BTN Newsbreak 04/07/2025

Australia Broadcast Center

6 hours ago

CHEESE NIGHTMARES
A new study has found that there might be some truth to the old tale that eating cheese before bed can give you nightmares. Yeah, turns out cheese and nightmares might be connected. See, a new study of about a thousand people in Canada found that for some people, eating dairy like cheese before bed worsened their sleep and made them have strange dreams or nightmares, especially if they were lactose intolerant! So, why? Well, at night our bodies are designed to put all our energy into sleeping, not digesting food, and experts say if we eat heavy stuff like desserts, sweets, and yes, cheese, before bed, it can make it harder to sleep. So, the big question is, can I still have Brie before bed? Well, experts say steering clear of heavy food two hours before bed is usually a good idea, and if you're craving a late-night snack, keep it light.
BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL
It looks like U.S President Donald Trump's Big Beautiful Bill is going ahead. The bill only just passed last night, with a tight 218 to 214 vote in the U.S House of Representatives. The bill aims to deliver tax cuts, which Republicans say will improve economic growth, and also fund the President's immigration crackdown. Some aren't happy with the bill and say it'll add trillions of dollars to the country's debt and cut important healthcare programs. But the President is optimistic and will sign the bill into law on the 4th of July.
SUNSCREEN TESTING
Now, you might remember a few weeks ago we told you about a sunscreen rating controversy, after consumer advocacy group CHOICE released this report, which found many Aussie sunscreens weren't living up to their advertised SPF rating. Since then, the brands behind the sunscreens have come out with their original test results showing their compliance. But an ABC investigation found that at least eight of those tests were done by the same overseas lab, Princeton Consumer Research, leading some industry experts to raise questions about the lab's accuracy and testing methods. The lab says that their testing process isn't a problem, while Australian regulators continue to investigate the findings.
WHAT MAKES YOU COOL?
Now, here's something pretty cool: scientists have been trying to figure out what makes cool people cool. Yeah, "cool" is an expression we use all the time. Even in other languages, they use the same word, "c'est cool". But are we all talking about the same thing? It's been hard to know until now. These researchers got almost 6000 participants across 13 countries, including Australia, to think about someone they personally know, who they think is cool, and to rate that person on 15 different personality traits. It turns out, all around the world, cool people are thought of as those who break rules, seek new experiences, and challenge authority. Then they wanted to test whether "cool" really just means the same as "good", but when participants were asked to think of a good person, the results were pretty different. Good people were described as being calm, following social expectations, and caring for other people. But the researchers also point out that staying authentic is an important part of being cool.
HOT DOG WEIGH-IN
First up, to the U.S, where competitors are gearing up for the big event, and this year is set to be a banger, no pun intended, as hot-dog-eating world record holder Joey Chestnut returns to the game!
HUMBOLDT PENGUIN COMPETITION
Now, to Chester Zoo in the UK, where this batch of 10 baby Humboldt penguins have just been named. Among the celestially inspired names are Ursa, Quasar, Orion, and Xena. But 2 babies don't yet have names, so the zoo has asked for suggestions from the public to help name them.
HIGH HEEL RACE
And finally to Spain where the 26th annual high heel race saw runners hurtling down this cobblestone street in Madrid, in various states of comfort. Is that duct tape? This year's winner took home 350 euro, or about 600 bucks in prize money.