Where does the strange but typical ”metallic” smell come from when we touch iron objects such as tools, utensils, railings, or coins? The mystery of why such objects have no odour themselves, but leave an odour on your hands, has intrigued scientists for centuries. And more intriguing: Why does iron smell like blood?

Forget all those books that say the Irish invented Halloween and that Irish-Americans popularised it in the 20th century. Experts in Germany say Halloween was invented by witches in the Black Forest of Germany. Long-forgotten in Europe, the ancient Celtic holiday has become trendy among post-unification Germans.

A neo-Nazi organisation is poised to purchase a hotel in a town in Germany after local residents failed to come up with enough money to stop the sale. In a race against the clock that made headlines around the world, people in Delmenhorst near Bremen held bake sales and staged fund-raising barbecues to try to scrape together money to thwart a rich, neo-Nazi lawyers’ organisation from buying property in their town.

Up to 150 000 self-styled witches and warlocks, New Age practioners and the simply curious are converging for May Eve revelries on the summit of the highest peak in the Harz Mountains, Germany, on Saturday night. April 30, or May Day Eve, is called Walpurgis Night, formerly the date of the pagan festival marking the start of summer.