Oil

On the waterfront Dundee and the River Tay come as a pair. From William McGonagall’s poetry paying tribute to “the silvery Tay”, recounting the rail bridge disaster of 1879, to the current waterfront transformation, the river is the lifeblood of the town. The best way to see the city from the Tay estuary is to board a vessel operated by Pirate Boats, which operates from the pretty former fishing village of Broughty Ferry, five miles up the coast. And it is from the water that you get perhaps the best views of the beautiful new Kengo Kuma-designed V&A, which will have permanent Scottish design galleries including objects from Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Oak Tea Room. The trip also takes in Broughty Castle, the Larick Beacon, lighthouses, the strangely beautiful oil rigs, a grey seal colony, and the real possibility of seeing a pod of bottlenose dolphins.• One hour trip from £80 for two adults and two children (7-15) or £24 per adult, … [Read more...] about A local’s guide to Dundee: top 10 tips

"Come," said the gallant knight, "let us survey this fair city while all are slumbering." So the princess left her bedchamber and followed her lord up spiral stair and wooden ladder to a terrace at the very top of the high tower, where… lo, the city of Bologna lay spread below them, and stars twinkled over far peaks. OK, the knight was my husband, and there was no starlight because a sudden autumnal downpour was signalling an end to the mid-30s summer heat. But though I was in pyjamas (not a silk nightgown), we had no worries about meeting anyone, for we had all 12 storeys of 900-year-old Torre Prendiparte to ourselves. No wonder we came over all medieval. Built as a stronghold in the 12th century by the powerful Prendiparte family, this is one of a handful of 100 original towers still standing in the ancient heart of Bologna. It was part of a seminary in the 1500s, and a prison in the 1700s, but today it is a super-romantic holiday let. We'd accepted the heavy seven-inch … [Read more...] about Italy: food and fantasy on a road trip in Emilia-Romagna

Italian opposition politicians have demanded an urgent explanation from the government after allegations surfaced accusing Matteo Salvini’s far-right League party of links to the Kremlin. According to claims made in L’Espresso magazine, an arrangement was struck to sell 3m tonnes of diesel fuel to an Italian oil company by Russian representatives close to the government of Vladmir Putin, diverting profits to the League. The claims, based on a forthcoming book, The Black Book of the League, by two of the magazine’s journalists, raises questions about the relationship between the Kremlin and the anti-immigrant party, which is in a coalition government with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement. A group of opposition senators described the claims as worrying. “Russia is financing the League? The worrying report by L’Espresso needs to be immediately clarified by the government,” the centre-left Democratic Party said in a statement. “It is … [Read more...] about Italian MPs demand answers over claims Salvini’s League sought Kremlin funding

Tony Blair's government decided up to a year before the Iraq invasion that it was "a complete waste of time" to resist the US drive to oust Saddam Hussein, opting instead to offer advice on how it should be done, the former British ambassador to Washington said today. Sir Christopher Meyer, testifying to the Chilcot inquiry into Britain's role in the war, made it clear that once the Bush administration decided to take military action, the Blair government never considered opting out or opposing it. He said that the timing of the invasion was dictated by the "unforgiving nature" of the military build-up rather than the outcome of diplomacy or UN weapons inspections, which had not been given sufficient time. British officials were left "scrabbling for the smoking gun" – evidence for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction – as preparations continued. Meyer, ambassador to Washington from 1997 to 2003, described a critical moment in March 2002, as Blair was preparing a visit to … [Read more...] about Chilcot inquiry: Tony Blair decided on Iraq war a year before invasion – envoy

MARTIN Lewis has revealed how shoppers can bag £87 of Boots beauty products for £25 - but the Black Friday deal is only on for a couple of weeks. The "Beauty Wardrobe" set from Boots' No7 range is currently half price, reduced from £50 to £25, until December 3. The set contains eight full size and mini items, including mascara, eye liner, three eye shadows, two lip glosses and a bronzing palette. Bought separately, the items would cost £87. No 7 Beauty Wardrobe, Boots, £25 - buy here Mr Lewis appeared on Good Morning Britain on Thursday to alert shoppers to the Black Friday deal - suggesting that you could split up the set and give different products as gifts. "That's pretty good value if you're going to be buying the make-up anyway," Mr Lewis said.He also flagged another deal, which is part of the retailer's early Black Friday offers. The No7 "Treasured Treats" gift set, with £104-worth of beauty and skincare products for a special Black Friday … [Read more...] about Black Friday sale: Martin Lewis reveals latest Boots deals including £87 worth of No7 beauty goodies for £25