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Been There, Smelled That explores the aromas of places around the world. Travel writer Maggie Downs investigates some of the world’s most potent smells, looks at how odor cultivates a connection to place, and presents how humans engage with smells, from scents that have endured generations to the latest innovations in aroma-making.

Town Hall, Orange Walk, Belize.

My introduction to Orange Walk is through my nose.

I drive into town on a pockmarked, humpy two-lane road, past lanky palm trees and wooden Coca-Cola signs. With a population of 13,000, this is Belize’s fourth-largest town, and the land here is lush and slightly swampy. The windshield of my rental Jeep is splotched with all the bugs I’ve killed along the way. And the smell coming through the air vents is decidedly ashy, a bit like a burning cigar.

As Putin smiles As a child of the 1960s, I hate sounding like a Cold Warrior here, but c’mon. Moscow is gleeful. As gleeful as Stephen Miller pondering loading immigrants onto rail cars. As gleeful as a cheering MAGA rally at the idea of police shooting looters and brown-skinned migrants. Russian operatives had to get their hand dirty to help Donald Trump win election in 2016. Since then, MAGA Republicans have internalized Vladimir Putin’s thirst for the kind of chaos and insurrection that might tear apart the U.S. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is pleased to toss more fuel on the fire. The Supreme Court vacated an appeals court decision that allowed Texas to deny federal officials from accessing a portion of the Texas border with Mexico. In response, writes Jonathan Last: … the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, responded that the Supreme Court’s order “allows Biden to continue his illegal effort to aid the foreign invasion of America.” Which is a perfectly normal statement for an officer of the court to make, I guess? It’s not clear what Texas Republicans think they are doing. Are they trying to trigger the libs? Or hurt Biden?

In an exclusive interview, Jeremy Miles says he wants a frank discussion about Brexit's hit to the economy - and calls for far greater devolution for Wales

The compromise ruling from the ICJ in the Hague could slow the violence against Gaza's citizens, but catastrophe still looms

John Sweeney, who worked on the 2015 BBC documentary, explores how the Post Office's chair was also on the broadcaster's board while the programme was in production – without declaring it

Welcome to my channel. I’m a YouTube child star who’s probably gonna end up president or something. My video “Slime Egg Toy Surprise” has been viewed more than three billion times, and I’m only six and a half years old. Watch out, career politicians!

After creating a few thousand more bangers like “Thomas Train Pretend Play Game Adults Kid Learning” or “Frozen Toy Set #FlagDaySale #Patriotism Educational Toddler #Sponsored Olaf Fun,” I figure I’ll bop around Silicon Valley for a few years, pick up some kind of raging addiction, maybe publish a memoir or put out a critically-panned album. Everyone has to pay their dues, right? Even I had to use the potty for the first time on YouTube Live before I could get a sticker for my chart.

Anyway, then I’ll be ready to slide into politics. Maybe as mayor of a joke-ish sort of city. Las Vegas? Somewhere in New Jersey? I’m six. I don’t know the names of all the states yet, much less how they lean politically.

With little public debate, and doubts about their reliability, Byline Times reveals the use of lie detectors is still increasing

Cryptic visuals combine with a haunting score to deliver a Socratic exchange on the nature (and dangers) of oratory

- by Aeon Video

Watch at Aeon

My experiences as a 21st-century femdom echo the gendered themes that feature in Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s 1870 novel

- by Gia Marcos

Read at Psyche

Humanity’s future remains as unthinkable as the still-uncolonised galaxy or the enduring mystery of our own births and deaths

- by Jennifer Banks

Read at Aeon

Few regular readers of Tribune are likely to be familiar with the politics of the small central American country of El Salvador. You may have heard something of its eccentric new president, Nayib Bukele, who introduced Bitcoin as a national currency, and whose flagship policy is the construction of a massive new prison which will […]

We live in an information age. Organisations rely on large amounts of personal data to make life-changing decisions about us. When things go wrong with people’s data there are real-world harms. These include increased risk of becoming a victim of cybercrime, unfair treatment in the workplace, or unfair decisions on mortgage or loan applications. For […]

There’s a basic conflict of interest at the heart of American health care. We need to break up the industry to fix it.

How far will Labour go to appease the billionaire press ahead of the general election? We are about to find out, writes Brian Cathcart