Latest Stories
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The asylum seekers who reshaped the world
Does the world need a new approach to refugees? The UK has announced changes to its asylum law, hoping to discourage displaced people from reaching the country illegally.
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Chilled out Finns are world’s happiest people
Should all countries be more like Finland? The Scandinavian state has been named the world’s happiest nation – again. Now some say we could all learn from the Nordic way of life.
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The healing power of bridges and tunnels
Have bridges and tunnels saved more lives than medicine? Yesterday a formal feasibility study was launched into Boris Johnson’s dream of a fixed link between Scotland and Northern Ireland.
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‘I’d like a room with an Earth view, please’
Would you take a holiday in a space hotel? The world’s first orbiting resort is scheduled to open in 2027, but some people feel their money would be better spent nearer to home.
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UK cut in aid to Yemen is ‘death sentence’
Should the Yemen crisis be the only big story this week? Despite the UN warning that it faces the worst famine the world has seen for decades and is ‘falling off a cliff’, aid is drying up.
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‘Schools have failed us on climate crisis’
Should climate change be on every school curriculum? Teen activists say green education is woefully inadequate. Now, they want to change the law before time runs out to save the planet.
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Polar vortex puts world into deep freeze
Will there be another ice age? Many believe the answer is yes – but scientists say that global warming caused by human activity may have delayed it by over 50,000 years.
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Aung San Suu Kyi toppled in military coup
Is Xi Jinping behind the Myanmar coup? As ruthless generals squash the country’s young democracy, some see the hand of China’s autocratic leader steering events from across the border.
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Savage mountain finally beaten by teamwork
Is it madness? A team of Nepali climbers has risen to the ultimate mountaineering challenge, becoming the first to conquer K2 in the depths of winter. But some wonder what the point was.
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Scientist says French beans may be conscious
Could plants be sentient – a basic form of consciousness? A stunning breakthrough at Spain’s minimal intelligence lab suggests that beans may have goals and purposes, just like humans.
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The future: get ready for the 15-minute city
Are we on the verge of a completely new way of living? As part of a series on different visions of the future, we look at an exciting proposal to create small, super-convenient cities.
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Scientists spot ‘impossible’ new whale species
Are we killing species faster than we thought? Naturalists discover thousands of new animals and plants each year. Yet, at the same time, countless more are wiped out by humans.
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Italian farmers furious with furry fugitive
Can humans live alongside dangerous animals? As bears are reintroduced to northern Italy, some worry that they pose a threat to humans – while others worry that humans are a threat to bears.
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The post-pandemic city: China bets on the new normal
Has the pandemic killed the city as we know it? In the Chinese “new area” of Xiong’an the state is backing an ambitious plan for a more self-contained way of living. Will others follow?
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The super-cow v the old-fashioned plough
Was farming better 1,000 years ago? Scientists believe they have discovered how to breed “super-cows”. But others argue that agriculture was far more sustainable in medieval times.