Month: August 2024

A fresh wave of anti-tourism backlash in Spain saw residents block tourists from accessing a popular beach on the weekend. Locals in O Morrazo, Galicia, have long complained about the strain tourists have placed on their popular seaside town, with particular ire directed at the number of cars left by tourists who go to the beach. Anger spilt over into an unusual protest on the weekend, which saw residents continuously walking across a pedestrian crossing as a way to block tourists from reaching the nearby beach. Footage of the innovative protest went viral on Spanish social media on Sunday. Around ... Read more

Two men have appeared in court charged with murder and attempted murder after a house fire in Bradford which left a mother and her three children dead. Bryonie Gawith, 29, Denisty Birtle, nine, Oscar Birtle, five, and 22-month-old Aubree Birtle died following the blaze at their home in Westbury Road, Bradford, in the early hours of August 21. On Wednesday Mohammed Shabir, 44, of Alice Street, Keighley, and Calum Sunderland, 25, of Calton Street, Keighley, appeared before a district judge at Bradford Magistrates’ Court. Both defendants are accused of murdering Ms Gawith and the three children, and attempting to murder ... Read more

it was not until the equivalent of high school age that Zhiwei first saw oil paints being used to create brightly colored images. The way this discovery came about is truly a remarkable story. The government in Beijing had dispatched an experienced artist to the village to create a huge picture of Chairman Mao Tse-tung. Young Zhiwei happened by one afternoon and saw the painter at work. Fascinated, he watched for hours on end and finally asked the man if he could have samples of his paints. Zhiwei took them to the equivalent of the village pharmacy. There, he acquired ... Read more

The brand new train service will link five of Europe’s best cities and whisk passengers between four countries. There are plans for a new rail service running from Oslo, Norway, stopping in Gothenburg and Malmö, both in Sweden, Copenhagen, Denmark, before arriving in Hamburg, Germany. Sweden’s state-owned SJ, Denmark’s DSB and DB in Germany, plans to offer the new international train line. The route is set to run daily departing from Oslo at 8am and arriving in Hamburg at 7pm. A service departing Hamburg and terminating in Gothenburg is also planned. The 11 hour service would be quicker than the ... Read more

Liz Truss reportedly considered cutting free cancer care on the NHS as her mini-Budget unravelled, prompting advisers to exclaim: “She’s lost the plot.” Historian Sir Anthony Seldon’s book about Ms Truss’s tumultuous 49 days in Downing Street claims that aides were told the former prime minister was contemplating far-reaching cuts so she could deliver her tax-cutting agenda. The plan, outlined by then-chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng in the House of Commons, sparked turmoil in the financial markets and plunged the government into a desperate fight for its survival. Extracts of Truss at 10: How Not to Be Prime Minister, published in The ... Read more

If you have an Amazon Kindle but it’s a little long in the tooth, there’s a new way to claim money off a brand new eReader for a limited time. Amazon is currently offering its high-end Kindle Scribe at a remarkable £90 discount, but if you send off your old Kindle to the firm, it’ll knock an additional 20 percent off. The Kindle Scribe is Amazon’s most advanced and largest-screened Kindle yet, with a pen that lets you handwrite sticky notes on the pages of any book. You can also use the whole screen as a digital E Ink notebook ... Read more

British tourists who travelled to Tunisia have warned future visitors to avoid a “disgusting” budget hotel. The Novostar Pyramides Hotel is a three-star hotel located in Nabeul, northeastern Tunisia. On the country’s coast, the hotel is just a 12-minute walk from the beach by the Mediterranean Sea. The website says the three-star hotel “features cosy rooms with modern facilities for a comfortable stay.” It adds that the restaurant there offers “a large choice of regional specialities” and the “friendly entertainment team and the many activities taking place in the day around the swimming pool and at night mean you will ... Read more

Tourists are furious after it was revealed that restaurants in a beautiful European city may be charging visitors more for meals than locals. Portuguese newspaper Expresso claims that residents of Lisbon are given the code for lower prices “verbally, in whispers or indicated on menus placed in inconspicuous or even hidden areas”. Industry insiders have told the paper that pricing based on nationality is “completely illegal”. The allegations of a two-tier pricing system come amid ongoing protests related to over-tourism plaguing European countries, particularly Spain and Portugal.  Earlier this year, Lisbon locals took a more direct approach against overtourism by ... Read more

Shoppers have raved about a silk sleep mask that gives them a good night’s sleep claiming they wake up with “less eye bags” – and now the brand has released two new colours.  The Drowsy Sleep Mask now comes in Summer Coral and Pistachio Green. It’s a cult classic that’s designed to block out the lights while providing a comfortable and restful tuck-in without any disturbance.  The £69 sleep accessory which can be purchased direct from the brand or via Amazon, is made with 22-momme mulberry silk. It also has fluffy yet lightweight padding in a “wraparound” headband strap to ... Read more

Michael Malm is an American Figurative Painter who was born in 1972 and is currently living in the Cache Valley of Northern Utah with his loving wife Juanita and they are blessed with four children. He paints variety of subjects with diverse background. He lives in a place which is surrounded by rural communities which provides backdrops for his figure paintings. He takes his inspiration from landscapes and human figures. He loves to draw figurative works. When asked about his love for human figures, he adds, “The human figure, in my mind is the most beautiful of all God’s creations. ... Read more