Daniel Jackson is the self-declared president of the Free Republic of Verdis, leading its online government and citizen community./ Image: X In an era when nearly every piece of land on Earth belongs to a recognised state, the idea of starting a new country can sound almost impossible. Yet Daniel Jackson, a 20-year-old with British…
collage of Allan Ramsay’s portrait of Queen Charlotte Sophia For generations, historians and genealogists have argued over an unusual question in British royal history: could Queen Charlotte, the German-born wife of King George III, have had African ancestry? The debate, once largely confined to academic circles, has resurfaced in popular culture through Netflix’s Regency drama…
A new book claims Queen Victoria used cocaine, cannabis and laudanum during Britain’s global opium trade. Queen Victoria is often remembered as the figurehead of a moral, industrious era in British history. Yet the global economic machinery that operated during her reign included one of the most controversial trades of the 19th century: the export…
Antonia Bettridge, 25, from St Helens, faces possible life imprisonment in Dubai over narcotics charges./ Image: Echo A British woman working as a personal trainer in Dubai could face life imprisonment after being detained in the United Arab Emirates on suspicion of narcotics offences, according to legal advisers assisting her family. Antonia Bettridge, 25, from…
Shilpa Chaudhary questioned why Indians are protesting in support of Iran’s leader and what they hope to achieve./ Image: Instagram An Indian-origin soldier serving in the United States Army has sparked debate online after posting a video questioning protests in India held in response to the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Shilpa…
Technically, Spain is the dynastic heir to the Byzantine imperial claim through Andreas Palaiologos’s 1502 will. The modern Spanish monarchy is sometimes described in historical circles as holding a theoretical dynastic claim to the Byzantine imperial title, the final continuation of the ancient Roman Empire in the East. The claim traces back to 1502, when…
The White House posted a trailer-style montage mixing Iran strike footage with Hollywood, anime, and video-game clips/ Screengrab X The White House has released an unusual propaganda-style montage celebrating the recent US–Israeli strikes on Iran, stitching together real drone footage from the operation with scenes and dialogue from Hollywood films, television shows, anime and video…
Looking back, John’s warning now appears to have foreshadowed the US strike/ Youtube As Washington and Tehran trade strikes in the aftermath of Operation Epic Fury, attention has turned to comments made just days before the offensive by former CIA officer John Kiriakou, who publicly suggested that a US attack on Iran was imminent. On…
Donald Trump warns if Iran assassinates him, Tehran faces total obliteration in his stark, unprecedented threat The geopolitical shockwaves following the joint US–Israeli strikes on Iran, launched under the name Operation Epic Fury, have extended beyond the battlefield, raising questions about retaliation, succession and presidential security after the confirmed death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah…
Fans flooded social media, claiming Jim Carrey looked unrecognizable and speculating about clones, masks, or body doubles/ image: Instagram, X Jim Carrey’s appearance at the 51st César Awards in Paris was meant to mark a celebratory milestone in his career, as the actor accepted the honorary lifetime achievement César d’honneur. Instead, clips from the red…