Ikea branches in the US are offering candles scented with its Swedish meatballs as a prize in a sweepstakes event for “Ikea Family” loyalty club members. Ikea started selling meatballs in 1985, when the company’s founder said “it’s difficult to do business with someone on an empty stomach”. The retailer sells more than a billion of them every year.
Wife-carrying contest held in Hungary
Dozens of Hungarian husbands clambered over rough terrain with their wives on their backs at the nation’s second wife-carrying contest. “We have just emerged from a difficult period due to the coronavirus and we need to go and have fun in the open air,” said an organiser. The tradition, which dates back to the Viking age, is also popular in Finland, where it has taken place since the 1990s.
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World’s ‘smallest baby’ goes home
A baby that was believed to be the world’s smallest at birth has been discharged from a Singapore hospital after 13 months. Kwek Yu Xuan was just 212g (7.47oz) when she was born and measured 24cm long when she was delivered at just under 25 weeks. In a statement, Singapore’s National University Hospital said: “Against the odds, with health complications present at birth, she has inspired people around her with her perseverance and growth.”
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Truck drivers are questioning the Trump administration's English mandateTalking Points Some have praised the rules, others are concerned they could lead to profiling
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DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich throwerSpeed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer
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2 kids killed in shooting at Catholic school massSpeed Read 17 others were wounded during a morning mass at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis
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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
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How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
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One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
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What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
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Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
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Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
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'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weaponsThe Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
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The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarrayIn the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
