According to the Global Times, a Chinese retailer was fined $3.4 (£2.185) million at the close of 2012 for allegedly selling fake cashmere, highlighting the problem of individuals trying to cash in on the rising popularity of this luxury fabric. China is the largest supplier of the...

There is a great amount of reward associated with being a pet owner. Research has shown that having a pet can make us happier, healthier and fitter. It’s no wonder therefore that one in three homes in the UK has a household pet. However, potential pet owners are being urged to consider...

If your bathroom could do with a bit of freshening up for 2012 but there’s nothing wrong with your existing suite, you may want to save your cash and make some small changes that will alter the feel of the room. First on your list should be re-tiling or even just re-grouting your tiles....

What you wear can significantly influence your confidence levels on your Valentine’s Day date and if you get the outfit wrong, you may find that you don’t feel as great as you wanted to feel when the big day arrives. However, a number of women forget that your underwear is just as...

Redundancies and skill shortages are top of the list of concerns for managers in the UK as we move into 2012, research by the Chartered Management Institute has revealed. More than half of the managers surveyed felt they would be unlikely to secure another job if they were to be made...

Printers have come a long way since the dot-matrix days, and if you find yourself in need of a printer from a supplier like Misco, you might be surprised at the huge array of options available to you. Your main choice is between an inkjet or a laser printer, but the right choice depends what...

Everyone knows fashion is cyclical and the 90s are back already as the casual, thrown-together grunge look takes over on the high street. Build up several layers of loose fit shirts and hoodies over rock band print tshirts and heavily faded, torn denim jeans to recreate the dishevelled look....

Controversy has surrounded the “gateway hypothesis” – that is, the theory that argues that smoking can lead on to drug dependency down the line. However, a new study on the molecular biology of mice has claimed to uncover evidence in support of this hypothesis. If you are smoker and are...

Before you decide to buy everything of your dreams from Bonmarche to refresh your wardrobe, ask yourself one thing: can you recycle your old clothes as part of a new outfit? Only a new report from La Moda believes you can and should, whatever your budget is. “By this we don’t mean...

A new audio system in a church in Elwick, County Durham is expected to provide benefits to churchgoers who use hearing aids, like the kind available from www.amplifon.co.uk. The audio-frequency induction loop system at St Peter’s Church will also be used to project the voices of pupils...