Who was Alaric?

Alaric was the first King of the Visigoths, who emerged from the Gothic tribes, famous for his sack of Rome in 410. Alaric entered Rome via the Porta Salaria, part of the Aurelian walls. There are many famous gates to the Aurelian walls including the Porta Latina, Porta San Giovanni and Porta San Sebastiano.

Les "arrondissements" de Paris

The most populous district is the fifteenth district of the twenty districts of Paris, situated on the Rive Gauche (left bank) of the Seine. The 59-floor Tour Montparnasse is located (near) there. The first arrondissement is the smallest, lies on the right bank of the Seine, and is where the Louvre is situated. It is just under a square mile in area. The Louvre is opposite the Carrousel Garden (Jardin du Carrousel). Note: a "carrousel" is a horse parade. Banque de France is also located in the first district.

Presidenza della Republica

The Quirinale Palace is the official residence of the Italian President.  It faces the Piazza del Quirinale. It is a relatively modern construction in the context of the history of Rome.

It is believed the Emperor Vespasian's house (founder of the Flavian Dynasty) may have stood there.

The Theory of Everything (2015)

Eddie Redmayne stars as Stephen Hawking in the film based on his life, on the book by his wife.

Mortdecai (2015)

Mortdecai is a film released in January 2015.

The cast includes Johnny Depp as Mortdecai and Gwyneth Paltrow and Ewan McGregor in supporting roles.

It is released by the movie studio Lion's Gate. It was filmed at a budget of $60m. Johnny Depp's production company Infinitum Nihil was involved in the film. The director was American David Koepp, born in the "North Central" American state of Wisconsin and educated at UCLA.

Mortdecai is based on the novels by Kyril Bonfiglioli, an English art dealer and comic novelist, born in Eastbourne. Mortdecai's voice is described by the New Yorker as "arch and insufferably, authoritatively snobbish".

What is a Filibuster?

A filibuster is a parliamentary procedure involving extending a debate in order to delay or prevent a vote. It was a device utilised by the Roman statesman, Cato the Younger.

What is an Embargo?

An embargo is the partial or complete prohibition of commerce with a country of group of countries. A famous embargo from history is the Continental System, the foreign policy of Napoleon I against Britain during the Napoleonic Wars, brought about in 1806.