An acclaimed female author who won a coveted book prize in Spain has turned out to be three men. TV scriptwriters Agustín Martínez, Jorge Díaz and Antonio Mercero shocked guests, including Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia, when they took to the stage to pick up the award and revealed the celebrated crime author, Carmen Mola, did not actually exist. Mola had previously been portrayed as a female university professor who lived in Madrid with her husband and children.
‘Oldest map’ of stars to go on display
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Nude photoshoot in Israeli desert
Hundreds of people wearing only white body paint have walked in the desert near the Dead Sea. American photographer Spencer Tunick curated the gathering in the spot in southern Israel as a guest of the tourism ministry to draw attention to the shrinking Dead Sea via nude subjects. One of the models said: “We’re lucky to have clouds today so it’s not too hot.”
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Political cartoons for January 25Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include a hot economy, A.I. wisdom, and more
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Le Pen back in the dock: the trial that’s shaking FranceIn the Spotlight Appealing her four-year conviction for embezzlement, the Rassemblement National leader faces an uncertain political future, whatever the result
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The doctors’ strikesThe Explainer Resident doctors working for NHS England are currently voting on whether to go out on strike again this year
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Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
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Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
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Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
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US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
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Why recognizing Somaliland is so risky for IsraelTHE EXPLAINER By wading into one of North Africa’s most fraught political schisms, the Netanyahu government risks further international isolation
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Israel approves new West Bank settlementsSpeed Read The ‘Israeli onslaught has all but vanquished a free Palestinian existence in the West Bank’
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How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
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Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
