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What Exactly is the Harlem Shake?

You cannot have gone through February without hearing about or seeing a Harlem Shake video. The phrase Harlem Shake has been everywhere over the last few weeks- TV, newspapers and of course all over the internet. But what exactly is it?

The name was first coined back in the 1980's when a new dance came out of Harlem in New York. As the dance became more and more popular, it was referenced by a number of different hip hop artists and songs in the early 2000's.

The current craze started to get going last year when American music produced Baauer released a song with the title ‘Harlem Shake'. However, it wasn't until the beginning of February 2013 when the first recognizable Harlem Shake meme video was posted on YouTube.

Initially, a number of video bloggers uploaded versions of the song and dance, each developing the concept a little at a time. Though they were all pretty popular, the first one to go truly viral was the video below uploaded by the staff of online video production company Maker Studios. Within its first week, it was watched by more than 7.4 million people.

Prime Minister Encourages Indian Students to Britain

Ahead his visit to India next week, Prime Minister David Cameron has urged Indian students to come to the UK to study. After changes to visa restrictions the number of Indian students in Britain is down a quarter and there are concerns that the government's tough rhetoric on immigration has contributed to this drop.

Speaking to India's Sunrise TV, Mr Cameron emphasised that the changes to the visa system are not as strict as often thought and that Britain is still eager for international students to come to study:

"The fact is today, as we stand, and this is going to be the case going forward, there is no limit on the number of students who can come from India to study at British universities, no limit at all. All you need is a basic English qualification and a place at a British university. And what's more, after you've left a British university, if you can get a graduate-level job there is no limit to the amount of people who can stay and work, or the time that they can stay at work."

Oscar Pistorius Charged with Murder

Shocking news is emerging from South Africa after it has been revealed that Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has shot and killed his girlfriend- Reeva Steenkamp. Early reports suggested that he mistook her for a burglar at his home in Pretoria- possibly after a Valentine's Day surprise went wrong. However, police have since revealed that such reports hadn't come from them and that they were "surprised" to hear them being circulated. 

Local media reported that police are holding the 26-year-old in custody as part of a murder investigation and he is expected to appear in court on Friday afternoon. A police statement said a 30-year-old woman was "fatally wounded" after being shot with a 9mm pistol in the head and upper body. Police were called in the early hours of the morning to find paramedics already at the scene, but were unable to save the woman who died at the scene.

Further reports from neighbours have suggested that shouting had been heard from the house earlier in the evening and that police had been called on previous occasions after reports of "a domestic nature".

Reeva Steenkamp is a well known model in South Africa and had been dating Pistorius since November last year.

Last Minute Valentine’s Day Ideas

Every year Valentine's Day is on the 14th February and yet every year it seems to creep up on everyone, leaving some worried people without any idea of what to do. If you're in that situation now with just a day left to organise something, here we have some top last minute ideas for you.

The Perfect Pancake Recipe

For food lovers, today is one of the best celebrations of the year- Pancake Day. Historically known as Shrove Tuesday, the second Tuesday of February has traditionally been used as a final day to gorge on food before the restraint and fasting of lent begins.

However, these days few people in the UK still fast during lent and today has instead become simply the perfect excuse to eat so many pancakes that you can hardly stand up.

British pancakes are not quite like any other country's. They are much larger and thinner than American pancakes, but slightly thicker than French crêpes. Below you can find a really simple recipe to make perfect British pancakes.

Ingredients (for 12-14 pancakes)

   - 110g/4oz plain flour
   - pinch of salt
   - 2 eggs
   - 200ml milk mixed with 75ml water

 

Step 1: Sieve the flour into a large bowl and add the two eggs. Add a little of the milk/water mix and start whisking the mixture with a fork or balloon whisk. 

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