The towns that inspired One Hundred Years of Solitude
Catherine Ellis (Credit: Catherine Ellis) As a new Netflix series thrusts Gabriel García Márquez’s masterpiece back into the spotlight, these are the real-life places that inspired the writer’s magical realism. In a small town fringed by banana trees in northern Colombia, a solitary yellow butterfly flutters through the languid, muggy air. Vallenato folk music floats […]
Swindon museum reopening ‘a success’ when gharial returns
Swindon Borough Council The gharial is currently undergoing specialist restoration The reopening of a town’s art gallery will not be a success until a much-loved crocodile is back on display, says a council leader. Museum & Art Swindon reopened in July after a four-year closure and campaigners have been calling for the return of a […]
Gloucestershire fire chiefs criticised over £3k family trips
BBC Fire bosses did not meet “ethical standards” after spending more than £3,700 of taxpayers’ money on petrol to visit family in Scotland. Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue’s former chief fire officer, Stewart Edgar, and deputy Andy Hermiston used company vehicles to see relatives. They also spent money unnecessarily on optional extras on “expensive high-end” company […]
Ex-husband Dominique jailed for 20 years
Gisèle Pelicot: ‘I never regretted decision to make trial public’ Dominique Pelicot has been jailed for 20 years after drugging his ex-wife Gisèle, raping her and inviting dozens of strangers to also abuse her over nearly a decade. The 72-year-old was found guilty of all charges by a judge in Avignon in southern France, and […]
Michael Owen: NFT tweet deleted after Advertising Standards Authority contact
Speaking to The Sports Desk podcast, James Daley, managing director of Fairer Finance, said: “When you’re delving into something that’s very new and unregulated, and you’ve got footballers saying ‘you can’t lose’, it’s flashing alarm bells. “It’s just not true – of course you can lose money. [Owen’s tweet] is incredibly dangerous, especially from a […]
Thames Water fined £120m over leaks
Scott Barbour/Getty Images High leakage created an “unnecessary strain on the environment”, regulators said Thames Water has been ordered to pay out £120m to compensate customers over poor management of leaks. An investigation by regulator Ofwat found the company “failed its customers” as it breached two of its legal responsibilities. The watchdog found its management […]
The training video for nuclear engineers
Take a look at the virtual reality training programmes that will soon be used to train nuclear engineers. Researchers at the University of Exeter have teamed up with VR programmers Cineon Training to produce training for high-risk jobs. Funded by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, the immersive technology means engineers can be trained before the facilities […]
Coronavirus: China’s tech fights back
Getty Images A robot on display at a hospital in China Disinfecting robots, smart helmets, thermal camera-equipped drones and advanced facial recognition software are all being deployed in the fight against Covid-19 at the heart of the outbreak in China. President Xi Jinping has called on the country’s tech sector to help battle the epidemic. […]
Oswestry street rangers scheme ‘makes town feel safer’
BBC Trudie Povey said businesses in Oswestry looked out for each other A Street Rangers scheme has made a Shropshire town feel safer in the year it has been running, businesses say. The Oswestry project was announced in October 2023 and was paid for by the town’s Business Improvement District (BID). The service sees teams […]
Frankfurt WW2 bomb defused after mass evacuation
AFP Bomb disposal experts from Germany’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Division sat next to the defused device on Sunday Bomb disposal experts in Frankfurt have successfully defused a massive unexploded bomb from World War Two, officials have announced. The news was greeted with spontaneous applause among some of about 65,000 people who were evacuated to enable […]