A study by Oxford and Birmingham universities has found that teenagers can “catch” moods from their friends. Researchers investigated “emotional contagion” among teens, to see the impact of individuals’ moods within a shared social network and found that moods become similar to those of the people they spend time with. Dr Per Block, of Oxford’s Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, said: “Mood is contagious, and though both positive and negative moods are ‘caught’, bad moods are more potent.”
Shoppers caught in glue prank
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Couple ‘had sex on Ferris wheel’
A couple in the US who allegedly had sex on a 200-foot-tall Ferris wheel are facing public lewdness charges after footage of the encounter was uploaded to a porn site. Police in South Carolina say Eric and Lori Harmon had sex in a glass chamber on the Myrtle Beach SkyWheel landmark, in plain view of the public.
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Political cartoons for December 7Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include the Trump-tanic, AI Santa, and the search for a moderate Republican
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Trump’s poll collapse: can he stop the slide?Talking Point President who promised to ease cost-of-living has found that US economic woes can’t be solved ‘via executive fiat’
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Codeword: December 7, 2025The daily codeword puzzle from The Week
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Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
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Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
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Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
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Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
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Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
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Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
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Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
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China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
