A FITNESS fanatic has opened up about her journey after struggling with binge eating foods like Snickers.

She said she decided to allow herself one bar a day to combat the binge eating, even as a follow-up to a bikini competition.

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Sohee Timmerman (@soheefit) filmed herself with several Snickers bars in front of her in a video on TikTok.

Carpenter’s approach to bikini competition preparation took place eight years earlier.

“I ate a large Snickers bar every day for 10 weeks,” she said.

‘The aim at the time was to demonstrate that it was possible to eat these types of foods every day and still lose body fat.

“I even entered a bikini contest at the end of this,” she added.

She showed off a photo of herself on stage, clearly chiselled in a metallic bikini.

“A few years before this type of candy was strictly prohibited and it was a serious trigger food of mine,” she said.

‘One bite and I was done for the rest of the night and sometimes the weekend.

“And because it kept bothering me, I kept trying to limit it,” she added.

Her 70-day Snickers experiment changed her view of the sweet treat by the end.

‘By giving myself unconditional permission to eat and consume [Snickers] on a more regular basis, I disrupted the dietary restrictions and reduced the food reinforcement value,” she said.

“What makes me less likely to binge eat is called food habituation,” she added.

Carpenter indicated that the purpose of telling her story was not to encourage unhealthy eating patterns.

“Of course, I’m not saying that you should make yourself sick by eating all your trigger foods for ten weeks.

“I’m saying that if your usual response to overeating or binge eating is to further restrict it, it may be worth loosening the reins and not being so black and white with your diet.”

She also gave some insight into the experiment and why it worked for her bikini contest.

“I acknowledge that during this particular Snickers experiment I monitored total caloric intake, and thus it was not a completely unconditional consent to eat,” she said.

“Yet, within a few weeks, I experienced a marked decrease in my enjoyment of the Snickers bar.”

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‘I beg you, I beg you, don’t hurt me… Please let me go.’ 

Those were the words uttered by a helpless 13-year-old girl as she was allegedly dragged into a public bathroom by a group of Egyptian migrants in Catania on the Italian island of Sicily last week. 

Her pleas were ignored.  

Instead, she claims two of the migrants – both minors – brutally raped her for half an hour while the rest of the gang allegedly restrained her desperate boyfriend and forced him to watch the horror unfold. 

All seven of the suspects arrived in Italy as illegal migrants by boat, but were granted temporary residency as Italian law does not permit the expulsion of minors.  

News of the heinous attack prompted immediate fury, with Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini calling for the perpetrators to be chemically castrated and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni vowing ‘justice will be done’. 

The gang in question has since been shackled after DNA testing confirmed at least one minor had sexually abused the girl, and only because the eldest of the group was so disturbed by the actions of his underlings that he confessed to authorities. 

But the horrendous incident has also sparked a fresh row over immigration policy in Italy, which saw a 50% increase in illegal migrant landings last year versus 2022 according to the Interior Ministry. 

A select few individuals came out in defence of the perpetrators in the wake of the attack.

Catania bishop Luigi Renna was quick to warn against the profiling of migrants for violent crimes, declaring: ‘The crime committed by these young immigrants must not lead us to generalisations, because we know that not all immigrants are violent, just as not all young Italians are violent.’

And immigration workers who knew two of the older teens involved in the incident told Italian media the boys had made efforts to integrate with Italian society and were pursuing work permits at the time of the attack.

‘We had no reason to suspect that they would do anything like that,’ they said.

But several outraged officials and commentators called for a crackdown on illegal immigration, while others pointed fingers at Meloni’s government for its perceived inaction on the issue.

The Prime Minister’s commitment to strengthening immigration policy was a cornerstone of her campaign for office which saw her call for the EU to launch a ‘naval blockade’ of African shores to turn back migrant boats.

But Italy’s shores remain the primary point of arrival for migrants journeying from North Africa.

Almost 156,000 migrants arrived by sea last year alone – 17,000 of which were unaccompanied minors – versus 103,846 in 2022.

Fabio Cantarella, the former environment and urban security councillor of Catania, said: ‘The national government has his responsibilities, above all the Minister of the Interior (Matteo Piantedosi), who should find the courage to return to implementing the policies of his predecessor, Matteo Salvini, against uncontrolled immigration.’

Salvini, the former Interior Minister and now deputy PM, was one of the most outspoken critics of illegal migration in Italy and is currently on trial after he banned an NGO rescue ship from docking in any Italian port in 2019.

Mayor of Catania Enrico Trantino added that he was concerned about ‘security problems’ in the Sicilian city as a result of high migration rates, but said his reports had fallen on deaf ears. 

‘There is bitterness and pain – it is as if the entire city was violated with this vulgar, vile and cowardly gesture. I hope that what happened will be severely punished by the judicial authorities,’ he said of the gang rape.

‘In Catania we have a security problem that we have declared several times to the Minister of the Interior.’

Meanwhile, Cultura Identita – a foundation dedicated to the promotion of Italian art and culture, released a statement railing against immigration policy, which prevents minors from being deported.  

‘We are faced with yet another bestiality, yet another disgusting act perpetrated once again with shameless ferocity by a group of boys who entered Italy illegally – minors (or self-styled minors) who could not be repatriated.

‘This squalid fact should at least make us reflect on how uncontrolled and illegal immigration causes a predictable and unmanageable emergency on the security front in our country,’ it concluded. 

Amid the criticism, Meloni, who heads the right-wing Brothers of Italy party, is pressing on with efforts to manage the sky-high migration rate.

Italy’s commitment to the protection of minors means that any migrants claiming to be under 18 years of age cannot be deported and must be granted temporary residence. 

Authorities have typically used psychological evaluations to establish the age of migrants who arrive without documentation, leading Meloni’s government to argue that many adult migrants attempt to pass as underage to benefit from the protections.

But under new legislation signed into effect in September last year, authorities can now use physical examinations, including x-rays of wrist bones, to establish age in the hope adult migrants trying to game the system will be caught out. 

This came despite a slew of experts warning the physical tests are not reliable enough to accurately calculate age. 

Italy’s parliament also signed off on measures granting authorities the right to hold migrants in detention centres for up to 18 months while asylum requests are processed. 

It is possible for migrants to avoid being detained as they wait for the results of their application – for a cool 5000 euro fee. 

Meanwhile, a plan to build migrant detention centres in Albania to process asylum claims passed a key milestone when Albania’s constitutional court approved the bilateral agreement.

Under the proposed scheme – which has drawn comparisons with the British government’s Rwanda plan – Meloni has said the centres would be able to house and process in excess of 3,000 migrants per month. 

But this would still leave 120,000 migrants free to flood Italian shores each year, based on 2023 arrival figures.

As the row over illegal immigration continues, details of the horrible crime continue to emerge in Italian press.

The 13-year-old victim said she was walking in the park with her boyfriend when the group of seven descended on them and seized them both.

‘And they took us to the bathrooms of the villa. It was a nightmare, there was no one there at that time,’ the girl told La Repubblica.

She said she was trying to free herself, as was her boyfriend, but they couldn’t overpower the seven teenagers.

Two of them allegedly raped her while the others watched. She said: ‘And they forced my boyfriend to watch too.’ 

‘He was screaming, he was desperate. I said: “I beg you, I beg you, don’t hurt me, let me go.’

The rape went on for 30 minutes at which point the couple were left to run away. They immediately alerted the Carabinieri, who managed to catch the group within 24 hours after one of the older boys who allegedly held back the boyfriend told immigration workers what had happened. 

The victim has identified the two underage alleged perpetrators of the rape, police said, while her boyfriend identified the five others who held him back and forced him to witness the brutal assault. 

DNA evidence successfully linked one of three minors in the group to the rape, prosecutors confirmed. 

Six of the seven suspects are being held in custody pending further investigation.

The remaining adult suspect was granted house arrest for complying with the police investigation.  

The British royal family has entered a “new era” of transparency about their health, Richard Eden told Palace Confidential.

Speaking on the Mail+ weekly talk show, the Daily Mail's diary editor said the British royal family has moved from “puzzling statements” to providing full details of their medical procedures.

Kate Middleton, 42, was admitted to The Clinic London in Marylebone earlier this week for the planned procedure. It is said to have been a success and that the princess is now 'doing well' in her recovery.

Just 90 minutes later, the palace revealed that King Charles III, 75, was diagnosed with an enlarged prostate and will go to hospital next week to be treated for the condition.

While the level of detail about the royal family's health is unusual, the weekly podcast's panel said it is beneficial to the public as it reduces the stigma of health issues.

Speaking on the show, Richard said: 'I was really surprised when I read [the health announcements] because we have become accustomed to enigmatic statements.

“You could say 'the Queen is suffering from periodic mobility problems' or they could say 'Prince Philip is in hospital with an infection', and it would turn out he is dying, they would give very little detail.”

“It is very interesting to give this full detail,” he added.

It follows other developments such as Sarah, Duchess of York, 64, who openly discussed her experiences with breast cancer in the media.

In June she had a successful one-off mastectomy at King Edward VII's Hospital in London, and last month she joined Lorraine to discuss her experiences and stressed the importance of 'turning your cheek to joy'.

Richard explained, “When she had her breast cancer surgery, not only did she provide a lot of detail, but she also thought, 'You know what, I'm going to use this platform as an opportunity to try to do something to help another woman out there you don't have to be ashamed of it.”

“In royal circles, ill health is often seen as something embarrassing,” Richard said. He added: “The king hopes to reduce the stigma.”

And it appears the King's plan has prevailed as searches for 'enlarged prostate' on the NHS website soared after the King shared his diagnosis, new figures show.

There were 16,410 visits to the health service's prostate enlargement page on Wednesday, which equates to one every five seconds.

NHS England said this was 11 times more than the 1,414 hits recorded on Tuesday.

Experts believe the King's desire to share his diagnosis of an enlarged prostate will lead to an increase in the number of men with symptoms of the condition seeking help.

It is understood Charles, 75, was keen to share his diagnosis to encourage other men who may be experiencing symptoms to get checked in line with health advice.

One in three men over the age of 50 will have symptoms of an enlarged prostate, including needing to go to the toilet more often and urgently, and difficulty emptying the bladder.

The Daily Mail has been at the forefront of the fight against prostate health for a quarter of a century.

Since 1999, the Mail has been calling for better diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer, encouraging men to stop 'dying of shame'.

It has led to reporting on promising new treatments, including MRI-guided transurethral ultrasound ablation, which bombards tumors with sound waves and could also be used to treat enlarged prostate – known as benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Buckingham Palace said Charles' condition was benign and he would undergo a “corrective procedure.”

Ian Eardley, consultant urological surgeon in Leeds and national clinical director of NHS England, said the condition becomes more common with age and will affect up to four in five men aged 75.

“It's very common: at that age you would expect well over 70 to 80 percent of men to have an enlarged prostate,” he said.

'About half of them will develop complaints, and broadly speaking, about half of them will suffer from those complaints to some extent.

“To some extent, it's an inevitable part of aging for almost all men.”

Asked whether the announcement would lead to more people seeking help, Mr Eardley said: 'The nature of these things is that if it becomes public knowledge it will lead to more men seeking help. That's a good thing.'

He said that prostate problems have traditionally had a “perception that it's something you don't want to talk about” and that “being able to talk about it is actually a good thing, not least because the whole stack of things we can do '.

'The majority of men do not need surgery.

'The majority of men just need to be monitored and their symptoms will often improve significantly if they take one or two pills, something a GP can do quite easily,' he added.

Meg Burgess, a specialist nurse and Prostate Cancer UK, said: 'As the prostate enlarges it can cause problems with emptying the bladder. As the prostate enlarges, it can press on the urethra and water pipes, causing urine leakage. symptoms.

“It's a benign condition, so it's a non-cancerous condition.”

Ms Burgess said not all men with the condition will undergo surgery, adding: 'It really depends on how much distress the symptoms cause and what the treatments might be.

'Initially it might just be some lifestyle changes, looking at what you drink, how much you drink.

'If the symptoms are causing more distress, there are medications that can be very useful in treating the symptoms, so for many men tablets will be enough to relieve symptoms.

'But if medication doesn't help, there are a number of different surgical options that can help reduce symptoms and improve bladder emptying.'

She said the most common surgical option is a so-called transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), a surgical procedure in which part of the prostate is cut away.

Approximately 15,000 prostate resection procedures are performed in England and Wales each year.

She said men who have urinary tract problems or are concerned about their risk of prostate cancer, which usually has no symptoms, should contact their GP.

Other wins for the Daily Mail's prostate campaigns include the use of MRI scans for almost all men suspected of having prostate cancer.

In November last year, health leaders announced a first-of-its-kind pilot that could revolutionize detection of the deadly disease, inviting thousands of men for screening using MRI scanners for the first time.

The announcement followed the relaunch of the 'End Unnecessary Prostate Deaths' campaign.

By Owen Tonks for Mailonline

Published: 4:02 PM EST, January 7, 2024 | Updated: 4:02 PM EST, January 7, 2024

A British doctor who worked at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza has revealed that there were ‘no-go areas’ in the building where he ‘would be shot’ if he went there.

Israel has long claimed the building is a hideout for terror group Hamas, with a command and control center reportedly located beneath the structure in a series of tunnels.

On Sunday, the Israel Defense Force said it had found a 55-meter-long tunnel near the hospital where it had also recovered four days ago the bodies of two hostages kidnapped last month.

Hamas has denied using the hospital as a base, but the doctor, who asked to remain anonymous, told France 24 that he worked there for three months in 2021.

He said: ‘When I was first asked to work there [at Shifa]I was told there was a part of the hospital I wasn’t allowed to go near, and if I did I was in danger of being shot.”

When asked if it was explained why, the man, speaking with a Home Counties accent, said: “No, but it was implied that it was used for non-medical purposes.”

He added: ‘I stayed away but I saw some dodgy looking, non-medical characters going in and out all the time.

‘It was a section that led to a basement. Like I said, I didn’t go there; so I behaved.”

He continued: ‘I was welcome everywhere else, and as I said, the doctors and nurses there were very hospitable and very kind and the hushed tone in which this was said was very similar to all the other hushed tones in which Hamas was discussed.

“You know people were really scared. I cannot emphasize enough the atmosphere of collective paranoia that prevailed there.

“If hospital staff were 10 percent afraid of possible Israeli air strikes, 90 percent were afraid of being persecuted by Hamas.”

In images released by the IDF on Sunday, a tunnel under the hospital – where weapons and ammunition were also discovered – leads to a bomb-proof blast door that has yet to be breached.

An Italian journalist, who visited the hospital in 2009 after Israel’s Operation Cast Lead against Hamas, told local media that they had seen a similar door.

They said, ‘Shifa is a very big complex. I got lost in there and at one point I ended up on an underground floor and faced two armed Hamas men in military fatigues who told me to get out.

‘I got the impression that they were guarding a security door that gave access to their underground infrastructure.

“Several Palestinian sources I spoke to later confirmed that Hamas’s command and control center was located beneath Shifa Hospital and that [Hamas leader] Ismail Haniyeh hid there for the entire duration of Operation Cast Lead.”

Announcing the discovery of the tunnels, the Israeli military said it was “telling the truth” and posted a video on its website inviting readers to “see the evidence for themselves.”

The footage also showed clips of two hostages – a Nepalese and a Thai man – taken by Hamas terrorists on October 7, and doctors and medical staff can be seen in the background.

Although the faces in the video – just hours after the October 7 attacks – were blurred, Israel said it had “notified the appropriate authorities” about the men.

The hospital has been subject to heavy military attacks by the IDF, which on Sunday allowed the evacuation of 31 premature babies to Egypt.

The Hamas-run Health Ministry says more than 13,000 people have been killed in Israel’s military operation and several schools used as shelters and hospitals have been hit.

Nicola Bulley was alive when she fell in the River Wyre – but the icy water in January this year could have killed her in just 25 seconds, her inquest heard today.

The mother-of-two had not been drinking and died by drowning with no sign of foul play or an attack by a third party, Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire, was told.

Professor Michael Tipton, a world-leading expert on the effects of falling into cold water, gave evidence about how a typical response to plunging into a river where the temperature was 10C or below was to ‘gasp’ and inhale one or two litres of water.

Commenting on Ms Bulley’s build and the heavy outdoor clothing she was wearing on the day she went missing, he said: ‘It would only take one or two breaths to cross the lethal dose for drowning.’ Someone in that situation would have around 25 seconds before they lost consciousness, he said, experiencing ‘very rapid incapacitation’. Police diver Matthew Thackray said photographs shown to the hearing of the riverbank above which Ms Bulley was last seen showed there was a steep ‘cliff edge’ into the water where she fell.

The 45-year-old mother vanished while walking her dog next to the Wyre after the morning school run on January 27. It became the most high profile missing person case of recent years. Lancashire Police faced a furious backlash over its handling of the case and for revealing Ms Bulley suffered from ‘significant issues with alcohol’ in the past as well as battling the menopause. 

Giving evidence at County Hall in Preston today, Dr Alison Armour said that there was ‘no evidence’ Ms Bulley was harmed before she fell in the Wyre. She died as a result of drowning and was alive when she fell into the water, the Home Office pathologist then said. Ms Bulley had not been assaulted or injured before she died, Dr Armour added. 

Dr Adeley asked her: ‘At the time of her death she had no alcohol in her bloodstream?’ Dr Armour replied: ‘That’s my opinion.’ 

Ms Bulley’s partner Paul Ansell and her family attended the hearing this morning. Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire, told them: ‘I’m sorry that you are attending this court under these circumstances.’ He was told to refer to Ms Bulley as Nikki during the hearing, which had extra security as a result of ‘substantial social media interest’ and ‘unusual online commentary’ around Ms Bulley’s disappearance.

Dr Armour said watery fluid and fragments of dirt found inside Ms Bulley’s body were ‘typical features we see in cases of drowning’.

The coroner then asked if there was ‘any indication’ that Ms Bulley suffered ‘assault or harm’ on the day she vanished. ‘No there was not,’ Dr Armour replied. She confirmed there was no evidence of ‘third party involvement’ from her examination.

Home Office pathologist Dr Armour, who carried out the post mortem after Ms Bulley’s body was found on February 19, concluded the cause of her death was drowning.

She said she based this opinion on the presence of ‘watery fluid’ in her stomach and lungs as well as fragments of dirt found in her throat.

‘In my opinion I consider Nicola Bulley was alive when she entered the water as it is an active process to swallow water and inhale fluid into the lungs,’ she told the hearing.

Traces of alcohol found in her blood following toxicology reports were consistent with bacterial activity after her death, she said, while medication including paracetamol was within ‘therapeutic levels’.

Neither bruises found on her arms and legs nor any underlying disease had contributed to her death, she said.

Dr Armour said there was no evidence of ‘trauma’ to Ms Bulley’s neck.

Police diver Matthew Thackray said specialist divers searching the water for Ms Bulley had to be helped out of the river by colleagues.

The coroner asked: ‘If you were in the water trying to get a foothold, would it be possible?’

‘Not at all,’ he answered.

He said water temperature on the day was 4C which would have felt ‘almost freezing’.

A key area of speculation during the search for Ms Bulley was whether it would have been possible for a casualty or a body to be pushed over a nearby weir by the current.

Beneath the weir, the Wyre becomes tidal as it flows towards the treacherous sands of Morecambe Bay.

In a video, Pc Thackray could be seen floating easily over the weir, despite the lower water level compared to when Ms Bulley went missing.

He clarified the water temperature on January 27 as being 3.6C with the water flowing at around twice the speed as when he filmed the clip for the coroner.

Nicola Bulley may have only been able to hold her breath for ‘one or two seconds at best’ in the river, an inquest into her death heard.

Cold water expert Dr Patrick Morgan said: ‘(After falling in) the heart rate goes excessively high, the blood pressure surges excessively high.

‘The heart pumps no blood, and the brain switches off. The potential conscious time here quoted are optimistic… it is potentially shorter.

‘On the occasion that the individual has taken that initial gasp on the surface of the water and then gone below, the duration would be 10 seconds that you could hold your breath, and very likely one or two seconds at best.’

Ms Bulley’s body may have sunk under the surface of the river after she fell in, an underwater search expert has said.

Dr Lorna Dennison Wilkins told the inquest in Preston: ‘Nikki might have had some buoyancy in her clothing which would have dispelled.

‘Once that happened, she would have lost that buoyancy and her body would have sunk under the surface, was my assessment.’

The 45-year-old mortgage adviser’s body was found in the River Wyre in Lancashire on February 19 – around a mile from where she vanished on January 27.

Ms Bulley’s phone was found on a bench overlooking the water in the village of St Michael’s-on-Wyre, while still connected to a work Teams call.

Large rocks in the river immediately beneath the bank where Ms Bulley was last seen had probably been placed there deliberately in the past to combat erosion, Pc Thackray said.

The hearing was shown a video filmed by Pc Thackray in April as he floated downriver from the point Ms Bulley was last seen.

He said it was not possible to stand up in the river until around 40m downstream – and its level was around half-a-metre lower than on the day Ms Bulley went missing.

Speaking on the video about the water temperature, he said: ‘If you fell in accidentally, cold water shock would probably have taken effect and caused you to gasp and your muscles to seize so you can’t swim properly.’

Police divers were seen back in the river in April in an operation which Dr Adeley’s office later said was intended to assess the stability and topography of the bank.

Paul Ansell, her partner of 12 years, gave TV interviews appealing for help – saying their daughters wanted their mummy home.

As the days passed and speculation continued online, Lancashire Police revealed Ms Bulley had struggled with alcohol and perimenopause.

This prompted widespread criticism for disclosing her personal information, with Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak questioned about the police approach and the force facing investigation.

An independent review of Lancashire Police’s handling of the case is currently under way by the College of Policing, ordered by Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden.

Part of the review will include inquiries made by the Information Commissioner’s Office over the force’s disclosure of Ms Bulley’s personal information.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct also looked at a welfare check on Ms Bulley carried out by police 17 days before she went missing.

Media watchdog Ofcom is also in contact with both ITV and Sky after criticism of the broadcasters by Ms Bulley’s family.

The inquest, expected to last two days, continues.

Why it matters

Stubbornly high inflation sent many consumers across the continent into a cost-of-living crisis, forcing them to cut back significantly over the period. Spending in the eurozone fell by 0.3 percent in the first three months of this year, following a 1 percent drop in the previous quarter. Imports also fell sharply as demand for goods and services fell.

Government spending, which soared during the pandemic lockdowns, also fell sharply, contracting 1.6 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier.

The downturn mirrors a contraction in Germany, the eurozone’s largest economy, which reported last month that data for the first three months of the year showed the economy had slipped into recession amid the energy price shock.

But Thursday’s report showed mixed results across the region as southern European economies, including Spain, Italy and Portugal, all posted strong growth rates, while Germany and the Netherlands contracted and France grew only slightly.

Since the spring, Europe’s overall economy has picked up pace slightly and the European Commission has raised its growth forecast, forecasting growth of 1.1 percent this year and 1.6 percent in 2024.

“Looking ahead, we think consumer spending will now recover slightly as inflation eases, and we also think government spending will pick up,” Claus Vistesen, chief eurozone economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, wrote in a note. “But this boost is likely to be offset by a continued decline in investment and a further reduction in inventories, due to tightening credit conditions.”

Background

Governments had hoped to avoid a recession after spending lavishly during the winter months to shield households and businesses from skyrocketing energy and food costs exacerbated by Russia’s war in Ukraine. Countries across Europe quickly built up energy reserves, and a mild winter, along with massive conservation efforts, helped avert the worst.

The strategy has helped lower energy prices and inflation in the eurozone’s major economies has climbed from record highs. In May, annual inflation stood at 6.1 percent, the lowest level in the eurozone in more than a year.

But the price of food and a range of services has continued to rise at an uncomfortably high rate, raising the likelihood that the European Central Bank will continue to raise interest rates at its forthcoming meetings. The International Monetary Fund has warned that the main challenge for European policymakers this year would be to contain inflation without triggering a serious recession.

What’s next

Analysts said the downturn was mild and unlikely to weigh on an economic recovery from the pandemic, but it nonetheless indicated growth would remain tepid for the rest of the year.

“It is difficult to argue that this is a recession,” ING Bank said in a note to customers. “However, the economic stagnation marks a clear break from the recent post-pandemic boom.”

The next monetary policy meeting of the European Central Bank is on June 15.

What do a Chanel blazer, a 66-piece sterling silver service and a handpan have in common?

They are all expensive items left in unclaimed baggage. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, airlines handled nearly 393 million bags in 2021, including 2 million pieces of luggage that were lost.

The Alabama-based company, which comes to the rescue of “truly orphaned” items, Unclaimed baggage. The company buys bags from domestic US airlines and other travel agencies after a three-month search for the owners.

Employees say it’s a complete lottery what they find in the bags, but sometimes the contents can be surprising.

The Unclaimed Baggage website has a spread of different categories, including mobile phones, musical instruments, pet products, and sporting goods.

There are, of course, many clothes to choose from.

Currently, some of the prize pieces include a tweed Chanel jacket ($6,599.99), a crystal-embellished black mini dress from Prada ($2,400.99), and a men’s leather bomber jacket from Givenchy ($4,500.99).

In terms of footwear, the most expensive offering for women is a pair of Givenchy leather ankle boots ($1,496.99).

While for the men, Unclaimed Baggage serves up a pair of neon green Louis Vuitton sneakers ($1,130).

Unsurprisingly, there’s a good selection of luggage on offer, ranging from low-end to luxury.

A Louise Vuitton roller case recently sold for $2,000, but there’s still a Tom Ford briefcase for $1,999.99 and a Tumi duffle bag for $836.99.

Women’s handbags are also often left by accident, the company says, and right now a limited edition velvet Chanel bag is up for grabs with a price tag of $3,120.99.

When it comes to the highest priced item on the website, a diamond and gold bracelet is listed for $9,123.99.

Discarded designer watches also fetch a pretty penny, and a Versace men’s watch can be had for just over $1,000.

In addition to standard fashion and electronic products, Unclaimed Luggage says some suitcases contain some pretty bizarre stuff.

Some of the more unusual items currently on sale include an antique 66-piece sterling silver dinnerware set ($1,900.99), a 13-note hand pan ($1,049.99), and a one-of-a-kind green glass vase made in France ($409). .99).

But these items seem rather tame compared to some of Unclaimed Baggage’s previous finds.

A section on the website describes some of the “extraordinary” things that have been recovered.

The company once received a “terrible-smelling” bear skin packed in salt before departure, and in 2002 a ten-foot-long Tibetan dung—a ceremonial horn commonly used in religious rituals—arrived at the sorting center.

Stranger still, the company says it’s gotten several shrunken heads over the years, including one that served as a decoration on a medicine man’s stick.

Not sure where this bizarre item came from, but notes: ‘Headhunting has only been documented in the northwestern region of the Amazon rainforest (Ecuador and Peru).

“Tribes such as the Aguaruna, Huambisa, Achuar and Shuar are known for shrinking and collecting human heads.”

Unclaimed Baggage began in 1970 when entrepreneur Doyle Owens ventured to Washington DC and purchased his first load of unclaimed luggage from Trailways Bus Line.

He then sold the contents on card tables in an old rental house and the venture was an instant success. Owens forged close relationships with airlines and expanded the business.

Today, the business is still family-owned and customers can purchase goods online or in-store, with a café and a ‘Museum of Found Treasures’ among other popular attractions.

Any items not sold will be donated to charity or recycled.