Latest Stories
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Rwanda remembers its genocide 25 years on
This week, Rwanda commemorates the massacres of 1994, in which 800,000 people were killed in just 100 days. The country is now stable, but how does any society recover from such a horror?
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Wales to ban parents from smacking their kids
Is this a good idea? Corporal punishment of children — including smacking — is outlawed in 54 countries around the world. But some parents say it is a loving way of disciplining their kids.
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‘Darkest day’ as world mourns mosque slaughter
Yesterday, the death toll in New Zealand rose to 50. A man was arrested in Surrey, suspected of a copycat terrorist attack. Is divisive rhetoric and a climate of hate feeding extremism?
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Report finds work has become the new religion
Teenagers say having a job they enjoy is twice as important as getting married or having children, according to a major new American survey. But anxiety and depression are rising steeply.
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ISIS teen bride begs for return to Britain
Should she be allowed back? Four years ago, Shamima Begum fled Britain to join Islamic State. Now, with the caliphate in ruins, she wants to return. Her plea has caused division and uproar.
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Row erupts over claim Churchill was a villain
Can you be a hero and a villain at the same time? Labour’s shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, is under fire for branding Winston Churchill — once voted the “greatest Briton” — a villain.
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Happy New Year! China welcomes Year of the Pig
Today, one fifth of the world’s population is celebrating the start of a new year — one that promises to bring prosperity, joy and relaxation. That is, if you believe in the Chinese zodiac…
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‘God wanted Trump to be president’
That is the incredible claim made by Donald Trump’s press secretary, Sarah Sanders. Whether divine intervention is at play or not, Trump is extremely popular among America’s evangelicals.
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Game changer as mice pass down edited genes
Gene drive technology could be the key to eradicating animal-spread diseases. Now, scientists have successfully used it in mammals for the first time. But could it spell ecological disaster?
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James Bulger’s mum ‘disgusted’ at murder film
The 1993 murder of James Bulger by two 10-year-old boys, which sent shockwaves through British society, is the subject of an Oscar-nominated film. Bulger’s family say it should not have been...
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Straight actors get Oscar nods for gay roles
Yesterday, seven straight actors received Oscar nominations for playing LGBT film roles — more than a third of the total. And yet there were no openly gay actors on the list. Is this fair?
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Nazi. Traitor. Scum. Political debate today
The insults hurled at politicians outside Parliament this week have been condemned by MPs. But where does the nastiness come from? And when should free speech become a crime?
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Asylum hope for Saudi teenager who fled death
An 18-year-old Saudi woman who fled her family at the weekend is in hiding in Thailand pleading for asylum. She fears that her father and brother may kill her for renouncing Islam.
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Germany introduces ‘third sex’ option at birth
Every year, thousands of babies are born who are biologically neither male nor female. Now some countries are recognising a “third sex”. Are gender distinctions less rigid than we think?
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Surging demand for modern Christmas carols
Are modern carols better than the classics? This year, hundreds of new carols will be sung in concerts alongside old favourites — some using the Christmas story to tackle grave world issues.