Latest Stories
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The Big Ben ding-dong over bongs
Would you pay £500,000 for Big Ben to bong? Some people want the famous bells to sound as Britain leaves the EU on 31 January – but others see it as a ridiculous waste of money.
- Reading Band 14+
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Man survives at -30C thanks to peanut butter
It was a real-life nightmare: a man’s hut in the Alaskan wilderness burnt down, and all his possessions were destroyed. But now, he has been rescued – after three weeks in the freezing snow.
- Reading Band 11
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A new national anthem – for Mars!
Does Mars need a national anthem? An opera singer has just performed his latest musical piece, Rise to Mars! Will it inspire people to head to the Red Planet?
- Reading Band 5
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The bike that rides on water!
Imagine pedalling down a river. If you got hot, you could just fall off! This is just one of the many great inventions on show, last week, at the world’s biggest exhibition of new gadgets.
- Reading Band 14+
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The koala bear hospital saving fire victims
Hot and dry weather in Australia has made its annual forest fires much worse this year. The country’s favourite animals, koala bears, are being rescued and looked after in special hospitals.
- Reading Band 11
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Why aliens may already be living with us
Helen Sharman, a top scientist and the first British person in space, said last weekend that there are definitely aliens somewhere in the Universe – and they may even already be here now.
- Reading Band 5
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Cave painting could be ‘oldest-recorded story’
Is this picture the world’s oldest recorded story? Dating of a painting on the wall of a cave in Indonesia has revealed it to be 44,000 years old. Does it tell the story of a buffalo hunt?
- Reading Band 14+
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Volcano risk fears rise after fatal eruption
Are deadly volcanos becoming more frequent? An active volcano on New Zealand’s White Island has exploded. Some scientists think this could be the first of many more terrible eruptions.
- Science
- Reading Band 11
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Baby Yoda takes internet by storm
What is it about this little alien that we love so much? Baby Yoda has gone viral after appearing on a new Star Wars spin-off. He has been specially designed to be as cute as possible.
- Reading Band 5
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‘Smart skin’ makes virtual touch a reality
Should touch become digital? A new thin, wireless skin could allow us to reach through a computer and touch what is on the other side. Is it wonderful or disturbing?
- Science
- Reading Band 14+
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Anger and sadness over seal with coffee bottle
Is our sea life in danger? Baby porpoises are poisoned by chemicals. A whale washes up with 100kg of litter in its stomach. Now, a seal clutches a coffee cup in a viral photograph.
- Climate
- Reading Band 11
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Miracle fruit stays fresh for a year
Is this the future of food? Scientists have invented a new type of apple that does not brown for 12 whole months. Some people think it is wonderful, but others say it is creepy.
- Science
- Reading Band 5
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Flat-Earth conspiracy spreads around the globe
Is it sinister to believe the Earth is flat? Thousands do. In fact, flat-Earthers have recently held huge meetings in Brazil and Italy. But experts fear this strange belief has a dark side.
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Saxon hoard lands treasure hunters in jail
Who owns buried treasure? Last Friday, two men were sent to jail for trying to sell an amazing 1,100-year-old stash of Anglo-Saxon coins and jewellery. But to whom does it really belong?
- Culture
- Reading Band 11
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Billions to be spent in Black Friday spree
Do we care too much about presents? The busiest shopping day of the year is here. People are rushing to buy Christmas gifts. However, many believe that Christmas is about more than presents.
- Society
- Reading Band 5