Latest Stories
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From churl to chav: shaming the underclass
A new book suggests we enjoy ridiculing people at the bottom of the heap for everything: their accent, their behaviour and even their clothes. Often by using the word 'chav'.
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Q&A: Yemen at a crossroads as President leaves
President Saleh, injured in rebel attacks on his palace, has fled to Saudi Arabia. Protestors celebrate, but the country still faces an uncertain future.
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Q&A: That wedding! All the fun of the fair…
All weddings have flowers. But they don't all have Kanye West, manure and anti-tweet technology. So how clued up on the royal wedding are you?
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Celebrities like them. But are super-injunctions so super?
As the rich seek to keep their private lives private, the media is increasingly restricted by High Court gagging orders. It's a battle between privacy and free speech.
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Why the Quran remains a burning issue
Protests continue in Afghanistan over the burning of the Quran, with many dead and injured. Should any book have the power to stir such emotions?
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Democracy on the brink in Ivory Coast
In West Africa, Ivory Coast is moving towards civil war after a disputed election. What happens there will be an omen for the fate of democracy across the troubled continent.
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Presidential panic as Syrian revolution spreads
Syria's President Assad is clinging to power by announcing huge reforms at the same time as cracking down on dissent. And yet the protest continues to grow.
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We protest! But is the UK government bothered?
They came from as far afield as Cornwall and Inverness, including mother and toddler groups and violent anarchists. But do demonstrations make a difference?
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A new start: can Egypt handle democracy?
Protesters in Egypt want immediate democratic rule, but some in the West say the country's not ready, and real change must come more gradually.
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World’s worst autocracies named and explained
Authoritarian regimes in the Middle East are under threat, as a people's revolt in Tunisia spreads. But who are the world's worst autocrats?
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Police in dock over phone hacking fury
Police have announced a new investigation into phone hacking at the News of the World. But why did it take them so long to get on the case?
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Blood, pain and tweets in Tunisian revolt
After weeks of unrest in Tunisia, the President of twenty-three years has fled abroad. But can violence and chaos ever bring democratic change?
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Political murder disrupts Pakistan.
A campaigner for Pakistan’s democracy has been shot dead by one of his own bodyguards, who thought the moderate politician was wrong to favour free speech over religion.
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Cheap as chips? Not any more, warns the UN
The UN has issued a warning about poverty, malnutrition and the rising cost of food. What’s pushing up the prices? And can we avoid a global disaster?
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The price of sexist insults versus the wounds of war
The award of a potential £575,000 to a policewoman for years of sexist abuse has unleashed a storm of indignation from war veterans and popular newspapers.