Tall Chinese terracotta soldiers stand guard in Edinburgh

                 90 brightly coloured figures stand in Edinburgh Credit: David Cheskin/PA Wire

Dozens of larger-than-life lanterns inspired by ancient Chinese army were lit up in Edinburgh today, marking the upcoming Chinese New Year celebrations.

As many as 90 brightly coloured figures will stand at the Edinburgh University campus. The lantern army of women, children, and men with horses was originally created by Chinese artist Xia Nan for the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.

"People of all ages are sure to be wowed by the scale and beauty of the lanterns, while also learning about this important aspect of Chinese history," said Natascha Gentz of the university's Confucius Institute.

The lanterns are inspired by the 8,000-strong army of terracotta soldiers, discovered in the tomb of the first Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang. It is thought that the sculptures were created to defend the emperor’s immortal soul. See more pics below

Photo of the Week: Eight People Madonna Looked Like At The Grammys 2014

1. Mr. Banks

Jason Merritt / Getty Images

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2. The Quaker Oats Guy

Jason Merritt / Getty Images

Twitter: @jeanettehayes

When A Woman Is Sexually Attracted To You

You want to be able to tell if a woman is sexually attracted to you so that you know when to make your move on her. If you could just find some signs that a woman wanted you that way – it would change everything for you as far as your dating and your sex life goes. However, as most guys can attest to, it’s not always easy to figure out when a woman is clearly showing you signs that she is feeling very attracted to you sexually. What are some body language signs that you can look out for so that you DO know when a woman wants you that way?

Here are a few body language signs to look out for if you want to know how to tell if a woman is sexually attracted to you:

Get $130million richer: Hong Kong billionaire doubles reward for any man who can make lesbian daughter straight

Hong Kong billionaire Cecil Chao, has offered a whooping $130million to any man who can sweep his lesbian daughter, Gigi Chao (right) off her feet, marry her and give him grandchildren. Gigi ran away with her female lover sometime last year in France.

The billionaire businessman who made headline in Sept 2012 when he offered a reward of $65million to any man who can take his daughter off her female lover, has reportedly upped the money to $130million after all prospective suitors failed to win his daughter's heart. And according to reports, many men tried. His first offer reportedly attracted more more 20,000 unsuccessful suitors

10 Tips For Working Smarter in the New Year

It’s a common scenario for many of us. You start the day with an idea of what you want to work on and accomplish by noon. But when you check your email in the morning, a number of other demands crowd in, instant messages begin popping up like a game of whack-a-mole, and people start dropping by for “a quick question” that will “only take a sec.” Suddenly, you realize an hour has vanished into meeting other people’s needs while your project has gone untouched. How do people ever get anything done nowadays?

Photo of the Week: Ronaldo & Messi put their women between them

Football rivals Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi put their women between them at the Ballon d'OR gala that took place tonight. The footballers didn't seem to have much to say to each other and their girlfriends...see the body language. Lol.

Fear can be inherited through sperm

The reaction of mice to the smell of cherry blossoms was 200 per cent stronger if their father was trained to fear that smell before they were conceived, the study found. (iStock)

Lab mice trained to fear a particular smell can transfer the impulse to their unborn sons and grandsons through a mechanism in their sperm, a study reveals. The research claims to provide evidence for the concept of animals "inheriting" a memory of their ancestors' traumas, and responding as if they had lived the events themselves.

Breaking Bad, Super Bowl, VMAs Get Most Twitter Buzz in 2013

Breaking Bad topped Nielsen’s first-ever ranking of TV programs generating the most buzz on Twitter, with the final season of the hit show averaging more than 520,000 tweets per episode. The Walking Dead was the second most tweeted-about show, averaging 490,000 tweets an episode.

Gay magazine names pope as person of the year

Pope Francis has had positive reactions for his informal approach [Reuters]

A gay rights magazine has named Pope Francis its person of the year, an honour that has coincided with his 77th birthday. The Advocate,  the oldest gay rights magazine in the US ,  has conferred the title on the pontiff for his encouraging words on gays and lesbians, describing his papacy as a stark change from that of his predecessor Benedict.

Average home price rises almost 10% to $391,085

The average price of a Canadian home has increased by almost 10 per cent in the past 12 months. (Darren Calabrese/Canadian Press)

New data released Monday from the organization that represents home sellers shows Canada's housing market continues to hit new highs, with the average price increasing by almost 10 per cent in the last 12 months to $391,085. The Canadian Real Estate Association said the strong gain was in part because this time a year ago, sales were down in some of the largest housing markets. 

South Africa unveils statue in honour of Mandela

A nine-metre statue in honour of Nelson Mandela has been unveiled on a day of rest dedicated to reconciliation, 24 hours after the solemn burial of the icon credited with ending racial segregation in South Africa. The nine-metre, bronze colossus was officially unwrapped on Monday by President Jacob Zuma on the lawns of the Union Buildings, the seat of government in Pretoria where Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa's first black president in 1994.

Snow in Cairo, Egypt for the first time in over 100 years

Cairo has been transformed into a winter wonderland after a "historic" storm in the Middle East brought a rare treat to Egypt's capital Friday: a blanket of powdery, white snow. see more pics

Due to Cairo's low rate of precipitation and typically above-freezing winter temperatures, snow is an exceptionally unusual weather phenomenon for the North African city. So unusual, in fact, that the Los Angeles Times, citing local news reports, writes that the last recorded snowfall in Cairo was more than 100 years ago.

Ali Abdelazim, an official at the city's meteorological centre, confirmed to the Agence France-Presse this is the "first time in very many years" that snow has fallen in the Cairo area.

Excited Egytians took to social media Friday to share photographs of the unusual meteorological event

Brazil 2014: FIFA World Cup Finals Draw

Canada sells London diplomatic mansion for $530M

Prime Minister Stephen Harper walks through Grosvenor Square Garden with wife Laureen after attending Margaret Thatcher's funeral in London in April. The John A. Macdonald building, which was recently sold, can be seen at left. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

Canada has sold the John A. Macdonald building, the mansion in London that is home to some of the country's diplomatic activities in the U.K. 

Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Gordon Campbell confirmed the sale Thursday of One Grosvenor Square, which went to an Indian developer, Lodha Group, for $530 million.

Canadian dollar falls to 2-year low under 94 cents

The loonie is trading at its lowest intraday level since late 2011. (Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press)

The Canadian dollar lost more ground on Monday, falling to its lowest intraday level in more than two years.

In the afternoon, the loonie was changing hands down 0.18 of a cent at 93.98 cents US, just shy of
its close of 93.93 cents US on June 30, 2010. Earlier in the day, it traded as low as 93.86 before recovering some ground.

That's the lowest the loonie has traded since October 2011. It is the first time the loonie has closed below 94 cents in more than three years.

'There is a high correlation between the price of oil and the Canadian dollar'- CIBC portfolio manager Jennifer Dowty

After repeatedly trading above parity in recent years, consensus has turned for the loonie, with some watchers saying Canada's dollar could fall a lot more. Goldman Sachs predicted last week the loonie will trade in the high 80-cent level next year.

"The momentum for the Canadian dollar is moving one way for the last three months: lower," Forex Live currency analyst Adam Button told CBC News in an interview.

30 Steps Moving Obamacare Forward

Obamacare borne out of good intentions but not enough plans were to organize the health insurance as a universal function under the control of the government and shift control from the insurance ‘king-kongs’ while seeking to protect the underprivileged, disadvantaged and the unemployed. The more fortunate, including GOP members lurking to score cheap political points have been screaming hell and fire to cancel the plan. If I may ask, replace it with what? There are many loopholes in current system, better all sheath their political swords, and work together, (or just pretend) and save the American people in what appears less are having the American dream. I hope the fixers including Obama, Jeffery Zients, and all health parastatal work past-time in avoiding a looming and irrecoverable catastrophe yet in the health sector.  If you take a closer look at it, the Obamacare, once fully implemented, is a better health care option for United States citizens. Below are thirty steps in solving the problem and Moving Forward as a nation

How to Protect Your Privacy on Public Wi-Fi Networks

So you’re at your favorite coffee shop and have hopped on to the free WiFi with your tablet to check your social networks, read the latest news, and maybe take a quick peek at your bank balance while you’re enjoying your latte. We’re so used to having Internet access whenever and wherever we need it that we don’t often stop to consider whether logging into a public network is safe.

To find out just what the risks were, we consulted Con Mallon, a mobility expert with Symantec. “For lot of people, the first thing they do when they wander into a coffee shop or hotel lobby or the airport is to flip on their WiFi and try to find a free hotspot rather than use your own data plan or buying time from a hotspot,” Mallon says.

There are three major ways these free, open hotspots could get you into trouble, he explains.

What Men Can Do to Help Women Advance Their Careers

Over the past few weeks, I have been talking — a lot — about the themes of women and work.  About how women haven’t even come close to reaching the heights of professional power that many of us once predicted would shortly come to pass; about how women today remain oddly chained to an expanded and wholly unrealistic set of expectations. And I have also been talking, more than I had imagined I might, about what men can do to address this set of issues.

The good news here, I think, is that there is a lot of good news. Once upon a time — say, maybe 50 years ago — there was undeniably a mindset among many men who, for a variety of reasons, firmly believed that women could never make it in their world.  They were men (joined usually by a supportive chorus of women) who thought that women were not competitive or strong enough for the world of work.  They claimed women didn’t have the inner fiber and inherent smarts; that a woman’s job was to be home taking care of the children.

Average house price in Canada rises 8%, almost reaching $400K

The average Canadian home was worth almost $400,000 in October. (Mike Cassese/Reuters) (Mike Cassese/Reuters)

The average selling price of a Canadian home was $391,820 in October, up 8.5 per cent compared to last year. But a closer look at the numbers shows a split between hot markets in the West, and cooler ones in Eastern Canada.

Top 20 Words, 15 Phrases And 15 Names Of 2013

A global headache: '404' and 'fail' are the two most popular words of 2013. An annual survey of the English-speaking world’s “top words” has seen “404” (“the near-universal numeric code for failure on the global Internet”) take the top spot in 2013. The survey, carried out by Global Language Monitor, doubles down on this somewhat pessimistic take on the year’s events by ranking “fail” as the second most popular word.

Third and fourth place (“hashtag” and “@pontifex” respectively) both pay tribute to the continuing visibility and impact of social media, with the latter (the Pope’s Twitter handle) suggesting that even more venerable institutions can gain a lot from a little bit of internet literacy. See the full list below

Rob Ford, Toronto Mayor Meets Jesus, Gives Up Alcohol and Drugs

In an interview with CBC News on Monday, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said he's had a kind of "come-to-Jesus" moment and said he's "finished" with alcohol and doesn't do drugs.

Ford made the comments in an interview with CBC News chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge shortly after council voted overwhelmingly to slash his office budget and strip him of powers in the wake of a drug-use scandal. The interview, done with his brother Coun. Doug Ford at his side, capped a frantic few weeks for Toronto's mayor, who two weeks earlier admitted to using crack cocaine while in office.

Ford told Mansbridge he used crack "about a year ago" and said he hasn't used the drug since. Ford also said he hasn't consumed alcohol for three weeks and plans to never drink again.

Photo of the Week: Winners and Losers from Obamacare

Malta to sell citizenships for 650K euros apiece

Members of the Maltese opposition Nationalist Party's youth section protest Nov. 12 against a plan to allow the sale of citizenship to foreigners for 650,000 euros. The poster reads "I am proud to be Maltese". (Darrin Zammit Lupi/Reuters)

Malta is selling EU passports for 650,000 euro (US$875,000) as part of a law passed in order to bring in cash and investment. It comes with the benefits of EU membership, including the right to reside and work in the 28-member bloc.

The plan, which was approved on Wednesday, is expected to begin within a week. It will give those who purchase the passports the right to reside in any of the other 27 member states. They will even be eligible to become members of the European Parliament.

Top 20 People Skills You Need To Succeed At Work

Do you think you’re qualified for a particular job, fit to lead a team, or entitled to a promotion because you have extensive experience and highly developed technical skills? Well, it turns out that while those thingsare crucial to your professional success, it’s imperative that you alsohave great soft skills–more commonly known as “people skills.”

“People skills are, in short, the various attributes and competencies that allow one to play well with others,” explains says David Parnell, a legal consultant, communication coach and author. “While on the surface these may be summed up by notions such as ‘likeability,’ or having a ‘good personality,’ when you start to look at what makes one ‘likable,’ for instance, you’ve opened Pandora ‘s Box.” But more often than not, these attributes come in the form of effective, accurate and persuasive communication, he says.

Teri Hockett, chief executive of What’s For Work?, a career site for women, agrees. She says: “People skills come down to how people interact with each other, from a verbal and/or non-verbal perspective; they are non-technical in nature. When we think of people skills, words such as personality, empathy, and tonality come to mind.”

Having good people skills means maximizing effective and productive human interaction to everyone’s benefit, says Lynn Taylor, a national workplace expert and author of Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant; How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job. “People want to connect on a humane level in the office; the alternative is a sterile environment with low productivity. So, the more you demonstrate these abilities, the faster your career will advance. It’s the ‘office diplomats’ with strong emotional intelligence who are most likely to be strong, effective corporate leaders. They realize that trusting relationships built on diplomacy and respect are at the heart of both individual success and corporate productivity. An ounce of people sensitivity is worth a pound of cure when it comes to daily human interaction and mitigating conflict. By developing these skills, you’ll reduce bad behavior in the office, and your positive approach will be contagious.”

Wise managers know that they need a team with strong people skills, she adds. “Given the choice between a savvy job candidate or, similarly, an employee seeking promotion – the one with excellent people skills and less technical ability will usually win the prize versus the converse.” Having good people radar is harder to teach than technical skills, but is a requisite for long term, effective leadership, she says.

Here are 20 “people skills” and attributes you’ll need to succeed at work:

Android Dominates Market Share But Apple Makes All The Money, But How Long?

We’ve been hearing for years now about how Android is destroying iOS in market share. Ironically, though, Apple continues to make more money than all of the Android smartphone makers combined.

The most recent data from IDC shows that for Q3 of 2013 Android made up 81 percent of devices shipped. You read that right—four out of every five smartphones shipped in Q3 were built on Android. Meanwhile, Apple’s iOS scraped by with a sad and distant second place figure of only 12.9 percent.

REVEALED: Jose Mourinho dips into the bible before Chelsea games!

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is a religious soul [GETTY]

JOSE MOURINHO has revealed that one of his pre-match rituals before Chelsea games is to read sections of the bible.

The Obamacare debacle: How the Democrats lost their way

President Barack Obama has been touring the country these past two weeks apologizing for some problems with his signature health-care plan and promising to make it better. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

The president's health-care plan has become such a voter repellent that it is hard to see it surviving. Like a whale throwing itself relentlessly against the beach, Barack Obama's health-care law is now in danger of self-asphyxiation.

So much so, in fact, it now appears that all those Republican anti-Obamacare histrionics of the past few years were unnecessary.

Republicans didn't really have to shut down government, or push the nation toward default, or equate Obamacare with slavery, or stage scores of pointless repeal votes in the House of Representatives.

It turns out the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was a Republican ally all along, quietly creating the great dysfunctional golem that lurched into public view on Oct. 1.

The Philosophy That Will Ruin A Marriage

If you read blogs or go on Facebook or even watch the news, you've probably heard about the post written by Seth Adam Smith, Marriage Isn't For You. In the post, Mr. Smith writes thoughtfully and sincerely about his brief (1-1/2 year) marriage and the advice his father gave him about what marriage is for:

...You don't marry to make yourself happy, you marry to make someone else happy. More than that, your marriage isn't for yourself, you're marrying for a family. Not just for the in-laws and all of that nonsense, but for your future children. Who do you want to help you raise them? Who do you want to influence them? Marriage isn't for you. It's not about you. Marriage is about the person you married."