‘Smells like capitalism’ candle costs £2,021
And other stories from the stranger side of life

The “world’s most expensive candle”, named Smells Like Capitalism, has been put on sale priced at £2,021. Its maker, Flaming Crap, says it “gives off an aroma of musky leather aroma with notes of Great British sterling kept in an off-shore account”. It was inspired by Gwyneth Paltrow’s “This Smells Like My Vagina” candle.
£6.2m stamp ‘smaller than expected’
A stamp worth £6.2m has arrived in UK - and its buyer says it was smaller than he expected. The British Guiana 1c Magenta is, gram for gram, thought to be the most valuable product ever made, says Sky News. Following a high-security operation to import it from the US, it’s buyer said: “I knew the dimensions, but it's even smaller than I expected.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Lottery winner shares jackpot with herself
A lottery winner who accidentally bought two identical tickets for the same draw has ended up sharing the jackpot prize with herself. Susan Gray, from North Carolina, is believed to be the world’s first sole joint jackpot winner, having scooping two halves of the $305,046 (£221,000) top prize of the Carolina Cash 5 draw. “It was really an accident that I played both,” she said.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Gandhi arrests: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's opposition
The Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
How the woke right gained power in the US
Under the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK