A former nurse has sued the NHS, claiming that she was subject to hypnosis “experiments” at work which made her “fart against her will”. Xandra Samson, who worked at Ealing Hospital in London before being sacked in December 2019, told a tribunal she was the target of a little-known hypnotic practice called the “ideomotor phenomenon”, which allegedly forces people into unconscious behaviours. She lost the case.
Britain’s UFO hotspot is revealed
Yorkshire is the UK’s centre of UFO reports, with over 200 encounters being logged there over the past two decades. The most recent sighting came in June in Leeds, when two thin, black and curved elongated triangles were seen flying above and then stopping in mid-air. Nationally, between March and April 2020 the county racked up 192 UFO reports, a 200% increase on the year before.
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50p coin could be worth £60
An old 50p coin that is rarer and harder to find than the collectable Kew Gardens design could be worth up to £60. Released between 1992 and 1993, the EC 50p features a birds-eye view of a conference table with 12 chairs around it for each of the ministers, with the UK at the top of the table. Only 109,000 of the coins were minted - around half of that of the Kew Gardens coin, which has sold for as much as £100.
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The Icelandic women’s strike 50 years onIn The Spotlight The nation is ‘still no paradise’ for women, say campaigners
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Mall World: why are people dreaming about a shopping centre?Under The Radar Thousands of strangers are dreaming about the same thing and no one sure why
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Why scientists are attempting nuclear fusionThe Explainer Harnessing the reaction that powers the stars could offer a potentially unlimited source of carbon-free energy, and the race is hotting up
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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
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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
