We had often talked about what it might be like to live in France or Italy. With our belongings donated, sold or stored, we left Ireland in our trusty campervan and began looking for a home on the continent. When planning and researching our move from back in Ireland, France had seemed like the sensible choice. Life in Valle di Comino, Italy, features good food, pleasant weather and rich culture, but making money is challenging. Life in Italy means daily challenges, drama, unexpected encounters, joys, complexities and simple pleasures.

For hundreds of years, scientists have struggled to solve one of life's most enduring mysteries: How do cats always land on their feet? This motion also helps rotate the lumbar spine, allowing the cat to orient its body and land on its feet.' The question of why cats land on their feet has puzzled scientists since the 1800s, when pictures first showed how they could turn in the air without any external forces acting on them. By tucking in their front paws like a figure skater in a spin, cats increase their inertia and spin their upper body quickly. At the same time, they stick their rear legs out, creating more inertia and ensuring their lower body stays relatively still.

The majority of men believe they are better drivers than women, according to a study. The motorists were marked on 14 different aspects of driving including speed, observational skill, response to other road users and traffic light obedience. They examined the risk posed by men and women to other road users from bicycles, cars and taxis, vans, buses, lorries and motorbikes. Women should be employed in road transport jobs over men to reduce the overall risk to other road users, the team concluded. Finally, a study of professional racers has found women are genetically better at dealing with the extreme conditions at the wheel.

Ryan Giggs has featured in a promotional video for an Asian betting company celebrating International Women's Day. The former Manchester United midfielder, who works as an ambassador for betting brand F168, shared the video to his Instagram page on Sunday. 'Today we celebrate the strength, beauty and achievements of women everywhere,' Giggs, 52, says while appearing in the video. I’m Ryan Giggs, Brand Ambassador of F168. Ryan Giggs has featured in a promotional video celebrating International Women's Day'Wishing all women confidence, beauty, and positive energy today and always.

Robin van Persie insists he is going nowhere despite Feyenoord supporters calling for him to be sacked as their head coach. There is growing discontent among some of the Dutch giants' fanbase against Van Persie and that only intensified after they drew 3-3 at relegation-threatened NAC Breda on Sunday. Asked about the fan fury post-match, Van Persie acknowledged the fans can sing what they want but he will not 'run away' from the job. Robin van Persie insists he will not quit Feyenoord despite supporters calling him to goAhead of and during their draw at NAC Breda, Feyenoord fans chanted 'Robin get lost''Supporters choose for themselves how they support their club. In the January transfer window, Van Persie signed Raheem Sterling as a free agent but his arrival to Rotterdam hasn't gone to plan so far.

The teenage son of an influencer has been spared jail for attempting to smuggle thousands of pounds worth of drugs into a festival inside a Pot Noodle. Officers found a mixture of drugs stashed away in a pot of the nation’s instant noodle delicacy, including 15.7g of MDMA, 29 tablets of MDMA and a quantity of Ecstasy pills. His mother Ruth Oxley - a model, author, businesswoman and blogger known as ‘Roo’ - wept as her son was sentenced at Chester Crown Court last week. Miss Zara Kayani, prosecuting, said: ‘He was stopped after being positively indicated for having drugs in his possession by a drug dog. ‘You may think having drugs in a Pot Noodle is in some way clever or designed to evade detection but it is unbelievably stupid.

My new partner is a big fan of talking in bed, but my hearing's getting worse in my 50s and I can't always hear him. Age-related hearing loss typically starts when people are in their forties or fifties, though changes generally only usually become noticeable when people are in their sixties, but they are progressive. It is important not to ignore this issue because there is growing evidence that acting on hearing loss earlier can delay cognitive decline. Hearing loss disturbs the natural "give and take" of conversational exchange and, as you have already discovered, faking it is not a foolproof strategy. Hearing loss undermines relationships in ways that aren't always obvious.

Aidan O’Connor has never started a Munster Championship round-robin game. 23-year-old O’Connor has elevated himself so far up the green pecking order that his place in the Limerick attack is now without question. Last spring, O’Connor started five of Limerick’s six League outings. To his left, Cathal O’Neill struck 1-2 from play and assisted two second half points. He was sharp on puckout breaks, turned over Barry Nash for a Shane Barrett second half point, and saw a late goal shot saved by Nickie Quaid.

A mother shot her two young children dead before turning the gun on herself while her British husband was away on a business trip. Monika Rubacha, 44, slaughtered Josh, 14, and 11-year-old Emma in their bedrooms before turning the gun on herself in their home in Florida. Her concerned husband, 45-year-old Richard James, called the police after he did not hear from his wife for a day and a half. Police said they believed there had been 'some planning involved' in the deaths, adding: '[Rubacha] knew what she was doing.' The Lake Club homeowners' association at Lakewood Ranch said its 'hearts are with the family and all those affected'.

If you're unsure as to what season the clocks change, just remember the mnemonic 'spring forward, fall back' — the clocks go forward in spring and go back an hour in autumn, or 'fall' as is used in American English. Every year, the clocks change on the last weekend in March and October. In the summer, the clocks going forward an hour makes for longer evenings. However, non-smart devices such as ovens, cookers, car clocks and clocks with hands will need to be updated manually. When will the clocks change again?

Benchmark European wholesale gas rose again to its highest level in more than three years on Monday, tracking a surge in oil, as the US-Iran conflict entered its second week and shipping around the Strait of Hormuz remained at a near standstill. Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his slain father as supreme leader on Monday, signalling that hardliners remain firmly in charge and appearing to close off any path to a swift end to war in the Middle East. The prospect that the disruption to global energy supplies - already one of the most severe in history - could last longer than previously expected sent oil prices surging to over $119 a barrel.

The Gearagh, one of Ireland's most unique and precious landscapes, near Macroom, Co Cork, has the potential to be developed as a national tourism asset, the Senate was told. The Gearagh comprises wide but shallow water enclosing a series of small islands separated by mostly flat river streams. She asked whether considerations had been given to its development as a recognised national tourism asset, including the potential for a sensitive greenway development. “I believe that a carefully designed Gearagh greenway, mindful of conservation objectives, could extend visitor stays, attract off-season tourism and strengthen Macroom's role as a hub for inland west Cork. The West Cork and Kenmare plan, which encompasses Múscraí and includes The Gearagh, was launched in 2023.

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Doors close for a final time as much loved North East store shuts down after 104 yearsThere was a real end of an era in the North East on Sunday when a well known department store closed downView 2 Images Binns/House of Fraser in Darlington is now closed (Image: Google)There were big queues inside on Sunday as a famous, some might say legendary, department store in the North East closed down, after 104 years of trading. And there were plenty of people intent on grabbing a bargain, before shutters came down at Binns in Darlington town centre. ‌There was a time when there were numerous Binns stores in the North East, with the ones in Sunderland city centre, South Shields and Newcastle city centre shutting down in the mid-90s. As we learn more about the details of the closure any relevant and appropriate support we are able to provide will be offered." It will keep you up to date with all the latest updates on food, drink, entertainment and events in and around the North East.

Cork musician Martin Leahy is to stand down his weekly housing protest on its 200th week at the end of this month, but said he feels “energised” by the light he has been able to shine on the issue. Every Thursday since May 2022, regardless of the weather, Mr Leahy has travelled from Bandon to the Dáil to perform his song Everyone Should Have a Home. His 200th and final protest will see him joined by musicians Jimmy Cullen and The Resistance Choir, as well as speakers from opposition politicians and advocacy groups. “I’d never done a solo protest, I wouldn’t have considered myself an activist before this, I hadn’t even busked. “Since I decided to stop, I have been looking back at that light that I kept on homelessness, and I feel very energised by it all.”