Babies take at least one month to appreciate humour, according to a new study. In a global study of about 700 children, researchers at the University of Bristol found that the earliest reported age that children appreciate humour was about four weeks, and that about half of babies find things funny by the age of two months. Dr Elena Hoicka, associate professor at the university, said: “Our results highlight that humour is a complex, developing process.”
Human-sized dog needs forever home
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Man builds Taj Mahal replica for his wife
A 52-year-old businessman in India has built a scaled-down replica of the Taj Mahal as a home for his wife of 27 years. Anand Prakash Chouksey constructed what he called his “monument of love” in the city of Burhanpur in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. He told the BBC it was “a gift for my wife but also for the town and its people”. Back in 2013, a retired government official in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh also built a replica of the Taj Mahal, in memory of his wife.
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Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ comes into confounding focusIn the Spotlight What began as a plan to redevelop the Gaza Strip is quickly emerging as a new lever of global power for a president intent on upending the standing world order
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‘It’s good for the animals, their humans — and the veterinarians themselves’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
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The world is entering an era of ‘water bankruptcy’The explainer Water might soon be more valuable than gold
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Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
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Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
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Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
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US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
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Will the mystery of MH370 be solved?Today’s Big Question New search with underwater drones could finally locate wreckage of doomed airliner
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How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
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Normalising relations with the Taliban in AfghanistanThe Explainer The regime is coming in from the diplomatic cold, as countries lose hope of armed opposition and seek cooperation on counterterrorism, counter-narcotics and deportation of immigrants
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Pakistan: Trump’s ‘favourite field marshal’ takes chargeIn the Spotlight Asim Munir’s control over all three branches of Pakistan’s military gives him ‘sweeping powers’ – and almost unlimited freedom to use them
