkison has for the past 10 years been the creative force behind the UK's top rating TV show, Strictly Come Dancing, better known around the world as Dancing with the Stars. Jason is an eight-time World Choreographer nominee who has become internationally renowned for his work creating dance spectaculars for the small screen. Katie Derham talks to Jason about his journey from professional dancer to becoming one of the world’s top – and most watched – choreographers. TV director Nikki Parsons explains how she and Jason collaborate to translate dance on to the small screen and the particular challenges of choregraphing for the TV cameras. And costume designer Vicky Gill describes the importance of designing costumes that catch the eye. Plus, we go behind the scenes as Jason puts the dancers through their paces to create a showstopper for the final of Strictly Come Dancing 2025.

An armed man has been shot dead after entering the secure perimeter of US President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, the Secret Service has said. We speak to a local reporter who has been at Mar-a-Lago several times.

Also on the programme: there has been a second day of protests at Iranian universities with crowds chanting, "Death to the dictator"; and the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 come to an end following 16 days of sporting delight.

(Photo: President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort after Secret Service and local police shot and killed a man armed with a shotgun after he breached a secure perimeter of the resort in Palm Beach, Florida. Credit: Reuters)

Chelsea’s getting more hopeful about her business plans, and David is reluctantly learning how to recruit volunteers.

*Ukraine says Russia has carried out another massive overnight attack, involving 50 missiles and nearly 300 drones.

Speaking two days before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky said the latest attacks targeted his country's energy sector as well as residential buildings.

We'll hear from a Ukrainian professional sportsman-turned-soldier on what the nearly four years of war have done to his country.

Also in the programme: The students protesting in Iran for the first time since last month's deadly crackdown; Canada and the US face off in the men's ice hockey final. And the Norwegian crowned the Winter Olympics' greatest ever athlete.

(Photo shows houses heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine on 22 February 2026. Credit: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)

Next week marks four years since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In that time, there’s been an intense crackdown on freedom of speech and dissent in Russia, which has led to many western media organisations leaving the country.

Today, we speak to Steve Rosenberg, the BBC’s Russia editor, on the tightrope of reporting from Moscow under Vladimir Putin.

The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.

Producer: Sam Chantarasak

Executive producer: Bridget Harney

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin attends his annual end-of-year press conference in Moscow. Credit: Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/Pool/Reuters.