1 April Fool’s Day is an annual custom consisting of pranks and hoaxes. Its origins are subject to debate. Some believe its etymology derives from ‘April Foals’, a reference to the disproportionate number of horses born on or around April 1. Others think the term originated in the 13th century, from a dish known as … Read more
Tricky true or false quiz challenges your knowledge of obscure facts from around the world – from the longest place name to the number of viruses in the ocean This fiendish quiz challenges your knowledge of random facts about the world It was created by quizmaster Tal Garner for the US-based trivia website Playbuzz Can … Read more
Ageless: The New Science Of Getting Older Without Getting Old Andrew Steele Bloomsbury £20 … Read more
Thank God for the arrival of series four of The Crown, TV’s most over the top quality soap opera which has stopped millions of us going bonkers during these dreary days of lockdown. Stuck at home for these long winter nights – we can’t go out to eat or meet friends for a moan and … Read more
The Health Department was forced into a humiliating climbdown yesterday after accusing the Mail of ‘misleading’ readers. On Saturday we published a two-page analysis raising multiple questions about ministers’ handling of the pandemic and their use of data to justify draconian lockdown rules. We pointed out that Government predictions on potential fatalities were wildly inaccurate … Read more
With the nation’s health at stake, it was revealed this week that GCHQ has embedded a team in Downing Street to provide Boris Johnson with real-time updates to combat the ‘emerging and changing threat’ posed by Covid-19. The intelligence analysts will sift through vast amounts of data to ensure the Prime Minister has the most … Read more
With the nation’s health at stake, it was revealed this week that GCHQ has embedded a team in Downing Street to provide Boris Johnson with real-time updates to combat the ‘emerging and changing threat’ posed by Covid-19. The intelligence analysts will sift through vast amounts of data to ensure the Prime Minister has the most … Read more
Earlier this week, my wife and I were congratulating ourselves on being in France, far from the draconian Covid restrictions now spreading throughout Britain. Then, on Thursday, with less than 24 hours’ notice, President Emmanuel Macron announced his plan to plunge the French into a second national lockdown for at least a month. And if … Read more
Wearing a face covering became a condition of entry to indoor public spaces in the UK in late July — and, according to at least one poll, some people haven’t washed their reusable masks or changed their disposable ones since. As many as 85 per cent of us aren’t washing our fabric face coverings properly … Read more
The Duke of Cambridge revealed how his seven-year-old son Prince George became distressed by a David Attenborough documentary on extinction. Prince William, 38, explained he was watching Extinction: The Facts, which aired last month on BBC1, when Prince George ‘got sad’ and asked to turn it off. The programme contained ‘horrific scenes of destruction’, including … Read more