Learner profile: Balanced
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Baby Yoda takes the internet by storm
Is cuteness a science? The ancient, alien sage has been reborn as an infant in a new Star Wars spin-off. One doctor says that our frenzied reaction to Baby Yoda has a scientific explanation.
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‘The American festival we all should celebrate’
Should Thanksgiving go global? It seems like a holiday that’s as American as pumpkin pie. But there are variants of this day all around the world, revolving around the concept of gratitude.
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Bloomberg sets up battle of the billionaires
Can he beat Donald Trump? Billionaire Michael Bloomberg has finally stepped into the crowded presidential race. Supporters say he has the money and credentials to get under Trump’s skin.
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‘Law of the jungle’ as US backs settlements
Is the liberal international order collapsing? The Trump administration just smashed years of legal history by declaring that Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank are now acceptable.
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Britain faces international war crimes trial
Is Britain’s military a force for good or evil in the world? A year-long probe has uncovered evidence that the British Government covered up atrocities by troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Australia’s bushfires rage out of control
Are bushfires the price for using fossil fuels? Huge infernos are burning across eastern Australia. Critics say they are linked to the climate crisis, and the country must stop mining coal.
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Two cannabis-based medicines approved for NHS
Does this go far enough? Charities have welcomed the move, although campaigners who have been fighting for access to the drugs said the new guidelines were a “massive missed opportunity”.
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Call to drop Remembrance Sunday causes a storm
Should we stop marking Remembrance Sunday? Guardian journalist Polly Toynbee believes the day has been hijacked by nationalist nostalgia, but others say she is entirely missing the point.
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‘Garden of Eden’ discovered in Botswana
Are we all Africans? New research suggests that all humans alive today are descended from people living in southern Africa, 200,000 years ago. But are they right? And does it matter?
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#Nemesis: ‘better than a friend or a lover’
Everyone needs a nemesis. Or do they? Social media is abuzz with the idea. And history is full of arch rivals who pushed each other to be better — or drove each other to death.
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Kurds cry betrayal as Trump withdraws support
Should Kurdistan be an independent country? Donald Trump’s abrupt cave-in yesterday, pulling support from the USA’s old allies in the fight against ISIS, has left 45 million people at risk.
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Humpback whale ‘swallows’ sea lion whole
Is nature competitive or co-operative? A rare image of a sea lion flailing in the jaws of a humpback whale is not what it appears to be — challenging our ideas about survival of the fittest.
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Battle of the titans launches Rugby World Cup
Whisper it quietly, but is rugby a better game than football? The World Cup kicks off in Tokyo this morning and all the world’s a stage as the giants of the game prepare for an epic battle.
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Judges have no right to stop me, declares PM
Should Britain’s highest court bring back Parliament? The most serious battle of constitutional powers for 100 years is playing out this week. The future of the country is at stake.
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Emergency plan to deflect giant asteroid
Are asteroids our biggest threat? Scientists are now working on a plan to protect Earth from Didymos, a giant rock the size of Egypt’s great pyramid — one of 20,000 known near-Earth objects.