Award-winning female author is three men

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

The world’s oldest map of the stars is to go on display at the British Museum. Dating from the Bronze Age, the Nebra Sky Disc is widely believed to be 3,600 years old. However, some scholars believe that the bronze disc, which was unearthed in Germany in 1999, may not be authentic. One said: “If you urinate on a piece of bronze and then hide it in the ground for a few weeks you can produce the same patina as on the disc.”

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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.”