Briefings
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Hate speech
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is calling on governments to help social media companies to control hate speech, privacy and democracy online. What does he want exactly? And why now?
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Exoplanets
Scientists are about to confirm the discovery of the 4,000th exoplanet outside our solar system. What are these mysterious worlds, and will we find alien life on them?
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Islamophobia in Europe
All this weekend, calls have been mounting for a clampdown on racist attacks against Muslims. What is driving the prejudice and hate against Islam in Western countries, and especially in Europe?
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Elon Musk’s astronaut taxi
After a week at the International Space Station, Elon Musk’s Crew Dragon spacecraft has survived a burning hot trip through the atmosphere and splashed safely back to Earth. Now what?
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Knife crime
This weekend, two teenagers were stabbed and killed in London and Manchester. Knife crime in the UK has been steadily rising since 2014. Why is it happening? And what is being done about it?
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The opioid crisis
Is the UK on the cusp of an opioid epidemic? In America, you are more likely to die from an overdose than a road accident. Yesterday, experts warned that Britain faces a crisis of its own…
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What is FGM?
This month, a woman was found guilty of female genital mutilation for the first time ever in the UK. She now faces a “lengthy” jail sentence. But what is FGM? And where does it come from?
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Fact-checking Donald Trump
Donald Trump has given the annual State of the Union address, in which he boasted of a soaring economy and urged citizens to unite behind him. But how many of his key claims were true?
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An antibiotic apocalypse
How much should we worry about antibiotic resistance? Last week, the UK’s health secretary, Matt Hancock, warned that superbugs were as big a threat to humans as climate change or war. Why?
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The Irish border
Almost a century on from the creation of Northern Ireland, the Irish border could decide the future of the UK and Europe. What were the Troubles, and are they over for good?
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Should I be scared of flying?
It has been 10 years since the “Miracle on the Hudson”, when a pilot successfully landed his plane on New York’s famous river after it lost power. The fear of flying is very common, but is it...
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The secrets of the Moon
China has become the first nation to land a probe on the mysterious “dark side” of the Moon. The experiment could pave the way for future astronaut landings, and even human lunar settlements.
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St Nicholas
Scientists believe they may have found a bone belonging to St Nicholas, the inspiration for Father Christmas. How did this fourth-century bishop become such a cultural icon across the West?
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Refugees around the world
In his latest restriction on refugee admissions to the US, President Donald Trump is considering introducing a fee for asylum seekers. Who are the world’s refugees? And where do they flee to?
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The lost tribes
Last week, missionary John Allen Chau was killed by a tribe on a remote Indian island. He was trying to contact the North Sentinelese — one of many uncontacted tribes from around the world.