Nearly 100 pilot whales have died after beaching in Western Australia, wildlife officials said Thursday...

Silicon Valley investors behind a secretive $800 million land-buying spree got off to a rocky start with the voters they need to build a green new city in Northern California

Bill Richardson, a veteran Democratic politician and former US ambassador to the United Nations who later spent decades negotiating the release of Americans detained around the world, has died at...

A woman so allergic to the scent of Christmas that even “smelling a mince pie could kill [her]” almost died after a festive trip to a garden centre sparked an asthma attack. Anne Murray, 61, an engineer who lives alone in Lanark, Scotland, was diagnosed with severe asthma as a baby and has been allergic to traditional festive staples such as citrus and cinnamon since she was a child. According to the NHS, severe asthma means the condition is uncontrolled even when sufferers are taking their medication. When they are exposed to an allergen that irritates the airways, it can trigger asthma symptoms. Murray realised the seriousness of her condition at the age of 11 when her mother, Mary, collapsed and died from an asthma attack at the age of 34. Seven years later, Murray’s childhood best friend, Julia, also died from an asthma attack. Both deaths made her “live life to the full” and she has since done a bungee jump and travelled the globe. Murray had a near-death experience herself in November 2016 when she smelt “pine cones impregnated with citrus” in a garden centre. “I had difficulty breathing,” she recalled. “I grabbed my inhaler and ran quickly out of the garden centre.” On the drive home, her condition worsened. “It felt like someone was sitting on my chest.” Once home, she used her nebuliser – a device that enables her to breathe by giving her medicine as a mist – but could not get to sleep that night as she kept coughing, and whenever she laid down, it felt like she was “choking”. Two days later, and still struggling to breathe, she visited her GP and was barely able to stand up. An ambulance was called straight away, and Murray was given oxygen and strong nebulisers, before returning home with seven days’ worth of steroids. “They all told me it was a close call so it was lucky I had my nebuliser on me.” Since that incident, Murray has finished her Christmas shopping by September to avoid being near festive smells in shopping centres, and often turns down invites to Christmas parties. “It can be quite isolating,” she says. “If friends want to go out around Christmas, I have to ask them to go to different places where I know are safe. I can’t eat or be anywhere near things that smell like Christmas, or eat anything Christmassy like mince pies and stollen cake – I don’t touch them with a 10-foot barge pole. Just smelling a mince pie could kill me. So many things have Christmassy spices that you wouldn’t normally think of, too.” Following the dual losses of her mother and best friend, Murray learnt that she would have to make day-to-day adjustments to her life in order to maintain her own safety. When travelling, she often has to call the airline in advance to request that passengers only eat or peel oranges once they get off the plane. She also has to inform all her work colleagues not to wear festive perfume in the office. “I wish shops would put up signs saying they have festive scents in store,” she adds. “It would be so helpful for me, and stop them getting complaints too.” Today, she makes sure to keep her own Christmas planning low-key. “I don’t go anywhere near supermarkets and that sort of thing – it’s not worth the risk,” she says. “It can be embarrassing a lot of the time – if I go to a restaurant and tell them about my allergies, I get turned away and we have to find somewhere else to go. Or, I get loads of staff around me and I just don’t want the attention.” This year, Murray is looking forward to spending Christmas Day alone and visiting her dad, Archie, and stepmum, Alice, in Scotland. She says: “I still like Christmas, and I’m excited to be on my own this year – I can put my feet up and watch the telly, and eat whatever I want.”

Johnny Depp apparently got stuck in traffic and also missed the photo call with director Maiwenn and the rest of the cast of 'Jeanne du Barry'

The U.S. Postal Service is rolling out its latest special edition postage stamps, paying homage to a Hispanic tradition that has evolved over centuries to become a universal symbol of celebration

Tarek Fahim was taking videos of the water filling behind the dam in the Derna valley in Libya late Saturday night. Up until 1:30 am, Storm Daniel was just wind and rain. When he went home an hour later, it took very little time between the moment he heard the dam burst and the gushing water flooding his street.

Victor Wembanyama’s debut at NBA Summer League is Friday night

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has been invited to address the Irish Senate on Tuesday

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s absence from New York City’s stages will be at most 14 months, with “Cats” returning in June 2024 at the World Trade Center’s new Perelman Performing Arts Center

China has accused Washington of trying to block its development after President Joe Biden stepped up a feud over technology and security by tightening controls on U.S. investments that might help Beijing develop its military

Hosts France needed Louis Bielle-Biarrey's late try to make sure of Thursday's 27-12 victory over Uruguay in Pool A of...