Firefighters in Sicily rescue 400 rare books from library after landslide

Firefighters in Sicily rescue 400 rare books from library after landslide

Landslide in Niscemi in January tore away entire slope of town and carved 4km chasm Firefighters in Sicily have rescued about 400 rare books from a library in Niscemi that hangs on the edge of a mudflow, after a devastating landslide in January tore away an entire slope of the town and carved a 4km chasm. The library stands on the lip of the precipice gouged out by the landslide, with part of the building in effect hanging in mid-air. The recovery operation, which began on Monday, was preceded by a detailed study of floor plans and interior photographs to map the position of the books. Continue reading...

Frozen in time: Antarctic ice cave to be used to save melting glacier samples

Frozen in time: Antarctic ice cave to be used to save melting glacier samples

Ice Memory Foundation’s specially dug ‘sanctuary’ offers storage for cores, which hold thousands of years of history Last month the Ice Memory Foundation opened the first ever sanctuary for mountain ice cores in Antarctica, where samples will be stored for centuries to come. The cores, typically 10cm in diameter and a metre or more long, are stored in a specially excavated ice cave. The first to be laid down came from two Alpine glaciers that are rapidly shrinking . Continue reading...

Dirty Business, The Lady, Mandelson’s arrest – are they truth, ‘faction’ or just more drama? | Simon Jenkins

Dirty Business, The Lady, Mandelson’s arrest – are they truth, ‘faction’ or just more drama? | Simon Jenkins

The latest rush of docudramas seems to suggest that anyone in the public eye must expect a degree of intrusion. But where does that end? Was that really Peter Mandelson getting into a police car on Monday ? Was it really the same Mandelson who had supposedly been about to flee to the British Virgin Islands, the man called “ a traitor ” to his country and the buddy of a sex trafficker of girls? Was he really to be questioned for nine hours by the police over “ misconduct in public office ”, an offence few people have ever heard of? For a moment, I thought it must be a trailer for a new Epstein docudrama “inspired by real-life events”. For two months, news desks on both sides of the Atlantic have been trawling through the Epstein files, daily releasing sensational details. This one story – now years old – is crushing out many others. The name of Jeffrey Epstein this past week has claimed precedence over Donald Trump, China, Iran and Ukraine. Each night’s BBC television news has demoted Keir Starmer, the NHS, tax reform and student loans. Preference is relentlessly ceded to Epstein, with bit parts for the former prince Andrew, Mandelson, Bill Gates, the Clintons and a galaxy of billionaires and celebrities. Continue reading...

Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for coffee and walnut cookies | The sweet spot

Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for coffee and walnut cookies | The sweet spot

The classic cake reimagined as a cookie When it comes to British cakes, coffee and walnut is such a staple that if there isn’t one present at a bake sale or coffee morning, I’ll raise an eyebrow. I’ve taken the classic combination and put them in a cookie for something fun and quicker to make. Full of toasty walnuts and a hit of that very nostalgic instant coffee flavour, I finish them off with a white chocolate button as a nod to the sweet, creamy icing. Continue reading...