Vanilla has been crowned the world’s favourite smell by a team of international experts. Scientists from the University of Oxford and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm presented ten scents, including sweaty feet, decaying fish and rose, to 235 people from nine different cultures around the world, including hunter-gatherers in the south-east Asian rainforest. Joining vanilla in the top three most popular scents was the smell of peaches and lavender, said The Daily Telegraph.
John Travolta goes to Wetherspoons
John Travolta surprised locals in Norfolk by popping into a Wetherspoons. The Hollywood star, who is believed to be filming nearby, was spotted at the Romany Rye in Dereham, enjoying burgers and pizza with two friends. He then went shopping at a nearby Morrisons store where he bought steak and other groceries. “Dereham doesn’t usually play host to some of the most famous Hollywood stars on the planet,” a local told The Times.
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Builder fired after poo throwing
A construction worker in Ireland has been fired after throwing a bag of his own poo from a crane onto the side of a building. In a video of the incident, which took place in Dublin, the man jokes about “the joys of being a crane driver” before dropping a full bag of faeces over the side of a crane onto a building below, where it explodes. A spokesperson for the building management company told the Daily Star that the incident was “highly regrettable”.
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Israeli double strike on Gaza hospital kills 20Speed Read The dead include five journalists who worked for The Associated Press, Reuters and Al Jazeera
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Trump expands National Guard role in policingSpeed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
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Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa CookSpeed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates
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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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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
