By Sam Inglis  With South Korean revenge actioner/Nikita knockoff The Villainess (with the excellent Kim Ok-vin showing her action credentials) recently released on Digital HD, I thought I’d use this week’s Five… to spin off and take a look at a handful of the many, many great action heroines that Asian cinema has given us over the years. Some are relatively unknown in the mainstream, others are huge stars. Some started working over 50 years ago, others are much newer...

Ask the average Brit to pin Guangzhou on a map and the reality is that 99 out of 100 will fail. The sprawling port city northwest of Hong Kong is as ill-recognised as any of the other cities that cluster around China's autonomous territory, but the home of the Double Pebble opera house and the iconic Canton TV Tower skyscraper could soon become the most important gateway to the east - and it's high time we recognised it. For many years people travelling east...

This is the moment police had a real-life 'Hot Fuzz' moment - by rescuing an escaped SWAN. Two PCSOs found themselves chasing a lost bird near Trowbridge in Witlshire - replicating the scene from the Simon Pegg and Nick Frost blockbuster, But unlike the bumbling antics of Sergeant Nicholas Angel and PC Danny Butterman the officers recovered the stray bird with ease. They even posed for a selfie with the bird in their cop car. PCSOs Maria Badder and Laura...

Usually when Theresa May makes an important speech the pound tends to plummet scarily on international markets and confidence in Britain falls even further. Sterling cliff dive after Theresa May speech But you know it’s been a good speech when everyone’s favourite political farce The Thick Of It starts trending on social media before the speech is even over. Still it’s not like this lot have anything more complex to negotiate apart from getting through a week in Manchester without any...

An army of sand artists have created the world's largest-ever land art project - by carving intricate Hindu symbols into beaches across the globe. The attempt began on September 2 when artist Julian Richardson carved a 400ft-wide mosaic into Brean beach in Somerset. It took seven hours for Julian and his six helpers to create the enormous figure of the 'Sri Yantra' - an ancient symbol representing balance between opposing forces. Since then a further 15 artists have created similar...

A top grammar school has been rapped by education watchdogs for operating an unlawful admissions policy. Maidstone Grammar School for Girls (MGGS) in Kent applied a secret points system to chose prospective sixth form students. The school requires pupils to have six GCSEs at grade A* to C, including at least four B grades as well as B grades in the subjects they are taking at A-level. However the Local Govenrment Ombudsman found school bosses were making offers based on...

The next installment of Rant + Rave is heading to London this weekend to hep raise money for charity, helping to prevent male suicide. The Rant + Rave team have partnered up with Basement Sate, Soho for a charity night in aid of CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), a charity dedicated to preventing male suicide, the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45 in the UK. The night will include DJ sets covering an eclectic mix of...

In amongst the shops of Bethnal Green Road you’ll find the 160-year old, inconspicuous blue façade of what used to be a pub called The Albion. Since this summer, though, this the home of Coupette, the presence merely given away by a wholly unremarkable branded doormat. Blink and you’ll miss it. Coupette describes itself as a ‘neighbourhood bar with a local aesthetic and French accent to everything’. The ‘everything’ being both the extensive drinks menu and the comparatively sparse food...

Nine care homes, all owned by one company, are being investigated by police looking into the deaths of 12 residents. Initially only two homes were named by the local authority, but now seven more care homes at the centre of the police investigation have also been revealed. A total of nine homes - all run by Sussex Health Care - are now being scrutinised following serious concerns over the safety of patients. Last month West Sussex County Council admitted that...