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135 years ago, in 1889, to great fanfare, there was the “unveiling” (so to speak) of a very, very tall structure. In fact, at the time, it was the tallest man-made object in the world. It was the Eifel Tower, a magnificent monument to engineering. To this day, it is a landmark that defines Paris. I’ve been there a few times. The view of the city from the top is terrific. But one shocking factoid about this steel structure is that the original purpose of its creation was to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution.

Tech companies will be forced to ban fake news from their platforms under plans being considered by the Government in the wake of the riots. Sir Keir Starmer suggested on Friday that the Government would review social media laws as part of efforts to prevent further disorder. The Telegraph understands that ministers are looking at introducing a duty on social media companies to restrict “legal but harmful” content. It could mean that firms are required to remove or suppress posts spreading fake news about asylum seekers or other topics such as self-harm, even if they do not meet the threshold...

HUMILIATING video shows the moment despot Vladimir Putin looked slack-jawed as he's told by military chiefs that Russia has been invaded. The tyrant was ashen-faced in a crunch meeting with top generals where they told him 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers had made their way over the border. Putin lashed out on Wednesday, raging against Ukraine's "large-scale provocation" in the border region of Kursk. Russian military boss General Valery Gerasimov was forced to face the despot in a meeting and admit how a significant portion of territory in the region had been lost. The ageing despot, 71, looked quietly furious as he...

With Arizona front and center in the 2024 election, introductory speakers at Vice President Harris’ rally in Glendale made overtures to moderate Republicans by invoking one of the GOP’s past presidential nominees. Rep. Gregory Stanton, D-Ariz., who represents the eastern Phoenix suburbs, called on "John McCain Republicans" to support the Harris-Walz ticket, portraying it as the moderate option. Mesa Republican Mayor John Giles echoed those comments, saying that as a lifelong member of the GOP, he does not recognize his party. "It has been taken over by extremists," Giles said, adding it also has forced "people from the [political] center"...

Four days into Ukraine’s surprise invasion of Russia’s Kursk Oblast, just across Ukraine’s northern border with Russia, the number of confirmed Ukrainian brigades in and around the invasion zone has grown to at least five: four army mechanized brigades and one brigade from the independent air assault force. Altogether, these units could oversee as many as 10,000 troops and 600 armored vehicles. Additional artillery, air-defense, drone and reconnaissance units are playing critical supporting roles. To put into perspective the scale of the Ukrainian force in and around Kursk, recall that Kyiv formed a corps with a dozen new brigades to...

After spending the last three weeks (and much of her vice presidency) avoiding press conferences and interviews that might require her to actually answer tough questions, Kamala Harris is saying she might poke her head out from under her rock . . . a little bit, eventually. That is, the veep said Thursday that she wants to “get an interview scheduled before the end of the month.” It is the beginning of August… One interview, if she can fit it in, and so can . . . who? Rachel Maddow? Mika Brzezinski? Does she dare try Lester Holt again after...

While many commentators were surprised that Vice-President Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate, prominent members of the progressive left enthusiastically endorsed the choice. The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) took credit for "steering Harris away from the Jewish enabler of Palestinian genocide to pick the most socialist of the options under consideration. Her next steps must be an immediate ceasefire in Palestine and an embargo on all arms to Israel." The Black Muslim Leadership Council Fund called "the rise of Harris to be the Democrat presidential nominee and her choice of Gov. Walz to...

According to a report in The New York Times, a cache of gold coins dated to the late fifth century B.C. has been discovered in the ancient Greek city of Notion, which is located on the west coast of Anatolia, by Christopher Ratté of the University of Michigan and his colleagues. The cache had been placed in an olpe, a type of small jug, and buried in a corner of a dwelling that was found underneath the courtyard of a house dated to the third century B.C. The coins have been identified as Persian darics, named for either the root...

Newsweek reports that a water pipeline project on the Greek island of Evia has uncovered traces of a settlement dated to the fourth century B.C. A mosaic floor made with colored pebbles in white, black, red, and yellow has been found in a dwelling situated in the middle of the settlement. The center image of the mosaic features two satyrs, the male nature spirit companions of Dionysus, the Greek god of winemaking and fertility. One of the yellow-haired satyrs has a beard and appears to be dancing to music played by the other on a double flute. The square room...

Stunning new figures show how Florida has gone from being a 'purple' state with a roughly-even split between Republicans and Democrats to a deep red GOP enclave. Florida was once considered the ultimate toss-up state, with Barack Obama winning it twice and the state having Democrat governors and members of the US Senate. But it has become a GOP stronghold since Republican Governor Ron DeSantis won his gubernatorial election in 2022.

Cerberus (Greek: Κέρβερος/Kérberos) was the multi-headed guard dog of Hades, the Underworld in ancient Greek mythology. The hound’s task was to guard the entrance to the Underworld and keep the living separated from the dead. The fearsome hound’s description varies according to different myths, but he is usually described as possessing three heads, a tail in the guise of a serpent, and snakes protruding from various parts of his body. The most famous myth in which Cerberus appears is the Twelfth Labor of Heracles (Latin: Hercules). Various fragments of ancient Greek pottery depicting Cerberus and Heracles have survived as well...

Qionglin New Village sits deep in the Himalayas, just three miles from a region where a heavy military buildup and confrontations between Chinese and Indian troops have brought fears of a border war. The land was once an empty valley, more than 10,000 feet above the sea, traversed only by local hunters. Then Chinese officials built Qionglin, a village of cookie-cutter homes and finely paved roads, and paid people to move there from other settlements. China’s leader, Xi Jinping, calls such people “border guardians.” Qionglin’s villagers are essentially sentries on the front line of China’s claim to Arunachal Pradesh, India’s...

A mother and son from Arizona are facing charges after they were allegedly caught trying to smuggle thousands of fentanyl pills through northwest suburban McHenry County. Gloria Gastelum, 54, and her son, German Vargas, 22, were charged with felony drug charges. They were driving through Marengo on Thursday when they were stopped by McHenry County sheriff's deputies, police said. They were stopped in a rental car near West Grant Highway and Ford Street. Officers said they found 120,000 fentanyl pills in their car. They were arrested without incident. The sheriff's office said they were tipped off by an undercover detective...

A disabled social media influencer has spoken out about mean comments he received on an Instagram post where he joked about not qualifying for the Olympics. Shane Burcaw, who runs a successful YouTube channel with his wife Hannah, was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, according to his Tumblr page. The genetic disease weakens muscles in the shoulders, hips, thighs and upper back, making it difficult for many sufferers to move. On their various social platforms, Shane and Hannah post videos about their life as a couple and advocacy videos trying to spread acceptance about relationships like theirs. One of their...

Churchill Archives Centre, Churchill Press Photographs, CHPH 1A/F2/8 A black and white photograph of Winston Church in 1924, wearing a three piece suit and bow tie, smoking a cigar, sitting on garden steps, looking at his young daughter Mary, Chartwell, KentChurchill Archives Centre, Churchill Press Photographs, CHPH 1A/F2/8 A little-known speech made by Winston Churchill in the run up to the Paris Olympics in 1924 has been uncovered in an archive. The statesman was supporting a 1923 fundraising campaign to enable British athletes to take part in the Games based on merit, not just on whether they could afford it....

A powerful explosion set off a fireball on a container ship loaded with hazardous goods at a major port on China’s Pacific coast, state media and authorities said Friday. Surveillance camera video posted online by state broadcaster CCTV showed a huge burst of white smoke followed by an orange and yellow fireball that dispersed debris and completely engulfed containers stacked at least three high. No injuries were reported from the explosion and an ensuing fire at the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, just south of Shanghai and one of the largest in the world. A container on the docked ship is believed to...

Seeing the U.S. men bumble through another 4x100-meter Olympic final was difficult enough for any fan of the domestic track and field program. But it was downright infuriating for someone who's taken multiple turns on the biggest stage and succeeded -- four-time Olympian Carl Lewis. Now 63 years old, Lewis was a 10-time medalist across four Olympics from 1984 to 1996, including relay golds in the 4x100 at Los Angeles and Barcelona. American teams won seven golds and a silver in the event from 1964 to 2000, but a silver at Athens in 2004 was the last trip to the...

U2 turned down US$10 million (S$13.2 million) for one show in the Caribbean. The hitmakers are among a host of largely older established acts — including AC/DC, The Cure, Depeche Mode and Bruce Springsteen — who are not interested in playing private concert for wealthy clients, and even a hefty pay cheque couldn't get the band to agree to a one-off performance. Jay Siegan, whose company specialises in organising private gigs by big names, told The Times newspaper: "We recently made an offer to U2 of US$10 million to perform on an island in the Caribbean for a private client....

"I have no regrets," said the Singaporean who spent 45 minutes lying under the scorching sun at Pasir Ris beach to get a national flag sunburn on his chest in hopes of winning a chance to score a National Day Parade ticket. Michael Collins, a 25-year-old content creator, was spotted at the Padang yesterday afternoon (Aug 9), all pumped up to celebrate the nation's 59th birthday after successfully pulling off his stunt. Collins and his friend Ng Yi Hui, had in an Instagram video on August 7, addressed local singer Benjamin Kheng who had asked his followers to write a...

Charles Manson was an aspiring rocker, long before he became known as the mastermind of one of history's most grisly and shocking crime sprees. In fact, as the following list shows, he had a striking number of connections in the music business. Manson and four members of his so-called Family – Charles “Tex” Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel, Leslie van Houten and Susan Atkins – were ultimately convicted of murder and given since-commuted sentences of death for their roles in the killing of seven people beginning on Aug. 9, 1969. Atkins and Manson memorably died in prison while the entire group went...