Iran’s parliament has approved the broad framework of legislation that would criminalise engagement with “hostile” foreign media. Iran’s parliament on Sunday approved the broad framework of legislation aimed at tightening restrictions on suspected foreign influence, including proposed criminal penalties for engaging with media outlets considered hostile to the Islamic Republic, Iranian media reported.The bill’s general…

Lincoln’s ‘Wonky House’ set for redevelopment after funding secured A demolition order issued in late 1933 was meant to remove a row of ordinary brick terrace houses at the top of Michaelgate in Lincoln. Instead, the first blows from the demolition crew revealed something unexpected: a 16th-century timber-framed building hidden behind the brick exterior. The…

An 8-year-old boy’s unexpected catch during a fishing trip at a lake near Philadelphia has raised concerns about exotic pets being introduced into local waterways.On Saturday morning, Seamus Coffey, 8, reeled in a 2-lb red-bellied piranha, which he initially thought might be a large bass while he was fishing with his dad at a lake…

Mining lithium for batteries is a growing part of South Africa’s plan to use the global shift towards green energy to revive its economy, but now it faces a challenge from thousands of angry farmers who fear losing productive land to open-pit mines. On the southeast coast, where a lithium mine operates and more than…

Four Antonello da Messina works stolen in Renaissance painter’s hometown Four works attributed to celebrated Sicilian Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina have been stolen from a regional museum in Messina, Italian media reported Sunday, in a heist carried out during the country’s Ferragosto holiday.The theft took place Saturday evening at the MuMe regional museum, where…

(Pic courtesy: Leandro Justen) We all have skeletons in our closet. Most of us do, if not all. Perhaps it’s a regret you can’t quite shake off, a confession that was never made, or a truth that’s bitter to let go. The thing is, secrets get heavy. They take up space. And they whisper at…