Fertility treatment could soon become more effective after scientists developed an 'assault course'... for sperm. It uses an obstacle course to separate the 'men from the boys' - identifying the strongest and fastest swimmers. Appropriately dubbed SPARTAN, after one of the most feared military forces in Ancient Greece, it uses obstacles to select the fastest and healthiest sperm. Already available for use in the clinic, it is hoped it will be helping women to become pregnant with fewer cycles of...

Two men appeared in court today (Thurs) charged with the manslaughter of a 15-year-old girl who died after suffering a severe allergic reaction after eating an Indian takeaway. Megan Lee died in hospital on New Year's Day from anaphylactic shock having eaten a kebab or a Peshwari naan which included nuts. Megan Lee, 15. She had ordered a takeaway via Just Eat from Royal Spice Indian takeaway in Oswaldtwistle, Lancs., on December 30, 2016, two days prior to her death....

The Last Jedi is in a difficult spot in Star Wars history. The Force Awakens survived by cannibalising the beloved storyline of A New Hope and capitalising on nostalgia. Wisely, The Last Jedi focused less on legacy and more on forging its own path forward in its own small ways. Episode Eight was less of a shock to the system than Rogue One, but a decisive step towards a new vision for the Star Wars universe. Space casino maguffins aside,...

Of London’s many ills, our capital is plagued with an intolerable toll of bad museum and gallery cafés. Almost every gallery or museum in London is joined by a glorified tea room, many of which are also touted as restaurants in their own right, yet most are magnificently awful. Bucking the trend, however, The Garden Museum (Britain’s only museum dedicated to the art, history and design of gardens) reopened during the summer, as did the affixed Garden Café - open...

A fortune teller who correctly predicted Brexit using ASPARAGUS has revealed her top tips for 2018 - including Theresa May being ousted as Prime Minister. Jemima Packington, 61, is the world's only Asparamancer and claims she can peer into the future by tossing the veg in the air and interpreting how the spears land. She predicts that 2018 will see the US bring the world to the brink of serious conflict and the bursting of the Bitcoin bubble. She also...

An Indian restaurant has been fined more than £20,000 after a customer found a COCKROACH in his pilau rice. Environmental health officers visited the The Maharajah Restaurant in Luton, Beds., after the diner complained about the dead insect, which was buried in his meal. Inspectors from Central Bedfordshire Council found a build-up of dirt, grease and food debris to the pipework throughout the premises. The skirting boards throughout the kitchen were also so thick with grease and dirt that the...

Police launched a murder investigation after a 16-year-old boy was stabbed to death in Oxford. The boy, who was from Birmingham, was stabbed in Friars Wharf, close to the River Thames. He was attacked just before 8pm last night and died from his injuries in hospital. A woman aged 25 and a man aged 33, both from Oxford, have been arrested on suspicion of murder. A witness said: "I was coming back from work. There was a young bloke on...

Cadbury have been accused of short changing customers and wasting packaging after selling a variety box of treats – with just EIGHT biscuits inside. Pictures and video posted on social media show one disgruntled customer opening the ‘Cadbury Biscuit Assortment’ after receiving it as a gift. The customer’s wife, who works as a teacher, was given the box by one of her pupils before Christmas. The husband, from Birmingham, who does not want to be named for fear of embarrassing...