A London receptionist was sent home from work after refusing to wear high heels, it has emerged. Temp worker Nicola Thorp, 27, from Hackney, arrived at finance company PwC to be told she had to wear shoes with a "2in to 4in heel". When she refused and complained male colleagues were not asked to do the same, she was sent home without pay. Ms Thorp said she would have struggled to work a full day in high heels and had asked to wear the smart flat shoes she had worn to the office in Embankment. But instead she was told she should go and buy a pair of heels on her first day, back in Dec

There's a scene in the 2006 movie "The Devil Wears Prada" where Anne Hathaway's character, Andrea Sachs, gets a makeover that literally makes her better at her job. A trip to the fashion closet and the beauty department at Runway, the film's thinly veiled stand-in for Vogue magazine, transforms Andy from an ugly-duckling failure of a second assistant to the beautiful, capable confidante of the magazine's formidable editor, Miranda Priestly. The scene is a pivotal moment in the plot — looking good is part of the job at a fashion magazine, after all — but it also ni

Sergio Ramos’ controversial finish put Zinedine Zidane’s side ahead before Atletico striker Antoine Griezmann missed a penalty. However, substitute Yannick Carrasco sent the Champions League final into extra-time with a close-range finish. Cristiano Ronaldo struck the winning penalty after Juanfran had missed. In the shootout, Lucas Vazquez, Marcelo and Gareth Bale scored for Real, with Griezmann, Gabi and Saul Niguez replying to make it 3-3. After Ramos stepped up to make it 4-3, Juanfran hit the post, leaving Ronaldo with the chance to win the cup. The competition’s all-time leading sc

This computer-generated view depicts part of Mars at the boundary between darkness and daylight, with an area including Gale Crater beginning to catch morning light, in this handout image provided by NASA.Astronomy buffs across much of the globe awaited darkness Monday for a glimpse of Mars, as the Red Planet makes its closest approach to Earth in 11 years.The event, visible to the naked eye, will occur at 21:34 UTC Monday, when the second-smallest planet in the solar system passes within 76 million kilometers of Earth. Scientists say it will remain roughly at that distance through June 12. Th

Is your partner keen on visiting Paris, while you prefer Prague? Are you looking for a warm, sun-soaked holiday but can’t decide where to go? Do not worry, for German carrier Lufthansa is happy to make the decision for you. The airline has launched a new booking feature to attract travellers who love surprises and those who are hopelessly indecisive. Travellers can choose between nine themes that range from nature, sun and sand, to romance and gourmet cuisine. Each theme lists about half a dozen possible destinations that leave from either Munich or Frankfurt. After choosing the theme, booki

Next time you raise an eyebrow at the views of your partner, friend, sibling or colleague, remember they could be helping to make you smarter. New research shows that intelligence is not fixed but can be boosted throughout adulthood by family members, bright mates and intellectually stretching careers. Stimulating households where people talk, make jokes and challenge each other can boost IQ levels by several points, as can jobs that mentally energise employees. The study challenges the commonly held notion that intelligence is ‘static' by the age of about 18. Current scientific consensus su

BEIJING -- More heavy rain will batter south and east China in the coming days after storms brought floods to some areas in the past week, the country's meteorological authority said on Saturday.The National Meteorological Center (NMC) forecast downpours in Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shanghai and Zhejiang, from Saturday to Sunday morning.Some of those regions will be hit by thunderstorms, with parts of Anhui, Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangxi and Zhejiang likely to see geological disasters, the NMC said. Next week, rain will continue in s

China's food safety work to target baby formula Baby formula, including imported products, will be a priority for government action to improve food safety, said a document issued by the State Council on Wednesday. According to a plan on this year’s food safety operations, baby formula and supplementary food will stay on the list of commodities under close watch. The regulator will also tighten inspection of the recipes of baby milk powders registered by manufacturers and expose malpractice. Baby formula is a touchy food safety issue in China, haunted by a series of scandals since 2008 when i

Taiwan pop star Jay Chou is taking his talents to the Hollywood silver screen by being cast in Lionsgate's sequel Now You See Me 2. He will play a magician named Li.Jay Chou will also sing the film's theme song. Film producer "Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation" has recently announced that Jay Chou has created a song of the same name with the movie and directed its related MV.The music video is now available online. The theme song, written in Chinese lyrics, is the first of such type for a Hollywood film. The film, also starring Daniel Radcliffe, Morgan Freeman, Lizzy Capla

Today is May 20th, in Chinese this date exactly has a similar pronunciation with “I love you(我爱你)”. So,in addition to the simple”I love you”, how do couples express their love to each other? Let us have a look on how love expressions in the Hollywood movies! You are the epitome of everything I've ever looked for in another human being. Love is too weak a word for the way I feel. I lurv you. I loave you. I luff you. There's only one place in the world I call home and it's because you're there. I'd feel better sitting outside your apartment on the curb than any

A commercial made by a Chinese detergent manufacturer recently caused a stir both domestically and internationally for being blatantly racist. In the commercial, a black man was stuffed into a washing machine by a Chinese lady after she put a detergent packet into his mouth while he tries to flirt with her. A moment later, a young Asian man comes out of the machine instead. The commercial soon went viral on the internet among Western media outlets during the past few days, including more than 7 million views on YouTube within 3 days, and was widely criticized for being racist. "We have no

Next time you raise an eyebrow at the views of your partner, friend, sibling or colleague, remember they could be helping to make you smarter.New research shows that intelligence is not fixed but can be boosted throughout adulthood by family members, bright mates and intellectually stretching careers.Stimulating households where people talk, make jokes and challenge each other can boost IQ levels by several points, as can jobs that mentally energise employees. The study challenges the commonly held notion that intelligence is ‘static’ by the age of about 18.Current scientific consensus sug

一日之计在于晨~抱最大希望，尽最大努力，做最坏打算，持最好心态。记住该记住的，忘记该忘记的，改变能改变的，接受成事实的。太阳总是新的，每天都是美好的日子。

AlphaGo vs Ke Jie' rumours reveal AI heat in China Google DeepMind has poured cold water on rumours its AlphaGo Artificial Intelligence Go-playing program will face off against Chinese Go champion Ke Jie. Deepmind co-founder Demis Hassabis rubbished the claims on Twitter. 'AlphaGo vs Ke Jie' rumours reveal AI heat in China "Contrary to internet rumours, we've not decided yet what to do next with #AlphaGo, once we have, there will be an official announcement here," Hassabis tweeted on Monday. Currently, Ke is ranked first in the world. The news was originally released by Yang Junan, s

hinese retail giant Sunning to announce Inter Milan deal next week: report BEIJING - Chinese retail giants Suning Commerce Group Co Ltd is expected to announce its deal with Italian soccer club Inter Milan next week, according to Chinese Football Association (CFA) head Cai Zhenhua. "Suning and Inter Milan will announce their cooperation at a press conference on June 6," Chinese news portal Sina.com quoted Cai as saying on Sunday. Sunning is reported to have purchased 68.5 percent stake in the Italian powerhouse. As far Cai is concerned, Suning's investment in the 2010 European champi

China urges more steps to reduce Sino-US trade, investment barriers BEIJING - China urged the United States to do more to reduce the barriers impeding bilateral trade and investment, a senior official said Monday. Investment, together with trade, is a priority for Sino-US cooperation and the two countries should strive to reduce barriers and expand common interests, Zhang Xiangchen, deputy international trade representative with the Ministry of Commerce (MOC), said at a press briefing on the sidelines of the ongoing Eighth Round of China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogues (S&ED). Chinese

Uber rolls out new perks for drivers Uber may be increasing its testing of self-driving cars, but it still has plenty of work to do to keep its human drivers happy. The ride-sharing leader announced a host of new initiatives that are sure to please drivers, giving them more control over the rides they drive. The moves, which the company started rolling out this week, run the gamut in improving the Uber driving experience. One new feature allows Uber drivers to pause new requests from coming in while they are finishing a route, while a second lets drivers set a "driver destination," o

Samsung goes rugged for Galaxy S7 Active Those looking for a tough smartphone now have a new option, at least if they're on AT&T. AT&T and Samsung have once again partnered to create a more durable version of the latest Galaxy, announcing the Galaxy S7 Active on Monday. The companies have been working on tougher Galaxy S devices since the Galaxy S4 Active released in 2013. Similar to the new Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, S7 Active is IP68-certified and can be submerged in up to 5 feet of water for up to 30 minutes. Unlike its glass siblings, the Active is also built to withstand dirt, sand an

49-year-old sits university entrance exam for 20th time Liang Shi, perhaps China's most famous test-taker, sat the national college entrance exam, also known as "gaokao", for the 20th time this year, the Chengdu Economic Daily reported. Liang, a native of Renshou county in Southwest China's Sichuan province, took the annual gaokao exam when he was 16, but he did so poorly he was not accepted into any college. In a subsequent test, he managed to get admitted to a local technical school, but dropped out because he felt he could do better if he retook the test. He has been trying his lu

韩剧《Doctors》，2016年6月20号北京时间20:50播出的SBS月火剧，金来沅 朴信惠 尹均相 志洙 金玟锡主演。主要讲述社会上对学历、出身等有偏见的医生组织及医患关系的现实主义作品。实现不能实现的梦想，讲述不管世界如何变化，以坚守希波克拉底的价值存在的医生们，富有激情的故事。

Linklaters and Pinsent Masons have become thelatest law firms to invest in artificial intelligence, asthe legal profession tries to automate the mundanetasks that have traditionally been the preserve ofjunior lawyers.Linklaters has developed Verifi, a computerprogramme that can sift through 14 UK andEuropean regulatory registers to check client names for banks. The company said it couldprocess thousands of names overnight.Edward Chan, banking partner at Linklaters, said:“Previously it would have taken a trainedjunior lawyer an average of 12 minutes to search a single customer name.“AI is a

China and the US clashed over the South China Seaat a defence forum this weekend, with a Chineseadmiral warning Washington that “we have no fear oftrouble”.Tensions surrounding these contested waters havebeen rising amid island-building by Beijing, increasednaval and air patrols by the US and the expectationthat an international court will soon rule on anarbitration case brought by the Philippines against China’s expansive maritime claims.China has been trying to find other nations such as Russia that are willing to support itsrejection of the legitimacy of the permanent court of arbitra

Cat lovers of the world, rejoice! You finally have the chance to understand what your pet is saying thanks to a smart collar that can interpret feline meows and translate it into human speech. Aptly named "Catterbox", the collar supposedly has a digital sensor that detects meows, and uses a special program to decipher the meaning behind them. Developed by London ad agency adam&eveDDB, for Temptations cat treats, the invention comes preloaded with a dictionary of cat purrs, meows, and several other sounds to make the interpretation as accurate as possible. "We're fascina

China's food safety work to target baby formula Baby formula, including imported products, will be a priority for government action to improve food safety, said a document issued by the State Council on Wednesday. According to a plan on this year’s food safety operations, baby formula and supplementary food will stay on the list of commodities under close watch. The regulator will also tighten inspection of the recipes of baby milk powders registered by manufacturers and expose malpractice. Baby formula is a touchy food safety issue in China, haunted by a series of scandals since 2008 when i

BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- More and more countries have shown their understanding of and support for China's position on the South China Sea issue, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday."They support China's approach of resolving South China Sea disputes and maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea through talks and negotiations with relevant countries in line with bilateral agreements and regional consensus," said spokesman Hong Lei.The standpoint of Tanzania, Uganda, Eritrea, Comoros and the African Union (AU) Commission deputy chairperson is

A burial place in Washington, D.C. is using goats instead of poison to remove weeds.Congressional Cemetery, which opened in the early 1800s, is near Capitol Hill. Capitol Hill is where important buildings and business of U.S. government are located.Many former members of the U.S. House and Senate are buried there. The cemetery is also the final resting place of former FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) Director J. Edgar Hoover and famous Civil War photographer Mathew Brady.There are more than 65,000 graves there. Burials still take place today.In recent years, many weeds have grown in the c

PARIS, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Nicolas Cage, world famous American actor, has recently shared his vision on contemporary acting, his inspiring figures of the past and filmmaking nowadays.Asked about some inspiring actors, Cage said: "I'm a film enthusiast, I love Bogart, there was nobody better than him. You can never be Bogart, but at least you can get some taste that you would laugh at.""I was going to the cinema, because when I was a child there was Jerry Lewis. When I was 11, there was Bruce Lee, and when I was 14, there were James Dean and Marlon Brando," the Oscar-winn

A new report released Tuesday by the Ministry of Health shows that 25 percent of Bolivia's population smoke and that at least 12 people die a day from tobacco-related diseases.May 31 was declared to be World No Tobacco Day to raise awareness about the toxic effects of the drug.In a press conference here, Willy Analoca, director of anti-tobacco campaigns at the ministry, said cigarettes had become a time bomb in Bolivia."Each day, 12 people die from diseases related to the consumption of tobacco or from being exposed to smoke. This is very worrying," he said, adding that this figu

RIO DE JANEIRO, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry ruled himself out of the Rio Olympics on Monday, citing injury concerns.The 28-year-old said he wanted to focus on recovering form ankle and knee complaints which have affected him this season."After a great deal of internal thought and several discussions with my family, the Warriors and my representatives, I've elected to withdraw my name from the list of eligible players on Team USA's preliminary roster for the 2016 Summer Games in Brazil," Curry said in a statement."I recently informed

PARIS, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Nicolas Cage, world famous American actor, has recently shared his vision on contemporary acting, his inspiring figures of the past and filmmaking nowadays.Asked about some inspiring actors, Cage said: "I'm a film enthusiast, I love Bogart, there was nobody better than him. You can never be Bogart, but at least you can get some taste that you would laugh at.""I was going to the cinema, because when I was a child there was Jerry Lewis. When I was 11, there was Bruce Lee, and when I was 14, there were James Dean and Marlon Brando," the Oscar-winn

It is a classic playground scare story - if you swallow chewing gum it will stay in your digestive system for seven years.But according to scientists at the American Chemical Society, the tale is myth as chewing gum is no more harmful than the rest of the food that passes through our digestive system.It says while gum is harder to digest, it tends to pass harmlessly through our guts much like other foods. By examining how regular foods are processed through our bodies, a video from The American Chemical Society reveals what really happens when you swallow chewing gum.When we eat something - w

A Chinese university is offering students a 50% discount in its canteen if they show some common courtesy to staff, it’s reported. The new incentive has been implemented at Anhui Normal University in the eastern city of Wuhu, as part of campus-wide campaign to improve students’ manners, the official provincial news site Anhui Online reports. To qualify for the discount, which cuts the cost of a meal from 6 yuan ($1; 60p) to 3 yuan, students only have to utter niceties such as "hello", "please" and "thank you". Anyone who tells staff "You worked hard&quot

It's easy to find an eye-catching pair of sunglasses and decide immediately that they're the ones for you. Unfortunately, sunglasses shopping is a lot more complicated than "meets the eye" . In addition to finding a pair you L-O-V-E at first sight, you need to find a pair that complements the unique shape of your face. A. Heart-shaped If you have a heart-shaped face, you should be wearing aviators. The silhouette of the aviators mimics the structure of a heart-shaped face — broad top that tapers into a narrow bottom. Just make sure you choose a pair that doesn't overpower your feat

The contents of a woman's handbag have long remained a mystery to men around the world.But the truth is a lot dirtier than one could ever have imagined. German research found 10,000 different bacteria are present in just a few square centimetres of handbag, making it dirtier than your average toilet seat.So how does your bag get so disgustingly filthy? The Herald Sun spoke with My Bag Spa owner Alex How from Melbourne, who has found food scraps, rubbish and even dog or cat urine in handbags.'Dog and cat pee are the worst and we have to wear gloves and a mask to remove those smells or e

China has shut down Apple's online book and movie services as it imposes strict rules governing what can be published on the net.

Chinese FM: Nanjing should not be forgotten

Meditation and cognitive behavioral therapy -- not conventional treatments for back pain -- seem to be effective in alleviating the common

KFC thinks you should take its "Finger Lickin’ Good" slogan literally. The fried chicken company, along with marketing giant Ogi

Romance-comedy "Finding Mr. Right 2" has grossed more than 500 million yuan, or 77 million US dollars, at the box office, setting

Some social media users are confused, turned off, and even outraged by a promotional poster and billboard for the new X-Men movie, charging that is normalizes violence against women. In the ad for X-Men: Apocalypse, Mystique — played by Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence — is being choked by Apocalypse, played by Oscar Isaac. But while superhero movie fans are used to seeing plenty of action and violence in movies based on their favorite comic book characters, some are saying that spotlighting a single act of violence against a woman in sexist and even potentially dangerous. The angry and put-

Thai authorities say they have detained a monk attempting to smuggle tiger skins and fangs from a Buddhist temple. Operators at Wat Pha Luan

How many times do you check your Moments or Facebook page in a day to see whether your latest post has got another "like" or &quot