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Golden carpet! Guangxi rapeseed fields wow visitors in full bloom

Golden carpet! Guangxi rapeseed fields wow visitors in full bloom

"Warm weather in Guangxi Province has brought a 500-mu (ca 34 hectares/82 acres) rapeseed field in Xiangma Village to full bloom, drawing tourists and photographers alike. Footage captured in Shanglin on Friday shows bees and butterflies moving among the flowers, while visitors walk through the field and take photos. "I think this sea of flowers is very beautiful and feels very close to nature. This natural scenery brings me a different feeling. I am breathing in the fresh air here," a tourist said. "My aunt and I came here today to take photos. I feel very happy when I see this flower sea. I think Shanglin is getting better and more beautiful now, and we all feel so happy," added a second. Rapeseed in Nanning typically blooms earlier than in more famous areas such as Luoping, where the peak occurs between late February and March. The fields are planted under a 'rice-rape rotation' model, combining agriculture and tourism to maximise land use. Officials reported that the rapeseed bloom supports rural tourism, with tens of thousands of visitors expected over the next two weeks. It comes as Guangxi has actively promoted rural tourism in recent years in a surge that saw nearly one billion domestic tourists in 2024 alone, generating over 1 trillion yuan (~$140 bn) in revenue."

What are the chances of Moscow agreeing a deal with NATO boots on the ground? 'I don't know' - UK defence chief admits 'plenty of evidence Russia won't sign up'

What are the chances of Moscow agreeing a deal with NATO boots on the ground? 'I don't know' - UK defence chief admits 'plenty of evidence Russia won't sign up'

"UK head of the armed forces Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton admitted he 'didn't know' if there was any chance Russia would agree to a peace plan involving NATO boots on the ground in Ukraine, during a session with lawmakers in London on Monday. "What do you think the likelihood is of Russia agreeing a peace deal that sees NATO members as boots on the ground in Ukraine?" he was asked. "The short answer is we don't know," he replied. "There are plenty of evidence to suggest that Russia won't sign up to that." Last week, NATO countries France and the UK were the only two to agree to send troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. Russia has repeatedly insisted that there should be no NATO troops in Ukraine. However, Knighton also said that previously it had been thought there was "no prospect of America signing up to security guarantees in Ukraine and yet here we are with America signing up to security guarantees in Ukraine. So I think it's hard to be certain what will happen." The precise US contribution to potential security guarantees has not been clarified, following 'Coalition of the Willing' talks last week."

Lady and the Tramps! Meet the Indonesian woman sheltering around 250 rescued stray cats and dogs

Lady and the Tramps! Meet the Indonesian woman sheltering around 250 rescued stray cats and dogs

"Dog lover Hesti Sutrisno, from Bogor Regency, West Java, runs a shelter for stray animals, which is home to around 200 dogs and 50 cats. Footage captured on Sunday shows her shelter, which Sutrisno affectionately calls the 'greenhouse', bustling with dogs under Hesti’s care. "It started because I felt sorry for them, I couldn't bear to see them suffer. They are animals that Allah created. I mean, they were eating food that perhaps wasn’t even suitable for animals. That’s where the feeling of compassion started," says Sutrisno. She says she has long been committed to taking in stray animals. "I took care of stray cats. Then in 2018, I started rescuing street dogs, and I’ve been doing it ever since," recalls Sutrisno. The shelter owner incurs significant daily expenses in caring for her animals, providing them chicken and around 100 kilograms of rice each day. "If you ask how much I feed them each day — two sacks of rice, with each sack weighing 50kg — that’s 100kg in total. And for the chickens, if we don’t economise it, 50kg would only last a day because there are so many of them," explains Sutrisno. To keep her shelter running, Hesti Sutrisno funds the care of her animals through crackers sales and donations, carefully managing expenses to make sure the food never runs out. "Especially when the rice runs out, I need to sell more. From those sales, I can buy rice, chicken heads, and other food for the animals." Indonesia is home to a large number of stray dogs and cats, as a result of the country's large population, especially in rural areas where there is a relatively low level of veterinary care. Progress is being made, including bans on dog and cat meat trade and the introduction of Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) programmes by some local authorities."

'We will continue the fight!' - Defence vows appeal as Polish court prolongs detention of Russian archaeologist

'We will continue the fight!' - Defence vows appeal as Polish court prolongs detention of Russian archaeologist

"The Polish courts decided on Monday to prolong the arrest of Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin until March 4, with Poland still reportedly considering a request from Ukraine for extradition over alleged 'illegal excavations in Crimea'. The hearing, which was held in the Warsaw District court, granted a motion from prosecutors to extend the detention for a total period of three months, citing concerns over a potential 'flight risk' , according to defence lawyer Adam Domanski. "As defence counsel, I obviously disagree with the court's position. We will be filing an appeal against this decision within seven days,” Domanski told reporters. “Regarding the fear of escape, Mr. Aleksander has a temporary residence in Poland, which has been arranged for him. We also believe that he is not a person who could obstruct the proceedings in any way, and we will also present this in an appropriate appeal," he added. Despite the court’s decision, Domanski said his client’s health was in relatively 'good condition'. "His mood is positive considering the circumstances, and there have been no complaints or negative information from him at the moment." Butyagin has been held in Poland since early December, following an official extradition request from Ukraine. Kiev accuses the Russian archaeologist of conducting unauthorised archaeological research between 2014 and 2019 in Crimea. According to Polish media, Warsaw's internal security agents detained the Russian citizen for 40 days at Ukraine's request last month. Moscow has condemned the detention as 'legal tyranny.' Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that the scientist was in Poland to give a series of lectures, calling the case a 'purely political provocation.' Butyagin, affiliated with the Russian Hermitage Museum, is a specialist in ancient archaeology and took part in excavations at the ancient Myrmekion settlement in Kerch. The allegations concern activities between February 2014 and November 2025. Crimea has been under Russian control since 2014."

Joining up - French govt launches 10-month voluntary military service, set to call up '3,000 young men and women'

Joining up - French govt launches 10-month voluntary military service, set to call up '3,000 young men and women'

"The French government launched a nationwide recruitment campaign on Monday aimed at enrolling thousands of young people into a new 10-month voluntary national military service, with the first participants expected to begin their service in September 2026. Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin announced the campaign alongside senior military officials on Monday, saying applications for the first intake would be accepted until April, with decisions communicated by July 1, 2026. "We will select 3,000 young men and women, aged 18 to 25 at the time of their enlistment," Vautrin said, urging anyone interested to apply immediately as selection will be done on a rolling basis. "They will start their service, an important date to remember, between September and November 2026 for a duration of ten months on the national territory," she added. Chief-of-staff Gen Fabien Mandon, who has previously stated that France ‘lacks the spirit of sacrifice’, said that the programme would play a role in improving national defence readiness. "These young people will naturally strengthen the defence and resilience of our country," he said, adding that instilling this attitude among young people will 'go far beyond' the year that they serve in the programme. "They will learn what defence is, they will have a foundation in defence, they will even participate in useful missions,” Mandon said. Meanwhile, Vautrin stressed that the programme does not amount to compulsory service, saying that any move toward broader mobilisation would require parliamentary approval and would only occur under exceptional circumstances. The programme, unveiled by President Emmanuel Macron in November 2025, comes more than 25 years after conscription was phased out in France and is part of a broader effort to bolster France's defence capabilities in response to growing fears of a confrontation with Russia. France joins several other European countries that have introduced or expanded military service schemes in recent years, driven by concerns over the wider security outlook on the continent."

What Your Alcohol Intake Is Doing To Your Brain Health

What Your Alcohol Intake Is Doing To Your Brain Health

Fred Moon on Unsplash " />. According to Alcohol Change UK , the brains behind Dry January, the challenge is rising in popularity in the UK. Dry January , if you didn’t know, is an annual challenge to not drink alcohol during the month of January. A way to reset as a New Year starts and shake off some of the excess drinking from the festive season. According to Alcohol Change UK, 17.5 million people across the UK have said they planned to take part this year and last year, 200 thousand people downloaded free resources to guide them through the month provided by the charity. Past Dry January participants revealed that they had saved money, felt more in control of their drinking, slept better, had more energy and felt that their health had overall improved thanks to the challenge. Now, BBC Science Focus has revealed that the amount of alcohol we drink could be impacting our brain ageing. How alcohol impacts our brain ageing Now, to be clear, you cannot turn back the actual age of your brain. It is as old as you are. However, some of the things that we do can age it significantly. Dr Anya Topiwala, a senior clinical researcher at the University of Oxford’s department of psychiatry , explained to BBC Science Focus: “You could be 35 in terms of birthdays, but if you’ve lived a really healthy life, you could have a younger biological age. “And conversely, if you’ve smoked a lot and eaten rubbish, you could have a biological age of 40.” Eek. Studies have shown that alcohol can accelerate your biological age. One 2021 study that analysed 28,000 participants in the UK found that the more alcohol a participant drank, the more likely they were to have a biological age that was higher than their real age. Another study in 2023 found that US adults aged 44 or older who had drunk more alcohol in their lifetimes showed more signs of accelerated ageing than younger adults or those who had drunk less. On their website, leading dementia charity Alzheimer’s Society says: “Heavy drinking - often over many years - definitely contributes to a person’s long-term risk. The damage to the brain leads to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia as a person gets older.” Additionally, Alzheimer’s Research UK urges: “Up to 1% of global dementia cases could be due to excessive alcohol consumption and could therefore be prevented or delayed by tackling heavy drinking.” Is there a healthy drinking limit? If you’re not quite ready to give drinking alcohol up entirely, NHS Inform provides the following safe drinking guidelines: to keep health risks from alcohol to a low level it is safest not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis if you regularly drink as much as 14 units per week, it is best to spread your drinking evenly over 3 or more days if you have 1 or 2 heavy drinking episodes a week, you increase your risks of death from long term illness and from accidents and injuries the risk of developing a range of health problems, including cancers of the mouth, throat and breast, increases the more you drink on a regular basis if you want to cut down the amount you drink, a good way is to have several drink-free days each week If you drink heavily and feel you may have an alcohol abuse issue, DrinkAware advises: “If you are concerned you might be dependent on alcohol, you should seek medical advice to help you cut down and stop drinking safely.” Help and support: If you need help with a drinking problem, call the Alcoholics Anonymous national helpline for free on 0800 9177 650 or email help@aamail.org . For advice on how to reduce drinking, visit Drinkaware’s website or Alcohol Change UK . Find alcohol addiction services near you using this NHS tool. Related... Has Your Alcohol Tolerance Changed With Age? Or Could It Actually Be Perimenopause? Here's How Alcohol Affects Your Cholesterol, And I Had No Idea What Happens To Your Body When You Don't Drink Alcohol For A Month