Book Review : Bounty of a Stolen Empire, by Martin Cohen
A truly ‘novel’ romantic novel, Bounty of a Stolen Empire is a sharply-written, wryly humorous book that tells the real-life story of Marguerite, Countess of Blessington – one of the most remarkable women of her time but shamefully forgotten by history. Born Margaret Power in 1789, our heroine, begins her tumultuous life in a chaotic, less-than-salubrious home in an Irish backwater. As a bored child prodigy she finds herself pregnant and sold by her father in matrimony to a man...
Places to Visit in China
Exploring China can take you on mesmerizing cultural journeys and thrilling adventures. Since it was discovered over 700 years ago by the fearless adventurer Marco Polo, the large Asian country has been regarded as a prime destination for those looking for enchantment. Whether you are visiting some of the bustling cities, discovering spectacular nature or searching for tranquility in ancient temples, China offers endless potential, and so much of it is not widely known. Here are our top 3 picks...
Women ‘were the key to spreading culture and knowledge around Europe 4,000 years ago’
Women were the key to spreading culture and knowledge around Europe 4,000 years ago, according to new research. The study revealed European women traveled far and wide from their home villages to start families - bringing with them new cultural objects and ideas, while men tended to stay near where they were born. Researchers found that at the end of the Stone Age and in the early Bronze Age, families were established in a surprising manner in the Lechtal area,...
Mum nearly fed banana containing nest of spider eggs to baby
A shocked mum told how she nearly fed a banana containing a nest of spider eggs to her baby. Debbie Campbell - who has a fear of spiders - says she spotted a clump of white eggs on the fruit as she was about to feed 18-month-old Albie. The beauty therapist screamed when she suddenly realised the white mark on the fruit looked identical to nests laid by the world's most venomous spider, the Brazilian Wandering Spider. Shocked mum Debbie...
Watch – Warming ocean floor threat to creatures living in the seas around Antarctica
Four out of five marine species living in the oceans around Antarctica are expected to decline in number as the seafloor warms over the next century. A British Antarctic Survey (BAS) team examined the potential distribution of more than 900 species of Southern Ocean shelf-dwelling marine invertebrates under a warming scenario produced by computer models. The researchers concluded that, while some species in some areas will benefit, four out of five of the species native to the region (79 per...
Teenager who can only paint using eye movements has artwork placed in exhibit
A wheelchair-bound teenage girl, who struggles to use her arms and hands and can only paint using eye movements, has had her artwork exhibited. Greta McMillan, 13, spent years trapped in a quiet world with communication limited to a sequence of blinks - for yes and no - tiny facial expressions and small sounds. The teenager was limited by her Cerebral Palsy but is now able to communicate after the local community rallied round to fund an "eye tracker" computer...
Would you eat these fried chicken doughnuts?
Ma’ Plucker of Soho's Beak Street has combined fried chicken with doughnuts to create new "Dirty Doughnuts". The eatery has created three dirty doughnuts including fried chicken with peanut butter, streaky bacon served on a jam filled doughnut, fried Chicken with jalapeño jelly served on a honey glazed mini doughnut and pulled BBQ Chicken with apricot jelly served on a smoked paprika mini doughnut. The doughnuts are served exclusively as part of Ma’s Dirty Birds & Doughnuts Afternoon Tea alongside a...
G4S management had been warned 3 years ago about staff behaviour at the centre
BBC Panorama reveals how a detainee was choked by a member of staff at a G4S run Immigration Removal Centre Tonight BBC Panorama reveals footage of a detainee being choked by a member of staff at a G4S run Immigration Removal Centre. The incident is part of a culture of abuse captured by undercover filming, along with widespread self-harm, and attempted suicides by detainees. The undercover filming was carried out by a member of staff, a detainee custody officer whose...
In pics – Secret nuclear bunker that has remained hidden…for more than 40 years
These pictures show the inside of a top secret nuclear bunker that has remained hidden - for more than 40 years. The site, built during the height of the Cold War, has been buried beneath a Grade II-listed building since it was built in the mid 1970s. These pictures show the inside of a top secret nuclear bunker that has remained hidden - for more than 40 years. But it has now opened its doors to the public for the...