Latest Stories
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The poet may know it when others blow it
This week, the Scots drank to the poet Robert Burns and Derek Walcott won the TS Eliot prize. Now poetry wants to give St George a makeover.
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Palestinian document leaks may kill peace hopes
Delicate peace talks in the Middle East have been ruptured by publication of secret documents. Palestinians didn’t know how much negotiators offered on their behalf.
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Crowded world to face a hungry future
A newly published government report warns of a coming food crisis. Technology saved us once. Can it succeed again or should we find a fresh solution?
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'Sexist' Football pundits caught offside
A female official at a top football match is mocked by the TV presenters. They're now suspended. But is football the only sexist institution?
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Make-up! Lipstick! Mirrors! And ‘Mr Sahara’
It’s a beauty contest with a difference. The men dress up and the women judge. Poverty and bling meet in the deserts of West Africa.
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‘Hardman’ Ed takes the fight to the Tories
A tough and uncompromising politician has been put in charge of the Labour Party’s economic policy. The Conservative-led government expects a hard fight. The battleground? Spending cuts.
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Phone-hacking throws spotlight on Murdoch
Ex-PM Gordon Brown joins those who suspect their phones have been tapped. Andy Coulson may have resigned, but the story continues to grow.
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Secrets foil attempt to lay Iraq war to rest
An inquiry wants letters between Blair and Bush about Iraq to be published. But does honesty always make better policy?
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Holy bones - skeleton seized by Greek cops
A monk has been detained in Athens for trying to smuggle a nun’s remains out of the country. Why did he do it?
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Inflation raises spectre of money losing its value
Prices, from bread to petrol, are 3.7% higher than last year. History has grim warnings on where it might end.
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Piracy on the high seas and laser dazzlers
More people were taken hostage at sea in 2010 than in any year since records began. So how can a ‘ragged band’ of pirates hold the world to ransom?
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Birds, bears and mammoths – coming soon?
A UK revival for the world’s heaviest flying bird is being funded by the EU. Now other extinct species could be on their way back.
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The world moves into a new Chinese era
China is now the developing world's biggest lender, yet another sign of the country's rising power. Should we be worried?
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Avatar director to tackle Challenger Deep
James Cameron is planning a voyage to the bottom of the world's deepest ocean. Is human exploration more valuable than robotic research?
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Film stars are a joke for Ricky Gervais
The Golden Globes ceremony is usually all about praise. But this year, Hollywood’s finest were also the butt of jokes. Should comedy upset people?